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View Full Version : MBB: Duke 86 - Georgia Tech 67 Post-Game Thread



BlueintheFace
02-04-2010, 09:18 PM
Our House

chrisheery
02-04-2010, 09:20 PM
That was a relief, but the issues that we all talked about after the Georgetown game were not addressed directly in this game. Kyle played exceptionally and when he does, we are a very good team despite those things we have to complain about. I still want to see the ball in the post more and involvement of more guys in the offense more often, but it is hard to argue with a win that feels this good.

BlueintheFace
02-04-2010, 09:22 PM
Post-Win meltdown thread is what I wanted to title this sucker, but i decided against it.

flyingdutchdevil
02-04-2010, 09:22 PM
Da-da-da-da-da----I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.!

Wow. JJ would be proud. As would Battier. Great team play.

People - please focus on the positives. Dre should have its own thread - not now. Go Scheyer. Go I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.. Go team.

Big three = SDS!

Duvall
02-04-2010, 09:23 PM
Post-Win meltdown thread is what I wanted to title this sucker, but i decided against it.

POTD

godukerocks
02-04-2010, 09:23 PM
A big win and a nice response after the Gtown debacle. Coach was fired up for this one. Kyle's play was a great sign, and it was a complete turnaround from Saturday.

BlueintheFace
02-04-2010, 09:23 PM
btw- Dawkins is hurt before people jump to conclusions. He was limited in warmups. Details forthcoming

LSanders
02-04-2010, 09:24 PM
That was a relief, but the issues that we all talked about after the Georgetown game were not addressed directly in this game. Kyle played exceptionally and when he does, we are a very good team despite those things we have to complain about. I still want to see the ball in the post more and involvement of more guys in the offense more often, but it is hard to argue with a win that feels this good.


Dude ... We just won by 20+! Lighten up!!

roywhite
02-04-2010, 09:25 PM
Things sure go better when we hit some shots, eh?

Great game, Kyle.

1st place in the conference---way to go, guys.

ajgoodfella7
02-04-2010, 09:25 PM
btw- Dawkins is hurt before people jump to conclusions. He was limited in warmups. Details forthcoming

Well that is bad news, with a good aura to it. Hopefully his lack of PT had something to do with a minor injury instead of being in the doghouse.

BlueintheFace
02-04-2010, 09:26 PM
Well that is bad news, with a good aura to it. Hopefully his lack of PT had something to do with a minor injury instead of being in the doghouse.

well, it is actually a bit of both

KyDevilinIL
02-04-2010, 09:27 PM
Happy with the win. Kyle making shots was wonderful to see.

But it didn't indicate much progress in many key areas. Shaky at times against the press. Still let Ga Tech shoot too high a percentage until about the last three minutes. No post offense even as Tech's stars sat. Mason was better, but hardly a major factor. Our second-half offense was carried by the fool's gold of Kyle shooting 80 percent from behind the arc.

Don't mean to be too negative, but my enthusiasm is tempered by the fact we were at home, and being at home has masked many of our issues this season.

Still, 6-2 in the ACC, revenge exacted. On to Boston College.

chrisheery
02-04-2010, 09:27 PM
Dude ... We just won by 20+! Lighten up!!

Please, read my post and get back to me. Also, feel free to add something more to the discussion. We don't need 100 posts saying "YEAH!" The point of a message board is to discuss what you saw and see if others agree or disagree. I'd like to have that discussion with others as you seem disinterested in such discourse.

roywhite
02-04-2010, 09:28 PM
Coach K on postgame---rebounding very good, didn't turn it over much, changed our offense to get a little movement and get Kyle some more shots, key 3 at end of 1st half, held our composure, beat a good team, gotta think about BC, quick turnaround, played outstanding game tonight, ran more motion offense, spectacular game for Kyle, Lance 33 minutes and 11 rebounds.

Coach sounded very pleased.

CDu
02-04-2010, 09:28 PM
We took advantage of early foul trouble for GT's two good players, and some fantastic three point shooting. FG defense is still a bit of a question mark (we allowed a lot of easy layups again), but we forced more turnovers.

Great game for Singler. He was due for a good shooting night, and I'm glad for him that he had one. Good game offensively from Smith and Scheyer as well. Solid contributions from Thomas and Zoubek as well.

DevilHorns
02-04-2010, 09:28 PM
You know that feeling you get when the ball is just moving around beautifully from player to player, and then it just falls in the hands of a red-hot player who is curling around in smooth motion, and if you had to bet your life, bet your car, but your house, that it was going in, you would feel safe doing it?

That happened to me like at least 5 times tonight when kyle launched 3s. We all just knew its going in.

ps- Are nolan and rice friends? did they play in h.s. together or something? they seem to know each other. he told him to calm down or something when he pushed scheyer, as if he was disappointed in him, rather than angry at him.

ajgoodfella7
02-04-2010, 09:29 PM
well, it is actually a bit of both

I figured as much, but I do not think he would fall below the level of a walk-on if he was completely healthy.

_Gary
02-04-2010, 09:29 PM
btw- Dawkins is hurt before people jump to conclusions. He was limited in warmups. Details forthcoming

This is gonna sound horrible but my first reaction to reading this was, "Thank God." Of course I don't want him hurt, but frankly the other option as to why he didn't play a second was much less appealing. :D

flyingdutchdevil
02-04-2010, 09:29 PM
Please, read my post and get back to me. Also, feel free to add something more to the discussion. We don't need 100 posts saying "YEAH!" The point of a message board is to discuss what you saw and see if others agree or disagree. I'd like to have that discussion with others as you seem disinterested in such discourse.

As much as I would love to agree with you, I can't. Duke and I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. played amazing. You can't let that up. Embrace the positives. Life is too short to be cynical.

roywhite
02-04-2010, 09:32 PM
As much as I would love to agree with you, I can't. Duke and I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. played amazing. You can't let that up. Embrace the positives. Life is too short to be cynical.

chrisheery...you're a good hoops fan, but flying dutch is right here. If we can't enjoy a win like this, things are pretty grim.

Saratoga2
02-04-2010, 09:32 PM
Clearly GT came out with a lot of pressure on defense and we slapping at the ball and guarding closely. It seemed to fluster Duke at first and even Scheyer made a few early mistakes. It also resulted in GT getting into foul trouble early, which they allowed Duke to play against the second string inside players. ACC games are really physical this year.

Fortunately, Singler had a very big game, shooting, ball handling and defending. His best game in a long while. Scheyer and Smith also seemed to realize what kind of game they were in and adjusted well. I believe they scored 65 between them.

Thomas also contributed well defensively and had probably 6 points. Our bigs worked hard and we got to see a couple of Mason's moves. Good for him since he also made a lot of freshman mistakes. Kelly seemed to play very well when in there and didn't turn the ball over while being in position on defense. I like his passing and he did hit a three. Miles is a solid inside defensive presence.

If there was a downside, we missed a lot of freethrows on bricks. Our bigs especially were awful from the line. It might be understandable from Miles since he just had his face raked before shooting.

Another big point is Dawkins didn't play at all. There definitely is a message being sent there. I hope he responds positively and plays in the next game.

This was a very meaningful game relative to the ACC standings. It also shows we can compete with teams that have dominant bigs.

JaMarcus Russell
02-04-2010, 09:34 PM
There was much better ball movement in this game, and it led to a bunch of great looks for Singler. He definitely had his best game in a while, perhaps since Wisconsin. Scheyer also played well. Zoubek and little Davidson both gave great effort in this game, and I thought Lance also showed some very nice hustle.

I wish the starters had been pulled a little bit earlier because of the physical nature of the game (and no, I don't say that after every game...this is probably the only time I've said it this year :D).

I am curious about Dawkins not playing at all though.

RoyalBlue08
02-04-2010, 09:34 PM
Obviously a great game by Kyle, but I take this as a particularly good sign that instead of us giving him the ball and asking him to create his own shot we were running him off screens to free him up for open looks. This seemed to give our whole offense a lot more movement and flow. I really hope this is a trend that continues.

As for Andre, I would be shocked if he wasn't hurt to at least some degree. Otherwise, I am sure he would have at least gotten in at the end of the game, even he was somehow "in the doghouse".

chrisheery
02-04-2010, 09:35 PM
Roy, dutch, etc, Please understand, I am not "bummed out" nor did I not enjoy this game. However, I think we are so quick to jump on our team when the shoot poorly and say they need to work on other parts of their game, but when the shoot well, we forget everything and just pretend things are perfect again.

Make no mistake, I am pumped to see Singler shoot well and most excited for us to have the outright lead in the ACC. It was also a great statement game.

Just thought I would get a little more insight into the game (my wife and baby don't seem interested in analyzing the game) here. Guess not.

flyingdutchdevil
02-04-2010, 09:37 PM
Ladies and gents - positives! Positives! Positives! We had lots of negatives in the last 5 days.

Ball movement. I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.. Mason Plumlee. Scheyer. Nolan's sick drive through two defenders (I smiled large). More I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.. Wow. More wow. Embrace this win!

KyDevilinIL
02-04-2010, 09:37 PM
Roy, dutch, etc, Please understand, I am not "bummed out" nor did I not enjoy this game. However, I think we are so quick to jump on our team when the shoot poorly and say they need to work on other parts of their game, but when the shoot well, we forget everything and just pretend things are perfect again.

Make no mistake, I am pumped to see Singler shoot well and most excited for us to have the outright lead in the ACC. It was also a great statement game.

Just thought I would get a little more insight into the game (my wife and baby don't seem interested in analyzing the game) here. Guess not.

Don't let them get to you. LOL. I've got your back. I'm far more interested in the sort of stuff you had to say than the usual backslapping.

slower
02-04-2010, 09:39 PM
I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this..

Not everybody gets the "Boogie Nights" reference.

flyingdutchdevil
02-04-2010, 09:41 PM
Roy, dutch, etc, Please understand, I am not "bummed out" nor did I not enjoy this game. However, I think we are so quick to jump on our team when the shoot poorly and say they need to work on other parts of their game, but when the shoot well, we forget everything and just pretend things are perfect again.

Make no mistake, I am pumped to see Singler shoot well and most excited for us to have the outright lead in the ACC. It was also a great statement game.

Just thought I would get a little more insight into the game (my wife and baby don't seem interested in analyzing the game) here. Guess not.

Chris - I fully understand your point. I agree that there is still a lot for this team to learn and develop. That said, this was a great win. There is still so much to learn, but I feel that the Duke team took a huge step in the right direction today. If Kyle shot 3-10, we would have still won by 5. That's kinda scary. There were a lot of positives to take from today. I really think that we should embrace those (and, for the record, I am often a huge cynic when it comes to Duke bball).

flyingdutchdevil
02-04-2010, 09:43 PM
Not everybody gets the "Boogie Nights" reference.

