MBB: Duke 66, UConn 56 Post-Game Thread

[DFife90]

I love seeing the starting five all scoring in double figures. I've seen a couple of posts on this thread bemoaning the lack of bench scoring. But you've got to balance that concern by a starting five where everyone can score. You can have successful basketball teams where you don't get much of any scoring from one or two starters. But if they all can score then your bench just needs to hold court for awhile when your starters are not in the game. Plumlee made some mistakes in not expecting a couple of passes but when his head was in the game, he did his job well. He forced their 7 footer to give up a shot and pass then got the rebound--that's an excellent possession and he is only in there to give Okafor a rest. That is a perfect possession. Matt and Rasheed did not have good games in relief from the bench but that is atypical and no need for concern. Both will have better games. Furthermore, if all your starters can score, the bench players don't have to be lethal, they just have to hold serve.

Just as a reminder, we have won back to back championships with a short bench and fewer than five starters being able to score in the way the starting five can score this season. Jefferson proved beyond doubt that you cannot George Ackles him (footnote for the younger Duke fans: Coach K did not have the players to match up with UNLV starting five in '91 so he basically left Ackles alone with the theory that if Ackles can beat us, then we lose, but I'm keeping 2 men on Johnson at all times). Reign in the turnovers and have your two bench players play like they are capable of (Matt and Rasheed) and a comfortable win becomes a dominating win.

You can focus on the weaknesses if you must, but mind you, you're never going to get your perfect game (second half of Georgetown-'Nova excepted) and the upside of this game is impressive because all five starters being able to score and rebound can make up for an uncharacteristic number of turnovers and an off game from two solid bench players.

There is a lot of positive to take from this game, my friends!

[Furniture]

The bench wasn't great, but this was a pretty physical game. Reminded me of the old Big East. (not in a good way)

I'll take the win though.

How can the bench be great if K doesn't play them?

[Billy Dat]

Winslow and Jones showed themselves again to be gamers. They like the big moment and play their best when the pressure is on. That is a good sign. Jefferson has become an outstanding rebounder and you have to like the way Okafor passed the ball as he was surrounded the entire night. The bench was not good tonight but that will come with more playing time. Usually Sheed plays better in these types of games. The team can win ugly and that is good to see.

Agree all around save for the reason for bad bench play, I just think they played poorly and K barely used them in the second half. Some of the early fouls messed with the rotation a bit and Rasheed was plain bad. I was very impressed by Okafor avoiding foul trouble...smart.

And they still won by 10 points.

Certainly warrants mentioning, this team has much better closing instincts then last year.

I also really appreciated Bilas pointing how how K was having him set up in the post for the pass in from Okafor from the top of the paint to help take advantage of a mismatch. I know he didn't connect on it (or may have once), but I love when the commentators can actually bring to light things I may not have noticed otherwise. I bet K continues to try to play this move to take advantage of size mismatches with Winslow.

This was excellent coaching. Had we gone to this earlier, it would have paid off. We run a lot of high/low with Jah and its nice that he passes well enough to be the high which clears out the low.

We kept our poise, and the key players were freshmen. Good, gritty game -- which we needed. Not exactly a typical Duke game -- high rebound totals (40 to 29), mediocre shooting percentage, lots of turnovers but good assist total (10 out of 18 FG's). For this year, a 70+% on free throws is a welcome stat. UConn had only five assists out of 23 FG's, a tribute to the tenacity of our defense.

This team can win ugly and win pretty...it's nice to be able to win a variety of ways. The second half D was really good. They hit some tough shots but we really forced them to go one-on-one - although that seems to be their default mode of trying to score.

Was it just me or didn't it seem that the U-con crowd was louder than the Duke one, even though the commentators said the stadium was 50-50?
** Watching the game, I was bumming that we weren't drubbing the Huskies - I really, really dislike that team/school, and love that they openly have pined for ACC membership (and the ACC said, "Talk to the hand"). But in the end, it dawned on me -- this way it is actually better. You KNOW that all their fans are talking about on their boards and during the long, slow drive back to CT is, "Duke gets all the calls." It probabably gnaws at them even more than if we'd won by 20. HEHEHEHEHEHE!!

