2010 Duke vs. Baylor
Re-watch #5 - The Duke Basketball Project
Duke vs. Baylor
South Regional Final
Reliant Stadium - Houston, TX
March 28, 2010
Where I was
In 2010, I was working as a teacher and coach at my high school alma mater - teaching business & marketing classes and serving as the assistant coach for the Varsity basketball team. This game was the last one played in the Elite 8, late afternoon on a Sunday. I loved watching Duke around this time because I was more locked in on X’s & O’s than I had ever been - the coach I worked for had hundreds of books and tapes on various offenses and defenses. I would borrow several at a time, take meticulous notes, and file them away. Even though I had been watching Duke basketball my whole life, it was a different few years to be able to watch when my brain was so tuned in to the details. I’m not sure if I would consider myself to be overly superstitious as a fan but I definitely have had some game day rituals for Duke over the years. Obviously, I know in my logical head that these things do not affect the outcome of a game but I also don’t think they hurt. Anyway, at that time, I would almost always eat Bojangles shortly before the game tipped off, so on this Sunday afternoon I polished off my 4-piece Supreme Dinner and settled in.
Why this game
I picked this game for a couple of reasons. I wanted to do an Elite 8 game because I feel that is a round of the tournament that gets overlooked. The ultimate goal is obviously to win a National Championship but most fans don’t consider the fact that their team can win a championship after conference tournaments but before the Final Four. Throughout his career, Coach K revered the Elite 8 and built the Duke program around the importance of winning the Regional Championship and the idea that you can’t win the whole thing unless you first “cross the bridge” to the Final Four. Winning the region and hanging a Final Four banner in Cameron is something I’ll never take for granted as a fan. I also wanted to do a re-watch from Coach Scheyer’s time as a player, and so I chose his only appearance in the Elite 8.
Storylines
Duke was trying to reach the Final Four for the 11th time under Mike Krzyzewski and for the first time since 2004. Baylor, coached by Scott Drew, was in the midst of its most successful basketball season ever, with 28 wins coming into the game. Baylor’s 3 wins in the 2010 NCAA Tournament had matched their tournament win total for the previous 71 years. Of course, Scott Drew immediately makes me think of his father Homer and brother Bryce authoring one of the great buzzer beaters in NCAA history. If you look closely, you’ll see Scott as an assistant for his dad in that game. Baylor had beaten St. Mary’s 72-49 in the Sweet 16, while Duke was coming off a hard fought win over Purdue 70-57 (the score at halftime was 24-23). While a neutral site game, the Houston location would perhaps favor the Bears since it was only a 3 hour drive southeast from Waco. As the last regional final being played, Duke was trying to become the only #1 seed to reach the 2010 Final Four. Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the Final Four has only been without any #1 seeds twice. Can you name the two years? See Trivia Answer below.
The Teams
Duke started the veteran lineup of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Lance Thomas, and Brian Zoubek. Miles and Mason Plumlee came off the bench, along with Andre Dawkins. Baylor started LaceDarius Dunn, Tweety Carter, Ekpe Udoh, Anthony Jones, and Josh Lomers. The Bears also used Quincy Acy, A.J. Walton and Fred Ellis. Two things were certain regarding Baylor’s backcourt of Dunn and Carter. One, they were scary explosive and I felt like either could go off at any time. Two, LaceDarius and Tweety have to be on the shortlist of best name combinations ever for a backcourt but I’ll have to do that research another time.
The Game
1st Half Summary
Just prior to the tip, Clark Kellogg mentioned these two teams were evenly matched on paper and that he felt the winner may be the team most able to grind it out, noting “it’s more about will than skill when you get to this point.” LaceDarius Dunn opened the scoring with a 3, showing why he would leave Baylor as the all-time leading scorer in the Big 12 Conference - Buddy Hield has since passed him, but only by 6 points. This Baylor team had played almost exclusively 2-3 zone since the Big 12 tournament the previous year. Jim Nantz later pointed out that since switching to zone late in 2009, Baylor had gone 35-9. I’d say that was a great move by Coach Drew. To combat the zone, Duke would feed Zoubek or Thomas in the open space at the free throw line and then look for open shooters or cutters. Nolan Smith hit his first 3 of the game off an assist from Brian Zoubek on this exact action. Ekpe Udoh showed his versatility on both ends, blowing past Zoubek for a dunk and-1, then blocking Lance Thomas’ jump hook in the lane. Kyle Singler picked up his 2nd foul with 15:00 remaining in the half. Although Coach is known for letting his guys play with 2 fouls, with so much time left in the half, in came Andre Dawkins. After Smith and Dunn traded runners in the lane, Dawkins hit a deep 3 on an assist from Jon Scheyer with the “hockey assist” from Zoubek in the middle of the zone. Quincy Acy responded with a 3-point play off an offensive rebound - Brian Zoubek now had his 2nd foul as well and the score was tied at 14-14 with 11:32 left in the half. Nolan Smith hit another 3 off a baseline out of bounds play - he now had 10 of Duke’s 17 points. Scheyer then hit two 3’s, the second one from deep, and Duke was on an 11-4 spurt to lead 25-18. Scheyer’s two 3’s matched his total for the previous two games, when he was a combined 2-14 from long range against California and Purdue. I say that not to give Coach Scheyer a hard time but to illustrate his toughness and next play mentality. There are a few names on the list, but Scheyer is definitely a guy I wanted to shoot the next one regardless of how many he had missed. LaceDarius Dunn would respond with a couple of free throws before hooking up with Tweety Carter on the receiving end of an alley-oop. The Duke lead was back to only 3 with 6:21 remaining and Dunn now had 11 of the Bear’s 22 points. Baylor would continue to assert itself offensively, using high ball screen action to generate quality looks. Tweety Carter hit a 3 using a ball screen into a hand-off, Dunn swiped the ball loose from Mason Plumlee for a run out slam, and then Carter found Udoh off a ball screen who then delivered a bounce pass to Quincy Acy for a dunk. Baylor’s athleticism was on full display the next possession, as Acy stole the ball from Nolan Smith, fed Dunn, who hit Tweety Carter for another 3 - Nantz noted that Duke now faced its largest deficit of the tournament, down 29-35. As that Duke team often did, it immediately responded as Scheyer drove middle and found Dawkins for his second 3 of the half. Despite Baylor using a 12-3 run down the stretch, Duke now only trailed 32-35 heading into the locker room.
