MBB: Duke 81, Miami 71 Post-Game Thread

[pfrduke]

Post your thoughts here.

[basket1544]

It is a fun game, thanks Seth!

[SMO]

Duke overcame Miami's hot shooting, Smith's eye injury, Singler's gimpy leg, and some dubious officiating to win by 10. That's a solid road win.

[jimrowe0]

Sdotcurry....starting to shine

[Bluedevil114]

I think this was the first time this season that Seth has had two back to back good games (great games). We really needed his offense the last two games and he has come through.

Tyler Thornton hitting six straight free throws on the road was big to see also. Great game tonight. Go Duke!!

[SCMatt33]

First, BIG props for Tyler for hitting 6 free throws in a row to end that game. It was a single digit game and a freshman on the road without much experience at the line.

I also thought we did as good of a job as we could holding off Miami's offense. They were absolutely on fire and to hold them to 71 is actually pretty darn good. They had beat us inside at Cameron so we came out and forced them to hit jumpers, which they did. We took away the threes and forced them to pass inside and they did. We started covering everyone tight, and they took advantage of the open boards that it led to. We shut down Grant for a large portion of that game. It may not look like it in the final stats, but I thought the D did a great job to hang in there.

[DukieTiger]

Solid team effort today. Decent shooting, decent job sharing the ball, held our own on the boards, Seth was aggressive and had a lot of guys shoulder the scoring load.

Room to improve: continue to improve on defense, closing out on shooters, and I'm just anticipating Andre busting out of his funk and playing with confidence on both ends- he'll get there, for sure!

[stillcrazie]

Also thought Mason played within himself and did a very good job on D. He only took one ill-advised shot that I can remember and it didn't hurt us.

[mgtr]

Amazing game. Seth came through, Nolan came back, and all three bigs had improved games. In fact, everyone who played looked great except Andre. He just looks sort of lost out there.

[Sixthman]

Also thought Mason played within himself and did a very good job on D. He only took one ill-advised shot that I can remember and it didn't hurt us.

As a team, this was the best on court decision making of the season.

[dyedwab]

Obviously Seth and the scoring and running the team with Nolan out, but lots of contributions today

Ryan Kelly hit some key shots in the right place against their zone.

All the bigs did a fairly good job containing Reggie Johnson - that man can play...and Mason was effective on the offensive end

And last but not least, Tyler hitting 6 FTs down the stretch on the road...big for a freshman.

A satisfying road win.

[OZ]

I thought our three big guys also had another good night... Kelly and the Plumees gave us 12 rebounds and 27 points. I'll take that many points any night from our inside guys.

[MChambers]

It was very interesting that Thornton was in during the closing minutes. Sounds like we were in the Kyle and the Pips lineup, rather than having Kelly in there. Also great that Thornton hit the free throws and that his teammates had enough confidence in him to pass the ball to him.

I listened on the ACC Radio Network, which had Wimp Sanderson as the play by play announcer. Wimp sounded about like I'd like to think Bones McKinney would sound like in 2011. He was very complimentary of Duke's play and Nolan's play in the second half. He also pronounced Duke as "Dyuke", which I enjoyed.

Finally, a Pomeroy call out -- he predicted 80-69.

[wsb3]

Really good team win on the road against a team that was playing very well. Defense was really good in the second half. I think there was a nine minute period where Miami had three field goals.

Props to Tyler. Loved seeing him drain six straight free throws.

[uh_no]

I thought our three big guys also had another good night... Kelly and the Plumees gave us 12 rebounds and 27 points. I'll take that many points any night from our inside guys.

Is seth officially part of the 'big three' now? not sure the big 2 is a big 3 just yet....

[taiw93]

One thing that I've loved about Seth is how well he's been doing the little things (i.e. everything but shooting). He's been playing good D (no one will mistake him for Nolan, but he's picking up a lot of steals and staying with his man much better), getting some rebounds (he has a knack for finding the ball), making good passes, and handling the ball well. He is starting to develop a very complete game, and it wouldn't shock me if he was our starting point guard next year.

[Jeff0r3]

ALOT of good things happened during this game. ALOT of positives! I just can't wait for the Plumlees to become a presence inside on the offensive end. When this happens, look out NCAA!:cool:

[sagegrouse]

This was the most balanced game for Duke this season. Good play on offense and defense by the bigs. Kyle was steady the entire game. Good shooting. Ryan made his first four shots from 10-12 feet (9 pts in 15 mins). Two beautiful moves by Miles in the first half: a great post move for an easy bucket and a blind drop pass to Kyle for a layup. Nolan was a beast in the second half after not scoring a bucket in the first. Seth continued his hot-shooting ways. Mason played well throughout. Tyler did what he was asked to do on defense and was 6-6 from the FT line.

sagegrouse

[Saratoga2]

There were many good things that can be said about this game and only a few improvement areas.

1. Clearly Seth's excellent game against UNC carried over into this one. His offensive efficiency was very good tonight and he used his quick hands to get either 4 or 5 steals. The best thing for me is he showed leadership and maturity out there.

2. Kelly had a very good game with him getting into the open spot and hitting the mid range jumper over and over again. He also made a couple of nice passes in the high/low post arrangement.

3. Thornton also looked confident. He plays really in your face defense and will pick up a few bumping fouls, but it is difficult for the offensive guard to get much going against him. And then he stepped up and hit those 6 foul shots in a row. He is maturing as a player and is an excellent bench player.

4. Mason also was passing well and took points where they were given to him. Our bigs taken together had quite a lot of points tonight. Even Miles had about 6 to go with double figures from Tyan and maybe the same from Mason. Mason got lost of defense a couple of times, but dealing with Reggie was no picnic. The refs seemed to give Reggie the benefit of the doubt on foul calls.

5. Nolan really got poked hard but came back as a tiger in the second half. Singler also had a good game and together they had nearly their normal totals, even though Nolan sat much of the 1st half out.

6. I thought Dawkins tried hard out there. He drove the ball to the basket, maybe trying to pick up a foul (probably was coached to do that) and he also took a couple of open shots. No luck for him tonight, but I didn't see him really make errors. Just keep trying out there and things will start to go right.

In general the main problem we had was given up a lot of open looks. They missed quite a few of those, so we were lucky. It looked to me as that a number of Miami players are having issues with conditioning.

