Quotes & Notes - January 24
at Louisville
After every game I always watch the press conference, read the quotes, and study the box score. Quotes & Notes is my wrap-up of Duke’s most recent game(s).
Quotes
“I thought it was a really good game for us. Really good to get that win. For our team, we’ve played through a pretty good amount of adversity these last three games. And you feel game pressure, you have to play with different lineups – Jeremy’s injury happens – and for us to really step up, collectively, and get that win, I’m proud of the team. Really good game. This is what [Louisville] has done. They make games interesting. Especially the last few games they’ve played, it’s been a possession game. And that final 5-to-10 minute stretch, I thought we did a good job weathering the storm.”
- Coach Scheyer on the win at Louisville
“It’s really everything. When you play in the ACC, the teams we play against, there’s a lot of things that go into it. You get teams on different hot streaks or maybe they’re not playing as well so that means they’re going to play better against you. Going through it, you get a feel for that. I thought tonight, [Filipowski], Mark [Mitchell] and Tyrese [Proctor], in particular, going through last season – we were in moments like this last season and the wheels fell off a little bit. They were the main ones talking in the huddle. No surprise, those three were in the game. And that’s what Jeremy [Roach] has been. That’s what we missed with him being out last game and for that beginning stretch when he was out, he’s been that guy to provide poise and confidence. And really, the three of those guys stepped up in a big way…”
- Coach Scheyer on team leadership
“The whole game, it was all about defense. I wasn’t really talking much offense. I thought we let them live in our paint too easily. Some of it is because they can get downhill and they’re good players. But we just had to have more resistance. Some of the details went out the window there at the beginning of the second half and I thought we did a good job of just sticking with it. The game of basketball, you’re not supposed to be perfect. You wish you could’ve extended the lead but for us to go through that, played with game pressure and also learn we have to get stops, I think it was a really important game for us. Especially in that second half.”
- Coach Scheyer on his message to the team during the second half
Stats
Duke won the rebounding battle with a +15 margin on the glass, outscoring Louisville 21-11 in second chance points thanks to 15 offensive rebounds. As Coach Scheyer mentioned, Duke obviously would have liked to extend the 18-point lead they had with 5:25 left in the first half. However, the game pressure and adversity the team dealt with in the second half, especially on the road, cannot be simulated in practice. Credit to Louisville for getting back into the game before the half, and credit to the Blue Devils for their resilience. Duke took excellent care of the ball, with only 3 second half turnovers, all of which were the result of offensive fouls (i.e. zero live ball turnovers after halftime). Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski combined for 37 points and 27 rebounds, and Tyrese Proctor posted a career-high 24 points.
Notes
Recommendation: With the Australian Open in full swing, I decided to re-read Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi. I’m about halfway through, and am reminded why it is easily one of my favorite (sports) books of all-time. His title is extremely accurate and, whether you’re a tennis fan or not, it’s worth a read. I’m working on a list of sports recommendations - books, documentaries, etc. - and hope to have that out soon. In the meantime, drop me a note if you have a recommendation for something you’ve enjoyed in the past.
Next Play: Saturday Jan 27 | 4:00 pm ESPN | Duke is back at home, as Clemson travels to Durham.
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
Sources