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View Full Version : MBB: Duke vs. Texas (NCAA Tournament) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread



Udaman
03-19-2009, 08:45 PM
I was nervous when I saw the potential matchup with them. They are a team that was ranked high early on...has disappointed...but now has a shot at redemption. And - oh by the way - they have a superstar player in Abrams who can literally take over a game (see what he's doing right now against Minnesota).

We are going to have to play a great game to beat this team. Great. We can do it...but I'm saying right now that this might be the best game of the 2nd round. Thank goodness most of the Tar Heel fans might leave before, so we won't have 3/4ths of the building pulling against us.

roywhite
03-19-2009, 09:14 PM
They do still have Cliff Barnes...errr...Rick Barnes on the bench, don't they?

quickgtp
03-19-2009, 09:36 PM
Udaman, I am going to respectfully disagree. I feel that we have played better teams and players in Rice/BC, Teague/WF and McClinton/Miami. Will we have to play strong? Sure, but I don't think that we will need a "great" game......

Oriole Way
03-19-2009, 09:40 PM
I think Texas needs to be very worried about potentially facing us. I think we match up with them well and should be able to exploit them with Singler and Henderson.

I would have much rather faced Minnesota, but Abrams needs to go off and Texas needs to play their best game to win.

KrazyKfan
03-19-2009, 09:43 PM
Texas can be very dangerous at times, but guess what, we are consistently dangerous.

I have full faith in our guys to get to the Sweet Sixteen and beyond this year.

Newton_14
03-19-2009, 11:02 PM
There is business to be taken care of in tonights game. I for one, am only worried about surviving the game with Binghamton and earning the right to worry about Texas....

OldPhiKap
03-19-2009, 11:26 PM
Texas is a real team, and has a coach that knows Duke. But I have faith that the team will be focused on the task at hand and not looking forward.

LGD!!!!!!!

dgoore97
03-19-2009, 11:44 PM
i know we're up, but seems poor form to start talking about the next opponent before this game is over.. disrespectful and bad karma too.. but i could be totally off base

jacone21
03-19-2009, 11:52 PM
It's official now. Game time will be Saturday 8 ish.

Faison1
03-20-2009, 12:02 AM
Thank goodness most of the Tar Heel fans might leave before, so we won't have 3/4ths of the building pulling against us.

Wishful thinking. In the eyes of Hole fans, the capper to watching their team advance to the sweet sixteen would be watching Duke lose on the same court. There is NO WAY any Hole fans are leaving unless the Duke-Texas game is decided in Duke's favor.

In fact, my buddy (UNC Fan) who was Billy-Bitter driving home from Atlanta on Sunday was already saying how much he was going to enjoy watching Duke lose to Texas.

So, just accept that the light blue people are going to be cheering for Texas on Saturday night. And expect a tough game......but what's knew this season?

I KNOW our guys are tough and used to this sort of thing.

mgtr
03-20-2009, 12:07 AM
I see two concerns with Texas: Abrams and the battering ram they have in the middle. Any chance we can start a track loader in place of Thomas?:D

bjornolf
03-20-2009, 12:13 AM
Texas definitely looked good today I thought, and handled their opponent easily. But Minnesota is no Duke this year. I don't think Texas looked any better than any of the teams we played in the ACCT. It'll definitely be a good game, but I think if we play well and play our game, we'll do well against them. I don't think Abrams will go off against us the way he did against Minnesota. He got 8 of his 9 baskets from behind the arc against the Gophers. We have long, quick defenders that I think can keep a hand in his face and force him to drive. Maybe he's a good driver too, I don't know, but he wasn't forced to by Minnesota. We'll force him to take more contested shots and see if he shoots it that well. Like I said, I think it'll be a good game, and we could lose, but we've seen great guards before. He won't beat us on his own.

devildownunder
03-20-2009, 12:15 AM
I want nothing more than to see us take out Rick "I could be somebody if only everybody'd quit pickin' on me" Barnes. Nothing against Texas, I just strongly dislike their coach.

Here's hoping we play our best game to date on Saturday.

One thing's for sure, Z will get in much earlier in this one.

devildownunder
03-20-2009, 12:17 AM
Texas is a real team, and has a coach that knows Duke. But I have faith that the team will be focused on the task at hand and not looking forward.

LGD!!!!!!!


Given all the things we've done differently this year, it could actually be to our advantage that Barnes might think he's familiar with K and Duke. If he thinks it's a team similar to the ones that blew his squads out in 2003 and 2006, he's in for a big surprise. Totally diff. style.

BD80
03-20-2009, 12:27 AM
AJ shot lights out. It is safe to say that he won't do as well against EWill and Nolan. We are also a substantially better team offensively than Minny.

We won't win if we go stone cold, but we had tonight's game to get used to the rims, and we will have another practice there.

Texas will be a tougher challenge than Binghamton, but I like our chances. These are the kind of games to continue to build momentum with.

JDev
03-20-2009, 12:36 AM
Though they have underachieved, Texas still has the personel that made them a preseason top ten team. Abrams is a high level talent, as is James when he wants to be, and they have some real size in Atchley and Pittman. As someone else mentioned, they are a completely different team when Abrams is on. Outside of him, they aren't a particularly good shooting team. This could be a very tough game for Duke. Duke has more overall talent, and they consistently play better and harder, are certainly better coached. Henderson and Singler could pose tough matchups for Texas, as they do not have a big time wing. James ventures out there, but he is much more effective near the basket.
Also, it will likely resemble a Texas home game with the Heels in attendance. I hope the Duke faithful show up and cheer strong! If I were in town I would be there in a second.

FireOgilvie
03-20-2009, 12:56 AM
I think a lot of people are underplaying this game too much. I've seen Texas a lot this year, and when they are on, they are a top 10 team. Out of conference, they beat UCLA, Villanova, and Wisconsin. Even though they were inconsistent and underachieved through conference play, they are the type of team that we have a lot of trouble with. They are really good down low and have a quick, high-scoring guard. They remind me of Clemson on the interior. They very well may out-rebound us and our success could rely on our ability to hit threes. Their PG Balbay is a good ball-handler and distributor... but the last few games he has had turnover issues. Hopefully, we can exploit that. If we play up to our potential, we will win, but I'm not looking forward to this one.

bjornolf
03-20-2009, 12:59 AM
I think that one of the biggest advantages that we'll have against Texas and going forward in the tournament if we win on Saturday is that we've played several teams similar to Texas, while I don't think they've played anybody like us, especially since the lineup change. One of the advantages of playing in a league like the ACC. Obviously, no two teams are the same, but many teams are modeled similarly and have similar lineups. I think it'll be a good game, and fun to watch.

COYS
03-20-2009, 01:00 AM
Though they have underachieved, Texas still has the personel that made them a preseason top ten team. Abrams is a high level talent, as is James when he wants to be, and they have some real size in Atchley and Pittman. As someone else mentioned, they are a completely different team when Abrams is on. Outside of him, they aren't a particularly good shooting team. This could be a very tough game for Duke. Duke has more overall talent, and they consistently play better and harder, are certainly better coached. Henderson and Singler could pose tough matchups for Texas, as they do not have a big time wing. James ventures out there, but he is much more effective near the basket.
Also, it will likely resemble a Texas home game with the Heels in attendance. I hope the Duke faithful show up and cheer strong! If I were in town I would be there in a second.

