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View Full Version : Duke v. Michigan Post Game Thread



Cavlaw
11-21-2008, 09:30 PM
Post your thoughts on the game in this thread.

Diddy
11-21-2008, 09:31 PM
I miss Bobby Knight.

rthomas
11-21-2008, 09:35 PM
I miss Bobby Knight.

Hugh Jackman?

Diddy
11-21-2008, 09:36 PM
Hugh Jackman?

Seariously. WTF?

kaufmjo
11-21-2008, 09:37 PM
Nice balanced play tonite. Again poor shooting in the first half from behind the three point line but they seemed to adjust the offense at the end of the 1st half and second to adjust. I'd like to see more inside set plays in the early months of the season to get some practice for the tough stretch. However will savor this victory and it was well deserved 2 days in NYC

Kimist
11-21-2008, 09:38 PM
I miss Bobby Knight.

AMEN! I was seriously tempted to just turn the sound off and watch the game, which would have been a lot more than the announcers were doing.

Does Vitale feel obligated to talk continuously about things that generally have absolutely nothing to do with the current basketball game??

k

DoubleDuke Dad
11-21-2008, 09:42 PM
I miss Bobby Knight.

I am going to rename my mute button the Dickie V button. I find it impossible to be able to concentrate on the game when he blathers about something having nothing to do with the game.

DoubleDuke Dad
11-21-2008, 09:45 PM
Duke showed me a lot this game. They really moved the ball well and were able to get into the paint almost at will. About the only negative thing I can say about their play was their poor 3 point shooting. Of course if they tried shooting from the college 3 point line instead of the NBA 3 point line they may have made a few more shots.

mgtr
11-21-2008, 09:46 PM
There was some commentary a week or so ago that we weren't playing well. I think we are playing very well indeed for mid-November. I think the outlook for the season is bright.

mapei
11-21-2008, 09:48 PM
I like DV, especially after an off-season. Not as good as Knight, but I don't need serious insight all the time - that's what my day job is for. Now, ask me the 3rrd or 4th time I see DV this year and I may have a different answer. ;)

Good all-around game tonight. Only weakness was 3-point shooting. Gerald was great, Kyle solid. Good rebounding - UM got very few second chances. Some excellent passes. Jon was quieter than usual of late, and I'm puzzled why Z didn't play in the second half until garbage time. He was superb again in the first.

dukelifer
11-21-2008, 09:49 PM
A good win for Duke. Michigan looks more like an ACC team than any team Duke has played this year- although they only have a couple of players that are dangerous. Harris is really good. I have been worried about Duke's outside shooting. They were pretty bad from deep once again. Although they are likely a bit tired- but Duke needs Paulus to get healthy. The inside play was pretty good though. EWill's and McClure play gave Duke a lift. Both were big pluses tonight. Nolan Smith was very good as well. I agree with Vitale that Singler would do very well if he spent more time near the basket. He is very good around the hoop.

Duke plays Michigan very soon again at their place. It will be a tough road game. Duke will need to be sharper than tonight.

JDev
11-21-2008, 09:49 PM
Duke did a great job attacking the zone. The shot selection tonight was outstanding. If Duke would have shot a little better from three the game would have been decided a lot earlier. They moved the ball very well, made the defense rotate, and took advantage. Duke is a hard team to zone when they are passing and attacking lanes that well, even when they aren't shooting as well as they can.

Diddy
11-21-2008, 09:51 PM
We have so many weapons, any one of which is capable of going off at any given time.

Hendo and Singler are really comming along nicely. Welcome to the season, Hendo. Both these guys are scary good. I wish Kyle wouldn't look so natural stroking NBA threes, but that's really nitpicking. And Hendo's athleticism is scary. He will have a Top 10 play virtually every game.

Scheyer played OK, but I wish he would just play sometimes. He has a great IQ and feel for the game, but it seems like he overthinks it sometimes. And he shouldn't feel bad when he misses a few shots. Sometimes, when he misses a few in a row, he starts to think about it, and he hesitates a little. Just shoot it. Be Singler. He misses a few, and doesn't let it bother him.

