MBB: Duke vs. Baylor Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[sagegrouse]

Ah... a regional final! Have won a whole lot of these over the past 50 years. Time is 5:05EDT for the Baylor game (thanks, 77devil).

Tonight was a gritty game for Duke, which really came on after intermission.

Baylor was incredibly impressive against St. Mary's, forcing gobs of turnovers and hitting three point shots as in its own gym.

Questions to get started:

1. Which Duke team shows up? Tonight's first-half team (24 points, 11 TOs) or tonight's second half team (46 points and only a few TOs).

2. Will Zoubs match-up better against Josh Lomers than against the speedy JaJuan Johnson?

3. Is Scheyer's shooting slump in the rearview mirror?

Go Duke!

sagegrouse

[GoingFor#5]

I expect a much faster paced game and I can't see how that hurts us. Let's get some rest and show up to play from MINUTE 1 on Sunday.

[ice-9]

Duke-Baylor is going to be all out war.

LET'S DO THIS!

[DukeUsul]

First game was announced to be 2:20PM. We'll tip at approx. 5:00PM.

[77devil]

Ah... a regional final! Have won a whole lot of these over the past 50 years. Time not yet announced for the Baylor game.

Tonight was a gritty game for Duke, which really came on after intermission.

Baylor was incredibly impressive against St. Mary's, forcing gobs of turnovers and hitting three point shots as in its own gym.

Questions to get started:

1. Which Duke team shows up? Tonight's first-half team (24 points, 11 TOs) or tonight's second half team (46 points and only a few TOs).

2. Will Zoubs match-up better against Josh Lomers than against the speedy JaJuan Johnson?

3. Is Scheyer's shooting slump in the rearview mirror?

Go Duke!

sagegrouse

5:05 EDT game time.

I'll add to the sage insights above whether Baylor can play defense with the same intensity as Purdue did tonight?

[DevilHorns]

Baylor plays zone D very effectively. Anyone we have played recently that would bring a similar defensive presence?

[FerryFor50]

Baylor is a quick team with some size, so a similar team to Duke.

However, Duke has better skilled players all around, IMO. Hopefully they show up for the game and use the 2nd half as momentum.

Baylor was the team I wanted Duke to play the least in this bracket (outside of the trap game against Louisville that never happened), so I'm a little nervous.

But it definitely won't be the same kind of plodding game this was.

[FerryFor50]

Baylor plays zone D very effectively. Anyone we have played recently that would bring a similar defensive presence?

West Virginia. :mad:

Michigan.

Both were losses. :mad:

[KyDevilinIL]

Baylor plays zone D very effectively. Anyone we have played recently that would bring a similar defensive presence?

Miami zoned, but Baylor's probably in a different league.

Still, if we can make some jumpers, the zone itself doesn't frighten me as much as Baylor's athletes. And what figures to be a partisan crowd.

[GoingFor#5]

Anyone have any team stats available? I checked a few games and a couple teams shot lights out from 3 against them. Maybe their zone is soft?

[dukelifer]

West Virginia. :mad:

Michigan.

Both were losses. :mad:

Hmmm. Not this team.

[jipops]

Do we have anything left in the tank for Sunday? Baylor breezed through their game while we'll be nursing bumps, bruises, and possibly minor sprains tomorrow. Last time we came out of a physical war was against Wake after which we were blown out by State.

Baylor is a pretty good defensive team but has been an offensive juggernaut lately. Ukodh is a monster inside and Baylor's backcourt in Dunn and Carter fill it up offensively. Baylor is actually bigger than we are. We're going to need Jon and Nolan's best defensive efforts in this one. Zoubek has to stay on the floor. We'll need a monumental effort from Kyle. It's going to be a tough one.

[dukelifer]

Do we have anything left in the tank for Sunday? Baylor breezed through their game while we'll be nursing bumps, bruises, and possibly minor sprains tomorrow. Last time we came out of a physical war was against Wake after which we were blown out by State.

Baylor is a pretty good defensive team but has been an offensive juggernaut lately. Ukodh is a monster inside and Baylor's backcourt in Dunn and Carter fill it up offensively. Baylor is actually bigger than we are. We're going to need Jon and Nolan's best defensive efforts in this one. Zoubek has to stay on the floor. We'll need a monumental effort from Kyle. It's going to be a tough one.

Well there is no game after this one if they lose.- so Duke will play all out. Also State was well rested for that game. Baylor did not work hard but they are not well rested.

[mgtr]

Do we have anything left in the tank for Sunday? Baylor breezed through their game while we'll be nursing bumps, bruises, and possibly minor sprains tomorrow. Last time we came out of a physical war was against Wake after which we were blown out by State.


This is the critical part. Our guys had to be gassed after tonight, and now Baylor will want to play run and gun with us, plus it is virtually a home crowd for them. Could be tough, but they are all tough when you get to the second weekend.

[FerryFor50]

Hmmm. Not this team.

Very true. But I don't want this next game to turn out like those. :D

[SoCalDukeFan]

Well I think we test our recovery powers. That was a tough game.

Baylor had a walk over.

One of the features of the tournament.

SoCal

[FerryFor50]

Well there is no game after this one if they lose.- so Duke will play all out. Also State was well rested for that game. Baylor did not work hard but they are not well rested.

Plus State shot better than they had in years - 70% or so.

I don't see Baylor doing that (knock on wood).

[dukelifer]

Plus State shot better than they had in years - 70% or so.

I don't see Baylor doing that (knock on wood).

Baylor played a 14, an 11 and a 10. There is a big jump to a 1.

[COYS]

West Virginia. :mad:

Michigan.

Both were losses. :mad:

Those teams were poor rebounding teams that couldn't take advantage of the opportunities for offensive boards against a zone. This team is an exceptional rebounding team, especially on the offensive end. Totally different situation.

[sagegrouse]

This is the critical part. Our guys had to be gassed after tonight, and now Baylor will want to play run and gun with us, plus it is virtually a home crowd for them. Could be tough, but they are all tough when you get to the second weekend.

You mean all those Baylor fans disguised as empty seats?

sagegrouse

[buzz]

This is what a regional final should be. I think this one comes down to a couple of key plays near the end of the game. I like having Singler, Scheyer, and Smith in my corner.

[roywhite]

Methodists and Baptists slugging it out on a Sunday?

Oh, my!

[FerryFor50]

You mean all those Baylor fans disguised as empty seats?

sagegrouse

Oh they'll show up for this one. Playing a home game? Against #1 seed Duke? The hated Blue Devils? For a chance for a Final Four?

Yea, they'll have some "fans" there.

[jipops]

This is the critical part. Our guys had to be gassed after tonight, and now Baylor will want to play run and gun with us, plus it is virtually a home crowd for them. Could be tough, but they are all tough when you get to the second weekend.

My concern is that Baylor's offense could create a lot of separation early. If we're not on top of it defensively this one could get out of hand quickly.

[dukelifer]

My concern is that Baylor's offense could create a lot of separation early. If we're not on top of it defensively this one could get out of hand quickly.
Well- it really will come down to minimizing mistakes. Duke cannot turn the ball over like they did in the first half.

[DevilHorns]

I pretty much watched most of the Baylor - St. Marys game.

Baylor is hella athletic. They shot lights out. Defensively they played incredibly well, but there defense was suited for a team like St. Marys. We are much more athletic, and are much more able to penetrate to the basket than St. Marys. I think we can beat their zone.

[Highlander]

I think I heard tonight that Duke is 10-1 in regional finals under K, with the only loss being in 1998 to eventual NC Kentucky. Typically when we get this far, we go to the Final Four.

I am excited for Sunday's team. This team doesn't quit and plays with a ton of heart. If Baylor wants to win on Sunday, they are sure as heck going to have to earn it, 'cause this team doesn't give an inch on D.

[mgtr]

My concern is that Baylor's offense could create a lot of separation early. If we're not on top of it defensively this one could get out of hand quickly.

I agree, we don't want to start the way we did tonight -- though I would be very happy if we finish the way we did tonight!!!:D

[_Gary]

Do we have anything left in the tank for Sunday? Baylor breezed through their game while we'll be nursing bumps, bruises, and possibly minor sprains tomorrow. Last time we came out of a physical war was against Wake after which we were blown out by State.

Baylor is a pretty good defensive team but has been an offensive juggernaut lately. Ukodh is a monster inside and Baylor's backcourt in Dunn and Carter fill it up offensively. Baylor is actually bigger than we are. We're going to need Jon and Nolan's best defensive efforts in this one. Zoubek has to stay on the floor. We'll need a monumental effort from Kyle. It's going to be a tough one.

Excellent summary. You said everything I was going to point out, so I'm done.

[theAlaskanBear]

Baylor game will be tough. Duke will have to hit a high percentage of shots, and play great defense the whole way through.

I do wonder how tonights game will affect the team on Sunday. I really hated the way the refs called this game. This is basketball not football! I am worried Kyle jammed/tweaked his wrist on that 3-pt play in the second.

Regardless, Duke will have to bring it! I am looking forward to seeing Duke slug Baylor in the mouth (metaphorically speaking). The trick is to start off strong.

[dukelifer]

I agree, we don't want to start the way we did tonight -- though I would be very happy if we finish the way we did tonight!!!:D

I have looked at a few boxscores and Baylor just hangs around games and often does not play as well in the second half. They never let games get away from them. This will be a tight game- but Duke is game tough.

[NSDukeFan]

I am excited for Sunday's team. This team doesn't quit and plays with a ton of heart. If Baylor wants to win on Sunday, they are sure as heck going to have to earn it, 'cause this team doesn't give an inch on D.

I agree. Sunday should be a more entertaining game than the first half of this one and Baylor has the size and different style of defense that may give us trouble as well as some very good offensive players. I like our chances to make it very difficult for them, though. It should be a battle, which is what this time of year is all about.

[camion]

I am hopeful, but I wish we had played the Purdue and Baylor games in reverse order. My main worry is that the (figurative) body shots that we took from Purdue will cause us to lose our legs on Sunday.

[arydolphin]

Quick thoughts on Baylor's zone after seeing it live tonight: St. Mary's struggled tonight against it, and one reason is that they couldn't get dribble penetration against the zone. I think that Nolan and Jon both showed tonight that they can get to the hoop even against tight D on the perimeter. Second, St. Mary's had a good number of touches at the high post, and either didn't look to take the shot from there, or missed a bunch when they did shoot from there. I'll take Kyle in that high-post area all day long against the zone. Finally, St. Mary's barely sent anyone to the offensive boards, so a ton of their possessions were one-and-done, I think that Z and LT would be able to hit the offensive boards more often than St. Mary's did tonight.

[DevilHorns]

Quick thoughts on Baylor's zone after seeing it live tonight: St. Mary's struggled tonight against it, and one reason is that they couldn't get dribble penetration against the zone. I think that Nolan and Jon both showed tonight that they can get to the hoop even against tight D on the perimeter. Second, St. Mary's had a good number of touches at the high post, and either didn't look to take the shot from there, or missed a bunch when they did shoot from there. I'll take Kyle in that high-post area all day long against the zone. Finally, St. Mary's barely sent anyone to the offensive boards, so a ton of their possessions were one-and-done, I think that Z and LT would be able to hit the offensive boards more often than St. Mary's did tonight.

Excellent points.

I actually think St. Marys did penetrate well enough to set up some shots, but their guards were hesitant to try shots, and instead cycled the ball out. Nolan and Jon are not hesitant in that way. They see an opportunity, they generally go for it.

[-bdbd]

Yes, anybody you play at this point is going to be very good. By at least one definition, they are one of the 8 best teams in the country. But this generally seems like an OK match-up for us, with nobody who we obviously can't stop. Also, we finally enter a key game late in a season with everyone essentially healthy. Wahoo! :D

I see the rested-team-vs-unrested-team thing as a minor concern -- it is usually way overstated as a factor. We came into tonight very well rested, and so 2 days should be enough to get our legs back. It isn't like, as in some recent years, this team has appeared tired and fading down the stretch. You could actually argue that Duke's better depth quality should make it easier for Duke than Baylor to play back-to-back games. (Well, anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!)

I too have been concerned about a Baylor "home" game in Houston (as well as playing A&M there - whew - which would have been worse). :rolleyes: But Reliant doesn't seem very loud, and their fans don't have a lot of long traditions and high expectations. If Duke gets ahead by much, I don't see them as having the "legs" of some other groups. We'll see.

GO DUKE! Should be a close, well-played game. :)

[HCheek37]

Not sure why sage is downplaying the Baylor fans, they have masses of people sitting in sections all over the stadium and when they hit a 3 or connected on an alley oop it seemed like the Texans had just scored a touchdown. This will be very very close to a true road game.

I IMPLORE any Iron Dukes and other Duke fans that will be at Reliant Stadium with me on Sunday do their best to give Duke some support that can be audibly heard.

Tonight in fact, Mrs. Krzyzewski and her daughters were leading some cheers that spread up the Duke section of the stands. It was fun to have some real chants going and hopefully boost the team in some respect.

We know the team will show up ready to go, but we also need to support them and be the closet Cameron Crazies we all are.

[Caddiesense]

Hey guys. Baylor guy here. Welcome to Texas. A few things:

1. Congrats on the Purdue win. I've always admired Duke's tradition and always been a Coach K fan.

2. We're much bigger and probably a little bit better than many of you think. Lomers is like a stump who can't jump. But he's a physical load to move out of the paint, unless he fouls out (which is always a possibility since he's usually in foul trouble). As Hubert Davis said, he was shocked at how physically big we are. Statistically, we're the 2nd tallest team in D-1 to Kentucky. Having said that, you guys have seen "tall" teams before and beaten them.

3. We have a lot of athletic, rangy guys who can jump out of the gym like Quincy Acy (the human highlight film with dunks). But, once again, you have seen and beaten teams like that in the ACC.

4. As someone else pointed out, we stick around with pretty much everyone and have a chance to win. However, we certainly haven't been in as many "big time" situations as you have, so you definitely have an advantage there.

5. Our zone has gotten better and better all year long. Our guys have long, rangy reach and it has given most teams trouble. The exceptions have been teams who are excellent from 3 point land (OSU and KU hurt us there, although St Mary's was supposed to be good too), but you guys have the disciplined shooters who could hurt us there.

6. If LaceDarius Dunn is ON, then he is usually HOT as you know what from the outside the entire game. Unfortunately, Lace makes a lot of stupid "reach in" fouls and can get in foul trouble early. When he does, we are VERY vulnerable. Duke has several guys who may be able to shutdown Lace, or at least get him in foul trouble.

7. We have a tendency to struggle somewhat against disciplined, well coached, patient teams. You obviously have all 3 of those and when Singler is hot from the outside you are almost impossible to stop. We will struggle if you guys jump on us.

8. The team which gave us the most trouble all year (including 2 defeats) was KState. The reason is that their guards are great from the offensive and defensive sides, similar to your's. KState's attacking defense kept our shooters off center and wore us down.

9. Kinda unexpected and classless comments aimed at Baylor on the attendance. We sold 20,000+ tickets and if you had been there, you would have seen a sea of green and gold. Duke sold less than 4,000. So, no reason for those lame accusations about the "empty Baylor seats." The attendance was almost 40,000 but, yes, the place did look empty because it was set up for the full 75,000 to test run for the future Final Four.

Anyway, best of luck. Great board too. Obviously a lot of knowledgeable basketball fans, which is why I've always liked Duke.

[DevilHorns]

Kinda unexpected and classless comments aimed at Baylor on the attendance. We sold 20,000+ tickets and if you had been there, you would have seen a sea of green and gold. Duke sold less than 4,000. So, no reason for those lame accusations about the "empty Baylor seats." The attendance was almost 40,000 but, yes, the place did look empty because it was set up for the full 75,000 to test run for the future Final Four.

Anyway, best of luck. Great board too. Obviously a lot of knowledgeable basketball fans, which is why I've always liked Duke.

Welcome.