I like the matchups. We have more on the perimeter in both talent and quantity. We might not have a shooter who can bury a team consistently like Abrams can, but we also do a good job limiting opponents' 3pt. opportunities. We also deny the entry pass to the post very well. Texas will be a tough team, but we can certainly handle them. I expect our guys to continue to play at a high level. Having Nolan back really helps the matchup with Abrams.

gotham devil
03-20-2009, 01:17 AM
Vegas just made Duke a 7 point favorite.

-bdbd
03-20-2009, 01:40 AM
Though they have underachieved, Texas still has the personel that made them a preseason top ten team. Abrams is a high level talent, as is James when he wants to be, and they have some real size in Atchley and Pittman. As someone else mentioned, they are a completely different team when Abrams is on. Outside of him, they aren't a particularly good shooting team. This could be a very tough game for Duke. Duke has more overall talent, and they consistently play better and harder, are certainly better coached. Henderson and Singler could pose tough matchups for Texas, as they do not have a big time wing. James ventures out there, but he is much more effective near the basket.
Also, it will likely resemble a Texas home game with the Heels in attendance. I hope the Duke faithful show up and cheer strong! If I were in town I would be there in a second.

Who is it that we've played that TX looks like?
I was in a bar tonight and couldn't hear any audio for either game (and frickin' CBS kept switching away anyhow). But it sounds like they may resemble FSU -- a great shooter on the perimeter with some interior strength. Sound about right? We did ok against FSU last time we played them, no?

Anybody know how good their depth is? If it becomes a physical game, using their size against our "bigs," I expect to see much more of Zoubs and Lance and Miles. See -- depth DOES help.

Also I like that our guys were able to rest some tonight -- not facing serious fatigue issues like recent years. Wahoo!

I like our chances. They need to fear DUKE!!!!
Be the hunter! Not the prey.

-BDBD :cool:

dukeballer2294
03-20-2009, 02:21 AM
Didnt like this game during Selection Sunday, but I think we can prevail. Abrams can go off for 30+ and can win a game single handedly, but we have E-WIll, Nolan, and G all there to stop him. Damion James can score in the 20's, but I do not think he will have a good game due to kyle and david and our other athletic big man. Last, Dexter Pittman is the exact player that we may have trouble stopping, big strong post player, but he gets tired quick and although i suspect him to have a good game, it will be a short winded foul plagued game and he cant guard our quicker bigs.

GOOD LUCK DEVILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greg_Newton
03-20-2009, 02:23 AM
Texas is very solid to be sure, but I don't think they're much different from several middle of the pack ACC teams. AJ Abrams is a legimate star - a quick little sharp-shooting guard with a lot of confidence and court presence. They combine that with a solid inside game. This could also describe FSU, Wake, BC, even Miami. By no means will we win by just "showing up", but I think it's selling our guys a little short to say they will need to play outside themselves to get the W. We've consistently showed we are capable of beating this type of team by playing our game with solid effort and execution.

I think the X-factor for us against Texas (and beyond) is G. Jon and Kyle have been very consistent of late... you generally know you're going to get a very good all-around game from them, and sometimes one of them will shoot the lights out and go for 25-30. Nolan and Elliott have proven to be very good role players and defenders, and fill the "sparkplug" roles. Lance always brings his intensity, and McClure has been playing great all-around ball lately. Paulus is the most experienced "8th man" you'll find anywhere.

But G, IMO, is the difference between us being a very good team and a great team. You can never fault him for his effort, but he hasn't looked quite as confident and efficient with the ball as he did mid-ACC season. Don't get me wrong, a slightly-off G is better than most players at their peak, but he has shown that he is capable of being an absolutely dominant and virtually unguardable player at times. If he can get back into that kind of rhythm and regain that swagger, we become extremely difficult to beat.

All of the supporting cogs have come together quite nicely...

FireOgilvie
03-20-2009, 02:41 AM
Who is it that we've played that TX looks like?
I was in a bar tonight and couldn't hear any audio for either game (and frickin' CBS kept switching away anyhow). But it sounds like they may resemble FSU -- a great shooter on the perimeter with some interior strength. Sound about right? We did ok against FSU last time we played them, no?

Anybody know how good their depth is? If it becomes a physical game, using their size against our "bigs," I expect to see much more of Zoubs and Lance and Miles. See -- depth DOES help.



I mentioned this briefly, but Texas, IMO, is basically a clone of Clemson (personnel-wise). They have a lot of big athletic bodies in the middle and Abrams is a better version of Oglesby.

After saying this, I actually looked up some stats and it's pretty uncanny... here is how Clemson and Texas match up with their top 5 scorers (outside of the orange unis).

AJ Abrams (5'11" 16 pts, 2 reb, 1 assist) vs.
Terrence Oglesby (6'2" 13 pts, 2 reb, 2 assist)

Damion James (6'7" 225 15 pts, 9.2 reb) vs.
Trevor Booker (6'7" 240 15 pts, 9.7 reb)

Dexter Pittman (6'10 300 10 pts, 5 reb - he's been on a tear lately though... 19 pts, 20 reb against KSU, 17 pts, 11 reb against Minn.) vs.
Raymond Sykes (6'9 220 9 pts, 5 reb - he's 80 lbs lighter than Pittman)

Justin Mason (6'2" 6 pts, 4 assists) vs.
Demontez Stitt (6'2" 9 pts, 4 assists)

Gary Johnson (6'6" 10 pts, 5 reb) vs.
KC Rivers (6'6" 14 pts, 6 reb)

Throw in Dogus Balbay for Texas, their starting PG (as of the last half of the season). Good ball-handler and distributor, not much of a scoring threat.

Texas is a deep team. They played 9 guys at least 8 minutes against Minnesota. Connor Atchley is a 6'10" forward that averaged 9 pts, 5 reb a game last year, but his production has been about half of that this year for whatever reason. Their other main sub is Varez Ward, a 6'2" freshman PG who doesn't put up too many points, but had 7 pts, 3 reb, 4 assists, and only 1 turnover against Minnesota. They have another 6'10" player, Clint Chapman, who may play 5+ minutes. They have a ton of size coming off the bench.

Duke obviously doesn't match up very well with Clemson and I think Texas is the same story. Duke is the favorite to win this game, but I expect a good fight.

ice-9
03-20-2009, 03:01 AM
A few points...

- Duke is *supposed* to win, but it's hard to argue that Texas has a material chance of upsetting us.

- 7 points doesn't sound like a lot for a 2 seed vs. 7 seed...

- Isn't Minnesota supposed to be a decent defensive team? Kenpom has them ranked 26th in terms of defensive efficiency, whereas we're 16th. We'll put more pressure on Texas, no doubt, but it's not as though Minnesota was chopped liver on defense, and Texas still crushed them.

Bottom line, I expect one helluva dogfight. I hope I'm wrong and Duke blows Texas out, but this seems like a dangerous 2nd round game.

Here's to getting to the second weekend for the first time in two years. GO DUKE!

4decadedukie
03-20-2009, 03:55 AM
My daughter is a UT (Austin) alum, so we follow the Horns, although naturally not with the same intensity as Duke. The are a very solid team, with some excellent players (especially Abrams), who have frequently "underperformed" this season. Combine that with a long-term, top-tier coach (Rick Barnes, who knows Duke and ACC basketball from his Clemson tenure) and, in my opinion, they are dangerous. We can -- and we should -- defeat them, but we absolutely should not underestimate them. A victory over Duke and sweet sixteen stature would make UT's season and restore their respect in Big Twelve territory. That suggests further danger. With this said, I have faith in the selflessness, teamwork, DEFENSE, grit, determination, coaching, and resilience of this year's team; they are terrific. I'm in Durham this weekend for an Annual Fund Executive Committee meeting and we're supposed to have cocktails at the President's House with the Bordheads on Saturday. I wonder if that invitation will be extended to remain for the game -- which would be fun -- or if it will be jumbo-tronned in Cameron?

