SportsLine.com Report
March 24, 2000

Sweet 16: Florida's depth wears down Blue Devils

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- There were 8.1 seconds left and Duke's only senior was crying on the shoulders of coach Mike Krzyzewski.

It had been an improbably magical season for Chris Carrawell and his teammates, one that saw them overcome the loss of four players to the first round of the NBA Draft to win the ACC -- again -- and achieve a top-seeding in the NCAA Tournament -- again.

"This year could have been a bridge year just to keep us afloat, but Carrowell made it a building year rather than a bridge year," Krzyzewski said. "Maybe we got worn out, but I'd rather have that than not getting here."

But the Blue Devils had one glaring weakness -- depth -- which is what made their Sweet 16 game against full-court pressing Florida so dangerous. The attacking Gators (27-7) used their superior depth to rally from a six-point deficit down the stretch, holding Duke scoreless for the final four minutes en route to an 87-78 victory in the East Region.

Jason Williams, Nate James, Shane Battier and Carrawell all missed 3-pointers in the last 2:17 as Duke became the third No. 1 seed eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, joining Arizona and Stanford.

Duke had won 26 consecutive games in the East Regional since 1986 and was 21-3 as the top seed.

The Blue Devils lost because they couldn't shoot straight from long range, converting just 3 of 19 3-pointers after going 2-for-17 against Kansas in the second round.

Shane Battier led Duke with 20 points, 15 in the second half. Carrawell, a SportsLine.com All-American, finished with 16; Williams added 13 on 6-of-20 shooting, 1-for-9 from beyond the arc.

How They Got There

It wasn't supposed to be this easy. This was the year that Duke was going to struggle.

So much for that idea. Sure, the Blue Devils haven't been quite what they were a year ago, but they've been close. Despite having four players picked in the first round of the NBA Draft and losing another in Chris Burgess' transfer, Duke rolled into the NCAA Tournament.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski blended freshmen Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy Jr. into a short rotation, and with the improved play of Chris Carrawell and Shane Battier, it was almost as if Trajan Langdon, William Avery, Corey Maggette and Elton Brand were never lost.

Starting Lineup

• PG Jason Williams (6-2, 190, Fr.) 14.5 ppg, 6.5 apg, 4.2 rpg
  Williams has done a fine job as a starting freshman point guard. Rattled a little bit early in the season, Williams has become comfortable with the Duke offense and ranked among ACC leaders in assists for the season. Excellent against Lamar, but uneven vs. Kansas (nine rebounds, six assists -- but 2 for 15 from the field and eight turnovers).
• SG Nate James (6-6, 205, Jr.) 10.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg
  After two seasons in which James was a reserve, he has evolved into a complete player. James, who averaged five points per game a year ago, scored 12 in each of the first two tournament games and is shooting nearly 47 percent from the floor.
• C Carlos Boozer (6-9, 260, Fr.) 13.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg
  Krzyzewski didn't really know what to expect out of Boozer this season after the Juneau, Alaska, native broke his foot during the preseason. Limited at the beginning of the season, Boozer is now a healthy, athletic big man who can be difficult to match up with defensively. He's athletic enough to out-quick big centers and he's stronger than most players his height.
• SF Chris Carrawell (6-6, 215, Sr.) 17.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg
  On a team that needed both leadership and scoring before the season, Carrawell provided both from the beginning, earning ACC player of the year honors. He's one of only two players in ACC history to win four consecutive outright regular season championships. While he can look herky-jerky at times on the floor, Carrawell is dangerous when he puts the ball on the floor and when he shoots from the perimeter. He was fairly quiet through two tournament games, averaging 11 points and 5.5 rebounds.
• PF Shane Battier (6-8, 215, Jr.) 17.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg
  All he does is rebound, play defense and create a huge mismatch on the offensive end. Simply put, there are few players in the country who can guard Battier. A quick guy is usually too small and can be posted up while a bigger guy isn't quick enough to guard Battier on the perimeter. SportsLine.com selected Battier as the national defensive player of the year, and he showed why in the second round vs. Kansas when he had eight blocked shots.

Keys to Success

The Blue Devils don't care who scores and the other team isn't going to score much.

Of the team's six main players, all of them led the Blue Devils in scoring at different times this season. While Carrawell and Battier lead in scoring, three others are in double figures and Dunleavy isn't far behind with 9.3.

On the defensive end of the floor, Duke pressures the ball almost everywhere. Teams are not going to get easy baskets against the Blue Devils. While teams score a lot against Duke (71 ppg) it's more a product of Duke wanting to play a fast-paced game. Opponents shoots less than 42 percent against Duke.

The Coach

There's little question that this is one of Mike Krzyzewski's best coaching jobs. He's been able to absorb the loss of four pros and blend together an essentially new team. With a non-conference schedule that wasn't what some have been in the past, Krzyzewski was able to build confidence, but, at the same time, build in some legitimate tests.

The Bench

The Blue Devils biggest weakness. Essentially, there isn't a bench. Mike Dunleavy Jr. is the only regular player off of the bench. Mike Christensen will usually play a few minutes in each half (although he sustained a head injury in practice last week and did not play in the first two NCAA games), and Nick Horvath has played some.

Offense

There's little question that the Blue Devils are going to score points. They can do it from every position on the floor. In addition, the Duke defense provides ample opportunity for easy baskets and the team has more than enough outside shooters to survive in a half-court game. In Duke's first round ACC Tournament victory over Clemson, all the Blue Devils did was bury a tournament-record 17 3-pointers.

Defense

Krzyzewski preaches defense as much as any coach in the country and Duke constantly pressures the ball. If a team is going to beat the Blue Devils, it isn't going to be easy. In the No. 1 vs. No. 9 game of the ACC Tournament, Krzyzewski called timeout just over 90 seconds into the game because he said his team didn't have enough enthusiasm to play defense.

If there is a weakness of this defense, it's that they don't have a great answer to stop an inside player. To counter that, Duke has tried to deny the ball from going into the post.