I think most of those comments about the attendance is an illusion from simply watching the Duke game on TV. The comments werent really about the Baylor-St. Marys game. Its probably fair to say that many fans probably left after the first game. Also, its a huge stadium, and the design of the stadium from a TV viewer's angle doesnt really perpetuate the idea of a packed house. It didnt look rocking and loud, but then again that is largely dependent on the media setup and feed.

You guys have a great team. Best of luck.

[Caddiesense]

It's definitely not as loud as it would have been at an arena site, like Salt Lake City and the West Regional. I understand why the NCAA wants to use stadiums for Regionals as tests for future Final Fours, but I just don't think that lends itself to as good of a college basketball environment as an arena would. Fans tend to travel in the thousands, regardless of distance, if their team makes the Final Four. I'm not so sure that's the case in Regionals.

The Baylor-Saint Mary's game never got loud because it wasn't much of a contest. After listening back to some of the audio tonight on ESPN and CBS Highlights, I would say the noise levels at the Duke-Purdue game were definitely louder inside the stadium than what I heard back on the Highlights.

[Caddiesense]

And, please don't take this as an arrogant statement, but I have to admit I've been a little surprised tonight at all the media talking heads essentially saying Saint Mary's was just out of sync. The funny thing is that a number of great shooting teams have seemingly fallen "out of sync" when they played us. I wonder why? Our defense never gets much credit, yet if you look in the Top 20 NCAA defensive categories you'll find us there in several.

Most teams we've played, however, either have good guards and not a lot of firepower inside or vice versa. So, we've been able to shutdown one or the other. You guys have both, which is going to present us problems, particularly if Singler and Scheyer (sp?) are on.

[cptnflash]

You mean all those Baylor fans disguised as empty seats?

sagegrouse

Those Baylor fans disguised as empty seats will turn into full fledged Baylor fans on Sunday, because:

1) They're playing for a first-ever trip to the Final Four. And,

2) Their opponent is Duke.

Make no mistake, this will be a road game for us against a really good opponent.

[Caddiesense]

We do have one major advantage, though: Dickie V and Digger both picked Duke, which we consider good luck. Every time they've picked against us this year (and that has been FREQUENTLY), we've won! :D

[ricks68]

As far as the analysis from the Baylor poster concerning the game attendance, I have to agree strongly with it. The Duke section had the fewest Duke supporters. In fact, it was full of people with Baylor and other t-shirts. Baylor was all over the stadium in very large solid contingents. And, it was so loud in there that I had to actually walk through the concourse, and then go outside down a ramp to make a phone call during the Baylor game.

The stadium is huge, with the venue set up differently than in the past, with a capacity of something like 70,000 potential seats. The lower sections hold most of the seats instead of the upper sections, now. And-------------they were loaded with cheering Baylor fans.

There were duke blue t-shirts scattered throughout the entire stadium, however. While the official Duke section was poorly attended, I was surprised at the number of Duke t-shirts around that were being worn by apparently non-Duke affiliated people. In fact, one was sitting right in front of me. He told me a great story about his visit to Duke about a year-and-a-half ago that came about because his sister was accepted and wanted to check Duke out first, but afterwards opted to go to Emory instead.

This young guy (under 30) said that when he was leaving his visit to Cameron, he noticed Coach K coming out the door and approached him. He said that Coach K shook his hand and spent a lot of time talking to him. He was very impressed with how nice and gracious Coach K was, but he said that he will be a Duke fan forever because of what happened after he mentioned that he also coached some kids in basketball. As soon as Coach k heard this, he invited this young guy up to his office and gave him one of his coaching DVD's and get this-------he got a basketball for him and signed it.

What else is there to say? :)

ricks

[DevilHorns]

And, please don't take this as an arrogant statement, but I have to admit I've been a little surprised tonight at all the media talking heads essentially saying Saint Mary's was just out of sync. The funny thing is that a number of great shooting teams have seemingly fallen "out of sync" when they played us.

Thats the case of the media letting a cinderella team down lightly. They were simply outmatched for most of the game.

[Caddiesense]

There were duke blue t-shirts scattered throughout the entire stadium, however. While the official Duke section was poorly attended, I was surprised at the number of Duke t-shirts around that were being worn by apparently non-Duke affiliated people.
ricks

Duke has always been popular here in Texas with non-Duke affiliated people. What's not to like about a program that has always been: 1) a classy winner; 2) with a classy coach; and, 3) the best (and most clever) home court fans in the country. You actually see Duke t-shirts and sweatshirts at Big 12 basketball and football games.

[DurhamMatt]

Nolan grabbed the mop. I don't get the aprehension on the board. One more battle for the final 4 it doesn't happen every year I am lovin it. Whooooooooo enjoy it we have an awesome team and we are not scared of Baylor. Grab the mop

[trinity92]

Huge caveat is that I haven't watched Baylor play all year, but at this point in the year, I'm both happy and scared to see a zone defense:

Happy: Toward the end of this season, our bigs have shown good passing/receiving skills and chemistry. I think we'll be able to set up a big in the heart of the zone at the foul line to find other frontcourt mates cutting along the baseline for inside shots, rather than being reduced to the mythical "live by the three . . ." team most hoops fans are still convinced we field.

Scared: Baylor is really athletic and a zone allows guards to get on the break fast off misses and turnovers. Our transition D has been a bit of a soft spot this year, and allowing Baylor easy transition baskets will be a killer, and ignite the partisan crowd, to boot.

Either way: Rebounding is key to our team at all times, and zone rebounding can be very strange. Will be a super important stat to me.

Go Duke!!

[OldPhiKap]

Thanks for the insight and perspective, Caddie. Should be a heck of a game.

I don't think there are too many taking Baylor lightly -- there has been concern about this possible match-up on this board since Selection Sunday.

And, as others noted, watching on TV the place looked kinda empty for the Duke game. Thanks for giving a first-hand correction of that perception. Either way, I am sure that Sunday will be a full house.

Good luck, Go Duke, GTHC!

[oso diablo]

As a graduate of both schools in this game (see screen name), can't lose here.

I'm so thrilled to see Baylor do well. After the depths of the Bliss situation, i posted, on the Baylor board*, a suggestion that the university follow the "Duke model". What i meant was that we could focus our initial efforts on basketball, and let football follow on the coattails. (I know that may not be how Duke has intentionally done it, but the term conveyed the effect i meant.) I was lambasted for that comment (this is Texas! Football is king!).

But how much easier it is to find a handful of talented players in hoops. And so i'm seeing my prediction come to fruition. We already have a national title on the women's side. And now this.

Going to Indy no matter what!

[Jackson]

Do we have anything left in the tank for Sunday? Baylor breezed through their game while we'll be nursing bumps, bruises, and possibly minor sprains tomorrow. Last time we came out of a physical war was against Wake after which we were blown out by State.

Baylor is a pretty good defensive team but has been an offensive juggernaut lately. Ukodh is a monster inside and Baylor's backcourt in Dunn and Carter fill it up offensively. Baylor is actually bigger than we are. We're going to need Jon and Nolan's best defensive efforts in this one. Zoubek has to stay on the floor. We'll need a monumental effort from Kyle. It's going to be a tough one.

Let's not forget, Baylor struggled mightily against Old Dominion. The Saint Mary's game makes them look like a juggernaut, BUT each game is different. I didn't want to see the matchup against Baylor but if Jon is able to knock down a couple of threes, then that zone will have to spread out. When it does, good things will happen offensively. I like our chances. I think Duke's athletes are better than Baylor's athletes, at least as basketball players.

[oso diablo]

If you've only seen Baylor in yesterday's game, that was the best i've seen the Bears play. My biggest criticism of the team is that they seem to take stretches of the game off, letting off the gas when they get a lead. Though it's hard to believe they would do that tomorrow (should the situation occur).

But the Bears are really, really good. I think PG Tweety Carter had a better season than Sharron Collins. And Udoh had a better season than Cole Aldrich. And Dunn was right up there with them, too.

P.S. Baylor fans will dominate this arena. Houston has the largest concentration of Baylor alums anywhere in the world. And the campus is only 3 hours away. This is the biggest sporting event for the school since the 1974 SWC championship in football and the trip to the Cotton Bowl.

[mehmattski]

On this page on Pomeroy's site you can see some trends in Baylor's performance:

http://kenpom.com/expsked.php?team=Baylor

Their defensive efficiency is strongly correlated to their opponents' free throw rate; that is, when the other team is getting to the free throw line, their efficiency is strongly reduced. To me, that's the key to this game:

1) Dribble penetration into the lane by Triple-S
1a) If the zone collapses, kick out for a three
1b) If the zone stays put, drive to the basket

If 1b is associated with a lot of free throws (rather than a lot of blocks, which are supplied in large numbers by Acy and Udoh), Duke's offense should not have a lot of trouble being efficient. This game is sort of the opposite of the Purdue game, which matched elite defenses. This game features two elite offenses, with the difference being a much reduced defensive efficiency from Baylor (compared to Duke's).

As the Baylor fan (welcome!) pointed out, Baylor is a tall team, but Duke beats tall teams. Indeed, here is Pomeroy's "Effective Height" rating, where the height of the player is scaled by how much they play:

http://kenpom.com/height.php?s=HgtEffRank

Duke is 6-0 against the top 10 tallest teams in the nation, and 9-2 against the top 20. None of those teams, of course, have anywhere near the three-point shooting ability of Baylor, so this is a truly different kind of tall team Duke is facing. It's going to be a great game.

On the less tangible side of things, I do worry about it being a road game, with whatever screwed up mojo this team got at Wisconsin, at Georgia Tech at Georgetown, at NC State, and at Maryland. On the other hand, if there's a coach I trust to turn around a team in less than 48 hours, it's Mike Krzyzewski. As much as he gets flak on this board about his schedule, he gets the team into two-day turn arounds all the time, like in the preseason NIT. See the 10-1 record in regional finals for further evidence. Hopefully no Maryland fans find out any of the players' hotel room phone numbers...

[wacobluedevil]

Anyone have any team stats available? I checked a few games and a couple teams shot lights out from 3 against them. Maybe their zone is soft?

No, Baylor plays more of a match-up zone that challenges perimeter players beyond the arc. Soft spots are along the foul line and in the corners (but you have to be quick with your passes), and dribble penetration along the baseline. Like Zoubs, Lomers takes up a lot of space in the middle.

[ArtVandelay]

Let's not forget, Baylor struggled mightily against Old Dominion. The Saint Mary's game makes them look like a juggernaut, BUT each game is different.

TITCR. This Baylor team also was in a tight one with Sam Houston St. in the first round. A couple of my friends seemed scared of Baylor based on their beat-down of St. Mary's and our slobber-knocker against Purdue. Bad idea to judge these teams based on one game. I think we can expect (read: hope) both teams to "regress to the mean" in the next one. Duke should play a better, less sloppy game on Sunday and hopefully Baylor is not firing on all cylinders again. That's not to say that Baylor is not a very good team, because they are, but let's not get carried away by one blowout of St. Mary's.

[sagegrouse]

I have been called to task for a throw-away comment on "Baylor fans disguised as empty seats." Caddiesense says that Baylor fans bought 20,000 tickets and that a big crowd looked lost in the football stadium. Also, that the crowd tended to dwindle as the hour latened. He and others are right. I was trying to be cute, not snide, and apparently I failed at both.

sagegrouse

[BD80]

No, Baylor plays more of a match-up zone that challenges perimeter players beyond the arc. Soft spots are along the foul line and in the corners (but you have to be quick with your passes), and dribble penetration along the baseline. Like Zoubs, Lomers takes up a lot of space in the middle.

An aggressive match-up zone is also vulnerable to a high post pick, Z's specialty! If Lomers is not too mobile, he may have trouble defending drives down the lane or the short floater by Nolan or Jon.

[NSDukeFan]

Ah... a regional final! Have won a whole lot of these over the past 50 years. Time is 5:05EDT for the Baylor game (thanks, 77devil).

Tonight was a gritty game for Duke, which really came on after intermission.

Baylor was incredibly impressive against St. Mary's, forcing gobs of turnovers and hitting three point shots as in its own gym.

Questions to get started:

1. Which Duke team shows up? Tonight's first-half team (24 points, 11 TOs) or tonight's second half team (46 points and only a few TOs).

2. Will Zoubs match-up better against Josh Lomers than against the speedy JaJuan Johnson?

3. Is Scheyer's shooting slump in the rearview mirror?

Go Duke!

sagegrouse

1. I don't think Duke will face the same defensive pressure that Purdue applied, so I expect the team will go back to the stingy team that does not turn the ball over. On the other hand, I don't know how well the team will be able to attack their huge zone (6'10, 6'10, 7', they make Duke look small.) I know that Udoh is very athletic, but don't know how well the other 6'10 starter moves his feet to cover the corner (one of Jon's favorite shooting spots.) Duke hasn't faced that many zone defenses this year and I don't know if the team has faced one as solid as Baylor. I hope the team doesn't settle for threes and does attack the interior of the zone and especially the high post, which I expect will be the case. It would be nice to see Miles and Lance hit a couple of high post jumpers. I wonder if Ryan gets a shot in this game as I would think offensively, this would be a good opportunity for him. This match up should also be better for Andre than Purdue was, from an offensive standpoint.
2. I would expect Zoubs to match up much better with Lomers than Johnson. I thought Zoubs did a reasonable job vs. Johnson as most of his hoops were contested 18 foot jumpers, which any team will have trouble guarding. Unfortunately, I believe Udoh can sometimes hit that shot as well. Lance will have a big challenge. Lomers does seem like a Zoubs-lite though as he seems to rebound reasonably well and will score if you don't defend him well.
3. This is, of course, the million dollar question. Jon is a streaky shooter, but does so many great things for the team. I don't know if he will have a good shooting game, but I expect he will make at least one big 3 at some point and will be a solid contributor no matter what happens. I also hadn't realized that when the team had all the turnovers in the first half, Jon didn't have any of them.


Hey guys. Baylor guy here. Welcome to Texas. A few things:

1. Congrats on the Purdue win. I've always admired Duke's tradition and always been a Coach K fan.

2. We're much bigger and probably a little bit better than many of you think. Lomers is like a stump who can't jump. But he's a physical load to move out of the paint, unless he fouls out (which is always a possibility since he's usually in foul trouble). As Hubert Davis said, he was shocked at how physically big we are. Statistically, we're the 2nd tallest team in D-1 to Kentucky. Having said that, you guys have seen "tall" teams before and beaten them.

3. We have a lot of athletic, rangy guys who can jump out of the gym like Quincy Acy (the human highlight film with dunks). But, once again, you have seen and beaten teams like that in the ACC.

4. As someone else pointed out, we stick around with pretty much everyone and have a chance to win. However, we certainly haven't been in as many "big time" situations as you have, so you definitely have an advantage there.

5. Our zone has gotten better and better all year long. Our guys have long, rangy reach and it has given most teams trouble. The exceptions have been teams who are excellent from 3 point land (OSU and KU hurt us there, although St Mary's was supposed to be good too), but you guys have the disciplined shooters who could hurt us there.

6. If LaceDarius Dunn is ON, then he is usually HOT as you know what from the outside the entire game. Unfortunately, Lace makes a lot of stupid "reach in" fouls and can get in foul trouble early. When he does, we are VERY vulnerable. Duke has several guys who may be able to shutdown Lace, or at least get him in foul trouble.

7. We have a tendency to struggle somewhat against disciplined, well coached, patient teams. You obviously have all 3 of those and when Singler is hot from the outside you are almost impossible to stop. We will struggle if you guys jump on us.

8. The team which gave us the most trouble all year (including 2 defeats) was KState. The reason is that their guards are great from the offensive and defensive sides, similar to your's. KState's attacking defense kept our shooters off center and wore us down.

9. Kinda unexpected and classless comments aimed at Baylor on the attendance. We sold 20,000+ tickets and if you had been there, you would have seen a sea of green and gold. Duke sold less than 4,000. So, no reason for those lame accusations about the "empty Baylor seats." The attendance was almost 40,000 but, yes, the place did look empty because it was set up for the full 75,000 to test run for the future Final Four.

