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View Full Version : MBB: Duke 96 UNC-Greensboro 62



coot
11-08-2009, 04:44 PM
Does anyone know if this game is going to be televised or streamed online?

Newton_14
11-08-2009, 05:07 PM
The game will be on Fox Sports South

RelativeWays
11-08-2009, 07:52 PM
I always feel guilty when my lifelong favorite team kicks the crap out of my alma mater. I hope Mike Dement did something to fix last seasons disaster. The Spartans were picked to be a middle of the pack SoCon team after losing all conference forward Kyle Hines and instead only won like 4 games. Not sure how much better they will be.

elvis14
11-09-2009, 11:40 AM
I always feel guilty when my lifelong favorite team kicks the crap out of my alma mater.

I went to a small school as an undergraduate (Lander University) and then to Clemson for grad school. I didn't grow up in SC so my blood does not runneth orange (as they say). So when Duke plays Clemson I feel a bit guilty but when it comes down to it I'm all about Duke winning that game. When McClure hit that last second shot to beat Clemson a few years ago, I was in CIS and was thrilled (jumped up and hit my shin on the back of the seat in front of me ouch!).

Anyway, you're not alone if feeling guilty on occasion for such things.

Turtleboy
11-09-2009, 11:46 AM
Does anyone know if this game is going to be televised or streamed online?This schedule (http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_MENU_ID=&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1845&SPSID=22726) at GoDuke lists all the TV times and stations.

Battierfan01
11-09-2009, 01:28 PM
Does anyone know if this game is going to be televised or streamed online?

It looks like all games are televised this year except the Radford game on Novermber 21.

CEF1959
11-09-2009, 01:36 PM
And GoDuke.com shows that the Radford game will be streamed live as video, meaning you watch the video and listen to the radio stream. But ya gotta pay the man.

Huh?
11-09-2009, 03:04 PM
I went to a small school as an undergraduate (Lander University) and then to Clemson for grad school. I didn't grow up in SC so my blood does not runneth orange (as they say). So when Duke plays Clemson I feel a bit guilty but when it comes down to it I'm all about Duke winning that game. When McClure hit that last second shot to beat Clemson a few years ago, I was in CIS and was thrilled (jumped up and hit my shin on the back of the seat in front of me ouch!).

Anyway, you're not alone if feeling guilty on occasion for such things.

I remember that shot like it was yesterday, CIS went NUTS!!! Loudest I had heard it in there in a while. What a pass by Scheyer by the way.

longtimefan
11-12-2009, 12:13 AM
On the D.B.R.schedule its showing not on tv.but on my tv schedule it is showing duke vs uncg on fox sports south in the Charleston S.C. area.anyone know if its actually going to be on t.v. or not thanks.

Jarhead
11-12-2009, 12:20 AM
On the D.B.R.schedule its showing not on tv.but on my tv schedule it is showing duke vs uncg on fox sports south in the Charleston S.C. area.anyone know if its actually going to be on t.v. or not thanks.

Yes, at 7:00 PM.

Welcome2DaSlopes
11-12-2009, 12:38 AM
Lets GO DUKE take this WIN.

Will Nolan be sitting out?

Bob Green
11-12-2009, 05:38 AM
Will Nolan be sitting out?

Yes.

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=30382

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=30230

CDu
11-12-2009, 09:01 AM
Yes.

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=30382

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=30230

It will be a good test for Dawkins and Scheyer: Dawkins because he'll have to play extended minutes and Scheyer because he'll have an even greater ballhandling burden. Hopefully our size can be enough to take us through these first two games comfortably, and we can gain from the experience of added PT early for the freshmen.

Battierfan01
11-12-2009, 09:20 AM
I think that we can use Smith's absence as a positive. I think the experience that Dawkins and Scheyer will gain will be great if we need them in this position later in the season. I would much rather them gain this experience against teams like UNCG then after we get into ACC play.

CDu
11-12-2009, 11:25 AM
I think that we can use Smith's absence as a positive. I think the experience that Dawkins and Scheyer will gain will be great if we need them in this position later in the season. I would much rather them gain this experience against teams like UNCG then after we get into ACC play.

Agreed. We should have enough talent to beat UNC-G and Coastal Carolina without Smith. As long as we win (which we should), there's definitely some upside in getting the others more experience.

BriantheBlogger
11-12-2009, 11:42 AM
They don't seem to have fox sports south damnit!!:confused:

Troublemaker
11-12-2009, 02:00 PM
I'm expecting a sloppy game from us tomorrow. Game #1, no Nolan (the starting lineup is awkwardly big without him, imo), and we're trying a new style of play on both offense and defense. I mean, if we come out like gangbusters, then great, but I would hope nobody gets too down if the team looks bad tomorrow (while still winning comfortably against UNC-G, of course.)

The only thing I'll personally key on is how comfortable the bigs look scoring against what I assume to be a smaller team. There's been a lot of talk this offseason about using the post more to score than in previous years, but it's unclear at this point which of our bigs can really operate with his back to the basket. If just one or two of our bigs look good scoring the ball, I'll count that as a win.

dukelifer
11-12-2009, 02:08 PM
I'm expecting a sloppy game from us tomorrow. Game #1, no Nolan (the starting lineup is awkwardly big without him, imo), and we're trying a new style of play on both offense and defense. I mean, if we come out like gangbusters, then great, but I would hope nobody gets too down if the team looks bad tomorrow (while still winning comfortably against UNC-G, of course.)

The only thing I'll personally key on is how comfortable the bigs look scoring against what I assume to be a smaller team. There's been a lot of talk this offseason about using the post more to score than in previous years, but it's unclear at this point which of our bigs can really operate with his back to the basket. If just one or two of our bigs look good scoring the ball, I'll count that as a win.
I am hoping K starts Dawkins- and then has Plumlee I and II and Singler up front. That is much closer to the lineup when Smith returns. As for the game- I agree- it may not be pretty for a while. The young guys need to tone down trying the spectacular play- except on breakaways and just minimize mistakes.

bigj4194
11-12-2009, 02:12 PM
They don't seem to have fox sports south damnit!!:confused:

there might be a justin.tv stream...i'd check there tomorrow.

Kedsy
11-12-2009, 02:50 PM
I'm expecting a sloppy game from us tomorrow. Game #1, no Nolan (the starting lineup is awkwardly big without him, imo), and we're trying a new style of play on both offense and defense.

Maybe not so awkwardly big without Mason. But maybe it still will be. My guess is Jon, Kyle, MP1, Lance, and Z in the starting lineup.

We're only going to have 8 recruited players, so maybe this is the game Olek gets some run?

airowe
11-12-2009, 02:52 PM
No Mason or Nolan tomorrow night. Could be an interesting game.

Glad we're playing UNCG.

Battierfan01
11-12-2009, 03:08 PM
No Mason or Nolan tomorrow night. Could be an interesting game.

Glad we're playing UNCG.

Yes I guess it is a good thing (not that breaking your wrist is ever a good thing) that it happened so early in the season.

CDu
11-12-2009, 03:14 PM
Maybe not so awkwardly big without Mason. But maybe it still will be. My guess is Jon, Kyle, MP1, Lance, and Z in the starting lineup.

We're only going to have 8 recruited players, so maybe this is the game Olek gets some run?

