MBB: Duke 70, Florida State 56 Post-Game Thread

[Jumbo]

Have a lovely discussion!

[KyDevilinIL]

Eh, a B- overall. FSU is a decent team, but we didn't take advantage as well as we're capable of.

An ACC win is an ACC win, however. Nice to see Jon hit some shots again; Kyle seems to be inching back into form.

It would behoove us, though, to be smoother at both ends on Saturday.

[proelitedota]

We won not due to how well we played, but to how well Florida State didn't play at some parts in the game. For a while in the second half I though we might lose the lead altogether with the effort shown by our team. IMO, we lucked out. Hopefully things can tighten up Saturday.

[91devil]

We won not due to how well we played, but to how well Florida State didn't play at some parts in the game. For a while in the second half I though we might lose the lead altogether with the effort shown by our team. IMO, we lucked out. Hopefully things can tighten up Saturday.

Agree with this post. I think FSU lost this game more than we won it.

[BlueintheFace]

We won not due to how well we played, but to how well Florida State didn't play at some parts in the game. For a while in the second half I though we might lose the lead altogether with the effort shown by our team. IMO, we lucked out. Hopefully things can tighten up Saturday.

I presume one of those points in the game for you was when they were down by 4 in the 2nd half. I hope you recognize the changes made by K at that point in the game and how they caused Florida State to not play well.

[dukelifer]

We won not due to how well we played, but to how well Florida State didn't play at some parts in the game. For a while in the second half I though we might lose the lead altogether with the effort shown by our team. IMO, we lucked out. Hopefully things can tighten up Saturday.

Lucked out is a bit much. Duke did not play with intensity throughout and there were runs- but Duke did what they had to. Every time FSU made a run- Duke responded. Could Duke have played better - sure. But they did not luck out here. They counter-punched and won a game without burning themselves out- like they did against Wake.

[jipops]

Glad for the ACC win.

I was going to be seriously down on our offense as we just haven't shown much of a flow on that end of the floor in any consistent manner. Then I went over to check the final scores of FSU's past games and only FOUR teams have managed to score more than 70pts against them (NC State oddly enough topping the 80pt mark). That actually makes me feel much better. FSU as a team, with all of its size, is very quick and poses quite a matchup problem.

Obviously our defense won this one for us... again. Though we gave up a ton of easy buckets, overall we kept them in check as we needed to. The game could have easily slipped away with our horrendous offensive drought at the 11 minute mark of the 2nd half, but the D held to form.

I do like how we got around to forcing turnovers and overall took good care of the ball.

[mike88]

I am not sure what others are expecting, but I thought this was a great win against an outstanding defensive team. Jon shot great, Kyle and Nolan had solid games, and our big-men-by-committee (particularly Z and Lance) did what we needed to win.

I hope that we will see continued progress by Mason in February, but I confess I am not optimistic that we will see a major "breakthrough." Lance is doing a great job right now, but the versatility that Mason can bring would really help our squad overall. To earn minutes, though, he needs to play better defensively (fewer fouls, fewer reaches, not getting beat back-door).

[Greg_Newton]

As others have said, an ACC win is an ACC win. I thought Kyle had his best game in weeks, even if his stats don't jump out. He played much more comfortable and in his element, I didn't think he was taking bad 3's - just clanking some good ones. It was weird to see him miss so many long... makes me think his wrist must be playing a role.

It is a bit sobering to see that Mason and Miles are just not quite where we hoped they'd be by the meat of ACC play though. It is also a little discouraging to see that at this point in time, SSS + Lance and Z seems to be K's prefered lineup, which is still essentially 3 on 5 on offense with Lance and Z bouncing from screen to screen and our guards dribbling around doing their best to create shots for each other every single trip down the floor. There's an element of "we've seen this movie before" as you watch a game like this unfold, and with only Miles getting double-digit minutes outside of the five upperclassmen. I can understand why people aren't exactly giddy even though it was a good win.

I also don't like that Miles seems to be getting more and more deferential on the offensive end. He hardly ever really looks for the ball anymore, and I feel like I'm watching him begin to shift his mindset entirely into the screener-rebounder role our bigs have all played recently. Maybe it's by design, but I just don't like that style of basketball. I don't think it gives you a margin for error, and it just doesn't feel like team ball.

And finally, I have to make a 1-A comment tonight. I know Mason has been making some boneheaded mistakes, and doesn't play nearly as smart as Lance and Z... but he also does a lot of good things. He's learning. I would really like to see him get double digit minutes in a game like this, at home, where we often had a double digit lead. That's all. Apologies if this came off rant-ish.

