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bjornolf
03-21-2009, 11:06 PM
Welcome to the Sweet 16, guys and gals!

I'm pumped after that Texas game. Got the adrenaline coursing through me, so I want to start looking at 'Nova. What are we facing here guys, give me the scoop!

DukeUsul
03-21-2009, 11:10 PM
Alls I know is that Villanova looked very good today. But then again, UCLA couldn't play a lick of defense. Nova's got lots of athletes.

gotham devil
03-21-2009, 11:20 PM
Vegas just opened Duke as a 2.5 favorite over Villanova.

JDev
03-21-2009, 11:24 PM
Villanova looked great, but UCLA also seemed to be on the Wake Forrest intensity plan. They just could not match Nova's intensity and looked lethargic. A lot of that has to do with Nova playing at a high level. As Bilas remarked during the game, Nova likes to spread you out and dribble drive and make you defend as an individual. Nova has great guards, and Duke's top priority is defending that drive, something that has been a bit of an achilles heel (though not quite as big of one as many think).

cspan37421
03-21-2009, 11:32 PM
I would recommend any Duke players planning to attempt layups against Villanova get outfitted by Cutcliffe's staff with protective gear - they will be assaulted going to the rim.

JDev
03-21-2009, 11:52 PM
If comparative scoring has any value, the Texas team that Duke just beat beat Villanova in December on a neutral floor.

DUKIE V(A)
03-21-2009, 11:53 PM
Villanova is one of the non-Duke teams I follow pretty closely. From what I hear, the experts seem to like NOVA over us. It will certainly be a tough game FOR BOTH TEAMS (not just us). I like our chances if we play well and I expect us to do just that. Villanova can score the ball but they can be scored on. They also are a very inconsistent shooting team.

NOVA has a bunch of talented players but are not a very big team. They basically go eight deep with only two true bigmen (Cunningham and Pena -- neither are over 6'8").

Reynolds and Cunningham are their best players IMHO.

Scottie Reynolds, a Junior, has averaged about 15 ppg all three years at NOVA. He can be a streaky shooter and turnover prone. But he is well-rounded player who can drive to the basket as well as shoot the three. He has had several 40+ point nights in college. When he is on, he is REALLY on. He is the best guy on their team at getting others invloved (often via the drive and dish) and forces his offense less than many of their other guards (though this isn't saying much).

Dante Cunningham, a Senior, has always been under-appreciated. At 6'8", he is NOVA's best big man. This season he emerged as an All-Big East performer averaging 18 and 10 a game. He's not flashy but very effective.

Corey Fisher is a streaky sophomore guard who can be instant offense. He is a talent, but I am not a big fan. He plays out of control and takes lots of bad shots. He rarely passes or makes his teammates better. I think we can take advantage of that. If he is off, he jacks it up even more. He can shot NOVA into and out of a game.

NOVA's other main players include Shane Clark (a 6'7" long swing player playing forward), Dawayne Anderson (a player who has come on as a senior), Reggie Redding (a muscular, solid all-around player), Corey? Stokes (a sophomore guard with a nice stroke), and Antonio Pena (a hard-nosed, under-appreciated talented big man off the pine).

Are their weaker #3 seeds out there? YES! But like everyone else, they can be beaten. I think we will win out in the end because we play more disciplined, team-oriented basketball. The key will be keeping Reynolds and Fisher in check. I think we do it with Williams, Nolan, and Jon.

gofurman
03-22-2009, 12:20 AM
Villanova looked great, but UCLA also seemed to be on the Wake Forrest intensity plan. They just could not match Nova's intensity and looked lethargic. A lot of that has to do with Nova playing at a high level. As Bilas remarked during the game, Nova likes to spread you out and dribble drive and make you defend as an individual. Nova has great guards, and Duke's top priority is defending that drive, something that has been a bit of an achilles heel (though not quite as big of one as many think).

this is my concern - I watched their game and then Duke's - Texas was able to get by NS and EW some and Nova is going to go at that even harder.

Texas seemed to play about ten minutes where there entire m.o. was spread the floor and watch whoever beat NS or JS off the dribble - it worked pretty well too. THey either got a layup or dished as help came. If Nova's guards are quicker (and they look at least more athletic though this doesn't mean quicker) it will be v tough but imperative to stay in front of them.

We know our two weaknesses are stoppint the PG and the inside game. Texas was good but not great at the PG speed (Abrams more of a shooter) but great huge inside. I see Villanova as reverse - a ton of athletic scoring guards and a little inside. Though the inside guys they have are tough if small.

-bdbd
03-22-2009, 12:49 AM
:cool:
Villanova is one of the non-Duke teams I follow pretty closely. From what I hear, the experts seem to like NOVA over us. It will certainly be a tough game FOR BOTH TEAMS (not just us). I like our chances if we play well and I expect us to do just that. Villanova can score the ball but they can be scored on. They also are a very inconsistent shooting team.

NOVA has a bunch of talented players but are not a very big team. They basically go eight deep with only two true bigmen (Cunningham and Pena -- neither are over 6'8").

Reynolds and Cunningham are their best players IMHO.

Scottie Reynolds, a Junior, has averaged about 15 ppg all three years at NOVA. He can be a streaky shooter and turnover prone. But he is well-rounded player who can drive to the basket as well as shoot the three. He has had several 40+ point nights in college. When he is on, he is REALLY on. He is the best guy on their team at getting others invloved (often via the drive and dish) and forces his offense less than many of their other guards (though this isn't saying much).

Dante Cunningham, a Senior, has always been under-appreciated. At 6'8", he is NOVA's best big man. This season he emerged as an All-Big East performer averaging 18 and 10 a game. He's not flashy but very effective.

Corey Fisher is a streaky sophomore guard who can be instant offense. He is a talent, but I am not a big fan. He plays out of control and takes lots of bad shots. He rarely passes or makes his teammates better. I think we can take advantage of that. If he is off, he jacks it up even more. He can shot NOVA into and out of a game.



Are their weaker #3 seeds out there? YES! But like everyone else, they can be beaten. I think we will win out in the end because we play more disciplined, team-oriented basketball. The key will be keeping Reynolds and Fisher in check. I think we do it with Williams, Nolan, and Jon.

=======
I actually like our matchup vs Nova, though they are obviously a really good team. I didn't see them today -- do they have anyone who could stop Zoubs down low? Do they match up ok vs Kyle inside-outside? We've got three above-average defenders on the perimeter, who play terrific as a TEAM. So we'll defend well against the outside shooting strength of theirs as well as anyone. 'can't wait till next week!!! Villanova needs to fear Duke! They certainly should. :p

-BDBD
Damn that was a great feeling win!!! :D

InSpades
03-22-2009, 12:54 AM
I didn't see the UCLA game but I've seen a lot of Villanova the past few years. Scottie Reynolds is definitely streaky and he hasn't been very hot of late. Hopefully we keep that going, if he's not hot from 3 then he's not really much of a threat. Cunningham is definitely their best player, very good around the basket, can hit the short jumper. He has really improved every year (he's now a senior). He will likely match up with Singler at both ends of the floor which should prove a pivotal matchup. Fischer is a quick guard and might actually prove more difficult to cover than Reynolds. Stokes is a very good outside shooter, we will have to keep him from getting off. I think we match up reasonably well with their guards, Villanova will have to win the game on the inside. We especially need to keep them off the offensive glass. Should be a good one!

dukediv2013
03-22-2009, 01:03 AM
Duke and Nova are very similar teams. Both teams rely on defensive intensity and turnovers to create quick offense. Reynolds is a great ball-handler and is capable of getting his own shots off of the drive. Fisher is a strong off guard and will be able to match up against Williams or Smith very well. Stokes is a streaky shooter, but if he is on, he is really good. Anderson is a good player and has had two great games in the NCAA tournament, but I think Singler is a better defender and will ultimately win this matchup. Cunningham is a stud. LT reminds me a lot of Cunningham because they both have had some struggles, but they also have a lot of potential. Cunningham has played great this season averaging 18-10. I hope that Thomas and Zoubek are able to counter act these guys.

Pos. 1- Advantage Nova, Reynolds will be able to match up well against Elliot Williams or Smith
Pos. 2- Advantage Duke- Scheyer is more consistent than Fisher
Pos. 3- Advantage Duke- Henderson is a load for anyone especially Stokes
Pos. 4- Advantage Duke- Singler will be able to create his own shot against Anderson
Pos. 5- Advantage Nova- Cunningham is a great player

Bench- Advantage Edge: Both teams have smaller benches but also have some capability of scoring

Coach- Advantage Duke: How can you not pull for K?

I think this will be a close one, and I am not ready to give a prediction, but it should be another great game and I hope that Duke is ready!

Kim*
03-22-2009, 01:23 AM
Just on a personal note: I'm wondering how many fights I'll get into while I rock my Duke gear on the streets of Philly in the coming week. :)

gotham devil
03-22-2009, 04:40 AM
Duke and Nova are very similar teams. Both teams rely on defensive intensity and turnovers to create quick offense. Reynolds is a great ball-handler and is capable of getting his own shots off of the drive. Fisher is a strong off guard and will be able to match up against Williams or Smith very well. Stokes is a streaky shooter, but if he is on, he is really good. Anderson is a good player and has had two great games in the NCAA tournament, but I think Singler is a better defender and will ultimately win this matchup. Cunningham is a stud. LT reminds me a lot of Cunningham because they both have had some struggles, but they also have a lot of potential. Cunningham has played great this season averaging 18-10. I hope that Thomas and Zoubek are able to counter act these guys.

Pos. 1- Advantage Nova, Reynolds will be able to match up well against Elliot Williams or Smith
Pos. 2- Advantage Duke- Scheyer is more consistent than Fisher
Pos. 3- Advantage Duke- Henderson is a load for anyone especially Stokes
Pos. 4- Advantage Duke- Singler will be able to create his own shot against Anderson
Pos. 5- Advantage Nova- Cunningham is a great player

Bench- Advantage Edge: Both teams have smaller benches but also have some capability of scoring

Coach- Advantage Duke: How can you not pull for K?

I think this will be a close one, and I am not ready to give a prediction, but it should be another great game and I hope that Duke is ready!

Fisher is lightening fast off the bounce, with an excellent hesitation dribble.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-22-2009, 05:46 AM
I think this game is going to be all about toughness. If you watched the UCLA vs NOVA game yesterday you would have seen that Nova put UCLA on the floor or gave them a hard foul everytime they got to the basket. UCLA crumbled up and looked scared throughout the game. They just didn't have the heart for a game like that. I think Duke does, we should get to the line a lot, however if the refs are anything like they were today then that means they will put NOVA at the line even more just so it doesn't look biased. I can't wait I think this game will tell us how much of a chance we have at the Title this year.

Airforcedukie

balkan boy
03-22-2009, 05:49 AM
Despite all the talk of our lack of an inside presence, I, for one, fear the quick teams that spread us out and drive much, much more than the big teams. The Ty we couldn't guard was Lawson....

Next weekend's "mini tourney" could be a replay of this weekend's, only at a much, much higher level -- Game 1 against a smaller team with little time for Zoubek (could be a game where we really need some solid minutes from McClure) and, if we make it through, a big, powerful team possibly awaiting us in Pitt, where we might need a big contribution from Zoub.

gotham devil
03-22-2009, 07:10 AM
I think this game is going to be all about toughness. If you watched the UCLA vs NOVA game yesterday you would have seen that Nova put UCLA on the floor or gave them a hard foul everytime they got to the basket. UCLA crumbled up and looked scared throughout the game. They just didn't have the heart for a game like that. I think Duke does, we should get to the line a lot, however if the refs are anything like they were today then that means they will put NOVA at the line even more just so it doesn't look biased. I can't wait I think this game will tell us how much of a chance we have at the Title this year.

Airforcedukie

I agree, Airforcedukie.
It was a bunch of Northeast kids flat out taking it to the soft Californian and international kids, on both sides of the court. I almost felt badly for Howland.

From today's LA Times,

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-plaschke-ucla-basketball-2009mar22,0,7905659.column?page=1

Villanova bumped and collided and ultimately drilled the Bruins in a reminder of the differences not only between rosters, but regions.

"This game was Big East basketball in a nutshell," Wildcats forward Dante Cunningham said.
----
Thwack! He was not only caught by Villanova's Scottie Reynolds, he was clocked.

"That was our first message to UCLA," Cunningham said. "That was us telling them, 'This is how it is going to be.' "

A couple of minutes later, Bruins swingman Shipp was driving to the basket for a dunk attempt and . . .

Conk! He was not only fouled by Cunningham, he was leveled.

"Another message," Cunningham said. "This time it was like, 'Here's who we are, you're getting this all game long.' "

Kim*
03-22-2009, 08:33 AM
Anyone know which session our game is on Thursday? Has that been announced yet? I might have a time conflict and I'm kind of freaking out..

dukelifer
03-22-2009, 08:41 AM
Duke and Nova are very similar teams. Both teams rely on defensive intensity and turnovers to create quick offense. Reynolds is a great ball-handler and is capable of getting his own shots off of the drive. Fisher is a strong off guard and will be able to match up against Williams or Smith very well. Stokes is a streaky shooter, but if he is on, he is really good. Anderson is a good player and has had two great games in the NCAA tournament, but I think Singler is a better defender and will ultimately win this matchup. Cunningham is a stud. LT reminds me a lot of Cunningham because they both have had some struggles, but they also have a lot of potential. Cunningham has played great this season averaging 18-10. I hope that Thomas and Zoubek are able to counter act these guys.

Pos. 1- Advantage Nova, Reynolds will be able to match up well against Elliot Williams or Smith
Pos. 2- Advantage Duke- Scheyer is more consistent than Fisher
Pos. 3- Advantage Duke- Henderson is a load for anyone especially Stokes
Pos. 4- Advantage Duke- Singler will be able to create his own shot against Anderson
Pos. 5- Advantage Nova- Cunningham is a great player

Bench- Advantage Edge: Both teams have smaller benches but also have some capability of scoring

Coach- Advantage Duke: How can you not pull for K?

I think this will be a close one, and I am not ready to give a prediction, but it should be another great game and I hope that Duke is ready!

Duke will not get much love in the next few days from the talking heads. Duke may be a 2 seed but they are not going to be favored- given that the Big East is the supposed superior conference. Villanova is also playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder- given that no one is expecting them to be equal to the top three Big East teams. The question is who will feel the "disrespect" more. I think Duke will feel it more given that every expert will pick Villanova, save Bobby Knight. We will see how this plays out but historically, Duke has done well in the underdog role.

dukelifer
03-22-2009, 08:42 AM
Anyone know which session our game is on Thursday? Has that been announced yet? I might have a time conflict and I'm kind of freaking out..
Don't you know that you are coming down with a very bad cold on Thursday? I would advise that you stay at home :D.

devildownunder
03-22-2009, 08:48 AM
Get ready for the officials to be an enormous factor in this game. Villanova plays physical defense and loves dribble-drive penetration, so whether the officials call handchecks and/or body bumps on defenders is going to be of extreme importance in this game. Frankly, if the refs call handchecking but let Villanova push us around, we're in a lot of trouble. If the reverse happens, Nova is in for a long night.

It's upsetting to me that style of officiating is going to be so important in this one because we all know what that will mean in public conversation about the game.

As for things we can control, I keep wondering whether Z will be a factor in this game or not. It appears Nova has at least one highly productive big man but they are so guard oriented that I'm inclined to think K will go small, with Singler and even McClure guarding their bigs. I would love, LOVE to see us play a jordan rules-typle man defense in this game, with all the perimeter defenders routinely pinching off seams when the teammate on either side of them is guarding the ball. Nova shot the 3 very well against UCLA, we need to force them to have to repeat that performance to beat us. If they can generate big offense off dribble penetration and dishes for dunks, we're in big trouble.

Singler should cause matchup problems and he and Henderson have got to get their minds right for a night full of taking the ball strong to the whole and absorbing contact. We will not win this game if those 2 guys settle for jumpers all night. We need good, quick perimeter ball movement in order to attack the seams in their defense and we need to lock up our defensive boards, so they don't get second-chance points.

This one's going to be a good one folks. Expect a close, relatively fast-paced game that will have plenty of ebb and flow unless it is called tightly (in which case, the foul situation could get ugly, which would probably favor us).

Lace 'em up tight boys and come strong or don't come at all. Let's go Duke!!!

davekay1971
03-22-2009, 08:49 AM
Sounds like we can expect 'Nova to try the same physical intimidation tactics they used on UCLA. There's always the perception that the ACC, and Duke in particular, is "soft". One thing that really impresses me about our team, though, is that these guys do not back down. Our team can mix it up with anyone, and 'Nova's going to find that we push back, hard.

moonpie23
03-22-2009, 08:53 AM
Anyone know which session our game is on Thursday? Has that been announced yet? I might have a time conflict and I'm kind of freaking out..

see? this is my problem too.....can't the almighty CBS set the schedule so we can all see it on selection sunday?

i was just lucky we are going to thurs-sat this week.....cause i definitely have a conflict for friday sunday...

and, while i love my job, i am ashamed to say that a few of my clients don't give a rat's patootie about basketball....

i know...... :(

Master Shake
03-22-2009, 08:58 AM
"This game was Big East basketball in a nutshell," Wildcats forward Dante Cunningham said.
[/I]

God, I hate Big East basketball.

Kim*
03-22-2009, 09:10 AM
see? this is my problem too.....can't the almighty CBS set the schedule so we can all see it on selection sunday?

i was just lucky we are going to thurs-sat this week.....cause i definitely have a conflict for friday sunday...

and, while i love my job, i am ashamed to say that a few of my clients don't give a rat's patootie about basketball....

i know...... :(
I agree!

If it's the 7pm game then I'm screwed, but if it's the 9:30pm game then it's all good.
But whenever something is 50/50 it never fails that I'm on the losing end of it, hah. :confused:

whereinthehellami
03-22-2009, 09:15 AM
This is not a good matchup for Duke. Vill is tough, long, smart, and athletic. I think Duke is a year away from being able to beat a team like Vill. Duke is going to have a tough time defending the wildcats, the officials are going to be a huge part of this game. I think Duke is going to have a tough time dealing with the length and speed of the Vill defense while on offense.

I think Duke has to be really hot from outside to win this one. While Duke is showing some toughness and strives to be tougher, Vill is TOUGH. And IMO that toughness will carry the day.

CDu
03-22-2009, 09:15 AM
As for things we can control, I keep wondering whether Z will be a factor in this game or not. It appears Nova has at least one highly productive big man but they are so guard oriented that I'm inclined to think K will go small, with Singler and even McClure guarding their bigs. I would love, LOVE to see us play a jordan rules-typle man defense in this game, with all the perimeter defenders routinely pinching off seams when the teammate on either side of them is guarding the ball. Nova shot the 3 very well against UCLA, we need to force them to have to repeat that performance to beat us. If they can generate big offense off dribble penetration and dishes for dunks, we're in big trouble.

Villanova is a very small team. Their "big" guy is about the same size as Singler, and is more in the Damion James mold of inside/outside player. Given their style of play and lack of focus on dumping the ball to the blocks, I really don't see a big role for Zoubs (short of foul trouble for our other bigs) on Thursday.


Singler should cause matchup problems and he and Henderson have got to get their minds right for a night full of taking the ball strong to the whole and absorbing contact. We will not win this game if those 2 guys settle for jumpers all night. We need good, quick perimeter ball movement in order to attack the seams in their defense and we need to lock up our defensive boards, so they don't get second-chance points.

I actually don't see this game as a matchup advantage for Singler. If they put Cunningham on Singler, that's a wash - Cunningham is just as big and as quick as Singler, and is comfortable defending in the paint or on the perimeter. Not that I think Singler is overmatched, just that he's not going to cause matchup headaches.

Villanova loves to attack off the dribble, and defending the drive has not been a strength of ours. So we're going to have to play very good help defense. On the other end, Villanova is going to reach, bump, and claw at us, so we're going to have to be strong with the ball. I think in terms of talent, it's a fairly even matchup. Both teams focus their talent on the wings, with both relying on undersized forwards to do the work in the paint. Should be fun. Hopefully, we come out on the right end of this one.

