Duke Over The Mountain

Image Source: ESPN

#1 seed Duke dominated #16 Mount St. Mary's from the start of yesterday's NCAA men’s tournament first-round matchup, winning 93-49.  Duke shot 50% from the field, including 38% from behind the arc, sinking 14 of 37 three-point attempts.  The Blue Devils (right side of shot chart) did much of their damage inside the paint, and it was a balanced offensive attack with no Duke player reaching the 20 point mark.  Tyrese Proctor led the way with 19 points on 6 of 9 shooting with all 6 makes from three; while Cooper Flagg, coming off an ankle injury, returned to score 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting in 22 minutes.  Impressively, Duke only had 2 turnovers in the game.  That combination of scoring efficiency and ball protection is a recipe for success.

The Mountaineers shot poorly, making only 19 of 63 shots (30%) and 5 of 27 three-pointers (18%), and they committed 11 turnovers.  Arlandus Keyes was the only player to score in double figures, coming off the bench to score 15 points, shooting 5 for 11 from behind the three-point line. The rest of the team went 0 for 22 from three-point range.  Yikes!  It’s tough to beat anyone with that kind of shooting.

If you like analyzing shot charts like this, then you may appreciate my shot chart art.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  Game recognize game.  Much appreciated!