Anyway, best of luck. Great board too. Obviously a lot of knowledgeable basketball fans, which is why I've always liked Duke.

1. Thanks
2. You guys are huge. Duke has certainly beaten big teams this year, but I don't know if the team has played a team quite as tall inside as Baylor. Mind you, Duke is also a very big team and shouldn't feel small in this game.
3. Duke has played some tall, athletic players and Mason and Miles certainly fit that bill, and one of the keys to the game from Duke's perspective will be to limit Baylor's transition points.
4. Both teams should have some big-game experience as Duke played one of the toughest schedules in the country this year and the Big 12 schedule certainly would have been a very tough one.
5. I wouldn't say Duke is "excellent" from 3 point range, and hope that we find some other ways to attack the zone.
6. I would like to see Nolan on Dunn and try to defend him with the same intensity that he did with Randle, but Dunn with a very good player in Carter in the back court as well, I expect Nolan will match up with Carter and try to limit his penetration. Dunn looked tough from the little bit I have seen of him and will likely make some shots no matter how he is defended. Hopefully, he doesn't get anything easy and has to take contested shots all game.
7. I hope Baylor struggles with disciplined, well-coached, patient teams because that is Duke.

Should be a very good game. I believe Duke has to limit Baylor's transition opportunities, which the team has done a great job of in the past month. Duke can't afford to turn the ball over like they did in the first half yesterday as I think Baylor would be quicker to turn those into points. I also wonder how well Baylor rebounds out of their zone, as that is typically a weakness of zone defenses and offensive rebounding is key part of Duke's offense.
This is as it should be, two very good teams playing each other for a berth in the final four.
Go Duke!

[A-Tex Devil]

Any complaints of the crowd last night weren't paying attention during the Baylor game. With Purdue gone, it will be a sea of green and gold tomorrow, and I bet it's close to planned capacity (they are clearly not selling certain end sections).

Baylor is a really big private school and has an alumni base that rivals the size of most ACC state schools. People will be driving down from all corners of the state tday to try to go to the game tomorrow.

As for the team, Baylor has the horses, and they don't have many holes on the offensive end (having big guys that can finish, driving guards, 3 pointshooters). Our defense will be put to the test in ways they weren't last night.

Baylor has looked really good recently.... beating Texas twice, SHSU (actually, not so good that game with the triangle and 2 thrown at them), ODU and St. Mary's. Look at that list. Baylor doesn't have a ton of high quality wins. Okie State, A&M, Xavier... They playd KU hard in Lawrence, but lost, and KSU handled them twice.

Baylor also has a couple of pretty bad losses. I am not saying they can't beat us. Duke can play pretty well and potentially still lose. But disciplined defensive teams have handled them, and as well as they've played, they've had the cushiest run to the elite 8 of any team.

[dukestheheat]

Wow! What a great win! We just gutted that one out and I'm thrilled to get one more chance to play! Next play.

Baylor: a very tough team and it's possible that Duke won't be favored to win this one.

But, we have a couple things going FOR DUKE. 1) We have Superman as coach, and Baylor doesn't. K has forgotten more about competing in and winning NCAA games than their coach will probably ever learn, and this has to count for Duke! 2) A great defense will usually stifle a great offense. Duke's defense has been very strong this year, limiting teams to low offensive output and giving Duke the edge. This certainly will work itself out in the game versus Baylor, which is known for explosive, powerful offense.

I am so proud of this team and we are simply going to have to bring what brought us here in the first place: strong defense, free throws, rebounding, attitude.

GO DUKE!

dukestheheat.

[PumpkinFunk]

Get loud during our game. The noise level on the floor is much quieter than you would think, even when the stadium full of Baylor fans is cheering, but it's enough to make a difference. The cheerleaders struggled to get anyone in the stands going besides the band and the big group of elementary/middle school kids behind us cheering, and a friend of mine in the Duke section and the other students around him were fought by entitled Duke fans who didn't want to stand up and cheer during the game. Yes, you may have paid good money for the game, but with us being way outnumbered, we need to step it up on Sunday. The team needs us to be loud and be cheering when we make plays. As it is, this is a semi-home game for Baylor, so we can't let up in cheering when we are playing well.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

I knew Baylor was big, but a starting front line of 6'10, 6'10, and 7'0 is ridiculous. That is NBA size right there, plus they got a very talented big man in Quincy Acy that comes off the bench. They're a scary team with their size and athleticism, but if any Duke team can handle them, it's this one.

As much as I hate Hubert Davis and do not ever want to pay attention to anything he has to say about a Duke team, he did have a point saying we are going to have to hit shots from the outside because with Udoh, Jones, and Lomers, it will be difficult to get as many shots down low and grab as many offensive rebounds as we've had down the stretch. Matchup wise, this is a difficult game for us, but this team so so mentally strong and with Coach K on the bench, anything is possible! I can't wait another day for this game!!

[CDu]

Wow! What a great win! We just gutted that one out and I'm thrilled to get one more chance to play! Next play.

Baylor: a very tough team and it's possible that Duke won't be favored to win this one.

But, we have a couple things going FOR DUKE. 1) We have Superman as coach, and Baylor doesn't. K has forgotten more about competing in and winning NCAA games than their coach will probably ever learn, and this has to count for Duke! 2) A great defense will usually stifle a great offense. Duke's defense has been very strong this year, limiting teams to low offensive output and giving Duke the edge. This certainly will work itself out in the game versus Baylor, which is known for explosive, powerful offense.

I am so proud of this team and we are simply going to have to bring what brought us here in the first place: strong defense, free throws, rebounding, attitude.

GO DUKE!

dukestheheat.

I wouldn't bad-mouth Drew too much. He's a very good coach. I realize your point is to compliment Coach K's brilliance, but Drew appears to be a very talented young coach and has done a fabulous job rebuilding this team from the depths of the chaos/tragedy of the Bliss era.

As for the game itself, we'll probably favored by a few points. Baylor will be a very tough out and could very possibly beat us. By the same token, we'll be a very tough out and could very possibly beat Baylor.

Baylor is one of the most efficient offenses in the country. They have two very good scoring guards who can really shoot it. They have a big, versatile big man who can score from a variety of spots on the floor. They have size and athleticism.

What they don't do well:
1. Force turnovers. They're one of the worst in the country in forcing turnovers.
2. Rebound defensively. They're very mediocre in defensive rebound %.
3. Draw fouls. They are well below-average in FTA/FGA.
4. Push tempo. They are 227th in adjusted tempo. That's not to say that their guards wouldn't like to run against us - just that they haven't historically played a lot of high-possession games this year.

What they do do well:
1. Score efficiently. They are the 4th most efficient offense, and they are 15th in effective FG%. They're one of the best 3pt shooting teams and one of the best 2pt shooting teams.
2. Defend the 2pt shot. They are 8th in 2pt% against.
3. Block shots (related to #2). They are 7th in block %.

They are a much much MUCH more proficient offense than Purdue. As such, we should expect to give up more points. It will be interesting to see, though, if our defense comes to play like it did against Cal. We took their two star guards completely out of the game. If we can come close to that level of defensive dominance again, we'll be in good shape. Of course, that's easier said than done.

[A-Tex Devil]

They are a much much MUCH more proficient offense than Purdue. As such, we should expect to give up more points. It will be interesting to see, though, if our defense comes to play like it did against Cal. We took their two star guards completely out of the game. If we can come close to that level of defensive dominance again, we'll be in good shape. Of course, that's easier said than done.

These are great points. Except for the occasional 3 by Jones, their big men, including Acey are completely dependent on the guards creating the offense for them. Baylor's frontline creates nothing on their own. They are, however, really good at finding the open spot when their guard drives the lane and a big man helps (see Acey's 10 dunks against Texas, almost all on drives and dishes when Texas' guards got beat and Gary Johnson or D. James had to come over and help).

If the 3 S's can play D against their guards like they did against Cal, and our big men don't lose their guys, that will be good for us. And I think you put Nolan on Tweety and have Scheyer chase Dunn around. Nolan can stay in front of most guards, which will be key. Dunn isn't much of a drive and dish player, and Sheyer has proven to be an excellent perimeter defender against outside shooters.

[dukestheheat]

cDU,

I know that Scott Drew can coach and is a good coach, but the point here is that K is worlds away in terms of 'that game' experience versus Drew. That will work in Duke's favor if the game is close.

Second note: I just saw that Ken Pom is predicting a 6 point Duke victory, at 71-65. Should be a great game!

dth.

[Jackson]

TITCR. This Baylor team also was in a tight one with Sam Houston St. in the first round. A couple of my friends seemed scared of Baylor based on their beat-down of St. Mary's and our slobber-knocker against Purdue. Bad idea to judge these teams based on one game. I think we can expect (read: hope) both teams to "regress to the mean" in the next one. Duke should play a better, less sloppy game on Sunday and hopefully Baylor is not firing on all cylinders again. That's not to say that Baylor is not a very good team, because they are, but let's not get carried away by one blowout of St. Mary's.

I like the way you think! Plus, I will be happy to watch our three headed monster of Zoubs and Plumlee x 2 go against Udoh in the post! Can't wait! Go Devils!

[Cheshire Bear.]

Hey guys, Baylor fan here. Just wanted to wish you all good luck on Sunday. Very excited about the opportunity to match our team up with a quality coach, team, and university like y'alls. If y'all have any questions about Baylor hoops, feel free to ask me and I'll answer them to the best of my abilities haha. Feel free to stop by baylorfans.com too and jump in some of our hoops discussions.

[dukestheheat]

^^^^

Agreed Jackson, and also Duke is known for defense this year and this should tip the scales in our favor! The two teams average about 77 points per game but Baylor is allowing 65/game while Duke is only allowing 61/game. I like our chances based on that!

dth.

[dukestheheat]

^^^

Welcome Cheshire Bear.. Good luck!

dth.

[Classof06]

For obvious reasons, this will be Duke's toughest game of the tournament, especially if Baylor shoots like they did last night.

But for one, Baylor hasn't played anyone like Duke in the tournament yet; they haven't even played a team from a "power" conference. So, however "easy" you want to call Duke's path, Baylor's has been softer.

I'm looking forward to the battle between two superior and deep frontcourts; while the guards on each team are great, this is going to be a great battle in the paint. Besides Kentucky, Baylor is the only remaining team that can match Duke's frontcourt man for man. I think this is going to be a knockdown, drag out fight and I think it will be arguably the best game of the tournament. I look forward to a game going down to the wire.

GO DUKE

[soccerstud2210]

shooting

and

rebounding


can we shoot good enough to punish their zone?


can we pound them on the offensive boards? (as it is very difficult to box out and rebound in the zone)

before the brackets came out Baylor was the last team that i wanted to see in our bracket... sure enough. they were placed there.

as i think more and more about it, i am liking our chances. Baylor has not faced a defensive team like us yet. this is their first real game in this tourney.

Can't wait!!!! go DUKE!!!

[throatybeard]

Speaking of Baylor, their women are leading Tennessee by three at the under-12 timeout. A Baylor win would take Tennessee out of our path and set up a second Duke-Baylor Region Final if Duke TCBs against San Diego State. I think Baylor won a women's national title about five years ago.

Griner is terrifying. I think she's actually Grendel's Mother.

[HCheek37]

no matter what, I expect this game to come down to the final 5 minutes...Baylor hasn't been blown out all year, and I don't see the Devils falling apart on the big stage.

Anyone else think its kinda funny to see Coach K sitting alone on the floor? :)

I just hope that the Duke section can keep some chants going and at points compete with the masses of Baylor fans that will be there.

[A-Tex Devil]

.I just hope that the Duke section can keep some chants going and at points compete with the masses of Baylor fans that will be there.

As nice as the weather is here, (upper 60s and sunny), they really ought to just drop the pretense and move the game to Floyd Casey stadium in Waco.

[basket1544]

My mother-in-law went to Baylor. We've been sitting here watching the Baylor (men's) game last night and the Duke (men's) and the Baylor (women's) game today. Getting ready for the Duke (women's) game in 30 mins. I spent the womens game confused. I don't cheer for Tennessee but saying Go Baylor isn't in my vocabulary for the next 30 hours or so.

[tecumseh]

Thought on the Baylor game. Anyone see them play this year?

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20426

[bulldog44]

Thought on the Baylor game. Anyone see them play this year?

Awesome screen name.

[-bdbd]

[QUOTE=CDu;385368]...Drew's a very good coach. ...As for the game itself, we'll probably be favored by a few points. Baylor will be a very tough out and could very possibly beat us. By the same token, we'll be a very tough out...

Baylor is one of the most efficient offenses in the country. They have two very good scoring guards who can really shoot it. They have a big, versatile big man who can score from a variety of spots on the floor. They have size and athleticism.

What they don't do well:
1. Force turnovers. They're one of the worst in the country in forcing turnovers.
2. Rebound defensively. They're very mediocre in defensive rebound %.
3. Draw fouls. They are well below-average in FTA/FGA.
4. Push tempo. They are 227th in adjusted tempo. That's not to say that their guards wouldn't like to run against us - just that they haven't historically played a lot of high-possession games this year.

What they do do well:
1. Score efficiently. They are the 4th most efficient offense, and they are 15th in effective FG%. They're one of the best 3pt shooting teams and one of the best 2pt shooting teams.
2. Defend the 2pt shot. They are 8th in 2pt% against.
3. Block shots (related to #2). They are 7th in block %.They are a much much MUCH more proficient offense than Purdue. ... It will be interesting to see, though, if our defense comes to play... If we can come close to that level (Vs Cal) of defensive dominance again, we'll be in good shape... [QUOTE]
================================================== ===============================
Good summary CDu. In many ways this seems like a prety even match-up. Good guard play on both sides. Baylor with a well-regarded, efficient Offense vs a top-notch Duke D. Strong interior players on both sides. Good coaches. Duke with a little better performance during the regular season, balanced by Baylors 40,000+ fans in Reliant. I'd be shocked if this one isn't decided in the last few minutes.

A couple CDu points that are BIG positives for us. Baylor's lack of ball-pressure and forcing t/o's should make the (lack of) rest issue less likely to matter. Their weakness in drawing fouls could be significant b/c Zoubs will be so important in this one. Conversely, if Z does get into foul trouble, we could be in real danger w/o a lot of other "beef" up front, relatively. No mention so far, but it appear Kyle will have a 6-10 "F" guarding him. Does their F have any speed to go along with his height? Though the defender size will hamper Singler going to the hole, I can see Kyle taking a lot of outside shots (assuming they're not in pure-Z always).

On the down side for Duke, and as one of our Baylor guests mentioned, Baylor struggles against teams that can hit the three. We will need the 3-pt shooting to return to win this one. I expect to see a lot of drives and kick-outs by Duke. A relative strength for us thusfar - our interior game - will probably be largely neutralized by their size. It could be a great opportunioty for a Duke big who can hit some mid-range jumpers -- "calling Mr. Ma. Plumlee." Duke will get a bunch of shots blocked, but we still want to be driving to the hoop.


Game-deciding points:
1. Can Duke hit the mid and long-range shots? Need Jon to be on-track again. This is so key vs a zone-D team.
2. Foul trouble both ways.
3. Impact of the crowd?
4. Can Duke D pressure disrupt Baylor's O efficiency. And specifically, can our guard/ball pressure make it difficult for them to get good feeds into their bigs down low (b/c they are so-so creaters on their own). Or can Baylor overpower Duke's pressure?
5. Rebounding - though I expect it to be largely a wash, if either team can gain an edge here (for us a big danger if Z is in foul difficulty) it could be significant.

I look for a close one all the way. That said, I like our experience in close games, seniot leadership and K to give us that little edge in the last 4 minutes. This will be a good one.


Go Duke!!

