Starting lineup ideas for Duke-UVA Saturday

[diveonthefloor]

One way coaches sometimes shake up their teams (especially when they are in need of an energy boost) is to be a little unconventional with their starting lineups. K doesn't do a lot of this, but UVA would be a great opportunity to do so.

My suggestion for Saturday:

Miles
Josh
Kyle
Nolan
Tyler

Does anyone have additional ideas?

[94duke]

One way coaches sometimes shake up their teams (especially when they are in need of an energy boost) is to be a little unconventional with their starting lineups. K doesn't do a lot of this, but UVA would be a great opportunity to do so.

My suggestion for Saturday:

Miles
Josh
Kyle
Nolan
Tyler

Does anyone have additional ideas?

If you want to shake things up, I can't disagree with your line-up.
I would be very curious to what Tyler can do, if he is given more minutes.
I also would be curious about Josh. He's a good "4" with legitimate post moves. The question is whether or not he can defend ACC bigs.
Also, you might start Mason instead of Miles. His rebounding has been great, and his current defensive struggles are not worse than Miles or Ryan.

[Tim1515]

We're starting two freshman now because we lost 1 game? Anyone remember people begging for Nolan to start over Paulus at the point...or for the Plumlees to start over LT and Z?

Tyler played a great 12 minutes the other day. For the few minutes we've seen him before that he's looked a LOT like a freshman who wasn't ready for big minutes.

I like Tyler and Josh a lot and think they have good futures at Duke...i can't see them bringing more then Seth, Andre, Kelly, Mason, Miles for 20 minutes a night and if anything we'd have less offense other then Nolan and Kyle.

[jaygdevil11]

We're starting two freshman now because we lost 1 game? Anyone remember people begging for Nolan to start over Paulus at the point...or for the Plumlees to start over LT and Z?

Tyler played a great 12 minutes the other day. For the few minutes we've seen him before that he's looked a LOT like a freshman who wasn't ready for big minutes.

I like Tyler and Josh a lot and think they have good futures at Duke...i can't see them bringing more then Seth, Andre, Kelly, Mason, Miles for 20 minutes a night and if anything we'd have less offense other then Nolan and Kyle.

I agree, one loss to one of the top defensive teams in the country should not cause us to jump ship.

[elvis14]

I think the following would be good starting lineups:

Miles, Ryan, Kyle, Andre, Nolan
Miles, Ryan, Kyle, Seth, Nolan

with Mason being first off the bench followed by either Seth/Andre. I'd bring Josh off the bench if we get in foul trouble with MP1+2 and Ryan and I'd bring in Tyler if we need a change of pace or to shut down a perimeter guy.

Sound familiar? We are 15-1, 25-1 over our last 26.

[sagegrouse]

One way coaches sometimes shake up their teams (especially when they are in need of an energy boost) is to be a little unconventional with their starting lineups. K doesn't do a lot of this, but UVA would be a great opportunity to do so.

My suggestion for Saturday:

Miles
Josh
Kyle
Nolan
Tyler

Does anyone have additional ideas?

FSU was a disappointment but not IMHO a disaster in performance or effort by the Duke team. Others may disagree, but FSU played with unexpected efficiency on offense and intensity of defense for the full 40 minutes.

UVa has a young team coming to Cameron, with all the consequent nerves in play and where Duke has a significant size advantage.

I might start a smaller lineup with Mason, Kyle, Andre, Nolan, and Seth. Then bring Tyler and Ryan in after 4 mins. for Andre and Seth, unless one of the two is en fuego. In that case, I might stay small.

I would keep big brother Miles cooling his heels until the 8:00 mark of the first half and then see what kind of energy and performance we get. We need Miles as a tiger inside who doesn't foul nearly as much. I would definitely give Josh some minutes, but depending on the situation.

sagegrouse

[MChambers]

I think we should start the backup quarterback, whoever that is.

Seriously, folks, I don't have any idea what Coach K should do, and I don't think any of us do either. But I bet Coach K has some pretty good ideas.

[OldPhiKap]

I think we should start the backup quarterback, whoever that is.

How many cinder-blocks-tall is he?

To the OP -- it is true that the players who practice the best usually start. I have no doubt that this is particularly true after last night. It was not the end of the world but it was a wake-up call. As K often says after these losses, "now I have their attention."

[uh_no]

Using Random.org, I generated a random lineup, as this is just 'starting lineup ideas' i figured randomming it might be worht a shot

Todd Zafirovski
Kyle Singler
Kyrie Irving
Andre Dawkins
Seth Curry

and if Kyrie can't go, then

Miles Plumlee

[Duvall]

We should follow the wisdom of well-respected big man coach Bill Guthridge:

Seth Curry
Andre Dawkins
Josh Hairston
Ryan Kelly
Mason Plumlee

[OldPhiKap]

Wojo
Collins
Nolan
Kyle
Nate-Dogg.

