MBB: Duke 108, UNCG 62 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

Congrats to Coach K on his 880th win!

[superdave]

I'm not sure what the stats will say, but Miles Plumlee set great screens, rotated well on D and did all the blue collar things we need him to do tonight. All his reps are paying off.

[Gthoma2a]

Congrats Coach K!

[pfrduke]

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That's 880 W's. We now return you to your regularly scheduled post-game thread...

[loran16]

Whoever makes the man of the match thread needs to include: "Mike Krzyzewski" as an option.

But really, awesome all round. Interesting starting line-up again, but well, we took care of business (re: beating the 39 point projected victory by Pomeroy).

[Bluedevil114]

Every time Coach K speaks it just makes you appreciate every day how great it is to be a Duke fan. Coach K bleeds class and how lucky are we all to have a guy like this represent our program.

[Faison1]

Every time I see Curry and Hairston out there, I think I'm seeing Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson.

Would the team have scored 130 pts if KI was playing?

Congrats to K.....wonderful career with more to come....very proud to be associated with him (however remote).

[JBDuke]

Whoever makes the man of the match thread needs to include: "Mike Krzyzewski" as an option...

... But Coach K himself would not approve!

[JMarley50]

Every time I see Curry and Hairston out there, I think I'm seeing Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson.

Would the team have scored 130 pts if KI was playing?

Congrats to K.....wonderful career with more to come....very proud to be associated with him (however remote).

Why diminish what the players that played accomplished with a comment like that??

[Faustus]

Congratulations, Coach, to you and all those who made this point, and still higher ones, possible.

[wsb3]

Thank you Coach K for making so many dreams of a lifetime Duke fan come true, and for the way you have done it.

[TampaDukie]

Congrats, Coach K!

I need a video with all the posterizing dunks the boys were throwing down tonight.

[stillcrazie]

Congrats, Coach K!

I need a video with all the posterizing dunks the boys were throwing down tonight.

Check dukeblueplanet.com tomorrow!

[JBDuke]

Classy comments from Duke AD White and ACC Commissioner Swofford on the post-game radio show.

[umdukie]

Wow. That was impressive to watch. Congrats to Coach K on win #880!!

[obsesseddukefan]

So very proud to be a Duke fan. I will be smiling from ear to ear at work tomorrow. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year. GO DUKE!

[Duke84]

I never imagined K could do this.

Much as I keep track of my age as my Dad's age minus 30, I keep track of my alumni status as "How long as Coach K been there?".

[Devilsfan]

Thanks for the memories Coach K.

[OldPhiKap]

Congratulations to Coach, his family, and all of the players, coaches and staffs that have been part of the team.

Oh, and all of us 6th men too.

[richardjackson199]

Where was Kyrie? I didn't see him at the game. Did he have travel trouble or just decide to stay home for holiday break?

[Newton_14]

Awesome night. Congrats to Coach K but congrats also to the team. Coming off a second 9 Day Break, they were very sharp and focused. The team worked hard to put on a great performance tonight. Led by the 2 All American Seniors with the rest of the guys forming a great supporting cast.

Nolan and Kyle are my CO-Men Of The Match, with Miles Plumlee garnering Honorable Mention. 2 Posterizing slams, followed by the awesome reverse slam off the lob. Not sure we appreciate just how athletic a player has to be to pull that off at game speed. A great pass from Nolan as well.

Seth, Andre, Ryan, and Mason were all solid, and Josh and Tyler played well also. Just a really solid performance as a team.

Coach K really praised the crowd in his post-game comments and appeared to be humbled at the number of Duke fans that packed the place. Kudos to all who attended.

[Neals384]

Nice opportunity to play in the ACC tourny arena.

[Waynne]

Congratulations Coach K for a remarkable achievement. This was a great night for Duke Basketball, and I hope there are many more to come.

[proelitedota]

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That's 880 W's. We now return you to your regularly scheduled post-game thread...

Now do the same for all the wins that we're going to get from here outward.

[watzone]

Hot off the press - Coach K audio from PC - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/12/coach-k-garners-his-880th-win-post-game-press-conference-audio-from-bdn/

[Spy]

Good win. I attended, and it is remarkable to me that UNCG is winless. They seemed like a fairly skilled team. You couldn't tell they were winless by their fans either. They were very energetic even though they were greatly outnumbered. Miles played very well. Those dunks definitely had me on my feet! Nolan and Kyle were money the whole game. Too bad Nolan couldn't get a career high after 22 in the first half, but its OK because the focus was on pretty much everyone else except Kyle. Seth played well too. I'm still impressed with those crafty hands on defense. He had 3 steals but he got a hand on the ball several more times. Ryan just seems like he is so close to breaking out on offense. He missed 6 shots, but they were all this close to going in. One of these games, those are going to start falling, and its going to be exciting. I can't wait until Tyler and Jiggy are our senior leaders. Tyler is already very good at managing the offense and Jig is basically Lance with a better offensive game.

[JMarley50]

SportsCenter intro leads off with Miles' dunks and the call that said "I don't know if there's enough room on SportsCenter for Plumee's dunks" I love it!

