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View Full Version : A little Duke UNC comparison...



_TheFakeJWill_
04-06-2011, 06:10 PM
With finding out Zeller and Henson (and likely Barnes) are returning next season to UNC and our very own Kyrie Irving is declaring for the NBA draft, its kinda hard not to feel down, for me at least. But if you sit down and compare and contrast this next years Duke team to last years UNC team were in a much better place IMO.

The 2010 UNC went 29-8 and made it to the Elite 8 after not making the NCAA tournament in 2009. They returned 2 starters to this last years team (Zeller, Strickland) Drew left and and if i remember correctly Henson came off the bench in place of Davis. This last year they started 2 good/great freshman in Marshall and Barnes.
Now compare that to Duke this next year. Well have 3 starters back in (Curry, Plum1, Plum2) A deeper bench and more experience that UNC had last year. Were adding the #1 player in the nation in AR and the #5 PG in the nation... sound familiar to our neighbors 8 miles down the road?

Listen UNC is going to be a juggernaut next year no doubt. But with Duke going into this next season in a better situation than UNC last season whose to say Duke cant make an even bigger leap than UNC did this last year. Keep your heads up and lets hope everyone can make strides in their game... After all we do have the best coach in the game. GO DUKE!

P.s.- Im not a writer so don't make fun too much :p

johnb
04-06-2011, 06:17 PM
As for returning starters, I'd agree that we'll have the 3 guys you mentioned (though MP is still uncertain), but since Dawkins and Kelly also started games last year, I'd be inclined to say we return 5 starters and a couple of highly-touted rookies and are losing 3 starters and are welcoming (at least) 4 new guys, all of whom could potentially start games next year.

I'd also not spend a lot of time worrying about Carolina; they'll likely be very good, but we still have Truth and Justice on our side.

sporthenry
04-06-2011, 06:19 PM
With finding out Zeller and Henson (and likely Barnes) are returning next season to UNC and our very own Kyrie Irving is declaring for the NBA draft, its kinda hard not to feel down, for me at least. But if you sit down and compare and contrast this next years Duke team to last years UNC team were in a much better place IMO.

The 2010 UNC went 29-8 and made it to the Elite 8 after not making the NCAA tournament in 2009. They returned 2 starters to this last years team (Zeller, Strickland) Drew left and and if i remember correctly Henson came off the bench in place of Davis. This last year they started 2 good/great freshman in Marshall and Barnes.
Now compare that to Duke this next year. Well have 3 starters back in (Curry, Plum1, Plum2) A deeper bench and more experience that UNC had last year. Were adding the #1 player in the nation in AR and the #5 PG in the nation... sound familiar to our neighbors 8 miles down the road?

Listen UNC is going to be a juggernaut next year no doubt. But with Duke going into this next season in a better situation than UNC last season whose to say Duke cant make an even bigger leap than UNC did this last year. Keep your heads up and lets hope everyone can make strides in their game... After all we do have the best coach in the game. GO DUKE!

P.s.- Im not a writer so don't make fun too much :p

What leap does Duke make? From 1 seed to what? UNC made a leap b/c they finished in the NIT. Even though they had 7 McDonald's All Americans. I wouldn't say UNC made a leap forward, they played to their potential, people just seemed to forget how talented their roster was. Heck even this year, UNC started 5 McD AA while once KI went down, Duke only had 4 start? But somehow UNC exceeded expectations this year? That said, UNC's season this year would be about best case scenario for Duke now.

All that said, UNC will be the class if HB stays but things happen, just look at Duke. But I would say Duke is in a position for a title in either 2013 and more probably 2014. 2013 would be solely based upon whether Mason and AR stayed. But the roster is setting up for a great 2014 team if they can get Parker.

DukieinSoCal
04-06-2011, 06:38 PM
What leap does Duke make? From 1 seed to what? UNC made a leap b/c they finished in the NIT. Even though they had 7 McDonald's All Americans. I wouldn't say UNC made a leap forward, they played to their potential, people just seemed to forget how talented their roster was. Heck even this year, UNC started 5 McD AA while once KI went down, Duke only had 4 start? But somehow UNC exceeded expectations this year? That said, UNC's season this year would be about best case scenario for Duke now.

