MBB: Duke 98, NCSU 85 Post-Game Thread

[pfrduke]

Revenge!

[snowdenscold]

Nice of us to forego that open layup at the buzzer to make it an even 100, haha.

[Furniture]

Good job boys!

[El_Diablo]

Just to try to head off the lazy "stall ball" meme in advance...we DID NOT play "stall ball" until the last few minutes. We simply missed shots and played poor defense throughout the half.

[UrinalCake]

Let's just call the second half a "regression to the mean." Guys hung tough and got the win. State was impressive though, and will be a tough out if we see them again.

As I said in the in-game thread, we really missed Kelly inside because Howell stepped out and had wide-open jumpers all night long. Mason's gotta start guarding him out there.

[FerryFor50]

Just to try to head off the lazy "stall ball" meme in advance...we DID NOT play "stall ball" until the last few minutes. We simply missed shots and played poor defense throughout the half.

Agreed. A lot of wide open misses and terrible defense. Stall ball kicked in around the 7min mark as far as I could tell.

[Cameron]

Agreed. A lot of wide open misses and terrible defense. Stall ball kicked in around the 7min mark as far as I could tell.

While it probably wasn't truly initiated as early as I stated above, it sure felt like it. We were definitely deliberately taking the air out of the ball and dribbling/passing around out top for the first 20 seconds of the shot clock from the 10-minute mark on of the second half, though.

[sporthenry]

While it probably wasn't truly initiated as early as I stated above, it sure felt like it. We were definitely deliberately taking the air out of the ball and dribbling/passing around out top for the first 20 seconds of the shot clock from the 10-minute mark on of the second half, though.

So we are missing shots, NC State is on fire, our guards are in foul trouble and we have no answer for Howell, so your answer is to try to outscore them? Yes, it was disappointing and I'm sure K won't be happy with the defensive performance but anytime you score 40 points in a half, that is not stall ball or playing not to lose. The Big Ten has games where the winner is a few points above 40 for the game.

Besides, you play to win the game. Be it pretty or ugly. I don't hear Wisconsin fans complain about how they win. You look at your assets, the other team's assets and do whatever is best to win. Not try to play what other people want.

[davekay1971]

I'm going to go the other route about the second half and note that Duke held off NC State's best offensive half of the season. State just shot really, really well in the 2nd half. Those weren't a bunch of uncontested layups (though they did have some run-outs for easy layups)...State made contested shots. As one poster noted, Howell was draining drop-back 15 footers that are not normally a reliable shot for him. Sometimes, despite our guys actually playing defense, the other team gets hot. It happens, and it happened tonight. Our guys managed to make enough shots and enough stops to hold on for a double digit win and prevent State from ever really having a realistic chance to win.

All credit to State for not giving up, for fighting back and for really lighting it up for the final 20 minutes. And credit to our guys for maintaining composure and getting the critical scores, and stops, when they needed to.

[sporthenry]

Just to try to head off the lazy "stall ball" meme in advance...we DID NOT play "stall ball" until the last few minutes. We simply missed shots and played poor defense throughout the half.

Agreed. This was more about giving up 48 points in a half. Heck, even more impressive if we did play stall ball as some alleged. I've learned to live with the offense and we actually got in more trouble with the quick shots when they stopped falling. Our team should be good enough to run a set and get good shots in the last 10-15 seconds of a shot clock.

[mapei]

I agree with the devil. I think we looked fatigued. We took a lot of the same shots in the second half, but not as crisply. And it would be unreasonable to expect an out-of-world performance in the first half to continue. That said, our defense was horrible, and so was our - hate this phrase - "ball security." The second half just wasn't very good basketball by eiither team, really; I don't think our downturn had much to do with "stall ball" or "playing not to lose." It did have something to do with lots of missed shots that went in earlier.

[CLW]

tale of 2 halfs really. not sure if the team lost its edge/focus; ran out of gas or just a regression to the mean but we survived the bad defense in the 2nd half to pick up the W.

mason was HUGE all night especially in the 2nd half when the 3s stopped falling.

[Cameron]

And yet we won

I am so tired of this argument. Barely scraping by is not something to celebrate. I'd like to think that the talent we have on this team far exceeds having to play hot potato with each other for the final 15 minutes in order to secure a victory over an average N.C. State team, which has now lost five of its last seven games. This is the exact type of play that will usher you to the nearest exit in the NCAA Tournament.

Why exactly we felt that going the Northern Illinois route in the second half was the way to seal the deal tonight is beyond me.

[dukelifer]

I am so tired of this argument. Barely scraping by is not something to celebrate. I'd like to think that the talent we have on this team far exceeds having to play hot potato with each other for the final 15 minutes in order to secure a victory over an average N.C. State team, which has now lost five of its last seven games. This is the exact type of play that will usher you to the nearest exit in the NCAA Tournament.

Why exactly we felt that going the Northern Illinois route in the second half was the way to seal the deal tonight is beyond me.

But why do you think the team will be satisfied with the second half effort. They played a great first half- almost flawless. They need to stay aggressive and do a better job on D but we have seen improvement. Still not there but a big improvement since the first State game

[Cameron]

But why do you think the team will be satisfied with the second half effort. They played a great first half- almost flawless. They need to stay aggressive and do a better job on D but we have seen improvement. Still not there but a big improvement since the first State game

True. The first half was beautiful basketball, it really was, and we did stay tough-minded until the end. It was almost so good a first half that there was nowhere to go but down, which naturally makes it easier to pinpoint areas where we might have been inefficient in the second stanza.

There were, however, definitely spots in the second half where we could have been more on the offensive with the ball in our hands. Maybe I accidentally hit the buttons on my remote and was watching a different game, but I don't believe I am crazy. We were totally out of our element on offense for much of the final 10 minutes, and I believe we partly did that to ourselves by slowing things up, losing our flow and ending up with difficult shots or turnovers in the final 10 seconds of the shot clock.

Don't get me wrong. I am elated we won. I just tend to be more misanthropic than most. Seth and Mason were brillian tonight, and Sheed set the tone early.

[Bluedog]

Joe Ovies says nobody on press row heard such a chant.

https://twitter.com/joeovies/status/299733714865356801

I guess somebody at NC State or UNC just started the rumor on twitter "Did you hear?!" and people run with it.

[FerryFor50]

Joe Ovies says nobody on press row heard such a chant.

https://twitter.com/joeovies/status/299733714865356801

I guess somebody at NC State or UNC just started the rumor on twitter "Did you hear?!" and people run with it.

Gotta love twitter.

[sporthenry]

Gotta love twitter.

Unfortunately, I don't have the twitter or the time to go through them and call people out. Either way proud of the Crazies and sorry I ever doubted you. I guess with recent occurrences though, nobody is above reproach sometimes.

[Bluedog]

Joe Ovies says nobody on press row heard such a chant.

https://twitter.com/joeovies/status/299733714865356801

I guess somebody at NC State or UNC just started the rumor on twitter "Did you hear?!" and people run with it.

Gotta love twitter.

Unfortunately, I don't have the twitter or the time to go through them and call people out. Either way proud of the Crazies and sorry I ever doubted you. I guess with recent occurrences though, nobody is above reproach sometimes.

Although, as Joe Ovies said, it's possible there was like one or two people that shouted it...who knows. But that doesn't constitute a "chant." But no idea where it originated.

[Furniture]

We won!

Scored NINETY EIGHT points.

Was it a second half as good as the first? No.

But....

The glass is half full.

We won!