Snaer Does It Again

[burnspbesq]

Corner three with 1.1 seconds to go for the win.

If I were a Terp fan, I would be wondering why we helped off Snaer. Fortunately, I'm not.

[BlueDevilBaby]

Question: Snaer gave a little hop to set his feet before the shot. Why isn' t that a travel? In any event, he is one tough competitor!

[sporthenry]

Question: Snaer gave a little hop to set his feet before the shot. Why isn' t that a travel? In any event, he is one tough competitor!

It technically is but this is done by many players in today's game. Curry travels a ton on the wing. It is just sort of allowed and I don't mind that travel call being ignored as much as the ones going to the hoop b/c they don't give as big an advantage.

[IBleedBlue]

I thought he graduated. It seems he is been at FSU forever...he is going to burn us too...he usually plays well against us

[CDu]

I thought he graduated. It seems he is been at FSU forever...he is going to burn us too...he usually plays well against us

We just have to find him on the 3pt line. He isn't any good off the dribble and pressure defense causes him to panick and make mistakes (see the UNC game). But if he finds himself open from 3pt range, he's very dangerous.

[jv001]

It technically is but this is done by many players in today's game. Curry travels a ton on the wing. It is just sort of allowed and I don't mind that travel call being ignored as much as the ones going to the hoop b/c they don't give as big an advantage.

I would think Snaer will guard Seth in our game against them. I look for tough in your face defense(Scott/Miami). Still looking for Josh to set that hard pick to make Snaer think about that style of play. GoDuke!

[CDu]

I would think Snaer will guard Seth in our game against them. I look for tough in your face defense(Scott/Miami). Still looking for Josh to set that hard pick to make Snaer think about that style of play. GoDuke!

I would be shocked if anyone but Snaer gets the assignment on Curry. And as we saw in Miami and (for a while) with Rountree at Wake, big athletic, physical wings can give Curry trouble. Snaer is one of the better defenders in the conference, so it'll be a tough assignment.

It'll be critical for Mason and Cook to win their matchups by a significant margin. It wouldn't hurt for Sulaimon and Jefferson to play well, too.

FSU is a smaller team frontcourt (well, they're either small with some talent or big with no talent). So it's a good matchup for Mason and Jefferson.

[jv001]

I would be shocked if anyone but Snaer gets the assignment on Curry. And as we saw in Miami and (for a while) with Rountree at Wake, big athletic, physical wings can give Curry trouble. Snaer is one of the better defenders in the conference, so it'll be a tough assignment.

It'll be critical for Mason and Cook to win their matchups by a significant margin. It wouldn't hurt for Sulaimon and Jefferson to play well, too.

FSU is a smaller team frontcourt (well, they're either small with some talent or big with no talent). So it's a good matchup for Mason and Jefferson.

I have not seen FSU play this year. Are they not very good on offense because if I remember correctly they have had some low scoring games. One thng for sure we'll get their best effort ytd. We need to go inside out and hope we hit the 3 ball. GoDuke!

[CDu]

I have not seen FSU play this year. Are they not very good on offense because if I remember correctly they have had some low scoring games. One thng for sure we'll get their best effort ytd. We need to go inside out and hope we hit the 3 ball. GoDuke!

FSU is neither good offensively (#85 in Pomeroy) nor are they good defensively (#119!) this year. They've lost to South Alabama at home, Mercer at home, and at Auburn. They scored just 36 at UVa and just 47 home against UF and 47 at Miami. They are, by no stretch of the imagination, a good team this year.

They don't have the rebounding and shotblocking presence inside that they've had in previous years. They sorely miss the size and talent that James, Alabi, Singleton provided, and the depth of decent size that Gibson, Kreft, and Reid provided.
They do have 3 7-footers (Turpin, Bojanovsky, and Ojo). But those guys combine to average about 28 mpg, and average nearly as many fouls (4) as rebounds (5.3) or points (5), and as many turnovers (1.8) as blocks (2.2). So it's a bunch of tall stiffs that bring very little to the table.

The alternative is to go small. They have two fairly talented PF in Shannon and White. White is a lot like Jefferson (lanky and active) but a better shooter. Shannon is a better version of Hairston. Neither should be able to handle Mason inside.

