Duke Impresses Against UConn

#7 Duke 68, #13 UConn 59
Even though Duke came into this game higher ranked, the expectation had to be that Duke's thin front line would struggle against the superior athleticism and size of UConn. I talked yesterday about the possibility of UConn fouling out Duke's entire front line, and it basically did happen: Miles Plumlee, Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas all fouled out. Plumlee didn't foul out until the final minute, though, so Duke was able to survive through the final few minutes of the game with a frontline of Plumlee and Kyle Singler, which isn't awful. They're a bit lucky that Plumlee didn't foul out earlier, forcing Ryan Kelly to have to play extended minutes. But Coach K did a great job of adapting to his disadvantages, and his players also did a great job of outhustling and outworking the Huskies players. They took advantage of weak UConn guard play, forcing 16 turnovers and not allowing a single successful three-point attempt. The Huskies will have problems coming back from deficits if they can't find somebody on the roster who can hit a trey. I'm still not sold on the Duke frontline, but they proved here that they're good enough to beat more athletic teams. They won't see a team in the ACC all season that has a frontline with the pure size and strength of UConn's (although they will certainly see frontlines that are more skilled and better at scoring). Duke has proved so far this season that they're a legitimate challenger to win the ACC.

#8 West Virginia 73, Texas A&M 66
This wasn't the best I've seen from this West Virginia team, but a win is a win. They don't have good size inside, and might struggle with some of the bigger teams in the Big East, but it's clear that they're very athletic and talented on the perimeter. They are good at passing the ball around and working their players into favorable match-ups. They're not an overwhelming offense, but it always feels like they can get a score when they one. I still think that the Big East will come down to them and Villanova. Meanwhile, this goes down as a missed opportunity for a Texas A&M team that could have really made a splash with consecutive wins over ranked teams. They'll get another chance for a solid win in their final game at the 76 Classic, against either Minnesota or Portland. It might be their last chance to get a win over an RPI Top 50 team (unless they can knock off Washington on December 22nd) before the Big 12 regular season begins.

Florida State 60, Alabama 51
Florida State has been underwhelming, sneaking past athletically inferior Iona and Alabama, but they still have two wins and have found themselves in the final at the Old Spice Classic. They will play Marquette, in a battle of two teams assumed to be in rebuilding years, trying to prove that they can indeed work their way back to the NCAA Tournament. Florida State did hit their three-pointers in this game (9-for-13 overall), but it's hard to view those kinds of numbers as anything but a fluke. The Seminoles still need a go-to offensive player who can make his own points, and I haven't seen that yet. If they can get offense they will be a dangerous team in the ACC, because they can certainly defend and rebound. As for Alabama, they've got their own offensive problems, with zero players in double digits in this game. It seems like they've got several good second fiddles (JaMychal Green, Mikhail Torrence, Senario Hillman), but no clear leader. Who is the player they turn to on the offensive end when the game's on the line? There will be plenty of chances for Alabama to fatten up their final record against the SEC West, but they've got to prove that they can beat an elite team, and that Baylor win might not mean too much at the end of the year. I'm curious to see what the Tide can do against Purdue in a couple of weeks.