[YourLandlord]

Good win. I attended, and it is remarkable to me that UNCG is winless. They seemed like a fairly skilled team. You couldn't tell they were winless by their fans either. They were very energetic even though they were greatly outnumbered. Miles played very well. Those dunks definitely had me on my feet! Nolan and Kyle were money the whole game. Too bad Nolan couldn't get a career high after 22 in the first half, but its OK because the focus was on pretty much everyone else except Kyle. Seth played well too. I'm still impressed with those crafty hands on defense. He had 3 steals but he got a hand on the ball several more times. Ryan just seems like he is so close to breaking out on offense. He missed 6 shots, but they were all this close to going in. One of these games, those are going to start falling, and its going to be exciting. I can't wait until Tyler and Jiggy are our senior leaders. Tyler is already very good at managing the offense and Jig is basically Lance with a better offensive game.
Sportscenter said the 26 was a career high for him...maybe they meant regular season.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

SportsCenter intro leads off with Miles' dunks and the call that said "I don't know if there's enough room on SportsCenter for Plumee's dunks" I love it!


I didn't see the game, but Im so happy to hear that Miles played well tonight. Good job Miles and keep it up!

Congrats to Coach K and this remarkable milestone and thank you so much for making all this possible for us Duke fans! So happy you are the leader of our program. Woooo Hoooo!

[pfrduke]

Sportscenter said the 26 was a career high for him...maybe they meant regular season.

It was a season high, but his career high is definitely 29 against Baylor (as you alluded to).

[ChicagoCrazy84]

Sportscenter said the 26 was a career high for him...maybe they meant regular season.

26 is Nolan's season high. I think his career high came in the tourney last year, but Im not positive on that. I thought that he went over 30 against Baylor though.

[DU82]

Where was Kyrie? I didn't see him at the game. Did he have travel trouble or just decide to stay home for holiday break?

He was at the Garden last night for the Carolina-Rutgers game (the trains were finally running yesterday.) I saw a note in the N&O saying that he was given permission to stay longer at home, since he wasn't able to practice.

I'm sure he was supposed to be at the game if normal travel was possible, but if he flew up to NJ for the holidays (rather than drive), then it's likely that he isn't going to get on a rescheduled flight back until Thursday or Friday at the earliest. NJ is better able to handle snow than NC, but 30+ inches of snow (with 50+ MPH winds Sunday and Monday) isn't easy for any DOT to handle quickly. I left NJ yesterday, and some of the interstates/major highways still weren't down to bare pavement and/or only had one lane passible, especially in the band in the eastern part of the state that got hit the hardest (which included Newark and East Orange.)

[dukepsy1963]

Just class, that's all!
Always has been!

[yancem]

I'm sure that Nolan would trade his stats to have Irving back but you have to imagine that if he can have a few more games like tonight he is going to start turning some heads in the nba. He is really demonstrating that he can run the offense and not just be a scorer.

[Lord Ash]

So, good game! Nolan and Kyle were SICK... very quiet in a way (especially Kyle) but GOOD...active hands, good rebounds... Nolan was 8-12 (3-3 from three) for 26 pts along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists... Kyle was 10-13 (including 4 threes) for 27 pts. They were just merciless when there was still any question, but a real quiet merciless, if that is possible.

Seth Curry had a nice game... quick hands, good IQ, some nice passing, and some deadly three point shooting... was realistically 3-6 from three (actually 3-7 but the last was a long range, last second bomb at the end of the game.) I'll take it!

Mason was eh. He really needs to improve and get more aggressive. He did have four assists and five rebounds while shooting 2-3, but he just didn't look for it enough. He struggled getting good positioning it seemed. Interesting that K actively mentioned getting Mason more touches.

Miles played pretty well. He had three HIGHLIGHT reel slams... probably the three best slams of the year or so... one one-handed MONSTER dunk right on a guys face, and then another, and then a catch-and-reverse two-hander... Miles looked pretty good on D, hedged well... 5-5 for 11 along with 5 rebounds... pretty good game for Miles, glad to see him put two good ones together in a row.

Ryan Kelly looked very good to me. He only shot 4-10, but a few of them were all the way down and popped back up... could easily have been 6-10. Moved pretty well, nice passing, good active hands on D... his game didn't show up in the box score. That one blocking foul he was whistled for with 12 to go in the second felt like maybe the first time this entire YEAR one of our bigs got busted for that, which just highlights how good their feet are!

Dre was quiet for most of the game, but then opened up near the end. Still not in love with his body language at times, as he sometimes gives in to being just a touch of a pouter... but still, smooth and a good leaper... shot 4-5, so it is hard to say anything bad, but they all came in the last quarter of the game.

Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton both got minutes, and both looked good. Josh was real active, good D... I enjoyed what he did... Tyler made a few VERY aggressive moves that didn't go down, but played good D and played within himself... also picked up four assists with no turnovers... honestly, both freshmen looked good, give their limited stats.

Overall a pretty solid game!

And congrats of COURSE to Coach K... We are blessed to have Mike Krzyzewski as our head coach at Duke. He represents us all with class, heart, determination, loyalty, and that little bit of spicy humor that all Dukies have come to know and love. He recruits good kids and he always does his best to make sure they stay part of the Duke family, and he focuses on a team-first, defense-first, get your hands dirty in the RIGHT way approach. Oh, and he wins like a mad man!

Thank you, Coach K, and here is to a BUNCH more before you retire to get more play time with the grandkids and more beach bocce time with the wife!

[ncexnyc]

My family and I are just getting home from our very first Duke game. The trip from Fayetteville was very smooth as I love that 421 is now 4 lanes from Sanford to Greensboro. Lots of police on hand to get us off the streets and into the colisieum. A very nice facility to watch a game and lots of vendor available to service your needs.

It had to be really disheartening for the UNCG players to look up into the stands and see that wall of blue. We had to outnumber the Spartan fans by at least 20:1.

