Thoughts on Duke vs Minnesota

- Duke came away with a really impressive win against Minnesota, beating them 89-71. Their starting five is scary good and they mesh well together. Each of them know their roles and there is plenty of experience between them.

Plumlee has taken over as one of the senior leaders. He has played with a great motor so far this season and is finally looking the way a Duke senior should. He killed Minnesota and Elliott Elliason in the first half, registering a double-double. In the process, he got Elliason sent to the bench - where he should have been anyway.

- Each of their starters scored in double figures and they showed great balance, but Seth Curry was the guy they went to when they needed a bucket. He was a magician out there today, showing a better array of moves than in the past to get off his jumper. He finished with 25 points and couldn't miss from the field.

- Sulaimon was their lowest scoring member of the starting 5 with 11 points. He was also their best at getting to the hoop and also arguably their best passer. He gives Duke the perimeter defender they need. I'm a big fan.

- Minnesota has a nice starting lineup as well, but Tubby needs to whittle down his rotation. For one, I dont think they have the inside depth to ever play Rodney Williams at SF. He played a few minutes there today and I didnt get it. Hes a better player at the PF and Minnesota has more depth on their wings.

Elliason looked terrible, but I liked the minutes Maurice Walker gave them. His conditioning leaves a lot to be desired, but if I were Tubby I'd try to stick close to a Williams/Mbakwe/Walker rotation inside.

- For their guards, he needs to trim the fat in the same way. Or maybe it was just a case where one guy had a bad game and the other had a good game. Either way, Julian Welsh looked awful while Maverick Ahanmisi did a nice job scoring off the bench. Based on their career numbers, it could just be a case of one game. We'll see.

Anyway, there is no doubting that the Hollins duo should be getting the majority of the minutes. I've finally decided that Austin is looks like the better pro. Neither had a great game but the talent is there. Tough matchup against Duke's guards.

- Rodney Williams may be the quickest and most explosive leaper in the country with all due respect to Doug Anderson of Detroit. He had at least 3 emphatic dunks at the rim and chased down two guys in transition for block shots (one ended up being a goaltending call, but still impressive). His motor was certainly running today. He also hit a spot up 3-pt attempt and easily beat a Duke defender to the rim on drives from the perimeter.

He still doesnt have a good feel on offense and probably never will, but if he hits the jumper with consistency, that may be enough for him to have a solid NBA career. His defense is obviously his calling card.

- Mbakwe is still coming off the bench and only played 18 minutes. Not sure he is in good enough shape yet to play a full game. I am sure that he has yet to get back some of that explosiveness that he had prior to his injuries. Also, Plumlee appeared to tower over him.

Slow Start for Covington, but No Need to Panic

One of the most under the radar matchups yesterday was Robert Covington against Rodney Williams. Covington has been a favorite of mine and I was disappointed to check the box score this morning and see that he only scored 10 points on 4-11 shooting before fouling out in 22 minutes. Was one of my sleeper prospects exposed as a guy just beating up on weak competition thanks to mismatches?

I got through the first half of the game and felt much better about the outcome. Rodney Williams matched up on Covington the entire half and played great defense, but an even bigger factor was Tennessee State's guard play. They struggled to get the ball into the halfcourt against the Golden Gopher's press and through up ill-advised shots at any chance they got. They seemingly never got Tennessee State set in their offense.

Covington showed little frustration throughout the process of being blown out though, showing solid leadership skills. He came up with a nice steal in the first half and fed a teammate for a lay-up on the break, only to have him go up weak and end up being blocked. Covington was able to score a few times - stepping out for a 3 on a pick and pop, and showing off a nice drop step spin move from about 10 feet from the rim. He actually finished the first half with 7 points on 3-5 shooting before going 1-6 in the second half once the game was already decided.

In a game like this, Covington was unable to take pressure off the guards and bring the ball up himself because he isn't that kind of player. His ball handling skills are good enough for him to drive in a straight line or set up a mid-range jumpshot, but he gets in trouble when he tries to create plays in isolation situations. He didn't have any room for error against Rodney Williams, who played tight defense on him all half.

Tennessee State is 0-3 on the year and the guards look to be at fault. Covington's stat line will suffer because of this, but once the guards find equal competition in conference play, Covington should start to pick up play. This isn't because he can't play against top level competition, moreso that the rest of his team isn't up for that challenge.

As for Minnesota, they look like a top 25 team. Their defense should be one of the top in the country. Rodney Williams, Andre and Austin Hollins, and Trevor Mbawke make up a great core of players who all defend. Williams has been great since moving to power forward and could be a poster child for the NCAA on reasons to stay in school for all 4 years. He has learned so much in that time, going from a low IQ player, to a fluid player who knows where to be on defense and how to move without the ball.

Austin Hollins has always impressed me and its about time I zero in on him as a legit prospect. Andre isn't a bad point guard either. Mbakwe only played 10 minutes off the bench and picked up 4 fouls, but expect him to return close to form this year.