I was at the game. Their younger fans are pretty Terpish - drunk, looking to pick fights, crying about the refs, doing a lot of post game loser laments "What about 1999? We got two rings since your last ring". Wah, wah, wah, wah.

[Duvall]

How can the bench be great if K doesn't play them?

By not making unforced turnovers, missing every shot and generally looking lost?

[nyesq83]

The starters start and the bench is the bench.

If the team scores 66 points and holds the other team to 56, and the starters average double figures, I do not mind this result one whit.

I love this team. Young guys held despite incredible pressure and harassment and aggressive play on both ends of the floor.

The rest is noise. Or, I respect your opinions, but you must see the bigger picture.

Might be an imperfect victory, but it is a strong victory, it sends a message, it rewards alumni support, it helps recruiting, it shows K and crew are still relevant, it showcases our amazing student-athletes, et cetera

[ACCBBallFan]

Against an unranked team that lost to Yale at home.

I actually thought UConn looked like a top 20 team tonight. And our starters were outstanding. I'm just concerned about the depth over the course of the season, which I thought would be a strength for this team.

It certainly wasn't a pretty game but we won. Great games by Amile, Tyus and Jah. Quinn was pretty good even though his shot wasn't falling. I thought his D on Boatright was respectable. Justise seemed to be taken out of the game by that early charging foul though he rallied in the fourth quarter. Sheed was dreadful. MP3 and MJones gave them some positive minutes. Greyson looked a bit like a deer in the headlights out there which struck me as odd since he's been fairly confident when he's played.

UConn is definitely better than their record and one of the better defenses we've faced.

The UCONN record is deceiving. They could very easily have come in 6-1 rather than 4-3 having blown a lead with only 5 seconds to go twice.

In a weak confernece with L-ville now in ACC, and SMU losing a top frosh to international play. Ken Pomeroy still has them as auto bid.

[mo.st.dukie]

The UCONN record is deceiving. They could very easily have come in 6-1 rather than 4-3 having blown a lead with only 5 seconds to go twice.

In a weak confernece with L-ville now in ACC, and SMU losing a top frosh to international play. Ken Pomeroy still has them as auto bid.

Any time you have a guard who can single-handedly take over you can win a lot of games. They have good length inside, just no match for Jah and Amile, so that will help them as well. They should have beaten Texas.

This Duke team responds very well to pressure and adversity. In all of our tough games whenever the opponent would make a run and take the lead or tie it up or get closer our team always responded by playing harder and making big plays. In the beginning of the 2nd half tonight when K called that timeout and then Uconn eventually tied the game at 30 the team seemed to flip a switch and they took everything up several notches to put the game out of reach. Obviously it would be great if they played pretty basketball and easily won every game but it's a characteristic of a good team to be able to win ugly and to be able to handle pressure situations.

[burnspbesq]

So Hess did his usual abysmal, abominable, inexcusable job tonight.

The question is, of course, how does he continue to get a disproportionate share of plum game assignments?

Can it be that he is actually one of the best officials available? That seems impossible.

Does he have pictures of every coach in the ACC coming out of a women's dorm at 3 a.m. with his shoes in his hand and his shirt half untucked?

Does anyone want to suggest any other possibilities?

[Bob Green]

Does anyone want to suggest any other possibilities?

Another possibility is he isn't that bad. The refs called 24 fouls on UConn to 16 on Duke. I don't like Hess but fans of all teams have the perspective that the refs hate them. I'm sure the UConn boards are full of complaints about the refs today.

Amile Jefferson is really looking good playing his natural PF position alongside a legitimate C. I expect he will have many more games this season where he either records a double - double or is in the ball park. He is fantastic in the high post passing and driving to the hoop, if he can start to knockdown the foul line jumper, he will be in the All ACC conversation.

Marshall Plumlee remains limited. We play 4 on 5 on offense due to his inability to catch the ball. Moreover, his effectiveness as a rebounder is limited by him fumbling away the ball instead of securing it high.

[wavedukefan70s]

So Hess did his usual abysmal, abominable, inexcusable job tonight.

The question is, of course, how does he continue to get a disproportionate share of plum game assignments?

Can it be that he is actually one of the best officials available? That seems impossible.