[Utley]

Could Seth be this year's Zoubeck?

So nice to have G-Man announcing. His points about how mentally tough this team is was spot on.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

Post your thoughts here.

I defy anyone to pick a player of the game tonight ...

How key were Ryan's elbow jumpers in the first half?
Kyle was an absolute warrior today all over the floor.
Nolan with a great 2nd half.
Seth Curry with another great game.
Miles Plumlee played huge.
Mason played really, really well.
Tyler with clutch shooting from the line.

[camion]

A rather mundane, win on the road. I'm happy. I wish all road games could be this bland. :)

Kudos to the entire team for a solid performance. I was nervous when Nolan went out, but the team just played on. Very good.

[dukelifer]

I thought this was one of Duke's better efforts against a team that really needed this win and played hard. Duke overcame some in-game adversity with Nolan's injury and the bench stepped up on the road. Duke had some excellent passing- everyone played well in moments (except for Dre who is still in a slump) and withstood a few Miami runs with runs of their own.

I was very encouraged with the team play- a game that was more than Nolan being superman. Ryan Kelly was very impressive with that mid range game- like to see more of that. Great poise on the line by Thornton. Curry is definitely believing in himself and I am believing in him as well- he has turned a serious corner. Mason and Miles were strong tonight- a few mental lapses but overall solid. The boys played like men tonight and had a game that should prepare them for another tough road game against UVa.

[burns15]

Is seth officially part of the 'big three' now? not sure the big 2 is a big 3 just yet....

No, he meant our three BIG guys... Kelly and both Plumlees

[uh_no]

No, he meant our three BIG guys... Kelly and both Plumlees

got it :)

our *big* three

[burns15]

Could Seth be this year's Zoubeck?

So nice to have G-Man announcing. His points about how mentally tough this team is was spot on.

I'm not sure, but if he could be this year's Zoubek that would be fantastic

[superdave]

Mason has scored in double figures 3 of the last 4 games. That's approaching consistency.

I thought our big guys played pretty good D on Johnson tonight. There were a few plays where I thought Miles just willed himself into a good defensive play. That is an excellent development.

It is always nice to get a win on the road in the ACC.

[devildm]

Lot's of good plays tonight. One of my favorites was with about 1:30 left in the game when Miami's big man went to the floor and got called for a travel. The reason I liked it was because our guy (I think it was Singler) pulled a move out of Dahntay Jones's playbook where he put enough pressure on the big man to where he was leaning against Singler, at which point Singler backed away and to the ground he went.

[Teton Jack]

This is the kind of game you want to see at this time of the year. It wasn't perfect, but I can't think of anyone who really didn't have a solid game. Curry was strong with the ball and played smartly. Smith came back with a good second half. Singler, hey, he contributes both with and without the ball. Strong play on the interior by the plumlees and Kelly. Thornton hit his free throws and Dre played good defense. These performances are critical in the tournaments to come. Congratulations.

[DukeDevilDeb]

... that Mason actually made two free throws?! He changed the trajectory of his shots which had a little arc to them, and both went in! I was so happy!

[Les Grossman]

Big guys all ON
Ryan K finds that sweet stroke he has
Seth again from everywhere
nice D most of the game, with quite a few steals
Kyle and Nolan
Plumlees hit their FTs!

[mapei]

Nolan is indeed playing like the best player in America. He is so good this year that at times he makes Kyle seem sort of ordinary by comparison, and I mean no disrespect to the guy we all thought was our best player. I am just immensely comfortable when Nolan is on the court.

Seth was the other obvious star tonight. Something has happened with Andre, as others have noticed. He's just not the same guy as earlier in the season.

I thought Miami played very tough in the first half. We looked overmatched there for a bit but kept hanging until we found our rhythm, mostly due to Seth on O and Miles on D. Tyler is only going to get better as he matures, which could be a wonderful thing.

[OldPhiKap]

Could Seth be this year's Zoubeck?


A soul patch is a LONG way from a Zoubeard.

Seth is way sick, though.

[gam7]

... that Mason actually made two free throws?! He changed the trajectory of his shots which had a little arc to them, and both went in! I was so happy!

Free throw shooting:

Plumlees: 4-4, 100%

Tyler: 6-6, 100%

Rest of team: 7-11, 64%

I really like our guys' trajectory. The big guys are getting better. Curry is coming on. We're not peaking yet, but we're definitely moving in that direction.

[uh_no]

Could Seth be this year's Zoubeck?



Who is Zoubeck? Is that like Glenn Beck's zoo or something?

[Billy Dat]

Agree with everything said above. Very satisfying, balanced effort win with contributions all over the place.

RE: Andre

He has the ability to get to the hole. Since everyone plays him to shoot the 3, I'd like to see him use that pump fake and drive more often. It will keep the defense honest and get his motor running earlier in the game.

[ncexnyc]

A very interesting game. First off, kudos to Coach K. It wasn't an accident that Ryan was getting all those in close jumpers. It was obvious to see that the team had planned to attack Miami's zone in that fashion. I was somewhat surprised to see that tonight we paid a lot more attention to Reggie, which left their outside shooters get more open shots than the first game. The folks who've done the Phase reports have talked a lot about Killer Instinct and I really wish we could develop one. When the score was 64-54, we had two consecutive tries at breaking the game open and putting the Canes away, but Seth and Andre missed open 3's.

Seth definitely gets my MOTM vote. For the second consecutive game he's come up big and tonight his scoring carried us in the 1st half.

Nolan had a rough 1st half, with the 2 fouls and the eye injury. He did a great job of bouncing back in the 2nd half playing solid defense and doing an excellent job attacking the basket.

Ryan had a very good game. Those early baskets against the zone were key to keeping things from getting ugly, as Miami came out smoking hot.

Miles had another solid game down low. He's rebounding strongly and he seemed very confident when he got the ball and initiated his offense.

Tyler did a solid job defensively and those 6 consecutive free throws at the end of the game kept Miami at bay. Quite a nice job from a freshman on the road.

Kyle had another quiet evening. Not that he played poorly as he had 7 boards and 14 pts, shooting 50% from the field, but I keep waiting for a monster game from him and we just haven't seen it. Here's to hoping he's saving them for tournament play.

Mason picked up some nice garbage baskets. His D is still a bit sketchy.

