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rotogod00
01-20-2011, 09:46 AM
I know you never want to overlook an opponent, but we're playing at home against a Wake team that has lost by an average of 26 points to four teams with a 6-9 overall conference record.

Looks like a good game to work on some things and get a little PT for the end of the bench.

strawbs
01-20-2011, 09:56 AM
actually we are playing at Wake not at home. I hope we can blow them out early so we get tyler and josh more minutes, and also so nolan can sit and get healthy instead of playing 40 minutes.
I'm not trying to look past Wake, but I have no doubt in my mind that this game will be a decisive duke victory.

wilson
01-20-2011, 09:57 AM
...we're playing at home against a Wake team that has lost by an average of 26 points to four teams with a 6-9 overall conference record.First things first: The game is in Winston-Salem.
Not that it really ought to matter.
Like many others, I was extremely encouraged by last night's overall team performance. The main thing I want to see on Saturday is no let-up. Against a clearly overmatched opponent, our boys need to come out and play confident, clinical basketball. This is a great opportunity to build on the progress displayed last night and generate more momentum for the meat of the ACC schedule.

MChambers
01-20-2011, 10:09 AM
I'm sure Kedsy's on top of this, but this game will test our vaunted free throw defense, which has slipped to #17 overall. The one thing Wake does well on offense is shoot free throws (74.8%, 28th).

On defense, they do block a lot of shots, but that means they give up a lot of offensive rebounds.

flyingdutchdevil
01-20-2011, 10:29 AM
But this is by far the worst team in the ACC. According to KenPom, they are the worst offensive team by more than 50 ranking spots and the worst defensive team by more than 40 ranking spots. I'm pretty sure that having Wake Forest in the ACC drops us from 3 to 5 in conference rankings (okay, I made that up. But you get my point ;)).

I really feel that if this team plays as bad as they did against UVA in the first half, we'll still be up. IMO, the only way that this game is close is if we have the worst shooting game of the year and WF has their best, Nolan and Singler don't play at all, or Chris Paul has some eligibility left.

I was slightly worried about FSU, very worried about NCSU, and not at all concerned about WF. I just hope that the players don't have this same feeling!

loran16
01-20-2011, 12:01 PM
Pomeroy expects a 29 point win. I expect a win by a greater amount....Pomeroy is counting parts of earlier in the season when Wake had occasional bouts of non-terribleness, but they've been beyond awful in ACC play.

dukelifer
01-20-2011, 12:25 PM
Duke will likely win the game- but how they win is important. They need to continue to work on using their bigs and minimize turnovers. If they play efficient, smart basketball- they will have done their job.

moonpie23
01-20-2011, 12:45 PM
this game is a sucker-punch waiting to happen....


remember wake is the place where ANY movement by a duke player is a foul...

PSurprise
01-20-2011, 01:13 PM
this game is a sucker-punch waiting to happen....


remember wake is the place where ANY movement by a duke player is a foul...

You're right. Hopefully we can beat them with our five guys glued to the court. I trust K will know where the best place to have them stand will be :D

94duke
01-20-2011, 01:52 PM
this game is a sucker-punch waiting to happen....


remember wake is the place where ANY movement by a duke player is a foul...

Let's see what the statistics say. Here's a table showing fouls during our last 10 trips to Wake. In 3 of those games we committed significantly more fouls than our season average. I defined "significantly" as 5 more fouls than the season average. We were 0-3 in those games. If 5 fouls is too arbitrary (and it was arbitrary), lowering the the foul differential to 3 fouls adds one more game (01-02), and it was a win.

Incidentally, we have committed more fouls than Wake on our last 7 trips to W-S.

Here's the chart:
Fouls @ Wake Compared to Season Average


Season Duke (Wake) Season Avg (differential)
08-09 21 (18) 18.1 (2.7) L 68-70
07-08 31 (20) 19.2 (11.8) L 73-86
05-06 17 (16) 17.3 (-0.3) W 82-64
04-05 24 (19) 18.5 (5.5) L 89-92
03-04 21 (16) 18.8 (2.2) L 84-90
02-03 37 (27) 21.1 (15.9) L 80-94 2OT
01-02 23 (11) 18.7 (4.3) W 09-61
00-01 13 (18) 16.9 (-3.9) W 82-80
99-00 14 (21) 16.3 (-2.3) W 75-61
98-99 20 (28) 18.3 (1.7) W 82-72

loran16
01-20-2011, 01:55 PM
Let's see what the statistics say. Here's a table showing fouls during our last 10 trips to Wake. In 3 of those games we committed significantly more fouls than our season average. I defined "significantly" as 5 more fouls than the season average. We were 0-3 in those games. If 5 fouls is too arbitrary (and it was arbitrary), lowering the the foul differential to 3 fouls adds one more game (01-02), and it was a win.

