MBB Duke 76, Purdue 60 Post-Game

[-jk]

Nice game!

-jk

[Karl Beem]

I love routining a team in a hostile environment.:)

[BlueintheFace]

Everybody played solid to great and Singler played dirty to in-your-face dirty. The only negative I can think of is Gerald's play.

The defense was spectacular.

[Inonehand]

A great defensive effort. Still want to see more offense from G but he was huge on the boards early and a big reason we built the early lead IMO.

[beach rev]

Reminded me alot of last years game versus Wisconsin - lots of buzz going in about our weaknesses and their ability to exploit those weaknesses...but again, to no avail. Defense was strong; Kyle, Scheyer, Nolan & Paulus were money, G was quietly remarkable on the defensive end. A great effort in a true road game.

[DukeBlue83]

Nice Defense good game. Dont like Jon playing 38 minutes, and Kyle playing 35 minutes when we have a double digit lead the whole game.

[Jumbo]

What a great effort, especially on the defensive end. The team just plays so darn hard -- it's terrific to watch.

It was another fantastic effort from the Scheyer/Singler combo, with lots of other guys chipping in with various contributions. I was really impressed with the way Duke started the second half -- it was one of those classic, "first five minutes" charges by the team. And they also handled some adversity, playing through foul trouble with Smith and Zoubek.

And what's great about this game is there's still room for improvement. The offense can still grow quite a bit. We had a chance to run the delay game for an extended period of time in a hostile environment, and now know what needs work there, too.

Let's enjoy this one!

[BlueintheFace]

Nice Defense good game. Dont like Jon playing 38 minutes, and Kyle playing 35 minutes when we have a double digit lead the whole game.

that's a solid point, but this is one of the few big games before ACC play

[dukelifer]

At times watching this game was torture- but now that Duke has won- I can be a bit more objective. First the defense was outstanding. Duke really took Purdue out of their comfort zone. But what impressed me most was the team rebounding. This was a big concern going into the season- but the boys were men today. Everybody bounded the ball and that was the difference. Few second shots for Purdue. Duke's shooting was not great. It took a while for Singler to get going. He is such a slow starter. But once he gets in a groove - he can be unstoppable. Henderson had one beautiful shot/drive but was really struggling tonight. Nolan was solid. To me, Scheyer was the man of the match. He was steady throughout. A couple of forced passes that led to turnovers but a nice overall game. Paulus had some nice moments as did Zoubek who had 8 bounds- with folks hanging on him. McClure also was very valuable tonight.

A lot of energy was expended tonight by Duke, and that probably led to the poor shooting. This team won big in a hostile arena and did not have a great shooting night- that bodes well. A great effort even though it was not pretty to watch.

[godukecom]

I fear that we relied heavily on the three tonight... will it still be there in march?

[weezie]

Sorry to point out the obvious but the refs were awful. Especially the old guy with all the hair.
Only six team fouls on PU in the first half?

[superdave]

They seem to be growing into respective offensive roles. Singler and Scheyer can both carry the team for stretches. I suspect either Nolan or Gerald will have to make a leap for us to be Final Four contenders though.

I'm enjoying Lance Thomas' effort at both ends more and more.

Purdue is not a top 10 team...

[JDev]

Absolutely tremendoud defensive effort, as good as any I can think of in recent years. The final stats will be a bit misleading because the bulk of Hummel and Moore's points came late when Purdue was scrambling. Singler and Thomas were great on Hummel, and Scheyer and McClure did a great job with Moore. Great, great win.

[Duvall]

I fear that we relied heavily on the three tonight... will it still be there in march?

It really wasn't there tonight. Duke didn't shoot *that* well.

[A-Tex Devil]

Everybody played solid to great and Singler played dirty to in-your-face dirty. The only negative I can think of is Gerald's play.

The defense was spectacular.

Really? G had a great defensive game. We don't need his offense right now. Dude is the Wolf from Pulp Fiction - when we need him, he'll step up and clean up our mess (see Belmont, Southern Illinois).

Plus, I don't remember the last Duke player that got double teamed off the ball more than he does. When we have other offensive weapons, why force the ball through him when the D is denying him the ball?

[JDev]

I fear that we relied heavily on the three tonight... will it still be there in march?

I see your point to a degree, with 22 threes taken. However, I do not have any problem with any of those shots, if I remember correctly. They were all good shots in the flow of the offense that Duke needs to take when they are there. I know Singler missed something like his first 4 or 5 threes, but they were all good shots.

[trinity92]

Wonderful outing taking Purdue out of everything they wanted to do. Nolan is learning to play the point, and huge kudos to Greg Paulus for keeping his head in every game when called upon this season. Seems like GP isn't losing a step coming off the bench, which gives Nolan the freedom to make mistakes, and more importantly, playing super agressive D.

I for one am not worried about our low 3 point shooting percentage in the early season. I'm seeing the team settle for fewer 3 pointers and more dedicated to getting inside to score, and more importantly, rebound. Even though we shot over 20 3 pointers, I saw us taking really good shots in the flow of the offense. More importantly, we weren't (and haven't been this season in general) gearing our whole offense to shoot the 3, which makes me very happy. In a close game, it's essential for us to be able to score inside rather than depend on outside shooting.

We knew Purdue wasn't strong on the boards coming into this game, but man, I don't remember such a strong Duke rebounding performance in a long time. I would gladly trade our long-range bombing for developing the inside toughness we're starting to see from this season's Duke squad-- Zoubek and Thomas are showing me some very strong play.

Have to give Purdue props for urging their team on in the face of adversity. There was so much excitement in that gym, it's too bad there wasn't a closer game for those fans. Speaking of the gym, I really liked the look of Purdue's facility

Great win!

[BlueintheFace]

Really? G had a great defensive game. We don't need his offense right now. Dude is the Wolf from Pulp Fiction - when we need him, he'll step up and clean up our mess (see Belmont, Southern Illinois).

Plus, I don't remember the last Duke player that got double teamed off the ball more than he does. When we have other offensive weapons, why force the ball through him when the D is denying him the ball?

Yah, but he was 1-8 on offense and didn't even get to the foul line. I agree about the D, but those are never good numbers...

and double teamed off the ball?? This is just not true... I have never seen it

[Cdog923]

A few points...

- G with only 2 points....he brought it on defense and the boards, but if you would've told me we'd win by 10+ with Hendo only scoring 2, I'd call you crazy

- Absolute nuts by Singler. Great game.

- I think we need to spread the minutes out around. We could've used Nolan and Greg a little more to sub Jon out, and the Lance/Dave combo to give Kyle a bit of rest. Not alarmed they played so much, but they can't keep doing that all year.

[Cicero]

Although Vitale usually drives me up a wall, I thought that he was remarkable restrained tonight, especially in the first half. He kept on talking about the game, and actually made some insightful comments in the process. It really was night and day compared to the last Duke game he did...either he took his meds, or the network somehow chilled him out. There was some slippage in the second half, but overall, a well-called game for Dickie V.

And Duke played well too.

[-bdbd]

What a great game!
Probably the best all-around performance of the young season tonight.

Nolan seems to really be maturing into his starting PG role very effectively - an important sign (though I thought a couple of his fouls were silly). Singler was incredible, especially down the stretch when we seemed to falter a bit. Paulus was solid, as always - I really like the 1-2 punch of him and Smith, esp for ball-handling at game's end. Scheyer is just fun to watch. Always scrapping, and always around the ball. Great BB IQ - could easily see him coaching some day. Zoubs was solid again. Miles seemed to play like a freshman, but it sure is nice to have that size off the bench. Now, if we can just get that "breakout" we've all been expecting from Gerald

-V hit the nail on the head in pointing out the great pressure D Duke plays -- "they realy make you work hard to get an open look." This is our best defensive team in a while.

Great job guys!!

-BDBD

[Cdog923]

Although Vitale usually drives me up a wall, I thought that he was remarkable restrained tonight, especially in the first half. He kept on talking about the game, and actually made some insightful comments in the process. It really was night and day compared to the last Duke game he did...either he took his meds, or the network somehow chilled him out. There was some slippage in the second half, but overall, a well-called game for Dickie V.

And Duke played well too.

He still annoys the hell out of me. If the radio broadcast wasn't 20 seconds behind, I'd listen to it.