I was shocked that Nolan didn't shatter his career high, especially after netting 22 in the first half. Kyle picked up the pace and carried the team in the second half. I was beginning to wonder when the rest of kids were going to chip in and eventually Seth and Dre got it going. Ryan was steady from start to finish and Miles had some monster jams.

Seth has some really, really and I do mean really quick hands.

Ryan for whatever reason seems to be leaning forward on his jumpers. No matter he just seems to do everything really well, especially feeding other players down low.

Nolan and Kyle showed us what seniors are supposed to do.

Dre continues to show that he is more than just a sharpshooter. The kid has no fear going to the hoop.

We were in Section 208, which gave us the perfect vantage point to see Miles awesome backwards slammer jammer. He's definitely upped his game from last year.

Tyler is definitely a keeper. The kid is a pest on defense and was aggressive taking the ball to the hole. He did pass up a wide open 3 and the crowd let out a massive groan when he did.

Mason got some nice minutes tonight, granted a lot of them were at the end of the game. He did have one really nice move to the basket tonight.

Josh continues to bring the energy. He definitely appears to be ahead of Lance at this stage of his career and it will be fun watching him grow as a player.

All in all a great experience, one which I'll try to do again as I had kept this a secret from the family until today. After the game the wife said she really enjoyed it and wanted to go again, my son, well he prefers the circus.

[jipops]

It does bother me a bit that we were actually out-rebounded by UNCG, a very bad team and probably the weakest team we will have played all season, by 4. On the flip side, we did only have 7 TO's while forcing 23. I like those kind of stats.

[TaiAdmiral]

Congrats to the G.O.A.T. Here's Crazie-Talk's thoughts on tonight's win:

http://www.crazie-talk.com/2010/12/30/section-17-k-rising/

[richardjackson199]

He was at the Garden last night for the Carolina-Rutgers game (the trains were finally running yesterday.) I saw a note in the N&O saying that he was given permission to stay longer at home, since he wasn't able to practice.

I'm sure he was supposed to be at the game if normal travel was possible, but if he flew up to NJ for the holidays (rather than drive), then it's likely that he isn't going to get on a rescheduled flight back until Thursday or Friday at the earliest.

Thanks! Airowe had just said, "He should be cheering on Rutgers tonight as they take on the Heels and will be back on the bench tomorrow evening." So I just wanted to make sure everything was ok since I didn't see him.
Fun game, but Coach K is right - this team needs to be focused on "acievements" as defined by growing into a team that plays well enough to win championships. Not getting outrebounded by an 0-12 SoCo team and getting Mason going are just 2 places to start. Much more will be evident about our team once the ACC gets going, and I can't wait to see them continue to grow and get better.

[cakerace]

Did I miss something? Why no appearance by Todd Zafirovski or Casey Peters last night? What a treat to be able to tell the grandkids "I played for Duke the night Coach K passed Dean Smith..." Especially after UNCG emptied their bench???

[aro24]

Nice opportunity to play in the ACC tourny arena.

Very nice to play in the G'boro coliseum and I love when they play close to my home so I get to go.....however, extremely piss-poor planning by the Coliseum to also have a high school game and a wrestling tournament going on in the special events center at the same time......parking lots were full by around 6:15......sat in traffic for over an hour and missed pretty much the entire first half.
Glad to have been able to go, but wish I would have been able to see more.

ARo24

[smcook313]

Why diminish what the players that played accomplished with a comment like that??

This team played as well as a team could play together. Nolan really knows how to change speeds to get into the lane and now we just have an extra jump shooter out there. I really like this team the way it is right now.... Well played Duke. Nice job Miles!!!

[smcook313]

Sportscenter said the 26 was a career high for him...maybe they meant regular season.

His career high is 29..... He was being so unselfish at the end of the game too!! Rather put up one of his magnificent 3's, he got the ball to the open man. You looked great Nolan!

[patentgeek]

We were in Section 208, which gave us the perfect vantage point to see Miles awesome backwards slammer jammer.

Ncexnyc: coincidentally, we were also sitting in Section 208 - it was a nice place from which to watch the Miles slam, as well as some pretty 3s from Seth and Andre. The GC is a very nice venue.

I also have to give props to the halftime entertainment at the GC - a woman acrobat who, while perched on a 10 foot unicycle, balanced small bowls on her foot, then flipped the bowls with her foot and caught them on top of her head. Unfortunately, my description doesn't do the act justice - it was really pretty amazing to watch.

[Reilly]

From the goduke.com post-game notes: "The Blue Devils have a 106-2 record all-time under Coach K when scor[ing] at least 100 points." What are the two losses?

[Faison1]

Why diminish what the players that played accomplished with a comment like that??

Who's diminishing anything? Post game thread is for thoughts on the game. My thought during the game was, "Wow, the offense seems to be clicking right now. I wonder if having KI would make any difference? If he was in the game, would they score 130 pts.? Or has the team practiced and recovered enough from his injury that the offense will start flowing better?"

I guess I should have explained my comment a little better.

[sdotbarbee]

It was a very good game and I agree with one of the other posters about Seth's quick hands, if you put the ball on the floor he is very likely to take it from you. I didn't know coming into this season how good of a defender he was. We had 6 players in double figures and shot 61% for the game all while committing only 7 tournovers. Nolan's stat line was unbelievable, 26points, 5rebs, 9asst, and 0to's and shooting 8 for 12 from the field.:D

[smcook313]

Glad to have been able to go, but wish I would have been able to see more.


At least you got to see 1 posterization (and the best one) and the reverse ally oop!! The first half was all Nolan Smith!! 2nd half was the Ring around a Dukie!!