And in the backcourt, they are long and athletic, and can shoot. But they don't have a competent ballhandler that can stabilize the offense like Kitchen and Loucks provided. So their offense is very disjointed.

In short, this is not the FSU team of recent memory. They are young, (for the most part) small, and undisciplined. There is some talent there, but it's very green and very inconsistent.

[Olympic Fan]

Nice evaluation CDu ... with one expception.

It's not clear that Terrance Shannon will be able to play against Duke. He's missed the last three games with a serious neck injury.

Of course, like Reggie Johnson against us in Miami, he may pull a Willis Reed against us and make a miraculous recovery, but as of early in the week, he was not close to returning.

His absence hurts them a lot ... at 8.5 ppg and 6.3 rpg, he's their best inside player. More than that, he's their toughest guy.

FSU's defensive struggles this season are interesting because individually, I'd rate Snaer and White among the best defenders in the ACC. But the team defense stinks so far.

One last factor ... as we saw at Miami and everywhere else Duke plays, this will be one time when FSU -- which has one of the smallest homecourt edges in the ACC -- will have a big homecourt edge. This crowd will be nothing like what it was in those home losses against South Alabama or Mercer.

[fgb]

It technically is but this is done by many players in today's game. Curry travels a ton on the wing. It is just sort of allowed and I don't mind that travel call being ignored as much as the ones going to the hoop b/c they don't give as big an advantage.

i'd say id does give a significant advantage, if it allows the shooter to square up and set his feet before a defender can get there.

[moonpie23]

recent history has led most duke fans to NOT look toward to this game each year. I know I don't.

[sporthenry]

i'd say id does give a significant advantage, if it allows the shooter to square up and set his feet before a defender can get there.

Traveling has become so convoluted today. It does give an advantage but not nearly the advantage of the third step when going to the basket so I have less issue with this than the other travel. Heck, look back at the UMD game during Sheed's dunk and he seems to take 3 steps which would be a travel.

As far as Snaer's play, it isn't clear if his left foot actually leaves the floor and the picture I see on youtube makes it tough to tell. It is a travel if both feet are on the ground when he catches it and then hops but if only one foot is on the ground, he can legally hop off of that and land on both feet.

The shooter's hop has become allowed in today's game just like the 3rd step on the fast break and even the extra step on the perimeter. Usually, when a player comes off a screen, he takes an extra step before coming to a stop which is either a travel or a jump stop which would then leave him with no pivot but it is hardly treated that way.

[CDu]

Nice evaluation CDu ... with one expception.

It's not clear that Terrance Shannon will be able to play against Duke. He's missed the last three games with a serious neck injury.

Of course, like Reggie Johnson against us in Miami, he may pull a Willis Reed against us and make a miraculous recovery, but as of early in the week, he was not close to returning.

His absence hurts them a lot ... at 8.5 ppg and 6.3 rpg, he's their best inside player. More than that, he's their toughest guy.

Wow, I hadn't seen/heard about that injury. If Shannon's out, then that even further magnifies their frontcourt problems. Without him, they have the three-headed/no-talent monster of 7-footers to go with White (an undersized PF) and Gilchrist (okay size and good athleticism but minimal skill) in the frontcourt.

[moonpie23]

this is sick...he did it again...

with 4.4 secs left against UVA

[Newton_14]

this is sick...he did it again...

with 4.4 secs left against UVA

That's 4 times this season alone, right? Wow. Impressive. I know he did not have the year he expected or most expected, but dang with the game on the line the dude is just stone cold ice money.

[Son of Jarhead]

this is sick...he did it again...

with 4.4 secs left against UVA

That kid is unreal. Everybody in the building knows he is getting the ball and taking the big shot, and yet, he gets it done. Every time.

[OldPhiKap]

Wow, kid could be really good at the next level. Can't teach that.

[Merlindevildog91]

Terrible defense by Joe Harris, letting him by, then fouling on the made shot.

Saying that, Snaer is really good in the clutch.

[Greg_Newton]

Ughhhh. UVA may have choked away their tourney berth in 2 possessions over their last 2 games.

Great comeback, but ended a little early.