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View Full Version : MBB: Duke 84, Mich St 79 Post-Game Thread



JBDuke
12-01-2010, 11:43 PM
Put your post-game thoughts here.

quota
12-01-2010, 11:44 PM
I hereby dub thee Kyrie "FREAK" Irving.

bluepenguin
12-01-2010, 11:44 PM
Three things:

Positive
1. This team bends, but doesn't break
2. Kyrie Irving

Negative
3. Free throws

mgtr
12-01-2010, 11:45 PM
So far, we have always had one guy to step up big time. Tonight was Kyrie's show. What any amazing talent.

NashvilleDevil
12-01-2010, 11:46 PM
Realize it is only 7 games but I am starting to worry that Nolan is pressing way to much. He will right the ship and once he does this team will be even more difficult to beat.

bluepenguin
12-01-2010, 11:46 PM
i hereby dub thee kyrie "freak" irving.
"Sir Kyrie"

TampaDukie
12-01-2010, 11:47 PM
I just want to put Kyrie in a protective bubble for the rest of the season, so he stays safe and healthy. He is jaw-droppingly amazing. I thought it was ridiculous for a freshman to make the AA team, but now I realize they just chose the wrong freshman.

Kyrie is all he was advertised and more.

And he's humble in his post-game interview! Love him.

timmy c
12-01-2010, 11:47 PM
Three things:

Positive
1. This team bends, but doesn't break
2. Kyrie Irving

Negative
3. Free throws

4. defensive rebounds

Bob Green
12-01-2010, 11:47 PM
This was a tough game as we all knew it would be, but our Blue Devils were up to the task. Kyrie Irving was spectacular tonight, while Singler and Smith were the rocks we all expect them to be night in and night out. This team will continue to improve so I'm really excited to see the progress game-by-game. It is a long season with tons of basketball left to be played but Duke fans have to be excited about the prospects for success in 2011. WOW! Go Duke.

NashvilleDevil
12-01-2010, 11:50 PM
4. defensive rebounds

MSU only outrebounded Duke by 5. Yes they grabbed 15 o-rebounds but Duke grabbed 11. Considering how great the Spartans always are on the boards and Miles was sitting most of the game because of foul trouble those are not bad rebounding numbers.

chattpanther
12-01-2010, 11:50 PM
I just saw this tweet by Gary Parrish earlier when Coach K was pissed and called a timeout:

@GaryParrishCBS: Coach K calls TO, furious. Ref asks him what he wants, a full or a 30? K's response: "I want a f-cking call!"

jv001
12-01-2010, 11:50 PM
Realize it is only 7 games but I am starting to worry that Nolan is pressing way to much. He will right the ship and once he does this team will be even more difficult to beat.

Nolan is just trying to do too much. He will get it going. May take Coach K sitting him down for some film watching(Hurley). But nothing wrong with Nolan's attitude. Go Duke!

Cicero
12-01-2010, 11:50 PM
Who cares about negatives. I love Duke basketball. Kyrie is unreal. Kyle is a warrior. Mason is a beast. Nolan is stone-cold. Andre is a baby-faced killer.

GO DUKE!!!

NashvilleDevil
12-01-2010, 11:52 PM
Nolan is just trying to do too much. He will get it going. May take Coach K sitting him down for some film watching(Hurley). But nothing wrong with Nolan's attitude. Go Duke!

His attitude has always been tremendous. He did hit a couple of huge threes in the 2nd half but he does seem to want to make the spectacular play instead of the best play.

Fuqua's Finest
12-01-2010, 11:52 PM
Who cares about negatives. I love Duke basketball. Kyrie is unreal. Kyle is a warrior. Mason is a beast. Nolan is stone-cold. Andre is a baby-faced killer.

GO DUKE!!!

Beautifully stated!

diveonthefloor
12-01-2010, 11:53 PM
I just saw this tweet by Gary Parrish earlier when Coach K was pissed and called a timeout:

@GaryParrishCBS: Coach K calls TO, furious. Ref asks him what he wants, a full or a 30? K's response: "I want a f-cking call!"

IF he really said that, THAT IS CLASSIC!

CrazieDUMB
12-01-2010, 11:54 PM
What an amazing game... It contantly amazes me that every night there's going to be a few devils having extraordinary nights. On a night when our all american candidate scores 15 points on 14 shots, and their best player (Lucious, in my opinion) is having the game of his life, we still pull out the win. What an incredible effort from Kyrie. This team really has some tools.

juise
12-01-2010, 11:54 PM
4. defensive rebounds

Positive - The same defense that gave up those boards forced a ton of turnovers. A ton.

dukelifer
12-01-2010, 11:55 PM
Three things:

Positive
1. This team bends, but doesn't break
2. Kyrie Irving

Negative
3. Free throws

Kyrie is a great talent- loves the big moment- can't teach that. Still not sure about the D on this team- they are still a work in progress there. A little concerned about rebounding and front court bench play. This was a game of two excellent teams and Duke should have won by 10 - but credit MSU for hitting some big threes and putbacks. A good effort by both clubs - a great night of basketball.

TampaDukie
12-01-2010, 11:55 PM
Right after the Duke highlights, ESPN has highlights of Shane tearing it up against the Lakers. Awesome night to be a Blue Devil.

arydolphin
12-01-2010, 11:57 PM
I am going to enjoy watching Kyrie Irving in every game this year, because there's no way he doesn't go to the NBA after this season.

Lots of people are already talking about Michigan State vs. Duke in a rematch in the Final Four...I don't want any part of that. I think that this was the first game of the year where Duke really showed that they miss LT and Zoubs in terms of toughness on the boards. The Plumlees are much better offensively than those guys, but they have to be tougher on the boards in the long run. I would enjoy seeing Duke go to Michigan State in next year's ACC-Big 10 Challenge.

hedevil
12-01-2010, 11:58 PM
Glad to see the guys pull through, as well as coming out healthy.

Nolan is really going through a decision making funk. I hope he can settle down and get it together. We need his leadership and positive play making decisions/abilities moving forward.

It's great to see that even when this team is not playing well as a whole, they are able to get past great competition thanks to good defensive play. I don't know the official numbers, but it definitely seemed like Duke lost the rebounding battle tonight (possibly badly). MSU seemed a little more active on the boards and to the loose balls tonight. When and if Duke can get to clicking on all cylinders (offensively), I don't think anyone can come anywhere close to them on the score board.

Overall, a good performance. Great performance by Kyrie.

dairedevil
12-01-2010, 11:58 PM
Right after the Duke highlights, ESPN has highlights of Shane tearing it up against the Lakers. Awesome night to be a Blue Devil.

Agreed....but, man am I exhausted! And wound up.Glad that I don't have to get up to go to work tomorrow. It's going to take me a while to wind down from this one.

KandG
12-01-2010, 11:59 PM
Kyrie was amazing, and the game atmosphere was fantastic, but Michigan State definitely looks like the team that could knock us out in March. Great rebounding, and when they weren't turning the ball over, they executed pretty well against our offense, including several 3 pointers. You expect a Tom Izzo team to crash the boards relentlessly, but their guards gave us fits as well.

The inside game still looks like the weak link -- not sure the rebounding will improve that much -- but I assume Kyrie will develop more of a rhythm with the Plumlees and get them more baskets as the season goes along. Pretty tight rotation from K tonight.

dukeblue1206
12-01-2010, 11:59 PM
Was happy for Nolan when Izzo decided to put him on the line when Mason got hurt and he knocked them down. To me Nolan's shot looks really flat from the line. Not that he has ever had a lot of arc to his shot. He will get it straight!!

Bob Green
12-02-2010, 12:00 AM
Stat of the Game: Mason Plumlee, 35 minutes played, 0 fouls. And he recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. We place a lot of talent on the court with Mason Plumlee being a key ingredient for continued success.

OldPhiKap
12-02-2010, 12:01 AM
I am sure this will get lost in the onslaught of post-game comments, but it needs to be said:

I respect the hell out of Tom Izzo. His kids play hard, disciplined ball. Great coach, great teams.

This is a special win for us.

(And, as Bilas said post-game, there's a darn good chance we'll see them in Houston).

quota
12-02-2010, 12:01 AM
Honestly, this is one of those games where of course there are negative things we could talk about, but......why would I?

We just beat (what I consider) the second-best team in the country and watched one of the most amazing performances by a freshman in the history of college basketball.

I'm relishing this one for at least 24 hours before I go back to the DVR and look for stuff I didn't love.

Go Duke!

Mike Corey
12-02-2010, 12:02 AM
This is a very, very fun team to watch.

Kyrie Irving is special. Savor every moment.

This season (and the last) are made all the more special by the "tough" years the squad went through in the preceding seasons. Can't take this for granted. We are awfully, awfully good, and the ceiling is several dozen stories up.

6th Man
12-02-2010, 12:04 AM
Kyrie Irving may very well be the best player in America. I wouldn't trade him for anybody...

Let's work on free throws, defense, and better decision making. Overall I didn't think it was Duke's best, but enough to win. Mich. St. is tough and that is a tribute to Izzo.

Bluedevil114
12-02-2010, 12:05 AM
Thank goodness we had Jon Scheyer to run the tempo last year. Nolan really looks out of control and wants to push it faster than he can go. We had some silly turnovers tonight and a lot of missed lob passes with open three point shooters. Kyrie is sick. Unbelievable talent and crazy that we lose without this freshman tonight. Overall our defense has to improve along with rebounding. It is great to be 7-0 and beat who I think is the second best team in the country and have some things to work on. Go Duke!!

lotusland
12-02-2010, 12:06 AM
Kyrie scored 31 and Mason collects a double-double. Kyle, Nolan and Dre made some good plays and some not so good. Ryan and Miles struggled and Seth barely played. I guess Nolan is a better defender and you don’t want to take Kyrie out for long when he’s carrying us. Having depth should mean we always have a couple of hot hands but if Seth doesn’t play when Nolan is struggling it sort negates the advantage.

No one passed through the lane tonight without getting chucked like a wide receiver off the line off scrimmage. The lob passes didn’t work because Miles and Mason got mugged before the passes arrived. That’s Big 10 basketball so I’m just glad to get out with a win.

NYC Duke Fan
12-02-2010, 12:08 AM
As a Duke fan we should hope for an NBA lockout next year because Irving is off the charts

jipops
12-02-2010, 12:09 AM
A very nice December win. I'm very happy about the win but can't ignore the fact that there are some holes to address. If Mich St manages to take care of the ball a little better and cut out a few unforced errors they win this game. We were outplayed in the paint and just gave up way too many looks 10 feet and in. We seemed to make a lot of mistakes switching out on the perimeter. I thought the communication looked off really.

Again I'm very happy about the win but I just get the feeling that we're much more vulnerable than the constant hype being spewed on espn. The defense just HAS to get better.