Incidentally, we have committed more fouls than Wake on our last 7 trips to W-S.

Here's the chart:
Fouls @ Wake Compared to Season Average


Season Duke (Wake) Season Avg (differential)
08-09 21 (18) 18.1 (2.7) L 68-70
07-08 31 (20) 19.2 (11.8) L 73-86
05-06 17 (16) 17.3 (-0.3) W 82-64
04-05 24 (19) 18.5 (5.5) L 89-92
03-04 21 (16) 18.8 (2.2) L 84-90
02-03 37 (27) 21.1 (15.9) L 80-94 2OT
01-02 23 (11) 18.7 (4.3) W 09-61
00-01 13 (18) 16.9 (-3.9) W 82-80
99-00 14 (21) 16.3 (-2.3) W 75-61
98-99 20 (28) 18.3 (1.7) W 82-72

Ah, but you're comparing the wrong thing! You need to compare Duke's fouls @ Wake to Duke's ROAD AVERAGE FOULS. Factoring in home games in the average gives an unfair comparison.

The question really is, how does Wake compare to other road arenas.

94duke
01-20-2011, 02:03 PM
Ah, but you're comparing the wrong thing! You need to compare Duke's fouls @ Wake to Duke's ROAD AVERAGE FOULS. Factoring in home games in the average gives an unfair comparison.

The question really is, how does Wake compare to other road arenas.

Very good point. I'm not sure I have that data available. If you know where I can find it, I'll update the table.

Thanks.

94duke
01-20-2011, 02:22 PM
Very good point. I'm not sure I have that data available. If you know where I can find it, I'll update the table.

Thanks.

I'll just do it game-by-game. I'll need a few more minutes. :p :)

ThePublisher
01-20-2011, 02:27 PM
I predict we beat Wake 150-23! Ok maybe that's a little much, but it should be one of our easiest games of the season. Lets say 93-56. Living in Winston, I'll be at the game. I expect it to be a Duke heavy crowd with wakes current situation.

94duke
01-20-2011, 02:53 PM
Ok. I revised the table. Now comparing fouls committed at Wake to fouls committed in ACC road games, Wake excluded. The numbers tighten up compare to the previous table. The results are similar. 2 games have a huge foul differential (>9) with 2 more games that have a "significant" foul differential (4 & 5 fouls).


Fouls @ Wake Compared to Season Average (ACC road games, excluding Wake)

Season Duke (Wake) Season Avg (differential)
08-09 21 (18) 18.4 (2.6) L 68-70
07-08 31 (20) 21.9 (9.1) L 73-86
05-06 17 (16) 20.7 (-3.7) W 82-64
04-05 24 (19) 19.0 (5.0) L 89-92
03-04 21 (16) 19.9 (1.1) L 84-90
02-03 37 (27) 22.0 (15.0) L 80-94 2OT
01-02 23 (11) 19.0 (4.0) W 09-61
00-01 13 (18) 19.1 (-6.1) W 82-80
99-00 14 (21) 17.1 (-3.1) W 75-61
98-99 20 (28) 18.1 (1.9) W 82-72

snowdenscold
01-20-2011, 03:00 PM
remember wake is the place where ANY movement by a duke player is a foul...

Ewing picked up one of his mysterious technicals there in 2005.

OldPhiKap
01-20-2011, 03:32 PM
Ewing picked up one of his mysterious technicals there in 2005.

