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View Full Version : (Deep Breath) MBB: Duke 70, Purdue 57 Post-Game Thread



OldPhiKap
03-27-2010, 12:03 AM
Whew! Survive and advance.

gwwilburn
03-27-2010, 12:04 AM
I second this.

Welcome2DaSlopes
03-27-2010, 12:04 AM
Great second half.

AdjustNation
03-27-2010, 12:05 AM
If the box score could show how close this game was it would be

Duke 50.5 to Purdue 50

Andre Buckner Fan
03-27-2010, 12:05 AM
Jon found his shot. It was in Houston.

CameronDuke
03-27-2010, 12:05 AM
Let's Go Duke!

Elite Eight, Baby!

Way to go, fellas!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome2DaSlopes
03-27-2010, 12:05 AM
It's going to be hard for me to pick just one MOTM

sweetchiba51
03-27-2010, 12:06 AM
If the box score could show how close this game was it would be

Duke 50.5 to Purdue 50

Nah, we dominated that second half! This Duke team is tough as nails, teams of the past couple years would have lost this game.

Greg_Newton
03-27-2010, 12:06 AM
There's an 800-lb gorilla roaming around Houston somewhere!

So, so, so happy for Duke and for the seniors. This was such an important game to win for so many reasons... not least of which, we won't be hearing the sweet 16 dismissal jokes anymore!

oldnavy
03-27-2010, 12:07 AM
I hope there are some whirlpools close by, I think our boys are going to need to soak some after this bruiser!

Thank goodness we got aggressive and started taking the ball to the lane in the second half. I was about to pull what little hair I have out in the first half.

Great win!

arnie
03-27-2010, 12:07 AM
What a difference a half makes

jkidd31
03-27-2010, 12:07 AM
Kudos to JS to keep stroking the ball, tha 3 he hit really got us going. He took his drives up much stronger in the 2nd half.

pfrduke
03-27-2010, 12:07 AM
That was a street fight, through and through. Extremely intense defensive contest. We made all the plays down the stretch. Excellent, excellent job by the boys. Bring on Baylor - let's go Duke!

Lord Ash
03-27-2010, 12:08 AM
So, so, so happy with that final outcome. The first half was SO painful, so tough, so many mistakes... and still up by 1. Purdue's d was insane... toughest, most scrappy, most forcing D we've seen this year.

Then in the second Jon came back to us. That, plus the rest of the guys turning it on... good stuff.

A great game to watch... I feel like a hundred thousand pounds are off our shoulders.

Les Grossman
03-27-2010, 12:08 AM
As ugly as the 1st half was, the 2nd half was very good indeed. Lets hope they are able to stay loose for the Baylor game.

Ultrarunner
03-27-2010, 12:08 AM
Jon found his shot. It was in Houston.

It was on the end of a Nolan pass.

Jon called for the ball on that three, hit it and just seemed to relax. Great confidence shown by Nolan in Jon.

I really like this team.

miramar
03-27-2010, 12:08 AM
Nah, we dominated that second half! This Duke team is tough as nails, teams of the past couple years would have lost this game.

There's just something about these guys...

GODUKEGO
03-27-2010, 12:08 AM
I sure hope we have different ref's on Sunday. I can not believe the hand checking they were allowing by Purdue.

DukeGirl4ever
03-27-2010, 12:08 AM
Jon found his shot. It was in Houston.

Eh, I would say he found his driving ability! If the shots don't fall, take it to the rim! So, he did find his shot, just not his long range shot.

God love his ability to make that adjustment in the 2nd half and do what was necessary to help his team!

proelitedota
03-27-2010, 12:09 AM
Based on the fact that we advanced a round every single year since 2006, it means we will lose to Baylor and win the championship in 3.

dukelifer
03-27-2010, 12:09 AM
Team was tight in the first half and then were able to get it going after getting yelled at. Great second half by Jon. He was fantastic- and slayed that shooting slump. The big three were at their best in the end, Lance played great D, Zoubs set some mean picks and Miles was solid throughout. Elite 8 folks. This was a big monkey off the back. I expect they will be more relaxed on Sunday.

mike88
03-27-2010, 12:09 AM
As soon as we quit turning it over, the difference in shooting and scoring became clear. Fortunately, we stayed tough on D (except for giving up a few too many open 3's) and rebounded well as expected even when we were in bad shape offensively.

Big kudos for Jon in getting untracked in the second half; Nolan was huge as well, but my MOTM is still Kyle Singler - he came to play both halves.

Huh?
03-27-2010, 12:09 AM
SHHHHHEEEEEEWWWWWW, I have never been more relieved after a game like this before. Keep taking to the hole!

Ian
03-27-2010, 12:09 AM
Jon is my MOTM.

That play with the game 35-35 all, and the shot clock running down, he just willed his way to the basket, he was fouled about 4 times on that drive but he just kept going, and when he scored on that play I knew we were going to win the game, because I knew if we played with that type of will we are the better team and would win.

Not surprisingly after that play we went on a huge run to put the game away.

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 12:10 AM
Baylor's results this season:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/teams/bae

Nothing stands out as impressive. I'm glad they destroyed St. Mary's because that should put us on alert, but really they are probably overhyped at this point.

Andre Buckner Fan
03-27-2010, 12:10 AM
I sure hope we have different ref's on Sunday. I can not believe the hand checking they were allowing by Purdue.

Everything was fair except for elbows... a really brutal style of play.

DukieInBrasil
03-27-2010, 12:10 AM
I was nervous there in the second half, until Nolan took over and scored 7 strait to essentially put the game away. Great effort from all the guys, great win. It's hard to believe it but this is everybody on this team's first whiff of the Elite 8. Did Jon finally crack through his stress-induced slump, meaning will he shine vs Baylor? Z, just mega. Kyle, stellar. MPs, solid.

oldnavy
03-27-2010, 12:11 AM
Based on the fact that we advanced a round every single year since 2006, it means we will lose to Baylor and win the championship in 3.

Really? After this game you are going to come with that negativity! Enjoy the moment dude!

JBDuke
03-27-2010, 12:12 AM
Put your post-game thoughts here.

greybeard
03-27-2010, 12:13 AM
It was on the end of a Nolan pass.

Jon called for the ball on that three, hit it and just seemed to relax. Great confidence shown by Nolan in Jon.

I really like this team.

So well put!

northernduke
03-27-2010, 12:14 AM
As ugly as the tempo of the game was, that was a beautiful team performance all around. Z played unbelievably well on the perimeter when his man ventured out, and he got back to help when the ball was in the lane. Kyle kept us in the game in the first half and then combined with his other 2 offensive weapons to pull us ahead in the second half.

What a game - a lot of credit to Purdue. They play incredibly tough defense on EVERY possession. Well coached and tough minded. I don't want to even try to imagine how much tougher the game would have been with Hummell in the lineup.

Congrats guys, can't wait for Sunday!

moonpie23
03-27-2010, 12:15 AM
i'm not going to even look back on who posted it.....but i, for one, don't EVEN want to see another post that says "jon scheyer is killing this team"

jon scheyer's play all year long has put this team in a POSITION to claim 31 wins, the ACC championship and a #1 seed in the tourny......his play has been rough lately with REGARD TO SCORING, but i swear.......that pissed me off...


sorry, i'm a bit emotional right now...

proelitedota
03-27-2010, 12:15 AM
Really? After this game you are going to come with that negativity! Enjoy the moment dude!

I am not being negative. When is year-to-year progress negative.

I am just making an assumption by induction, which isn't something that I should do, but it's an interesting pattern the last four years.

Lord Ash
03-27-2010, 12:17 AM
Coach K on ESPN News now.

mkirsh
03-27-2010, 12:18 AM
That Purdue team can play some D - we were struggling just to hand the ball off 20 feet from the basket in the first half, and they have a solid shot blocker to back up the pressure. Great play in the second half to score tough buckets in the lane by both Jon and Nolan. The second half was one the few times all year where the "big three" all had it going at the same time - hope that continues to Sunday.

Also, at the end of the game you could see Coach K say to Matt Painter during their hand shake "great game you played your asses off"

Great win.

dukelion
03-27-2010, 12:18 AM
I couldn't believe the D in the first half.....a man's game.

Purdue battled and just ran out of firepower.

Baylor had an easy game and I hope what Duke just went through helps them drop the Bears.

Man I love this team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lord Ash
03-27-2010, 12:18 AM
You know, K has said all year this is not a GREAT team.

However, I always thought it was a very good TEAM.

I think maybe the second is at least as important as the first.

Kfan4Life
03-27-2010, 12:18 AM
Great win!!! I'm so proud of Scheyer, he kept playing hard till it finally started clicking. Hats off to Purdue, they didn't let up for one second on defense. Can't wait for Sunday's game.

SoCalDukeFan
03-27-2010, 12:20 AM
Obviously a really nice 2nd half. Great to see the old Jon Scheyer.

Also, great win for Coach K and his halftime adjustments.

SoCal

Lord Ash
03-27-2010, 12:21 AM
Wow, Kyle looks like a darn UFC fighter with that face of his.

BobbyFan
03-27-2010, 12:21 AM
The contrasting halves of basketball we played on offense reminded me of our title game vs. Michigan in 92.

It doesn't matter that we are clearly the better team; I just loved the way we responded. How to counter Purdue's defense was no secret, but executing it is an entirely other task and we did it very, very well.

FerryFor50
03-27-2010, 12:21 AM
i'm not going to even look back on who posted it.....but i, for one, don't EVEN want to see another post that says "jon scheyer is killing this team"

jon scheyer's play all year long has put this team in a POSITION to claim 31 wins, the ACC championship and a #1 seed in the tourny......his play has been rough lately with REGARD TO SCORING, but i swear.......that pissed me off...


sorry, i'm a bit emotional right now...

