Just when you think this team is in crash and burn, they pull out an unbelievable performance. I heard one UD Assistant describe the game plan before the game. UD executed the game plan to perfection. Duquesne plays physical defense and they wanted to keep the score low. That did not work out. UD won some 50/50 balls and outrebounded the taller Dukes. UD wins when they shoot lights out and outscore the opposition. They can't that every night, but when they get hot they blow out St. Bonaventure, VCU and now Duquesne. I see one pattern. The UD team has some quickness. When teams overplay on defense, the UD players beat the defense and create lots of scoring opportunities with open players. The number of assists and dunks were outstanding. In my opinion, if you want to beat UD, DON'T overplay. Play straight up and don't let the half court offense beat you to the basket. The only team to overplay and get away with it has been Rhode Island. What do I mean by overplay? Try to deny passes and passing lanes and pressure the guards intensely. When Crutcher handles the pressure the other team pays big time. The stats from the game were stunning. UD shot 83% from the field in the second half. You better win the game with that shooting. I also thought coaching moves were very good and interesting. Anthony substituted much earlier in the first half. The subs did not hurt the team and the team held their own during the last four minutes of the first half. I liked that substitution pattern. Interesting that Williams did not play. Crosby actually held his own. I don't think Matej or Kostas hurt the team either. I would love to see the +- for each play. Easier to substitute when those guys don't hurt you. I also thought Anthony called timeouts at the right time. Maybe he got the timeout memo from the message board. The offense was the fastest and most crisp all year. The ball movement and team motion was exceptionally good. There were some dumb traveling calls late in the first half, otherwise the turnovers were acceptable. 25 assists on 31 baskets. Jordan Davis broke out of his shooting slump in a big way. Maybe his best complete game as a Flyer. The defense is getting more physical. Less open shots than early in the year. The team is now a man to man team. They still give up some dribble penetration, especially in the first half. Duquesne shot some long and off balance 3s. They have some good outside shooters. That kept them in the game. Otherwise, played had defense. Nowhere close to perfect but much challenging. Great individual and team efforts. I wish this team was not red hot one night and totally flat the next, but they are young.