Andre gave it the old college try, but he just can't seem to get anything going. Hopefully he can have a big game somewhere down the line to get his spirits back up.

A solid win against a team that came ready to play tonight on their homecourt.

[Bob Green]

Miami started the game in a 2-3 zone and we exploited it with text book execution. Youth league coaches know the center of the 2-3 is vulnerable and Ryan Kelly knocked down three jumpers from the free throw line area in the first several minutes of the game. I smiled every time we passed the ball to him. Sometimes basketball is a very simple game.

[superdave]

Nolan is indeed playing like the best player in America. He is so good this year that at times he makes Kyle seem sort of ordinary by comparison, and I mean no disrespect to the guy we all thought was our best player. I am just immensely comfortable when Nolan is on the court.


Kyle is a top defender in the country this year. He's playing at an elite level on that end in my opinion. With Singleton going down, I could see Kyle getting some love for All-Defense and maybe even DPOY for the conference. He's doing all the little things and a lot of dirty work for this Duke team. That definitely needs to be acknowledged.

Offensively, Kyle has some good mismatches that need to be exploited. But there are some quicker players he's just going to struggle against at times. This is the time of the year when Kyle took it up a notch offensively last season though. Stay tuned.

[snowdenscold]

ALOT of good things happened during this game. ALOT of positives! I just can't wait for the Plumlees to become a presence inside on the offensive end. When this happens, look out NCAA!:cool:

Haha, sorry, but I can't read this now without thinking of something posted on the Off-topic Board: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html


How crazy was it to see Mason make his first two FT's while Seth missed both of his (since he usually takes the technical FT's for our team).

And wow, Ryan had that 10-15 ft. jumper nailed down perfect.

I was surprised to see Miami was only 8-22 from 3 point land... it seemed like they made several more than that.

Miami actually made one more FG than we did (same # of 3's), but the a 17-5 differential from the FT line apparently made the difference.

[superdave]

Miami started the game in a 2-3 zone and we exploited it with text book execution. Youth league coaches know the center of the 2-3 is vulnerable and Ryan Kelly knocked down three jumpers from the free throw line area in the first several minutes of the game. I smiled every time we passed the ball to him. Sometimes basketball is a very simple game.

I loved watching Ryan look for that shot immediately. You think they were prepared to exploit the hole in the middle of the D? Yep.

I'm a little surprised with Kyle's mid-range game that he did not go to that spot and get some jumpers. I guess Miami would not have left Kyle alone the way they did Ryan.

[DukieTiger]

Miami started 8-15 from 3pt range or something like that, but cooled off at the end- that's why it seemed like they were torching us. But they did throw up a few crazy shots in the first half that went in- I thought Duke did a nice job countering their hot streak, keeping its composure and keeping the offensive pressure on tha U.

[CBDUKE]

I think we are missing something about Kyle (the announcers certainly did).. to start the second half Kyle was man to man with Grant. He wasn't switching but following him all over the court. To me that was a big deal and it certainly takes a lot out of you. He still had 14 points and 7 rebounds. With that defense, I will take that any night.

[loldevilz]

The Good
1. Good offensive rebounding especially in the first half. Plumlees, Singler, and Kelly really rebounded well especially in the first half.

2. Kelly is Zone kryptonite. You can throw him the ball everytime at the free thrown line and he will knock it down.

3. Curry had another solid game. He is definitely becoming the 3rd go to scorer on this team.

The Bad
1.Andre has disappeared. I think Andre could be very important in the tournament if we need a scoring outburst or we get in foul trouble, or need to go small. I hope he gets back on track.

2. Nolan played well, but I hope all the hype isn't going to his head. He seemed to get a bit too flashy at the end of the game.

3. Miles picked up some quick fouls. He has been very good at staying out of foul trouble so this was unfortunate to see again.

[superdave]

I think we are missing something about Kyle (the announcers certainly did).. to start the second half Kyle was man to man with Grant. He wasn't switching but following him all over the court. To me that was a big deal and it certainly takes a lot out of you. He still had 14 points and 7 rebounds. With that defense, I will take that any night.

I'd like to second your post. Kyle did the same thing to Wood vs. State.

[wilson]

I agree with several others' observation that this game displayed a great deal of balance all over the floor from us.
Very encouraging to see Seth follow up the breakout vs. unc with another very solid performance. While he didn't score as much, I actually thought his overall game was even better tonight...his defense was terrific, and his scoring very efficient. If he can continue to play like this, it could serve as really nice (further) insurance against cold shooting nights.
I also thought the bigs' all-around play was terrific. Both Plumlees had a handful of really beautiful passes, and their defense was quite good as well, especially against a post player as good as Reggie Johnson, who really bullied us in Durham. It was also very encouraging to see Ryan Kelly break out of his recent slump. Like many players, he seems to play a much stronger overall game if he can knock down an early shot or two.
The team's overall play in Nolan's absence was another encouraging element of the game...there was no indication of nerves or scrambling or rudderlessness (jeez, there's a mouthful...).
Tyler Thornton displayed a good bit of poise tonight, especially in knocking down a half dozen free throws late, when misses could have rendered the game a little too close for comfort.
All in all, a workmanlike performance that had very little in the way of anything spectacular, but got the job done in steady, thorough fashion, on the road, against a team that really needed the win. I'm quite pleased.

I did not like the announcing crew. It's great to see a Duke guy on TV, but much of Gminski's insight seemed blunted by the fact that Tim Brando is a moron. To wit, as G-Man tried to explain that Nolan had been poked in the eye or something along those lines, Brando insisted on continuing his line of thought that perhaps Nolan had been concussed, which was clearly not the case upon even cursory review of a replay. They missed a number of key moments while pursuing tangential discussions. For example, when Kyle came up gimpy about midway through the second half, eventually prompting a ref to stop play, they never even mentioned it. As it turned out, he seemed to have only turned an ankle or something, and he never left the game, but they still should not have missed a moment like that entirely. Fox Sports' terrible camera work also didn't help; there were several plays which basically didn't even appear onscreen, due to odd production choices.
Lastly, Gminski's tie was one of the ugliest things I have ever tried to look at.

[basket1544]

Can I third the post then?
Kyle goes against the best player most nights and keeps them under wraps.

[Jeff0r3]

Haha, sorry, but I can't read this now without thinking of something posted on the Off-topic Board: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html


How crazy was it to see Mason make his first two FT's while Seth missed both of his (since he usually takes the technical FT's for our team).