You kiddin me? I'm gonna ride this as long as I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. wears a Duke uniform. He was frequently compared to the second I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. (Marky Mark is the first). It's time to adopt that as his official new nickname ;).

For those of you that hate it, sorry - you're gonna have to live with it as long as you read my posts (sadly, I don't think anyone reads my posts :().

Anyway, go I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this., go Duke!

roywhite
02-04-2010, 09:44 PM
6-9 in the first half from 3....

6-9 in the second half from 3!

chrisheery
02-04-2010, 09:44 PM
Chris - I fully understand your point. I agree that there is still a lot for this team to learn and develop. That said, this was a great win. There is still so much to learn, but I feel that the Duke team took a huge step in the right direction today. If Kyle shot 3-10, we would have still won by 5. That's kinda scary. There were a lot of positives to take from today. I really think that we should embrace those (and, for the record, I am often a huge cynic when it comes to Duke bball).

Obviously, if Kyle had shot 3-10, we have no idea how those misses would have bounced, whether those long rebounds would have led to fast break points (which has happened in our losses), or if we would have started "pressing" on offense and missing other shots, making our score lower. So, we don't know how the game would have ended up if he had shot poorly and I refuse to accept this logic. Still, as stated, really glad he didn't shoot 3-10, and I am really glad to see him snap out of his funk in a huge way.

BlueintheFace
02-04-2010, 09:45 PM
Jordan Davidson (aka- "Bitty Diddy") with some significant burn. :)

camion
02-04-2010, 09:46 PM
Duke played good. Kyle played great.

Ga Tech played below average.

Refs are probably winded.

flyingdutchdevil
02-04-2010, 09:47 PM
Obviously, if Kyle had shot 3-10, we have no idea how those misses would have bounced, whether those long rebounds would have led to fast break points (which has happened in our losses), or if we would have started "pressing" on offense and missing other shots, making our score lower. So, we don't know how the game would have ended up if he had shot poorly and I refuse to accept this logic. Still, as stated, really glad he didn't shoot 3-10, and I am really glad to see him snap out of his funk in a huge way.

Fair enough. But a tiny favor - can we embrace the win for an hour before the Dre / big man foul trouble / Nolan not hitting 20 points / too much playing time threads come in?

chrisheery
02-04-2010, 09:48 PM
Did I talk about any of those things? Not one. Again, please focus on what was said instead of your perception of how things ought to be. If you want to ignore me, feel free, I'd like to hear what those who watched with an eye for the future saw.

flyingdutchdevil
02-04-2010, 09:50 PM
My bad. Go I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this..

Indoor66
02-04-2010, 09:50 PM
...I'd like to hear what those who watched with an eye for the future saw.

If you live for the future, you never have a today. What a tough life!

MulletMan
02-04-2010, 09:50 PM
I have never seen a player care less than Derrick Favors. Good god... that guy should be Exhibit A for why kids should be allowed to go straight to the NBA.

Good win. Not great, but good. We'll beat any team if we're that hot from downtown. Defense was better than G'town that's for sure.

BC will be a challenge. I can't figure out why their offense gives us such fits at times (see first half in Durham). Hopefully we can get rested up on the trip up and not have to battle the bad weather.

OldSchool
02-04-2010, 09:51 PM
Huge, huge win.

GT has a lot of talent. Their front line is athletic and talented. With Shumpert playing well, I expect them to start rolling in the second half of the ACC season.

So I am thrilled by the win, especially to see the S-men all play well in the same game.

However, I am coming to the conclusion that Mason's potential will not be realized in large part this year and maybe not fully even next year.

The guy is extremely athletic and coordinated for someone of that size. He can do so much: shoot from the outside, take his man off the dribble, make a heady pass for a nifty assist, abuse his man with spin moves on the low post, snatch a "David Tyree" rebound. The ability to take his man off the dribble will be especially useful in drawing fouls on an opponent's big man.

I think because he has the potential to do so much it will just take longer for him to develop. If he were just a good block-out guy for rebounds or just a good low-post turn-and-layup guy he could focus on just that and come along more quickly.

And he still makes a lot of freshman mistakes like useless fouls, because he is, well, a freshman.

So we only see flashes here and there, but what we see portends great things in the future, IMO, but maybe not so much this year.

And by the way - Miles is all toughness. If Lawal tried to take my head off like that, I would be looking around for my head to reattach it to my body. But Miles just shook it off.

lpd1982
02-04-2010, 09:51 PM
Did I talk about any of those things? Not one. Again, please focus on what was said instead of your perception of how things ought to be. If you want to ignore me, feel free, I'd like to hear what those who watched with an eye for the future saw.

I saw more motion reminiscent sp? of years past. Perhaps we moved away from this because of our size (perceived lack of speed) but it seemed to allow Kyle more space to get set. He looked so much more poised in his shooting.

moonpie23
02-04-2010, 09:53 PM
i felt pretty good watching this game......some things were better, kyle was a LOT better, some things were the same...

the thing is, sometimes the things that are the same are not so bad, or horrible depending on the matchup with the opponent...


i'm looking forward to saturday's game with the hopes that the team is more in synch and has hopefully put the gtown loss in the archives...

chrisheery
02-04-2010, 09:53 PM
I saw more motion reminiscent sp? of years past. Perhaps we moved away from this because of our size (perceived lack of speed) but it seemed to allow Kyle more space to get set. He looked so much more poised in his shooting.

That is true, that was the biggest positive of the game for me, aside from Kyle getting it going. I think the two are closely related, though. I also thought Nolan was a continued stabilizing force throughout the game. He has become a much more cerebral player and his ability to finish in the lane is amazing.

FireOgilvie
02-04-2010, 09:58 PM
Hewitt is terrible. I don't know why Favors is in the game right after getting 2 fouls and with 30 minutes left to go in the game. Hewitt did a great job of really pumping up his team there at the end... he spends most of his time sitting on the bench shaking his head (not doing anything). It's amazing how he wastes the talent he has on that team. His use of Favors in the offense is a joke. I don't see how Favors and Lawal get only 9 combined shots (keeping in mind their limited first half time) against Duke's relatively weak interior defense. They were 7 for 9 combined shooting. He needs to use his strengths.

CDu
02-04-2010, 09:58 PM
I saw more motion reminiscent sp? of years past. Perhaps we moved away from this because of our size (perceived lack of speed) but it seemed to allow Kyle more space to get set. He looked so much more poised in his shooting.

Yeah, Singler didn't really try to drive/create today. He was coming off screens and cutting to the basket. When the shot wasn't there immediately, he looked to pass rather than try to drive. I think that had a big part of his great night. He's seemed to struggle this year taking guards off the dribble. Tonight, he just took what the defense gave him. It didn't hurt that he was having an unbelievable night shooting.

Verga3
02-04-2010, 10:00 PM
Spotty game to win so big....thanks, Kyle. Can't ever remember having such an expression after such a big win on the scoreboard. Anyone else with this reaction? The many fouls called made for quite a disjointed flow, especially in the first half. Ga Tech didn't have their most effective five in at the same time for most of the game. Great, interesting ACC win.

Great composure from our guys as it got more chippy late. Nolan was a grown-up out there as he calmly diffused Glen Rice, Jr. after his two "emotional' fouls.

Let's lay off making too much of Andre not getting in. I trust Coach K and stay tuned. The season is long....

CDu
02-04-2010, 10:00 PM
Hewitt is terrible. I don't know why Favors is in the game right after getting 2 fouls and with 30 minutes left to go in the game. He did a great job of really pumping up his team there at the end... he spends most of his time sitting on the bench shaking his head (not doing anything). It's amazing how he wastes the talent he has on that team. His use of Favors in the offense is a joke. I don't see how Favors and Lawal get only 9 combined shots (keeping in mind their limited first half time) against Duke's relatively weak interior defense. They were 7 for 9 combined shooting. He needs to use his strengths.

Yeah, the crazy part is that he did a great job of offense/defense substitutions with Lawal in the latter part of the first half - but they never got him the ball.

Hewitt is a good recruiter, but a pretty poor coach. That team is always undisciplined, and he always seems to get the least out of the most.

RoyalBlue08
02-04-2010, 10:02 PM
Hewitt is terrible. I don't know why Favors is in the game right after getting 2 fouls and with 30 minutes left to go in the game. Hewitt did a great job of really pumping up his team there at the end... he spends most of his time sitting on the bench shaking his head (not doing anything). It's amazing how he wastes the talent he has on that team. His use of Favors in the offense is a joke. I don't see how Favors and Lawal get only 9 combined shots (keeping in mind their limited first half time) against Duke's relatively weak interior defense. They were 7 for 9 combined shooting. He needs to use his strengths.

What I can't figure out is how Hewitt keeps convincing these guys to come and play for him. What does he have to sell?

grossbus
02-04-2010, 10:04 PM
hope we aren't too drained/sore from this game to succeed in the short turnaround before the next game.

despite bilas' suggestion to give kyle a rap on the wrist before the next game, i would prefer a healthy team.

OldSchool
02-04-2010, 10:04 PM
What I can't figure out is how Hewitt keeps convincing these guys to come and play for him. What does he have to sell?

Atlanta social life and media market.

roywhite
02-04-2010, 10:08 PM
Yeah, the crazy part is that he did a great job of offense/defense substitutions with Lawal in the latter part of the first half - but they never got him the ball.

Hewitt is a good recruiter, but a pretty poor coach. That team is always undisciplined, and he always seems to get the least out of the most.

Tech has recruited some great talent, but several one-and-done players. One problem seems to be, to use Coach K's expression, they don't "unpack their bags'. Meaning they don't seem to buy into college basketball and the team concept completely. Derrick Favors didn't seem intense tonight. Playing in Cameron vs Duke...yeah, big deal, I'm off to the league next year and get paid.

loldevilz
02-04-2010, 10:09 PM
Some good minutes for Ryan Kelly. I personally loved when Ryan and Mason were playing together. Perhaps, it will be a sneak peak of whats to come.

hakentotoro
02-04-2010, 10:12 PM
NOBODY shove Jon Scheyer to the floor. Not a rookie and DEFINITELY not in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

http://thirtyonecents.com/2010/02/04/duke-avenge-lost-against-georgia-tech/

pfrduke
02-04-2010, 10:19 PM
I don't know why Favors is in the game right after getting 2 fouls and with 30 minutes left to go in the game.