[Vincetaylor]

Get loud during our game. The noise level on the floor is much quieter than you would think, even when the stadium full of Baylor fans is cheering, but it's enough to make a difference. The cheerleaders struggled to get anyone in the stands going besides the band and the big group of elementary/middle school kids behind us cheering, and a friend of mine in the Duke section and the other students around him were fought by entitled Duke fans who didn't want to stand up and cheer during the game. Yes, you may have paid good money for the game, but with us being way outnumbered, we need to step it up on Sunday. The team needs us to be loud and be cheering when we make plays. As it is, this is a semi-home game for Baylor, so we can't let up in cheering when we are playing well.


I remember being yelled at to sit down by a fellow Duke fan in the waning moments of Duke's Elite 8 game against Purdue in 1994. I refused. I was a Duke student at the time and pretty pissed about it.

[jipops]

I think we're going to have problems getting any kind of scoring around the lane. I expect us to have a lot of our shots thrown back in our face. Nolan's defense on LaceDarius Dunn is crucial. I'm sure he'll be Nolan's assignment. We need to make this as ugly as possible for them while hitting some perimeter shots against their zone. It will be interesting to see how well we get offensive rebounds against their zone.

[Bo_Spice]

This could be a tough game for us, but I just want to point a few things out,

Udoh is a good player, but he has struggled against big men with size so far in the tournament, he dominated Sam Houston State, but their tallest starter was 6'6. Against Saint Mary's and Old Dominion Udoh has gone 6 of 20 (30%) and is only averaging 8 ppg. Baylor does have some size and some length, but they're not that skilled, Anthony Jones is decent, Lomers is decent, and Udoh has been struggling. And to be honest with as good as Kyle Singler has been playing, I think he's going to eat this zone alive he's been putting up 22 and 7 going back to the UNC game, and I don't see why tomorrow night will be any different.

Go Duke!!

[Caddiesense]

A couple of things for you to keep you guys to keep your eyes on: the two weak points in our various zones are Anthony Jones and Quincy Acy. Both have a tendency to overplay, which can sometimes lead to steals or forced turnovers but often leads to easy buckets for good shooting teams.

Jones is kind of a hot and cold player. Yes, he's 6-11, but he weighs about 135 lbs soaking wet (yes, exagerration, but you get the point). He's great against other small forwards because of his range so when our guards are trapped they can easily loft the ball high and Jones can usually outleap his counterpart who is frequently 5 or 6 inches shorter. Jones can hit occasional 3's, but he has a tendency to throw up some boneheaded shots at the wrong time and when he's off, he's WAY OFF usually for the entire game. The one advantage of his rail thin frame is that he can sometimes slip behind another teams zone and slither his way underneath the basket for a layup or dunk. If Drew can tell Jones is off or playing out of control, he quickly substitutes Fred Ellis. Fred is also kinda hot and cold, but is a little wider body and helps a little more on the defensive side.

Acy is just plain athletic. Although he's only 6-7, his vertical leap allows him to play at times as if he's 6-10 or 6-11 and his musclature allows him to box out guys who are much bigger than him. He has a decent baseline jumper, but he's most known for slipping behind a D and taking a lob for a slam over an unsuspecting back line. The problem with Acy is that he overplays on defense, which then would leave someone like Singler for an open 3 from the corner. His overplay intimidated several opponents this year, and his hustle results in turnovers or steals against undisciplined teams. Duke isn't an undisciplined team, so I don't think he can do much against you guys from that perspective.

When it is said that Baylor's guys are "big," they're not just talking about height. That's why Hubert Davis was so complimentary when he called our game early in the year at Kansas and said then (even as we eventually lost) that we were a team to watch. Acy, Tweety, and Lace are built like football players (read: extremely muscled). Lomers is just plain big. He eats space and is hard to move. Unfortunately, he's not the most coordinated guy in the world and often Tweety or Lace try to throw an NBA style no-look pass to him and he simply doesn't have the reaction ability to catch the ball. God knows he has trouble if anyone bounces it into him. He has really bad asthma, so you don't see him in the game for long stretches at a time. But, he's played incredibly well during the tournament. He's your prototypical role player.

The officiating will be an interesting area for this contest. If you've watched the Big 12, you've noticed all year long Big 12 guards (Pullen and Clemente at KSU, Collins at Kansas, Sloan at A&M, Tweet & Lace, etc....) have gotten away with forearm guarding and pushoffs while dribbling the ball. The Big East has been very similar. You don't typically see that as much in the ACC or some other conferences. That's one of the areas in which we got in trouble last year at the NIT. In the championship game against Penn St, the officials suddenly started calling offensive fouls on those moves and we got in foul trouble quickly.

Anyway, I know you guys have played and beaten "big" this year as I stated in one of my earlier posts. That wasn't my point. I was simply trying to give you some additional background about our guys in case any of you were interested. We obviously weren't on national TV and actually not on ESPN that many times because the media pundits didn't think we were going to be this good this year, so I know many of you haven't seen us play and don't know much about us. Hope that helps!

This is amazing -- it looks like it could also be Duke-Baylor in the Elite 8 for WOMEN'S basketball too!

[Spam Filter]

I think Nolan will be on Carter and Scheyer will be on Dunn.

[Devil07]

Agree completely on a huge key being Nolan's D against Dunn. If he gets into a rhythm he is a VERY dangerous shooter. I think it will also be very interesting to see if we have the patience to really attack the zone methodically. Coach K has mentioned recently that one of the benefits of having so many veterans is how quickly they can internalize a game plan and play instinctively within that plan. My concern would be that if Baylor starts making some shots and feeding off the crowd then we may try to force some things and take bad shots. This is where I hope that our veteran leadership will come into play. If we can counter their emotional high, limit runs and play aggressive but controlled offense then I like our chances.

It will also be interesting to see how Baylor responds to their first big test of the tournament. While they will be playing in front of a home crowd (and it will be a huge home crowd) I do wonder whether or not that will cause some pressure for them. This game is so huge for Baylor that it will be interesting to see whether the expectations fire them up or make them a bit tight. No way of knowing of course until you see the game, but it will be an interesting factor.

Lastly, I'm curious as to how our guys respond to their first Elite Eight game. No one has been there before. Will getting out of the Sweet Sixteen relax the team or will the pressure of being so close to the Final Four make them tight? Here's hoping for the former!

[ice-9]

The outcome of this game will come down to one thing: Scheyer's 3-pointers.

If he's making them, we win. If he's not making them, it's going to be a long night.

Even though he "broke" out of his shooting slump in the Purdue game, it was more of a drive and mid-range type of shooting than from beyond the arc. I'm still not 100% convinced he's overcome his 3-pt shooting slump.

[Caddiesense]

Great points about the pressure. We certainly haven't been there before, particularly when compared to Duke. I would suspect some tightness from us to start the game.

The good thing, though, and reason why I had a feeling we would beat Saint Mary's is that Saint Mary's treated the trip to the Sweet 16 as a fun reward for a great season as they kinda hammed it up in interviews all week and stayed "California loose." Absolutely nothing wrong with that as those kids deserved it. Our guys, however, approached all the media coverage and everything surrounding it as a business. We were very focused all week and all the interviews showed it. Tweety, who is basically the team leader, was dogmatic all week long about how we weren't just happy being in the Sweet 16. He's attitude and leadership are infectious. You guys know what I'm talking about as Duke has its guys who are just like that.

Anyway, some people mistakenly thought we were going to come out tight, but if you saw a lot of these guys and coaching staff put together the methodical run we did last year in the NIT, you would have seen that it was actually focus and not tightness. However, I suspect being on the big stage particularly against a historical powerhouse like Duke (which is also the #1 seed in the region) may cause some tightness at first.

[riverside6]

We recently created a game simulator at SCACCHoops.com where you can pit two ACC teams from any season from 1975-76 forward. Further you can sim any non-ACC team from this season as well.

For example, the Duke/Baylor sim has been run 20 times and Duke took 12 out of 20. The average score was Duke 75 Baylor 67.

To sim the game again, click here. (http://www.scacchoops.com/gamesimulator.asp?hometeam=DU&homeyear=2010&awayteam=Baylor&awayyear=2010)

To put some credibility to our sim, of the 4 games last night our sim had Tennessee by 4 (they won by 3), Baylor by 24 (they won by 23), Michigan St by 7 (nailed it), and Duke by 12 (they won by 13).

[Caddiesense]

Hey, a stupid question just out of personal curiosity here so please don't read anything else into it: why is this called the Elizabeth King Forum? I know this is "off topic" from the game but since this is the Baylor thread I thought I'd ask here. I tried looking on some of the other tabs and didn't see it (although I certainly could have inadvertently overlooked it).

[GoingFor#5]

To put some credibility to our sim, of the 4 games last night our sim had Tennessee by 4 (they won by 3), Baylor by 24 (they won by 23), Michigan St by 7 (nailed it), and Duke by 12 (they won by 13).

Yay Duke wins!

You didn't specify how you came to these predictions, though. Do you run the sim 20 times to get a prediction?

[Caddiesense]

We recently created a game simulator at SCACCHoops.com where you can pit two ACC teams from any season from 1975-76 forward. Further you can sim any non-ACC team from this season as well.

For example, the Duke/Baylor sim has been run 20 times and Duke took 12 out of 20. The average score was Duke 75 Baylor 67.

To sim the game again, click here. (http://www.scacchoops.com/gamesimulator.asp?hometeam=DU&homeyear=2010&awayteam=Baylor&awayyear=2010)

To put some credibility to our sim, of the 4 games last night our sim had Tennessee by 4 (they won by 3), Baylor by 24 (they won by 23), Michigan St by 7 (nailed it), and Duke by 12 (they won by 13).

Awesome simulation! One question though: I notice you set the default as Duke for the Home team and Baylor as Away. If the simulation is impacted in any manner by the Home/Away situation, don't you think Baylor should have been the home team since it will have, by far and away, a home court advantage moreso than Duke?

[cptnflash]

However, I suspect being on the big stage particularly against a historical powerhouse like Duke (which is also the #1 seed in the region) may cause some tightness at first.

I think Baylor might have been prone to some early tightness if they weren't essentially playing a home game on Sunday. The energy they'll get from the crowd will be substantial and should help them forget that they're in the Elite Eight.

BTW Caddie, really appreciate your earlier post with all the info about Baylor's personnel. Good stuff.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Hey, a stupid question just out of personal curiosity here so please don't read anything else into it: why is this called the Elizabeth King Forum? I know this is "off topic" from the game but since this is the Baylor thread I thought I'd ask here. I tried looking on some of the other tabs and didn't see it (although I certainly could have inadvertently overlooked it).

Click Bulletin Boards at the top of the screen next to the main forum and read about it.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

We recently created a game simulator at SCACCHoops.com where you can pit two ACC teams from any season from 1975-76 forward. Further you can sim any non-ACC team from this season as well.

For example, the Duke/Baylor sim has been run 20 times and Duke took 12 out of 20. The average score was Duke 75 Baylor 67.

To sim the game again, click here. (http://www.scacchoops.com/gamesimulator.asp?hometeam=DU&homeyear=2010&awayteam=Baylor&awayyear=2010)

To put some credibility to our sim, of the 4 games last night our sim had Tennessee by 4 (they won by 3), Baylor by 24 (they won by 23), Michigan St by 7 (nailed it), and Duke by 12 (they won by 13).

Sounds very promising, but if it aint..... Oh i Oughta.

[mph]

We recently created a game simulator at SCACCHoops.com where you can pit two ACC teams from any season from 1975-76 forward. Further you can sim any non-ACC team from this season as well.

For example, the Duke/Baylor sim has been run 20 times and Duke took 12 out of 20. The average score was Duke 75 Baylor 67.

To sim the game again, click here. (http://www.scacchoops.com/gamesimulator.asp?hometeam=DU&homeyear=2010&awayteam=Baylor&awayyear=2010)

To put some credibility to our sim, of the 4 games last night our sim had Tennessee by 4 (they won by 3), Baylor by 24 (they won by 23), Michigan St by 7 (nailed it), and Duke by 12 (they won by 13).

Fun tool, although I'd say you need to recalibrate a simulator that predicts '92 Duke to go zero for four against '09 Carolina, losing by an average of 15 points.

[dairedevil]

Perhaps it would help if someone let Baylor know about the Duke Curse...I think that they have probably suffered through more than most schools already and don't need any additional bad things to happen to them.

[77devil]

Hey, a stupid question just out of personal curiosity here so please don't read anything else into it: why is this called the Elizabeth King Forum? I know this is "off topic" from the game but since this is the Baylor thread I thought I'd ask here. I tried looking on some of the other tabs and didn't see it (although I certainly could have inadvertently overlooked it).

Read this.

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=22116

[Caddiesense]

Awesome tribute! Thank you guys for sharing.

[nmduke2001]

Hopefully Coach K learned a lot about attacking a zone from coaching with Jim Boeheim. If I remember correctly, Boeheim was sort of the defensive coordinator for team USA. That's 2 years of real life experience with a tough zone.

[Duke of Nashville]

Hopefully Coach K learned a lot about attacking a zone from coaching with Jim Boeheim. If I remember correctly, Boeheim was sort of the defensive coordinator for team USA. That's 2 years of real life experience with a tough zone.

Nope, because K taking the olympic team was a complete mistake and nothing positive could ever come from it.;)

[diveonthefloor]

K has been coaching for over three decades (4 if you count assistant level).

I think he probably knows how to attack a zone.

;):D:rolleyes::cool:

[MChambers]

Nope, because K taking the olympic team was a complete mistake and nothing positive could ever come from it.;)

Look what it did to Duke's recruiting. We just don't have the talent to compete.;)

[watzone]

Here is a Nolan Smith interview from moments ago in Houston - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/nolan-smith-no-time-to-celebrate-for-these-blue-devils/

Also posted - Kyle Singler, all of last nights press conferences, player one on ones and a lot more to come, including Chris Collins talking Baylor. It's a busy, yet fun weekend in Houston. Hoping to come home and make plans for Indy.

Smith said K would not allow the team to celebrate long as did Kyle.

[riverside6]

answering the questions I saw...

- home/away doesn't play a role at this point, but will be built in at some point
- here's a snippet on how it works... In seconds, we play out the game possession by possession. First, we have to understand that a possession can end in a field goal attempt, turnover, or free throw attempt. We then determine how often a given team does each by creating 3 buckets (of different proportional sizes). After generating a random number we find out which bucket this possession will fall into. We then continue analyzing the possession. For example if a field goal attempt, we determine who would the shooter be? Are they more likely to shoot a 2 or 3? For that type of shot, how effective are they? If a miss, was it an offensive or defensive rebound? Etc. Etc.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

5:00 pm tip off

[marco]

Looking forward to a great game tomorrow vs. the Blue Devils of Duke. I fell in love with college basketball while living in Roxboro, NC from 1987-1993. Yes, the years you guys won back to back championships. Still have my commemorative beer mug and six pack of True Blue soda. Our message boards are located at baylorfans.com . And yes, we have a full share of a-holes over there, please ignore them.

[watzone]

Who better to preview the Baylor Bears than Duke Asistant Coach Chris Colllins?

http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/duke-assistant-chris-collins-previews-baylor-for-bdn/

[DevilHorns]

Looking forward to a great game tomorrow vs. the Blue Devils of Duke. I fell in love with college basketball while living in Roxboro, NC from 1987-1993. Yes, the years you guys won back to back championships. Still have my commemorative beer mug and six pack of True Blue soda. Our message boards are located at baylorfans.com . And yes, we have a full share of a-holes over there, please ignore them.

Just went to the website. Seems to be a home for classy fans generally (though you are right about those exceptions, eh).

[BearlyHere]

You guys briefly touched on the attendance appearance. Yes, as stated above, Houston is doing a trial run for next year's Final Four. That's why there are no curtains up on the ends and all 77,000 seats are visible. They sold about 45,000 tickets for Friday night. That's second all time for a regional tourney. They have just announced today that there will be $20 nose bleed seats for tomorrow. Expect a significant rise in attendance for Sunday. Probably ~70% of the Baylor alumni base and the campus are within a three hour drive (DFW, Austin, San Antonio, & Waco). Should be a rockin' good time.
Coach K said Friday that he didn't know anything about Baylor. I wonder which team will enter the game with the most misconceptions.
Either way we're thrilled to host you guys and anticipate a great game.