Whoever said that really doesn't know what they're talking about.

If a player was "killing" a team, they wouldn't have:

- finished with 30 wins
- won the ACC regular season and ACC tournament titles
- advanced to the Elite 8

And if you wanted to count brass tacks, Scheyer is one of the *last* players I'd count as "killing" the team.

miramar
03-27-2010, 12:21 AM
45-22, and 15-4 on the offensive glass.

Zoubs and Singler had as many rebounds as their entire team.

devildm
03-27-2010, 12:21 AM
My favorite point of the game...Jon hitting his first 3 after just missing one and seeing Coach K about jump out of his shoes on the sideline behind him.

Newton_14
03-27-2010, 12:22 AM
If one of you guys or gals could kindly send me a couple bottles of Pepto and a valium or 2 (I keed I keed) I would be much obliged! Dang that 1st half was brutal!

Big Kudos to the entire team. They all stepped up in what was an absolute war! And forget the complaints about hand checks, those were body checks out there. Hockey with a little basketball mixed in.

Way to go Jon Scheyer. It takes character to do what he did in the 2nd half after going 1 for 100 or so in the last 3 halves. The guy is tough as nails, as is Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith and, well everybody stepped up out there.

No way we win a game like this the last few years. Rebounding and interior D is better by a mile.

P.S. Watching the presser and K is none too please with a question that just got asked to Jon. Dude wanted to ask Jon about past year's "meltdowns" in the tourney.. man that is so 2000 and late.. get over it.

Elite 8!! Way to go Duke!!!!!

DBFAN
03-27-2010, 12:22 AM
Wait to go Guys

I for one think the team may be a little more loose on Sunday. I think getting over this Sweet 16 hump, was something that may have been on their minds. Really proud of this team. Did anyone catch that shot of Coach when they showed that brief replay of Scheyer hitting that 3. That just really reminds me of what this team is about, not just winning, but also enjoying the success of your teammates, and players. :)

Go Duke

DevilHorns
03-27-2010, 12:22 AM
20/24 from the FT line. Excellent guys. Excellent.

snewman92
03-27-2010, 12:23 AM
I missed exactly what was said that set K off. I assume it was a wrongheaded reference to Duke's performance in recent tourneys?

FerryFor50
03-27-2010, 12:24 AM
You know, K has said all year this is not a GREAT team.

However, I always thought it was a very good TEAM.

I think maybe the second is at least as important as the first.

I am beginning to wonder if K saying this isn't a "great team" is more of a motivational tool than something he believes. I mean, there are no Grant Hills or Christian Laettners, but they're very solid top to bottom. To me, the very definition of a great team is how deep your team is.

wilko
03-27-2010, 12:25 AM
i'm not going to even look back on who posted it.....but i, for one, don't EVEN want to see another post that says "jon scheyer is killing this team"

jon scheyer's play all year long has put this team in a POSITION to claim 31 wins, the ACC championship and a #1 seed in the tourny....

WORD. That dude has been giving it up for 4 yrs for us. I'll stand by him as well.

Lord Ash
03-27-2010, 12:26 AM
A guy asked about a "quote" from Jon about Duke having meltdowns in the post season. K called him on it because Jon never said it.

Just heard Watzone asking his questions:)

Exiled_Devil
03-27-2010, 12:26 AM
I'm pretty sure I just heard Watzone ask a question in the post-game presser.

More fun to add to the mix.



And, Clark Kellog is a ridiculously biased commentator.

Edit: Ash beat me to it.

proelitedota
03-27-2010, 12:27 AM
I am beginning to wonder if K saying this isn't a "great team" is more of a motivational tool than something he believes. I mean, there are no Grant Hills or Christian Laettners, but they're very solid top to bottom. To me, the very definition of a great team is how deep your team is.

K's words are pure motivational, as he believes that his team still has untapped potential, hence "the not great".

snewman92
03-27-2010, 12:27 AM
Thanks, Lord Ash! That was a first-class smackdown.

NSDukeFan
03-27-2010, 12:28 AM
Gutsy win by a gutsy team that has won a lot of tough games this year. Very impressive second half.

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 12:29 AM
Can someone explain what K said?

roywhite
03-27-2010, 12:29 AM
I am beginning to wonder if K saying this isn't a "great team" is more of a motivational tool than something he believes. I mean, there are no Grant Hills or Christian Laettners, but they're very solid top to bottom. To me, the very definition of a great team is how deep your team is.

The vulnerability of this team is the offensive drought, where we go long stretches without a field goal. It could end up being a fatal flaw, but there are many strengths that are there. The rebounding, the defense, the great ball movement when the offense gets rolling....it's a very good team.

Tough, tough win. But on we go!

Oriole Way
03-27-2010, 12:30 AM
Awesome second half performance... great halftime adjustments by K and the team.

Great to see Jon put it on the floor and assert himself late in the second half. We're going to need him to keep it up against Baylor.

Andre Buckner Fan
03-27-2010, 12:32 AM
Whoever said that really doesn't know what they're talking about.

If a player was "killing" a team, they wouldn't have:

- finished with 30 wins
- won the ACC regular season and ACC tournament titles
- advanced to the Elite 8

And if you wanted to count brass tacks, Scheyer is one of the *last* players I'd count as "killing" the team.

A stupid comment by someone but I think we all know what they meant. There were a whole string of "Oh no!" posts. They just used hyperbole.

It's not a big deal. I don't think they were gunning for Jon personally.

Lord Ash
03-27-2010, 12:33 AM
K's words are pure motivational, as he believes that his team still has untapped potential, hence "the not great".

Obviously. However, regardless of the reasons he may have said it (which was not really the point I was trying to make) I do tend to agree with him; this team will never be a team like, say, 01 Duke or 99 Duke. Those were GREAT teams.

However, I think what this group DOES have is it is a great TEAM (note emphasis.) They play together about as well as any group I can remember... everyone knows their role, and everyone embraces it, embraces the team.

FerryFor50
03-27-2010, 12:33 AM
The vulnerability of this team is the offensive drought, where we go long stretches without a field goal. It could end up being a fatal flaw, but there are many strengths that are there. The rebounding, the defense, the great ball movement when the offense gets rolling....it's a very good team.

Tough, tough win. But on we go!

That's the thing though. Previous teams couldn't withstand long offensive droughts. This one can with rebounding, depth and defense. I remember being terrified when a big got his 3rd foul because there was no one left after him. Now, I can relax, knowing that there are 3 other equally valuable bigs waiting. And the guards and wings hardly get into foul trouble... (though that could be the achilles heel... injury or foul trouble for guards)

Lord Ash
03-27-2010, 12:34 AM
BTW... a nine minute stretch without a basket?

That is pretty insane. I cannot remember the last time anyone has ever gone nine minutes without a basket. Amazing that we came out of the half ahead.

mgtr
03-27-2010, 12:34 AM
I have, over the years, thought of Duke as a finesse team, just a little bit above the fray, so to speak. But this years team is perfectly ready to go out to the back alley with knives, knucks, barehands, or whatever. They are fighters! And of course Kyle's black eye adds to the image. I really, really like this team.

Highlander
03-27-2010, 12:36 AM
Steve Lavin said Duke's draw was the most favorable he's seen in 25 years, and Duke doesn't have the firepower they had with Jason Williams, Grant Hill, and (yes) Daniel Ewing.

Meanwhile in the Midwest the 1,2,3, and 4 seeds have all lost, leaving the field wide open for Michigan State or Tennessee to make a FF.

What a maroon.

AZLA
03-27-2010, 12:36 AM
My favorite point of the game...Jon hitting his first 3 after just missing one and seeing Coach K about jump out of his shoes on the sideline behind him.

Good point about Coach K's enthusiasm for Jon drilling that three. Scheyer truly is a gutsy competitor and it was great to see him take it to the hole a few times and hit some key 3's. He has to be admired for how hard he works. An emotional win. Congrats to the Team.

Newton_14
03-27-2010, 12:37 AM
Can someone explain what K said?

K interrupted the guy and asked him 1. Are you talking about past years and 2. What is a meltdown? The guy kept trying to clarify and say it was a quote "he heard somewhere" and K would not let him off the hook. K finally asked him "Are you saying we lost in the last few tourneys?" The guy said yes. So K said fine, loss to you means meltdown. And then the guy rephrased the question and Jon answered.

K protects his team but this team especially. This year's team has nothing to do with last year. It is a different team in a lot of ways. And it seems that only Duke gets questions regarding past tourney's.

roywhite
03-27-2010, 12:37 AM
I have, over the years, thought of Duke as a finesse team, just a little bit above the fray, so to speak. But this years team is perfectly ready to go out to the back alley with knives, knucks, barehands, or whatever. They are fighters! And of course Kyle's black eye adds to the image. I really, really like this team.

Not very sporting of me, but I kind of enjoyed Zoubek decking Kramer on a pick (which should have been called a foul). It was a very physical contest and Duke needed to play rough at times.

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 12:38 AM
K interrupted the guy and asked him 1. Are you talking about past years and 2. What is a meltdown? The guy kept trying to clarify and say it was a quote "he heard somewhere" and K would not let him off the hook. K finally asked him "Are you saying we lost in the last few tourneys?" The guy said yes. So K said fine, loss to you means meltdown. And then the guy rephrased the question and Jon answered.

K protects his team but this team especially. This year's team has nothing to do with last year. It is a different team in a lot of ways. And it seems that only Duke gets questions regarding past tourney's.

Do you have the made-up quote someone was referring to? It sounded like someone made up a quote attributed to Scheyer?

_Gary
03-27-2010, 12:39 AM
Fantastic, gritty win that we all know wouldn't have happened under similar circumstances in the last few years. It's so nice to have two things in particular:

1) Incredible size and depth down low

2) Experience at every position

Kudos to Coach K and the entire team! A fantastic turnaround by the team as a whole, and Jon in particular, in the 2nd half.

