Opportunity Lost

The most frustrating thing about the Duke game is that it was completely winable.

Within 30 minutes of game end, ATL Eagle and Alex F. were tapping into the blogosphere with their thoughts. Between what they each had to say, it would be redundant for me to write a long-winded explanation of how BC allowed the game slip away. However, there are a couple of issues that are worth revisiting:

1. Self-Imposed Handicap:

Opting to put, and keep, John Oates on the floor was a disaster. My thoughts on Oates have been well-documented, but I think BravesBill provides a good recap of how last night went for the Big Baby.

2. Leadership from the Bench:

Skinner did not perform well tonight. This is a reality that is well documented on the web. There is no reason John Oates was on the floor for as long as he was, with Blair idle on the sideline (especially after the way Blair played in Cameron a few weeks ago).

There is also no excuse for not using our timeouts more effectively. I realize that Al has been saving these all year for a rainy day, but the weather sucked yesterday! In three minutes at the tail of the first period, a two point lead became an eleven point deficit. Not the way you want to close out a half. If the philosophy is to let experienced players pull the team out of a funk, Al must recognize that Duke is a team that goes on runs. Managing those runs, and preventing the Blue Devils from building insurmountable leads, is critical in tough ACC match-ups. I won't think of Al as less of a man is he chooses to use a timeout, especially when senior leader Jared Dudley is forced onto the bench with foul trouble.

Halftime adjustments seemed non-existant, and the team should have introduced the full-court pressure earlier in the game. By the time the Eagles were able to sort it out on their own, there was not enough time to climb all the way back.

Also, Dudley needed to get more touches early to establish a presence. The lack of touches took Jared out of the game, and he could never get into a groove. Granted- he did not play well when he had the ball, but JD is our glorified leader and deserves the opportunity to figure it out. He is a smart player- if his shots aren't falling, Duds will look to pass. Oates, on the other hand, hoisted five threes in the first five minutes. What a joke!

3. Uncontrollable Handicap:

I hate to even mention this, but the officiating tonight was a gross injustice. The Eagles, and its fans, allowed the referees to take the focus off the game- which proved to be a very costly mistake. But, it seemed as if the crew was intent on solidifying the Blue Devils slot in the Big Dance. It appeared like a calculated effort, in which the referees whistled BC's best for ticky-tack fouls and pretended not to see the forearm shivers that Duke would throw when chasing down a loose ball. Calls were made against BC at very critical times, and calls against Duke were reserved for when the result would be insignificant. After a series of awful calls going in Duke's favor, I remember checking the team fouls. Duke had more team fouls, and BC's case for poor officiating would have been thrown out before entering the courtroom.

There are plenty of other issues that I could, and probably should, get into. However, I do not want to dwell on all of the negatives from tonight. I hope the team will use this as a wake up call and continue to build on the momentum that they have worked hard to achieve all season long. UNC on Saturday will be a great test. While many people question the legitimacy of the Blue Devils, nobody doubts the talent that is flying in from Chapel Hill.

Again- I'm frustrated because Duke was beatable tonight. However, I'm relieved to know that Duke will be beatable on future nights, and next time we see them (come tournament time), the stakes will be higher.