DURHAM, NC — After watching Duke dismantle Syracuse in Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday night, I’ve come to the conclusion that defense — yes, defense — could be the difference for a Duke team that has as much of a chance to reach the Final Four as last season’s edition. It will also be the biggest factor in who wins the Blue Devils’ momentous clash with top-ranked Michigan on Saturday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Now, I know, Syracuse is hardly the barometer the Blue Devils need to ensure that they can defend the best teams in the country. The Orange were lost offensively and were handed their worst loss since joining the ACC, a 101-64 drubbing by the Blue Devils. And the blown leads against Texas Tech (17) at Madison Square Garden in December and at North Carolina (13) earlier this month were because of some defensive lapses. But the defense, when on, is what could get the Blue Devils to Indianapolis.
Monday night it was suffocating. The Blue Devils had 10 steals. And they had a 17-4 points off turnover advantage. They made Syracuse look completely lost.
Dame Sarr is a lock down defender. Patrick Ngongba, Maliq Brown, Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer (three steals) all had turns making key defensive plays. And of course, the leading candidate for player of the year — Cameron Boozer — is no slouch on that end of the floor. He had eight defensive rebounds to go along with his 12 total (and 22 points).
How will the Blue Devils defend Michigan and its trio of bigs in Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson? Or the onslaught of guards led by former Tar Heel Elliot Cadeau?
That won’t be easy Saturday, but the Syracuse game was another example that they’ve got the goods to do it.
“It’s been clear that’s what our identity is,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said after the Syracuse win. “It’s as good a defense as we’ve had since I’ve been here. We understand Michigan has a ton of fire power. We have a ton of respect for the way they can score. It’s going to be a great test to see where we’re at, but I think we’ve proven and shown that when we can connect on that end of the floor, regardless of who we’re playing.”
The numbers don’t lie. Duke held Stanford to 50 points — at Palo Alto. Louisville had just 52 in Durham. Clemson, which entered the game last Saturday in Durham tied for first in the loss column, scored only 54. Pitt could only muster 54.
The Blue Devils are giving up an average of only 63.2 points a game. They are averaging eight steals and three blocks a game. They are keeping teams shooting around 46 percent. And they are dominating the backboard.
“They are physically tough,” Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said. “They really spread you out and they can cover the court. You don’t have a lot of time when you get open. They do a good job of closing off and rotating. They are a very, very good defensive team. I know they get a lot of credit offensively, but I think their defense is really, really, really tough.”
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The Duke brotherhood was out in force Monday night. Carlos Boozer was there, as always, watching his twin sons play. Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach were all seated under the basket, down a few seats from Mike Krzyzewski, who was sitting with Steve Wojciechowski.
And, yet, with all of that talent past and present in Cameron, it was hard not to marvel at how talented this team is defensively while also having the likely player of the year in Boozer. He is a tough cover who continues to make life miserable for opposing teams. You look up and he suddenly has 22 and 12 to end the game after just 25 minutes of play. He doesn’t even get beat up much as a big man who can work the angles inside. Why? He’s quick enough to get in his position and angle to the hoop. Boozer also just has that knack for the ball and seems to be the player who is always in the right place at the right time.
Boozer’s brother, Cayden, is turning into a solid lead guard off the bench as well as a top defender. The experience of Foster and the rising star nature of Evans as a quick deep shooter is giving the Blue Devils the necessary pieces to make a run.
Will it be enough to slow down the train that is Michigan? Maybe, maybe not. The Blue Devils have done well in the peer-to-peer games, save the late blown lead to Texas Tech.
Neutral wins over Kansas and Arkansas, at Michigan State and at home over Florida while all before Jan. 1, are strong indicators that the ability to meet the moment is well within Duke’s reach.
Scheyer and the Duke staff scheduled the Michigan game with the intent of having an NCAA Tournament type Sweet 16/Final Four game in the middle of the ACC season. “We knew they were going to be really good and be one of the best teams in the country when we scheduled this game,” said Scheyer. “You don’t know they are going to be No. 1, and you hope you’re going to be really good. I love the fact where we are with our team and where they are and that’s what this game should all be about. This will bring out the best in both teams. To get a chance to have this game in February, neutral site, all the postseason games played in this type of environment. It’s an incredible opportunity for our group. We will grow and learn and get back to ACC play.”
The decision to play in Washington DC was no fluke. DC is the site of the East Regional, where Duke hopes to be the No. 1 seed after getting through a likely opening weekend in Greenville, S.C. Duke should take care of Notre Dame next week but then ends with quite a gauntlet as usual as the network partners always want to get Duke on against the top competition down the stretch. Games against Virginia and North Carolina at home are sandwiched around a road game against rival NC State.
Then comes the ACC tournament, followed by the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils will be tested and pushed on Saturday and the next few weeks, but having a defense this good means they will be one of the teams to beat throughout March.
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