As others have already said, this does feel like a huge weight off the shoulders. Perhaps the team will feel the same and come out loose on Sunday. I think we were tight tonight and Purdue's physical defense really took us by surprise early on.

Go Duke!!!

FerryFor50
03-27-2010, 12:39 AM
Steve Lavin said Duke's draw was the most favorable he's seen in 25 years, and Duke doesn't have the firepower they had with Jason Williams, Grant Hill, and (yes) Daniel Ewing.

Meanwhile in the Midwest the 1,2,3, and 4 seeds have all lost, leaving the field wide open for Michigan State or Tennessee to make a FF.

What a maroon.

I remember thinking in past years how easy Carolina's draw was. I don't see how this bracket was easy. Purdue was a 4 seed that could have been a 2 or 3, even without Hummel. Baylor is a tough 3 seed. If anyone's had an easy time of it, it's been Kentucky.

roywhite
03-27-2010, 12:40 AM
Steve Lavin said Duke's draw was the most favorable he's seen in 25 years, and Duke doesn't have the firepower they had with Jason Williams, Grant Hill, and (yes) Daniel Ewing.

Meanwhile in the Midwest the 1,2,3, and 4 seeds have all lost, leaving the field wide open for Michigan State or Tennessee to make a FF.

What a maroon.

Bad blood between Lavin and K.

We've got plenty of critics, but Lavin really has it in for Duke.

FerryFor50
03-27-2010, 12:40 AM
K interrupted the guy and asked him 1. Are you talking about past years and 2. What is a meltdown? The guy kept trying to clarify and say it was a quote "he heard somewhere" and K would not let him off the hook. K finally asked him "Are you saying we lost in the last few tourneys?" The guy said yes. So K said fine, loss to you means meltdown. And then the guy rephrased the question and Jon answered.

K protects his team but this team especially. This year's team has nothing to do with last year. It is a different team in a lot of ways. And it seems that only Duke gets questions regarding past tourney's.

Well it is a fair question, if asked properly. They have underachieved in the last few years.

Billy Dat
03-27-2010, 12:41 AM
I for one think the team may be a little more loose on Sunday. I think getting over this Sweet 16 hump, was something that may have been on their minds.

I think this is exactly right. We were very very tight in the first half, only Kyle seemed loose, and even he was turning the ball over for a while. The end of the firat half was huge, turning their 4 point lead into a Duke 1 point lead at the buzzer. It breathed life back into us.

Scheyer was horrendous the first half. He was the tightest of everyone and i started to fear he wasn't going to shake out of it. Less than the 3 he hit, which was big, I was glad to see him driving. All of a sudden, he had his swagger back, was making plays and just looking strong and quick with the ball, darting into the lane, not being content to roam the perimeter. That made all the difference. It feels like he's back.

I think Nolan got shaken by the two early fouls and, unsure of how the game was going to be called, dialed down his game and was ineffective in the first stanza. Then, we saw the real Nolan and he was great.

We got great play from the frontline by committee. Z's 14 boards were huge. Lance had 4 offensive boards plus the charges he took. Miles, also, gave great minutes with 7 boards. Plus, I feel like his elbow jumpers are harbingers of us making runs. In that horrible first half, he snuck one in and it broke a big drought.

How about our free throw shooting? That is such an advantage for us this year.

I also give Purdue a lot of credit. painter is a great coach, he put together a solid gameplan and they executed to the letter for 30 minutes. Thank god our O got on track.

On to Baylor!

FerryFor50
03-27-2010, 12:41 AM
Not very sporting of me, but I kind of enjoyed Zoubek decking Kramer on a pick (which should have been called a foul). It was a very physical contest and Duke needed to play rough at times.

Reminded me of the pick set by MD on Nolan last year. Only it didn't make me as angry.

_Gary
03-27-2010, 12:41 AM
Do you have the made-up quote someone was referring to? It sounded like someone made up a quote attributed to Scheyer?

Right. Initially the reporter stated that Jon had used the word "meltdown" in some previous interview and that was wrong. Coach called the guy on it and made him own up to the fact that he really didn't know who made the "meltdown" comment.

Newton_14
03-27-2010, 12:41 AM
Do you have the made-up quote someone was referring to? It sounded like someone made up a quote attributed to Scheyer?

It was news to me. I have not heard a quote about meltdowns, especially attributed to Scheyer which is what the guy implied.

borodevil16
03-27-2010, 12:42 AM
K totally powned the reporter. Pretty funny to watch and the reporter even apologized before he could go on with his question

diveonthefloor
03-27-2010, 12:46 AM
K totally powned the reporter. Pretty funny to watch and the reporter even apologized before he could go on with his question

I almost laughed my head off when K did this to the reporter....

Then I closed my eyes and realized I was actually listening to Bob Knight!

(The general would be proud!):D

Newton_14
03-27-2010, 12:46 AM
Reminded me of the pick set by MD on Nolan last year. Only it didn't make me as angry.

It was a hard pick and should have been a foul no doubt but with how the ref's had been calling the game, they put themselves in a position where you almost can't call a foul there.

There were a ton of body checks in that game. Our guys literally could not make any of their normal cuts without getting body checked, pushed or both. It was brutal. Which is why I hated the touch fouls they called at various times. If you are going to let stuff go, then please do not call touch fouls.

On the 3 that Jon took and missed right before the first 3 he made, he got knocked down without kicking his leg out to force the contact, and the ref was right there on it, but no call.

Just a tough game and I am glad Kramer was able to come back out after the pick. Tough kid.

NashvilleDevil
03-27-2010, 12:47 AM
What a maroon.

Hate to get off topic but great Bugs Bunny reference.

Yes he is a maroon and why can't he be impressed by the resolve of this team? Who cares about region strength? The way things have turned out I would say the South has been the toughest region.

94duke
03-27-2010, 12:47 AM
Did Nolan tweak an ankle?
It looked like he came up a little gimpy after at least 2 drives.
Hopefully it is nothing serious, since he didn't come out of the game.
Did anyone else see this?

Dr. Tina
03-27-2010, 12:48 AM
If anyone saw the presser on ESPNews, the look on Kyle's face was priceless when K took the reporter to task. He was really enjoying K calling the guy on the carpet! He had this smirk on his face that was cracking me up!

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 12:49 AM
Haha just saw it...Singler was cracking up at K pwning the reporter.

cptnflash
03-27-2010, 12:50 AM
Did Nolan tweak an ankle?
It looked like he came up a little gimpy after at least 2 drives.
Hopefully it is nothing serious, since he didn't come out of the game.
Did anyone else see this?

Just cramps, according to Coach K in the postgame press conference. "He needs fluids."

jipops
03-27-2010, 12:50 AM
Well it is a fair question, if asked properly. They have underachieved in the last few years.

I strongly disagree with the underachieve comment. In 2007 we were young pups, far younger and less talented than this season's Heels. In 2008 we lost to a much tougher and much more experienced WVU team that crushed our smallish team on the boards. Last season we lost to a far more talented and athletic Nova team.

We lost, we have never, ever underachieved in that stretch.

roywhite
03-27-2010, 12:50 AM
The exchange between K and the reporter just made it onto Sports Center. We'll see more of this clip. Fine with me; I think the players like K standing up for them, and it may take some spotlight off them, allow them to play more relaxed.

Dr. Tina
03-27-2010, 12:51 AM
Did Nolan tweak an ankle?
It looked like he came up a little gimpy after at least 2 drives.
Hopefully it is nothing serious, since he didn't come out of the game.
Did anyone else see this?

Coach K said that Nolan was cramping up, but was playing through his issues with that. He was proud of him.

borodevil16
03-27-2010, 12:51 AM
Just come off a great win but were still in the easiest region in the last 25 years so it really isnt anything special that we have made it to the elite eight. I cant stand how it seems we cant get credit for anything in the media. Theres always a reason or excuse we did something good

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 12:52 AM
I strongly disagree with the underachieve comment. In 2007 we were young pups, far younger and less talented than this season's Heels. In 2008 we lost to a much tougher and much more experienced WVU team that crushed our smallish team on the boards. Last season we lost to a far more talented and athletic Nova team.

We lost, we have never, ever underachieved in that stretch.

Yeah I think it's a bit overblown, however we should have advanced 1 more round in 2007 and 2008. Shouldn't have lost to VCU or WVU. I remember WVU played that Purdue-style in '08...hated that game.

nathancjack
03-27-2010, 12:52 AM
i'm not going to even look back on who posted it.....but i, for one, don't EVEN want to see another post that says "jon scheyer is killing this team"

jon scheyer's play all year long has put this team in a POSITION to claim 31 wins, the ACC championship and a #1 seed in the tourny......his play has been rough lately with REGARD TO SCORING, but i swear.......that pissed me off...


sorry, i'm a bit emotional right now...

totally agree......even with his shot out of whack jon is invaluable to the team

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 12:53 AM
Just come off a great win but were still in the easiest region in the last 25 years so it really isnt anything special that we have made it to the elite eight. I cant stand how it seems we cant get credit for anything in the media. Theres always a reason or excuse we did something good

Yep, unlike that INCREDIBLE region where the top 4 seeds all lost....must be because the 5-8 seed were sooo good, what a stacked region!

devildownunder
03-27-2010, 12:54 AM
ELITE 8! ELITE 8! ELITE 8! ELITE 8! ELITE 8! ELITE 8! ELITE 8! ELITE 8!

Man, that feels good. I've always considered the sweet 16 sort of like purgatory. It's the stage you have to make it through to cross the bridge from the "preliminaries" in rounds 1 & 2 to the really big games -- Elite 8 and thereafter. Consider this, once you're in the elite 8, your game is always the only one being played at the time.

