Is this year's Duke team last year's UNC team?

[feldspar]

Questions at the point guard position to start the season.

Solid frontcourt putting up good numbers.

A stud freshman who probably feels like he's got a lot to prove. He may not light up like a firecracker, but by the end of the year he could be putting up the best numbers in the conference.

We'll probably stumble out of the gate. Lots of tough matchups out of conference this year. Lots of howing from within the fan base, and lots of cries of "it's over" from Chappa Heeya.

Yes, this is Duke, but the focus this year is on OSU and UNC. We'll fly under the radar for a while, especially with a few losses.

If we round into solid form by January, and if the ACC continues to be mediocre, we could steal the ACC regular season title.

I don't think an Elite 8 appearance is out of the question, if the right things fall into place.

[Wander]

I agree, I've mentioned this before. We have a tough non-conference schedule, and I wouldn't be surprised if we lost four games in it before gelling and making a good run at the ACC regular season title.

Of course, their frontcourt last year was way better than ours will be this year, and our shooting guards are far better than they had, but I think to first order the comparison is reasonable.

[OldPhiKap]

Questions at the point guard position to start the season.

Solid frontcourt putting up good numbers.

A stud freshman who probably feels like he's got a lot to prove. He may not light up like a firecracker, but by the end of the year he could be putting up the best numbers in the conference.

We'll probably stumble out of the gate. Lots of tough matchups out of conference this year. Lots of howing from within the fan base, and lots of cries of "it's over" from Chappa Heeya.

Yes, this is Duke, but the focus this year is on OSU and UNC. We'll fly under the radar for a while, especially with a few losses.

If we round into solid form by January, and if the ACC continues to be mediocre, we could steal the ACC regular season title.

I don't think an Elite 8 appearance is out of the question, if the right things fall into place.

Did any of our players wear a banana suit at the Countdown to Craziness?

Last year, Carolina was a very talented team with three basic problems at the start: (1) a refusal to put the better pg in; (2) Barnes struggling mightily; and (3) a coach who did not make any adjustments. So I'm not sure I see any of that with us.

We do not have a pg like Marshall. Although I am very happy with what we have.

Carolina's inside players are probably more athletic than ours. I know there are some who will disagree but I do not see them as having the same role.

UNC doesn't have a Ryan Kelly or an Austin Rivers-type player, really. Marshall can get in the lane wicked quick but I don't think he is the offensive threat that Rivers is. Kelly is a match-up problem we will give everyone, like Dunleavy and Kyle.

We are a better outside shooting team, and UNC refuses to defend the three. It must be genetic.

So I don't see much similarity. But interesting question and look forward to other responses.

[feldspar]

Did any of our players wear a banana suit at the Countdown to Craziness?

Last year, Carolina was a very talented team with three basic problems at the start: (1) a refusal to put the better pg in; (2) Barnes struggling mightily; and (3) a coach who did not make any adjustments. So I'm not sure I see any of that with us.

We do not have a pg like Marshall. Although I am very happy with what we have.

Carolina's inside players are probably more athletic than ours. I know there are some who will disagree but I do not see them as having the same role.

UNC doesn't have a Ryan Kelly or an Austin Rivers-type player, really. Marshall can get in the lane wicked quick but I don't think he is the offensive threat that Rivers is. Kelly is a match-up problem we will give everyone, like Dunleavy and Kyle.

We are a better outside shooting team, and UNC refuses to defend the three. It must be genetic.

So I don't see much similarity. But interesting question and look forward to other responses.

All good observations. I'm thinking more on the macro side rather than micro. I think this year's team will struggle early to find its identity, but if it can round into form and figure out the PG situation and defense, it can surprise a lot of people down the stretch. But November/December could be a rough go. Not saying it's going to happen, but I could see this team potentially dropping 3-4 games before Christmas.

[OldPhiKap]

All good observations. I'm thinking more on the macro side rather than micro. I think this year's team will struggle early to find its identity, but if it can round into form and figure out the PG situation and defense, it can surprise a lot of people down the stretch. But November/December could be a rough go. Not saying it's going to happen, but I could see this team potentially dropping 3-4 games before Christmas.

I think Seth is more "ready" to lead this team than many think. But I agree that we lost several great parts of our team and what we see in November will be different than what we see in March. Or last March.

Go Devils let's get it on!!!!

[moonpie23]

we could steal the ACC regular season title.


hate to be debbie downer here, but i don't think anyone is going to "steal" anything from unc this year....not to say we won't get a hard fought win from them, but they are going to be very very tough to beat...

[Kedsy]

hate to be debbie downer here, but i don't think anyone is going to "steal" anything from unc this year....not to say we won't get a hard fought win from them, but they are going to be very very tough to beat...

And last year we were very tough to beat. UNC managed it, once (out of three), and ended up winning the ACC regular season title by a game. Whether you call it a "steal" or something else, there's no reason we can't turn the tables on them.

[feldspar]

hate to be debbie downer here, but i don't think anyone is going to "steal" anything from unc this year....not to say we won't get a hard fought win from them, but they are going to be very very tough to beat...