Does he have pictures of every coach in the ACC coming out of a women's dorm at 3 a.m. with his shoes in his hand and his shirt half untucked?

Does anyone want to suggest any other possibilities?

I know in highschool refs are graded by there peers.maybe they do that in college to.that being said there are fouls on almost every play.they just have to decide what to call.
With all the mental fatigue of exams and physical nature of this game I thought we did fairly well.

[oldnavy]

Another possibility is he isn't that bad. The refs called 24 fouls on UConn to 16 on Duke. I don't like Hess but fans of all teams have the perspective that the refs hate them. I'm sure the UConn boards are full of complaints about the refs today.

Amile Jefferson is really looking good playing his natural PF position alongside a legitimate C. I expect he will have many more games this season where he either records a double - double or is in the ball park. He is fantastic in the high post passing and driving to the hoop, if he can start to knockdown the foul line jumper, he will be in the All ACC conversation.

Marshall Plumlee remains limited. We play 4 on 5 on offense due to his inability to catch the ball. Moreover, his effectiveness as a rebounder is limited by him fumbling away the ball instead of securing it high.

I hate to see Hess and his crew call any game much less a Duke game. I imagine he isn't as bad as I think he is, but I am not a fan. His major problem to me is that he OVER CALLs almost every game. Tonight's may have been an exception given the aggression of UConn, but in general, Karl wants you and everyone to know that HE is one the floor.

To me a good ref is one who basically goes unnoticed.

Agree with the Amile comments fully. He is playing very well.

Lots to not like about this game if that is what you are looking for... but for a game in December with all the distractions that come with exams, upcoming break and Christmas plans, against a team with very, very good guard play (Duke kryptonite)...

I'll take it and feel pretty good about it.

Remember this is the same team that beat Wisconsin at Kohl just a week or so ago.... K will have them ready come ACC time.

[jv001]

To be fair to MP3, a few of those passes should not have been thrown to him. Feeding him as he moves to the low block is a bad pass; let him get low and then throw it in. A forward he ain't.

I was thinking the same thing while watching the game last night. Marshall is limited to the low post and that's it. Well, except setting picks up top. I couldn't spork you, but here's a GoDuke

[jv001]

A good game that had the feel of a first round NCAA game. The announcers mentioned that during the telecast. Jay Bilas noted last night that Jah has improved his rebounding since the first few games and I agree. He's now getting better position when the shot goes up. Good game for the starters with special shout out to Amile and Tyus. It looks like the December layoff has affected Matt Jones, Rasheed and Marshall the most. It seems they are not back to game speed after the layoff and exams. Way too many fumbled balls and turnovers, but I'm sure they will get back to normal, steady play soon. I lost all respect for Purvis last night. He played like a punk during the last few minutes. But I give praise to Boatwright who was spectacular. GoDuke!

[Papa John]

In the beginning of the 2nd half tonight when K called that timeout and then Uconn eventually tied the game at 30 the team seemed to flip a switch and they took everything up several notches to put the game out of reach.

We went to eleven at that moment.

Wow, is Kevin Ollie a huge whiner or what? The dude was over-dramatically reacting to calls all night like a toddler having a tantrum, and most of his players mimic this ultra-whiny behavior as well. Just play the game, for cryin' out tears!

Man, is our defense this season a thing of beauty!

[Saratoga2]

Unlike others, I think Kevin Ollie is a smart coach who last year won the national championship with a team faeturing two small and quick guards. He has less this year although Boatright is clearly one of the best guards in college ball. I think he recognized that his best chance was to play a tough physical defense and get his points off of turnovers sinced he couldn't match up in the half court. I believe this is the first time the team has play against such a quick team across the board.

It was good for our three main freshman to play under that pressure and while they made some mistakes, they clearly were superior to UCONN as a team. This is great game experience for them and to get it this early in the season is good for team development. I am not worried about the shooting percentage as they were probably fatigued playing at that pace.

That Rasheed had trouble handling that pressure is not a suprise. He dribbles rather high up and with the ball shown to the defender. It didn't work for him tonight and he seemed to come a bit unraveled by that pressure. That doesn't mean his defense was impacted and doesn't mean he won't handle other teams with less speed and agressiveness. The coaches have to recognize what he can do well and not to put him into situations that he has probleems with.