Saratoga2
03-20-2009, 06:30 AM
Texas definitely looked good today I thought, and handled their opponent easily. But Minnesota is no Duke this year. I don't think Texas looked any better than any of the teams we played in the ACCT. It'll definitely be a good game, but I think if we play well and play our game, we'll do well against them. I don't think Abrams will go off against us the way he did against Minnesota. He got 8 of his 9 baskets from behind the arc against the Gophers. We have long, quick defenders that I think can keep a hand in his face and force him to drive. Maybe he's a good driver too, I don't know, but he wasn't forced to by Minnesota. We'll force him to take more contested shots and see if he shoots it that well. Like I said, I think it'll be a good game, and we could lose, but we've seen great guards before. He won't beat us on his own.

We have both Smith and Williams who can neutralize Abrams to some extend and we have Zoubek who is nearly equal in size to Pittman. Thomas may not be able to deal with him but we shall see.

texas
03-20-2009, 09:37 AM
well, it's finally game on. i'm so excited. my sister graduated from duke, she was in durham for a few national titles (early 90's), so naturally my parents became huge duke basketball fans. i've struggled over the years to get them to follow UT hoops (UT football is a no-brainer) but made a little progress. now it's a family battle.

after attending both duke beatdowns of texas in NYC, i am praying for a competitive game. at least JJ is gone i think, can anyone confirm? :D

obviously there is a reason we are a #7 seed. we've been very inconsistent this year. lots of talk about "underperforming" on this board but not in my eyes, didn't expect that much from the team this year after losing DJ Augustin last year. you have to remember that this texas team has ZERO mcdonald's all-americans. we had a little gap in recruiting which will pick back up again in the next few years.

i have followed duke quite a bit this year as my best friend graduated from there and is on this board. i love henderson and think we'll have a tough time matching up with him. for me the key to the game will be guard play. very interesting to see tubby's strategy vs us, he was packing it the paint to attempt to stop big Dex and allowed/dared us to shoot from outside. we've seen some of that strategy but usually someone is all over AJ, frustrating his attempts to get open shots. well now it's pretty obvious what can happen if you don't keep a body on AJ at all times, he can go off.

i'm pretty sure we'll attempt to pound it in to dex. if i were coach k, i'd try to go at Dex when you have the ball to get him in foul trouble. our depth down low isn't that great, we lost one of our interior players to injury early in the season (wangmene).

i was talking to my duke buddy last night on the phone after the games, he was in greensboro. i said my guess is duke would be favored by 6 or 7, looks like i nailed that. i am hoping and thinking we'll make this competitive but that in the end duke will prevail. i am most curious about the crowd though. both times in NYC duke had something like 80 percent or more of the fans. if texas can have at least half of the crowd in greensboro cheering for them it might help a little.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-20-2009, 09:48 AM
well, it's finally game on. i'm so excited. my sister graduated from duke, she was in durham for a few national titles (early 90's), so naturally my parents became huge duke basketball fans. i've struggled over the years to get them to follow UT hoops (UT football is a no-brainer) but made a little progress. now it's a family battle.

after attending both duke beatdowns of texas in NYC, i am praying for a competitive game. at least JJ is gone i think, can anyone confirm? :D

obviously there is a reason we are a #7 seed. we've been very inconsistent this year. lots of talk about "underperforming" on this board but not in my eyes, didn't expect that much from the team this year after losing DJ Augustin last year. you have to remember that this texas team has ZERO mcdonald's all-americans. we had a little gap in recruiting which will pick back up again in the next few years.

i have followed duke quite a bit this year as my best friend graduated from there and is on this board. i love henderson and think we'll have a tough time matching up with him. for me the key to the game will be guard play. very interesting to see tubby's strategy vs us, he was packing it the paint to attempt to stop big Dex and allowed/dared us to shoot from outside. we've seen some of that strategy but usually someone is all over AJ, frustrating his attempts to get open shots. well now it's pretty obvious what can happen if you don't keep a body on AJ at all times, he can go off.

i'm pretty sure we'll attempt to pound it in to dex. if i were coach k, i'd try to go at Dex when you have the ball to get him in foul trouble. our depth down low isn't that great, we lost one of our interior players to injury early in the season (wangmene).

i was talking to my duke buddy last night on the phone after the games, he was in greensboro. i said my guess is duke would be favored by 6 or 7, looks like i nailed that. i am hoping and thinking we'll make this competitive but that in the end duke will prevail. i am most curious about the crowd though. both times in NYC duke had something like 80 percent or more of the fans. if texas can have at least half of the crowd in greensboro cheering for them it might help a little.

JJ is gone, for a while now. and don't worry about the crowd if Texas keeps it close the UNC crowd will be behind you all night, and whoever else is thier as everyone wants DUKE to lose. Should be a good game.

unexpected
03-20-2009, 10:24 AM
Texas scares the bejeezus out of me. We can outplay their guards, but we absolutely have no answer for pittman. Zoubek may be similar in size, but doesn't have near pittman's athleticism, and he doesn't have any sort of offensive game to put pressure on pittman offensively/in foul trouble.

Texas is just going to sit back in a zone, and make us take jump shots.

Should we win this game? Yes. Is it going to be as easy as people say it is? No. Vegas agrees with my opinion- 7pt favorites is not that much.

Do not take Texas lightly. If we get into a situation where we have singler/mcclure guarding pittman, we're in big trouble. The dude is bigger than Glen Davis (of 2006 LSU fame).

Devilsfan
03-20-2009, 10:26 AM
We need to play like were facing them in our home away from home, NY.

davekay1971
03-20-2009, 10:32 AM
The NCAA tournament is this way now: you may get an easy first round matchup, but, after that, it's probably going to be a dogfight. We're going to have to play well to beat Texas, and there are no easy wins from here on out. But that's true for every other team in the field. Even UNC, matched up against LSU, better bring it if they're going to avoid an upset. So here's to LSU winning, sending the Tarhole fans home in disgrace, and to us holding serve against the Horns!

BTW, it's an away game for us. 9 tenths of that crowd is going to be pro-UNC in the first game, and anti-Duke in the second. I don't think it's going to phase our guys at all.

roywhite
03-20-2009, 10:42 AM
BTW, it's an away game for us. 9 tenths of that crowd is going to be pro-UNC in the first game, and anti-Duke in the second. I don't think it's going to phase our guys at all.

Greensboro is a better town for Duke support than Charlotte, or at least less light blue than the Queen City.

Neals384
03-20-2009, 10:49 AM
Been reading the posts, and it sounds like Texas may be somewhat similar to Pitt. If we can stop Abrams/Pittman, it could be great experience for next Sat/Sun (if we get past 'nova/UCLA).

dukebballcamper90-91
03-20-2009, 11:05 AM
I was @ the game last night in Greensboro. The tar hole fans were deep. 2 guys in front of me yelled all night about duke getting all the fouls and so on. The usher finally came up and asked for their tix and they did not have any for down low and she made the pricks leave. Texas maybe a team that the 2-3 zone would work. AJ is the only real threat from behind the arch, they like to drive, and the big guy down low has been playing pretty solid. I know K likes man but it could mess with them. AJ has the green light, they run this guy of 2 screens almost every play in the half court set. This will be a tough battle for us on Saturday but I will be in the house for sure.

gumbomoop
03-20-2009, 11:58 AM
The NCAA tournament is this way now: you may get an easy first round matchup, but, after that, it's probably going to be a dogfight. We're going to have to play well to beat Texas, and there are no easy wins from here on out. But that's true for every other team in the field. Even UNC, matched up against LSU, better bring it if they're going to avoid an upset.