Nolan played solid. He isn't on par with the Duke greats at PG, YET. The potential is definitely there. He is aggressive and attacking, and I love it. His mistakes are sins of commission, not sins of omission. I can live with that at this point in his career.

As for Lance and Brian, wow. So much more than I had hoped for. All we need out of the low post is competant play, so that Singler can play inside out. They are really delivering. Solid scoring, good to great D, and reliable rebounding. Come Feb and beyond, those guys are going to be really solid for us.

The bench is pretty solid. Heck, our mop up squad would win a few ACC games this year, and we really haven't been able to say that since 99 (When our scrubs might have made the NCAAs, and certainly the NIT).

Greg must be more injured than they are letting on. His play is solid, but I saw him overplay a few times, and he seemed to have trouble checking his momentum. Just a warrior being out there. I know it is a blow to his pride, but he is practically the ideal backup PG in college. Solid, steady, heady and a great shooter when healthy. The reduced load really seems to suit him. He might be mentioned for national 6th Man awards by the time this season ends.

Overall, the most positive thing from all our games is the steady improvement. We are a pretty good team so far, and we are just getting better. I love it.

quickgtp
11-21-2008, 09:54 PM
Good game although we are still not shooting 3's very well. Why did K sit Zoubek almost the whole second half? I thought he was playing well. Maybe he was trying to preserve by having good ball handlers on the court?

I like Zoubek's presence, and I also am excited that E-Mail is working his way into the rotation!

BlueintheFace
11-21-2008, 09:56 PM
1) I am loving the Zoubek progress
2) Except for a few Freshmen mistakes E-will put in some very quality time
3) Gerald is still athletic apparently
4) Nolan looked consistently solid throughout an entire game for the first time and it was a big reason for our consistency on offense for much of the game. He was awesome
5) Jon had a tough shooting night, but somehow still managed to look very good.
6) Communication on Defense was great and when Lance is in the game, he is very obviously the quarterback in there.

RelativeWays
11-21-2008, 09:57 PM
I'm glad that we're finding ways to win while our outside shooting is not particularly great. If the well runs dry this March, we'll already know what to do.

Cavlaw
11-21-2008, 09:58 PM
Good game although we are still not shooting 3's very well. Why did K sit Zoubek almost the whole second half? I thought he was playing well. Maybe he was trying to preserve by having good ball handlers on the court?

I like Zoubek's presence, and I also am excited that E-Mail is working his way into the rotation!
I thought we were experimenting with a quicker lineup against the 1-3-1 in the second half - the extra ball movement seemed to result in a lot of open 3s (that didn't go down) and good shots from close range (that did).

JDev
11-21-2008, 10:00 PM
Between Lance, Zoubek, and McClure Duke got 13 points and 8 rebounds, per the ESPN box score, which might not be 100% accurate. I'm lumping McClure in there with the post guys, right or wrong. That isn't quite as much production down there as yesterday, but still not bad at all, especially when you consider that Duke did not score as much, and this was a game with a lot of wings slashing to the basket.

CathyCA
11-21-2008, 10:01 PM
I love Kyle, Gerald, Nolan, Lance. . .

I love Duke Basketball!

Tonight's game was fun. I can't wait to see them play on Sunday.

DBFAN
11-21-2008, 10:03 PM
My Theory on Zoubek is this: I think coach K may incorporate a scheme in which he plays Z a lot in the first half, relieving Singler from having to play down low. Then in the second half will put Kyle back down low a lot, because lets face it, Singler is quite skilled down low. Thus Singler will play half as much down low this year, hopefully saving his body from shutting down in March. This will also force teams to have to switch their defense at halftime in every game. Of course I could be totally wrong and he is just wanting to build Z's confidence, and gradually give him more time as the season goes.

Also want to say how happy I am to see Thomas and Williams developing so well.

JDev
11-21-2008, 10:08 PM
Some positives Duke will take away from NYC (besides a nice trophy!) are G playing like everyone hoped/thought he would, quality minutes from Zoubek, reasonable post production as a unit, and Williams played the best he has thus far. Very promising. Would definately like to see them shoot the three better, but its good that they can win fairly handily withouth knocking them down. Imagine when they are shooting well!