I'd say we'll be even more awkwardly big without Mason. Mason was big, but he wasn't awkward. This means more minutes for Zoubek and Kelly, who are decidedly more awkward out there. It's not like we can really go small to offset the loss of Mason. Unless you want to put walk-ons out there for major minutes, which I don't want to do.

Hopefully this thing heals quickly. We should still be able to survive the first two games until Smith gets back. And when Smith gets back, we can still put a slightly more traditional lineup out there with Singler, Thomas, and Kelly handling the 3/4 spots and Zoubek and Plumlee handling the 5 spot. It just takes away so much of our versatility and athleticism in the frontcourt.

And yes - I'll be very surprised if Czyz doesn't see some meaningful PT in the next two games.

jv001
11-12-2009, 04:10 PM
I'd say we'll be even more awkwardly big without Mason. Mason was big, but he wasn't awkward. This means more minutes for Zoubek and Kelly, who are decidedly more awkward out there. It's not like we can really go small to offset the loss of Mason. Unless you want to put walk-ons out there for major minutes, which I don't want to do.

Hopefully this thing heals quickly. We should still be able to survive the first two games until Smith gets back. And when Smith gets back, we can still put a slightly more traditional lineup out there with Singler, Thomas, and Kelly handling the 3/4 spots and Zoubek and Plumlee handling the 5 spot. It just takes away so much of our versatility and athleticism in the frontcourt.

And yes - I'll be very surprised if Czyz doesn't see some meaningful PT in the next two games.

Kelly looks like he's not all that awkard, but does need more strength. From what I've heard Kelly is a pretty skilled player. Just needs more time in the weight room. Very interesting start to a very interesting season. Go Duke!

shoutingncu
11-12-2009, 04:30 PM
Is the only way to see this game in the Los Angeles area online?

CDu
11-12-2009, 07:26 PM
Kelly looks like he's not all that awkard, but does need more strength. From what I've heard Kelly is a pretty skilled player. Just needs more time in the weight room. Very interesting start to a very interesting season. Go Duke!

From what I've seen of him (granted, it's only exhibition games), I felt that he is not a smooth, fluid, athletic player. Now, Kelly is a very good shooter and is capable of scoring from a variety of spots on the floor. But he's not a guy that will win any style points (not that that really matters). He's not that much of a ballhandler, and he's not very athletic. That's more of what I meant by awkward. While Mason is out, that's 15-20 more minutes played by two guys who are far less fluid and athletic.

I wasn't necessarily saying that Kelly's "awkwardness" is a huge problem (though I think it's definitely a negative losing Mason for even just a few weeks this early in the season while he's trying to adjust to college play and trying to gel with his team). I was just commenting on the idea that we'd get less awkwardly big without Mason. Pretty much by necessity for the first few games at least, we'll be replacing Mason with another big guy. And that big guy is almost certainly going to be more awkward than Mason (since he's probably the least awkward of our bigs, Singler not included).

whereinthehellami
11-13-2009, 10:44 AM
I have Direct TV out of the Washington DC market and FSS says TBA all the way thru today. Is that normal with that station?

Battierfan01
11-13-2009, 10:53 AM
I have Direct TV out of the Washington DC market and FSS says TBA all the way thru today. Is that normal with that station?

I live in the Burlington, NC area and have Direct TV. My FSS channel list UNCG@Duke at 7:00, but Im not sure if its because Im local.

HCheek37
11-13-2009, 11:34 AM
one of my favorite youtube videos, pretty good day for it since the new season is getting underway...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zjAGhwVu40&feature=related

LETS GO DUKE!

whereinthehellami
11-13-2009, 01:18 PM
I live in the Burlington, NC area and have Direct TV. My FSS channel list UNCG@Duke at 7:00, but Im not sure if its because Im local.

Thanks, doesn't sound like I'm going to get it.

jpfrizzle
11-13-2009, 04:48 PM
Will be wearing my DUKE gear!!!

ice-9
11-13-2009, 06:19 PM
If anyone finds a source from which to watch the game online, please post here for all the international people!

mr shadow 008
11-13-2009, 06:35 PM
does anybody know if this game will be on justin.tv

riverside6
11-13-2009, 06:36 PM
can't help with watching the game online, but here is the link to our live stats:

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=3592

Starters should be up in the next 10 min or so.

Off to coach my kid's basketball practice, gotta put my earplugs in so I don't get any updates. Can't wait to watch tonight.

ChicagoCrazy84
11-13-2009, 06:41 PM
Mason Plumlee is out with a broken wrist, Nolan Smith is suspended, and we just lost our #1 recruit to UNC... I am sure Cameron will be rockin tonight.

Don't mean to be negative, I just think it's funny that all of this has transpired so close to our home opener.

Kim*
11-13-2009, 06:42 PM
Looks like the game might be showing here! http://www.justin.tv/accsportszone2

soccerstud2210
11-13-2009, 06:53 PM
anyone know where a guy in CA can watch online or on TV?

WiJoe
11-13-2009, 06:56 PM
I live in the Burlington, NC area and have Direct TV. My FSS channel list UNCG@Duke at 7:00, but Im not sure if its because Im local.



Channel 646

Cameron
11-13-2009, 07:05 PM
Thanks for the justin tv heads up. That is great news.

I was thinking I might have to still turn on the sweet sounds of Bob Harris and John Roth, but I see G-man is calling the game for FSN South. Nice.

AlaskanAssassin
11-13-2009, 07:08 PM
OLEK!

airowe
11-13-2009, 07:10 PM
OLEK!

Czyz with the start!

airowe
11-13-2009, 07:14 PM
You got Czyzed on!

gep
11-13-2009, 07:24 PM
Looks like the game might be showing here! http://www.justin.tv/accsportszone2

Game is ON here.... THANKS!!!!

Oriole Way
11-13-2009, 07:33 PM
Singler's handle looks excellent.

Lulu
11-13-2009, 07:38 PM
Is this game blacked out on DirecTV, depending on area? Anyone else with this problem? I can't figure out if it's the sportspack or just blacked out...:(

AlaskanAssassin
11-13-2009, 07:38 PM
Kyle is looking great early! I wish Andre is in the game more and wish that Lance would get more touches. I always feel like Lance has a chance or the potential to be one of our offensive go to guys.

Spam Filter
11-13-2009, 07:38 PM
Singler looks great, the rest of the team, not so much. Not having Nolan Smith really hurts our already paper thin backcourt.

Lord Ash
11-13-2009, 07:38 PM
Is this an official station thing? It has a pretty official sounding name...

http://www.justin.tv/accsportszone2

FireOgilvie
11-13-2009, 07:38 PM
Singler's handle looks excellent.

...and his shot.

I really do not like the way we look without Nolan. He's going to be really huge for us this year.

whereinthehellami
11-13-2009, 07:40 PM
Its not on my Directv. Good tip on JustinTV.

juise
11-13-2009, 07:40 PM
Is this game blacked out on DirecTV, depending on area? Anyone else with this problem? I can't figure out if it's the sportspack or just blacked out...:(

When my dad had DirecTV, Fox Sports South would blackout games like this that were only being shown on FSN-S (unless you're in that channel's region).

Oriole Way
11-13-2009, 07:42 PM
...and his shot.

I really do not like the way we look without Nolan. He's going to be really huge for us this year.