[OldPhiKap]

From the goduke.com post-game notes: "The Blue Devils have a 106-2 record all-time under Coach K when scor[ing] at least 100 points." What are the two losses?

One was February 2, 1995: #2 North Carolina 102, Duke 100 (2OT)

Jeff Capel's best moment, and a great showing of effort and pride by the Devils.

Not sure of the other. Good question.

[NashvilleDevil]

One was February 2, 1995: #2 North Carolina 102, Duke 100 (2OT)

Jeff Capel's best moment, and a great showing of effort and pride by the Devils.

Not sure of the other. Good question.

That game was not coached by Coach K though

[jimsumner]

That game was not coached by Coach K though

Wake Forest 110 Duke 104, 1983, 2-19-83

Michigan 113 Duke 108, 12-9-89 (overtime)

[OldPhiKap]

That game was not coached by Coach K though

True, good catch.

[Lord Ash]

Wake Forest 110 Duke 104, 1983, 2-19-83

Michigan 113 Duke 108, 12-9-89 (overtime)

So Jim, can I ask; did you have to look that up? Or is that from memory? That can't be from memory... can it?

I didn't mind that the walk-ons didn't get time... to be frank, we have so many big-time scholarship players who need every minute in big-time venues as possible. Sorry to Todd and Casey, but I am SURE they don't have a problem with it.

[devildeac]

Very nice to play in the G'boro coliseum and I love when they play close to my home so I get to go.....however, extremely piss-poor planning by the Coliseum to also have a high school game and a wrestling tournament going on in the special events center at the same time......parking lots were full by around 6:15......sat in traffic for over an hour and missed pretty much the entire first half.
Glad to have been able to go, but wish I would have been able to see more.

ARo24

The traffic around the arena was indeed horrible as were the police directing/managing it. We parked on a side street and walked about 10 minutes, arriving 3 minutes pre-tip. Sorry it was even worse for you.

[ncexnyc]

Ncexnyc: coincidentally, we were also sitting in Section 208 - it was a nice place from which to watch the Miles slam, as well as some pretty 3s from Seth and Andre. The GC is a very nice venue.

I also have to give props to the halftime entertainment at the GC - a woman acrobat who, while perched on a 10 foot unicycle, balanced small bowls on her foot, then flipped the bowls with her foot and caught them on top of her head. Unfortunately, my description doesn't do the act justice - it was really pretty amazing to watch.
I think if either of us try telling people that she was almost as entertaining as the game itself they would never believe us, but she was just that good.

[UrinalCake]

I was shocked that Nolan didn't shatter his career high, especially after netting 22 in the first half.

I don't have a problem with him spending the second half getting others involved. We don't want to rely too heavily on the "big two" and this type of opponent is the perfect opportunity to spread the ball around. ESPN box score shows Smith with nine assists - I'm not sure how many of those led to three-pointers, but even if you assume that they were all two pointers then Smith was essentially responsible for 44 points (26 scored + 18 assisted). Not too shabby!

[devildeac]

So Jim, can I ask; did you have to look that up? Or is that from memory? That can't be from memory... can it?

I didn't mind that the walk-ons didn't get time... to be frank, we have so many big-time scholarship players who need every minute in big-time venues as possible. Sorry to Todd and Casey, but I am SURE they don't have a problem with it.

K addressed this at the Blue Devil Club lunch earlier this month according to Ozzie (don't think he'll mind me referencing him with this). K said basically what LA said above about all the scholarsip players getting their minutes/experience and the 10th/11th/12th guys will play very limited minutes, if at all, in the games. They "know their roles" and are happy/content with their responsibilities/situations.

[JMarley50]

Who's diminishing anything? Post game thread is for thoughts on the game. My thought during the game was, "Wow, the offense seems to be clicking right now. I wonder if having KI would make any difference? If he was in the game, would they score 130 pts.? Or has the team practiced and recovered enough from his injury that the offense will start flowing better?"

I guess I should have explained my comment a little better.

I apologize if I took it in the wrong context. It just came across as another "only if Kyrie were playing" comment. It just drives me crazy when I hear those comments. This team is great and they all deserve credit, not just Kyrie. But to answer the question as you intended it, I think the score probably would have been about the same. The style they are playing right now is different but just as effective. I could be wrong, but I think playing the slower style is resulting in more 3's and less turnovers.

With Kyrie in the game the pace would have been faster, but probably would result in more lay-ups and turnovers. Either way we would have been highly efficient. I love the versatility that this team has.

[smcook313]

I apologize if I took it in the wrong context. It just came across as another "only if Kyrie were playing" comment. It just drives me crazy when I hear those comments. This team is great and they all deserve credit, not just Kyrie. But to answer the question as you intended it, I think the score probably would have been about the same. The style they are playing right now is different but just as effective. I could be wrong, but I think playing the slower style is resulting in more 3's and less turnovers.

With Kyrie in the game the pace would have been faster, but probably would result in more lay-ups and turnovers. Either way we would have been highly efficient. I love the versatility that this team has.

Kyrie has all the skill in the world to run this offense. With that being said, you are so right about the TO's. Speed = too fast sometimes and that can result in lost possessions. This team is accustomed to this style of offense because the majority ran it last year. Noone can replace a guy like Scheyer, Zoobs, or LT but Curry, Miles/Mason, and Ryan sure can create their own footprint. Plus, with the emergence of Dre, this team could be beneficiaries of the situation they were handed. As much as it is a half court set they're running, its evident that their defense causes the up tempo style that Kyrie gave us. I think the difference is, when youre running it off of defensive turnovers the FG% tends to increase. We have the luxory of 2 things... 1) Our coach is so adaptable and brilliant. He has made this transition seem effortless. And 2) Our players are products of their mentor. They embrace adversity and excel. I say we talk about the team on the court. When Kyrie comes back, then we'll add him into our mix. Until then, this Duke team put up 108pts on 61% from the field!!

