Dec. 20, 2003
NEW YORK -- The Dukies put on a clinic, baby! I really thought Saturday's Duke-Texas game would be a barn-burner, but the Blue Devils played as well as any team I've seen this season in building up a 19-point halftime lead en route to an easy 89-61 W.

Madison Square Garden, the mecca of college basketball, was rocking and rolling the way it's supposed to (hint to St. John's fans). It was like a Duke home game in the Big Apple, even though the Cameron Crazies weren't there.

Duke senior Chris Duhon was absolutely brilliant at the point.

Duke's ability to run the break in transition was impressive. In the half-court game, there was excellent spacing and execution as the Blue Devils really attacked the basket. There was great post play inside -- finding the open man was easy because there was no communication on defense by the Longhorns.

Then there was Duke's defense. The Blue Devils did a great job challenging and blocking shots, while Texas simply could not convert opportunities. You can't afford to start a game shooting 3-for-21 from the floor like Texas did. All of a sudden the Longhorns looked up at the scoreboard and it was Blowout City, baby!

Duke senior Chris Duhon was absolutely brilliant at the point, distributing the rock, scoring and playing solid defense. He did everything coach Mike Krzyzewski wanted him to do.

Duke freshman Luol Deng showed why he is one of the nation's premier diaper dandies. He's a lot like Grant Hill and Shane Battier were for Duke -- capable of playing four different positions. Deng showed his shooting range, his ball-handling skills and his explosiveness in transition. I really love the way he finishes when he goes to the basket.

Texas coach Rick Barnes had to be so disappointed with this result. His team worked so hard preparing for this game. Senior center James Thomas is just not playing like I've seen him in the past for the Longhorns.

Texas struggled on both ends of the court, but you have to salute Duke for a brilliant performance -- the best I've seen so far this season.

Click here to send a question for Dick Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.