Duke 83-Princeton 61 in 1st Round of Maui Invitational
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by Wrmjr
Duke continued their unbeaten streak in the Maui Invitational by defeating the Princeton Tigers by 22 points, 83-61. Duke got off to a dominating start and built a 27 point lead by the mid-point in the first half. Duke used a swarming defense and strong offensive rebounding to build this insurmountable lead. Kyle Singler was dominant. He had a double-double (21 points and 12 rebounds) to lead all players in both categories. He nearly had a double-double in the first half, and a remarkable 9 of his 12 rebounds came on the offensive side of the court. Singler certainly seems to deserve having his name mentioned among the top freshmen in the country. He is a hard worker who can create his own points both inside and outside.
But this wasn't just the Kyle Singler show. In fact, props are due to the Tigers who were able to weather the opening storm and chip away at the lead (it was 21 at half time). In the second half, they essentially played the Blue Devils even. Linconln Gunn scored 16 points and played with great intensity, diving for balls and working hard every minute. Princeton coach Sydney Johnson must be very pleased with how well his team adjusted and ran their offense in the second half. If Princeton can play with this type of intensity all year, it is hard to see them in the cellar again this year in the Ivy League.
Ultimately, though it was Duke's athleticism and depth that were too much for the Tigers. Duke's athleticism was perhaps best illustrated by Gerald Henderson's monster dunk off an alley-oop from freshman Nolan Smith. Henderson finished with 12 points and John Scheyer added 10 to be the only other Duke players in double-figures. Duke played 11 players with no one getting more than 27 minutes.
Duke should be well rested for their next game against a hungry Illinois team. They have looked dominant at times with a defense that makes it hard for the opposition to start their offense. There is no denying, however, that Princeton was able to play them pretty evenly for most of the game. Duke's stiffest competition is still clearly in the future, but they are playing like a team that will give almost anyone a hard time. I'm still not convinced they are the 10th best team in the nation, but they certainly belong in the top 20 based on their talent and how well they are playing.