[BearlyHere]

By the way, here (http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?add=jon-scheyer&p1=tweety-carter&p2=lacedarius-dunn&p3=nolan-smith) is a good comparison of both our backcourts:

[Mudge]

Why do people keep saying that Baylor is bigger/taller than Duke? The matchups seem to be even to slightly favoring Duke:

Center: Duke 7'1.5" Zoubek vs Baylor 7' Lomers

Both Forwards: Duke 6'8" (Singler and Thomas) vs. Baylor 6'10" (Udoh and Jones)

Guard: Duke 6'5" Scheyer to 6'4" Dunn

Guard: Duke 6'2" Smith to 5'11" Carter

This puts Duke taller at 3 of 5 starting positions.

If Duke chooses to play one (6'11") or the other (6'10") of the Plumlees with Zoubek, instead of Thomas, in order to present a taller lineup, Duke would then be taller at three or even four positions, and only shorter at Singler's spot (and he is strong, athletic, tough, and savvy enough to play with taller players, having played power forward, and even center, against much bigger players for two years.)

[DevilHorns]

There are threads on the Baylor forum website that are not respecting our basketball team at all. They think we're easy. They'll get a full dose of truth tomorrow evening. We're not a #10, #11, or a #14 seed like they've faced in the tourney so far.

[BearlyHere]

Why do people keep saying that Baylor is bigger/taller than Duke? The matchups seem to be even to slightly favoring Duke:


I believe it's usually the average of the entire team (but wouldn't swear to it).
Kentucky is first and Baylor second.

[Caddiesense]

There are threads on the Baylor forum website that are not respecting our basketball team at all. They think we're easy. They'll get a full dose of truth tomorrow evening. We're not a #10, #11, or a #14 seed like they've faced in the tourney so far.

Despite BU's small size, BaylorFans is probably one of the more active fan forums around. Having said that, it means you will get your mix of posters who want to discuss things intelligently and, as others have put it, a-holes since the forum isn't moderated very often. With limited moderation, there are a lot of trolls who show up to post outlandish topic titles and opinions trying to get "rises" out of others. That's why I've been so impressed with this forum, its civility, pertinent game discussion, and moderation. If you guys don't realize it, I will tell you -- you have a helluva forum here so don't take it for granted!!!!!!!

[Mudge]

I believe it's usually the average of the entire team (but wouldn't swear to it).
Kentucky is 1st and Baylor second.

In other words, Baylor is second on the all-airport team, because they've also got a 7-footer on the bench (does the Croatian ever play?)... averages of the entire team are pretty unimportant-- I don't count Ryan Kelly's 6'9" much for Duke, because he's likely to barely play in this game... the likely players getting the most minutes actually favor Duke over Baylor (on a strict height basis).

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

There are threads on the Baylor forum website that are not respecting our basketball team at all. They think we're easy. They'll get a full dose of truth tomorrow evening. We're not a #10, #11, or a #14 seed like they've faced in the tourney so far.

We'll let our play do the talking

[Caddiesense]

If Dragen Sekelja sees the floor, either we will be up by 25 with a minute left or you guys will. :D

[BearlyHere]

In other words, Baylor is second on the all-airport team, because they've also got a 7-footer on the bench (does the Croatian ever play?)... averages of the entire team are pretty unimportant-- I don't count Ryan Kelly's 6'9" much for Duke, because he's likely to barely play in this game... the likely players getting the most minutes actually favor Duke over Baylor (on a strict height basis).

Dragen is a raw freshman and doesn't get minutes until the game is put away.
As to Baylor's size, all I can tell you is that other than Lomers (the 7' 280 lbs. Center) the bigs are very quick with lots of length. That's what surprised St. Mary's last night and befuddled Sanham.

[-jk]

Despite BU's small size,..

Small?! You have almost twice our undergraduate size! Four times Wake Forest's! You're huge, in more ways than one.

-jk

[Caddiesense]

Yeah, but we're about 1/4th to 1/2 the size of most of the other Big 12 schools!

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Ughhh I'm so nervous now. I can see the championship but when it comes to the ncaa tourny you never really know.

[wacobluedevil]

Despite BU's small size, BaylorFans is probably one of the more active fan forums around. Having said that, it means you will get your mix of posters who want to discuss things intelligently and, as others have put it, a-holes since the forum isn't moderated very often. With limited moderation, there are a lot of trolls who show up to post outlandish topic titles and opinions trying to get "rises" out of others. That's why I've been so impressed with this forum, its civility, pertinent game discussion, and moderation. If you guys don't realize it, I will tell you -- you have a helluva forum here so don't take it for granted!!!!!!!

So true. Compared to BaylorFans, this is an intelligent and civil site. Go Devils!

[_Gary]

I hope everyone here understands just how huge a task us winning tomorrow is going to be. I'll be honest. If I was forced to put my house up on a bet, I'd take Baylor. They scare the heck out of me. They really are long and athletic, and that zone is going to be something of which we've never seen all year long. Sure, we've seen some zone defense - but nothing like what Baylor is going to throw at us. Add to that the fact that the Bears had a "walk in the park" game last night and used up little energy, while we had to bust our chops and took plenty of abuse just to eek out a victory and right there you have a big advantage to Baylor. Then add in the home court deal (and it will be like Baylor is playing at home in Houston tomorrow) and that's more advantage. Honestly, I'm not sure how we pull this thing out. I know this much though, I'm not going to be surprised if we get beat. Won't be mad either. Baylor is a really good team and if they beat us, so be it.

Having said all that - LET'S GO DUKE!!!

[basket1544]

Small?! You have almost twice our undergraduate size! Four times Wake Forest's! You're huge, in more ways than one.

-jk

This is Texas, Baylor's small.

[theAlaskanBear]

I hope everyone here understands just how huge a task us winning tomorrow is going to be. I'll be honest. If I was forced to put my house up on a bet, I'd take Baylor. They scare the heck out of me. They really are long and athletic, and that zone is going to be something of which we've never seen all year long. Sure, we've seen some zone defense - but nothing like what Baylor is going to throw at us. Add to that the fact that the Bears had a "walk in the park" game last night and used up little energy, while we had to bust our chops and took plenty of abuse just to eek out a victory and right there you have a big advantage to Baylor. Then add in the home court deal (and it will be like Baylor is playing at home in Houston tomorrow) and that's more advantage. Honestly, I'm not sure how we pull this thing out. I know this much though, I'm not going to be surprised if we get beat. Won't be mad either. Baylor is a really good team and if they beat us, so be it.

Having said all that - LET'S GO DUKE!!!

Let me add some emphasis here! Half of me wants to run and hide from Baylor, the other half is ready for Duke to come out and knock Baylor back! If we can get on top and silence the crowd, I can see good things.

It will be a tough game tho!

[AlaskanAssassin]

Espn article about the match up: http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncb/columns/story?columnist=caplan_jeff&id=5034404

[BearlyHere]

I think those feelings are on both sides. There's apprehension and anticipation.

[DBFAN]

I hope everyone here understands just how huge a task us winning tomorrow is going to be. I'll be honest. If I was forced to put my house up on a bet, I'd take Baylor. They scare the heck out of me. They really are long and athletic, and that zone is going to be something of which we've never seen all year long. Sure, we've seen some zone defense - but nothing like what Baylor is going to throw at us. Add to that the fact that the Bears had a "walk in the park" game last night and used up little energy, while we had to bust our chops and took plenty of abuse just to eek out a victory and right there you have a big advantage to Baylor. Then add in the home court deal (and it will be like Baylor is playing at home in Houston tomorrow) and that's more advantage. Honestly, I'm not sure how we pull this thing out. I know this much though, I'm not going to be surprised if we get beat. Won't be mad either. Baylor is a really good team and if they beat us, so be it.

Having said all that - LET'S GO DUKE!!!

Man I sure am glad you are not the Coach of this team. For all of you who are nervous, I promise you the team is salivating to get on the court and play Baylor. The crowd thing will not be an issue, I am pretty sure this team has played in some hostile environments this year, and no matter how many Baylor fans show up, it will not be anything like playing in College Park, or the Dean Dome, etc. If I had my house to put up, I would def put it on Duke, they are a No.1 seed for a reason, and Baylor is a 3 seed for a reason. I just don't understand where the lack of faith in this team comes from. I think sometimes we forget how good this team is. My prediction is Duke comes out hot and knocks them back on their feet, and since Baylor has never ever been in this position before, I just don't think they will be able to bounce back.

[marco]

We're not Texas. WE'RE BAYLOR!!!!

[jipops]

I'll be drinking another beer in pure bliss, or I'll be downing one feeling a little melancholy yet reflecting on what has been a truly wonderful season.

[DevilHorns]

Man I sure am glad you are not the Coach of this team. For all of you who are nervous, I promise you the team is salivating to get on the court and play Baylor. The crowd thing will not be an issue, I am pretty sure this team has played in some hostile environments this year, and no matter how many Baylor fans show up, it will not be anything like playing in College Park, or the Dean Dome, etc. If I had my house to put up, I would def put it on Duke, they are a No.1 seed for a reason, and Baylor is a 3 seed for a reason. I just don't understand where the lack of faith in this team comes from. I think sometimes we forget how good this team is. My prediction is Duke comes out hot and knocks them back on their feet, and since Baylor has never ever been in this position before, I just don't think they will be able to bounce back.

Thank you. Exactly what Im thinking. This team wants to win. They arent here for the experience. They want to friggin win.

[jipops]

We've never seen anybody like Udoh this season. This is a tough matchup for Lance as he's a power forward that can create on the perimeter and score inside. Udoh may likely eat us up. We've really got to slow down their guards in this one.

And know down a lot perimeter shots!!! If those don't go down, we have zero chance in this one.

[Cameron]

I hope everyone here understands just how huge a task us winning tomorrow is going to be. I'll be honest. If I was forced to put my house up on a bet, I'd take Baylor. They scare the heck out of me. They really are long and athletic, and that zone is going to be something of which we've never seen all year long. Sure, we've seen some zone defense - but nothing like what Baylor is going to throw at us. Add to that the fact that the Bears had a "walk in the park" game last night and used up little energy, while we had to bust our chops and took plenty of abuse just to eek out a victory and right there you have a big advantage to Baylor. Then add in the home court deal (and it will be like Baylor is playing at home in Houston tomorrow) and that's more advantage. Honestly, I'm not sure how we pull this thing out. I know this much though, I'm not going to be surprised if we get beat. Won't be mad either. Baylor is a really good team and if they beat us, so be it.

Having said all that - LET'S GO DUKE!!!


Man I sure am glad you are not the Coach of this team

I'm glad I'm not, either. I want to cry right now I'm so overwrought.

[weezie]

Come on, pull your boots on, let's go DEVILS!!!

Just saw Kyle hanging out on the lobby, he looks pretty chill...

[dukelifer]

I hope everyone here understands just how huge a task us winning tomorrow is going to be. I'll be honest. If I was forced to put my house up on a bet, I'd take Baylor. They scare the heck out of me. They really are long and athletic, and that zone is going to be something of which we've never seen all year long. Sure, we've seen some zone defense - but nothing like what Baylor is going to throw at us. Add to that the fact that the Bears had a "walk in the park" game last night and used up little energy, while we had to bust our chops and took plenty of abuse just to eek out a victory and right there you have a big advantage to Baylor. Then add in the home court deal (and it will be like Baylor is playing at home in Houston tomorrow) and that's more advantage. Honestly, I'm not sure how we pull this thing out. I know this much though, I'm not going to be surprised if we get beat. Won't be mad either. Baylor is a really good team and if they beat us, so be it.

Having said all that - LET'S GO DUKE!!!
You could be right and no expert is expecting Duke to win but most of those experts thought West Virginia was done with their point guard out- certainly could not beat KY who had been rolling over teams. Duke will fight and claw and that will give them a chance to win. This Duke team does not have to be on to win. They just need to clamp down on D. Duke just needs to counter punch and get to the line. This one should be ugly.

[Daniel tosh]

Is there any news on Kyle's wrist ?Did he hurt it at all?

[strawbs]

good luck to the guys tomorrow. Get it done Blue Devils!!!

[Exiled_Devil]

Just read this quote (http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncb/columns/story?columnist=caplan_jeff&id=5034404) form the Baylor coach -


"Against Saint Mary's, with great shooters, we had to keep the zone wide. On teams who are more attack oriented, we keep it compact, keep them out of the paint and make sure we box out," Walton said. "Against Duke, we have to be aware of where Jon Scheyer is and [Kyle] Singler. Wherever they are, we have to stay on them and just make sure we box out."

Which I am perfectly fine with. Fixate on Kyle and Jon and forget Nolan. Then, get distracted by Nolan tearing you up inside and loosen up on the perimeter.

People seem to constantly forget that we have three offensive options, not 1 or 2. Including, evidently, all of the ESPN crew.

[jipops]

All accounts seem to place Baylor as the more athletically gifted team and maybe more talented. I'm pretty nervous about this one too. I fear seeing a lot of easy dunks by Baylor tomorrow night. A lot of things just have to go right to pull this one out. If I had no allegiances I'd take Baylor as well.

If what we don't want to have happen... happens, I truly hope people on this board are together enough to appreciate what this season's Duke team has become. I truly hope we don't force another board shutdown like the past couple seasons. There is everything to be proud of about this team and it has to go down as one of the more fulfilling Duke teams of season's past already. If a loss occurs tomorrow night, who cares what the outside perceptions are? If we lose, we lost to a better team. There is no "choking" or "underachieving" or "meltdown" in that. It's just a loss to a team that gives us match up problems and is probably more gifted than we are.

Having said that... Let's get another Final Four!

[Caddiesense]

That quote is not from our coach. That's AJ Walton, a freshman point guard who doesn't even start.

[LSanders]

Another $0.02 ...

The two most recent letdowns (IMO) were 1999 and 2006. I'm defining letdown for the '99 team as letting the NC slip away. Letdown for the 2006 squad was simply the disappointment of not enabling JJ to return to the show one more time.

To an outsider, the '99 team seemed to view the NC as its birthright, since we were clearly the best team in basketball that year. UConn, however, wanted it more in that game.

In 2006, I'll never forget seeing JJ in warm-ups, thinking he'd look refreshed. Instead, he looked drained with dark circles under his eyes. I was pretty sure at that moment we were sunk because our margin of error was so slim.

I don't know what happened to K and his ability to communicate with the 1999 squad. I know there are tons of poster here who could address that. But, I believe, the 2006 team simply wore itself out and ran out of gas against an LSU team it would ordinarily have beaten.

This team will allow K to put them on his back better than any team in recent memory. And, there's nobody I'd rather have in my foxhole than K. That said, I feel as good as I can, given that I believe Baylor may be our biggest (no pun) obstacle remaining.

Kyle's a machine. He's always on. He'll play superbly. Nolan's more of a quiet assassin, and I believe he'll be on. We have enough post depth to play with Baylor.

That leaves Jon. Like other posters here, I think he's the key. He's such a competitor and wants to win so badly, I'm concerned he could put too much pressure on himself - as JJ did. If K and the staff can help him relax and let the game come to him, I think we move on. 3's are great, but he doesn't have to hit tons of 3's ... He just has to play the way he's capable of playing and allow the flow and efficiency of the the team to develop. Most of the time, I believe he's the most intelligent BASKETBALL player on either side of the court. If he forces the zone to distort, Nolan and Kyle will make them pay.

Meaning no disrespect to Baylor, their front court doesn't frighten me. I'm confident in our guys. The only front court that worried me will now be busy having meetings with their agents in Lexington.

So, if Jon's on ... I think we move on.