Now, it's time to root for the upsets today!

grossbus
03-22-2009, 09:33 AM
"If it's the 7pm game then I'm screwed, but if it's the 9:30pm game then it's all good."

i gots the same concerns.

dukelifer
03-22-2009, 09:49 AM
Villanova is a very small team. Their "big" guy is about the same size as Singler, and is more in the Damion James mold of inside/outside player. Given their style of play and lack of focus on dumping the ball to the blocks, I really don't see a big role for Zoubs (short of foul trouble for our other bigs) on Thursday.



I actually don't see this game as a matchup advantage for Singler. If they put Cunningham on Singler, that's a wash - Cunningham is just as big and as quick as Singler, and is comfortable defending in the paint or on the perimeter. Not that I think Singler is overmatched, just that he's not going to cause matchup headaches.

Villanova loves to attack off the dribble, and defending the drive has not been a strength of ours. So we're going to have to play very good help defense. On the other end, Villanova is going to reach, bump, and claw at us, so we're going to have to be strong with the ball. I think in terms of talent, it's a fairly even matchup. Both teams focus their talent on the wings, with both relying on undersized forwards to do the work in the paint. Should be fun. Hopefully, we come out on the right end of this one.

Now, it's time to root for the upsets today!

Villanova lost to Georgetown and Texas and had one close win against St Johns- teams that Duke beat. I don't think that means anything- but does give some idea of how Duke stacks up with them. This will be a game of toughness as other have said- but Duke has shown a lot of toughness in the last 10 games- even the UNC loss- so I think this will be a very good/close game. It will come down to making plays at the end and as always a little luck.

whereinthehellami
03-22-2009, 09:55 AM
Villanova lost to Georgetown and Texas and had one close win against St Johns- teams that Duke beat. I don't think that means anything- but does give some idea of how Duke stacks up with them. This will be a game of toughness as other have said- but Duke has shown a lot of toughness in the last 10 games- even the UNC loss- so I think this will be a very good/close game. It will come down to making plays at the end and as always a little luck.

Nice pull.

dyedwab
03-22-2009, 10:02 AM
against American was much closer than the final score indicated.

American frankly out-toughed 'Nova for about 30 minutes, getting to most loose balls, and hitting open shots. they just ran out of gas. and interestingly enough, 'nova didn't get the much smaller American team into very much foul trouble.

...oh, and the game was essentially a home game for them...disappointing that they were regionally protected as a 3 seed


I agree that they will try to be physical with us....but if we can handle that, we will be ok.

moonpie23
03-22-2009, 10:24 AM
i like duke's toughness right now.....Nova will be a tough game just as ANY of the games will be tough..

i just love the way duke is playing right now...i think they learned a few things in the win last night too..

KrazyKfan
03-22-2009, 10:37 AM
This is the first of hopefully many Big East -ACC matchups in the Tournament.

I like this matchup, though, because we can start our normal five (Scheyer, Smith, Williams, Henderson, and Singler). If we play good defense throughout the game, instead of intermittenly like we did against Texas, we should roll.

Buckeye Devil
03-22-2009, 10:41 AM
1) There could be worse matchups than 'Nova in the Sweet 16. They were physical against UCLA, but I don't see that as their calling card. UCLA was weaker this year, cowered early, and the game was done. I don't see Duke caving that easily to physical contact.

2) If officiating is going to play a major role as seems to be the general opinion, can K get anything done with the officials? If they are hell-bent on calling a game that is to Duke's disadvantage, the Devils could be in trouble.

I will be disappointed to exit against a Big East team, but I have always believed that anything past the Sweet 16 for this year's team would be a bonus.

grossbus
03-22-2009, 10:43 AM
hmmm, as it think about it, game time will probably depend of if pitt advances or not. lowest seed gets the first game, doesn't it?

roywhite
03-22-2009, 10:46 AM
This is the first of hopefully many Big East -ACC matchups in the Tournament.

I like this matchup, though, because we can start our normal five (Scheyer, Smith, Williams, Henderson, and Singler). If we play good defense throughout the game, instead of intermittenly like we did against Texas, we should roll.

I doubt there's a change in the starting lineup. Lance Thomas will likely start. Nolan Smith should get plenty of minutes; he's playing well now.

Villanova looked really good against UCLA yesterday, but not so good against American in the 1st round.

It's a good matchup, deserving of the big stage; ACC--Big East, good coaching, teams similar in size, local guy Gerald Henderson playing against 'Nova, high stakes.

Can't wait.

msdukie
03-22-2009, 11:09 AM
"If it's the 7pm game then I'm screwed, but if it's the 9:30pm game then it's all good."

i gots the same concerns.

We play Thursday. Times will be announced after the conclusions of today's 5ish games.

trinity92
03-22-2009, 11:16 AM
All those times in last night's second half when Ward drove to the basket, big Z was on the bench in foul trouble. If we're going to face a team that drives to the basket, we need Z in the paint ready to greet them. Zoubek is playing the best ball of his career by far, and I think we need to use him. Once again, let's dictate the style the opponent uses, rather than the other way around. I'd remind Zoubek that his value in the middle on defense is more having him rebound, intimidate and alter shots than blocking every single one. He's going to have to practice all week by guarding Singler without fouling. Then he'll be ready for Villanova. I'd be really let down if he doesn't play a bunch next week.

I'm not scared-- this is a great matchup for us. We win by more than 5.

Buckeye Devil
03-22-2009, 11:57 AM
All those times in last night's second half when Ward drove to the basket, big Z was on the bench in foul trouble. If we're going to face a team that drives to the basket, we need Z in the paint ready to greet them. Zoubek is playing the best ball of his career by far, and I think we need to use him. Once again, let's dictate the style the opponent uses, rather than the other way around. I'd remind Zoubek that his value in the middle on defense is more having him rebound, intimidate and alter shots than blocking every single one. He's going to have to practice all week by guarding Singler without fouling. Then he'll be ready for Villanova. I'd be really let down if he doesn't play a bunch next week.

I'm not scared-- this is a great matchup for us. We win by more than 5.

I think you have a point as long as he can get down the court into position.

CDu
03-22-2009, 12:22 PM
Villanova lost to Georgetown and Texas and had one close win against St Johns- teams that Duke beat. I don't think that means anything- but does give some idea of how Duke stacks up with them. This will be a game of toughness as other have said- but Duke has shown a lot of toughness in the last 10 games- even the UNC loss- so I think this will be a very good/close game. It will come down to making plays at the end and as always a little luck.

In the UT loss, Villanova shot 4-18 from three and got literally nothing from their third-best player (Fisher) and not much from their second-best player (Reynolds). The same is true in the G'Town loss, and in that one G'Town's size minimized Cunningham a bit too. They also were very turnover-prone in those losses

When they shoot poorly and don't get good production from Fisher and Reynolds, Villanova can be pretty mediocre. When they are shooting well and their guards are playing with confidence, Villanova can be very tough.

devildownunder
03-22-2009, 12:43 PM
Villanova is a very small team. Their "big" guy is about the same size as Singler, and is more in the Damion James mold of inside/outside player. Given their style of play and lack of focus on dumping the ball to the blocks, I really don't see a big role for Zoubs (short of foul trouble for our other bigs) on Thursday.!

During the Texas game, some of Z's best minutes came against Texas' small line-up -- w/out Pittman -- because he was the only big guy on the floor. I'm sort of hoping he can accomplish the same thing against Villanova. He does slow things down some but we've already slowed down the offense and don't really look to break much now anyway. You're probably right that he won't play much, given the track record this year but I still think we can hope for some minutes of Z as the lone tall tree out there.



I actually don't see this game as a matchup advantage for Singler. If they put Cunningham on Singler, that's a wash - Cunningham is just as big and as quick as Singler, and is comfortable defending in the paint or on the perimeter. Not that I think Singler is overmatched, just that he's not going to cause matchup headaches.

I haven't seen Villanova play much, do you think they'd let Singler pull Cunningham that far away from the basket?



Villanova loves to attack off the dribble, and defending the drive has not been a strength of ours. So we're going to have to play very good help defense. On the other end, Villanova is going to reach, bump, and claw at us, so we're going to have to be strong with the ball. I think in terms of talent, it's a fairly even matchup. Both teams focus their talent on the wings, with both relying on undersized forwards to do the work in the paint. Should be fun. Hopefully, we come out on the right end of this one.

Absolutely agree with all of this, which is why I hope K uses the extra preparation time to focus on helping each other out on the perimeter.
We can't afford to wait to have help sliding over into the lane after guys get beat on the outside. We need to pinch off those seams. It doesn't have to be the dreaded "z" word but I think we need to play our man a little differently.

Troublemaker
03-22-2009, 12:46 PM
This is the first of hopefully many Big East -ACC matchups in the Tournament.

I like this matchup, though, because we can start our normal five (Scheyer, Smith, Williams, Henderson, and Singler). If we play good defense throughout the game, instead of intermittenly like we did against Texas, we should roll.

That lineup will get some play, but Villanova will own the offensive boards against it. 'Nova is actually a strong rebounding team, and we saw how they kept getting second chances against a Ben Howland team. For the season, 'Nova ranks 56th in the country for offensive rebounding and Duke ranks 177th in defensive rebounding. 'Nova really isn't that great a matchup for Duke, and we will not roll.

Troublemaker
03-22-2009, 12:58 PM
All those times in last night's second half when Ward drove to the basket, big Z was on the bench in foul trouble. If we're going to face a team that drives to the basket, we need Z in the paint ready to greet them. Zoubek is playing the best ball of his career by far, and I think we need to use him. Once again, let's dictate the style the opponent uses, rather than the other way around. I'd remind Zoubek that his value in the middle on defense is more having him rebound, intimidate and alter shots than blocking every single one. He's going to have to practice all week by guarding Singler without fouling. Then he'll be ready for Villanova. I'd be really let down if he doesn't play a bunch next week.

I'm not scared-- this is a great matchup for us. We win by more than 5.

Z will get close to zero minutes in this game. Dante Cunningham is one of the best players in the Big East with a good faceup game, and Z won't be able to guard him. I'm not sure Lance can either. Cunningham can both pull Z away from the basket and punish our smaller post players down low.

In general, I think there's a misconception among some Duke fans about how well Duke matches up with this team. Villanova is actually the nightmare matchup for Duke in this bracket, not Pitt.

When did Texas start to have offensive success against Duke? When they gave up on feeding the post due to Duke's ball pressure and decided to clear out for Ward to penetrate one-on-one. Well, Villanova is the best team in the country at spreading you out and penetrating. We have our hands full.

devildownunder
03-22-2009, 01:15 PM
Z will get close to zero minutes in this game. Dante Cunningham is one of the best players in the Big East with a good faceup game, and Z won't be able to guard him. I'm not sure Lance can either. Cunningham can both pull Z away from the basket and punish our smaller post players down low.

In general, I think there's a misconception among some Duke fans about how well Duke matches up with this team. Villanova is actually the nightmare matchup for Duke in this bracket, not Pitt.

When did Texas start to have offensive success against Duke? When they gave up on feeding the post due to Duke's ball pressure and decided to clear out for Ward to penetrate one-on-one. Well, Villanova is the best team in the country at spreading you out and penetrating. We have our hands full.

I pretty much agree with you. what do you think K might do to prepare for this defensively?

devildownunder
03-22-2009, 01:28 PM
That lineup will get some play, but Villanova will own the offensive boards against it. 'Nova is actually a strong rebounding team, and we saw how they kept getting second chances against a Ben Howland team. For the season, 'Nova ranks 56th in the country for offensive rebounding and Duke ranks 177th in defensive rebounding. 'Nova really isn't that great a matchup for Duke, and we will not roll.

You have to give up something. I still hold out hope that we'll run into a stretch of 5 mins. or so where Z is the only big on the floor and we benefit from that BUT realistically, I think we will be small most of the time and that's probably a good thing because I'd rather see our defense focus more on perimeter hedging to keep that ball from ever getting into the lane, rather than help defense after we've already given up the lane. We have better perimeter defenders than we do interior help defenders.

loran16
03-22-2009, 01:37 PM
In general, I think there's a misconception among some Duke fans about how well Duke matches up with this team. Villanova is actually the nightmare matchup for Duke in this bracket, not Pitt.

When did Texas start to have offensive success against Duke? When they gave up on feeding the post due to Duke's ball pressure and decided to clear out for Ward to penetrate one-on-one. Well, Villanova is the best team in the country at spreading you out and penetrating. We have our hands full.

I don't think this is right....Texas had success with Ward because we prepared for James, Abrams and Pittman...and were still guarding em well when he went off. Was it poor play by us? Yeah, but we'll be prepared. UNC's rather good at spreading the floor and going in and out, i think they were better than Nova.

Pitt also has the inside-outside thing going. That's the big weakness, not spreading us out. We can handle that.

As for Zoo, well i suspect McClure will get the most minutes, though lance is well suited here too. People forget Lance is a fast defender who can defend guards and small forwards when he's not stupid with fouling. This is ideal for us.

I think we win in a tight one. I think Nova's being overrated...had we played in Durham, i think we wouldve won by as much as they did over UCLA. Just saying.

ice-9
03-22-2009, 01:46 PM
I agree that Villanova is going to be a TOUGH game. But so will any other game against a 3 seed.

I think Duke should win. Nova has a great chance of upsetting us, but if they beat us, it will and should count as an upset.

Yes, they're good at penetrating and we seem to be weak there, but we have trouble defending the penetration sometimes because we overplay the perimeter. If we overplay the perimeter and Nova penetrates, they won't get many 3-point looks. If we pack the lane and cut off penetration, they'll have more open 3-point shots. Our system has pros and cons and it'll be interesting to see how things play out, but I disagree that Nova is somehow a fundamentally a bad match-up for us.

(A bad match-up is UNC: speedy PG, all-conference center, tons of shooters, tons of big men).

Against Nova, we'll be able to play our best 5 players. That to me is the definition of a good match-up. And if we want to mix things up and cause problems for them -- i.e. how do you defend a 7-footer when your biggest guy is a medium sized 6'8 power forward -- we can. I disagree with the assessment that Nova is a bad match-up for us.

Other reasons why we are a 2 seed and they are a 3 seed:

- We've done more throughout the season; we have a better record against a tougher schedule

- We're better rated in all the polls and computer rankings

- We have at least two NBA players and they may not even have one, so I strongly disagree the talent level is equal

- We are riding with more momentum having won the ACC tournament, a tough second round game, and 10 of the last 11 games

Bottom line, I think Vegas' assessment of -2.5 is about right. It's gonna be a dogfight and a close game, but we should be the favored team.

bossesjoe
03-22-2009, 01:54 PM
To be honest the fact that 'Nova dispatched UCLA and their physical playing style so easily scares. They will rebound, work the inside, and run the transition very hard. I have faith, but this is definitely going to be one of the hardest games this team has faced all year.

Troublemaker
03-22-2009, 02:11 PM
I pretty much agree with you. what do you think K might do to prepare for this defensively?

Gotta play the percentages, and pray. Help off of Redding (28% from 3) and Anderson (32%). Allow Cunningham to have the 16-footer, which he's been banging home all season, but at least it's a 2-pt shot. Stay at home on the rest.

Most importantly, don't foul. If a layup's inevitable, just let them have it. We don't want to allow 3-point plays and we definitely don't want them to get easy points towards the end of each half via free throws ('Nova shoots 75% from the line) while fouling out our players. They are one of the best teams in the country at drawing fouls because they are so good at penetrating. Don't foul, don't foul, don't foul is what Coach K will be preaching all week.

The other thing is attack, attack, attack (on offense). This is a game we're going to have to win with offense, as I expect 'Nova to spend all game carving up our defense with drives and backdoors. We need our players to attack them on the other end just as aggressively as they will attack us, and that means staying out of foul trouble (so you don't have to worry about charging). Instead, try to get THEM in foul trouble.

Troublemaker
03-22-2009, 02:18 PM
Pitt also has the inside-outside thing going. That's the big weakness, not spreading us out. We can handle that.

As for Zoo, well i suspect McClure will get the most minutes, though lance is well suited here too. People forget Lance is a fast defender who can defend guards and small forwards when he's not stupid with fouling. This is ideal for us.

I think we win in a tight one. I think Nova's being overrated...had we played in Durham, i think we wouldve won by as much as they did over UCLA. Just saying.

A guard-oriented team is only an ideal matchup for Duke if they're not quick. Villanova is superquick. How did guard-oriented Belmont give us so much trouble last season? Villanova is Belmont on steroids.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. In general, I'm much more fearful of quickness than size.

Duke76
03-22-2009, 02:20 PM
where we have played 2 teams from the same conference...I think it was even
2 Big East teams and everyone said they were gonna play physical with us and we get punked....we skinned them both...anyone remember??

K and the boys are gonna put them away and then we're gonna make ole Roy cry in the semis and take care of that team from Louisville...we owe them one from back in...was in 86 nervous Pervis was one lucky dude then

anyway we're gonna shock the world!! play that "eye of the tiger" song again K. play it loud

gumbomoop
03-22-2009, 02:32 PM
hmmm, as it think about it, game time will probably depend of if pitt advances or not. lowest seed gets the first game, doesn't it?

I don't think advancing high seeds are relevant. CBS will have to "balance" 4 games into 2 slots, with likely switches depending on how games progress. Part of CBS's calculation depends on who's in the West region [UConn/Purdue and Memphis/Mo/Marq], which also plays Thurs. My guess as to which would be the marquee matchup of the eve is Duke-Villa, much more than Pitt/Wisc/X, and certainly much more should OK St. beat Pitt, and more than any match in West. I'd bet Duke-Villa is 9:30, esp because, absent any really compelling matchup, "Let's watch Duke lose" is the marquee draw across the country.

This is just a lazy-Sunday-aft-semi-semi-educated guess. I'll make Duke-Villa a 3-pt favorite for 9:30.

Troublemaker
03-22-2009, 02:34 PM
(A bad match-up is UNC: speedy PG, all-conference center, tons of shooters, tons of big men).

Against Nova, we'll be able to play our best 5 players. That to me is the definition of a good match-up. And if we want to mix things up and cause problems for them -- i.e. how do you defend a 7-footer when your biggest guy is a medium sized 6'8 power forward -- we can. I disagree with the assessment that Nova is a bad match-up for us.

Other reasons why we are a 2 seed and they are a 3 seed:

- We've done more throughout the season; we have a better record against a tougher schedule

- We're better rated in all the polls and computer rankings

- We have at least two NBA players and they may not even have one, so I strongly disagree the talent level is equal

- We are riding with more momentum having won the ACC tournament, a tough second round game, and 10 of the last 11 games

Bottom line, I think Vegas' assessment of -2.5 is about right. It's gonna be a dogfight and a close game, but we should be the favored team.

If you think 'Nova is a good matchup for Duke, that's fine, but rankings, seedings, and point spreads really shouldn't be taken into account. The point spread is set to get equal cash on both sides of the bet so that the book can collect the vig; Vegas doesn't "think" Duke should win. They just think Duke -2.5 is a profitable number for them at which to set the spread.

gumbomoop
03-22-2009, 02:35 PM
Sorry for referring to 'Nova as "Villa." Unpardonably gauche.

JDev
03-22-2009, 02:37 PM
I think Duke matches up well with Nova using varying line-ups made up of Scheyer, Williams, Henderson, Singler, Thomas, Smith, and McClure. Nova is small, so this group matches up well defensively. Singler could be a tough match-up for Nova if they choose to put Cunnigham on Thomas to avoid foul trouble. In the instances where Duke goes big with Zoubek in, Cunningham will have to guard him, as he is typically the biggest guy on the floor for Nova. If they do put Cunningham on Thomas, I hope he is the one doing a lot of high ball screens, bringing Cunningham out and opening the lane. A lot will be made of the Nova guards and their ability to drive, but this is a game where Duke can and should attack the basket at a high rate.

captmojo
03-22-2009, 02:38 PM
When did Texas start to have offensive success against Duke? When they gave up on feeding the post due to Duke's ball pressure and decided to clear out for Ward to penetrate one-on-one. Well, Villanova is the best team in the country at spreading you out and penetrating. We have our hands full.




We'll just have to agree to disagree.

Sorry to split quotes. Your assessments sound reasonable, a good study, but I take a slight exception to the driving Longhorns' success and the reasons for it. A lot of the times they were driving seemed to me to be a result of the Duke guards playing off slightly and expecting help defense to be there behind them. Of course, with the foul trouble Duke was in, a lot of that defense went by the boards and prospective defenders became spectators.