[pamtar]

I didn't think we were a top 5 caliber team - until tonight.

[DukieInKansas]

Sorry to point out the obvious but the refs were awful. Especially the old guy with all the hair.
Only six team fouls on PU in the first half?

That can't be right - Duke gets all the calls. :D

[A-Tex Devil]

Yah, but he was 1-8 on offense and didn't even get to the foul line. I agree about the D, but those are never good numbers...

and double teamed off the ball?? This is just not true... I have never seen it

I'm not saying all the time, but the help defense came over to him at least twice and stole the ball when we were trying to pass it to him. I guess I mean the help defense is coming to him before he gets the ball rather than helping on the Duke guy with the ball. It's the second game I've seen where the defense is actively trying to deny him the ball before he gets it.

[beltwayBD]

Sorry to point out the obvious but the refs were awful. Especially the old guy with all the hair.
Only six team fouls on PU in the first half?

Definitely agree -- a few ridiculous calls.

My other observations:

1) Even when Kyle and Gerald were lukewarm on offense, their defensive effort was spectacular.

2) Really impressed with the composure of the team (depth!) when both Nolan and Zoub were on the bench. We would have really wrecked them if Paulus were healthy -- an incredible effort from him as well, especially that layup where he was fouled hard.

Here we go Devils here we go!

[JDev]

Although Vitale usually drives me up a wall, I thought that he was remarkable restrained tonight, especially in the first half. He kept on talking about the game, and actually made some insightful comments in the process. It really was night and day compared to the last Duke game he did...either he took his meds, or the network somehow chilled him out. There was some slippage in the second half, but overall, a well-called game for Dickie V.

And Duke played well too.

My wife and I decided that during the next Duke game Vitale calls, we are going to institute a little drinking game. The rules are simple: drink every time he mentions UNC and/or Hansbrough.
On second thought, I don't think I'll do that. I'm not in college anymore, I don't think I have the stamina for that.

[camion]

My wife and I decided that during the next Duke game Vitale calls, we are going to institute a little drinking game. The rules are simple: drink every time he mentions UNC and/or Hansbrough.
On second thought, I don't think I'll do that. I'm not in college anymore, I don't think I have the stamina for that.

Yeah, you might not make it to halftime. :D

[dukelifer]

I didn't think we were a top 5 caliber team - until tonight.
Hard to know how good Duke is right now- they have lots of room for improvement on the offensive end. It will get there-but it is very tough to play defense that hard all the time- and it does affect their O. They need to be a bit more efficient on the offensive end- perhaps using Singler inside more. He is very effective near the hoop.

[Exiled_Devil]

A few points...

-

- I think we need to spread the minutes out around. We could've used Nolan and Greg a little more to sub Jon out, and the Lance/Dave combo to give Kyle a bit of rest. Not alarmed they played so much, but they can't keep doing that all year.

I think the substitution pattern tonight was impacted by Nolan's fouls and Zou's fouls. Nolan had 4 for much of the second half - that is why Greg played the point so much. If he had more floor time, we could have had Greg spell Jon more.

And I think that the fact that Purdue typically relies on the 3, and can get back in the game fast, meant that the lead wasn't as big as we would think .

[diesel]

So Vitale called a good game tonight? Well, he called a better game.

But am I right in thinking he opined that Bobby Knight should be back in coaching? I thought to myself, well that means he would be eliminated as competition for you in calling games--and the almost unanimous consensus on DBR is that Kniight is the superior color commentator

[yancem]

It really wasn't there tonight. Duke didn't shoot *that* well.

We shot 8-22 from behind the arc. Certainly not lights out but a solid shooting night. I agree with godukecom, there seemed to be stretches where we looked for the three ball an awful lot. While I love it when the threes are going in, the last few years we seemed to have lost our touch at some inopportune times. I hope that we continue to attack the basket and get to the line. That gives us a better chance of wining on off shooting nights.

All in all a great effort. Purdue played very hard and physical, yet we kept attacking and played extremely tight defense. It was hard to tell if our defense was jsut that good or if they were simply pressing too much in a big game. Either way, it was fun to watch. It's also nice to see such great rebounding. I'm not sure I can remember a Duke team that rebounded better than we are so far this year.

[miramar]

The refs couldn't figure out what an offensive foul was, among other things, but I think the crowd was even worse. Too much booing and of course the "Paulus sucks" when Greg was shooting FTs. Throwing things on the court was par for the course.

Everybody contributed in important ways. Gerald was only 1-8 from the field, but he had 9 boards and 5 assists. We have a solid 8-man rotation, but I hope to see bigger contributions from Williams and Plumlee.

[JDev]

The refs couldn't figure out what an offensive foul was

The play where G got the foul call as the player plowed into him and missed the dunk was a really bad call. If you wanted to show a player how to correctly take a charge, that would be a good play to watch. Yet they called it on G.

[_Gary]

Absolutely fantastic, hard fought win! Kyle and Jon brought it tonight, as did most of the rest of the supporting cast. Loved the toughness, especially in the second half when we had a lot of guys, especially Kyle, getting us some tough rebounds in traffic on both ends of the court. Each one seemed to be a dagger! Great, great game all the way around.


Nice Defense good game. Dont like Jon playing 38 minutes, and Kyle playing 35 minutes when we have a double digit lead the whole game.

Yes, this is the only negative I take out of the game. Dang, I just don't want to see us fall into a small 7 man rotation in the second half of every game that isn't a blow out. I know we actually played more than 7 in the second half, but the lion's share went to 7 after Zoub's left early in the half. I still say Marty earned minutes from the last outing and I don't know how putting him in for a few minutes in the first and second half over Elliot would have hurt. EW didn't do much, although admittedly he was only playing spot duty. I just hope we can get to a place where guys like Marty, Elliot and even Plumlee can get just a few minutes in in each half. I just firmly believe that will pay major, major dividends at the end of the year. The last thing I want to hear in March is that our guys are tired. I've heard that too much in the last 6 years. We have more than enough horses this year to make that a non-factor.

Go Duke!!!!

[Billy Dat]

I thought we played great in a big time atmosphere - another reason why these pre-conference true road games against tough competition are so much fun.

I am surprised that there isn't more effusive praise of Singler. As I have read on this board before, the guy is the first since Laettner to play with a snear (in the best sense of the word). He is so tough - that drive from triple threat when he dips the shoulder and goes straight for the rim is becoming a real signature move. His relentlessness of the glass, especially the offensive glass, is inspiring to watch. He scores on the move, from set positions, inside and out. He put the work in to add the extra bulk and he is using it to dominate people physically - seems like those hard knocks he took on the post last year were well worth it - he's one tough mother and likes to bang down low.

When we went spread, Scheyer was running the show. I think that tells you volumes about his role on the team and the respect the coaches must have for him. It's tempting to say that he has truly gifted basketball instincts - what aspect of his game is weak?

Because of the Scheyer/Singler dominance of the ball, especially in the last 10 minutes, G wasn't as involved. I thought I sensed some frustration from him when Scheyer wasn't looking for him on the alley-oop in the final 5 minutes. But, I thought he had a very solid all around game. The shot block from the weak side where he literally flies through the air is becoming a signature for him.

The possibilities of the Nolan/Paulus platoon look a lot brighter as Nolan gets more reps and Paulus gets healthy. Nolan needs to stay out of foul trouble, but he had some very nice drives (incl. that nifty spinning lay-up on the break), hit a 3, and played solid D. Paulus was shaky with the ball, but nailed a 3, had that nice lay-up+1 on the out of bounds play, etc.

This win reminds of Ewing's Senior Year when the team went into a hostile environment in East Lansing and blasted the Spartans. This game was closer, but it had that same feel of a resounding, big win.

The Scheyer/Singler duo indeed dominated.

[91devil]

I thought Gerald had one of the best games you'll ever see out of someone who shoots only 1-8 and scores only two points. He certainly didn't let his offensive struggles effect his play on the other end of the court. Well done.

Can you believe we outrebounded a Big-10 Team (admittedly a smaller and more finesse oriented Big-10 Team) by almost twenty boards?

I was a little surprised Purdue didn't play Johnson (the tall, lanky kid) and Calasan (the Serb who had a strong first half) a little more, although I guess one of them was always in the game.

