MBB FF: Duke v. Sparty (Apr 4, 6:09 pm, TBS) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[MChambers]

marvin clark gets only 25% of the time at the 4, is a freshman. He has a couple decent games, but seems good for a couple buckets and boards in his limited minutes. Both of these guys are 6'6 225, so we ought to have a massive size advantage when amile is in, and I can't imagine either is as athletic as winslow.

Assume you mean Dawson and Clark when you say both these guys. Dawson is as athletic as Winslow, and probably stronger. The good news is that he is not as skilled, is not much of a shooter, and makes boneheaded plays more than you would expect. If he could shoot 3s, he'd be a lottery pick. If Dawson gets in foul trouble, we'll have a big edge.

Clark seems to live in Izzo's doghouse, but he's a strong guy, too.

[Channing]

When Duke was in Indy’s land,
Go Blue Devils Go!
So Many Twisted Ankles They Could Barely Stand,
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go down, Tyus,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!

Nor Eagles Nor Aztecs Were Our Foil,
Go Blue Devils Go!
Nor Utes Nor Zags Could Our Season Spoil,
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go down, Quinn,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell Old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!

We Waited All Season To See This Tough D,
Go Blue Devils Go!
And When We Needed It, Matt Made Another Three,
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go down, Justise,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell Old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!

Coach K Has This Team In Tip-Top Form,
Go blue Devils Go!
I Hope To See Magic Looking Forlorn,
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go down, Jahlil,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell Old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!

Our Foes Shall Not Before Us Stand,
Go Blue Devils Go!
One More Ring And Its One For Each Finger On The Hand!
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go Down Amile,
Do Down Marshall,
Go Down Matt,
Go Down Greyson
Go Down Sean,
Go Down Nick,
GO DOWN DEVILS,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell Old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!
(Rip 'em up, Tear 'em up, Give 'em hell, Duke!)

[sagegrouse]

Dude, literally everyone but Matt Norlander in his original article for CBSSports is saying we're the early game. And as I just edited in my comment, Norlander was one of the first people to release an article announcing tip times. I mean, the NCAA's official site has us at 6, and so does CBS' bracket page. In all likelihood, this was just Norlander trying to get his article out the door AQAP, assuming that the game on the left side of the bracket would be the early matchup no matter what. On the off chance that Norlander is right and absolutely everyone else is wrong, I'll admit being wrong, but it is quite unlikely that I'm wrong.

The key, because of travel plans, is that the first game starts at 6:09 PM. I take that as settled. Kentucky-Wisconsin as the second game makes sense and gives us the unexpected possibility of a couple of hours extra rest.

Here's the clip from CBS:

Final Four

SATURDAY

6:09, TBS: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 7 Michigan State (Jim Nantz/Grant Hill/Bill Raftery/Tracy Wolfson)

Approx. 8:49 TBS: No. 1 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky (Jim Nantz/Grant Hill/Bill Raftery/Tracy Wolfson)

[MChambers]

I'm glad we've got the first game. Wonder when that last happened? 1990, maybe?

[77devil]

Alaa tweeted earlier that he's part of the Duke team. He seemed excited that he'll be allowed to openly gush on television about his own program. It'll feel like being any of the Heels one sees talking about basketball.

That will be a nice change of pace. Grant's been channeling Jay, although his inner Duke started to emerge a little toward the end of the game.

[bluedev_92]

Also...

Dear Charles Barkley,

Please pick Michigan State to win on Saturday. We have enjoyed your picks of Utah and Gonzaga the last 3 days.

With love,
Duke fans

Yes - I too hope that Barles Charkley keeps picking against us! Have to mention the string of commercials - very funny - especially like the one where they are driving "in the Annapolis"

[NashvilleDevil]

I'm glad we've got the first game. Wonder when that last happened? 1990, maybe?

I think it was the 89 FF with Seton Hall. I remember staying up late to watch Illinois/Michigan.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I'm guessing that - while it's nice and all that we beat Sparty earlier this season - the only relevant similarities between that game and this one will be that names of the players involved.

K v. Izzo is always a fun chess match.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Oh man I am so pumped to see this team get to the Final Four! I've provided scouting breakdowns of Utah and Gonzaga that got positive reviews. I'll do a more in-depth review of MSU, but here are some important digits for now.

