Friday, March 27, 2009

Why hasn't Zoubek played more?

Why is Brian Zoubek, and Miles Plumlee for that matter, getting so little PT? In yet another disappointing tournament exit, the Blue Devils were crushed by Villanova last night. Zoubek played only 14 minutes, Plumlee didn't play. Teams don't win the NCAA championship without solid inside play. For most teams a 3- or 4-guard lineup is a necessity, because they lack any quality big men. Playing so many guards is just their way of getting the best players on the court. Duke doesn't have that excuse. While Zoubek is hardly the the next big thing, his per minute numbers are are something any center prospect would love to have on his resume. The pain of Henderson and Scheyer going a combined 4-32 last night could have been eased had Zoubek been utilized for some easy baskets and putbacks against Villanova's smallish front line.
It also bothers me as a draft geek that a decent prospect in Zoubek has spent 3 years wasting away in an offense that isn't suited to him. Coach K has a choice. He could tweak the offense for 2009-10, getting Zoubek, Plumlee and incoming freshmen Kelly more involved. Or he could continue with the smallball, run through the ACC and land a decent tournament seed before getting embarassed again.

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