2nd Half 20:00 - Duke 32 Baylor 35
After assisting on Dawkins’ 3 to close the half, Scheyer hit a 3 from the near corner with the assist to Thomas in the middle of the zone. We’d get to see almost a mirror image of this shot later in the game. After Udoh dunked home a miss by Carter, the physicality of the game went up a level and both teams began to get to the free throw line. Singler, who was averaging 21 points in the tournament, hit 1 of 2 foul shots for his first point of the game before Scheyer was fouled shooting a 3. Dunn went to the line with a chance for a 3-point play but missed the foul shot before Smith and Udoh traded a pair of free throws. As he has done often throughout the years, Coach K began using a 1-2-2 press after made free throws. The press slowed Baylor down and disrupted some of the rhythm the Bears had developed late in the 1st half. Baylor responded with a little pressure of their own but Duke executed their press offense well, leading to a Nolan Smith free throw line jumper.
2nd Half 15:25 - Duke 47 Baylor 46
Brian Zoubek tipped in a Singler miss for a rare basket at this point in the game. The defense for both teams had risen with the physicality and scoring was limited almost exclusively to the foul line. When LaceDarius Dunn missed a 3 shortly after Zoubek’s 4th foul, the two teams had now combined to miss 13 consecutive shots from the field. Nolan Smith broke the 0 for streak, using a Mason Plumlee screen to hit a floater in the lane and Tweety Carter answered for Baylor with a driving layup, ending the Bears 6:53 stretch without a field goal. Ekpe Udoh added to his block total when he denied Zoubek on an offensive rebound before curling off a screen for an uncontested dunk on the other end. With the crowd roaring, Duke called timeout.
2nd Half 9:39 - Duke 51 Baylor 51
Lance Thomas made two free throws after a feed from Scheyer at the basket. Udoh continued his playmaking after Duke doubled him in the post, he found Josh Lomers for an easy layup. Lomers committed his 5th foul on the next possession as Singler drove to the basket. Thomas and Zoubek began to pound the offensive glass, and Zoubek made 1 of 2 free throws before LaceDarius Dunn snaked a ball screen for a layup to give Baylor the lead. The Bears went back to a ball screen for Dunn and he was fouled driving to the hoop - he sank both free throws.
2nd Half 5:44 - Duke 54 Baylor 57
Although there was plenty of time remaining, the Blue Devils needed to respond once again. The Duke response over the next few minutes of game time is one of the best I can remember, playing with an unmatched urgency. Scheyer missed a good look from long range but Mason Plumlee grabbed the miss and found Singler, who hit Scheyer stepping into a 3 from the top of the key - he shot it with confidence and nailed it. After successful ball screen action all game, Quincy Acy slipped to the basket instead for a wide open dunk.
2nd Half 5:07 - Duke 57 Baylor 59
Udoh blocked another shot before Acy was called for a charge as Zoubek stepped in on his drive to the hoop. It was a bang bang call that could have gone either way - I credit Zoubs for moving his feet and putting his body on the line to prevent Baylor from extending the lead. Lance Thomas rebounded a Scheyer miss, and found Singler who dished it to Nolan Smith. Right in front of Coach K, Smith drilled the 3 and turned to smack hands with his Hall of Fame Coach.
2nd Half 4:15 - Duke 60 Baylor 59
Ekpe Udoh answered with a left-handed jump hook over Thomas and Zoubek after dribbling in from the top of the key - his versatility was unbelievable. Carter committed Baylor’s 10th foul of the half as he guarded Nolan Smith on the perimeter, putting Smith on the line for 2 shots. The first went in but he missed the second. Lance Thomas was on the glass again, finding Smith for a second consecutive 3. It would have been easy for Smith to pull the ball back out but he fired instinctively - add Nolan to the list with Jon, as guys I always wanted to shoot the next one.
