1. James Banks dunk over Zion Williamson
Center James Banks made perhaps the highlight play of the game, filling the lane on a fast break, taking a bounce pass from guard Michael Devoe and dunking hard over Duke’s Zion Williamson, who has made his name by doing likewise but in this moment was a hapless victim.
As Tech voice Andy Demetra and analyst Randy Waters described the action,
Credit: Streeter Lecka
Credit: Streeter Lecka
It would have perhaps meant more had the Jackets won, but it was nonetheless an epic throwdown and it made the rounds on social media after the game.
For the game, Banks had limited effectiveness, first because his minutes were limited by foul trouble and second because he wasn’t at his best when he was playing. The two could well have been linked. Banks picked up his second foul at the 16:13 mark of the first half.
Pastner took him out, then put him back in at the 14:36 mark, and he played a little more than three minutes (his dunk over Williamson occurred in this span) before he was hit with his third foul, sending him to the bench for the rest of the half.
“I think probably the fouls, him being in foul trouble maybe got him off rhythm, but he’s got to be better for us,” Pastner said. “Every game, James has got to be just a dominant big man for us, and he’s very capable of doing that.”
Pastner added that even if Banks isn’t scoring, “he should get 15 rebounds a game. He’s very capable of doing that.”’
Pastner’s evaluation might be charitably described as a function of his zealous optimism. The last time a Division I player averaged 15 rebounds a game was the 1979-80 season. Since then, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, David Robinson (who was at Saturday’s game; his son Justin is on the team), and Tim Duncan, among others, all passed through the college ranks without attaining the 15-rebound standard.
The point remains, though, that Pastner wants more out of Banks on a consistent basis.
His final numbers: five points on 2-for-5 shooting, two rebounds, one block, one assist, 20 minutes.
His season averages before Saturday: 11.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.3 assists, 29.3 minutes.
2. Foul discrepancy
Both teams were 24-for-58 from the field. Tech was 3-for-10 from 3-point range and Duke was 2-for-21.
However, Duke was 16-for-19 from the free-throw line while Tech was 2-for-6. Tech is usually pretty good at getting to the line; the Jackets came into the game averaging 21.7 free throws per game. Tech also puts its opponents on the line more than most teams – 20.7 times per game before Saturday.
It was the second-widest disparity of the season for the Jackets. Tennessee took 38 free throws to 21 for Tech, although those numbers were skewed by six Volunteers free throws in the final minute as the Jackets fouled to try to get back in the game. Saturday, Tech did not intentionally foul at game’s end.
Last season, six out of nine ACC opponents shot single-digit free throws against Duke at Cameron. The season average was 12.1 free throws per game. In Duke ACC road games, opponents averaged 16.9 free throws, with 10 attempts the fewest.
I suspect this isn’t terribly unusual. Last season, for instance, Tech’s conference opponents averaged 15 free throws at McCamish Pavilion and 21.3 in their own arenas. (It bears mention that Tech won just once on the road last year, so it was putting opponents on the line late in games.)
Meanwhile, the Jackets shot 17.4 free throws at home and 15.6 on the road.
In Pastner’s tenure, the Jackets have had single-digit free throws eight times. Seven of those games were on the road (all losses, incidentally). Meanwhile, eight Tech opponents have shot single-digit free throws. Six of them were at McCamish Pavilion.
3. Strong on defense again
Again, the Jackets played superior defense. Duke was probably not as dialed in as coach Mike Krzyzewski would like, but the Blue Devils had a tough time in transition (particularly in the first half), shot their second-lowest field-goal percentage of the season (41.4 percent), its lowest three-point field-goal percentage since the 2009-10 season (2-for-21, 9.5 percent), its lowest-scoring half (27 points in the first half) and game of the season (66).
“They play really good defense,” Kzryzewski said. “You have to be ready to shoot. I don’t think we were ready to shoot. We were catching it and then their defense came on us.”
Tech did well at getting back in transition, challenging shots and, for the most part, keeping a body on Zion Williamson to prevent alley-oops, a tactic that Duke tried multiple times.
The strategy was “just finding him and just basically not allowing him to be able to jump over guys,” guard Michael Devoe said. “He’s super athletic. It was just game keys, that we had to just get back and play our half-court defense and contain those guys.”
Tech is ranked 12th nationally in defensive efficiency (KenPom).
4. What’s up next for Tech
The Duke was just the start of a rigorous three-game stretch against three of the most athletic teams in the ACC. Duke, North Carolina (Tech’s opponent Tuesday) and Florida State (Saturday) are all in the top 21 nationally in rebounding percentage (KenPom), evidence of the size and quickness that the Jackets will be up against.
Defensive rebounding is not a strength for Tech, in part because the Jackets are normally in a one, which complicates the task of finding an opponent to box out. Duke scored 13 second-chance points, 10 in the second half, off 11 offensive rebounds.
Pastner said Friday that, in a way, it works to Tech’s benefit as game planning won’t change as much as it might normally for another assortment of three teams.
5. Brandon Alston’s return
For the second game since returning from his two-game absence due to what Pastner called a personal matter, guard Brandon Alston did not play. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, his first as a grad transfer from Lehigh, Alston had played in all 50 of Tech’s games before he was not on the bench for the Clemson game and then the subsequent game vs. Louisville.
Explaining Alston not playing against Duke, Pastner said that “anyone that went on the floor was what was best to win the game.” He also said that Alston is a “really good basketball player” and that “when he gets his number called again, he’s going to come in and do a great job for us.”
Asked if he saw Alston playing again soon, Pastner, speaking Monday morning on the ACC coaches teleconference, said “it’s 11 a.m. right now. I just pray to the good Lord I get to noon today. So I can’t even think about tomorrow.”
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