And wow, Ryan had that 10-15 ft. jumper nailed down perfect.

I was surprised to see Miami was only 8-22 from 3 point land... it seemed like they made several more than that.

Miami actually made one more FG than we did (same # of 3's), but the a 17-5 differential from the FT line apparently made the difference.


Noted***
;):D;):D

[miramar]

1) When Nolan shot some foul shots, the Miami students started chanting "Overrated.

Either they didn't see the Carolina game or they have doing too much Bacardi.

2) When Nolan was called for the charge, the many Dukies in attendance broke out in boos much louder than anything the Miami fans could come up with.

When I got home I saw the play in slo mo and the defender clearly didn't have his left foot down as he was moving over to take the charge, so the Dukies were right to complain.

[gep]

I think we are missing something about Kyle (the announcers certainly did).. to start the second half Kyle was man to man with Grant. He wasn't switching but following him all over the court. To me that was a big deal and it certainly takes a lot out of you. He still had 14 points and 7 rebounds. With that defense, I will take that any night.


I'd like to second your post. Kyle did the same thing to Wood vs. State.

superdave beat me to it. I noticed it too... which, to me, is why Grant was essentially shut down in the 2nd half. Again, Kyle sacrificed offense for defense. Great warrior.

[gep]

... that Mason actually made two free throws?! He changed the trajectory of his shots which had a little arc to them, and both went in! I was so happy!

I also thought that along with the arc, the ball had kinda nice spin on it too. I was rather shocked that he made both... and nothing but net too... :cool:

[Spy]

Probably the most balanced scoring game this year. Andre was the only one who didn't have 6+. But its not like he played terribly out there. He didn't really make any mistakes, it just wasn't working. I sure hope he gets out of his slump soon, we need him. I laughed so hard watching the replay of Scott (I think?) when Nolan fouled him on the three. Nolan taps him on the nose and his entire body goes into a seizure. Good stuff.

Does anybody else check IC after Duke games just to see their reaction? I tell myself not to every time, because I know what the result will be, but I do so anyways. Their constant whining is infuriating and amusing at the same time. Their ignorance is astounding.

Anyways, very good game, good play from all despite Miami's hot shooting. Bring on Virginia!

[wilko]

I caught the 2nd half of the Game at the Carolina Ale House @ Brier Creek.
I saw a dude that was somewhat familiar... I kept thinking where the heck do I know him from...

Then I saw him stand and realized he was kinda tall... taller than me anway..

So I started trying to go thru my mental checklist of former Duke players to see who he could be. Finally it hit me who he was so, so I told my wife..... it didnt resaonate at all with her.. when we were ready to leave I had to go ask and confirm ... curiosity was killing me so I went over and said "Is your name Kevin?" And he says yeah it is and I said yeah man I thought that was you I remember watching you play and shared a couple of pleasantries about the game.

Duke looked strong. Miles hit free-throws. Seth contined playing well. Seemed like a typical business-like performance on the road... Glad to know Kevin Strickland is alive and well. Nice dinner out with wifey..
A very good evening.

[Son of Mojo]

I agree with several others' observation that this game displayed a great deal of balance all over the floor from us.
Very encouraging to see Seth follow up the breakout vs. unc with another very solid performance. While he didn't score as much, I actually thought his overall game was even better tonight...his defense was terrific, and his scoring very efficient. If he can continue to play like this, it could serve as really nice (further) insurance against cold shooting nights.
I also thought the bigs' all-around play was terrific. Both Plumlees had a handful of really beautiful passes, and their defense was quite good as well, especially against a post player as good as Reggie Johnson, who really bullied us in Durham. It was also very encouraging to see Ryan Kelly break out of his recent slump. Like many players, he seems to play a much stronger overall game if he can knock down an early shot or two.
The team's overall play in Nolan's absence was another encouraging element of the game...there was no indication of nerves or scrambling or rudderlessness (jeez, there's a mouthful...).
Tyler Thornton displayed a good bit of poise tonight, especially in knocking down a half dozen free throws late, when misses could have rendered the game a little too close for comfort.
All in all, a workmanlike performance that had very little in the way of anything spectacular, but got the job done in steady, thorough fashion, on the road, against a team that really needed the win. I'm quite pleased.

I did not like the announcing crew. It's great to see a Duke guy on TV, but much of Gminski's insight seemed blunted by the fact that Tim Brando is a moron. To wit, as G-Man tried to explain that Nolan had been poked in the eye or something along those lines, Brando insisted on continuing his line of thought that perhaps Nolan had been concussed, which was clearly not the case upon even cursory review of a replay. They missed a number of key moments while pursuing tangential discussions. For example, when Kyle came up gimpy about midway through the second half, eventually prompting a ref to stop play, they never even mentioned it. As it turned out, he seemed to have only turned an ankle or something, and he never left the game, but they still should not have missed a moment like that entirely. Fox Sports' terrible camera work also didn't help; there were several plays which basically didn't even appear onscreen, due to odd production choices.
Lastly, Gminski's tie was one of the ugliest things I have ever tried to look at.

Are you sure you didn't mean Brando's tie? I thought it was a color coded signal to Mr. Marshall after Wednesday night's love-in........

[gwlaw99]

Lots of great things in the game already noted. I would like to give particular props to the interior defense. Only a few overplays and solid no foul D.

[OZ]

Is seth officially part of the 'big three' now? not sure the big 2 is a big 3 just yet....

I thought I had made myself clear when I wrote "Kelly and the Plumlees"..

Kelly is 6-11 and 235, so, by my standards that qualifies him as a "big."

One another thing, not to over praise Seth, but, his overall floor game (offense and defense) has really improved. With Nolan out, he did a good job handling the ball. He ended up with 2 assists, 5 steals and 1 TO. That is a pretty good night.

[AZLA]

Couldn't agree more, that was a bad call. Especially because it was a three point play and I think it would have put Duke up by 10 (or 9) and in terms of momentum, the route would have been on.


1) When Nolan shot some foul shots, the Miami students started chanting "Overrated.

Either they didn't see the Carolina game or they have doing too much Bacardi.

2) When Nolan was called for the charge, the many Dukies in attendance broke out in boos much louder than anything the Miami fans could come up with.