It is the ghost of Darius Songaila. A/K/A "The Human Foul Machine"

RoyalBlue08
01-20-2011, 04:29 PM
This is the only league game I feel calm and comfortable about. (Needless to say I am an emotional wreck during basketball season.) Hopefully our players don't overlook Wake as much as I am.

gam7
01-20-2011, 05:52 PM
I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that this Wake team may be the worst ACC team in the last 15 years.

ncexnyc
01-20-2011, 06:46 PM
Last year we entered the Wake Forest game with a sense of anticipation. The previous few years they had played us extremely tough and based on early season results this game appeared to be a battle for supremacy in the ACC. When the dust had settled we found ourselves victorious. The game was extremely physical and it was also a very emotional one. Monday morning we were hailing two new heroes. The Plumlee brothers had arrived and they were going to provide us with the inside game we longed for.

A couple of days later, with our new and improved frontcourt we met NC State. I vividly recall several posts predicting an easy blowout as State was near the bottom of the league standings. What we got that evening was anything but a cakewalk. State came out playing with passion and intensity. We looked flat and Tracy Smith left our new frontcourt in a heap of smoldering ashes.

This year the script has been flipped. After losing our first ACC road game, there was a definite sense of anticipation as we prepared to play State on their homecourt. Could we show not only the world, but ourselves that we could indeed win a true road game? The game was a tough one of punch and counterpunch. When all was said and done we had come away with the win and again we were talking about the play of our frontcourt..

On Saturday we will play a Wake Forest team that is the last place team in the ACC. Again, I’m seeing posts which are very disrespectful of our future opponent. I just hope the kids on our team have a better memory than some of our fans do.

Duvall
01-20-2011, 07:19 PM
On Saturday we will play a Wake Forest team that is the last place team in the ACC. Again, I’m seeing posts which are very disrespectful of our future opponent. I just hope the kids on our team have a better memory than some of our fans do.

It's not disrespectful to discuss the truth. In this case, the truth is that this Wake Forest team has, at this point in the season, made a serious bid to be considered among the worst teams in league history. They lost to Stetson, they lost to Presbyterian. They just scored 39 points in a 71 possession game against a Georgia Tech team that is 9-8 on the season. They aren't good.

That doesn't mean that Saturday's game is a guaranteed win for Duke. Nothing is guaranteed. But that doesn't mean that we should pretend that Wake has been anything short of awful this season.

devil84
01-20-2011, 07:33 PM
Last year we entered the Wake Forest game with a sense of anticipation. ...

This year the script has been flipped.

Nice observation regarding the Wake, NCSU series of games. I think this game has a potential to be a very dangerous game.


On Saturday we will play a Wake Forest team that is the last place team in the ACC. Again, I’m seeing posts which are very disrespectful of our future opponent. I just hope the kids on our team have a better memory than some of our fans do.

Our team will be just fine because Coach K will prepare them appropriately. I'm not worried about our team.

And about our fans overlooking Wake, well, it seems pretty natural, since Wake just isn't very good this year.

That said, I'm more concerned about Wake being extremely fired up. That team has memories of previous years and as 94Duke has shown, recent history and foul disparity favors Wake. Wake students are planning to show up (something that hasn't happened this year), so that place should be rocking in a way it hasn't under the new coach, further inspiring the players. A win, or even a close game, against Duke will absolutely make their season. They have EVERYTHING to gain. If they are only going to pull it together for ONE game, rest assured, this will be it.

While I think Duke will win this handily, it would NOT surprise me if Wake plays the best they have this season and gives us a challenge.

loran16
01-20-2011, 08:10 PM
Last year we entered the Wake Forest game with a sense of anticipation. The previous few years they had played us extremely tough and based on early season results this game appeared to be a battle for supremacy in the ACC. When the dust had settled we found ourselves victorious. The game was extremely physical and it was also a very emotional one. Monday morning we were hailing two new heroes. The Plumlee brothers had arrived and they were going to provide us with the inside game we longed for.

A couple of days later, with our new and improved frontcourt we met NC State. I vividly recall several posts predicting an easy blowout as State was near the bottom of the league standings. What we got that evening was anything but a cakewalk. State came out playing with passion and intensity. We looked flat and Tracy Smith left our new frontcourt in a heap of smoldering ashes.

This year the script has been flipped. After losing our first ACC road game, there was a definite sense of anticipation as we prepared to play State on their homecourt. Could we show not only the world, but ourselves that we could indeed win a true road game? The game was a tough one of punch and counterpunch. When all was said and done we had come away with the win and again we were talking about the play of our frontcourt..

