For Jon Scheyer, the 2009-2010 season was highlighted by his breakthrough performance. He averaged career highs in points (18.9), assists (5.2), free throw percentage (0.889) and three-point field goal percentage (0.399). He was instrumental in anchoring the nation’s best trio players in himself, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. Throughout the season, he led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Many considered him in contention for multiple national awards, let alone the frontrunner for ACC-Player of the Year.
Alas, Scheyer came up short Tuesday morning when the conference announced that Greivis Vasquez of Maryland would take home the ACC Player of the Year honors, earning 39 votes to Scheyer’s 12.
Why?
Photo Courtesy of the Duke Chronicle.
Both Scheyer and Vasquez are similar in most respects, except for humility, where Vasquez is reportedly at a disadvantage. They play the same position, are both prolific scorers, and led their respective teams to share the ACC regular-season championship. In addition, they were both unanimous selections to the All-ACC First Team. But what sets them apart?
Perhaps it was a mere matter of statistics. Vasquez does have the edge on points (19.2), assists (6.3) and rebounds (4.6). However, the far more likely reasoning for Vasquez’s victory may be that he managed to do more than less.
While Scheyer was one of three players on the Blue Devil squad to lead his team into the national spotlight and win the ACC Regular Season Championship, Vasquez accomplished the same with a much less talented squad. Duke would still have the potential to win without Scheyer, whereas the same couldn’t be said about the Terps minus Vasquez.
This fact is best exemplified in the All-ACC team selections, where Duke has three players represented within the first and second All-ACC teams, whereas Maryland only has one. In addition, Duke, unlike Maryland, is represented in the ACC All-Defensive team with senior Lance Thomas garnering 17 votes.
Indeed, Vasquez must have been instrumental in any success that Maryland had this season. Because of him, the Terps are ranked No. 19 and celebrated their first regular season championship in eight years.
Whatever the reason, Greivis will not have much time to celebrate, as he has to prepare his himself for the ACC Tournament this weekend in Greensboro. He will hope to lead Maryland to their first tournament victory since 2004, when the Terrapins beat Duke in an overtime thriller, 95-87.
Duke’s smashing of North Carolina on Saturday night marked the end of the regular season and the beginning of Championship Week. The ACC Tournament begins on Thursday with four first round matchups and the Blue Devils begin play on Friday when they face the winner of the Boston College-Virginia game.
Here’s how Duke’s first game (12 p.m. Friday) could look:
Scenario 1: Duke vs. Boston College
Previous games: 1/13 BC at Duke, Duke wins 79-59
2/06 Duke at BC, Duke wins 66-63
Duke dominated the first matchup with Nolan Smith going 9-for-14 from the field and scoring 24 points. Kyle Singler scored 15 points and Jon Scheyer and Miles Plumlee each chipped in 12. Duke outrebounded the Eagles 40-25 and forced 13 turnovers. For Boston College, Reggie Jackson kept the game respectable by scoring 20 points and making eight of his twelve shots. In the second meeting, the Eagles kept the game close the entire time and missed a three at the buzzer that would have forced overtime. The Blue Devils held a ten point halftime lead, but fatigued in the second half after defeating Georgia Tech just 40 hours earlier in a hard fought game. Smith and Scheyer each scored 21 while Singler added 12. BC forward Rakim Sanders made up for his 1-for-8 performance in the first game by making six of his 12 shots. [click to continue…]
Not everybody in the student section was wearing Duke apparel on Saturday night. A quick scan of the student section will reveal one man wearing a “Presbyterian College” sweater amongst a crowd of Cameron Crazies.
Some will recognize this man as Brian King, the college basketball fan who was infamously kicked out of the Dean Dome for yelling “Miss it, Deon [Thompson]!” during a free throw attempt.
Apparently North Carolina head coach Roy Williams did not understand the concept of opposing fans. That’s weird, especially given his annual trips to across 15-501 to Cameron Indoor Stadium, where he faces the most hostile group of opposing fans in the country.
Indeed, on Saturday night, the Cameron Crazies did not waste the opportunity to invite Mr. King to the student section so that he could finish the heckling that he was so rudely interrupted during in December.
And, this time around, when he yelled for Deon Thompson to miss his free throws, there was nothing Roy Williams could do to stop him.
The Blue Devils put on a phenomenal performance for the Cameron Crazies last night, exploding on the Tar Heels on their way to an 82-50 victory, the second most lopsided in this rivalry. While they were busy celebrating, four ESPN experts were sitting on a makeshift stage on the cobblestone entrance to Cameron Indoor, discussing the Blue Devils’ performance and it’s impact come Selection Sunday.
College GameDay analysts Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis used Duke’s dominating performance on Saturday night to determine whether the Blue Devils were deserving of the last No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament. The other three – Syracuse, Kansas and Kentucky are widely considered to be guaranteed a top spot come tournament time.
Courtesy of Duke Photography
Recently, in Duke’s favor came the injury of Purdue forward Robbie Hummel, the team’s second leading scorer and second leading rebounder. Purdue, once also in contention for a No. 1 spot, will not be nearly as much of a threat without Hummel.
Indeed, the GameDay analysts were confident in Duke’s chances, especially given their most recent 32-point victory.
“I do think that Duke is deserving of a No. 1 seed,” analyst and North Carolina alumni Hubert Davis said, even after predicting a Tar Heel victory barely 12-hours before. “But regardless of whether they are No. 1 or No. 2 seed, this is a team that is talented enough to get to a final four and win a national championship.”
The only analyst who seemed hesitant to agree with his colleagues was Jay Bilas. Bilas, a former Duke forward/center (1983-86) and assistant coach (1990-92), believed that Duke will be competing against No. 6 Ohio State for this coveted No. 1 spot.
“There are only two teams that are vying for [No. 1 seed]. Duke is in the prime position to get it. If they win the ACC tournament, they will get it,” Bilas explained. “The other team in contention is Ohio State. Now, Ohio State has four wins against top-25 teams. That’s more than Duke. And, I think Ohio State will get credit for losing three games when [star forward] Evan Turner was out.”
No matter what, nothing is set in stone just yet. Selection Sunday is a week away, and in the meantime, the Blue Devils still has the ACC tournament to prove their value. Duke has gotten itself the No. 1 seed for the tournament, and will take on the winner between Boston College and Virginia on Saturday at noon.