Bob Green
11-21-2008, 10:08 PM
I saw the team for the first time after listening to the first four games on the radio. I was impressed with our ball movement and rebounding. Very consistent play by Henderson, Singler, and Smith. Scheyer was off a little offensively but he was good on defense. Zoubek was solid in the first half. The starting line-up is looking good.

jpfrizzle
11-21-2008, 10:25 PM
I've always zoned Dickie V out when he's rambling on about god knows what.:rolleyes:

I am thrilled Zoubek is producing numbers and healthy for sure, the team will most def need his presence later in the conference games. If Zoubek would gain more weight and muscle, he'd be a powerful force in the paint! As for Thomas, I gotta say "impressive playing", this guy is having a great starting season.. The way Duke played tonight, this season is going to be a very memorable season with alot of weapons on and off the bench.


GO DUKE ! ! ! ! !

miramar
11-21-2008, 10:28 PM
Duke was only 4/20 from 3-point range (20%), but 20-30 from 2-point (67%). Free throws were good (76%), and the defense excellent (36% field goals for Michigan). Rebounding was also good (34 vs. 25 for Michigan, with 9 rebounds for Singler).

Scheyer hit an early three but missed his next 6 shots, but he still contributed with 6 rebounds and 5-5 from the free throw line.

dukegirlinsc
11-21-2008, 10:28 PM
I didn't want to start a new thread about it, it wasn't THAT important...

But Jay williams is doing commentary for the UCSB/UNC game on ESPNU. :D

elvis14
11-21-2008, 11:21 PM
I really liked how we showed patience on offense and essentially picked that 1-3-1 part. If we have a better shooting night, we could had a second straight blow out. Really like the way the team is starting to click. What a fun 2 nights of watching basketball.

Newton_14
11-22-2008, 12:15 AM
Solid overall game.

They are still very much finding their way on offense but it is getting a little better game by game. Can't wait to see them put a complete game together on offense and defense....

The big man by committee is really looking well. Did not expect to see a lot of Miles tonight for 2 reasons. 1. Michigan's style is very difficult to defend for post players and 2. It was the 2nd game in as many nights. K held all 3 of the freshman out of the 1st half of game 2 last week, so it seems he wants to not ask too much of them too early.

I think it is now safe to say we have depth... for real... and K intends to use it. For several years now our teams have been labeled as "deep" early in the year and it ends up being fools gold. Have not checked the numbers yet, but last night 10 guys got at least 10 minutes or more... very good sign

And all 10 made good contributions.. Defensively there is no drop off at all when the bench players come in, or at the least very little drop off..

Very unique team with a lot of weapons both inside and out... this team will not depend on the 3 ball to win games..

My only complaint thus far is why they do not look to run more.. I expected to see them really push the ball always looking for break opportunities and keep constant pressure on the opponents defense but not so much yet...

And just to have a little fun, looks like the Saluki's were the ones that ended up with the "Saluki Hangover"... they played UCLA tight until about the 10 minute mark of the 2nd half and the hangover kicked in... I seem to recall ChicagoSaluki saying no way Duke would win the Friday game no matter which team they played... I would say our guys seemed to have plenty of energy available to handle Michigan...

wisteria
11-22-2008, 12:19 AM
I seem to recall ChicagoSaluki saying no way Duke would win the Friday game no matter which team they played... I would say our guys seemed to have plenty of energy available to handle Michigan...

Heh... He said he would come back no matter which team won. I'm still waiting for him to show up...

ForeverBlowingBubbles
11-22-2008, 12:24 AM
liked what i saw from the guards and singler again...

but still think we are absolutly 100% no doubt dead in the end if LT and Zoubek don't learn how to rebound at atleast the shooting guard level

ACCBBallFan
11-22-2008, 12:58 AM
Playing 9 guys 12 minutes or more was good, but better if Kyle did not have to play 36. Next highest was G with 30 which is okay. Needed Singler since Duke has no other PF who can shoot well enough to beat the 1-3-1.

Maybe he can play less vs. Montana and Duquesne and be rested for his battle with Purude and Hummel, and rematch with Michigan and Sims.

wisteria
11-22-2008, 01:07 AM
3 games in 4 days...I am hoping the game on Sunday won't turn out to be too close. Guys need some rest.

