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pfrduke
02-09-2011, 11:12 PM
Gthc, gth!!!!!!!!!

DukeDevil
02-09-2011, 11:13 PM
What a second half!!! WOOHOOO!!!!!
(I had a bet that the loser wears a pin of the winning school for a week...phew!)

kong123
02-09-2011, 11:13 PM
good game guys, thought we had you

rotogod00
02-09-2011, 11:13 PM
loved the fight in the 2nd half. great defensive intensity

stillcrazie
02-09-2011, 11:14 PM
I can't believe what I just saw.

DukeUsul
02-09-2011, 11:15 PM
"The Nolan Game" - a great performance to remember.

kong123
02-09-2011, 11:15 PM
i told my wife at half that Duke was still going to win the game.

PSurprise
02-09-2011, 11:15 PM
But I'll take it. Always gratifying. 1st Place in the ACC!

GTHC

stillcrazie
02-09-2011, 11:16 PM
i told my wife at half that Duke was still going to win the game.

Seriously? I never thought we'd come back like that.

Duvall
02-09-2011, 11:16 PM
I love winning. It's, like, better than losing.

OldPhiKap
02-09-2011, 11:16 PM
Gthc, gth!!!!!!!!!

x 100.

Nolan F'n Smith.

Seth FFFFFFF'n Curry.


Wow.

ChicagoHeel
02-09-2011, 11:17 PM
Congratulations on a well earned, hard fought victory.

Easy to summarize from a broad level- our front court outscored yours, your back-court crushed ours, and the difference was the bench. Curry outscored McDonald and Bullock by a huge margin. Oh, if those two had hit the open threes in the second half!

TampaDukie
02-09-2011, 11:17 PM
Wow. That comeback was one for the ages.

Bob Green
02-09-2011, 11:17 PM
good game guys, thought we had you

Thanks! Your team showed a lot of fight. The rematch in Chapel Hill will be another dog fight.

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:17 PM
good game guys, thought we had you

I still think you guys are the best team in the conference but I'm going to enjoy this one for a bit.

hustleplays
02-09-2011, 11:18 PM
Nolan is a champion!

bluesmo
02-09-2011, 11:18 PM
x 100.

Nolan F'n Smith.

Seth FFFFFFF'n Curry.


Wow.

just like last year you never know who will step up

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:18 PM
Congratulations on a well earned, hard fought victory.

Easy to summarize from a broad level- our front court outscored yours, your back-court crushed ours, and the difference was the bench. Curry outscored McDonald and Bullock by a huge margin. Oh, if those two had hit the open threes in the second half!

If Kyle had managed to hit a couple shots this game would have been much less stressful.

hurley1
02-09-2011, 11:19 PM
Duke grew up tonite, plain and simple........they will play well now from here on in.....they turned the corner tonight.......

DukeBlueDevils47
02-09-2011, 11:19 PM
Seth curry!!!!!!

Andre Buckner Fan
02-09-2011, 11:19 PM
i told my wife at half that Duke was still going to win the game.

Really Kong? It's sad that a tarheel has more faith in my team than I do. :D

I loved Zeller's performance, but this one was all about Nolan roaring to life and Carolina folding under the pressure.

jv001
02-09-2011, 11:19 PM
I can't believe what I just saw.

And I can't either. What a comeback. Yes and the heels are good. Go Duke!

grossbus
02-09-2011, 11:21 PM
sweet.

exhausting, but sweet.

OldPhiKap
02-09-2011, 11:21 PM
Just checked IC, the refs gave us the game.

So I guess we'll have to live with that.

jv001
02-09-2011, 11:21 PM
Duke grew up tonite, plain and simple........they will play well now from here on in.....they turned the corner tonight.......

Because we need for Duke to come out with energy and put the opposition on their heels(play on words). Sure would like to know what Coach K had to say at halftime. Go Duke!

DukieInBrasil
02-09-2011, 11:22 PM
Wow. That comeback was one for the ages.
Certainly it was.
Duke came back from down 17 in the first half to Md. (in the F4?), though, so this one doesn't quite achieve record status. Still, it was mega!!!

hurley1
02-09-2011, 11:22 PM
UNC didn't have the depth to play at this intensity for the whole game........they started running out of gas half way through the second half and duke turned it on.......curry was outstanding as well as smith........plumlee played well too......

superdave
02-09-2011, 11:23 PM
Tyler Zeller was really good tonight. They dominated the frontcourt matchups today to a degree that should either wake up our big guys or cause some adjustments.

This was a gut check for Duke. They answered the bell. They stepped up and hit tough shots and got the defensive stops when it mattered. I dont know why the energy level was lacking early, but we got out-hustled at the start. Nice 2nd half...perhaps the type of 2nd half that can help Duke jump a level. I certainly hope so.

Super "Box out" Dave

60's Devil
02-09-2011, 11:23 PM
Duke grew up tonite, plain and simple........they will play well now from here on in.....they turned the corner tonight.......

Maybe so, but where will the inside game come from? Must admit I lost faith tonight, but thank goodness the devils didn't!!!

devildownunder
02-09-2011, 11:23 PM
Hey, it's the Carolina game: A whole season in one night. So much intensity goes into it and it means so much that it's pretty much impossible to evaluate it as part of the larger season.

As such, IMO, style points don't matter, Kyle's points don't matter. Just win, baby.

And so the guys have.

Well done, boys!

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:24 PM
Great job by the team to respond and adjust. Great, great win. This is a win to talk about for a long, long time.

pfrduke
02-09-2011, 11:24 PM
Just checked IC, the refs gave us the game.

So I guess we'll have to live with that.

I can sleep at night. Very happily :D

SCMatt33
02-09-2011, 11:24 PM
I said a few things in the in game thread at halftime what we needed to do to come back. Offensively, I said we needed 80 points, and we got 79, but we held them to only 30 in the second half! Our D stepped up bigger than I thought possible.

The specific things that I mentioned was cutting down on the turnovers and making rebounding harder for them in order to slow the transition game. I'd give Duke an A+ in that department. We came out on fire on the boards and you could count our second half turnovers on 1 hand. Because of this, they had very few transition chances. They also made their second chance points harder in the second half. Henson and Zeller for the most part had to shoot over people for the last 20 minutes. In the half court, we did a great job holding Marshall in check, and when he did get in the lane, we made him finish. Absolutely fantastic.

Two coaching things I noticed. Roy is really known for not using his timeouts, but he actually took a couple before the last two minutes. One to stem the tide after our first 8-0 run to start the half, and one after they brought it back to two and then we pushed it back out to 6. He missed a timeout call right around when we took the lead, but that is a big improvement for Ole Roy and he deserve a (very) little credit.

The other is the last play drawn up by Coach K to get Nolan the ball long. Before this, Kyle tried to sneak an inbound pass to Nolan after a foul shot, but it was knocked out of bounds forcing us to inbound from a stand still. We called timeout to get the Plumlees out of the game and couldn't get it in against the press. K saw that they were leaving the front court wide open and called the appropriate play.

Mabdul Doobakus
02-09-2011, 11:24 PM
Big props to Nolan and Seth for carrying us in the 2nd half. Mason, as bad as he was for much of the game, did play a big role in our comeback early in the 2nd with some key offensive boards, so grudging props to him. But possibly the biggest props go to UNC's outside shooters who missed a ton of open looks in both halves. I kept thinking "surely, this one will go in." But no...it was brick city.

mgtr
02-09-2011, 11:24 PM
This game brought on disappointment in the first half, but real hope throughout the second. In the last ten minutes I kept wondering where the team was we played in the first half. Thoroughly enjoyable.

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:25 PM
UNC didn't have the depth to play at this intensity for the whole game........they started running out of gas half way through the second half and duke turned it on.......curry was outstanding as well as smith........plumlee played well too......

UNC has no less depth than we do. Yet notice we didn't run out of gas.

CLW
02-09-2011, 11:25 PM
A tale of two halfs.

We were DOMINATED in every facet of the game in the 1st half (especially down low and on the glass)

2nd half the effort/intensity was on another level and Smith and Curry took the game over.

Hoping this game gives Curry a confidence boost as we are going to need a 3rd scorer like last season in March.

NashvilleDevil
02-09-2011, 11:25 PM
I still think you guys are the best team in the conference but I'm going to enjoy this one for a bit.

The #5 team in the country and the 1st place team in the ACC would disagree with this.

Teton Jack
02-09-2011, 11:25 PM
Incredible comeback! Incredible energy and passion in the second half. As intense as any game I have seen. Wow! How do I sleep tonight?

pfrduke
02-09-2011, 11:26 PM
Paging our board historians - what's the biggest halftime deficit overcome in the Duke-UNC series? And where does this one rank?

Saratoga2
02-09-2011, 11:26 PM
Seriously? I never thought we'd come back like that.

With our front line incapanle of scoring against the size and athleticism of UNC and their front line really hurting us, and down by 14, it looked like the best we could hope for was to play the second half even.

What happened? Our defense tightened, although I still thought the Plumlees were slow getting back and were burned even in the second half. Our rebounding did improve as well. We had Thornton injured for most of the second half and Andre hardly played.

I thought Kelly was very good for us in the both halfs, although not hitting many shots, while Nolan's condition and ability really was beyond anthing that UNC had. Add Seth Curry lighting on fire and we got an incredible comeback.

A lot of toughness shown out there tonight to believe we could come back and to make it happen. This is a night that Singler shot poorly, but had his nose in there on defense and rebounding.

56 points from Nolan and Seth with Kyle hitting maybe 10 and the rest very few.

Despite the issues with our interior, this game with help toughen them up for future matches.

Duvall
02-09-2011, 11:27 PM
UNC has no less depth than we do. Yet notice we didn't run out of gas.

The Duke players are used to an eight-man rotation, though. Smith is used to playing 40 minutes. Big difference.

OldSchool
02-09-2011, 11:27 PM
Huge win!

Nolan carried our team tonight, and then Seth provided the winning margin.

Kyle had a tough night offensively, but he was very tough on D against Barnes.

Zeller and Henson are so big inside, that we needed to have quick and strong block-outs by our bigs to hold them off on the boards, and we didn't manage that especially in the first half. Zeller and Henson are not stronger or more athletic than Mason and Miles, so in theory we should be able to body them up.

I would like to see the next stage of development for our bigs being to better play off of each other in post play. When one of our bigs gets the ball down low and is double-teamed, I would like to see them work on dishing the ball to another big for a layup or dunk, rather than just kicking it back out or getting stuffed.

I can't say enough how mentally tough Nolan has become as a senior!

CameronBlue
02-09-2011, 11:28 PM
good game guys, thought we had you

The are a few Dukies who would've joined you in the belief at halftime. Carolina played a superb half but like most games in this series, whichever team musters that iron will to win usually does. Not that Carolina was doggin it they weren't but tonight Duke had the bigger hearts named Seth Curry and Nolan Smith.

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:28 PM
The Duke players are used to an eight-man rotation, though. Smith is used to playing 40 minutes. Big difference.

Oh I totally agree. And I think it goes towards the argument of using a shorter rotation.

BlueHeaven
02-09-2011, 11:28 PM
This was waaay too stressful for me and now I can't sleep. I should have made cupcakes.

peplaw06
02-09-2011, 11:29 PM
Seth, you're grownsed up and you're grownsed up and you're grownsed up!

jv001
02-09-2011, 11:29 PM
good game guys, thought we had you

For a minute(first half) I thought you did to. kong123 your tarheels are good. GoDuke!

stillcrazie
02-09-2011, 11:30 PM
And I can't either. What a comeback. Yes and the heels are good. Go Duke!

I didn't think anyone would know Jack on this board. Nice!

hotbutteredseoul
02-09-2011, 11:30 PM
This may not add a lot of intellectual value to this thread, but still:

LJKASHFHJLASFLKHJAFDSJLASDFLHJKASDJKLFHALSDKJHFALS ;DF;ASDKLJFA;DFJSADLS;FLKHJAFWH;KE AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BBBBBYYYYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

superdave
02-09-2011, 11:30 PM
This is it for the remainder of the season. We know who we are, how to run our plays and what we're capable of.

If we focus on execution and bring our energy constantly to keep the intensity level high on defense, we're capable of beating 3-4 really good teams in a row.

Tale of two halves - lack of energy and focus in the 1st, plenty of it in the 2nd half.

Son of Mojo
02-09-2011, 11:31 PM
For those of you who watched the Raycom broadcast: yes, it did have G-Man. That was a plus. But I think Brando is in a corner rocking back and forth trying to figure out when to propose to Marshall and asking the producers to work up yet another unc highlight to play as he does it. It was horrible hearing him gush again and again over the kid. Great comeback by the guys tonight after a dreadful first half. Pure guts and determination with much smarter play.

hurley1
02-09-2011, 11:31 PM
Tyler Zeller was really good tonight. They dominated the frontcourt matchups today to a degree that should either wake up our big guys or cause some adjustments.

This was a gut check for Duke. They answered the bell. They stepped up and hit tough shots and got the defensive stops when it mattered. I dont know why the energy level was lacking early, but we got out-hustled at the start. Nice 2nd half...perhaps the type of 2nd half that can help Duke jump a level. I certainly hope so.

Super "Box out" Dave

north carolina is a faster team than duke........and they have more athleticism under the basket.....BUT......the game is 40 minutes long and once the hells started getting winded, the speed went out of the window........duke got down early, but, they stayed close enough to take over the game once they got the hells slowed down to the pace where they could eat them alive........

BD80
02-09-2011, 11:31 PM
Kudos to the heels, great game. Too exciting.


x 100.

Nolan F'n Smith.

Seth FFFFFFF'n Curry.

Wow.

You mean :

Nolan 9F'n Smith.

Seth 9F9F9F9F9F9F9F'n Curry.


... Roy is really known for not using his timeouts, but he actually took a couple before the last two minutes. One to stem the tide after our first 8-0 run to start the half, and one after they brought it back to two and then we pushed it back out to 6. ...

Actually, ol' roy took those TOs because the Duke runs had him feeling a little light-headed

Andre Buckner Fan
02-09-2011, 11:31 PM
Seth, you're grownsed up and you're grownsed up and you're grownsed up!

I loved the fire from the team in the second half! Miles looked like he'd decided to wake up. :)

Even the players who weren't executing well were pumped up and playing with intensity.

I LOVED seeing Curry shouting after his basket. We need some more of that! Bottle that!

kong123
02-09-2011, 11:31 PM
Oh I totally agree. And I think it goes towards the argument of using a shorter rotation.

home court advantage during a comeback is important as well.

NashvilleDevil
02-09-2011, 11:32 PM
Paging our board historians - what's the biggest halftime deficit overcome in the Duke-UNC series? And where does this one rank?

The only one that I think was bigger was the 17 point comeback with 12 minutes to go in 1998. Brand's breakout game after coming back from the broken foot.

SCMatt33
02-09-2011, 11:33 PM
home court advantage during a comeback is important as well.

I totally agree. That's why they let us play two games. Already exited for March! Prime time, baby!

OZ
02-09-2011, 11:34 PM
Incredible defense in the second half.

Nolan absolutely refusing to lose.

Seth showing a foretaste of what is to come with him..

Just a tuff.. tufff.. gutty TEAM performance in the second half.

Damn, I am proud and eshausted..

It will be several days before I'll have my voice back and even longer until I'll be able to hear again... God it is wonderful to be "Cameron deaf."

stillcrazie
02-09-2011, 11:34 PM
This was waaay too stressful for me and now I can't sleep. I should have made cupcakes.

It's not too late. I like chocolate.

hurley1
02-09-2011, 11:34 PM
UNC has no less depth than we do. Yet notice we didn't run out of gas.

our second 5 are much better then their second 5........and probably quicker.....

HCheek37
02-09-2011, 11:35 PM
Skype that Harrison.

Hey Reggie, wanna keep talking trash like you did in this video below?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arv-P1UyCyQ


What a game, Seth and Nolan really carried this team offensively while Kyle shut down HB in the 2nd half.

4decadedukie
02-09-2011, 11:37 PM
Character is every bit as essential to difficult, critical victories as is talent. The tenacity to overcome a 14 point halftime deficit, to defeat an excellent UNC team, to extend the nation's longest home winning streak at our home, and to play with poise in the clutch largely defines team character. A splendid victory, notwithstanding some imperfections.

sagegrouse
02-09-2011, 11:37 PM
Zeller, Henson, and Knox had 23 points. Mason, Ryan and Miles had one (1). The Heels trio only outscored our guys 18-9 in the second half.

But as it ended up, no UNC guard was in double figures, and that proved to be deadly for them. Devilside, Nolan had 34 and Seth had 22.

Erstwhile Heel hero Kendall Marshall played well with sic assists and only one TO to go with his nine points. Making him a shooter worked well, as he was only 3-11.