Dr. Tina
12-02-2010, 12:09 AM
WOW! Kyrie is amazing! I listened to Coach K's post-game presser. K said that Kyrie missed practice on Monday because he was throwing up all day, and he was still not very well yesterday either. K said they were concerned about Kyrie becoming dehydrated in tonight's game and that he may cramp up as well.

And THIS is how Kyrie responds to the stomach flu?!?!?! UNREAL!!!! He just amazes me more every game, and his poise and confidence when facing older, veteran players on Final Four potential teams is something to behold!

Mason continues to provide us with some good inside play. He had a double-double, 5 steals, and 0 fouls. He needs to teach Miles a bit about staying out of foul trouble. A lot of Miles fouls seem to be silly ones, too.

Nolan seems to be pushing things and rushing his shot a bit. You can see the difference when he lets the game come to him. I'm wondering if it's a matter of needing to adjust to being more of a leader or something that's affecting his play a little bit. That being said, his stat line was still pretty good.

Kyle's D was good, but he was a bit off from 3. Again, like with Nolan, when he let the game come to him, his shots were falling better.

Nice basket from Ryan.

I love Andre! He's really picking it up this season. I wonder what's up with Seth, though?

We are clearly the best team, but still have lots to improve on this season. The potential this team has is out of sight when you consider they can do even more to get better!

On a sidenote, I really like Tom Izzo. What a classy guy! Loved that he took his team through K-Ville.

wilko
12-02-2010, 12:10 AM
I respect the hell out of Tom Izzo. His kids play hard, disciplined ball. Great coach, great teams.


Its not lost on me. There is no QUIT in those MSU dudes. Hats off, they play hard.
I want no part of a rematch on a "neutral" floor.

Wasnt a pretty win, but we found some things to work on...
We werent very crisp in the 2nd at all. MSU is very physical and likes to bump from 1-5. I can see why Nolan would have a hard time with that and why Seth didnt scratch much this outting. That tackle Nix did was ridiculous.

So this Kyrie guy, I hear hes pretty good... wowsa. Glad hes on our side.

Good to see Mason shake off the ankle twist...

Billy Dat
12-02-2010, 12:10 AM
TampaDukie - I will contribute to that Kyrie bubble wrap fund. My goodness, this kid is amazing. What a gamer! You get the feeling that Kyle and Nolan are looking at this kid, like, is he for real?...we didn't know we were going to get this kind of help so soon.
We are really deep and talented, but I think this kid is quickly establishing himself as our most important player and the one we can least afford to lose.

Aside from Kyrie, on the positive side, Nolan and Kyle settled down and made some big buckets in the second half. We played hard and seemed to play with big game intensity. I thought Mason gave us another solid outing. While he didn't score as much, Andre gave us a long, solid stretch in the second half when K went with the Kyrie/Nolan/Kyle/Mason/Andre line-up. I feel good with Andre out there, and am always surprised when he misses a fairly open 3. The one he hit from the corner was a really big shot. Kyle's put back with no time on the shot clock was another huge play..and a call I am glad went our way. We ran some effective sets with Kyrie handing off the ball to Nolan foul line extended and Nolan got to freelance using a staggered screen.

It was a pretty ugly game...no real offensive flow, lots of fouls, lots of turnovers, etc. We can be a lot better. Again, we gave up a lot of open 3 point looks, and our bigs had a real hard time finishing around the rim. We must have used up our lob quota in the prior games, or else Sparty was specifically looking for it. I was getting irate at how casually Nolan was throwing some lobs, and passes in general. The offense was also getting bogged down - I hate when the ball sticks, which seems to happen a lot with Nolan and Kyle...square up, if there's nothing there, move it and cut. I understand that sometimes a screener is going to pop up and we'll run some motion, but that often happens after 5 seconds of ball pounding. We may want to practice some free throws.

I was impressed with Sparty. I thought Lucas played better than the announcers gave him credit for...man he is quick. He was dusting Kyrie, and everyone else, whenever he wanted. Lucious had a great game, too. They also didn't play great, yet could have won if the got a few more breaks/bounces. They are a force to be reckoned with.

Big time win. Bring on Matt Howard. I think we ought to run him into a Kyle high double forearm just for the thrill of it.

superdave
12-02-2010, 12:12 AM
A very nice December win. I'm very happy about the win but can't ignore the fact that there are some holes to address. If Mich St manages to take care of the ball a little better and cut out a few unforced errors they win this game. We were outplayed in the paint and just gave up way too many looks 10 feet and in. We seemed to make a lot of mistakes switching out on the perimeter. I thought the communication looked off really.

Again I'm very happy about the win but I just get the feeling that we're much more vulnerable than the constant hype being spewed on espn. The defense just HAS to get better.

This may have been our worst defensive effort to date. But they may be the best team we see all season, so we have to keep that in mind. They are also very physical in the paint and that gave us lots of trouble. They have great talent and depth in the backcourt too. That's a solid MSU team and they are going to be really good come March.

Dr. Tina
12-02-2010, 12:13 AM
Kyrie for Rookie of the Week again?!?! How many does he have now? Maybe they should just change the name of it..... :)

OldPhiKap
12-02-2010, 12:16 AM
Its not lost on me. There is no QUIT in those MSU dudes. Hats off, they play hard.
I want no part of a rematch on a "neutral" floor.

Wasnt a pretty win, but we found some things to work on...
We werent very crisp in the 2nd at all. MSU is very physical and likes to bump from 1-5. I can see why Nolan would have a hard time with that and why Seth didnt scratch much this outting. That tackle Nix did was ridiculous.

So this Kyrie guy, I hear hes pretty good... wowsa. Glad hes on our side.

Good to see Mason shake off the ankle twist...

Agreed 100%. (My comment was sent through operator error before I could sign, Wilco).

TampaDukie
12-02-2010, 12:16 AM
Kyrie is trending on Twitter right now.

OldPhiKap
12-02-2010, 12:19 AM
This may have been our worst defensive effort to date. But they may be the best team we see all season, so we have to keep that in mind. They are also very physical in the paint and that gave us lots of trouble. They have great talent and depth in the backcourt too. That's a solid MSU team and they are going to be really good come March.

I think it's the best-prepared and best-coached team we've played all year (no offense to K.St. -- Izzo's just that more experienced). MSU has gutty players who respond to big road games, and had a great game plan. If they hadn't turned the ball over so many times, they could have pulled this one out. And if they had, it would not be a bad reflection on our team.

Great win for us.

OldPhiKap
12-02-2010, 12:21 AM
Kyrie is trending on Twitter right now.

Is that healthy?

--OLDpk

Billy Dat
12-02-2010, 12:23 AM
Izzo may have missed an opportunity to really go at our bigs on the offensive end. I think if they'd gone to that well more often, with their ability to offensive rebound, that they could have swung the momentum. But, I guess their turnovers were their primary letdown.

dukebluelemur
12-02-2010, 12:23 AM
I think KI dribbles under pressure and through traffic better than anyone I have seen at the college level.

gwlaw99
12-02-2010, 12:23 AM
No words to describe Kyrie other than amazing. Andre continues to impress me with his poise whenever he is on the floor. Mason has another solid game and hopefully will continue to improve his free throw shooting, positioning, and finishing in traffic. Nolan and Kyle solid as usual hitting big shots. Nolan will settle down and play within himself as the season goes on.

Would love to watch some big games without having to listen to the Vitale script he rereads every single game. Bob Knight was great covering the Purdue game.

ice-9
12-02-2010, 12:24 AM
This was a great win, even if Duke didn't play particularly well.

The biggest issue to me is the turnovers...15 in total! That's just too much; it's the only reason the game was as close as it was, although Michigan St did worse with 20. Nolan in particular forced the issue too much. He's got to realize he's not Kyrie -- and he does not need to be -- he can go 80% speed when dribbling the ball and that would be plenty good enough.

Kyle also didn't have a stellar game; he took too many bad shots and forced the issue when he didn't need to.

Kyrie was a revelation.

Mason put in another solid game, although I wish he wouldn't try to dribble so often from the top of the key. And he's got to be able to finish when Kyrie is able to penetrate and pass to him under the basket. Don't hesitate Mason, just dunk it!

Andre emerging as the frst guard off the bench; Curry needs to step it up although he was probably not the greatest match-up in this game.

I didn't see free throws as a significant problem. Nolan went through a bad patch but he recovered fine to finish 7-10. Mason is a bad free throw shooter but I don't know if he'll ever improve beyond 60%; it is what it is for Mason.

dukepsy1963
12-02-2010, 12:25 AM
...was blown away. Is there anything better than being a Dukie, especially when they play like they did tonight. Even with a dentist appointment tomorrow morning, I will sleep well tonight.

loran16
12-02-2010, 12:29 AM
Duke:
1.15PPP
FOUR FACTORS:
eFG: 53.77%
OR%: 39.28%
TO%: 20.5%
FTR: 71.7%
----
MSU:
1.068PPP
eFG: 56.3%
OR%: 46.88%
TO%: 27%
FTR: 23.8%

Duke had an odd game...previously, the offense hadn't clicked a lot, but the D was always there. Today the D didn't quite do the job. MSU had a pretty good effective field goal % and got almost half of their misses for offensive boards. The former was the result of being really hot from 3 when open, but the latter needs to be fixed.

Duke's turnover D did do its job, but the big difference was the Free Throw Rate...Duke got to the line a ridiculous amount of the time (the #s above use FTA/FGA, which may result in them being different from other sites, which use FTM/FGA). That's where Duke won this game. Even if this total was inflated by end game fouls.

Had Duke made more of its FTs, particularly the two missed by Nolan on the intentional foul, they would've put this game away handily.

ambitiouspear
12-02-2010, 12:30 AM
*Dre got starter minutes tonight with 28
*Izzo went 11 deep tonight, compared to us with 8
*Defense still looks a little ragged

Great win against a quality team.

Kfanarmy
12-02-2010, 12:32 AM
great game, fun to watch though a bit stressful.

I think the lob passes will come...need to develop a better feel for when they are available, tweek the passing a bit, and catch the ball a bit better and they will be really effective.

Slight worry that the wrong lessons could be learned from this game...need more assists, with all the firepower the team has getting everyone involved will be key at times. It is great to have an individual light it up, but the right team won't turn the ball over as much and will pull the win out even if Kyrie scores big.

MSU it seemed turned the ball over a lot, but only had 5 more TOs by games end.

OldPhiKap
12-02-2010, 12:32 AM
Bob Knight was great covering the Purdue game.

Watching Coach Knight draw out the final play on his scratch pad was worth watching the entire game. Too bad he was with that complete nimrod, Brent Cheeseburger, who ALWAYS calls our home court The Cameron. Dillweed.

kexman
12-02-2010, 12:33 AM
I would love a yearly contest with michigan state. they are usually good and I respect the program and izzo. Plus, they tend to be a rugged, physical team which would be a good challenge.

