DURHAM, NC -- Mason Plumlee is having fun these days.
The
6-foot-10 Duke center has always enjoyed playing basketball, but his
final season in college recently began, and the Blue Devils have easily
collected the most impressive victories of the young season to date. And
Plumlee is ecstatic.
In the last two weeks, Duke has beaten two
No. 2 teams in Kentucky and Louisville on neutral floors, and Wednesday
night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Devils knocked off No. 4 Ohio
State, 73-68, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. If this was college
football, a heated argument over who’s No. 1 would have already
commenced, and the second-ranked Devils would get most of the love.
“We
love it,” Plumlee said when asked about Duke’s early success against
such a daunting slate that also includes neutral site wins over VCU and
unbeaten Minnesota. “The schedule at Duke is part of the reason you come
to Duke, and I think this team embraced the schedule and the challenges
we’ve had.”
But this is college basketball where rankings don’t
mean much and development is at a premium. November success has little
connection to winning in March, as there will be bumps in the road for
pretty much every team to navigate, even this Duke squad. After all,
progress remains the key, and the Blue Devils know it.
“You’ve
got to keep getting better,” acknowledged Plumlee, who finished with 21
points and 17 rebounds vs. the Buckeyes. “The best thing is that we’re
getting better while winning. You don’t want to get better through
losing. This has been good.”
Wednesday’s game was Duke’s most
physically challenging thus far. Ohio State built two 10-point leads,
the latest with 18:27 left in the game at 33-23 following a tip in by
Lenzelle Smith. Duke followed with quick basket by freshman Rasheed
Sulaimon and a dunk by Plumlee.
Duke had its spark. It was
rather unsettled for much of the first half, but its intent in the final
20 minutes was to out-tough the physical Buckeyes. And really, while
Duke is certainly talented, its lack of polish and depth means toughness
and grit are going to remain necessary ingredients to the Blue Devils’
success.
Shooting can have an off night, but a team should never
waver in its fight. That’s what made the second half against Ohio State
such a positive development.
“We understand there are a lot of
ways to get the job done, but if you back off and don’t play with the
right intensity you are going to struggle,” said senior forward Ryan
Kelly. “We’ve learned that the hard way in the past.”
The past
was just last season when Duke went through perhaps its most stressful
season since legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski returned from missing most
of the 1994-95 campaign with a back issue. Duke went 12-19 that season
and finished dead last in the ACC.
The team wasn’t cohesive because the locker room was a bit disjointed.
Since,
however, playing with the right verve has been a mandated attribute
that has permeated the Devils’ success. Collectively, it was missing
last season, which is why those who closely follow the team weren’t
surprised when 15-seeded Lehigh beat them in the NCAA Tournament.
But
that no longer is a problem and look no further than Sulaimon’s
second-half performance for evidence. Sulaimon didn’t score before
halftime and at times appeared as if the fight was a bit overwhelming.
But he didn’t relent, and the 6-4 athlete was sensational after the
intermission.
“He had 17 points in the second half, and gave us a verve, gave us a real verve,” Krzyzewski said about Sulaimon
When
considering Duke’s immediate future, one must first glance back at
Wednesday night. It took Sulaimon a half to get going, so once he
becomes more consistent Duke will move a notch higher. Senior guard Seth
Curry had just four points on a night his shin splint issues appeared
to flare up over and over.
Sophomore point guard Quinn Cook was
rattled in the first half, and even a bit mouthy – though that’s part of
his game and an element the Devils need – and 6-11 Marshall Plumlee is
still wearing a boot and won’t be available for another few weeks.
Then
consider freshmen Amile Jefferson and or Alex Murphy will find a home
in the rotation at some point, giving Duke needed length and
athleticism, and it isn’t a stretch to suggest the Blue Devils can get a
whole lot better by March.
After all, that is the mantra, no matter the value of these early-season wins.
