MBB: Boston College 89, Duke 84 Post-Game Thread

[English]

If Duke had beat BC just before the break; there would be 16 pages of speculation about the letdown coming due to the exam break. Oops now 17 pages.

I'd guess, had Duke pulled off the comeback, half the posters would be erroneously speculating about an undefeated conference season and the other would be preaching tempered expectations based on the same deficiencies that are currently fueling the woe-is-me crowd. It would be the radical fringe vs. the moderates, only the opposite direction that we're seeing now.

Either way, DBR wouldn't be an internet fan message board worth its salt if a visible minority of posters weren't sprinting toward the extremes after every game.
/sarcasm emoji
//double negatives are our friends

[Rich]

I hate speculative posts, but here I go. Just curious whether folks feel we would be better (how much better?) or worse (how much worse?) with Luke Kennard in the lineup, a very reasonable bit of speculation given that many of us did not see him going early to the NBA, at least prior to last season.

Obviously, our inside-outside game would improve tremendously with him in the lineup as it adds significant 3 point firepower and would open up the middle even more for our bigs. But in all likelihood, if he's in the game it would mean that either Grayson or Trent would be on the bench and our front line defense would clearly suffer.

Kind of bummed no one took the bait on this so I thought I'd throw it out there again. Is the answer that obvious? Thought it would be an interesting diversion in a slow week.

[jv001]

Kind of bummed no one took the bait on this so I thought I'd throw it out there again. Is the answer that obvious? Thought it would be an interesting diversion in a slow week.

I think we would actually be worse on defense because Luke was the worst defender on last years team. As great a shooter as he is, I don't think his offense makes up for what we would lose on defense on the perimeter. But man, how that guy could shoot 3s and he had a mid-range as well. We may not have gotten Trent and or Duval if Luke had returned. GoDuke!

[Troublemaker]

Kind of bummed no one took the bait on this so I thought I'd throw it out there again. Is the answer that obvious? Thought it would be an interesting diversion in a slow week.

I think we had at least 3 decisions that came after Luke's declaration for the NBA: Allen returning, Duval coming, and Bagley coming. I doubt we go 3-for-3 on those if Luke were still on the roster. And I don't mean that just from the players' perspectives; I think the coaches themselves would've wondered whether they could keep all those players happy with just one ball, and they may have backed off recruiting someone.

That said, to answer your question, yeah, we'd be a better team with a much higher floor if you add Luke to this roster. 3 of our weaknesses are outside shooting, guard depth, and experience, and Luke would've solved all of those. He may not have helped the defense much, but that would become the sole concern of the team. And there's obviously a lot of value in reducing several concerns to one concern.

[Kedsy]

Kind of bummed no one took the bait on this so I thought I'd throw it out there again. Is the answer that obvious? Thought it would be an interesting diversion in a slow week.

I think we had at least 3 decisions that came after Luke's declaration for the NBA: Allen returning, Duval coming, and Bagley coming. I doubt we go 3-for-3 on those if Luke were still on the roster. And I don't mean that just from the players' perspectives; I think the coaches themselves would've wondered whether they could keep all those players happy with just one ball, and they may have backed off recruiting someone.

That said, to answer your question, yeah, we'd be a better team with a much higher floor if you add Luke to this roster. 3 of our weaknesses are outside shooting, guard depth, and experience, and Luke would've solved all of those. He may not have helped the defense much, but that would become the sole concern of the team. And there's obviously a lot of value in reducing several concerns to one concern.

While everything Troublemaker says above is true, we currently have the #1 offense in the land (by a fair amount). I'm not sure how much we would need more offense at the expense of defense.

[English]

While everything Troublemaker says above is true, we currently have the #1 offense in the land (by a fair amount). I'm not sure how much we would need more offense at the expense of defense.

Well, about 5pts, no?

(Runs away because of all the faulty assumptions about previous wins)

Seriously though, TM’s post seems spot on to me. Trent Jr doesn’t come. His best friend Wendell probably doesn’t come. There’s only one ball. And so on. And kedsy’s point.

YMMV, but I think Grayson wouldve come back regardless because he was projected mid-2nd and I’m guessing K and he knew 1st rd was a very real possibility after a bounce back season.

[weezie]

Could this be the beginning of the next longest thread ever?! At least until 12/30/17? Let's go for it!

[weezie]

Could this be the beginning of the next longest thread ever?! At least until 12/30/17? Let's go for it!

Whoops, 12/20/17.

[OldPhiKap]

Could this be the beginning of the next longest thread ever?! At least until 12/30/17? Let's go for it!

Whoops, 12/20/17.

Despite the looming presence of another game, the divides illuminated herein shall rage for eternity.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Our last game was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.

[YmoBeThere]

Whoops, 12/20/17.

We see what you did there...

[OldPhiKap]

Our last game was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.

SPOILER ALERT: the Dark Side won.

[uh_no]

Our last game was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.

now you're forcing it...

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

SPOILER ALERT: the Dark Side won.

I miss Luke.

[OldPhiKap]

I miss Luke.

I miss his hair. And his three-point shot.

Not to mention his Leia-ups

[devildeac]

I miss his hair. And his three-point shot.

Not to mention his Leia-ups

At least you're not flying Solo here.

[dukelifer]

While everything Troublemaker says above is true, we currently have the #1 offense in the land (by a fair amount). I'm not sure how much we would need more offense at the expense of defense.

For me- the key to winning in the ACC is end of the game execution. At BC, Duke failed at the end even after having a lead with a couple minutes to play. Kennard was very good at the end of games- not only because he can hit from anywhere but he was money from the line. Trent has this quality but is inexperienced. Kennard as a Freshman was inconsistent at best. Duval is a shaky shooter under the best of circumstances but should be able to drive. Guards are critical at the end of games in college ball. Duke will blow out a few teams but most games will come down to the execution at the end. We shall see how this develops over time.