IrishDevil
12-02-2010, 12:33 AM
Though we have much to improve (e.g., closing out shooters under control, boxing out on the defensive boards, not reaching), I think our defense was a bit better than MSU's high shooting percentage indicates. We caused a heap of turnovers, particularly in the first half, but they were primarily deadball turnovers that prevented us from taking full advantage. So while MSU shot well when they held onto the ball, let's not forget that their turnover problems were due in some part to our defense.


I think it's the best-prepared and best-coached team we've played all year (no offense to K.St. -- Izzo's just that more experienced). MSU has gutty players who respond to big road games, and had a great game plan. If they hadn't turned the ball over so many times, they could have pulled this one out. And if they had, it would not be a bad reflection on our team.

Great win for us.

Agreed, I came away from this with a ton of respect for Michigan State and have NO desire to see them later in the season. One moment especially stood out to me. MSU was closing our lead, maybe after a basket sometime in their 6-0 second half run, and the camera was on one of their guards, Lucas I think. He was getting into his defensive stance and looked downright mean. The intensity and edge with which the Spartans routinely play is incredible to me.

To be honest, I think our guys could learn a bit from that aspect of MSU's game. We have great swagger and pretty good toughness (though inconsistent at times, excepting Kyle), but I don't see that same intensity or mean streak. Coach has mentioned it before and Kyle talked about it in the pre-game press conference for which Watzone posted the link, but this admittedly young team doesn't have the focus to pull off that same sort of consistent intensity. I think if this team could develop a mean, edgy killer instinct, that could push them to another level (which is scary to think about at times). I think they saw a good dose of it today and I would love to see them learn from it.

Great win, wonderful team, outstanding performance from Kyrie. Great night to be a Duke fan.

GO DUKE!!

deezl
12-02-2010, 12:33 AM
I am SO happy Mason was alright. Big win, not the cleanest but those guys will be there late in the NCAAT.

BigZ
12-02-2010, 12:34 AM
I'm glad Duke got tested b/c after watching the ACC/Big10 tournament I don't believe the Devils will get tested much in conference.

gam7
12-02-2010, 12:34 AM
As a Duke fan we should hope for an NBA lockout next year because Irving is off the charts

A lockout MIGHT be a reason for Kyrie to stay, but is far from a guarantee. Plus, it would be bad for Kyle and Nolan, and we wouldn't want that. So, I'm not rooting for a lockout, nor am I rooting against a lockout. Whatever happens happens and we'll see how things shake out for Duke.

basket1544
12-02-2010, 12:36 AM
I'm wondering if Kyle was feeling under the weather. He had quite a few moments where he reached for a loose ball instead of diving for it. He also didn't play as good of defense as I know he is capable of and he forced a few things on offense.
I thought Nolan was having a bad game and then he finished with his normal 17 points or so.
Mason got a quiet double double. So glad he was able to come back into the game and didn't seem seriously injured on the play he went down on.
Oh yeah and... WOW Mr. 'Rie! Way to go!

gam7
12-02-2010, 12:39 AM
I think KI dribbles under pressure and through traffic better than anyone I have seen at the college level.

I went to the 1997 NCAA championship game - Kentucky-Arizona - and will say that Mike Bibby as a freshman appeared to be unstoppable dribbling under pressure and through traffic. He absolutely carved up Kentucky in the final. Having said that, Kyrie is pretty darn good.

AlaskanAssassin
12-02-2010, 12:41 AM
Great game, but would like more contribution from the bench. Without Kyrie's superb performance and MSU turnovers, the end result would have been different. SETH! I'M LOOKING AT YOU!

JamminJoe
12-02-2010, 12:46 AM
Great shot of JWill being amazed by Kyrie. The kid can do it all.

devildownunder
12-02-2010, 12:47 AM
Thanks for the comments so far, people.

Wish I could've seen Kyrie's performance and all the rest. Would those of you who did mind answering a couple of questions?

First, we had a big advantage at the line (38 attempts to 15, according to espn box), I'm wondering, were most of those shooting fouls by MSU a) perimeter fouls trying to defend Kyrie or whoever? b) interior fouls from overaggression on the boards or defending c) frustration fouls after turnovers?

Second, the gamecast seems to mention several missed layups by Mason (and a couple by Miles). I'm sure Michigan State was very physical and I'm guessing that's the first time this year we've faced someone so physical. Can the misses be attributed to that or was some other issue? We really need to be able finish, whatever the case.

Thanks in advance.

DukeSean
12-02-2010, 12:53 AM
Can't say enough about Kyrie. Really, you can't. And yet I'm speechless. He was amazing.

Also, mad props to MSU for not quitting when they were getting down double digits later in the game. That's prime time for a lesser squad to pack it in at a place like CIS. Credit Izzo for that. I don't care that they have 2 losses so far this year, MSU is the #2 team in the country.

gam7
12-02-2010, 01:01 AM
Thanks for the comments so far, people.

Wish I could've seen Kyrie's performance and all the rest. Would those of you who did mind answering a couple of questions?

First, we had a big advantage at the line (38 attempts to 15, according to espn box), I'm wondering, were most of those shooting fouls by MSU a) perimeter fouls trying to defend Kyrie or whoever? b) interior fouls from overaggression on the boards or defending c) frustration fouls after turnovers?

Second, the gamecast seems to mention several missed layups by Mason (and a couple by Miles). I'm sure Michigan State was very physical and I'm guessing that's the first time this year we've faced someone so physical. Can the misses be attributed to that or was some other issue? We really need to be able finish, whatever the case.

Thanks in advance.

The game is being replayed on espnu right now. 12 of the 38 free throw attempts came in the last minute and change when MSU was trying to catch up. I don't have the precise numbers, but most of the fouls before that seemed fall under your category (b) - physical challenges at the basket (although I wouldn't characterize it as over-aggressiveness. Just good hard-nosed basketball). There were no real open layups that I recall, so when our guards would drive or when Mason would go up, they would be challenged hard by MSU and often sent to line rather than convert an open layup.

The only foul I recall that would fall under (c) was Nix's intentional foul of Nolan (Nix just shoved him just before he went up for a layup after a Kyrie steal), after which Nolan missed both free throws, but Kyle nailed a 3 with our possession after the intentional foul.

I would attribute many of Mason's misses to physicality underneath. Everything was challenged hard. One thing I noticed was that a few different times we tried the screen and roll where Nolan or Kyrie just throws it up somewhere near the rim for Mason or Miles for an alleyoop, but we never converted it, sometimes because the pass was off and other times because it was fumbled out of bounds. That sort of play seems to work against the lesser competition, but it didn't work well tonight.

InSpades
12-02-2010, 01:01 AM
Words really can't describe what Kyrie did out there. This was his 7th college game? Seriously? 31 points against a final four favorite? As Shulman said on air... this is our 2nd game against a top 10 opponent and the 2nd time that Kyrie has clearly been the best player on the floor. His handle is ridiculous and the way he finishes around the rim is amazing.

Nolan and Kyle need to step up their play to keep up with Kyrie. They both seem to force things way too much tonight. Kyle taking some very difficult shots and Nolan just trying to do too much with the ball. They both had their moments, but we all know they can play better and when they do this team will be scary good.

The defense obviously has to improve as well. Too much penetration and the interior defense hasn't been good all year really. I'm sure they will improve though. Having the best coach in the country is a luxury :).

watzone
12-02-2010, 01:05 AM
Here is the BDN post game report with Coach K's audio. http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/12/bdn-post-game-duke-handles-michigan-state-84-79/ It's 1:05 and there are 19 members of the media still in CIS and most of them will leave after 2:00. Hey, it's worth it! Good win!

devildownunder
12-02-2010, 01:12 AM
thanks gam7.

By overaggression, I didn't mean dirty, just hard enough to draw a foul -- and hopefully after being beaten to the spot.

Lobs like you describe are all about timing. Against the good competition, that will come, if they keep working on it but it's not surprising that it didn't all come together against a really tough, good, physical opponent so early in the season. Especially with new faces and new roles for so many.

I'm not going to get to watch the game. Not stateside. So I especially appreciate the descriptions. Thank you.

Dukeface88
12-02-2010, 01:14 AM
Thanks for the comments so far, people.

Wish I could've seen Kyrie's performance and all the rest. Would those of you who did mind answering a couple of questions?

First, we had a big advantage at the line (38 attempts to 15, according to espn box), I'm wondering, were most of those shooting fouls by MSU a) perimeter fouls trying to defend Kyrie or whoever? b) interior fouls from overaggression on the boards or defending c) frustration fouls after turnovers?

14 of our FTs came in the last 2:30 as MSU was trying to stop the clock. I'd say most of the rest were attempts to stop either Kyrie drives or transition baskets.


Second, the gamecast seems to mention several missed layups by Mason (and a couple by Miles). I'm sure Michigan State was very physical and I'm guessing that's the first time this year we've faced someone so physical. Can the misses be attributed to that or was some other issue? We really need to be able finish, whatever the case.

Thanks in advance.

I'd chalk most of the Plumlees misses to MSU's defense (the exception is Miles attempting a just-shy-of-three jumper which was, frankly, not a good decision). They do need to practice more passes with the guards though; something is not meshing in that department.

Edit: Beaten to it by gam7, who seems to have mostly the same thoughts.

strawbs
12-02-2010, 01:15 AM
Was happy for Nolan when Izzo decided to put him on the line when Mason got hurt and he knocked them down. To me Nolan's shot looks really flat from the line. Not that he has ever had a lot of arc to his shot. He will get it straight!!

I said after one of the exhibition games that I thought Nolan may struggle at the line this year. You hit it right on the head when you said his shot is really flat. Maybe it's just me but i think its flatter from the freethrow line then it has been in past seasons. Theres nothing wrong with it if it goes in, but if you are even a little off with your release the rim is a lot less forgiving then if you have nice arc to your shot. I'm sure he will get it figured out, but i'm not entirely confident when he steps to the line (only because of how flat the shot is).
I did love seeing him nail the charity tosses after izzo picked him to shoot for mason though.

tieguy
12-02-2010, 01:27 AM
Duke:
1.15PPP
FOUR FACTORS:
eFG: 53.77%
OR%: 39.28%
TO%: 20.5%
FTR: 71.7%
----
MSU:
1.068PPP
eFG: 56.3%
OR%: 46.88%
TO%: 27%
FTR: 23.8%

Duke had an odd game...previously, the offense hadn't clicked a lot, but the D was always there. Today the D didn't quite do the job. MSU had a pretty good effective field goal % and got almost half of their misses for offensive boards. The former was the result of being really hot from 3 when open, but the latter needs to be fixed.

Duke's turnover D did do its job, but the big difference was the Free Throw Rate...Duke got to the line a ridiculous amount of the time (the #s above use FTA/FGA, which may result in them being different from other sites, which use FTM/FGA). That's where Duke won this game. Even if this total was inflated by end game fouls.