[jv001]

We won not due to how well we played, but to how well Florida State didn't play at some parts in the game. For a while in the second half I though we might lose the lead altogether with the effort shown by our team. IMO, we lucked out. Hopefully things can tighten up Saturday.

Do you think that Duke had anything to do with FSU not playing well at some parts of the game. FSU is a good team. One with good athletes who never gave up. Their point guard had ten assists. If some of the shots that went down and came out had stayed in, it could have been a nail biter. Coach K made some great decisions in the game. Going to that zone was a great move. It caught FSU completely off guard and they immediately turned it over. I love any game that we come away with the W. Go Duke!

[duke4life32182]

A win is a win in my book. Singler started showing signs of coming out of his funk. Scheyer was great, LT and Z did a good job in the paint. I think the size thrown at Nolan really hurt him, but it is a good learning experience for him to go up against bigger guys. We did what we had to do, make them make turnovers. Dawkins hit a shot they may get him going as well. I think there were a couple of occasions where he could have shot some more but looks like he is reluctant to pull the trigger. He needs a confidence boost and maybe that three will do it. Mason needs to get in the lane and elevate and use his size. They need Miles to play above the rim like he was doing a couple of games ago, I think he will get it going Saturday. We really need someone on the inside to start utilizing their size so we can start to get a inside-out game going. I'm pumped about Saturday and add another win in our ACC total. Go Duke.

[Steve68]

We won not due to how well we played, but to how well Florida State didn't play at some parts in the game. For a while in the second half I though we might lose the lead altogether with the effort shown by our team. IMO, we lucked out. Hopefully things can tighten up Saturday.

You must have been watching a different game from the one I watched. Lucked out? Florida State made a run in the second half. They are a good team and any good team will make a run. We responded well to their run by increasing our intensity, running better plays on offense, and changing-up the defense by playing some zone. If that constitutes "lucking out", I hope we luck out for the rest of the year.

[airowe]

F$U is the #1 team in the Nation in defensive 2-point FG% at I believe 34%. The fact that our bigs got any points is a positive in my mind. We took our strength to their weakness (perimeter) and won a hard fought, physical game. You saw the staples in Miles' head, not sure if you could see the scratches all over Jon's arms and back or Kyle wincing when he was getting hit on the wrist. I had the pleasure of sitting very close to the floor last night and it was amazing to see how hard our guys made them work on the defensive end. After Kyle and Jon had both hit 3s from the Crazie-Side Corner in the second half, Loucks (who is one of the most annoying defenders I've ever seen) came over to Leonard Hamilton and said they couldn't recover to guard the corner because they were getting screened and chasing guys around so much.

I'd have liked to have seen a few more touches for the bigs but again, that would have been attacking their strength with our weakness doesn't make much sense, does it.

I hope we have enough in the tank to turnaround quickly and face a very tough Georgetown team on their home court.

[BlueDevilCorvette!]

Well Ryan Kelly made a brief cameo appearance. I really, really want to see Kelly get in the groove of things. I know you can't / shouldn't judge a player by their highlight video but if Kelly can just give us a glimpse of his overall skill set, that would be very encouraging in his development. Just think how potent Duke's offense would be with a 6-10 3pt shooter with a sweet mid-range pull up jumper (wow). However, he still has the deer in headlights look and every time he steps on the floor it's like Showtime At The Apollo or the Gong Show...you're just waiting for the hook to come out and pull him offstage.

[NSDukeFan]

I thought that was a good solid win against a tough ACC opponent. It was also a game that I felt we were in control of the whole game. As soon as FSU got it close, we made a run to keep it at, or close, to a double digit margin.
I agree that the highlight of the night may have been Andre hitting the corner three shortly after getting blocked on a previous possession.
I can understand the concern about not going inside, using the post and shooting more threes than we have lately. I think that was because of this particular match-up however. I was thinking coming into the game that we would likely do a lot more damage from the perimeter than we would inside. I do hope to see us passing the ball inside more in the future and not relying on the three, but I have no trouble with the number we shot this game. I also like that Kyle is shooting with confidence, even if he has missed more lately.
All in all, a good solid win, especially defensively, against a solid ACC team.

[dukieinhebron]

It would be fantastic if we had one more player step up and be a consistent offensive threat besides the big three. Preferably in the post.

[BD80]

Well Ryan Kelly made a brief cameo appearance. I really, really want to see Kelly get in the groove of things. I know you can't / shouldn't judge a player by their highlight video but if Kelly can just give us a glimpse of his overall skill set, that would be very encouraging in his development. Just think how potent Duke's offense would be with a 6-10 3pt shooter with a sweet mid-range pull up jumper (wow). However, he still has the deer in headlights look and every time he steps on the floor it's like Showtime At The Apollo or the Gong Show...you're just waiting for the hook to come out and pull him offstage.

