Who will be our toughest opponent come tourney time?

[dgoore97]

I know it's early, but just based on the few games and highlights I have seen, the only team I am really not sure how we handle is Ohio State. Specifically, how do we handle Sullinger and Lauderdale?

Not worried about anyone in the ACC, not MSU, not Kentucky, Florida, Villanova or any mid-majors.

Obviously we will know more inthe coming weeks, but what does everyone else think?

[flyingdutchdevil]

This question has been posted about 2 months too early, but I'll play along.

Based on the smallest sample size possible (1-2 games), I'd say that Ohio State is playing the best. Their inside-outside combo of Sullinger and Lighty is incredible. Kyrie Irving may be spectacular, but Sullinger is hands-down the most impressive freshman so far (again, based on a sample size of 2 games).

[superdave]

Sullinger looked good last night in what I was able to see. He looks like the most likely freshman to be 1st team AA. But we should have the front court depth to check him.

I'm interested in seeing Michigan State play soon. Also, UNC has enough depth in the backcourt and wings to check our depth there (but no frontcourt).

Perhaps we should eliminate the reference to the tourney for a few more months!

[CEF1959]

The tourney I care about right now is the CBE, where we have some games coming up. That includes a likely matchup with KSU, which could be a formidable opponent.

[pfrduke]

This question has been posted about 2 months too early, but I'll play along.

Well, 5 months too early. It's pretty silly to talk about toughest tournament opponents when we have no idea who we'd play. After all, last year our toughest opponents come tourney time were (in order): Butler, West Virginia, Baylor, Purdue, California, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Everyone else basically didn't matter.

[superdave]

Well, 5 months too early. It's pretty silly to talk about toughest tournament opponents when we have no idea who we'd play. After all, last year our toughest opponents come tourney time were (in order): Butler, West Virginia, Baylor, Purdue, California, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Everyone else basically didn't matter.

I like to think we mattered to Kentucky, because we made them overlook West Virginia and it cost them dearly.

[timmy c]

Should the current roster worry about the other big dogs on the block? NO! Should fans engage in useless conjecture about who is the worst match-up for the current Duke squad? Absolutely! That's half the fun of contributing to a sight where there are semi-intelligent and sometimes friendly disagreements.

[DukieInBrasil]

I saw part of the Mich. St. game vs. So. Carolina and MSU looked really good, granted SCU ain't so good. But they had some really solid guard play and their inside game looked good. They played a very deliberate style and ran when opportune, IOW, they played within themselves and stuck to their game-plan. They looked really disciplined for so early in the season. They certainly looked more disciplined than Duke, which in no way means better although that could be true too, although Duke is trying to figure out its lineup much more than MSU is. Also, it looks like we'll be a lot deeper than the Spartys.
But, any team could mature and really challenge us or ya know, it's possible that our team doesn't mature very much and never reaches its potential. Either way, I'd say this discussion doesn't really make much sense (other than to fill the early season glee-jitters) until around January, when things have settled a bit more.

[timmy c]

This question has been posted about 2 months too early, but I'll play along.

Based on the smallest sample size possible (1-2 games), I'd say that Ohio State is playing the best. Their inside-outside combo of Sullinger and Lighty is incredible. Kyrie Irving may be spectacular, but Sullinger is hands-down the most impressive freshman so far (again, based on a sample size of 2 games).

Don't sleep on OSU's point, William Buford. He is a 6-5 185 lbs. versatile player who is listed as a SG but will be playing the point for OSU. He isn’t explosive enough to get his own offense, but he is crafty. Against Florida he turned in an 8/1 assist/turnover ratio in 33 minutes.

Sound familiar?

[ajgoodfella7]

I know it is a ways off and this is just my prediction, but I think come tourney time the 4 best teams in the country will be Duke, MSU, OSU, and Villanova. I think those are the 4 teams with the best experience + talent ratio.

[Duke of Nashville]

I saw part of the Mich. St. game vs. So. Carolina and MSU looked really good, granted SCU ain't so good. But they had some really solid guard play and their inside game looked good. They played a very deliberate style and ran when opportune, IOW, they played within themselves and stuck to their game-plan. They looked really disciplined for so early in the season. They certainly looked more disciplined than Duke, which in no way means better although that could be true too, although Duke is trying to figure out its lineup much more than MSU is. Also, it looks like we'll be a lot deeper than the Spartys.
But, any team could mature and really challenge us or ya know, it's possible that our team doesn't mature very much and never reaches its potential. Either way, I'd say this discussion doesn't really make much sense (other than to fill the early season glee-jitters) until around January, when things have settled a bit more.