Duke was much more aggressive on the boards in the second half, and the defense was much better (I almost said "Miles" better, which is true).

sagegrouse
'I like the sound of "erstwhile Heel hero" '

ChicagoHeel
02-09-2011, 11:37 PM
Aside from obvious like Smith's historic game and your bench beating ours, here is my sense of a few intangibles that swung the game in your favor:

1. Strickland's foul trouble really hurt us and took us out of the attack mode that worked so well in the first half.

2. You have no inside scoring threat, it's pitiful really, but have toughness when it comes to pulling down rebounds. We just didn't get the put-backs in the second half and it was not from lack of effort, but just very solid play by Duke's interior.

3. We could/ should have been up by more than 14 at the half. A few missed lay-ups/ turnovers on the break/ good transition defense by Duke kept it from being a complete blowout. I don't think you would have comeback if we had converted on just a couple more plays in the first half.


I expected to lose and am trying to be happy that we lost a close one, but it sucks to lose a 14 point halftime lead. I will have to bury myself in work for a few days.

BleedsP287
02-09-2011, 11:38 PM
Great comeback. The intensity that was lacking in the first half finally came out. I hope we have two halves like that in the away game.

Bob Green
02-09-2011, 11:39 PM
our second 5 are much better then their second 5........and probably quicker.....

Actually, there is no second five for either team. We played eight players while Carolina played nine. Our three bench players outscored their four bench players 29-11, so I'll agree our bench was better than their bench.

jv001
02-09-2011, 11:39 PM
I still think you guys are the best team in the conference but I'm going to enjoy this one for a bit.

Don't get me wrong. I think the heels are a real good team now that marshall's running the point. But they are no better than our Blue Devils. Like you mentioned, had Kyle hit a few more shots the game would not have been as stressful(close). I seem to remember that you just about gave up at half time. Go Duke!

dukestheheat
02-09-2011, 11:39 PM
Hey, it's the Carolina game: A whole season in one night. So much intensity goes into it and it means so much that it's pretty much impossible to evaluate it as part of the larger season.

As such, IMO, style points don't matter, Kyle's points don't matter. Just win, baby.

And so the guys have.

Well done, boys!

That was a true game of two halves and I'm just amazed that Duke was able to do a total about-face in the second from the first; we simply must work to develop our paint performance as we won't be able to continue to live from outside. The paint guys have shown flashes of greatness yet we'll keep working to establish more consistency there. Even at times tonight, we were able to bring it inside! There will come a day soon where we can put that together for two halves, and that'll take a lot of pressure of our guys on the perimeter!

Great win for the good guys!

Go Duke!

dth.

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:40 PM
K wasted little time getting Thornton out of there. I think he was in over his head in this game.

hurley1
02-09-2011, 11:40 PM
I said a few things in the in game thread at halftime what we needed to do to come back. Offensively, I said we needed 80 points, and we got 79, but we held them to only 30 in the second half! Our D stepped up bigger than I thought possible.

The specific things that I mentioned was cutting down on the turnovers and making rebounding harder for them in order to slow the transition game. I'd give Duke an A+ in that department. We came out on fire on the boards and you could count our second half turnovers on 1 hand. Because of this, they had very few transition chances. They also made their second chance points harder in the second half. Henson and Zeller for the most part had to shoot over people for the last 20 minutes. In the half court, we did a great job holding Marshall in check, and when he did get in the lane, we made him finish. Absolutely fantastic.

Two coaching things I noticed. Roy is really known for not using his timeouts, but he actually took a couple before the last two minutes. One to stem the tide after our first 8-0 run to start the half, and one after they brought it back to two and then we pushed it back out to 6. He missed a timeout call right around when we took the lead, but that is a big improvement for Ole Roy and he deserve a (very) little credit.

The other is the last play drawn up by Coach K to get Nolan the ball long. Before this, Kyle tried to sneak an inbound pass to Nolan after a foul shot, but it was knocked out of bounds forcing us to inbound from a stand still. We called timeout to get the Plumlees out of the game and couldn't get it in against the press. K saw that they were leaving the front court wide open and called the appropriate play.

roy had to call his timeouts and needed more.......his team was gasping for air and flat footed........once that gas runs out in cameron, you have a big problem........i called the home run to smith during the timeout.......that play was also a result of the fatigue of the hells......

arydolphin
02-09-2011, 11:40 PM
Sure, Nolan and Seth put the team on their backs from an offensive standpoint in the second half, but the improved defense and rebounding was the key to the second half. Also, I know that Kyle did a good job defensively on Barnes in the second half, but he also shot 3-17 in this game, that's just not like him. I think that Barnes' length really gave Kyle trouble on the offensive end, and he also missed some open shots as well.

NashvilleDevil
02-09-2011, 11:42 PM
K wasted little time getting Thornton out of there. I think he was in over his head in this game.

Are you talking before or after he hurt his back?

Rudy
02-09-2011, 11:42 PM
Props to Barnes and Henson for a good defensive job on Kyle. Carolina is for real. Last time I saw them play was in '10 when their guard play was bad and their defense all around was bad. Neither is true anymore. Drew who?

hurley1
02-09-2011, 11:43 PM
Aside from obvious like Smith's historic game and your bench beating ours, here is my sense of a few intangibles that swung the game in your favor:

1. Strickland's foul trouble really hurt us and took us out of the attack mode that worked so well in the first half.

2. You have no inside scoring threat, it's pitiful really, but have toughness when it comes to pulling down rebounds. We just didn't get the put-backs in the second half and it was not from lack of effort, but just very solid play by Duke's interior.

3. We could/ should have been up by more than 14 at the half. A few missed lay-ups/ turnovers on the break/ good transition defense by Duke kept it from being a complete blowout. I don't think you would have comeback if we had converted on just a couple more plays in the first half.


I expected to lose and am trying to be happy that we lost a close one, but F--ing A it sucks to lose a 14 point halftime lead. I will have to bury myself in work for a few days.

conditioning.......the battle of attrition........your boys ran out of steam.......

Andre Buckner Fan
02-09-2011, 11:43 PM
Aside from obvious like Smith's historic game and your bench beating ours, here is my sense of a few intangibles that swung the game in your favor:

1. Strickland's foul trouble really hurt us and took us out of the attack mode that worked so well in the first half.

Your team is young and talented, but mostly young. Strickland was precise and then wild. They earned their fouls and plenty more. But they had fire that we couldn't match until the second half.



3. We could/ should have been up by more than 14 at the half. A few missed lay-ups/ turnovers on the break/ good transition defense by Duke kept it from being a complete blowout. I don't think you would have comeback if we had converted on just a couple more plays in the first half.


I agree. Good thing they didn't. :D

bluesmo
02-09-2011, 11:43 PM
on point 2 you are exactly right...Duke almost never recruits the outstanding big man
...its a blindspot I suppose?


Aside from obvious like Smith's historic game and your bench beating ours, here is my sense of a few intangibles that swung the game in your favor:

1. Strickland's foul trouble really hurt us and took us out of the attack mode that worked so well in the first half.

2. You have no inside scoring threat, it's pitiful really, but have toughness when it comes to pulling down rebounds. We just didn't get the put-backs in the second half and it was not from lack of effort, but just very solid play by Duke's interior.

3. We could/ should have been up by more than 14 at the half. A few missed lay-ups/ turnovers on the break/ good transition defense by Duke kept it from being a complete blowout. I don't think you would have comeback if we had converted on just a couple more plays in the first half.


I expected to lose and am trying to be happy that we lost a close one, but F--ing A it sucks to lose a 14 point halftime lead. I will have to bury myself in work for a few days.

hurley1
02-09-2011, 11:44 PM
Are you talking before or after he hurt his back?

both........he's simply not ready......

Neals384
02-09-2011, 11:44 PM
Harrison Who?

ncexnyc
02-09-2011, 11:44 PM
At halftime I wrote, "Totally beyond words." I think that is pretty much how I feel right now. I'm pretty sure I screamed more F-bombs at the TV than Coach K did in the locker room at halftime. I'll sleep on the game for now and try to write something halfway objective in the morning.

NashvilleDevil
02-09-2011, 11:45 PM
Also, I know that Kyle did a good job defensively on Barnes in the second half, but he also shot 3-17 in this game, that's just not like him. I think that Barnes' length really gave Kyle trouble on the offensive end, and he also missed some open shots as well.

I think the block by Barnes on Kyle's first shot may have taken Kyle out of his game. I also think that Kyle has started to look at the refs whenever there is contact hoping to get a call. It has been frustrating to watch him not get any love from the refs this year.

hurley1
02-09-2011, 11:45 PM
Actually, there is no second five for either team. We played eight players while Carolina played nine. Our three bench players outscored their four bench players 29-11, so I'll agree our bench was better than their bench.

exactly my point......just in fewer words.........

Andre Buckner Fan
02-09-2011, 11:46 PM
That was a true game of two halves and I'm just amazed that Duke was able to do a total about-face in the second from the first; we simply must work to develop our paint performance as we won't be able to continue to live from outside.

I could be wrong, but I think without the sting of the St. John's game we'd have lost this one.

And I like that we lost to St. John's rather than UNC at home. :D:D:D

Surfsideron
02-09-2011, 11:46 PM
Yep, Curry and Smith were great offensively but putting Smith on Marshall in the second half completely changed the game. He almost shut him down cold, especially in the first 15 minutes which allowed the Devils to come back. Great defense won this game......and some hot shooting by Curry!

taiw93
02-09-2011, 11:47 PM
I am REALLY curious what went on in the locker room at halftime. And whatever it was, I want some of it. A few thoughts:

1. Nolan Smith just pulled VERY close to Jimmer in the NCAA POY race. He positively took over this game in the second half. Period.
2. Speaking of taking over the game, Seth Curry was on fire during the most pivotal stretch in this one. His shot was not missing, and he used the shot fake extremely effectively, while also handling the ball extremely well. He also passed the ball extremely well (5 assists) and played great D. He will be a superstar by his senior year.
3. Miles Plumlee played a GREAT game, locking down on defense and on the boards in the second half. Mason had a terrible first half, but played a lot better in the second.
Ryan Kelly didn't shoot the ball well, but always seems to be in the right place at the right time on defense and on rebounds. He is the definition of a smart player.
4. Kyle Singler may have finished 1-17 from the field, but he played a great game. No, he couldn't hit shots, but he positively shut down Barnes defensively, and had a lot of tough plays and big rebounds. This is why Kyle, I believe, will have a long career as a key NBA player - even when his shot isn't falling, he plays a solid, workmanlike game.

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:47 PM
Are you talking before or after he hurt his back?

oh yeah, the back.

pfrduke
02-09-2011, 11:47 PM
I think the block by Barnes on Kyle's first shot may have taken Kyle out of his game. I also think that Kyle has started to look at the refs whenever there is contact hoping to get a call. It has been frustrating to watch him not get any love from the refs this year.

To be fair, Kyle has gotten an awful lot of contact that hasn't been called. I'm not sure exactly why it is, but he can't seem to buy a foul call.

Dukeface88
02-09-2011, 11:47 PM
The important thing in all of this:

Order has been maintained.

cameroncrazy3104
02-09-2011, 11:47 PM
Miles did his best Zoubs impression tonight. Nolan had a player of the year sort of night. Kyle held their preseason All-American to 9 for the game and 2 for the second half. And on top of that we won and Carolina lost.

I would say it was a pretty solid night or lets say solid last 20 minutes.

The only things I didnt like was once Zeller got the ball on the block he scored nearly every time. And if Marshall stays for a couple years I will learn to strongly strongly strongly dislike him.

dukelifer
02-09-2011, 11:48 PM
Great comeback. The intensity that was lacking in the first half finally came out. I hope we have two halves like that in the away game.

Hmmm- there was plenty of intensity in the first half- just not good execution and communication

InSpades
02-09-2011, 11:48 PM
Nolan and Seth: 21 for 35 from the field.
everyone else: 7 of 33.

Amazing how well those 2 carried the team on the offensive end. However it was a real team effort on defense in the 2nd half. Without that there's no comeback because there was practicallly no defense in the 1st half. Way too many easy baskets (where have we seen that before?).

We keep getting big games from different guys and I keep thinking "maybe this is the breakout game for *insert name here*". Hopefully this really is that for Seth. We know he has the talent... shooting is about confidence when you have a stroke like that. Maybe he found it.

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:49 PM
Don't get me wrong. I think the heels are a real good team now that marshall's running the point. But they are no better than our Blue Devils. Like you mentioned, had Kyle hit a few more shots the game would not have been as stressful(close). I seem to remember that you just about gave up at half time. Go Duke!

Oh yeah, I'll admit it. I thought we were done in. I doubt I was alone.

jkidd31
02-09-2011, 11:50 PM
The only one that I think was bigger was the 17 point comeback with 12 minutes to go in 1998. Brand's breakout game after coming back from the broken foot.

That was the game I was thinking of. That game rocked.

mike88
02-09-2011, 11:50 PM
I want to give props to Ryan Kelly- I thought he (and also Miles) played much tougher in the second half on defense and the boards. Ryan also knocked down a couple of big shots in the comeback, and his 3-point threat helped keep the lane open for Nolan.

Rogue
02-09-2011, 11:50 PM
The way the holes were blowing by us in the first half,, and at times, it was fugly,, I was afraid it was going to look like the St Johns games..

What ever slowed them down in the second half,, exhaustion,, defense,, what ever it was,, I'm glad it worked..

So glad Bullock looked so bad out there.

Glad we didn't have to hear HB's name all night..

Their big men,, are good.

Our TEAM ,, is GOOD..

GOOOOOOO DUKE

mr. synellinden
02-09-2011, 11:52 PM
Certainly it was.
Duke came back from down 17 in the first half to Md. (in the F4?), though, so this one doesn't quite achieve record status. Still, it was mega!!!

Actually duke was down 22 in that final four game.

What a win! One of the best regular season wins ever. Reminiscent of the Brand comeback game. Electric atmosphere in Cameron in the second half. All-time great performance by Smith. The kind of game that can win you player of the year awards and jersey retirement. Curry was unbelievable - to do that in your first Carolina game? Wow.




UNC is a top 10 team.

timmy c
02-09-2011, 11:52 PM
Nolan and Seth: 21 for 35 from the field.
everyone else: 7 of 33.

Amazing how well those 2 carried the team on the offensive end. However it was a real team effort on defense in the 2nd half. Without that there's no comeback because there was practicallly no defense in the 1st half. Way too many easy baskets (where have we seen that before?).

We keep getting big games from different guys and I keep thinking "maybe this is the breakout game for *insert name here*". Hopefully this really is that for Seth. We know he has the talent... shooting is about confidence when you have a stroke like that. Maybe he found it.

I wonder if Seth's play will earn him a few more minutes in the coming weeks and maybe a return to the starting line up.

Channing
02-09-2011, 11:52 PM
i know nolan and seth were on fire, but I was surprised that Dawkins sat for such extended periods of time. i didnt think he was that bad in the first half, and he knocked down one of his threes...

RoyalBlue08
02-09-2011, 11:52 PM
I agree with many of the things said so far. One thing I wanted to add. I think we saw both the worst and the best of the MPs in this game. In the first half, they were all over the place on defense and trying to post everyone up instead of setting screens and were frankly killing us. In the second half they went into screen and offensive rebound mode on the offensive end and protecting the basket on the defensive end. All things they do well and they were essential to our comeback. I think we are at the point of the season where we have to just accept what we are. We have some spot up shooters and some guys who can beat you off the bounce. I honestly think our best offense is setting screens for open 3s and hunting offensive boards (much like last year). I would love to see more and more of this as the season progresses.

superdave
02-09-2011, 11:52 PM
K wasted little time getting Thornton out of there. I think he was in over his head in this game.

I think he bruised his tailbone or lower back. Also, tonight's performance further cements in my mind that Thornton is best used coming off the bench in 2-3 bursts.

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:53 PM
To be fair, Kyle has gotten an awful lot of contact that hasn't been called. I'm not sure exactly why it is, but he can't seem to buy a foul call.

That may come around soon. I'll also bet he gets in a groove now that we're heading into mid February. He has proved in the past to be huge as the season gets down to the most important part.

delfrio
02-09-2011, 11:54 PM
May be most exciting Cameron victory since Triple Overtime in 1968

Incredible comeback! Incredible energy and passion in the second half. As intense as any game I have seen. Wow! How do I sleep tonight?

Did you happen to see the 1995 double overtime loss? Most intense game I've seen since. And I lost my voice at that game.

jipops
02-09-2011, 11:54 PM
I think he bruised his tailbone or lower back. Also, tonight's performance further cements in my mind that Thornton is best used coming off the bench in 2-3 bursts.

I completely forgot about that, my bad. I'm sure that is what actually affected his pt out there tonight.

