CBE Classic Recap

In Arena Adventures, Entry #2, I blogged about the semifinal games of the CBE Classic, which were won by #1 Duke and #4 Kansas St., setting up a top 5 showdown for the title, with pretty much a decided homecourt advantage for the Wildcats. In order to get to the championship game, the consolation matchup between #22 Gonzaga and Marquette had to be played. This was an interesting matchup, if not for the teams themselves, but for the universities as these are 2 of the most respected Jesuit schools in the nation. Living in Wisconsin, this is a matchup I would like to see played on a more regular basis as I feel like these schools match up well academically and athletically. As for the game itself, it looked early like a Gonzaga blowout was in order. Steven Gray of Gonzaga was absolutely on fire from 3 in the first half, hitting 4 in a row within the first 10 minutes and a 5th before half to pace the Zags before Marquette settled down and held the Zags to only a 9 point halftime lead. In the 2nd half, Marquette battled back, lead by Jimmy Butler, eventually drawing to within 2 points within the final minute. After Gray split 2 FTs for the Zags, Marquette had 1 final chance to force OT, but Butler's shot from about 30 feet came up a bit short and Gonzaga held on for a 66-63 win. Gray and Elias Harris led the Zags, but the play of Mangisto (Manny) Arop off the bench was the biggest factor in Gonzaga getting the win. His 15 points made up for the missing Robert Sacre, who managed to only score 3 points in the game. This tournament was a good learning experience for Gonzaga, but it was absolutely imperative for the Zags to beat Marquette after dropping decisions to SDSU at home and K-State the previous night as a part of the CBE. However, I foresee both of these teams being factors come March.

As the consolation game wound down, the stands started to fill (with mostly purple-clad fans) in anticipation of the Duke/K-State showdown. With Coach K going for his 800th win as the coach at Duke, the team had extra incentive to down the Wildcats, even though I don't think the Blue Devils really needed any extra motivation. The atmosphere was electric (turning off the lights and doing NBA-style pregame intros didn't hurt either), and after the ball was tipped you could tell both teams were jacked up for this game. K-State was a little too jacked up though, committing foolish turnovers, committing silly (and questionably called) fouls, and shooting just etrocious from the charity stripe. Duke jumped out to an early 10-2 lead and never looked back the whole game, leading by double figures for much of the first half before K-State closed the margin to 8 at half. Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith were the catalysts for Duke in the first half and throughout the game, blowing by K-State defenders at will and getting open shots for teammates. Curtis Kelly was the only reason K-State was even within striking distance at half, scoring 11 first-half points off the bench.

In the 2nd half it was more of the same, Irving and Smith scoring at will, Kelly being K-State's only offensive weapon, and fouls piling up on the Wildcats. Eventually, the lead swelled to over 20 before Coach K called off the dogs and the final margin of victory was 82-68. Even though the final margin was only 14 points, it seemed as though K-State never had a chance in the game. Whenever K-State made a run, Duke always had an answer. Additionally, star K-State PG, Jacob Pullen, had arguably his worst career game, scoring only 4 points and taking a host of terrible shots in the 2nd half trying to bring his team back. While K-State has some talented players in Kelly, Rodney MacGruder, and Wally Judge, Pullen is clearly the team leader and #1 offensive option. With him off his game, there was no way K-State was shocking the world with the upset. However, even if Pullen had been on his game, I don't think Duke was going to be denied in KC. The Blue Devils clearly showed why they are #1 and there is no doubt in my mind they should be #1 (as much as it pains me to say that). They may not have the most talent or athletes in the nation, but they have the best coach in the nation, and play the best team basketball. The schedule doesn't get any easier for Duke to defend its #1 ranking, with a tilt against Michigan St. on tap for 12/1/10 as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

To wrap up the CBE, Irving was named tournament MVP, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by: Mason Plumlee (Duke), Steven Gray (Gonzaga), Jimmy Butler (Marquette), and Jamar Samuels (KSU). From the tournament I think I learned that Duke is going to be hard to beat all season and is clearly the best team in the nation right now; K-State might be a bit overrated as the loss of Denis Clemente might be greater than originally thought; Gonzaga is a bit overrated as well as their young players need to continue to develop and the lack of a scoring threat from the PG position is going to be damning all season long as teams sag off of Demetri Goodson and his lack of a consistent jumpshot; and Marquette has a chance to do some damage in the Big East if players like Devante Gardner and Jae Crowder continue to grow to support veterans Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom. I think we will see all 4 of these teams in the field of 68 and I will be excited to see each team continue to grow as the season progresses as all have the potential to be good, with Duke and K-State having the potential to make the trip to Houston for the Final Four.