[devildownunder]

This win reminds of Ewing's Senior Year when the team went into a hostile environment in East Lansing and blasted the Spartans. This game was closer, but it had that same feel of a resounding, big win.

The Scheyer/Singler duo indeed dominated.

...that was Ewing's junior year, at the start of the 2003-04 season. That team made it to the final four, let's hope it's a sign. ;)


(and note to the powers that be, can we get rid of the sickeningly faded blue in some of the smilies? that's just wrong. can't believe I never noticed it before.)

[Cicero]

After the "Paulus sucks" chant, I'm wondering how long it will take for Singler to become the most hated current Duke player. He plays with the same kind of energy and tenacity that makes us loathe Hansblahblah, and he also has a certain swagger that reminds me of Redick and Laettner, among others. Plus he seems to get into it with opposing players on a fairly regular basis--not necessarily as the instigator, but he certainly doesn't back down. I love watching him play, and I think his energy helps the team as a whole.

[_Gary]

I am surprised that there isn't more effusive praise of Singler. As I have read on this board before, the guy is the first since Laettner to play with a snear (in the best sense of the word). He is so tough - that drive from triple threat when he dips the shoulder and goes straight for the rim is becoming a real signature move. His relentlessness of the glass, especially the offensive glass, is inspiring to watch. He scores on the move, from set positions, inside and out. He put the work in to add the extra bulk and he is using it to dominate people physically - seems like those hard knocks he took on the post last year were well worth it - he's one tough mother and likes to bang down low.


No question that Kyle is moving in that direction. It's still early to compare him to Christian, but he is certainly a candidate for that down the road if he keeps up the type of game we saw from him tonight. I just want to reserve a little bit of praise until I see how he does in March. I know he's much bigger and feels much better prepared for poundings, but I just want to see if he can have this kind of game in March. If he can, and shows no signs of wearing down, I think comparisons can begin in earnest. His heart and hustle, along with timely shots and boards, puts him into the equation.

[Jumbo]

Yes, this is the only negative I take out of the game. Dang, I just don't want to see us fall into a small 7 man rotation in the second half of every game that isn't a blow out. I know we actually played more than 7 in the second half, but the lion's share went to 7 after Zoub's left early in the quarter. I still say Marty earned minutes from the last outing and I don't know how putting him in for a few minutes in the first and second half over Elliot would have hurt. EW didn't do much, although admittedly he was only playing spot duty. I just hope we can get to a place where guys like Marty, Elliot and even Plumlee can get just a few minutes in in each half. I just firmly believe that will pay major, major dividends at the end of the year. The last thing I want to hear in March is that our guys are tired. I've heard that too much in the last 6 years. We have more than enough horses this year to make that a non-factor.

Go Duke!!!!

I'm not at all worried about that. We had a very solid eight-man, veteran rotation (the five starters, Paulus, Thomas and McClure) out there for most of the night. We didn't play small. When Zoubek got into foul trouble, K went to Plumlee for a bit in the second half, too. I think Elliot will eventually rise to a level where he can compete in games like this.

This was not a game to experiment, though, and not a game for Marty. This was a nasty, grind-it-out, physical, D-up-or-sit-out game. We had the right guys out there, we went deeper than Purdue and we're fine going forward.

[JDev]

The adjectives "tough" and "hard-nosed" have been thrown around in reference to Duke opponents SIU, and then Purdue. One thing is abundantly clear tonight: Duke, and most specifically Singler, is just flat out tougher.

[COYS]

I thought Gerald had one of the best games you'll ever see out of someone who shoots only 1-8 and scores only two points. He certainly didn't let his offensive struggles effect his play on the other end of the court. Well done.

Blocks, assists, rebounds, and strong D . . . he had everything going but his shot tonight. I'm also waiting for him to break out on offense, but if you have to have a 1-8, 2 point night, this was definitely the way to have one.

[dcarp23]

Nice Defense good game. Dont like Jon playing 38 minutes, and Kyle playing 35 minutes when we have a double digit lead the whole game.

While people aren't going to quit worrying about it, it should be noted that Shane Battier played more than 35 mpg his last two years and that Jason Williams averaged over 33 mpg for his career. I think Duke will be fine with Scheyer and Singler playing 36 minutes some games.

[Gooch]

I'm not at all worried about that. We had a very solid eight-man, veteran rotation (the five starters, Paulus, Thomas and McClure) out there for most of the night. We didn't play small. When Zoubek got into foul trouble, K went to Plumlee for a bit in the second half, too. I think Elliot will eventually rise to a level where he can compete in games like this.

This was not a game to experiment, though, and not a game for Marty. This was a nasty, grind-it-out, physical, D-up-or-sit-out game. We had the right guys out there, we went deeper than Purdue and we're fine going forward.
I agree wholeheartedly. The 8-man rotation seems much more even this year vs. previous years where it felt more like 5 or 6 "starters" + a couple "reserves". When we sub in I don't feel like there's a drop off at all. And two or three guys who can steal minutes off the bench at this point in the season is a blessing--if they can improve through the season we can be a really, really deep team.

I really like this team...it's going to be a fun season.

[dukebluelemur]

While people aren't going to quit worrying about it, it should be noted that Shane Battier played more than 35 mpg his last two years and that Jason Williams averaged over 33 mpg for his career. I think Duke will be fine with Scheyer and Singler playing 36 minutes some games.

More important to me than the number of minutes Singler plays is the number of minutes for Lance/Z. As long as they play 30-35, and relieve Kyle from having to guard the 5, I'm not ask concerned.

Scheyer... well, he was running the show at the end, and seems like our preferred late game FT shooter, hard to take him out at the end. Also, for some reason I dont feel the same concern over him getting tired. He works his butt off but he does it so quietly I never really seem to notice him getting overworked. Not that that really means anything.

[BlueintheFace]

It was very obvious that the Boilermaker fans have a lot of growing to do... I mean come on... "Booooooo" was their main cheer and "Paulus Sucks" was their only cheer that put two words together... very poor showing. Or in terms they can understand.... Booooooooo

[dukelifer]

More important to me than the number of minutes Singler plays is the number of minutes for Lance/Z. As long as they play 30-35, and relieve Kyle from having to guard the 5, I'm not ask concerned.

Scheyer... well, he was running the show at the end, and seems like our preferred late game FT shooter, hard to take him out at the end. Also, for some reason I dont feel the same concern over him getting tired. He works his butt off but he does it so quietly I never really seem to notice him getting overworked. Not that that really means anything.

Z needs to stay out of foul trouble. Plumlee will get better once he gets used to the speed of the college game- hopefully he will get some minutes against some of the weaker opponents coming up. Lance has shown that he can give solid minutes and that should help keep Singler fresher.

[Kimist]

After the "Paulus sucks" chant, I'm wondering how long it will take for Singler to become the most hated current Duke player. He plays with the same kind of energy and tenacity that makes us loathe Hansblahblah, and he also has a certain swagger that reminds me of Redick and Laettner, among others. Plus he seems to get into it with opposing players on a fairly regular basis--not necessarily as the instigator, but he certainly doesn't back down. I love watching him play, and I think his energy helps the team as a whole.

I think the Duke haters are currently confused and will continue to focus on Paulus in general and on Henderson (especially the smurfs) in particular for venting their programmed hatred.

But as others have noted, Singler is the first player in recent years to carry that Laettner-esque smirk and also have the ability to back it up. (Yes, JJ gets honorable mention!) There is no doubt were Singler to hang around for four years that he could well be the lead poster boy for the opposing fans. I do expect him to make considerable "progress" in that area this season!

k

[watzone]

I thought it was a fabulous team effort. Gotta love our defense, free throw shooting and rebounding.

More thoughts - http://bluedevilnation.net/?p=1395

[Lulu]

So if we had lost I wouldn't say anything about this. However, even after such a big win I just have to state that the officiating was absolutely awful. Murder on one end, and inconsistent throughout. Maybe you have to flail in the Big 10 to confirm and let the ref know you've been fouled.... sorta like "calling your own fouls". I don't know what to think but it was just ridiculous watching both ends tonight. I expected a typical rough game, but not such inconsistent officiating. And then there were just the bizarre calls, like the Plumlee charge I still need to go back and look at. It was like "clang-whistle" all night.

