MBB: Duke 73, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 44 Post-Game Thread

[Newton_14]

Discuss the solid win here

[Magnolia888]

Survive and advance!

Who should I be rooting for in Cal v. Louisville? I guess Cal. Although everybody seems to want this K/Pitino matchup.

[dukelifer]

Workmanlike- Good use of the big guys- everyone got good minutes- Nolan finally found his range- Singler likes the arena- Zoubek has a nice hook. Except for a few freshman errors- about everything one could want in a first round game.

[DukieInBrasil]

Really pleased with this win. So many good things to take away from it. I feel like we really made an effort to get the frontcourt into the game and they responded well. LT had an extra nice game, Z played pretty well too, but the MPs came through in a big way with 15 rebs, a few points, some blocks, some steals, just thoroughly effective without making mistakes and without stepping out of their comfort zones. I would like to see them hit their freebies at a better rate though. Ryan Kelly also did some nice things on the court. Andre Dawkins seemed like he was pushing himself too much, fouling out without really doing too much positively.
Kyle played a great game, Jon also had a masterfully efficient game. Nolan struggled with his shot early but ended up having a positive effect on the game...

[devildownunder]

Survive and advance!

Who should I be rooting for in Cal v. Louisville? I guess Cal. Although everybody seems to want this K/Pitino matchup.

I'm pulling for Cal because of Boykin. And because I want no part of a K/Pitino, Duke/L'ville circus in the second round. There is plenty of time for things to get crazy. That said, I think there is a good chance the Cardinals are tanked already after that big win over syracuse to close Freedom Hall. They didn't do anything in the Big East tourney.

[NSDukeFan]

Nice comfortable win. Good solid defensive effort. Jon looked solid and healthy. Another very solid game from Kyle. Loved the baby hooks from Zoubs to start the game. Solid contributions from the Plumlees, including a nice jumper from Miles and turnaround. Nice solid performance to start the tournament.

[moonpie23]

good game...


NEXT!!

lance looked great...hope he continues to feel confident about scoring...

[Son of Mojo]

Lance as another scoring option out there? That would work well. Nolan finally got some shots to drop at the end and our rebounding was great (though that's obviously tempered by our opposition). Bring on the next opponent....

[BigZ]

No offense to Lance b/c he is a good player but any game where he dominates on offense just means the opponent isn't good inside.

[dukelifer]

No offense to Lance b/c he is a good player but any game where he dominates on offense just means the opponent isn't good inside.

Probably true but Lance can play D even against some quality players. That is what he is needed for. Nice for him to have a good tourney game.

[strawbs]

did anyone else notice around the 13:30ish mark of the 2nd half nolan drove, fell, and appeared to tweak either an ankle or calf. I saw him reach for it and get up gingerly. You had to really be paying attention to see it because the camera cut away quickly. He did seem fine though after that play. Hopefully whatever happened was minor and it doesn't stiffen or swell on him.

[60's Devil]

A fairly satisfying night for us. Great to see Lance and Zoubs with some offense. Sadly, a tragic night for Andre. Was hoping Mason would be able to score a few baskets against this level of competition. Singler was sensational.
We will need more production from the bench to advance very far.

[devildownunder]

A fairly satisfying night for us. Great to see Lance and Zoubs with some offense. Sadly, a tragic night for Andre. Was hoping Mason would be able to score a few baskets against this level of competition. Singler was sensational.
We will need more production from the bench to advance very far.

Tragic? I turned away in the last few minutes, did something happen to him?

[Duvall]

Tragic? I turned away in the last few minutes, did something happen to him?

Nah, he just fouled out.

[Magnolia888]

Nah, he just fouled out.

I thought he looked kinda bummed, but it was hardly tragic. Kyle getting injured would be tragic! ::knocking wood:::

K did look like he was giving him a little pep talk about it or something, after he left the court.

[devildownunder]

Nah, he just fouled out.

OK, thanks. I didn't think Dawkins had a tragic night. He's clearly been told take the ball to the basket more and is doing so. It's a change for him and he's working at it. First round against an overmatched opponent is a good time to be able to do so. As long as Dawkins plays and doesn't get hurt, and we win, I'm happy.

[oldnavy]

Nah, he just fouled out.

Loved seeing K speaking to Dre after he fouled out, you could see that he was imparting some of his wisdom, and even managed a slight smile. I am sure he was telling Dre that his performance was not what he is capable of, but that it was OK and for him to hold his head up. Nice to see. All Dre needs is some confidence.

[Chard]

A lot of burn for the bench tonight. APB fouled a lot. Scheyer shot well. Nolan didn't but did get it going late. I think everyone had a good game and they'll have some confidence to carry over to Sunday.

APB played hard and never quit. Hats off to them.

Duke shot over 50% and 67.9% from the foul line. 14 turn overs, bleck!

Nice win. I think Duke passed the eye test even with all of the bench players getting a lot of minutes and the offense going through LT early on. He did well. I'll take 19 points from LT and Z all tournament long.

Now on to the next round!

[proelitedota]

Nolan Smith had 5 assists to 1 turnover, which is pretty awesome.

[Saratoga2]

Duke's size advantage coupled with the usually good defense, resulted in a big rebounding advantage and clearly bothered APB. I thought APB's quickness gave our guys some difficulty. We had 13 TO's and may have picked up another one or two at the end of the game.

Good tournamenet win for Duke while being able to play a lot of guys tonight. They should stay rested and ready for either Cal or Louisville. On to Sunday. When will we play?