I was expecting worse to be honest. Turnovers are starting to mount like I feared, but Plumlee, Zoubek, and Thomas are holding their own.

I like the fact Czyz got the start. I just want Kelly, Dawkins, and Czyz to get as many minutes as possible in the early going.

juise
11-13-2009, 07:45 PM
Kyle and Jon are good... shocking! :eek: ;)


Now let's see everyone else get cooking.

whereinthehellami
11-13-2009, 07:48 PM
Duke-44 U-23, 2:59 left in the 1st half. Duke looks a little sloppy but everyone is playing and contributing. Good to see. Singler has been most of the Offense. Though Duke has got some easy buckets inside. Dawkins just made his 1st 3!

Spam Filter
11-13-2009, 07:53 PM
Dawkins with an impressive block.

RoyalBlue08
11-13-2009, 07:53 PM
I was pretty bummed out today listening to HB's announcement, mostly because he is the kind of kid that is easy to root for and would really fit in with a Duke team filled with similar players. However, watching the first half of the UNC-G game has already lifted my spirits. Watching the guys we have play hard and get after it makes remember why I am proud to be a Duke fan and alumni. Here's to another great and exciting year of college basketball!

Bob Green
11-13-2009, 08:00 PM
There were lots of things to like in the first half. Singler with 14 and Scheyer with 11. I was pleasantly suprised to see Czyz in the starting line-up. Dawkins hit a nice 3 and had a awesome block on defense. Offensive rebounding was solid, but that is to be expected with our height advantage over UNCG.

Spam Filter
11-13-2009, 08:12 PM
Problem is we knew those 2 would be good, we need some of the other players to show something.

Tucknut
11-13-2009, 08:15 PM
Looks like the game might be showing here! http://www.justin.tv/accsportszone2

Thanks for the link. The news of the day was depressing enough. And not having FSS in my cable package only made it worse. But getting to watch the game online sure helped ease the sting.

Link is bookmarked. Thanks again. ;)

juise
11-13-2009, 08:24 PM
Nice freshman connection there... Dawkins to Kelly for 3!

NSDukeFan
11-13-2009, 08:24 PM
Dawkins to Kelly for 3. Beautiful thing to see after Dawkins' 3.

Edit: And Juise beat me to the punch. I guess there were many of us pleased with that play.

JaMarcus Russell
11-13-2009, 08:24 PM
60-37, Dawkins and Kelly both knocked down three pointers before the timeout.

ETA: Looks like NSDukeFan beat me to the punch :D.

whereinthehellami
11-13-2009, 08:24 PM
Dawkins with another 3 and then Kelly with the 3. Team is playing hard.

JaMarcus Russell
11-13-2009, 08:32 PM
Agreed, the team is playing pretty hard and making some nice passes. One small negative is that Dawkins seems to pick up a lot of touch fouls. He's already picked up 4 fouls.

whereinthehellami
11-13-2009, 08:34 PM
Duke giving up alot of easy buckets here in the 2nd half. Announcers just aid they are getting out hustled. Dont like that. You have got to keep the screws on them. Might be some of the young guys coasting a little bit?

Dawkins has 4 fouls. He is going to have to be smarter this year.

NSDukeFan
11-13-2009, 08:37 PM
Love to see Zoubek getting involved. The steal, a couple of hoops. Let's go Z.

proelitedota
11-13-2009, 08:37 PM
ZOOOOOUBBBBBBBs:D

faithwarrior
11-13-2009, 09:03 PM
interesting team this year for sure.. the biggest team we've had in years, however seems like the slowest team we've had in awhile as well. i like the rebounding, but am a bit nervous about the lack of explosive athletism. we seemingly have always had that very athletic slasher (i.e. Dahntay Jones, Demarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson, Corey Maggette, etc) and there really isn't that guy this year. Also wish we had a quick pg on this years team. If Irving were here this season i could see us in the Final Four. I like Scheyer but he isn't quick enough to push the ball or get to the hoop. Dawkins has impressed me (minus the fouls), i can see big things for the kid in the future. Kelly has some skill just wish he would be more aggressive. Looks like we are going to need to rely on Singler HEAVILY this year again. Sad i couldn't get to see Mason play, i'm hoping the guy can get back soon. Zoubek seems to be a totally different player, way more confident and aggressive

Hermy-own
11-13-2009, 09:11 PM
interesting team this year for sure.. the biggest team we've had in years, however seems like the slowest team we've had in awhile as well. i like the rebounding, but am a bit nervous about the lack of explosive athletism. we seemingly have always had that very athletic slasher (i.e. Dahntay Jones, Demarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson, Corey Maggette, etc) and there really isn't that guy this year. Also wish we had a quick pg on this years team. If Irving were here this season i could see us in the Final Four. I like Scheyer but he isn't quick enough to push the ball or get to the hoop. Dawkins has impressed me (minus the fouls), i can see big things for the kid in the future. Kelly has some skill just wish he would be more aggressive. Looks like we are going to need to rely on Singler HEAVILY this year again. Sad i couldn't get to see Mason play, i'm hoping the guy can get back soon. Zoubek seems to be a totally different player, way more confident and aggressive

Good game! I really want 2 of the big men to seize control of the starting jobs - and then add in Mason when he gets back. I think Miles is the guy (and Zoub)! He had a good game tonight, and what he really needs is to build his confidence. Also, great game for our freshman - this is looking good for the future, especially Dawkins.

kong123
11-13-2009, 09:12 PM
one thing to worry about is that the starters played 30+ minutes (according to cbssportsline.com). with a lead that large, why not rest your guys? we are already short handed in the backcourt, why risk an injury?

77devil
11-13-2009, 09:22 PM
one thing to worry about is that the starters played 30+ minutes (according to cbssportsline.com). with a lead that large, why not rest your guys? we are already short handed in the backcourt, why risk an injury?

Good lord its the first game of the season and you're carping about the rotation.

Oriole Way
11-13-2009, 09:29 PM
one thing to worry about is that the starters played 30+ minutes (according to cbssportsline.com). with a lead that large, why not rest your guys? we are already short handed in the backcourt, why risk an injury?

The guards are going to be playing the vast majority of the games all year, especially games against good opponents, so might as well get them prepared for playing heavy minutes.

sandinmyshoes
11-13-2009, 09:32 PM
I would have liked to see the minutes spread out a bit more myself. But had Nolan and Mason played, the minutes would have been reduced across the board.

We'll probably look a good bit quicker with those two available as well.

Newton_14
11-13-2009, 09:46 PM
First off, congrats to OC on his first career start! And he more than held his own out there. He played solid D for the most part and had 2 steals overplaying the wing pass and took both to the house for dunks! Very nice.

And he had another very nice play on a break where he drove the ball and hit Zoubs with a very nice bounce pass for the layup. Considering where he was last year the kid has come a long way in a short time.

Singler showed why he is a candidate for NPOY and scored from everywhere. Jon had a solid game as well.

Given they were short-handed missing Nolan, Mason, and Jordan, I was very impressed with how they banded together and put forth a great effort. They looked much better than they did the last game when Nolan sit in the first half. Much better.

Both freshman contributed as nice supporting players. Both can shoot the rock. Andre's stroke is pure and Ryan's is not far behind.

Miles played well, looked for his shot a tad bit more, stayed out of foul trouble, rebounded well, and had several blocked shots. Easily his best game in a Duke uniform in a real game.