Yes, all our remaining 5 games are essentially toss-ups. With the exception of the few teams that can overpower and who get a good personnel match-up in a remaining game, all 2d round games and beyond are toss-ups. That we are a 6-7 point favorite is meaningless, for it says we would win a 7-game series 4-1 or 4-2, but that's meaningless.

Dukebballer91-92 makes a key point in referring to multiple screens for Abrams. Given that we seem to switch absolutely everything, I'd worry a little about having Elliott or Jon or Nolan on Pittman several times; or on James, who is strong, strong. Momentum-wise, however, we cannot let Abrams get free for lots of bombs. Good news is he doesn't seem to be a drive-and-dish guard, so we know he wants only 3s. And wanting only to kill us with 3s, he may not be efficient in getting the ball inside to a mismatch. I'm sure there are more informed posters who could comment on Abrams as assist guy; to me, he doesn't seem to do that much.

We got our work cut out for us.

For reasons all posters could detail, so does Texas.

SMO
03-20-2009, 12:03 PM
- Isn't Minnesota supposed to be a decent defensive team? Kenpom has them ranked 26th in terms of defensive efficiency, whereas we're 16th. We'll put more pressure on Texas, no doubt, but it's not as though Minnesota was chopped liver on defense, and Texas still crushed them.


I think a number of Big 10 teams will boast defensive stats that are misleading due to the league's offensive offenses.

Rudy
03-20-2009, 12:03 PM
After round one there are no more easy games in the tournament.

If more of our guys than their guys play well, we win.

Go Duke!

SMO
03-20-2009, 12:04 PM
Duke obviously doesn't match up very well with Clemson and I think Texas is the same story. Duke is the favorite to win this game, but I expect a good fight.

True, but does Texas press? I haven't seen them play all year so I have no idea what their style is.

Jeffrey
03-20-2009, 12:16 PM
- 7 points doesn't sound like a lot for a 2 seed vs. 7 seed...


I think 7 points is substantial given that this year's team is not known for knockout punches and has let some large leads dwindle towards game's end. IMO, it says Vegas feels rather confident of us winning and their real focus is by how much.

JDev
03-20-2009, 12:19 PM
Who is it that we've played that TX looks like?
I was in a bar tonight and couldn't hear any audio for either game (and frickin' CBS kept switching away anyhow). But it sounds like they may resemble FSU -- a great shooter on the perimeter with some interior strength. Sound about right? We did ok against FSU last time we played them, no?

Anybody know how good their depth is? If it becomes a physical game, using their size against our "bigs," I expect to see much more of Zoubs and Lance and Miles. See -- depth DOES help.

Also I like that our guys were able to rest some tonight -- not facing serious fatigue issues like recent years. Wahoo!

I like our chances. They need to fear DUKE!!!!
Be the hunter! Not the prey.

-BDBD :cool:

I think that is a reasonably good comparison, with some small caveats. I think Douglas is a better overall player than Abrams, but Abrams second fiddle, James, is better than any other player on FSU's roster.
Duke's versatily in line-up possibilities will help in this game. Off the bench Zoubek will get much more time than yesterday, and Nolan will continue to get big minutes guarding Abrams. He seems to be back to, or at least very close to his early season form since returning from his concussion.

mkline09
03-20-2009, 12:46 PM
This game reminds me a lot of the match up with Kansas a few years ago. Texas isn't usually a team like Coack K said you see very often in the round of 32. It was unusual to see Duke match up with Kansas that early and Texas really is no exception. They are a solid team but beatable.

ns7
03-20-2009, 01:00 PM
Just for comparison, Wake is favored by 7.5 over Cleveland State. Also, Vegas is more confident than www.kenpom.com, which has us favored by 5. I imagine both are

Other comparisons:
Oklahoma -6 Michigan
Villanova (home) -2 UCLA
Memphis -9 Maryland

As an earlier poster said, once you get to the round of 32 they are all tough matchups. Duke's falls right in the middle of what you'd expect.

CDu
03-20-2009, 01:39 PM
I second the thoughts of those who said that we should expect a tough opponent from here on out. It's the NCAA tournament. Unless you're the #1 seed or you get the good fortune of an upset in your pod, you are going to face a tough team in Round 2 and beyond. Texas is no different. By the same token, they're appropriately seeded as a #7, and thus we should beat them (but of course could lose).

In terms of ACC teams, I disagree with the idea that they're similar to Clemson. I think that they're much more similar to Wake than Clemson. They don't have anyone similar to Booker, and Clemson doesn't really have anyone similar to Abrams. Wake, on the other hand, has better comps with Johnson and Teague.

That said, I think Texas is a very poor man's Wake. Both teams rely on basically one perimeter shooter (Teague/Abrams). Both teams have a tall, versatile forward who can score and rebound, and has a tendency to prefer the perimeter but can score in the post (Johnson/James). But in both cases, Wake has the better of the two players. Abrams is too much of a chucker and doesn't attack the basket. Teague is a better shooter and more aggressive off the dribble. Similarly, Johnson provides more consistent production and better defense than James.

Beyond their big two, the advantage goes heavily to Wake in terms of matching up with us. Pittman is certainly the best other player at the moment. But I'd take the quartet of McFarland, Aminu, Woods and Weaver over Pittman, Johnson, and Atchley for Texas. And the rest of the backcourts are a wash, if not in favor of Wake.

If we can't contain Abrams and James, then Texas has a good chance to win. If we can contain Abrams (and I think we can - we've contained Teague in games past), then Texas is going to have to have an otherwordly performance from a few players and/or we're going to have to have an off-night offensively.

Cameron
03-20-2009, 01:52 PM
Anyone have the regional CBS map for Texas-Duke, and who will be getting what game, as Gonzaga-Western Kentucky is playing at the same time?

I'm getting pretty nervous thinking about it -- to the point of nauseam. I can't stand not knowing whether or not Duke will be televised. (I live in NW Ohio, near the Michigan border.) I'm hoping Western Kentucky is too small a school to draw a great deal of regional coverage.

gumbomoop
03-20-2009, 02:03 PM
Anyone have the regional CBS map for Texas-Duke, and who will be getting what game, as Gonzaga-Western Kentucky is playing at the same time?

I'm getting pretty nervous thinking about it -- to the point of nauseam. I can't stand not knowing whether or not Duke will be televised. (I live in NW Ohio, near the Michigan border.) I'm hoping Western Kentucky is too small a school to draw a great deal of regional coverage.

You're good. See my response to you on [Yes] CBS [definitely, along with many NC local affiliates] sucks thread.

gumbomoop
03-20-2009, 02:15 PM
Anyone have the regional CBS map for Texas-Duke, and who will be getting what game, as Gonzaga-Western Kentucky is playing at the same time?

I'm getting pretty nervous thinking about it -- to the point of nauseam. I can't stand not knowing whether or not Duke will be televised. (I live in NW Ohio, near the Michigan border.) I'm hoping Western Kentucky is too small a school to draw a great deal of regional coverage.

