Quotes & Notes - January 28
vs. Clemson
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
“That was just a big-time game. Just a big-time college basketball game. I thought that we came out really ready to play. I thought the end of the first half was key. I thought we missed free throws, some open looks, that could have extended it, but give Clemson credit. They’re experienced, they're old, they hung tough, and obviously it was back-and-forth there in the second half. I'm just really proud of our guys and their will, their competitive spirit…Really proud. Clemson, I think they're a really good team, and to find a way to win, sometimes that's what it's about. We have to move on quickly to get ready for Monday.”
- Coach Scheyer on the Clemson game
“…Jeremy Roach hasn’t practiced, like literally has not practiced, since the game we had on Tuesday, and he just tried to will it out today. He didn't have his best stuff, but he did enough just to help and make some plays. [Kyle Filipowski], the same thing. I didn't think he had his best stuff today, and he has the biggest play of the game, probably, with a three-point play, the lefty finish there through contact. For Tyrese [Proctor]...that's a tough moment to be in. It’s a moment you dream about being in. You get a chance to win the game, you're down one with a second to go, but he was cool as could be. I just believed those were going in with everything I had. Both of them hardly touched the rim. And Mark [Mitchell] is guarding everybody on the one end. He's guarding [Ian] Schieffelin. He's guarding [PJ] Hall. He's switching. I thought he got us the lead there in that first half with his assertiveness. The last guy I want to touch on…is Jared McCain. Jared just has a special belief about him, and when things get tough, you just feel like Jared is going to make a play. You do, as a coach. It doesn't matter if he's a freshman. It doesn't matter if he's never been in a situation like this before. He just has a belief his team's supposed to win, and I thought that stretch – I know I was told, right before, 11 points in the final 12 minutes – but it's more his spirit, just finding a way to win…”
- Coach Scheyer on the contributions from Roach, Filipowski, Proctor, Mitchell, and McCain
“A lot, a lot. I mean, you know, we’ve had a chance to win every game we’ve played this year. And some of those early losses, even the one last week - although it was different - you gotta get stops. And, no matter what you do on the offensive end, you’re not gonna win if you don’t get stops…I don’t know what it was in that middle part, it felt like they were scoring almost every time…Clemson’s been top-15 in the country with offense, they’ve been best in our league with offense. I thought we did a great job defending them, just in that middle stretch - you know, their physicality can wear you down a little bit. And so, we had to play through that, and it was just a mental toughness thing…it’s about digging deep and they did that.”
- Coach Scheyer on what he learned about his team down the stretch of the game
Stats
Clemson’s +7 margin in offensive rebounds matched the largest advantage for a Duke opponent so far this season. The Tigers outscored Duke 15-0 in second chance points, with 11 of those coming in the second half. Duke made just 21 of 33 free throws, but was able to gain an edge in effective field goal percentage (+5.8%) thanks to a more efficient performance from three-point range (+0.38 pps). The final 8:13 featured 8 ties and 8 lead changes - credit to both teams for continuing to respond. Trailing 65-69 with 2:06 remaining, Duke recorded 4 consecutive steals (3 by Jared McCain) to keep Clemson off the scoreboard. As Coach Scheyer mentioned, those defensive stops were critical in giving Duke an opportunity at the end.
Notes
In Case You Missed It: The NBA had two 70-point scoring performances this week. On Monday, Joel Embiid went for 70 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 assists, making 24/41 field goals and 21/23 free throws. Luka Doncic scored 73 on Friday night, shooting 25/33 from the floor and 15/16 from the line, to go along with 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Only eight other guys have gone for 70 or more in the NBA: Wilt Chamberlain (100, 78, 73, 73, 72, 70); Kobe Bryant (81); David Thompson (73); Damian Lillard (71); Donovan Mitchell (71); David Robinson (71); Elgin Baylor (71); and Devin Booker (70).
Next Play: Monday Jan 29 | 7:00 pm ESPN | Duke faces a quick turnaround tomorrow night, traveling to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech.
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
Sources