So now, we're back at the table with the big boys and man it feels good. Let's see how long we can hang around.

Extremely proud of what this team has accomplished. They're a group that's been through a lot, this year and in previous ones. Contrary to the stereotype, this Duke team hasn't had anything handed to it. Nothing's been easy and the guys have had to fight every step of the way. To still be standing tall at this point speaks volumes.

Great job guys!

diveonthefloor
03-27-2010, 12:55 AM
How many backcourt or near backcourt violations did we have in the first half? I think I counted 4. Dang Purdue's defense was just unbelievable in that first half. I know Duke plays great defense, but I don't think I've ever seen a team that smothering for an entire half....

roywhite
03-27-2010, 12:55 AM
Yeah I think it's a bit overblown, however we should have advanced 1 more round in 2007 and 2008. Shouldn't have lost to VCU or WVU.

"Should have"??

Coach K said recently that he thought those teams max'ed out. We were seeded higher than those two opponents, but losses like that happen in the NCAA.

Just don't like the "should have" take on things. It's past, and this team is marching on.

jipops
03-27-2010, 12:57 AM
The exchange between K and the reporter just made it onto Sports Center. We'll see more of this clip. Fine with me; I think the players like K standing up for them, and it may take some spotlight off them, allow them to play more relaxed.

Scheyer even seemed visibly annoyed when the word meltdown was used. He shook his head a couple times. Someone else brought this up but is there any other team out there that has its past tournament appearances brought up so repeatedly? How has UConn done the past few years? What about Kentucky? What about Cuse? How many major programs have even been in the tournament every year in the past decade or so?

muzikfrk75
03-27-2010, 01:00 AM
Scheyer even seemed visibly annoyed when the word meltdown was used. He shook his head a couple times. Someone else brought this up but is there any other team out there that has its past tournament appearances brought up so repeatedly? How has UConn done the past few years? What about Kentucky? What about Cuse? How many major programs have even been in the tournament every year in the past decade or so?

How about Kansas??

Is there a link to the postgame conference?

moonpie23
03-27-2010, 01:00 AM
Well it is a fair question, if asked properly. They have underachieved in the last few years.

well, he didn't ask properly.....he tried to use an inflammatory term and coach K ripped him a new one...

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 01:00 AM
"Should have"??

Coach K said recently that he thought those teams max'ed out. We were seeded higher than those two opponents, but losses like that happen in the NCAA.

Just don't like the "should have" take on things. It's past, and this team is marching on.

I'm not saying they are chokes or anything....but I think those were 60-40 or 75-25 games so I would have liked to see us win them, but past is past.

devildownunder
03-27-2010, 01:00 AM
there was a guy in another forum insisting this year's Duke team was a dribble-drive-shoot team reliant on 3pters. He even saw the Cal game as somehow supportive of that claim -- still trying to figure that one out. Anyway, I can't wait to hear what he says after this one. 55 shots and on 15 threes. Guess he'll say it was just a 3 on every possession and a ton of offensive rebounds, LOL.

The thing is, he made that claim about duke basing it on previous years without really being up on this year's team. Now he just won't admit to that error. I'm going to keep pounding him on it though because it's fun! :p

jipops
03-27-2010, 01:01 AM
Yeah I think it's a bit overblown, however we should have advanced 1 more round in 2007 and 2008. Shouldn't have lost to VCU or WVU. I remember WVU played that Purdue-style in '08...hated that game.

Don't discount how good VCU was. Maynor is currently on an nba roster getting minutes. And WVU was just much bigger and tougher than we were. We lost to teams that were better than us.

It is waaay overblown.

devildownunder
03-27-2010, 01:03 AM
How about Kansas??

Is there a link to the postgame conference?

It is a reaction to Duke's prominence and -- to some extent -- overexposure in the late 90s and early 2000s. Hardly Duke's fault, of course. I discovered in about 2007 that some of my co-workers who followed college bball only in March thought Duke had won 3 or 4 titles in the decade. I would tell them "Nope, just the one in 2001" and they would be stunned. One refused to believe me and looked it up for himself.

FerryFor50
03-27-2010, 01:04 AM
Don't discount how good VCU was. Maynor is currently on an nba roster getting minutes. And WVU was just much bigger and tougher than we were. We lost to teams that were better than us.

It is waaay overblown.

I disagree. Those Duke teams were better than the teams they lost to. Just not on those evenings.

Vincetaylor
03-27-2010, 01:05 AM
The reporter deserved K's response with his "meltdown" comment. The majority of coaches in the NCAA would have jumped on a reporter for referring to their team's past tourney losses as meltdowns. The reporter should have absolutely known better. Who was the reporter by the way?

roywhite
03-27-2010, 01:06 AM
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22726&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=204916793

From the boxscore:

Duke shot 57.7% in second half
As noted 20-24 FT and big rebounding edge 48-27

-bdbd
03-27-2010, 01:09 AM
I have, over the years, thought of Duke as a finesse team, just a little bit above the fray, so to speak. But this years team is perfectly ready to go out to the back alley with knives, knucks, barehands, or whatever. They are fighters! And of course Kyle's black eye adds to the image. I really, really like this team.

Watched the game at a nearby (very loud) sports bar with a Duke friend. A couple other people there made comments about this Duke team being pretty "tough, for a Duke team," esp after noticing Kyle's eye. I really like the idea of us getting a rep for playing a bit physical like that. Let the other teams come in a bit wary for a change. :o

From watching I couldn't see how much the crowd was pulling one way or the other. Maybe a little pro-Purdue. I expect a hostile crowd at 7PM EST on Sunday, but Reliant doesn't seem very loud.

Really liked seeing Scheyer fight his way out of his slump. I sure like that kid. If they do lose, it won't be without a serious fight. It is clearly a team with toughness (mental AND physical) and heart. Good to see MP1 get to contribute significant minutes and fouls... :rolleyes:

Before we get too down on our O from the first half, please remeber that a stellar Purdue D had a lot to do with it. They are very well coached too -- keep an eye on him.

3 down, 3 to go! GO DUKE!!!

:D:D

P.S. As I recall Lavin lost a tough recruiting battle for someone out west to K near the end of his tenure (at UCLA?) and had a couple interviews, while still coaching, where he sounded less than admiring of Coach K. Nothing more than sour grapes, and fairly petty/unprofessional.

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 01:11 AM
What was the deal with all the empty seats? Neither game filled the place up at all.

-jk
03-27-2010, 01:12 AM
What was the deal with all the empty seats? Neither game filled the place up at all.

It's a dry run for the FF next year. Way too many seats for a regional.

-jk

Spam Filter
03-27-2010, 01:14 AM
Reliant is a football stadium that has a capacity of 71,500. There is no way you're going to get full occupancy.

GoingFor#5
03-27-2010, 01:16 AM
Coach K: 12 Elite 8s

Dean Smith: 11

:)

DevilHorns
03-27-2010, 01:16 AM
Reliant is a football stadium that has a capacity of 71,500. There is no way you're going to get full occupancy.

Anyone go to the game? How was the atmosphere? Better yet, how was the atmosphere in the Baylor-St.Mary's game?

Kyle made it seem in the post-game conf that he didnt really here the anti-Duke pro-Baylor crowd....

Im not sure how loud the Baylor fans are. Its a huge stadium, a lot of open air.

arydolphin
03-27-2010, 01:19 AM
Quick thoughts after just getting home from the game in Houston:
*We will be playing a true road game on Sunday, the crowd will be heavily pro-Baylor. Their fans were buying up tickets for Sunday in the concourse after their convincing win in the first game. A Baylor fan behind me said they played their best game of the year tonight, so hopefully they come back towards the mean on Sunday. It sounded like a football game in there at times during the Baylor game, and with the later start on Sunday, I'm sure their fans will approach the game like it and be ready after tailgating on Sunday afternoon.

*Jon was huge in the second half with the drives that he had, but Kyle is MOTM. He carried the team in the first half, and I thought the biggest play of the game was his and-1 where he took that hard fall. I thought he had re-injured his wrist on that play, but luckily he was able to finish the game well.

*Purdue played really good defense, esp. with their on-the-ball pressure on the perimeter, and I think that's what caused Duke to struggle in the first half. Still, as bad as it looked early, Ken Pomeroy just posted that Duke's points-per-possession in this game was 2nd best on the season vs Purdue, which is pretty good.

*I'll have more to post about Baylor tomorrow in the pregame thread, but LaceDarius Dunn was on fire in the first game tonight, and Tweedy Carter is the engine that makes their team go. Also, they have a couple of really athletic big men down low, which could be a tougher matchup that normal for Lance and Zoubs. One other thing that will be really interesing: how Duke can attack Baylor's zone, which is mainly a 2-3 but also sometimes is a 1-3-1 and can even look like a 1-1-3 at times. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure Baylor hasn't seen a team all season that can play defense as well as Duke can, so we'll see what happens.

-jk
03-27-2010, 01:19 AM
Anyone go to the game? How was the atmosphere? Better yet, how was the atmosphere in the Baylor-St.Mary's game?

Kyle made it seem in the post-game conf that he didnt really here the anti-Duke pro-Baylor crowd....

Im not sure how loud the Baylor fans are. Its a huge stadium, a lot of open air.

The Baylor fans were loudest when we took the floor.

-jk

mike88
03-27-2010, 01:19 AM
KenPom has us with a 72% chance of winning Sunday and 37.6% chance of winning the whole thing (Kentucky is next at 16%)- those seem a little high to me . . .

Nevertheless, I think we got the monkey off our back tonight with respect to "under-performing" in the NCAAs- I think we will be ready to win Sunday rather than avoid losing. If Baylor plays as well as they have been lately, it will be a battle.