Edouble
11-22-2008, 02:06 AM
I seem to recall ChicagoSaluki saying no way Duke would win the Friday game no matter which team they played... I would say our guys seemed to have plenty of energy available to handle Michigan...

I'm glad you brought this up. That was certainly the most ridiculous thing said in that awfully long SIU pre-game thread. I know ChicagoSaluki said he'd be back, but I'm not sure that he'd have much to say at this point. Maybe we'll see the Salukis as a #9 seed in a second round game in March, and our friend will come back for another guarantee.

A great game tonight for our team. I was spoiled last night by Coach Knight and I actually muted the game tonight for an extended period. It helps me to concentrate on the on-court action when I silence the clown.

heyman25
11-22-2008, 03:36 AM
Glad to see Gerald Henderson is involved. I guess it took some games in Madison Square garden to wake him up.Scheyer needs to work on his shot. He was off today and his fg % is not too good in the 1st 5 games. Nolan had his best game yet. I don't think our half court offense is as efficient as it should be. Paulus is hurt,but I remember Bobby knight's comment that the only thing comparable to a turnover is dribbling too much. Paulus dribbles too much on many possessions. Scheyer was guilty of penetrating so deep he coughed up the ball because he had nowhere to go.Zoubek had a great weekend,but he was only able to get 1 rebound. Lance making his free throws gives us another weapon for scoring. Kyle is our best all around player. A couple of times I felt he shot too quickly.He was great at getting putbacks.McClure was solid and I am glad that he is not passing on shots like he did last year. He needs a lot of work on O. Elliot is getting better, but makes some bonehead turnovers. Miles needs more PT. Marty has been solid every game he has played in. There should be no reason that anyone gets fatigued this season. Coach K seems to play 10 and will probably go to 9 just knowing his past substitution patterns. We won the 2K classic. Good team effort.

davekay1971
11-22-2008, 08:18 AM
Fun game to watch. I thought our guys did a great job in dealing with the 1-3-1 on offense, and were very disciplined on defense.

Favorite play of the game (part 1): Henderson's block where he went up a little to prevent one guy's shot, then turned, jumped for real, and cleanly blocked the other guy's shot.

Favorite play of the game (part 2): The alley oop.

Other thoughts:
1) Zoubek is looking very, very good. I agree with the earlier poster who noted that it would be nice for Plumlee to get more PT at this point of the season. He's got to earn it, of course. Zoubek looks like he will be a capable contributor at the 5. Would love to see Miles developing into a second option at this point.

2) Our role players (Thomas, McClure, Pocius, Williams) are doing an absolutely great job so far.

3) First game I can remember where Scheyer really looked off. I hope I never see another one.

4) Singler is a beast. If, somehow, he stays 4 years, he will be up there with Dawkins, Ferry, Grant, Laettner, J-Will, Battier among the absolute elite players of the Coach K era at Duke.

5) We're good at the 1, I don't care who's in.

6) Mr Henderson, I am so glad you made the trip to New York. Please do not forget to return to Durham with the rest of the team.

7) My wife has a crush on both Scheyer and Singler. And she's a State fan. This is a problem.

devildeac
11-22-2008, 08:37 AM
Heh... He said he would come back no matter which team won. I'm still waiting for him to show up...

Send him a PM with a couple of Tylenol and invite him back after he recovers from his "Saluki hangover." :D Shoot, I had a hangover, too, the next day. Mostly from the sound of 2 teams shooting a combined 14-49 for the 1st half of that game. Add to that almost a case of turnovers and the noise of rims clanging repeatedly and the pounding of the shots off the backboard really gave me a throbbing headache:o. I'm much better today after the Michigan game.

Saratoga2
11-22-2008, 09:01 AM
Williams is showing himself to be a very capable sub for either Henderson or Scheyer. He is quick, long, has a good handle and is a good defender. He will be getting more PT as the season moves on. Like Scheyer, he has enough handle to even sub in at the point in an emergency. Like most freshman, he can be expected to make some boneheaded moves, but I see him as the best new addition to the team.