Had Duke made more of its FTs, particularly the two missed by Nolan on the intentional foul, they would've put this game away handily.

To add context to the above numbers, here are the season averages for MSU's offense:

55.8% EFG%
24.6% TO%
35.2% OR%
49.8% FTR%

In other words, they rebounded better against us than average; they shot better against us than their average; we only barely forced more turnovers than their average; and if they'd made more of *their* FTs, it'd have been a real dogfight all the way to the finish.

Note that they're also not a great team right now. That TO% is one of the worst in the country, and even their vaunted rebounding is on pace to be their worst since 2004. And if you're not into stats, I can put it into more old-fashioned terms: they almost lost to CHAMINADE.

I'm not trying to rain on the parade too hard; Kyrie was revelatory tonight, and it was a satisfying win, in possibly our last chance to play a ranked opponent until the Big Dance. But MSU is not the second best team in the country (unless you think UConn is #1?) and we showed some pretty big gaps in our D when they weren't turning the ball over.

ajgoodfella7
12-02-2010, 01:34 AM
Funny tweet by Gary Parrish of CBS:


Coach K calls TO, furious. Ref asks him what he wants, a full or a 30? K's response: "I want a f-cking call!"

Gotta love K's quick wit.

gam7
12-02-2010, 01:35 AM
I'm not trying to rain on the parade too hard; Kyrie was revelatory tonight, and it was a satisfying win, in possibly our last chance to play a ranked opponent until the Big Dance. But MSU is not the second best team in the country (unless you think UConn is #1?) and we showed some pretty big gaps in our D when they weren't turning the ball over.

MSU may very well be the second best team in the country. The transitive property isn't always helpful in determining which team is "best."

tieguy
12-02-2010, 01:45 AM
MSU may very well be the second best team in the country. The transitive property isn't always helpful in determining which team is "best."

So tell me something that does help us determine that they're the second best team in the country? Because the results on the court tell me that they are worse than (at least) UConn and Duke, and not that much better than Chaminade, and the stats tell me that they are worse... well, than a whole bunch of teams, but most notably KU, OSU, and Duke. So if there is some magical something you've got (other than Vitale hyperventilation) that actually shows that they're in the top 5, much less the top 2, I'd love to see it, but... well, I'm not holding my breath :)

Now, if you want to argue that Kyrie is one of the top 2 players in the nation right now... I'm beginning to hop on that bandwagon.

Wander
12-02-2010, 01:49 AM
Now, if you want to argue that Kyrie is one of the top 2 players in the nation right now... I'm beginning to hop on that bandwagon.

Why only top 2?

uh_no
12-02-2010, 01:52 AM
I think KI dribbles under pressure and through traffic better than anyone I have seen at the college level.


Now, if you want to argue that Kyrie is one of the top 2 players in the nation right now... I'm beginning to hop on that bandwagon.

can I get a kemba walker?

juise
12-02-2010, 01:54 AM
Why only top 2?

I know you're probably saying that tongue-in-cheek, but I'm assuming that Kemba Walker is also at the top of most everyone's lists right now... or at least those of us who are mildly objective. ;)

juise
12-02-2010, 02:01 AM
can I get a kemba walker?

At the top of the list for NPOY, absolutely.

For being Kyie's equal in traffic and going to rim against bigs? I'm not so sure. I would say that Kemba is more dominate with pull-up jumpers, step-back jumpers, and fade-away jumpers. It seems like he's been studying MJ in his 30's. :)

tieguy
12-02-2010, 02:09 AM
I actually didn't have anyone in particular in mind when I said Kyrie was in the top two... I tend to find comparing individual players across positions very hard anyway, so it was mostly tongue in cheek. It was certainly hard to argue with whichever announcer pointed out that Pullen and Lucas were supposed to be the best PGs in the country and Kyrie obliterated both of them.

uh_no
12-02-2010, 02:16 AM
At the top of the list for NPOY, absolutely.

For being Kyie's equal in traffic and going to rim against bigs? I'm not so sure. I would say that Kemba is more dominate with pull-up jumpers, step-back jumpers, and fade-away jumpers. It seems like he's been studying MJ in his 30's. :)

Super fair point.....kemba's game is more about those crazy fade aways and such (though he does get to the rim when he wants generally)

I think what biased my opinion (other than the obvious elephant in the room connecticut heritage) was the other guy on their team shabazz napier who is super quick like kyrie and kemba but is often the one who scores by tucking the ball and doing some sort of crazy loop de doop layup much more like kyrie...obviously kyrie does it better

I think kyrie is a better guard than kemba (by far actually) but kemba benefits from being the main guy day in and day out....so he's free to score 30.....if we let kyrie run free, he could probably put up 20+ a game too, but he's a tooth in a gear of an unstoppable freight train at the moment and i'll take 3 guys averaging 18 over 1 averaging 30 anytime.....I think both kemba and kyrie will make great NBA guards

KYRIE ELEISON (we should definitely chant this at games)

(oh yeah....did I mention kyrie is a freakin freshman in his 7th game?? ridiculous)

Greg_Newton
12-02-2010, 03:09 AM
The depth of game-changing talent we have is beginning to dawn on me. We've now faced our top 2 preseason contenders and, without being anywhere near in sync or up to our potential, never really seemed in danger of losing in the last few minutes.

Most teams have 2 or 3, maybe 4 guys that they count on to make plays and carry them to victory, who are surrounded by role players. These guys need to be on for them to beat top teams, as was the case with us last year. Duke this year, on the other hand, has six guys that are perfectly capable of getting hot and putting up 25 points on a given night.

Think about it - our two senior A-A candidates struggle against a veteran, top-5 team, and Seth Curry is too small to be effective against such big, strong guards. Most years, that would spell a loss. But this year, you've got potentially the best player at the currently who happens to get hot and drop 31. Against Marquette, Mason gets it going and goes for 25 and 12. Dawkins hasn't had a huge game against a good team yet, but he's worlds better than he was when he went for 20 at Wisky last December.

It really only takes two, maybe three guys really clicking on a given night for us to beat top teams (especially considering a Nolan Smith "off night" is still 17 points on 4-7 shooting), and how often is that not going to happen? What's really scary is to think about later in the year when things really start clicking - how good will we be when we have four or five guys clicking in a single game? Our depth of game-changing talent could make us very hard to beat, even if individual players are inconsistent from game to game.

--------

And boy, the kid at the helm is incredible - his willpower and determination recall a certain player from down the road a quarter century ago. Swervin' Irvin' is a killer.

The most amazing thing about him to me is how supremely confident and natural his handles are. He never, ever adjusts his motion or stance to guard the ball; you never see him bending over, slowing down, dribbling behind his body, or shielding the ball with his off-hand. It's just pure, efficient motion, like the ball is a part of his body. That means dribbling doesn't really dictate his movement at all, which allows him to instantly adjust to every tiny weakness in the defense's position.

---

I think the problem with the lobs is that we're tossing these high, loopy passes nowhere near the rim. Against less physical/athletic teams, that worked sometimes because the Plums would just outjump everybody and no one would really challenge them, but MSU wasn't having that.

If we're going to throw lobs, we need to either a) put the ball on a line right at the rim, or b) if we're going to throw those floaty lobs off screen and rolls, back sure the backside help isn't close enough to challenge the rim. Otherwise, it becomes an extremely difficult finish for the Plumlees, and they get a bunch of "missed layups" on gametracker.

---

Dre had some strong rebounds tonight - he's improved so much physically in a year. But I can't describe how thrilled I am that Mason is becoming a legitimate post presence. Even better - he's not finessing jump hooks over defenders like Henson/Zeller, he's making some legit power post moves. If he gets good position, he really knows how to take it strong. HUGE, huge difference from last year (where it was either a dunk or an awkward double-pump), and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Wander
12-02-2010, 03:18 AM
I know you're probably saying that tongue-in-cheek, but I'm assuming that Kemba Walker is also at the top of most everyone's lists right now... or at least those of us who are mildly objective. ;)

Yeah, I'm half kidding. Irving DOES deserve consideration as the best player in the country right now, but so do a few others - Walker, Singleton, Jones, and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

gam7
12-02-2010, 03:29 AM
So tell me something that does help us determine that they're the second best team in the country? Because the results on the court tell me that they are worse than (at least) UConn and Duke, and not that much better than Chaminade, and the stats tell me that they are worse... well, than a whole bunch of teams, but most notably KU, OSU, and Duke. So if there is some magical something you've got (other than Vitale hyperventilation) that actually shows that they're in the top 5, much less the top 2, I'd love to see it, but... well, I'm not holding my breath :)



Do you really believe that Michigan State is "not that much better" than Chaminade because of the margin of victory of that game? If Butler beats Duke on Saturday, will you think that Butler is a better team than Duke?

I only said that Michigan State may be the second best team in the country. But, it's possible that Kansas or Ohio State is. And the second best team in the country at the end of the year is not necessarily the second best team in the country right now. I'm just saying that head-to-head results are not the be-all-end-all, even when there are not a lot of other ways to determine precisely how good a team is. If you really believe in the sanctity of head-to-head results, this may make your head explode: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/A-demonstration-of-NFL-parity-in-one-handy-circ?urn=nfl-288589

Papa John
12-02-2010, 05:08 AM
A very nice December win. I'm very happy about the win but can't ignore the fact that there are some holes to address. If Mich St manages to take care of the ball a little better and cut out a few unforced errors they win this game. We were outplayed in the paint and just gave up way too many looks 10 feet and in. We seemed to make a lot of mistakes switching out on the perimeter. I thought the communication looked off really.

Again I'm very happy about the win but I just get the feeling that we're much more vulnerable than the constant hype being spewed on espn. The defense just HAS to get better.

Since 'tis the season, I'll quote Don Meredith: "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas."

While certainly true that 'if' Michigan State had done x, y, and z they could have won this game, it is also true that 'if' Duke had done a, b, and c then they would have blown the doors off MSU. We had a number of opportunities to knock MSU out of the gym, but like a great Izzo team they responded immediately and fought back to within striking distance.

I'd love to see this Duke team face this MSU team again on a neutral court. Would make for a great game [again].

Not concerned about Nolan at all. Guys will have off games, and both he and Kyle, though neither were having stellar evenings, stepped up and made some key plays last night. As for Kyrie -- wow! I mean, ... WOW!

As many have stated, this team is still growing, and [amazingly] has a lot of room to improve. The chemistry on-court will improve, these guys will become more comfortable playing with one another as the season progresses, we should win a slew of games in the process, and watching it all evolve will be extremely fun.

Cheers!

oldnavy
12-02-2010, 07:04 AM
MSU does such an outstanding job running their half-court offense. I was really impressed with the movement and screening they did.

I was worried about this game and for good reason, MSU is a very good team and they are very well coached. Great win for our guys, and a great night for KI!!

