Tangle in the Triangle, An Update

I have to admit, for a while there I thought Number 2 Son had enough mojo left to pull it off last night. I figured that surely he must have expended himself earlier in the evening in Tennessee’s 75-61 win over Kentucky in Rupp Arena, the Vols first win there since 1999. But after the Carolina Tarheels came charging back in the second half to take the lead against Duke last night, I was afraid some of that ol’ black magic was going to be the Devils’ undoing.

Not to worry. As bile and fury poured forth from the cerulean blue cloud gathered in the Dean Dome, the Blue Devils held fast and emerged with an 87-83 road win over the young, but plucky Tar Heels. As usual, Duke senior co-captains Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick turned in performances worthy of the All American moniker which they share. Although Williams only had a “quiet” 13 points, he barely missed yet another “double-double” with 9 rebounds, 4 blocks (including a huge swat in the closing minutes), 4 steals and 3 assists.

For much of the first half, Redick seemed out of synch, with Carolina doing a good job of rotating defenders and rarely giving him a chance to square up to the basket and do his usual damage. But when it counted the most, J.J. created the necessary space with behind the back dribbles and ball fakes, and once again the treys rained down, soaking the spirited Tar Heels bid for an season-making upset. Redick finished with 35 points, the most ever by a Duke player at Carolina, 22 of them coming in the second half when the chips were down. Redick is now only a bucket away from passing Christian Laettner on the Duke points list, and, it would appear, only a few games away from passing Duke assistant coach Johnny Dawkins to become Duke’s all-time leading scorer.

Senior Sean Dockery also turned in a solid performance with 14 points and some timely treys, while Duke’s Josh McRoberts won the “Battle of the Fabulous Frosh” against Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough with 17 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field (including one 3-pointer). With a unique “dart-throwing” free throw motion which looks like it belongs in a pub rather than on a basketball court, he went a perfect 4-4 from the line, with a huge pair coming in the closing minutes. Also, he added some playground spice to the night with a nice reverse jam off a feed from Dockery.

Perhaps the most interesting moment of the evening came when Carolina coach Roy Williams benched all 5 starters after they turned the ball over on 4 straight possessions at the beginning of the second half, allowing Duke to go on a 12-0 run. The tongue lashing that followed could be heard as far away as Kill Devil Hill on the Outer Banks, and the unknown subs who entered the game began scratching away at the Duke lead. When the chastised starters returned a few minutes later, they were ready to “kill a little Devil” themselves. It was a brilliant move by a classy, champion of a coach which kept them in the game just when it looked like they would roll over for good.

Sorry, Number 2, it’s going to take more than a few incantations and hexes to derail the Blue Devil Express this season. The only way that’s going to happen is if someone finds a way to solve “The J.J. Problem.” That’s going to take brilliant defense–not chants and vodoo dolls.