This well disciplined possible national championship contender beat a South Carolina team, who is predicted to be last place in the SEC, on their home court by 9. Does their game plan include defense?

[mr. synellinden]

I saw part of the Mich. St. game vs. So. Carolina and MSU looked really good, granted SCU ain't so good. But they had some really solid guard play and their inside game looked good. They played a very deliberate style and ran when opportune, IOW, they played within themselves and stuck to their game-plan. They looked really disciplined for so early in the season. They certainly looked more disciplined than Duke, which in no way means better although that could be true too, although Duke is trying to figure out its lineup much more than MSU is. Also, it looks like we'll be a lot deeper than the Spartys.
But, any team could mature and really challenge us or ya know, it's possible that our team doesn't mature very much and never reaches its potential. Either way, I'd say this discussion doesn't really make much sense (other than to fill the early season glee-jitters) until around January, when things have settled a bit more.

I disagree with MSU looking more "disciplined" than Duke. MSU looked a little unsure of itself, particularly in the first half, and turned the ball over a lot.

In its two games Duke has looked extremely disciplined to me, particularly considering there are so many players with new roles. Our defense has been suffocating, and you can't have that without a lot of discipline and communication. It is said that defense always comes together before offense, and I think that's what were seeing so far. Also, when you consider the emphasis on getting out and running the fast break, there is no way we weren't going to look less "disciplined" than last year. I'm sure we'll lose games during the year, but I have no doubt we are going to be an efficient offensive juggernaut this year.

[hedevil]

I thought MSU looked pretty balanced, however, I have to agree that winning by 9 on your home court against a much less talented team doesn't bode well. That should be a high teens to twenty something points kind of game. That being said, it is early for everyone.

What I will say that I like about this Duke team vs everyone else is the ceiling potential. Duke is already ranked #1 and haven't even begun to find their rotation/chemistry or reach it's potential. By the time the tourny comes around, I suspect that this team will be clicking on all cylinders, garnering much more hype than last years' Kansas team, and hopefully reaching a much brighter conclusion.

[theAlaskanBear]

Don't sleep on OSU's point, William Buford. He is a 6-5 185 lbs. versatile player who is listed as a SG but will be playing the point for OSU. He isn’t explosive enough to get his own offense, but he is crafty. Against Florida he turned in an 8/1 assist/turnover ratio in 33 minutes.

Sound familiar?

I only caught pieces of the OSU-FL game, but it seemed like everytime I turned it on Buford was nailing 3s (this was 1st half?) or making great plays.

[UrinalCake]

I actually think the NC State game will be a good one. I think they'll use a similar strategy as last year - spread us out, get the ball to their big guys and let them either challenge us inside or shoot the three, which they're capable of doing. Interior defense is the biggest question mark for our team and Tracy Smith could be a challenge for us to stop. I'm sure it was frustrating to their fans knowing they were capable of destroying the team that won the National Championship.

[CDu]

I actually think the NC State game will be a good one. I think they'll use a similar strategy as last year - spread us out, get the ball to their big guys and let them either challenge us inside or shoot the three, which they're capable of doing. Interior defense is the biggest question mark for our team and Tracy Smith could be a challenge for us to stop. I'm sure it was frustrating to their fans knowing they were capable of destroying the team that won the National Championship.

Yeah, I think that teams with versatile, talented big men could give us trouble. Teams that can combine that with really good guard/wing play can definitely give us real trouble. If NC State's guards can play as well as they did against us last year, then I completely agree that they could give us trouble as Smith can be really tough for our bigs. But their guards/wings are either extremely inconsistent (Gonzalez, Wood) or extremely inexperienced (Harrow, Brown).

I don't think that guard/wing-dominated teams are going to be our biggest threat, because I think we have better guards/wings than anybody else. We have the potential to have great interior play, but if there's a potential achilles heel, I think the post is where it lies. Well, that and of course the possibility that we have an extremely poor shooting night and can't force turnovers.