On Saturday we will play a Wake Forest team that is the last place team in the ACC. Again, I’m seeing posts which are very disrespectful of our future opponent. I just hope the kids on our team have a better memory than some of our fans do.

According to Ken Pomeroy, Duke was expected to win the NC State game last year 85% of the time.

We're 99% favorites against Wake Forest. Big difference.

moonpie23
01-20-2011, 10:02 PM
i'm a big fan of seeing the clock go to 0:00 at the end of the game before i predict a win...

wilko
01-20-2011, 11:32 PM
i'm a big fan of seeing the clock go to 0:00 at the end of the game before i predict a win...

Hey Moonie, lets go to WS and catch a game... After we stop by and see my bookie...

DrChainsaw
01-21-2011, 12:50 PM
I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that this Wake team may be the worst ACC team in the last 15 years.

The 2001-2002 Heels were so bad, I felt sorry for them.

And I hate myself for admitting that in writing.

diablesseblu
01-21-2011, 12:57 PM
My brother-in-law (who lives in the Triad area) heard on the radio this AM that tickets are still available for the game. Guess the WFU faithful have really had their interest/loyalty rocked this season.

cptnflash
01-21-2011, 08:16 PM
Pomeroy expects a 29 point win. I expect a win by a greater amount....Pomeroy is counting parts of earlier in the season when Wake had occasional bouts of non-terribleness, but they've been beyond awful in ACC play.

Pomeroy is also counting the 8 games that Kyrie Irving played for us. We've underperformed his system's expectations in every ACC game so far. Not sure there's a reason to think that stops here. We'll win easily, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if we win by 30+.

Of course, I do like surprises. :)

Bob Green
01-21-2011, 08:48 PM
The team needs some solid objectives against the *emon *eacons:

1. Win - always the most important objective.
2. GT held WF to 39 points so perhaps we could hold them to 38 points.
3. The GT loss was on the road, perhaps we should strive to hold them to 54 points as 55 is their lowest points total scored at home this season (74-55 loss to Maryland).
4. Scoring 100 points is always fun.

I hope the general over confidence being demonstrated toward this game is limited to Duke fans and the players come out grounded and ready to play with emotion. We need to blow the doors off WF from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

loran16
01-21-2011, 09:17 PM
Pomeroy is also counting the 8 games that Kyrie Irving played for us. We've underperformed his system's expectations in every ACC game so far. Not sure there's a reason to think that stops here. We'll win easily, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if we win by 30+.

Of course, I do like surprises. :)

Put it this way: Duke's been winning ACC games at an efficiency that translates to an average margin of victory of 8.3 and yes that includes our loss.

Wake has been losing ACC games at an efficiency that translates to an average loss of 25.2 points. TWENTY FIVE POINT TWO. We're talking a 33 point gap here.

30 is a totally acceptable benchmark.

The VEGAS line for the game is Duke by 22 points.

Wander
01-21-2011, 09:48 PM
Nice observation regarding the Wake, NCSU series of games. I think this game has a potential to be a very dangerous game.


A very dangerous game - really? If you consider this game "dangerous" in any way, then you're completely ridding that term of any meaning whatsoever. Wake Forest really, really, really sucks. A lot. It's unable to describe how bad they are with words. Not only is this not a dangerous game, they're so bad that I'll be genuinely disappointed if we don't set some sort of record or career high or something.

There's no comparison to last year - the difference between NC State 2010 and Wake Forest 2011 is probably about as big as the margin between a 1 and 16 seed.

loran16
01-21-2011, 10:01 PM
A very dangerous game - really? If you consider this game "dangerous" in any way, then you're completely ridding that term of any meaning whatsoever. Wake Forest really, really, really sucks. A lot. It's unable to describe how bad they are with words. Not only is this not a dangerous game, they're so bad that I'll be genuinely disappointed if we don't set some sort of record or career high or something.

There's no comparison to last year - the difference between NC State 2010 and Wake Forest 2011 is probably about as big as the margin between a 1 and 16 seed.