I don't really disagree with anything else you said, but I tend to fall into the "trust your players" camp when it comes to foul trouble. If you take the guy out for the half, you create a certain result - Favors will be sitting on the bench for 10 minutes (25% of the game). If you leave him in, there's uncertain risk - he may foul out and not be available at the end. I tend to believe that the likelihood of him picking up 3 more fouls is small (Favors, for example, finished with just 3 for the game) while the harm from sitting one of your best players for a long stretch is great.

El_Diablo
02-04-2010, 10:25 PM
Why all the I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. references?

mapei
02-04-2010, 10:25 PM
I thought this was one of the best games I've seen from Lance in quite a while. His D was outstanding, and he didn't commit stupid fouls. Made some really great boards and saves.

Kyle was on fire. I'm glad he didn't break Shane's record, though.

watzone
02-04-2010, 10:27 PM
Here are Coach K's post game comments and Kyle Singler audio obtained moments ago. Great win for the Devils! K was tired but elated and praised LT and KS the most. http://bluedevilnation.net/

slower
02-04-2010, 10:28 PM
NOBODY shove Jon Scheyer to the floor. Not a rookie and DEFINITELY not in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

http://thirtyonecents.com/2010/02/04/duke-avenge-lost-against-georgia-tech/

Or perhaps it's some other semi-literate individual writing this. I love the internets.

CAT Blue Devil
02-04-2010, 10:31 PM
One point that stands out in my mind tonight, perhaps overshadowed by Singler's shooting improvement, was the way in which Nolan broke down a pretty stingy defense. That was a threat that was significantly absent at Georgetown. Contributed well to the noted balance and flow on offense.

I just noticed that BC has been off since 1/30. Didn't really buy into the difference in schedules until now. 2 days versus 6. That is signifiicant.

BlueintheFace
02-04-2010, 10:37 PM
K's reactions to Mason's fouls/ lane violations/ silly freshman issues are so hilarious. I think he actually bit his knee.

Duvall
02-04-2010, 10:38 PM
K's reactions to Mason's fouls/ lane violations/ silly freshman issues are so hilarious. I think he actually bit his knee.

Pretty impressive work by the bionic hips.

OldSchool
02-04-2010, 10:42 PM
One point that stands out in my mind tonight, perhaps overshadowed by Singler's shooting improvement, was the way in which Nolan broke down a pretty stingy defense.

My favorite play of the game was when Nolan just abused Favors on the baseline with a crossover dribble and drive by and then a reverse lay-in. That was sick!

Atlanta Duke
02-04-2010, 10:43 PM
Atlanta social life and media market.

Bingo on the social life

As for the Atlanta media, when it comes to college sports coverage there is football, signing day for football, and spring practice - ACC hoops is above hockey in interest but that is about it

FireOgilvie
02-04-2010, 10:45 PM
I don't really disagree with anything else you said, but I tend to fall into the "trust your players" camp when it comes to foul trouble. If you take the guy out for the half, you create a certain result - Favors will be sitting on the bench for 10 minutes (25% of the game). If you leave him in, there's uncertain risk - he may foul out and not be available at the end. I tend to believe that the likelihood of him picking up 3 more fouls is small (Favors, for example, finished with just 3 for the game) while the harm from sitting one of your best players for a long stretch is great.

I don't think you take him out for a whole half, but you definitely don't leave him in there when your team is tied/leading - I don't remember exactly - with 10 minutes to go in the first half and he picks up his 2nd foul (with your other big man on the bench with 2 fouls). The strategy is to take out the player, let him calm down (he's probably frustrated after picking up his 2nd foul so quick), and let him know that he needs to be careful and play straight up and down and not reach. Players, especially freshmen and big men (Favors is both) have a tendency to pick up fouls in bunches because they are frustrated and can't help themselves from reaching in/swatting.

greybeard
02-04-2010, 10:48 PM
Hewitt did not coach badly tonight. His team is built on its ability to physically intimidate on defense, much of it consisting of off the ball rough play, excedingly rough play, roughplay on catches, and very rough play when the ball goes up. The first game, the refs called nothing and Duke played slow inside. As a consequence, duke got manhandled.

Tonight, beginning with Singler, Duke's bigs went quick off the catch and everyone of them drew fouls attacking the basket and scored off of dramatically effective moves. EVERY ONE OF THEM. Short of fouling, there was nothing that Tech could do about it.

The refs called the game straight up and in my opinion Tech cannot play with Duke when they do.

Singler's game began the way his career at Duke began. Taking bigger and seemingly stronger guys around the basket and scoring or drawing fouls, rebounding, and letting them know who was whom. The rest of Duke's bigs followed, very impressively, in my opinion.

Smith is looking more and more like a professional. The only bad play he made all night was that attempted dunk at the end. A play like that can put him out for the season, and he has proven he does not need it. I think that he is playing at a first-team All ACC level if he keeps it up.

Kyle would have had a great game had he not shot so well. He played like the 4 that he is. More importantly, he was a warrier chief who was born to battle and lead his team into battle. I knew that he would be the latter tonight; I couldn't imagine that he would do it so darn well.

This was an important game because Duke got manhandled by Tech the first time. That was not going to happen tonight and the bigs, lead by Singler, put incredible pressure on Tech by taking it to the basket with no hesitation.

Hopefully there will be wins in the post season that people will view as more important and "better" victories. However, showing up the way they did against who they did on their home court, well, if college basketball gets any better than this please do write.

Newton_14
02-04-2010, 10:59 PM
I don't really disagree with anything else you said, but I tend to fall into the "trust your players" camp when it comes to foul trouble. If you take the guy out for the half, you create a certain result - Favors will be sitting on the bench for 10 minutes (25% of the game). If you leave him in, there's uncertain risk - he may foul out and not be available at the end. I tend to believe that the likelihood of him picking up 3 more fouls is small (Favors, for example, finished with just 3 for the game) while the harm from sitting one of your best players for a long stretch is great.

Agree, except that the player you trust and expect to play through foul trouble is your upperclassmen star player, not your freshman star player. Hewitt played it opposite of how he should have. At the point that Favors picks up his 2nd foul, you have to sit him the rest of the half and go to Lawal and say "Big Fella, play without fouling and we are going to pound the ball inside to you every trip" Instead he leaves Favors out there with Lawal sitting and paid a heavy price..

FireOgilvie
02-04-2010, 11:10 PM
Hewitt did not coach badly tonight. His team is built on its ability to physically intimidate on defense, much of it consisting of off the ball rough play, excedingly rough play, roughplay on catches, and very rough play when the ball goes up. The first game, the refs called nothing and Duke played slow inside. As a consequence, duke got manhandled.

Tonight, beginning with Singler, Duke's bigs went quick off the catch and everyone of them drew fouls attacking the basket and scored off of dramatically effective moves. EVERY ONE OF THEM. Short of fouling, there was nothing that Tech could do about it.

The refs called the game straight up and in my opinion Tech cannot play with Duke when they do.



He coaches badly every night. This was no exception. I don't know if I've ever seen a "game plan" from him. He has two of the top 4 big men in the ACC and he can't get them the ball when it matters. He is probably the worst motivator in the league when it comes to getting talented players to try hard all the time. His best EVER ACC record in 9 seasons is 9-7, and that team went to the National Championship game!!!!!! That team won 28 games, but his 2nd highest win total in a season is 20 wins (2 times) despite the amount of NBA talent he's had come to Tech. For comparison, Duke's 2006-2007 team filled with freshmen and sophomores went 22-11 (our worst season since 1995-1996). I feel bad for Tech fans because he's just good enough to get the high profile recruits every few years to keep hopes up before his teams blow it every year in between. His career ACC record at GT is 64-87.

jimsumner
02-04-2010, 11:13 PM
"Taking bigger and seemingly stronger guys around the basket and scoring or drawing fouls, rebounding, and letting them know who was whom. The rest of Duke's bigs followed, very impressively, in my opinion"

Hmm. Singler was 1-7 on 2-point field goals and the make was on a put-back. Miles Plumlee had one field goal and that was in transition. Mason Plumlee had one two-point field goal, Brian Zoubek one field goal, Lance one field goal. Kelly's only field goal was a three.

Duke did quite well on the boards and played some solid D inside. But offensively, Duke's bigs hardly dominated inside.

The one thing to take from this game was an increased reliance on the motion offense. Duke wants to get Singler more good looks on the perimeter. Seemed to work tonight.

JaMarcus Russell
02-04-2010, 11:16 PM
FWIW, one of the guys who went to the game said that Dawkins stretched but did not take any shots in the shootaround before the game so obviously he isn't 100% physically.

I just figured this would be a good tidbit to pass on.

ChicagoCrazy84
02-04-2010, 11:26 PM
Does anyone know what Andre was injured with?

Billy Dat
02-04-2010, 11:37 PM
Spotty game to win so big....thanks, Kyle. Can't ever remember having such an expression after such a big win on the scoreboard. Anyone else with this reaction? The many fouls called made for quite a disjointed flow, especially in the first half. Ga Tech didn't have their most effective five in at the same time for most of the game.

Fully agree, the first half was horrendous to watch. Even when I want to win, I hate to see a team's stars sitting with 5 combined fouls so early in the game. Lawal, as the more experienced player, didn't let it impact his on court game. Favors, as others have metioned, probably got psyched out. I don't think he's a dog, he just couldn't get over the foul trouble.

The second half wasn't much to look at either, from a flow perspective, especially each team's performance from the line. It was just a choppy, somewhat sloppy, game....one where you say, "This 18 point lead doesn't feel solid". But, then, remarkably, it was.

Singler's shooting was sublime, but he did struggle trying to take guys off the dribble. The team did well to feed him when he was hot. Scheyer, despite less steady play early, was highly crafty most of the game in his floor management - I think of that end of half feed to Singler, a couple of herky jerky drives, etc. Lance did have a really solid game on both ends, on offense more with his activity and screening than scoring. MP2 needs to be more aggressive on offense - start finding his spots on the floor, demanding the ball, and being quick but not hurrying (nod to the Wizard).

The big men, I thought, all did a great job on the hedge on defense and it led to a couple of run-outs. The disparity in scoring off turnovers was a huge difference in the game (we were +15 to 20). In this sense, I noticed MUCH better D from Ryan Kelly, he seemed a more veteran presence today.

It's tough to read into Kyle's shooting explosion except that shooters thrive on confidence and this game should puff his shooting ego back up to higher levels.

Despite the Tech big's foul trouble, their bench guys like Peacock, Bell, Rice and Oliver really kept them in the game for a long while. I really admire Lawal - that kid has gotten a lot better, seems to have NBA-level potential, and we were lucky he had to sit as long as he did the first half.