------------------------

Finally ... Caddiesense, Marco, Bearly ... What's the deal? Gracious, informative, intelligent posts? This is Tobacco Road! We're not used to that from the opposition! How're we supposed to hate you guys?! :confused:

[Caddiesense]

Okay. I'm signing off now to get some sleep, then headed to Houston early in the morning for the game. Since I won't be on again before tipoff, just wanted to wish Duke and its fans best of luck in the game tomorrow. If we should lose, I seriously hope you guys go on and win it all. I enjoyed the great conversation and insight here the past couple of days and hope you'll invite me back again sometime! Cheers!

[-bdbd]

We're not Texas. WE'RE BAYLOR!!!!

Same thing!


;)

[-bdbd]

Man I sure am glad you are not the Coach of this team. For all of you who are nervous, I promise you the team is salivating to get on the court and play Baylor. The crowd thing will not be an issue, I am pretty sure this team has played in some hostile environments this year, and no matter how many Baylor fans show up, it will not be anything like playing in College Park, or the Dean Dome, etc. If I had my house to put up, I would def put it on Duke, they are a No.1 seed for a reason, and Baylor is a 3 seed for a reason. I just don't understand where the lack of faith in this team comes from. I think sometimes we forget how good this team is. My prediction is Duke comes out hot and knocks them back on their feet, and since Baylor has never ever been in this position before, I just don't think they will be able to bounce back.

Thanks DBFAN. Exactly. I can't WAIT to get at 'em. This is what it's all about - why they practice so hard for so long, and frankly why they come to Duke....to play in these kinds of games. As a BB fan, you just HAVE to love this. Enjoy. There's nothing better (in sports/fandom at least!). There's a reason why the Vegas line favors Duke -- most people (3rd parties) agree with DBFAN. There is NO doubt which side I'd prefer to be on (in terms of best chances to prevail). But it should be close, regardless.


Okay. I'm signing off now to get some sleep, then headed to Houston early in the morning for the game. Since I won't be on again before tipoff, just wanted to wish Duke and its fans best of luck in the game tomorrow. If we should lose, I seriously hope you guys go on and win it all. I enjoyed the great conversation and insight here the past couple of days and hope you'll invite me back again sometime! Cheers!


Good luck Caddie! Have fun. Thanks for the great points and conversation. Hope your team loses... ;)

(But please feel welcome to return afterwards and share impressions.)

[mo.st.dukie]

We've never seen anybody like Udoh this season.


Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal say hi.

[ElSid]

Huge caveat is that I haven't watched Baylor play all year, but at this point in the year, I'm both happy and scared to see a zone defense:

Happy: Toward the end of this season, our bigs have shown good passing/receiving skills and chemistry. I think we'll be able to set up a big in the heart of the zone at the foul line to find other frontcourt mates cutting along the baseline for inside shots, rather than being reduced to the mythical "live by the three . . ." team most hoops fans are still convinced we field.

Scared: Baylor is really athletic and a zone allows guards to get on the break fast off misses and turnovers. Our transition D has been a bit of a soft spot this year, and allowing Baylor easy transition baskets will be a killer, and ignite the partisan crowd, to boot.

Either way: Rebounding is key to our team at all times, and zone rebounding can be very strange. Will be a super important stat to me.

Go Duke!!

well i am skeerd. but the zone also is limited in a key area...one in which duke excels. offensive rebounding. hard to block a guy out when you don't have a guy to block out. you have an "area". a lot of missed shots will end up in our hands...i think.

[ElSid]

responded to last post too soon. yes rebounding. you're on it. i didn't need to point out, again, that it's hard to defensive rebound in a zone. it's late. i'm excited. i'm on vacation and i can't sleep.

in a way, this is my least favorite match up. i've been dreading baylor since january. but in a different, more masochistic way maybe, this is the best match up we could hope for. this is the "athletic" team that gottlieb et al with their "alarmingly unathletic" claims have been saying we can't handle all year. gottlieb made that statement when we played arizona state. since then, we've gone on to a pretty fantastic season by almost any measure, against some pretty athletic teams. if we can step up and beat a team like baylor, probably the most athletic we've faced, it's a huge accomplishment and a big shut up to people that only focus on their perception of athletics and not on basketball.

everything means more when you play the best competition. i think this baylor team, while maybe not the best team in the country, poses one of the biggest match up challenges for the duke team. if we can surmount this challenge, watch out. not looking ahead by any means, but this challenge, at this time, could be well timed.

[AlaskanAssassin]

Anyone catch Nolan on ustream?

[licc85]

Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal say hi.

I'm pretty sure neither of these guys have a 7'5" wingspan, and gtech does not play a 2-3 zone.

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

First of all, welcome, nice to have your point of view on the boards. I've been listening to your school's basketball press-conferences. The Baylor players seem very nice and respectful. I don't know a lot about Baylor, but you seem like the kind of place where your fans won't say things like "F-U Duke" that we hear in other venues. Apparently the coach has even instituted a no-swearing rule. Coach K can get a bit salty. Back to the topic at hand, as things stand now, for example, I am scared to go to places such as Maryland and root for Duke. From what I can tell, if Duke were to go down to Baylor and play there is no reason I wouldn't be able to wear my Duke Blue best clothes and root to my heart's content. I think that would be true on Sunday too when you are at a defacto home game. I wish I was in Texas, oh well, guess the tv will have to do.

GO DUKE!

[Cameron]

Anyone else having trouble sleeping in anticipation of this game? Not to sound like a deranged Kentucky fan from Cats Pause who would spout about caring for the team so much he'd chop his family in pieces for the victory (Bluegrass hyperbole is unmatched), but I've been pacing around quietly most of the night, dipping in and out of my office to catch the latest Duke "development." Haha, yeah, because there are going to be so many developments at four in the morning.

This game is bigger than anything we've faced since UConn '04. Not that I had to point that out. Though I'm borderline apprehensive, I'm also certain that our boys want this is as much as K. And that makes me smile. Nolan's comments during yesterday's press conference solidify what all of us already knew, that Coach wants this Final Four as much as anything he's ever wanted in his coaching career.

"Coach is always ready whenever somebody says anything like that," added teammate Nolan Smith [in response to a reporter's question about Duke's current "lull" in the NCAAs]. "It's starting to get to him."

He has a fire we haven't seen for some time. Let's hope it keeps burning in the Hoosier State a week from now.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/13123099/krzyzewski-eager-to-put-blue-devils-back-on-top?tag=headlines;other

[Cameron]

While I'm still up, for those that care, I did in fact stay home from the sports bar and watch our last two games on the computer. This was a topic of discussion for a few here on the Cal thread last week.

I WILL NOT be leaving my house anymore during our two-hour windows in the Tournament, unless I find my way inside the building in Indy, should that become an option:)

You can never be too cautious about these sorts of things.

[Faison1]

Just reading a few pages of the thread, I get the feeling everyone is "confidently concerned". Based on the last few games, Baylor looks pretty tough. I think we lose this game if we let their athletic frontcourt take control, and their guards are athletic enough to drive past Scheyer and dish.

But, I think we win it if Lance has a good game checking Udoh, the Plumlee's get physical like they did in the Wake game, Zoubs rebounds like an animal, and Scheyer/Singler/Smith continue their shooting pace. :)

I know it's been mentioned a couple times, but I haven't seen any word on them: are Kyle and Nolan banged up? Did Nolan just knock knees? Is Kyle able to shoot? Or is there just no info? Pardon me if I missed it....

[davekay1971]

If you're team is in the regional final, playing a good squad in what is basically a home game for them, and you're feeling nervous...is 8:30 am too early to start drinking?

[ice-9]

My keys to the game:

Perimeter vs. perimeter
Baylor is actually like Duke in the sense that much of their offense is driven by the perimeter. Their big guys mostly set screens, get rebounds and putbacks. So the question is...will our three be able to outscore their three? I like our chances here. There's not a better trio than Scheyer, Singler and Smith. If Scheyer is hitting from long range and we work to attack the zone, we will win this key stat.

Our defense actually matches up well well with Baylor's offense. Our bigs are as big as theirs, so they won't have an advantage there. For Baylor to score on us, their guards are going to have to play really well. Yet we're the best in the nation at defending the 3-pt shot and the Bears love the 3-pot shot.

Getting offensive rebounds
Despite their size, Baylor is not a special rebounding team and that's because it's harder to box out when you're in a zone. So the ability of our bigs to grab the rebound is critical because this will be one of the easier ways to score.

Converting and defending fastbreak opportunities
Baylor turns the ball over quite a bit. We're not particularly good at generating turnovers, but when it happens, will we convert? Conversely, Baylor is excellent on the break - will our transition D be up to snuff?

In sum:
- Win the perimeter match-up
- Get offensive rebounds against the zone
- Convert and defend the fastbreak

I predict we win in a close and intense game, 70-67.

[Indoor66]

If you're team is in the regional final, playing a good squad in what is basically a home game for them, and you're feeling nervous...is 8:30 am too early to start drinking?

You're the doctor! :eek:

[grossbus]

my paper this am showing us at the 2pm slot. confusing. any other input?

[billy]

I know it's been mentioned a couple times, but I haven't seen any word on them: are Kyle and Nolan banged up? Did Nolan just knock knees? Is Kyle able to shoot? Or is there just no info? Pardon me if I missed it....

Nothing on Kyle's wrist, but N&O said Smith was suffering from cramps and was getting IV's. Makes sense looking at how he was able to play the rest of the game with "intermittent" limping...

[Les Grossman]

We're a great defensive team, and a great off. rebounding team with 3 legit offensive weapons. We win and go back to the Final Four.

Next 3 games all against zone teams. A strong offensive rebounding team like us will feast.

[theAlaskanBear]

Nothing on Kyle's wrist, but N&O said Smith was suffering from cramps and was getting IV's. Makes sense looking at how he was able to play the rest of the game with "intermittent" limping...

Yeah, on TV it really looked like Nolan was cramping. Nothing to worry about there. Singler though might be an issue. That was a hard fall. I need to see him come out and make a few shots. Anyone remember him taking a shot after his fall, I cant remember?

[CDu]

I'm pretty sure neither of these guys have a 7'5" wingspan, and gtech does not play a 2-3 zone.

Actually, I'm pretty sure Favors can match pretty much anyone in wingspan. But you're right - GT does not play zone. But I'm not sure whether that's a point in favor of or against Baylor.

[roywhite]

Okay, need to pull out all the stops here.

I'm calling on the Birthday gods. Yep, today, March 28 is my birthday; I'm happy to be here and appreciative of my family and friends. But as a longtime Duke fan, I can think of no better way to celebrate my birthday than with another win and a trip to the Final Four.

By the way, the history on regional finals is pretty good:

March 28, 2004---Duke over Xavier
March 28, 1992---Duke 104 Kentucky 103

Let's go, Duke!

[camion]

Actually, I'm pretty sure Favors can match pretty much anyone in wingspan. But you're right - GT does not play zone. But I'm not sure whether that's a point in favor of or against Baylor.

Then, there are Florida State with Alabi and Singleton, and Wake Forest. We've seen big teams with shot blockers. The zone is a different wrinkle though.

[_Gary]

Man I sure am glad you are not the Coach of this team.

You do realize there's a huge difference between the way a Coach would address his players and the way fans approach upcoming games. If you want to be ultra-confident and woof about how we are going to whip Baylor be my guest. I stopped that type of talk after seeing Duke suffer what, for me, was the worst ever NCAA loss. I speak of the 1999 team (perhaps the best Duke team of all time). I woofed it up the entire tournament, and really let a couple of UConn fans know how impossible it was for their squad to even stay within single digits of Duke. I've never forgotten that type of overconfidence and I vowed to never make that mistake again - at least not in the NCAA tourney.

I'm not saying we can't win. Goodness knows we certainly can. But when I factor everything in I have to give the edge to Baylor. I just see too many fans here that are assuming we are going to the Final Four, like it's a done deal already. And that's just not the case, my friend. This will be a hard fought game, and Baylor does present significant challenges that this Duke team has not faced all year (especially with the way they play defense). Just don't count your chickens before they hatch.

OH, btw. I'm glad I'm not the coach too. LOL

Go Duke!

[ice-9]

Okay, need to pull out all the stops here.

I'm calling on the Birthday gods. Yep, today, March 28 is my birthday; I'm happy to be here and appreciative of my family and friends. But as a longtime Duke fan, I can think of no better way to celebrate my birthday than with another win and a trip to the Final Four.

By the way, the history on regional finals is pretty good:

March 28, 2004---Duke over Xavier
March 28, 1992---Duke 104 Kentucky 103

Let's go, Duke!


Happy birthday! Let's hope we get your bday wish. :)

[moonpie23]

glad i have to work most of the day to keep my mind from frying......5:05 will be here soon enough...

it is what it is...

GO DUKE...

[CDu]

Then, there are Florida State with Alabi and Singleton, and Wake Forest. We've seen big teams with shot blockers. The zone is a different wrinkle though.

We've played better defensive teams than Baylor this year. FSU, Purdue, GT, Clemson, and Wisconsin have been better defensively. We haven't faced many zones this year, but I'm not sure whether that is a good or bad thing for Baylor.

Baylor is less of a defensive juggernaut than they are an offensive machine. They are the 4th most efficient offensive team in the country. They're like Cal, only they have interior scoring as well. They're also a pretty good defensive team, but they aren't this lockdown defensive team.

If we have a cold shooting game and can't rebound, it could be difficult, because they will make life difficult around the rim. But if we shoot well from the perimeter and/or pound the boards (neither of which Baylor is incredibly adept at stopping), we have a good chance to score well against their defense. The key would then be whether or not our great defense can handle them.

[bird]

We've played better defensive teams than Baylor this year. FSU, Purdue, GT, Clemson, and Wisconsin have been better defensively. We haven't faced many zones this year, but I'm not sure whether that is a good or bad thing for Baylor.


According to Kenpom, Baylor's defense is rated No. 31. Teams Duke has played with a better defensive efficiency include:

Fl. State - 1
Purdue - 4
Ga. Tech - 13
Clemson - 17
Wisc - 20
Va. Tech. - 21

Baylor's defense should not be anything that Duke hasn't seen before this year, plenty of times (putting aside the zone aspect).

I am actually more interested in the Duke defense versus Baylor offense matchup. I think it will likely be the decisive battleground.

Based on Kenpom stats, Baylor's No. 4 rated offensive efficiency is a product of good offensive rebounding, and good 3 point and 2 point shooting percentages. They are OK but not great in offensive turnovers, and assist rate.

Baylor's No. 4 offensive rating puts in the league with Georgetown (9), Maryland (5) and Cal (3). Our defense did all right with Maryland the first game and Cal, so do we see Duke's "Georgetown" defense or second game Maryland defense, or Duke's first Maryland and Cal defenses?

Duke is a better team now than against Georgetown and even in the second Maryland game. I will note that both the Georgetown and Maryland games caught teams playing probably at the peak for the year. I have argued that while Duke this year may not be a great team overall, it is playing at a historical high on the defensive end right now.

[Papa John]

According to Kenpom, Baylor's defense is rated No. 31. Teams Duke has played with a better defensive efficiency include:

Fl. State - 1
Purdue - 4
Ga. Tech - 13
Clemson - 17
Wisc - 20
Va. Tech. - 21

Baylor's defense should not be anything that Duke hasn't seen before this year, plenty of times (putting aside the zone aspect).

I am actually more interested in the Duke defense versus Baylor offense matchup. I think it will likely be the decisive battleground.

Based on Kenpom stats, Baylor's No. 4 rated offensive efficiency is a product of good offensive rebounding, and good 3 point and 2 point shooting percentages. They are OK but not great in offensive turnovers, and assist rate.

Baylor's No. 4 offensive rating puts in the league with Georgetown (9), Maryland (5) and Cal (3). Our defense did all right with Maryland the first game and Cal, so do we see Duke's "Georgetown" defense or second game Maryland defense, or Duke's first Maryland and Cal defenses?

Duke is a better team now than against Georgetown and even in the second Maryland game. I will note that both the Georgetown and Maryland games caught teams playing probably at the peak for the year. I have argued that while Duke this year may not be a great team overall, it is playing at a historical high on the defensive end right now.