Saratoga2
02-09-2011, 11:56 PM
To be fair, Kyle has gotten an awful lot of contact that hasn't been called. I'm not sure exactly why it is, but he can't seem to buy a foul call.

There were several times in the second half when he was hammered. Perhaps because he went into the shot in a bordeline out of control mode the refs didn't see it his way. Such is life though.

Channing
02-09-2011, 11:56 PM
my favorite tv shot of the game was seth going back on d giving the ole JJ head shake - saying that he cant be guarded.

superdave
02-09-2011, 11:56 PM
Hmmm- there was plenty of intensity in the first half- just not good execution and communication

Carolina had more energy and out-hustled us in the first half. Not even close. If we played 10% harder in the first half, it's a 2-3 point game at half.

dukelifer
02-09-2011, 11:57 PM
Several thoughts.

Henson is a really good player. That miffed ally oop where he passed to Zeller was pretty impressive. He may be thin- but he is a unique player and has great skills for a college big man. But he will need to work on his throws- but he is going to be a lottery pick next year.

Barnes was pretty invisible in the second half and Kyle was a big reason for that. The hard D he played on Barnes affected his O but Barnes and others really took him out of his game.

Roy had a very good game plan- someone other the Singler needed to beat Duke. Curry stepped up and showed that he can play in the big game and on the big stage. That was a great performance.

Duke's bigs are not there yet- but still solid in moments. Ryan has some nice bounds and blocks. He had some wide open looks that he will start to make.

Duke's D was much more disruptive in the second half. I think teams will do what Duke did tonight and force Marshall to shoot rather than pass.

Nolan's handle is at an NBA level. Kyrie or somebody has helped a lot. For folks who do not think players can get better - look at Nolan. His driving and shooting are light-years beyond what he showed his first two seasons.

Great win- Duke needs to keep it going.

Delaware
02-09-2011, 11:59 PM
I think the block by Barnes on Kyle's first shot may have taken Kyle out of his game. I also think that Kyle has started to look at the refs whenever there is contact hoping to get a call. It has been frustrating to watch him not get any love from the refs this year.

He was held, pushed, checked and totally hammered by two guys on one drive... just no calls at all. Has been happening all year. He must be frustrated.

stillcrazie
02-10-2011, 12:00 AM
Several thoughts.

Henson is a really good player. That miffed ally oop where he passed to Zeller was pretty impressive. He may be thin- but he is a unique player and has great skills for a college big man. But he will need to work on his throws- but he is going to be a lottery pick next year.

Barnes was pretty invisible in the second half and Kyle was a big reason for that. The hard D he played on Barnes affected his O but Barnes and others really took him out of his game.

Roy had a very good game plan- someone other the Singler needed to beat Duke. Curry stepped up and showed that he can play in the big game and on the big stage. That was a great performance.

Duke's bigs are not there yet- but still solid in moments. Ryan has some nice bounds and blocks. He had some wide open looks that he will start to make.

Duke's D was much more disruptive in the second half. I think teams will do what Duke did tonight and force Marshall to shoot rather than pass.

Nolan's handle is at an NBA level. Kyrie or somebody has helped a lot. For folks who do not think players can get better - look at Nolan. His driving and shooting are light-years beyond what he showed his first two seasons.

Great win- Duke needs to keep it going.

Yes, Duke improved incredibly from his soph to junior season. I didn't think he could get much better this year, but he has. Dude works hard and it shows.

stillcrazie
02-10-2011, 12:01 AM
Yes, Duke improved incredibly from his soph to junior season. I didn't think he could get much better this year, but he has. Dude works hard and it shows.

Sorry, I mean Smith. I had a beer to try to calm myself down and it6# affe3$cted my ty)8pihng.

shoutingncu
02-10-2011, 12:01 AM
Congrats. To be continued...

Duke84
02-10-2011, 12:01 AM
By Yahoo's box score, Marshall had 9 points (on 3-11 shooting), was 3-6 from the line, and hit no 3 pointers. Granted, he had 6 assists to one TO and some nice passes - but in the end, his team lost.

So why were Vitale and Schulman comparing him to both Lenny Wilkens and Nate "Tiny" Archibald? Archibald played in the NBA for 14 years, and once had a 34 PPG/11.4 APG season. Lenny Wilkens is in the NBA Hall of Fame and retired #2 in NBA career assists (behind Oscar Robertson), which has since been surpassed.

Kendall Marshall? 3 good games.

Saratoga2
02-10-2011, 12:01 AM
I agree with many of the things said so far. One thing I wanted to add. I think we saw both the worst and the best of the MPs in this game. In the first half, they were all over the place on defense and trying to post everyone up instead of setting screens and were frankly killing us. In the second half they went into screen and offensive rebound mode on the offensive end and protecting the basket on the defensive end. All things they do well and they were essential to our comeback. I think we are at the point of the season where we have to just accept what we are. We have some spot up shooters and some guys who can beat you off the bounce. I honestly think our best offense is setting screens for open 3s and hunting offensive boards (much like last year). I would love to see more and more of this as the season progresses.

I thought both Miles and Mason were slow getting back in both halfs and were frequently beaten inside. Their rebounding picked up in the second half though and resulted in additional shot attempts. When they did get back, they made it difficult to score inside. I still think Ryan does the best job of getting into position and that resulted in his blocking shots and taking a charge or two,

superdave
02-10-2011, 12:02 AM
Coach K post game....Duke was scattered to start off....bad use of energy....Carolina so fast.....Crazies never gave up on Duke.

gam7
02-10-2011, 12:02 AM
Not sure if this point has been made (a little hard to keep up with all the posts), but I loved the adjustment that the bigs made at halftime to be more of a threat on the offensive boards. Instead of going up to grab rebounds with both hands, our bigs were just tipping the ball back out, a strategy that Zoubek mastered last year, resulting in good second looks for our shooters. This resulted in seven offensive boards in the first seven minutes of the second half. In the first half, Carolina's bigs were jumping quicker and reacting faster than we were. Just getting a tip of a finger on the ball counteracts some of the length and quickness advantage they had.

EDIT: Ha, I agree with you Saratoga!

bluesmo
02-10-2011, 12:02 AM
He was held, pushed, checked and totally hammered by two guys on one drive... just no calls at all. Has been happening all year. He must be frustrated.

thats the way it usually is for Duke especially out of conference

billyj
02-10-2011, 12:03 AM
Skype that Harrison.

Hey Reggie, wanna keep talking trash like you did in this video below?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arv-P1UyCyQ


What a game, Seth and Nolan really carried this team offensively while Kyle shut down HB in the 2nd half.

LOL Reggie, "Andre Dawkins can't guard me." Great performance tonight.

Lord Ash
02-10-2011, 12:04 AM
Phew:)

One note; Dre seemed a bit shaky on D... kept biting on pump-fakes. I think maybe that is why Seth was used more often, as he was a bit more steady.

Going to bed with a smile!

superdave
02-10-2011, 12:04 AM
Congrats. To be continued...

Bring it on. We got something for the Smith Center.

This game gave Duke more confidence than any other victory all year. These guys know they are capable of anything. Just a matter of keeping energy level high and executing.

We'll see you in a month.

dukelifer
02-10-2011, 12:05 AM
By Yahoo's box score, Marshall had 9 points (on 3-11 shooting), was 3-6 from the line, and hit no 3 pointers. Granted, he had 6 assists to one TO and some nice passes - but in the end, his team lost.

So why were Vitale and Schulman comparing him to both Lenny Wilkens and Nate "Tiny" Archibald? Archibald played in the NBA for 14 years, and once had a 34 PPG/11.4 APG season. Lenny Wilkens is in the NBA Hall of Fame and retired #2 in NBA career assists (behind Oscar Robertson), which has since been surpassed.

Kendall Marshall? 3 good games.

On the Raycom feed, Giminski compared him to Jason Kidd. Marshall got more love and NBA comparisons than Barnes the preseason AA. No wonder Drew left- how do you compete with the next Kidd/Wilkens/Archibald.

superdave
02-10-2011, 12:06 AM
Phew:)

One note; Dre seemed a bit shaky on D... kept biting on pump-fakes. I think maybe that is why Seth was used more often, as he was a bit more steady.

Going to bed with a smile!

Seth also played pg some tonight to help Nolan out.

NashvilleDevil
02-10-2011, 12:06 AM
Bring it on. We got something for the Smith Center.

This game gave Duke more confidence than any other victory all year. These guys know they are capable of anything. Just a matter of keeping energy level high and executing.

We'll see you in a month.

And there is the possibility that #1 may be suiting up for Duke when that game is played.

bl33dblu3
02-10-2011, 12:10 AM
Yelled a lot both halves (for different reasons)
Ha, had to tell my wife it's not "just a game" it is THE game.
Now let's take care of the rest of the ACC!

jipops
02-10-2011, 12:12 AM
LOL Reggie, "Andre Dawkins can't guard me." Great performance tonight.

Reggie's line - 0-5, 0-4 from 3, 0 pts.

NashvilleDevil
02-10-2011, 12:14 AM
Reggie's line - 0-5, 0-4 from 3, 0 pts.

Glad to see that he played poorly tonight. Was also happy to see that Barnes was a non factor. Any win against Carolina is satisfying but after that smug smile after he made that that 3 this one feels really good.

BigZ
02-10-2011, 12:15 AM
As great as Nolan and Curry were Miles was just as key. In the first half Henson and Zeller destroyed Duke on the glass but Miles brought attitude in the second half and while they still scored they didn't get second looks and Duke got second chances.

jv001
02-10-2011, 12:17 AM
Coach K post game....Duke was scattered to start off....bad use of energy....Carolina so fast.....Crazies never gave up on Duke.

He also said our guys went nuts or something to that effect. Not lacking for effort but just were nuts. Go Duke!

JMarley50
02-10-2011, 12:18 AM
I dont know if its been mentioned, but did anyone else notice that it was a Duke kind of night in the NBA too! J.J. had a pretty good game, he even had a full court pass to D. Howard for a dunk at the end of the game. It looked like the play to Nolan. On the other side Jamison had a horrid night and the Cavs lost again!

jipops
02-10-2011, 12:19 AM
Glad to see that he played poorly tonight. Was also happy to see that Barnes was a non factor. Any win against Carolina is satisfying but after that smug smile after he made that that 3 this one feels really good.

Tons of credit goes to Kyle's defense on Barnes. He was superb on defense tonight, both on the ball and switching on the double team. Barnes was good on Singler as well. Kyle was working so hard to get space I think he lost his legs on his shots.

dukepsy1963
02-10-2011, 12:20 AM
It's why the rivalry is what it is.... It will aways be like this no matter what. How many games like this one have I seen (survived, I might add)? Well, let's just say, a few...:).
And don't worry about your heart and nerves; it's part of why I keep coming back each year.

Nolan's jersey should hang in the rafters. Tonight decided it for me. Why not two guys on the ceiling this year. Come on "powers that be"; lets do it!

And Seth? Thanks so much for a hell of game.

Go Duke as always!

billyj
02-10-2011, 12:23 AM
Today is 100th win against UNC!!
:cool:

JMarley50
02-10-2011, 12:24 AM
I have to be at work in 6 hours..... I don't have a chance at sleep. What a game!!! GO DUKE!!!!

Billy Dat
02-10-2011, 12:24 AM
First off, Nolan Smith, you are building quite a legendary history at the Gothic Wonderland. Without you, I am not sure what the team's record would be this year. You are always ready to play, always ready to carry the team when it needs you, always looking to take the big shot. Legends are made in games like tonight, and since you are already kind of a legend, maybe tonight makes you some kind of Associate Legend with full legend priveledges still to be earned between now and the first Monday in April? You are something else, kid.

Seth Curry? You picked a great night to show us how offensively potent you can be. Thanks, boss, I am much happier writing post midnight DBR posts after a win over Carolina than the alternative. Your defense aint shabby, either.

Kyle? We didn't need to find out how offensively skilled Harrison Barnes is because you were on him like white on rice. He bottled you up pretty good, too, though. I wish you'd taken him, and anyone else guarding you, into the post, more. I think your brains and brawn are a natural fit for abusing mismatches on that low block. Keep fighting, we need you to keep playing like the All American you are.

Bigs - watch both halves on tape - both the one where you showed heart and fight and the one where you looked lost. Immitate the better half in all future outings.

Finally, Heels, you appear to be back. It was a lot of fun watching you flop around like a fish out of water last year. I guess those days are officially over. Marshall looks like the real deal to me, the bigs are really solid, Strickland and Barnes can score, and on and on. Plus, you defend well. Coach Williams, nice work with this group. I don't think you'll miss Drew, but he might have helped slow down Nolan tonight. If he watched the game, he probably told himself the same thing.

9F...9F...9F!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Tina
02-10-2011, 12:25 AM
Wow...I totally need to see a cardiologist! Paging Devildeac....

In the 1st half, I was very disappointed in the way we were playing. We looked soft, slow, and weak. I didn't feel like we were playing team defense very well. Many of the players, especially the Plumlees and Dre (on occasion), seemed to be going for the big steal and overplaying, which led to easier buckets for the Tarholes. We let Marshall do whatever he wanted in the paint. Also, Henson and Zeller were having their way with the Plumlees and Ryan. It really felt like the team was rushing their shots and doing a bit of Nolan watching.

(Sidenote: The torch has been passed from Tyler Hansborough to Kendall Marshall for the Tarheel face I most hate to look at!)

In the 2nd half, we started to force UNC to play a half-court game and that made a hell of a difference from a defensive standpoint. Offensively, Nolan was simply magnificent with his scoring and decision making. It seemed to be a better game for him from a driving and dishing standpoint. I think it became more that way the better Curry played. Curry gave us such a lift and had a lot of confidence. We all know the "Nolan is gonna go postal on your butt" face, but Seth had that face going on tonight as well.

Kyle's offense is still a bit of an enigma, but he did do a great defensive job on Barnes. I have to wonder if he's getting frustrated with the lack of foul calls when he drives and gets hacked and pushed so much. Kyle is becoming the "Anti-Tyler" of foul calls. I would be annoyed, too! I'm just glad it doesn't effect his defense and his ability to do the little things to keep us in the game. He had a great save and pass to Nolan on the baseline tonight!

The Plumlees started playing more like men in the 2nd half....smarter, stronger, and with more poise. I thought Mason should have went up stronger with the ball when he made that steal under UNC's basket. I felt the Marshall to Zeller and/or Henson dynamic showcased how much we need to improve from a Smith/Thornton to the Plumlees standpoint.

Ryan played some good D in the 2nd half, which helped block and/or strip the ball from Henson and Zeller.

Frankly, I was surprised that Tyler didn't handle Marshall a bit better because they've played against each other so much in H.S. It could simply be a matter of nerves and the fact UNC got in some really quick jabs in the first 2 minutes of the game. I hope his back is OK.

Finally, I think this win was critical for the team from a psychological standpoint. In almost all of the games, we've been in the driver's seat. In our two losses to FSU and St. John's, we were outfought and fell behind quickly. We needed a win like this in terms of showing the guys that they can get down in a game and fight back to not only take a lead, but win the game! I think just learning that they can fight back to take the lead was huge, but to win the game against their rival in a heated atmosphere was a tremendous learning experience. Yes, we did it in the comforts of Cameron Indoor, but maybe that's necessary to do it at home first?

This game did A LOT for our guys' mental toughness. I think what set apart last year's team from this year's team was experience playing together and the mental toughness required to work together to secure a fragile lead or comeback from a deficit. On this team, Nolan has mental toughness in spades. Kyle has it, too, but I think it hasn't been nearly as evident because Nolan is so much more outgoing. The rest of our team is developing it. You get glimpses of it in some of the guys, but I think most of them have a ways to go. Victories like tonight's win against UNC will help build that. At least, I hope it will!

dcdrumsinc
02-10-2011, 12:30 AM
I am REALLY curious what went on in the locker room at halftime. And whatever it was, I want some of it. A few thoughts:

1. Nolan Smith just pulled VERY close to Jimmer in the NCAA POY race. He positively took over this game in the second half. Period.
2. Speaking of taking over the game, Seth Curry was on fire during the most pivotal stretch in this one. His shot was not missing, and he used the shot fake extremely effectively, while also handling the ball extremely well. He also passed the ball extremely well (5 assists) and played great D. He will be a superstar by his senior year.
3. Miles Plumlee played a GREAT game, locking down on defense and on the boards in the second half. Mason had a terrible first half, but played a lot better in the second.
Ryan Kelly didn't shoot the ball well, but always seems to be in the right place at the right time on defense and on rebounds. He is the definition of a smart player.
4. Kyle Singler may have finished 1-17 from the field, but he played a great game. No, he couldn't hit shots, but he positively shut down Barnes defensively, and had a lot of tough plays and big rebounds. This is why Kyle, I believe, will have a long career as a key NBA player - even when his shot isn't falling, he plays a solid, workmanlike game.