CDu
03-22-2009, 02:39 PM
During the Texas game, some of Z's best minutes came against Texas' small line-up -- w/out Pittman -- because he was the only big guy on the floor. I'm sort of hoping he can accomplish the same thing against Villanova. He does slow things down some but we've already slowed down the offense and don't really look to break much now anyway. You're probably right that he won't play much, given the track record this year but I still think we can hope for some minutes of Z as the lone tall tree out there.

I just think this is a horrible matchup for Zoubek. Villanova has only one guy in their rotation that Zoubek can guard at all (Pena), and that guy doesn't play a lot. I'll be surprised if we see much time for Zoubek, and if he is in it will be when Pena is in. Texas was a better matchup because they always had one of Johnson, Atchley, and Pittman in the game, and those guys are either pure posts or non-threats offensively. Cunningham and company is a much different animal.


I haven't seen Villanova play much, do you think they'd let Singler pull Cunningham that far away from the basket?

Cunningham is pretty comfortable defending away from the basket. If Villanova does put him on Singler, he'll have no problem going out and defending. And if they don't, they'll have a big wing/forward who is comfortable defending inside or out (Anderson, Redding, or Clark) guard Singler. The one thing Villanova is not short on is decently-sized, athletic wing/forwards who are willing to defend on the perimeter or in the lane.

Ian
03-22-2009, 02:41 PM
Personally I thought Duke defended Texas' spread offense fine.

At least 2 of Ward's drives were clearly charges when the help defender got into position but were called blocks that allowed Ward to score and get a FT. If both of those plays were called correctly and Ward got called for 2 charges it would have been the end of Texas' spread offense. Those 2 bad calls also created foul trouble for Lance Thomas who is our best inside help defender.

The problem wasn't our defense, it was the refs. There is no effective defense if the offensively player is going to get a blocking call when he simply runs over the defender.

Troublemaker
03-22-2009, 03:10 PM
Sorry to split quotes. Your assessments sound reasonable, a good study, but I take a slight exception to the driving Longhorns' success and the reasons for it. A lot of the times they were driving seemed to me to be a result of the Duke guards playing off slightly and expecting help defense to be there behind them. Of course, with the foul trouble Duke was in, a lot of that defense went by the boards and prospective defenders became spectators.

That could be right. But it could also be that when a defense is spread out, it's tougher for help defense to arrive in time due to the greater distance that needs to be covered.

The Texas game was just a great example of what Duke's defense can force teams to do. Here was this huge team that was supposed to cause us all sorts of problems with its size (and Pittman did give us fits, for sure). But when push came to shove, the opponent decided its best chance of winning was to spread and go iso because they couldn't get the ball inside enough due to Duke's ball pressure. Only then did Texas make a run and almost steal the game from us.

Like others, I hope that with a few days to prepare, Duke can defend Villanova well. But I do think, ultimately, we're going to have to win with offense.

devildownunder
03-22-2009, 04:26 PM
I just think this is a horrible matchup for Zoubek. Villanova has only one guy in their rotation that Zoubek can guard at all (Pena), and that guy doesn't play a lot. I'll be surprised if we see much time for Zoubek, and if he is in it will be when Pena is in. Texas was a better matchup because they always had one of Johnson, Atchley, and Pittman in the game, and those guys are either pure posts or non-threats offensively. Cunningham and company is a much different animal.



Cunningham is pretty comfortable defending away from the basket. If Villanova does put him on Singler, he'll have no problem going out and defending. And if they don't, they'll have a big wing/forward who is comfortable defending inside or out (Anderson, Redding, or Clark) guard Singler. The one thing Villanova is not short on is decently-sized, athletic wing/forwards who are willing to defend on the perimeter or in the lane.


The more I think about it, the more I tend to agree that Zoubek won't play much. As for Cunningham guarding Singler, I was thinking more about pulling him away from the basket, freeing up the lane for cutters. I've seen enough of Villanova in the last two weeks to know they have plenty of athletes, what I'm contemplating is how we do to them what I'm sure they'll try to do to us -- spread their defense.

CDu
03-22-2009, 04:49 PM
The more I think about it, the more I tend to agree that Zoubek won't play much. As for Cunningham guarding Singler, I was thinking more about pulling him away from the basket, freeing up the lane for cutters. I've seen enough of Villanova in the last two weeks to know they have plenty of athletes, what I'm contemplating is how we do to them what I'm sure they'll try to do to us -- spread their defense.

I don't think they'll worry about Cunningham being pulled away from the basket on defense. He's not really a big shotblocker/shotchanger anyway. I'm sure we'll try to spread them out and run high screens just like we do against everyone though. They'll overplay and be physical on the perimeter, and they'll come over to help on defense with force (not from a shotblocking presence, but from a put a body on you presence). They're quick and physical.

If we are strong with the ball, we should be able to get opportunities on offense. We need to hit shots when we have them. We also need to be aggressive but under control. We can definitely get into the lane against them, and we can draw fouls if we play smart. It should be a very interesting game.

dukestheheat
03-22-2009, 05:05 PM
Remember the paradigm that a strong defense works to negate or lessen a strong offense. We have a strong defense in the half-court, and they are strong on offense, so something tells me this game is going to be close, decided by 4 points or less.

We will need to hit our free throws and take care of the ball.

Do these two things, and play that Duke D (which again, will work to negate or lessen a potent offense), and we will win it.

Duke is peaking RIGHT NOW, and we also have Superman on bench as coach, so don't forget that!

dukestheheat.

gotham devil
03-22-2009, 05:13 PM
If you think 'Nova is a good matchup for Duke, that's fine, but rankings, seedings, and point spreads really shouldn't be taken into account. The point spread is set to get equal cash on both sides of the bet so that the book can collect the vig; Vegas doesn't "think" Duke should win. They just think Duke -2.5 is a profitable number for them at which to set the spread.
The Las Vegas Sports Consultants sets 90% of the Nevada odds. If they set an inaccurate number, the professional gamblers (of which I doubt there are many here) will punish them by betting heavy on the side which they have gauged is likely to win against the current spread.

ChemGod
03-22-2009, 05:40 PM
Just on a personal note: I'm wondering how many fights I'll get into while I rock my Duke gear on the streets of Philly in the coming week. :)

Not as many as I do any day of the week, regaredless of whether or not basketball is being played, here in MD!:eek:

quickgtp
03-22-2009, 08:07 PM
Troublemaker I have to agree with you. Duke does have a tough time with teams that play small, spread the floor and drive. Nova may be the, or one of the best teams at doing this. We need to be prepared for an absolute dogfight on Thursday.

ncexnyc
03-22-2009, 09:29 PM
Why is it that every team we face presents a match-up problem for us, but not the other way around?

Considering what this team has done these past few weeks you'd think the talking heads of the media would have taken note and at the very least our own fans.

Nova plays tough physical defense. So what exactly was FSU doing during the 3 games we played against them?

Nova has great guards. Yeah, well what about Lawson and Ellington? We did a fair job of containing both of them and granted the result was two losses, but Nova doesn't suit up the quality bigs like the heels.

Have faith in our kids. By now all of you should have realized they are special and find a way to win.

roywhite
03-22-2009, 09:35 PM
Why is it that every team we face presents a match-up problem for us, but not the other way around?

Considering what this team has done these past few weeks you'd think the talking heads of the media would have taken note and at the very least our own fans.

Nova plays tough physical defense. So what exactly was FSU doing during the 3 games we played against them?

Nova has great guards. Yeah, well what about Lawson and Ellington? We did a fair job of containing both of them and granted the result was two losses, but Nova doesn't suit up the quality bigs like the heels.

Have faith in our kids. By now all of you should have realized they are special and find a way to win.

Agree. For example, how does Villanova stop Gerald Henderson?

CDu
03-22-2009, 09:41 PM
Nova has great guards. Yeah, well what about Lawson and Ellington? We did a fair job of containing both of them and granted the result was two losses, but Nova doesn't suit up the quality bigs like the heels.

I agree with your overall point, but I wouldn't use the UNC game as evidence of our handling guards successfully. Lawson absolutely torched us in Durham, and despite playing on a bum toe still nearly dropped a triple double in the second game. We did well on Ellington in the Durham game, but he dropped 7-10 on us for 16 points in the second game.

But yes - we create mismatch problems for others too. We will put 3 or more players on the floor who can shoot the three or drive to the basket. We don't have great size, but we have very big guards and our guards rebound well. And we don't turn the ball over.

On defense, the reason we continually see potential matchup problems is because we don't have a true post defender/shotblocker, and we are susceptible to quick guards. Unfortunately, many teams have good post scorers and/or quick penetrating guards. Villanova doesn't have the post guy, but they have a variety of guards/wings who can penetrate. Sometimes, our defensive effort can offset those weaknesses. Other times, we have to rely on the offense to get it done.

dukelifer
03-22-2009, 09:54 PM
In the UT loss, Villanova shot 4-18 from three and got literally nothing from their third-best player (Fisher) and not much from their second-best player (Reynolds). The same is true in the G'Town loss, and in that one G'Town's size minimized Cunningham a bit too. They also were very turnover-prone in those losses

When they shoot poorly and don't get good production from Fisher and Reynolds, Villanova can be pretty mediocre. When they are shooting well and their guards are playing with confidence, Villanova can be very tough.

Duke usually does a great job on the perimeter which will probably make them a driving team- and of course without the big shot blocker- Duke tends to give up points on those drives. Duke will need to rebound very well as a team-and limit second chance points. I think McClure will be called on in a big way.

RainingThrees
03-22-2009, 10:06 PM
Nova is a scary team. I watched their game vs UCLA and their front line is small but very skilled. Lance and Kyle will have their hands full, so G, Nolan, and Jon will have to step up.

Kewlswim
03-22-2009, 11:19 PM
I agree with your overall point, but I wouldn't use the UNC game as evidence of our handling guards successfully. Lawson absolutely torched us in Durham, and despite playing on a bum toe still nearly dropped a triple double in the second game. We did well on Ellington in the Durham game, but he dropped 7-10 on us for 16 points in the second game.

But yes - we create mismatch problems for others too. We will put 3 or more players on the floor who can shoot the three or drive to the basket. We don't have great size, but we have very big guards and our guards rebound well. And we don't turn the ball over.

On defense, the reason we continually see potential matchup problems is because we don't have a true post defender/shotblocker, and we are susceptible to quick guards. Unfortunately, many teams have good post scorers and/or quick penetrating guards. Villanova doesn't have the post guy, but they have a variety of guards/wings who can penetrate. Sometimes, our defensive effort can offset those weaknesses. Other times, we have to rely on the offense to get it done.

Hi,

I respect your points. However, I believe we are a better team since the end of the regular season. We (I am taking poetic license and using "we") are playing better and better as each game passes. We are peaking at the right time.

So, we did an OK job before against those Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. I think we would do a better job against them today. I think it is only now that we are starting to really get things down pat.

I do feel we are susceptible to dribble penetration and skilled big players in the post. However, who isn't? All teams have weaknesses even the old UNLV teams of Jerry Tarkanian had weaknesses. :)

GO DUKE!!

Kewlswim
03-22-2009, 11:24 PM
Nova is a scary team. I watched their game vs UCLA and their front line is small but very skilled. Lance and Kyle will have their hands full, so G, Nolan, and Jon will have to step up.

Hi,

Dukie8 aptly informed me that Villanova was playing in what was essentially a home game for them. Furthermore, this is not the UCLA of two, three, or four years ago. The defense that UCLA played this year was not indicative of a normal Ben Howland team. I think the Devils respect everyone they face, but there is no fear. I have every reason to believe that they are doing everything necessary to put themselves in the best position to win.

GO DUKE

DUKIE V(A)
03-23-2009, 12:00 AM
Villanova is almost certainly going to be a tough game. I have enormous respect for them. However, I wonder whether we (the fans) are focusing on NOVA's advantages over us and not noticing our advantages.

Here are our advantages IMO:

1. We have the best two players on the floor (Singler and Hendo). How will NOVA stop them?

2. Scheyer can shoot over NOVA's guards.

3. I like Nolan's and especially Williams' defense and I think they match up just fine with NOVA's guards.

4. We have the height advantage.

5. We are taking care of the ball better than NOVA.

6. WE HAVE COACH K! He seems to have a pretty good record as the underdog in these situations.


As for UNC/NOVA comparisons in terms of how we match up:

NOVA has great guard play and can really attack the basket. However, I don't think comparing NOVA and Carolina is accurate. I think Lawson is stronger and can drive the ball better than any of NOVA's guards, and Ellington is a better shooter than any of their guards. I saw Scottie Reynolds and Lawson match-up in a high school game and though Reynolds poured in 35 or so, Lawson was definitely quicker and stronger. I haven't seen Fisher in person so that one is tougher to tell, but Lawson is certainly a better playmaker than the "Me First" stylings of Fisher.

I am a fan of Cunningham's game, but for my money I think Carolina also has a more potent inside game than NOVA.

NOVA is a better defensive team than Carolina, but not as good on the boards.

geraldsneighbor
03-23-2009, 12:26 AM
I see Nova play a lot living in the Philadelphia area and on a personal level this week will be tough for me I'm sure. I am an anti-Nova guy anyway but really respect what Jay Wright has done at the school since Lapus tried running that progrum into the ground.

I really think Cunningham having to guard Singler will be a task for him and one that may wear on Cunningham. I think Duke will rotate McClure and Thomas on Cunningham while using Singler as well.

While I respect Reynolds play at PG greatly, I just don't see where they are better than Duke. I am not saying Nova can't beat Duke but I have always seemed to believe they were us without Gerald Henderson.

Look they are highly skilled, but we saw what happens when you get them impatient on offense. American forced them to jack up 3's and that was a big deal. I think our help defense is far better than either UCLA or American and if we get hot from 3 were going to be tough to beat.

I really liked how efficient we were from 3 vs. Texas. We didn't rely on the 3 but used it in big spots. Specifically Scheyer coming off a screen out of the timeout late in the game. Efficiency will be key for us and that goes for Gerald as well. He needs to have a better game than 7-21 shooting although he did score the ball really well for us.

All in all I like our chances but think it will be a very close game. I am excited at the challenge and really think our guys will look at it as if a monkey has been lifted off of their backs.

Good luck boys. Let's advance to Saturday!

Kedsy
03-23-2009, 12:39 AM
I attended the Nova-UCLA game yesterday. It was sort of a home game for them, but it wasn't particularly loud or anything. I don't think they got any significant advantage from the crowd, although it may have helped that they were familiar with the arena.

They played well, but UCLA's defense was surprisingly awful. Villanova did seem to have a lot of intensity, however, so Duke will really have to bring it on Thursday.

I don't think Kyle is any better than Cunningham, who is certainly a future NBA player (although perhaps not a starter). I think they have players who can do a creditable job of guarding G. Where I believe we have the advantage is on offense at the other three positions. Elliot, Jon, and Lance will all have significant size advantages over their defenders, and if we can take advantage of that, we may be able to keep them on their heels. On defense, if we can stay in front of their guards (absolutely not a given), they may have trouble shooting over the hands of defenders who are three inches taller.

We also may benefit from one other intangible. My guess is the Villanova players will expect to be the tougher team and may underestimate Duke. If so, and we can set the tone early in the game, it might knock them back a bit. One can hope, anyway.

Ultimately, I think the game boils down to keeping Reynolds from going off, as well as hitting our free throws and staying out of foul trouble. We do all those things and I like our chances, although it should be tight the whole way.

socaldukie
03-23-2009, 01:07 AM
All things considered... I think the difference can be in the amount of turnovers we create. We will turn them over. But, if we also continue to limit our turnovers, this could be the overall difference.

devildownunder
03-23-2009, 04:50 AM
The Las Vegas Sports Consultants sets 90% of the Nevada odds. If they set an inaccurate number, the professional gamblers (of which I doubt there are many here) will punish them by betting heavy on the side which they have gauged is likely to win against the current spread.

But an "inaccurate number", as far as Vegas is concerned, doesn't mean a poor prediction of the outcome of the game. It means a poor reflection of what the public thinks will happen in a game. Remember, Vegas isn't interested in predicting results. The casinos just want a line that splits the bets evenly, so they're guaranteed to make money off interest/fees etc.

ice-9
03-23-2009, 07:44 AM
But an "inaccurate number", as far as Vegas is concerned, doesn't mean a poor prediction of the outcome of the game. It means a poor reflection of what the public thinks will happen in a game. Remember, Vegas isn't interested in predicting results. The casinos just want a line that splits the bets evenly, so they're guaranteed to make money off interest/fees etc.

Isn't the above another way of saying that -2.5 is what gamblers as a whole think is "about right?" For example, if Duke gives too much, everyone will bet on Nova; if Duke gives too little, everyone will bet on Duke. -2.5 is supposed to be where gamblers (in aggregate) are indifferent about betting with Duke or with Nova.

In a way, that's more or less how the markets work. If a stock is priced too high, people will sell. If a stock is priced too low, people will buy. The resulting price is where the market achieves equilibrium.

So the "equilibrium" in Vegas is that gamblers think Duke should win by 2.5 points. I have to agree with that assessment. Duke should win but it'll be a very, very close game -- within one possession.

devildownunder
03-23-2009, 07:56 AM
Isn't the above another way of saying that -2.5 is what gamblers as a whole think is "about right?" For example, if Duke gives too much, everyone will bet on Nova; if Duke gives too little, everyone will bet on Duke. -2.5 is supposed to be where gamblers (in aggregate) are indifferent about betting with Duke or with Nova.

In a way, that's more or less how the markets work. If a stock is priced too high, people will sell. If a stock is priced too low, people will buy. The resulting price is where the market achieves equilibrium.

So the "equilibrium" in Vegas is that gamblers think Duke should win by 2.5 points. I have to agree with that assessment. Duke should win but it'll be a very, very close game -- within one possession.

Duke -2.5 is where the casinos' first guess at where they will find equilibrium, and it does work very much like the markets, you're right. It's only the starting line. If the line changes leading up to Thursday, that's the casinos adjusting to public sentiment. My guess is that many college bball fans will believe Villanova should be the outright favorite in this one, but that bets coming in on Duke from people who don't follow the game and only know "brand name" programs will keep the line from moving too much. Other than filling out brackets, I do not wager on these games but I am curious to see what the public thinks about this one.

devildownunder
03-23-2009, 08:00 AM
Isn't the above another way of saying that -2.5 is what gamblers as a whole think is "about right?" For example, if Duke gives too much, everyone will bet on Nova; if Duke gives too little, everyone will bet on Duke. -2.5 is supposed to be where gamblers (in aggregate) are indifferent about betting with Duke or with Nova.

In a way, that's more or less how the markets work. If a stock is priced too high, people will sell. If a stock is priced too low, people will buy. The resulting price is where the market achieves equilibrium.

So the "equilibrium" in Vegas is that gamblers think Duke should win by 2.5 points. I have to agree with that assessment. Duke should win but it'll be a very, very close game -- within one possession.

I guess to really be precise, you'd have to say Duke winning by 2.5 is the score at which Vegas expects to find that if $100 is wagered on the game, $50 will be on Duke and $50 will be on Villanova.

Troublemaker
03-23-2009, 08:20 AM
My point isn't that Duke stands no chance in this game or anything like that. If Duke and 'Nova played 100 times, I would guess 'Nova has a 55/45 edge or so. I would've preferred matching up against any of the other 3 seeds, against whom I believe Duke would enjoy a 60/40 advantage. In that respect, I think 'Nova was a poor matchup for us, but I also think whoever wins this game will go to the Final Four (as I think the odds favor both Duke and 'Nova against Pitt/Xavier). Believe me, I have much respect and love for Duke's team.

I am also not above being surprised. Maybe with the extra preparation time, Duke comes out and plays excellent defense. Maybe Duke is actually quicker than Villanova, and relative quickness is hard to judge unless the two teams share the same court. Maybe Villanova lays a stinker on Thursday. Certainly, the possibilities for any game range from a blowout by one team to a blowout by the other team. There are very few truly shocking outcomes.

As always, Duke has to execute a gameplan to win. If you tell me right now that on Thursday, Duke can avoid fouling, can defensive rebound well, and can shoot a good percentage from three, I would say the odds tilt towards us in a 75/25 manner.