Zoub's played solid also and had another pocket-pick on a guard. 2 games in a row where the big fella showed quick hands.

All in all a really nice game by our guys given the 3 missing guys and all the other bad karma. Once Nolan and Mason return it will be a big boost. I will take 96 points without those 2 guys available any time. The competition was not great but still a solid showing with way more positives than negatives.

That's my take...

Oh and one last thing. Coach K was quoted in a recent article as saying "I have always focused on what I have (meaning players) rather than worrying about what I don't have"

Good advice. We should all take it to heart. I was bummed out before the game too, but after watching "OUR GUYS", that's right, the kids that chose to wear DUKE across the front of their jersey's it helped me forget the new hole. I choose to focus on and pull for OUR GUYS, how bout you??

should_be_working
11-13-2009, 09:47 PM
I thought the interior passing was great tonight. The big guys might not be the quickest but they passed the ball pretty well. We need to work on our defense which is kind of strange because it always seems to be really good early on in the season. Overall I was impressed. Its nice to get some easy baskets on offensive rebounds and some nice passing, which was missing a bit last year. Can't wait for the next game.

Oh yeah, props to OC. I thought he had a solid game. Loved the play when he beat his man and headed straight to the basket aggresively for a dunk. Didn't connect, but got the foul. He doesn't mess around when he takes it to the hole.

Kedsy
11-13-2009, 09:52 PM
I choose to focus on and pull for OUR GUYS, how bout you??

Good advice. I'm with you.

NSDukeFan
11-13-2009, 09:55 PM
First off, congrats to OC on his first career start! And he more than held his own out there. He played solid D for the most part and had 2 steals overplaying the wing pass and took both to the house for dunks! Very nice.

And he had another very nice play on a break where he drove the ball and hit Zoubs with a very nice bounce pass for the layup. Considering where he was last year the kid has come a long way in a short time.

Singler showed why he is a candidate for NPOY and scored from everywhere. Jon had a solid game as well.

Given they were short-handed missing Nolan, Mason, and Jordan, I was very impressed with how they banded together and put forth a great effort. They looked much better than they did the last game when Nolan sit in the first half. Much better.

Both freshman contributed as nice supporting players. Both can shoot the rock. Andre's stroke is pure and Ryan's is not far behind.

Miles played well, looked for his shot a tad bit more, stayed out of foul trouble, rebounded well, and had several blocked shots. Easily his best game in a Duke uniform in a real game.

Zoub's played solid also and had another pocket-pick on a guard. 2 games in a row where the big fella showed quick hands.

All in all a really nice game by our guys given the 3 missing guys and all the other bad karma. Once Nolan and Mason return it will be a big boost. I will take 96 points without those 2 guys available any time. The competition was not great but still a solid showing with way more positives than negatives.

That's my take...

Oh and one last thing. Coach K was quoted in a recent article as saying "I have always focused on what I have (meaning players) rather than worrying about what I don't have"

Good advice. We should all take it to heart. I was bummed out before the game too, but after watching "OUR GUYS", that's right, the kids that chose to wear DUKE across the front of their jersey's it helped me forget the new hole. I choose to focus on and pull for OUR GUYS, how bout you??

Nice recap. It was great to see OC looking comfortable out there and we got contributions from everyone. I am definitely with you, ready to focus on our guys. Nice start to the season.

mgtr
11-13-2009, 09:56 PM
I was impressed with OC. Compared to last year, he has improved dramatically. Still not a prime time player, but I am optimistic.

wisteria
11-13-2009, 10:03 PM
I'll admit I'm still hurting from today's news. But like many have said, watching our players in action eased the pain a bit. I'm very impressed by the dramatic progress OC has shown. Even in early season last year, he looked completely lost. But today he more than held his own. I particularly loved the OC-Kelly-OC play. Much much improved.

wisteria
11-13-2009, 10:05 PM
I choose to focus on and pull for OUR GUYS, how bout you??

Hear hear

theAlaskanBear
11-13-2009, 10:15 PM
I watched the game, and I will echo a few of the sentiments in this thread:

Andre Dawkins is going to be a very special player. He was a tad to foul prone, and lost his man on D a couple of times when he first got on the court, but I thought he settled in as the game progressed. That was a great block and recover on that UNCG guard move to the baseline. And he is not afraid to mix it up down low on the offensive boards, he had a nice putback.

On offense, his stroke is BEAUTIFUL. He hit two 3's, and wound up with 8pts in 15 minutes. But my two favorite plays were not scoring plays. One was a nice baseline drive and dish for a dunk by Thomas or Plumlee (?). The other was a (nearly) coast-to-coast drive, where he forced the issue before the UNCG defense could set. He missed the layup, but one of the forwards finished it off (Zoubs?).

Ryan Kelly looked pretty smooth as well. He reminds me alot of Dunleavy, anyone else get that feeling?

Zoubek was good, going 6-7 from the field. Plumlee was solid, but didnt shoot so well. Thomas had made great strides as far as positioning on the offensive end. He was in position to receive passes right by the basket and also collect rebounds. We are going to be really deep in the frontcourt, especially once Mason gets back.

Singler and Scheyer are Singler and Scheyer. Although it did seem to me that Scheyer didnt do a good job initiating the offense. He had to pass off the ball alot just past halfcourt....a little far out.

But it was a good game! Considering the absence of Smith (who will get getting alot of the ball handling duties this season I feel), and Mason, I am pleased!

Sixthman
11-13-2009, 11:34 PM
I watched the game, and I will echo a few of the sentiments in this thread:

Andre Dawkins is going to be a very special player. He was a tad to foul prone, and lost his man on D a couple of times when he first got on the court, but I thought he settled in as the game progressed. That was a great block and recover on that UNCG guard move to the baseline. And he is not afraid to mix it up down low on the offensive boards, he had a nice putback.

On offense, his stroke is BEAUTIFUL. He hit two 3's, and wound up with 8pts in 15 minutes. But my two favorite plays were not scoring plays. One was a nice baseline drive and dish for a dunk by Thomas or Plumlee (?). The other was a (nearly) coast-to-coast drive, where he forced the issue before the UNCG defense could set. He missed the layup, but one of the forwards finished it off (Zoubs?).

Ryan Kelly looked pretty smooth as well. He reminds me alot of Dunleavy, anyone else get that feeling?

Zoubek was good, going 6-7 from the field. Plumlee was solid, but didnt shoot so well. Thomas had made great strides as far as positioning on the offensive end. He was in position to receive passes right by the basket and also collect rebounds. We are going to be really deep in the frontcourt, especially once Mason gets back.

Singler and Scheyer are Singler and Scheyer. Although it did seem to me that Scheyer didnt do a good job initiating the offense. He had to pass off the ball alot just past halfcourt....a little far out.

But it was a good game! Considering the absence of Smith (who will get getting alot of the ball handling duties this season I feel), and Mason, I am pleased!

i was at the game and have to disagree on a couple of key points. Most importantly, Single was not Singler. Singler was vastly better than any Singler we saw last year. He toyed with everyone who pretended to guard him. Could move anywhere on the court with the ball, and looked a lot like Larry Bird in his prime tonight. The Singler we saw tonight could put a struggling team on his back and beat a very good opponent. This bodes very well, because with the complete package of talent this team has, I doubt he will need to do this very often.