My apologies to you for a bad mistake. As Feldspar notes on CBS sucks thread [post #55], the TV-time bracket lists local times, so I'm wrong that we're only late game. WKU-Zags do conflict.

Troublemaker
03-20-2009, 02:32 PM
If Texas plays man to man, Duke will need to post up our guards some. One of the advantages we have in this game is guard height, as Balbay, Abrams, and Mason only go 6'0", 5'11", and 6'2" across the backline.

Texas can beat Duke but they'll have to do it using quickness. The way we play defense, the Horns will need Balbay, Abrams, and Mason to penetrate, draw, and dish or just shoot, allowing Pittman and James to clean up the offensive boards for easy putbacks. If they're quick enough to beat us off the dribble and disciplined enough to not charge, the game's a toss-up. If they're not, we might even blow them out. I haven't watched Texas enough to know how good their guards are. I just know that having lots of size inside is wasted against Duke unless the opponent has quick guards because our defense takes away the vision for entry passes.

RelativeWays
03-20-2009, 03:09 PM
What I'm hoping is that Duke approaches this game like the Purdue game and attacks aggresively. This team knows that alot of people are picking Texas as an upset, and Texas can be a scary team. People forget that Duke can be scary too, ask Purdue or Xavier. I think our guys will remember what happened last year with WVU, but unlike WVU, Texas is an underachiever, not a sleeper like WVU, and I think Duke is well aware of what damage they can do. Even when they play up to their potential, I think this Duke team is better, especially as of late. We're not stumbling and bumbling into the NCAA's this year, we're FOCUSED!!!!!!

Deladev
03-20-2009, 04:45 PM
Thanks for your Post.

Whoever you are, I love you!!!

Deladev--nervous, but breathing better

mgtr
03-20-2009, 05:37 PM
If we run a lot, can we tire out Pittman?

dukebballcamper90-91
03-20-2009, 05:45 PM
Just saw that Saturday's game is a sell out.

House G
03-20-2009, 06:59 PM
If Texas plays man to man, Duke will need to post up our guards some. One of the advantages we have in this game is guard height, as Balbay, Abrams, and Mason only go 6'0", 5'11", and 6'2" across the backline.

Texas can beat Duke but they'll have to do it using quickness. The way we play defense, the Horns will need Balbay, Abrams, and Mason to penetrate, draw, and dish or just shoot, allowing Pittman and James to clean up the offensive boards for easy putbacks. If they're quick enough to beat us off the dribble and disciplined enough to not charge, the game's a toss-up. If they're not, we might even blow them out. I haven't watched Texas enough to know how good their guards are. I just know that having lots of size inside is wasted against Duke unless the opponent has quick guards because our defense takes away the vision for entry passes.
I hear they like to play zone--can anyone confirm?

Atlanta Duke
03-20-2009, 07:25 PM
K and Rick Barnes make nice in a N&O blog post

On Friday, a day before the Longhorns were scheduled to meet Duke in a second-round NCAA Tournament game, Barnes talked about a job interview he had at Duke in the early 1980s....

"I remember telling him, 'I've watched what you do, and I believe in you.' " Barnes said. "Obviously I wanted the job. I said, 'I believe in what you've done, and there is no doubt you're going to get the job done.' "...

"He understands like most of us in our game that the game's bigger than all of us, and we just should do our part and get along and try to become the best we can be," Krzyzewski said.

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/barnes-coach-k-have-long-history

Unfortunately no quote from Dean as to whether K or Barnes is more wonderful

Wheat/"/"/"
03-20-2009, 07:30 PM
I just know that having lots of size inside is wasted against Duke unless the opponent has quick guards because our defense takes away the vision for entry passes.

As a Heel fan, I would actually like to see Duke and the ACC play well and win.
I want to see the Heels and Duke meet in the final four...wouldn't that be great? Thnk anyone would pay attention to that?

As for the Texas game, it will be interesting and I think Troublemaker hit the nail on the head as they say by bringing up entry passes.
Can Texas get the ball inside to the big men in scoring position? Without turning it over? That's the game deciding question to me.

Duke's ball pressure is unlike anything Texas has probably experienced. I'd say the Texas guards can handle it OK, but can the big men? My prediction is they struggle and turn it over too much, allowing Duke's transition game to get them in the end.

I like Duke in this one.....by 6.

Indoor66
03-20-2009, 07:50 PM
As a Heel fan, I would actually like to see Duke and the ACC play well and win.
I want to see the Heels and Duke meet in the final four...wouldn't that be great? Thnk anyone would pay attention to that?

As for the Texas game, it will be interesting and I think Troublemaker hit the nail on the head as they say by bringing up entry passes.
Can Texas get the ball inside to the big men in scoring position? Without turning it over? That's the game deciding question to me.

Duke's ball pressure is unlike anything Texas has probably experienced. I'd say the Texas guards can handle it OK, but can the big men? My prediction is they struggle and turn it over too much, allowing Duke's transition game to get them in the end.

I like Duke in this one.....by 6.

Good thinking, oh level headed tar heel fan! :D

banneheim
03-20-2009, 11:03 PM
Ok, the 300lbs I believe, but is he really 6"10? He seems only about 6"7.

weezie
03-20-2009, 11:15 PM
Oh yeah, he's definitely that tall. He darkens the skies. The floor seemed to tilt at either end in Gboro when he was anywhere in the paint. Which he was...often.

weezie
03-20-2009, 11:19 PM
If we run a lot, can we tire out Pittman?

Yes to this, too, but AJ does not know the meaning of tired. It's got to be lights out shooting from Duke. And everybody say their prayers tonight for a nice free throw percentage.

-bdbd
03-20-2009, 11:20 PM
Who's going to have a big night for the Devils?

I'm thinking this game looks to play out well for Mr. Singler, as he'll be guarded by a not-ideally-mobile big who likes to stay near the paint. Let's hope Kyle's shots are falling. I'm also thinking Gerald's penetration will make a difference, in terms of opening things up. But Zoubs could really have an impact, especially on the D end. (And as has been said, on-the-ball pressure from Mr. Smith and Mr. Williams will be critical.)

Am REALLY hoping we get up early to take the Kerlina crowd out of the game. If Duke leads by 12+ at the half, then many of them will be gone.

I've always been one to pull for the ACC in general, against non-conference foes, especially in the NCAA's (Damn Clemson and BC!)... But knowing that 20,000 LOUD/OBNOXIOUS Longhorn fans will be cheering on "their team" while decked out in faded blue... just makes it hard for me not to root for LSU!


-BDBD

Gaeux Tigers!! :D

DukieBoy
03-21-2009, 09:52 AM
Anyone have the regional CBS map for Texas-Duke, and who will be getting what game, as Gonzaga-Western Kentucky is playing at the same time?

I'm getting pretty nervous thinking about it -- to the point of nauseam. I can't stand not knowing whether or not Duke will be televised. (I live in NW Ohio, near the Michigan border.) I'm hoping Western Kentucky is too small a school to draw a great deal of regional coverage.

For the first round game, my CBS coverage showed VCU vs. UCLA. I went on espn and clicked watch by the Duke-Binghamton game. It took me to March Madness on Demand, which is free I guess. I watched the entire game on my computer. It never once stopped or froze. Just a suggestion.

captmojo
03-21-2009, 10:12 AM
Who's going to have a big night for the Devils?



















All of them, I hope. Good point on Kyle but it's gonna take a team effort.

