Breakdown: Duke vs Virginia Tech 12/8/2024
Published: December 9, 2024
In a game where the Hokies only took seven total 3s, it seemed like it was an uphill battle for the start.
Defensive breakdown:
Duke has tremendous depth. Ten players scored for them in this game, and that’s just something that comes from the Coach Lawson system. They bring tremendous energy, intensity and discipline.
From a Duke standpoint they are very good on their switches and staying attached to their defensive assignments. This discipline takes integrity to break, something Virginia Tech didn’t show enough of.
Majority of inside buckets from Duke were made off of post ups where the seal was heavy on the inside foot. This allowed Toby Fournier to get some really easy buckets. You have to either front the post or offer enough pressure to the inside foot to make the post player spin towards the paint. When you let them spin inside and use their dominant hand to finish, you let them have free buckets. There was too much of that.
Samyha gave up at least 3 separate 3PAs from helping/digging at some really inopportune times. Rose is extremely strong, and Carys was almost always there for backside help. Why are we jumping 10+ feet off a three point shooter to help in a situation where you almost can’t make anything happen without fouling? That doesn’t make sense, and very much seemed like that was done on her own accord and not from defensive rules.
Offensive breakdown:
Offensively the main issue is back side action. The lower ⅓ of the half court is not being used effectively. Out of 47 quality offensive looks (plays or actions ran), only two used any sort of lower action to initiate. That action being a post cross screen that ended with a Suffen Runner and a Corner 3 from Wenzel respectively. When you’re setting a screen, specifically a cross screen you have to be very deliberate on the action. It can’t be a quick screen and get out. A half set screen is not a screen at all. Sadly for Tech they were not deliberate enough in their screening action. That’s a pretty easy area to improve in, and I’m hopeful they will going forward.
Something else I saw that was interesting to me was repeated action. The ACC is notorious for scouting plays and creating coverages in walkthroughs to guard them. Virginia Tech is really bad about this. When Coach Duffy calls a play, if that play is not completed i.e. a foul or deflection out of bounds, they immediately go back to the exact same set and play. It became so apparent I saw it happen twice and instantly could call plays off of the set and action that was involved before the dead ball. Just like in football, if they know your play they know what to do. That is something glaring that has to change going forward if there is any series success to be had.
Extra: if anyone from VT’s staff is reading this, please run this ATO at some point. Wenzel would eat this up at the shooter spot.