Keys will be to:
1) deny them the 3-point shot without giving up easy lay-ups or dunks
2) win the rebounding battle
3) not turn the ball over (they don't force many turnovers)
4) shoot well ourselves (our eFG today against Purdue was 45%- not really that bad overall, but we probably need to be better to beat Baylor)

jacone21
03-27-2010, 01:20 AM
Anyone go to the game? How was the atmosphere? Better yet, how was the atmosphere in the Baylor-St.Mary's game?

Kyle made it seem in the post-game conf that he didnt really here the anti-Duke pro-Baylor crowd....

Im not sure how loud the Baylor fans are. Its a huge stadium, a lot of open air.

Baylor crowd was quite noisy in the first game. Look for a pro-Baylor crowd on Sunday. Gonna feel like a road game, I'm afraid. But nothing is easy at this point. Man, one win from the Final Four. Woohoo!!! Let's go Duke!

vb5678
03-27-2010, 01:21 AM
Wow. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to watch this team play this year. I think they will always have a special place in my heart because of their toughness, passion, and resiliency. Also, I am overjoyed that they have been able to get a couple of monkeys (beating Carolina in Cameron, advancing past the sweet sixteen) off of our backs.

In this game in particular, I love the way that we fought passed a very tough perimeter defense that was allowed to hand-check us all night, and I love Jon's mental toughness in being able to get passed his recent shooting slump. As a team, we played tremendous D, and if not for a natural let down at the end when the game was out of reach we would have held another opponent to around 50 pts.

However, Baylor is on a roll right now, and we need to play better basketball to advance to the Final Four. I can understand that our offense was disjointed because of Purdue's D, but we have to be able to adjust faster on Sunday. Also, I was dissappointed by a few mental breakdowns that were fairly glaring at the end of the game, specifically Lance inbounding the ball to nobody in particular and Jon loosing a ball out of bounds when there was nobody within 30 feet of him. No big impact on the game, but those are the types of mistakes we absolutely cannot afford to make on Sunday.

I'm really glad that we've gotten to the elite eight, but this team has made me greedy now! I want more!

arydolphin
03-27-2010, 01:22 AM
Anyone go to the game? How was the atmosphere? Better yet, how was the atmosphere in the Baylor-St.Mary's game?

Kyle made it seem in the post-game conf that he didnt really here the anti-Duke pro-Baylor crowd....

Im not sure how loud the Baylor fans are. Its a huge stadium, a lot of open air.

I was at the game, see my post above. In terms of the anti-Duke crowd, there wasn't much of that, it was more pro-Baylor. A good number of the Baylor fans left after the first game, and to be honest with you, the air was sucked out of the building by how terrible the first half of the Duke game was. I can tell you that while the building is big, the majority of fans are in the lower bowl, and that the Baylor contigent was pretty loud when their team was running away with the first game.

tommy
03-27-2010, 01:25 AM
Reliant is a football stadium that has a capacity of 71,500. There is no way you're going to get full occupancy.

Full occupancy? There were TONS of empty seats in the lowest levels. I mean, great seats! I've actually noticed it at pretty much every venue I've seen games at. I think it's kind of the dirty little secret that never gets talked about and CBS is loathe to show: these games are poorly attended. Our game Sunday will be different with Baylor playing in Houston, and maybe the other EE games will be fuller stadiums too, but so far, these arenas have been half empty just about every time.

tommy
03-27-2010, 01:28 AM
Maybe it was discussed in the in-game thread, but I don't see anything in this thread: Is there any news on Kyle's wrist? He seemed to bang it pretty hard on that drive in the 2nd half, and his next 3-4 shots were way, way off. He came back to hit his free throws late, but we need him to be able to shoot jumpshots as he has been. Any news on it?

devildownunder
03-27-2010, 01:50 AM
I disagree. Those Duke teams were better than the teams they lost to. Just not on those evenings.

Nah, the VCU game was an even matchup. Do you remember that Duke team? It wasn't exactly one of the best ever. VCU had a real money player in Maynor. He stepped up at the end.

WVU was a similar story, really.

Devil07
03-27-2010, 01:52 AM
I also just got back from the game and will echo others' sentiments about the Baylor crowd. They were very quiet during our game (aside from some booing when we first took the floor) but it did seem like a lot of fans had either left or just disengaged. It also helped that Purdue never went on a run that really could fire up the crowd. Sunday will definitely be a tough environment. Tonight the crowd was largely made up of Baylor fans and I imagine that Sunday will be even worse. Baylor athletics hasn't had a whole lot of recent success (at least in men's football and basketball) and so the crowd will definitely be fired up. Baylor looked very good tonight but St. Mary's also just looked like a bunch of deer in headlights. The game just didn't feel evenly matched at all, but I certainly came away impressed by Baylor.

That being said, this is a thread about our game and man what a great effort in the second half. Obviously the big 3 are the story but I thought Miles gave us some terrific minutes. With Z in foul trouble he came in and really was solid. I also was wondering about Singler's wrist and hope that after the adrenaline wears off he won't be too sore. Tough win and credit to Purdue for playing some intense D. I really hope that we've found out how to shoot in this building because we definitely will need to be on our game Sunday. Still, for now, I'm just going to enjoy this one! Go Duke!

DevilHorns
03-27-2010, 01:53 AM
Nah, the VCU game was an even matchup. Do you remember that Duke team? It wasn't exactly one of the best ever. VCU had a real money player in Maynor. He stepped up at the end.

WVU was a similar story, really.

I think WVU was a letdown. Just my opinion, but we got out "toughed" in that game. WVU wanted it more come second half. Man I hated that game. It haunts me.

devildownunder
03-27-2010, 01:55 AM
The reporter deserved K's response with his "meltdown" comment. The majority of coaches in the NCAA would have jumped on a reporter for referring to their team's past tourney losses as meltdowns. The reporter should have absolutely known better. Who was the reporter by the way?

I'm inclined to regard the public bullying of reporters by coaches as boorish behaviour. You can make your point about what you thought of the question without humiliating someone in public, on TV, in front of his peers. I don't even know if K knew the report.

That said, considering the way some of those reporters have treated this program in recent years, I guess it counts as payback in some ways. No way to know, however, if this guy in particular deserved what he got.

Part of me is glad K stood up for the team, don't get me wrong. I'm not going to hold this up as one of K's shining moments, though.

airowe
03-27-2010, 01:58 AM
Maybe it was discussed in the in-game thread, but I don't see anything in this thread: Is there any news on Kyle's wrist? He seemed to bang it pretty hard on that drive in the 2nd half, and his next 3-4 shots were way, way off. He came back to hit his free throws late, but we need him to be able to shoot jumpshots as he has been. Any news on it?

Kyle's wrist and Nolan's leg are fine.

Great win tonight for our boys!

1 of 8 teams left playing in the tourney. We should all be proud of what this team has accomplished. I'm very impressed with how far we've come.

3 more games...

DallasDevil
03-27-2010, 01:59 AM
Full occupancy? There were TONS of empty seats in the lowest levels. I mean, great seats! I've actually noticed it at pretty much every venue I've seen games at. I think it's kind of the dirty little secret that never gets talked about and CBS is loathe to show: these games are poorly attended. Our game Sunday will be different with Baylor playing in Houston, and maybe the other EE games will be fuller stadiums too, but so far, these arenas have been half empty just about every time.
The stadium must have looked much emptier on TV than in person. The lower bowl was filled for the Baylor game, with the exception of some seats in the Purdue and Duke sections and the floor seats behind the school bands that didn't look like they had been sold to the general public (a bunch of boy scouts in one of them). I'd bet 30,000+ Baylor fans show up Sunday. They made a lot of noise during the Baylor game, and they'll be amped for the biggest basketball game in Baylor history. Duke will need to bring their A game. Good win tonight, though.

Chitowndevil
03-27-2010, 02:09 AM
Lot of (well earned) love for Singler and Scheyer in this thread, but I give Nolan Smith a lot of credit for the second half turnaround. I just couldn't understand, with the way he's been taking the ball to the rim recently, why he was letting Purdue play up in his chest 35 feet from the basket. I thought Coach K put it perfectly when talking with CK after the game: "we were catching the ball standing up".

Starting with the pass on John's early 3, and especially between the 12 and 8 minute marks, Nolan made Purdue pay for bumping him on the perimeter. Jon got into the act as well. He scored Duke's first points in the paint and hit a couple of tough runners. But Nolan's personal 7 point run just before the 8 minute mark broke the game open for Duke.

77devil
03-27-2010, 02:10 AM
K totally powned the reporter. Pretty funny to watch and the reporter even apologized before he could go on with his question

Powned???

cptnflash
03-27-2010, 02:12 AM
In the next 36 hours we'll hear a lot about how Baylor blitzed St. Mary's and we "held on" to beat Purdue. There will be lots of questions in the media along the lines of "What does Duke have to do to win on Sunday?"... much like the general tone of the commentary going into the final of the preseason NIT, after UConn crushed what turned out to be a weak LSU team and we toughed out a win over an underappreciated Arizone State squad. Everyone remembers how that one turned out, right? We'll win on Sunday.

House G
03-27-2010, 02:14 AM
I too was at the game. Baylor had a huge contingency there and quite a few of them were tailgating before the game. I expect them to have 90% of the fans there Sunday. Although they were loud when their team was scoring and playing well, they did not obviously pull for Purdue in the second game. It was as if playing in the sweet 16 was a new experience for them (and it is). I don't think we will experience the hatred that we have seen in other parts of the country and from other programs. They are obviously thrilled with their team and will root for them but seem respectful of the Duke program.

Other thoughts: I too thought Nolan tweaked his ankle and hope that it was only cramps; I agree that Purdue's D was impressive but that the zebras let them get away with a lot of hand checking and "mugging"--I think the most telling stat is that Kramer was not whistled for his first foul until the last minute of the game--truly incredible! I think Baylor is a very good team and will be a difficult out if they play like they did against St. Mary's. I am hopeful that Jon's second half performance will carry over to Sunday. Clearly his outside shot is off but his ability to penetrate was huge tonight. We will need to bring our "A" game Sunday.

