Who was Man of the Match in Duke's 68-61 victory over Kansas in the Maui Classic Championship?
Who was Man of the Match in Duke's 68-61 victory over Kansas in the Maui Classic Championship?
JBDuke
Andre Dawkins: “People ask me if I can still shoot, and I ask them if they can still breathe. That’s kind of the same thing.”
Mason was a beast and hit 7 of 9 free throws plus played really good defense down the stretch. Ryan played well, did all the little things right.
But Tyler....way to step up to the moment! Went with the little guy on this one...
Kelly was a deserving MVP for the tournament, Tyler's shots were epic, Dawkins hit a clutch 3...
...but Mason played great defense on Thomas Robinson, grabbed boards, altered shots, and hit free throws down the stretch. This was quite a game for Mason.
TT. His winning shots clinched it, but his crunch time minutes (with AR on the bench with foul trouble) earned it.
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
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A part of me wanted to vote for Thornton for a great game. But Mason was an absolute beast tonight. He matched, if not outright outplayed, one of the best big men in the country tonight. And he hit 7 of 9 free throws!
Mason. Not until the last 10 minutes, but then he played his butt off. He was "a man."
Quel est si drole de la paix, de l'amour, et de la comprehension?
Emotionally, I wanted to give it to Tyler, but I had to give it to Mason. Coach K summed it up better than I can. "Mason showed his team tonight that they were out there with a man."
Last edited by jacone21; 11-24-2011 at 12:40 AM. Reason: typo
Can I vote for Tyshawn Taylor?
As much as I want to vote for Tyler based on his stellar defense and his last-minute heroics, I have to go with Mason on this one. He pulled a double-double, essentially matching the performance of one of the best big men in the country, and he got through his mental block on the FT line. (Let's hope that's gone for good!) His defense was very good, and he was aggressive and successful on offense. I agree with Coach - he was a real man out there today.
But back to Tyler. I've contemplated starting a complementary poll for each game - Man of the Moment. Often, the game turns on a play or a series of plays in which one player plays a key role. If we had a Man of the Moment poll for this game, Tyler wins it in a landslide. I don't want to discount the rest of his performance tonight, because his defense was exceptional, but those two shots were just special.
JBDuke
Andre Dawkins: “People ask me if I can still shoot, and I ask them if they can still breathe. That’s kind of the same thing.”
Have to vote for Double T. Mason will get his.
Also, Kelly's game reminded me of Kyle tonight. Never has before, but the way he was slashing, driving, spotting up...very Singleresque.
Mason.
He grew up!
His end of game D was outstanding. Blocks and rebounds all over the place...
Its like he was letting that KU dude to have a few gimmes and get some confidence so he could shut him down once he learned his tendencies... or maybe the the KU got tired legs... who cares. Great sequences from Mason. He did work so that TT's shots could matter!
Mason-MOTM-beastly performance
Ryan-Maui MVP
TT-Best performance by a supporting actor
Just had to vote for Kelly because he played everything well tonight. He was everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I can think of three others that deserved it as well. But tonight, mine goes to Ryan.
How man times can I hear K call Mason a "man" in the post-game interview and not think he's the MOTM? Just a great performance down the stretch. Even his turnover (the charge) was a questionable call. He was huge for Duke inside tonight.
Tyler made the play of the game. Maybe Duke doesn't win the game without his big plays, but I think we'll be saying that a lot this year (about various players). This Duke team has so many weapons and they're all rapidly gaining confidence. It'll be fun.
I just got all emotional with this poll and voted for Tyler. I love the guy and it does me good to see him make big plays.
Side note: Which was more miraculous: Tyler's threes or Mason's free throws?
Koach called it after the game. Mason was "a man" tonight. Heck he was THE MAN!
p.s. - thanks TT, great shot
Metrics +/- Total STARTERS
63 14 77 Mason Plumlee, F
59 +6 65 Ryan Kelly, F
46 +8 54 Seth Curry, G
39 +3 42 Andre Dawkins, G
30 12 42 Tyler Thornton, G
36 -4 32 Austin Rivers, G
09 -6 3 Miles Plumlee, F
01 +2 3 Quinn Cook, G
Metrics is sum of all the positive stats less turnovers less fouls
On +/- detail:
Duke KU +/- +/min -/min +/- /min Minutes Duke Player
64 50 14 1.7 1.4 0.4 36.6 Mason
37 25 12 1.8 1.2 0.6 20.9 Tyler
60 52 +8 1.7 1.5 0.2 35.4 Seth
59 53 +6 1.7 1.6 0.1 34.2 Ryan
60 57 +3 1.8 1.7 0.1 34.3 Dre
02 00 +2 1.3 0.0 1.3 01.6 Quinn
45 49 (4) 1.6 1.7 (0.1) 28.0 Austin
13 19 (6) 1.4 2.1 (0.7) 09.1 Miles
Mason Plumlee.
Coach K said it himself - Mason was the MVP of the championship game!
About time too, as I have been waiting for folks to notice more of the little things he's doing on the interior for us. Without Mason where is our post game??? It is great to see him blossoming and having such an impact this season.