We took care of business, can't have a let down in Boston.

ChicagoCrazy84
02-04-2010, 11:38 PM
I guess I should put my 2 cents in, though I am sure nobody really cares.

This was probably one of the smoothest games we've had this season. When we got the lead 19-18, I could kind of sense that we would open it up a little, and wouldn't you know, 3-4 minutes later we had the lead up to 8. Loved their intensity tonight. Singler was feeling it which is a great sign, but how bout Lance? He was phenomenal! Had a few turnovers, but other than that, he played a great game. Only 11 turnovers tonight from us against a talented team, really good sign.

Others posted their opinions on Paul Hewitt and I have to say that I completely agree. Tech will obviously make the tournament this year, but I think what they do this year could determine his job status. They won't be very good next year because they'll probably lose Lawal and Favors, so we'll see, but if they don't stay near the top of the ACC and get a win in the tourney, there might be more people that call for a change because you can clearly see his shortcomings.

OZZIE4DUKE
02-04-2010, 11:38 PM
Not everybody gets the "Boogie Nights" reference.


You kiddin me? I'm gonna ride this as long as I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. wears a Duke uniform. He was frequently compared to the second I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. (Marky Mark is the first). It's time to adopt that as his official new nickname ;).

For those of you that hate it, sorry - you're gonna have to live with it as long as you read my posts (sadly, I don't think anyone reads my posts :().

Anyway, go I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this., go Duke!
I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Seriously. I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. for Singler? What or who is I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.?

Kfanarmy
02-04-2010, 11:40 PM
The one thing I'd like to see the big guys do just a bit less of is getting drawn way outside the 3 point line on switches. instead of settling back to guard the 3, quite often they end up 4-6 feet outside the 3 point line, which takes them out of position to play D against quick offensive players once the drive begins or the ball gets passed in. Anyone see it differently?

roywhite
02-04-2010, 11:45 PM
The one thing I'd like to see the big guys do just a bit less of is getting drawn way outside the 3 point line on switches. instead of settling back to guard the 3, quite often they end up 4-6 feet outside the 3 point line, which takes them out of position to play D against quick offensive players once the drive begins or the ball gets passed in. Anyone see it differently?

Maybe one of those "invisible fence" things at about 27 feet, so Zoubs and Mason get a little jolt when they stray too far?

Yeah, I know what you're saying; in addition, to the possibility of a drive toward the basket, I just hate seeing fouls on our big men 30 feet from the basket.

-bdbd
02-04-2010, 11:49 PM
Wow! Great game guys!! Good to see it all come together like that, finally. Let's keep 'er rolling! Biggest challenge on Sat. might be just getting to the game what with the big storm rolling in during the day Friday. Also hope two-day turnaround doesn't mess with our legs and/or intensity. (In general I LIKE two day turnarounds, giving us a "feel" for the NCAA's, but not when one team gets 2 and the other gets 6 (!!).)

Those ACC schedulers really have it in for us this year!

Kyle was great, Lance played terrific, smart D inside, as always, and Scheyer was his solid, savvy self. Nolan contributes even when not shooting great.

BTW, Scott VanPelt, MD grad, had to get the prerequisite dig in on SportsCenter... "Duke gets a couple calls going their way early....and they roll from there." Sigh.

I guess the next opponent that truly worries me is MD. But let's take em one at at a time for now. Focus on BC guys!!!


P.S. For those asking about Dawkins, for what it is worth, on ESPN2 one announcer quoted K as saying that Dre hadn't been practicing well, "And in K's system how well you practice determines how much you'll play in the game.... He truly believes that practice is the best indicator of game performance."



:D:rolleyes::cool:

jipops
02-04-2010, 11:51 PM
It appeared that all or most of Kyle's scoring was of the catch and shoot variety. He worked for his shots off the ball instead of with it. Could it possibly be this suits him better than having to create something on a drive or a couple bounces?

Major emphasis has to be placed on Lance's work on the boards.

Greg_Newton
02-04-2010, 11:53 PM
-Great to see Kyle's shot coming back... that was the All-American Kyle that can carry us at an elite level even with our flaws. He looked like he was shooting more with his wrist than arm, and getting better rotation on the ball. Also nice to see Ryan log some solid minutes in a big game, and hit a big 3. Nolan was a pro today. Mason had me laughing out loud after he hit that 25 foot three... his 5-point spurt to put us up 42-33 was huge. For better or worse, I think that's the role we'll end up seeing from him this year - an explosive but volatile player off the bench.

-Z's foul-aura is getting ridiculous. His "foul" on GT's halfcourt inbounds play with 10 mins left was the biggest joke of a call I've seen this season. Paul Hewitt, Gani Lawal, Glen Rice Jr, Zachary Peacock and Iman Shumpert, on the other hand, need a right hook to the face. Jon caught so many uncalled elbows in the first half... at least Rice made his obvious enough for the refs. I would also like to pop the ESPN camera director for replaying the one uncalled hold on Singler (as opposed to the literally 30 uncalled GT body fouls).

-Miles is one tough hombre, but this game was case-in-point for why I'd like to see Z start over Miles. Miles picks up a dumb body foul on the first possession, and has 2 fouls in the first 6 minutes (easily could have been 3-4). Means he's out until halftime. Even when he does get in later, he's not trying to block shots or attack the boards... I mean, I'm glad he's getting better at staying disciplined and in position, but he can't abandon his strengths completely. I would personally rather see him just come in hungry and with a clean slate at the 14-15 minutes mark.

-Miles' issues lead me to a bigger problem - I hate to say it, but it was pretty striking watching UVA's on-ball defense Sunday comparing with ours in the first half. Our guys play their hearts out, but they often just do not get low and move our feet like UVA's do. Maybe we really do have a relative quickness deficiency, or maybe it is a fatigue thing, but we have this tendency to play on-ball defense with our arms first and feet second.

It's basic stuff: getting your butt low and shuffling your feet faster than your man's so you can stay forward and on the balls of your feet, rather than having to cross your feet and get vertical to recover. It got better in the second half, but it's just not what we've come to expect from Duke's perimeter defense... has anyone else noticed this?

Luckily, Kyle was an A-A today and carried us on his shoulders. Great effort, and I'm a happy guy tonight, but I do think a couple of great individual performances and a few lucky breaks masked our weaknesses.


If Kyle shot 3-10, we would have still won by 5. That's kinda scary.

Well... not really. By the %s, if Kyle takes 10 threes in a game, he will make 3, so that's just a standard night.


K's reactions to Mason's fouls/ lane violations/ silly freshman issues are so hilarious. I think he actually bit his knee.

In Mason's defense, that yoga move was in reaction to Lance's 3-second call.

Billy Dat
02-04-2010, 11:54 PM
The one thing I'd like to see the big guys do just a bit less of is getting drawn way outside the 3 point line on switches. instead of settling back to guard the 3, quite often they end up 4-6 feet outside the 3 point line, which takes them out of position to play D against quick offensive players once the drive begins or the ball gets passed in. Anyone see it differently?

This is something that used to bother me, too, but Jumbo's constant references to Lance's excellent hedges has made we watch that aspect of our D very closely and I have changed my mind. That exagerrated hedge either turns the guard around where help D prevents (A) the guard from driving and (B) the big man from catching an easy inside pass on the switch while the big recovers. Often, the off guard can cheat off his man and try and surprise that guard veering around that hedge around the 3 point line for a steal, or can shoot the gap and steal the pass from guard to guard. Either of those steal scenarios lead to lay-ups. Granted, sometimes the big gets stuck in no man's land and the guard draws the block but that aggressive hedge, when properly executed, really disrupts the team's attempt to "run their stuff" and provides multiple opportunities to turn them over.

jhole
02-05-2010, 12:11 AM
The one thing I'd like to see the big guys do just a bit less of is getting drawn way outside the 3 point line on switches. instead of settling back to guard the 3, quite often they end up 4-6 feet outside the 3 point line, which takes them out of position to play D against quick offensive players once the drive begins or the ball gets passed in. Anyone see it differently?

I totally agree, this has been bugging me all season, and it's obvious that the coaching staff is OK with this even though it costs our bigs cheap fouls every game (ie. Mason tonight). Zoub in particular is not quick enough to react and recover quickly enough and my heart skips a beat every time one of them does this. I don't see any benefit to this practice at all, what few turnovers are created are more than offset by the cheap fouls and lapse in defense / oppty for the other team to score, and it befuddles me why the coaching staff doesn't correct this.

weezie
02-05-2010, 12:12 AM
And what about no Lobster Dance?
Not played at all. Hhhmmm.

BattierD12
02-05-2010, 12:28 AM
And what about no Lobster Dance?
Not played at all. Hhhmmm.

talked with one of my marching band friends about this, and she said that all songs for tv timeouts are chosen by the cheerleaders. i guess theyre not as big fans of the dance as we are

greybeard
02-05-2010, 12:31 AM
He coaches badly every night. This was no exception. I don't know if I've ever seen a "game plan" from him. He has two of the top 4 big men in the ACC and he can't get them the ball when it matters. He is probably the worst motivator in the league when it comes to getting talented players to try hard all the time. His best EVER ACC record in 9 seasons is 9-7, and that team went to the National Championship game!!!!!! That team won 28 games, but his 2nd highest win total in a season is 20 wins (2 times) despite the amount of NBA talent he's had come to Tech. For comparison, Duke's 2006-2007 team filled with freshmen and sophomores went 22-11 (our worst season since 1995-1996). I feel bad for Tech fans because he's just good enough to get the high profile recruits every few years to keep hopes up before his teams blow it every year in between. His career ACC record at GT is 64-87.

First, if he's such a bad coach, how is his young team one of two ACC teams nationally ranked; how did his team knock the snot out of a top 10, then I believe top 5, duke team?

As for the best two big men in the ACC, my response is, how to put this gently, BULL. The game is madeto be played and there are no Tyler Hansbroughs in the league this year. Duke's front line, when Singler plays inside out, is tougher collectively than any team in the league. The only way Tech can dominate is if they can manhandle. The Duke bigs played quick off the catch, went direct, and either drew fouls or finished cleverly and skillfully. You put defenders back on their heals and they do not play so tough on the other end. That's the way the game goes.

Hewitt, as I've said, has come up with and coached a different strategy based upon physical domination that goes over the line in off the ball rough play. Tech's bigs are strong and focused; they pass up no opportunity to get an edge by knocking guys off their game, in the process causing muffed catches, intercepted passes, bad shots, steals, etc, which opens the game for them on the other end and, as Bilas mentioned, in transition. That takes coaching. If they get away with it, they will play with and beat just about anybody. Just about, but not a group of bigs lead by a guy who right now would be what everyone expected if he had been deployed as in years past.

