But Duke is certainly good enough to get to a Final Four- a task that can be made much easier when the supposed best teams start to fall. It is all about match-ups and team health from here on out.
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I didn't record the game, but can someone tell me what the Duke guards were doing when Carolina shot the ball? If The Plums play H&Z even, how do the guards give up so many rebounds...that isn't about height...if Duke players are simply between the Carolina guards and the basket, Henson and Zeller are left to fight the plums for the ball...how many times did a guard from Carolina get a rebound from starting out on the three point line...were Duke's players heading to the offensive end immediately when the ball went up? standing watching? Seriously I'm not trying to be insulting, I really don't understand HOW they let the Carolina guards run freely to the basket to get rebounds...
I think it did... tonight. UNC lost on their home court to us in the worst way possible. Hearing the little blip from Roy's post-game after the early February game, it seems pretty clear that he probably motivated/shamed them pretty hard to get them ready for the game tonight. The expressions and their demeanor following that game makes me think of a puppy with its tail between its legs. Tonight the puppy came in like a pit bull looking for Duke's throat.
Coach K is the master motivator, but I'm not sure our team could have been more motivated that the 'Heels were tonight. From a psychological standpoint, in a weird way, Austin's shot just gave them the edge towards getting amped up to play us. They felt that they were wronged... they've been sitting on that for 3 weeks, and we didn't come out from the tip ready for it.
The shots we missed at the start of the contest, and our ability to somehow "turn it on" in the 2nd half when we no longer had anything to lose point me towards the mental character of this team. A macro example is Mason's play over the last 3-4 games... where has he been? Was he sick? Did he break up with his girlfriend? Whatever it was, did it magically get better in the locker room at halftime?
I think this is an extremely talented bunch of Blue Devils. If Miles plays like he played tonight (and I do believe he is capable of playing that way every night) and Mason plays the we we know that he is capable of... that is a scary frontcourt. Austin is Austin--deadly, polished, lethal, and a winner. With that nucleus, plus Seth, Quinn, Tyler, and Ryan, I think we are more than capable of giving anyone a very difficult game. To me, this team just needs to bulk up mentally. The pieces are there. We lack in determination, heart, whatever you want to call it. We showed it in the 2nd half, but in the 1st, it did not match what Carolina brought to the table. It hurts to say this, but in all fairness, UNC probably deserved to win more than we did. I think we can have a great post-season if we want to.
Well, the good news is Kellie Jolly Harper is still rather attractive.
Wait, sorry, wrong thread.
I have posted a couple of posts on this issue. It was my strong impression during the game that our undersized guards failed to do something that undersized players must - must - do: block out. I have wondered whether - and do think that - Seth, Andre, Austin, and Quinn [Tyler is probably the exception here] do not instinctively block out.
Among my season-long interests has been something K said pretty early on about "attention to detail." I am so curious - obsessively so - about whether this detail has been given attention during practice. If our team is rebound-challenged [especially by, uh, certain teams], one would think this detail would in fact have been emphasized. If it has been, it hasn't taken. I did record the game and intend to review it. I will be surprised if our perimeter players blocked out much at all. UNC got several easy buckets as our perimeter guys watched ... UNC guys play basketball.
If this sounds snarky, so be it. I prefer to think of it as an example of K's oft-cited constructively critical truth telling.
I don't know, though... it's one thing for a player with a 4-6", 30+ pound disadvantage to plant himself between his man and the basket when his man is a stationary post player. It's another thing when his man is a wing who is running off screens, cutting around, and making you face guard him when he runs the baseline. You've got to have perfect awareness and timing with a little luck.
They can do better than they did tonight, I just think our scheme really asks our 6'2-6'4 guys to play beyond themselves against certain types of teams.
What was going through Chris Collins' mind during the end-of-the-first-half interview:
Don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts something about missing lots of 3s and playing lousy defense don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts don't stare at her breasts whew thank god that's over.
As several of my posts in this thread will attest, I have a different point of view. I concede that you make a plausible argument, and realize it's related to the issue of the absence of that classic Duke 6'6" wing defender.
I'm inclined to emphasize your acknowledgement that "They can do better than they did tonight." My view is that we've not seen much of a fair test of your point about "playing beyond themselves," for it's not clear to me that our guys have been outmuscled so much as outhustled. I don't like saying this; it's not a good thing to say about one's guys. It would be better if you're right.
But I am yet unwilling to concede that it takes "perfect awareness" to block out. I think it takes awareness.
Okay--I will agree you can't force things that aren't there, and I will grant you that, in his limited time on the court, there were not a lot of times when Andre seemed to be wide open and his teammates didn't pass to him. But that only answers half of my question. I didn't see the team run any plays to get Andre open, which they might have done had the coaches suggested it. And since the other outside shooters clearly didn't have it tonight, even when they were wide open (arguably with the exception of Tyler, who did hit half of his 3-point attempts), and they weren't playing spectacular defense that would be sacrificed to put Andre in, one possible coaching choice might have been to give Andre a few more minutes and run a couple of plays for him. If he doesn't hit, fine, take him back out. But what did they have to lose at that point?
I'm not a basketball coach, and obviously I have no credentials to question Coach K (and even if I thought I did I wouldn't try it on DBR, where I would be dissed and dismissed immediately). He has his reasons for playing the people he plays, I'm sure. I just wish sometimes that I understood better what they were.