Plumlee has the right ingredients to be a superior inside player. He is big, agile, passes well and plays hard. The coaches must see that he needs more development so perhaps some of the games coming up, such as Montana and Duquesne, will offer opportunities for our newcomers to get some much needed in game experience.

We are a deep team this year. We should know a lot more about our team after games with Purdue, Michigan away and Xavier.

Constantstrain 81
11-22-2008, 09:20 AM
I love when we work the ball around, inside-out, for a 3 pointer. I don't even mind if we miss. I hate the "hey, I'm open so I'll shoot the 3" 3 pointer. There are far too many of those and we are not hitting them. We haven't been hitting them all year. We didn't hit them at the end of last year. We haven't been hitting them since the big win at UNC last year. That's 10 months of evidence - we are not a big 3 point shooting team. Yet ... we let fly.

Again, don't mind anyone on the team taking a three off of a kick-out, reversal, etc. something that comes as part of an offense. But this toss it up and hope it goes and I wonder if anyone is in rebounding position, etc. - it is driving me crazy. What were we - 4-19?

SMO
11-22-2008, 09:26 AM
My Theory on Zoubek is this: I think coach K may incorporate a scheme in which he plays Z a lot in the first half, relieving Singler from having to play down low. Then in the second half will put Kyle back down low a lot, because lets face it, Singler is quite skilled down low. Thus Singler will play half as much down low this year, hopefully saving his body from shutting down in March. This will also force teams to have to switch their defense at halftime in every game. Of course I could be totally wrong and he is just wanting to build Z's confidence, and gradually give him more time as the season goes.

Also want to say how happy I am to see Thomas and Williams developing so well.

I think it's more that Z doesn't have his full stamina back yet as opposed to a confidence issue. He started to look winded after running the floor a few times in the first half. My guess is that if his play continues as it has this week, he'll get a little more PT but still split time with Thomas, McClure, and possibly Plumlee. Also, as another poster mentioned K seemed to favor a smaller, quicker lineup against the 1-3-1.

jv001
11-22-2008, 09:28 AM
I was really impressed with the entire team's effort. From the coaches to all that played. Singler is just awesome. Has all the tools. Gerald and Jon contribute greatly to the team even when their shot is off. Zoubs is really coming along. Just hope the injury bug stays away. Lance is very much improved and is playing well. Nolan had another fine game & is improving game by game. The guys off the bench are all contributing. Let's hope that the team continues to grow and by Feb-March we will be at our peak. Go Duke!

DukieInBrasil
11-22-2008, 09:40 AM
I´m excited about our post play so far this year. Both Z and LT making solid contribuions every night. McClure and/or Plumlee are also contributing every game.
After a seriously off game, Nolan came back to lead us in scoring and co-lead us in assists. THAT is what we need from our PG. His 3pt shot is off, 0-8 in the last 3 games.
Singler had a monster game while both Henderson and Scheyer had less stellar but thoroughly productive games. This was the 1st game in which none of the "big 3" led in scoring.
Good to see them able to stick it to the other team defensively on consecutive nights. I really liked looking at the comparative FG shooting of the final 4 teams in the tourney. Duke made both SIU and Michigan shoot ~35% while both shot over 42% against UCLA´s vaunted defense.

Faison1
11-22-2008, 09:49 AM
My only complaint thus far is why they do not look to run more.. I expected to see them really push the ball always looking for break opportunities and keep constant pressure on the opponents defense but not so much yet...



I am actually pleasantly surprised that they aren't running as much as they did last year. I had fears that we would run too much to start the season, then be gassed by the time the tourney's come around. So, the fact that we look good without employing full-court press and PHX Suns type offense makes me happy.

CDu
11-22-2008, 09:57 AM
I'm continually impressed by Singler. He's just so crafty and seems to know where to be on the floor. He's really impressive in his ability to score in so many different ways. If you could combine Henderson's athleticism with Singler's shooting touch and craftiness, well, I just don't know that there'd be any stopping that player. That said, it's nice to have each of them with just the skillsets that they each have as well.