Of course, the other way of looking at the Georgetown and 2nd MD games--they were both on the road. The 1st MD game was at home, and Cal was in a neutral venue. We will essentially be playing Baylor on the road, since this game is in their backyard and it is estimated that upwards of 90% of the ticketed seats will likely be filled with green and gold. This does not make me comfortable.

What reassures me is that we are a veteran team, this is one of the toughest Duke teams we've fielded in years, and we have Coach K, who is one of the best in the business at motivating, particularly when his teams reach this point. I think those intangibles will make the Baylor home court advantage a wash, and it will boil down to a relatively even matchup between two tough teams who can work the ball inside and stroke it from downtown.

This is going to be a closely fought battle. I just hope we come out on top.

[tecumseh]

I stopped that type of talk after seeing Duke suffer what, for me, was the worst ever NCAA loss. I speak of the 1999 team (perhaps the best Duke team of all time). I woofed it up the entire tournament, and really let a couple of UConn fans know how impossible it was for their squad to even stay within single digits of Duke.

Go Duke!

I was confident that year that Duke could beat anyone except UConn. Funny I was thinking of that game when I told my son I would not be surprised if Kentucky lost to WVU as Kentucky does not have a natural scorer like Richard Hamilton or Carmello or Grant Hill. That is why I like our chances Singler is playing so well and he is so hard to stop. It is hard to overstate the value of a guy who can just score no matter how much you are struggling to score.

[Indoor66]

Of course, the other way of looking at the Georgetown and 2nd MD games--they were both on the road. The 1st MD game was at home, and Cal was in a neutral venue. We will essentially be playing Baylor on the road, since this game is in their backyard and it is estimated that upwards of 90% of the ticketed seats will likely be filled with green and gold. This does not make me comfortable.

What reassures me is that we are a veteran team, this is one of the toughest Duke teams we've fielded in years, and we have Coach K, who is one of the best in the business at motivating, particularly when his teams reach this point. I think those intangibles will make the Baylor home court advantage a wash, and it will boil down to a relatively even matchup between two tough teams who can work the ball inside and stroke it from downtown.

This is going to be a closely fought battle. I just hope we come out on top.

I don't know that I agree that we ill be playing "on the road." There is no doubt that there will be more green and gold in the arena, but Baylor has not played in this arena and is no more familiar with the surroundings than is Duke. Unfamiliar sight lines, apparent shooting angles, etc are the same for both teams. I don't really see a situs advantage for either team.

[Olympic Fan]

Of course, the other way of looking at the Georgetown and 2nd MD games--they were both on the road. The 1st MD game was at home, and Cal was in a neutral venue. We will essentially be playing Baylor on the road, since this game is in their backyard and it is estimated that upwards of 90% of the ticketed seats will likely be filled with green and gold. This does not make me comfortable.


I'm in Houston and I'd like to re-assure you that Reliant Stadium will be NOTHING like a road game.

You have to understand, Reliant is a football stadium -- and it's huge and very spread out (impressive that it sits next to the old Astrodome and dwarfs it). There were 45,000 fans in the stands Friday night and the place was half empty. There will be a lot of Baylor fans there, but most of them will be so far from the action that they will have nothing like the impact that Maryland fans have in Comcast or that Georgetown fans have in MCI.

Plus, there will be a LOT of Duke fans there -- based on Friday night, I'd guess maybe between a third and fourth of the crowd.

I'm not saying that Duke can't or won't win that game, just that the crowd will have much less impact than some of you fear. The Baylor fans were not a factor Friday night and I don't think they will be Sunday.

[CDu]

I don't know that I agree that we ill be playing "on the road." There is no doubt that there will be more green and gold in the arena, but Baylor has not played in this arena and is no more familiar with the surroundings than is Duke. Unfamiliar sight lines, apparent shooting angles, etc are the same for both teams. I don't really see a situs advantage for either team.

You just listed an advantage - the vast majority of the fans there will be Baylor fans. A home game typically provides two advantages - familiarity with the court, and home fans. Baylor will not have the first, but will have the second.

[Papa John]

You just listed an advantage - the vast majority of the fans there will be Baylor fans. A home game typically provides two advantages - familiarity with the court, and home fans. Baylor will not have the first, but will have the second.

Exactly. Though I agree, Olympic Fan and Indoor66, with your points about no advantage through familiarity with the venue, CDu correctly identified the advantage I was referring to--atmosphere. Baylor will have a home-game-like atmosphere to spur them on, and we will be fighting against that. What is the one thing that our 5 losses this season (Wisonsin, GaTech, NCState, Georgetown, MD) have in common? They were all on the road. Let's just hope that the home-game-feel is negated by our veteran-dominated, K-led team.

[tecumseh]

Someone mentioned UConn 1999, I was never that overconfident because I knew UConn was very good and they had Hamilton. You cannot overestimate how important it is to have someone who when the other team is knocking you back can always get a shot off. Rip Hamilton was one of those players, Grant Hill was one, Carmello Anthony was one, and Kyle Singler was one as evidenced against Purdue. I predicted Kentucky might struggle against WVU because they did not have one of those players. That is why I like Duke, Singler is playing so well and he is so hard to shut down.

The ultimate always get a shot off player is Kevin Durrant and if he had not gone to the NBA would still have college eligibility...How silly would that be. He's unstoppable in the NBA.

[Dr. Tina]

Just a note about Ken Pomeroy's stats for best overall officiency stats for teams going into the tournament. Here's what the list looked like in a recent article I read:

1. Duke
2. Kansas
3. Wisconsin
4. Ohio St.
5. Syracuse
6. Kentucky
7. BYU
8. WVU
9. KSU
10. ???
11. Georgetown

Who's still standing from this top 10 list? DUKE and WVU.

However, Pomeroy did say that the best challenge to us in our region would probably be Baylor, with Texas A&M a close second. There's a reason we're #1 overall, and we MUST go out there tonight and SHOW everyone why that is.

LETS GO DUKE!!!! BEAT BAYLOR AND BRING US BACK TO THE FINAL FOUR!!!!!

[dustin8131]

i have been oh so nervous leading up to this elite 8 match-up mostly due to the unknown factor of the length of their zone. But i just dont feel that they are skilled enough to really do us in.I do think that it will be a highly competitive game and really wish i could have slept without the jitters last night.

lets go duke

[DukeUsul]

Just a note about Ken Pomeroy's stats for best overall officiency stats for teams going into the tournament. Here's what the list looked like in a recent article I read:

1. Duke
2. Kansas
3. Wisconsin
4. Ohio St.
5. Syracuse
6. Kentucky
7. BYU
8. WVU
9. KSU
10. ???
11. Georgetown

Who's still standing from this top 10 list? DUKE and WVU.

However, Pomeroy did say that the best challenge to us in our region would probably be Baylor, with Texas A&M a close second. There's a reason we're #1 overall, and we MUST go out there tonight and SHOW everyone why that is.

LETS GO DUKE!!!! BEAT BAYLOR AND BRING US BACK TO THE FINAL FOUR!!!!!

Just for fun, I saved the Ken Pom stats from the Thursday morning before the 1st round started. These stats are up through and including games of Mar 17th.


STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE NON-CONF SOS
Rnk Team Conf W-L Pyth AdjO/Rnk AdjD/Rnk Cons/Rnk Luck/Rnk Pyth/Rnk OppO/Rnk OppD/Rnk Pyth/Rnk

1 Kansas B12 32-2 .9818 121.6/1 86.0/5 20.7/194 +.050/46 .7646/16 107.2/16 96.7/30 .6184/80
2 Duke ACC 29-5 .9815 121.4/2 85.9/4 22.3/271 -.005/166 .8000/4 106.7/25 94.6/2 .6674/45
3 Wisconsin B10 23-8 .9647 116.4/14 87.3/7 25.6/332 -.029/236 .7606/24 107.3/14 97.0/38 .5937/106
4 Ohio St. B10 27-7 .9615 118.9/7 89.8/23 25.5/331 +.012/118 .7250/49 105.7/48 97.1/43 .5494/151
5 Syracuse BE 28-4 .9606 117.7/9 89.2/20 18.2/86 +.005/133 .7362/44 107.5/11 98.3/83 .4969/202
6 Kentucky SEC 32-2 .9590 115.4/18 87.7/12 18.2/88 +.076/20 .7009/60 105.1/63 97.6/55 .5613/135
7 Kansas St. B12 26-7 .9566 116.0/15 88.7/19 17.4/59 -.014/191 .8161/2 108.6/2 95.4/6 .7110/23
8 Brigham Young MWC 29-5 .9565 117.3/11 89.7/21 24.3/320 +.007/126 .5949/113 103.1/123 99.7/113 .5314/169
9 West Virginia BE 27-6 .9535 117.2/12 90.2/25 17.9/72 +.025/89 .8126/3 109.2/1 96.1/18 .7321/17
10 Maryland ACC 23-8 .9525 119.1/6 91.7/38 23.7/308 -.015/195 .7592/26 105.6/51 95.6/9 .4698/230

11 Baylor B12 25-7 .9508 119.7/4 92.6/47 17.8/66 -.028/231 .7630/21 106.6/27 96.3/22 .5551/145
12 Georgetown BE 23-10 .9492 117.4/10 91.0/33 19.8/157 -.041/262 .8169/1 108.5/3 95.3/4 .7461/11
13 Purdue B10 27-5 .9393 109.8/51 86.5/6 19.1/128 +.054/42 .7494/34 106.8/24 97.1/41 .5569/142
14 Villanova BE 24-7 .9354 118.6/8 94.0/62 19.8/161 +.020/99 .7775/12 107.8/7 96.7/26 .5610/136
15 Texas B12 24-9 .9345 113.5/26 90.1/24 25.3/329 -.003/156 .7527/30 106.4/33 96.5/25 .5454/157

[Kedsy]

Okay, need to pull out all the stops here.

I'm calling on the Birthday gods. Yep, today, March 28 is my birthday; I'm happy to be here and appreciative of my family and friends. But as a longtime Duke fan, I can think of no better way to celebrate my birthday than with another win and a trip to the Final Four.

By the way, the history on regional finals is pretty good:

March 28, 2004---Duke over Xavier
March 28, 1992---Duke 104 Kentucky 103

Let's go, Duke!


Happy birthday, Roy! Did you attend the 1992 game? That must have been quite the day for you (unless you have a heart condition -- nobody wants cardiac arrest on their birthday, right?).

[kexman]

I love watching how teams attack zone defenses. Most teams are not used to seeing it and it is difficult to get your second team to play it very well in practice. It requires patience and players can not attack the zone with one on one ability. Many times it appears that teams see zone and they are completely befuddled.
I would hope that with our skill and EXPERIENCE on the perimeter they would be not be confused by the zone. They still have to make shots, but I think we should be able to get decent shots against the zone.
The other thing is that it is somewhat difficult to box out in a zone so I hope our bigs have a great day getting offensive rebounds...actually I hope every shot goes through the hoop and there are no offensive rebounds:)

[DukeGirl4ever]

Happy birthday, Roy! Did you attend the 1992 game? That must have been quite the day for you (unless you have a heart condition -- nobody wants cardiac arrest on their birthday, right?).

:D


What a birthday celebration that must have been in 1992!

It was 18 years ago today that I FELL IN LOVE WITH DUKE! I was a fan at the beginning of the 1990 season, but that shot changed my life forever.

I can still remember being in 7th grade sitting in front of my TV bawling like a baby thinking they lost....and then bawling like a baby after they won.

I'm hoping for some more tears of joy today. I love this team!

[pfrduke]

If you're team is in the regional final, playing a good squad in what is basically a home game for them, and you're feeling nervous...is 8:30 am too early to start drinking?

Absonotly ;)

I'm already trying to figure out how to ration my consumption so that I'm not a) a wound up ball of stress by game time or b) blind drunk by the second half. :D

[RelativeWays]

KU, UK, Syracuse, Nova, Gtown, basically every team that posed the biggest match up problems with Duke is gone. It seems like the basketball gods are sending a message to any team that can play with consistency, heart and a sense of purpose can win the whole thing.

I really saw the elite 8 as the cap for this team, as K said, this is a very good team having a great season. Here's the catch, thats all that is left. Very good teams having great seasons. Any of the teams left, from Butler to MSU can seriously win this, and not by some huge stroke of luck, but just playing consistent. We know that Baylor, WVU and any of the teams on the left can beat Duke, but Duke can beat them, and a miracle or ridiculous shooting streak is not needed. Just great defense and smart offense.

I hope and pray that the team sees the opportunity here, they can win the whole thing. This "overrated, alarmingly unathletic" squad can win the whole damn thing, all they have to do is get hungrier than ever before, relish this true opportunity. I'm not talking about looking past Baylor, I'm talking starting with Baylor, as they have the same chance as well.

These kids need to fully embrace what they can do at this point, 3 games left to win against teams that Duke can really beat. It could come all crashing down tonight as Baylor is no joke, but if we play with true passion, drive, intensity and respect, and we can do it for 3 games, we will win the national championship. Thats not hope, or embellishment or wishful thinking, its as true for this team as its been for Duke in a long time. They have to go out tonight and get it. Its your title, Duke, reach up and claim it it with a clinched fist!

[roywhite]

Happy birthday, Roy! Did you attend the 1992 game? That must have been quite the day for you (unless you have a heart condition -- nobody wants cardiac arrest on their birthday, right?).

Thanks for the kind wishes from kedsy and others.

I was indeed at the 1992 game. I remember the enthusiasm of the KY crowd during that game and the nervousness of the Duke crowd....oh shoot, we might lose this game...

And then after Laettner's shot went through, I swear there was a half-second of silence from the crowd. Did we really just see that?

Hoping for another good memory.

[BUFan428]

Baylor fan, here (if the name didn't give it away). Firstly, I would like to express my appreciation for Duke fans and your board. You speak from a more objective standpoint than most other schools' fans, and the writing itself shows why your institution is ranked where it is academically.

But to basketball--- I believe caddie managed to get all the personnel points out there. I believe the key player for Baylor is Tweety Carter, the senior point guard. His numbers aren't staggering, but to watch him play is much different. He commands the court and has great vision. He can make the NBA 3 with relative ease, and has a quick first step to get around defenders and drive. However, his point totals aren't high due to the fact that he is there to improve the play of his team (like a pt guard should do). When he is out and freshman guard Walton is in, there is definitely a lag in play, regardless of who else is on the floor.

And although Tweety isn't the team's leading scorer, I believe he may have the high school record for points scored, so if he needs/is allowed to put up 30, he certainly has the ability to.

Essentially from all the posts I've read, no matter the analysis, the team that plays better overall should win (tough concept, I know, but the analysis has shown that this is a mirror image matchup for the most part).

Once again, I appreciate the level of intelligence (basketball and overall) on this board, and the best of luck to Duke. However, as always: Sic 'em Bears

[Dev11]

Thanks for the kind wishes from kedsy and others.

I was indeed at the 1992 game. I remember the enthusiasm of the KY crowd during that game and the nervousness of the Duke crowd....oh shoot, we might lose this game...

And then after Laettner's shot went through, I swear there was a half-second of silence from the crowd. Did we really just see that?

Hoping for another good memory.

In case you forgot that feeling, or you just really enjoy the Bob Harris call:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_8z4uEGGls

:)

[OldSchool]

Then, there are Florida State with Alabi and Singleton, and Wake Forest. We've seen big teams with shot blockers. The zone is a different wrinkle though.

In terms of athleticism, skill and size what Baylor brings to my mind is similar to that of last year's Florida State team. Echefu, Alabi and Singleton on the front line, probably not quite as strong shot-blocking as this Baylor team but on the other hand perhaps a stronger perimeter threat than Baylor's bigs. And Toney Douglas is comparable in the backcourt except that Baylor has two very strong guards.

I am somewhat confident about our ability to contain their bigs. To me, defending their guards will probably be where the game is won or lost.