[ncexnyc]

I don't have a problem with him spending the second half getting others involved. We don't want to rely too heavily on the "big two" and this type of opponent is the perfect opportunity to spread the ball around. ESPN box score shows Smith with nine assists - I'm not sure how many of those led to three-pointers, but even if you assume that they were all two pointers then Smith was essentially responsible for 44 points (26 scored + 18 assisted). Not too shabby!
I'm not sure why you felt the need to respond to this point. I only mentioned this in my post, because of how easy and quickly Nolan scored his 22 first half points. Definitely no intention of taking a swipe at Nolan, who had a great game.

[Bluedevil114]

I also have to give props to the halftime entertainment at the GC - a woman acrobat who, while perched on a 10 foot unicycle, balanced small bowls on her foot, then flipped the bowls with her foot and caught them on top of her head. Unfortunately, my description doesn't do the act justice - it was really pretty amazing to watch.

I had heard that Miles Plumlee taught her all those tricks. He is the best I have every seen on a unicycle. Go Duke!!

[wk2109]

Does anyone know why the game hasn't been posted in the replay section on espn3.com? The Kansas game that aired on espnU directly after the Duke game was posted, so I'm not sure why they wouldn't post Duke's game.

[JMarley50]

Kyrie has all the skill in the world to run this offense. With that being said, you are so right about the TO's. Speed = too fast sometimes and that can result in lost possessions. This team is accustomed to this style of offense because the majority ran it last year. Noone can replace a guy like Scheyer, Zoobs, or LT but Curry, Miles/Mason, and Ryan sure can create their own footprint. Plus, with the emergence of Dre, this team could be beneficiaries of the situation they were handed. As much as it is a half court set they're running, its evident that their defense causes the up tempo style that Kyrie gave us. I think the difference is, when youre running it off of defensive turnovers the FG% tends to increase. We have the luxory of 2 things... 1) Our coach is so adaptable and brilliant. He has made this transition seem effortless. And 2) Our players are products of their mentor. They embrace adversity and excel. I say we talk about the team on the court. When Kyrie comes back, then we'll add him into our mix. Until then, this Duke team put up 108pts on 61% from the field!!

Well said! I definitely think they have benefited from the situation. Not only from the adversity stand point, but it makes us a much more complete team. I don't think that we will go back to the all out running game we saw at the start. When/if Kyrie comes back, I think it will be a mixture of the two styles. Like Jason said last night, the one thing you have to be able to do to win in March is slow it down and pound it inside when necessary. At the beginning of the season I don't think we had that game in us and I don't know that it would have developed if Kyrie hadn't went down. Its still a work in progress, but Miles showed me a lot last night. It will be nice to have the ability to completely control the tempo of a game come March. If the opponent wants to run, we slow it down, if they want slow, we run and it will all be accompanied with relentless defensive pressure. I am really enjoying watching this team develop. I have a feeling the final product is going to be something very special.

[1 24 90]

Does anyone know why the game hasn't been posted in the replay section on espn3.com? The Kansas game that aired on espnU directly after the Duke game was posted, so I'm not sure why they wouldn't post Duke's game.

From everything I have read, this game was not offered on ESPN3.

[Kedsy]

Like Jason said last night, the one thing you have to be able to do to win in March is slow it down and pound it inside when necessary. At the beginning of the season I don't think we had that game in us and I don't know that it would have developed if Kyrie hadn't went down. Its still a work in progress, but Miles showed me a lot last night.

I don't know that I'd describe what Miles did last night as "pound[ing] it down." I saw one post move from him the whole game. The dunks were a dish by Seth when Miles was facing the basket; an alley-oop, and a pass on a cut.

[wk2109]

From everything I have read, this game was not offered on ESPN3.

Oh ok...thanks!

[watzone]

Here is a photo gallery from last evenings game - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/12/duke-v-unc-greensboro-photo-gallery/

[smcook313]

I don't know that I'd describe what Miles did last night as "pound[ing] it down." I saw one post move from him the whole game. The dunks were a dish by Seth when Miles was facing the basket; an alley-oop, and a pass on a cut.

I dont think he was describing last nights display as "pounding" but instead he was saying that its what we'll need to go late into March and into April. Last night he was athletic, and he showed me alot, too. Finally, one of our bigs showed the athleticism that they contain! Miles really played well during our breaks. You're right though, he didnt have any post moves but it also wasnt really that type of game.

Mason is who is really starting to worry me. I dont think he is playing with any intensity at all. He was really fighting hard for position, Ill definitely give him that. That might have actually been his problem last night. Foul trouble early. That doesnt make up for the last few games though... Ive seen the same trend. I know its premature to be concerned about it considering ACC play hasnt even started but I cant help it. He doesnt look like he is having fun out there right now and I know its got to be frustrating for him. Am I crazy for thinking this or does anyone share my concerns?? Please, someone, help me feel better about this!!

