MBB: Duke 79, Miami 76 Post-Game Thread

[UrinalCake]

Rasheed struggled mightily but those 5 points in a row were the difference in the game. Great perserverence by him.

Also made a great defensive play right after those points that forced a missed shot. Then Quinn hit a three that I thought put the game away, but not quite.

Weird how our free throw shooting goes from 90% (18-20) on the road at UVA to 62% (16-26) at home tonight. Knocking down a few more at the end would have helped me breath a little easier (or at all)

[diveonthefloor]

I honestly think that Miami is the best team we have played this year. Terrific execution, great point guard, outstanding rebounding, superb defense. When they are focused, it will be hard for anyone to beat them on a neutral court.

Duke played a gutty game tonight. One might think that Ryan's return to the lineup would lead to a struggling, limited performance by Ryan. Amazingly, it was the rest of the team that seemed to struggle as Duke reverted to it's high-low offense which had worked earlier in the year. Hopefully a few days of normal rest and normal practice will fine tune the rest of the team.

[Duke76]

Coach K said Kelly's performance was "one for the ages"

on espn news practice very little...K doesn't know how the reporters are going to write about it...
said his SAT verbal not very high so he can't put in words


didn't really practice until thursday...Kelly told him said he really felt confident K going on and on,
shocking to K what happened "God bless America"

[slower]

Amazingly, it was the rest of the team that seemed to struggle as Duke reverted to it's high-low offense which had worked earlier in the year. Hopefully a few days of normal rest and normal practice will fine tune the rest of the team.

That's a great point. Thanks - I feel better about future prospects now.

[Billy Dat]

What Ryan Kelly did tonight, after being out for 2 months, is right up there with the most incredible performances I have ever seen from a Duke player.

Cue Jack Buck (thanks, diveonthefloor), I can't believe what I just saw.

Speechless.

[FerryFor50]

Also made a great defensive play right after those points that forced a missed shot. Then Quinn hit a three that I thought put the game away, but not quite.

Weird how our free throw shooting goes from 90% (18-20) on the road at UVA to 62% (16-26) at home tonight. Knocking down a few more at the end would have helped me breath a little easier (or at all)

Not that weird - tired legs can do that to a team.

Just glad they had enough left in the tank to pull this one out!

[Ggallagher]

I'm really looking forward to the Duke Blue Planet "Plays of the Game" video. It's bound to be an amazing Ryan Kelly tribute.
Go DUKE!

[slower]

I'm really looking forward to the Duke Blue Planet "Plays of the Game" video. It's bound to be an amazing Ryan Kelly tribute.
Go DUKE!

They'd BETTER have Marshall doing the interview.

[sporthenry]

I honestly think that Miami is the best team we have played this year. Terrific execution, great point guard, outstanding rebounding, superb defense. When they are focused, it will be hard for anyone to beat them on a neutral court.

I agree although they didn't particularly play a great game. They couldn't hit anything from the outside and still kept it a close game, sign of a good team. They probably won't face a defense that bad late in the tournament but Miami is a very good team. And if point guards really do carry you, they will go far.

[UrinalCake]

Go to Hell Carolina.....and Miami

After this game UNC fans have got to be scared for next weekend. The White Raven is back with vengeance.

Yeah, they've been playing this small lineup since their first game against us, and it's worked well for them, but with upcoming games against us and Maryland (who have even more interior size than us with Kelly), they might need to rethink that

[Atldukie79]

The dominant theme is that Kelly is back...in a remarkable game...perhaps an unprecedented performance. Duke is back in the NCAA championship hunt as a result.

A lesser theme is that we moved toward solidifying a 2 seed in the ACC tourney.

I thought the floor spal with a 10 point lead demonstrated that the team thought the game was won. Their play for much of the end game reflected that emotion. I liked the slap...would have preferred it when the game was locked.

[Duke of Nashville]

Impressed with the way we handled those high ball screens.

The White Raven Soars!

[JD79]

I said it before and got criticized. Leadership is key to the success of this team. Kelly said "Give me the ball and watch how it should be done". He showed senior leadership that was sorely needed. Hope he didn't hurt himself tonight and that he can keep the focus of this team in a positive manner. Boxing out for rebounds continues to be a challenge for this team. Learn and grow!

[NashvilleDevil]

In the words of James Woods at the end of Diggstown:

"Ryan...what you did tonight...couldn't be done."

[UrinalCake]

[Kelly] didn't really practice until thursday

Since Seth and Kelly are arguably our two best players right now, and neither is practicing fully, maybe the whole team should just not practice! Imagine how unstoppable we'd be!

[FerryFor50]

Since Seth and Kelly are arguably our two best players right now, and neither is practicing fully, maybe the whole team should just not practice! Imagine how unstoppable we'd be!

Definitely would put the tired legs debate to "rest."

[diveonthefloor]

What Ryan Kelly did tonight, after being out for 2 months, is right up there with the most incredible performances I have ever seen from a Duke player.

Cue Vin Sculley, I can't believe what I just saw.

Speechless.

If you're referring to the Kirk Gibson game winning homer in game 1 of the World Series, I think that quote is attributable to Jack Buck who did the national radio broadcast.

[stillcrazie]

If you're referring to the Kirk Gibson game winning homer in game 1 of the World Series, I think that quote is attributable to Jack Buck who did the national radio broadcast.

I was just about to post that it was Jack Buck, former St. Louis Cardinals announcer. Thanks.

[Troublemaker]

What a treat to watch that game. Great college game punctuated by one of the outstanding performances in Duke history.

I was impressed by Miami's effort. They could've just counted on winning one of their two easy remaining games to wrap the title, but they are tough, true competitors.

Larkin and Scott are just really poor matchups for Cook and Curry. Especially the Scott/Curry matchup. Scott drives him at will and then locks him up on the other end. Seth is the better player overall because he plays better against other teams, but head-to-head, he loses.

Overall, hard not to be ecstatic about what came out of this game. We now know with a fairly good deal of certainty that re-integrating Ryan won't be a huge deal, and he's not going to have too much rust to knock off. That was a huge question going into the game, and it was answered quite emphatically by the White Raven.

[roywhite]

What Ryan Kelly did tonight, after being out for 2 months, is right up there with the most incredible performances I have ever seen from a Duke player.

Cue Vin Sculley, I can't believe what I just saw.

Speechless.

Yeah, I agree.

Going back a long way, there was Freddy Lind off the bench in a 3-OT win over UNC; Gary Melchionni going for 39 vs Maryland; JJ Redick had more than one amazing game; Christian Laettner vs KY in the Eastern Regionals final obviously.

But add in coming back from injury and inactivity...just WOW.