The ACC Tournament has come up to the Big Apple to display the greatest assortment of player talent and coaching in any conference in the NCAA this season. Likely 2017 NBA Draft picks will be on the court in every matchup over the next five-day stretch. We here at The Step Back want you to feel like you are watching it courtside right along with us so we’ll have these game-by-game diaries for each day with scouting notes on the players involved.
The notes for each game are presented chronologically. Read Day 1’s notes here, Day 2’s notes here, Day 3’s notes here, and Day 4’s notes here.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Notre Dame vs Duke (9 p.m. EST)
– This tournament was Jayson Tatum’s breakout moment so far this season. He had been unguardable all tournament long and he capped it off by scoring eight of his team-high 19 points in the final three minutes of the game. Tatum will at times get too reliant on his jump shot, settling for outside looks when he has the size or speed advantage on his defender. He started tonight’s game with two post-ups, hitting a fadeaway jumper on the first and drawing a foul on the second.
Now that Duke plays him at power forward, he enters every game with an advantage offensively. Notre Dame had either V.J. Beachem or Steve Vasturia guard him all night, but when the Blue Devils needed him most, Tatum came through. He had the and-1 dunk that just about sealed the game for Duke. However, it was a play before that showed his full potential. Vasturia drove to the rim and looked to have an open layup before Tatum closed in from behind and stuffed the attempt against the rim. After controlling the rebound, Tatum proceeded to go the length of the court and finish at the rim on the other end. If Tatum can have another strong run in the NCAA Tournament he could very well vault himself into the conversation for the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
-Luke Kennard didn’t have his best game of the week, but when things started to get out of hand for the Blue Devils, Kennard was there to right the ship. After watching four straight Duke games it’s clear that the Duke staff does a tremendous job of teaching their players how to play off pin-downs. Kennard is great at getting separation, but it would be for nothing if the passes he received were poor. The other Blue Devils do a good job of leading Kennard away from his trailing defender to get him open and effective looks. Kennard’s ability to hit 3-pointers is well-documented, but his soft touch around the rim and on his floaters and runners is a real help in getting him easy baskets.
-Grayson Allen wasn’t at his best either (1-of-5 on 3-pointers), yet he found a way to come up big for Duke too. He finished the game with 10 points in 21 minutes as Coach Krzyzewski shortened his rotation down the stretch. Allen’s six turnovers stand out as well as he was careless with the ball at times and it almost caused the Blue Devils to give away the championship game.
Next: NBA Draft Big Board: Late February edition
-Notre Dame went to the spread pick-and-roll in this game and it really caused trouble for Duke. Bonzie Colson found himself wide-open time after time, rolling to the rim as the help defenders had to stay attached to the Fighting Irish shooters positioned around the arc. Colson was a beast tonight and finished with 29 points and 9 rebounds. His three late tied the game at 65-all and almost was the straw that broke the Blue Devils’ back. Colson has been the key piece for Notre Dame all year and tonight’s game was huge for him. With numerous NBA executives at Barclays, he showed the ability and skill to play in a modern-style game. Beachem also gets a shout out, his 15 point game won’t be remembered, but the amount of sheer will and hustle he plays with will keep him in the NBA for many seasons. Tonight alone he scored four points by simply running the court.