SMO
03-23-2009, 09:12 AM
Why is it that every team we face presents a match-up problem for us, but not the other way around?

GREAT question. I think it has more to do with pundits picking Duke apart due to their own biases or high expectations. How many 30-win Sweet 16 teams are there that are so "fragile", "unathletic", "slow", "small", and "soft"??? Never mind that Scheyer, Singler, and Henderson present match-up problems for most opponents.

-jk
03-23-2009, 09:12 AM
I posted this in the TX thread, but I think it bears repeating:

We played - and won - 5 games in 9 days, 4 of them against top 50 teams.

We beat Texas on fumes. And guts.

We have a chance to rest up a bit before Nova and put a game plan in place. It won't be easy (there are no easy games left), but I like our chances.

-jk

blueprofessor
03-23-2009, 09:34 AM
I posted this in the TX thread, but I think it bears repeating:

We played - and won - 5 games in 9 days, 4 of them against top 50 teams.

We beat Texas on fumes. And guts.

We have a chance to rest up a bit before Nova and put a game plan in place. It won't be easy (there are no easy games left), but I like our chances.

-jk

http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/2009/03/22/pitt-has-mighty-muscles-but-not-stuff-to-win/

breakdown of why Pitt will be beaten.:)

Best---Blueprofessor :D

davekay1971
03-23-2009, 09:36 AM
I honestly hope our players don't feel this way...but I'm satisfied. This Duke team has done everything I could have hoped for. Oh, sure, I'd love a final four run, a national championship run. It'd be wonderful beyond words for us to send the 'Holes home in the final four, then send Calhoun and the UConnvicts home two days later. But I'm satisfied. A 30 win season. An ACC championship. A return to the sweet 16 against good competition. These guys have been great.

So I'm absolutely looking forward to 'Nova. They're a really good team, and it's a good matchup. It should be a fun, close game. I know our guys will show up, play their best, and be, as always, a credit to our University. Win or lose, I'm happy. I'm satisfied.

(But I really really hope our team doesn't feel that way) :)

NSDukeFan
03-23-2009, 09:56 AM
I honestly hope our players don't feel this way...but I'm satisfied. This Duke team has done everything I could have hoped for. Oh, sure, I'd love a final four run, a national championship run. It'd be wonderful beyond words for us to send the 'Holes home in the final four, then send Calhoun and the UConnvicts home two days later. But I'm satisfied. A 30 win season. An ACC championship. A return to the sweet 16 against good competition. These guys have been great.

So I'm absolutely looking forward to 'Nova. They're a really good team, and it's a good matchup. It should be a fun, close game. I know our guys will show up, play their best, and be, as always, a credit to our University. Win or lose, I'm happy. I'm satisfied.

(But I really really hope our team doesn't feel that way) :)

I agree that it has been a successful season no matter what happens from here on out. I like this team a lot though and see the potential to win every remaining game. It also sounds like this team is not satisfied. From their quotes after the game, it sounds like they expect more from themselves. I look forward to them showing it.

I like our chances against Villanova. I agree with several posters who have commented that they have quick guards that will present a big challenge to us, as have T. Douglas, J. Teague, T. Lawson, T. Rice, etc.. I also see 'Nova having much quicker guards and better scorers than Texas, who presented us with some challenges when they spread the floor. The reason I am not in the woe is us camp is I think our help side D will be better this game because, although Reynolds is a good shooter who can go off, I don't think this team has an Abrams where we have to completely ignore help side to stay with him, or a Pittman that we have to concentrate that much on inside. Mind you, from what I gather, Cunningham is a better overall player. But not than Kyle.

When I think about how hard Villanova will play us when we try to go to the hoop, I picture in my head G either getting fouled on the way to the hoop, as nobody seems to be able to keep him in front of them one on one, or dunking on them while getting fouled, and then hitting the free throw. I also think of how many times Kyle has gone up against bigger players this year and out-rebounded them and scored on them inside. I also think of how many fouls Jon will draw if they want to play tough with him.
Go Duke!

davekay1971
03-23-2009, 10:07 AM
It's going to be a great contest. I think we match up beautifully. They're an opponent where we can really spread the floor, drive and dish, and they're going to try the same on us. I could even envision Kyle, Jon, G, Nolan, and EWill on the court at the same time, which would be an unbelievably potent scoring combination, and wouldn't necessarily hurt us defensively against Nova. This is going to be a beautiful game if you love guard and wing play.

camion
03-23-2009, 10:28 AM
So far we have an ACC championship and a 30 win season. That's pretty darned good. From here on out anything can happen, but I like our chances for the elite 8 and hope we continue to be undervalued by the pundits.

Ignatius07
03-23-2009, 10:28 AM
Has anybody seen a regional telecast coverage map? I presume Duke-Villanova will be the premiere game on CBS, but I noticed that Mizzou-Memphis tips 30 minutes before, so I was wondering if I'd have to go to a bar.

grossbus
03-23-2009, 10:34 AM
"WE HAVE COACH K! He seems to have a pretty good record as the underdog in these situations."

5 days to prepare. i gotta like K.

wiscodevil
03-23-2009, 10:41 AM
I'd like to see more passing and less one-on-one isolation. I think this is when Duke is at it's best. Spread it and pass it!

jjasper0729
03-23-2009, 10:49 AM
I'd like to see more passing and less one-on-one isolation. I think this is when Duke is at it's best. Spread it and pass it!

I would tend to agree. Our assist-to-field goals made ratio was quite low against Texas on Saturday. More crisp passing would, in theory, make for more open shots for us to knock down.

DukeUsul
03-23-2009, 10:53 AM
Has anybody seen a regional telecast coverage map? I presume Duke-Villanova will be the premiere game on CBS, but I noticed that Mizzou-Memphis tips 30 minutes before, so I was wondering if I'd have to go to a bar.

Check your local CBS affiliate to see what they are carrying. Since you are in C-ville, I've GOT to think you'll get the Duke game.

roywhite
03-23-2009, 11:05 AM
Listened to Coach K on the Dan Patrick radio show this morning. Upbeat, mostly joked around with Dan, who made him laugh with an Alaa Abdelnaby reference and a few other good lines.

DP: Coach, what have you learned about your team in the last 2 weeks that may have surprised you.
K: I've learned that we're a little deeper and tougher even than I thought, that we are learning how to win close games.

elvis14
03-23-2009, 11:39 AM
On the defensive side, what I like about our team is our flexibility. Lance is a tweener between Dave and Z. I like the way K is using Z situationally. I expect that during the 'Nova game Z will get some burn and his inside play on the defensive end will cause some issues for 'Nova. Once they adjust and start pulling Z out by setting picks and switching him onto a perimeter player, we sit him back down. He played just 13 minutes vs. Texas, for example, but he as instrumental to our success. The thing I've noticed about Z and smaller teams this year is that he's either very effective (particularly rebounding and altering shots), or he's completely ineffective. Naturally, I'm hoping for the former.

Against smaller teams, we see more of Dave McClure. Nobody seems to think that we will have a great struggle scoring, lots of stuff in here about us defending their quickness. Without a lot of size to keep Dave on the bench, 'Nova may see McClure play a lot. If you're 'Nova, you don't want Dave on the floor. His defense is just too good, especially when he isn't guarding someone much bigger than he is. He'll pick up charges tap loose balls to team mates, etc.

Everyone talks about Texas coming back from 10 on us....lets not forget that much of that comeback happened because Abrams fell down shooting a 3 and they gave Kyle his 4th foul. He hit the bench, they hit those free throws and made a nice run (we missed some shots in that run we should have made).....Kyle came back in and we won. Yes, they were effective having Ward drive and dish. We chose, however not to collapse on that drive and we gave them the mid-range jumper and not the 3.

The toughness issue has been mentioned a few times. I'm not concerned at all. The comments posted from 'Nova make me smile. Try that on Duke and you'll just get us fired up. This might be the toughest Duke team I've seen in a long time. Jon, Kyle, G aren't just our best players, they are guys that can mix it up in the paint effectively. If you watched the ACC tournament, it was very physical and we won it. The games were close, however, and I expect the same on Thursday but I give Duke the advantage because of our flexibility and K using that flexibility to create favorable match ups.

davekay1971
03-23-2009, 11:43 AM
The toughness issue has been mentioned a few times. I'm not concerned at all. The comments posted from 'Nova make me smile. Try that on Duke and you'll just get us fired up. This might be the toughest Duke team I've seen in a long time. Jon, Kyle, G aren't just our best players, they are guys that can mix it up in the paint effectively. If you watched the ACC tournament, it was very physical and we won it. The games were close, however, and I expect the same on Thursday but I give Duke the advantage because of our flexibility and K using that flexibility to create favorable match ups.

I think you can pretty well assume they'll try that on us. There's the (mis)perception that the ACC, and Duke in particular, is soft. I think the Big East teams genuinely believe that they're just tougher than the better conference down south. 'Nova's going to find out the hard way that our guys are tough as nails.

bjornolf
03-23-2009, 01:27 PM
I like our chances if it's a close game down the stretch. We were 4-1 on the season in games decided by one possession, including one in ovetime, and we trailed by at least a few points at some point late in the game in at least two of the wins I can think of. We are battle tested and tempered in close games. We've shown mental and physical toughness in the close ones this year.

I think Nova and Duke are actually very similar teams, but we have the X factor. I'll take K any day, and I think that'll be the difference.

Of course, I just looked at Villanova's one possession games, and they're 5-1. Their wins are over St. Joe's, Marquette (BET), Providence, Syracuse, and DePaul. Their loss was to Louisville. So I guess their pretty tough in close games too. :o I guess just another similarity between our teams. We still have K though. ;) I'm not backing down on that one.

Dukerati
03-23-2009, 02:17 PM
Yep, I love our matchup with Villanova because if Villanova beats us, it will be because they out-"Duke"d Duke. They are an athletic, scrappy guard oriented team that rely heavily on drives and threes. We invented that style and I'd much rather see us go against a shorter guard-heavy Villanova team than a brute-force UCONN team who just put up shot after shot with the expectations of offensive rebounds and fouls.

Chitowndevil
03-23-2009, 04:08 PM
Most importantly, don't foul. ... Don't foul, don't foul, don't foul is what Coach K will be preaching all week.

The other thing is attack, attack, attack (on offense). ... We need our players to attack them on the other end just as aggressively as they will attack us...

This absolutely hits the nail on the head.

Villanova gets almost 24% of its total points from the line, where they shoot nearly 75%. Both of these statistics are top 25 nationally; the former is 4th among major conference teams.

Defensively, Villanova's opponents score almost 35% of their points on 3-pointers, despite shooting only 33.8% from 3. They are adept at limiting penetration and bothering shots down low but still quick enough to get back out to the perimeter to challenge jump shooters. They are, however, vulnerable to fouls, allowing about 38% as many FT attempts as FG attempts.

The only thing I'd add is that it is crucial Duke win the turnover battle. Duke is rated above Nova in offensive efficiency and is even with Nova in defensive efficiency despite Nova shooting higher %s and giving up lower %s on both 2s and 3s. The reason is Duke takes better care of the ball on the offensive end and generates more turnovers on D.

The Duke fan in me is nervous about this one, mostly because I've grown so attached to this year's team. The basketball fan in me can't wait for this game, as both teams play a style of basketball I love to watch.

bluedev_92
03-23-2009, 04:42 PM
This is not a good matchup for Duke. Vill is tough, long, smart, and athletic. I think Duke is a year away from being able to beat a team like Vill. Duke is going to have a tough time defending the wildcats, the officials are going to be a huge part of this game. I think Duke is going to have a tough time dealing with the length and speed of the Vill defense while on offense.

I think Duke has to be really hot from outside to win this one. While Duke is showing some toughness and strives to be tougher, Vill is TOUGH. And IMO that toughness will carry the day.

I don't agree. I think more of the matchups go our way. I've watched Villanova in person many times due to being close to Philly. As far as smart - I'm not sure - they have a tendency to not value the ball or possession at times. Tough? I'll match us up with them on that scale any day. Nova will struggle with Henderson & Singler. Lance Thomas is capable of guarding Cunningham. Scheyer's shooting will be important. I believe our defense is very good & nothing will come easy. Don't get me wrong, I think Villanova is a very good team, but I think we are better. Let the games begin.

dukestheheat
03-23-2009, 06:04 PM
I like our chances if it's a close game down the stretch. We were 4-1 on the season in games decided by one possession, including one in ovetime, and we trailed by at least a few points at some point late in the game in at least two of the wins I can think of. We are battle tested and tempered in close games. We've shown mental and physical toughness in the close ones this year.

I think Nova and Duke are actually very similar teams, but we have the X factor. I'll take K any day, and I think that'll be the difference.

Of course, I just looked at Villanova's one possession games, and they're 5-1. Their wins are over St. Joe's, Marquette (BET), Providence, Syracuse, and DePaul. Their loss was to Louisville. So I guess their pretty tough in close games too. :o I guess just another similarity between our teams. We still have K though. ;) I'm not backing down on that one.

...please forgive if this has been posted thusfar here on the DBR, but KenPom has given Duke a 59% chance of beating Villanova, and he's calling the margin at three points!

hope this linky works out:

http://kenpom.com/team.php?y=2009&team=Duke

check it out!

dukestheheat

Lennies
03-23-2009, 06:16 PM
The three teams that I root for are Duke, Villanova and Texas, so this has been a rough tournament for me.

I expect Duke to win this game. The UCLA game made me blink and question where that Villanova team had come from. I haven't seen Villanova play that aggressively on either end of the floor before. Typically, I find myself screaming at Villanova to defend the three point shot. If Villanova falls into old habits, Duke could have a big day from outside the arc.

If the team that played UCLA shows up again, it's going to be a very tight game and the refs will be a factor.

geraldsneighbor
03-23-2009, 06:51 PM
While TK won't be suiting up on Thursday, he said this evening on CSN-Philly that he will do whatever it takes to prepare the 'Cats for Duke. He said he plans on showing every cut and tendency each Duke player has.

Also in the story there is a good amount of familiarity amongst the players.
Dwayne Anderson and Gerald Henderson played AAU together.
Scottie Reynolds and G played together in the McDonald's All-America game and also played against each other in HS.
Reggie Redding, Shane Clark and Gerald also played against each other in HS.
Lance Thomas and Corey Stokes were High School teammates and played against Nova's Corey Fisher.
Dante Cunningham and Nolan Smith were AAU teammates.

Also, Henderson spurned 'Nova for Duke in what Jay Wright called, "Very disappointing." Also, McClure, Zoubek and Nolan also were recruited by Wright.

What a week it'll be for me in Philly.

FireOgilvie
03-23-2009, 06:56 PM
I'm not worried about Taylor King giving away any secrets... the team has changed from last year to this year. Also, it was pretty obvious that Taylor hadn't exactly mastered the defense... how is he going to give anything away?

Cameron
03-23-2009, 06:57 PM
TK can..

Lots of great familiarities, though. It's always interesting when past "rivals" or teammates meet against each other, especially on the biggest of stages. It usually means that both sides bring their best. I fully expect Gerald to play with an extra edge and an extra bounce as he faces childhood opponents in his home state.

Thanks for sharing, gerald.

Duvall
03-23-2009, 06:59 PM
I'm not worried about Taylor King giving away any secrets... the team has changed from last year to this year. Also, it was pretty obvious that Taylor hadn't exactly mastered the defense... how is he going to give anything away?

Or the offense, for that matter.

geraldsneighbor
03-23-2009, 07:12 PM
I'm not worried by TK giving a whole lot away. G and Singler are better players and Jon is now the PG. While I completely understand Taylor is one of them now, the way he said he was going to help was almost using his year at Duke to spite them. Taylor seems to have left with a very negative taste in his mouth.

I reallllllly want this one guys. Bad. I'm sure our guys do as well.

roywhite
03-23-2009, 07:26 PM
I'm not worried by TK giving a whole lot away. G and Singler are better players and Jon is now the PG. While I completely understand Taylor is one of them now, the way he said he was going to help was almost using his year at Duke to spite them. Taylor seems to have left with a very negative taste in his mouth.

I reallllllly want this one guys. Bad. I'm sure our guys do as well.

Thanks for the reports from the Main Line, geraldsneighbor. Lived in the area myself, way back.

What's the take in the Philly area media? Favoring 'Nova? Confident, or a little nervous?

Any Villanova insiders speaking out? Or smart enough to stay off the bulletin boards?

Kim*
03-23-2009, 07:37 PM
What a week it'll be for me in Philly.
Agreed!

Kim*
03-23-2009, 07:43 PM
Thanks for the reports from the Main Line, geraldsneighbor. Lived in the area myself, way back.

What's the take in the Philly area media? Favoring 'Nova? Confident, or a little nervous?

Any Villanova insiders speaking out? Or smart enough to stay off the bulletin boards?
All news reports I've seen so far have Wildcat fever. Reporting from the campus, interviewing the players/Wright at the team practice today, wearing Nova colors during the broadcast, etc. They don't seem the least bit concerned to take on Duke.

Oh, and this reminds me.. I was out shopping yesterday and what do I see?:
http://i43.tinypic.com/24o3lt1.jpg

A life-size cardboard cutout of Mr. Wright. I took the pic for my friend because I knew they'd get a kick out of it. Good times.

geraldsneighbor
03-23-2009, 08:08 PM
I think the media is really thinking its Nova's game to lose. I feel like Duke is being disrespected by many. Dick Jerardi and John Smallwood each wrote today on philly.com they think Duke is a soft team and that the officials are the major key. While I think officiating is a factor, to call Duke soft is a really uninformed statement IMO. Duke may not have blown out Texas, but that is the same team that handled the Cats easily albeit in December.


I really want to add however that Nova is a class program. Jay Wright is one of the classiest guys in the profession and is really hard not to like. While the "Nova Nation" annoys me I still appreciate and respect Jay and his program. It'll be a great game, and one I hope Duke wins more than ever.

weezie
03-23-2009, 08:43 PM
While TK won't be suiting up on Thursday, he said this evening on CSN-Philly that he will do whatever it takes to prepare the 'Cats for Duke. He said he plans on showing every cut and tendency each Duke player has.


Taylor should be wary of the fact that what goes around, comes around. He's messing with a pretty serious mojo. He must be desperate for the media attention that may never come his way again.

JStuart
03-23-2009, 09:00 PM
Today, while out picking up lunch, one of the local triangle radio stations had Greg Gumbel on the line for an interview, and he had nice things to say about Duke in general, and when the local guy said, is there one game this weekend you're wanting to see as a fan, yourself?, Greg hardly let him finish the statement before replying 'Duke-Villanova, ought to be the best game to watch.' Greg also allowed he was tired of hearing about the toe.....


I think the media is really thinking its Nova's game to lose. I feel like Duke is being disrespected by many. Dick Jerardi and John Smallwood each wrote today on philly.com they think Duke is a soft team and that the officials are the major key. While I think officiating is a factor, to call Duke soft is a really uninformed statement IMO. Duke may not have blown out Texas, but that is the same team that handled the Cats easily albeit in December.


I really want to add however that Nova is a class program. Jay Wright is one of the classiest guys in the profession and is really hard not to like. While the "Nova Nation" annoys me I still appreciate and respect Jay and his program. It'll be a great game, and one I hope Duke wins more than ever.

LetItBD08
03-23-2009, 09:08 PM
...please forgive if this has been posted thusfar here on the DBR, but KenPom has given Duke a 59% chance of beating Villanova, and he's calling the margin at three points!

hope this linky works out:

http://kenpom.com/team.php?y=2009&team=Duke

check it out!

dukestheheat

He gives UNC only a 56% chance over Gonzaga in an 83-82 game
Pitt gets a 68% (72-67)
L'ville 78% (74-66)
Memphis 68% (70-66)
UConn 73% (68-63)
Syracuse 52% (78-77) as the lower seed
Kansas 55% (70-69) as the lower seed

Just food for thought.


Taylor should be wary of the fact that what goes around, comes around. He's messing with a pretty serious mojo. He must be desperate for the media attention that may never come his way again.

