I do not think Murphy can redshirt since he played in the exhibition games.
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I do not think Murphy can redshirt since he played in the exhibition games.
This was one of my plays of the game, simply because it was a beautiful assist (alley oop from Cook to Plumlee was the best assist). It also appeared to be a bit of a turning point for Austin Rivers. Don't get me wrong, I love his game, but IMHO he could pass a bit more. I wonder if this was mentioned to him during halftime, because it appeared to me that he made more of an effort to dish. He made a similar pass to Dawkins which, unfortunately, ended in a missed 3. However, I still like the spirit of the play. Hopefully we'll see it a lot. Austin is difficult to stop on the drive. If 2 or 3 guys collapse on him, someone else is going to be open. And, chances are, that someone else is a good 3-pt shooter.
I agree that this team is fun to watch. There have been several times when I have not voted for MOTM because I couldn't decide between 2 or 3 guys. This team has so many weapons on offense, and defense is improving all the time. I like this team a lot.
The '92 team simply had more talent than anyone else that year; there were six NBA players on that team, four
of them good. And yes, they did play, D especially both Hills. (Hurley wasn't bad either.). This team clearly has
good talent, but is a little unbalanced with a lot of big guys and guards, and not many typical forwards. Consequently,
this team will have trouble stopping good driving small forwards and the like.
Can this team make the final four? Not out of the question, when you have shooters like Seth and Andre. More
consistent low post offense will help; hard to say how much better our bigs will get, although it's likely at this
point that MP1 has topped out. Who knows. A long ways and a lot of games, matchups, injuries, streaks and
slumps from here to April.
The 1991-1992 Duke team had a very good defensive team. As you mentioned the above players were good to great defensive players. Thomas Hill and Grant Hill were great defenders. Bobby Hurley was one of the best defensive Duke point guards of all time. Then you throw in Antonio Lang, Brian Davis, Christian(74 steals..led team) and Cherokee Parks. Parks avgd 12.8 mins per game but led the team with 35 blocks. This was the best Duke team ever imho. GoDuke!
Grant Hill played some D. He was National Defensive Player of the Year in 1993. He wasn't a slacker the two years before.
If you check that link, you will find that a Duke player has won that award in 8 years (of the 24 years the award has been given).
Though he did not do much of note during his first three seasons at Duke, Brian Zoubek was a very important contributor as a senior. Though he only averaged five points per game, his rebounding--particularly on the offensive end--was very good. Without his contributions Duke would not have even made it to the Final Four, much less win the national championship. That being said, Miles Plumlee has the potential to be a better player than Zoubs, though time is clearly running out. When compared to Brian, Miles is a much better leaper, runs the floor better, is more agile, and is quicker off his feet. If he could figure out a way to use his athleticism to get more offensive boards and to score more consistently on the inside--two things that are not out of the question--he will be better than Zoubek. The first time I saw Miles play as a freshman I felt he would become a very good player at Duke. I still think it could happen.
Right now, I'd describe the team as "better than advertised". I know that no two teams are alike but I can't help but see comparisons to the 2010 team. Let me clarify: I see major comparisons between how the two teams were and are perceived by the media and "gurus". Both teams were what they consider "second tiers" and expected to be "good but not great". I prefer it that way myself. It gives us a little bit of an ability to fly under the radar.
I have noticed that this is a team that tends to play to the level of their opponent. If you had asked me during the Belmont game if I thought we'd come out of Maui unscathed, I would've said no. But, the team seems to be improving with each game and kicking it into a higher gear when challenged by a team who plays at said gear.
As for Miles, if he had the confidence of Mason it would make a huge difference in his consistency on the court. As the sister of an over achieving brother, whom I adore by the way, I have run into the same situation. I liken Miles's basketball playing to my backgammon skills. I'm pretty good but when the person you grew up playing against is stellar it is difficult to believe that you can have that same level of expertise. OK--lame comparison but it is true that it is hard to believe in yourself when you and everyone else has so much invested in believing in your sibling who happens to possess a stronger skill set. If he can get that confidence going, watch out. We saw a bit of it in China so here's hoping for more to appear.
You could tell in the interview tonight that Coach K is very excited about this ball team. This is a team that is very, very good and also very young....a team that will improve tremendously by March.... Coach K already knows this is a serious, serious contender that he has....man, he's got alot to work with....
Maybe we should change the title of this post to:
This team is very fun.
For a fan, that makes for a great ride.
I agree with Kedsy. The journey to March is even more important than the last 4 weeks of the season. I can't wait to see how good they are then, but right now this team is having fun! Awesome win. I can't get over how tough these games have been. While some other top teams are playing cupcakes to start the season, Coach K is getting this team ready for the toughest teams throughout. Never taking a moment off.