MBB: Duke-Boston College postgame thread

[throatybeard]

Keep it civil.

[GoingFor#5]

This team frustrates me. I feel like we have a lot of talent and should play like we did in the first half against UNC more often. I can't get my finger on it, but a few things I'd like to see are:

- Less 3s from Scheyer, more drive and dishes
- More drives from Singler
- Less jumpers from G

Come to think of it, its the same ol' story, we just need to shoot less 3s and attack more.

[YmoBeThere]

We need more cowbell!

[Devilsfan]

There's nothing to be ashamed of or mad about. For the second game in a row the team with the better guard won.

[Duvall]

Offense isn't the problem. Giving up 80 points to BC - BC! - is the problem.

[loran16]

There is something wrong with this team.

Shoutout here to Mr. Thomas, btw. He fouled out, yes, but I actually liked that he did...aggressive good play for most of the game is better than passive play that he usually exhibits. Definitely player of the game.

However, my god, what has happened to our defense, especially in 2nd halves. A large part of this I'd guess has to do with Nolan's fall over the last few games. He's essential to this team right now...Paulus is great as a leader and I don't mind paulus starting, but nolan has to be a solid bench option. And he's simply not right now. Looks slow, not much of an offensive threat, making stupid plays.

If Nolan plays this way, we're probably the same or worse than last year. Which is a good team...but not what we expect from Duke BBall.

[devildownunder]

This season has taken on a real "where do we go from here" look, and not just for the rest of this year. No, the program is not falling apart but I think that what happens on the court the rest of this year, and off the court in the coming off-season, is critical to Duke's status as a consistent top 5, top 10 program. We need some success in the post-season and in recruiting and player development and we need them quickly, or else we're all going to have to get used to the idea that lower expectations are realistic expectations for the next handful of years.

[chrisheery]

I thought we played well for most of the game, but we still lost. I guess the only area where we were bad was defending. That sucks because it used to be our calling card.

[roywhite]

Well, that hurt.

My initial impressions are how well BC shot and, unfortunately, how little Nolan Smith contributed. BC got offense from more players, including their young guys and bench guys.

[Huh?]

BC , 58.8% shooting. Was our D that bad?

[Oriole Way]

The wheels are falling off again. This was a tough game because we have no answer for a PG like Rice.

It's pretty disheartening to see all these conference streaks (Clemson, BC) come to an end with a team that's better (in theory) and more experienced than the past couple seasons.

We can't beat good teams with Paulus at the point. He turned the ball over twice making simple passes, and got burned every time he "guarded" Rice. He was outrebounded twice on one defensive posession which lead to BC free throws. He has to come off the bench in a limited offensive role.

I'd rather have Smith go 0-5 from the field and play passable defense than Paulus continue to man the point.

[VaDukie]

I really have no idea what to say about this team. We should keep in mind that Clemson just lost to UVA, Wake lost to Georgia Tech, Va Tech lost to Maryland etc. The ACC is just brutal this year, and except for the guys in light blue down the road there's really not any separation.

[bfree]

The most frustrating thing for me was the defensive trap at the end of the game. It was great at first, really fantastic. Then BC started to figure it out. Then they broke it. It only took about three possessions, but once BC figured it out, there was no way to keep at it especially in the key final possession after G's miss. That's on K in my opinion.

[quickgtp]

I need a beer after that game. Was anyone else screaming "no no no" at their TV when Kyle rotated away from Rice and then took that monster 3?

[BlueintheFace]

Lost the game in the last 2 minutes of the first half...

Officiating was pretty poor for about 5 minutes there (and i rarely ever comment on such things)

...We are now pretty much a mediocre ACC team! (but only when you look at conference records, season statistics, quality of opponents, quality wins, personnel, and a few other items that nobody cares about except the NCAA selection committee)

[DukeVol]

I'm so tired of watching Duke teams fade going into March....4 out of our last 6 games as losses...ughhh....

I also think the ACC should start fining schools when their fans rush the court. It is only a matter of time before something really bad happens. I think a $10,000 fine on the school might slow things down a bit...why take the risk of a serious incident?

[doctorhook]

In deference to Jim S, I won't use the term "go to guy", but we just don't have guys who can score when we need it. G and Kyle can create their own offense when needed, but no one else seems to, and that just increases the pressure on G and Kyle. Doc

[flyingdutchdevil]

For the record, I am currently out of the country and was not able to see the game. That said, I followed it online.

One thing that I noticed was how high BC shot the ball (59%). We were a great defensive team for the most part of the season, but opponents have shot very well against us recently (notably Clemson, UNC and BC). What is going on? Are we tired? Is Greg Paulus at the point not working out as well as we'd like? Our defense has been our staple this season, and we simply can't afford to lose that.

Any comments?

[77devil]

Offense isn't the problem. Giving up 80 points to BC - BC! - is the problem.

I suggest that both are a problem

[DBFAN]

Two games in a row they have leads, and then the second half comes and they just start throwing the ball away. The future for this team does not look well, and with the majority of the games left being on the road making the Tournament may be an accomplishment for this team