Great game by Zoubek, keeping us on top in the first half.
Post thoughts and comments on the game in this thread.
Great game by Zoubek, keeping us on top in the first half.
Game ball to Brian Zoubek. He was the lone bright spot in a dismal first half.
Terrible first half (except Zoubek). Nolan looked bad, G looked tentative, and Singler had fouling issues.
Second half looked amazing. I hope this is the beginning of a new rhythm to the offense..
Game ball to Gerald. They gave him the open jumper and he made them pay. And that dunk
Was it me, or did Coach K look unusually irked in the postgame handshake?
Strong game by both teams. Duke's talent eventually won out. We had an extra gear and they didn't. Both teams will look much better later in the season (and when not facing such staunch defenses). Want to give a shout out to Elliot, who had some big plays and FT's in the first half. He and Z kept us close on O until the fireworks started.
Stuck at work so I haven't watched the game yet (just gametracker). Did G break out, or just hit a lot of threes?
...and this is only from following the gamecast online, not actually seeing anything.
1. I love that we pounded the ball inside in the first half and that Zoubek was able to take advantage. More please. Develop that inside game at all costs.
2. It appears we played an opponent that was determined to be physical and we handled that physicality quite well. That's a good sign. Teams will try this tactic with us all year.
Talk about a tale of two halves. Finally, there was the G everyone has been waiting to see. There was pregame discussion about SIU's D and physicality, and Duke was more impressive, by a large margin, in both areas. Just need to shore up that endless avalanche of first half turnovers.
The Saluki fans that visited the board this week were right about one thing: SIU sends their opponents to the line A LOT! Holy cow.
I noticed that too....or maybe he was just trying to control how happy he was that his team looked awesome in the second half. In particular, that 7-point play by Singler, the jams by Nolan and Gerald, the awesome performance from the stripe, and the overall play of Zoubs.
Well done, guys!!!
godukerocks-
I thought K looked irked as well; this was a very physical game and I wonder if the play against Singler was still on his brain?
Anyway, this is a good win for Duke to help shake out the (many) cobwebs that have plagued them these last 1.5 games.
On to Friday!
dth.
Well I have never really watched a free throw shooting contest before- but Duke looked good playing it. A very workman like performance by the Devils in the second half. It was great to see G get in a groove tonight. He is a much better player when he looks for his jumpers. He was a star tonight and that dunk will be a Sportscenter highlight. Singler has to be the toughest kid in the world. He gets slammed to the floor more than any player I have seen and just bounces up with a smile on his face. Amazing. Thomas hits his throws tonight-great to see and Duke put on a clinic at the line. They just broke their backs with a patient offense. That was great to see. On to the championship game!
What day is the next game -- Fri or Sat? What time?
Regarding #2, Duke definitely handled it well. It almost seemed to frustrate SIU that their physicality had virtually no effect . Man that foul from behind looked ugly. It wasn't as bad as it looked initially, but maybe that's what the Saluki fans posting here were talking about. If so, it's nothing to be proud of.