I dare someone to tell Nate he can't play. Double dawg dare 'em.

[superdave]

We should follow the wisdom of well-respected big man coach Bill Guthridge:

Seth Curry
Andre Dawkins
Josh Hairston
Ryan Kelly
Mason Plumlee

Gut used to start six guys -
Shammond
Antawn
Vince
Ademola
Cota
Mahktar

Beat that.

[loran16]

K may shake things up. But I'll "boldly" make a statement.

There is basically no chance Miles starts against UVA. ZERO. Miles' play in games has dropped each of the last few games, with his play in the 2nd half being limited entirely to being part of the 2nd half starting lineup and then being taken out quickly for the entire game.

But Against FSU, K did something different. Miles started the game...but DIDNT EVEN START in the 2nd half. He was in for a short 2 minute stretch, but after that, whenever Mason was out, Kelly played Center, not Miles.

Miles is in the doghouse. He will not start.

[taiw93]

The starters will almost certainly depend on who plays the best in the practices on Thursday and Friday, which I'm willing to bet will be extra intense following the loss. I don't think anyone will be benched based on their performance in the FSU game; rather, playing time Saturday will be based on how well each player responds to it. That's, at least, how Coach K has traditionally done things.

[Kedsy]

Miles is in the doghouse. He will not start.

Wait, I thought it was Mason (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?23680-MBB-Duke-74-Miami-63-Post-Game-Thread&p=461278#post461278) who was in the doghouse?

Or was it Seth (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?23735-MBB-Duke-85-UAB-64-Post-Game-Thread&p=461891#post461891)?

How big is that doghouse, anyway?

[MChambers]

Wait, I thought it was Mason (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?23680-MBB-Duke-74-Miami-63-Post-Game-Thread&p=461278#post461278) who was in the doghouse?

Or was it Seth (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?23735-MBB-Duke-85-UAB-64-Post-Game-Thread&p=461891#post461891)?

How big is that doghouse, anyway?
Must be a kennel.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Must be a kennel.

You forgot Kyrie. He's definitely in the dog house - hasn't played in 8 games.

[Saratoga2]

One way coaches sometimes shake up their teams (especially when they are in need of an energy boost) is to be a little unconventional with their starting lineups. K doesn't do a lot of this, but UVA would be a great opportunity to do so.

My suggestion for Saturday:

Miles
Josh
Kyle
Nolan
Tyler

Does anyone have additional ideas?

Coach K bases the starting team on how the players have been doing in practice, recent game experience and matchups with the opposing team.

My choice of starters against Virginia, not knowing how practice has been going, is Mason, Kyle, Nolan, Andre and Tyler. I would like to keep 3 scorers in the game while relieving Nolan of the primary point responsbillity. Nolan is maybe the best off the ball guard in the country so I prefer him in that role.

I think a secondary lineup could easily be Ryan with one of the Plumlees, Kyle, Nolan and Seth. Again, 3 scorers in the game and Seth taking the primary ball handling responsibility. The problem with this is that Seth is really more like Nolan with the ball, adequate but not a real point.

I would play Josh off the bench. He at times has looked a little inexperienced on the defensive side. I say that while at the same time wondering if he might have been a little better at defending Kitchen of FSU due to his size.

[Scorp4me]

Tyler played a great 12 minutes the other day. For the few minutes we've seen him before that he's looked a LOT like a freshman who wasn't ready for big minutes.

I disagree. I think Tyler has played very well, freshman or no freshman. He may not be flashy, but he makes very few mistakes. Good defender and he picks his offense very carefully. In fact I think Tyler should be playing much more. He's not Kyrie I understand that, but he has made several nice assist in his limited time.

I think Tyler should play more because of what he does for the others. Having Tyler in gives you a point guard who can get the ball to the bigs in scoring position (I've seen him do it already). In addition you move Nolan to a position where he can score more as well. Granted Nolan hasn't been bad at scoring while playing point, but it's a 2 for 1 in that situation. And that's what we're looking for right now, scoring diversity.

I'm not saying we do this just because we lost, I've been advocating it for a while. I was disappointed he wasn't playing more early in the season, but understood with Kryie was hard to get him in the game. Was disappointed when Kyrie went out and K still didn't feel confident with Tyler playing more. Not saying he should have, just saying I was disappointed he didn't feel he was ready to. I'd like to think that perhaps now he might show something that would give him that chance.

[jv001]

I would play Josh off the bench. He at times has looked a little inexperienced on the defensive side. I say that while at the same time wondering if he might have been a little better at defending Kitchen of FSU due to his size.

a guy named Lance who was great in defending smaller perimeter players. Guess we under appreciated him didn't we? And I said we. Go Duke!

[UrinalCake]

We should follow the wisdom of well-respected big man coach Bill Guthridge:

Seth Curry
Andre Dawkins
Josh Hairston
Ryan Kelly
Mason Plumlee

Ahh yes, the alphabetical lineup. It's the only way to be fair! Poor Todd Zafirovski, he'll never get in the game.