The way its going, Kyle won't have much of an nba career, but im rooting for him. He is shooting low 40% for his career in COLLEGE. In the nba, that percentage won't keep you in the league unless u are quick and athletic like jennings or john wall (both shoot low percentages). But efficiency is what he needs.1-17 or 3-17 is beyond poor.

But yeah, that is a different subject for a different time. Kyle is a really good college player and he helps his team in other facets like rebounding and defense. Kyle played really good D on harrison barnes. I think if kyle can play well against carolina at their place, duke will most likely win. simple as that

Neals384
02-10-2011, 12:31 AM
The phone rang with less than a minuite to go in the game - who would do such a thing? My sister, who lives in North Carolina! "Gee, I'm sorry, forgot they were playing tonight." At least folks here in Oregon have more sense than that!

Saratoga2
02-10-2011, 12:34 AM
That was about as exciting and climatic game as you could hope for. The Crazies were loud the entire game and there was an air of excitement as Duke crawled back into the game. I wonder which recruits were there tonight to be a part of this great comeback?

SoCalDukeFan
02-10-2011, 12:36 AM
By Yahoo's box score, Marshall had 9 points (on 3-11 shooting), was 3-6 from the line, and hit no 3 pointers. Granted, he had 6 assists to one TO and some nice passes - but in the end, his team lost.

So why were Vitale and Schulman comparing him to both Lenny Wilkens and Nate "Tiny" Archibald? Archibald played in the NBA for 14 years, and once had a 34 PPG/11.4 APG season. Lenny Wilkens is in the NBA Hall of Fame and retired #2 in NBA career assists (behind Oscar Robertson), which has since been surpassed.

Kendall Marshall? 3 good games.

he is a big improvement over Drew II

SoCa;

-bdbd
02-10-2011, 12:37 AM
Carolina had more energy and out-hustled us in the first half. Not even close. If we played 10% harder in the first half, it's a 2-3 point game at half.

Wow. You can kinda forget how satisfying one of these wins can be until it happens again... Great, great second half. I thought Carolina came out as flat in the second as Duke did in the first. But we really seemed to assert our defense much more after intermission.

I didn't think the guys had "no hustle" early. It seemed to me that a few open shots didn't go down early - even a layup rimmed out (!) - and UNC made a few (including a couple lucky breaks) and we allowed it to get us down. Carolina certainly was playing with great confidence early on. But, boy, did they seem to wilt quickly in the back half. I kept waiting for them to answer, assert themselves... but maybe a lack of leadership/experience showed.

Good games by Mason, Miles, and maybe Kelly, but just awesome by Curry and Smith. I think this takes Nolan into the spotlight as one of the top 2-3 players nationally for Player of the Year.

Last thought, I have no doubt that the Kerlina faithful are/will whine about the reffing. But they shot a lot more FT's and the simple truth is they didn't answer the bell in the second half. Both sides had calls to complain about. Ironic that the big "marquee matchup," HB vs. KS, became a relative non-factor in the outcome. I think both play D that is under-rated.


Great game. We can all sleep well tonight. Duke showed its mettle. And if we play a complete game at the Hump next month (no giving up 16 point leads at their place and expecting to come back so easily), then it becomes four in a row in this series. Wahoo!


:D :) :eek: :cool:

TampaDuke
02-10-2011, 12:38 AM
By Yahoo's box score, Marshall had 9 points (on 3-11 shooting), was 3-6 from the line, and hit no 3 pointers. Granted, he had 6 assists to one TO and some nice passes - but in the end, his team lost.

So why were Vitale and Schulman comparing him to both Lenny Wilkens and Nate "Tiny" Archibald? Archibald played in the NBA for 14 years, and once had a 34 PPG/11.4 APG season. Lenny Wilkens is in the NBA Hall of Fame and retired #2 in NBA career assists (behind Oscar Robertson), which has since been surpassed.

Kendall Marshall? 3 good games.


On the Raycom feed, Giminski compared him to Jason Kidd. Marshall got more love and NBA comparisons than Barnes the preseason AA. No wonder Drew left- how do you compete with the next Kidd/Wilkens/Archibald.


Seems to me that, right now, Zeller is far and away UNC's best player, but you'd never know it from the pregame and in-game commentary. Marshall is a good floor general who has provided UNC a spark, but Zeller should be getting significantly more notice than he seems to get.

-bdbd
02-10-2011, 12:43 AM
The phone rang with less than a minuite to go in the game - who would do such a thing? My sister, who lives in North Carolina! "Gee, I'm sorry, forgot they were playing tonight." At least folks here in Oregon have more sense than that!

And you answered it? Why??? ;)

Duke84
02-10-2011, 12:44 AM
SoCal -

There's a whole lot of space between Lenny Wilkens/Nate Archibald/Jason Kidd and Larry Drew II. Marshall is closer to Drew II than any of the guys he was compared to tonight. I thought the gushing was over the top.

The UNC player I'd compare Marshall to is King Rice. That's not bad, but it's not NBA HOF caliber. If Marshall is in Lenny Wilkens/Nate Archibald/Jason Kidd territory, where is Kyrie Irving?

NashvilleDevil
02-10-2011, 12:48 AM
SoCal -
If Marshall is in Lenny Wilkens/Nate Archibald/Jason Kidd territory, where is Kyrie Irving?

Isiah Thomas?

loran16
02-10-2011, 12:48 AM
So, at the start of the 2nd half, my friend and I were despondent.

To make us feel better, we put the miracle minute on and put the game on mute. Then Duke went on a 7-0 run and we just couldn't stop.

So my friend and I watched the entire 2nd half on mute with the miracle minute on loop.

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

fan345678
02-10-2011, 12:49 AM
(Sidenote: The torch has been passed from Tyler Hansborough to Kendall Marshall for the Tarheel face I most hate to look at!)




Since Kendall Marshall looks like the love child of Jason Capel and Ademola Okulaja, I agree.

diveonthefloor
02-10-2011, 12:50 AM
i told my wife at half that Duke was still going to win the game.

You're a prescient genius!

(or maybe just a regular UNC fan?)

:p

(just teasing!)

Kedsy
02-10-2011, 12:54 AM
I think he bruised his tailbone or lower back. Also, tonight's performance further cements in my mind that Thornton is best used coming off the bench in 2-3 bursts.

I hope Tyler is OK. I noticed that after the game, Nolan jumped into him for a chest bump, and there was a lot more contact than would be wise for someone with an injured back, so I'd guess he's fine.

I agree with you that (this season) Tyler would be best used in short bursts for his energetic defense. I don't think it's a coincidence that Nolan blew up in a game that Tyler hardly played. For some reason Tyler's presence seems to dampen Nolan's offensive game. Tonight, Tyler only played 3 minutes (which obviously isn't enough to draw any conclusions), but during that time Nolan committed both his turnovers and went scoreless, missing his only shot. For the rest of the game, Nolan committed zero turnovers and scored around a point a minute. Still not enough data points to say anything with certainty, but in my mind the data's adding up.

On another subject, there was a discussion before the game about how much UNC's front line would dominate, with someone (I think you, superdave) suggesting they had to outscore our front line by at least 15 if UNC wanted to win the game. Well, their bigs actually outscored our bigs 41 to 10, and it still wasn't quite enough. Having said that, though, Henson and Zeller did dominate the game, especially in the first half. I think their rebounding was even more impressive than their scoring, and they did a good job defensively. Kudos to our big men for stepping up and hitting the boards in the second half. Without Mason, Miles, and Ryan second half rebounding, we would not have won the game.

Kedsy
02-10-2011, 12:57 AM
Seems to me that, right now, Zeller is far and away UNC's best player, but you'd never know it from the pregame and in-game commentary.

Actually, I thought Henson looked like their best player tonight. Stats aside, he was the matchup we couldn't solve.

Funny that despite Kyle's awful shooting percentage, he still both outscored and outrebounded HB.

zoroaster
02-10-2011, 01:01 AM
Holy cow. I was so disappointed when ESPN pre-empted us for the Texas A&M - Colorado game (in my area, if not elsewhere... haven't checked the threads yet) and last saw when the ticker at the bottom of the screen had Carolina blowing up the lead to 14, from 7. Have only now been able to get to a computer to see the outcome (much less watch on espn3). This is not what I was expecting, I admit... my mind is blown. :D:D:D

bluesmo
02-10-2011, 01:12 AM
Holy cow. I was so disappointed when ESPN pre-empted us for the Texas A&M - Colorado game (in my area, if not elsewhere... haven't checked the threads yet) and last saw when the ticker at the bottom of the screen had Carolina blowing up the lead to 14, from 7. Have only now been able to get to a computer to see the outcome (much less watch on espn3). This is not what I was expecting, I admit... my mind is blown. :D:D:D

yes what the hell were they thinking...Duke Carolina is definitely the game of the week if not month:mad:

Jumbo
02-10-2011, 01:16 AM
Woohoo!!! That's all I have to say! Hope everyone is doing well.

-Jumbo

Kfanarmy
02-10-2011, 01:16 AM
Really Kong? It's sad that a tarheel has more faith in my team than I do. :D

I loved Zeller's performance, but this one was all about Nolan roaring to life and Carolina folding under the pressure.

They didn't fold, Kyle took HB out of the game forcing others to step up and they didn't quite make it. Give em credit, they fought to the final buzzer. I think both teams probably grew from this one.

weezie
02-10-2011, 01:25 AM
Woohoo!!! That's all I have to say! Hope everyone is doing well.

-Jumbo

Swimmingly dear Jumbo! My ears are still ringing from the explosions inside Cameron. Hey, did anyone else see the guy propose to his girlfriend at halftime? AAWWWWwwwwww!

NashvilleDevil
02-10-2011, 01:25 AM
It's on now and I thought I was about to go to bed.

devildeac
02-10-2011, 01:28 AM
Interesting article from the Raleigh n&o:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/02/09/979114/smith-curry-rally-duke-for-79.html


I found K's komments to be very interesting. No paint-peeling, blackboard-pounding, fire and brimstone halftime session. What a 2nd half!

Kfanarmy
02-10-2011, 01:37 AM
..What ever slowed them down in the second half,, exhaustion,, defense,, what ever it was,, I'm glad it worked.. Duke started making shots, enabling half court D

striker219
02-10-2011, 01:45 AM
Just checked IC, the refs gave us the game.

So I guess we'll have to live with that.

Well I, for one, am shocked that they would react this way. Shocked.

Also, boohoo. Boo. Hoo. (http://www.scacchoops.com/FoulDifferential.asp)

(if this has been covered already, sorry, just started reading through the thread)

Aditya
02-10-2011, 01:48 AM
Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo

billyj
02-10-2011, 01:53 AM
Well I, for one, am shocked that they would react this way. Shocked.

Also, boohoo. Boo. Hoo. (http://www.scacchoops.com/FoulDifferential.asp)

(if this has been covered already, sorry, just started reading through the thread)

That is a ridiculous spread.

Dr. Rosenrosen
02-10-2011, 02:07 AM
Watching on TV I could not hear anything the crazies might have been chanting. Any great ones tonite? Barnes? Drew II?

Would love to know...

magjayran
02-10-2011, 03:04 AM
I tend to get the most excited about the players that are freshman with tons of potential. I tend to cheer loudest when role players step up and make a couple big plays. My favorite players are have always been the underrated ones that the team can't win a championship without. So far I've never said that the unquestioned star of the team was my favorite.

As of tonight, I can say for sure that Nolan Smith has been all of these things in his career at Duke. As of tonight, Nolan Smith is my favorite player to ever wear the uniform. I hope he gets to 2,000 points. I hope he wins NPOY. I hope he leads the team to a second National Title in as many years. But no matter what happens, he will always be remembered as one of the greats and he will always be remembered for what he did tonight.

Thank you Nolan.

Edouble
02-10-2011, 03:43 AM
I tend to get the most excited about the players that are freshman with tons of potential. I tend to cheer loudest when role players step up and make a couple big plays. My favorite players are have always been the underrated ones that the team can't win a championship without. So far I've never said that the unquestioned star of the team was my favorite.

As of tonight, I can say for sure that Nolan Smith has been all of these things in his career at Duke. As of tonight, Nolan Smith is my favorite player to ever wear the uniform. I hope he gets to 2,000 points. I hope he wins NPOY. I hope he leads the team to a second National Title in as many years. But no matter what happens, he will always be remembered as one of the greats and he will always be remembered for what he did tonight.

Thank you Nolan.

Beautiful post.

I had to work tonight, and so I recorded the game.

On my way home in the car, I thought... I'm really excited to watch the game, but I'm glad that I don't get as worked up (emotionally and physically) as I used to to as an undergrad/recent grad. 5 minutes into the game I was screaming obscenities that would make George Carlin blush. I can't believe the pugilistic streak that overtakes me when I see the smirk of a young man wearing that awful powder blue.

What a game. I love our team. Good guys win. Well fought Blue Devils!!! Takes me back to the '98 come from behind win.

Nothing is better than beating Carolina! I just accidentally drank a whole bottle of Gruet.

GO TO HELL CAROLINA!!!!

JohnGalt
02-10-2011, 05:16 AM
For folks who do not think players can get better - look at Nolan.

Call me crazy. But does anyone categorically believe 'players can't get better?'

Am I misreading? :confused: :confused:

As I was unable to watch, can anyone shed any light on UNC's 3pt shooting. Why was it so poor? Was Duke rotating that well or were Bullock, McDonald, Barnes, et al just missing that much? Looking at the boxscore, it seems that had UNC shot anything more than abysmally from behind the arc, NdotSmitty's best Kobe impression wouldn't have matter much anyhow. Was it the youth in Cameron that had them bricking?

As a side note...Henson attempted a 3??? I'd have loved to have seen that...

Duke: A Dynasty
02-10-2011, 05:44 AM
Call me crazy. But does anyone categorically believe 'players can't get better?'

Am I misreading? :confused: :confused:

As I was unable to watch, can anyone shed any light on UNC's 3pt shooting. Why was it so poor? Was Duke rotating that well or were Bullock, McDonald, Barnes, et al just missing that much? Looking at the boxscore, it seems that had UNC shot anything more than abysmally from behind the arc, NdotSmitty's best Kobe impression wouldn't have matter much anyhow. Was it the youth in Cameron that had them bricking?

As a side note...Henson attempted a 3??? I'd have loved to have seen that...

They could not put the bowl in the ocean if they were on the beach (regarding 3's). Idk why cause they were open for at least 4 or 5 maybe even more. And Henson had to shoot because he had the ball when the shot clock was at 1 (airball I think?)

Duke: A Dynasty
02-10-2011, 06:18 AM
1st Half

Points: 29

Fg Pct: 33.3

Reb margin: -8

Curry pts: 4


2nd Half

Points: 50

Fg Pct: 50

Reb margin: +3

Curry pts: 18

oldnavy
02-10-2011, 06:39 AM
i told my wife at half that Duke was still going to win the game.

Well, I hate to admit this, but I went to bed at the end of the first half. My wife (again a UNC fan) looked at me like I was nuts, but I just couldn't watch it anymore. I was getting more and more upset as the game went on and I knew that no matter what happend in the second half I would not get to sleep until 3 am if I stayed up, so I did a bible study while listening to some smooth jazz, cleared my head and slept like a baby.

I surely did not expect to read that we won when I woke up at 5 this morning. What a surprise. I will say this, my respect for UNC has grown tremendously since the beginning of the year. They are really putting together a very good team.

And to surprise most of you guys, I will give Roy credit for the turnaround. He is doing a fabulous job with this group as compared to last year.

Marshall is the real deal. I told my son (another UNC fan) after the FSU game that he reminded me of Jason Kidd and he sort of laughed it off. Now I see that the writer on the front page made the same comparison. The kid is really, really a good player.

BUT, congrats to our guys, I am a litte ashamed of myself for not staying up, but the first half was like watching your dog die with no chance of helping or comforting him.... plus, like I said, working today and I need more than 3 hours of sleep to ensure I do not poision someone!!

Go Duke!! And congrats Kong on the way your team is playing....

dukelifer
02-10-2011, 07:53 AM
Call me crazy. But does anyone categorically believe 'players can't get better?'

Am I misreading? :confused: :confused:

As I was unable to watch, can anyone shed any light on UNC's 3pt shooting. Why was it so poor? Was Duke rotating that well or were Bullock, McDonald, Barnes, et al just missing that much? Looking at the boxscore, it seems that had UNC shot anything more than abysmally from behind the arc, NdotSmitty's best Kobe impression wouldn't have matter much anyhow. Was it the youth in Cameron that had them bricking?

As a side note...Henson attempted a 3??? I'd have loved to have seen that...

