Duke 79, VCU 71: 5 Observations

Grayson Allen drives inside on a night where his 30 points guided Duke past VCU in semifinals of 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden. (Photo courtesy of the Charlotte Observer)

A handful of takeaways from Duke's 79-71 win over VCU in the semifinals of Friday's 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden:

• Give VCU credit for hanging with Duke the entire night.
  The Rams led for most of the game's first 29 minutes before a pair of Grayson Allen free throws put the Blue Devils in front for good, but Will Wade's bunch did not go quietly into the New York evening, staying within a single possession until a 12-2 Duke run broke the game open in the middle of the second half. Still, the reigning national champions left the door open until the final seconds, as missed free throws (Duke shot 19-for-34 at the foul line) gave the Rams more than a glimmer of hope down the stretch. Although VCU fell victim to a heavy foul disparity like most of Duke's opponents do, Wade offered no excuses in perhaps his biggest game at the helm since replacing Shaka Smart in the offseason. "I feel better about our team now than I did after the two wins," he revealed. "We withstood punches from a Top 10 team in the country. I feel like we were almost trying too hard, but I can't fault our effort. We just need to clean some things up."
  
• Grayson Allen is going to be THAT guy.
  And by THAT guy, we mean the next player that all non-Duke fans will love to hate. The sophomore, whose performance in the national championship game against Wisconsin put him on the fast track to inheriting the aforementioned mantel from such Blue Devil luminaries as Christian Laettner and J.J. Redick, poured in an incredibly efficient 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting, supplementing his spectacular offense with six rebounds in a far cry from his forgettable showing against Kentucky in the Champions Classic this past Tuesday. "For us, it's all about moving on," the young shooter remarked as he came off the bench in favor of freshman Derryck Thornton, who had a magnificent night of his own with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. "For me, coming off the bench was nothing different than if I was starting," Allen said. "It's the same aggressive mindset, attacking mindset, and just bringing energy to the team."
  
• Mike Krzyzewski's latest freshman point guard looks like a star in the making.
  Derryck Thornton arrived in Durham with mounds of hype after reclassifying a year early this offseason to be one of the winningest college basketball coach of all time's 2015 recruits, and is eager to make up for the time he lost by not being on campus during the summer. "I'm just really here trying to soak in everything Coach has for me," he admitted after a 19-point effort against VCU's vaunted pressure defense. Krzyzewski, however, took it a step further. "What Derryck brought tonight was personality," he spoke of his young floor general. "He looked strong, he played that way, and even if there was a mistake, it never rattled him. He brings something different to our team, and it's not just being the point guard. It's not being afraid, not being into you, but really into this team. I was very impressed with that."
  
• VCU's bench has a pair of spark plugs that will fuel the Rams as the year goes on.
  Not only that, but the two high-energy reserves bring experience that is certainly needed in Richmond, as junior college transfer Ahmed Hamdy Mohamed and graduate transfer Korey Billbury each had solid outings as the sixth and seventh men in the rotation, combining for 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Hamdy in particular looked most dangerous, showing off a set of post moves while also driving through the lane on more than one occasion to keep VCU within earshot even as Duke threatened to drive off with a convincing win. "He was tremendous, man," said Wade of Hamdy. "He can finish around the rim, he throws his body around. He gave us a big lift."
  
• In defeat, VCU showed its potential.
  Not only did Wade praise his team's fight and admit that brighter days were ahead, but the consensus among everyone who addressed the media was that the best truly is yet to come in Richmond. "We've been doubted throughout the entire preseason," guard Melvin Johnson said, "and I still feel like we've got a heck of a team. Everyone in our basketball family is devoted to getting us better." The Rams' moxie was also not lost on no less an authority than their counterpart on the opposing bench. "We didn't beat a team," Mike Krzyzewski proclaimed, "we beat a program. They have a program at VCU. Those kids were strong. It's tough to run an offense against them."