I don't see anything wrong with this. He's a Wildcat now, and there's nothing wrong with helping your team. Honestly though, Jay Wright is a bright coach. It's not like he hasn't seen it all before.

roywhite
03-23-2009, 09:34 PM
I don't see anything wrong with this. He's a Wildcat now, and there's nothing wrong with helping your team. Honestly though, Jay Wright is a bright coach. It's not like he hasn't seen it all before.

No hard feelings toward TK, but he has picked a challenging situation in terms of getting lots of playing time. Villanova is similar to Duke in that they emphasize defense and want players that can guard effectively man-to-man. That wasn't TK's strong point.

In addition to a talented roster this year, Villanova is bringing in a top-5 recruiting class for next year, again featuring some quick, athletic guards and forwards.

TK may find a spot as a shooting specialist but I question whether his defense will ever be good enough for him to be a starter or get 20+ minutes per game.

I'd be inclined to wish him well, but not to the point of working and speaking against Duke.

BD80
03-23-2009, 10:16 PM
... Against Nova, we'll be able to play our best 5 players. ...


... Cunningham is pretty comfortable defending away from the basket. If Villanova does put him on Singler, he'll have no problem going out and defending. ...


Agree. For example, how does Villanova stop Gerald Henderson?

We will be playing our 7 best players, Nolan and McClure will see plenty of PT. Greg will also be able to see some PT.

Who has Cunningham defended that has the outside game that Singler has? If Cunningham is outside guarding Kyle, who is left to defend the rim if G, EW, or Nolan can get by his man. Golly, if only Duke could play some kind of spread offense which would space the floor and pull the 'Nova defenders away from the basket, creating either driving lanes or open outside shots. :rolleyes:

Devilsfan
03-23-2009, 10:22 PM
Bilas said he thought nova represented the hardest match up for Duke.

Waynne
03-23-2009, 10:29 PM
I was in Philly over the weekend, and most of the columnists, bloggers, and fans in the street seemed to think Nova has the game in the bag. Some think Duke is "soft" and cannot withstand the physical pounding the Wildcats intend to administer. One player was bragging about how "nobody" drives the lane and dunks on Nova, which may have been a message aimed at G and Nolan.

Others opined that Villanova is too athletic for Duke. Almost all felt Big East play is far superior to that in the ACC, and that our team will wilt in the intensity of the game.

It should be a great game, one of the biggest we have played in the last 5 years. I think our guys are going to surprise them.

mgtr
03-23-2009, 10:39 PM
Ahhhh, I am not real bright about this here math stuff, but if Villanova is so dang good ( to use the Roy vernacular) how come we are seeded above them? Probably just a mistake, don't ya figure?:D

dukemsu
03-23-2009, 10:41 PM
Taylor should be wary of the fact that what goes around, comes around. He's messing with a pretty serious mojo. He must be desperate for the media attention that may never come his way again.

TK's situation calls to mind Chappell giving public scouting reports to the Lansing State Journal on the eve of the 99 Final Four matchup with MSU. Most of it was pretty basic (Trajan can shoot from anywhere, Shane draws charges, Elton is a great rebounder), but I do remember him saying that Avery shot too much. Struck me as funny.

Obviously, TK has an axe to grind or he'd still be at Duke. Nova presents a ton of challenges, but I don't think TK's counterintelligence is one of them.

dukemsu

Newton_14
03-23-2009, 10:43 PM
I was blown away at the Villanova I saw destroy UCLA on Saturday and thought they looked much better than the other times I saw them play this year. They played with a very high energy level, played great defense and hit alot of 3's. They will be a tough opponent, but I do feel we have a good chance of winning this game given the way our guys are currently playing.

The one thing that bothered me in that game, as well as the comments from Jay Bilas was the very hard fouls they laid on UCLA. Especially the one on Josh Shipp. Those were well beyond what I deem "hard foul". I thought the foul on Shipp could have been called flagrant.

I cannot see any of our guys taking a foul like that and not immediately jumping up and having to be restrained. Maybe I am overreacting, and I would like the thoughts of others on the board about this. I felt the fouls were over the top. And I have watched Nova play for years and like their teams and have never felt they were dirty or anything. They are actually my favorite Big East team..

Regarding Bilas, he applauded the fouls, which was odd given that 3 weeks ago he was ranting on and on about college basketball being too physical on the Saturday College Game Day ESPN show. Bilas stated that "Nova was sending a loud message to UCLA that this would be a physical game for tough guys, and would be played in a Big East style".

The other announcer questioned the force of the fouls, to which Bilas immediately responded that nothing about the fouls were illegal according to the rule book. His partner said, "well, maybe not, but were the fouls really in the spirit of the game, and is that what we want college basketball to be about?"

I just worry what would happen if one of our guys get fouled as hard as Shipp was. Anyway, just a side item, and I would like to hear the thoughts of others...

Duke Blue Devils 2009 ACC Champions

InSpades
03-23-2009, 11:01 PM
Some games notes from my brother (the biggest Villanova fan around, should be an interesting night for us!)...

on defense... very worried about leaving us open for 3s. They switch off to stop penetration and aren't always the best about getting back out on shooters. Also worried about defending Henderson on the drive... potentially causes foul trouble, will likely be left to Redding and Anderson (their guards are too small to bother Gerald).

on offense... Worried that their guards will drive into the lane a bit out of control and get called for charges. Says Corey Stokes playing under control is a key for Villanova.

Also he obviously mentioned the refs. If they call things tight then it will favor us as Villanova will be very "hands-on" let's just say.

I say we can't really rely on the refs, sadly we don't get as many calls as everyone seems to think we do :).

I say the key for Duke is to capitalize on chances to seize the lead. I think that was a big problem for us against Texas. There were a few plays in particular where we could extend the lead and missed out on great opportunities.... when Gerald was basically gift wrapped a steal for a wide-open breakaway and had the ball go right through his hands. Also the break where it was atleast 2 on 1 and Singler tried to make the difficult pass over the defender to Nolan but overthrew him out of bounds.

I think Duke will establish a lead but if we let Villanova stick around then it could cause us some trouble. Interestingly enough Villanova had a pretty bad collapse in their game against Louisville. Multiple missed free throws and some bad turnovers to throw away the game... hopefully if it's a close game they get the same case of the "yips".

Virginian
03-23-2009, 11:05 PM
We will be playing our 7 best players, Nolan and McClure will see plenty of PT. Greg will also be able to see some PT.

Who has Cunningham defended that has the outside game that Singler has? If Cunningham is outside guarding Kyle, who is left to defend the rim if G, EW, or Nolan can get by his man. Golly, if only Duke could play some kind of spread offense which would space the floor and pull the 'Nova defenders away from the basket, creating either driving lanes or open outside shots. :rolleyes:

Your point is a good one: if Cunningham doesn't come out to guard against Singler's 3-point shot it's going to hurt Nova. If he does come out it opens the lane for penetration from Henderson and others. Spacing could very well be a key aspect of the game for Duke. To that point, Bobby Knight said on ESPN today that Duke has the best offensive spacing in the country. Let's hope he's right.

mgtr
03-23-2009, 11:13 PM
We do have great offensive spacing, but we need the refs to not swallow their whistles. And to refrain from calling mythical fouls on us, just to balance the books.

Boston Dukie
03-23-2009, 11:27 PM
Look, say what you want about coach K, but one thing that is not up for debate is that he is the master motivator. He gets the most out of his players, bar none.

So if the media keeps saying Duke is "soft", you can be sure they will be anything but soft when the game starts. He will have the team in a frenzy.

Remember the 2nd wake game at Cameron this year?

Duke was in a tailspin and lacking "toughness". They came out inspired, and play very aggressively with a ton of toughness.

If Duke loses, it won't be because they are soft.

Also, Zoubek is not going to play much. If Nova wants to be physical and commit hard fouls, why not have Zoubek level somebody? Just a thought

One aside. I was talking to a friend about his bracket (with him having no idea I was a Duke guy since we just met last year and never talked hoops). I said do you think Nova can beat both UCLA and Duke back to back? And he said "UCLA is not very good and will probably lose to VCU. Duke is soft, all you have to do is get in their face and be physical and they back down and collapse. Look at the Wake and Clemson games."

Everyone beleives Duke is soft and everyone is saying it

Take it to the bank that coach K is psyched this is happening

When Duke was going to Play UNLV is 1991, the media was saying how Duke had no chance, UNLV would kill them, etc, etc. Publicly, Coach K was saying stuff like "we just hope to keep it within 20", etc. Privately to the team he was saying "Fu## UNLV, they are nothing. You guys are better, and I gaurantee we will win".

This is the type of situation where K shines. Duke as an underdog with a week to prepare. When Duke is favored, that is when things don't go as well of late.

Now if we could only recruit a big man .....

ice-9
03-24-2009, 02:34 AM
My point isn't that Duke stands no chance in this game or anything like that. If Duke and 'Nova played 100 times, I would guess 'Nova has a 55/45 edge or so. I would've preferred matching up against any of the other 3 seeds, against whom I believe Duke would enjoy a 60/40 advantage. In that respect, I think 'Nova was a poor matchup for us, but I also think whoever wins this game will go to the Final Four (as I think the odds favor both Duke and 'Nova against Pitt/Xavier). Believe me, I have much respect and love for Duke's team.

I am also not above being surprised. Maybe with the extra preparation time, Duke comes out and plays excellent defense. Maybe Duke is actually quicker than Villanova, and relative quickness is hard to judge unless the two teams share the same court. Maybe Villanova lays a stinker on Thursday. Certainly, the possibilities for any game range from a blowout by one team to a blowout by the other team. There are very few truly shocking outcomes.

As always, Duke has to execute a gameplan to win. If you tell me right now that on Thursday, Duke can avoid fouling, can defensive rebound well, and can shoot a good percentage from three, I would say the odds tilt towards us in a 75/25 manner.


How do you figure?

I think Kansas would be nightmare match-up for us. Aldrich is a lottery pick and will cause huge problems for us in the paint. They are a much superior version of a Texas team that we barely beat.

Missouri is a frantic pressing team. The last pressing team we played against was Clemson, and that didn't turn out well. Yes, we're much improved since then, but do you really want to test just how much improved in a one-and-done situation? I'd also argue Missouri is a much better team than Clemson.

To me, Syracuse is the only team I'd rather match-up with than Villanova. But even then, Syracuse is a better rated team that Villanova.

In fact...

Kenpom: Missouri (7), Kansas (9), Syracuse (11), Villanova (17)

Sagarin: Missouri (8), Kansas (9), Syracuse (12), Villanova (13)

RPI: Missouri (10), Kansas (11), Syracuse (12), Villanova (13)

Every objective ranking system has Nova as the weakest among the 3 seeds.

geraldsneighbor
03-24-2009, 08:03 AM
I was blown away at the Villanova I saw destroy UCLA on Saturday and thought they looked much better than the other times I saw them play this year. They played with a very high energy level, played great defense and hit alot of 3's. They will be a tough opponent, but I do feel we have a good chance of winning this game given the way our guys are currently playing.

The one thing that bothered me in that game, as well as the comments from Jay Bilas was the very hard fouls they laid on UCLA. Especially the one on Josh Shipp. Those were well beyond what I deem "hard foul". I thought the foul on Shipp could have been called flagrant.

I cannot see any of our guys taking a foul like that and not immediately jumping up and having to be restrained. Maybe I am overreacting, and I would like the thoughts of others on the board about this. I felt the fouls were over the top. And I have watched Nova play for years and like their teams and have never felt they were dirty or anything. They are actually my favorite Big East team..

Regarding Bilas, he applauded the fouls, which was odd given that 3 weeks ago he was ranting on and on about college basketball being too physical on the Saturday College Game Day ESPN show. Bilas stated that "Nova was sending a loud message to UCLA that this would be a physical game for tough guys, and would be played in a Big East style".

The other announcer questioned the force of the fouls, to which Bilas immediately responded that nothing about the fouls were illegal according to the rule book. His partner said, "well, maybe not, but were the fouls really in the spirit of the game, and is that what we want college basketball to be about?"

I just worry what would happen if one of our guys get fouled as hard as Shipp was. Anyway, just a side item, and I would like to hear the thoughts of others...

Duke Blue Devils 2009 ACC Champions

Couldn't agree with you anymore. If you think our guys will be thrown around and do nothing back your sorely mistaken. This isn't a soft team by any stretch.

slower
03-24-2009, 08:43 AM
My point isn't that Duke stands no chance in this game or anything like that. If Duke and 'Nova played 100 times, I would guess 'Nova has a 55/45 edge or so. I would've preferred matching up against any of the other 3 seeds, against whom I believe Duke would enjoy a 60/40 advantage. In that respect, I think 'Nova was a poor matchup for us, but I also think whoever wins this game will go to the Final Four (as I think the odds favor both Duke and 'Nova against Pitt/Xavier). Believe me, I have much respect and love for Duke's team.

I am also not above being surprised. Maybe with the extra preparation time, Duke comes out and plays excellent defense. Maybe Duke is actually quicker than Villanova, and relative quickness is hard to judge unless the two teams share the same court. Maybe Villanova lays a stinker on Thursday. Certainly, the possibilities for any game range from a blowout by one team to a blowout by the other team. There are very few truly shocking outcomes.

As always, Duke has to execute a gameplan to win. If you tell me right now that on Thursday, Duke can avoid fouling, can defensive rebound well, and can shoot a good percentage from three, I would say the odds tilt towards us in a 75/25 manner.

That's an excellent, honest analysis. Seems like the posts here (and, in general, before ANY game) trend toward optimistic homerism. Which is fine, although sometimes unrealistic. But as you say, the possibilities for ANY game are unlimited along the spectrum of results. If Duke executes the gameplan you lay out above, I think we have a good chance to win ANY game. Let's hope it goes accordingly!

Troublemaker
03-24-2009, 08:49 AM
How do you figure?

I think Kansas would be nightmare match-up for us. Aldrich is a lottery pick and will cause huge problems for us in the paint. They are a much superior version of a Texas team that we barely beat.

Missouri is a frantic pressing team. The last pressing team we played against was Clemson, and that didn't turn out well. Yes, we're much improved since then, but do you really want to test just how much improved in a one-and-done situation? I'd also argue Missouri is a much better team than Clemson.

To me, Syracuse is the only team I'd rather match-up with than Villanova. But even then, Syracuse is a better rated team that Villanova.

In fact...

Kenpom: Missouri (7), Kansas (9), Syracuse (11), Villanova (17)

Sagarin: Missouri (8), Kansas (9), Syracuse (12), Villanova (13)

RPI: Missouri (10), Kansas (11), Syracuse (12), Villanova (13)

Every objective ranking system has Nova as the weakest among the 3 seeds.

The differences in those ratings are statistically insignificant. Besides, basketball is about matchups, and my whole point was that 'Nova is specifically a poor matchup for Duke (but reasonable minds can disagree).

I would love to play Kansas. They turn the ball over a lot, which is the main thing, they're young, and they rely a lot on two players, both of whom would have a difficult time finding someone to guard when Duke's on offense. Aldrich is huge and a good player but he's not the most fluid guy around, and most importantly, his offense is pretty limited to the area right around the basket, making it easy for Duke to cutoff passing lanes into him. Players like Hansbrough or Greg Monroe or Deshawn Sims from Michigan that can start their offense from farther out give us more trouble because there are more varied ways and angles to get them the ball. Kansas would've been my favorite 3 seed to get.

Syracuse zones and gives up tons of offensive rebounds. Would love to play them.

Missouri would be tougher and my least favorite of the three alternatives. I think Duke has handled the press fine since the PG switch, but yes, we haven't played a team that would press us the entire game. Still, I think we would beat it because I have confidence in Scheyer, and given a choice between playing against a press and playing a team that's going to spread us out and have multiple guys that can penetrate, I'll take the former.

bjornolf
03-24-2009, 08:51 AM
Yes, we were a soft team. WERE being the operative word in that sentence. The Wake and Clemson games that everyone points to were both BEFORE the big change, if I recall. Since then, we have won SEVERAL games against teams that wanted to treat it more like a football field than a basketball court. We WERE a soft team. That was almost two months ago.

The guys have grown into a pack of wolves. Fast. Tough. Long. Lean. Smart. They work together as a team while hunting as a pack. Soft is not a word in Duke's vocabulary at this point in the season.

Duke may not win when the final horn sounds on Thursday, but they will NOT back down. They will NOT surrender. They will NOT be soft. Of that, you can be sure.

We are Duke:
http://rlv.zcache.com/meet_the_wolf_pack_poster-p228449217320091049trma_400.jpg

NSDukeFan
03-24-2009, 09:14 AM
I was in Philly over the weekend, and most of the columnists, bloggers, and fans in the street seemed to think Nova has the game in the bag. Some think Duke is "soft" and cannot withstand the physical pounding the Wildcats intend to administer. One player was bragging about how "nobody" drives the lane and dunks on Nova, which may have been a message aimed at G and Nolan.

Others opined that Villanova is too athletic for Duke. Almost all felt Big East play is far superior to that in the ACC, and that our team will wilt in the intensity of the game.

It should be a great game, one of the biggest we have played in the last 5 years. I think our guys are going to surprise them.

To me this is the biggest difference between Elliot and G right now. I have full confidence that Villanova (like everyone else so far) will not be able to stop G from going to the hoop without fouling. I wouldn't say that he is a bodybuilder or anything, but when he gets a step he is very strong going to the hoop and goes in a straight line. I think Villanova will have to foul him or have great help D to stop him.

Elliot, on the other hand, has that same great first step and quickness, but isn't yet strong enough to go to the hoop in a straight line. He made a couple of great moves going left on the weekend, but instead of getting straight to the hoop went at a bit of a diagonal and had a tough finishing lay-up to the far left of the backboard instead of at the goal. I still think he plays a great role for us and is quick enough the other team has to be aware of him, but look forward to him getting a bit stronger to be more like G on drives.

FerryFor50
03-24-2009, 09:29 AM
I think the media is really thinking its Nova's game to lose. I feel like Duke is being disrespected by many. Dick Jerardi and John Smallwood each wrote today on philly.com they think Duke is a soft team and that the officials are the major key. While I think officiating is a factor, to call Duke soft is a really uninformed statement IMO. Duke may not have blown out Texas, but that is the same team that handled the Cats easily albeit in December.


I really want to add however that Nova is a class program. Jay Wright is one of the classiest guys in the profession and is really hard not to like. While the "Nova Nation" annoys me I still appreciate and respect Jay and his program. It'll be a great game, and one I hope Duke wins more than ever.

Saying "Duke is soft" and "the officials will be key" in the same breath means that they're already making excuses for the game. It will go one of two ways:

1) They will allow Nova to play "their game" and foul the living crap out of Duke without repercussion and the outcome could be similar to the Clemson game, which is the last time a team was allowed to do that to Duke. Then the pundits will go on and on about how Nova plays a tough-nosed, physical Big East style and that Duke is soft.

2) The refs will call the game as it is meant to be called due to the NCAA sending a memo out about overly hard fouls after the brutal first weekend of the tourny. Fouls will pile up on the now too-physical Big East style, Nova will reel, and Duke will pull the win out. Pundits will marvel at Duke's resurgence, and many will point to the free throw discrepancy. Youtube videos of Scheyer reaching in and not getting called, McClure taking charges where he doesn't appear fully set and Zoubek blocking out of control Nova layups will sprout up, claiming a Duke conspiracy. Tarheel fans will claim that Duke gets all the calls. Rinse, repeat.

So, it's kind of a catch 22 here. But I'll take option 2 in a heartbeat.

Troublemaker
03-24-2009, 10:00 AM
That's an excellent, honest analysis. Seems like the posts here (and, in general, before ANY game) trend toward optimistic homerism. Which is fine, although sometimes unrealistic. But as you say, the possibilities for ANY game are unlimited along the spectrum of results. If Duke executes the gameplan you lay out above, I think we have a good chance to win ANY game. Let's hope it goes accordingly!

Thanks for the kind words. For sure, 'Nova can be had. I just don't want to underestimate them. The "put ourselves in their shoes" analysis is this: 'Nova starts three seniors and two juniors. They were a Sweet 16 team last season and returned everyone this season. They therefore believe that they're ready to take the "next step" and go to a Final Four and they view Duke as in the way. As much as Duke fans may love that 'Nova doesn't have a huge "inside presence," 'Nova fans will feel the same way about Duke. Villanova has been using a spread motion offense for 8 years now under Jay Wright, and they'll be very comfortable playing to see who can execute spread motion better, them or Duke.