Perhaps I should have qualified- but there are a lot of people who define players by how they play as freshman and sophomores - particularly when they come out of high school as a McDonald AA. Folks may not remember Nolan as a Frosh or Sophomore but his handle now is so much stronger and he corrected a major flaw in his shooting mechanics. That is impressive.

dukelifer
02-10-2011, 07:55 AM
Well, I hate to admit this, but I went to bed at the end of the first half. My wife (again a UNC fan) looked at me like I was nuts, but I just couldn't watch it anymore. I was getting more and more upset as the game went on and I knew that no matter what happend in the second half I would not get to sleep until 3 am if I stayed up, so I did a bible study while listening to some smooth jazz, cleared my head and slept like a baby.

I surely did not expect to read that we won when I woke up at 5 this morning. What a surprise. I will say this, my respect for UNC has grown tremendously since the beginning of the year. They are really putting together a very good team.

And to surprise most of you guys, I will give Roy credit for the turnaround. He is doing a fabulous job with this group as compared to last year.

Marshall is the real deal. I told my son (another UNC fan) after the FSU game that he reminded me of Jason Kidd and he sort of laughed it off. Now I see that the writer on the front page made the same comparison. The kid is really, really a good player.

BUT, congrats to our guys, I am a litte ashamed of myself for not staying up, but the first half was like watching your dog die with no chance of helping or comforting him.... plus, like I said, working today and I need more than 3 hours of sleep to ensure I do not poision someone!!

Go Duke!! And congrats Kong on the way your team is playing....

I was almost there as well as I am battling a cold and it did not seem to be worth watching a blowout- but my wife - also a Duke fan - convinced me to stay up. Of course, I couldn't get to sleep and now I feel awful- but it was worth it!

Matches
02-10-2011, 08:11 AM
I think this is the game that vaults Nolan into discussion as a jersey retirement candidate. (Singler is already there IMO).

dalmatians98
02-10-2011, 08:17 AM
The phone rang with less than a minuite to go in the game - who would do such a thing? My sister, who lives in North Carolina! "Gee, I'm sorry, forgot they were playing tonight." At least folks here in Oregon have more sense than that!

Answering machine. Works wonders!

DukieInBrasil
02-10-2011, 08:23 AM
I'm kinda surprised that a bigger deal has not been made from Ryan Kelly out-blocking Henson 3-1. I'm kinda surprised that Henson only had one, it seemed like more, maybe just cuz he was altering so many more.
Although Kelly and the MPs only scored 10 pts to Henson/Zeller/Knox's 41, our 3 did pull down 24 boards to their 27. Plus our boys had 4 blocks to their 2, plus 2 steals vs. 0. Aside from the scoring deficit (31pts) our 3 bigguns held their own vs. UNC's 3 bigguns on the boards and on D. That seems to be a methodology that K is ok with employing. Every once in a while one of the Kelly and the MPs will blow it up scoring-wise, but it is not something that K is really pushing.

Wheat/"/"/"
02-10-2011, 08:36 AM
Games like that are why its so hard to win on the road. A player gets hot (Curry), the crazies got going and a young team got rattled.
Duke had too much Nolan Smith is the short version of why Duke won.i


This game will make UNC better.

dukelifer
02-10-2011, 08:41 AM
Games like that are why its so hard to win on the road. A player gets hot (Curry), the crazies got going and a young team got rattled.
Duke had too much Nolan Smith is the short version of why Duke won.i


This game will make UNC better.

And Duke will better as well... K was very impressed with UNC and they showed they can play at a high level. I think they are capable of a run in March - but in a tight game- someone has to rise above it all and steady the team- and right now- they do not have that guy. But it is early.

wsb3
02-10-2011, 08:46 AM
good game guys, thought we had you

Kong,
I will not even for one second say that I thought we were coming back. I am still in shock. I enjoy your posts and like dealing with reasonable fans even if they prefer the wrong shade of blue.;)

Saratoga2
02-10-2011, 08:47 AM
We will play them again in March, Maybe twice but probably not 3 times. What will Ole Roy have learned and what will Duke do to be successful. Both teams will improve with the games ahead, and I assume we will not have Kyrie back. If he is back we have another superb weapon.

I think Ole Roy will pull out all stops to slow down Nolan and Seth. Clearly, that is where Duke's punch will come from. They will also try to win the inside battle big, as they did last night.

I don't think Nolan can be held down too much but maybe into the mid 20's if they hound him totally. Seth has gotten cuter with his game and has used the pump fake to great effect, but he can also be held down from a career high.

So we need to find scoring from others. One prime candidate is Ryan. He really did get quite a number of open looks but came up short of many of them. Either it was tired legs or his shooting form was off. He really will have an opportunity to get into solid double figures in the follow on games. Just correct your form again and get some arc back and play the good defense that you played in last night's game.

Kyle is going to be getting nearly 40 minutes in every UNC game. He was unlucky in not getting foul shots when hammered, but that might happen again. There will be no easy shots inside with the Carolina front line. He has to find a way to get shots off from mid range and from 3. If he just isn't hitting, he needs to find others unless he has a solid open shot.

Despite what some have said in the string, I thought Andre played very solid defense. If you point to a lapse in his, I can point to the same in any players including Nolan and Kyle. Every player will make some mistakes, so give him a break. His weakest trait last night was that he was not strong off the dribble. He obviously needs to improve his handle, but we will need him to be aggressive offensively. He can score and when he is feeling part of the game, he can devastate the defense.

Tyler still has a role, and had he not gotten hurt, he could have given some minutes of aggressive defense and helped to handle the ball. Can't forget this kid as he will bring fresh legs and a fighting spirit.

I don't think we can expect a lot of offense from either Plumlee. They did provide tougher defense in the second half and made it much more difficult to score inside. They also rebounded. One big improvement that they could make is to run back on defense. Quite often last night they were jogging back and giving up either position or an easy 2 for the Carolina bigs. I think they also tended to jog back on defense last year as well. They have got to do a better job getting back. Their offense was kind of Simon Says. Simon Says take three giant steps, and they did, except thy needed to dribble more.They cannot start their offense 15 feet from the basket and be successful against UNC.

Josh did not play last night, mainly because he hasn't mastered the defense as yet and also because there are better players ahead of him. There will be games going forward where he should get significant PT. He may improve his act to the extent he could give valuable minutes in the follow on UNC games. At 6'8" and mobile, he would bring another big defender against some of the Carolina size.

I expect all games with them to be dog fights.

Bluedevil114
02-10-2011, 08:56 AM
Today is a great day!! I have a bunch of sales calls to do today but I can't get this one song out of my head. GTH Carolina, GTH. Not sure if it is appropriate for sales calls but it is a great song to sing!! GO DUKE!!

Nolan is sick!!

Faison1
02-10-2011, 09:00 AM
It's funny, Wheat.....at half time, I had a few thoughts going through my head:

1. If Duke loses, where would I rank this game as "all-time disappointments"?
2. How am I going to feel tomorrow morning?
3. Should I go upstairs to apologize to my wife again for snapping at her?
4. I wonder what kind of passive-aggressive gloating Wheat is going to write?

I'm glad they played the 2nd half.....

ns7
02-10-2011, 09:04 AM
Call me crazy. But does anyone categorically believe 'players can't get better?'

Am I misreading? :confused: :confused:

As I was unable to watch, can anyone shed any light on UNC's 3pt shooting. Why was it so poor? Was Duke rotating that well or were Bullock, McDonald, Barnes, et al just missing that much? Looking at the boxscore, it seems that had UNC shot anything more than abysmally from behind the arc, NdotSmitty's best Kobe impression wouldn't have matter much anyhow. Was it the youth in Cameron that had them bricking?

As a side note...Henson attempted a 3??? I'd have loved to have seen that...

I believe Henson took the desperation three at the buzzer. It was actually better than his free throws.

As for UNC's 3 point shooting, it was bad, but the only surprising one was McDonald. Barnes was actually at this average (1-3) and Bullock isn't really a great outside shooter.

And it goes both ways, Singler and Kelly both missed a few open ones, if both teams shoot closer to average from 3pt range, it works out very much in Duke's favor.

ps. I remember a (now funny) moment when Singler swished a three right after Nolan was fouled and I immediately thought, of course it went in, it wasn't going to count. It was just that kind of night for him.

MChambers
02-10-2011, 09:07 AM
SoCal -

There's a whole lot of space between Lenny Wilkens/Nate Archibald/Jason Kidd and Larry Drew II. Marshall is closer to Drew II than any of the guys he was compared to tonight. I thought the gushing was over the top.

The UNC player I'd compare Marshall to is King Rice. That's not bad, but it's not NBA HOF caliber. If Marshall is in Lenny Wilkens/Nate Archibald/Jason Kidd territory, where is Kyrie Irving?
A slower, taller version of Ed Cota? Excellent handle, good at penetrating and dishing, not such a great shooter.

devildeac
02-10-2011, 09:22 AM
They could not put the bowl in the ocean if they were on the beach (regarding 3's). Idk why cause they were open for at least 4 or 5 maybe even more. And Henson had to shoot because he had the ball when the shot clock was at 1 (airball I think?)

I hope that they can put the ball in the ocean with great regularity when they play on the aircraft carrier next season.;)

Wheat/"/"/"
02-10-2011, 09:45 AM
It's funny, Wheat.....at half time, I had a few thoughts going through my head:

1. If Duke loses, where would I rank this game as "all-time disappointments"?
2. How am I going to feel tomorrow morning?
3. Should I go upstairs to apologize to my wife again for snapping at her?
4. I wonder what kind of passive-aggressive gloating Wheat is going to write?

I'm glad they played the 2nd half.....

Personally, I was under no illusion that UNC would dominate Duke in the second half like they did the first half, I've seen too many of these games for that.

(How's that for #4...Best I could do after a loss :)

The game actually played out about how I expected this time, with a few surprises. The "intangibles" that we all knew favored Duke did so in the end. And the Ref's letting them play the second half did favor the home team during the comeback.
This is a tough UNC team, but they found out last night they are not tough enough...yet. UNC got to standing around, looking for calls, (things experienced teams don't do), and when Curry's barrage stunned them for about a five minute stretch they lost their composure, and the game because of it.

And they lost because of Nolan Smith. No-one should discount the quality of play he is showing on the court.

All in all, an intense game and one that the Heels should use as motivation to get better, smarter, or else it will happen again.

jv001
02-10-2011, 09:51 AM
Personally, I was under no illusion that UNC would dominate Duke in the second half like they did the first half, I've seen too many of these games for that.

(How's that for #4...Best I could do after a loss :)

The game actually played out about how I expected this time, with a few surprises. The "intangibles" that we all knew favored Duke did so in the end. And the Ref's letting them play the second half did favor the home team during the comeback.
This is a tough UNC team, but they found out last night they are not tough enough...yet. UNC got to standing around, looking for calls, (things experienced teams don't do), and when Curry's barrage stunned them for about a five minute stretch they lost their composure, and the game because of it.

And they lost because of Nolan Smith. No-one should discount the quality of play he is showing on the court.

All in all, an intense game and one that the Heels should use as motivation to get better, smarter, or else it will happen again.

I knew it was too good to be true. The refs did the heels in again. Always getting that little jab in. Can't help it huh? I praised kong for being a good sport, but can't do the same for you wheat. Go Duke!

Wheat/"/"/"
02-10-2011, 09:58 AM
I knew it was too good to be true. The refs did the heels in again. Always getting that little jab in. Can't help it huh? I praised kong for being a good sport, but can't do the same for you wheat. Go Duke!

No excuses in that post from me, the Heels didn't adjust to how the refs called the game and it cost them. Refs are a part of the game, teams have to learn to deal with them and play smart. The Heels let the calls, or non calls, get in their head and had them standing around, it was enough that an aggressive Duke team got to the 50-50 balls in the second half.
That's how I saw it.

jv001
02-10-2011, 10:03 AM
No excuses in that post from me, the Heels didn't adjust to how the refs called the game and it cost them. Refs are a part of the game, teams have to learn to deal with them and play smart. The Heels let the calls, or non calls, get in their head and had them standing around, it was enough that an aggressive Duke team got to the 50-50 balls in the second half.
That's how I saw it.

And I saw Kyle Singler standing around arguing with the refs on several no calls. So it worked both ways. I guess it's natural to see things differently when our teams are involved. Had we lost, I might have said we played ok not to have one of our two best players out with an injury. But since we did not lose I don't have to say that.

Faison1
02-10-2011, 10:13 AM
I knew it was too good to be true. The refs did the heels in again. Always getting that little jab in. Can't help it huh?

Yep....that was what I was thinking last night.....passive-aggressive. That's his M.O.

I enjoy Wheat's posts, now that I understand him. A few compliments for Duke here and there, but there's always a below-the-surface motive.....

After last night, though, I think a win in the Dean Dome is going to be very, very difficult.

COYS
02-10-2011, 10:16 AM
Any win that brings Jumbo out of his (temporary) retirement is certainly memorable. I got caught in horrible snow traffic here in Nashville and had to adjust my plans to watch it on replay. Didn't finish the game until 1:30 am, was up with adrenaline until 3, had to be up at 6, but man was my smile bright this morning. Not much to analyze, at least for me. I'm just going to enjoy this one (and maybe watch the second half a few more times).

wilko
02-10-2011, 10:20 AM
That stanky 1st half was entirely my fault..
I invited my token UNC friend over to watch the game with me.
We were both stunned silent.


UNC came out all Shane Botwin and took a croquette mallet upside of Dukes head...
Made us look like a stoned Dean, Andy and Doug fumbling around being stupid.

2nd half... K must have broke the glass seal on his secret storage locker of motivational magic... Pulled out a DVD and played the money scene from a certain movie. Made the point of: "if we are going down like suckers go out out firing..."

Clearly this impacted Smith and Curry quite profoundly as Nolan was firing everything he had, doing his best to play the part of Tony Montoya, and he introduced them to his "little friend" played by Seth.

Wow what a game.....

Andre Buckner Fan
02-10-2011, 10:21 AM
Games like that are why its so hard to win on the road. A player gets hot (Curry), the crazies got going and a young team got rattled.
Duke had too much Nolan Smith is the short version of why Duke won.i


This game will make UNC better.

I disagree. UNC is better. We all saw it.

But UNC is young and streaky. This game will shatter their confidence, at least momentarily. The next two games are huge for them. How will they respond?

I don't think they'll fold in on themselves like last year's team. They're too good for that. But they may lose the fire that they'll need to win in the ACC.

BlueDevilBaby
02-10-2011, 10:22 AM
ps. I remember a (now funny) moment when Singler swished a three right after Nolan was fouled and I immediately thought, of course it went in, it wasn't going to count. It was just that kind of night for him.

Thought the exact same thing. As for the game, WOW! Tremendous team effort, guys. Nolan and Seth, absolutely incredible. Kyle, the team can't do it without your grit, tenacity and toughness. Great pass, by the way. Even before the play to Nolan, I was thinking, "He's a former quarterback, right?" Congrats!

But, I watched on DVR and was going to go to bed at the half so I would not get any madder than I was. Even my new dog ran upstairs to join the chihuahuas at one point during the first half. But, I figured my UNC-loving friend would call when the game was over and his ugly-shade-of-blue wearing team had won. So, to avoid him, I took my big dog for a loooooong walk until well after the game should have been over, came back and watched rest of the game. Funny, the phone never rang.:D

killerleft
02-10-2011, 10:23 AM
For those of you who watched the Raycom broadcast: yes, it did have G-Man. That was a plus. But I think Brando is in a corner rocking back and forth trying to figure out when to propose to Marshall and asking the producers to work up yet another unc highlight to play as he does it. It was horrible hearing him gush again and again over the kid. Great comeback by the guys tonight after a dreadful first half. Pure guts and determination with much smarter play.

"Marshall Law! Marshall Law!" LOL. I told my wife I'd love to slap that out of him!

Vanceman201
02-10-2011, 10:25 AM
Great win for Duke...congrats. But I'm proud of the Heels nonetheless. Doing what we did in Cameron is positive. I never trust Duke...no lead is enough because their effort never lets up. They just persist till things open up and start falling. We have adopted that approach more, but still have a ways to go to match Duke.
Nolan is amazing...scares me. Give him any opening, any room....you're a victim. Then Curry gets on fire. Wow. Plus, the Duke big guys fought hard.
Still...the Heels gave a very respectable showing in a hostile (and new for many guys) atmosphere. Kendall did what he could...great defense to shut his passing down. He'll get better against this quality of defense. Z and Henson exhibited that Duke level
effort. A few key breakdowns/bad choices...and a few that could have fallen would
have put this one to the wire.
I'm disappointed in one respect...but, encouraged in another.
Battling Duke this close in Cameron....great game.

hq2
02-10-2011, 10:39 AM
Nice to see Seth finally start living up to some of the preseason hype. Still, it goes to show, our frontcourt can't score against better inside defensive teams. We had nothing inside, they had nothing outside, in the end we won because we shot better and (in the second half) did decent rebounding. Best comeback win since the '98 Elton game!