[Kedsy]

Mason is who is really starting to worry me. I dont think he is playing with any intensity at all. He was really fighting hard for position, Ill definitely give him that. That might have actually been his problem last night. Foul trouble early. That doesnt make up for the last few games though... Ive seen the same trend. I know its premature to be concerned about it considering ACC play hasnt even started but I cant help it. He doesnt look like he is having fun out there right now and I know its got to be frustrating for him. Am I crazy for thinking this or does anyone share my concerns?? Please, someone, help me feel better about this!!

I think Mason's issue the past few games has been confidence and focus. I have observed since the beginning of last season that both Mason and Miles play better if they convert an alley-oop dunk early on. Once they get that first dunk, both their energy level and their confidence level seem to ratchet up. Look back at all their good games over the past season and a half and in most of them you'll see an early dunk.

Maybe it's coincidence, and I know we have to worry about the team and not a couple of individuals, but if we spent the first few minutes of every game trying to get both MPs an alley-oop, I think they'd both play a lot better and more consistently.

[superdave]

I think Mason's issue the past few games has been confidence and focus. I have observed since the beginning of last season that both Mason and Miles play better if they convert an alley-oop dunk early on. Once they get that first dunk, both their energy level and their confidence level seem to ratchet up. Look back at all their good games over the past season and a half and in most of them you'll see an early dunk.

Maybe it's coincidence, and I know we have to worry about the team and not a couple of individuals, but if we spent the first few minutes of every game trying to get both MPs an alley-oop, I think they'd both play a lot better and more consistently.

Or can the coaching staff tell him he's not bringing enough energy when he doesnt get an early dunk, so he needs to bring more energy?

I'm not sure that chasing alley oops is a good strategy. If he's going to be a good player, he needs to figure out the energy issue, not get hung up on this. The great ones find motivation in every little thing, not one thing.

[Kedsy]

Or can the coaching staff tell him he's not bringing enough energy when he doesnt get an early dunk, so he needs to bring more energy?

I'm not sure that chasing alley oops is a good strategy. If he's going to be a good player, he needs to figure out the energy issue, not get hung up on this. The great ones find motivation in every little thing, not one thing.

That may be, but I'm sure the staff has been on him to bring the energy for the past twelve or thirteen months. If that's not working, you can put the onus on the kid to motivate himself, or you can look for other ways to motivate him.

I'm sure Mason and Miles don't realize they bring more energy after an early dunk -- that's just an observation of mine. For all I know it's an effect, rather than a cause.

[DukieInBrasil]

I was thinking about the game and how it was nice to have such widespread scoring diversity, 6 guys in double figures, although 2 guys accounted for nearly half of the team's points. I was thinking that having so much of the scoring concentrated in just 2 players could be a problem in the future. So I rummaged thru the stats of the game again and found a nice nugget, of the starters only Miles didn't attempt 10+ shots and Nolan and Kyle only attempted 12 and 13 respectively. So despite having a large amount of the points bunched together the shot distribution was extremely well spread out. On top of this, 3 players (Kyle, Nolan and Andre) scored more than 2 points per shot, which is an absolutely staggering efficiency. It's hard to have a more pleasing offensive performance than what Duke was able to put together vs. UNC-G

[JMarley50]

I don't know that I'd describe what Miles did last night as "pound[ing] it down." I saw one post move from him the whole game. The dunks were a dish by Seth when Miles was facing the basket; an alley-oop, and a pass on a cut.

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't describe that as pounding it in the post. Just merely stating that like J-Will said, there are gonna be times where we will have to be able to do that to survive in March. In reference to Miles I was saying that I noticed something a little different that leads me to believe he is about to turn the corner. With many players, there is this "ah-ha" moment where everything clicks into place and they suddenly get it. I think Miles experienced that. He looked totally different, in that when he did catch the ball in the post he turned and went straight at the rim hard. He wasn't worried about getting his shot blocked. Look at the result...two nasty facials! I think we witnessed him figuring out how to be the aggressor and the benefits of doing so. If that has finally clicked, watch out because we are going to start seeing a lot of poster dunks!

I've noticed Dre doing the same thing. He is looking to dunk on somebody every time he gets a lane to the rim. He now has that killer instinct that makes good players great.

Mason on the other hand is still turning around (not very aggressively), while fumbling around with the ball, then going up for the shot and double clutching or altering his shot to keep from getting blocked. Considering the frame and athleticism he has, he is playing very timid and almost scared. I don't know if he is scared of screwing up, or looking bad or what, but he must improve. He needs to be taking one quick drop step and looking to dunk as hard as he can or at least take the ball straight to the glass. Forget all of the circus shots, leave that to Nolan, Seth, and Kyrie! lol If he does that, he will realize that they will hardly ever block his shot, he will either score or get fouled. Heck, I would love to see him get called for an offensive foul for being too aggressive in the paint!

[hurley1]

Well said! I definitely think they have benefited from the situation. Not only from the adversity stand point, but it makes us a much more complete team. I don't think that we will go back to the all out running game we saw at the start. When/if Kyrie comes back, I think it will be a mixture of the two styles. Like Jason said last night, the one thing you have to be able to do to win in March is slow it down and pound it inside when necessary. At the beginning of the season I don't think we had that game in us and I don't know that it would have developed if Kyrie hadn't went down. Its still a work in progress, but Miles showed me a lot last night. It will be nice to have the ability to completely control the tempo of a game come March. If the opponent wants to run, we slow it down, if they want slow, we run and it will all be accompanied with relentless defensive pressure. I am really enjoying watching this team develop. I have a feeling the final product is going to be something very special.

