swiseman@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
DURHAM — Duke continues to pile up wins as usual this men’s basketball season.
The Blue Devils just aren’t doing it in their usual manner.
Despite being ranked No. 8 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll and sitting at No. 2 in the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index standings, Duke continues to be uncharacteristically at the bottom of the ACC in defensive statistics.
The Blue Devils are allowing teams to make 44.3 percent of their shots. No team in the ACC is allowing teams to shoot better. Duke’s opponents are scoring 69.4 points per game, which has Duke 11th in the ACC and 234th in the country in scoring defense.
Many times, athletes claim not to know or worry about statistics. The Blue Devils (13-2, 1-0 ACC), though, know all too well about their defensive shortcomings this season.
They also know they need to start fixing them quickly with No. 16 Virginia (14-1, 1-0) heading to Cameron Indoor Stadium for an important ACC game Thursday (9 p.m., ESPN).
“We are definitely aware of it and it does bother us,” Duke senior forward Miles Plumlee said. “It’s just not what Duke teams do. We’re trying to fix that, starting with the perimeter and how we help as bigs.”
After Saturday’s 81-74 win at Georgia Tech, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski admitted that teams with athletic backcourts have given his team fits. That was evident in Atlanta, as small forward Glen Rice Jr., hit 4 of 7 3-pointers to score 28 points while guard Mfon Udofia scored 19 to keep the Yellow Jackets close until the final minutes.
Georgia Tech entered the game having made 29 percent of its 3-pointers, lowest in the ACC. But the Yellow Jackets made 6 of 13 (46 percent).
Duke is emphasizing improved on-ball defense as well as working on playing better overall team defense.
It all starts in the backcourt, where sophomore Tyler Thornton and freshman Quinn Cook are splitting the point guard duties. Cook got his first start in a Duke uniform at Georgia Tech.
“Duke prides itself on its defense,” Cook said. “It starts on the ball. I’m the head of the defense, me and Tyler. We want to pressure the ball more to just kind of get their offense out of rhythm with pressure on the ball. We’re just focusing on that.
“We have to stay in tip-top shape. Me and Tyler push each other, working after practice to stay in the best shape.”
Duke does have some good defensive statistics to tout. The Blue Devils are tied for third in the ACC with 7.1 steals per game and tied for fourth with 4.7 blocked shots per game.
But junior forward Ryan Kelly, one of Duke’s captains, said improving the team’s defense overall is part of its growth.
“Especially on the defensive end, we didn’t really trust each other,” Kelly said. “When you put five guys out there, you have to be able to trust each other and know we have each other’s backs, whether its help side or whatever it is.
“It showed that guys were getting beat off the dribble and guys weren’t getting a lot of help. Our defense wasn’t there.”
The Blue Devils are working to get it there. Games like Thursday’s against Virginia will help show how much progress they are making.