Dukeface88
03-27-2010, 02:56 AM
Powned???

Internet speak for "owned", although usually spelled "pwned", as in "I pwned some noobs today". And yes, I have friends who talk like that. It causes me physical pain to hear.

weezie
03-27-2010, 03:07 AM
Man, that football stadium is loud. Everything is amplified by the huge multi-speakers. Thank goodness Duke is used to being booed because they'll have to try and hear each other on Sunday. Much less try to hear K, even if he is sitting on the stool. It's a goofy venue, but the scoreboard is good with the shooting stats, time outs, etc.

Can they shoot over the 2-3?

The time is nigh....

iragsdale
03-27-2010, 03:40 AM
Full occupancy? There were TONS of empty seats in the lowest levels. I mean, great seats! I've actually noticed it at pretty much every venue I've seen games at. I think it's kind of the dirty little secret that never gets talked about and CBS is loathe to show: these games are poorly attended. Our game Sunday will be different with Baylor playing in Houston, and maybe the other EE games will be fuller stadiums too, but so far, these arenas have been half empty just about every time.

Yes, there were tons of empty seats for the Duke game, but that's because a TON of Baylor fans left to go celebrate their win. They WILL be there on Sunday. I was sitting in the middle of a bunch of Baylor fans during the first game, but when the Duke game started our section was mostly empty, aside from a few groups of Baylor fans rooting against Duke. FWIW, it really sounded like they did NOT want to play us on Sunday.

davekay1971
03-27-2010, 07:56 AM
Right now I'm just celebrating. I'm glad Coach K and his staff and the players are there to worry about tomorrow, because I'm too busy being happy with last night's win.

After an atrocious first half (and thank God, Purdue was as thrown off by our D as we were by theirs), our team played a really, really good second half. We played absolutely nasty D all game, owned the boards all game, but in the second half we played controlled, efficient offense. Purdue hit some beautiful shots to keep it close, but really we dominated the second half of that game.

Great job, Duke! My hat is off to this team.

slower
03-27-2010, 08:10 AM
Enjoyed seeing Kramer get his bell rung by Zoubs. If anybody ever deserved it, it's that guy.

Saratoga2
03-27-2010, 08:26 AM
The first half was a story of Duke adapting to the intensity and physicality of the Purdue defense. They typically guard in your face, hand check and bump regularly and were getting away with hacks and pushes. Frankly, we didn't do well against that pressure, but our defense was also quite intense and our rebounding was an obvious difference maker. Getting out of the first half with a lead was important.

With Jon ice cold shooting off the front rim and Nolan unable to really muster much it was Kyle that kept us in the game until the second half.

Whatever Coach K did for adjustments, it was clear that they worked. The turnovers were reduced in the second half, while the rebounding remained strong and both Jon ad Nolan took the ball into the basket. In my view, all of the talk of misaligned pelvis problems went out the window as Jon seemed to adopt an aggressive attitude of I'm coming at you and you can't stop me! Nolan also once by his outside defender was too quick at getting to his shot for Purdue, who also may have been getting tired by then.

At the end of the game we were willing to let them score without fouling finding the trade off of free throws to be acceptable.

With all of the fouling going on that was uncalled, it seemed as though Zoubek was singled out for calls for touch fouls. Yes, he did get away with one moving pick, but also got called for minor touch fouls. Is it because he was so much bigger?

Free throw shooting was outstanding. That is a good harbinger for Sunday as we will need defense, rebounding and foul shooting to be sharp to get the W.

Defense, Foul Shooting, Rebounding and big three scoring. Keys to moving on.

oldnavy
03-27-2010, 09:18 AM
I am not being negative. When is year-to-year progress negative.

I am just making an assumption by induction, which isn't something that I should do, but it's an interesting pattern the last four years.

I think that predicting a loss in the next game would qualify as negative. I am not sure if you are serious about your prediction based on what has happened in the past, I hope that you are just kidding and that you truly realize that what last year’s team or previous teams have done have absolutely no impact on this team. I get the pattern angle, but it is just an interesting observation, not a predictor of things to come.
Remember the adage about what happens when you assume.

hq2
03-27-2010, 09:24 AM
One of the uglier games I've seen in a while. They played tough D, but fortunately, we played just as tough, and in the end we had more talent. Glad to see Z continuing his strong showing inside. It would be nice if Scheyer could shoot well the whole game; Baylor is one where we need him to show up for both halves. Singler was a warrior the whole way through.

roywhite
03-27-2010, 09:30 AM
One of the uglier games I've seen in a while. They played tough D, but fortunately, we played just as tough, and in the end we had more talent. Glad to see Z continuing his strong showing inside. It would be nice if Scheyer could shoot well the whole game; Baylor is one where we need him to show up for both halves. Singler was a warrior the whole way through.

Wasn't much ugly about the way Duke played the second half; shot 57.7%, made only 3 turnovers, rebounded well, played good defense. Purdue made some tough shots to keep it close for a while, but Duke took the game over.

CDu
03-27-2010, 09:36 AM
Well, that went as probably could have been expected. Purdue came out and uglied the game up on defense. They really get into you on the perimeter, and bump/bang away for the entire 40 minutes. They're the best defense we've faced this year, so it is no surprise that we had some trouble early offensively.

On the other end, Johnson and Moore were the entirety of their offense. They just had too few weapons. Johnson had a mismatch on Zoubek and Plumlee thanks to his range, and he took advantage. Moore had a solid shooting effort from the perimeter. But other than those two guys, Purdue just didn't have any weapons on the floor. The other guys went 3-19 shooting. Part of that was our defense, but part of it was the fact that they just stink offensively.

I give credit to Purdue for their effort. They were feisty, and they made a game of it for about 30 minutes. But eventually, the cream rose to the top. The big 3 finally said "enough," and put the game away.

The first half, we looked tentative and we were clearly shaky from the punch in the mouth Purdue gave us. But the second half was great to see. We dropped 47 points against the third stingiest defense in the country in a half! Smith stepped up. Singler continued to be a monster after a solid first half. And Scheyer found himself again as a scorer. It was fantastic to see those crazy off-balance runners start to fall for Scheyer again. It has been a long time since we've seen that part of his game, and it's a welcome change to have it return. Hopefully it signals bigger things to come moving forward.

gw67
03-27-2010, 09:50 AM
I really enjoyed watching last night's game. The rugged and physical play of both teams was very different from what we normally see in the ACC but the Devils exhibited a toughness througout their lineup. I particularly liked the fact that the Devils got so many of their second half points off difficult and contested shots driving to the hoop rather than jump shots. IMO, Scheyer and Singler put to rest any thoughts that Smith is the only Duke player who can get his points on one-on-one play.

Last year, when Smith ran into a pick by Neal of Maryland, many on this board analyzed and re-analyzed the play using slow motion to try and show that it was both a foul and and an intended dirty play by Neal. I was never convinced it was either. Last night's pick by Zoubek appeared to be illegal based on replay and certainly knocked Kramer for a loop. In neither case, IMO, was there any intent to hurt or injure another player. It was just a play where a smaller player collided with a bigger, stronger player and wasn't expecting the collision.

gw67

jkidd31
03-27-2010, 10:04 AM
Well it is a fair question, if asked properly. They have underachieved in the last few years.

I think Coach K sentiment (and many on here) would be those teams over-acheieved. He mentioned those teams had flaws that against certain teams couldn't be overcome.

I also don't think stats can show how much the Plumlee's mean to this team.

DukeDevil
03-27-2010, 10:21 AM
Didn't want to start a whole new thread for this but wanted to share my buddy's (Johnny B) theory about zoubek.

"Brian Zoubek has evolved into a Rebound Singularity. Any rebound passing the event horizon of his beard cannot escape."

The...beardularity?

jkidd31
03-27-2010, 10:25 AM
Just come off a great win but were still in the easiest region in the last 25 years so it really isnt anything special that we have made it to the elite eight. I cant stand how it seems we cant get credit for anything in the media. Theres always a reason or excuse we did something good

For the hoopla that was made about the midwest, you have a 5 vs. 6, granted name/coaching wise MSU/Tennessee is a great match up. Think when this tourney is reviewed after its all done those two teams were underseeded.

jkidd31
03-27-2010, 10:33 AM
Baylor crowd was quite noisy in the first game. Look for a pro-Baylor crowd on Sunday. Gonna feel like a road game, I'm afraid. But nothing is easy at this point. Man, one win from the Final Four. Woohoo!!! Let's go Duke!

If the seedings hold and both teams get to Indy, I think the potential crowd in the Nat'l semi's would make this crowd seem tame. Indy is a even shorter drive for UK and they travel well regardless of distance.

3rd Dukie
03-27-2010, 11:10 AM
I have, over the years, thought of Duke as a finesse team, just a little bit above the fray, so to speak. But this years team is perfectly ready to go out to the back alley with knives, knucks, barehands, or whatever. They are fighters! And of course Kyle's black eye adds to the image. I really, really like this team.

I STRONGLY support this sentiment.
At half time, I sent a note to a friend telling him that I would still want Jon to take the money shot if and when, just because he is such a tough kid.

I think winning this game, and I have nothing but good things to say about Purdue, marks a terrific step forward.

BD80
03-27-2010, 11:12 AM
Enjoyed seeing Kramer get his bell rung by Zoubs. If anybody ever deserved it, it's that guy.

Why?

He would be the quintessential Dukie. High energy, high effort, lock-down defender, ultimate role-player, team-first kind of guy that steps up when needed. He is like a reverse Paulus, coming from football to help the basketball team. He played basketball like a football player,

DevilHorns
03-27-2010, 11:16 AM
Just have to say that Z did move into the pick,making it illegal.