Meanwhile, even though this Duke team is new to the Sweet 16, I believe our guys also think that they're ready for the "next step." Like 'Nova, our team is full of upperclassmen who want to leave a legacy here. So, along with just playing basketball, there will be this "battle of wills" out there, of two teams going at each other with supreme confidence and belief that they're fated to win, and only one can advance. 'Nova will foul hard and take it to the rim hard and show their toughness. Duke will respond and squash the silly notion that we're somehow soft. A great game score-wise might not occur (because that's just a matter of luck how the teams shoot relative to each other), but a great game competition-wise will. Both teams will "bring it." I'm geeked.

dyedwab
03-24-2009, 10:08 AM
I want to highlight this quote from the Nolan Smith article from the other thread, because I think it is relevant to the discussion of how we react to Villanova trying to intimidate us physically.

"While Nolan was flat on his back, Neal came down and drilled a 3-point shot. Coach K complained to the refs that Neal had leaned into the pick too fiercely. Scheyer then ran over to check on Nolan, as did the son of one of Derek Smith's old teammates in Philadelphia -- Gerald Henderson Jr.

"Although Neal's screen was legal, Henderson was livid. After a timeout, he got the ball on the left wing, gestured for a teammate to clear out, dribbled straight toward Neal and tomahawk-dunked. He stomped his feet: That was for Nolan. Everything that night was for Nolan."

Emphasis added. the important thing is that since Wake and Clemson, this team seems to have figured out that they have an answer to physical play....:)

bjornolf
03-24-2009, 10:31 AM
So does that mean you expect G to just start Liptonizing wildcats left and right Thursday night? :eek: Not that I'd complain, mind you. :cool:

arnie
03-24-2009, 10:32 AM
Saying "Duke is soft" and "the officials will be key" in the same breath means that they're already making excuses for the game. It will go one of two ways:

1) They will allow Nova to play "their game" and foul the living crap out of Duke without repercussion and the outcome could be similar to the Clemson game, which is the last time a team was allowed to do that to Duke. Then the pundits will go on and on about how Nova plays a tough-nosed, physical Big East style and that Duke is soft.

2) The refs will call the game as it is meant to be called due to the NCAA sending a memo out about overly hard fouls after the brutal first weekend of the tourny. Fouls will pile up on the now too-physical Big East style, Nova will reel, and Duke will pull the win out. Pundits will marvel at Duke's resurgence, and many will point to the free throw discrepancy. Youtube videos of Scheyer reaching in and not getting called, McClure taking charges where he doesn't appear fully set and Zoubek blocking out of control Nova layups will sprout up, claiming a Duke conspiracy. Tarheel fans will claim that Duke gets all the calls. Rinse, repeat.

So, it's kind of a catch 22 here. But I'll take option 2 in a heartbeat.

100% agree - I can't remember a Duke win without some commentator or opposing team member making the ref excuse. In fact, I used to cringe when we would have one more free throw attempt than the opponent. I'm past all that now, and enjoy the Bomani Jones' of the world claiming that Smith and Williams weren't fouled at the end of the last game.

Kedsy
03-24-2009, 12:10 PM
Saying "Duke is soft" and "the officials will be key" in the same breath means that they're already making excuses for the game. It will go one of two ways:

1) They will allow Nova to play "their game" and foul the living crap out of Duke without repercussion and the outcome could be similar to the Clemson game, which is the last time a team was allowed to do that to Duke. Then the pundits will go on and on about how Nova plays a tough-nosed, physical Big East style and that Duke is soft.

2) The refs will call the game as it is meant to be called due to the NCAA sending a memo out about overly hard fouls after the brutal first weekend of the tourny. Fouls will pile up on the now too-physical Big East style, Nova will reel, and Duke will pull the win out. Pundits will marvel at Duke's resurgence, and many will point to the free throw discrepancy. Youtube videos of Scheyer reaching in and not getting called, McClure taking charges where he doesn't appear fully set and Zoubek blocking out of control Nova layups will sprout up, claiming a Duke conspiracy. Tarheel fans will claim that Duke gets all the calls. Rinse, repeat.

So, it's kind of a catch 22 here. But I'll take option 2 in a heartbeat.

I don't think option 1 is all that likely, nor do I think these are the only two options. What I think could happen is Villanova will come out overconfident, believing the press about Duke being soft, and Duke will knock them back out of the gate, something like 17-9 or 21-12. Then Nova will recover and make a run and be within 3 to 5 at halftime. To open the 2nd half, one team or the other will make a run, and then the reeling team will strike back. If all this happens, it will be around a 5 point game with 8 minutes to play and whichever team steps up and makes the plays (and hits their free throws) will win. Hopefully it's Duke.

Virginian
03-24-2009, 12:28 PM
Perhaps because Cunningham is making public boasts about slamming opponents into the floor just to make a point, the refs might say in their private pre-game meeting "let's keep an eye on this kid." They might call him for a couple early fouls and he could ride the bench for much of the first half. In any case, I'd like to see our guys test him early and see if we can get him in foul trouble. Wishful thinking perhaps.

geraldsneighbor
03-24-2009, 12:47 PM
Perhaps because Cunningham is making public boasts about slamming opponents into the floor just to make a point, the refs might say in their private pre-game meeting "let's keep an eye on this kid." They might call him for a couple early fouls and he could ride the bench for much of the first half. In any case, I'd like to see our guys test him early and see if we can get him in foul trouble. Wishful thinking perhaps.

I agree. I think Cunningham saying that they were intentionally committing harder fouls to set the tone is a real problem. I think some of the fouls were dirty and if the officials do look toward Cunningham that will be a big problem for Nova if he is in foul trouble.

elvis14
03-24-2009, 01:05 PM
Saying "Duke is soft" and "the officials will be key" in the same breath means that they're already making excuses for the game. It will go one of two ways:

1) They will allow Nova to play "their game" and foul the living crap out of Duke without repercussion and the outcome could be similar to the Clemson game, which is the last time a team was allowed to do that to Duke. Then the pundits will go on and on about how Nova plays a tough-nosed, physical Big East style and that Duke is soft.

2) The refs will call the game as it is meant to be called due to the NCAA sending a memo out about overly hard fouls after the brutal first weekend of the tourny. Fouls will pile up on the now too-physical Big East style, Nova will reel, and Duke will pull the win out. Pundits will marvel at Duke's resurgence, and many will point to the free throw discrepancy. Youtube videos of Scheyer reaching in and not getting called, McClure taking charges where he doesn't appear fully set and Zoubek blocking out of control Nova layups will sprout up, claiming a Duke conspiracy. Tarheel fans will claim that Duke gets all the calls. Rinse, repeat.

So, it's kind of a catch 22 here. But I'll take option 2 in a heartbeat.

Don't forget:
3) They will allow Nova to play "their game" and foul the living crap out of Duke without repercussion and the outcome is unlike the Clemson game, which is just one of the times a team was allowed to do that to Duke this season. We take their best shots and keep coming back at them. G! gets mad and starts throwing down, Jon is unflappable, Kyle just keeps hitting shots and talkin' trash and we win. Then the pundits will go on and on about how brilliant Coach K is because he got a 'soft' Duke team to win against the almighty Big East. Then we do the same to Pitt just for good old fashioned ACC Pride.

NSDukeFan
03-24-2009, 01:19 PM
Don't forget:
3) They will allow Nova to play "their game" and foul the living crap out of Duke without repercussion and the outcome is unlike the Clemson game, which is just one of the times a team was allowed to do that to Duke this season. We take their best shots and keep coming back at them. G! gets mad and starts throwing down, Jon is unflappable, Kyle just keeps hitting shots and talkin' trash and we win. Then the pundits will go on and on about how brilliant Coach K is because he got a 'soft' Duke team to win against the almighty Big East. Then we do the same to Pitt just for good old fashioned ACC Pride.

I like this scenario, but think it is unrealistic in that the pundits would likely say Duke got all the calls, there was no need for G to dunk that hard on them all the time, Villanova played dumb by fouling Scheyer all the time and did Kyle really need to talk trash after lighting up whoever was guarding him and grabbing every rebound through elbows from Villanova. Let's hope your scenario is how it plays out.

gofurman
03-24-2009, 01:47 PM
We do have great offensive spacing, but we need the refs to not swallow their whistles. And to refrain from calling mythical fouls on us, just to balance the books.

NCCAT refs are known for swallowing whistles.

geraldsneighbor
03-24-2009, 02:27 PM
NCCAT refs are known for swallowing whistles.


Someone forgot to tell the refs at 04 FF that.

Lennies
03-24-2009, 02:27 PM
The one thing that bothered me in that game, as well as the comments from Jay Bilas was the very hard fouls they laid on UCLA. Especially the one on Josh Shipp. Those were well beyond what I deem "hard foul". I thought the foul on Shipp could have been called flagrant.

Villanova established a "no layup" attitude early in the game and stuck with it. The shot that Shipp took certainly looked bad, but it wasn't a dirty foul. It will be interesting to see if Villanova plays the same brand of defense again, since it was out of character for them.

Virginian
03-24-2009, 02:40 PM
If Nova really looks to deliver obvious hard fouls rather than block shots, hey no problem. Kyle and G, the two guys most likely to benefit from this tactic, are good foul shooters. And you know they aren't going to hold back from going to the hoop just because they've gotten fouled a time or two. They'll just keep knocking down free throws with smiles on their faces.

Of course, Lance can expect to get pounded big time since he's weaker at the line. Could be a rough game for him. EWill as well.

Actually I'm counting on all the pundits being right -- Duke DOES get all the calls. If so, no problem! And in the post-game interview, when Coach K is asked about all those calls, he can just bask in the victory and respond "Hey, you guys heard Nova say they were going to foul every time one of our players came into the lane. Are you now surprised they got whistled for it?"

BlueintheFace
03-24-2009, 02:42 PM
Someone forgot to tell the refs at 04 FF that.

They got the message in time for the last minute apparently...

InSpades
03-24-2009, 02:44 PM
One interesting stat I came across... Duke actually blocks more shots than Villanova. I guess that isn't a huge surprise (Villanova isn't a big team either), but I figured they would be decently ahead in that category. Interestingly Pitt also blocks less shots than Duke on a per game basis. Adjusting for pace would put them both ahead of Duke, but either way it's very close.

roywhite
03-24-2009, 02:45 PM
Two comments on talk about officiating:

1. I hope the way the game is called is not decisive to the outcome; the matchup itself is intriguing
2. If Villanova is really intent on "sending a message", "establishing a tone", or whatever, they aren't concentrating on just playing well.

marcoVU
03-24-2009, 03:23 PM
Nova grad and fan here. I think I speak for the majority of fans by saying this game will be one of the best games of the tournament. Of course I expect Nova to win in a grind out game, as you do. However, I can also see us losing if we slack off on the defense and leave Duke open behind the perimeter.

As far as it goes for Nova's keys to the game, a few are:
1) Play good perimeter defense with no lapses. Villanova likes to double up in the middle on defense when there is a large inside threat, see Blair of Pitt. This doubling has a tendency to leave the perimeter vulnerable as a lot of switching and coming on must occur. The positive of this is that our guards rebound very well.

2) Keep Cunningham out of foul trouble. If Dante is forced to sit, we play with a smaller lineup, which can hurt us. Honestly, when Dante has to sit in the first half lately, it hasn't been nearly as much as an issue as it was earlier in the season. Clark, Anderson, Pena and Stokes have improved in their inside games, but nothing makes up for Dante.

3) Corey Fisher is our sparkplug off the bench and to a lesser extent Corey Stokes. Fisher is probably our best penetrator and is fearless. The kid can make circus shots all day while getting contact. Besides that, he can hit it from outside, so whoever defends him, needs to play him tight and put extra tape on their ankles. Stokes can hit threes from anywhere and has a shot of beauty, but he has been working on driving to the basket lately, in addition to stepping up his defense. He's fearless like fisher in the lane, but not as good when it comes to breaking down a defender.

4) Scottie Reynolds. I think you all know that he can go off for 40 on a given night, distribute the ball all game or just contribute a little. He has a tendency to sometimes get ahead of himself and give the ball up because he moves awkwardly. What I am trying to say is that he tries too hard and it gets a little too risky against a solid defensive team like Duke when double-teamed. The thing with Reynolds is that he hasn't had a breakout game this tournament and he is due.

5) Toughness. Now I don't want you to think that I mean hurting players or dirty fouls. Jay Wright has established a style of defense that is very tough and swarming. The fouls in the UCLA game which I read about in this thread with clean hard fouls. If one of our players does anything remotely malicious, he'll be pulled from the game. We are not a dirty team, but an intense one. These guys do not quit and we fight and hit the deck for every ball, as shown by Dwayne Anderson's dive from behind to knock the ball loose against UCLA.

I think the referees will have minimal influence on this game and will let the kids play, which is fine with me. My big fear is that they call every little foul or nothing. I want a good game where there is a flow not broken up by whistles every minute.

I'm looking forward to this game and wish you guys luck, except for Thursday. Regardless of what happens, I would love a home and home set up in the future with Duke. ;)

Virginian
03-24-2009, 07:31 PM
Thanks, marcoVU. Maybe this game will be the impetus to set up an annual matchup between the two schools.

Newton_14
03-24-2009, 08:21 PM
Nova grad and fan here. I think I speak for the majority of fans by saying this game will be one of the best games of the tournament. Of course I expect Nova to win in a grind out game, as you do. However, I can also see us losing if we slack off on the defense and leave Duke open behind the perimeter.

As far as it goes for Nova's keys to the game, a few are:
1) Play good perimeter defense with no lapses. Villanova likes to double up in the middle on defense when there is a large inside threat, see Blair of Pitt. This doubling has a tendency to leave the perimeter vulnerable as a lot of switching and coming on must occur. The positive of this is that our guards rebound very well.

2) Keep Cunningham out of foul trouble. If Dante is forced to sit, we play with a smaller lineup, which can hurt us. Honestly, when Dante has to sit in the first half lately, it hasn't been nearly as much as an issue as it was earlier in the season. Clark, Anderson, Pena and Stokes have improved in their inside games, but nothing makes up for Dante.

3) Corey Fisher is our sparkplug off the bench and to a lesser extent Corey Stokes. Fisher is probably our best penetrator and is fearless. The kid can make circus shots all day while getting contact. Besides that, he can hit it from outside, so whoever defends him, needs to play him tight and put extra tape on their ankles. Stokes can hit threes from anywhere and has a shot of beauty, but he has been working on driving to the basket lately, in addition to stepping up his defense. He's fearless like fisher in the lane, but not as good when it comes to breaking down a defender.

4) Scottie Reynolds. I think you all know that he can go off for 40 on a given night, distribute the ball all game or just contribute a little. He has a tendency to sometimes get ahead of himself and give the ball up because he moves awkwardly. What I am trying to say is that he tries too hard and it gets a little too risky against a solid defensive team like Duke when double-teamed. The thing with Reynolds is that he hasn't had a breakout game this tournament and he is due.

5) Toughness. Now I don't want you to think that I mean hurting players or dirty fouls. Jay Wright has established a style of defense that is very tough and swarming. The fouls in the UCLA game which I read about in this thread with clean hard fouls. If one of our players does anything remotely malicious, he'll be pulled from the game. We are not a dirty team, but an intense one. These guys do not quit and we fight and hit the deck for every ball, as shown by Dwayne Anderson's dive from behind to knock the ball loose against UCLA.

I think the referees will have minimal influence on this game and will let the kids play, which is fine with me. My big fear is that they call every little foul or nothing. I want a good game where there is a flow not broken up by whistles every minute.

I'm looking forward to this game and wish you guys luck, except for Thursday. Regardless of what happens, I would love a home and home set up in the future with Duke. ;)

Thanks for posting. Again I want to emphasize that I do not feel at all that Nova plays a dirty brand of basketball. That said, the fouls on UCLA, especially the one on Shipp were over the top. I was surprised to see it honestly. I hope we do not see that in this game. But if we do, our kids will respond differently than UCLA did.

Like your final point about Nova's defense, Duke plays a very physical in your face brand of defense as well, denying passing lanes, and applying tremendous pressure on the ball. They have been in several games this year that were very physical and they have no problem playing that style. The whole "soft" label could not be more wrong....

I expect this to be a great game that goes to the wire with the team that handles game pressure best down the stretch winning. Both teams will play hard and lay it all on the line. I think we are in for a heck of a game.

77devil
03-24-2009, 09:24 PM
5) Toughness. Now I don't want you to think that I mean hurting players or dirty fouls. Jay Wright has established a style of defense that is very tough and swarming. The fouls in the UCLA game which I read about in this thread with clean hard fouls. If one of our players does anything remotely malicious, he'll be pulled from the game. We are not a dirty team, but an intense one. These guys do not quit and we fight and hit the deck for every ball, as shown by Dwayne Anderson's dive from behind to knock the ball loose against UCLA.

I was surprised at the candidness from some of the players after the game who were quoted repeatedly saying that their objective essentially was to beat up UCLA with as many hard fouls as they could get away with.

marcoVU
03-24-2009, 10:49 PM
Boozer and 77devil,

There is no question that the fouls were hard and the players made no excuse for it. I think the difference between the hard fouls and the malicious ones are that there was no malintent intended by the players. I think these are the quotes you were talking about 77:

Scottie Reynolds: "It was very important, not for anybody else - not to Darren, not to UCLA - but it was to my teammates and coaches and Villanova basketball," he said. "I wanted to show them that's how we're playing. If we go down, this is how we play."

Jay Wright: "Scottie goes to block a shot and doesn't give up an easy basket, he's showing, 'I don't care how many fouls I get, they're not getting any easy baskets,' " Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "It's a great leadership play."

Dante Cunningham: "It's something we take pride in, not letting a team just come down the lane and start dunking the ball," said Cunningham, who led the 'Cats with 18 points. "Once they get that momentum and think they can just come down the lane and start dunking, it's kind of hard to stop a team from doing that."

Maybe it's the blue colored glasses, but it seems to me that it was about establishing a tempo and style against a UCLA team that was saying they were tough before the game. Also, as Cunningham said, it is about making them think twice about going hard to the hoop.

I highly doubt there will be any "dirty" fouls by either team because everyone knows that Duke and Nova are tough teams. Every interview I hear up here in Philly from Jay Wright or the team, they always state that Duke is extremely tough, spread the floor magnificently and we are mirror images. I love and hate games like this because it could go either way.

What's the talk like down there about Nova? This down time between games KILLS ME!

geraldsneighbor
03-24-2009, 11:32 PM
Boozer and 77devil,

There is no question that the fouls were hard and the players made no excuse for it. I think the difference between the hard fouls and the malicious ones are that there was no malintent intended by the players. I think these are the quotes you were talking about 77:

Scottie Reynolds: "It was very important, not for anybody else - not to Darren, not to UCLA - but it was to my teammates and coaches and Villanova basketball," he said. "I wanted to show them that's how we're playing. If we go down, this is how we play."

Jay Wright: "Scottie goes to block a shot and doesn't give up an easy basket, he's showing, 'I don't care how many fouls I get, they're not getting any easy baskets,' " Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "It's a great leadership play."

Dante Cunningham: "It's something we take pride in, not letting a team just come down the lane and start dunking the ball," said Cunningham, who led the 'Cats with 18 points. "Once they get that momentum and think they can just come down the lane and start dunking, it's kind of hard to stop a team from doing that."

Maybe it's the blue colored glasses, but it seems to me that it was about establishing a tempo and style against a UCLA team that was saying they were tough before the game. Also, as Cunningham said, it is about making them think twice about going hard to the hoop.

I highly doubt there will be any "dirty" fouls by either team because everyone knows that Duke and Nova are tough teams. Every interview I hear up here in Philly from Jay Wright or the team, they always state that Duke is extremely tough, spread the floor magnificently and we are mirror images. I love and hate games like this because it could go either way.

What's the talk like down there about Nova? This down time between games KILLS ME!


I know the talk in Philly so far has been anything but worried about playing Duke. A lot of the media IMO sees Duke as a team with one athlete (G). They really have disregarded any contributions Singler and Scheyer can make. While I respect Villanova, I think Duke is every bit as deep with them. I am excited for the game and believe it can go either way.
LGD

-bdbd
03-25-2009, 12:17 AM
Nova grad and fan here. I think I speak for the majority of fans by saying this game will be one of the best games of the tournament. Of course I expect Nova to win in a grind out game, as you do. However, I can also see us losing if we slack off on the defense and leave Duke open behind the perimeter.