Yep. According to Pomeroy statistics, NC State last year is actually not a terrible match for this year's Georgia Tech. Who...just beat Wake by 35.

ice-9
01-22-2011, 07:06 AM
I think the proponents of "Wake Forest is dangerous" do so not out of ignorance that Wake Forest has performed really, really badly to date (which they have), but more that this is still an ACC team with some decent (young) talent led by a former NBA coach who might realize more of that talent than they have in the past in a game that could prove redemptive for them. And if Duke is caught overconfident and snoozing, it could be more interesting than we'd like it to be. I don't think anyone is seriously suggesting we should be scared about this game, rather that we treat Wake Forest with respect as we do all opponents.

devildeac
01-22-2011, 10:44 AM
Ewing picked up one of his mysterious technicals there in 2005.

Well, after all, he did jump up from the court and try to defend himself after chris paul tried to drive his head through the center logo with his elbow.:mad:

OldPhiKap
01-22-2011, 11:17 AM
Well, after all, he did jump up from the court and try to defend himself after chris paul tried to drive his head through the center logo with his elbow.:mad:

Still better than what CP did to Da Jules . . . .

OldPhiKap
01-22-2011, 12:59 PM
The 2001-2002 Heels were so bad, I felt sorry for them.

"The greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing people that he didn't exist."

-- Verbal Kent/Kaiser Soze


The only time I feel sorry for Carolina is never. And even then, not so much.

superdave
01-22-2011, 01:57 PM
The 2001-2002 Heels were so bad, I felt sorry for them.

And I hate myself for admitting that in writing.

I felt bad for Doherty. He should have been given at least 3-4 more years there.

MChambers
01-22-2011, 02:50 PM
I felt bad for Doherty. He should have been given at least 3-4 more years there.
He will always be my favorite UNC coach.

striker219
01-22-2011, 03:17 PM
I felt bad for Doherty. He should have been given at least 3-4 more years there.

I think the poor guy should be given another shot at it, a chance to redeem himself. Maybe we should start a letter writing campaign to have him considered as the eventual replacement for Ol' Roy.

As for the Wake game, it really is tough to take this one seriously. By the dork poll numbers Wake is the third worst team we will play this year. The worst were/are...

Team - (Sagarin/Kenpom)
Colgate - (325/331)
UNCG - (308/292)
Wake Forest - (252/238)
Bradley - (245/209)
Elon - (224/211)
Miami OH - (150/173)
Oregon - (170/115)
St. Louis - (154/132)

Looking back at the past few years of Pomeroy rankings, the lowest ranked ACC team rarely broke 100.

2010 - Virginia - 76
2009 - Virginia - 105
2008 - NC State - 96
2007 - Wake Forest - 87
2006 - Georgia Tech - 96
2005 - Florida State - 87
2004 - Clemson - 97
2003 - Clemson - 117

Once again, 2011 Wake Forest is currently ranked #238. Don't get me wrong, they could give us a game. Stranger things have happened. I just can't think of any off the top of my head.

Bob Green
01-22-2011, 03:42 PM
Once again, 2011 Wake Forest is currently ranked #238. Don't get me wrong, they could give us a game. Stranger things have happened. I just can't think of any off the top of my head.

December 23, 1982: Chaminade 77, Virginia 72. This is the classic example. One of Coach Krzyzewski's basic tenets is to respect your opponent. I'm sure the team isn't dismissing Wake Forest to the degree fans (myself included) are.

riverside6
01-22-2011, 03:50 PM
live tempo-based stats for the game here...

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=7024

Duke's starters: Smith, Dawkins, Singler, Kelly, Mason Plumlee

Surprised the line is only 22.5

_Gary
01-22-2011, 03:57 PM
Sigh... Gonna miss a good bit of the beginning if KS/TA&M doesn't hurry to a finish. Since they're tied right now with 5+ minutes to go I doubt it's going to end quickly. :mad:

timmy c
01-22-2011, 03:59 PM
Sigh... Gonna miss a good bit of the beginning if KS/TA&M doesn't hurry to a finish. Since they're tied right now with 5+ minutes to go I doubt it's going to end quickly. :mad:

Does anyone have a internet radio link to catch the start of the game?

DukeGirl4ever
01-22-2011, 04:03 PM
It's on ESPN3.com...I ALWAYS set up ESPN3 b/c the games seem to be running over EVERY TIME we play.

Tip off in 6 minutes, so we might be good!

_Gary
01-22-2011, 04:07 PM
The extra 10 minutes before tip will help, but we are still going to miss a portion of the first half. This game is going to take a good little while to finish up. The score is tight and I think both teams are in the bonus. It will be a parade to the free throw line more than likely.

stillcrazie
01-22-2011, 04:10 PM
It's on ESPN3.com...I ALWAYS set up ESPN3 b/c the games seem to be running over EVERY TIME we play.