[Jumbo]

Scheyer... well, he was running the show at the end, and seems like our preferred late game FT shooter, hard to take him out at the end. Also, for some reason I dont feel the same concern over him getting tired. He works his butt off but he does it so quietly I never really seem to notice him getting overworked. Not that that really means anything.

I think that might because of this (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=21333)memorable story. Apparently, he can't get tired! ;)

[Oriole Way]

By the way, how nice was it to have Kyle getting such huge offensive rebounds (usually coming from seemingly out of nowhere), putting them back up for baskets on more than one occasion?

We usually don't have players make those plays.

Doesn't it seem that other players on opposing teams do that to us a lot? Nice to be the ones grabbing big boards and getting second chance points. Those are deflating plays for the opposition.

[Jumbo]

By the way, how nice was it to have Kyle getting such huge offensive rebounds (usually coming from seemingly out of nowhere), putting them back up for baskets on more than one occasion?

We usually don't have players make those plays.

Doesn't it seem that other players on opposing teams do that to us a lot? Nice to be the ones grabbing big boards and getting second chance points. Those are deflating plays for the opposition.

Yup. It helped that we were playing against a small team. But the effort we saw should translate against bigger teams, too.

As an aside, I think one of the reasons for the supposed trend in Duke "fading" late in the season has to do with effort. Duke just plays so hard every game, and I don't think most programs can muster that kind of effort in December. In the Tourney, though, everyone is playing hard. So, that takes away some of Duke's inherent advantage -- that we'll just outwork you. It's a theory, at least ...

[Oriole Way]

Yup. It helped that we were playing against a small team. But the effort we saw should translate against bigger teams, too.

As an aside, I think one of the reasons for the supposed trend in Duke "fading" late in the season has to do with effort. Duke just plays so hard every game, and I don't think most programs can muster that kind of effort in December. In the Tourney, though, everyone is playing hard. So, that takes away some of Duke's inherent advantage -- that we'll just outwork you. It's a theory, at least ...

I think that's true, but I also think the injuries and fatigue were HUGE factors.

Last season, Singler was tired. Gerald had a bad wrist and needed significant surgery and recovery time. Paulus and Thomas were both playing very hurt, and needed surgery. Pocius out for the year obviously, when the year before he played some valuable minutes in our last two post-season games. Zoubek was nowhere near 100%. DeMarcus was tired and I had heard he was sick for our last loss.

The season before, Paulus and Thomas had injuries (I could be wrong about Thomas). I'm sure there were others, but the state of the team health-wise that year isn't as clear in my memory. That season we were just so young and dysfunctional with McRoberts.

I will be REALLY disappointed if we fade in March again. So much talent, experience, depth, and for the first time in a while, good health on the team.

[Jumbo]

I think that's true, but I also think the injuries and fatigue were HUGE factors.

Last season, Singler was tired. Gerald had a bad wrist and needed significant surgery and recovery time. Paulus and Thomas were both playing very hurt, and needed surgery. Pocius out for the year obviously, when the year before he played some valuable minutes in our last two post-season games. Zoubek was nowhere near 100%. DeMarcus was tired and I had heard he was sick for our last loss.

The season before, Paulus and Thomas had injuries (I could be wrong about Thomas). I'm sure there were others, but the state of the team health-wise that year isn't as clear in my memory. That season we were just so young and dysfunctional with McRoberts.

I will be REALLY disappointed if we fade in March again. So much talent, experience, depth, and for the first time in a while, good health on the team.

Agreed completely. Basketball is a complex game, and the most underrated area of importance is pure luck/randomness.

[greybeard]

Really solid game against a very determined and physical opponent that wanted to make Duke play ugly, seemingly as priority number one, and to take players on physically. I loved the way everybody on the Duke team not only stood up to the physical play, but said, I see you 10 and raise you 20. Wow. And, I do mean everybody.

Jon did a tremendous job against very physical pressure all over the court. He looked much more comfortable on his shot (that vertibrae must have popped back in alignment :)), and I enjoyed watching him successfully make plays penetrating the defense. Now let me pick a nit or two. I think it was in the first half, Jon had it between the wing and the corner deep, Z was low, with his guy somewhat siding him on the side away from the baseline. Z was asking for the ball high and to the basket (at least that is what I saw), Jon hesitated and didn't throw it. A few games before, Jon and Z were in the same configuration, Jon lobbed it but a tad low and short, looking for Z to come to the ball. It was intercepted. This time I thought that Jon was too protective of Z. The play was there, Z had the guy (no he didn't have him sealed as well as everyone would like, but he had him) and a reactive read of Z would have allowed Z to try to make a play.

If there is one thing that I thought Purdue did a good job of taking away was any consistent ability by Duke to attack the rim. Certainly off of anything easy, off a penetrating pass. I think that that must have been deliberate on Purdue's part.

What can anyone say about Kyle that hasn't been said. I'm not sure this makes sense, but I don't know that I can recall a player that plays both bigger and smaller than he looks as well as Kyle does, and so seemlessly.

Gerald I thought helped bring the game to the rim, and I thought that that was important in the first half. I thought Gerald's basket in the first half, you know the one, was very big--brought the game to the basket in a way that left at least three bad-a#$ Boilermakers wondering what to make of it.

And, hey, when McClure squared and took that 3 in the face of the beginning of what looked like it might be a Purdue run, which was oh so much the thing to do but in the past he might have passed on it, and it just dropped in, well, you had to be glad for the kid and for what it means for this team's will and ability to win.

Zoubek and Lance competed hard and both scored at the rim. The in-your-shirt-defense on the exterior made penetrating passes to them extremely difficult. I don't know that running better routes (okay, Jumbo, sealing better) would have made a difference. High marks for getting after it, and finishing when they had the chance. (I know that there are those who will disagree with this read, but I thought it was terrific that Z established enough room and control to be able to miss and then tap; to me those are territorial-statement plays.)

Oh, Smith was terrific and I thought that Paulus had one of his better all around games.

[Jumbo]

What can anyone say about Kyle that hasn't been said. I'm not sure this makes sense, but I don't know that I can recall a player that plays both bigger and smaller than he looks as well as Kyle does, and so seemlessly.

That's actually quite eloquent.

[dukemomLA]

Great game all around, especially on D. What a fun hard-fought game to watch! And agreeing with other posts, the officiating was atrocious and definitely anti-Duke. (Not that it mattered)

If I can nit-pic I have two concerns: 1) Duke has the ability to host two 5 person teams that would start for most schools in the country. I would like Coach K make more use of that (although tonight's game might not have been the best time for that). 2) I would like this amazing team develop more of a "killer instinct." As the year goes on, I (selfish that I am) want them to learn the "crush 'em like a bug" mentality. Don't even give the other team the THOUGHT that they have a chance.

[wisteria]

:D

I don't have anything more to say. But did everyone see Singler making face (which was kinda silly lol) after making 2 threes? That's where I said, man, if Singler were on some other team I would have absolutely hated him.

But he's a Dukie. And thank God (or K) for that!

[pfrduke]

Great game all around, especially on D. What a fun hard-fought game to watch! And agreeing with other posts, the officiating was atrocious and definitely anti-Duke. (Not that it mattered)

If I can nit-pic I have two concerns: 1) Duke has the ability to host two 5 person teams that would start for most schools in the country. I would like Coach K make more use of that (although tonight's game might not have been the best time for that). 2) I would like this amazing team develop more of a "killer instinct." As the year goes on, I (selfish that I am) want them to learn the "crush 'em like a bug" mentality. Don't even give the other team the THOUGHT that they have a chance.

It's worth pointing out that Duke held a double digit lead in a hostile arena against a top 10 team for the entire second half. Yes, Purdue went on a bit of a run at one point, but even then they couldn't cut the margin under 10.

[heyman25]

G
If I can nit-pic I have two concerns: 1) Duke has the ability to host two 5 person teams that would start for most schools in the country. I would like Coach K make more use of that (although tonight's game might not have been the best time for that). 2) I would like this amazing team develop more of a "killer instinct." As the year goes on, I (selfish that I am) want them to learn the "crush 'em like a bug" mentality. Don't even give the other team the THOUGHT that they have a chance.