Don't attack me for this because it is just my opinion, but, I didn't like the running up and down the court and turning the ball over from the beginning. I like Irving's talent and he is a great player, but, I preferr what we are doing now. Too many turn over's and missed shots when you are street balling. What we are doing now is Duke basketball and it's hard to argue with the success of it. The way I see it, we have 5 players that one way or another can provide inside help, and betwen those 5 if we can't take care of the paint we don't deserve to win. The ball is literally in Duke's court and they have complete control of their destiny. Can't ask for more than that.

[Bob Green]

So I rummaged thru the stats of the game again and found a nice nugget, of the starters only Miles didn't attempt 10+ shots and Nolan and Kyle only attempted 12 and 13 respectively. So despite having a large amount of the points bunched together the shot distribution was extremely well spread out.

Thanks for posting this info as I find it enlightening. Sometimes you have to look a little deeper to see what the stats are actually saying so props to you for peeling back the stats onion an extra layer or two.

[JMarley50]

Don't attack me for this because it is just my opinion, but, I didn't like the running up and down the court and turning the ball over from the beginning. I like Irving's talent and he is a great player, but, I preferr what we are doing now. Too many turn over's and missed shots when you are street balling. What we are doing now is Duke basketball and it's hard to argue with the success of it. The way I see it, we have 5 players that one way or another can provide inside help, and betwen those 5 if we can't take care of the paint we don't deserve to win. The ball is literally in Duke's court and they have complete control of their destiny. Can't ask for more than that.

I don't know if I would go as far as to say I don't like it, but I understand what you are saying and do agree. Anytime a player with Kyrie's ability can get out and run along with other high caliber athletes like we have it is very entertaining and fun to watch. I think that is a lot of what got us so smitten with Kyrie, he is just flat out entertaining! But too much of a good thing can be problematic. I just feel like a well coached team, could have slowed us down and potentially caused problems, if running was all we knew how to do.

I think what we have learned so far in regards to pace of play is that Nolan and Kyle perform better in the slower setting, Mason struggles with the slower pace, and the rest of the guys seem to be indifferent. Dre can definitely play either way very effectively.

[DukieInBrasil]

Thanks for posting this info as I find it enlightening. Sometimes you have to look a little deeper to see what the stats are actually saying so props to you for peeling back the stats onion an extra layer or two.
I'm not a super stats junkie and usually don't get into some of the more complex analyses that some posters here do, but I was kinda worried that maybe we were too reliant on Kyle and Nolan in that game. However, the shot distribution really just showed how super efficient both Nolan and Kyle were (as well as Andre) to end up with so many points despite not really shooting much more than the other starters. Obviously, part of this was due to temporal spacing of shots as well, as Nolan and Kyle had taken most of their shots before the half and the other 3 starters hadn't really taken many 1st half shots.

[Kedsy]

Just merely stating that like J-Will said, there are gonna be times where we will have to be able to do that to survive in March.

Well, we weren't able to do that last year and we survived OK in March. As long as we have ways to score an easy basket and/or stay efficient on offense, we don't really need to be able to pound it down low.


Mason on the other hand...If he does that, he will realize that they will hardly ever block his shot, he will either score or get fouled. Heck, I would love to see him get called for an offensive foul for being too aggressive in the paint!

I've said elsewhere that I think Mason's current struggles are confidence and/or concentration issues. But I have two other minor quibbles with what you're saying here. First, Mason already tends to pick up seemingly unnecessary fouls. I wouldn't like it at all if he started getting offensive fouls for being too aggressive in the paint. Second, the way Mason shoots free throws these days, him getting fouled is not necessarily a 100% good thing.

Ultimately, I'm not worried about Mason. Even in his recent string of three "bad" games, his non-scoring stats have been pretty good: 12.7 rebs per 40 mins; 4.5 assists per 40 mins; 1.8 blocks per 40 mins; 3.6 steals per 40 mins. And we've averaged almost 97 points in those three games, so it's not like we've really needed points from him. Give him time, he'll be fine.

[sagegrouse]

I've said elsewhere that I think Mason's current struggles are confidence and/or concentration issues. But I have two other minor quibbles with what you're saying here. First, Mason already tends to pick up seemingly unnecessary fouls. I wouldn't like it at all if he started getting offensive fouls for being too aggressive in the paint. Second, the way Mason shoots free throws these days, him getting fouled is not necessarily a 100% good thing.

Ultimately, I'm not worried about Mason. Even in his recent string of three "bad" games, his non-scoring stats have been pretty good: 12.7 rebs per 40 mins; 4.5 assists per 40 mins; 1.8 blocks per 40 mins; 3.6 steals per 40 mins. And we've averaged almost 97 points in those three games, so it's not like we've really needed points from him. Give him time, he'll be fine.

There were two references earlier that lead me to suspect that Mason is playing really well in practice, but that it is not carrying over to the games. Miles said something to that effect after the Marquette game, something like "This is what we see every day in practice." More recently, K praised Ryan Kelly for being very consistent between practice and game conditions. While, if true, this is disappointing but a heckuva lot better than Mason's playing poorly in BOTH practice AND games.

sagegrouse

[JMarley50]

Well, we weren't able to do that last year and we survived OK in March. As long as we have ways to score an easy basket and/or stay efficient on offense, we don't really need to be able to pound it down low.

I've said elsewhere that I think Mason's current struggles are confidence and/or concentration issues. But I have two other minor quibbles with what you're saying here. First, Mason already tends to pick up seemingly unnecessary fouls. I wouldn't like it at all if he started getting offensive fouls for being too aggressive in the paint. Second, the way Mason shoots free throws these days, him getting fouled is not necessarily a 100% good thing.