Billy Dat
02-10-2011, 10:56 AM
The game reminded me a lot of the first game in 1996, nicely summarized here by Wikipedia:

"January 31, 1996: #8 North Carolina 73, Duke 72Duke led 37-20 over North Carolina with less than five minutes to go in the first half and took a 42-30 advantage into the locker room at halftime. North Carolina managed to close the gap to 44-42 with 14:14 remaining in the game, but the Blue Devils stretched the lead back to 11 with 8:44 left. The Tar Heels fought back and pulled within one behind scoring from six different players over the next few minutes. Steve Wojciechowski hit a three-pointer to give Duke a 72-68 lead with 1:13 to go. Shammond Williams answered with a three to cut the Duke lead to one with 58 seconds left, and North Carolina forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass. Jeff McInnis drove the lane and fed Serge Zwikker, whose shot was blocked by Greg Newton, but Dante Calabria was there for the tip-in and a 73-72 Carolina lead. Duke's Ricky Price could not connect on a jumper at the buzzer, and the Tar Heels escaped."

We were coming off the 1995 horror show and UNC was riding high. We went on the road, had a huge first half lead, they drew even midway through the second half, but we were winning until the very end. I feel like this Heels team is better than our 1996 squad, but the games felt much the same...except our team won this time. They came into Cameron a month later and won...let's hope we can do the same at the Dome.

Class of '94
02-10-2011, 11:00 AM
As many have noted, I was not too happy with the team at halftime. I just kept saying where is "THE" Duke team that I know; this wasn't them. But in the second half, I saw the passion, heart and hustle that typified a "true" Duke team; and then in between yelling in enthusiasm to my wife, I kept saying where was this team in the first half. Great Win!! I think both teams can learn a lot from this game. I have to admit that Carolina is back and I wouldn't be surprised if they beat Duke at the Dean Dome. Saying that, I still like our chances of sweeping UNC this year.

As far as the Plumlees are concerned, believe it or not, I'm actually encouraged about the play going forward based on their second half performance. If they accept their roles and prioritize defense and rebounding first, I think their offense will come. They may need the rest of this year (and KI returning) along with another off-season to truly "get it" on the offensive end and becoming low post threats for next year. In the meantime, I don't think we need them to necessarily score and be an offensive treat in the lost post to win games; but rather be a strong defensive and rebounding presence for this team to win. And call me crazy but I still think the Plumlees together are just as athletic as Zeller and Henson together. I think Mason is comparable athletically to John and Miles is easily just as athletic as Zeller; but the Plumlees just have to remain focused on staying within themselves, playing to their strengths and accepting their roles to be successful.

ncexnyc
02-10-2011, 11:05 AM
After sleeping on what I witnessed last night here’s my morning after take on the game.

I’ve got mixed emotions right now. Later today when I go to work, I’m going to talk some mega smack, have a few extra dollars in my pocket, and have lots of free soda to drink the next few days. On the flip side, some of the negatives we’ve talked about game after game reared their ugly head again in last night’s game.

Lack of consistent focus, poor shooting, and questionable interior play were evident throughout the game last night.

Nolan Smith: This kid gave us a career effort last night and he played as a senior should. It’s been a pleasure to watch him improve by leaps and bounds from year to year. Since Kyrie went down, Nolan has put this team squarely on his back as witnessed by him being able to score career highs every few games, this is what a senior leader does.

Kyle Singler: Offensively he was terrible. He barely managed to score ten points on 17 shots. A number of people have tried to play up his defensive effort yesterday and from reading some of the posts, you’d think he shutout LeBron James. Folks it was Harrison Barnes. You remember him. The one many of you on this very same forum said was an over-hyped, no talent individual. Now he’s the second coming of Larry Bird, MJ, and Dr. J all rolled into one. If I’m a Carolina fan I’ll take this stalemate all week long and twice on Sunday as even with career nights from Smith and Curry they barely lost at CIS.

Seth Curry: He did a solid job defensively by staying in front of his man and not going for steals. Offensively his superior ball handling ability got him the nod over Andre. Once he got hot and the crowd got behind him there was no stopping him.

Ryan Kelly: He had a pretty decent all around game. I’m watching the WRAL broadcast and Gman is saying over and over again how Henson can only go to his left, but time and time again he abuses Mason taking him to the left. Finally Coach K says enough and inserts Ryan and low and behold Mr. Henson becomes a mere mortal as Ryan takes away the left hand drive. His being able to hit the 3 definitely spread the heels D and made life a lot easier for Smith driving the lane.

Miles Plumlee: He had some big rebounds and tip outs in the second half. He also did a very good job denying Zeller his sweet spots on the floor.

Tyler Thorton: With Singler in an offensive funk, Tyler’s minutes were going to be limited as the team needed Seth’s scoring punch. Hopefully his back will fine for the next game.

Andre Dawkins: He didn’t get many minutes and you can chalk that up to his suspect handle. The team needed some offensive pop, but Seth’s superior ball handling made him the better play of the two shooters.

Mason Plumlee: I’ve already mentioned his defensive shortcomings above and the clincher for how bad he was defensively was at the start of the second half we make our run that cuts the lead to 6. Roy takes a very good timeout an on the very next set play Zeller burns Mason badly. On the heels next offensive play Zeller easily finds his sweet spot and schools Mason with the baby hook. His offensive play was extremely poor. For some reason he shys away from contact and settles for either the fadeaway or twists his body as though he was afraid of Stick man.
All in all a very nice win, but there’s still a lot of work to be done by the team and the staff.

devildeac
02-10-2011, 11:10 AM
Personally, I was under no illusion that UNC would dominate Duke in the second half like they did the first half, I've seen too many of these games for that.

(How's that for #4...Best I could do after a loss :)

The game actually played out about how I expected this time, with a few surprises. The "intangibles" that we all knew favored Duke did so in the end. And the Ref's letting them play the second half did favor the home team during the comeback.
This is a tough UNC team, but they found out last night they are not tough enough...yet. UNC got to standing around, looking for calls, (things experienced teams don't do), and when Curry's barrage stunned them for about a five minute stretch they lost their composure, and the game because of it.

And they lost because of Nolan Smith. No-one should discount the quality of play he is showing on the court.

All in all, an intense game and one that the Heels should use as motivation to get better, smarter, or else it will happen again.

"... and the refs letting them play..."

How many times must Kyle get hammered until he starts going to the line for more than 4 FT like last night? And that was only end-of-game stuff. O/W, he got no/nada/zilch/zero FT during the course of the game. And he wasn't just settling for jumpers either.

Otherwise, good thoughts.

superdave
02-10-2011, 11:11 AM
Since Kendall Marshall looks like the love child of Jason Capel and Ademola Okulaja, I agree.

Ha. I thought the exact same thing. Except more like Jeff Capel than Jason. He's even built like Jeff.

BD80
02-10-2011, 11:12 AM
Thought the exact same thing. As for the game, WOW! Tremendous team effort, guys. Nolan and Seth, absolutely incredible. Kyle, the team can't do it without your grit, tenacity and toughness. Great pass, by the way. Even before the play to Nolan, I was thinking, "He's a former quarterback, right?" Congrats!

But, I watched on DVR and was going to go to bed at the half so I would not get any madder than I was. Even my new dog ran upstairs to join the chihuahuas at one point during the first half. But, I figured my UNC-loving friend would call when the game was over and his ugly-shade-of-blue wearing team had won. So, to avoid him, I took my big dog for a loooooong walk until well after the game should have been over, came back and watched rest of the game. Funny, the phone never rang.:D

Don't avoid your tar heel friend! Be aggressive. Get NASTY!

Give him/her the chihuahuas!

classof2010
02-10-2011, 11:14 AM
Anyone have a screen shot of when John Henson was looking like he was about to cry? Great for future Duke-UNC games.

diveonthefloor
02-10-2011, 11:15 AM
No excuses in that post from me, the Heels didn't adjust to how the refs called the game and it cost them. Refs are a part of the game, teams have to learn to deal with them and play smart. The Heels let the calls, or non calls, get in their head and had them standing around, it was enough that an aggressive Duke team got to the 50-50 balls in the second half.
That's how I saw it.

Yeah, the game WAS horribly officiated....just watch the replay and keep your eye on Kyle the entire game. Geesh!

diveonthefloor
02-10-2011, 11:18 AM
Anyone have a screen shot of when John Henson was looking like he was about to cry? Great for future Duke-UNC games.

There's another thread with this in the title....that pic is classic!

jdj4duke
02-10-2011, 11:18 AM
But UNC is young and streaky. This game will shatter their confidence, at least momentarily. The next two games are huge for them. How will they respond?


Go Clemson Go!. Littlejohn will be rocking on Saturday when the Heels visit. It won't be as loud as Cameron, but probably pretty close, at least to start. Clemson is sky high after beating BC the other night. I look for us to have a two game lead when the Heels depart South Carolina Saturday.

superdave
02-10-2011, 11:20 AM
I hope Tyler is OK. I noticed that after the game, Nolan jumped into him for a chest bump, and there was a lot more contact than would be wise for someone with an injured back, so I'd guess he's fine.

I agree with you that (this season) Tyler would be best used in short bursts for his energetic defense. I don't think it's a coincidence that Nolan blew up in a game that Tyler hardly played. For some reason Tyler's presence seems to dampen Nolan's offensive game. Tonight, Tyler only played 3 minutes (which obviously isn't enough to draw any conclusions), but during that time Nolan committed both his turnovers and went scoreless, missing his only shot. For the rest of the game, Nolan committed zero turnovers and scored around a point a minute. Still not enough data points to say anything with certainty, but in my mind the data's adding up.

On another subject, there was a discussion before the game about how much UNC's front line would dominate, with someone (I think you, superdave) suggesting they had to outscore our front line by at least 15 if UNC wanted to win the game. Well, their bigs actually outscored our bigs 41 to 10, and it still wasn't quite enough. Having said that, though, Henson and Zeller did dominate the game, especially in the first half. I think their rebounding was even more impressive than their scoring, and they did a good job defensively. Kudos to our big men for stepping up and hitting the boards in the second half. Without Mason, Miles, and Ryan second half rebounding, we would not have won the game.

41-10 kinda depresses me. I know our guys are capable of more on both ends. Ryan missed some jumpers that he had been hitting the past few weeks and Mason was looking to dribble more than he should. But seeing Unc get the ball to Zeller in scoring position makes me jealous. I know Irving is the natural pg who would be doing that with regularity.

The play that made me jealous was an over-load between the elbow and 3 pt line for Unc. I think Zeller went up as a screener, the ball came to top of the key off the ball screen, and Zeller darted to the basket for the catch and score after using the second screen. So simple - draw the bigger defenders out, create some confusion with the over-load then go score. We could do that!

I really do hope our big guys are not satisfied with the 2nd half and the win, but instead look at that 1st half as a personal challenge. They are capable of more and now is the time to step up and execute and bring lots of energy. We're entering the stretch run.

Super "Miles! Beard! Now!" Dave

superdave
02-10-2011, 11:22 AM
Woohoo!!! That's all I have to say! Hope everyone is doing well.

-Jumbo

Jumbo
If you have any vacation days before the NCAAs, please spend them on a Phase thread post! Just kidding....sort of.

superdave
02-10-2011, 11:24 AM
I tend to get the most excited about the players that are freshman with tons of potential. I tend to cheer loudest when role players step up and make a couple big plays. My favorite players are have always been the underrated ones that the team can't win a championship without. So far I've never said that the unquestioned star of the team was my favorite.

As of tonight, I can say for sure that Nolan Smith has been all of these things in his career at Duke. As of tonight, Nolan Smith is my favorite player to ever wear the uniform. I hope he gets to 2,000 points. I hope he wins NPOY. I hope he leads the team to a second National Title in as many years. But no matter what happens, he will always be remembered as one of the greats and he will always be remembered for what he did tonight.

Thank you Nolan.

I'd like to second your post. We are blessed to be able to watch Nolan grow up and excel. What a kid, what a year for him.

DukeWarhead
02-10-2011, 11:28 AM
Rather than look at this win as one that Duke was lucky to come away with (as tarheel fans have been proclaiming all morning...) I chose to look at it thusly:

Duke played with one half tied behind its back and arguably its best player on the bench in street clothes and still won by more than 5.

NashvilleDevil
02-10-2011, 11:31 AM
After sleeping on what I witnessed last night here’s my morning after take on the game.

I’ve got mixed emotions right now. Later today when I go to work, I’m going to talk some mega smack, have a few extra dollars in my pocket, and have lots of free soda to drink the next few days. On the flip side, some of the negatives we’ve talked about game after game reared their ugly head again in last night’s game.

Lack of consistent focus, poor shooting, and questionable interior play were evident throughout the game last night.

Nolan Smith: This kid gave us a career effort last night and he played as a senior should. It’s been a pleasure to watch him improve by leaps and bounds from year to year. Since Kyrie went down, Nolan has put this team squarely on his back as witnessed by him being able to score career highs every few games, this is what a senior leader does.

Kyle Singler: Offensively he was terrible. He barely managed to score ten points on 17 shots. A number of people have tried to play up his defensive effort yesterday and from reading some of the posts, you’d think he shutout LeBron James. Folks it was Harrison Barnes. You remember him. The one many of you on this very same forum said was an over-hyped, no talent individual. Now he’s the second coming of Larry Bird, MJ, and Dr. J all rolled into one. If I’m a Carolina fan I’ll take this stalemate all week long and twice on Sunday as even with career nights from Smith and Curry they barely lost at CIS.

Seth Curry: He did a solid job defensively by staying in front of his man and not going for steals. Offensively his superior ball handling ability got him the nod over Andre. Once he got hot and the crowd got behind him there was no stopping him.

Ryan Kelly: He had a pretty decent all around game. I’m watching the WRAL broadcast and Gman is saying over and over again how Henson can only go to his left, but time and time again he abuses Mason taking him to the left. Finally Coach K says enough and inserts Ryan and low and behold Mr. Henson becomes a mere mortal as Ryan takes away the left hand drive. His being able to hit the 3 definitely spread the heels D and made life a lot easier for Smith driving the lane.

Miles Plumlee: He had some big rebounds and tip outs in the second half. He also did a very good job denying Zeller his sweet spots on the floor.

Tyler Thorton: With Singler in an offensive funk, Tyler’s minutes were going to be limited as the team needed Seth’s scoring punch. Hopefully his back will fine for the next game.

Andre Dawkins: He didn’t get many minutes and you can chalk that up to his suspect handle. The team needed some offensive pop, but Seth’s superior ball handling made him the better play of the two shooters.

Mason Plumlee: I’ve already mentioned his defensive shortcomings above and the clincher for how bad he was defensively was at the start of the second half we make our run that cuts the lead to 6. Roy takes a very good timeout an on the very next set play Zeller burns Mason badly. On the heels next offensive play Zeller easily finds his sweet spot and schools Mason with the baby hook. His offensive play was extremely poor. For some reason he shys away from contact and settles for either the fadeaway or twists his body as though he was afraid of Stick man.
All in all a very nice win, but there’s still a lot of work to be done by the team and the staff.

I would have hated to see what your post looked like if Duke lost.

Kfanarmy
02-10-2011, 11:36 AM
I disagree. UNC is better. We all saw it.....

What? The two teams have different engines driving them, I don't think UNC is better. I think they are both pretty good, but I believe Duke has more weapons, esp on defense when things get clicking.

superdave
02-10-2011, 11:37 AM
Games like that are why its so hard to win on the road. A player gets hot (Curry), the crazies got going and a young team got rattled.
Duke had too much Nolan Smith is the short version of why Duke won.i

This game will make UNC better.


And Duke will better as well... K was very impressed with UNC and they showed they can play at a high level. I think they are capable of a run in March - but in a tight game- someone has to rise above it all and steady the team- and right now- they do not have that guy. But it is early.

I think this game makes both teams better for March. For both teams, the other looms large. It's psychological and very real. Remember how Duke played down to Unc's level last year then the Mason reverse finish sort of ignited something? Duke went on to win and realized some demons were exorcised.

Duke can conclude after last night that they can overcome most anything. They have a blueprint for how, in spite of limited scoring, their big men can control a game defensively and adjust to limit an opponents' strengths. Seth Curry has got to know he can perform at a very high level now. I think the best result that can come from the way last night played out is if the big guys take this personally and play like their careers depend on it for the remainder of the season. Kinda like how two senior big men played last year.