I agree . I don't think we would have lost much in momentum with Scheyer taking a little less time on the court. We do let other teams hang around by bailing them out with fouls and poor execution on offense. That is major nitpicking.However, if you had 9 or 10 playing fatigue isn't a variable. I feel confident in the 6-10 positions to be in the game. I want Plumlee and Williams and Pocius not to skip a beat if they are in the game in late February and March. They need some minutes in December to get there. Killer instinct has been rare at Duke except maybe 92 and 99. I would love to see that on this team besides just Kyle.

[tele]

High marks for getting after it, and finishing when they had the chance. (I know that there are those who will disagree with this read, but I thought it was terrific that Z established enough room and control to be able to miss and then tap; to me those are territorial-statement plays.)

I would agree. Tip ins count as a rebound and a made fg don't they? So, in addition to a rebound, second possession, another shot attempt, and a made fg, you get to use size and strength to gain postion and then make a controlled finesse play at the bucket. To me it's as good as an alley oop or a long three pointer in building momentum. When you add Lance and Z making their presence felt around the rim, to the three point shooters then you have a good combo. Plus, will help to open things up for Nolan, G and Singler to drive.

I also like to see occasional tip outs on defensive boards too, but realize that's a riskier proposition.

[diesel]

Clearly there are Cameron Crazy wannabes at Purdue. It can be cold in the South, but camping out for tickets in the climate of Indiana strikes me as just stupid.

We’re used to some obnoxious behavior as Duke fans—like the Hokies threatening JJ’s family, or the potty mouths at Maryland. But wait—there was some of that last night too from the Purdue crowd directed at Paulus.

But as objectionable as some ACC fans are, I can’t remember anything being thrown out on the floor—as happened last night at the Purdue game when it was clear the game was over and Purdue had been beaten badly. What is the sanction for such behavior and what did the refs do last night?

And speaking of the refs, it looked to me (admittedly from the vantage point of my 42 inch TV screen in Arlington Va) that a couple of blocks were called on our players when they had their feet planted firmly in front of the offense and offensive charges should have been called instead. Any other opinions on this issue?

[blazindw]

But as objectionable as some ACC fans are, I can’t remember anything being thrown out on the floor—as happened last night at the Purdue game when it was clear the game was over and Purdue had been beaten badly. What is the sanction for such behavior and what did the refs do last night?

Bottles were thrown on the court after the Gone in 54 game at Maryland in '01. When you watch the video and you see J-Will and Boozer hugging after the buzzer sounds, you see a bottle hit Boozer right in the shoulder. Boozer's mom, as most know, was knocked out by a bottle thrown from the stands into the Duke section.

This game is the reason why many schools and teams now remove the caps from their plastic pop bottles when they are sold at sporting events.

[Oriole Way]

Bottles were thrown on the court after the Gone in 54 game at Maryland in '01. When you watch the video and you see J-Will and Boozer hugging after the buzzer sounds, you see a bottle hit Boozer right in the shoulder. Boozer's mom, as most know, was knocked out by a bottle thrown from the stands into the Duke section.

This game is the reason why many schools and teams now remove the caps from their plastic pop bottles when they are sold at sporting events.

Yeah Maryland basketball fans take the cake as the least classy and most primitive fans in all of college sports.

[fogey]

And speaking of the refs, it looked to me (admittedly from the vantage point of my 42 inch TV screen in Arlington Va) that a couple of blocks were called on our players when they had their feet planted firmly in front of the offense and offensive charges should have been called instead. Any other opinions on this issue?[/QUOTE]

Agreed as to the block/charge calls, but on several drives by Singler he was absolutely hammered by body contact and no call- only to have Duke whistled at the other end for relatively minor stuff. Had Duke not played so well the foul discrepancy could well have cost us the game. The maturity and toughness of this team is also demonstrated by their not taking the bait on bad calls or non calls and just moving ahead with tenacious play. Tremendous job.

[sagegrouse]

If I can nit-pic I have two concerns: 1) Duke has the ability to host two 5 person teams that would start for most schools in the country. I would like Coach K make more use of that (although tonight's game might not have been the best time for that).

Aha! Eight games into the season and we're talking about the length of the rotation. It's kind of comforting, isn't it, to fall back into old dialogues?

sagegrouse

[slower]

I think the Duke haters are currently confused and will continue to focus on Paulus in general and on Henderson (especially the smurfs) in particular for venting their programmed hatred.

But as others have noted, Singler is the first player in recent years to carry that Laettner-esque smirk and also have the ability to back it up. (Yes, JJ gets honorable mention!) There is no doubt were Singler to hang around for four years that he could well be the lead poster boy for the opposing fans. I do expect him to make considerable "progress" in that area this season!

k

Like many other great players, I think Singler will only feed off of any negativity thrown his way. I think he would relish sticking it to anybody who opposes him. Not saying he's in the class of Bird or Jordan (although he may get close as a college player), but he has that same killer instinct.

And one thing that Kyle has that JJ didn't (in my opinion) is not only the willingness to mix it up, but it seems like he actually ENJOYS it. Maybe Laettner had the same thing, but it's been so long that I don't recall him being as physical as Kyle.

[MChambers]

Aha! Eight games into the season and we're talking about the length of the rotation. It's kind of comforting, isn't it, to fall back into old dialogues?

sagegrouse

Earlier in the thread there were worries that Duke is too reliant on the three-point shot.

[dw0827]

I must be getting old or something. With about 8 or 9 minutes left, I was actually thinking "spread it" . . .

We've all had fun debating the slow-down or spread or whatever you want to call it that Coach K employs. And every once in a while it blows up in our faces. It makes me nervous every time we do it.

But not with this team. Scheyer, Singler, Nelson, Paulus, and Henderson. Or Thomas. or McClure. Good grief. This team was made for the spread.

Having said that, the one thing I take away from this game is that our spread execution needs work. Sure, we can pass it around, get fouled, and hit the foul shots. But I want to see us attack out of the spread. Execute. Once we get into the ACC games, we'll have a lot of close games . . . and will need this additional weapon.

[Ders24]

The ESPN lead story is rather optimistic about our season at this point:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3740803&sportCat=ncb

[Saratoga2]

Although Vitale usually drives me up a wall, I thought that he was remarkable restrained tonight, especially in the first half. He kept on talking about the game, and actually made some insightful comments in the process. It really was night and day compared to the last Duke game he did...either he took his meds, or the network somehow chilled him out. There was some slippage in the second half, but overall, a well-called game for Dickie V.

And Duke played well too.

I only got home from a meeting for the last 12 minutes of the game, although I saw a couple of minutes of the first half during a meeting recess. I thought Dickie V was horrible as usual. He hardly ever talks about the game at hand, which is after all what people have tuned into. It should not be about Dickie V. Please!

[bigj4194]

The ESPN lead story is rather optimistic about our season at this point:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3740803&sportCat=ncb

Beat me to it Anders...its nice to see Duke getting a little love and unbiased love from ESPN...as for my game thoughts...good game all around...the refs were horrible, with 4 minutes into the second half when Duke has 6 team fouls and PU has 1...not good. Anyway...I thought it was a good game and we proved that we deserved to be a top10 team...im not sure we proved we are a top 5 but definitely top10

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

..the camera close-up replay shot early on where during a scuffle for a rebound some Duke sneaker inadvertently anded on a Purdue player's chest as he lay on the floor? Obviously a director out in the trailer trying to start something by reaching back and focusing on that one. That's show biz.
Love, Ima

[dyedwab]

...one of the thinks that is notable thus far this season, as was pointed out on the broadcast, is how much physically stronger our players are compared to last year, especially Singler and Thomas.

This is particularly important in "playing through contact" which allows them to make shots even while being hammered, and holding on to rebounds in the middle of big scrums for the ball.

Great game, great win

[davekay1971]

Great game all around. Singler continues to impress me as one of the best all-around players I have seen in a long time. I was at Duke in the Laettner years, and I see the similarity in attitude that others have mentioned; though I would note that Singler has every bit the fire, intensity, and fearlessness of Laettner without so much of the mean streak. I actually think Singler probably enjoys mixing it up more than Laettner did, while Laettner was more inclined to get in cheap shots while the refs' heads were turned and get deep in the opponent's head. Frankly, as much as I love what Laettner did for us, I like Singler far more as a player. If Singler stays four years, he'll have 12 up in the rafters right by 32.