Remember what happened to Nolan in MD last year?

I think Z was more bracing for the hit, and the moment, which is nano-seconds fast, he braced how anyone of us would. I feel bad for Kramer; but to be honest, at that point in the game, he had been a zero on offense and it was probably best for him to get out of there just to have a chance with a bench player who can score.

NSDukeFan
03-27-2010, 11:18 AM
Why?

He would be the quintessential Dukie. High energy, high effort, lock-down defender, ultimate role-player, team-first kind of guy that steps up when needed. He is like a reverse Paulus, coming from football to help the basketball team. He played basketball like a football player,

I haven't heard any reason to dislike Kramer at this point. You can make the argument that he could have been called for a hand-checking foul or two, but for him not to have a foul called until the end of the game with the players he was guarding well tells me he is doing something right. 4 time all Big 10 defensive team. Impressive!

DevilHorns
03-27-2010, 11:22 AM
ESPN's Accuscore (10000+ simulations)

Duke (51%) avg score- 73.2
Baylor (49%) avg score- 71.6

Faison1
03-27-2010, 11:25 AM
I haven't heard any reason to dislike Kramer at this point. You can make the argument that he could have been called for a hand-checking foul or two, but for him not to have a foul called until the end of the game with the players he was guarding well tells me he is doing something right. 4 time all Big 10 defensive team. Impressive!

Yeah, I have to agree here. I really like the way Kramer plays....he is one of my favorite non-acc players. A lot of guts/heart to compensate for the lack of upper-level athleticism. I, too, felt badly when he got his bell rung, but I feel like it was a very physical game, so it wasn't out of the norm....

slower
03-27-2010, 11:43 AM
He played basketball like a football player,

See, the problem is that basketball is NOT football. At least, it shouldn't be.


The several times I've seen Kramer play, he's always running his mouth and being aggressively chippy, and always seems to end up involved in skirmishes.

As always, this is one of those fine lines that runs down the middle of many different opinions.

phaedrus
03-27-2010, 11:45 AM
I sure hope we have different ref's on Sunday. I can not believe the hand checking they were allowing by Purdue.

True, but I was glad to see Nolan adjust early in the game by showing he can hand-check with the best of them.

-jk
03-27-2010, 11:46 AM
ESPN's Accuscore (10000+ simulations)

Duke (51%) avg score- 73.2
Baylor (49%) avg score- 71.6

And we've opened as a 4 1/2 point favorite.

-jk

DevilHorns
03-27-2010, 11:55 AM
Just to keep track, Baylor has played a #14 SHSU, #11 ODU, and #10 St. Marys in the tourney.

Losses since January include Kansas (81-75) away, Kansas State (76-74) home, Texas A&M (78-71) away, OK state (82-75) away, Kansas State (82-75) big 12 tourney.

Tourney caliber teams they have beat since January: Texas x3! (80-77, 92-77, 86-67) away, home, tourney. Missouri (64-62) home.

CDu
03-27-2010, 12:12 PM
Why?

He would be the quintessential Dukie. High energy, high effort, lock-down defender, ultimate role-player, team-first kind of guy that steps up when needed. He is like a reverse Paulus, coming from football to help the basketball team. He played basketball like a football player,

Pretty sure he was recruited to Purdue to play basketball. He's actually considering doing a similar conversion to that of Paulus, switching to football after the season to play DB for the football team as a fifth year senior. Of course, you could say he's the reverse Paulus in that he's a big-time defensive player but not a good offensive player.

As for his likability, he'd be absolutely loved if he played for Duke. Duke fans have absolutely loved guys like Wojo who were fearless and scrappy and got everything possible out of their skill set.

That said, I could do without the football-style basketball player. Basketball as a bruiser's game is not as enjoyable. I like my football style of play to come during football games.

ReformedAggie
03-27-2010, 12:17 PM
What a difference a half makes

what a difference a great coach makes

tele
03-27-2010, 12:21 PM
Zoubek was singled out for calls for touch fouls. Yes, he did get away with one moving pick, .

Am I the only one who thought it wasn't a moving screen? Clark Kellog was wrong when he called it illegal when it happened. Kellog said it is illegal for a screener to step into the path of a player, which is the only way to set a screen. The question is whether you step into the path soon enough and become set before the opposing player reaches you.

Zoubek did take a small step to his left, but he was set there and not moving with about half a step or so between Kramer and himself. So, was Zoubek set soon enough?

This is a completely different question than saying he was moving or stepped into the path of Kramer.

I'd say it was borderline if he was set for a full step by the purdue player, but the way the game was being called with all the leaning, pushing and shoving, I'd say it was a good no call. But Zoubek was set.

jipops
03-27-2010, 12:22 PM
I disagree. Those Duke teams were better than the teams they lost to. Just not on those evenings.

We'll just have to disagree. Overachieving throughout the entire season such as Duke did in those seasons does not denote underachieving when losing to a lower seed in the tournament.

jipops
03-27-2010, 12:29 PM
I'm inclined to regard the public bullying of reporters by coaches as boorish behaviour. You can make your point about what you thought of the question without humiliating someone in public, on TV, in front of his peers. I don't even know if K knew the report.

That said, considering the way some of those reporters have treated this program in recent years, I guess it counts as payback in some ways. No way to know, however, if this guy in particular deserved what he got.

Part of me is glad K stood up for the team, don't get me wrong. I'm not going to hold this up as one of K's shining moments, though.

I thought it was beautiful, and with most everything K does it had a specific point to it. We are constantly barraged with Duke's past tournament performances as that of being "underachievers" or "chokers". Why? Because it is all comparative to past Duke tournament performances which were in many ways unprecedented. So in short, junk like that is brought up only because it's Duke. No other program has their past tournament runs dissected like this.

K was angry at yet another negative connotation being put on something very positive that occurred for his team. I don't think he should take this kind of crap anymore. It isn't fair to the team that is playing THIS season.

CDu
03-27-2010, 12:41 PM
Am I the only one who thought it wasn't a moving screen? Clark Kellog was wrong when he called it illegal when it happened. Kellog said it is illegal for a screener to step into the path of a player, which is the only way to set a screen. The question is whether you step into the path soon enough and become set before the opposing player reaches you.

Zoubek did take a small step to his left, but he was set there and not moving with about half a step or so between Kramer and himself. So, was Zoubek set soon enough?

This is a completely different question than saying he was moving or stepped into the path of Kramer.

I'd say it was borderline if he was set for a full step by the purdue player, but the way the game was being called with all the leaning, pushing and shoving, I'd say it was a good no call. But Zoubek was set.

You may or may not be the only one, but you're wrong on this one. An illegal screen isn't limited to just whether or not your feet are set. If you stick your hip out, or reach an arm/elbow/forearm out, or have your leg extended well out from your body, or lean into the defender with your shoulder/side, you've committed an illegal screen. It's only not an illegal screen if you've established a legitimate position that the defender tries to run through. If you adjust your position into the path of the defender at the last minute (in any way), it's an illegal screen.

Zoubek may or may not have had his feet set, but he most certainly was leading with the upper body/shoulder/upper arm in setting that screen. It should have been called a foul. Thankfully, it wasn't, as we took advantage with the Singler bucket.

You can argue whether or not other stuff should have been called throughout the game (they let a lot go), but Kellogg was correct that that was an infraction.

slower
03-27-2010, 12:45 PM
I thought it was beautiful, and with most everything K does it had a specific point to it. We are constantly barraged with Duke's past tournament performances as that of being "underachievers" or "chokers". Why? Because it is all comparative to past Duke tournament performances which were in many ways unprecedented. So in short, junk like that is brought up only because it's Duke. No other program has their past tournament runs dissected like this.

K was angry at yet another negative connotation being put on something very positive that occurred for his team. I don't think he should take this kind of crap anymore. It isn't fair to the team that is playing THIS season.

Amen

CDu
03-27-2010, 01:26 PM
I thought it was beautiful, and with most everything K does it had a specific point to it. We are constantly barraged with Duke's past tournament performances as that of being "underachievers" or "chokers". Why? Because it is all comparative to past Duke tournament performances which were in many ways unprecedented. So in short, junk like that is brought up only because it's Duke. No other program has their past tournament runs dissected like this.

K was angry at yet another negative connotation being put on something very positive that occurred for his team. I don't think he should take this kind of crap anymore. It isn't fair to the team that is playing THIS season.

I don't disagree with anything you said above. However, as much as Coach K, the team, and us fans don't like it, the only way we're going to stop hearing about it is if we stop giving ammunition (i.e., stop losing to lower-seeded teams or getting blown out by similarly-seeded teams). The win yesterday was progress. And if we beat Baylor and then come back and play well in the Final Four, that will go a long way toward silencing the "meltdown" talk.

It may not end the talk, but ultimately that's the way you stop hearing about it. Snapping at members of the media may help deflect the discussion away from the players and onto Coach K, but it won't stop the comments from coming. The only way to change the perception that the team has become a tournament choker is to go out and win some more games in the tournament.

johnb
03-27-2010, 01:26 PM
They reminded me of us in past years. Relatively small, scrappy, annoying. It's not just that we weren't shooting well, we couldn't even get it comfortably to the 3 point line, much less get an open look. I don't recall seeing the S's so hampered all season-even when they did get open, it's not surprising they'd be so surprised that their shot would get alterered. We couldn't even get aggressive enough to drive at their guys playing with 2 and 3 (!) first half fouls. It reminded me a bit of the Kentucky-Cornell game, except that the Kentucky players were much taller/athletic than Purdue and we're much taller/athletic than Cornell, but it was some of the same dominant defense. I get accustomed to US throwing off the other team, but it's only in our losses do I see THEM throw us off our game. Whew....

