It was a fleeting, and largely inconsequential moment. But the morning after Duke’s season-opening victory over No. 3 Kansas, it’s stuck with me more than any highlight or number in the box score.
Early in the first half, Vernon Carey, the freshman center who was arguably the centerpiece to yet another Top 3 recruiting class by the Blue Devils, was pulled to the top of the key by his defender. That position is never comfortable for someone of Carey’s stature. But Carey kept his wits about him, and his eyes not just on his man with the ball, but on the rest of the floor.