Unc knows it has a legit pg and that it needs to run. They know they have to work harder and play smarter. Roy likely knows he's got to artificially boost their confidence at times and settle them down (or even rescue them) at times with his timeouts because of their youth. But Unc should get a boost in confidence out of this too.

Teton Jack
02-10-2011, 11:38 AM
After having slept on the game and rewatched it this morning - one of the benefits of a snowstorm in the South - here are my observations on Duke going forward:

1. Tyler Thornton will come off the bench. He was out-classed last night by Kendall Marshall. I think K will look for him to be a stopper off the bench, when it's needed.
2. Miles Plumlee has earned a starting position. He may not always start depending on the opponent, but he provides a toughness (when he doesn't commit stupid fouls) that we need on the floor. Besides, I like being able to bring some scoring power off the bench.
3. Seth Curry impressed me as much on defense as on offense last night in the second half. He will start the next game.
4. I have no inside knowledge, but looking at Kyrie - HE'S COMING BACK. He loved this game and I think this is how he wants to remember his Duke career but with the memory being about playing and winning this kind of game.
5. Duke should go undefeated to the next game at UNC. If Duke loses, it has to win the ACC conference to get a No. 1 seed. While BYU and San Diego are good squads, I don't see enough quality wins to give them a No. 1 seed; however, the media are crazy about them and will give one of them a top pick in the West bracket. If Duke wins out to the finals of the ACC, it's 70% chance that Duke gets a No. 1 seeding
6. UNC will go up in the polls because of this loss. It doesn't hurt them at all.
7. I would pull for the Russians, no, even the Iranians, before UNC, but Kendall Marshall was really impressive. He reminds me of Jason Kidd who beat Duke in what was it 1994 (?) in the NCAA's. His off the dribble passing and physicality combined with that baleful stare that Kidd could put on his face, tell me we have someone at UNC that will make life interesting, unless we get Kyrie to come back. And he will come back. I don't think either one will be in the ACC in two years.

CampbellBlueDevil
02-10-2011, 11:39 AM
I'm just glad smack talking Reggie Bullock put up a big donut. According to him, no one on the Duke roster can guard Barnes, Marshall, or himself. I'd say they were contained enough.

UrinalCake
02-10-2011, 11:40 AM
Offensive rebounding was a big key. In the first half Zeller controlled the paint, but in the second half we scored a lot off of second chance points, including a couple rebounds off of missed free throws. I think it takes a lot out of your opponent when they play good D and force a miss, but then we tip the rebound back out and make them play defense for another 25-30 seconds and then score.

Ryan Kelly didn't shoot very well but I thought his defense was really good.

hudlow
02-10-2011, 11:47 AM
For all practical purposes Duke spotted Carolina 14 points last night and crushed them.

If that's a learning experience or motivation for the Heels then so be it. I'd want to forget all about it and move on.

What Duke will take away from this game will make it much more unpleasant for the Heels in Chapel Hill when Duke visits.

Bet on it.

GO DUKE!!!

Exiled_Devil
02-10-2011, 11:51 AM
Actually, I thought Henson looked like their best player tonight. Stats aside, he was the matchup we couldn't solve.

Funny that despite Kyle's awful shooting percentage, he still both outscored and outrebounded HB.

I agree about Henson - I'd put him on the All ACC team with Nolan, Williams (MD), Kyle and someone else.

Exiled_Devil
02-10-2011, 11:59 AM
I think Ole Roy will pull out all stops to slow down Nolan and Seth. Clearly, that is where Duke's punch will come from. They will also try to win the inside battle big, as they did last night.

I don't think Nolan can be held down too much but maybe into the mid 20's if they hound him totally. Seth has gotten cuter with his game and has used the pump fake to great effect, but he can also be held down from a career high.


I think this is two problems for UNC - they can't stop our 2 guard without shifting to open up Kyle, and they just don't have someone to stop Nolan. If they adjust to shut down Seth, they open up Kyle, and that's even more dangerous for an opposing team.

Chitowndevil
02-10-2011, 12:20 PM
While Seth Curry is justifiably getting a lot of the credit, I thought both Plumlees, and Miles in particular, were terrific in the second half. After halftime, they matched Henson and Zeller on the boards (10 rebounds each side) and held Henson to 2-6 FG, 3 TO. They committed only ONE foul each in 28 combined minutes.

Only two Duke players turned the ball over in the second half: Ryan Kelly twice, and Seth once. Nolan Smith's 2nd half stat line: 8-11 FG, 5-7 FT, 22 Pts, 2 Ast, 0 TO. In the second half, Duke led UNC as a team in every statistical category except steals, where the two teams had one apiece. Sometimes numbers DO tell the story!

Interestingly, given how disparate the two halves were, Duke was 4-13 from 3 point range in both the first and second halves. So much for Duke living and dying by the 3 point shot?

Carolina had only one assist in the last 12 minutes of the game, a redirection from Henson to Zeller for a layup. Duke had 6 assists by four different players in that span.

Kyle singler did not attempt a FG for the last 6 minutes of the game. However, he had two rebounds, an assist (the touchdown pass to Nolan to seal the game) and went 4-4 from the free throw line. I think part of what defines a great player is to have an off night and still help your team win.

hurley1
02-10-2011, 12:22 PM
Seth also played pg some tonight to help Nolan out.

and did pretty dang well.......we might see more of this.......

NSDukeFan
02-10-2011, 12:27 PM
For those of you who watched the Raycom broadcast: yes, it did have G-Man. That was a plus. But I think Brando is in a corner rocking back and forth trying to figure out when to propose to Marshall and asking the producers to work up yet another unc highlight to play as he does it. It was horrible hearing him gush again and again over the kid. Great comeback by the guys tonight after a dreadful first half. Pure guts and determination with much smarter play.
I don't disagree that there was a lot of gushing, but Marshall really impressed me. For a freshman starting his third game to come into Cameron and lead the team the way he did in the first half was very impressive, IMO. I kept thinking about how much I like him as a player and how he is someone who is going to provide a big challenge to Duke over the next 4 years.

home court advantage during a comeback is important as well.
I agree, all things being equal I believe UNC would have won this game in the Dean Dome. Hopefully, Duke will be better after the toughness and confidence they got from this game. I am definitely looking forward to a very difficult rematch.

I totally agree. That's why they let us play two games. Already exited for March! Prime time, baby!
What he said.

Aside from obvious like Smith's historic game and your bench beating ours, here is my sense of a few intangibles that swung the game in your favor:

1. Strickland's foul trouble really hurt us and took us out of the attack mode that worked so well in the first half.

2. You have no inside scoring threat, it's pitiful really, but have toughness when it comes to pulling down rebounds. We just didn't get the put-backs in the second half and it was not from lack of effort, but just very solid play by Duke's interior.

3. We could/ should have been up by more than 14 at the half. A few missed lay-ups/ turnovers on the break/ good transition defense by Duke kept it from being a complete blowout. I don't think you would have comeback if we had converted on just a couple more plays in the first half.


I expected to lose and am trying to be happy that we lost a close one, but it sucks to lose a 14 point halftime lead. I will have to bury myself in work for a few days.
I don't know if your point #2 swung the game into Duke's favor, but I disagree with it a bit and have to give UNC credit a bit. I thought Miles, Mason, Ryan and Kyle had outstanding rebounding second halfs and defended much better inside. That is what the team needed them to do. They didn't score much inside, but I would by no means call them pitiful scoring inside. I believe that Henson and Zeller were a factor in their low scoring output as Mason reverted a bit to the fading throw the ball over the shoulder shot that he has avoided the last 10 games or so. I think Henson and Zeller are very solid interior defenders and not the easiest to score against inside. I hope and expect the team to continue to go inside more often as this year progresses as I think our bigs had a poor scoring performance, but are by no means pitiful scoring threats inside.

I am REALLY curious what went on in the locker room at halftime. And whatever it was, I want some of it. A few thoughts:

1. Nolan Smith just pulled VERY close to Jimmer in the NCAA POY race. He positively took over this game in the second half. Period.
2. Speaking of taking over the game, Seth Curry was on fire during the most pivotal stretch in this one. His shot was not missing, and he used the shot fake extremely effectively, while also handling the ball extremely well. He also passed the ball extremely well (5 assists) and played great D. He will be a superstar by his senior year.
3. Miles Plumlee played a GREAT game, locking down on defense and on the boards in the second half. Mason had a terrible first half, but played a lot better in the second.
Ryan Kelly didn't shoot the ball well, but always seems to be in the right place at the right time on defense and on rebounds. He is the definition of a smart player.
4. Kyle Singler may have finished 1-17 from the field, but he played a great game. No, he couldn't hit shots, but he positively shut down Barnes defensively, and had a lot of tough plays and big rebounds. This is why Kyle, I believe, will have a long career as a key NBA player - even when his shot isn't falling, he plays a solid, workmanlike game.
As above, I was very happy with how well Miles played as he, Ryan, Mason and Kyle did a fantastic job rebounding in the second half, including a bunch of offensive rebounds, which Zeller and Henson were cleaning up in the first half, allowing them to run.


I hope Tyler is OK. I noticed that after the game, Nolan jumped into him for a chest bump, and there was a lot more contact than would be wise for someone with an injured back, so I'd guess he's fine.

I agree with you that (this season) Tyler would be best used in short bursts for his energetic defense. I don't think it's a coincidence that Nolan blew up in a game that Tyler hardly played. For some reason Tyler's presence seems to dampen Nolan's offensive game. Tonight, Tyler only played 3 minutes (which obviously isn't enough to draw any conclusions), but during that time Nolan committed both his turnovers and went scoreless, missing his only shot. For the rest of the game, Nolan committed zero turnovers and scored around a point a minute. Still not enough data points to say anything with certainty, but in my mind the data's adding up.

On another subject, there was a discussion before the game about how much UNC's front line would dominate, with someone (I think you, superdave) suggesting they had to outscore our front line by at least 15 if UNC wanted to win the game. Well, their bigs actually outscored our bigs 41 to 10, and it still wasn't quite enough. Having said that, though, Henson and Zeller did dominate the game, especially in the first half. I think their rebounding was even more impressive than their scoring, and they did a good job defensively. Kudos to our big men for stepping up and hitting the boards in the second half. Without Mason, Miles, and Ryan second half rebounding, we would not have won the game.

I prefer to have Seth and Andre playing more minutes than Tyler as well, but I agree that this was not even close to a big enough sample size (3 minutes) to draw any conclusions about Tyler's play. I certainly don't think he was not prepared for this moment or anything like that. I was uncomfortable with the "Tyler outplayed Marshall in high school so he is in big trouble" talk and for at least one game it was warranted. I expect these two will have many great battles in the next 3&1/2 years.

For some reason I am in a really good mood today. What a great comeback!!! I really like Jim's opening paragraph in his article about the game.

Lots of Duke-Carolina games remind me of the Super Bowl. The reality doesn’t always match the hype. But last night reality took hype to the woodshed and beat it senseless.
Well said.


Congrats. To be continued...

Agreed. The rematch in the Dean Dome could be epic between two very good teams that appear to be getting better.

sandinmyshoes
02-10-2011, 12:27 PM
It think it was a game of two gambles.

In the first half, Willaims gambled on a knockout punch. While the number of players available to him has been reduced, Williams still seemed intent on playing his starters more than he usually did. In past games I've noticed that he often uses big leads to rest his best players. Essentially, he's willing to have a lead halved to sneak some rest for critical players. Last night, he sensed we were on the ropes and went for the early kill. It very nearly worked. But to the credit of our guys, they managed to stay on their feet and weathered the storm. There was a point where UNC could have pushed the lead to well over twenty, but didn't. Had they, our second half comeback would probably not have been sufficient. The gamble failed and his guys had foul trouble and fatigue hounding them in the second half.

The second gamble was in the second half by Coach K. He chose to gamble some open looks at the three by UNC for the sake of interior defense. UNC got the looks, but didn't knock them down. Meanwhile, our interior defnese was much, much better. The lane was suddenly a crowded place for Zeller, Henson and a driving Marshall. The gamble worked.

The rematch will be interesting. Neither team shot the ball well from the arc last night. In the first half UNC forced our guys into shooting long shots, way too far behind the arc, and we helped by shooting too early into the shot clock. Our guys made sure that even if UNC got an open look, they would know we were closing fast and rush their shot just a bit.

In the rematch, both side should still be concerned about the other getting hot from outside. The nuances of the game should be just as varied, probably more so, in Chapel Hill. This is what a rivalry game should be.

Wheat/"/"/"
02-10-2011, 12:28 PM
Yeah, the game WAS horribly officiated....just watch the replay and keep your eye on Kyle the entire game. Geesh!

That is my point. Some of you guys are trying to look for inuendo in my posts that is not there.

Singler reacted to the physical play as a senior, quality played should. Especially in crunch time. He just worked harder. Stayed focused.
UNC's kids got to looking around and lost their agressiveness and composure.

We talked in the pre-game thread how I believed that a "let 'em play" called game favored Duke, and it did. It's an area where experience shows. Feel free to disagree.
I'd hoped that since this UNC team is tougher than last year they would react better to that sort of called game, and I expected it to be called that way in Cameron. They usually are.
UNC playes should have recognized how the game was being called and reacted better. Like Duke players did. They should have reacted tougher, and they didn't. I think it was due to youth, and inexperiance.... and hopefully what they learned is they were not playing as tough as they thought they were and will step it up next time and put a 40 minute game together.

Duke outplayed UNC in this game over the course of 40 minutes, and deserved the win.

Kedsy
02-10-2011, 01:16 PM
As a side note...Henson attempted a 3??? I'd have loved to have seen that...

The first shot of the game (by either team), he took what according to the box score was a two-point shot, but to me it looked like a three. It was weird. But according to the official box score, Henson's three point attempt was with 2 seconds left in the game, so I guess he must have put up the obligatory heave from half court as time ran out.


And Henson had to shoot because he had the ball when the shot clock was at 1 (airball I think?)

I don't think the airball three at the end of the shot clock midway through the second half was thrown up by Henson. And the official box score agrees.

pfrduke
02-10-2011, 01:17 PM
It was the first shot of the game, by either team. Very weird.

That was actually a long 2 (prompting me to say to my dogs - my only company during this game - that Henson could shoot all the 20 footers he wanted to this game). The Henson 3 was the very last shot of the game.

Class of '94
02-10-2011, 01:24 PM
I was on the WRAL.com site to see read their thoughts on the game and I came across an article with thoughts about the game from a certain ex NC State player, Julius Hodge. Here is the link: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blog/5192119/#blogpost_id_9089458 .

I find his reference to UNC in his tweets as UNCheat amusing but he goes on to say that he thinks State has better talent than Duke and at worst a tie with UNCheat after watching the game. I know everyone is free to have their own opinions but how in the world can one justify that comment. State has good talent but it's no where neither the talent level of both teams, especially with a healthy KI at Duke. What do you guys think?

Kedsy
02-10-2011, 01:48 PM
I prefer to have Seth and Andre playing more minutes than Tyler as well, but I agree that this was not even close to a big enough sample size (3 minutes) to draw any conclusions about Tyler's play.

Well, first of all, I wasn't talking about Tyler's play (I think Tyler is in general playing well above expectations, especially on defense). I was talking about Nolan's play when Tyler is in and running the point (putting Nolan off the ball). Second, obviously 3 minutes is not anywhere close to a big enough sample size, but if you include those 3 minutes, then Nolan's performance has been significantly worse when he's playing alongside Tyler than when he isn't for three games now. Still not a big enough sample but, as I said, starting to add up.

Troublemaker
02-10-2011, 01:57 PM
Coach K said it best, as he so often does, in the post-game presser. (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22726&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205093162 )


It wasn’t and X and O adjustment. It was to calm them down. They were too excited. They were nuts is the word. What are you guys doing. It’s not like ‘You guys aren’t playing hard.’ They’re playing hard. They’re taking charges. When you go like that you’re not coordinated and it was more to get a coordinated effort on the offensive and defensive ends.

That about sums it up. In the first half, the team was just so overanxious. The blown layup by Nolan with the score 7-oh. Ryan completely gagging a wide-open 10-footer. Andre dribbling into traffic; that's not his role. Lots of out of character plays, the most glaring of which was that sequence where Mason got the rebound and started dribbling upcourt and then, because he was so anxious and sans poise, blindly passed the ball backwards to no one resulting in a turnover.

In the second half, we stopped shooting ourselves in the foot. We played with calm and poise, and UNC got knocked back by our early run. It was one of those things where UNC probably would have fared better with a 4-point halftime lead rather than a 14-point halftime lead. Duke came out with such a burst that all of a sudden Cameron's rocking and the UNC players go into a mode where they're playing not to lose, not to choke away a huge halftime lead. Duke came to play in the second half with a more coordinated effort, but we probably don't outscore a team that talented 50-30 unless that team got caught up in the moment a bit.