Only quibble about the officiating. It seemed inconsistent to me. At the periphery, they seemed to be allowing a lot of handchecking and aggression, but a lot of our big guys were called for minimal transgressions in the paint.

Freddy Brown
03-27-2010, 01:26 PM
...but still came out on top. I appreciate the fact that our guys don't seem to throw as many tantrums about borderline calls as most of the opponents. Also, no posturing after dunks (like Johnson of Purdue). Then again, did we have any dunks? ;)

DevilHorns
03-27-2010, 01:29 PM
Then again, did we have any dunks? ;)

Miles Plumlee has a problem with your post. He may dunk on you later.

Freddy Brown
03-27-2010, 01:31 PM
Miles Plumlee has a problem with your post. He may dunk on you later.

Any such frustrations should be taken out on Baylor. :)

JG Nothing
03-27-2010, 01:41 PM
...but still came out on top. I appreciate the fact that our guys don't seem to throw as many tantrums about borderline calls as most of the opponents. Also, no posturing after dunks (like Johnson of Purdue). Then again, did we have any dunks? ;)

Perfect example of why people hate Duke. We have to overcome the bias of referees. Our players are angels. Our opponents have no class.

DevilHorns
03-27-2010, 01:43 PM
Any such frustrations should be taken out on Baylor. :)

Ya, but he still may find you, especially if you're in the Houston area :)

Welcome2DaSlopes
03-27-2010, 01:44 PM
...but still came out on top. I appreciate the fact that our guys don't seem to throw as many tantrums about borderline calls as most of the opponents. Also, no posturing after dunks (like Johnson of Purdue). Then again, did we have any dunks? ;)

Ummm idk about that, I think the refs called a pretty fair game, we got some calls as well as Purdue.

jipops
03-27-2010, 01:53 PM
I don't disagree with anything you said above. However, as much as Coach K, the team, and us fans don't like it, the only way we're going to stop hearing about it is if we stop giving ammunition (i.e., stop losing to lower-seeded teams or getting blown out by similarly-seeded teams). The win yesterday was progress. And if we beat Baylor and then come back and play well in the Final Four, that will go a long way toward silencing the "meltdown" talk.

It may not end the talk, but ultimately that's the way you stop hearing about it. Snapping at members of the media may help deflect the discussion away from the players and onto Coach K, but it won't stop the comments from coming. The only way to change the perception that the team has become a tournament choker is to go out and win some more games in the tournament.

This "meltdown" talk will most likely never silence. Duke can make the Final Four and lose in the national semi-finals and there will still be "meltdown" talk and "tournament chokers". Why? Because it is inflammatory and that is what sells. Doesn't have to have facts or reality attached to it.

Besides winning the title every year, the only way for Duke to change the perception of a tournament "choker" is to play like garbage throughout the entire regular season and earn a low seed in the tournament or not make the tournament at all. I don't think K is going to have that happen. So screw the perception.

Duke of Nashville
03-27-2010, 01:57 PM
KemPom: Duke's 1.09 PPP against Purdue was 2nd most Purdue allowed this season.

Didn't feel like scrollin' through the thread to see if this was posted, but I thought it was an impressive stat.

Go Duke!

jipops
03-27-2010, 02:00 PM
KemPom: Duke's 1.09 PPP against Purdue was 2nd most Purdue allowed this season.

Didn't feel like scrollin' through the thread to see if this was posted, but I thought it was an impressive stat.

Go Duke!

That is impressive. Thank you for pointing that out.

basket1544
03-27-2010, 02:13 PM
I've heard this talk about losing to lower seeded teams so often and it confuses me. Other than Kentucky (as the second-place #1 seed), it doesn't matter who we play the rest of the tournament. They are all lower seeds. Teams that are #1, #2, #3 seeds usually lose in the tourney to lower seeds.

Newton_14
03-27-2010, 02:17 PM
I don't disagree with anything you said above. However, as much as Coach K, the team, and us fans don't like it, the only way we're going to stop hearing about it is if we stop giving ammunition (i.e., stop losing to lower-seeded teams or getting blown out by similarly-seeded teams). The win yesterday was progress. And if we beat Baylor and then come back and play well in the Final Four, that will go a long way toward silencing the "meltdown" talk.

It may not end the talk, but ultimately that's the way you stop hearing about it. Snapping at members of the media may help deflect the discussion away from the players and onto Coach K, but it won't stop the comments from coming. The only way to change the perception that the team has become a tournament choker is to go out and win some more games in the tournament.

I agree with you but Jipops hit on the key point for me. No other team gets asked questions about their past tourney losses/failings/meltdowns/etc etc.

Kentucky hasn't been to a Final Four since 98, many others haven't been in forever, yet they never get asked questions about it. Duke is the only team I ever see getting interrogated about past losses. It is just tiring to hear. And the comment pretty boy Lavin made on ESPN last night was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard an analyst say. "Most favorable region in 25 years? Really? The tourney has already shown that other regions were weaker than the South yet the experts will never say it. I recall unc making a final four in the 90's without even playing a ranked team to get there. How is that for weak??

But it will not end unless Duke goes on another dominating run with 3 or 4 FF's in a short period of time and wins a couple of titles in the run..

jipops
03-27-2010, 02:41 PM
I agree with you but Jipops hit on the key point for me. No other team gets asked questions about their past tourney losses/failings/meltdowns/etc etc.

Kentucky hasn't been to a Final Four since 98, many others haven't been in forever, yet they never get asked questions about it. Duke is the only team I ever see getting interrogated about past losses. It is just tiring to hear. And the comment pretty boy Lavin made on ESPN last night was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard an analyst say. "Most favorable region in 25 years? Really? The tourney has already shown that other regions were weaker than the South yet the experts will never say it. I recall unc making a final four in the 90's without even playing a ranked team to get there. How is that for weak??

But it will not end unless Duke goes on another dominating run with 3 or 4 FF's in a short period of time and wins a couple of titles in the run..

Lavin's name is never going to be lumped in with a group of great basketball minds or historians or analysts. People with decent information filters should be able to filter that drivel out.

ABF
03-27-2010, 03:28 PM
Obviously. However, regardless of the reasons he may have said it (which was not really the point I was trying to make) I do tend to agree with him; this team will never be a team like, say, 01 Duke or 99 Duke. Those were GREAT teams.

However, I think what this group DOES have is it is a great TEAM (note emphasis.) They play together about as well as any group I can remember... everyone knows their role, and everyone embraces it, embraces the team.


The 99 team.. what a heartbreaking episode. All of that team's accomplishments are, for me, overshadowed by that awful final w/UConn (can't tell you how miserable it was to to be there..) and the subsequent exodus to the nba.

O1 Duke was a GREAT TEAM. :)

NW Indiana Dukie
03-27-2010, 03:30 PM
What a game! We had a nice battle at my home--My wife is a Purdue grad. I have included a few photos of our friendly battle.

dukebluelemur
03-27-2010, 03:33 PM
I sure hope we have different ref's on Sunday. I can not believe the hand checking they were allowing by Purdue.

As much as I didn't enjoy it against Purdue, I think a similarly called game would be to our great advantage against Baylor. Purdue's aggressive, manhandling perimeter defense is a lot like ours, and I think we benefit from it, to some degree anyway, the way Purdue did. I don't think a game called like the last one would benefit Baylor's zone defense which doesn't really look (it seems) to create turnovers.

MChambers
03-27-2010, 04:04 PM
See, the problem is that basketball is NOT football. At least, it shouldn't be.


The several times I've seen Kramer play, he's always running his mouth and being aggressively chippy, and always seems to end up involved in skirmishes.

As always, this is one of those fine lines that runs down the middle of many different opinions.

And maybe Zoubs's pick should have been called a foul, but Kramer bowled Zoubs over once or twice earlier, and somehow didn't get called for that. I don't blame Kramer for playing the game the way it was called, but he got away with some very rough stuff.

NYDukie
03-27-2010, 09:00 PM
I agree with you but Jipops hit on the key point for me. No other team gets asked questions about their past tourney losses/failings/meltdowns/etc etc.

Kentucky hasn't been to a Final Four since 98, many others haven't been in forever, yet they never get asked questions about it. Duke is the only team I ever see getting interrogated about past losses. It is just tiring to hear. And the comment pretty boy Lavin made on ESPN last night was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard an analyst say. "Most favorable region in 25 years? Really? The tourney has already shown that other regions were weaker than the South yet the experts will never say it. I recall unc making a final four in the 90's without even playing a ranked team to get there. How is that for weak??

But it will not end unless Duke goes on another dominating run with 3 or 4 FF's in a short period of time and wins a couple of titles in the run..

Unfortunately, IMO, if this Duke team wins the championship, there will still be talk as probably a good amount of pundits will say they played in the weakest region, never possibly played another #1 as UK is in trouble along with the reality if they do make the championship game, facing a 5 or lower seed, one being a non-BCS school. No win situation all around for this Duke team in regards to the pundits IMO. This all assumes that Duke would get to the championship game as first things first, a real tough challenge awaits against Baylor in the state of Texas.

And for the record, for this Duke team to squash or mitigate some of this "meltdown" talk, I hope they win a hard fought game tomorrow, face UK and beat them and then play MSU in the final to win a title as that would provide the toughest road for them.

NYDukie
03-27-2010, 09:33 PM
Meltdown??????:d

Welcome2DaSlopes
03-27-2010, 09:35 PM
What a game! We had a nice battle at my home--My wife is a Purdue grad. I have included a few photos of our friendly battle.

haha great looks like you had lot's of fun.

devildeac
03-27-2010, 09:49 PM
If the seedings hold and both teams get to Indy, I think the potential crowd in the Nat'l semi's would make this crowd seem tame. Indy is a even shorter drive for UK and they travel well regardless of distance.

Doesn't matter now:D.