[Olympic Fan]

Exactly. Though I agree, Olympic Fan and Indoor66, with your points about no advantage through familiarity with the venue, CDu correctly identified the advantage I was referring to--atmosphere. Baylor will have a home-game-like atmosphere to spur them on, and we will be fighting against that. What is the one thing that our 5 losses this season (Wisonsin, GaTech, NCState, Georgetown, MD) have in common? They were all on the road. Let's just hope that the home-game-feel is negated by our veteran-dominated, K-led team.

Papa, you mis-read my post. I never mentioned the "familiarity of the venue" -- I WAS talking about atmosphere, the "advantage" you incorrectly identified. I'm telling you that while the majority of the crowd will be for Baylor, it will be NOTHING like a home atmosphere for the Bears. The way Reliant is set up, they'd need to put 80,000 Baylor fans in the stands to really generate a homecourt feel.

They won't -- I heard a Baylor official interviewed yesterday and he said they expected to have 18-19,000 fans on hand (I think they'll have more than that). That's not going to make much of a dent in the atmosphere. There will be 10,000 Duke fans in the stands. They will be outnumbered, but not by the massive amount it would take to generate anything like a "home-team" atmosphere.

This will probably be similar to the Duke-UConn game in the Garden this season. If you were there, you know that thne majority of the fans for that game were pulling for the Huskies -- but that it was nothing like a home game for the Huskies. And that's in Madison Square Garden, a MUCH smaller and more intimate area.

You can quote Duke's road record all you want, but this is not a road game -- not even close. This is a neutral court game ... and Duke is 10-0 on neutral courts this season.

Again, I'm not saying Baylor won't win, just that if they do the venue and the crowd will have little or nothing to do with it.

[dustin8131]

:D


What a birthday celebration that must have been in 1992!

It was 18 years ago today that I FELL IN LOVE WITH DUKE! I was a fan at the beginning of the 1990 season, but that shot changed my life forever.

I can still remember being in 7th grade sitting in front of my TV bawling like a baby thinking they lost....and then bawling like a baby after they won.

I'm hoping for some more tears of joy today. I love this team!

i remember that day as i was 8 years old but had been watching duke for a few years bc i have always been a huge fan.

[GLTBD]

Okay, need to pull out all the stops here.

I'm calling on the Birthday gods. Yep, today, March 28 is my birthday; I'm happy to be here and appreciative of my family and friends. But as a longtime Duke fan, I can think of no better way to celebrate my birthday than with another win and a trip to the Final Four.

By the way, the history on regional finals is pretty good:

March 28, 2004---Duke over Xavier
March 28, 1992---Duke 104 Kentucky 103

Let's go, Duke!

Tomorrow is my birthday, and all I want is a Duke win. Lets go Duke!!!

[hudlow]

From what I'm seeing it looks like the odds makers are predicting a low scoring close game.

GO DUKE!

hud

[mgtr]

Yesterday was my birthday, and the birthday gods let both of my teams win (and UK lose!). So, it worked for me, lets hope it also works for you!

[LSanders]

There was a wonderful "Sports Illustrated" edition many, many moons ago; I think it was an anniversary of some sort for the magazine. In it, they asked the senior writers for various sports to recall their most memorable moments. The basketball writer wrote one of the best sports articles I've ever read on this game, the shot, etc.

The most poignant part was about K. The writer recalled that right after the shot, K rushed over to the KY radio play-by-play guys and went on the air to praise the players, their effort and accomplishments, and talk about what a privilege it was to be part of a game like that ... BEFORE he went to celebrate with his own team. That's when K made the transition from being a great coach to being a great human being for me, and my relationship changed forever with the Devils.

I'd already graduated, so school loyalty wasn't an issue, but for a coach to display that level of class and compassion at a time like that was something I'd never witnessed. From what I've read about Wooden, I believe he would have been capable of such a gesture. How many others over the years would have even had the presence of mind to think of such a thing?

There'll never be another like him!

---------------------

BTW ... The other article I remember from that issue was the running article. The writer described being at the top of Heartbreak Hill during the Boston Marathon. Some idiots planned to run out of the crowd when the top runner ascended the hill to run with him so they could get on camera.

When the runner appeared, said idiots jumped into the road to do their thing. However ... The marathoner was running so fast (even after 20 miles plus having to run up mile-long Heartbreak) that the idiots couldn't even keep up with him for the hundred yards or so of their prank.

The writer said the look of shock and embarrassment on their faces as they stopped and quickly disappeared into the crowd was the most memorable moment he'd ever experienced in sport.

[GoDuke99]

Papa, you mis-read my post. I never mentioned the "familiarity of the venue" -- I WAS talking about atmosphere, the "advantage" you incorrectly identified. I'm telling you that while the majority of the crowd will be for Baylor, it will be NOTHING like a home atmosphere for the Bears. The way Reliant is set up, they'd need to put 80,000 Baylor fans in the stands to really generate a homecourt feel.

They won't -- I heard a Baylor official interviewed yesterday and he said they expected to have 18-19,000 fans on hand (I think they'll have more than that). That's not going to make much of a dent in the atmosphere. There will be 10,000 Duke fans in the stands. They will be outnumbered, but not by the massive amount it would take to generate anything like a "home-team" atmosphere.

Again, I'm not saying Baylor won't win, just that if they do the venue and the crowd will have little or nothing to do with it.

i was at the game friday and goin again today... trust me the home crowd had something to do with the win over st mary's and will have a huge affect on today's game. Scott Drew called a timeout with under a minute left in the game on friday and the entire arena lit up with cheers. you can see that the whole Baylor team fed off the energy of the crowd and dont want to let them down.im guessing that there were prbly 75% Baylor fans at the game. its only about a 3 hour drive from Waco and there will be more fans today than there were friday

ive watched every Baylor and Duke game this year and had never seen that level of energy from Baylor on friday, it was incredible. the crowd was involved and Baylor never once let up. they played lights out defense and offense. i picked Duke on my bracket, but honestly, im almost second guessing my decision after watching friday's action.

im attending Baylor next fall so my heart is torn, but i do know a lot of people driving from Waco who didnt go to fridays game but are coming today. us Baylor fans have been waiting for a positive to come from this basketball team ever since the scandal. the fans are hungry, the team is hungry, and the community is hungry: dont underestimate the Bears or home crowd advantage.

ive been a Baylor fan my whole life until 7 years ago when some relatives went to Duke and ive followed both teams ever since, never missing a game.
believe me when i say this: ive been waiting 18 years of my life to see some positive sport team whether it be basketball, football, or baseball and the time has finally come. the entire Baylor community has this same attitude and will be cheering their hearts out today. the home crowd will be huge and will play a big factor

[Classof06]

I really saw the elite 8 as the cap for this team, as K said, this is a very good team having a great season. Here's the catch, thats all that is left. Very good teams having great seasons. Any of the teams left, from Butler to MSU can seriously win this, and not by some huge stroke of luck, but just playing consistent. We know that Baylor, WVU and any of the teams on the left can beat Duke, but Duke can beat them, and a miracle or ridiculous shooting streak is not needed. Just great defense and smart offense.

At the beginning of the year, I too pegged the ceiling for this Duke team as an Elite 8; but I left it with the caveat that there was no dominant team this year and that if things went Duke's way, they could definitely make a Final Four. Today is the day we see about that caveat.

No matter what happens today, I'm as proud of this Duke team as any in recent memory. But seniors Scheyer, Zoubek and Thomas deserve a Final 4, and I really, really, really hope they get it.

LET'S GO DUKE!!!!

[BearlyHere]

That's not going to make much of a dent in the atmosphere. There will be 10,000 Duke fans in the stands.

Where on Earth did you get that number? Maybe saving their pennies for Indy, but not in Houston. Again, there will be a minimum of 90% Baylor fans there. There will also be an increase from the $20 tickets that went on sale Friday night late. Reliant will be hostile to the BDs.

[Oriole Way]

I think this game comes down to a couple of things:

1. How well the Big 3 shoot

2. How Jon Scheyer performs

If the Big 3 shoot more than 45% for the game, I think Duke wins. If they shoot much less than 45%, it's going to be tough to win.

As part of that, I think Scheyer needs to build on his 2nd half against Purdue. He needs to continue to put the ball on the floor to break up the zone. Also, I would love to see Jon hit at least 2 3's, especially early on in the game. That would bode well for our ability to shoot over the zone and put pressure on Baylor from an offensive standpoint.

Obviously, our ability to stop Baylor's guards is one of the most important aspects of the game. However, I expect Duke's tough defense to give Baylor problems. As such, I think Duke's offensive performance will be the key to Duke's success.

Coach K has a ridiculous record in the Elite Eight, only losing one time to the eventual national champion. I expect that coaching advantage to come into play as well.

I have confidence in Duke upperclassmen, but I worry about Baylor's athleticism and size. A win here would be awesome, but I'm not expecting one. But that won't stop me from hoping from the best.

Let's Go Duke!

[DevilHorns]

SO nervous. These kids are such great kids, I want it so bad for them.

[Dr. Tina]

SO nervous. These kids are such great kids, I want it so bad for them.

I've been nervous the past several hours! This has been such a good team with great kids. I really want it for our seniors. I want it for our program. I want it for our fans. I know we can do this!

[TheRob8801]

It's not like the entire team doesn't deserve a Final Four...but I don't think that anyone deserves it more than Brian. Without the work he's put in to become the player that he has this season, we would not be anywhere NEAR where we are today.

To go from where he was last year and previous years to where he is now is like night and day.

I will be so VERY happy for him if they pull this out tonight.

[GLTBD]

In the past hour I have already chewed two finger nails, I have a headache, very emotional and my husband is threatening a divorce ( and he too is a Duke fan).

[proelitedota]

I can't even digest my lunch properly and I can't look at food at all.

[RoyalBlue08]

In the past hour I have already chewed two finger nails, I have a headache, very emotional and my husband is threatening a divorce ( and he too is a Duke fan).

I feel the exact same way. I am barring myself from DBR until well after this game is over now. I find reading about other people stressing out is NOT helping!

[Dr. Tina]

In the past hour I have already chewed two finger nails, I have a headache, very emotional and my husband is threatening a divorce ( and he too is a Duke fan).

Okay, this gave me a chuckle....Here's hoping your marriage survives... ;)

[Wildling]

My wife senses how nervous I am and is refusing to watch the game in the same room as me.

This was 3 hours ago.................

[GLTBD]

Okay, this gave me a chuckle....Here's hoping your marriage survives... ;)

The funny thing is we will probably not watch the game together. He will be watching it in the basement me 2 stories above in the bedroom. Go Duke, help save my marriage.

[DukeGirl4ever]

I feel the exact same way. I am barring myself from DBR until well after this game is over now. I find reading about other people stressing out is NOT helping!

My hands are literally shaking so much I can't even type. I feel very sick to my stomach and my finger nails are no more.
I am hoping this is not a bad sign. I haven't felt like this all tourney.

Someone please reassure me that it is because a trip to the Final Four is on the line.

[arnie]

My wife senses how nervous I am and is refusing to watch the game in the same room as me.

This was 3 hours ago.................

At least your wife watches - mine saw us beat the Heels decades ago in Cameron and thought the whole thing was boring.

[Dukeknights]

¡¡¡ǝʞnp oooooƃ sʇǝן

[moonpie23]

Let's go duke !!!

[dustin8131]

time to get er done

[CameronBlue]

I went out to the garage to clean the cat boxes and started drawing up a hi-low post play in the kitty litter to get Zoubs the ball more often. The tension is really getting to me.

[Merlindevildog91]

nerves are beyond shot. My original law school choices were Duke or Baylor, and I've always respected the school. Hurt for them with the Dennehy thing.

I'm such a basket case, my husband is currently giving the dog a bath. He's a Duke fan too. But at least he isn't threatening divorce.

[Kedsy]

Thanks for the kind wishes from kedsy and others.

I was indeed at the 1992 game. I remember the enthusiasm of the KY crowd during that game and the nervousness of the Duke crowd....oh shoot, we might lose this game...

And then after Laettner's shot went through, I swear there was a half-second of silence from the crowd. Did we really just see that?

Hoping for another good memory.


I was there too, on the floor behind the basket. I was about ten rows directly behind Grant when he threw the pass. I had pretty much the exact view he had (although of course I had to stand up on my chair to get to that height). Predictably, I fell off the chair after Christian's shot went through the hoop.

Where were you sitting?

[moonpie23]

here we go......no matter what happens, i love this team.......


LET'S GO DUKE!!!!!

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Lets go DUKE

[AlaskanAssassin]

Letsgoooooooo!

[riverside6]

live tempo-based stats for Duke/Baylor

http://scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=6812

[Lulu]

I think Thomas must be leading the nation in % getting your own shot blocked by a taller defender standing right up against you. Happens a lot with him.

[pfrduke]

Lance has to pass that ball - Nolan was wide open.

Good first possession defensively. With Scheyer on him, I wonder if they'll try to post Jones at all - not sure how he is as a back to the basket scorer.

[FerryFor50]

I think Thomas must be leading the nation in getting your own shot blocked by a taller defender standing right up against you. Happens a lot with him.

Agreed. He's also the leader in pump faking a guy into the air and then going up way before the defender is by you.

[pfrduke]

Good zone O and great flush!

[pfrduke]

Cheap little elbow from Lomers on Z's neck.

[FerryFor50]

Lomers is kind of a punk. Already has delivered 2 cheap shots.

[Cockabeau]

Kelogg is terrible

[devildownunder]

We need you on the floor.

[FerryFor50]

Lance, this is a bad time to start trying to play offense.

[DukeGirl4ever]

Baylor's length is going to be a major factor.

[slower]

Hope we're not going to see a regression to weak hands/fumble fingers - not a good start.

[FireOgilvie]

Who was that last foul on??? Terrible job by the announcers.... "And a foul is called."

[Lulu]

Alright. So Lance is going to take 75% of our shots. What's the strategy here?

[Son of Mojo]

Guess they're......ummmmmm.......letting them play (code: swipe at our wrists on any drive in the lane).

[GoingFor#5]

I don't know about Singler guarding their top scorer...we need his energy on offense.

[FerryFor50]

Who was that last foul on??? Terrible job by the announcers.... "And a foul is called."

It was on Singler.

[arnie]

Lance, this is a bad time to start trying to play offense.

Its not his fault - one should never pass the ball to Lance down low. Come on guards - think!

[CBDUKE]

The strategy is to get it inside on the zone. Hopefully the Plumlees can get the job done.

[Andre Buckner Fan]

I'm not a fan of Lomers so far. :mad:

[devildownunder]

So both Plumlees in together. I think we're going to see at least one of them on the floor while Udoh is in the game.

[slower]

It was on Singler.

that's a severe problem. Crap! The worst POSSIBLE start.

[DukieInBrasil]

looking rough to start, just barely keeping Baylor contained, but Duke is looking like they're too jittery...plus Singler just picked up his 2nd foul with 15 to play in the 1st. Crud....

[Lulu]

So that's 2 on Singler. That's extraordinarily bad for us if true.

[banneheim]

So both Plumlees in together. I think we're going to see at least one of them on the floor while Udoh is in the game.

I agree...

[ChrisP]

I love LT but if he's going to suddenly be the focus of our offense...then...Houston...we have a problem.

[AlaskanAssassin]

I'm assuming K gave him the green light. I've never seen Lance that aggressive on the offensive end. Kind of like it.

[FerryFor50]

Looks like they're looking to attack the middle and back of the zone.

[devildownunder]

Two on Singler. Ouch. Have to get to halftime without him, I think. Also means K probably won't risk guarding Dunn with him now. Dunn didn't seem comfortable with that matchup.

[slower]

I agree...

the Plumlees will have to come up HUGE to win this one. We may not see as much of Zoubs as we have been lately.

Looks like we may just have to manage things and stay close until halftime.

[FerryFor50]

Nice move by Miles! Let's go at Udoh as much as possible and get some fouls on him!

[pfrduke]

I really, really like the way we're playing offense against the zone. Lots of attacking from the middle, not a lot of passing around the perimeter. This is good work.

[FerryFor50]

I guess they didn't see a 7 foot 260 lb center get pulled down.