Marshall does have problems catching and holding onto the ball and was slow to react in some situations. He did make a couple of plays as others have noted. The best thing for him is to watch the game tapes and realize that he would do better to keep the ball up high when he rebounds and keep both hands on it. He also would do better to be more agressive in going for the ball.

I can't say much about either Matt or Grayson as they played so little. They too have to learn by facing pressure and finding out wwhat they can do.

The good news is we won by 10 despite all the TOs. In reality, the points lost on Rasheed's TO probably amounted to 8 and we would have won by much more had he played under more control.

[DukeHLM'13]

Tough, gritty, hard-fought win. Some cold shooting and too many turnovers, but give some credit to UConn. They wanted this game, and our guys wouldn't let 'em have it. Tough group, and they battled through some adversity tonight. I'm happy.

Yes, yes , yes. Based on last night UConn is certainly better than their record suggests. Also, think back to the last couple of years...what are the odds that we win a very physical game like this where the other team has an extremely athletic guard (Boatright) playing at, what I will assume, is his highest level.

Sure it would probably have been close, but in the last few years I think we lose this game by ~5 points. I think that this says a lot about how this team doesn't have some of the deficiencies (defense, toughness) of the last couple Duke teams.

[roywhite]

Such a different game than the Wisconsin game --- shooting way off, too many turnovers, very little production from bench.

Still -- a 10-point win vs a big-name team that was psyched up to play Duke. Gotta love it -- amazing how a good defense can help us win even when the shots aren't falling. Oh, and this Tyus Jones kid -- he shows up for big games. Wow.

[jv001]

Unlike others, I think Kevin Ollie is a smart coach who last year won the national championship with a team faeturing two small and quick guards. He has less this year although Boatright is clearly one of the best guards in college ball. I think he recognized that his best chance was to play a tough physical defense and get his points off of turnovers sinced he couldn't match up in the half court. I believe this is the first time the team has play against such a quick team across the board.

It was good for our three main freshman to play under that pressure and while they made some mistakes, they clearly were superior to UCONN as a team. This is great game experience for them and to get it this early in the season is good for team development. I am not worried about the shooting percentage as they were probably fatigued playing at that pace.

That Rasheed had trouble handling that pressure is not a suprise. He dribbles rather high up and with the ball shown to the defender. It didn't work for him tonight and he seemed to come a bit unraveled by that pressure. That doesn't mean his defense was impacted and doesn't mean he won't handle other teams with less speed and agressiveness. The coaches have to recognize what he can do well and not to put him into situations that he has probleems with.
Marshall does have problems catching and holding onto the ball and was slow to react in some situations. He did make a couple of plays as others have noted. The best thing for him is to watch the game tapes and realize that he would do better to keep the ball up high when he rebounds and keep both hands on it. He also would do better to be more agressive in going for the ball.

I can't say much about either Matt or Grayson as they played so little. They too have to learn by facing pressure and finding out wwhat they can do.

The good news is we won by 10 despite all the TOs. In reality, the points lost on Rasheed's TO probably amounted to 8 and we would have won by much more had he played under more control.

Agree on all fronts, especially on Rasheed dribbling so high. He had better get that dribble lower before January 17th when the Blue Devils visit Louisville. The Cardinals play a pressing full court defense that can cause lot's of turnovers. Since I've not seen Louisville play this season, Let me say, I'm going on past Louisville teams. GoDuke!

[jv001]

Such a different game than the Wisconsin game --- shooting way off, too many turnovers, very little production from bench.

Still -- a 10-point win vs a big-name team that was psyched up to play Duke. Gotta love it -- amazing how a good defense can help us win even when the shots aren't falling. Oh, and this Tyus Jones kid -- he shows up for big games. Wow.

Isn't that the truth, my twin city friend. Tyus turns it up a notch when we play big games. It looks like he's ho-hum against the Elon's but against the big name schools, he turns it on. Jeckle and Hyde like. GoDuke!

[TKG]

Expect Louisville to pressure our guards as well. Tyus will need some help so Rasheed needs to works on his ball handling.