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| Thursday, January 9 Updated: January 10, 4:14 PM ET Surprising perfection will end for Wake or Duke By Jay Bilas Special to ESPN.com |
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Who would have thought the remaining two undefeated teams in the country would be from the infant-laden ACC? And who thought that Wake Forest would be one of them? Duke (10-0) is maturing into another outstanding team, capable of beating anyone in spite of its youth. The Blue Devils are once again loaded with skilled shooters, drivers and passers who can spread the floor and stretch defenses. Skip Prosser, meanwhile, has done a marvelous job with his young team. Wake Forest (10-0) has seven freshman and sophomores in its top-10 rotation, forcing Prosser to build "nap time" into his practice plans. What makes the Blue Devils a little different from the Deacons is Mike Krzyzewski has older leaders to bring along his younger players. This isn't new at Duke, but the Blue Devils have something different this year -- depth and size. Although Coach K will almost certainly shorten his bench as league play continues, he is getting production off the pine that he was unable to call upon over the last few years. Duke is averaging over 34 points per game from its reserves, as compared to 12 points last season. Duke is also a bigger team, with Shelden Williams and Shavlik Randolph adding height and rebounding ability. Duke held more than its own on the glass against a big and strong Georgetown team, and should be competitive on the glass in the ACC. Duke Breakdown: Duke is not difficult to prepare for, just difficult to stop once the game tips off. Duke has always been associated with motion offense, but the Blue Devils really run a lot of set plays if there is nothing in transition. Duke sets a lot of ballscreens, with a spread floor, which provides driving opportunities and kickouts to open shooters. As it has done in the past, Duke buries people with threes and free throws. Duke scores over 54 percent of its points off of made 3-point field goals and made free throws. Chris Duhon, the junior point guard, is Duke's leader and an outstanding defender and passer. Duhon is long, puts great pressure on the ball and anticipates well in getting steals and deflections. He finds people in transition, on the move and in traffic, and takes pride in distributing the ball. Duhon's scoring is down relative to his shot attempts, and he has been looking to be more aggressive offensively to exploit opportunities. Duhon is averaging 10 points, 8 assists and almost 3 steals, but is not shooting a good percentage from the field. While he gets to the basket for scores, Duhon's points are coming from really deep or right at the rack, with little in between. Dahntay Jones is playing the best basketball of his career, whether at Duke or Rutgers. Over the past six games, Jones is averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and shooting over 57 percent from the floor. He is doing it by keeping things simple, by running the floor, attacking off the dribble, and taking open shots. Daniel Ewing provides a scoring presence that would lead most teams, and he brings a great combination of mid-range and long-range shooting. But one of Duke's most potent weapons is shooter J.J. Redick, who has unlimited range and a lead pipe-cinch stroke. When Redick shoots it, you think its going in, and it probably is. If a defender crowds him, he is strong enough to drive the ball, and he is a good passer. Redick has the ability to drop five 3-pointers in any game, and he needs a defender dedicated to him who doesn't help off and leave him open. Inside, Duke is relying more upon freshman Shelden Williams, who is providing a true low-post presence. Williams is strong and athletic, and can bang. He had 15 points and 11 rebounds against Georgetown, and is showing signs of high-level consistency. Casey Sanders provides a shotblocker and offensive rebounder, while Shavlik Randolph is a tremendous talent, who has had the ups and downs that most freshmen go through. He is very skilled and is learning to balance the inside and outside aspects of his game, not to mention, how to guard college players. Randolph has the chance to be great. Wake Forest Breakdown: Wake Forest is a man-to-man team, and will switch screens from time to time. Wake will hit you with a 1-3-1 halfcourt trap, a 1-2-2¾-court press, and has thrown some junk defenses at opponents on rare occasion. On the offensive end, Wake Forest runs multiple entries into motion, including a lot of screen- for-the-screener action and staggers. Prosser and his staff do great scouting work, and his teams are very prepared. Wake Forest pays great attention to defending out of bounds plays, something Prosser feels can be the difference in a close game. Josh Howard is the team's star, and could very well be the ACC player of the year. Howard is versatile, athletic and a great defender. He averages 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. He is a terrific offensive rebounder, and makes athletic recoveries. Vytas Danelius is emerging as a star in the ACC with his skill and toughness. Danelius (12 ppg, 8.2 rpg) is a good shooter and a productive rebounder who produces offense off of the glass. Eric Williams is a freshman big man and a load inside. Williams (12 ppg, 7 rpg, 57 percent FGs) is in much better condition than he was at the McDonald's All-America game, and is much more mobile. He is strong, has good hands and people just bounce off of him. He has a jumphook, an up-and-under move, and he is a good offensive rebounder. Taron Downey and Justin Gray form the Wake backcourt, and both are very good players, but young. Downey is a lefty with good quickness. He is more vocal and confident, who knocks down free throws, but remains a streaky shooter from the field. Gray is a terrific talent and is a really good scorer with deep range, point guard skills and a high basketball I.Q. Gray handles the ball very well and is a good passer. Chris Ellis, Trent Strickland and Jamal Levy are all very good athletes who have provided valuable minutes, defense and rebounding.
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