MOTM: Duke vs. Belmont (Nov 11, 2011)

[JBDuke]

Who was Man of the Match in Duke's season-opening 77-76 win over Belmont?

[timmy c]

Thorton was the gas that ran the engine tonight.

[OldPhiKap]

Voted for Tyler although Mason was very impressive over the whole game.

[Bob Green]

I'm off to study the box score, but I like to vote in the MOTM poll first and my vote went to Tyler Thornton.

[Billy Dat]

Mason, baby! I thought Tyler made a lot of bad plays down the stretch to go along with his good ones.

[rotogod00]

I'll take the guy who made the winning shot

[NSDukeFan]

I joined the Tyler Thornton fan club tonight and Dre hit the huge bomb at the end, but to me it has to be Mason.

[devildeac]

Tough to argue with either MP2 or TT.

[Bluedevil114]

Mason was much better tonight but Curry hit so many big threes tonight and overall handled the point guard duty well. Still needs to improve but his shot was money.

[NSDukeFan]

We have to at least get Thornton's name correct in the poll after a performance like that.

[JBDuke]

We have to at least get Thornton's name correct in the poll after a performance like that.

Ugh. My bad. Rushed to get the poll up and didn't double check my spelling. Thanks for the catch. It's fixed.

[SCMatt33]

Ugh. My bad. Rushed to get the poll up and didn't double check my spelling. Thanks for the catch. It's fixed.

Went with the big picture for my vote. Of the guy who played really well tonight, I think that Mason is the most critical for the long term.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I went with the guy whose shot won the game for us. Dre'. If he didn't make that 3 at the end, I don't think we would have won the game, and I realize the last few seconds would have played out differently than the ultimately did had we only had a 1 point lead (instead of a 4 point lead). Curry, Mason and Tyler all played well! :cool:

[airowe]

Need one for each half! Mason in the first and Tyler in the second. Both guys played really well. :D

Glad I was wrong about this one, I thought were going to take the L...

[devildeac]

I went with the guy whose shot won the game for us. Dre'. If he didn't make that 3 at the end, I don't think we would have won the game, and I realize the last few seconds would have played out differently than the ultimately did had we only had a 1 point lead (instead of a 4 point lead). Curry, Mason and Tyler all played well! :cool:

I'd give 'Dre a different kind of MOTM:

Man
of
the
Moment

award.

;)

[slower]

Gotta go with Mason. Impressive showing, no silly mistakes of note. It looked like he had the instinct to jack up several threes, but checked himself - that, alone, was heartening! Good showing also by TT, our "designated winner." Heart of a lion. I think we lose without either of them coming up big. The final three was nice, but not very impressed with Dre overall. Miles didn't get much run once Mason got hot, but I'm sure he'll have his moments. The game was a stomach-churner, especially after blowing the 16-point lead. We're probably overrated at #6.

[dyedwab]

Tyler played great, Seth was very good, Andre hit a deep shot.

But Mason was the player who couldn't be stopped last night.

Great win against a tough team.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Who would have thought that Mason and Miles would have been the only players NOT to have foul trouble as the game wound down? That is a good sign!

[PumpkinFunk]

Mason might have put up a lot of stats, but Tyler was the one who came in and saved us from self-destructing when everyone else seemed ready to just hand the game over to Belmont. For that alone, I've gotta go with Tyler. He was the man last night, without a doubt. Defensively and offensively.

[MCFinARL]

Need one for each half! Mason in the first and Tyler in the second. Both guys played really well. :D

Glad I was wrong about this one, I thought were going to take the L...

You weren't wrong by much--but it was enough, thankfully. Agree totally about Mason in the first half and Tyler in the second, but in the end I went with Mason because he remained really important throughout the game, even if he wasn't quite as effective in the second half.