Scheyer was remarkable today. Imagine what we can do as an offense if we ever get Henderson and Scheyer going on the same night?

[davekay1971]

..the camera close-up replay shot early on where during a scuffle for a rebound some Duke sneaker inadvertently anded on a Purdue player's chest as he lay on the floor? Obviously a director out in the trailer trying to start something by reaching back and focusing on that one. That's show biz.
Love, Ima

LOL, I remember them showing that clip a few times. I'm sure there were howls of rage echoing in the hills of Kentucky.

[Saratoga2]

I think we matched up very well with Purdue. Singler played fabulously. He was too quick for their big players and too strong for Hummel, who is his height. He was so determined in every facet of the game. Maybe a bigger more athletic team will slow him down.

Scheyer really continues to impress, knowing how to take time off the clock and either get fouled or make a play late in the possession. His defense was also solid. Great play from him.

Henderson's block late in the game showed just how athletic and quick he can be. McClure was trying to block that shot, but Henderson was a good 8 inches above him and got it coming from nowhere. The string indicates his defense and rebounding throughout the game was excellent.

Having Paulus give us a gritty performance over most of the time I saw makes us able to withstand foul troubles. I like Smith's game, but it is a godsend to have Paulus to come in a provide solid minutes.

Thomas has developed before our eyes into a very good forward. His game has improved in every waay from last year. I love to see him go to the foul line and make his shots. Much more confident this year.

I didn't see much of Smith but understand that he had a very good game except for too many fouls.

The guy who I think can help a lot as the season moves on is Elliot Williams. To date he has looked like a freshman with mistakes and forced plays and I didn't see him in the game at all last night but he still has everything needed to be an exceptional player for us. Waiting for him to make the next step.

Great game against a team that we matched up with so well. On to Michigan.

[Indoor66]

LOL, I remember them showing that clip a few times. I'm sure there were howls of rage echoing in the hills of Kentucky.

Do they still play basketball in Kentucky? :eek:

[CLT Devil]

It was very obvious that the Boilermaker fans have a lot of growing to do... I mean come on... "Booooooo" was their main cheer and "Paulus Sucks" was their only cheer that put two words together... very poor showing. Or in terms they can understand.... Booooooooo

This was the main thing I noticed from the broadcast, as far as the atmosphere...the fans boooed every little chance they had. I think it goes to show that Purdue doesnt get a lot of these national games often and they really didnt know how to cheer. It kinda reminded me of the 'Holes fans in the Dome....boooing just to boo. The boy who cried 'wolf'

[trinity92]

I must be getting old or something. With about 8 or 9 minutes left, I was actually thinking "spread it" . . .

We've all had fun debating the slow-down or spread or whatever you want to call it that Coach K employs. And every once in a while it blows up in our faces. It makes me nervous every time we do it.

But not with this team. Scheyer, Singler, Nelson, Paulus, and Henderson. Or Thomas. or McClure. Good grief. This team was made for the spread.

Having said that, the one thing I take away from this game is that our spread execution needs work. Sure, we can pass it around, get fouled, and hit the foul shots. But I want to see us attack out of the spread. Execute. Once we get into the ACC games, we'll have a lot of close games . . . and will need this additional weapon.

I'm with you most of the way here. With Z and Nolan in foul trouble, it was exactly the time to reduce the number of posessions. As far as attacking out of the spread, I didn't expect to see it last night, and wonder if the team wasn't discouraged from some obvious open alley-oops and other razzle-dazzle plays that were available at the end of the shot clock in the last 6-8 minutes of the game.

The game wasn't nearly as close as the score. We dominated Purdue in every facet of the game-- a game that was supposed to be far more competitive than it was, and one that the home crowd were anticipating in a big way. Against a different team, in a different arena, I think we'd have seen some exciting plays.

[Rudy]

Thoroughly enjoyable game. I think Purdue is a good team and handling them so well with intensity the whole game speaks to Duke's team coming together. I loved the intensity of both teams. In the first half every loose ball had at least two guys from each team lunging or diving after it. Except for the item thrown out at the end I liked the Purdue fans' enthusiasm, though I never like anyone using a "you suck" chant. I thought the camping out was cool. Early December at Purdue is probably not any worse than late January in Durham. Improvement from everyone who played (even G imo) except Williams but the atmosphere must have been new to him. Still room for significant improvement. Lance making some moves beyond 5 feet was nice to see. Good to see GP getting his stroke back. I didn't see the final stats but late in the 2nd half our rebound margin was +16.

[ArnieMc]

As an aside, I think one of the reasons for the supposed trend in Duke "fading" late in the season has to do with effort. Duke just plays so hard every game, and I don't think most programs can muster that kind of effort in December. In the Tourney, though, everyone is playing hard. So, that takes away some of Duke's inherent advantage -- that we'll just outwork you. It's a theory, at least ...My theory is that it's more of a mental tiredness thing. You have to show intensity in practice to get PT. If your intensity drops during a game, you're yanked. I think all that intensity wears them out mentally - especially freshmen - until, hopefully, they get used to it.


Great game all around, especially on D. What a fun hard-fought game to watch! And agreeing with other posts, the officiating was atrocious and definitely anti-Duke. (Not that it mattered)Jim Burr and Donnee Gray didn't call much of anything. They just let both sides mangle each other, and, although I didn't agree with all their calls, I thought they ended up pretty even. The problem was John Higgins, the younger ref. He made most of the calls, and until the very end of the game they were all against Duke.

I love Singler's new rebounding technique where he goes up and wraps his right arm around the ball and pulls it down under his arm - very strong and very secure. It's getting to be a signature rebounding move.

[SMO]

The refs couldn't figure out what an offensive foul was, among other things, but I think the crowd was even worse. Too much booing and of course the "Paulus sucks" when Greg was shooting FTs. Throwing things on the court was par for the course.

Everybody contributed in important ways. Gerald was only 1-8 from the field, but he had 9 boards and 5 assists. We have a solid 8-man rotation, but I hope to see bigger contributions from Williams and Plumlee.

I really liked it when the entire gym booed the person(s) who threw something on the court. That showed some class.

[SMO]

Clearly there are Cameron Crazy wannabes at Purdue. It can be cold in the South, but camping out for tickets in the climate of Indiana strikes me as just stupid.

We’re used to some obnoxious behavior as Duke fans—like the Hokies threatening JJ’s family, or the potty mouths at Maryland. But wait—there was some of that last night too from the Purdue crowd directed at Paulus.

But as objectionable as some ACC fans are, I can’t remember anything being thrown out on the floor—as happened last night at the Purdue game when it was clear the game was over and Purdue had been beaten badly. What is the sanction for such behavior and what did the refs do last night?

And speaking of the refs, it looked to me (admittedly from the vantage point of my 42 inch TV screen in Arlington Va) that a couple of blocks were called on our players when they had their feet planted firmly in front of the offense and offensive charges should have been called instead. Any other opinions on this issue?

The refs were bad, but it's still early (how long can we make that excuse?). They allowed a very physical game in the first half (remember Paulus getting mugged by 2 Purdue guys on the side line then throwing the ball away?). Then, they started calling a lot more fouls that were fouls, but weren't called early on. Duke definitely got no calls, but I think the officials were just inconsistent which drives players and coaches nuts. The white haired older man lets a lot go inside. I remember him doing so last year as well. It's just amazing how the game is called varies even within the same game.

[PURDUE7]

Great game for DUKE!
I will give you credit....thats as bad as PURDUE has played in a year. Its easy to blame the moment.....biggest game of their careers.....but thats crap.

What was wrong with Moore all night? I know he had some solid D on him but thats nothing new. That doesn't excuse giving up 2 layups on inbound plays in 5 minutes? 2 in a month is a lot!

Duke never let PURDUE feel comfortable.....you kept thinking if 1 three would drop maybe they get a run going...never happened. Once PURDUE couldn't get the normal offense with Moore, Grant and Hummel they pressed......and DUKE was always a half step ahead.

Hopefully its a learning experience for a young squad.

[greybeard]

The thing about Kyle is how much fun he has playing. It just shows. And, as others have pointed out, he finds answers to create mismatches by playing small against bigs, etc. I think that he especially enjoys finding answers in switching styles mid stream, and performing at a very high level in all modes, and crossing people up.