• 1-0: Duke played MSU in late November during the Champions Classic (which featured three of the four Final Four teams) and beat MSU 81-71.
• 17: Duke's defensive efficiency has improved dramatically in this tournament. Prior to the tourney, Duke was about 60th in the nation in points per possession according to Ken Pomeroy's widely cited model. Today, Duke has moved all the way to 17th.
• <60: Speaking of defense, Duke has limited its opponents to under 60 in all four tournament games this year, the last two against top-10 offenses. Raise your hand if you saw that coming!
• 6'9": Michigan State's tallest players - Gavin Schilling and Matt Costello, are both 6'9" tall. This height and size disparity allowed Jahlil Okafor to have his first big game on a national stage. I imagine after seeing two teams with multiple high-level bigs, Okafor is looking forward to dominating the paint again.
• 35-25: MSU's rebouding margin in the game in November over Duke. The team - especially Justise Winslow - has improved its rebouding since then. Keeping MSU off of the glass will pay dividends.
• 69%: Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight model predicts Duke has a 69% chance of winning against MSU. This is the highest Duke's chances have been since facing San Diego State. Duke is a heavy favorite to reach the National Title game on Monday, April 6th.

Duke will have a lot of advantages in this game, including offensive efficiency, free throw shooting, defensive efficiency, and size. Also, Coach K has done very well against Tom Izzo throughout their Hall of Fame careers. That being said, it's the Final Four. Anything can happen and both coaches have a week to prepare. It should be an intense and gritty game. I sure hope we see the best our of Duke!

On a side note, my girlfriend's parents will be in town for Passover. Did I mention they both met at Michigan State? I'll have to keep it classy watching this game over matzoh!

[szstark]

When Duke was in Indy’s land,
Go Blue Devils Go!
So Many Twisted Ankles They Could Barely Stand,
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go down, Tyus,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!

Nor Eagles Nor Aztecs Were Our Foil,
Go Blue Devils Go!
Nor Utes Nor Zags Could Our Season Spoil,
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go down, Quinn,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell Old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!

We Waited All Season To See This Tough D,
Go Blue Devils Go!
And When We Needed It, Matt Made Another Three,
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go down, Justise,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell Old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!

Coach K Has This Team In Tip-Top Form,
Go blue Devils Go!
I Hope To See Magic Looking Forlorn,
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go down, Jahlil,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell Old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!

Our Foes Shall Not Before Us Stand,
Go Blue Devils Go!
One More Ring And Its One For Each Finger On The Hand!
Go Blue Devils Go!

Go Down Amile,
Do Down Marshall,
Go Down Matt,
Go Down Greyson
Go Down Sean,
Go Down Nick,
GO DOWN DEVILS,
Way down in Indy’s land;
Tell Old Izzo
Go Blue Devils Go!
(Rip 'em up, Tear 'em up, Give 'em hell, Duke!)

Beautiful, just beautiful.

[77devil]

Dave Briggs of NBC sporting the Duke socks on Squawk Box this morning. Apparently he's a big Duke fan but I'm unaware of any connection per se.

Duke Socks.jpg

[Bluedog]

Another thing to keep in mind -- Indianapolis is Big 10 country and everyone loves the Spartans.

The Michigan St game might feel more like a road game.

A bit like 2010 when 3/4 of the fans there were rooting for Butler on Monday Night. The boys actually like to play in hostile arenas.

The good thing about playing in a football stadium is that while our fans will be seriously outnumbered, on the court it just doesn't have the same hostile environment feel that a college basketball stadium has because the vast majority of the fans are so far away and the sound just kinda dissipates. So, it doesn't have quite the "road game" feel to it as it could otherwise. The setup at NRG looked ridiculous with the closest fans in the endzones (notwithstanding the student body/pep band) looking like they were 500+ feet away. I think large stadiums counteract the home court effect, which is good for us. We should be fine. Although I'll say the game against Louisville was quite hostile in that same stadium, but the configuration was different since it was a Regional Finals and not a Final Four (90%+ of the fans were supporting Louisville). Against Butler, it was certainly loud towards the end for Butler, but not anything like the players experiences @UVa, @ND, etc. And Butler fans just have a lot more class/are nicer/less vulgar than Louisville's fan base -- my own opinion after having attended both those games -- so that probably played into it too.