[Devilsfan]

My wish list FWIW. Give the Bros.II some focus factor and let them go to town like they did last year when they came off the bench or have Ryan play more down low and leave the outside shooting to Kyle, Nolan, Andre and Seth, even if he's wide open. Ryan has great court awareness and is a much better paser than a shooter, IMO. Let Josh and Tyler have "some" minutes, it might pay off in March. Nolan is Nolan, terrific! And finally I wish everyone would move on the court to get open like Kyle. Watching Duke, Kyle is like the Energizer Rabbit, always moving on offense to get open and it seems like Andre in particular waits for a pass and hopefully he's open. I wish he could emulate JJ and come back next year in shape to run for 40+ minutes. That said, I think some individual improvement is unbelievable, especially that of Ryan overall and Andre's fearless shooting. Go Devils. Duke 103- Uva 64.

[SilkyJ]

a guy named Lance who was great in defending smaller perimeter players. Guess we under appreciated him didn't we? And I said we. Go Duke!

Yea, but he almost undoubtedly would have been guarding their best player, Singleton, due to matchups.

I wish Miles would get more run. If he had more confidence, he might play better. For now, it seems as though Coach prefers Mason, which is hard to argue with. BOTH need to finish better in the paint tho. They get blocked WAY to often for 6'10 guys who can jump through the roof.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

Yea, but he almost undoubtedly would have been guarding their best player, Singleton, due to matchups.

I wish Miles would get more run. If he had more confidence, he might play better. For now, it seems as though Coach prefers Mason, which is hard to argue with. BOTH need to finish better in the paint tho. They get blocked WAY to often for 6'10 guys who can jump through the roof.


Their finishing ability is so frustrating. They get easy shots and can't seem to put it in. They don't get blocked as much as Zoubs did (no offense Brian :)) but they shy away from contact a bit too much and lose track of the basket and where they are.

With that said, I think our starting lineup should be: Nolan, Andre, Kyle, Mason, Miles

Give the Plums some run together.

[dukeimac]

I think there are two things Duke needs to do to become the threat they were when Kyrie was playing.

#1 - Move Seth to the PG and Nolan to the SG

Seth played PG at Liberty (and was still the leading freshman scorer) and Coach K has the trust in Nolan to run the show but Nolan needs to give up the ball and move around more.

#2 - Miles must develop. He is struggling with his confidence but he must regain it. Mason is not the best fit for what Duke is doing now, the slower game. Mason is a great fit when Kyrie is running the show. In the FSU game, the commentator made a great observation and it was that Mason misses Kyrie the most. Miles must step up and be the force in the middle. Mason is lost in the slower game and Kelly is an outside guy, known for his three point shooting.

Miles doesn't need to score, just rebound and defend, smartly.

[94duke]

I think there are two things Duke needs to do to become the threat they were when Kyrie was playing.

#1 - Move Seth to the PG and Nolan to the SG

Seth played PG at Liberty (and was still the leading freshman scorer) and Coach K has the trust in Nolan to run the show but Nolan needs to give up the ball and move around more.

#2 - Miles must develop. He is struggling with his confidence but he must regain it. Mason is not the best fit for what Duke is doing now, the slower game. Mason is a great fit when Kyrie is running the show. In the FSU game, the commentator made a great observation and it was that Mason misses Kyrie the most. Miles must step up and be the force in the middle. Mason is lost in the slower game and Kelly is an outside guy, known for his three point shooting.

Miles doesn't need to score, just rebound and defend, smartly.

Re: #1
Seth has been playing PG. Sometimes he has started there, and sometimes he has come off the bench when Andre has started (while Nolan has started at PG).
Either way, Seth has been playing a lot of minutes at PG.


Opponent Starter min Bench min

Bradley Andre 31 Seth 26
St Louis Andre 18 Seth 26
Elon Seth 30 Andre 32
UNCG Seth 26 Andre 23
Miami Seth 18 Andre 29
UAB Andre 32 Seth 24
MD Andre 30 Seth 18
FSU Seth 32 Andre 29

[ACCBBallFan]

I agree Tyler needs to play some, but better to sub him a few minutes in each half to allow Nolan to get a breather at SG, rather than to start him.

UVA is small, so no sense playing into their hands by playing too small but with Kyle 6'8" 235 or so , not exactly small when he is at the 4.

[mapei]

Tyler is not going to start, and Josh isn't going to get major minutes while the game is close. Speculating otherwise is just fantasy.

Kyle & Nolan are locks.
Then we get two out of these three: Ryan-Miles-Mason
And one of these two: Andre-Seth

So really the only questions are which of the three bigs and which of the two other guards sits. I don't think K is going to be experimenting; he's going to go with the lineups he trusts most. The only change I think is a solid possibility is Tyler getting more minutes as a result of his good play against UMCP, but K isn't going to trust him to start and set the opening tone for the game.