Zoubek -- whose heart and effort i love, proved tonight he is unlikely to be a factor. His numbers are misleading. He was slow, and ineffective in using his size or weight against vastly inferior opponents. I imagine we will see him only when the match up is right or foul trouble strikes once Mason Plumlee returns.

Ryan Kelly looked great tonight. He was much better than he looked in any of the exhibition games. His release, which had seemed slow in other games, was much faster tonight, and he passed the ball and played help defense well. The most discouraging tonight was Miles, who has been touted as much more confident and athletic than last year. Tonight, he looked neither, against a fairly weak opponent.

i think we also have to reconsider Olek. I had thought he would not contribute this year, but tonight he played within himself, shooting only three times (all dunks) in substantial minutes. He show the potential to play his way into the rotation.

On the whole, this was encouraging. For those of you who have not seen the team, I think Nolan, like Kyle, will not resemble the player we say last season. He was good last year, and looks to be great this year.

Let's get stoked.

chrisheery
11-13-2009, 11:40 PM
I thought we looked great. Especially for the first game of the season. I can't wait to watch this team continue to develop. I think it has a really special combination of players. If Nolan and Scheyer can play off each other in situations where pressure is applied, this team is going to be impressive. I disagree that this is a slow team. There is plenty of athleticism there, but it is the first game of the season and it will take a while to get things organized to use it appropriately. Miles, Mason, Kyle, Scheyer, Nolan is a fast, athletic, balanced starting 5 and the number of different lineups we can create fits almost any style game you can imagine other than that garbage game I saw Kentucky play tonight (though Bledsoe was really impressive).

Looking forward to seeing if we can keep getting better because there should be tons of room for growth with the youth of this team combined with the steady upperclassmen.

mehmattski
11-13-2009, 11:52 PM
I was very surprised to see no one really mention Lance Thomas' play tonight. He was all over the court making plays. He is going to be a very pivotal player in this years' team on both offense and defense.

Tonight, he guarded the point guard (!!!) all night, in both the man-to-man and also the frequent zone schemes we played on defense. It will be interesting to see if this defense will be repeated in games where we have Nolan or there is a quicker point guard, but the length Thomas brought to the front line of the defense led to a number of steals (LT was credited with one).

On offense, Lance is really important as a pick-and-roll guy at the elbow, initiating our offense against man-to-man opponents. He was the swing man on a few plays tonight, getting the ball down low to Zoubek, Plumlee, and Kelly. He was credited with two assists.

However, he was also credited with five turnovers, although at least one was a travel. Coach K clearly believes in LT's leadership ability and is trying to utilize him in key roles on both ends of the floor. He's this year's Dave McClure.

theAlaskanBear
11-13-2009, 11:57 PM
i was at the game and have to disagree on a couple of key points. Most importantly, Single was not Singler. Singler was vastly better than any Singler we saw last year. He toyed with everyone who pretended to guard him. Could move anywhere on the court with the ball, and looked a lot like Larry Bird in his prime tonight. The Singler we saw tonight could put a struggling team on his back and beat a very good opponent. This bodes very well, because with the complete package of talent this team has, I doubt he will need to do this very often.

Zoubek -- whose heart and effort i love, proved tonight he is unlikely to be a factor. His numbers are misleading. He was slow, and ineffective in using his size or weight against vastly inferior opponents. I imagine we will see him only when the match up is right or foul trouble strikes once Mason Plumlee returns.

Ryan Kelly looked great tonight. He was much better than he looked in any of the exhibition games. His release, which had seemed slow in other games, was much faster tonight, and he passed the ball and played help defense well. The most discouraging tonight was Miles, who has been touted as much more confident and athletic than last year. Tonight, he looked neither, against a fairly weak opponent.

i think we also have to reconsider Olek. I had thought he would not contribute this year, but tonight he played within himself, shooting only three times (all dunks) in substantial minutes. He show the potential to play his way into the rotation.

On the whole, this was encouraging. For those of you who have not seen the team, I think Nolan, like Kyle, will not resemble the player we say last season. He was good last year, and looks to be great this year.

Let's get stoked.


I dont really disagree with anything you have said, but I think you have to give the big men a couple of games to get adjusted to the pace of real games. Also, I think they will be better once Nolan gets back, this game, the bigs ended up doing alot of passing and ball-handling. When Nolan and Mason are back, that will not be the case so much.

juise
11-14-2009, 12:08 AM
I was also pleased with Duke's showing on opening night. I was a little worried in the first half when it seemed as though Kyle and Jon were providing most of the offense. However, I was very encouraged when the freshmen got involved in the scoring. I'm very encouraged by how versatile Dawkins looked this early in the season. Kelly seemed confident with his mid-range and short jumpshots.

I thought that Miles looked like an ACC starter for the most part, even considering the competition. I have to put in the caveat that I only got to see the second half and he didn't play as much during those 20 minutes. I was glad to see Zoubs finishing around the basket and his free throw stroke looked pretty good. I hope this translates to the upcoming games (his only miss was a block and the player had to be 5"+ shorter).

My only nitpicks are that the ball handling and defense were a little sloppy. Turnovers, offensive rebounds allowed, and opponent shooting percentage were a little higher than I would have expected. On the defensive end, though, I thought that Olek was a bright spot (steals and rebounds). I was also impressed by our help-side shot blockers. I know Duke had a height advantage, but Mason was also not back there.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the team in action with Nolan on the floor.

Newton_14
11-14-2009, 12:18 AM
I was very surprised to see no one really mention Lance Thomas' play tonight. He was all over the court making plays. He is going to be a very pivotal player in this years' team on both offense and defense.

Tonight, he guarded the point guard (!!!) all night, in both the man-to-man and also the frequent zone schemes we played on defense. It will be interesting to see if this defense will be repeated in games where we have Nolan or there is a quicker point guard, but the length Thomas brought to the front line of the defense led to a number of steals (LT was credited with one).

On offense, Lance is really important as a pick-and-roll guy at the elbow, initiating our offense against man-to-man opponents. He was the swing man on a few plays tonight, getting the ball down low to Zoubek, Plumlee, and Kelly. He was credited with two assists.

However, he was also credited with five turnovers, although at least one was a travel. Coach K clearly believes in LT's leadership ability and is trying to utilize him in key roles on both ends of the floor. He's this year's Dave McClure.

Fair point. Outside of the turnovers, 2 of which were walks, Lance had a solid game. I do not think Dave McClure when I watch him play, but Lance is a very valuable player on this team. He was very active tonight on both ends and as you noted he played great defense mostly on either the opposing pg or wings.

I still maintain Miles played his best game in a Duke uniform to date. He showed much more confidence with the ball in his hands and was very active. He also stayed out of foul trouble which is key for him. He is much improved from last year.

All in all there were just a lot of positives out there tonight. I loved the ball movement and passing with the bigs, and unlike last year there were no times where our offense stalled with everyone staring at the guy with the ball waiting for something to happen, and there were no long stretches where we could not score.

I am excited about this team. They have a chance to be very good.

Crisker
11-14-2009, 12:25 AM
Good lord its the first game of the season and you're carping about the rotation.


A good reason would be that we seem to win bunches of games early in the season using the same guys we use later in the season. This has two effects, both deleterious: (1) we don't develop any depth or experience, and (2) our main guys are tired ponies when the real race begins. I'd much rather see 3-5 losses during the season than a lights-out regular (i.e., nearly meaningless) season record. This has been a real problem for us the past several years. So yes, complain.