I look for it to be "The G Show". Gonna need a slasher/dasher in addition to good perimeter shooting.

COYS
03-21-2009, 01:04 PM
All of them, I hope. Good point on Kyle but it's gonna take a team effort.

I look for it to be "The G Show". Gonna need a slasher/dasher in addition to good perimeter shooting.

A few key contributions by Elliot and Nolan on offense would be very nice, as well. I think that fits into the "Team" part of what it will take, but assuming Kyle, Jon, and G have solid games, contributions from those two on offense will make it hard for Texas to keep up, even if Abrams has a great game.

riverside6
03-21-2009, 07:57 PM
Here's the link to Live Stats for tonight's game...

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=3345

The starting lineups are posted.

davekay1971
03-21-2009, 08:06 PM
'Bout time to start drinking. Gotta calm the nerves...

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 08:10 PM
'Bout time to start drinking. Gotta calm the nerves...

Good idea I haven't benn this nervous about a game in a long time, not counting unc. We need this one bad. Lets go Devils come out and set the tone in the first 5 minutes. Show em that we may be smaller but we play just as tough as anyone else.

LGD

Airforcedukie

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:20 PM
Singler guarding Pittman in the post? I hope I never see that again unless they're both playing in the NBA.

We better get Zoubek in the game. Fast.

And here he comes now. But Pittman is not in the game. I think it's more because LT has two fouls.

The Gordog
03-21-2009, 08:24 PM
Here's the link to Live Stats for tonight's game...

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=3345

The starting lineups are posted.

Is there a better game tracker anywhere?

FireOgilvie
03-21-2009, 08:25 PM
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I'm so glad to see Z in there... we're so much better when he's in the game and playing well.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 08:25 PM
Singler guarding Pittman in the post? I hope I never see that again unless they're both playing in the NBA.

We better get Zoubek in the game. Fast.

And here he comes now. But Pittman is not in the game. I think it's more because LT has two fouls.

Changed some shots and played well so far go Zoubs

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:25 PM
Scheyer and Henderson aggressive early. Singler a bit tentative. Z already making his presence felt. We need to see what happens when he and Pittman are both on the floor. I hope you got your rest, big Z, we're gonna need ya.

BEAUTIFUL FEED, G TO KYLE FOR 2! Plus a charge at the other end.
LET'S GO DUKE!

FireOgilvie
03-21-2009, 08:27 PM
Is there a better game tracker anywhere?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=college+basketball+game+tracker

The Gordog
03-21-2009, 08:27 PM
Is there a better game tracker anywhere?

And is anybody getting the Live Stream working at ncaa.com?

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:29 PM
When Pittman is in, I want to see us either double him in the post (fat chance, i'm sure. No pun intended) or push the tempo, so he can't get set up and, we hope, wears down. Of course, if Z's in, it may be harder for us to run, and it's not really our style now anyway.

Wonder what K thinks? We'll see.

_Gary
03-21-2009, 08:35 PM
Good defense so far from us. Texas has hit several shots with hands right in their faces. Hopefully that does not continue, because it's already burning me up and we are only 8 minutes into the game.

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:36 PM
I like the McClure on Abrams matchup for us. Abrams likes to shoot, not drive to the hole. Dave can bother his shot without having to worry too much about not being quick enough to keep him from the basket.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 08:37 PM
Whats up with the two annoying Wake fans behind Dukes basket

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:42 PM
Suddenly our offense looks a little stagnant. And when was the last time we went the first 10 minutes of the game without a free throw?

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:47 PM
Bad break for Scheyer. The guy slipped and fell just as he was on Jon's hip. The ref just made an assumption. I think the refs are little too conscious of who's involved in this game. That doesn't bode well for us. Remember the start of the last game, all the (correctly called) fouls? I think we're seeing a backlash now.


Meanwhile, Scheyer for 3!!!!!!!

_Gary
03-21-2009, 08:48 PM
Z is really paying dividends in this game. Keep it up, big fella!

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 08:48 PM
Bad break for Scheyer. The guy slipped and fell just as he was on Jon's hip. The ref just made an assumption. I think the refs are little too conscious of who's involved in this game. That doesn't bode well for us. Remember the start of the last game, all the (correctly called) fouls? I think we're seeing a backlash now.


Meanwhile, Scheyer for 3!!!!!!!

Yep you can definatly tell that they are trying not to look bias in this game. Or they could just be letting them play except for that terrible call against scheyer

This is a ZOUBEK game tonight ladies and getlemen

TNDukeFan
03-21-2009, 08:49 PM
In TN we're getting Gonz-W KY so I'm at the laptop. Picture and sound are perfect.

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:49 PM
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Neither team tearing it up. We break out with a spurt. Jon is really starting to like that 3 off the ball screen at the top.

DukieInBrasil
03-21-2009, 08:50 PM
wow, G is really off tonight so far. But Jon just nailed a three and Z is yanking down boards and getting blocks and steals and put-backs OH MY!!! We´re up 8 and just forced the Tigg..uhh..Longhorns to call a TO!!
Go DUKE!!!

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:51 PM
Yep you can definatly tell that they are trying not to look bias in this game. Or they could just be letting them play except for that terrible call against scheyer

This is a ZOUBEK game tonight ladies and getlemen

The tip-off to me is the warning to both benches. They're posturing. Anyway, let's hope we outplay them to the point that it doesn't matter.

And you couldn't be more right about ZOUBEK. He's coming up big, too.

_Gary
03-21-2009, 08:52 PM
Our defense and rebounding are very solid right now. If we can keep it up at this level we'll win going away. Problem is it's hard to keep up this type of intensity for an entire game.

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:53 PM
In TN we're getting Gonz-W KY so I'm at the laptop. Picture and sound are perfect.

We love it in Australia, too! The whole idea of college athletics as spectator sports is well, foreign, here so I'd be up the creek without MMOD.

Sgt. Dingleberry
03-21-2009, 08:53 PM
It's good that we are building a lead, because at some point in this game Abrams is going to go off...

_Gary
03-21-2009, 08:54 PM
The tip-off to me is the warning to both benches. They're posturing. Anyway, let's hope we outplay them to the point that it doesn't matter.

The potential problem is the overabundance of Carolina fans booing every call that goes Duke's way. It's very tough for officials not to be influenced, on a subconscious level, with such energy from the crowd.

DukieInBrasil
03-21-2009, 08:54 PM
so far we´re playing good D, as reflected by their 35% FG shooting. We´re not tearing it up either, at 40%. Both teams are playing great FT defense as Texas is only 57% and Duke is 50%. We are rebounding well again against a taller team. We have a lot of relatively tall guards and lots of quick guys nicely balanced by the extremely tall but glacier-paced Z, who is snaring rebs left and right.

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 08:58 PM
Good, tough lay-up by Nolan. Took the bump and finished. Nice to see from him especially.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 08:59 PM
another bad call on scheyer

_Gary
03-21-2009, 08:59 PM
Oh boy, Jon with 2 now. The first was really bogus, and this one was kinda so-so as well. Don't like the flow right now. Very much in Texas' favor at the moment.

ArkieDukie
03-21-2009, 09:00 PM
another bad call on scheyer

It's almost like Abrams is Hansbrough. If you breathe in his general vicinity, it must be a foul.

Revisiting Shelden Williams status: 1262 career rebounds.

Sgt. Dingleberry
03-21-2009, 09:01 PM
another bad call on scheyer

Yeah, that one pissed me off...

