Greivis Vasquez/Chester Frazier, Duke, Indiana Unknowns
1. Maryland and Illinois were parallel teams in a couple of ways heading into their matchup Tuesday night. Both were missing a key interior player -- Ekene Ibekwe for the Terrapins, Brian Randle for the Fighting Illini. And both had relatively inexperienced lead guards.
That point guard matchup, U of M's freshman Greivis Vasquez vs. U of I's sophomore Chester Frazier (understudy to Dee Brown last season) ultimately decided the game. Although Frazier had five assists to Vasquez's three, Vazquez outscored his opposite number 17-2. Moreover, the Terps frosh got 15 of those in the second half, after Maryland had blown a big early lead. His steal in the backcourt and ensuing layup, capping a quick six-point run that put Maryland up three, was probably the most important play of the game.
Champaign is probably one of the five toughest places to play in college basketball. Fifty-one consecutive non-Big Ten teams had left Assembly Hall with a loss before Maryland's victory. Vasquez went into by far the toughest environment he's played in as a collegian, and carried his team to the W.
2. Earlier this season, I suggested that Duke's DeMarcus Nelson was poised for a big year. For the Blue Devils' sake, I'd better be right.
This is the most beatable Duke team we've seen in more than a decade. They escaped at home against a mediocre Indiana squad. Greg Paulus is having a disastrous season; his confidence is shot (in part because he hasn't started in either of the last two games), and fouling out against and being outplayed tonight by a 5'8" former walk-on (Errek Suhr) isn't going to help. Josh McRoberts has done nothing to distinguish himself on the offensive end. Highly-touted freshman Gerald Henderson was practically non-existent tonight, seemingly reluctant to even touch the ball on offense. Even Nelson, who basically won the game for his team with 19 points, was quiet for a long stretch in the middle -- at least the second time this season he's started hot and then hardly been heard from.
If Nelson has to carry this much of the scoring load all season, the Devils are in serious trouble. He has a history of injuries and will no doubt wear down if he has to play this many minutes for a full season. There's time for everyone to bounce back, but there's no way the Duke squad I saw tonight is a top ten team. If they don't improve by Saturday, Georgetown will whip them.
3. Let's take a moment, though, to appreciate what Suhr, Mike White, and Armon Bassett did for Indiana tonight. After a lackluster first 20 minutes, Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson chose to sit A.J. Ratliff, Earl Calloway, and Roderick Wilmont, and let these rather unproven players play. And play they did, battling all the way back from a double-digit deficit.
Ultimately, they were done in by their inexperience -- well, that, and a lack of timeouts. Bassett had a great game, but took an unnecessary, off-balance three-pointer on the team's penultimate possession, then made a poor decision to pass up a look from deep after Duke made a shocking turnover in the backcourt. With another TO, Sampson might've been able to get his team a better look, or worked a two-for-one.
That point guard matchup, U of M's freshman Greivis Vasquez vs. U of I's sophomore Chester Frazier (understudy to Dee Brown last season) ultimately decided the game. Although Frazier had five assists to Vasquez's three, Vazquez outscored his opposite number 17-2. Moreover, the Terps frosh got 15 of those in the second half, after Maryland had blown a big early lead. His steal in the backcourt and ensuing layup, capping a quick six-point run that put Maryland up three, was probably the most important play of the game.
Champaign is probably one of the five toughest places to play in college basketball. Fifty-one consecutive non-Big Ten teams had left Assembly Hall with a loss before Maryland's victory. Vasquez went into by far the toughest environment he's played in as a collegian, and carried his team to the W.
2. Earlier this season, I suggested that Duke's DeMarcus Nelson was poised for a big year. For the Blue Devils' sake, I'd better be right.
This is the most beatable Duke team we've seen in more than a decade. They escaped at home against a mediocre Indiana squad. Greg Paulus is having a disastrous season; his confidence is shot (in part because he hasn't started in either of the last two games), and fouling out against and being outplayed tonight by a 5'8" former walk-on (Errek Suhr) isn't going to help. Josh McRoberts has done nothing to distinguish himself on the offensive end. Highly-touted freshman Gerald Henderson was practically non-existent tonight, seemingly reluctant to even touch the ball on offense. Even Nelson, who basically won the game for his team with 19 points, was quiet for a long stretch in the middle -- at least the second time this season he's started hot and then hardly been heard from.
If Nelson has to carry this much of the scoring load all season, the Devils are in serious trouble. He has a history of injuries and will no doubt wear down if he has to play this many minutes for a full season. There's time for everyone to bounce back, but there's no way the Duke squad I saw tonight is a top ten team. If they don't improve by Saturday, Georgetown will whip them.
3. Let's take a moment, though, to appreciate what Suhr, Mike White, and Armon Bassett did for Indiana tonight. After a lackluster first 20 minutes, Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson chose to sit A.J. Ratliff, Earl Calloway, and Roderick Wilmont, and let these rather unproven players play. And play they did, battling all the way back from a double-digit deficit.
Ultimately, they were done in by their inexperience -- well, that, and a lack of timeouts. Bassett had a great game, but took an unnecessary, off-balance three-pointer on the team's penultimate possession, then made a poor decision to pass up a look from deep after Duke made a shocking turnover in the backcourt. With another TO, Sampson might've been able to get his team a better look, or worked a two-for-one.
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 2:14 PM
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