Kedsy
11-14-2009, 12:25 AM
Singler was vastly better than any Singler we saw last year. He toyed with everyone who pretended to guard him. Could move anywhere on the court with the ball, and looked a lot like Larry Bird in his prime tonight. The Singler we saw tonight could put a struggling team on his back and beat a very good opponent. This bodes very well, because with the complete package of talent this team has, I doubt he will need to do this very often.


I agree Kyle looked good tonight and while I was watching I had the same thought about him being the player who could put the team on his back and score when we really need it.

But Larry Bird in his prime? That's an impossibly high standard. Kyle will never be anywhere near that good, although that's not a putdown because nobody currently in college and maybe two or three guys currently in the NBA could even make a case without being laughed out of the room.

throatybeard
11-14-2009, 12:33 AM
Wow, we got all the way to the first 34-point win of the season before the pathetic whining about minutes/rotation started. There's a reason it's 1A.

I am embarrassed for Duke University on a regular basis when I read this stuff.

SilkyJ
11-14-2009, 12:39 AM
Kyle is looking great early! I wish Andre is in the game more and wish that Lance would get more touches. I always feel like Lance has a chance or the potential to be one of our offensive go to guys.

Lance needs to be smarter. I'm sure he will be. Go to offensive player? methinks not. call it a hunch.

I think we'll be a better team if Andre can earn time by playing better D. His athleticism and shooting would be the perfect addition to this team.

Up front, we're incrementally better than we were last year. Liked what I saw out of Zoubs, except for a couple of those passes. Mason will (obviously) be the key to us being better than just incrementally better.

Amazing that I could know all this with only one game being played:rolleyes:

theAlaskanBear
11-14-2009, 12:39 AM
A good reason would be that we seem to win bunches of games early in the season using the same guys we use later in the season. This has two effects, both deleterious: (1) we don't develop any depth or experience, and (2) our main guys are tired ponies when the real race begins. I'd much rather see 3-5 losses during the season than a lights-out regular (i.e., nearly meaningless) season record. This has been a real problem for us the past several years. So yes, complain.

Considering we were missing two of our starters, your expectations are unrealistic. When we have a full roster, you will see a deeper rotation. Nolan will get at least 30 minutes a game and Mason in the 20s, so Singler and Scheyer will see their minutes shrink. But keep in mind that our backcourt is still thin even with Nolan.

Also, its the FIRST game of the season. Sitting players out in November and December doesnt do squat for March (especially with the winter break!). Fatigue doesn't become a factor until the second half of the season, particularly the latter part of the conference schedule. If you think that getting Scheyer and Singler an extra five minutes of rest in November is going to impact March, you are delusional. Don't worry about it till conference play starts.

Btw, alot of players played tonight, including good minutes for two freshmen, so I wouldnt worry about developing experience. They will get to play.

RockyMtDevil
11-14-2009, 12:42 AM
wow, I must say I am very impressed.

K is the best at adapting to the team he has. The high/low option was fantastic, the interior passing by the bigs was very good, and the shot selection was exceptional. This team looks in mid-season form even without two of our best players.

Singler is a stinking rock star people. He will be the ACC player of the year and carry this team.

I was really impressed by the poise and presence of both Dawkins and Kelly. They did not look like freshman out there. Dawkins has a sweet stroke and kelly is already ahead of Dunleavy at this stage. He's going to be great to watch.

Holy cow! The season has begun!

Can someone remind me, who is Harrison Barnes and why do we freakin care!?

Kedsy
11-14-2009, 12:43 AM
A good reason would be that we seem to win bunches of games early in the season using the same guys we use later in the season. This has two effects, both deleterious: (1) we don't develop any depth or experience, and (2) our main guys are tired ponies when the real race begins. I'd much rather see 3-5 losses during the season than a lights-out regular (i.e., nearly meaningless) season record. This has been a real problem for us the past several years. So yes, complain.

All eight available recruited players played double digit minutes tonight. Olek started and played 24 minutes. How much more development did you want?

Incidentally, I'm glad to hear you'd accept 3 to 5 losses during the season instead of a "lights-out" regular season, seeing as that we've only had 5 or fewer losses in a season 8 times in the past 43 years. But since we've only had fewer than 3 losses twice since World War II, I disagree that such an achievement would be "nearly meaningless."

Unless you meant you'd rather than 3 to 5 additional losses, which would almost certainly mean we'd have double-digit losses for the season and the correspondingly low seed that goes with such a record, in which case I disagree with you completely.

Poincaré
11-14-2009, 01:07 AM
I've been hooked by Casey Sanders, Marty Pocius, and Brian Zoubek too many times. This is the year I put zero positive stock in a blowout win against UNCG. Heck, we didn't even break 100. I hate myself right now. The old me would have been beyond psyched about Olek, Miles, and Zoubs.

Wildling
11-14-2009, 01:16 AM
For the first game of the season, I say we looked pretty darn good!

In the first half Kyle looked like he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. What a stud, man I can't wait to see him play the rest of the year. Was it just me, or did he seem to let the team get more involved with the offense in the 2nd half? He didn't have the killer instinct type of offensive game like he did in the first half. Either way, he is going to be fun to watch this year.

I was equally impressed with Dawkins. What a stroke he has, reminds me of Langdon's stroke, but with a quicker bounce. He's going to be a good one for us fellas, I like the tools he displayed.

My only concern would be (I know it's only the first game) the lack of presence on the defensive boards. Sometimes it looked like they forgot that they actually had to rebound and not take for granted they were bigger and the ball would just bounce to them. The boxing out skills displayed by the bigs was a little disappointing. But it was the first game, K will get their minds right :)

Overall, for the first game, I was impressed by what I saw. There was a lot of minutes played buy a lot of different players. I was happy to see that.

gep
11-14-2009, 01:39 AM
I'm not an expert, but to me, it seemed like Jon had an interesting move as a PG. He kinda dribbled near center court, then kinda looked liked he would "blow by" the defender, stopped, then when the defender was off balance, he would drive into the defender, thereby drawing a foul. I thought I saw this more than a couple of times... but I think once, he was called for the foul. Maybe Jon might not be the quickest PG, but definitely smart... :)

MarkD83
11-14-2009, 04:44 AM
I've been hooked by Casey Sanders, Marty Pocius, and Brian Zoubek too many times. This is the year I put zero positive stock in a blowout win against UNCG. Heck, we didn't even break 100. I hate myself right now. The old me would have been beyond psyched about Olek, Miles, and Zoubs.

