Taylor King that is.
In a game where Duke look completely jet lagged, King came off the bench and put together one of the best performances of the year. King scored an unbelievable 27 points in just 21 minutes of playing time. With two benches players like Scheyer and King, who needs a big man. A big reason for King’s explosion was an unconscious 6-11 from three point land. Because of King, Duke was able to get out of offensive ruts that they experienced throughout the game.
Another thing King did well was not turnover the ball. His teammates didn’t experience the same success. 20 turnovers, including Lance Thomas(3) Greg Paulus(3) Gerald Henderson(5) Brian Zoubek(4), made Duke look inefficient when handling the ball. Even though there defense was stellar, Duke must protect the ball better. Obvious, right?
The other two scoring leaders for Duke were Henderson(10) and Nelson(12). Players like Singler, Paulus, Thomas, and Scheyer didn’t put up big numbers because they didn’t shot the ball. These players only shot 11 of the 47 shots by Duke. A reason for this was the sloppy play, and many turnovers that stopped Duke from running a full 40 minute “power offense”.
The defense was impressive. Eastern Kentucky only scored 12 points in the first half, finishing with 43 points when is was all over. Duke was able to force Eastern Kentucky into 31 turnovers, scoring 34 points off those turnovers. Like last year Duke is a great defensive team. Adding the zone has just furthered this. But because of all the weapons they have now, you see the better Blue Devils this year.
Quick Thoughts
-17 assists to 20 turnovers. Has to get better before ACC time.
-After this game Duke is shooting a little better than 51% from the field. Pretty solid if you ask me.
-I haven’t heard any news on Pocius. Hopefully it is nothing serious, as he is a key part to this team.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Taylor King
After opening the season with 21 points, Taylor didn’t want anyone to forget who he was. 27 points is a good way to do that. Coming into the season I think a lot of people were more interested in Nolan Smith, then Taylor King. King is really showing that he could turn into a unbelievable scoring threat in the coming year. There is nothing more you can say about these three freshmen. I think they make up the most important freshmen class in the nation, as far as meaning the most to a team. Great stuff from “THE KING”.
*Next up for Duke is the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Another great test in Wisconsin, who the Devils will play Tuesday at 9/8c on ESPN.
Jet lag from Hawaii cannot be understated…trust me on that one. I just hope they are ready for Tuesday night. Great scheduling by Coach K though.