Tip off in 6 minutes, so we might be good!

Yea! ESPN switching to Duke v. Wake!

HateCarolina
01-22-2011, 04:10 PM
I have ESPN3 ready to go as well, but hopefully this game will continue to stay close (i.e. within 2-3 points) in order to avoid the ten minute final minute with fouls and free throws.

I have come to expect to miss the beginning of our games when we play at 9 PM on weeknights or anytime during the weekend on ESPN. I really do wish they would allot an extra 15 minutes between games, but I don't think it will ever happen.

HateCarolina
01-22-2011, 04:12 PM
Now the split screen was nice for those few seconds...why not keep that going...???

_Gary
01-22-2011, 04:13 PM
Not where I'm at. Still got the KS game.

stillcrazie
01-22-2011, 04:17 PM
Not where I'm at. Still got the KS game.

I don't have HD; it's on regular ESPN.

HateCarolina
01-22-2011, 04:18 PM
ESPN3 keeps freezing up....and KSU keeps fouling in what's now a lost cause...oh the joy of trying to watch Duke outside of the state of NC.

DukeGirl4ever
01-22-2011, 04:19 PM
ESPN3 is great! I am glad they have it.
Looks like we'll only miss through the first media timeout, which isn't so bad.

Greg_Newton
01-22-2011, 04:22 PM
It would be nice if ESPN at some point developed some way to tape the beginning of your game from ESPN3 if you set a game to be recorded and it runs over. Luckily I got home in time to catch this (awful) beginning, but it can be very frustrating to realize your careful planning was all for naught.

Hopefully we start actually taking the ball at the rim at some point. The fact that Wake Forest has made us a jump shooting team is pathetic, I don't care how good we think we are at shooting.

dukestheheat
01-22-2011, 04:25 PM
.....if we choose to establish the paint and work outwards from that. For some reason, again, we have decided to shoot from way outside.

dth.

Fuqua's Finest
01-22-2011, 04:25 PM
Back to normal. I just wish Nolan and Singler would pass the ball to the post. Give the big guys a shot. My goodness. I have seen Miles post up on 3 straight plays only for Nolan and Kyle to play keep away and force up a shot.

ncexnyc
01-22-2011, 04:25 PM
Looks like the Wake kids didn't get the memo about how bad they were.

Greg_Newton
01-22-2011, 04:27 PM
It's not just that we need to feed the post - if our guards were attacking the rim with their dribble and cutting to the rim off the ball, it would be one thing. But just like in the FSU game, none of our players seem to be showing any interest in making WFU defend the rim. Weak.

SMO
01-22-2011, 04:29 PM
.....if we choose to establish the paint and work outwards from that. For some reason, again, we have decided to shoot from way outside.

dth.

Duke is shooting better from 3 than from the rest of the floor right now.

Oriole Way
01-22-2011, 04:36 PM
The Mason Plumlee fadeaway is pretty much the worst shot in organized basketball. I prefer the Shaquille O'Neal free throw attempt.

Greg_Newton
01-22-2011, 04:39 PM
Great play by Singler - that's what we need against teams like this. Don't force the semi-guarded 22-footer, pump fake and drive. Then don't force the pull-up in the lane, wait for the help and dish to a big.

slower
01-22-2011, 04:40 PM
Hasn't it been said that Wake is "possibly the worst team in ACC history"? Since I know that the mods don't react well to negativity, I'll just posit the question - "Why is the score of the game what it is?"

Is Wake just finally (as people are fond of saying) "getting it", or is there another reason?

It's now (finally) starting to look like we MAY pull away, but I'm just wondering if there's a reason why this team is falling short of the previous expectations of many on this board.

Is it because other teams have "figured us out"? Is more time necessary for the team chemistry to develop? Are K and the staff "tweaking" things, which means there will be some kind of learning curve? Is it psychological?

Awaiting enlightenment.

Oriole Way
01-22-2011, 04:44 PM
Hasn't it been said that Wake is "possibly the worst team in ACC history"? Since I know that the mods don't react well to negativity, I'll just posit the question - "Why is the score of the game what it is?"