DukieInBrasil
12-02-2010, 07:23 AM
I've been worried about Nolan's decision making so far this year and last night's game was no exception. Nolan's stat line ended up looking pretty nice, but he continues to make inexplicable turnovers and forcing overly difficult shots. The first 3/4 of the game or so Nolan did not contribute much on the offensive side, then he hit a 3 and from that point on his play was pretty solid.
Sometimes it seems like he is trying to match Kyrie's awesome playmaking skills and Nolan just doesn't have the same skillset. His strengths are different than Kyrie's and he need not imitate his teammate.

JohnGalt
12-02-2010, 07:51 AM
Who cares about negatives. I love Duke basketball. Kyrie is unreal. Kyle is a warrior. Mason is a beast. Nolan is stone-cold. Andre is a baby-faced killer.

GO DUKE!!!

I do and I can guarantee Coach K does, as well. We're barely into December and although the ceiling is high, the room for improvement's nearly as big. We certainly tightened up the ballhandling better than some of the stretches in the Marquette game, but there are still occasions when we sort of - I don't want to call it 'lose focus' - become content with the progress that's already been made, without the game being finished. Several different times we ran the lead out to 10-12 only to watch Michigan State cut it to 4-6. Granted, that's in large part due to MSU's quality as a team, but to 'not care about negatives' especially this early in the season is beyond foolish.

And although I think we've - both collectively and individually - shown improvement in Duke's team defense, there were still some completely free looks resulting from a missed rotation. Lucas or Luscious (sp?) hit a three in the corner and was so wide open I couldn't tell who blew the assignment. And IMO Kelly really got exposed on several different occasions last night.


I've been worried about Nolan's decision making so far this year and last night's game was no exception. Nolan's stat line ended up looking pretty nice, but he continues to make inexplicable turnovers and forcing overly difficult shots. The first 3/4 of the game or so Nolan did not contribute much on the offensive side, then he hit a 3 and from that point on his play was pretty solid.
Sometimes it seems like he is trying to match Kyrie's awesome playmaking skills and Nolan just doesn't have the same skillset. His strengths are different than Kyrie's and he need not imitate his teammate.

I don't think you should worry about Nolan. He had a couple minute span in the 2nd half where he hit a three and took it to the rim twice, where he decided - and you could see it on his face - that he was going to take over that part of the game. And he did. You're right that he doesn't have the same skillset as Kyrie. But I have a hard time believing that he's 'trying to be like Kyrie' or anything like that. Nolan is more than capable of putting the ball on the floor, beating his man, and getting to rim in the same fashion Irving is. We saw it for the majority of last year and have seen it so far this season. His turnovers will get sorted out over time. I'm wiling to bet that if Coach K thinks he's forcing it, Coach K will put an end to it.

Orange&BlackSheep
12-02-2010, 07:59 AM
As this team's defense improves (and I again have to say that watching this year's team gives me greater appreciation of how good last year's team was defensively), it is going to get ugly for some good teams out there.

theAlaskanBear
12-02-2010, 08:03 AM
His attitude has always been tremendous. He did hit a couple of huge threes in the 2nd half but he does seem to want to make the spectacular play instead of the best play.

One thing I noticed is that Nolan got mad during the game. He was upset with one or two of the second-half foul/no-calls, got an attitude and then almost immediately hit a jumper and then drove in for a tough layup high off the glass (or maybe it was two layups, or a foul and a layup). I don't have the game recorded or I would point out the time and the set of plays.

Saratoga2
12-02-2010, 08:42 AM
One thing negative about being the number 1 team in the country is that we get Vitale as color man. Bobby Knight did the prior game and was excellent. Espn doesn't get it.

Michigan State is a very good and experienced team. They will have the opportunity to show how good they are, since the Big Ten is loaded with very good teams this year. Will they do well against Ohio St, Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern? We know MSU is well coached team and will find out if they are really a top 10 team as the season continues.

The good and great:
Kyrie was outstanding by any measure tonight. I only noticed one of his 3 turnovers, but that is when he put a pass on the hands of Miles, who has trouble catching balls and who fumbled it out of bounds. What a stat line by Kyrie, and it was against excellent competition.

Mason provided the main inside presense. His rebounding, steals and defensive threat kept MSU from running all over us inside.

Nolan's defense was effective tonight and he showed the ability to put points on the board. When you have a guard that can put close to 20 points a game on the board you have a weapon.

Kyle played aggressively and his defense was good last night. when he settled down he can put points on the board as well.

Andre has become so much better this year. He doesn't force shots and hits a high percentage of the ones he does take, plus his defense has gotten so much better this year.

The Not So Good:
Against Oregon, we gave up far too many wide open looks. Our defense didn't react well but it didn't hurt much there, since they missed their shots. Against MSU, they executed better and also hit their shots, keeping the game close. Coach K mentioned communication at the half as part of the reason. Maybe we concentrate on taking away penetration and wind up leaving wide open threes.

Our big men don't finish well around the rim, while MSU seemed better at that aspect. As good as Mason was at some aspects of the game, he seems to have no touch inside. A dunk or jump hook would seem to be something he could learn rather than firing the ball at the backboard. Neither Ryan or Miles have a lot going for them inside, offensively, in rebounding nor in scoring touch. The inside game is one where Duke really needs improvement. Saying that, Mason is still the best big man we have had in a while.

Nolan doesn't handle the ball well in traffic and seems to force passes. He is a terrific off guard so Duke needs him to play to his strength. I realize he will need to have point guard skills to succeed in the NBA, but he is a long way from a Rondo (Celtics) type skill set at this point. Keep the ball in Kyrie's hands to create.

Kyle is a very aggressive a physical player and I would hate to take that away from him. Maybe a little less forcing of his shots and fouling when reaching.

Seth hasn't lived up to his potential as yet. The season is early yet and he may well come along. He has a good shot and maybe it is just confidence at this point.

sdotbarbee
12-02-2010, 08:47 AM
I've been worried about Nolan's decision making so far this year and last night's game was no exception. Nolan's stat line ended up looking pretty nice, but he continues to make inexplicable turnovers and forcing overly difficult shots. The first 3/4 of the game or so Nolan did not contribute much on the offensive side, then he hit a 3 and from that point on his play was pretty solid.
Sometimes it seems like he is trying to match Kyrie's awesome playmaking skills and Nolan just doesn't have the same skillset. His strengths are different than Kyrie's and he need not imitate his teammate.

While I am not happy about Nolan's TO's we are pushing the ball more this year so he will have a few more TO's but I see your point. The only one that was bad for me was the play where it was a fast break and instead of taking it to the rim he threw it over Kyrie's head out of bounds. As far as taking bad shots I can't really remember him doing that, now Kyle on the other hand took way too many bad shots. Kyle was pressing too much and shouldn't have rushed to jack up shots.

superdave
12-02-2010, 08:57 AM
I would love a yearly contest with michigan state. they are usually good and I respect the program and izzo. Plus, they tend to be a rugged, physical team which would be a good challenge.

Coach K rarely schedules true road games. This appears unlikely, although I agree with you.

flyingdutchdevil
12-02-2010, 08:58 AM
I watched the game this morning on ESPN 360. Kept on looking out for Nolan and seeing what he was doing wrong (as many posters have commented on this thread). Once again, I was very impressed with his game. His defense was amazing as usual. He doesn't gamble, making him one of the best help defenders and he always stays in front of his man. Nolan did have a few forced turnovers, but I wasn't that concerned by that. According to ESPN, he had 4 turnovers compared to Kyrie's 3. I'm not staying that this is okay (turnovers are never acceptable), but I think a lot of posters are making mountains out of molehills when it comes to Nolan's turnovers. IMO, Nolan has been our most consistent player this year. He doesn't take many unforced shots (unlike Kyle, who, IMO, takes a fair amount of unforced shots) and, when he does, many actually go in! He took 7 shots today and scored 17! Kyle took 14 shots for 15 points. During this game, Nolan was certainly more efficient.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I think Nolan is our most important player. His D, his leadership (both vocally and by example), his versatile offensive arsenal - we as fans definitely take it for granted.

Rudy
12-02-2010, 08:58 AM
Collective inner voice of MSU team sometime in the second half:
"OK, we've controlled our turnovers, our point guard can drive and score, we've bottled up Singler, Smith is forcing too much, and the wunderkind bench shooters are cold. All we gotta do now is control that whirling dervish Irving and we got 'em."

Oops. Trying to close on Irving with double teams at the hoop still doesn't stop him. Singler hits two threes in a row. Dre hits a three. Smith starts scoring. Buhbye!

superdave
12-02-2010, 09:03 AM
One thing I noticed is that Nolan got mad during the game. He was upset with one or two of the second-half foul/no-calls, got an attitude and then almost immediately hit a jumper and then drove in for a tough layup high off the glass (or maybe it was two layups, or a foul and a layup). I don't have the game recorded or I would point out the time and the set of plays.

Yeap, I saw that too. Our seniors spun the wheels in the first half then played with purpose in the second.

I think this was a bigger win for us than people seem to be acknowledging. MSU very well may be the class of NCAAs this year and we gutted out a when while a lot of things were not working. I hate to talk about the rest of the season, but if we keep improving and growing in our discipline, well, I dont really need to say it out loud.

For the record, Kyrie and Mason have each put this team on their shoulders this year when little else was working. So we have 4 guys (and counting) who can take over a game on both ends. When was the last time Duke had that? Who else in the country has that?

superdave
12-02-2010, 09:07 AM
I've said this before and I'll say it again, I think Nolan is our most important player. His D, his leadership (both vocally and by example), his versatile offensive arsenal - we as fans definitely take it for granted.

I thought Irving was the emotional leader last night all game long. He was in control in the huddles and was directing traffic on the floor. This was the most clear evidence of him asserting himself in a leadership role I have seen to date. Very impressive. He took a step forward in leadership last night.

sdotbarbee
12-02-2010, 09:09 AM
First off great win against a quality opponent and of course K1 was amazing, now the negatives. Defensively we were not good tonight, we didn't switch out on shooters so MSU got too many open looks. Plus nobody could stay in front of Lucious, he could get to the basket too easily, but I guess you have to pick your poison if you double him out front to get the ball out of his hands that leaves a big open down low. The only other thing that drove me insane were the in traffic "alley-oops" to the Plumlees. That play just wasn't going to work against a team as defensively sound as MSU, and we tried it at least 3-4 times and the only time we got points on it was when Mason twisted his ankle from getting fouled and Nolan hit the free throws. What is really scary is that we didn't play close to what we are capable of and we beat the #6 team and we lead the whole way from the 6 minute mark of the first half. This team has a very high ceiling and we get to experience the climb which is exciting. Go DUKE!

mkirsh
12-02-2010, 09:28 AM
As well as this team is playing now, it's scary to think how much they should improve over the course of the season.