Just lose control of the ball and barrel into the guy guarding you and VOILA, free throws....

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 09:01 PM
The potential problem is the overabundance of Carolina fans booing every call that goes Duke's way. It's very tough for officials not to be influenced, on a subconscious level, with such energy from the crowd.

Has anyone ever heard someone from the program talk about whether they'd prefer to play in NC or somewhere in the northeast? I'm really getting sick of us being in the position after getting something that's supposed to be a reward. But maybe the players and coaches would still rather play closer to home.

DukieInBrasil
03-21-2009, 09:07 PM
Duke is not finishing the half with a flourish. Up 8 they had a chance to really knock Tx out of the game. Instead Tx gets a new life in this game and is only down 5 with a minute and a half left. EWill with the steal, come on boys, pour it on now!!!

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 09:10 PM
Hmmmm, I'd like to know what happened on that possession after williams' steal. We had two chances to get it in to Thomas 2 feet from the basket in a huge mismatch with Abrams. Did they miss him, or just ignore him. We're not really used to feeding the post this year but you don't expect to miss something like that.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 09:13 PM
Good half for us but not great we need to step it up in the next half. We are holding abrams to bad shots which is good.

JDev
03-21-2009, 09:14 PM
Good half. Duke played solid defensively. Two of Abrams's shots were very difficult and well guarded. If Duke would have shot a little better and gotten their percentage up into the 40's, they would have a double digit lead.

Sgt. Dingleberry
03-21-2009, 09:15 PM
Hmmmm, I'd like to know what happened on that possession after williams' steal. We had two chances to get it in to Thomas 2 feet from the basket in a huge mismatch with Abrams. Did they miss him, or just ignore him. We're not really used to feeding the post this year but you don't expect to miss something like that.

Yeah, you could tell Lance was NOT happy...

I thought we played pretty well...

It seemed like TX either shot free throws or turned the ball over, so we didn't have to worry about them on the boards...

I feel like the only 2 guys in the flow of the offense for us in the first half were G and Nolan...Nolan played GREAT while I thought Gerald shot too many shot early in the shot clock...

If G shoots one more of those "pump fake and get the guy in the air and try and get the foul called" jumpers from the top of the key I might throw my Corona through a window...Scheyer knows how to do it, Gerald does not...

ice-9
03-21-2009, 09:15 PM
Henderson's gotta stop taking so many long, contested 2 pt jumpers!!

Our defense giving us the lead so far in the 1st half.

Great performance by Scheyer, Nolan and Zoubek.

I'd like to see Singler assert himself a bit more in the second half.

Sgt. Dingleberry
03-21-2009, 09:17 PM
[QUOTE=jyuwono;275687]

I'd like to see Singler assert himself a bit more in the second half.[/QUOTE

Agree completely....

Son of Mojo
03-21-2009, 09:17 PM
Defense has played well and we've done a little better than ok offensively. I don't like some of the no-calls (Nolan fouled on his lay-up, Texas jumping over the back a couple of times) but I have to think we can seal the deal in the 2nd half.

DukieInBrasil
03-21-2009, 09:19 PM
well, we finished the half up 7 after letting Tx creep within 3, so we had a nice little counter-rally to get some more breathing room. Let´s see if the boys can come out of the gates in the 2nd half and open a 20+ lead!!!
G is coming around a little, he hit a couple of shots and nailed both FTs, so hopefully he´ll be loosened up in the 2nd half.
Lots of good nugs from the first half, Z turned in a very credible performance as did Nolan. In fact, G is really the only guy who has not played that well, and he´s not playing all that badly.
We are right there, (-1) on rebounding. Both teams´FT defense has gotten worse as both teams are now shooting 70%+, Duke is actually shooting very well from charityville, 7-8 FTs. Our 3pt shooting is good too, we just haven´t taken that many, only 6.
If we wint he 2nd half by 7 too, i´ll be pleased with that...

grossbus
03-21-2009, 09:19 PM
just a thought, how was the hit on Z different than when G hit hanstravel???


scheyer has two fouls, neither of which were fouls.

flyingdutchdevil
03-21-2009, 09:24 PM
He pops everything. It's kinda crazy. I was a little disappointed by his shot selection (in the most "i-respect-your-shot-but-i-still-want-you-to-burn" type fashion). Duke is playing great. Front line is playing great and keeping it under control. Guards make me happy.

GO DUKE. GO DUKE. GO DUKE.

GO TO HELL CAROLINA, GO TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love being an alum. everyone hates you for the most stupid reasons.

jv001
03-21-2009, 09:26 PM
Just can't let AJ go off on one of his streaks of making every thing he throws up to the basket. Jon is doing a very good job on him. I believe that two of his baskets came against Dave on switches. Zoubs is playing very well and Lance is also. Need to get Kyle going and we need to stay out of foul trouble. Go Duke!

Duke79UNLV77
03-21-2009, 09:38 PM
breakdown after breakdown.
some poor shot selection on the offensive end

_Gary
03-21-2009, 09:38 PM
And just like that, Texas is right back with us. Ugh...

jv001
03-21-2009, 09:40 PM
I don't like the idea of Kyle guarding Pittman. It's giving Texas some offense. Let's hope Coach K puts Brian back in. Go Duke!

loran16
03-21-2009, 09:40 PM
Too many dumb shots, and too many missed shots here....Lance needs to be out, he can't guard the inside pass.

EDIT: Where the heck has McClure been? Seriously?

KenTankerous
03-21-2009, 09:45 PM
G!!!

loran16
03-21-2009, 09:46 PM
Seriously though, Lance is not able to guard the inbound pass when Pittman is in. So why not give Dave a try? Hes been in only like 5 minutes.....

jv001
03-21-2009, 09:48 PM
We got caught with Zoubs in against quicker players not Pittman. Would like to have seen him in just when Pittman is in the game. 4 fouls bad..Go Duke!

FireOgilvie
03-21-2009, 09:53 PM
Pittman with 4 fouls!!! Singler needs to try and attack the basket more... and Texas is playing really good defense on Scheyer.

jv001
03-21-2009, 09:54 PM
Now 4 on Pittman. They miss Pittman more than we miss Zoubs..Good trade off. Now if Kyle fake a 3 and drive to the basket and get a goal. That could get him going. Go Duke!

arnie
03-21-2009, 09:54 PM
Inability to rebound - if it doesn't get us in this game, its just a matter of time till it does. What we could do with one effective big body inside!

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:03 PM
We'd have this game in hand if we could get a stop or two, but right now Texas keeps getting points every time down the court. Very maddening!

The offensive rebounding from them is killing us and definitely keeping them in the game.

jv001
03-21-2009, 10:03 PM
All of a sudden no on the ball defense. This does not look good. Let's get some stops. Go Duke!

loran16
03-21-2009, 10:06 PM
Are we playing some type of zone? It looks either like a box and one or a matchup zone....i don't like it and it seems like it hasn't been working.

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:06 PM
Arghh!!!! They almost lose the ball and instead Kyle gets another foul.

FireOgilvie
03-21-2009, 10:07 PM
Singler definitely says "rainbow" before FTs.

SharkD
03-21-2009, 10:08 PM
Oscar-worthy performance by A.J. Abrams

House G
03-21-2009, 10:08 PM
No replay?

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 10:08 PM
1. The refs are taking this whole Duke gets all the calls thing a little too seriously great acting by Abrams

2. Somebody please find out what in the hell Singler says before his free throws

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:08 PM
And the refs may have just completely changed this game around with a horrible call for Kyle's 4th. We were ready to put these guys away and the refs bail them out and get one of our top guys off the court at the same time.