Is Wake just finally (as people are fond of saying) "getting it", or is there another reason?

Duke tends to play worse in true road environments, and Wake, just like every other team in the country, looks at this as their national championship game. Not surprising that they are a lot more motivated to start out. They won't be able to sustain it the whole game, just like we saw against Virginia, except Wake is a far worse team with a worse coach.

dukebluelemur
01-22-2011, 04:47 PM
I don't know when Ive seen a game with this many calls going against us off the ball on the offensive end.

davekay1971
01-22-2011, 04:52 PM
This has been frustrating to watch so far. Our defense has been good overall, but our offense has, once again, looked very tentative. The biggest bright spot, so far: Ryan Kelly, who's playing as well or better than anyone on either end of the court.

Oriole Way
01-22-2011, 04:53 PM
Miles!!

SMO
01-22-2011, 04:54 PM
This has been frustrating to watch so far. Our defense has been good overall, but our offense has, once again, looked very tentative. The biggest bright spot, so far: Ryan Kelly, who's playing as well or better than anyone on either end of the court.

How about that Kelly kid? If he keeps this up could he be an added weapon?

Gthoma2a
01-22-2011, 04:54 PM
Tough start, but we are picking it up nicely.

dairedevil
01-22-2011, 04:55 PM
I'm liking this Kelly kid! He's really getting involved on both ends of the court, disrupting their offense, and is in double figures already!

SMO
01-22-2011, 04:55 PM
I think it's been over a week since Kelly missed a shot.

ncexnyc
01-22-2011, 04:55 PM
Did they get a good tongue lashing during the TV timeout?

Oriole Way
01-22-2011, 04:57 PM
Nasty jam by Miles, followed on the next possession by a nice block. Kelly has been playing great. Really like how those two have been playing since last game.

These past couple games have been a good time for Nolan to get a bad shooting slump out of his system.

Duke: A Dynasty
01-22-2011, 05:02 PM
Kelly and Miles are continuing last games success right here. Kyle is finaly doing preety good to start but Nolan has gone really cold.

dairedevil
01-22-2011, 05:04 PM
is Kelly. Hope he keeps up the great play in the second half. We've been a good second half team. Nolan and Kyle have had games that they haven't been able to do much in the first half, then get it going in the second. Do it again today!

bluepenguin
01-22-2011, 05:05 PM
it should be one of our easiest games of the season.
You would think.
Yet, Wake goes scoreless for almost 10 minutes and is only down by 4! Unbelievable.

Oriole Way
01-22-2011, 05:08 PM
I think I saw somewhere that Pomeroy has Duke as a 29 point favorite. I have no doubt we'll open up a case of pain on Wake in the second half. Even with Wake going scoreless for a long stretch in the first half, I think they pretty much played their A+ game, while Duke was pedestrian and Nolan Smith was really struggling and taking a ridiculously high volume of shots - a whopping 16 attempts, almost 45% of the team's total shots - and missing almost every single one. Nolan will pick it up, and I expect Duke should outscore Wake by 20 in the second half, which would work out to a 29 point win.

DukieInBrasil
01-22-2011, 05:09 PM
Big props to Ryan and Miles for their play so far. They've got 16 pts on 6 FGAs, that's awesome. Kyle's putting together a pretty nice game too.
The difference in the game so far is that Nolan is really struggling with his shot. I don't think it's Wake's D necessarily, though it is certainly a factor at some level, but he's hit some of his toughest shots, like the one in the lane in traffic, and missed some of his open jumpers. It's not like Wake's D is forcing him into bad misses every time, he's just off. Maybe he'll back on in the 2nd.

DukieInBrasil
01-22-2011, 05:13 PM
Duke tends to play worse in true road environments, and Wake, just like every other team in the country, looks at this as their national championship game. Not surprising that they are a lot more motivated to start out. They won't be able to sustain it the whole game, just like we saw against Virginia, except Wake is a far worse team with a worse coach.
Bzdelik may not be as top-notch as Bennett, but I'd hate to say that he was worse in that they are both good coaches. Bennett has also had a whole year at UVa already to get his message to his team and start to build his team, 2 recruiting classes now. Bzdelik is still working on developing his first recruiting class, thrown together at the last second.

ncexnyc
01-22-2011, 05:17 PM
Isn't there some rule, where the the person with the hot hand gets the shots?

