From: trradrx@canctr.mc.duke.edu (R.CLOUGH)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college
Subject: Devils say "Neep!" to Knights, 88-79
Date: 14 Dec 92 02:46:30 GMT
Reply-To: trradrx@canctr.mc.duke.edu
Organization: Duke U. Med. Ctr., Durham, NC


  It was the best of games, it was the worst of games.  Duke played its best
and worst basketball of the year as they defeated Rutgers 88-79.  It was a 
game that was both closer and not as close as the final score.
  Duke looked extremely sluggish in the first half.  Perhaps having to bus
in from Philadelphia due to the worst snow storm in New Jersey history had
something to do with it.  The defense was nonexistent, and Duke once again
forgot that there was a center with the #44 on his back with a two inch height
advantage over their foes, who was just waiting to get the ball.  Parks was
a non-factor in the first half, and part of it was his own fault.  He didn't
call for the ball enough, and appeared stunned when Rutgers' Mike Lamoureux
was scoring over him in a variety of ways.  This guy looked like Mike Dukakis
after a hideous nuclear accident made him taller and gave him a hunger for
donuts, but he really did the job.  Bob Wenzel had his troops fired up, and
they were running circles around the Devils in the first half, and outhustling
them for rebounds.  Their ball movement was sensational as Duke gambled and
overplayed too much.  If Rutgers could only have hit some three-pointers, they
might have been ahead at the half.
  The second half was another story.  Whatever K told the troops, (probably
something like: "Get the ball to Cherokee, you bloated sacs of protoplasm!"),
it worked.  Chief scored 8 straight on his shorter, slower opponents.  He
rebounded like a madman.  He intimidated the whole team.  Grant Hill started
taking better shots (hard to get much better than those two lobs he slammed
down), and Tony Lang really attacked the boards, scoring on some tip-ins.
Thomas Hill and Hurley were their usual steady selves.  Rutgers panicked,
and started putting up wild three-pointers.  Duke led by 21 with three minutes
left, and threw in the bench.  They then proceeded to let Rutgers score the
last 12 points of the game.  This was a good game for both teams: Duke gets
a stiff test from a decent team on the road, their first road trip, no less.
Rutgers hung in there against Duke with a performance that would have beaten
most of the teams in the A-10.  Steve Worthy is.

Score in a box:

Duke 88:
	 MIN  FG-A  3FG-A  FT-A  RB  AT  TO  ST  BK FL PTS
Parks     28  6-10    0-0   2-3   9   1	  	     3  14
Lang	  21   3-8    0-0   1-2  11   1		     4   7
G.Hill    37 11-23    0-1   4-5  10   2		     2  26
T.Hill    36  6-12    0-1   7-7   8   0		     3  19
Hurley    39  5-10    2-5   4-6   7  11		     4  16
Meek      11   0-0    0-0   0-0   0   0		     1   0
Clark	  14   0-0    0-0   0-0   0   0	  3	     3   0
Blakeney   9   2-3    0-0   2-2   2   0		     0   6
Collins    2   0-0    0-0   0-1   0   0		     0   0
Moore      2   0-1    0-0   0-0   0   0		     1   0
Brown	   1   0-0    0-0   0-0   0   0		     0   0
______________________________________________________
Totals:      33-67    2-7 20-26  49  15  16	     21 88

Rutgers:     31-73    0-6 17-22  37  10  10          21 79

 In general:
This is a hard game to rate, because of Duke's inconsistency.  Duke did not
look like they were up for this game.  But the second half cleared the 
cobwebs.  It does prove one thing: although there are only a handful of teams
that can win the national championship this year, the difference between the
top teams and the good teams is not all that great, especially at the 
beginning of the year.  Duke had more turnovers than Rutgers, a Duke rarity.
Many of the turnovers came from the bench, however.  Rutgers reached the
bonus and double bonus before Duke as well.  

Player by Player:

%%Hurley: 16 points, 11 assists, and 7 boards!  Not a bad day.  However, he
very uncharacteristically lost control of his dribble a few times.  He really
controlled the tempo of the game, but his teammates weren't always running at
the same speed.

%%T.Hill: Another great game for the man who has become Duke's most consistent
player.  His post moves were unreal for a 6-5 guy.  Good in both halves,
a scoring threat inside and outside.  Performing up to expectations.

%%Lang:  Played extremely well in the second half after a slow start in the
season.  Had a game high 11 rebounds, many on the offensive boards.  Did not
foul out after picking up several quick, cheap ones.  Starting to fit into
the role of designated rebounder/defender.  He should continue to improve.

%%G.Hill: Up and down game.  Had some spectacular steals, dunks, shots, etc
but also a few turnovers, bad shots.  Took 26 shots, which is a good sign:
it shows he's ready to become the team's primary offensive threat.  He's not
yet consistent enough, and his mind seems to wander sometimes during the game.
Still, his acrobatics struck fear into the heart of the Rutgers team and put
them away.  10 boards will also do.

%%Parks: Showed an impressive variety of post moves when someone decided to get
him the ball.  The more he scores, the more confidence he gets and the harder
he works.  When he works hard, he owns the boards.  Taking Parks out of the game
early might be a good strategy for opposing teams, because it makes Duke revert
to a one-on-one game too much, which good defenses relish.  Establishing Parks
and the halfcourt game early opens the door for all kinds of wonderment.

%%Meek: Off game.  Filled the lane nicely, but looked out of sync.  No rebounds,
very bad.  He'll be back though; he's needed.

%%Clark: Not a good game.  His Rex Chapman self-delusion has returned.  Looked
flustered out there.

%%Blakeney: Finally all the playing time is providing dividends for Kenny B.
Solid offense and defense.  He scored a few points at a time when Duke needed
them in the first half.  Went to the boards as well.  Earned some more playing
time.  His ballhandling still makes me cringe.  

%%Collins: Didn't play much.  Didn't play well.

%%Moore: Ditto.

%%Brown: Did you know that he spells his first name K-E-N-N-E-Y? Neat, huh?

Next up for Duke is a matchup with their counterparts, the Blue Demons of
DePaul.  They're a pretty good team, with Tom Kleinscmhidt and Terry Davis.
Should be a good one.
	Robert Clough, DUMC (though still not speaking for them)
"Cherokee did a good job at being big."--Thomas Hill, on Duke's center vs Mich.
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