When I got home I saw the play in slo mo and the defender clearly didn't have his left foot down as he was moving over to take the charge, so the Dukies were right to complain.

[jdj4duke]

Does anybody else check IC after Duke games just to see their reaction? I tell myself not to every time, because I know what the result will be, but I do so anyways. Their constant whining is infuriating and amusing at the same time. Their ignorance is astounding.


Well, off topic here, but to answer your question: IC reaction? Refs gave Duke the game. Again. Some more. Conspiratorial. All the usual.

Not only ignorance, but that has to be the most Duke-obsessed, humorless, misanthropic, and miserable collection of human beings in sports. Hundreds of posts and dozens of threads about Duke. There were 15 ref threads after Wednesday. Astounding is a good description.

I cannot imagine most of those posters being high-functioning members of society. There is hardly ever any insight of analysis of anything, only ranting about the refs.
That board is a harbor for undifferentiated biomass.

Rant over now, and back to the incredibly solid game in Miami. I don't care if Singler scores another point. He is always in the right place at the right time. He is a stud. From last year- Kyle Singler is Iron.

[devildeac]

Could Seth be this year's Zoubeck?

So nice to have G-Man announcing. His points about how mentally tough this team is was spot on.

Nah, not enough facial hair;).

[devildeac]

I agree with several others' observation that this game displayed a great deal of balance all over the floor from us.
Very encouraging to see Seth follow up the breakout vs. unc with another very solid performance. While he didn't score as much, I actually thought his overall game was even better tonight...his defense was terrific, and his scoring very efficient. If he can continue to play like this, it could serve as really nice (further) insurance against cold shooting nights.
I also thought the bigs' all-around play was terrific. Both Plumlees had a handful of really beautiful passes, and their defense was quite good as well, especially against a post player as good as Reggie Johnson, who really bullied us in Durham. It was also very encouraging to see Ryan Kelly break out of his recent slump. Like many players, he seems to play a much stronger overall game if he can knock down an early shot or two.
The team's overall play in Nolan's absence was another encouraging element of the game...there was no indication of nerves or scrambling or rudderlessness (jeez, there's a mouthful...).
Tyler Thornton displayed a good bit of poise tonight, especially in knocking down a half dozen free throws late, when misses could have rendered the game a little too close for comfort.
All in all, a workmanlike performance that had very little in the way of anything spectacular, but got the job done in steady, thorough fashion, on the road, against a team that really needed the win. I'm quite pleased.

I did not like the announcing crew. It's great to see a Duke guy on TV, but much of Gminski's insight seemed blunted by the fact that Tim Brando is a moron. To wit, as G-Man tried to explain that Nolan had been poked in the eye or something along those lines, Brando insisted on continuing his line of thought that perhaps Nolan had been concussed, which was clearly not the case upon even cursory review of a replay. They missed a number of key moments while pursuing tangential discussions. For example, when Kyle came up gimpy about midway through the second half, eventually prompting a ref to stop play, they never even mentioned it. As it turned out, he seemed to have only turned an ankle or something, and he never left the game, but they still should not have missed a moment like that entirely. Fox Sports' terrible camera work also didn't help; there were several plays which basically didn't even appear onscreen, due to odd production choices.
Lastly, Gminski's tie was one of the ugliest things I have ever tried to look at.

Brando's tie, shirt, jacket and pocket square were far more hideous than the G-man's tie.

[diveonthefloor]

Well, off topic here, but to answer your question: IC reaction? Refs gave Duke the game. Again. Some more. Conspiratorial. All the usual.

Not only gnorance, but that has to be the most Duke-obsessed, humorless, misanthropic, and miserable collection of human beings in sports. Hundreds of posts and dozens of threads about Duke. There were 15 ref threads after Wednesday. Astounding is a good description.

I cannot imagine most of those posters being high-functioning members of society. There is hardly ever any insight of analysis of anything, only ranting about the refs.
That board is a harbor for undifferentiated biomass.

Rant over now, and back to the incredibly solid game in Miami. I don't care if Singler scores another point. He is always in the right place at the right time. He is a stud. From last year- Kyle Singler is Iron.

I enjoy checking their board out every few nights just for the humor of it....
A great one tonight is their ranting about Bob Harris. Now I'll be the first to admit that Bob is getting a little long in the tooth and occasionally forgets to mention key stats (like time and score), but their comments about Bob are hysterical!!!

When you compare DBR to the crap they have over at IC, it makes me so happy that DBR was started and is maintained by real, mature sportsfans!

[Olympic Fan]

Enjoyed the game -- a 10-point win over Miami is pretty impressive -- they usually lose by four or less.

I did want to comment on one mindless comment by Gminski late. Looking at the remainder of Duke's schedule, he said the game that stands out to him is the Feb. 26 trip to Virginia Tech. He noted that Cassell will be rocking (which it will be ... he's right about that), but then added, "and historically, Duke has not had a lot of success in that facility."

Well, to be precise, Duke has lost exactly one game in Cassell Coliseum in its history, a 67-75 loss on Feb. 17, 2005.

Overall, Duke is 3-1 in Cassell, winning by 13 in 2006, by 17 in 2008 and by seven in 2009. The Devils were 4-3 in Blacksburg before Cassell was built (at least 4-3, but probably better since there are four Duke wins before 1927 that Duke doesn't have the site listed and at least one of them was probably in Blacksburg).

While I do think the trip to Blacksburg will be tough ... I don't think Gman is right to suggest that Cassell has been a particularly tough place for Duke to play.

PS And Brando was wrong we he talked about how close Virginia Tech came to making the field last year and how if they had had this year's 68-team field they would have gotten in. The chairman of the selection committee made it clear that Virginia Tech was not one of the last teams under discussion -- they weren't that close.

[chrisheery]

Ryan Kelly's shooting in the first half was just such a big lift. Miami went on a mini-run and we were down 4 and he came down and hit his fourth turn around jumper from an elbow. Just cool as could be. Really impressed by the game-planning there and the execution.

There is no stat for this (unfortunately), but Miles did something so great tonight. He boxed his man out and gave him no chance to get the rebound while a guard snuck in and grab the ball almost off the floor. It happened at least 3 times I can distinctly remember, but I think there might have been more. That's the kind of thing Shane would do. I think Miles is really starting to figure things out a bit. Understanding his limitations and helping the team. Mason still gambles more than he should (G-man even talked about an over-rotation during the game), but I think they are both really making strides.