2nd Half 3:30 - Duke 64 Baylor 61
Duke came up with its biggest defensive stand of the game, battling Udoh as he kept an Anthony Jones miss alive before posting up Scheyer after Baylor controlled the loose ball. Zoubek came over to help challenge Udoh’s turnaround, and his shot hit the side of the glass.
2nd Half 2:47 - Duke 64 Baylor 61
With the lead, the Blue Devils used a little clock as Scheyer directed traffic just across the timeline. Scheyer found Zoubek in the middle of Baylor’s zone, spaced toward the corner and hit a 3 on the pass back from Zoubek - look familiar? Having been seated on the edge of my couch for basically the whole game, I literally fell on the floor when Scheyer’s potential dagger swished the net. I knew the game was not over but I also knew one or two more plays could send Duke to Indianapolis.
2nd Half 2:34 - Duke 67 Baylor 61
Scott Drew continued to go to Udoh, and he fouled out Zoubek driving to the hoop. After making the first, Udoh rebounded his own miss and found Dunn for a good look at a 3. Fortunately he missed, but I certainly didn’t feel good when it was in the air. Kellogg noted he felt Dunn had rushed the attempt, having not had a good look in quite some time.
2nd Half 2:12 - Duke 67 Baylor 62
Duke continued to be patient as the game clock rolled under two minutes. With the shot clock winding down, Scheyer found Singler in the near corner for an open 3. He shot it confidently but it was just not Kyle’s day from the floor. It was, however, Lance Thomas’ day on the glass as he dunked home the miss and was fouled. Lance completed the 3-point play and certainly embodied the “will” Clark Kellogg had mentioned at the start of the game.
2nd Half 1:35 - Duke 70 Baylor 62
Kyle Singler deflected and stole Tweety Carter’s attempt to find Dunn cutting the baseline as the telecast pointed out Duke’s 23-11 advantage in second chance points. After trailing 54-57, Duke had used their offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting to generate a 16-5 run.
2nd Half 1:28 - Duke 70 Baylor 62
Scheyer took the ball across half court to call a timeout as he was trapped by Dunn and Carter. The Baylor backcourt was rightfully aggressive at this time, but Quincy Acy bumped Nolan Smith after the whistle as the teams were being separated. Unfortunately, Acy was called for a deadball technical. I hate that call in any situation given the minor nature of the altercation, if you can even call it that, but especially at that juncture of the game I feel the referees could have issued a warning instead. Jon Scheyer made both free throws and Duke maintained possession.
2nd Half 1:19 - Duke 72 Baylor 62
Credit to Baylor for continuing to play hard with the outcome all but decided. Tweety Carter stole Singler’s pass out of a trap and the ball found A.J. Walton for 3. He missed but the Bears were able to maintain control and get Carter a good look at 3. He was off the mark as well but Udoh was there to tip it home.
2nd Half 0:47 - Duke 72 Baylor 64
At this point, Baylor had to press and attempt to get a quick steal before fouling to extend the game. Duke was able to make their free throws, first Smith then Singler each made a pair. Baylor continued to play to the final whistle, getting a turnaround jumper from Udoh and another dunk by Acy.
2nd Half 0:23 - Duke 76 Baylor 68
After being fouled, Andre Dawkins missed his free throws as Clark Kellogg credited the “confidence and leadership of Scheyer” to be among the reasons Duke was advancing. LaceDarius Dunn hit just his second 3 of the game before Singler made 2 more free throws and Duke was headed back to the Final Four.
Final Score - Duke 78 Baylor 71
From the Box Score
The South Regional Final featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes, with guys making plays all over the floor. LaceDarius Dunn finished with 22 points but I felt Kyle Singler and Duke’s team defense made him work for all 22, and Dunn was just 2 for 8 from behind the arc. Ekpe Udoh stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 blocks. Tweety Carter and Quincy Acy added 12 points each. Nolan Smith led the way for Duke with 29 points and Scheyer added 20 points to go along with 4 assists. Smith and Scheyer combined to go 9 for 16 from 3-point range. Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek each had 9 rebounds, powering Duke to 17 offensive rebounds in the second half.
Postgame Notes
With the win, Coach K moved his record in the Elite 8 to 11-1. Of course we know how the 2010 Final Four ended, with the Blue Devils winning an all-time classic over Butler for Duke’s 4th National Championship. We’ll obviously visit that game for a re-watch sometime in the future. Kyle Singler was MOP and the senior class of Scheyer, Thomas and Zoubek won their final game in a Duke uniform.
Trivia Answer
2006 - UCLA (#2), LSU (#4), Florida (#3), George Mason (#11)
2011 - Kentucky (#4), Connecticut (#3), Butler (#8), VCU (#11)
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
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