Staff photo by Chuck Liddy
Talking Points: Duke's big three adds up to nothing
The Big East is guaranteed one spot in the Final Four. After Villanova's romp of Duke on Thursday in the East Regional, it's just a question of which Big East team will advance to Detroit.
Villanova hit nine of its first 12 shots of the second half to break open a three-point halftime lead and bury the cold-shooting Blue Devils. The Wildcats squashed Duke 77-54 to set up a matchup with Pittsburgh in the regional final on Saturday.
Nova's aggressive defense, a mix of man and a three-quarter trap, reduced Duke's trio of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson to the "Little Three."
Henderson, Duke's leading scorer, missed his first 11 shots from the field and finished 1 of 14 with seven points. The junior wing didn't score until hitting two free throws with 1:10 left in the first half.
He wasn't the only Duke player who couldn't shoot. The Blue Devils made only 5 of 25 (20 percent) from 3-point range and 16 of 58 (27.6 percent) from the floor.
Reggie Redding's 3-pointer at 8:44 pushed Nova's advantage to 56-40 after it held a 26-23 halftime lead.
Scheyer responded with a 3 on the next possession but it was a fleeting hope for the Blue Devils who finished the decade with six losses in the round of 16.
Scheyer finished with 13 points and Singler led the team wth 15. Duke ends the season at 30-7.
Guard Scottie Reynolds led a balanced Nova scoring effort with 16 points.
Pitt (1) beat Xavier (4) 60-55 in the first game, giving the Big East three of the four decided spots in the Elite Eight. The Big East improved to 14-2 in the tournament while the ACC fell to 5-6 with only UNC left.
The Big East still has a shot at all four Final Four spots.
On an officiating note, either the NCAA reads ACC Now (and has a sense of humor) or the luck of the random draw reunited Karl Hess and J.D. Collins — two-thirds of the officiating crew from the infamous Duke-FSU game in Durham on March 3.
Comments
To Luke DeCock
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 09:16 — gjaluvkait's almost surreal to applaud a season in which a team with about 8 high school AAs gets thumped by 2 touchdowns in the round of 16 by a team with zero.
That's like having the first 5 picks in a playground pickup game, losing 11-5 and saying you did well.
No, You didn't.
K has a great resume but if he can no longer figure out how to recruit players who form a complete team, he's fallen a bit behind the curve. And he has.
Congrats to Duke
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 08:11 — JPDOhioThey have now reached the level of success enjoyed by NC State under Herb.
ouch
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 11:31 — gvillegatrmaybe the most stinging comment posted here in a long time!
Duke bball
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 02:38 — desiGo Duke ! I don't think coach K deserves to be fired yet. He was able to hold Villanova a mid tier Big East team to under a 30 point loss in a league were he wouldn't have won four games. He has players like Greg Paulus who couldn't make Syracuse's basketball team as an equipment manager and yet he still made it to the sweet sixteen. If coach K isn't fired I think he could make it back to the sweet sixteen within ten years.
Post Season Duke Banquet
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:46 — captchuck18Coach K announces, in his post game news conference the site of the 2009 Duke Blue Devil post season banquet. Coach K will host the current Devils team (loosely defined after this punkin) as well as next years prized recruits (including softer than Shavlik, Ryan Kelly of the private school league Ravenscroft) at his beach home in Pine Knoll Shores, NC. The highlight of the banquet will be the contest at the end of the Sheraton Pier where coach k will have wojo and chrissy collins roll out a rack of basketballs and see if ANYONE can manage to throw one into the Atlanitc Ocean????????????????????????????????????????? PUNK'd again!!!
Nice picture
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 13:23 — SurferI predict 45 mph onshore winds... and a bunch of basketballs landing in the sand dunes.
Are You Surprised?
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:26 — Terptonywhen was the last time they have done anything in the tournament? But coach K, yeah he recruits well. Sorry I didnt watch the much hyped Nova Duke game, it was turned off in the nations capital, due to the blow out!
most embarssing loss
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:22 — gvillegatrDUIke, you just dont "roll" the way you used to.
CBS stat of the night
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:20 — gvillegatr4-32 ... Scheyer and "G." lol.
Too and Begging
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:17 — captchuck18Duke basketball.....
too slow, too soft and a coach who's too arrogant.....
Singler begging for some pigment in his skin (is he wearing a white jersey? I cant tell), Coach Ego begging for some offense and all the calls and "G" Henderson......begging for a hole to crawl into.......at least Tyler Hansbrough gives you something else to be remebered for "G"....a cheap shot at the end of a game you got PUNK'D in...adios a---holes!!!!
That pampering
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 02:02 — jeromfitzluck finally ran out and ya'll got knock the ----out! No Mas! No Mas! If I was smart enough to find how much a dollar could bring off a winning margin I would gotten paid last night. I thought they should have lost second round game versus Texas. They live to see another day and got caught with some philly cats that don't go for that.
where are all the dookie
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:16 — Terptonywhere are all the dookie fans? finally, i get to see duke lose. guess what, dc tv did not show your game. it wasn't even close, so we watched memphis get worked by the tigers.
i hope Duke fans realize you are all talk, all hype. Every year, you are ranked in the top 10, but where is Jason Williams? or JJ? Great NBA Stars aren't they?
It's okay, you guys win the ACC every year, but you choke in the end,. Take your ACC championship, but who has won the last National Championships from the ACC? is it Duke? NO, Maryland and North Carolnia!
Twerp
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:30 — gvillegatrits UNC.
not Maryland and UNC. only one team can win it each year.
the comment was who has won
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:34 — Terptonythe comment was who has won the last two national championships from the ACC, and it has been Maryland and North Carolina before Duke. You didnt get the point. Read before you respond.
Twerp
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 01:02 — gvillegatrdoesnt matter how you slice it, it is UNC as our last NCAA champion and don't you forget it! this is my house!
Quit bickering and stay focused!
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 08:08 — JPDOhioThis moment is too rich to squander!
I am LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:03 — TerptonyI am LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF THIS. I have to get up early but i just love watching duke with all their ALL AMERICANS, CHOKE ONCE AGAIN! good job coach K with your all americans. at least GARY can win a championship with no "all americans" loving watching Vill just work DUKE! GO NOVA!!!!!
how come
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 23:39 — gvillegatrno one has ever said, "lets move Paulus over to the 2 guard and make Scheyer the PG??"
Paulus is so much better a shooter than #20 (Williams) ... which is what DUIke wants to do anyways.
ACC Refs
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 23:32 — gvillegatrthe game is being called exactly the way Duke wants it to be ... in their favor (fouls) and they are still down 10 w/out the ball. if it was not for FT shooting, they'd be buried right now.
there is plenty of time left though ... just saying is all.
pretty much what I thought
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 23:04 — gvillegatrtwo teams going at it. man-to-man defense. no really good looking shots to speak of.
with Mizzou winning, i'm going to have to hope for DUIke to lose considering I got Mizzou in the Final 4 on my money brackets. no DUIke/UNC match-up ... at least for now.
WOW!!
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 22:58 — gvillegatrhe (Hess) returns the favor! albeit Thomas did throw the elbow.
Karl Hess
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 22:52 — gvillegatris up to his usual (old) tricks. Harris gets the lay-up and the foul but Hess calls a phantom charge for Lance Thomas who was no where close to being set. unbelievable and pathetic.