DukeGirl4ever
01-22-2011, 05:25 PM
I see Wake still plays dirty even though MacFarland isn't there.

That was an intentional foul on Mason. No play was made on the ball.

And I have noticed a couple of their guys shoving our guys in the back as they go up for rebounds. No call on them, but when Kyle does it, it gets called. Nice.

jdc75
01-22-2011, 05:28 PM
I love Nolan, but I really wish he would quit driving to the basket looking only to shoot and not pass. He's not seeing the rest of the court or his potentially wide open teammates. Not to mention it's pretty easy to defend when it's 1 on 3.
Go Duke!!

dukelilsis
01-22-2011, 05:38 PM
[QUOTE=DukieInBrasil;467064]Bzdelik may not be as top-notch as Bennett, but I'd hate to say that he was worse in that they are both good coaches. Bennett has also had a whole year at UVa already to get his message to his team and start to build his team, 2 recruiting classes now. Bzdelik is still working on developing his first recruiting class, thrown together at the last second.[/QUOTE

Historically, Bzdelik has been bad at every school where he has coached with the exception of Air Force.

Team Years Record
Wake Forest 2010-2011 7-12 (0.368)
Colorado 2007-2010 36-58 (0.383)
Air Force 2005-2007 50-16 (0.758)
Maryland-Baltimore County 1986-1988 25-31 (0.446)

CLW
01-22-2011, 05:38 PM
If Mason isn't careful he's going to have to get used to riding the pine. Kelly looks like the light bulb has clicked and Miles is outplaying Mason again today.

Fuqua's Finest
01-22-2011, 05:44 PM
With 9 minutes left in the 2nd half, Nolan has taken 18 shots and Kyle has taken 18 shots. I know they are the seniors but my goodness, get someone else some shots. Geez they are really hogging the ball this game. We have a pretty comfy lead. I would like to see some other guys involved.

Mcluhan
01-22-2011, 05:46 PM
If Mason isn't careful he's going to have to get used to riding the pine. Kelly looks like the light bulb has clicked and Miles is outplaying Mason again today.

I've stopped drawing any conclusions for how either Plumlee performs in a particular game. We've been endlessly switching names in the statement "Miles is outplaying Mason again today".

CLW
01-22-2011, 05:47 PM
I've stopped drawing any conclusions for how either Plumlee performs in a particular game. We've been endlessly switching names in the statement "Miles is outplaying Mason again today".

That's true. Maybe I'm making to big of a leap in concluding that Miles will keep up his solid play beyond this week.

Oriole Way
01-22-2011, 05:48 PM
With 9 minutes left in the 2nd half, Nolan has taken 18 shots and Kyle has taken 18 shots. I know they are the seniors but my goodness, get someone else some shots. Geez they are really hogging the ball this game. We have a pretty comfy lead. I would like to see some other guys involved.

Yeah I agree, it's just that as seniors, they are afforded the freedom to take any shot they want.

It's been a mediocre game mainly because of how porrly Nolan has shot the ball today. But the continued good play of Kelly and Miles is very encouraging. I'd like to see Miles start over Mason next game. I would also like to see the team settle for less 3-point jumpers early in the shot clock, especially from Kyle, Andre, and Nolan.

CLW
01-22-2011, 05:51 PM
What a game for Kelly! Hoping he can build off of this VERY solid week and continue to improve down the stretch.

DukeGirl4ever
01-22-2011, 05:56 PM
Desrosiers (pardon my spelling) is this year's Chas MacFarland.

He has been dirty this whole game. I hate when players think they have to stoop that low. Shows me their talent level is weak.

1 24 90
01-22-2011, 06:08 PM
Scheyer wore down, down the stretch last year, Elmore? Really?

dairedevil
01-22-2011, 06:11 PM
Scheyer wore down, down the stretch last year, Elmore? Really?

I don't know what it takes to get some announcers who have a clue - Just noticed the "rare" zone defense....ugh, even my 84 year old mother knew that they had played it on & off all afternoon!

DukeGirl4ever
01-22-2011, 06:12 PM
Scheyer wore down, down the stretch last year, Elmore? Really?

He is a freaking moron! He was saying he was glad to see those Wake players fight when they got in that little battle under the basket. Was he seriously promoting pushing and shoving?