That stretch with Nolan out might have been the most encouraging thing I could imagine. Everyone played together and flowed nicely. I know we are better team with Nolan, but I wish we would take him out occasionally so the other guys can work together a bit more. He's so good that when he is in, everyone kinda waits for him to do something.

Great game to watch overall. Miami played really well and we just played better.

[DukieInBrasil]

Rather than Nolan being the most dominant Duke player throughout the game, seemed to me that several guys had at least one stretch on the offensive side of the ball that they were essential. Early and midway in the first Ryan had a little stretch of like 3 or 4 jumpers that really kept us in the game. Then Nolan went out and Curry really took over for a stretch. Nolan had a nice stretch there where he was unstoppable. Even Tyler had an essential stretch where he ice-cold drained 6 strait FTs to seal the win.
Even so, Kyle had a solid game, though he spread the goodness throughout all 40 minutes. Mason and Miles also played really solid games but spread it around throughout the game.
Though we were never able to make that run to really put them away, yet again not able to step on the defensive gas, Miami never really threatened us in the 2nd half. On the road, that's still pretty good, especially considering Miami has given us trouble recently.

[tylervinyard]

Great balance!

Things I'm worried about though:


Our defensive cohesiveness.
Tendency to watch Nolan dominate

There's still too many open shots. Less so inside this game, but outside was a different story. Another thing is the fact that Nolan is getting so good with his ballhandling (thank you Kyrie!) that no one can stop him, but this can lead to our offense becoming "stand around and watch Nolan dominate". We were really balanced in the first half when he was out, less so in the second.

There are some things to be happy about though, like how several times our guys couldn't get a rebound but purposefully tipped it to teammates. That was great to see. Plus how Seth has had consecutive strong games, Kelly was money once again, and the Brothers Plumlee were solid offensively. Oh yeah, and Thornton hitting those free throws at the end.

We are progressing nicely. Very excited to see how the rest of the season goes.

[taiw93]

superdave beat me to it. I noticed it too... which, to me, is why Grant was essentially shut down in the 2nd half. Again, Kyle sacrificed offense for defense. Great warrior.

I agree, and I think that Kyle has improved tremendously on the defensive end. His shut-down D (especially on smaller, quicker players) has been on another level during ACC play, and he still shot 50% from the field. The one thing I do wish that Kyle would improve upon is shot selection, as it seems like his number of shots has been inversely proportional to his accuracy on a given night (as in, he shoots too much when he's not hitting shots, and and too little when they're falling for him). However, Kyle is positively cold-blooded, and I predict he will but on an absolute show (both offensively and defensively) in the tourney. And if this happens, NBA GM's should be salivating over him, since he has vastly improved upon his former weakness (guarding quicker perimeter players).

[mapei]

Another odd G-Man uttering: "There's a very good chance [Seth] will be in the starting lineup at the end of the year."

[ncexnyc]

Another odd G-Man uttering: "There's a very good chance [Seth] will be in the starting lineup at the end of the year."
Odd in what way? Are you implying he knows something we aren't privy too.

[Greg_Newton]

Another odd G-Man uttering: "There's a very good chance [Seth] will be in the starting lineup at the end of the year."

Awkward comment of the night had to be "Durand Scott with the ball... he's pushing it... and pushing it good."

[gumbomoop]

I'm with our Miami poster, iDunk15, who said in the pregame thread that neither Scott nor Johnson was likely to leave for the NBA after this season.

Assuming that, the Canes are my choice as preseason ACC #3 next year. I'd gladly give 'em #2 if they can persuade any 2 of Zeller, Henson, and Barnes to transfer to UCLA this summer.

And, iDunk15, if you're still there, tell me there's no talk of dumping Haith.

[gam7]

Tonight was the first game in which Seth got some significant run as the primary ballhandler. Obviously he played well, but he looked really confident bringing the ball up.

[Neals384]

The Bad
1.Andre has disappeared. I think Andre could be very important in the tournament if we need a scoring outburst or we get in foul trouble, or need to go small. I hope he gets back on track.

2. Nolan played well, but I hope all the hype isn't going to his head. He seemed to get a bit too flashy at the end of the game.

3. Miles picked up some quick fouls. He has been very good at staying out of foul trouble so this was unfortunate to see again.

Andre's very first shot of the game was from NBA 3pt range. That's no way to get started on the right foot.

Miles picked up another silly reach-in foul, this one almost at mid-court. Does he realize he's almost never successful in stealing the ball that way? But I thought his play overall was solid, especially his D on Johnson and his neat assist to Kyle.

Curry has the quickest hands I've ever seen. His steals need to be replayed in smo-mo to see how he does it.

My favorite part of the game was watching the Canes try to steal the ball from Nolan's dribble - three straight possessions with a couple minutes left, and he sure made them look silly!

[Skitzle]

Probably the most balanced scoring game this year. Andre was the only one who didn't have 6+. But its not like he played terribly out there. He didn't really make any mistakes, it just wasn't working. I sure hope he gets out of his slump soon, we need him. I laughed so hard watching the replay of Scott (I think?) when Nolan fouled him on the three. Nolan taps him on the nose and his entire body goes into a seizure. Good stuff.

Does anybody else check IC after Duke games just to see their reaction? I tell myself not to every time, because I know what the result will be, but I do so anyways. Their constant whining is infuriating and amusing at the same time. Their ignorance is astounding.

Anyways, very good game, good play from all despite Miami's hot shooting. Bring on Virginia!

Love Andre, want him to be as good as anyone, but the no mistakes is true only from an offensive standpoint.

When Andre was in the game he consistently wasn't where he needed to be on defense. He needs to pick up the slack on the defensive end before K lengthens the leash for him to get hot offensively.

[jammsb]

Changing topics. To give some perspective on how big Reggie Johnson is, several times the TV crew focused on him alongside Mason. Mason is a pretty big man himself. But alongside Johnson he looked puny. As the Gman mentioned, he reminds me of Big Baby Davis, although not quite as agile - yet.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Awkward comment of the night had to be "Durand Scott with the ball... he's pushing it... and pushing it good."

did he push it real good (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCadcBR95oU)?