As far as it goes for Nova's keys to the game, a few are:
1) Play good perimeter defense with no lapses. Villanova likes to double up in the middle on defense when there is a large inside threat, see Blair of Pitt. This doubling has a tendency to leave the perimeter vulnerable as a lot of switching and coming on must occur. The positive of this is that our guards rebound very well.

2) Keep Cunningham out of foul trouble. If Dante is forced to sit, we play with a smaller lineup, which can hurt us. Honestly, when Dante has to sit in the first half lately, it hasn't been nearly as much as an issue as it was earlier in the season. Clark, Anderson, Pena and Stokes have improved in their inside games, but nothing makes up for Dante.

3) Corey Fisher is our sparkplug off the bench and to a lesser extent Corey Stokes. Fisher is probably our best penetrator and is fearless. The kid can make circus shots all day while getting contact. Besides that, he can hit it from outside, so whoever defends him, needs to play him tight and put extra tape on their ankles. Stokes can hit threes from anywhere and has a shot of beauty, but he has been working on driving to the basket lately, in addition to stepping up his defense. He's fearless like fisher in the lane, but not as good when it comes to breaking down a defender.

4) Scottie Reynolds. I think you all know that he can go off for 40 on a given night, distribute the ball all game or just contribute a little. He has a tendency to sometimes get ahead of himself and give the ball up because he moves awkwardly. What I am trying to say is that he tries too hard and it gets a little too risky against a solid defensive team like Duke when double-teamed. The thing with Reynolds is that he hasn't had a breakout game this tournament and he is due.

5) Toughness. Now I don't want you to think that I mean hurting players or dirty fouls. Jay Wright has established a style of defense that is very tough and swarming. The fouls in the UCLA game which I read about in this thread with clean hard fouls. If one of our players does anything remotely malicious, he'll be pulled from the game. We are not a dirty team, but an intense one. These guys do not quit and we fight and hit the deck for every ball, as shown by Dwayne Anderson's dive from behind to knock the ball loose against UCLA.

I think the referees will have minimal influence on this game and will let the kids play, which is fine with me. My big fear is that they call every little foul or nothing. I want a good game where there is a flow not broken up by whistles every minute.

I'm looking forward to this game and wish you guys luck, except for Thursday. Regardless of what happens, I would love a home and home set up in the future with Duke. ;)

Thanks for that interesting post Marco. And welcome.

But Duke will win. We expect to win. And we usually do. That's how we earned a #2 seed -- by winning 30 games now (against about the 5th hardest SOS schedule in the country), by taking the ACC Championship, and now winning about 12 of our last 13 games (only loss in a close one at UNC-ch). But most importantly we will win because, as everybody knows, Duke always gets all the calls (at least that's usually is claimed by the teams we've just beaten). :rolleyes:

'am not clear on how many "close ones" 'nova has pulled out, but Duke has pulled out MANY last-minute wins (think in terms of 12+). If this game is tied with 2 minutes to go, then I really like our odds. This group certainly has that intestinal fortitude thing.

With many media prognosticators picking 'nova - that's ok by me, I kinda like that scenario - it will help Duke play more with an edge, after being dissed.

Look for PF Singler to have a big game playing inside-outside. Expect Wing Henderson to slash a lot to the basket and draw many fouls in the lane/near bucket (and yes, he can certainly take the "Big East pounding"). PG Smith will be important in this one, with his terrific speed and on-ball D.

Obviously 'nova had the luxury of essentially hosting their first two games at home... So my Q to Marco would be, how well do you expect 'nova to travel up to Boston as a fan base? My personal expectation is for a fairly even/neutral crowd overall (much, much better than our environment for the first two games). Given that this one won't be over until well after midnight, many neutral, Pitt and Zags fans may be leaving before what should be a terific ending. (But who do you think the Pitt fans will cheer for? Just curious.)

I also like the fact that we have the best NCAAT coach of all time, who has had 5 days to prepare - that usually portends good things.

In the end I think Vegas has it about right - Duke by 3 in a squeaker. It really should be a great game! (and, yes, 'nova fans will be muttering about the refs afterward...) :D


Best of luck (except for Thursday)!


-BDBD

InSpades
03-25-2009, 12:40 AM
All this talk about Duke not being the favorite is ridiculous! Villanova is not as talented as Duke. Cunningham has really stepped up his game, but at best it's a wash between him and Kyle. Scheyer vs. Reynolds is close, but I'd take Scheyer (fewer turnovers, better 3-point shooter). Do they have anyone close to Gerald Henderson? No they don't. Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams are as talented (probably moreso) as either of the Coreys. Do Shane Clark and Reggie Redding scare anyone? They only go 8 deep, which is at best 1 more than Duke.

I'm not saying Duke is going to run away w/ this or anything, obviously basketball is a team game and individual matchups only go so far. This whole underdog thing is crazy though. We have the best coach in the country and a more talented team. Let's hope we show it thursday night!

-bdbd
03-25-2009, 01:00 AM
Obviously 'nova had the luxury of essentially hosting their first two games at home... So my Q to Marco would be, how well do you expect 'nova to travel up to Boston as a fan base? My personal expectation is for a fairly even/neutral crowd overall (much, much better than our environment for the first two games). Given that this one won't be over until well after midnight, many neutral, Pitt and Zags fans may be leaving before what should be a terific ending. (But who do you think the Pitt fans will cheer for? Just curious.)

I also like the fact that we have the best NCAAT coach of all time, who has had 5 days to prepare - that usually portends good things.

In the end I think Vegas has it about right - Duke by 3 in a squeaker. It really should be a great game! (and, yes, 'nova fans will be muttering about the refs afterward...) :D


Best of luck (except for Thursday)!


-BDBD

Ooops! Obviously I meant to reference the Xavier fans, not the Zags, in our Region of course. Still am curious who those other teams' fans will pull for in the nightcap ...

devildownunder
03-25-2009, 01:15 AM
Ooops! Obviously I meant to reference the Xavier fans, not the Zags, in our Region of course. Still am curious who those other teams' fans will pull for in the nightcap ...

We'll be the bad guys, as usual. I fully expect the X fans to be very much against us, with their motivation going all the way back to the 2004 regional final (it was a close game, so clearly they must have gotten jobbed, right?). Not to mention the thrashing we put on them this year. Fans of Pittsburgh will either cheer a) for their big east brethren or b) against the ACC team or c) against the evil Duke empire.

We'll be playing road games this weekend, for sure.

I just hope some of our fan base can make it up from new jersey and new york.

chi
03-25-2009, 02:18 AM
CBS pulling for Duke, North Carolina victories (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2009-03-24-cbs-ncaa-tournament-scheduling_N.htm)

DevilDan
03-25-2009, 02:18 AM
OK, DevilDan is back after being on the road (starting a new job) for the past 5 weeks. I'm damn proud of our boys for the ACC Tournament Championship, and the 30 big wins. We have taken a step forward from the past two seasons. But as happy as I am with DUKE, I am making myself be realistic.

We have a killer-tough game on our hands Thursday night. Villanova is a quality opponent who just beat a hoop giant by 20 (and it could have been 30+). My best guess is that we are somewhere around the 8th-to-10th best team in the country right now. We are a very good team, but not a great one...

Other than some 8-10 minute stretches against Purdue, Xavier, Wake and Maryland, we have not truly gotten HOT this year. It's the Sweet Sixteen, and we need to play our best 40 minutes of basketball of the year -- it'll take that to get a win against Villanova.

We have some things going for us: the guys are pumped to be here; we have the best Coach in the country, in the area of game preparation; we haven't played our best basketball yet; and, we have two of the best in Kyle and Gerald. It is not likely that either can be held down for an entire game. But we are also going to need monster games from Lance and David (boards, defense, and intangibles), and some great floor play from Greg, Nolan, and Brian. Jon's level of play could be the trump card and the deciding factor in the game.

If things go our way, DUKE fans on the east coast will hear me ROAR from California. But if not, I am still going to be damn happy with this crew. Next year? The National Championship could be ours to take IF both Kyle and Gerald come back, and the frontcourt recruits turn out as good as we hope. If either of the two or both leave for the NBA (though neither is ready now), we'll be back to the drawing board, and get another 25-26 wins in 2009-10.

I hope we get HOT Thursday night. I can't wait -- GO DUKE !

p.s. I had a near-belly laugh at the earlier comments about TK and the counterintelligence factor -- I watched that shooting machine play out here in California for 2-years running. All I can say is, had he stayed at Duke this year, his PT would have likely been LESS than the year before.

heyman25
03-25-2009, 03:35 AM
I imagine the Pagliuca's will be there. The walkon and the Bain Capital Celtic's part owner dad.

DukieBoy
03-25-2009, 10:03 AM
Was watching College Gameday late the other night when discussion about the Duke-Nova game came up. Jay Williams was the analysts on set, and talked about what great guard play was there. He talked up Nova a lot, so it seemed to me that he would pick them to win. When asked who would win, he paused and said Duke simply because they have their swagger back. :D

Has he not listened to Jay Bilas at all??? :)

77devil
03-25-2009, 01:44 PM
Boozer and 77devil,

There is no question that the fouls were hard and the players made no excuse for it. I think the difference between the hard fouls and the malicious ones are that there was no malintent intended by the players. I think these are the quotes you were talking about 77:

Scottie Reynolds: "It was very important, not for anybody else - not to Darren, not to UCLA - but it was to my teammates and coaches and Villanova basketball," he said. "I wanted to show them that's how we're playing. If we go down, this is how we play."

Jay Wright: "Scottie goes to block a shot and doesn't give up an easy basket, he's showing, 'I don't care how many fouls I get, they're not getting any easy baskets,' " Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "It's a great leadership play."

Dante Cunningham: "It's something we take pride in, not letting a team just come down the lane and start dunking the ball," said Cunningham, who led the 'Cats with 18 points. "Once they get that momentum and think they can just come down the lane and start dunking, it's kind of hard to stop a team from doing that."

Maybe it's the blue colored glasses, but it seems to me that it was about establishing a tempo and style against a UCLA team that was saying they were tough before the game. Also, as Cunningham said, it is about making them think twice about going hard to the hoop.

I highly doubt there will be any "dirty" fouls by either team because everyone knows that Duke and Nova are tough teams. Every interview I hear up here in Philly from Jay Wright or the team, they always state that Duke is extremely tough, spread the floor magnificently and we are mirror images. I love and hate games like this because it could go either way.

What's the talk like down there about Nova? This down time between games KILLS ME!

Actually the quotes I read were more provocative which was why I was surprised to see them. I'll try to dig them up. I've seen 'Nova play many times this season. They take it right to the edge and occasionally cross the line IMO based on how much the other team and the refs will tolerate. Duke will not be intimidated, however, and the game may get ugly on both sides if the refs don't set the right tone from the outset.

huied
03-25-2009, 02:47 PM
On a related or not-so-related note, Duke and Villanova are tied for the lead in graduation rates of the remaining 16 teams with 89% graduation rate.

To echo other thoughts, I think our ability to draw the charges is going to be key. Nova is FAST, and anytime they get pass the primary defender I'm hoping our help defense can step in and draw the charge (provided the refs call it).

Not sure how comfortable I am about this game. I really want us to win not just because it's a tourny game, but the fact that everyone seems to already have written us off. It's not a great match up for us, but we've shown many times this year that we know how to win, so I think we'll come out on top.

geraldsneighbor
03-25-2009, 03:27 PM
On a related or not-so-related note, Duke and Villanova are tied for the lead in graduation rates of the remaining 16 teams with 89% graduation rate.

To echo other thoughts, I think our ability to draw the charges is going to be key. Nova is FAST, and anytime they get pass the primary defender I'm hoping our help defense can step in and draw the charge (provided the refs call it).

Not sure how comfortable I am about this game. I really want us to win not just because it's a tourny game, but the fact that everyone seems to already have written us off. It's not a great match up for us, but we've shown many times this year that we know how to win, so I think we'll come out on top.

Thank you Josh McRoberts...

On another note: Is the NCAA using that dumb generic floor again this year? I think one of the more unique things about the tournament is getting to play on different floors because many times its a figure of where the game is being played. That can't be more true than this week with the games taking place on the parquet floor of the TD BankNorth Garden. I think it would be cool to have G play on the Boston floor like his dad once did.(I know it isn't the same floor)

That is all. LGD!

MedfordMike
03-25-2009, 04:33 PM
5) Toughness. Now I don't want you to think that I mean hurting players or dirty fouls. Jay Wright has established a style of defense that is very tough and swarming. The fouls in the UCLA game which I read about in this thread with clean hard fouls. If one of our players does anything remotely malicious, he'll be pulled from the game. We are not a dirty team, but an intense one. These guys do not quit and we fight and hit the deck for every ball, as shown by Dwayne Anderson's dive from behind to knock the ball loose against UCLA.

I think the referees will have minimal influence on this game and will let the kids play, which is fine with me. My big fear is that they call every little foul or nothing. I want a good game where there is a flow not broken up by whistles every minute.

There is no question that the fouls were hard and the players made no excuse for it. I think the difference between the hard fouls and the malicious ones are that there was no malintent intended by the players. I think these are the quotes you were talking about 77:
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scottie Reynolds: "It was very important, not for anybody else - not to Darren, not to UCLA - but it was to my teammates and coaches and Villanova basketball," he said. "I wanted to show them that's how we're playing. If we go down, this is how we play."

Jay Wright: "Scottie goes to block a shot and doesn't give up an easy basket, he's showing, 'I don't care how many fouls I get, they're not getting any easy baskets,' " Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "It's a great leadership play."

Dante Cunningham: "It's something we take pride in, not letting a team just come down the lane and start dunking the ball," said Cunningham, who led the 'Cats with 18 points. "Once they get that momentum and think they can just come down the lane and start dunking, it's kind of hard to stop a team from doing that."

Maybe it's the blue colored glasses, but it seems to me that it was about establishing a tempo and style against a UCLA team that was saying they were tough before the game. Also, as Cunningham said, it is about making them think twice about going hard to the hoop.

I highly doubt there will be any "dirty" fouls by either team because everyone knows that Duke and Nova are tough teams. Every interview I hear up here in Philly from Jay Wright or the team, they always state that Duke is extremely tough, spread the floor magnificently and we are mirror images. I love and hate games like this because it could go either way.

Kinda reminiscent of Detroit’s Bill Laimbeer…..“Who me, dirty foul?”

Make no mistake those quotes were for public consumption. You can bet behind closed doors it’s like when the Godfather says “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Read between the lines folks…they have every intention of pushing the edge till a controlling legal authority says NO. I have no doubt that every Dukie player has considered these quotes as veiled threats as well. Marco….Cunningham and crew ain’t facing Dragovic or Aboya. If the refs let it go ‘there’ don’t expect any southern California thumb sucking!

Philadukie
03-25-2009, 06:49 PM
Didn't realize all the connections between many of the Duke and Villanova players! Check out this video from Comcast Sports Net:

http://www.comcast.net/video/csns-hartman-wright-faces-coach-k/1071033161/fanSports/newest/

Listen to Taylor King's comments. He's going to "prepare his team to beat Duke."

arydolphin
03-25-2009, 07:00 PM
Thank you Josh McRoberts...

On another note: Is the NCAA using that dumb generic floor again this year? I think one of the more unique things about the tournament is getting to play on different floors because many times its a figure of where the game is being played. That can't be more true than this week with the games taking place on the parquet floor of the TD BankNorth Garden. I think it would be cool to have G play on the Boston floor like his dad once did.(I know it isn't the same floor)

That is all. LGD!

Yeah, it's going to be the stupid generic NCAA floor. You won't be able to figure out that the game is played in Boston except for the word "Boston" at one of the baselines. Oh, I forgot, the overhead shots of all of the Celtics championship banners will also give it away. :-)

geraldsneighbor
03-25-2009, 07:12 PM
Yeah, it's going to be the stupid generic NCAA floor. You won't be able to figure out that the game is played in Boston except for the word "Boston" at one of the baselines. Oh, I forgot, the overhead shots of all of the Celtics championship banners will also give it away. :-)

Haha, they just showed the Garden here on CSN Philly (Nova folks) and the place is completely nekkid of any reminder that the Bruins or Celtics even exist. The NCAA...what a group of party poopers.

BD80
03-25-2009, 07:46 PM
... Listen to Taylor King's comments. He's going to "prepare his team to beat Duke."

I know Taylor has otherwordly range on his shot; do you think he can hit some from next year???

devildownunder
03-25-2009, 07:48 PM
Two comments on talk about officiating:

1. I hope the way the game is called is not decisive to the outcome; the matchup itself is intriguing
2. If Villanova is really intent on "sending a message", "establishing a tone", or whatever, they aren't concentrating on just playing well.

Unfortunately, it has reached a point where the refs are always a factor in our games, which is ridiculous. It's one thing for talking heads and fans to be talking about it but the refs themselves clearly are aware of the whole controversy and that's really a shame. It's not fair to anybody -- but especially our guys!

DukieBoy
03-25-2009, 09:47 PM
I know Taylor has otherwordly range on his shot; do you think he can hit some from next year???

Hahaha. I'm sure he'll shoot them just too see :D

DU Band Prez 88
03-25-2009, 11:17 PM
Haha, they just showed the Garden here on CSN Philly (Nova folks) and the place is completely nekkid of any reminder that the Bruins or Celtics even exist. The NCAA...what a group of party poopers.

Looks like for whatever reason, despite the fact that we're in a major recession, the NCAA now feels it's necessary to have completely new floors created for many 1st and 2nd round sites, and regional sites as well. These are BRAND NEW COURTS, not just the boring, generic paint. I don't get it...what a waste of money...and, how many thousands of dollars does a new basketball court cost to build?

What's so hard about just slapping the blue "NCAA" logo sticker over the little Celtics guy at center court? Who cares if people see the Boston Celtics' green, everyone knows that's where they play ball!

geraldsneighbor
03-25-2009, 11:41 PM
Looks like for whatever reason, despite the fact that we're in a major recession, the NCAA now feels it's necessary to have completely new floors created for many 1st and 2nd round sites, and regional sites as well. These are BRAND NEW COURTS, not just the boring, generic paint. I don't get it...what a waste of money...and, how many thousands of dollars does a new basketball court cost to build?

What's so hard about just slapping the blue "NCAA" logo sticker over the little Celtics guy at center court? Who cares if people see the Boston Celtics' green, everyone knows that's where they play ball!

Ole Roy likes new courts...Why you ask? NO STICKERS!

Sorry, had to say it.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-26-2009, 03:09 AM
It is now 0000 Pacific time for me which means it is officially game day for me. So lets get the day started on a good note and post all of our positive vibes, well wishes, and hopes right here, the game day vibes thread

Its the sweet 16, time to show out, and play some big time DUKE basketball!!!!

Also I would like to have a game to watch on Saturday

LETS GO DEVILS BEAT NOVA

" I don't think I can wait 19 more hours for game timme"
Airforcedukie

Bob Green
03-26-2009, 07:26 AM
Well it is about 14.5 hours to tip-off and I'm real excited about the game. Duke back in the Sweet 16 really has me pumped up. The game starts just before lunch on Friday morning Tokyo time so I'll be sneaking peaks at the TV in the break room while listening to the radio broadcast on the internet in my cube until I can park my butt in front of the TV full time during my lunch hour. After lunch is over, I'll pretend to head down to the waterfront to supervise some work but I'll actually head over to the food court and watch the rest of the game (my boss is an LSU fan so I'm sure he won't be reading DBR)! :D Ah, it is great to have a plan.

BlueDevilBaby
03-26-2009, 08:25 AM
My palms are sweating already at 8:25 here in DC. GO DUKE!

DukePA's Mom
03-26-2009, 08:33 AM
Sending huge vibes for a win. We can do it. I will keep the vibes going. Duke basketball is the best.

bjornolf
03-26-2009, 08:34 AM
I was listening to Mike & Mike this morning, and they cut away to Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps talking about who was gonna win between Duke and Villanova. Davis said he liked Nova cause "they have the size to switch on all screens" and the guards "to drive and penetrate" and the shooters "to hit the open shots". Um, Mr. Davis, doesn't that pretty much EXACTLY describe Duke, too?

