Finally, Duke looks vulnerable

ON BASKETBALL

Late in the first half Thursday night, the Duke Blue Devils were cruising again.

Freshman Taylor King swished one of his patented 3s, and Duke found itself up a seemingly insurmountable 16 points on No. 11 Pittsburgh.

But the thing was, Duke hadn't looked that impressive in building its 34-18 advantage. It hadn't gotten out in transition and scored in bunches. It hadn't shot the 3 that well, making just three triples. More than Duke being effective, Pitt had been ineffective.

In the final minute of the first half and the second half and overtime, the Panthers woke up. Duke still showed its grit, tying the game late in regulation on a 3 by freshman Kyle Singler, but in the end Pitt guard Levance Fields threw the final punch, stepping back to drain the game-winning 3 with six seconds remaining.

And No. 6 Duke (10-1) suffered its first loss, 65-64.

It happened because Duke's lack of size upfront finally hurt it. After both teams pulled down 19 first-half rebounds, the Panthers — led by haughty, 6-7 DeJuan Blair, who had 15 points and 20 rebounds — dominated the boards in the final 25 minutes, outrebounding the Devils 49-31 in the game.

Additionally, the Panthers continued to deny Duke any fast-break opportunities, making the Devils actually run their halfcourt offense. And Duke actually forced shots — something that never happened in its first 10 games.

After the game, former Dukie — and ESPN announcer — Jay Bilas, said it bluntly:

"This game was about toughness, and Pitt was the tougher team in the Garden."

No doubt about it.

The loss could be a blessing for the Devils, who don't play again until Jan. 6 against Cornell. It brings them down to earth, and Mike Krzyzewski will have a fun time working them hard — more than likely with physically-demanding drills — once they return from a short Christmas break.

But Pitt's dramatic win was a blueprint for how to slow down Duke:

Hit the boards hard, not allowing any second-chance opportunities — Duke had just seven offensive rebounds.

Don't leave 3-point shooters open — Duke made 4-of-19 from behind the arc.

And don't let the Devils run — I can't recall any fast-break points by Duke in the second half. Of course, Pitt's 16 second-chance points in the half helped to slow down the Devils.

Let's not forget, however, we wouldn't even be talking about a Duke loss if not for Fields' big shot.

Yes, Duke now has a loss. But it's difficult to render whether the "L" will hurt or help the Devils more as they head into ACC play.

These Blue Devils are scary good

ON COLLEGE BASKETBALL

DURHAM — First off, let me just say that there is no experience akin to watching a game inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Not only is the product on the floor usually good, the atmosphere is unbelievable. Fellow writers weren't kidding when they described the noise level inside Cameron as "earsplitting" at times during Duke's 82-58 route of 20th-ranked Wisconsin Tuesday night.

And now (read: segue) to the basketball.

This year's Duke team is not just good. Not just an NCAA Tournament team. No, it's a national title contender. Seriously.

There were questions prior to Tuesday's game about how Duke's undersized lineup would handle Wisconsin's trio of 6-foot-10-plus trees. The resounding answer is, just fine.

Offensively, Duke decimated the Badgers in several ways. In the first half, the Blue Devils shot a lot of 3-pointers ... and made a lot of 3-pointers. Using dribble-drive penetration against the slower Badgers, the Blue Devils found open shooters early and often to connect on 9-of-16 triples and build a 48-25 halftime advantage.

Freshman Taylor King was especially efficient, knocking down four of his five 3-pointers in the half. He has unlimited range and, at 6-foot-6, can shoot over most defenders. He's quickly allowing Duke fans to forget about J.J. Redick, the school's all-time leader for 3-pointers.

In the second half, with Wisconsin closing out more on Duke's outside shooters, the Blue Devils spread the floor and drove right by the Badgers. Senior captain forward DeMarcus Nelson, who stands just 6-4, made a couple of nice, twisting drives to the hoop.

And he made the loudest statement of the night, slamming down a one-handed dunk over 6-7 Marcus Landry on a fastbreak.

The play was indicative of how the Blue Devils soared above the Badgers all night. Despite its size advantage, Wisconsin held just a 42-40 rebounding edge. Smaller Duke players rose up to reject five Wisconsin shots.

And most importantly, Duke came away with nearly every loose ball. It was quicker than Wisconsin and, often times, it was stronger as well, stripping the ball from the grasp of a Badger.

All this adds up to a team that doesn't have any noticeable weaknesses.

Duke has great depth (no player regularly plays more than 30 minutes). Duke has balanced scoring (after Greg Paulus' game-high 18 points, five players have led the Blue Devils in scoring during their 7-0 start).

Duke loves to run, and can finish on transition. But as we saw in the second half Tuesday, it can also slow the game down and score in the halfcourt. It has several players capable of getting to the basket and scoring or creating for their teammates.

Defensively, Duke — with its playing rotation of at least eight players — can tirelessly pressure its opponents up and down the 94 feet, causing turnovers and generally keeping opponents from getting comfortable in their offenses.

The Blue Devils forced Wisconsin into 18 turnovers, which they turned into 31 easy points. Ten of those miscues were steals by Duke.

And, as witnessed by Nelson and 6-5 guard Jon Scheyer leading Duke with nine rebounds apiece (a career-high for Scheyer), everyone helps out on the glass, alleviating any disadvantage Duke faces because of its lack of a formidable player taller than 6-8.

What does all of the above add up to? Well, did you see the game?

If so, you know that Duke is back near the top of the college basketball ranks. There will be no No. 6 seed this season, and there more than likely will not be a first-round loss.

What there will be is plenty more craziness inside Cameron.