Prime example. Toward the end, Kyle found himself needing to be the press breaker and was subjected to extremely physical defending of the in-your-shirt varity by one of those blocks-of-granite like defenders. Got safely in the front court and the guy would not let up, was all over Kyle. Kyle slowed his dribble and still the guy was on him, even closed as if to shove him, like he was a little or something. Kyle said to himself, or so I impute to him, oh, I can play little against a little and blew past the guy and scored the layup.

K was holding his head, I suppose partly in worry that Kyle would be put down, and the other part because he didn't want to give up the ball so early in the clock. Not to worry about the second issue--Jon stole it at 3/4 court, and slowed it down. This was a nice game and Kyle is one very special basketball player. So is Jon.

[roywhite]

K was holding his head, I suppose partly in worry that Kyle would be put down, and the other part because he didn't want to give up the ball so early in the clock. Not to worry about the second issue--Jon stole it at 3/4 court, and slowed it down. This was a nice game and Kyle is one very special basketball player. So is Jon.

An excellent example of the "little things" that make Jon (and Kyle) so valuable. Jon transitions from offense to defense very quickly; as soon as the ball goes through the hoop or is rebounded by the opposition, he is looking to swipe the ball or apply pressure. Both Jon and Kyle really get the "next play" message.

[throatybeard]

Clearly there are Cameron Crazy wannabes at Purdue. It can be cold in the South, but camping out for tickets in the climate of Indiana strikes me as just stupid.

It was around 30 most of the time they were camping out. Big freaking deal. That's not particularly cold.

[Kedsy]

Great game for DUKE!

Hopefully its a learning experience for a young squad.

I'd say Purdue has some things to work on. JuJuan Johnson needs to play bigger, which I know is hard because he's so thin, but if he can and if the team plays well enough in the Big 10 to get a high seed, Purdue could win a couple NCAA games.

As for Duke, I know it's heresy to say something like this, but Kyle's rebounding sort of reminded me of Hansbrough, the way he just throws himself into the fray and won't let anybody else have the rebound.

I think Jumbo's point about other team's effort level rising late in the season which eats into our advantage is a good one. On the other hand, if we can keep the sort of defensive intensity we saw last night it won't be nearly as big an issue.

I've been hearing and reading a lot of talking heads doubting G's short-term NBA prospects. Maybe we'll see him next year after all.

[davekay1971]

As for Duke, I know it's heresy to say something like this, but Kyle's rebounding sort of reminded me of Hansbrough, the way he just throws himself into the fray and won't let anybody else have the rebound.



Blasphemer! Nothing about Kyle is reminiscent about the Floppy One! Hansbrough's energy is a sort of manic-geek-spastic thing, while Kyle's is cool, ironman intensity.

I have to go burn the skin off my fingers now from typing those Kyle's name in the same sentence as You-Know-Who's.

[calltheobvious]

Jim Burr and Donnee Gray didn't call much of anything. They just let both sides mangle each other, and, although I didn't agree with all their calls, I thought they ended up pretty even. The problem was John Higgins, the younger ref. He made most of the calls, and until the very end of the game they were all against Duke.


John Higgins was most assuredly not a problem last night. There may have been times when he was wondering what in the hell was happening, but, save maybe one play, his wonderment was not due to any personal inability or error.

[Kedsy]

Blasphemer! Nothing about Kyle is reminiscent about the Floppy One! Hansbrough's energy is a sort of manic-geek-spastic thing, while Kyle's is cool, ironman intensity.

I have to go burn the skin off my fingers now from typing those Kyle's name in the same sentence as You-Know-Who's.

As much as I can't stand the Travelling Hansman, I suspect the primary difference in their respective energies/intensities is the color of their shirts (although I assume by your tongue-in-cheek response that deep down you suspect the same thing).

[should_be_working]

Great game - unbelievable defense. Had we kept attacking on offense for the whole second half we could have won by 30+. As it was I kept waiting for Purdue to make a run - string a few threes together and get right back in the game. It seems very hard for a team to floor it again after putting on the breaks, but thankfully they never got close enough for us to worry about that thanks to Duke's stifling D. This one was intense, the atmosphere was great (excluding all the "boooo's" and throwing of things on the court).

I really liked how we started. Right off the bat, Purdue had to know that we were ready to go and we weren't going to let the atmosphere bother us. We did a great job of keeping the fans quiet, and not giving them anything to cheer about. My favorite part of the game last night was in the second half when G had that incredible block, and on the replay you could see a Purdue fan in the crowd just throw his hands in the air - not to complain about a no-call, rather a "i give up" gesture - it made me smile. I don't know if I've ever seen our defense look so good.

[Skitzle]

Do they still play basketball in Kentucky? :eek:

They do, but only half of it. Just offense

[Classof06]

- I know it's early but Singler looks to be putting together a monster (All-American, dare I say) season. I love the stat from ESPN research that said Singler had 4 double-doubles all of last season and he already has two this year. He's noticeably stronger around the rim and it's paying dividends.

- What I'm encouraged about is that we're winning games and still haven't gotten consistent scoring from Henderson. He played well yesterday despite only 2 points (9 rebounds, 5 assists) but you have to figure that Gerald is going to get his offense going eventually. He's just too talented.

- I know Purdue is small, but I'm encouraged that Zoubek had 8 rebounds in only 11 minutes of action. He has to continue to work on avoiding cheap fouls, but his activity on the glass is great to see.

- Lance Thomas continues to improve and I love the energy that he's bringing off the bench. I rode him hard after last season, but again, I'm very impressed with the way he's bouned back this year. Last year, he averaged 4 pts and 3 rebs while starting. This year, he's coming off the bench, averaging 8.6 pts and 4.4 rebs (5 and 5 last night).

- I can't think of any Duke player that had a bad game last night. Even though Henderson only had 2 points, his rebounds and assists were more than enough to make up for it. Zoubek and Nolan were in foul trouble but certainly played well while on the court.

[lmb]

Although I felt like we picked up our dribble a little too quickly and too often sometimes in the second half, I was really impressed with how everyone handled the ball and was able to pass out of double teams. It's not like Purdue was playing terrible defense. They were pretty tough. I never quite got that nervous feeling that I used to get last year in those trapping situations.

It was a great team win. Everyone contributed and everyone was solid. And isn't it great to have a team that out-rebounds the other instead of the opposite? There were many times last year where it seemed we couldn't buy a rebound. We would play great defense but allowed the opponent to get five cracks at a basket, usually ending in a score.

I couldn't be happier about where this team is and their attitude/swagger/unflappability is awesome!!

[The Gordog]

So Vitale called a good game tonight? Well, he called a better game.

But am I right in thinking he opined that Bobby Knight should be back in coaching? I thought to myself, well that means he would be eliminated as competition for you in calling games--and the almost unanimous consensus on DBR is that Kniight is the superior color commentator

Well he flat out said exactly that (RMK would no longer be his competition.)

[Travi_K]

The refs couldn't figure out what an offensive foul was, among other things, but I think the crowd was even worse. Too much booing and of course the "Paulus sucks" when Greg was shooting FTs. Throwing things on the court was par for the course.

Everybody contributed in important ways. Gerald was only 1-8 from the field, but he had 9 boards and 5 assists. We have a solid 8-man rotation, but I hope to see bigger contributions from Williams and Plumlee.




I so aggree with this, I felt like the crowd booed every other second which I know happens on the road but it was even on the most mundane calls. Also one charge called on Henderson in the 2nd half inparticular is the one that comes to mind on the "offensive foul" mentioned above. Seemed like he was standing there for about 4 secs.

[slower]

As much as I can't stand the Travelling Hansman, I suspect the primary difference in their respective energies/intensities is the color of their shirts (although I assume by your tongue-in-cheek response that deep down you suspect the same thing).


Davekay1971 has it right - Hans looks like a spaz, but Kyle is smoooooth.

Or for you old-timers who are Jerry Lewis fans, Hans is the nutty professor and Kyle is Buddy Love.

[whereinthehellami]

Great game for DUKE!
I will give you credit....thats as bad as PURDUE has played in a year. Its easy to blame the moment.....biggest game of their careers.....but thats crap.

Hopefully its a learning experience for a young squad.