All that said, UNC will be the class if HB stays but things happen, just look at Duke. But I would say Duke is in a position for a title in either 2013 and more probably 2014. 2013 would be solely based upon whether Mason and AR stayed. But the roster is setting up for a great 2014 team if they can get Parker.

I don't even know if it matters much if Barnes stays. Hairston looks like he could step in for Barnes right away. He's about the same size, great range, and may even be better at driving. It's sick how loaded UNC will be next year. McAdoo won't even be in their starting lineup. He would start for any other program from day 1.

The problem I have with our side is that I don't expect the Plumlees to be anywhere near as productive as Hensen and Zeller. I really hope they improve over the summer and make a significant jump offensively but we haven't seen it the past 2-3 years so I don't really know if we can expect it this year.

I do think that Austin will replace Nolan's points but will he be anywhere near as good defensively? I expect Quinn to be eventually start and be very good. From what I've seen of him, he's a pure PG with great court vision and he will get our guys the ball in good positions to score.

I think we'll be in the top 10 most of the year but UNC will probably have the upper hand for at least the next year. That alone makes the upcoming year a bit unnerving. Still, I hope our guys surprise and exceed expectations.

sporthenry
04-06-2011, 06:51 PM
I don't even know if it matters much if Barnes stays. Hairston looks like he could step in for Barnes right away. He's about the same size, great range, and may even be better at driving. It's sick how loaded UNC will be next year. McAdoo won't even be in their starting lineup. He would start for any other program from day 1.

The problem I have with our side is that I don't expect the Plumlees to be anywhere near as productive as Hensen and Zeller. I really hope they improve over the summer and make a significant jump offensively but we haven't seen it the past 2-3 years so I don't really know if we can expect it this year.

I do think that Austin will replace Nolan's points but will he be anywhere near as good defensively? I expect Quinn to be eventually start and be very good. From what I've seen of him, he's a pure PG with great court vision and he will get our guys the ball in good positions to score.

I think we'll be in the top 10 most of the year but UNC will probably have the upper hand for at least the next year. That alone makes the upcoming year a bit unnerving. Still, I hope our guys surprise and exceed expectations.

PJ will be good but he reminds me of Bullock. He might be a better driver but I don't think Hairston will be that good. It is ridicuous how loaded they will be but I suspect somebody will be upset with their minutes.

However, I think Mason is prime for a breakout year. Duke's bigs will never put up the same numbers but I think him and Kelly will both be more than serviceable next year.

dukelifer
04-06-2011, 10:03 PM
I

The problem I have with our side is that I don't expect the Plumlees to be anywhere near as productive as Hensen and Zeller. I really hope they improve over the summer and make a significant jump offensively but we haven't seen it the past 2-3 years so I don't really know if we can expect it this year.



And why is this? Did Zoubek get better his senior year? Did Gerald Henderson not get better his junior year- what about Nolan his last two years. Players get better. Kelly showed significant improvement this year and has much room to get better. Look at Jamie Skeen for VCU- he averaged 6 pts at Wake as a sophomore and now as a 5th year senior he may have shown himself to be a 1st round pick. This idea that kids are finished products in their freshman or sophomore years is just not supported by facts.

Kedsy
04-06-2011, 11:28 PM
I think the most important point is nothing you think is true is etched in stone. In the Fall of 2009, many people around these parts were whining about how UNC was sooooo far ahead of us. They were coming off a national championship, they'd beaten us for Barnes, and they were a top five team and we were nothing (or so said the Debbie Downers). We had no big men, we had no point guard, we were hopelessly behind UNC in the race for whatever it is we race for. Yet we all know how that season worked out.

In the Fall of 2010, a lot of folks in this neighborhood were crowing about how far we were ahead of UNC. We were coming off a national championship, our two stars decided to come back for their senior year and we had a freshman superstar PG to join them. We were #1 in the nation and UNC looked hardly better than their NIT counterparts of the year before. And unfortunately we all know how that season worked out, too.

In the Fall of 2011, I anticipate a lot of whining about how UNC has passed us again. But, you know what? Anything can happen. All those people who are despairing because they think UNC is a lock to win [fill in your worst nightmare here] and/or that Duke is doomed to be an also ran, just haven't been paying attention.

Whatever you think you know, you don't.