By: Caleb Zuver
November 30, 2023
In the first iteration of the ACC/SEC challenge, the Duke Blue Devils couldn’t handle a raucous crowd at Arkansas, falling to the Razorbacks 80-75.
Duke is now 5-2 on the season after missing out on an opportunity to secure a signature non-conference road win on Wednesday. Coming off two losses in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, the Razorbacks' team, coaches, and fans came out with a sense of urgency that really popped off of the screen. Here are three takeaways from the defeat.
Early Foul Trouble
Despite it being the first true road game for the Blue Devil freshman, it was some of Duke's veterans who played uncharacteristically poorly in a hostile environment.
Fans who watched the conclusion of the Tennessee-North Carolina game, which bled into the beginning of the Duke game, didn’t even get to see National Player of the Year candidate Kyle Fillipowski until the seven-minute mark, as he picked up two quick fouls before the first TV timeout.
Ryan Young, who played six minutes in the first half, picked up three fouls as he tried to fill in for Filipowski down low. Sean Stewart tried to do the same, but only provided three minutes and went 0-2 from the free-throw line.
Coming into the game, freshman TJ Power had only played in three games so far this season. Jon Scheyer turned to him with 6:50 left in the first half. Both of his three-pointers gave the Blue Devils the lead with five minutes to go and one minute to go, respectively.
Power isn’t a true big, and that’s probably why Scheyer switched to a 2-3 zone defense when he came into the game. However, Power can stretch the floor with his fantastic shooting ability, and with his teammates struggling from beyond the arc, it was much needed to keep the Blue Devils in the game.
The first half had an odd flow to it with a lot whistles being blown on both ends of the floor. There were times when the referees let them play, but with every shot at the rim being highly contested, there was inevitably foul trouble for some key Duke big men.
Offense /A lot of bodies /Sophomore class / Second half
In the second half, Duke never found an offensive identity. In fact, I would say that through their first seven games, the Blue Devils don’t have an offensive identity yet. Sure, it takes time to build one, but that doesn't make the issue go away in the here and now. The frustration for most Duke fans probably comes from the fact they thought the growing pains wouldn’t be as prevalent for a more experienced team (by Duke standards).
In games vs Power 5 opponents this season, there have been stretches where Duke hasn’t been able to produce much offense. It looks clunky with lots of guys standing around, waiting for someone else to do something.
It happened again Wednesday night, and despite that, Duke stayed within striking distance for most of the half. The reason they couldn’t get over the hump was due to the inability to convert on the easy stuff. As mentioned earlier, every shot at the rim was contested. Duke seemed to be affected by it the most. According to ESPN’s game log, Duke went 17-for-35 on layups. That’s a whopping 48 percent from in close.
The Blue Devils could’ve been better from the charity stripe too. They went 21-for-31 (67 percent).
While the deficit got up to 14 in the second half, it was nice to see players like Jeremy Roach and Filipowski continue to fight. Filipowski had 23 points in the second half and found some rhythm inside. Roach continually attacked the basket in the second half and had his hand in multiple turnovers when Duke applied their full-court pressure late in the game. Because that full-court pressure got the Blue Devils back into the game, it will be interesting to see if Scheyer utilizes it more heading into their first conference game against Georgia Tech Saturday.
A special atmosphere in Fayetteville
The Duke effect is a real thing. When the Blue Devils go on the road for a game, especially in the non-conference portion of the schedule, the opposing venues are loud and packed to the brim. We saw it for years during the Big Ten-ACC challenge era. The fans of Ohio State, Indiana and Michigan State were always ready to try and make an impact on the contest with their atmosphere.
Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville Wednesday night was no different. They broke their attendance record. They had towels that read “Beat Duke.” Every Arkansas fan was wearing white. They exploded after every big three-pointer, dunk or anything that went the Razorbacks’ way.
I remember Duke playing late November games in East Lansing, Michigan, or at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. I also remember Duke hosting solid Michigan and Indiana teams. The atmospheres were fantastic. Arkansas brought that same energy. As a fan of the sport, I’ll remember how rowdy the crowd was at Arkansas in 2023.
Regardless of how the game turns out, these games are memorable and important if the sport of college basketball wants eyes on it during these early months. Usually, the average fan pays attention to the sport for only three weeks in March. For a team that is trying to mix veteran pieces with young ones, playing in games like this can be a learning opportunity as well.
Contact Caleb Zuver via email at cmzuver@bsu.edu or on X @zuves35
Comments