That's the point of saying we're going to steal it. Right now, it's theirs to win. If we win it, we stole it. They "stole" it from us last year, because we were highly favored to win the regular season.

[SupaDave]

That's the point of saying we're going to steal it. Right now, it's theirs to win. If we win it, we stole it. They "stole" it from us last year, because we were highly favored to win the regular season.

I continue to think we match up well against UNC and believe we will beat them this year - three times if need be. This year we will wear Marshall out and I'd much rather have our guards over him.

[77devil]

Questions at the point guard position to start the season.

Solid frontcourt putting up good numbers.

A stud freshman who probably feels like he's got a lot to prove. He may not light up like a firecracker, but by the end of the year he could be putting up the best numbers in the conference.

We'll probably stumble out of the gate. Lots of tough matchups out of conference this year. Lots of howing from within the fan base, and lots of cries of "it's over" from Chappa Heeya.

Yes, this is Duke, but the focus this year is on OSU and UNC. We'll fly under the radar for a while, especially with a few losses.

If we round into solid form by January, and if the ACC continues to be mediocre, we could steal the ACC regular season title.

I don't think an Elite 8 appearance is out of the question, if the right things fall into place.

I think the comparisons are reasonable but Duke's big advantage is Coach K generally and his ability to adapt specifically in a situation such as this, as compared to Ol' Roy's intransigence. I think the quality of our depth is better, particularly at guard where beyond Marshall UNC continued to have issues, and Duke has more potential and not the baggage that poisoned the UNC locker room for half of the season.

[nocilla]

I'm not as concerned about 'stealing' the #1 seed for the tourney from UNC as I am of Duke earning the ACC Championship like they have for the last 3 years.

[Major247]

Did any of our players wear a banana suit at the Countdown to Craziness?

Last year, Carolina was a very talented team with three basic problems at the start: (1) a refusal to put the better pg in; (2) Barnes struggling mightily; and (3) a coach who did not make any adjustments. So I'm not sure I see any of that with us.

We do not have a pg like Marshall. Although I am very happy with what we have.

Carolina's inside players are probably more athletic than ours. I know there are some who will disagree but I do not see them as having the same role.

UNC doesn't have a Ryan Kelly or an Austin Rivers-type player, really. Marshall can get in the lane wicked quick but I don't think he is the offensive threat that Rivers is. Kelly is a match-up problem we will give everyone, like Dunleavy and Kyle.

We are a better outside shooting team, and UNC refuses to defend the three. It must be genetic.

So I don't see much similarity. But interesting question and look forward to other responses.

I disagree here. In many ways we are very similar to Unc last year. Austin and Barnes basically had the same hype coming in and are/were both looked to as the scoring threat, closer, and most talented on the team. Unc's frontcourt was their strength just like ours seems to be. Both teams need to gel and had questions at the point guard spot. Austin to Barnes, Miles to Zeller, Mason/Ryan to Henson, Dre to McDonald, Alex to Murphy, Josh to Knox, Quinn to Marshall. These are all similar/comparable pieces for each team. I think we are deeper and a little more talented than they were but nevertheless, its very comparable imo.

[nocilla]

I disagree here. In many ways we are very similar to Unc last year. Austin and Barnes basically had the same hype coming in and are/were both looked to as the scoring threat, closer, and most talented on the team. Unc's frontcourt was their strength just like ours seems to be. Both teams need to gel and had questions at the point guard spot. Austin to Barnes, Miles to Zeller, Mason/Ryan to Henson, Dre to McDonald, Alex to Murphy, Josh to Knox, Quinn to Marshall. These are all similar/comparable pieces for each team. I think we are deeper and a little more talented than they were but nevertheless, its very comparable imo.

I agree, although I'm cunfused on the Alex to Murphy part. Is that supposed to be Bullock or Strickland?

[OldPhiKap]

I disagree here. In many ways we are very similar to Unc last year. Austin and Barnes basically had the same hype coming in and are/were both looked to as the scoring threat, closer, and most talented on the team. (Barnes was pre-season All-American and was the instant star of the team. Austin, while certainly highly-regarded, is not in a role where he needs to carry the team. Barnes had to be THE MAN from day one, Austin does not.) Unc's frontcourt was their strength just like ours seems to be. (UNC's front court is more athletic than ours and is featured more prominently than we have done in past years. I do not see that Miles/Mason is much like the front line of Carolina in terms of skills or how the team uses them. I hope that changes, actually, because it would be great to have a steady diet of Plumlee low-block scoring.) Both teams need to gel and had questions at the point guard spot. (We have several folks who can handle the position. Carolina had one who clearly could not, but Roy wouldn't pull him because Drew's poppa would get angry. On the other end of the scale is Marshall, who is an extremely gifted pg. So I would say that we have several folks who can do a very good job at it, while Caroilina had one exceptional player and one dud. And we have done extremely well with combo-guards bringing the ball up; there are many [including Ryan] who can initiate the ball up top when the offense really sets in.) Austin to Barnes (see above), Miles to Zeller (power forward versus more traditional center), Mason/Ryan to Henson (Mason is a power player and Ryan is a big guy who can shoot outside; Henson is an energy forward who relies on speed not muscle), Dre to McDonald (okay), Alex to Murphy (i haven't seen Murphy yet), Josh to Knox (Josh won't get the minutes Knox got, and will ultimately be a better player than Knox), Quinn to Marshall (haven't seen Quinn yet but that's a big order -- i sure hope you are right!). These are all similar/comparable pieces for each team. I think we are deeper (yes) and a little more talented than they were (current starters are pretty even, we have a much better bench) but nevertheless, its very comparable imo.