[4decadedukie]

At the conclusion of the first Miami game at CIS, I was somewhat critical of Duke's sloppiness, suggesting that much improvement was required and certainly possible. Several individuals criticized my viewpoint as overly harsh. Last night's game is a strong illustration of this TEAM'S improvement, even without Irving: turnovers were low, defense was excellent, shooting was good, and teamwork abounded. WELL DONE Blue Devils, not for this victory alone but more important for continuously improving.

[wsb3]

... that Mason actually made two free throws?! He changed the trajectory of his shots which had a little arc to them, and both went in! I was so happy!

I did notice.:cool:

[millerecu]

Anyone else notice that everytime Nolan made a shot in the second half he would run down the court with his hand over his eye...seemed to say "you can try to poke MY eye out...but I will still dot it in YOURS!"

I love that kid!

[moonpie23]

Anyone else notice that everytime Nolan made a shot in the second half he would run down the court with his hand over his eye...seemed to say "you can try to poke MY eye out...but I will still dot it in YOURS!"

I love that kid!

i thought he was saluting........

[TwiceDuke]

Miami started the game in a 2-3 zone and we exploited it with text book execution. Youth league coaches know the center of the 2-3 is vulnerable and Ryan Kelly knocked down three jumpers from the free throw line area in the first several minutes of the game. I smiled every time we passed the ball to him. Sometimes basketball is a very simple game.


Having heard Seth's comments after the last game (re: K telling him he needed to be more confident), I hope the recent trend continues on offense.

To wit - we moved the ball around the perimeter much, MUCH more quickly last night than we had been doing earlier in the season. Particularly against a zone, swinging the ball quickly is key. Ryan's presence at the foul line really opened up our shooters for some good looks on the outside (and I think the team squared up, in rhythm, all the better for it).

When all five guys catch the ball looking to be effective, the game is, as was said "very simple." Seth said it very clearly after the UNC game: this team has had the bad habit of waiting for and watching Nolan and Kyle. With Seth actively looking for his shot, he becomes another focal point for the defense. It opens up Mason, who himself has been more effective because he has been working hard to get post position and then SEEKING the ball. (My favorite sequence from last night was when Mason ducked, pinned his man, and took the bullet pass from Kyle on the wing. It was excellent vision by Kyle and a well-executed pass. But more importantly, it was Mason showing tremendous improvement in his court sense, to be able to get position while the ball was still moving over to the wing.)

In sum, when five guys are ready to score, and when the ball moves around fluidly (against a man or a zone), the team gives itself a much better chance. I have not been a fan of the high ball screen this year (after Kyrie's injury), because I think that it has stagnated our offense in two ways: first, it keeps the ball in one man's hands for too long; second, it forces our shooters to watch and wait for an opportunity. IF, however, Seth, Ryan, and Mason continue to prepare to exploit the mismatches EARLY in the offensive sequence, I tend to believe our offensive efficiency will continue to peak.

[hurley1]

Love Andre, want him to be as good as anyone, but the no mistakes is true only from an offensive standpoint.

When Andre was in the game he consistently wasn't where he needed to be on defense. He needs to pick up the slack on the defensive end before K lengthens the leash for him to get hot offensively.

let's not forget that andre is still recovering from a terrible tradegy......my family experienced the same horror when we lost our 17 year old son in a traffic accident.....it sometimes overwhelms you, and that may be what Andre is having to deal with right now....i don't know that for sure, but, from experiencing what he is dealing with I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt.....he will get his focus back.....just keep on loving him......he needs all the love he can get......

[TwiceDuke]

Love Andre, want him to be as good as anyone, but the no mistakes is true only from an offensive standpoint.

When Andre was in the game he consistently wasn't where he needed to be on defense. He needs to pick up the slack on the defensive end before K lengthens the leash for him to get hot offensively.


Several posters, I believe, have pointed out the importance of Andre getting off to a good start. The announcers made a similar comment during the broadcast last night.

When Andre makes the first shot or two that he puts up, then he becomes much more aggressive. That aggressiveness translates on both sides of the ball. When he misses his first shot or two, he begins to play tentatively. I've watched his body language, because I used to do the same thing when I played: I'd get nervous, I'd start to overthink the game, and I'd spend so much time focusing on what I "should" be doing that I didn't leave myself enough time to execute.

But that line of thinking, I believe, extends beyond Andre. I've toyed with the idea since watching the St. John's game. The middle stretch of that first half really exposed, to me (and I say this humbly), a mental/emotional weakness in our team.

Nolan has developed that mental toughness: he will play tough defense even when his offensive game is in the toilet. And he uses good defense to plug himself back into the game, get on a roll, and then jumpstart his offense. Kyle has, at times, showed a similar ability. But even Kyle has fallen prone to attempting to use offense to kick start his offense. As for the rest of the team, I tend to feel that as the field goal percentage dips, I see more blow-bys on defense, more offensive rebounds by the opposing team, and a general negative feedback loop.

I don't know what the solution is - the guys play hard, all the time. But it's hard to be a step quicker than your guy when you are thinking first, reacting second.

I post this in response here because people have noticed the effect on Andre. But I think it is a broader symptom on this team, and one which the players will hopefully overcome with alacrity (the UNC game was a big improvement, upon which I hope the players will continue to build).

[Neals384]

let's not forget that andre is still recovering from a terrible tradegy......my family experienced the same horror when we lost our 17 year old son in a traffic accident.....it sometimes overwhelms you, and that may be what Andre is having to deal with right now....i don't know that for sure, but, from experiencing what he is dealing with I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt.....he will get his focus back.....just keep on loving him......he needs all the love he can get......

Hurley1, I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope he was a good kid and that you have fond memories of him.

Neal

[UrinalCake]

I posted a few games back about our slow starts this season and the trend has continued. It seems like 8-10 minutes into every game we're either behind or the score is close but neither team has scored very much. I have a few theories on why this is happening:

- Opposing teams are fired up to play us and come out of the gate with a lot of energy, but then can't sustain it.
- Our style of offense requires a few possessions to feel out the defense and adjust to it.
- We shoot a lot of jump shots and therefore need to get "warmed up" (this sounds really dumb even as I type it)
- We rely really, really heavily on Coach K making adjustments at halftime.
- Random luck.

Any other thoughts?