[Kedsy]

If you threw the season out and looked only at this tournament's results, Michigan St would be deemed an elite team on the basis of those wins. I'd argue that collection of wins is better than Duke's over SDSU, Utah and Gonzaga, margin notwithstanding.

I agree the three-game comparison is similar. According to pre-tourney Pomeroy, Michigan State played the #4, #9, and #18 teams in the country (in that order). Duke played #27, #8, and #6, in that order. But I'd argue you can't ignore the margins. The fact that Duke convincingly beat their opponents while Michigan State squeaked by theirs means Duke has had a more impressive run (so far). At least it does to me.

[devildeac]

Not quite there yet, but this is amusing:

https://twitter.com/tarheelblog/stat...378905089?s=09


At least those morons are thinking/planning ahead.

[Duke95]

Just in case anyone has forgotten.

MSU lost by 7 AT Wisconsin. Then they took Wisconsin to OT in the conference tourney.
They beat #5 Maryland.
They beat #2 seed UVa.
They beat Louisville.

This is a very very strong team.

[Duke95]

Not quite there yet, but this is amusing:

https://twitter.com/tarheelblog/stat...378905089?s=09


At least those morons are thinking/planning ahead.

There's a thread on Inbred Carolina claiming that their team was built for a run at the 2016 title.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

There's a thread on Inbred Carolina claiming that their team was built for a run at the 2016 title.

Or built to be the best team with a post-season ban in recent history.

[DavidBenAkiva]

The good thing about playing in a football stadium is that while our fans will be seriously outnumbered, on the court it just doesn't have the same hostile environment feel that a college basketball stadium has because the vast majority of the fans are so far away and the sound just kinda dissipates. So, it doesn't have quite the "road game" feel to it as it could otherwise. The setup at NRG looked ridiculous with the closest fans in the endzones (notwithstanding the student body/pep band) looking like they were 500+ feet away. I think large stadiums counteract the home court effect, which is good for us. We should be fine. Although I'll say the game against Louisville was quite hostile in that same stadium, but the configuration was different since it was a Regional Finals and not a Final Four (90%+ of the fans were supporting Louisville). Against Butler, it was certainly loud towards the end for Butler, but not anything like the players experiences @UVa, @ND, etc. And Butler fans just have a lot more class/are nicer/less vulgar than Louisville's fan base -- my own opinion after having attended both those games -- so that probably played into it too.

My dad, brother, and I went to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in 2013 for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. We saw Duke-MSU on Friday night and then Duke-Louisville (the Kevin Ware leg injury game) on Sunday. It was an electric atmosphere and certainly had A LOT of Louisville and MSU fans. Duke fans had a significant presence but were seriously outnumbered by the Cardinal fans in particular. It made sense as Louisville is only about 2 hours from Indianapolis while Lansing is a short 3-4 hour drive. All those MSU alums in Chicago are only 3 hours away, too. I found the Louisville fans, even during the Elite 8 game, to be incredibly fun and friendly. We often said things like 'Hey, we both hate Kentucky!'

Kentucky, MSU, and Wisconsin should all have a lot of fans at the Final Four this year. The Kentucky fanbase, located just south of Indiana, will mostly likely have the largest turnout. I expect Wisconsin and MSU to have many there as well. I'll be shocked if Duke isn't booed at almost every opportunity. Of all the fan bases, the MSU fans would have been somewhat sympathetic as there seems to be a healthy dose of respect between the two programs. Since Duke and MSU will be playing each other, however, that goes out the window.

This Duke team has thrived in hostile environments before. The plus side of it all is that Lucas Oil Stadium will be electric but not nearly as hostile to Duke as was the Kohl Center, Dean Dome, or JPJ Arena. At least there will be several thousand Duke fans there. My parents went to the Final Four in 2010. I sure hope we can get tickets this year!!!

[DukeDevil]

I'll be checking Leah Frazier Dixon of Bring the Pain Sports's Twitter feed early and often this week. She's sure to have the first reports of when Justise is cleared to play.

I saw what you did there. Maybe she was just being prophetic and said Tyus instead of Justise by mistake.

[Duvall]

This Duke team has thrived in hostile environments before. The plus side of it all is that Lucas Oil Stadium will be electric but not nearly as hostile to Duke as was the Kohl Center, Dean Dome, or JPJ Arena.

With 40,000 Kentucky fans? I highly doubt that.