Frankly, it looked to me like Ryan is getting a better feel for the defense. He is looking to hedge to help. He doesn't always get there, but his movement in the right direction closes passing lanes. It makes him look more out of sync because he is not close to the man he is guarding and he looks lost. But this is much better than when he would be stuck to his man rather than stepping over to cut off a lay-up.

Our defense is based on help and recover. That is what allows us to apply pressure on the ball, we have a TEAM ready to help. The "recover" phase can look awkward as a player runs frantically toward an open man with his arms in the air to deflect a pass he wouldn't see. However, pressuring the ball makes it difficult for the offense to make passes to open men, particularly when the man is open only briefly.

I think Ryan is getting there. Slowly, but surely.

[jv001]

Frankly, it looked to me like Ryan is getting a better feel for the defense. He is looking to hedge to help. He doesn't always get there, but his movement in the right direction closes passing lanes. It makes him look more out of sync because he is not close to the man he is guarding and he looks lost. But this is much better than when he would be stuck to his man rather than stepping over to cut off a lay-up.

Our defense is based on help and recover. That is what allows us to apply pressure on the ball, we have a TEAM ready to help. The "recover" phase can look awkward as a player runs frantically toward an open man with his arms in the air to deflect a pass he wouldn't see. However, pressuring the ball makes it difficult for the offense to make passes to open men, particularly when the man is open only briefly.

I think Ryan is getting there. Slowly, but surely.

It seems to me that Ryan get's it more than Mason and Andre. Mason & Dre seem to be thinking their way through every play and not reacting. Sort of like Miles last year. Ryan looks more comfortable. He's not afraid of contact on defense and he's a good passer. He just needs to add strength and he will be a very valuable player for the Devils. Go Duke!

[elvis14]

I really enjoyed watching the FSU game. It was a good solid win against a solid ACC opponent. It was nice to see Nolan score when we needed him in the first half, Kyle pick it up in the second half and Jon be great the whole game. Of course it would be nice to get some production outside of The Firm but we can't have everything.

It was cool seeing Ryan and Andre get a few minutes when it counted and to see Andre drain that 3!

How is it that whenever Z reaches over someone to grab a rebound he gets called for a foul automatically but FSU bloodies Miles head coming over his back and head for a board and there's no call? Even in no-blood, no-foul pick up games that'd be called!

Question: Since NCSU, have we regained our composure but scaled back our ambitions?

Sadly I feel as though ambitions have been scaled back. I hope we can really hit our stride come March.

3. Some varying points of view on the amount of 3-pointers shot. I know that FSU's perimeter D is not good and allows, I believe, the most 3-pointers made per game at 7. So it may have been strategy but I do get a bit nervous when the team starts falling in love with the 3. Something to monitor but not yet panic about as we've seen the team be able to win without the 3 being a predominant factor in their games. Decent amount of threes came in the flow but they looked as though that's what they were only looking for. Also, there was a couple of sequences that they did just "launch" them after gathering rebounds and kicking the ball out which made me squirm rather than set it back up. Again, probably nothing major but just worth watching.

I really like NYDukie's take on our 3 point shooting. I too get worried when we rely too heavily on the 3 (less of a problem so far this year). I do really like being able to score all over the place. We have that some this year although I'd love it if our bigs could be more effective (by effective I mean allow us to really go to them when needed).

Overall, it's a good day. Looking forward to the Gtown game!

[trinity92]

This was as troublesome a win as a 14 point win against a tough opponent can be. Our big 3 simply aren't looking for our bigs inside when they post up. I only saw one such attempt from Lance to Miles down low. Miles made a nice move, albeit a little out of control, and missed the layup. I'd like to see more shot attempts for him and Mason in the paint. Over and over, I saw an inside player post up, call for the ball, and when the ball didn't come, the inside player came out and screened for the big 3. Very rarely did our big, after rolling from the screen, get the ball back for an inside shot attempt. That just doesn't (and won't, against better teams) get it done, IMHO.

I'm not bothered by the number of 3 pointers taken, b/c as other posters have mentioned, they were usually good looks and taken in the flow of the offense. What does bother me is the one-dimensional nature of our offense that looks very familiar to me-- we're running a lot of stuff on the perimeter, but very little inside.

OTOH, this is the second game in a row that Lance flat out looked great. Much more fluid, with truly suffocating defense. I'm very bullish on him, which is a first for me. Keep up the good work LT!