Now, I can't stand that way of playing; never could. But to say that the guy can't coach is nuts.

Underdog5
02-05-2010, 12:36 AM
I totally agree, this has been bugging me all season, and it's obvious that the coaching staff is OK with this even though it costs our bigs cheap fouls every game (ie. Mason tonight). Zoub in particular is not quick enough to react and recover quickly enough and my heart skips a beat every time one of them does this. I don't see any benefit to this practice at all, what few turnovers are created are more than offset by the cheap fouls and lapse in defense / oppty for the other team to score, and it befuddles me why the coaching staff doesn't correct this.

I think its pretty common practice to hedge on ball screens. I think our strategy is to hedge aggressively, deny/disrupt ball reverse and force teams to react to us versus us reacting to the opponents offense. Agree that our our guys (especially the younger bigs) don't execute very well. Tend to react and recover one step too late almost every time. However, I think retreating without an aggressive hedge and allowing guards to easily get where they want on the floor is counter to our defensive philosophy.

Neals384
02-05-2010, 12:37 AM
You kiddin me? I'm gonna ride this as long as I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. wears a Duke uniform. He was frequently compared to the second I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. (Marky Mark is the first). It's time to adopt that as his official new nickname ;).

For those of you that hate it, sorry - you're gonna have to live with it as long as you read my posts (sadly, I don't think anyone reads my posts :().

Anyway, go I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this., go Duke!

Um, the I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. character was a porn star actor, right?

I didn't see the movie and had to look it up. But if you're saying we use use I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. as a knickname for Singler, that' very, very offensive. Please stop.

BlueintheFace
02-05-2010, 12:57 AM
btw- Dawkins is hurt before people jump to conclusions. He was limited in warmups. Details forthcoming

Details: Dawkins has an ankle inury. He has been limited in practice this week. He was limited in warmups. He is most certainly not at 100%.

Dukeface88
02-05-2010, 12:58 AM
Um, the I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. character was a porn star actor, right?

I didn't see the movie and had to look it up. But if you're saying we use use I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. as a knickname for Singler, that' very, very offensive. Please stop.

I think he's trying to say Singler's a stud. Or something. Still, probably not the best nickname.

loldevilz
02-05-2010, 01:14 AM
I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. was awesome tonight and reminded us why hes A-A material. But what made me the most happy was that coach K wants to get Ryan Kelly involved more. I'm probably one of the largest Ryan Kelly fans around and I loved that K said in the press conference that Kelly will see more playing time. My favorite stretch of the game was when Kelly and Mason were playiing together...awesome.

Kewlswim
02-05-2010, 03:10 AM
Hi,

Does Duke provide information to the media regarding injuries or did Bilas just double-fault on the air by not reading his notes? Jay went on talking about how Andre wasn't playing and a walk-on did, noting this is probably a message from Coach K that Andre should take to heart. Maybe the only message was that Andre couldn't play so someone who is well did play?

GO DUKE!

UrinalCake
02-05-2010, 05:55 AM
Granted, sometimes the big gets stuck in no man's land and the guard draws the block but that aggressive hedge, when properly executed, really disrupts the team's attempt to "run their stuff" and provides multiple opportunities to turn them over.

I think your description of the hedge is accurate and explains what we're trying to do. The goal is not for a big to wind up guarding the point guard. The goal is for the big to slow down the point guard (or other guard) during a pick-and-roll so that he doesn't have room to operate. It puts a lot of pressure on the other team's offense when there's constantly someone in your face.

The big and the guy defending the guard really need to be in synch so that they can switch back at exactly the right time. There's usually a split second where the guard gives up his drive, or turns to look for another guard to pass off to. This is when the defenders should switch back. But if they don't switch at exactly the right time, the guard either gets an open shot, and open lane to the basket, or a pass to a wide open big guy for a dunk. This switching part is where I think we need work. The big guy always seems to stay on the guard a little too long, or he just decides not to get back at all. Also, I think sometimes we're a little overly aggressive, hedging in situations where the guard isn't really attacking the basket and then leaving ourselves out of position.

Saratoga2
02-05-2010, 06:16 AM
FWIW, one of the guys who went to the game said that Dawkins stretched but did not take any shots in the shootaround before the game so obviously he isn't 100% physically.

I just figured this would be a good tidbit to pass on.

In his post game quotes, coach K said nothing about Dawkins. I think he would have if there was a physical issue.

DukieInBrasil
02-05-2010, 06:56 AM
Very nice win. My internet connection didn't allow for a very good viewing of the game on justin.tv but we looked much better.
What can you say about Singler's game other than, Wow! (I agree that the I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. nickname referring to a porn-star character is not a very good idea, somewhat offensive).
LT seems to have embraced what he can do, play with huge energy, defend and rebound. A few points here and there are a nice bonus.
Sheyer scored 21 pts and had 7 assists, and he has gotten almost no love in this thread?!? Amazing.
It seems like almost everyone who played did something commendable. My only gripe is the FT shooting from the Professors Plum, 0-5? Gotta do better than that. Z was 1-4 until he sank a pair to finish a mediocre 3-6. Our 3-S-keteers did a fantastic job from the charity stripe, as well as from 3.
Gotta love the motion O and hope that we keep it up at BC tomorrow!!!

dukelifer
02-05-2010, 07:15 AM
A good game- yet a game that looked like most of the other wins during the year- a late comfortable margin and Duke runs its spread at the end of the game. I am getting convinced now that Duke would have won against Wisconsin, Ga Tech, State and Georgetown if they had been home games, They just play better at home. Still road games are usually tougher and this Duke team has not shown they can win the close game yet- or one where they come back from behind late in the game. I was hoping for a much closer game. The season should prepare a team for all kinds of wins- blowouts, close games, come from behind victories and overtimes. This has pretty much been a season of blowout wins. Very strange and not great for the tourney where most games are close. When this team is comfortable, they win easily and when they are nervous or get down late, they have not. They need to show themselves they can win the close game. But the opponent needs to play well also. Tonight Tech did not pull it together in the second half and put real game pressure on Duke.

Great game by Singler. If he shoots like that- Duke will win big most nights. But I am not expecting 30 a night from him. There was a one minute stretch where Mason looked like a veteran star- and a lot of minutes where he looked like a Freshman. But we do see glimpses. The big guys need to be more consistent. BC should be a good game and a close game. We shall see if they can pull it out.

oldnavy
02-05-2010, 07:42 AM
In his post game quotes, coach K said nothing about Dawkins. I think he would have if there was a physical issue.

I don't think that this is necessarily true. Coach K is not one to spend much time talking about injuries, and usually addresses them only when asked, IIRC. I strongly suspect that Dre is injured and that is the major reason, possibly combined with poor practices, for him not getting into the game.

CDu
02-05-2010, 07:49 AM
Hewitt did not coach badly tonight. His team is built on its ability to physically intimidate on defense, much of it consisting of off the ball rough play, excedingly rough play, roughplay on catches, and very rough play when the ball goes up. The first game, the refs called nothing and Duke played slow inside. As a consequence, duke got manhandled.

Gotta disagree with this first sentence. He blew it when he left Favors in with 2 fouls, rather than going back to Lawal. Lawal is a veteran and has shown more discipline than Favors. He should have protected the freshman with 2 fouls and gone with the veteran with 2 fouls. Instead, he leaves the freshman out there to get his third, taking him out of the game psychologically. And despite having talented offensive bigs in Lawal and Favors, he never seemed to demand that GT get the ball inside to them.


The refs called the game straight up and in my opinion Tech cannot play with Duke when they do.

No disagreement here. When the refs call a tighter game (especially if it results in fouls on big men), our advantage shows up. GT is completely reliant on their big men. If you take them away, we have the best players on the floor unquestionably.


Singler's game began the way his career at Duke began. Taking bigger and seemingly stronger guys around the basket and scoring or drawing fouls, rebounding, and letting them know who was whom. The rest of Duke's bigs followed, very impressively, in my opinion.

Kyle would have had a great game had he not shot so well. He played like the 4 that he is. More importantly, he was a warrier chief who was born to battle and lead his team into battle. I knew that he would be the latter tonight; I couldn't imagine that he would do it so darn well.

I agree that Singler had a great game, but I have to disagree with the analysis. I think your review of his performance has been blurred by how unbelievably well he shot from deep.

Singler had a pretty quiet rebounding game. Firstly, he was guarded almost exclusively by perimeter players, so he wasn't taking bigger/stronger guys into the paint. Also, he was 1-7 on non-3pt shoots. And he only took 5 foul shots so it's not like he drew tons of fouls. He wasn't nonexistent in these areas, but his overall performance was almost completely buoyed by his 3pt shooting. If he'd dropped a 2-10 showing on 3s, though, I'm not sure we'd have been so pleased with his performance.

That said, I was very pleased with the change of gameplan for him. Knowing that he was going to be guarded by a guard, and that he's had trouble beating guards off the dribble, we got him the ball off screens and he looked to shoot immediately. And he abstained from trying to drive against quicker guards, which has been a bugaboo for him this year. He did have a great game. I'm very glad, because he needed a game like this to get his shooting confidence back.

davekay1971
02-05-2010, 09:07 AM
Overall just very pleased to see a comfortable win. I agree with some of the sentiments expressed in this thread along the lines of "glad to see a win, but the problems we see weren't really improved upon." It would be nice to see our interior produce more on offense...but they did a nice defensive job against Lawal and Favors, and that should not be ignored.

Great to see Kyle light it up from deep. Hopefully that's the kind of night that can bring the perimeter shooting part of his game around for the remainder of the year. Because, even without getting the kind of offense we want from the 4-5 position, we can beat anybody in the nation if S-S-S are all on. I'd love to see better offensive balance, but if the 4-5 positions aren't going to give us the kind of interior offense we were hoping for, we're just going to have to hope S-S-S can get hot, stay hot, and carry us.

weezie
02-05-2010, 09:11 AM
talked with one of my marching band friends about this, and she said that all songs for tv timeouts are chosen by the cheerleaders. i guess theyre not as big fans of the dance as we are

That's lame.

BTW, the drummer with the glasses is very good. Pass it along to him; we enjoy his playing, he's terrific!

CDu
02-05-2010, 09:23 AM
Overall just very pleased to see a comfortable win. I agree with some of the sentiments expressed in this thread along the lines of "glad to see a win, but the problems we see weren't really improved upon." It would be nice to see our interior produce more on offense...but they did a nice defensive job against Lawal and Favors, and that should not be ignored.