FireOgilvie
03-21-2009, 10:09 PM
1. The refs are taking this whole Duke gets all the calls thing a little too seriously great acting by Abrams

2. Somebody please find out what in the hell Singler says before his free throws

Look up. ^^^^

"Rainbow."

He really enunciated that time.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 10:10 PM
Look up. ^^^^

"Rainbow."

He really enunciated that time.

Thank you somebody call a reporter that will be there for the post game interview and ask just in case

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:10 PM
Can't believe Jon just gave them 2 free points. Dang! And now a "carry" on the offensive end. We had this one well in hand and now we've just let them right back in to this thing.

banneheim
03-21-2009, 10:11 PM
Whenever their is a blown call, why doesn't CBS show replay?

loran16
03-21-2009, 10:12 PM
Seriously guys, stop losing momentum on dumb plays. Smith clearly palmed the ball for at least 2 seconds, and scheyer's turnover was very un-jon like. Bad time to goof up for the first tim all year.

EDIT, HOW IS THAT NOT AN OFFENSIVE FOUL!

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 10:13 PM
Whenever their is a blown call, why doesn't CBS show replay?


Its only beneficial for them to show when Duke gets hooked up by the REFS so they can keep with the DUKE GETS ALL THE CALLS VIBE

slower
03-21-2009, 10:14 PM
And can somebody PLEASE rebound like a MAN? Losing rebounds is KILLING us!

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:14 PM
This team has a maddening way of allowing other teams to stick around when they were just one or two more solid plays from blowing it open. I've seen it from these guys all year long. Between the phantom call on Kyle that gave Texas 3 free points from the line and the boneheaded play by Jon to give them 2 more free points, that's 5 they absolutely should not have at the 5 minute mark.

slower
03-21-2009, 10:15 PM
Look up. ^^^^

"Rainbow."

He really enunciated that time.

as in, shoot with an arc like a rainbow (to avoid a flat shot).

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:17 PM
How many bunnies have we missed where we could have easily had "and ones"? I'd say at least half a dozen. We need to put those in and pick up 3 points.

slower
03-21-2009, 10:18 PM
This team has a maddening way of allowing other teams to stick around when they were just one or two more solid plays from blowing it open. I've seen it from these guys all year long. Between the phantom call on Kyle that gave Texas 3 free points from the line and the boneheaded play by Jon to give them 2 more free points, that's 5 they absolutely should not have at the 5 minute mark.

and amen. It seems almost inevitable, and I can't understand it.

banneheim
03-21-2009, 10:18 PM
I can't believe this is happening....Why do I have this bad feeling????

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:18 PM
Lance gone. The entire team is probably soon to follow. Love these refs, don't you. :rolleyes:

Seriously, if we lose this game you can point right back to the phantom 4th on Kyle when we were up by 10 and he had just forced a miss from Abrams.

loran16
03-21-2009, 10:19 PM
GOD. The refs are BAILING THEM OUT. This entire last 5 minutes. Utterly ridiculous.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 10:20 PM
We have played close games all year long. We are ready for this

House G
03-21-2009, 10:20 PM
This reminds me of 1986 NC game against Louisville when we led the whole game and we had 3-4 guys foul out at the end (I seem to recall).

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:20 PM
We need somebody to step up under adversity now. Thomas has fouled out. Will we see Z or will K or small?

C'mon guys, gut out this last 5 minutes. You can do it!

jv001
03-21-2009, 10:20 PM
This team is going to give me a heart attack. Such poor play on defense and offense as well. Someone needs to step up. Go Duke!

slower
03-21-2009, 10:21 PM
you may want to say it now, because this whole board will be locked in the event of a loss.

DU Band Prez 88
03-21-2009, 10:21 PM
As we used to chant,
"The refs...they suck....they really, really suck!"

We need Kyle and Gerald to step up.

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:22 PM
Very small. Let's hope we can come up big.

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:24 PM
I cannot comprehend us losing this game, but my heart tells me we are going to do just that.

jv001
03-21-2009, 10:26 PM
Not the refs! Go Duke!

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:26 PM
I'd like to see a play for G in the post or a high ball screen for Scheyer out of the timeout.

loran16
03-21-2009, 10:26 PM
I hate my life. Seriously. I will kill if we lose this game.

House G
03-21-2009, 10:27 PM
Jim Nance (Texas alum?) is too giddy for me.

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:27 PM
Singler!

loran16
03-21-2009, 10:27 PM
ALSO, how was that not over the back? Seroiusly? EVERY CALL.

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:28 PM
Jim Nance (Texas alum?) is too giddy for me.

He went to Houston. I have no problem with his perspective in this game. Not the biggest fan of his style but he hasn't been biased.

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:28 PM
Bottom line, we just couldn't get stops. Seems to me like Texas has scored on just about every possession since the 7 minute mark. And the refs really have been instrumental in all of it.

slower
03-21-2009, 10:28 PM
a warrior all the way. God, I love that guy.

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:30 PM
Nolan cool as a cucumber!

Rebound! Yes! C'mon baby! Hit your free throws and book our flight to Boston!

slower
03-21-2009, 10:31 PM
Smartest player EVER! EVER!!

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 10:32 PM
One of the greatest plays in the history of Duke basketball by Scheyer

House G
03-21-2009, 10:33 PM
My bad

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:33 PM
If we advance, Jon Scheyer just made the play of the year -- the play of the last 3 years!!!

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:34 PM
One of the greatest plays in the history of Duke basketball by Scheyer

I hope for his sake we hold on and win, because he did give the other team a free 2 points a few minutes ago.

slower
03-21-2009, 10:35 PM
This is just NOT good for anybody's heart.

House G
03-21-2009, 10:35 PM
Dave McClure-Huge!

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:35 PM
One of the greatest plays in the history of Duke basketball by Scheyer

I haven't seen anything similar since Magic Johnson's rebound and over-the-head roll all the way down the court to run out almost the entire clock against the trailblazers in 91.

C'mon, just one free throw. Just one.......NO....but a rebound!!!!

Duke79UNLV77
03-21-2009, 10:35 PM
Mr. Glue!

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-21-2009, 10:35 PM
She doesnt get into the games that much but right now she is freaking out for Our Blue Devils

LGD

Airforcedukie

NSDukeFan
03-21-2009, 10:36 PM
How about our rebounding and toughness? This is one heck of a tough team and creating extra chances on the boards. Wow!

banneheim
03-21-2009, 10:36 PM
unfreaking believable......let me go take my blood pressure med

_Gary
03-21-2009, 10:36 PM
Whew! I knew Elliot would miss both. I just knew it! Not a slam on him, but I just knew it. Thank goodness Gerald has knocked down at least one before the TO. We should have this in hand now.

House G
03-21-2009, 10:36 PM
I need CPR!

bjornolf
03-21-2009, 10:37 PM
great win guys!

What amazing heart and determination to pull that one out. Wow. This is how all those close games during the season are paying off. HUGE! And K pulls ahead of Roy in 30 win seasons again.

jv001
03-21-2009, 10:37 PM
Sweet 16...Go Duke!

devildownunder
03-21-2009, 10:38 PM
and how sweet it is!

GoingFor#5
03-21-2009, 10:38 PM
That was one of the most slow, dis-jointed, horribly officiated games I have ever seen, but at least we won in the end.