Ultimately, I'm not worried about Mason. Even in his recent string of three "bad" games, his non-scoring stats have been pretty good: 12.7 rebs per 40 mins; 4.5 assists per 40 mins; 1.8 blocks per 40 mins; 3.6 steals per 40 mins. And we've averaged almost 97 points in those three games, so it's not like we've really needed points from him. Give him time, he'll be fine.

First off, last year was last year. Just because we made it through OK last year, doesn't mean that's the case this year or most years. I don't know how closely you listened to what Jay was saying, but he said come tournament time, teams play in a lot of domes. He said that can have a big impact on shooters, due to tougher depth perception, etc. What happens if we have a shooting night like Kentucky had in the tourney last year, and the opponent won't allow us to get out in transition for easy lay-ups? We would need to be able to score efficiently in the post or else go home.

I did in fact read elsewhere where you said what you thought Mason's struggles were. In a previous post it was "confidence/motivation" in this one "confidence/concentration". I'm pretty sure lack of confidence was a big part of what I was referring to when I said "he is playing very timid and almost scared". What do you think drop stepping and dunking on guys in the post is gonna do for his confidence?

If he is having motivation/concentration issues as you suggest then he just needs to retire now. He is getting paid (in the form of scholarship of course) to be motivated and concentrate on his job. Not to mention his job is to play basketball at Duke..how can you not be motivated for that? Do you think your boss would be worried or very happy if you didn't concentrate at work?

When I said I wouldn't even mind seeing him pick up an offensive foul for being too aggressive in the paint, I didn't mean every game or every 40min as you like to break stats down. I was saying once, maybe even twice just to show me he's alive and has some intensity. From my own experience I will say its honestly pretty tough to be "too" aggressive in the paint (Although Zoubs did made it look fairly easy). Also, contrary to popular belief there are more benefits of going to the foul line than an opportunity to shoot free throws. Since when is getting a teams bigs in foul trouble not a good thing??

I personally would divide all of those stats you gave in half if you want a true reflection, considering he plays nowhere near 40 min per game. That's like two games. But that's just my opinion. "Ultimately" if you believe what you say is wrong with Mason, then you should be very worried. Unless of course Coach K starts running lob plays to begin every game until Mason gets his alley so he can play better. ;)

[Acymetric]

Second, the way Mason shoots free throws these days, him getting fouled is not necessarily a 100% good thing.

Unless he's shooting less than 50% (I'm not looking it up so he may be I suppose) I think there are enough secondary benefits to drawing a foul besides shooting foul shots that its worth it even if he misses. Getting a player in foul trouble, getting the team into the bonus and double bonus, those are two big things, even if he misses his shots he may change the way his defender has to play defense to avoid fouls and may help get a better shooting teammate to the line in the bonus on a non-shooting foul 1 foul earlier. I think that makes up for the misses, especially if he is drawing the foul on a post player.

[Bob Green]

Unless he's shooting less than 50% (I'm not looking it up so he may be I suppose)...

Mason is shooting .405 for the season:

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/players/statlines.php?playerid=2740

[Acymetric]

Mason is shooting .405 for the season:

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/players/statlines.php?playerid=2740

Ah...definitely not good. I still sorta think benefits out weigh the costs even if he's missing the shots, especially early in the game when picking up a few fouls changes the way you play for an entire half.

[devildeac]

Ah...definitely not good. I still sorta think benefits out weigh the costs even if he's missing the shots, especially early in the game when picking up a few fouls changes the way you play for an entire half.

Heck, I'll even take a missed FT by one our "bigs" with a 2 point lead with 3.6 seconds left in a game played on a Monday night in early April, 2011 in Houston-apolis.;)

[JMarley50]

Heck, I'll even take a missed FT by one our "bigs" with a 2 point lead with 3.6 seconds left in a game played on a Monday night in early April, 2011 in Houston-apolis.;)

That was the longest 3.6 seconds of my life... I don't know if my heart can take anymore of those half court buzzer beaters. I still say we just make the free throw next time!

[jv001]

Mason is shooting .405 for the season:

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/players/statlines.php?playerid=2740

With Mason shooting FTs at .41%, I don't like to see him outside shooting 3s. I know he's not taken that many but one is too many. I would like to see Mason develop a couple of moves from the free throw lane and in. And it wouldn't hurt to see him develop a couple of low posts moves. Miles has improved in this area and I don't see any reason Mason can't as well. I from the old shool and would like to see talented players like Mason, Miles and Ryan shoot the bank shot(Like Walton and Duncan). I'm not saying they're in Walton and Duncan's class, but 50% of those two guys would be nice. Go Duke!

[CDu]

With Mason shooting FTs at .41%, I don't like to see him outside shooting 3s. I know he's not taken that many but one is too many. I would like to see Mason develop a couple of moves from the free throw lane and in. And it wouldn't hurt to see him develop a couple of low posts moves. Miles has improved in this area and I don't see any reason Mason can't as well. I from the old shool and would like to see talented players like Mason, Miles and Ryan shoot the bank shot(Like Walton and Duncan). I'm not saying they're in Walton and Duncan's class, but 50% of those two guys would be nice. Go Duke!

I agree that it would be good to see Mason start to develop some offensive polish. He's shown some signs (the 25 point game against Marquette included some nice back-to-the-basket moves), but those signs have been few and far between throughout his career. To this point, most of his offensive productivity has been on the alley-oop, putback, or breakaway dunk variety (i.e., mostly uncontested). Hopefully we'll start to see more of those offensive moves like the Marquette game.