I hope Smith can build off of this game. I don't think he's ever going to be a pass-first type of point guard. I think his game is always going to be defense, speed, and scoring ability first, with the ability distribute secondary. Fortunately, I don't think the offense is relying on him to be a playmaker, as Henderson, Singler, and Scheyer can all create for themselves.

I'm hopeful that the Zoubek/Thomas/Plumlee triumvirate can be productive when we face tougher post play this season. Zoubek is clearly the most skilled of the three offensively down there, but he's really slow of foot (was beaten off the dribble by a big guy from the top of the key for a layup in both games). Thomas seems to be better suited as a catch and finish player than anything else offensively, which is good that he's found a niche. Plumlee seems to be an afterthought early on. We're going to need those guys to keep Singler fresh though.

sandinmyshoes
11-22-2008, 10:06 AM
The word solid keeps coming to mind when I think about this win. Workman like with flashes of brilliance. It seems like that we're reaching a point where the guys are recognizing opportunities and not forcing plays. If the defense tries to shut down a guy like Singler or Henderson the other guys realize it means there is a play for them.

wilson
11-22-2008, 10:17 AM
Zoubek is clearly the most skilled of the three offensively down there, but he's really slow of foot (was beaten off the dribble by a big guy from the top of the key for a layup in both games).

I agree with most of your comments, and I also really like the clearly improved skill set that Zoobs has displayed. But I'm not sure I agree that he's demonstrably slower than other people his size (not that there are a lot of them around...). He did get beaten off the dribble a couple of times last night, but he shouldn't be stepping out that far on defense anyway. When we come up against bigs who can play outside, that's when Kyle needs to provide defensive assistance. I think Zoobs has been plenty serviceable defending the post, which is where he ought to stay.

greybeard
11-22-2008, 10:55 AM
Second half defense was awesome and athletic. Did I remember to say athletic. Are you kidding me. You have enough having Gerald in your grill, try a fresh Williams with those long arms and that anticipation. Had enopugh of Lance, say hello to McClure and do try to breathe even though your ribs cannot extend even half an inch.

And, am I the only one impressed with the reach of this kid Singler, I'm talking about when he has inside position on the defensive board and a bigger guy is on his back and Kyle seems caught a little too far underneath and the ball comes off high and you are sure that the big behind him will reach up and grab it only there is/are Kyle's hand(s) grabbing the thing oh so high with oh so much extension and once the ball is touched he owns it. This is timing, athleticism, strength, eyesight, you name it, like no one you have seen, unless you are older than me, which is pretty freakin rare to find these days.

Likening this kid to anyone, Laetner included, is an injustice. Kyle is an extraordinary human being who sooner or later talking heads will stop trying to pigeon hole into anyone else's mold, and "get" that he plays the game differently from other great college players that you have seen. And the differently to my eye is very, very esthetically pleasing; it's as if there is music playing inside him; he can shorten the intervals, make it quicker, but the tune (I showing my musical short comings here) will be the same, and then switch from country to classical. Very, very clear and decisive too. Yeah, I like the kid as a player. You think!

I'm very encouraged by Zoubek's play and see the best ahead of him. He is very, very good; when he understands even better how little an edge he actually needs in terms of momentum, that an inch or two ahead of a defender will suffice when, as is the case now, Duke's littles are showing an ability to see it and throw it that has been missing for who knows how long from most of the college game, I expect that Zoubek will even surprise himself. He will not surprise me, however; and please, please, throw it to him high understanding where he is position to be able to move (there will be more than one vector) and let him make an impressive reception. I believe he will score the ball more often than not when he does, but even if he doesn't, you and he will have told the defense that there is domion here over precious territory--that areas around the basket are NOT safe, not EVER, when this UNATHLETIC guy WITH SLOW feet is in there.

Like I used to remind myself when I played, and we are talking slow here friends, you do not need to be there first, the place where you get needs to be different and needs to work for you. Then the game on the inside is easy.

Lance, it seems to me, is getting that concept and will also become more and more potent. Interestingly enough, I see him much more dangerous as a receiver, and therefore as a finisher, if he learns to use changes of speed on his routes, that is, if at times he goes SLOWER. I can see his confidence growing and can see him sitting back behind the defense, waiting until he sees a defender make a fatal mistake. Can be as simple as the defender letting his focus fix on the ball a little too much, shade a tad to help when he thinks the pass is going to the opposite wing to Gerald or Scheyer and wants to discourage penetration. When he sees that happen, and sees a lane that will open in a minute, then there will be a glide, so the catch will be made in complete balance. The defender tries to catch up, and bye.