DukePA
03-26-2009, 08:37 AM
Go Duke, Go Duke, Go Duke!!!!!!

geraldsneighbor
03-26-2009, 08:56 AM
I was listening to Mike & Mike this morning, and they cut away to Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps talking about who was gonna win between Duke and Villanova. Davis said he liked Nova cause "they have the size to switch on all screens" and the guards "to drive and penetrate" and the shooters "to hit the open shots". Um, Mr. Davis, doesn't that pretty much EXACTLY describe Duke, too?

Yeah, but then he would have to pick Duke...

guybrush
03-26-2009, 09:09 AM
in Italy it's 2.08 PM, sun is shining and i'm ready for Nova... Let's go Duke!

DukieBoy
03-26-2009, 09:13 AM
It's POURING down rain here and 44 degrees.

I just got back from the first of two track practices today.

I'm soaked.

Yet I'm not mad at all. I'm just ready for 9:57 to roll around.

GoingFor#5
03-26-2009, 09:26 AM
Have we ever played at this arena?

devildownunder
03-26-2009, 09:33 AM
Well it is about 14.5 hours to tip-off and I'm real excited about the game. Duke back in the Sweet 16 really has me pumped up. The game starts just before lunch on Friday morning Tokyo time so I'll be sneaking peaks at the TV in the break room while listening to the radio broadcast on the internet in my cube until I can park my butt in front of the TV full time during my lunch hour. After lunch is over, I'll pretend to head down to the waterfront to supervise some work but I'll actually head over to the food court and watch the rest of the game (my boss is an LSU fan so I'm sure he won't be reading DBR)! :D Ah, it is great to have a plan.


Bob, you have a slingbox?

And man, you gotta take off work for March Madness, been doing it for years! :)

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-26-2009, 09:34 AM
Yeah, it's going to be the stupid generic NCAA floor. You won't be able to figure out that the game is played in Boston except for the word "Boston" at one of the baselines. Oh, I forgot, the overhead shots of all of the Celtics championship banners will also give it away. :-)


Unfortunatly we wont even get to see the banners, according to NCAA rules they have to be taken down during the Tournament games.
Kind of dumb

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2009/03/26/2009-03-26_dukes_gerald_henderson_is_now_so_over_vi.html

Airforcedukie

hughesmiester
03-26-2009, 09:36 AM
I live in Boston and am going to the game tonight, can someone PLEASE explain to me how I'm supposed to get through work today???

Indoor66
03-26-2009, 09:40 AM
I live in Boston and am going to the game tonight, can someone PLEASE explain to me how I'm supposed to get through work today???

Accept that you are now an adult! :D

AIRFORCEDUKIE
03-26-2009, 09:42 AM
I live in Boston and am going to the game tonight, can someone PLEASE explain to me how I'm supposed to get through work today???

Just call in sick, sit at home and meditate all day and think positive thoughts and hold your lucky Duke charm whatever that might be, for me its my "player of the game" certificate from 1998 when I attended Duke basketball camp

Airforcedukie

arydolphin
03-26-2009, 09:44 AM
Interesting article in the Boston Globe this morning:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/26/ncaa_event_draws_hordes___and_blank_stares/

While all of us are really excited about the game, people are more into the Celtics season and Red Sox spring training as opposed to the games at the Garden this weekend.

I'm going to the games tonight, and I'm sure there are others on the board that are going as well. I have a weird feeling right now...very nervous on one hand because Nova will be a tough opponent, but optimistic as well. I think that anything past the Sweet 16 will be a bonus for this team, and I'd be thrilled with that. I'm just looking forward to watching 3 games this weekend. However, I will steal a line from the 2004 Red Sox: Why not us? It seems like every pundit out there is picking Nova in this game, but we're going to pose just as many matchup problems to them as they are to us. If we get past this game, we've already handled Xavier this year, and barely lost to Pitt last year with a team that was not as good as this year. Seriously, why not us?

bjornolf
03-26-2009, 09:51 AM
Um, Digger picked us this morning. We're done. Might as well pencil Nova in against Xavier. ;)

NYDukie
03-26-2009, 09:53 AM
Posted this on another thread but since is where the action is, I move it to here.

Feeling good this morning. As opposed to the past 4 years with 2 flameouts in the Sweet 16 as favorite, I feel this team has a good "underdog" vibe about them. I know we are the #2 seed whereas Nova is the #3, I also know we are a slight favorite in Vegas but when you come down to the experts on all the sports media outlets, we seem to be the 'dog. It just seems for everyone predicting a Duke win, there are 3 or 4 others saying Nova. I know the college basketball world for the most part will be against Duke but I just have this feeling, someway, somehow, these guys will be playing Saturday with the Final 4 on the line.

It's going to be a long day at work waiting around and even a longer 2 hours tonight screaming at the TV as it nears midnight hoping not to wake the baby and get yelled at by my better half. Hell, she will be screaming with me...LOLLLLL

geraldsneighbor
03-26-2009, 10:06 AM
I'm nervous, anxious, excited, worried, and confident all at the same time.

This is sure to be a long day with little production going on. Here's to hoping on Saturday we are doing it all over again!

roywhite
03-26-2009, 10:11 AM
I'm nervous, anxious, excited, worried, and confident all at the same time.

This is sure to be a long day with little production going on. Here's to hoping on Saturday we are doing it all over again!

geraldsneighbor,

You know from watching Duke all year that much of the current "conventional wisdom" about Duke being soft or needing to get the calls, is simply false.

We also know that Duke is very good in late game situations.

I like the Devils here by 6-8 points.

geraldsneighbor
03-26-2009, 10:18 AM
geraldsneighbor,

You know from watching Duke all year that much of the current "conventional wisdom" about Duke being soft or needing to get the calls, is simply false.

We also know that Duke is very good in late game situations.

I like the Devils here by 6-8 points.

That would be tremendous! Hopefully we come out like gangbusters like we did vs. Xavier.

hughesmiester
03-26-2009, 10:28 AM
Accept that you are now an adult! :D

Never!

arydolphin
03-26-2009, 10:47 AM
Unfortunatly we wont even get to see the banners, according to NCAA rules they have to be taken down during the Tournament games.
Kind of dumb

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2009/03/26/2009-03-26_dukes_gerald_henderson_is_now_so_over_vi.html

Airforcedukie

Man, being in the arena without all of those banners is going to be WEIRD. It's another lame NCAA rule, and I'm sure all of the normal advertising will also be gone and replaced by NCAA stuff.

The vibe in the arena should be interesting tonight. In the first game, I'm sure that the Nova and Duke fans will root for Xavier against Pitt. To echo another thread, the Xavier fans were excellent in the 2004 regionals, and I'd love for them to win tonight. In the second game, I would normally assume that the neutral fans, unfortunately, will get behind Nova, but I wonder if Pitt fans will actually root for Nova, since Pittsburgh and Philly tend to be healthy rivals. Who knows, I just can't wait for the games!

Tjenkins
03-26-2009, 11:31 AM
That rule about the banners is stupid.

But at least Boston is a real basketball venue, not a dome football stadium, like the West & Midwest regionals. That generally makes for better basketball.

I think it's a good venue for Duke's fan base too, lots of Duke grads & fans from New Jersey on up through New England. I remember several tournaments when the Meadowlands Arena(whatever it's called now, used to be the Byrne Arena)felt like Cameron on steroids!

Waynne
03-26-2009, 01:58 PM
I'm wicked psyched because 3 buddies and I scored tickets to tonight's game. The tickets are obscenely expensive and the seats are up in the rafters, but at least we'll be there, screaming our brains out for Duke.

Due to the late start and the driving distance, this will be close to an all-nighter, just like many of my nights at Duke. :D Tomorrow is a busy work day, but if we win I'll be on Cloud 9 feeling no fatique. If we lose, well, it will be a bad day in the neighborhood. But we are going to win!

moonpie23
03-26-2009, 04:48 PM
i wish i could be there.....carry the pride for all of us who can't be with you!!

HCheek37
03-26-2009, 05:31 PM
leaving now for TD Banknorth....gotta pick up tickets, watch Pitt and Xavier play a tough game that hopefully takes the wind out of both teams

and

then calm my nerves enough to cheer as loud as possible for the Blue Devils!

LETS GO DUKE! :D

(be loud Duke fans!)

geraldsneighbor
03-26-2009, 05:33 PM
Let's Go baby. Get this done tonight. G take over. Jon hit the 3. Kyle bully Cunningham. Nolan get steals. Elliott get to the whole and help out Nolan. Lance and Dave bully Cunningham. Zoubs alter shots and be physical. Greg be clutch baby we know your going to do something special.

Guys, seize the opportunity tonight. This is a great time to shine and make a name for yourselves. Let's let the world know Duke never left!

G, break Jay Wright's heart one more time!


Folks, enjoy this tonight. It's great to be playing March 26th.

geraldsneighbor
03-26-2009, 05:34 PM
leaving now for TD Banknorth....gotta pick up tickets, watch Pitt and Xavier play a tough game that hopefully takes the wind out of both teams

and

then calm my nerves enough to cheer as loud as possible for the Blue Devils!

LETS GO DUKE! :D

(be loud Duke fans!)

Have fun tonight. I have put my Singler black alternate jersey on and am ready to go!

Bob Green
03-26-2009, 05:58 PM
Bob, you have a slingbox?

And man, you gotta take off work for March Madness, been doing it for years! :)

No slingbox required as I have 24/7 access to American Forces Network. Unfortunately, I can't take off work in March as my work is driven by ship's maintenance schedules rather than college basketball schedules. :(

geraldsneighbor
03-26-2009, 06:10 PM
Side note: Bob Donato's crew is officiating tonight's ball game.

geraldsneighbor
03-26-2009, 06:21 PM
Another official tonight is Joe Lindsey. To my knowledge we haven't had either this year. Both officials I named are Philly guys.

cspan37421
03-26-2009, 06:34 PM
Another official tonight is Joe Lindsey. To my knowledge we haven't had either this year. Both officials I named are Philly guys.

Dan Patrick Show hour 1 today already planted the seed that Duke only wins if Villanova isn't allowed to "play their style" (i.e., foul without being called for fouling). A Duke-hating caller from the west coast chimed in, citing the "refs protection of Duke" as the #1 source of resentment.

Sorry, but no. But what it leads to is this double standard, that you should be able to commit fouls without being called, if the opponent is Duke.

Sad but true, thoughtful fans are well outnumbered by the sheep.

geraldsneighbor
03-26-2009, 06:41 PM
Dan Patrick Show hour 1 today already planted the seed that Duke only wins if Villanova isn't allowed to "play their style" (i.e., foul without being called for fouling). A Duke-hating caller from the west coast chimed in, citing the "refs protection of Duke" as the #1 source of resentment.

Sorry, but no. But what it leads to is this double standard, that you should be able to commit fouls without being called, if the opponent is Duke.

Sad but true, thoughtful fans are well outnumbered by the sheep.

I read JT the Brick the riot act last night on Fox Sports Radio. I had to do it and defend Duke for the second week in a row on the radio.

Cameron
03-26-2009, 08:14 PM
This game can't come soon enough. I'm starting to feel it. It's the same kind of feeling you get when you're on your way to pick up your first prom date.

Neeeeerrrrrrvous.

Whew. Bring it one more weekend, boys, and we're at The Show. Nova first, though.

77devil
03-26-2009, 08:19 PM
Another official tonight is Joe Lindsey. To my knowledge we haven't had either this year. Both officials I named are Philly guys.

Found a site that showed Donanto officiated 3 Duke and Villanova games this year but he works predominantly in the Big East. Appears to like the Huskies a lot but there is no discernable difference in his Duke and Villanova game stats.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/referees/bob-donato/teams

arydolphin
03-26-2009, 08:22 PM
I'm in the Garden now! Good Duke support in here. The Xavier fans are much better than the Pitt fans. I'm not impressed by Pitt at all, Xavier could be up by 15 if they had made open shots. More posts hopefully during the Duke game!

77devil
03-26-2009, 08:32 PM
I'm in the Garden now! Good Duke support in here. The Xavier fans are much better than the Pitt fans. I'm not impressed by Pitt at all, Xavier could be up by 15 if they had made open shots. More posts hopefully during the Duke game!

Look forward to onsite reports. Make a lot of noise.

DukeChapel'90
03-26-2009, 08:50 PM
Here's to hoping the Big East goes 0 for 3 tonight. Wouldn't that be great!!

Newton_14
03-26-2009, 09:08 PM
BELIEVE!

Time to man up and get it done. Our boys need to be strong with the basketball, play team defense without fouling, and grab that basketball after every stop on D. Make a statement on defense and let Nova know that points will not come easy.

On offense, motion, motion, motion. Set good screens (no cheap fouls on bigs with illegal screens) move the ball around the horn inside and out and take good shots. Attack that basket initiating the contact rather than trying to avoid it. Finish strong at the rack. Make Nova chase all night and break their hearts with dagger 3's and back door cuts.

Walk onto that floor tonight with swagger, not arrogance, but a belief in yourself and your teammates. Shoot the ball knowing it is going in rather than hoping it goes in.

Out hustle the opponent, out think them, out rebound them. Tonight is another night to do something special on the biggest stage of them all. Take advantage of the opportunity and make it your night!

Play "Duke Basketball"

Go get'em boys, we got your backs and we believe in you!

LET'S GO DUKE!!!!

riverside6
03-26-2009, 09:39 PM
You can find live tempo-based stats on our site here...

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=3372

jipops
03-26-2009, 09:42 PM
I'm pretty nervous about this matchup. I'd much rather be playing a team that relies on size than a team that relies on quickness. Not only are they quick, they're very tough and physical - a combination our guys haven't seen much of this year. I just don't think this works favorably for us. I actually think we match up better against Pitt than Nova. So if we can somehow squeak by in this one, I feel we've got a terrific shot to take down Pitt for the Final 4.

Unfortunately I have Nova winning this one in my brackets (I pick with my head not my heart). I'll be pulling hard to be wrong about this game.

calltheobvious
03-26-2009, 09:51 PM
Side note: Bob Donato's crew is officiating tonight's ball game.

Donato, Lindsay, and Rick Hartzell worked the Pitt-X game.

jv001
03-26-2009, 09:52 PM
that whoever wins this game will defeat Pitt. I pray it's Duke. Go Duke!

SharkD
03-26-2009, 10:09 PM
Great, Karl Hess.

CBDUKE
03-26-2009, 10:17 PM
no goal tending call???

jamos14
03-26-2009, 10:20 PM
C`mon Nolan! 2 quick fouls hurts!

_Gary
03-26-2009, 10:20 PM
Nice job, refs. Two ticky tack calls and Nolan is basically of no use to us now in the entire 1st half. And Kyle is a step slow and has had a bad turnover, a missed wide open three, and another weak play on defense to allow a jam. Not looking good early on.

FerryFor50
03-26-2009, 10:20 PM
no goal tending call???

Apparently, Duke gets all the calls. Except the goaltends.

jamos14
03-26-2009, 10:21 PM
Jon is so smart!!! I love him!

FerryFor50
03-26-2009, 10:21 PM
Nice job, refs. Two ticky tack calls and Nolan is basically of no use to us now in the entire 1st half. And Kyle is a step slow and has had a bad turnover, a missed wide open three, and another weak play on defense to allow a jam. Not looking good early on.

Very inconsistent officiating right now. Hopefully the refs get it together...

As I say that, Scheyer gets a call on a 3 point attempt!

_Gary
03-26-2009, 10:22 PM
Jon is so smart!!! I love him!

Right now it looks like he's the only one that's come to play on the offensive end.

huied
03-26-2009, 10:24 PM
Finally a drive! Gosh.

_Gary
03-26-2009, 10:24 PM
Ok, Kyle has now missed 2 wide open three pointers. Not good. He is going to have to help Jon out with those, especially since Nolan is gone for the half with the two ticky tack fouls. Kyle is definitely not himself tonight on either end of the court. I know he just hit a nice driving hook, but other than that he's been soft with the ball, missed open threes, and gone for a couple of balls on defense that have left his man a wide open shot. He's got to step it up.

pamtar
03-26-2009, 10:25 PM
Anyone else having trouble getting in to snrub?

FerryFor50
03-26-2009, 10:26 PM
Ok, Kyle has now missed 2 wide open three pointers. Not good. He is going to have to help Jon out with those, especially since Nolan is gone for the half with the two ticky tack fouls.

Not worried about the misses. They both were good looks that nearly went down. Those will come as the nerves go and the adrenaline takes over.

The important thing is Duke is getting those looks early. Players miss shots - look at Nova so far.

dyedwab
03-26-2009, 10:26 PM
Anyone else having trouble getting in to snrub?

yep...I was in, dropped off, and can't get back in

Duke79UNLV77
03-26-2009, 10:27 PM
We need him to be a force.

jv001
03-26-2009, 10:27 PM
could be time to post up Gerald. Go Duke!

jamos14
03-26-2009, 10:28 PM
Zoubek is playing good quality defense right now using his body, not his arms.

FerryFor50
03-26-2009, 10:29 PM
Zoubek is playing good quality defense right now using his body, not his arms.

He is kicking major butt right now.

SharkD
03-26-2009, 10:30 PM
What a garbage foul call on G.

_Gary
03-26-2009, 10:31 PM
Not worried about the misses. They both were good looks that nearly went down. Those will come as the nerves go and the adrenaline takes over.

The important thing is Duke is getting those looks early. Players miss shots - look at Nova so far.

I don't know. I hope you are right, but it seems to me that Kyle just isn't himself on either end of the floor. And Duke is 3 of 13 at the halfway point of the 1st half. That has to increase! Make that 3 of 14.

FerryFor50
03-26-2009, 10:31 PM
What a garbage foul call on G.

Nah, that was a good call. Much better than the ones on Nolan.

Duke79UNLV77
03-26-2009, 10:32 PM
can't win if you can't shoot

SharkD
03-26-2009, 10:32 PM
Nice tap Z!

FerryFor50
03-26-2009, 10:33 PM
I was just thinking "why do they have Z at the top of the key setting screens when he could be hitting the offensive boards" and then he gets inside for a tip.

Yay Z!

micah75
03-26-2009, 10:33 PM
Zoubek, playing with confidence!

Lulu
03-26-2009, 10:34 PM
Dying by the 3 right now. Hope it's nerves and the nerves go away soon. Some bad misses.

_Gary
03-26-2009, 10:34 PM
Another wide open 3 missed. Dang, that was my key to the game (and the Tourney). I don't think we can afford this type of outside shooting and win. And the shots are good ones too, but we are off. Bad sign.

FerryFor50
03-26-2009, 10:34 PM
I don't know. I hope you are right, but it seems to me that Kyle just isn't himself on either end of the floor. And Duke is 3 of 13 at the halfway point of the 1st half. That has to increase! Make that 3 of 14.

They'll start going down eventually... I hope.

Duke can't shoot 24% the entire game can they?

FerryFor50
03-26-2009, 10:35 PM
Luckily, Nova is shooting like garbage, too.

Oriole Way
03-26-2009, 10:35 PM
It's a bad sign that we're ice cold, but a very good sign that we're only down 4 and especially that this is a low-scoring game. Villanova does NOT thrive in low-scoring games.

NSDukeFan
03-26-2009, 10:36 PM
They'll start going down eventually... I hope.

Duke can't shoot 24% the entire game can they?

No, the shooting will come around if we get good shots, which most of ours have been. Zoubek rocks so far, except for that last cheap foul.

_Gary
03-26-2009, 10:36 PM
They'll start going down eventually... I hope.

Duke can't shoot 24% the entire game can they?

Let's hope those shots start falling. What scares me is that if we can't hit wide open threes, what makes us think we can hit threes with a hand in our face. And I've got to believe Nova's defense will get tighter as the game goes on. Right now, early on, was the time to strike on those open outside shots. As the game continues, I imagine those shots will not be as open.

Les Grossman
03-26-2009, 10:37 PM
and this game can be won.

but boy, is the shooting awful right now.
Drive, please.

jv001
03-26-2009, 10:37 PM
Shots have to start going down. We're a better shooting team than this. Zoubs some good mins. Someone pls get hot. Go Duke!