Great game.

gam7
02-10-2011, 02:00 PM
One of my favorite moments of the broadcast was during the final minute when there was a shot of Coach K with Chris Spatola in the background convulsing in fired-up-ness. It was pretty hilarious.

EDIT: Ah, and would you look at that! Already on youtube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOTMZshnENI

Andre Buckner Fan
02-10-2011, 02:02 PM
What? The two teams have different engines driving them, I don't think UNC is better. I think they are both pretty good, but I believe Duke has more weapons, esp on defense when things get clicking.

Kfanarmy. Read the whole post. I replied to a quote that said that UNC is getting better and said they are better. They are a good team.

I'm saying that I don't think this loss is what UNC needed, because I don't know how much you learn when a team erases a lead like that. It means UNC did what they needed to do and executed perfectly and still lost. They lost because they didn't have veterans who can weather a good team fighting back and I'm not sure that's something one game can fix.

Perhaps in the very long run this game might make UNC better, but I don't see it. I think it's more of a game for them to forget.

CharlestonDevil
02-10-2011, 02:08 PM
One of my favorite moments of the broadcast was during the final minute when there was a shot of Coach K with Chris Spatola in the background convulsing in fired-up-ness. It was pretty hilarious.

EDIT: Ah, and would you look at that! Already on youtube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOTMZshnENI

YES. That was my reaction, on tv.

Also loved the SporstCenter replays of Seth's mom. God I love Duke basketball!!!!

Channing
02-10-2011, 02:08 PM
and throws one of his players under the bus. This time, his freshman point guard making his 6th start at UNC:

"We missed some shots. I mean Kendall [Marshall] was 1-for-7 at half. You know, we don’t want him to think that he’s got to score."

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205093162

pfrduke
02-10-2011, 02:19 PM
and throws one of his players under the bus. This time, his freshman point guard making his 6th start at UNC:

"We missed some shots. I mean Kendall [Marshall] was 1-for-7 at half. You know, we don’t want him to think that he’s got to score."

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205093162

The change in defensive tactics on Marshall was one of the key shifts in the game. After we played him like a "normal" driver (deny the shot, allow the pass) for the first 10 minutes or so, we did a great job playing his drives in a way that denied the pass and allowed the shot. That has to be extremely difficult for the defense to do - it's so counter-intuitive to play in a way that allows the ball handler a shot at the expense of stopping a pass - but it worked well. And I'd far rather Kendall Marshall (at least at this stage of his career) take 11 shots in a game than rack up 11 assists.

UrinalCake
02-10-2011, 02:23 PM
I was on the WRAL.com site to see read their thoughts on the game and I came across an article with thoughts about the game from a certain ex NC State player, Julius Hodge. Here is the link: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blog/5192119/#blogpost_id_9089458 .

I find his reference to UNC in his tweets as UNCheat amusing but he goes on to say that he thinks State has better talent than Duke and at worst a tie with UNCheat after watching the game. I know everyone is free to have their own opinions but how in the world can one justify that comment. State has good talent but it's no where neither the talent level of both teams, especially with a healthy KI at Duke. What do you guys think?


I haven't read the link yet but I imagine he must feel that State has a lot of raw talent, they just haven't put it together. In a way though, that's basically an insult to Sidney Lowe, whom he has outwardly supported. Before the season started Hodge was on a local radio shows after having watched some of State's practices and reported that Ryan Harrow would be the best freshman point guard in the country, even better than Kyrie. I don't blame him for supporting his team, but yeah you have to be pretty insane to even bring State into the conversation if you're a State fan.

ns7
02-10-2011, 02:34 PM
I don't think the airball three at the end of the shot clock midway through the second half was thrown up by Henson. And the official box score agrees.

The airball 3 shot was by Kendall Marshall with ~2 seconds left on the shot clock. He probably should have taken a few steps then shot but he panicked.

sagegrouse
02-10-2011, 02:43 PM
Lenox Rawlings (http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/feb/09/1/smith-is-a-blue-collar-blue-devil-ar-770671/)makes a good point in this morning's W-S Journal: UNC did a reasonable job of guarding Nolan while lightning-quick Dexter Strickland was on the job. But then Dexter got into foul trouble, and the assigment shifted to Marshall and others, who had trouble staying in front of Nolan. Strickland played only 22 minutes before fouling out.

What Lenox doesn't say is that Larry Drew II also could have guarded Nolan and that his absence was sorely felt by the Heels and could have made the difference in the game.

sagegrouse

NSDukeFan
02-10-2011, 02:48 PM
Well, first of all, I wasn't talking about Tyler's play (I think Tyler is in general playing well above expectations, especially on defense). I was talking about Nolan's play when Tyler is in and running the point (putting Nolan off the ball). Second, obviously 3 minutes is not anywhere close to a big enough sample size, but if you include those 3 minutes, then Nolan's performance has been significantly worse when he's playing alongside Tyler than when he isn't for three games now. Still not a big enough sample but, as I said, starting to add up.

I also don't think this three minute stretch when Tyler was in is a big enough sample size to comment on Nolan's performance with or without Tyler as well. I realize you are adding this and perhaps beginning to see a trend. I commented here as well, because there were a number of posters who were making comments about how Tyler showed he didn't belong, etc. when I didn't think he had enough of a chance before he got hurt. I see now that your post didn't suggest this.

BattierBattalion
02-10-2011, 03:14 PM
First of all, fantastic game.

Second, does anyone know about what chants were used? I'm particularly curious to know how the Crazies greeted Barnes? Anyone have pictures of signs?

oldnavy
02-10-2011, 03:17 PM
That is my point. Some of you guys are trying to look for inuendo in my posts that is not there.

Singler reacted to the physical play as a senior, quality played should. Especially in crunch time. He just worked harder. Stayed focused.
UNC's kids got to looking around and lost their agressiveness and composure.

We talked in the pre-game thread how I believed that a "let 'em play" called game favored Duke, and it did. It's an area where experience shows. Feel free to disagree.
I'd hoped that since this UNC team is tougher than last year they would react better to that sort of called game, and I expected it to be called that way in Cameron. They usually are.
UNC playes should have recognized how the game was being called and reacted better. Like Duke players did. They should have reacted tougher, and they didn't. I think it was due to youth, and inexperiance.... and hopefully what they learned is they were not playing as tough as they thought they were and will step it up next time and put a 40 minute game together.

Duke outplayed UNC in this game over the course of 40 minutes, and deserved the win.

Wheat, FWIW I did not take your post as a complaint against the officiating. I like it when they let both sides play, what drives me crazy is how sometimes they seem to change in the middle of a game.

Saying that, I do think that Singler gets hammerred a lot without getting the calls.... maybe part of his tough repetation, who knows?

moonpie23
02-10-2011, 03:26 PM
[QUOTE=jv001;473681]

After last night, though, I think a win in the Dean Dome is going to be very, very difficult.

i disagree completely......i think the team AND the staff know exactly how to beat them. Weaknesses exposed up close and personal....

i'm not predicting a win, i think it's not going to be as difficult as most people would think...

superdave
02-10-2011, 03:34 PM
Lenox Rawlings (http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/feb/09/1/smith-is-a-blue-collar-blue-devil-ar-770671/)makes a good point in this morning's W-S Journal: UNC did a reasonable job of guarding Nolan while lightning-quick Dexter Strickland was on the job. But then Dexter got into foul trouble, and the assigment shifted to Marshall and others, who had trouble staying in front of Nolan. Strickland played only 22 minutes before fouling out.

What Lenox doesn't say is that Larry Drew II also could have guarded Nolan and that his absence was sorely felt by the Heels and could have made the difference in the game.

sagegrouse

I do not recall exactly but I bet most of Dexter's 5 fouls came trying to keep up with the 2011 NPOY. Nolan would have done the same to Larry. To say Dexter did a good job defensively is kinda funny when Nolan fouled him out.

I do wish that we'd tried to get fouls on Zeller and Henson though. Instead of Mason trying to drive to the hole from 15 feet out, I wish we'd fed the post at least a few times to make Unc's top 2 scorers defend more.

Channing
02-10-2011, 03:52 PM
I do not recall exactly but I bet most of Dexter's 5 fouls came trying to keep up with the 2011 NPOY. Nolan would have done the same to Larry. To say Dexter did a good job defensively is kinda funny when Nolan fouled him out.

I do wish that we'd tried to get fouls on Zeller and Henson though. Instead of Mason trying to drive to the hole from 15 feet out, I wish we'd fed the post at least a few times to make Unc's top 2 scorers defend more.

I don't know about 3 of them, but 2 came on charges...

Jeff Frosh
02-10-2011, 04:30 PM
82-50
50-30

Nice symmetry: Our second half this year equals their whole game last year:)

-jk
02-10-2011, 04:35 PM
Yeah, the game WAS horribly officiated....just watch the replay and keep your eye on Kyle the entire game. Geesh!That is my point. Some of you guys are trying to look for inuendo in my posts that is not there.

Singler reacted to the physical play as a senior, quality played should. Especially in crunch time. He just worked harder. Stayed focused.
UNC's kids got to looking around and lost their agressiveness and composure.

We talked in the pre-game thread how I believed that a "let 'em play" called game favored Duke, and it did. It's an area where experience shows. Feel free to disagree.
I'd hoped that since this UNC team is tougher than last year they would react better to that sort of called game, and I expected it to be called that way in Cameron. They usually are.
UNC playes should have recognized how the game was being called and reacted better. Like Duke players did. They should have reacted tougher, and they didn't. I think it was due to youth, and inexperiance.... and hopefully what they learned is they were not playing as tough as they thought they were and will step it up next time and put a 40 minute game together.

Duke outplayed UNC in this game over the course of 40 minutes, and deserved the win.

I'm not sure the game was horribly officiated. I think the refs were in the "let them play" mode, at least for positional, lane type fouls. A lot of holding and pushing and hacking underneath - both ways. About the only thing they called in the lane was if someone came from way out, and landed on someone. If both players were already underneath, it was "no blood, no foul". Reminded me of the Reid/Ferry ACC tourney game of yore.

-jk

moonpie23
02-10-2011, 04:37 PM
maybe something like the last two lines of this (http://www.hark.com/clips/nysjtmdtsn-either-were-going-down-or-they-are)...

-bdbd
02-10-2011, 04:48 PM
Originally Posted by jv001
I knew it was too good to be true. The refs did the heels in again. Always getting that little jab in. Can't help it huh? I praised kong for being a good sport, but can't do the same for you wheat. Go Duke!

No excuses in that post from me, the Heels didn't adjust to how the refs called the game and it cost them. Refs are a part of the game, teams have to learn to deal with them and play smart. The Heels let the calls, or non calls, get in their head and had them standing around, it was enough that an aggressive Duke team got to the 50-50 balls in the second half.
That's how I saw it.

Wheat, I know that's not what you said - you were appropriately diplomatic - but it is absolutely what was being said by your fellow faded-blue bretheren in droves over on IC. (Author note: I would encourage everyone to occasionally lurk on an opposing fan website during a game just to hear/see comments from "the other perspective." At a minimum it is quite intertaining, and I think can be very educational.) IC had a whole string dedicated last night to "how the refs are stealing the game from us." As well, the in-game discussion string seemed to spiral down into constant/majority comments whining about the refs.... Dozens of posts along these lines: "What, tell me why THAT wasn't a foul as Marshall took that shot??!" "What's the foul total in the second half??" "ANYBODY reasonable with eyes can see the zebras are stealing this one from us!" "Someone needs to send a tape of this ridiculous game to the ACC director of officials for review..." "Strickland did NOT foul him on that play...it was just a typical Duke (spelled with 2 o's of course) flop!" And of course not a single acknowledgement of ANY favorable calls.

The very rare rational poster got shouted down or ignored if he tried to point out that (1) the foul and FT totals actually favored UNC for almost the entire game -- until the five semi-intentional UNC fouls in the last 2:07 -- or that (2) it was the players' failure to answer/sink shots in the 2nd half that really was deciding the game.

I point this out not to beat up on UNC fans or the frequent over-the-top irrationality that is often the IC board -- lord knows we/I sometimes will complain about calls not going our way (though not, I would argue, to the same degree of focus, belligerence, irrationality) -- but it is very interesting/telling to see how different groups of fans choose to see the same events very differently. On this board, many folks complained in the first half about how KS was getting hammered and the refs were contributing greatly to the debacle - and many others certainly felt the same way - but over on IC there wasn't a single mention (not that I saw at least) of calls going in favor of their team, nor hardly any arguments explaining why a certain call should have gone against them. Like I said, fans can be really entertaining.

Bilas once said on ESPN that at the first TV timeout (4 minutes into a game) K would always start in the huddle talking about how the refs were calling the game... "and here's how we're going to adjust..." I've long thought that this had a lot to do with the MD-UNC complaints about Duke supposedly "getting all of the calls." K is just very good (usually, not always) at getting his teams to adjust to the reffing style of individual games. I think it proved out last night too, even if it did take 20 minutes to finally adjust. Roy's boys didn't adjust as well, per 'Wheat.

The rematch will be interesting. I think UNC's ceiling is higher, as they've clearly waaaay under-played to their (recuited-out-of-H.S.) talent levels for the last 1.5 years -- much to the glee of ABC fans everywhere -- but certainly both teams are improving. I also think that Irving's return would be a major impactor for that game. I do think Duke plays a more complete game next time (you have to wonder in playing AWAY from helps in that regard in rivalry games). Should be fun in any event. (But I'm sure the refs will be favoring the other team - no mater which team you're rooting for!!!) ;)

Jderf
02-10-2011, 05:16 PM
yes what the hell were they thinking...Duke Carolina is definitely the game of the week if not month:mad:

If not year.

(excluding the post-season)

Neals384
02-10-2011, 06:09 PM
The way its going, Kyle won't have much of an nba career, but im rooting for him. He is shooting low 40% for his career in COLLEGE. In the nba, that percentage won't keep you in the league unless u are quick and athletic like jennings or john wall (both shoot low percentages). But efficiency is what he needs.1-17 or 3-17 is beyond poor.

Not sure this is the right time to fret about NBA prospects, but here are the facts: Kyle's career shooting % including the Carolina game is 43.4%. Not great, but I submit he will shoot better once he is no longer expected to play 40 minutes a game. BTW, a certain Lakers star is only 45.5% from the field for his career.

PallasAthena
02-10-2011, 06:13 PM
First of all, fantastic game.

Second, does anyone know about what chants were used? I'm particularly curious to know how the Crazies greeted Barnes? Anyone have pictures of signs?

I don't have a picture, but I loved this one:

DysfUNCtional dUNCes

although it probably applies more to last year's 'Holes than this year's.

"You can't spell dysfunctional dunces without UNC."

Wheat/"/"/"
02-10-2011, 09:16 PM
Bdbd-
I can't deal with IC. I'll admit to being a lurker,but i'd be arguing all the time there and have no time for that. TDD is no better by the way.....
I don't like the "let 'em play" called games myself. A foul is a foul and should be called. I like teams that defend without fouling. I don't mind strength and bodying up in the post, but the pushing and grabbing, especially on the wings, oi
Has reduced the quality of play in the college game.
That said, the trend is let them play. Especially late in tight games, so good smart teams have to adjust.
And it drives me crazy when they are not at least consistant too.

muzikfrk75
02-10-2011, 09:32 PM
My new FB profile picture...

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/00/fullj.fd839fb7955de718ee3c4d51b5104874/fd839fb7955de718ee3c4d51b5104874-getty-107926541sl021_north_caroli.jpg

Johnboy
02-10-2011, 09:35 PM
Bdbd-
I can't deal with IC. I'll admit to being a lurker,but i'd be arguing all the time there and have no time for that. TDD is no better by the way.....
I don't like the "let 'em play" called games myself. A foul is a foul and should be called. I like teams that defend without fouling. I don't mind strength and bodying up in the post, but the pushing and grabbing, especially on the wings, oi
Has reduced the quality of play in the college game.
That said, the trend is let them play. Especially late in tight games, so good smart teams have to adjust.
And it drives me crazy when they are not at least consistant too.

I agree with all this and (for aesthetic reasons) would like to see games called tighter, as they were when the ACC was known as a more finesse conference than some others- provided the other conferences' refs do likewise. That said, I would rather the refs call regular season games and postseason games the same, and for ACC refs to call it like it's going to be called in the NCAAT so as to get ACC teams ready for the tournament. I used to feel like we couldn't get calls in the NCAAT that we got all season and it made the adjustment more difficult. The tendency in tournament play seems to be to let them play (so long as things don't get out of control), so i don't mind if they let them. Play during the season.

moonpie23
02-10-2011, 10:26 PM
someone told me rasheed wallace gave nolan a big hug.........true?