PURDUE7, thanks for visting this site. Good luck the rest of the year. I'd like to see more fire out of Hummel but that can be said about alot of players. He's got good skills though.


K was holding his head, I suppose partly in worry that Kyle would be put down, and the other part because he didn't want to give up the ball so early in the clock. Not to worry about the second issue--Jon stole it at 3/4 court, and slowed it down. This was a nice game and Kyle is one very special basketball player. So is Jon.

I also noticed that last night and it made me think of Laettner and how he kind of did his own thing within Coach K's system. That kind of freedom in the system is earned, which says alot about Kyle. Kyle just seems to understand momentum and the nuances of the game.

Kyle is an amazing player. If I could create the ideal basketball player Kyle would be pretty much be it. I like everything about him. Skills, size, IQ, fire, attitude (see smile), and love for the game (see smile).

[bird]

This is starting to feel like an ol' timey Duke team.

[diesel]

It was around 30 most of the time they were camping out. Big freaking deal. That's not particularly cold.

You may be right. Although the shots of preparations for tenting out at Boilermakerville (or whatever the wannabe Krzyzewskiville is called) made it look as though the tenters were preparing for a night at the Pole!

But then, this Canadian is used to Southerners (in particular) acting as though the world is coming to an end when the temperature drops. A few flakes of snow and Washington traffic comes to a virtual standstill, for instance, and the kids get a day off (I’m just jealous of what I was deprived of 60 years ago).

Still it was great for this Canadian to be able to park alone in some of the best parking spaces at Duke (i.e., near the President’s spot) when the usual seasonal flakes came down

[diesel]

Well he [Vitale]flat out said exactly that (RMK would no longer be his competition.)

Sorry: I don't listen to Vitale for long (see below). Could it be that he was actually put in touch with the almost totally unfavorable comparisons on DBR of his performance as compared to Knight's as color commentators?

If so, there is real point in these boards other than that of amusing each other.

Incidentally, my wife gets up and leaves if Vitale is the commentator and I keep the sound on. There must be a better way of dealing with this if one is out of range of Duke radio.

[dukestheheat]

Throw out all the basketball stuff going down on the court just for a moment, because we all know these guys can play!

What I saw in Duke last night was a team with swagger, emotion, pride, hustle, total confidence, resiliency and maturity.

It came down to 'attitude' for Duke last night. Duke obviously came in and had that game played out, mentally, from start to finish. The team chose to look like a machine out on the court. This was all mental for Duke!

They decided to do what they are capable of doing, finally! This team, playing with that same verve as they had last night, is headed to the Final Few this year; without the verve, we're above average in the ACC but certainly not first or second, in my opinion.

I am sure K will use many snippets from this game with individual players this year in terms of motivation!

GO DUKE!

dukestheheat

[wilson]

Perhaps this one's already been thrown out there, but this is my favorite snippet from the ESPN.com game story:

"E'Twaun Moore, Purdue's leading scorer, went scoreless in the first half and finished with 10 points.

'It was a lot tougher than we thought it was going to be,' Moore said."

You just gotta love that.

[JDev]

It is a very good sign that Duke can combat foul trouble by two starters and still beat a good team on the road. It is quite a luxury to have the first two guys off the bench be guys who were starters last year. Has there ever been another Duke team that could say that?

[Lulu]

Sorry: I don't listen to Vitale for long (see below). Could it be that he was actually put in touch with the almost totally unfavorable comparisons on DBR of his performance as compared to Knight's as color commentators?

If so, there is real point in these boards other than that of amusing each other.


Well if that's true, now I actually feel bad. Vitale is a super nice guy, always great with the students. I was actually able to speak to him more than once, and in particular one time after a group of us hoisted him up for one of those crowd surfing shots. Can't say that about any other commentator.

[devildeac]

Do they still play basketball in Kentucky? :eek:

Yes. At WESTERN Kentucky;).

[Charles Wicker]

last night. Those guys played strong, and with purpose. They looked like they were trying to prove a point. And point was well taken. Solid game all around; and yep, Jon looked good. His basketball IQ, his understanding of the game, court awareness and his offensive abilities are immeasurable. Great game buddy, keep it up. Sing looked good as well; stronger, more assertive offensively, and he seems like he "wants," to be that go to guy. Overall, I liked most of what I saw. But Purdue wasn't that great of a team offensively.

When we play teams who can match our intensity and score; and beat them, that will be a more accurate perspective as to how good we are. (Or are we Final Four material) But so far, they are playing well together, and yes you have to acknowledge the solid play of Scheyer and Sing. What I would like to see; which I'm realizing is a pipe dream is; more play from Chyz, and a little more willingness from K, in terms of developing the bench more.

We have a solid 8 guys, who are great all around players. But can we win a National Championship, or reach a Final Four, or win a conference title, or ACC Tourney, with: Sing, Nolan, Scheyer, G, Zoubs, Lance, Paulus and E-Will: Oh, and Plumlee? I don't know?

[Bob Green]

We have a solid 8 guys....with: Sing, Nolan, Scheyer, G, Zoubs, Lance, Paulus and E-Will: Oh, and Plumlee? I don't know?

You forgot to include Dave McClure in your list of the eight core players. Now that he is healthy again, McClure is proving himself to be an invaluable member of the team. Defense, rebounding, nose for the ball, basketball IQ, and, as of the Purdue game, a nice stroke from behind the 3-point arc. :)

[DukieBoy]

This might have been written in here somewhere else, but it's late and I don't feeling like reading a lot, so if it was just ignore this. But did anyone else notice in the first half when the announcers commented that Scheyer was not a particularly good shooter, but a playmakers. This kind of baffled me because, last thing I checked, he average double digits his first two years and is second leading scorer this year.

[CDu]

This might have been written in here somewhere else, but it's late and I don't feeling like reading a lot, so if it was just ignore this. But did anyone else notice in the first half when the announcers commented that Scheyer was not a particularly good shooter, but a playmakers. This kind of baffled me because, last thing I checked, he average double digits his first two years and is second leading scorer this year.

Don't be fooled by shooter/scorer. The two aren't interchangeable terms. Shooter does not necessarily mean scorer, and vice versa. For example, Henderson was a good scorer last year, but you wouldn't necessarily say he was a great shooter. He was a good scorer because he could use his athleticism to create scoring chances at the rim.

The point the announcer was making is that Scheyer is not a spot-up shooter. He is more of a creater, able to create scoring opportunities for himself or others. I think that's a very accurate portrayal of what he is. Scheyer isn't an explosive leaper like Henderson, but he's creative and crafty and quick enough to create his scoring opportunities off the dribble and draw fouls. Contrast that with Redick in his early years, when he was pretty much a shooting specialist.

Redick is a good example of the point, actually. In his first two years, he was pretty much just a shooter. However, in his junior and senior years, Redick became more of a playmaker, able to score off the dribble. The difference is that he was ALSO a great shooter still. Scheyer is not the dead-eye shooter that Redick was, but he's more proficient as a creater/playmaker early in his career than Redick was.

At the risk of being politically incorrect, I think the point was to dispel the myth that Scheyer is the typical white shooting specialist. He's a solid, not great, shooter who can score in a variety of ways.

[jv001]

You forgot to include Dave McClure in your list of the eight core players. Now that he is healthy again, McClure is proving himself to be an invaluable member of the team. Defense, rebounding, nose for the ball, basketball IQ, and, as of the Purdue game, a nice stroke from behind the 3-point arc. :)

Good point Bob, McClure is playing very well and seems to have confidence in his shot once again. The last time he was injured and tried to come back it seemed he had completly lost confidence in his outside shot. Seems to have returned and we can use that. When healthy Dave is a fine player. He brings maturity to our young squad. Let's hope this team remains healthy all season. Go Duke!

[mgtr]

You forgot to include Dave McClure in your list of the eight core players. Now that he is healthy again, McClure is proving himself to be an invaluable member of the team. Defense, rebounding, nose for the ball, basketball IQ, and, as of the Purdue game, a nice stroke from behind the 3-point arc. :)

I have been a fan of McClure for several years. It was great to see him hit a three, but I would be happy to have in out there just for defense and rebounding. But, with the way K runs his offense, it is better if everybody is a potential threat from outside. Now Dave is.