Good discussion points, with my responses inserted because I'm too lazy to cut and paste (and can't figure out the multi-quoter).

Again, good discussion and reasonable minds can differ.

[UrinalCake]

Last year their frontcourt depth was a serious concern heading into the season - after the Wears transfered they were down to just Henson and Zeller, who are both great players but couldn't play 40 minutes each. Thankfully for them they picked up Knox and Roy was able to manage their minutes really well all season, something I don't think we give him enough credit for. Duke doesn't have any such depth concerns unless foul trouble becomes an issue. Also, UNC was coming off of an abysmal season in 2009-2010 and expectations were tempered coming into the following season. I think our expectations for Duke this year are a little higher. One similarity though is that the team down the street is getting all the hype as preseason #1, as was the case for them last year.

[Major247]

I agree, although I'm cunfused on the Alex to Murphy part. Is that supposed to be Bullock or Strickland?

LOL ha ha oops, yeah that was supposed to be Alex to Bullock.

[wk2109]

I disagree here. In many ways we are very similar to Unc last year. Austin and Barnes basically had the same hype coming in and are/were both looked to as the scoring threat, closer, and most talented on the team. Unc's frontcourt was their strength just like ours seems to be. Both teams need to gel and had questions at the point guard spot. Austin to Barnes, Miles to Zeller, Mason/Ryan to Henson, Dre to McDonald, Alex to Murphy, Josh to Knox, Quinn to Marshall. These are all similar/comparable pieces for each team. I think we are deeper and a little more talented than they were but nevertheless, its very comparable imo.

Couldn't you do this player vs. player matching with pretty much any 2 basketball teams?

I agree with the hyped freshman comparison (Rivers vs. Barnes), but in terms of team to team comparison I think this year's Duke team is similar to UNC 09-10 in terms of how much each squad lost from the year before and how each team had a high preseason ranking more based on potential than on proven commodities. But of course I think 11-12 Duke will fare MUCH better than 09-10 UNC did.

[Major247]

Good discussion points, with my responses inserted because I'm too lazy to cut and paste (and can't figure out the multi-quoter).

Again, good discussion and reasonable minds can differ.

I understand where your coming from but at the same time even though the positions might differ, the overall talent level and stature of the players I named are similar. Everyone named with the exception of Ryan are the equivalent to the other for their team. Austin and 2010 Barnes are both hyped incoming freshman who are looked to be the best scorers and closer for their team. Austin most definitely wants to be the man and feels pressure similar to Barnes. I don't think Barnes had to do it all by himself considering the strength of their frontcourt. They play inside out anyway. And I don't know how Henson and Zeller can be viewed as more athletic than the Plumlee's. Henson and Mason are about equal and Miles is more athletic than Zeller right? We do have personnel who we think can handle the point guard duties, but my point was that they aren't proven. Seth is making a transition. Tyler has always been a pg but is really just a defender and Quinn while being a highly ranked true pg (pass first) is a freshman. These are our questions while Unc's questions were can Drew finally step up, and how good is this new pass first freshman (Kendall), can he defend (same with Quinn)? Mason while looks bigger, does not play bigger than Henson. Both are tall, lanky rebounders and shot blockers who are opportune scorers. Ryan is pretty much the only guy who is totally unmatched in comparison to any Unc players. This is where we have an advantage. Our third big is much better than their third was.

The exhibition games showed a few fundamental weaknesses which will probably cause us to struggle early just like Unc's team. They hit their stride in the middle of the season going into the tourny. I feel our season will mirror theirs, especially considering our schedule. Just like Barnes, Austin has to adjust (I think he's further along in that area than Barnes was). K has said and showed on the court that we will play more "inside out" similar to Unc's style. Nothing is exactly the same, we are better and deeper than they were, but we could potentially struggle early just like they did and then make a deep run just like they did. Thoughts?

[Major247]

Couldn't you do this player vs. player matching with pretty much any 2 basketball teams?

I agree with the hyped freshman comparison (Rivers vs. Barnes), but in terms of team to team comparison I think this year's Duke team is similar to UNC 09-10 in terms of how much each squad lost from the year before and how each team had a high preseason ranking more based on potential than on proven commodities. But of course I think 11-12 Duke will fare MUCH better than 09-10 UNC did.

You can, but in this instance I feel that the general make up of the team's main players are very similar. I agree, I think we are better and have a higher ceiling, but I have no idea if we'll be playing in the elite eight. Better, more experienced Duke teams have failed to do so. I do believe if we can gel and find continuity during the regular season, we could very well win it all.