EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – College basketball was back in the Izod Center, but the feature matchup turned out one-sided. Duke defeated Temple 90-67.
1. If you are a Duke hater, this probably won’t be your year. No one-and-done looms for these Blue Devils. They are 9-0 with wins over Kentucky, Minnesota, VCU, Louisville, Ohio State and now Temple. In this game the Blue Devils did a fine job dismantling a good Temple team and have a nice inside/outside mix. They also have strong ball-sure defense as usual.
2. There are multiple weapons. Mike Krzyzewski has a post presence in Mason Plumlee, an inside/out big in Ryan Kelly, and the steady lead guard in Quinn Cook. We can’t forget Seth Curry and Rasheed Sulamon, who can step outside and hit shots. Duke runs their well-patented motion offense but is comfortable putting the pedal to the floor in transition.
3. Oh, yes, we did mention Plumlee. The post is virtually extinct in the college game but not in Durham. The 6-10 senior came into the game leading Duke in scoring (19.6 PPG) and rebounding (11.0). In the latter category, 22 of his 88 boards were on the offensive end. Against Temple, Plumlee was a workmanlike 16-point, 14-rebound (5 offensive) performer. Given Duke’s perimeter strength Plumlee is a risk to double team and quite a problem to defend with one player.
4. It was just a tough time for Temple (now 6-1). The Owls of Fran Dunphy are better than their showing on Saturday. They admittedly came out nervous against Duke, which you cannot do. Down 14 at the half, they played the Blue Devils even, 7-7 scoring, the initisl four minutes after the break. At that point Duke went on another run to increase the margin further. Temple had one double figure scorer, freshman guard Quenton DeCosey with 13 points. DeCosey came in averaging 3.2 points per outing. Maybe this performance will aid his confidence and provide Temple with another scoring option.
5. The numbers were outstanding. Duke enjoyed a 131-95 advantage in offensive efficiency. The speed of the 71-possession pace did not hinder them as they committed only six turnovers for an outstanding 8.7% TO rate. Duke, led by Seth Curry with 23 points, had four players in double figures.
5A. The crowd was 12,157 and it is safe to say 75 percent were Duke fans attired in blue apparel and cheering their “home” favorites.