Remember last year's team, that got most of its minutes from 3 seniors and 2 juniors, improved tremendously over the year. We all remember the emergence of the Zoubeard late in the season, but also think back to how much Kyle struggled early, or how shaky the offense was up until the Georgetown game after which Coach K made some changes? The team really didn't hit its stride until late in the year, and that was a bunch of kids that had played together a lot.

Compare that to this year's team, which is very young, getting most minutes from 2 seniors, 2 sophomores, and a freshman, and has only played a month of games together against competition. Each is adjusting to new roles (especially Mason), learning how to play at a much faster pace (ie Nolan's turnovers in transition), and figuring out how to play as a unit (shows up a lot on D). In addition, the coaches are still figuring out how to best utilize all of our talent (Seth, Ryan in particular). I do see Kyle and Nolan pressing just a bit right now, our ball movement is stagnant at times, and our defensive rotations need a lot of work, but it is 2 days into December and these are very normal issues for this time of year, especially for such a new team. I have a ton of confidence that the finished product is going to be really special.

Also, one other note on Kyle and Nolan - in every game so far this year, the opposing team's game plan has been to focus the D on these two, smothering Nolan on his drives and not leaving Kyle on the perimeter. From this point on, I would imagine teams will have to start gameplanning for Kyrie, opening a lot up for our Seniors to be more efficient.

Great win, and hopefully even better things lie ahead

slower
12-02-2010, 09:35 AM
Realize it is only 7 games but I am starting to worry that Nolan is pressing way to much. He will right the ship and once he does this team will be even more difficult to beat.

Some of his decisions last night were poor to horrible. Love the guy, but he sometimes worries me in the same way that Nelson and Henderson did (although he's better driving into traffic than they were).

slower
12-02-2010, 09:48 AM
Nolan is more than capable of putting the ball on the floor, beating his man, and getting to rim in the same fashion Irving is.

Not EXACTLY the same fashion as Kyrie. :)

mkirsh
12-02-2010, 09:49 AM
One other comment regarding to Vitale - I've heard a few times this year that Kyrie is the first freshman point guard to start at Duke since J-Will in the 99-00 season, but didn't Greg Paulus start 33 of 36 games in 05-06?

devildeac
12-02-2010, 09:54 AM
I think it's the best-prepared and best-coached team we've played all year (no offense to K.St. -- Izzo's just that more experienced). MSU has gutty players who respond to big road games, and had a great game plan. If they hadn't turned the ball over so many times, they could have pulled this one out. And if they had, it would not be a bad reflection on our team.

Great win for us.


Izzo may have missed an opportunity to really go at our bigs on the offensive end. I think if they'd gone to that well more often, with their ability to offensive rebound, that they could have swung the momentum. But, I guess their turnovers were their primary letdown.

Good points but, if they do that, they likely take less 3s and they hit >50% last PM and that helped keep them in the game. If they hit a "normal" %age of 3s, they may well have lost by > 10 points, assuming we rebound a miss or two.

hq2
12-02-2010, 10:03 AM
Two significant points.

1. 10 points and 10 boards by Mason against this level of comp means he's arrived.
I think we can count on him to be a factor nearly every game from here on in.

2. Andre played 28 minutes, and had, overall, a decent floor game, even though he didn't shoot that much. This shows that, as I expected, Andre would be getting starters minutes before long; he's too good to keep off the floor, especially when they need quick D at 3. Wth his D at 3 and 3 point shooting, expect Dre to be out there a lot.

BD80
12-02-2010, 10:18 AM
... Nolan is really going through a decision making funk. I hope he can settle down and get it together. We need his leadership and positive play making decisions/abilities moving forward. ...


... Michigan State definitely looks like the team that could knock us out in March. Great rebounding, and when they weren't turning the ball over, they executed pretty well against our [defense], including several 3 pointers. You expect a Tom Izzo team to crash the boards relentlessly, but their guards gave us fits as well.

The inside game still looks like the weak link -- not sure the rebounding will improve that much -- but I assume Kyrie will develop more of a rhythm with the Plumlees and get them more baskets as the season goes along. Pretty tight rotation from K tonight.


MSU does such an outstanding job running their half-court offense. I was really impressed with the movement and screening they did.

I was worried about this game and for good reason, MSU is a very good team and they are very well coached. Great win for our guys, and a great night for KI!!

This was a GREAT game for us to play at this time of year. A lot of good things will come from the game and from the film sessions and practices that follow.

Nolan and Kyle are seniors and leaders, blah blah blah, but they are still adjusting to their NEW ROLES. Yes, they have new roles.

Nolan, last year, was our only player who could create his own shot off the dribble. This year, he still needs to create on occasion, but he needs to temper his aggression some and look to dish the ball on his forays (the Plumlees and Ryan will get better at giving him targets and converting). He will learn to make better decisions, and the coaches can use last night's tape as a learning tool.

Kyle will learn to space himself better to take advantage of Kyrie's drives, and to not force shots even when he is told to get off more.

Our bigs will have this game thrown in their faces time and time again in practice each time they are even a little lazy about blocking out or less than aggressive about getting a firm grip on a rebound.

And Kyrie will get better, scary to imagine, but he will. I think the coaches will use the game tape to to challenge Kyrie to stay in front of his man on D EVERY possesion.

What is great about play an Izzo team is that he knows how to break down a defense and he knows how to deny an opponent's preferences on offense. MSU did a great job of taking away some of our favorite plays and tendencies. The staff will get to break the game down for the players, and show them how MSU attacked us offensively and defensively. We get to work on these things for four more months. It doesn't matter that our opponents will be able to see what MSU did, they will only have a few days to practice before playing us. We will get to improve to the point where we will be ready for similar tactics.

It is really hard not to get giddy about this team.

Bob Green
12-02-2010, 10:42 AM
Two significant points.

1. 10 points and 10 boards by Mason against this level of comp means he's arrived.
I think we can count on him to be a factor nearly every game from here on in.

2. Andre played 28 minutes, and had, overall, a decent floor game, even though he didn't shoot that much. This shows that, as I expected, Andre would be getting starters minutes before long; he's too good to keep off the floor, especially when they need quick D at 3. Wth his D at 3 and 3 point shooting, expect Dre to be out there a lot.

Excellent points! Our Super Sophomores, Mason and Dawkins, as you point out, are playing really good basketball right now. I expect Coach Krzyzewski will look to nurture their continued development in the remaining games prior to the kick-off of the ACC schedule, while simultaneously attempting to get Miles, Curry and Kelly kicked into high gear.

We are looking very good, but as always there are lots of little things to improve upon.

Cockabeau
12-02-2010, 11:09 AM
Miles incredible drop step move at the beginning of the game.

Where the hell did that come from? I don't like the way the refs are picking on Miles with the cheap fouls but that move has got to be a confidence builder right there. He knew what he was going to do with the ball and did it instinctively and with no hesitation.

sagegrouse
12-02-2010, 11:09 AM
Excellent points! Our Super Sophomores, Mason and Dawkins, as you point out, are playing really good basketball right now. I expect Coach Krzyzewski will look to nurture their continued development in the remaining games prior to the kick-off of the ACC schedule, while simultaneously attempting to get Miles, Curry and Kelly kicked into high gear.

We are looking very good, but as always there are lots of little things to improve upon.

Look at the early player minutes against the preseason discussion, including my own predictions: Ryan starting, Andre the first guy off the bench, and Mason averaging over 32 minutes a game against the tough opponents (without fouling).

I guess it was predictable that the player rotation would be circumscribed in tough games. Against Marquette, K-State and Mich. State, Kyle, Nolan, Kyrie, and Mason all averaged between 33 and 37 minutes.

sagegrouse

ncexnyc
12-02-2010, 11:15 AM
A very nice, hard fought win last night. The only thing that concerns me is the suspect FT shooting of our bigs.

We were in a tight game, against a very talented and well coached team and we got hurt at the end of the game when Kyle was our only big. MSU got a number of easy buckets as they crashed the boards in a desperate attempt to get back into the game.

Hopefully, one of our bigs will start to improve their FT shooting so that in the future it won't be Kyle and the smurfs again.

SuperTurkey
12-02-2010, 11:23 AM
One other comment regarding to Vitale - I've heard a few times this year that Kyrie is the first freshman point guard to start at Duke since J-Will in the 99-00 season, but didn't Greg Paulus start 33 of 36 games in 05-06?

Yes, but he didn't start the first game of the season.

jv001
12-02-2010, 11:30 AM
Miles incredible drop step move at the beginning of the game.

but that move has got to be a confidence builder right there. He knew what he was going to do with the ball and did it instinctively and with no hesitation.

are all showing signs of their potential. Mason has really come on strong. And with Ryan and Miles we get glimpses of just how good they can be. We have really played well as a team so far into this season and it's great to think about how good we can/will be by March. Now I want to see Curry get it going. Maybe a very good game from him against Butler. Go Duke!

PADukeMom
12-02-2010, 11:31 AM
The Good
Kyrie Irving - We have ourselves a rocket (if there is a lock-out maybe K can talk him into the Jason Williams 3 year program)

The Bad
Miles - 3 fouls early in the first half
Mason - Yes I know he had a double/double...HOWEVER...you get the offensive rebound you either have the shot or kick it out to the perimiter guys. You have a fresh clock...USE IT! Don't dribble...you ARE NOT Shaq.

The Ugly
Kyle - Now hear me out. I'm not worried about him, he didn't find his shot in December last year either. What I am slightly concerned is I am worried that Nike swish on his uni might be throwing his shot off a bit.

The Heart Attack Moment
Kyrie - Twisting his ankle

The Worry
Saturday Afternoon - I worry about a letdown after a huge win combined with Butler bringing their AAA game

The Oh No
I ate an entire bag of Fritos plus my 3 cats are terrified right now. I did yell ALOT!

roywhite
12-02-2010, 11:36 AM
are all showing signs of their potential. Mason has really come on strong. And with Ryan and Miles we get glimpses of just how good they can be. We have really played well as a team so far into this season and it's great to think about how good we can/will be by March. Now I want to see Curry get it going. Maybe a very good game from him against Butler. Go Duke!

Based on watching Coach K for 30+ years, I think you've hit on just about the way he is looking at things now. In a methodical way, he looks to define roles and build a team, beginning with a starting 5 and then moving through the roster. I think getting a role established for Curry now is high on his agenda.

jv001
12-02-2010, 11:42 AM
Based on watching Coach K for 30+ years, I think you've hit on just about the way he is looking at things now. In a methodical way, he looks to define roles and build a team, beginning with a starting 5 and then moving through the roster. I think getting a role established for Curry now is high on his agenda.

And that's why K's the best. I've also been blessed to watch him build teams since he arrived at Duke. Aging my self. What a coach! Go Duke!

watzone
12-02-2010, 12:41 PM
Duke vs Michigan State photo gallery - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/12/duke-vs-michigan-state-photos/

weezie
12-02-2010, 01:58 PM
...watching Coach K for 30+ years...