There is in the college game more than one way to skin a cat and this Duke team will show you a lot of them. I'm still liking alot what I see from Williams, an awful lot, and I think good things continue to happen whenever Marty is on the floor, and he has yet to get a chance, and perhaps never will, to really fill it up.

This has got to be K's toughest job ever. So many different things to do, so little time to do it in. Good thing he had the practice of dealing with such challenges these past few summers.

CDu
11-22-2008, 11:08 AM
I agree with most of your comments, and I also really like the clearly improved skill set that Zoobs has displayed. But I'm not sure I agree that he's demonstrably slower than other people his size (not that there are a lot of them around...). He did get beaten off the dribble a couple of times last night, but he shouldn't be stepping out that far on defense anyway. When we come up against bigs who can play outside, that's when Kyle needs to provide defensive assistance. I think Zoobs has been plenty serviceable defending the post, which is where he ought to stay.

It doesn't matter whether Zoubek is slow or not relative to people his size, because the fact is that he's not going to be guarding guys like that. He's going to be guarding smaller players. As far as it being a bad idea for Zoubek to defend guys on the perimeter, I agree. Unfortunately, that's not the way Duke does things. Our guys push way out defensively, regardless of position.

mapei
11-22-2008, 11:26 AM
As far as it being a bad idea for Zoubek to defend guys on the perimeter, I agree. Unfortunately, that's not the way Duke does things. Our guys push way out defensively, regardless of position.

Used to drive me nuts watching Georgetown when Hibbert came out on D. Obviously, K and JT3 know more than we do, but it seems like such a bad idea. I remember one play where Duke definitely got burned by it last night.

CDu
11-22-2008, 11:40 AM
Used to drive me nuts watching Georgetown when Hibbert came out on D. Obviously, K and JT3 know more than we do, but it seems like such a bad idea. I remember one play where Duke definitely got burned by it last night.

I guess the idea is that Coach K prefers to trade the occasional embarassing blow-by in favor of preventing open threes for guards coming off high screens. It takes a team like Georgetown (with athletic and skilled bigs) or a team like the one we faced in the first round of the tourney a few years ago (who pulled Shelden way outside and made it interesting for a half) to make us pay for that strategy.

Ultimately, I guess the key will continue to be a pieced together approach with the bigs, with the goal being to keep Singler fresher than last year. Anything beyond that will be a bonus. So far, we've gotten a bit beyond that through the early games of the season.

Charles Wicker
11-22-2008, 12:55 PM
I saw, but something is missing; or maybe not. I like how one poster posited that; Nolan perhaps will never never be a "pass-first," type PG. Great observations, because he definitely has a unique ability to score points quickly!

Sing is playing good, but I like Dick, would like to see him play more in the post. That may not be his natural position or where he truly is effective, but I believe he has that capability, and also is where he will augment his future earning potential. He is demonstrating the scorers mentality, which will serve us well throughout the season.

As for the team; I wish K would experiment more with lineups/players, take more chances and heck, risk losing a game to prepare and develop other players. Williams, hasn't shown me he deserves the time he's been given. I mean, play him, but he doesn't look like he brings more than say Marty would bring. No, this isn't a Marty thread, because if it were the dogs would come a howlin, and you would feel the power.

We have so much talent, that Sing and Jon, shouldn't have to play 36 and 30 minutes, not against sub-par, non-threatning, offensive deficient teams as Michigan was last night. I know it's early in the season, but in blowouts and when we have 15,16, 17 point leads; take some risks and let the other players get some burn to make it fun to watch and see who these players are.

So far so good. Workmanlike effort from the athletes and hopefully we can take some more risks, before the bench truly is shortened

Edouble
11-22-2008, 01:06 PM
It takes a team like Georgetown (with athletic and skilled bigs) or a team like the one we faced in the first round of the tourney a few years ago (who pulled Shelden way outside and made it interesting for a half).

