Duke Blue Devils Jeremy Roach Paolo Banchero Gonzaga Zags Bulldogs
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Duke vs Gonzaga: 2 Things We Learned About Duke

Lawrence Davis III @LawDavis13 @SpecMagSports

Las Vegas, NV — Paolo Banchero scores 21 points as the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils knock off the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs 84-81 in the Continental Tire Challenge at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

This game seemed more like a heavyweight fight that would take place in Vegas than a basketball game. Each team took their turn leading the game in a dramatic fashion. As soon as you think one team had an advantage, BOOM! the other team fires back with a counter left hook and now has the winning team on the ropes.

This back-and-forth battle between heavyweight programs really showed the true character of this young Duke team to battle through adversary to earn a victory. Here are two things that we learned about Duke on Friday night.

Banchero should be the top NBA draft pick

The 6’10”, 250-pound freshman forward looks ready to play in the NBA like yesterday. The Washington-native took the top collegiate basketball team from Washington state (and the nation) and bullied their top player like it was another high school game.

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Duke forward Paolo Banchero (5) focuses on a free throw attempt. (Credit: Lawrence Davis III/Spectacular Magazine)

Every move Banchero made inside was strong and decisive and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren had no answer early, accumulating two fouls in the first half and sat the majority of the first half sitting next to the Zags coaching staff on the bench shaking their heads.

Banchero finished the half with 20 points. No freshman has ever scored 30+ points against a number-one ranked team and won. The streak would continue as cramping and hydration or a lack of hydration would cause Banchero to miss about eight minutes of game time in the second half.

After receiving an IV to rush fluids back into his body, Banchero returned with 8:23 remaining in the second half to help lead his team to victory. He only managed one point in the second half as Duke went to a smaller lineup and looked to attack off the dribble from the perimeter.

Banchero has now put up 22 points against Kentucky, 18 points, and 12 rebounds against a tough Army team in his first game at home, and now puts up 21 points against the top team in the country in his return (kinda) to the west coast. Banchero seems to shine when the lights are bright and despite cramping issues, is always there to battle for every rebound and loose ball and do the small things it takes to help his team win. 

Defense on cutters isn’t cutting it

The Duke Blue Devils do a really good job of getting out and pressuring the ball. As teams start to pick that tendency up that Duke loves to pressure the ball and play the adjacent passing lanes, the easy counter to extreme ball pressure is cutting back door behind the pressure to get easy looks at the rim.

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Duke forward Mark Williams finishes a dunk attempt. (Credit: Lawrence Davis III/Spectacular Magazine)

The Bulldogs did a great job early in the game of getting out on missed shots and attacking in transition early. They would get Duke into a numbers game that would allow the Zags to have the advantage on the offensive end.

Duke forward Mark Williams did a good job of saving Duke on the back end in the first half with four blocks. There were numerous plays where Gonzaga had cutters that became an issue early but a couple of plays stuck out to me later in the game. 

The first Gonzaga play came off an isolation post up for Anton Watson on the restriction cylinder against Mark Williams. Watson pushed Banchero under the basket and Holmgren lost Mark Williams on a vertical cut. Watson found Holmgren on a beautiful bounce pass and Holmgren finished with a dunk.

A few possessions later, Nembhard found Timme on a short pick and roll. Wendell Moore Jr did a great job of stepping up to take a charge on the cutter attempting the roll (Timme) but nobody filled in behind for a second rotation and Timme lobbed the ball to Holmgren who was left alone on the baseline for an easy alley-oop dunk.

If Gonzaga avoided early foul trouble, it is a great chance they create enough opportunities with cutters to put Duke on the comeback trail. But unfortunately for the top-ranked team in the nation, it did not work out like that.

The Blue Devils (7-0, 0-0 ACC) look to rest up then travel to Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, November 30 to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a tipoff set for 9:30 EST.