I tell you what, I glanced over at Mickie a couple of times in that 2nd half and she was pretty intense herself. That was a serious game, lots of tides, lots of reversals. No one was taking anything for granted last night. Extremely high caliber, considering early season.
I took my sparty brother and had to admit, some of those msu plays/shots were fantastic.
I was impressed with Izzo. He and K were wonderful to watch, when you could pull your eyes away from the court action.
Mason, big time step-up.
I am still exhausted!

weezie
12-02-2010, 02:03 PM
Andre played 28 minutes, and had, overall, a decent floor game, even though he didn't shoot that much.

Andre's defense was a major factor and very good to see. He really impressed us and his patience did not falter, maybe once, 2nd half when he took the three that would have been better passed with plenty of time on the shot clock.

Kedsy
12-02-2010, 02:10 PM
Great game, but would like more contribution from the bench. Without Kyrie's superb performance and MSU turnovers, the end result would have been different. SETH! I'M LOOKING AT YOU!

Seth only played 7 minutes. How much contribution did you expect in that time?


Based on watching Coach K for 30+ years, I think you've hit on just about the way he is looking at things now. In a methodical way, he looks to define roles and build a team, beginning with a starting 5 and then moving through the roster. I think getting a role established for Curry now is high on his agenda.

I hope you're right, Roy. I hope the low playing time for Seth last night was an aberration due to poor matchups and not a confidence crusher.


Nolan and Kyle need to step up their play to keep up with Kyrie. They both seem to force things way too much tonight.

I think they may be forcing things because they're trying to step up their play to keep up with Kyrie. I would rather they play within themselves and not try to "keep up" at all.


Andre has become so much better this year. He doesn't force shots and hits a high percentage of the ones he does take, plus his defense has gotten so much better this year.

My favorite play of the game was after a Kyrie steal. As soon as Kyrie got control of the ball, Andre sprinted down the sideline and beat all the Michigan State players to the spot. But Kyrie's pass was a smidgen too far, so Andre caught it, went under the rim and put up a nifty reverse at full speed. And it didn't even get an instant replay.


Nolan, last year, was our only player who could create his own shot off the dribble. This year, he still needs to create on occasion, but he needs to temper his aggression some and look to dish the ball on his forays (the Plumlees and Ryan will get better at giving him targets and converting).

You make a good point, BD. Nolan and Kyle are playing different roles in a different system, and they'll need time to get used to it even though they're seniors. I would say, however, that Nolan is already looking to dish (even if he could still do it more). He's averaging 5.6 assists per game, including 5 last night against Michigan State. He's not just looking for his own shot.

MChambers
12-02-2010, 02:50 PM
You make a good point, BD. Nolan and Kyle are playing different roles in a different system, and they'll need time to get used to it even though they're seniors. I would say, however, that Nolan is already looking to dish (even if he could still do it more). He's averaging 5.6 assists per game, including 5 last night against Michigan State. He's not just looking for his own shot.
All good points in your post. One thing that has occurred to me is that last year Duke's primary perimeter players had fewer passing options, in the sense that Lance and Zoubs did not look to shoot the ball much. This year, we usually have at least four players on the court who can score with some regularity. So it's not just a different system, but very different receivers and options. Seems that in some ways this would be easier for Kyle and Nolan, but I suppose having more options takes some adjusting.

Kedsy
12-02-2010, 03:06 PM
All good points in your post. One thing that has occurred to me is that last year Duke's primary perimeter players had fewer passing options, in the sense that Lance and Zoubs did not look to shoot the ball much. This year, we usually have at least four players on the court who can score with some regularity. So it's not just a different system, but very different receivers and options. Seems that in some ways this would be easier for Kyle and Nolan, but I suppose having more options takes some adjusting.

A really good point. Last year the Big Three really only had to have a good feel for where each other were going to be on the court. This year they have a lot more to keep track of, plus where Kyrie's going to be so far seems a bit unpredictable. Kyle and Nolan have to work harder to see the whole court rather than just knowing where everyone is going to be. It'll take time.

killerleft
12-02-2010, 03:11 PM
Both K and Izzo, especially Izzo last night, usually know just when a timeout is needed during a game. Let's hope u-know-who wasn't watching and paying attention.

On second thought, Ol' Roy was probably laughing at the dummies for taking them too early in the game.:D

mkirsh
12-02-2010, 03:52 PM
Both K and Izzo, especially Izzo last night, usually know just when a timeout is needed during a game. Let's hope u-know-who wasn't watching and paying attention.

On second thought, Ol' Roy was probably laughing at the dummies for taking them too early in the game.:D

One of the comments on IC about our game last night was "what is that thing that Izzo just did to stop the Duke run, is that even legal?" Very funny stuff

Dukeface88
12-02-2010, 04:14 PM
While Kyrie was obviously the highlight of the match, I am also encouraged by Mason. He's managd to put together a string of good games against very impressive competition. He really needs to practice his free throws though. Kyle and Nolan both seemed to be forcing it a bit. Kyle's game was probably a regression to the mean after Oregon, and Nolan seems like he's trying to prove he can do what Kyrie does, when he needs to be doing his own thing. Still, both hit big shots to help seal the game. Ryan has been quiet but efficient. Miles should see if he can make that drop step a regular part of his repitoire. I'm not too concerned with his fouls this game; not his fault that the refs are calling bogus stuff on him. Both he and Mason need to practice the pick and roll with the guards; they just don't seem to be on the same page.


Andre's defense was a major factor and very good to see. He really impressed us and his patience did not falter, maybe once, 2nd half when he took the three that would have been better passed with plenty of time on the shot clock.

There were a couple of botched rotations that led to open 3's. I'm not sure if those were specifically Dre's fault, but someone needed to close and contest those shots, and Dre had the best position to do so.

Having said that, I agree his defense is much better than last year. These are just occasional lapses in focus and intensity. Dre is hardly the only player on our team to have them, and they're pretty forgivable at this point in the season.

NSDukeFan
12-02-2010, 04:34 PM
Watching Coach Knight draw out the final play on his scratch pad was worth watching the entire game. Too bad he was with that complete nimrod, Brent Cheeseburger, who ALWAYS calls our home court The Cameron. Dillweed.
The contrast with both Vitale and Musburger was hiliarious. Musburger was looking ahead to the Duke-MSU game and at least twice, and I think it may have even been three times, Knight had to bring him back to the current game so he could discuss what was going on in a very tight ball game. I really enjoy listening to Knight. Contrast that with the nightmare I had occur twice when my computer was struggling and the picture stopped and I could only hear Vitale talking and not see the game. The horror!

I actually didn't have anyone in particular in mind when I said Kyrie was in the top two... I tend to find comparing individual players across positions very hard anyway, so it was mostly tongue in cheek. It was certainly hard to argue with whichever announcer pointed out that Pullen and Lucas were supposed to be the best PGs in the country and Kyrie obliterated both of them.
This is what I like very much about the schedule so far and what Kyrie has done. He has already played against the best guards in college and looked fantastic.

One of the comments on IC about our game last night was "what is that thing that Izzo just did to stop the Duke run, is that even legal?" Very funny stuff
That is funny.

What a great game by Kyrie, obviously. As others have stated, that was an exciting, well fought win against a quality opponent. I also respect coach Izzo and expect they will be in the mix at the end of the year as well. If Lucas regains more of his quickness and they continue to improve, look out. That being said, Duke certainly has room for improvement in ball handling defense, getting more consistent performances from everyone. Great win.

Sandman
12-02-2010, 04:48 PM
The GoDuke notes on this game stated"....The Blue Devils have not lost a December home game since Dec. 8, 1996, which was the last time Duke faced a top-10 non-conference opponent in Cameron Indoor Stadium. No. 7 Michigan defeated the Blue Devils, 62-61, in that game. Under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke is now 22-21 against top-10 teams in Cameron Indoor Stadium....."

Is that true???? I just can't believe that -- I know I remember more victories than that, just can't remember them all.

NashvilleDevil
12-02-2010, 05:10 PM
Under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke is now 22-21 against top-10 teams in Cameron Indoor Stadium....."

Is that true???? I just can't believe that -- I know I remember more victories than that, just can't remember them all.

How many times has Carolina, Maryland, Wake, Virginia, Ga Tech, NC State been ranked in the top 10 during Coach K's years at Duke?

davekay1971
12-02-2010, 05:52 PM
The contrast with both Vitale and Musburger was hiliarious. Musburger was looking ahead to the Duke-MSU game and at least twice, and I think it may have even been three times, Knight had to bring him back to the current game so he could discuss what was going on in a very tight ball game..

I noticed that and loved it. I thought immediately of Vitale and his tendence to go on 5 minute monologues about unrelated games and was so thankful that, when Musburger kept trying to plug a future ESPN game (even ours), Knight just forced the focus back on the really compelling game happening right in front of them.

As for the Duke-MSU game, all I can say is I had a huge smile plastered on my face all day after watching what I can only describe as the most dominating single game I've ever seen a Duke freshman play.

uh_no
12-02-2010, 05:53 PM
The GoDuke notes on this game stated"....The Blue Devils have not lost a December home game since Dec. 8, 1996, which was the last time Duke faced a top-10 non-conference opponent in Cameron Indoor Stadium. No. 7 Michigan defeated the Blue Devils, 62-61, in that game. Under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke is now 22-21 against top-10 teams in Cameron Indoor Stadium....."

Is that true???? I just can't believe that -- I know I remember more victories than that, just can't remember them all.

K has only played 17 games (+-2) games against UNC in cameron while UNC was top 10.....so its quite possible there have only been 43 total

Indoor66
12-02-2010, 06:18 PM
Both K and Izzo, especially Izzo last night, usually know just when a timeout is needed during a game. Let's hope u-know-who wasn't watching and paying attention.

On second thought, Ol' Roy was probably laughing at the dummies for taking them too early in the game.:D

Ya can't hang a Time Outs Saved banner if you don't save 'em!

juise
12-02-2010, 06:26 PM
DukeBluePlanet's top play have arrived!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdEjWgaWQL0

BD80
12-02-2010, 06:50 PM
Both K and Izzo, especially Izzo last night, usually know just when a timeout is needed during a game. Let's hope u-know-who wasn't watching and paying attention.

On second thought, Ol' Roy was probably laughing at the dummies for taking them too early in the game.:D

I think it is tremendously unfair to tease ol' roy about timeouts. I, for one, think he is doing the best he can. He saves the TOs to stop the clock. Considering that his team doesn't respect him enough to listen to him, what good would it do for ol' roy to call a timeout to try to stop an opponent's run. That only gives the opposing coach a chance to coach his players, placing the tarheels at a further disadvantage.

