When #1 Duke and #3 Kansas State take the floor tonight in Kansas City it will be the nation's first big-time anticipated matchup of the season. Both squads will be still be adjusting to life without their All-American caliber point guards of 2009. John Scheyer and Denis Clemente have both graduated and moved on, leaving big shoes to fill.. Splendid as Scheyer's senior campaign was, it is hard to argue either one more important to their team's success last season. The difference between Duke and K-State is in how they have recovered from the point guard loss.
Kansas State has an interesting situation; the best point guard on their team is also their best scoring guard, the 'bearded' man of 'Fear the Beard' fame, Jacob Pullen. Frank Martin's 'Cats have at times looked a little listless offensively, still struggling to find the right balance offensively, as well as balancing Pullen's minutes controlling and playing off the ball.
Pete Gillen once famously quipped, in exasperation after another humbling defeat at the hands of the Blue Devils, "Duke is Duke." It sounded better in his heavily affected NYC garble... But Gillen was certainly on to something. It must be splendid for Coach K when you have the fortune of replacing your All-American point guard... with an All-American caliber point guard (freshman Kyrie Irving). Irving has looked splendidly comfortable assuming the reigns of the Duke high-octane offense, freeing Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler up to inflict damage both shooting and slashing to the hoop. The ball rarely touches the floor when the Devils get out on the break which leads to easy layups and wide open looks from behind the arc. Kyrie Irving has been the engine amping up the Devils' potent attack.
Tonight we find out if he is ready to slide as effortlessly into Scheyer's role as he has made it look so far this season.
What Kansas State's inside players might lack in offensive refinement, they make up for with length and tremendous bounce. It's a quick and explosive group of rebounders and defenders who have the ability to make life frustrating for the Blue Devils as they try to get out in transition. They also have the potential to punish Duke on the offensive glass. Good offensive rebounding is a panacea for a lot of ills, including a few turnovers or less-than-stellar perimeter shooting. This game will serve as a nice test to find out if Mason Plumlee's huge strides of improvement are as truly long as they have appeared.
In the end, I think Duke is a better, and much more complete team. Their tremendous ball pressure will be taxing for a K-State team still tinkering and experimenting to discover their primary ballhandler. However, one BIG factor is tipping heavily in State's favor. This game, while technically considered a "neutral" floor, will be anything but "neutral." Tonight Kansas City will be comprised of a sea of purple, fans frothing at the opportunity to legitimize their place on the throne of college basketball's elite teams. Both teams are ranked high. Both teams have better than average chance at earning #1 seed come March. But the game will just mean a little bit more to the Wildcats and their faithful.
After all, "Duke is Duke."
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