MBB: Duke 79, BC 59 Post-Game Thread

[BlueintheFace]

20 point win. Have at it.

[OldPhiKap]

I enjoy the chmistry and balance of this team more than any in a while. Should be a fun ride.

Go Dke -- GTH,C!

[proelitedota]

Need to invent a new bottle to cap the start of the second half for future games.

[Oriole Way]

Nolan Smith with a great game, which is encouraging to see. Our outlook is much better if Nolan continues his progression into a dynamic high-scoring combo guard, especially if he continues to drive into the lane effectively. He will eventually start getting to the line more frequently and creating opportunities for teammates off of passes since defenders will be collapsing to help out on his drives.

Brian Zoubek played a great game... he looked as confident as I can remember him, and he did a better job of keeping the ball high and not bringing it down (which is something Coach Knight always emphasizes during telecasts in regards to big men). The 16 minutes he got tonight is about what I would like to see him get from here on out.

Kyle Singler put up a double-double and he didn't seem to be forcing shots like he was at Georgia Tech. Still, he still seems to be a little bit off compared to last season. I really wonder if he has been dealing with an injury; I seem to remember one of the December OOC home games (Gardner Webb or Long Beach State I believe) where he was listed as questionable to play prior to game time, I think it was a sprain of some sort. Perhaps he is still dealing with it, or perhaps it's just playing on the perimeter this year, but hopefully Kyle returns to form soon.

[Kedsy]

Wow, the improvement in the defense from one half to the next was truly extraordinary. In the first half I thought we were a very poor defensive team. In the second half, for the most part, our defense was suffocating.

I thought Miles was great on offense, although in the first half his defense was a little spotty. The stats from just_a_lemma were right on for Z, who once again played very well against a short team, despite the fact that conventional wisdom says he can't succeed against small, quick teams.

I'm glad Andre's minutes were up today. He looked to me like he was rushing his shot, not quite setting his feet or squaring his body before he let it fly. I think when he stops rushing he'll get back to hitting again. His form still looks pretty good.

Kyle Singler put up a double-double and he didn't seem to be forcing shots like he was at Georgia Tech. Still, he still seems to be a little bit off compared to last season. I really wonder if he has been dealing with an injury; I seem to remember one of the December OOC home games (Gardner Webb or Long Beach State I believe) where he was listed as questionable to play prior to game time, I think it was a sprain of some sort. Perhaps he is still dealing with it, or perhaps it's just playing on the perimeter this year, but hopefully Kyle returns to form soon.

This is a really good point that I had forgotten. It was announced he sprained an ankle in practice and was questionable for one of the early December games (I think it was Gardner Webb), but he ended up playing. A sprained ankle lingers for awhile, and though a player might come back I think they often don't feel right for weeks, so maybe the "Kyle problem" is as easy to explain as that.

[-bdbd]

Wow, the improvement in the defense from one half to the next was truly extraordinary. In the first half I thought we were a very poor defensive team. In the second half, for the most part, our defense was suffocating.
....This is a really good point that I had forgotten. It was announced he sprained an ankle in practice and was questionable for one of the early December games (I think it was Gardner Webb), but he ended up playing. A sprained ankle lingers for awhile, and though a player might come back I think they often don't feel right for weeks, so maybe the "Kyle problem" is as easy to explain as that.

I have always felt that K is at his best when strategy needs adjusting. He is extremely good and perceptive, usually, in that regard. Clearly he directed some changes at the half, and things got quickly better soon thereafter.

Also, I was very pleased to see Kyle seem to get on-track again. The ankle/injury issue could be part, but I also think the move to the perimeter has been a surprisingly unnatural adjustment for him. It is a whole new approach to his game which maybe isn't quite natural/instinctual for him yet. He is a special player, and Chronicle editorials aside, he'll get it together well before March, and play a big role in our team's success then. No doubt here.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Zoub looked like he was having fun out there. Had a ton of energy.

[OldSchool]

One of my favorite plays of the second half:

At about the 5:40 mark, Mason has the ball and is being guarded on the perimeter.

Mason puts the ball on the floor and drives by his man, and Miles' defender rotates over to stop Mason.

Mason passes to Miles, who is open under the basket, but fumbles the pass.

Mason is showing us flashes here and there as to what he is capable on the offensive end.

Also, I liked the 3-ball Mason shot, he showed good form, it just didn't go down.

[BlueintheFace]

It very obviously took the Plumlees a half to catch on to the unique Skinner flex, but half court adjustments were effective.

[moonpie23]

much better in the 2nd half...much more enthusiasm....

[BlueintheFace]

Singler with the double-double. He stinks.

[dukestheheat]

Singler with the double-double. He stinks.

We should bench him. Better yet. Fire him. I'm going to write a story about it.

dth.

[BlueintheFace]

We should bench him. Better yet. Fire him. I'm going to write a story about it.

dth.

Give me 1200 words on taking away his scholarship by Friday and we'll run it

xoxo
Duke Chronicle Sports Editor

[arnie]

much better in the 2nd half...much more enthusiasm....

And Singler looked much better, seems to pull in every rebound he gets his hands on.

[Jumbo]

Lots of good things to appreciate, including Nolan's scoring, Lance's D, a vintage Duke run to start the second half, solid scoring by Miles and solid rebounding/D from Zoubek. But maybe the biggest thing was that Duke found a way to win going away despite Scheyer not playing anywhere close to his usual level (his two worst games have come with Knight announcing -- Wisconsin and this one; odd) and the team struggling from deep again. And you'd think Mason Plumlee would have been one to step up, but that wasn't the case. Shows that this team does, in fact, have a variety of ways to win.

[JaMarcus Russell]

This might have been the best all-around game for Duke this year. Miles and Mason are very good on the offensive end, but they got lost on defense in the first half. That's the only reason why Duke didn't dominate in the first half. They definitely made the right adjustments in the second half.

Thomas has seen his minutes go down with Mason's emergence, but he played great today, tracking some loose balls and grabbing tough rebounds. Nolan's body control is awesome. If only he had the vision, he could be a legit first rounder this year. Now, he can come back and work on that last aspect of his game next year. Singler made some nice passes today and wasn't trigger happy. He also got some good rebounds against a physical BC team.

[dukestheheat]

Enter: The Assertive Mr. Nolan Smith!

Witness: Happiness within The Duke Nation.

dth.

[RelativeWays]

We played so bad in the 1st half, especially on D, 2nd half was nearly flawless. It needs to be said that even though he scored around 15, Kyle was one of the main cogs that drove the offense and they would not have gotten as many transition points without him.

[superdave]

I enjoyed Kyle showing all the things he does for this team - rebounding, jumping passing lanes, finishing on the break. It's not just about scoring.

Miles was fantastic at times.

[FerryFor50]

I enjoyed Kyle showing all the things he does for this team - rebounding, jumping passing lanes, finishing on the break. It's not just about scoring.

Miles was fantastic at times.

What's better is that he figured out it's not just about scoring. He had been forcing some bad shots the past few games.