[DukeDevilDeb]

I did not like the announcing crew. It's great to see a Duke guy on TV, but much of Gminski's insight seemed blunted by the fact that Tim Brando is a moron. To wit, as G-Man tried to explain that Nolan had been poked in the eye or something along those lines, Brando insisted on continuing his line of thought that perhaps Nolan had been concussed, which was clearly not the case upon even cursory review of a replay. They missed a number of key moments while pursuing tangential discussions. For example, when Kyle came up gimpy about midway through the second half, eventually prompting a ref to stop play, they never even mentioned it. As it turned out, he seemed to have only turned an ankle or something, and he never left the game, but they still should not have missed a moment like that entirely. Fox Sports' terrible camera work also didn't help; there were several plays which basically didn't even appear onscreen, due to odd production choices.
Lastly, Gminski's tie was one of the ugliest things I have ever tried to look at.

I couldn't believe that the announcers missed Kyle's potential injury. He was lying on the floor, the Canes had 5 players to our 4, they got a rebound and a 3, and all of it was made possible by Kyle being temporarily out of the game. I usually like Gminski (and feel exactly the same way about Tim Brando! Isn't there room to put him wherever Billy Packer is?!)

In fact, overall I have found that the announcers on television--almost regardless of network--spend more time discussing anything and everything but what is happening on the court. Someone fouls; two of our guys have 3 fouls, and I WANT to know who committed the foul... and they discuss something else.

I wish I could watch the television and listen to Bob Harris (not that he is without prejudice; it just happens to match mine). But it is always true that is call is significantly before the play that occurs on television. Anyone been able to sync the two?

[UrinalCake]

In fact, overall I have found that the announcers on television--almost regardless of network--spend more time discussing anything and everything but what is happening on the court.

Last wednesday I watched the UNC game on the Raycom online feed, then a couple days later I got on ESPN3 and watched their replay of their broadcast. I was astounded at the difference in the quality of the commentators. The Raycom guys had so many more relevant things to say - praising Miles Plumlee for his defense on Zeller, describing the oddity of the two four-point plays, emphasizing how important offensive rebounds were in the second half, explaining how Duke changed how they defended Marshall, actually noticing that Seth Curry was in the game, etc. I like Dick Vitale but he had almost nothing of any relevance to say.

[Matches]

I usually like Gminski and can tolerate Brando but last night was not one of their better performances. Missing the potential injury to Singler was pretty glaring. Brando also got several things factually wrong - i.e. stating that Miles had entered the game "following the timeout" when he'd been on the court for some time prior to the TO.

I do appreciate that they spend most of their time actually discussing the game in front of them, though. Vitale has IMO gotten to the point where I have to completely tune him out.

FoxSS's production choices are always strange. I recall at least one FT that wasn't shown at all.

[sagegrouse]

I usually like Gminski and can tolerate Brando but last night was not one of their better performances. Missing the potential injury to Singler was pretty glaring. Brando also got several things factually wrong - i.e. stating that Miles had entered the game "following the timeout" when he'd been on the court for some time prior to the TO.

I do appreciate that they spend most of their time actually discussing the game in front of them, though. Vitale has IMO gotten to the point where I have to completely tune him out.

FoxSS's production choices are always strange. I recall at least one FT that wasn't shown at all.

Gminski's best line: "Nolan [who was clearly being bothered by the eye injury] has to remember one thing: When you see multiple images of the basket, aim at the middle one."

sagegrouse

[mkline09]

FoxSS's production choices are always strange. I recall at least one FT that wasn't shown at all.

FOX SS or FOX Carolinas ( that is where I saw the game) is always messing up. Either they are shooting a coach, crowd, or showing a highlight, or displaying a graphic that covers up two thirds of the screen during live play. It never ceases to amaze me how bad they are at times. Their production leaves a lot to be desired.

[superdave]

FOX SS or FOX Carolinas ( that is where I saw the game) is always messing up. Either they are shooting a coach, crowd, or showing a highlight, or displaying a graphic that covers up two thirds of the screen during live play. It never ceases to amaze me how bad they are at times. Their production leaves a lot to be desired.

Duke runs some pretty good inbounds plays and often gets a 3 out of it. Fox (and Espn too) almost always misses them. I'd rather see a guy make his cut to get open on an inbounds play than study Frank Haith's lack of a jacket. Perhaps we start a petition that all television crews concentrate on the game in all aspects. We could call it the Port Duhon Statement.

[dukee94]

I wish I could watch the television and listen to Bob Harris (not that he is without prejudice; it just happens to match mine). But it is always true that is call is significantly before the play that occurs on television. Anyone been able to sync the two?

I used to watch games syncing the Bob Harris feed with the video. I would get the audio from the wsfl.com internet feed on a computer and put it in my receiver, pause the game on the dvr at tip-off, wait for Bob to call the tip-off and hit play on the dvr. The problem is that the internet feed would have too much buffering and I would frequently have to pause the game and re-sync.

The best thing to do now to avoid worthless commentary (pretty much anyone other than Bob Knight) is just to unplug the front speakers. Assuming the game is done in proper 5.1 surround you'll get mostly crowd noise.

[Danke Shane]

I usually like Gminski and can tolerate Brando but last night was not one of their better performances.

One of funnier moments of the broadcast was when Brando mistakenly referred to Gminski as "Krzyzewski", and Gminski made fun of him for about a minute straight...

[Scorp4me]

Someone mentioned IC. I hadn't visited in years so I took a look see.

Wow, it's kinda sad. I mean I know there were a ton of Duke threads, whining, conspiricy, complaining back when Doherty was coaching. But from the looks of things you wouldn't even know there were 2nd in the conference and the only other ACC school ranked. I mean it's one things to be obsessed with another school when yours is tanking...it's another when your team is actually doing well. Like I said, it's kinda sad.

Not that I'll shed a tear for them. One glance at their vitriol and you'll see they deserve everything they get.

[jv001]

... that Mason actually made two free throws?! He changed the trajectory of his shots which had a little arc to them, and both went in! I was so happy!

Yes the trajectory of his shots was higher and he actually shot them off his finger tips. Not off the palm of his hand. By doing that he took most of his left hand out of the shot. I bet he's worked on that many times in practice. Go Duke!

[hurley1]

Hurley1, I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope he was a good kid and that you have fond memories of him.

Neal

he was a great kid.......everybody loved him.......he was also a great point guard and an avid duke fan.......he has a duke cap with him forever.....