Scott Rich

Yes.

I think the headlines are a perfect encapsulation of moderate enthusiasm of this victory, which I think most Duke fans are probably feeling this morning.

Yeah, the shift to the starting lineup was, I would say, a mixed bag.

I think that it worked in the sense that Dame played one of his better games in the Duke uniform, and it all started on the defensive end.

I think that there was that period of two, three minutes midway through the first half where he was a single-handed menace.

He was making individual effort plays on defense that really did lead to us generating a lead after being down 11-0 to start the game.

Malik Brown, I thought that move didn't work on Malik's side.

I think this was not really a Malik Brown game.

His strengths don't match with guarding a 7-2, 2-7-0.

center so it was a little bit of a I think Pat Gongba got the message by getting put on the bench and I think that ended up working and that was definitely one of the good but Malik picked up two fouls right away that sort of put us in a little bit of a hole that didn't work out quite as well when we talk about the defense I think that everyone is focusing on the field goal percentage everyone is focusing on the fact that this SMU team shot 56 percent from the floor

I think that's a bit of a misleading stat.

I think that that is skewed a lot by Jayden Tombs having the best game of his young career.

He shot 10 for 12, a guy who we barely mentioned in the pregame because we talked so much about how this SMU team relies on his five starters.

Tombs is the nominal sixth man.

He only got those minutes because Boopie Miller was out and he took advantage of him.

But you look at what he was doing.

Jaden Toombs was making tough contested mid-range shots.

Jaden Toombs was taking hard shots and making them.

And I think when John Shire goes back and looks at the game film, he's going to realize, yeah, those are shots that were okay with their sixth man taking.

And if he makes them, okay.