I wouldn't say we did that great a job against Favors and Lawal defensively. They combined for 17 points and 13 rebounds on 7-9 shooting from the field. I think the fact that those two were limited to just 40 total minutes (and almost zero minutes together in the first half) due to foul trouble was the bigger factor. The two had a big second half when they were back on the court together, combining for 14 points.

I think the big keys to the game were
1. getting their bigs in foul trouble early
2. phenomenal three point shooting
3. our defense on their perimeter players

A-Tex Devil
02-05-2010, 09:24 AM
So this is as good a place as any to ask this question...

I missed last night's game, but it appears to have once again been a very rough "slug it out" game. Every write-up I've seen in the lasy month it seems talks about how "physical" the other team was. Clemson, Fla State, Wake, now Ga Tech. And I know the ACC has itself gotten a bit physical.

But could it be said that DUKE is an overly physical team? I mean, we keep pointing the fingers at the other teams. But maybe we are part of the problem? It's like saying every time I go out with my friend Ed, Tom, John or Mike, we get really really drunk. Those guys are bad influences. But in the end, maybe it's me too? Just a thought.

CDu
02-05-2010, 09:33 AM
So this is as good a place as any to ask this question...

I missed last night's game, but it appears to have once again been a very rough "slug it out" game. Every write-up I've seen in the lasy month it seems talks about how "physical" the other team was. Clemson, Fla State, Wake, now Ga Tech. And I know the ACC has itself gotten a bit physical.

Actually, I wouldn't have called this a very rough, slug-it-out game at all. There were a couple of physical moments, but it was actually one of the least physical games I've seen between Duke and a Hewitt-coached GT team. The officials came out and called fouls early and often, which limited the physical nature of the game. There was the shove by Rice and the rake of the face by Lawal later in the game, but those two fouls were very different than the overall flow of the game.


But could it be said that DUKE is an overly physical team? I mean, we keep pointing the fingers at the other teams. But maybe we are part of the problem? It's like saying every time I go out with my friend Ed, Tom, John or Mike, we get really really drunk. Those guys are bad influences. But in the end, maybe it's me too? Just a thought.

We absolutely are a physical team, and we have been for years. It's one of the things that has been uncanny - we play a physical style of play yet generally don't foul a lot (this year excluded). That said, we don't play as physically as GT, FSU, Miami, or VT, and we certainly don't play as physically as the Big East.

DukieInBrasil
02-05-2010, 09:33 AM
Tex-Devil:
That is a good perspective and worth consideration, however, how many times did one of our guys go flying over the back of an opponent and rake his fingernails across the face? Or shove another player to the ground? I agree that this team has more potential to play or respond to physical play, but I also believe that our boys play with much better control than some of our opponents.

Kfanarmy
02-05-2010, 09:43 AM
I think its pretty common practice to hedge on ball screens. I think our strategy is to hedge aggressively, deny/disrupt ball reverse and force teams to react to us versus us reacting to the opponents offense. Agree that our our guys (especially the younger bigs) don't execute very well. Tend to react and recover one step too late almost every time. However, I think retreating without an aggressive hedge and allowing guards to easily get where they want on the floor is counter to our defensive philosophy.

It isn't the hedge itself I'm speaking of. My concern is sticking with the hedge a bit too long and allowing themselves to get pulled further out after the initial cut off...which has had a tendency, I think, to create reaching fouls and open up the interior of the D as a 6'10-7 foot guy tries to keep up with a smaller guard out in no mans land.

A-Tex Devil
02-05-2010, 09:44 AM
Tex-Devil:
That is a good perspective and worth consideration, however, how many times did one of our guys go flying over the back of an opponent and rake his fingernails across the face? Or shove another player to the ground? I agree that this team has more potential to play or respond to physical play, but I also believe that our boys play with much better control than some of our opponents.

Fair enough. Like I said, I missed the game. It just seems that we have been pointing the fingers at a lot of teams for rough play lately, which may very well be warranted.

I know we have always been a very "handsy" team, for lack of a better word, out on the perimeter, but never really considered us to be physical inside. It would make sense with our personnel that we might be moreso this year.

ArtVandelay
02-05-2010, 10:04 AM
I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Seriously. I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. for Singler? What or who is I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.?

Dirk I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. was the name of Mark Wahlberg's character in Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece homage to the 70s porn era. Great movie. As for why Singler picked up this moniker on DBR, I can't say. I guess it's because Kyle bears a passing resemblence to him (esp. with the current haircuit) and his name sounds kinda-sorta somewhat similar? Or maybe somebody is privy to inside information about the size of Kyle's package.

Either way, it's a weird nickname.

Matches
02-05-2010, 10:13 AM
I quite enjoyed Ryan Kelly's performance during his minutes. IMO this was one of his better performances of the season. Hopefully he (and the team) can build on that - Kelly's skill set is a little different from most of our other bigs, and it'd be nice to have him as a viable option off the bench down the stretch.

superdave
02-05-2010, 10:32 AM
The two stats that really cheered me up about this game were the 17-1 points off TOs and holding the GT backcourt to 3 points. Those two are closely related, and I think Duke could really stand to get 3-4 fast break opportunities each half.

As much as we need balanced scoring among players (We need the frontcourt to score 20-25 points), we also need balance between half-court offense and fast break/secondary break offense. 12-18 ppg of fast breaks really keeps the defense on their heels and makes half-court offense is easier. As good as we are on defense, we really need to look for those outlet passes. We stuck GT with some cheap fouls just by running the ball upcourt.

duke4life32182
02-05-2010, 10:38 AM
Good all around game for the boys.

superdave
02-05-2010, 10:50 AM
Good all around game for the boys.

Yep, tough turnaround to go to BC though. I expect more scratches and bruises and some tired legs after this weekend.

flyingdutchdevil
02-05-2010, 10:54 AM
Yep, tough turnaround to go to BC though. I expect more scratches and bruises and some tired legs after this weekend.

NCAA tourney is the exact same thing. Kids need to be fresh, and the NCAA thinks 2 days does it.

duke4life32182
02-05-2010, 10:55 AM
I thought Kelly gave Duke some good minutes last night. The only problem was, after he gave them those good minutes he didn't play much more. Mason did a little better last night as well. He just looks scared to shoot at times. The big 3 did their thing and LT is starting to become a consistent 6-10 pts and 10+ boards of late. He can keep that up and we are that much better. Still waiting for a big man to step it up. How good would we be if we could just get 12-14 pts a game from that posititon?

RoyalBlue08
02-05-2010, 10:58 AM
NCAA tourney is the exact same thing. Kids need to be fresh, and the NCAA thinks 2 days does it.

Not really the exact same thing. The day in between games is not a travel game for the NCAA, and in the NCAA both teams have both played two days before...whereas on Saturday BC is going to be very well rested.

Duvall
02-05-2010, 11:18 AM
Does anyone have anything on the apparent "injury" to Andre Dawkins?

I think it's safe to say that we don't.

BGMurphy2003
02-05-2010, 11:32 AM
When Scheyer was pushed to the ground by Rice, I thought they called a technical and a foul. I also thought Tech was over the limit at that point. If so, why didn't Scheyer get 4 free throws, rather than 2?


BGM

tbyers11
02-05-2010, 11:40 AM
When Scheyer was pushed to the ground by Rice, I thought they called a technical and a foul. I also thought Tech was over the limit at that point. If so, why didn't Scheyer get 4 free throws, rather than 2?


BGM

I'm pretty sure that Jon called timeout before Rice pushed him. Therefore, it was a deadball situation and there was no personal foul called. Only the technical was called.

ReformedAggie
02-05-2010, 11:43 AM
Same question as BG. How was that not a foul to get him tossed from the game? What kind of a message does that send? OK Byers you answered that while I was typing...but time out or no time out, that should have been a game ejection. He was on the floor. He knocked down a player with intention that had nothing to do with play (especially if time had been called). Is there any over rule from the NCAA to suspend him for a game before he thinks he can get away with this bahaviour again?

91_92_01_10_15
02-05-2010, 11:48 AM
I thought Kelly gave Duke some good minutes last night. The only problem was, after he gave them those good minutes he didn't play much more. Mason did a little better last night as well. He just looks scared to shoot at times. The big 3 did their thing and LT is starting to become a consistent 6-10 pts and 10+ boards of late. He can keep that up and we are that much better. Still waiting for a big man to step it up. How good would we be if we could just get 12-14 pts a game from that posititon?
Given the +/- numbers from the other thread for the lineup w/ the starters + Mason and -Miles, I think it's safe to say Mason is doing a LOT better.

watzone
02-05-2010, 12:17 PM
More post game audio from Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/02/bdn-duke-locker-room-report-ii-jon-scheyer-and-nolan-smith-audio/

CDu
02-05-2010, 12:18 PM
I'm pretty sure that Jon called timeout before Rice pushed him. Therefore, it was a deadball situation and there was no personal foul called. Only the technical was called.

You are correct. Duke had called a timeout due to the aggressive trap by GT, which resulted in the shove which drew the technical.

We got the two free throws for the technical (which also constituted a personal foul for Rice) and got the two free throws and the ball.

CDu
02-05-2010, 12:23 PM
Given the +/- numbers from the other thread for the lineup w/ the starters + Mason and -Miles, I think it's safe to say Mason is doing a LOT better.

Not sure I'd go that far. Individual +/- numbers for a player who only plays 15-20 minutes are very subject to random variation, and often reflect factors that have little to nothing to do with the individual performance of that player.

Mason did seem to do a little better last night than he has in previous games (probably in part due to the lack of Favors/Lawal for most of the first half), but he still picked up 5 fouls and a turnover in only 18 minutes. In this case, I'd say the +/- difference had a lot more to do with whom was on the court around him (on both teams) than his particular performance.

greybeard
02-05-2010, 12:27 PM
"Taking bigger and seemingly stronger guys around the basket and scoring or drawing fouls, rebounding, and letting them know who was whom. The rest of Duke's bigs followed, very impressively, in my opinion"

Hmm. Singler was 1-7 on 2-point field goals and the make was on a put-back. Miles Plumlee had one field goal and that was in transition. Mason Plumlee had one two-point field goal, Brian Zoubek one field goal, Lance one field goal. Kelly's only field goal was a three.

Duke did quite well on the boards and played some solid D inside. But offensively, Duke's bigs hardly dominated inside.

The one thing to take from this game was an increased reliance on the motion offense. Duke wants to get Singler more good looks on the perimeter. Seemed to work tonight.