What amazes me is that ol' roy has such bad luck in recruiting, only getting players that have such little respect for coaching. Izzo and K are so lucky to get guys that respect their coach.

billy
12-02-2010, 07:34 PM
Great job last night by the crazies - I thought it was by far the best so far this season (I was at the game). Student section was packed, volume was tremendous. (Unrelated aside: I miss the students on the side the teams sit on; remember the "media slut side" and the "non-media slut side"?)


I thought Irving was the emotional leader last night all game long. He was in control in the huddles and was directing traffic on the floor. This was the most clear evidence of him asserting himself in a leadership role I have seen to date. Very impressive. He took a step forward in leadership last night.

Hairston didn't play much (at all?), but he seemed to be the first off the bench to chest bump the players on the floor at time outs and appears to be carving out an energizer role. Also was the designated "chest-bumper" at the player introductions. Can't wait to see how he develops over the next few years; I love his attitude and hope he continues to display such passion.

J4Kop99
12-02-2010, 08:00 PM
Great job last night by the crazies - I thought it was by far the best so far this season (I was at the game). Student section was packed, volume was tremendous. (Unrelated aside: I miss the students on the side the teams sit on; remember the "media slut side" and the "non-media slut side"?)



Hairston didn't play much (at all?), but he seemed to be the first off the bench to chest bump the players on the floor at time outs and appears to be carving out an energizer role. Also was the designated "chest-bumper" at the player introductions. Can't wait to see how he develops over the next few years; I love his attitude and hope he continues to display such passion.

From everything I have seen thus far, Hairston is Lance Thomas Version II... And that's not a bad thing at all.

juise
12-02-2010, 08:16 PM
Great job last night by the crazies - I thought it was by far the best so far this season (I was at the game). Student section was packed, volume was tremendous. (Unrelated aside: I miss the students on the side the teams sit on; remember the "media slut side" and the "non-media slut side"?)

I didn't realize that they had moved the students from the bench side. That's kinda sad. I do remember the "media slut" distinction. If the number of undergrad seats has been reduced, I would say that is not "unrelated" to the student section being packed.

uh_no
12-02-2010, 08:31 PM
I didn't realize that they had moved the students from the bench side. That's kinda sad. I do remember the "media slut" distinction. If the number of undergrad seats has been reduced, I would say that is not "unrelated" to the student section being packed.

student seats were not decreased
seats on the end of section 17 that used to go to grad students are now taken by the displaced undergrads, those graduate students are now next to the band, and the boosters who sat there now sit behind the scorers table....all in all graduates gained seats since there is more room on the bleachers on the end line, boosters seats stayed about the same and undergraduates stayed the same, so effectively capacity was increased because the seats on the north end of the stadium were removed and are now standing room....but due to fire marshall reasons, the number of students allowed to stand there is the same wink wink

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/cameron-gets-facelift-seat-reconfiguration

dukemsu
12-02-2010, 08:48 PM
Game was a lot of fun, if not all that well played. I do think some of the mistakes on each side were caused by the other coach taking things away. As this is the Duke Board, thoughts from the Duke side of things.

1. Kyrie is obviously fantastic. What I was amazed with was his ability to get to any spot on the floor without much trouble. The Singler threes were set up by his penetration and the resultant slides leaving the perimeter unguarded.

2. Duke did a great job of answering MSU's counterpunches. Even though State hung in and refused to get blown out, Duke was never in any danger of losing this game. Couple of shots might have changed that prior to the second half mini-run, but Duke didn't allow it.

3. Lost in all the chatter about MSU's turnovers was that Duke turned it over 15 times, which surprised me.

4. Duke held its own on the backboards, especially considering Miles' foul problems.

5. I was a bit surprised at K shortening the bench, and leaning so heavily on the starters. I was impressed with Andre-seemed very collected and relaxed in a high level game against players considerably more experienced than he.

6. Duke did a great job defensively on Summers, not allowing him to get clean looks off the staggered screens for his jumper. Green was also limited, partially by his own nerves/overexcitement. He seemed off balance from the opening tip. Lucious got away from Duke, but he's the fifth scoring option. K was probably just fine with that.

Overall, a solid if unspectacular Duke performance (other than Irving). Both teams will improve, and another matchup would be fun, though selfishly I kind of hope it doesn't happen.

dukemsu

basket1544
12-02-2010, 09:06 PM
The GoDuke notes on this game stated"....The Blue Devils have not lost a December home game since Dec. 8, 1996, which was the last time Duke faced a top-10 non-conference opponent in Cameron Indoor Stadium. No. 7 Michigan defeated the Blue Devils, 62-61, in that game. Under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke is now 22-21 against top-10 teams in Cameron Indoor Stadium....."

Is that true???? I just can't believe that -- I know I remember more victories than that, just can't remember them all.

I believe the 22-21 is against top-10 non-conference opponents in Cameron.

DukieInBrasil
12-02-2010, 11:01 PM
I believe the 22-21 is against top-10 non-conference opponents in Cameron.
That would be more than one top-10 non-conference foe per year. Duke does not play more than one top-10 non-conference per year at Cameron.

Kedsy
12-03-2010, 12:21 AM
3. Lost in all the chatter about MSU's turnovers was that Duke turned it over 15 times, which surprised me.

Not sure why it would surprise -- so far this season we have averaged 14.6 turnovers per game, so this game was pretty much exactly where we've been, turnover-wise. Presumably it's due to the faster pace and the players' unfamiliarity with the new offensive system, and hopefully that number will go down as the season progresses. Fortunately we've forced our opponents into over 19 turnovers per game, so overall we've done OK.

Saratoga2
12-03-2010, 08:03 AM
My favorite play of the game was after a Kyrie steal. As soon as Kyrie got control of the ball, Andre sprinted down the sideline and beat all the Michigan State players to the spot. But Kyrie's pass was a smidgen too far, so Andre caught it, went under the rim and put up a nifty reverse at full speed. And it didn't even get an instant replay.




Yes, I was very impressed with Andre on that play. He was obviously alert, made the cut toward the basket, caught the ball and made a nifty reverse. It was all done in a blur. He showed a great deal on that play. His upside offensively may be higher than any of us really grassp at this point in time.

mkline09
12-03-2010, 08:12 AM
Not sure if this came up earlier but did anyone have any feelings or insight into the fact that Seth didn't play much? I don't think he saw the court in the second half. Didn't hear a word about it from the broadcasters so not sure if he was hurt, just not fitting in with what Duke was doing or what Michigan State was doing or what. Just thought I'd ask.

alteran
12-03-2010, 08:26 AM
One thing I noticed was that a few different times we tried the screen and roll where Nolan or Kyrie just throws it up somewhere near the rim for Mason or Miles for an alleyoop, but we never converted it, sometimes because the pass was off and other times because it was fumbled out of bounds.

Well, a couple were missed because MSU used Big Tweleven physicality to prevent our big from getting to his position. I'm pretty sure that at least once they were called for fouling one of the Plumlees trying to get to the spot.

MSU is for real. I hope this is the last time we play them this year.

alteran
12-03-2010, 08:56 AM
I've been worried about Nolan's decision making so far this year and last night's game was no exception. Nolan's stat line ended up looking pretty nice, but he continues to make inexplicable turnovers and forcing overly difficult shots. The first 3/4 of the game or so Nolan did not contribute much on the offensive side, then he hit a 3 and from that point on his play was pretty solid.
Sometimes it seems like he is trying to match Kyrie's awesome playmaking skills and Nolan just doesn't have the same skillset. His strengths are different than Kyrie's and he need not imitate his teammate.

I really believe Coach K is telling Nolan (and the rest of the team) to press, press, press on offense. Last year's team was all about rebounds and deliberation on offense. This team is going to be all about all about steals and blistering offense.

I think Coach K wants them to get a full-on aggressive mindset WRT to offense, and once that gets instinctive he'll tweak. Coach K's certainly not freaking out on the sidelines about the "over-aggression," so I assume he's taking the stuff that looks silly as just the price of instilling this mentality.

I'm not worried about Nolan AT ALL. (Except maybe the free-throws! ;-)

And I expect the team as a whole to get a lot better at knowing when to pull the trigger and when not to as the season progresses.

alteran
12-03-2010, 09:55 AM
Not sure if this came up earlier but did anyone have any feelings or insight into the fact that Seth didn't play much? I don't think he saw the court in the second half. Didn't hear a word about it from the broadcasters so not sure if he was hurt, just not fitting in with what Duke was doing or what Michigan State was doing or what. Just thought I'd ask.

I heard a rumor that Seth (along with one or two other Duke players in addition to Kyrie) had the flu this week. Seth may have been sick or recovering.

Even if not, it's just one game, and he's got a lot of rust to shake off playing at "game speed."

mkline09
12-03-2010, 10:24 AM
I heard a rumor that Seth (along with one or two other Duke players in addition to Kyrie) had the flu this week. Seth may have been sick or recovering.

Even if not, it's just one game, and he's got a lot of rust to shake off playing at "game speed."

I had heard Kyrie had the stomach flu, which is a killer. I know he and Dre had been playing well coming off the bench. I'm not worried just curious. He has played good defense so that is usually reason No. 1 why K sits players.

Bluedevil114
12-03-2010, 07:46 PM
I just watched the replay of the Duke/Michigan State game. When Mason got hurt and Coach Izzo chose Nolan to shoot the free throws, did anyone watch Nolan after hitting both shot? A timeout was called and Nolan was walking towards the Duke bench looking down at Coach Izzo and shaking his head as to ask the question why would you choose me? Have that Coach!! I do like the confidence this team has no matter what is going on in the game.

COYS
12-03-2010, 11:41 PM
I had heard Kyrie had the stomach flu, which is a killer. I know he and Dre had been playing well coming off the bench. I'm not worried just curious. He has played good defense so that is usually reason No. 1 why K sits players.

I think Seth's defense has been inconsistent. Against both K-State and especially in his few minutes against MSU, I think he got pushed around a little bit on the perimeter. He'll figure it out, though. There's no denying his ability and he's shown what he's capable of enough times already that I have confidence that he will play an important role in the rotation even when the schedule ratchets up a bit.

Mcluhan
12-04-2010, 12:29 AM
When was the last time there was a backcourt duel as good as that in Cameron? That was nuts.

tylervinyard
12-04-2010, 02:02 PM
I just watched the replay of the Duke/Michigan State game. When Mason got hurt and Coach Izzo chose Nolan to shoot the free throws, did anyone watch Nolan after hitting both shot? A timeout was called and Nolan was walking towards the Duke bench looking down at Coach Izzo and shaking his head as to ask the question why would you choose me? Have that Coach!! I do like the confidence this team has no matter what is going on in the game.

My favorite part of this game was when you could see Nolan get visibly angry both before and during his little mini-run that put us up by 10 AND when he got angry, he played even better. I think Carrawell and Nate might be rubbing off on him.