Go ahead and be stoked about Olek, Miles and Zoubs!!! They played great regardless of the opponent. Also don't be fooled by margin of victory or total points. Once Duke gets up by 20 I suspect that Coach K tries different lineups just to see what he will have at the end of the season.

oldnavy
11-14-2009, 07:47 AM
Watching the game last night my wife (a tarheel fan:o) asked what I thought. My initial impression was, ehh, OK. I think I was still reeling from the HB decision and in a pretty rotten mood. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had this strange feeling of well, PEACE. I can't really explain it, but I felt really good about our performance. I thought all the guys did what was expected, and none disappointed.
-Singler and Scheyer are both studs, nuff said.
-Dawkins, made a couple of freshmen mistakes (esp, fouling the guy at the top of the key), but he looked really comfortable out there and the block he had was off the charts, very smart to keep it in play!!
-Zou did what you want him to do, he ate up space and was very solid.
-Olek did very well IMO. If he continues to develop, he will be a solid contributor this year, and maybe even breakout a couple of time. He had some very solid defensive plays, but I did see him lose his man once or twice, but overall, very nice job. Plus for him to start, he MUST be doing something right in practice.
-Thomas is a scrapper. Several times I noticed him guarding UNCG's PG, and he did a good job of keeping him in front. I like him a lot for reasons that go beyond the court. Did you notice him "counseling" AD after his foul (mentioned above). He is a leader and a steady player.
-Kelly can shoot. I liked his variety of shots, long 3 from the corner, mid-range bank shot, mid range straight on, very nice stroke.
-Miles did an exceptional job I thought on the boards and overall. He is coming along very nicely.
I just can’t wait to see the team with Smith in the lineup. I think then we take it to another level.
-FWIW, I think ranking is about right for now.

davekay1971
11-14-2009, 07:49 AM
Random impressions...

One of the biggest positives: we moved the ball very well and played up-tempo without Nolan in the lineup.

It was nice to see our proven superstars - Singler and Scheyer - look like seasoned pros out there. Those guys have been so reliable, and will clearly be rocks this year as well.

Czyz was a pleasant surprise, and I hope he takes this start and builds on it. He showed the potential to be a valuable role player on this team.

Miles Plumlee looked great. Zoubs still doesn't own the lane the way you would love a 7 footer to, but he can catch, finish, and has a nice passing touch. Our 5 spot is not going to be a deficiency this year.

It was great to see Thomas and Singler be able to play out on the perimeter. I bet they're looking forward to that change this year.

Ryan Kelly - you can see the potential this kid has. I hope we can get him the minutes this year, and put him in favorable positions, so he can develop and flourish. This kid should become a matchup nightmare as his career blossoms.

Dawkins - nothing but positives. I've heard the knock that he needs to work on his defense, and he had a couple of letdowns, but he also showed the potential to be a very good defender. He has great confidence on offense, and clearly has talent. And athleticism. The one thing that bothers me: he looks SO YOUNG! He makes me feel old. His baby-face also made him replace Singler as my wife's favorite Dukie.

MChambers
11-14-2009, 08:16 AM
A good reason would be that we seem to win bunches of games early in the season using the same guys we use later in the season. This has two effects, both deleterious: (1) we don't develop any depth or experience, and (2) our main guys are tired ponies when the real race begins. I'd much rather see 3-5 losses during the season than a lights-out regular (i.e., nearly meaningless) season record. This has been a real problem for us the past several years. So yes, complain.

That we only had 8 scholarship players available? All of whom played at least 13 minutes?

CDu
11-14-2009, 08:18 AM
I'm sure most people have already covered this, but...

Singler - fantastic showing in the first half. He was scoring in so many different ways and just looked quicker and more fluid than I remember. He's worked hard in the offseason, and it shows.

Scheyer - Didn't really look like an aggressive player at PG. But once we got into the half-court game (meaning he could revert back to a wing role), he found his points. He looks so much better when he can catch the ball and take advantage of an off-balance defender.

Dawkins - the kid can shoot. The key for him will be whether or not he can stay out of foul trouble against better teams. But the shooting touch is there.

Kelly - again, this kid can shoot. He has some similarities to Singler in that he can score from so many different places on the court. His scoring senses are very advanced. He also had a nice assist to Czyz off the dribble from the high post. Still a work in progress on defense (got beat a few times early) and he's still learning the pace of the game. But his second half was much better than his first half. Hopefully that's a sign of things to come.

Czyz - I don't know how much of it was the level of comp, but he looked so much more comfortable and confident than last year. He anticipated the passing lanes a few times for dunks (though he missed badly once resulting in an easy bucket) and he was aggressive on the boards. I don't expect a big role for him as the season progresses, but he at least looks like he might be ready to contribute.

Overall: without Smith and Plumlee, this team just doesn't look like a running team. Scheyer is good at protecting the ball, but he didn't really seem ready to attack. He methodically brings it up. That said, the passing and shooting of this team may make that not matter. We looked pretty comfortable in the half court offense.

Despite the size, it seems like the offense is still going to be very reliant on the outside shot. None of the bigs really provide any consistent post offense. I think the offense from the bigs is going to be limited to the occasional lob-in bucket or catching a pass off the drive and offensive rebounds. But that's not necessarily a problem if the passing and shooting are solid.

I was definitely pleased overall, and can't wait to see how the team looks with Smith added to the rotation. I think he'll make a huge difference on both ends of the court to what is already a pretty darn good team.

dukelifer
11-14-2009, 09:14 AM
I was very pleased about the passing. This team will be as good as their passing this year. They seemed to make this a point of emphasis for the game. I also thought the two Freshman stepped up and played well. Even though this was against a lesser opponent- they looked confident, focused and multi-dimensional. The bright lights can take some getting used to. As a result, this early period is very critical to their development as college players. Also Olek played well- he has definitely worked on his game this summer. Duke will need sparks off the bench to keep the energy up and you have to like what these three guys brought to the court. This team will be much different with Smith in the line up. Duke was without two starters and did not play a sloppy game. A pretty good start to the season.

Sixthman
11-14-2009, 09:25 AM
I dont really disagree with anything you have said, but I think you have to give the big men a couple of games to get adjusted to the pace of real games. Also, I think they will be better once Nolan gets back, this game, the bigs ended up doing alot of passing and ball-handling. When Nolan and Mason are back, that will not be the case so much.

Yes, I think this is a great point. The big guys looked great -- handling and passing -- but I think the team will be transformed with Nolan on the court. He has looked great in the exhibitions. I'm not suggesting Nolan's game is quite at Ty Lawson's level (I believe he has this potential), but I think his presence on the court could be as important for us this year as TL was for the Pale Blue last year.

The_Greater_Blue
11-14-2009, 11:20 AM
Is there going to be a Man of the Match poll for this game?

elvis14
11-14-2009, 11:52 AM
I really enjoyed watching our guys play last night. After a week of bad news (MP2, HB) it was nice to see the game. I'm excited about this season and trying to temper my expectations so I enjoy the games more.


...wish that Lance would get more touches. I always feel like Lance has a chance or the potential to be one of our offensive go to guys.

Lance is a senior. Have you seen him play the last 3 years? Every now and then he'll turn in a good offensive game but he's not nor is he going to be a go to guy on offense. He's a great kid with good energy and plays D.


A good reason would be that we seem to win bunches of games early in the season using the same guys we use later in the season. This has two effects, both deleterious: (1) we don't develop any depth or experience, and (2) our main guys are tired ponies when the real race begins. I'd much rather see 3-5 losses during the season than a lights-out regular (i.e., nearly meaningless) season record. This has been a real problem for us the past several years. So yes, complain.

You're new around here :-). This topic has been beaten to death. There are lots of people who agree and lots who disagree and lots who think that if K is doing it then it must be right. Search around, you'll find an argument for all 3, check the handy pocket reference too! After the first game where 2 starters in are street clothes is probably not the best time to bring up this argument (you may have noticed that by now from the reaction of other posters).