Look, Singler began insideand attacked the rim and drew fouls. Lance had a beautiful doube clutch basket in the early first half. Zoubek had a terrif off the bounce up and under move that he scored the ball on and drew a foul, also in the first half and I believe drew two other fouls being aggressive to the basket. Mason had the dunk which either preceded or was followed by another quick move to the basket which drew a foul. How did Tech's bigs get in such foul trouble if Duke's bigs did not take the game to them, effectively by definition? A well executed attack took the paint away from Tech, their bigs were defeated and that is why they lost. They lost by as much as they did because Singler went nuts. But, he don't go nuts, he don't begin to go nuts, without Duke's having first won the battle of the bigs.

It did so very effectively from the outset, taking away the KEY to Tech's success this season. The only way that happens is by Duke's having caught in good position and then gone to score quick. It they didn't do that effectively, and I have pointed out how at least four of them did in the first half, I remember that Mason drew fouls as well, Duke would not have won, in my opinion.

Stats bore me; Duke won the battle inside at the beginning by taking away Tech's strength and then completely dominated there throughout. That's the list.

blueprofessor
02-05-2010, 12:28 PM
Excerpts:"There can be no real disgrace in losing a hard-fought game in the nation’s toughest gym against the second-best coach in college history, but the Jackets gave themselves little chance. They were 12 points down at halftime, and you can’t play from behind in that building. Derrick Favors didn’t score in the half, and only another big game from Zachery Peacock kept it close.

Worse, the barbed-wire defense we’ve seen wasn’t in evidence. Nobody could find Kyle Singler, who’d had a lousy game at the Thrillerdome, and the Jackets learned that a good shooter doesn’t miss open shots at home.

This game doesn’t change my assessment of the teams — Tech will go further in the NCAA tournament than Duke — but it does damage the Jackets’ chances of winning the ACC regular-season championship. "

Mark is not a fan of Tech's coach.:eek:

Best regards--Blueprofessor:)

Duvall
02-05-2010, 12:32 PM
Excerpts:"There can be no real disgrace in losing a hard-fought game in the nation’s toughest gym against the second-best coach in college history, but the Jackets gave themselves little chance. They were 12 points down at halftime, and you can’t play from behind in that building. Derrick Favors didn’t score in the half, and only another big game from Zachery Peacock kept it close.

Worse, the barbed-wire defense we’ve seen wasn’t in evidence. Nobody could find Kyle Singler, who’d had a lousy game at the Thrillerdome, and the Jackets learned that a good shooter doesn’t miss open shots at home.

This game doesn’t change my assessment of the teams — Tech will go further in the NCAA tournament than Duke — but it does damage the Jackets’ chances of winning the ACC regular-season championship. "

Mark is not a fan of Tech's coach.:eek:

Best regards--Blueprofessor:)

Bradley's a fool. Tech doesn't have the guard play to make it out of the second round.

Tim1515
02-05-2010, 12:35 PM
I do not see this Tech team doing better in March. They remind me of Wake some last year. Sure the talent is there...but the team hasn't been to the tournament before. They're going to come across a very experienced mid-major and get beat.

allenmurray
02-05-2010, 12:37 PM
Dirk I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. was the name of Mark Wahlberg's character in Boogie Nights, Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece homage to the 70s porn era. Great movie. As for why Singler picked up this moniker on DBR, I can't say. I guess it's because Kyle bears a passing resemblence to him (esp. with the current haircuit) and his name sounds kinda-sorta somewhat similar? Or maybe somebody is privy to inside information about the size of Kyle's package.

Either way, it's a weird nickname.

And one I wouldn't use for a kid unless I was sure he was okay with it. Whether meant as a compliment ;) or not, not every kid wants to be associated with the porn industry, even by nickname.

COYS
02-05-2010, 12:43 PM
And one I wouldn't use for a kid unless I was sure he was okay with it. Whether meant as a compliment ;) or not, not every kid wants to be associated with the porn industry, even by nickname.

Especially considering the real life person Boogie Nights is based on went on to contract HIV but didn't tell anyone even though he continued to work in the porn industry . . . I'd say that's about as lousy a thing you can possibly do.

flyingdutchdevil
02-05-2010, 12:44 PM
And one I wouldn't use for a kid unless I was sure he was okay with it. Whether meant as a compliment ;) or not, not every kid wants to be associated with the porn industry, even by nickname.

I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. is a nickname for Nowitzki (as they share the same first name. It's a fairly common nickname for him). Singler has been frequently compared to Nowitzki and, hence, Kyle I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this..

CDu
02-05-2010, 12:46 PM
I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. is a nickname for Nowitzki (as they share the same first name. It's a fairly common nickname for him). Singler has been frequently compared to Nowitzki and, hence, Kyle I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this..

Then why not just call him Dirk? Then you remove the reference to the porn star and make it more clear that you're comparing him to Nowitzki. Just because Nowitzki has an inappropriate nickname doesn't mean that we should extend that nickname by a second degree of separation to Singler.

Kedsy
02-05-2010, 12:49 PM
(We need the frontcourt to score 20-25 points)

Our frontcourt scored 21 against Tech, which is a little less than our season average.


How good would we be if we could just get 12-14 pts a game from that posititon?

We got 12 points from MP1, MP2, & Z. MP1 & Z average 12 points between them this season.

devildeac
02-05-2010, 12:55 PM
talked with one of my marching band friends about this, and she said that all songs for tv timeouts are chosen by the cheerleaders. i guess theyre not as big fans of the dance as we are

They do choose to perform it on occasion. I'll check into that tonight.;):D

devildeac
02-05-2010, 12:58 PM
That's lame.

BTW, the drummer with the glasses is very good. Pass it along to him; we enjoy his playing, he's terrific!


Careful...

hq2
02-05-2010, 01:18 PM
The Georgetown game was one of those moments where we appeared much worse that we were, and the Georgia Tech game much better. Why? Because we hit our shots in one and didn't in the other. Under regular shooting conditions, both games would have been much closer (although I think the outcome would have been the same in each case.) However, in both, again the Plumlees did not give much on offense, except a couple of highlight dunks. It basically shows is that we will play as well as the triple Ss do. The frontline four (MPs 1 and 2, Lance, and Zoubs) will get us 20-25 pts/game consistently, and that's about it. With the season 2/3 over, expecting much more of them now is unrealistic.

91_92_01_10_15
02-05-2010, 01:29 PM
In this case, I'd say the +/- difference had a lot more to do with whom was on the court around him (on both teams) than his particular performance.

Perhaps you are right, perhaps not. +/- numbers aside, Mason looks a great deal more comfortable to me. I am particularly encouraged by the fact he only had one turnover last night. As Coach K always says, the adjustment to the college game is very difficult, especially for big men. I see evidence, both objective and subjective, that Mason continues to improve.

But you're probably right. ;)

CDu
02-05-2010, 01:42 PM
Perhaps you are right, perhaps not. +/- numbers aside, Mason looks a great deal more comfortable to me. I am particularly encouraged by the fact he only had one turnover last night. As Coach K always says, the adjustment to the college game is very difficult, especially for big men. I see evidence, both objective and subjective, that Mason continues to improve.

But you're probably right. ;)

I think the issue I have is that you're extrapolating progress from a game in which Mason basically made two plays (a wide open set shot and a drive to the rim) and was otherwise nonexistent.

Honestly, I didn't really see much difference between his game last night and several other games recently for him. He has had many games in which he had a nice moment or two. But I don't consider that progress, because he's still committing too many fouls and still disappearing for the majority of his time out there. And his one turnover isn't really evidence of improvement to me considering that he hasn't turned it over more than twice in a game since December.

For me, showing improvement will be when he can be a factor for more than a play or two in a particular game. By comparison, I thought he played much better in the other GT game, the BC game, and the Wake game, and when he can stay on the floor for extended minutes without committing silly fouls.

I agree that the transition to the college game is very tough, especially for big men. Thus, I don't expect Mason to necessarily "get it" this year. But I think you're setting the bar too low with regards to signs of progress.

This is off-topic and I don't want it to seem like I'm displeased with the win. But if we're going to focus on discussion of Mason's game, I don't think last night was really any more a sign of progress than the NC State game.

ncexnyc
02-05-2010, 01:45 PM
I'm shocked that we scored such a lopsided win. I expected a hard fought win, with the final margin around 8-10.

Nice to see Kyle regain his shooting touch. I'm also happy to see him refrain from dribbling into the teeth of a defense and getting his pocket picked, that's just not his game.

Lance had another big game. It's nice to see him step-up as a Senior and for the most part he's been very consistent this year.

Jon and Nolan were both very good.

My biggest surprise was Ryan Kelly. Very pleased with what I saw of him on the defensive end. There were several plays in the first half were the action was directed towards him and he was Johnny on the spot.

I guess the big question is, can we carry this momentum through the weekend and come out of the BC game with a solid win.

Wildcat
02-05-2010, 02:16 PM
What I can't figure out is how Hewitt keeps convincing these guys to come and play for him. What does he have to sell?

I think he is a good coach. I believe he provides a cultural connection/identity and support for young men who choose to make a living playing basketball. We don't know his relationship with these players off the basketball court, but, a little research into what he's actually doing in the Atlanta community and in recruits' homes should give pertinent insight into "his sales pitch." I perceive him to be a smart thinker, with an good mind for the game.

I wouldn't want to face them again.

77devil
02-05-2010, 02:24 PM
I'm shocked that we scored such a lopsided win. I expected a hard fought win, with the final margin around 8-10.

I expected a closer game too but for the exception of the first GT game, the scores of all Duke's conference games have been lopsided. Wisconsin was the last tight game other than GT1. Gotta believe there are some conference nail bitters in our future with BC away tomorrow and 2 each with MD and the Holes.

91_92_01_10_15
02-05-2010, 02:24 PM
And his one turnover isn't really evidence of improvement to me considering that he hasn't turned it over more than twice in a game since December.


That is an excellent statistic and one of which I was not aware. I guess it only seemed to me that he was handling the ball more carefully last night.

You make a very thoughtful and well-reasoned argument about why you think Duke's success when Mason was on the floor last night had little to do with him. I hope that you are wrong.

duke111
02-05-2010, 02:38 PM
So does anyone know why exactly Dawkins did not play and why Coach K wouldn't take scheyer, singler and smith out with 3 minutes left and up by 20???

91_92_01_10_15
02-05-2010, 02:40 PM
So does anyone know why exactly Dawkins did not play and why Coach K wouldn't take scheyer, singler and smith out with 3 minutes left and up by 20???

