On Wisconsin

I can’t get too angry about a loss to a smart, versatile, superbly-coached team on its home court, the type of team Duke could end up facing in a second round NCAA tournament matchup. Wednesday night’s loss to Wisconsin wasn’t nearly as close as the score suggests; had Kyle Singler not gone unconscious for a career-high 28 points (17 in the first half), it could have easily been a 20-point margin.

So no more worrying about staying undefeated or maintaining a high national ranking. This Duke team isn’t gunning for a 1-seed in the tournament anyway, so an early loss to a formidable out-of conference team isn’t a debilitating blow to the season. If anything, the film of this loss should provide the foundation for ways Duke needs to improve by the start of the ACC season, which opens on Jan. 3 against Clemson exactly a month from today.

Bo Ryan has mastered the Wisconsin formula, now in its third or fourth incarnation since he arrived in ’01-‘02 : surround one or two quick, versatile guards(Trevon Hughes, like Devin Harris and Alando Tucker before him) with interchangeable jump-shooting big men. And don’t turn the ball over. Pretty simple. We could learn a thing or two from them. (Doesn’t Bo look like he should be the Don of one of the five New York families. I’d go to the mattresses for Don Bo any day.)

It’s going to be a real challenge for Nolan Smith to balance trying to assert himself while avoiding selfish basketball. Right now, he’s giving away an unacceptable number of possessions each game: the forced jumper from the corner early on, the 1-on-3 break that should have been slowed down but was instead driven to the hoop before getting called for a travel, the shot to end the first half that he could barely get off. In three games against big conference opponents, he’s now shooting a combined 16-for-52 for just over 30 percent. That’s horrific.

Not to keep picking on Nolan, but his judgment has been downright atrocious so far. Down three with 10 seconds left in the game, why did he choose to drive the ball for the two instead of swinging the ball for the possible open three to tie the game? If there’s 20 to 25 seconds left and you want to sneak in an extra possession in the hopes they’ll miss a free throw, that’s one thing. But 10 seconds isn’t enough time to bring the ball back down the floor.

Meanwhile, after a disappointing UConn game, Singler showed why he’ll be a top 15 pick in next year’s draft and will probably be a more effective pro than half the guys taken above him. Three or four times in the first half I said to myself, “Wow, that’s an NBA move.” He has such wonderful touch around the basket and from the midrange and he covers ground so effortlessly. I just worry that on nights like this, when he’s got it going and the rest of the offense is stagnant, that everyone else will just watch him rather than incorporate him into the flow of the offense.

I was surprised at the extent to which they were able to shut down Jon Scheyer. We know he’s susceptible to the small, quicker guards (i.e. Scottie Reynolds and the Coreys in the loss to Villanova in last year’s tournament). But I excepted him to make adjustments to counterbalance that and he never did. He can’t take just seven shots (about six too few) to Nolan’s 17 (about six too many).

Check out the minutes the S’s have logged the last three games:

Singler: 40, 31, 40

Scheyer: 40, 37, 39

Smith: 40, 40, 37

Doesn't appear that Coach K has much trust in the team when all three aren't on the floor. Hope this doesn't come back to bite us.

Other notes:

--Going 4-for-4 fom three-point land, I continue to love what Dawkins brings to the table. The kid knows when to spot up at the three-point line and almost always gets a good look. For every time I yell "No don't take that!' to Nolan, I find myself saying "All day!" to Dawkins.

--In his first official game, Mason Plumlee got pushed around a lot down low. Even when I thought he had position, he got beaten to rebounds. And let's hope he's done with three-point attempts on the season. Was he shooting with his off hand or something? Yeesh.

--Trevon Hughes is the type of guard who can singlehandedly take over a tournament game, the type of guard we don't have. I'd be very worried if we had to face them again.

--Doesn't it seem like our bigs (with the exception of Miles Plumlee) rarely make power moves to the basket when they've got the ball down low? They always seem to go for the fadeaway instead of an aggresive drop step to the basket.

--Does anyone else think Bob Knight is one of the best color commentators around? He's a wonderful teacher and doesn't talk down to the viewer or try too hard to be funny. He's interesting, smart, and likeable. Based on rumors I've heard, Coach K is a lot more like his mentor than he lets on, a side of him I wish we could see more often. I loved when Knight started railing on his his son Patrick's defense. I'd let my kid get choked at the Bob Knight School of Broadcasting any day.