Is there going to be a Man of the Match poll for this game?

You mean a "Singler" poll?

Like others, I was geeked to see Olek get the start. Would have liked to see Dawkins or Kelly start instead of Lance but mostly it was really cool watching Olek get minutes. He's our Marty Pocious this year.

Miles is pretty good. I really enjoyed watching him play. He's only a sophomore....sweet.

Z is a good passer. When coach K uses him in the right situations, he's going to be a good role player on this team. The high low game with him being the guy up high with the ball in his hands is a good fit b/c of his passing.

I had 2 concerns watching the game. Jon was pulling a GP way too often and trying initiate the offense 30 feet from the basket with his back turned to hold off quicker defenders. Hopefully having Nolan back will help with that. More worrisome was the teams continued refusal to push the ball off of rebounds. There were a handful of times where we grabbed a long rebound and just squatted with the ball and waited for the 3-4 opponents to get in front of us and get ready to play defense. I really wish we would push the ball more, a lot more. We have some guys that can finish around the basket, we should use them on the fast break more. We had 1 instance where we used the pass to push the ball and we ended up with an easy basket. Like the last couple of years, we seem to be coached to stop wait and work for our baskets. I'd really like to see up not be resigned to working in the 1/2 court for baskets. Push the ball, if it's not there, back it out and start the offense. That takes no more time and sitting on the ball and waiting for the defense to get set.

I know I wrote a lot there about my 2 concerns. But let me be clear that I really enjoyed the game. Seeing Dawkins and Kelly play their first real minutes was fun. Can't wait for the next game and I'm really looking forward to seeing Nolan and MP2 play.

Hermy-own
11-14-2009, 12:30 PM
Hmm... this team is actually pretty hard to analyze. One quick positive thing I wanted to say is that last years' team gave up a lot of leads. Because we couldn't be sure of consistent low post defense last year, teams would pound it down low and slowly chip away at our lead. They won't be able to do that this year. Other teams may be able to attack us on the fast break or on the drive, but I don't see anyone being able to pound away at us, especially when we are in the zone. I'm loving having a strong frontcourt, and our zone is going to be really good!

jipops
11-14-2009, 01:22 PM
I totally expected to see an extremely sloppy game with only one guard in the starting lineup and being this early in the season. But I thought we looked very crisp other than the multiple travels. The key here is that we still able to take of the ball (Scheyer - 0 turnovers). Sure this wasn't a real competitive opponent, but K has these guys extremely well prepared despite their obvious deficiencies.

RainingThrees
11-14-2009, 02:34 PM
I couldn't see the game but I was wondering if our bigs got points besides layups, dunks, or ft's. In other words did they make any jumpers?

stillcrazie
11-14-2009, 02:45 PM
I couldn't see the game but I was wondering if our bigs got points besides layups, dunks, or ft's. In other words did they make any jumpers?

Sorry I can't be more precise about this, but I think Miles had at least one jumper and Kelly had a couple of nice ones. Thomas hit all four free throws, and hopefully he can keep that up. Zoubek got mostly garbage points.

west_coast_devil
11-14-2009, 02:59 PM
I apologize if this has already been covered, but is there a replay of last nights game anywhere on the internet (for free) ?

jpfrizzle
11-14-2009, 03:22 PM
The whole team played very very well together, considering....

and,It was good to see Zoubs getting in there, playing like a big man instead of a fish-out-of-water.

Battierfan01
11-14-2009, 03:57 PM
The whole team played very very well together, considering....

and,It was good to see Zoubs getting in there, playing like a big man instead of a fish-out-of-water.

Yes I was very excited to see Zoubs have a good game. He actually looked like a BIG man. There were a couple of plays where he went up strong, drew the contact, and finished. He just looked a lot stronger to me.

Hermy-own
11-14-2009, 04:07 PM
Their tallest starter: 6' 6". A full 7 inches shorter than Z. Just saying.

mr shadow 008
11-14-2009, 04:15 PM
when do we play again?

mgtr
11-14-2009, 04:24 PM
when do we play again?

Monday at 7PM.

mr shadow 008
11-14-2009, 04:29 PM
alright thanks just wanted to know so i could watch again. who do we play? or has the team we are playing not been decided yet?

juise
11-14-2009, 04:54 PM
alright thanks just wanted to know so i could watch again. who do we play? or has the team we are playing not been decided yet?

Coastal Carolina. You'll want to bookmark DBR's schedule page (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/schedules/).

ncexnyc
11-14-2009, 08:06 PM
I had the game DVR'd and watched it once I got home from work last night.

I hate to say this, but with the players we had available last night, this is a very slow team. Hopefully the return of Nolan and the eventual return of Mason will change that.

Jon needs to hold is dribble longer. Other than that he had a solid game.

Kyle was awesome and he will definitely present some serious match-up problems for the opposition.

Both OC and Miles have improved. It appears that all the talk about their improved game was justified.

Lance and Brian made their chip shots and I'm sure the majority of board members will be happy to settle for that.

Andre "Baby Face" Dawkins was touted to be a natural scorer and his effort last night did nothing to disprove that. Just curious does he have to be home by 10PM?

Ryan is super thin and it's really hard to notice he's 6' 10". He doesn't appear to be very atheletic, but the kid isn't shy to shoot the ball and he has an excellent stroke.

I believe that once we get a set line-up and everyone is knows their individual role, this team will do quite well.

jimsumner
11-14-2009, 09:29 PM
The addition of Nolan Smith and Mason Plumlee definitely will improve the overall athleticism of the team. But I think some of the perceived lack of quickness was more hesitation and uncertainty. Dawkins, Kelly, and Czyz in particular seemed to be feeling their way, thinking rather than reacting. That should moderate over the course of the year. Duke was running some lineups that they may not have practiced with all that much. We all know that Zoubek is no gazelle and Kelly seems to have average quickness at best.

Plus, K said after the game that he instructed the team not too break much because of concerns about fouls and lack of depth. And playing back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday. Of course, Smith should be real fresh come Tuesday. :)

mo.st.dukie
11-14-2009, 11:33 PM
Once Nolan gets back the team will look completely different. That was evident in the Findlay exhibition game how much quicker the team looked and how much better the offensive flow was in the second half. Nolan is going to be a huge key this year and hopefully won't have any more injuries and can stay out of foul trouble.

elvis14
11-15-2009, 06:14 PM
Plus, K said after the game that he instructed the team not too break much

There's something I hope we never ever hear K say again :mad:

MChambers
11-15-2009, 08:56 PM
There's something I hope we never ever hear K say again :mad:

He'll probably say it again Monday, since he'll again have 8 scholarship players and only two guards.

Next year, when Duke has lots of perimeter depth, they'll run as much as anyone.

elvis14
11-15-2009, 10:15 PM
He'll probably say it again Monday, since he'll again have 8 scholarship players and only two guards.

Next year, when Duke has lots of perimeter depth, they'll run as much as anyone.

Yeah, I know. I'm hoping that Nolan helps in that regard. There was one time where I thought I saw Jon come down with a long rebound and just sit on it when there were 4 bad guys behind him and 1 bad guy between him and the basket! There was much talk about using the pass to push the ball (where you don't need perimeter guys who can put it on the floor). The one time we did that it worked great! I just want to see us push it more and get more easy baskets, pick up fouls from guys that are out numbered, etc.