Nice first post. Welcome to the site. :rolleyes:

CDu
02-05-2010, 02:45 PM
You make a very thoughtful and well-reasoned argument about why you think Duke's success when Mason was on the floor last night had little to do with him. I hope that you are wrong.

I hope I'm wrong too. Nothing would make me happier than to see Mason develop into the regular contributor that he's capable of becoming. It would make a huge difference on this team down the stretch.

duke111
02-05-2010, 02:47 PM
Nice first post. Welcome to the site. :rolleyes:
I was at the game and he definitely did not look happy when he was walking off the court at the end of the game

dukestheheat
02-05-2010, 02:48 PM
That was an old-fashioned Duke BEATDOWN.

I saw this one coming a mile away.

dth.

Battierfan01
02-05-2010, 02:54 PM
That was an old-fashioned Duke BEATDOWN.

I saw this one coming a mile away.

dth.

I told you guys the team would have a HUGE win!! Man that felt gooooooooooodd!! I hope we can follow it up with two big road wins!! :)

InSpades
02-05-2010, 02:58 PM
Didn't really see it mentioned (admittedly there's 8 pages and I didn't read them all that closely) but what a display of talent/athleticism by Mason last night. In the span of maybe 2 minutes he knocked down a 3, pulled down a rebound that was behind his head and then beat his man off the dribble for a monster dunk. More please? He is gonna be incredibly special before he leaves (give us 2 more years atleast?).

CDu
02-05-2010, 03:01 PM
Didn't really see it mentioned (admittedly there's 8 pages and I didn't read them all that closely) but what a display of talent/athleticism by Mason last night. In the span of maybe 2 minutes he knocked down a 3, pulled down a rebound that was behind his head and then beat his man off the dribble for a monster dunk. More please? He is gonna be incredibly special before he leaves (give us 2 more years atleast?).

He definitely showed the tools that could make him a star for us in the future. It seems like every so often the kid has a "wow" moment out there. The next step is showing some consistency and ability to stay on the floor for extended minutes without fouling.

With his size, leaping ability, and skills, he should develop into a force at the 4/5 spot for us. Hopefully he starts heading in that direction sooner rather than next year.

airowe
02-05-2010, 03:02 PM
So this is as good a place as any to ask this question...

I missed last night's game, but it appears to have once again been a very rough "slug it out" game. Every write-up I've seen in the lasy month it seems talks about how "physical" the other team was. Clemson, Fla State, Wake, now Ga Tech. And I know the ACC has itself gotten a bit physical.

But could it be said that DUKE is an overly physical team? I mean, we keep pointing the fingers at the other teams. But maybe we are part of the problem? It's like saying every time I go out with my friend Ed, Tom, John or Mike, we get really really drunk. Those guys are bad influences. But in the end, maybe it's me too? Just a thought.

http://i49.tinypic.com/3445m2v.jpg

77devil
02-05-2010, 03:31 PM
So this is as good a place as any to ask this question...

I missed last night's game, but it appears to have once again been a very rough "slug it out" game. Every write-up I've seen in the lasy month it seems talks about how "physical" the other team was. Clemson, Fla State, Wake, now Ga Tech. And I know the ACC has itself gotten a bit physical.

But could it be said that DUKE is an overly physical team? I mean, we keep pointing the fingers at the other teams. But maybe we are part of the problem? It's like saying every time I go out with my friend Ed, Tom, John or Mike, we get really really drunk. Those guys are bad influences. But in the end, maybe it's me too? Just a thought.


http://i49.tinypic.com/3445m2v.jpg

A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. I believe that other teams buy into the popular perception that Duke is relatively soft and can be pushed around. The often unwillingness or inability of D-1 officiating to enforce the rules has enabled the level of contact to approach roller derby. Duke has shown a willingness to play physical when provoked, but an unchecked physical game generally won't inure to Duke's benefit this year.

A-Tex Devil
02-05-2010, 03:49 PM
A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. I believe that other teams buy into the popular perception that Duke is relatively soft and can be pushed around. The often unwillingness or inability of D-1 officiating to enforce the rules has enabled the level of contact to approach roller derby. Duke has shown a willingness to play physical when provoked, but an unchecked physical game generally won't inure to Duke's benefit this year.

I kind of agree with this, but not completely certain. The picture above does nothing to prove or discredit my general question, and wasn't my point. Did Ga Tech do something flagrant last night? Apparently, yes. But that wasn't what I was getting at.

The general tenor of the post-game write-ups in ACC play has been that that Duke has played a lot of physical games (or more physical than normal) in the ACC this year. It sounds like the general consensus is that other teams think they can bully Duke and make Duke give up, but are usually wrong. (What people don't realize is that we ACTUALLY give up when our guards can't score or defend, like Villanova in the Sweet 16, or Georgetown last week. What, too soon? :o).

Anywho, if we keep complaining about how physical all of our games are, it's either a strategy used against Duke, or perhaps we are a little pushy ourselves and are maybe contributing to it more than we think. I don't know the answer, and not trying to muss the hair of the fanbase. Just something worth pondering, I thought.

BD80
02-05-2010, 04:30 PM
... The general tenor of the post-game write-ups in ACC play has been that that Duke has played a lot of physical games (or more physical than normal) in the ACC this year. It sounds like the general consensus is that other teams think they can bully Duke and make Duke give up, but are usually wrong. ...

Anywho, if we keep complaining about how physical all of our games are, it's either a strategy used against Duke, or perhaps we are a little pushy ourselves and are maybe contributing to it more than we think. I don't know the answer, and not trying to muss the hair of the fanbase. Just something worth pondering, I thought.

Much of the physicality stems from the way we play defense. We pressure the ball and fight through screens and look to take charges. We extend our defense to a point where many players are used to being able to relax or easily establish position. Many players react to this level of defense with aggression.


My take on Davidson playing was that it was a message to the entire team. Jordan did not hurt the team defensively, and showed a level of aggression that the team was lacking. Grabbing the rebound in traffic is exactly what has been missing. Both Plumlees could learn the difference between being aggressive going for a rebound in the paint (smart) and being aggressive trying to slap a ball from a ballhandler on the perimeter (STUPID). JD may not be fleet of foot, but he is always moving toward the correct spot. ALL of our underclassmen should take a lesson from JD's short stint.

Underdog5
02-05-2010, 05:38 PM
It isn't the hedge itself I'm speaking of. My concern is sticking with the hedge a bit too long and allowing themselves to get pulled further out after the initial cut off...which has had a tendency, I think, to create reaching fouls and open up the interior of the D as a 6'10-7 foot guy tries to keep up with a smaller guard out in no mans land.

...I would prefer if our bigs did a simple hedge to allow the guard to slide under and immediately recover and keep everyone between the ball and the basket. However, because of the way our bigs consistently do this, I don't think Duke's strategy is just to hedge but to actually aggressively deny ball reverse with the dribble and disrupt the guards ability to run their offense. Again, I don't like our bigs execution with the silly reaching fouls but I think that's why we do it.

Richard Berg
02-05-2010, 06:20 PM
About Andre...I have no inside information, but I've been following Duke long enough to see a pattern. Coach K has always kept injuries close to the chest as long as the player is cleared to dress out for games. Especially when the team enters the crucial part of the season where you can't just DNP everyone who's less than 100%. No sense telegraphing weaknesses to our opponents; even if they are bench players, you never know when they'll be needed. Recent examples...

2006: re-aggravation to D-Marc's ankle (broken the previous fall, rehabbed after the season), re-aggravation to Josh's back (broken in high school, surgery after the season)
2007: re-aggravation to Paulus' foot (broken the previous fall, rehabbed after the season)
2008: injuries to G's wrist (surgery after the season), Lance's finger (surgery after the season)

2009 was the first year in awhile when our guys were healthy in February/March. It showed.

Newton_14
02-05-2010, 08:10 PM
Great win last night against a tough team. Ga Tech has the 2 really good bigs of course but they also have great athletes top to bottom and play good defense. I thought our guys played really well especially coming off the bad loss.

Kyle was the star of course, but I really liked the fact that we went back to more true motion on offense and even though we only got 21 points from them, all of our bigs were aggressive with the ball and looking for scoring chances. That is progress to me. And a step in the right direction.

To answer A-Tex, yes we are very much a physical team and we give as good as we get in most cases, exception being of course, we do not push kids to the floor and rarely make what I call dangerous fouls ala the Ish Smith foul on Mason in the Wake game. But yes we are physical.

Coach K touched on the change in the offense in his presser and it was also one of the best pressers he has given in a while. He was hilarious. I posted the link below to the full presser that is on WRAL. I encourage you guys to listen to it. His comedy was classic.

But also, you can hear Hewitt's presser via the same link. I am not a fan of Hewitt, though I was when he first came into the league. I thought he was a great young coach, but in the past years he has not coached very well imo. That said, I came away very impressed by his comments and how he handled the loss. I would encourage you to listen to that one as well. 3 or 4 times reporters encouraged/begged him to blame the loss on the refs. He would have none of it. Gave all the credit to Duke and in an indirect way expressed his disgust with the push to Jon. He said he was "very disappointed with the lack of maturity some of his guys showed out there". I feel that was directed at the push to Jon.

Anyway, both pressers are worth the time to listen to them, and K answers a lot of the questions being asked. Was high on Kelly, and answered a question about Andre not playing. Did not mention the injury but did comment that Andre had not practiced well this week.

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke/video/6967734/

devildeac
02-05-2010, 11:59 PM
They do choose to perform it on occasion. I'll check into that tonight.;):D

According to a very reliable source, DUMB chooses all the pre-game selections and the "short time-out" numbers. The cheerleaders initiate the process re: music played during the long TO and DUMB finalizes it. After all, dey gotta dance it and da band gotta play it. There is one TO choice that DUMB gets and that, IIRC, is the tumbling pass for the cheerleaders, though a fav is "Cheeseburger."

The "Lobster Dance" (it's Rock Lobster, folks) is performed ~75% of the games.

Oh, BTW, my source is highly flattered that this discussion has been a sidebar to the Duke-gt post-game commentary.:cool::D

moonpie23
02-06-2010, 03:12 PM
i love to go to the other team's chat boards and read their IN-GAME threads..


the tech guys started off VERY confident ....then faded....


i was going to copy and paste this, but i'll just link it instead...it's a bit off-color...but i burst out laughing ...


http://www.stingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41220&page=17


check post #168

Hermy-own
02-06-2010, 07:57 PM
This reminds us how lucky we are to have DBR. That GT board is full of the most hate filled nonsense I've ever read. They insult us, coach K, the refs, their own players, Shumpert, they have an insulting nickname for their own coach, Singer, etc, etc. One long string of useless messages.