Good point. I think that was Delaware State, but it was Shav that they kept isolating.

TaiAdmiral
11-22-2008, 01:10 PM
Alspaugh dorm here at Duke was rockin! Michigan kept it close early on, but I guess we were just too athletic for them. A lot of us here favored a UCLA matchup just to see how we would fare against such a high caliber team. Obviously, UCLA was just having a bad night against Michigan 2 days ago, which was obvious by their destruction of SIU.

Montana comes to Our House tomorrow! I'll be lining up.

CDu
11-22-2008, 01:26 PM
Good point. I think that was Delaware State, but it was Shav that they kept isolating.

Yes, I believe it was Delaware State. However, I'm pretty sure they DID isolate Williams plenty as well. I remember being quite frustrated that our defensive player of the year and game-changing post presence was getting exploited 30 feet away from the basket.

throatybeard
11-22-2008, 01:53 PM
Yes, I believe it was Delaware State. However, I'm pretty sure they DID isolate Williams plenty as well. I remember being quite frustrated that our defensive player of the year and game-changing post presence was getting exploited 30 feet away from the basket.

Allow myself to quote myself:


"Isn't that what Delaware State repeatedly did to us last year? [2006] Draw our bigs out, who then end up wandering around aimlessly like blue whales caught in a chihuahua race?

Kedsy
11-22-2008, 01:56 PM
We haven't been hitting them since the big win at UNC last year. That's 10 months of evidence - we are not a big 3 point shooting team. Yet ... we let fly.

While I agree that a 3-pointer in the flow of the offense is infinitely better than dribble-dribble-hey-I'll-shoot-now, to be fair, 8 of your "10 months of evidence" came while the team wasn't playing. Give the kids a chance.

Kedsy
11-22-2008, 02:08 PM
Sing is playing good, but I like Dick, would like to see him play more in the post. That may not be his natural position or where he truly is effective, but I believe he has that capability, and also is where he will augment his future earning potential.

Disagree. It might help his current team if he went inside a little more, but Singler isn't big enough to play 4 or 5 in the NBA. His "future earning potential" will be best served if he can slash to the basket and/or hit the long 3-pointer. Which he can. He won't be posting up too many guys at the next level.

jimsumner
11-22-2008, 05:08 PM
Singler enhances his earning potential if he helps Duke go deep in the NCAAs. If posting up helps make that happen, then it helps him.

Whether he can or cannot post people at the next level matters not one whit to what he and his team do this season.

My two cents worth.

Classof06
11-22-2008, 07:12 PM
Still in football mode but I was able to catch the SIU and Michigan games, the first two complete games I've seen. A couple of thoughts:

- Loving the depth of this team. Krzyzewski couldn't shorten his bench if he wanted to. Between Plumlee, McClure, Paulus, Thomas and E. Williams, there are too many players that can contribute for Kryzyzewski to do that.

- Scheyer is still as steady as they come.

- One of the commentators said it during the Michigan game yesterday but Singler is SO much stronger around the rim than he was a year ago. He's clearly added bulk from last year and just seems much tougher to push around. He's been arguably the most impressive player on the team thus far (either him or Scheyer).

- I was glad to see Gerald start to let it loose in NYC. How he's played the past two games is how Duke is going to need him to play all year. Like Vitale said, he has way too much talent not to be getting 15-16 points a game. He seems to have improved his shooting as well.

- Zoubek seems to still be working his way back but I'm very encouraged by what I see from him thus far. He's giving solid minutes, exactly what we need him to do. If he can get back into the groove he was in towards the end of the regular season last year, that will do wonders for us.

- Lance Thomas has had a great start to the season. I was hard on him after his sophomore season but I'm loving what he's bringing to the table this year. I really hope he keeps it up.

- This is the first time I've really said anything about this since the start of the season but Nolan starting at the PG gives Duke the exact kind of spark I thought it would. I must say, I'm glad Krzyzewski made the switch but I didn't think he would. Bottom line; however you feel about Paulus, having him come off the bench is one hell of a luxury.

- I think Elliot Williams is going to be a hell of a player. I'd like to see him get more minutes, but that comes with time.