[Billy Dat]

Our toughest opponent will be trying to fulfill the expectation that anything less than a second consecutive National Championship is a failure.

[camion]

Our toughest opponent will be trying to fulfill the expectation that anything less than a second consecutive National Championship is a failure.

Pretty much this.

As to what opposing team might provide the biggest challenge in the spring, let me pose the question, "What do you call a deer with no eyes?"






I doubt that Duke and Butler had each other at the top of their lists of toughest expected opponents at this time last year.

[gus]

Should the current roster worry about the other big dogs on the block? NO! Should fans engage in useless conjecture about who is the worst match-up for the current Duke squad? Absolutely! That's half the fun of contributing to a sight where there are semi-intelligent and sometimes friendly disagreements.

well said.

I hope the answer from a player on the team would be "our toughest opponent is our next one."

But that's boring. Me- I have no idea. I have only seen Duke, Princeton and Miami (OH) play, so I can't really make an assessment.

[timmy c]

...Based on the smallest sample size possible (1-2 games), I'd say that Ohio State is playing the best...


I know it is a ways off and this is just my prediction, but I think come tourney time the 4 best teams in the country will be Duke, MSU, OSU, and Villanova. I think those are the 4 teams with the best experience + talent ratio.

looks like a consensus is forming around OSU


I only caught pieces of the OSU-FL game, but it seemed like everytime I turned it on Buford was nailing 3s (this was 1st half?) or making great plays.

I've got OSU as my #2 team in the nation thanks to Sullinger, Lighty, and Buford. Buford was a McD's all-american. If he plays up to his potential, OSU becomes a serious contender for cutting the nets in April.

[dukemsu]

I know it's early, but just based on the few games and highlights I have seen, the only team I am really not sure how we handle is Ohio State. Specifically, how do we handle Sullinger and Lauderdale?

Not worried about anyone in the ACC, not MSU, not Kentucky, Florida, Villanova or any mid-majors.

Obviously we will know more inthe coming weeks, but what does everyone else think?

The Bucks looked awfully good, but Florida cooperated by guarding absolutely no one. When a team shoots 71% in a half, they're not losing to anyone. Sullinger gets in foul trouble or hits the freshman wall, the Bucks can be had. Those are big ifs, but the only team in the land without a glaring weakness is Duke. The Buckeyes are thin, extremely reliant on the 3 ball, and have no true point guard with experience. Catch them on the wrong day, though, and sure, they're dynamite.

I don't have an answer for the question yet. Need a bigger sample size.

dukemsu

[dukemsu]

This well disciplined possible national championship contender beat a South Carolina team, who is predicted to be last place in the SEC, on their home court by 9. Does their game plan include defense?

Defense is indeed the question for the Spartans. However, I'd be a bit slow in judging MSU in November. Traditionally, Izzo-led teams take their lumps in November while they figure things out, and round into shape by March. I'd expect MSU losses at Duke and at MSG against the 'Cuse, but they'll look a lot better in March than they did yesterday. It's early.

dukemsu

[FireOgilvie]

Right now, I pretty much agree with the polls. Duke, Michigan State, Kansas State (assuming Kelly gets his act together and comes back), and Ohio State look the best so far. All of these teams are also very very deep.

Michigan State is one of the most physical and tough teams I've seen and I think that could cause some problems for us.

[Saratoga2]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Kansas State, currently ranked high in the polls and straight off having dismantled Virginia Tech. I wonder if Duke is going to ready to play well enough to beat them early in the season. They apply pressure to the ball and there were very few easy shots by VT. Also they are aggressive rebounders and made VT look bad there also. With Pullen leading the team and a top notch coach, I expect them to be a tough opponent when we play them and a team that could go deep into the tournament.

Our inside game is somewhat suspect and will be under a great deal of pressure against them, assuming they beat Gonzaga. Our guards and Singler are in better shape, but Singler will need to be shooting a lot better in that game than he did at M of O. We will be essentially playi ng in their back yard, so that game will tell us a lot about how good Duke really is now.

My view is that Kyrie is the real X factor on our team. He is a handful for any defense. The question I have is whether as a freshman he will be able to handle to in your face close guarding with a quality player like Pullen, that Kansas State can apply to him.