1:27 in the a.m. and I just got done watching the Duke game on DVR. It's frustrating knowing that Eric Maynor has the last shot and you and everyone else knows what he's going to do, and yet the Devils does nothing to stop it. I saw the Mason game, I knew what was coming. Hell, VCU ran the same play the last three times down the court. Ever think of double teaming Maynor to get the ball out of his hands?

This was a very winnable game. Earlier today I told a co-worker Duke would easily beat VCU if two things happened: Coach K used his bench and stopped his usual 6 man rotation bullshit and someone (Scheyer, Nelson, or McClure) steps up and has a big game. Lo and behold eight players are used in the first eight or so minutes, the team shoots 60% from the field and builds up a double-digit lead. Greg Paulus decides to show everyone what he's made of (finally) and drops 25. Should have been a cakewalk. But no, K reigns in the PT in the second half and we stop rotating on D, start making bad turnovers and quit giving the ball to Josh McRoberts, who VCU has no answer for. McRoberts and Paulus were the only two players in double figures. We tried that two-man team shit last year and it didn't work then either.

And why not put someone athletic on Maynor in the last 90 seconds? Why not put Gerald Henderson on him? Why not foul him? Do something! Argh.

Why John Sheyer was in the game I have no idea. He's useless. To slow to even get his own shot off. How many times did he rise up for a jumper, only to stop in mid-motion and bail out by passing it to a teammate? I wonder what Martynas Pocius could have done in 35 minutes.

DeMarcus Nelson just hasn't developed like he should have. I expect Coach K thought he'd be a Daniel Ewing-like, b-level go to guy at this point, but he's more Roshown McLeod than anything else. I still remember the multitude of jumpers he used to clang off the front rim. Nelson's Carolina game from his freshman year seems light years away right now.

I give Paulus credit for his good game, but he, McRoberts and Nelson missed free throws late that would have put Duke over the top. So it's really more of the same for Paulus. A true Wojo-like performance. Puts the team in a position to win, but screws up in the clutch to deliver the loss. Perhaps if Coach K would have recruited one other player that could handle the ball, he might have had fresher legs going into the final few minutes of the game. But that's a discussion for another day. Off to bed.