Gotta go with Mason. Impressive showing, no silly mistakes of note. It looked like he had the instinct to jack up several threes, but checked himself - that, alone, was heartening! Good showing also by TT, our "designated winner." Heart of a lion. I think we lose without either of them coming up big. The final three was nice, but not very impressed with Dre overall. Miles didn't get much run once Mason got hot, but I'm sure he'll have his moments. The game was a stomach-churner, especially after blowing the 16-point lead. We're probably overrated at #6.

I'm not sure I agree with this. It's true Dre did not have an outstanding game--but the shots he took were all good ones (possible exception--one drive to the basket where he got stripped or stuffed, as I recall--I was watching on tape late at might and can't remember perfectly now), many of which were in and out or otherwise just a little bit off. And his overall intensity and defensive effort were reasonably high throughout. While I might not call it "impressive," I wouldn't call it disappointing, either. I thought it was an okay performance, and if two or three of those close threes had hit, it would have looked like a very good performance.

[JMarley50]

Gotta go with Mason. Impressive showing, no silly mistakes of note. It looked like he had the instinct to jack up several threes, but checked himself - that, alone, was heartening! Good showing also by TT, our "designated winner." Heart of a lion. I think we lose without either of them coming up big. The final three was nice, but not very impressed with Dre overall. Miles didn't get much run once Mason got hot, but I'm sure he'll have his moments. The game was a stomach-churner, especially after blowing the 16-point lead. We're probably overrated at #6.

I agree with everything but the overrated part. I loved what I saw from Mason and he got my vote as well. He played strong and controlled. I knew we were watching a different Mason right from the beginning when he made that nice strong move and finished with the reverse dunk. I love that he is finally using the hook shot effectively. After two years of me screaming "use the hook" at the TV I'm sure my wife appreciates it as well.

As far as the overrated thing goes... I think it was more along the lines of Belmont was very underrated. Sure we had some sloppy moments and a lack of effort on D at times but those problems will be addressed very quickly. From what I saw of the UNC game, they didn't look like the #1 seed either. But we all know that isn't true. They are clearly going undefeated on their way to a NC! ;)

[slower]

I'm not sure I agree with this. It's true Dre did not have an outstanding game--but the shots he took were all good ones (possible exception--one drive to the basket where he got stripped or stuffed, as I recall--I was watching on tape late at might and can't remember perfectly now), many of which were in and out or otherwise just a little bit off. And his overall intensity and defensive effort were reasonably high throughout. While I might not call it "impressive," I wouldn't call it disappointing, either. I thought it was an okay performance, and if two or three of those close threes had hit, it would have looked like a very good performance.

I watched it live, will go back and review it at some point. But aside from a three at the end of each half and that drive on the pass from Mason, I can't remember any outstanding contribution. What I DO remember is him standing around again and being a ball-handling liability. Listen, I LOVE Dre - love his shot, his swag (when he has it) and his personality - but let's stop all these RIDICULOUS comparisons to JJ that have been floating around all pre-season.

[mkline09]

I've got to say I thought Tyler Thornton brought some good things in this game. Most importantly defensively he was a beast. I have a feeling he is going to draw a number of technicals on opposing players because he is like a mosquito on defense. He just buzzes around and annoys the hell out of you. He made some heady plays and was an opportunistic scorer. I think that is good because it will force defenses to play him, especially if he continues to knock down his shots. He also had a very nice move late and hit a contested layup. I thought Duke played better in the half court on both defense and offense when he was in the game and I wouldn't be shocked if he wasn't starting or at the very least a consistent 6th man with Ryan Kelly.

[dukepsy1963]

Tyler, he is going to be a "force" all year long. It's his time. Mason too. He is going to be an animal. The other guys will catch up, but last night, two guys did what they could to win.


We need to work on stopping easy layups on both sides of the basket. There the "big boys" lacked in my opinion. Belmont seemed to do that at will.

[MCFinARL]

I watched it live, will go back and review it at some point. But aside from a three at the end of each half and that drive on the pass from Mason, I can't remember any outstanding contribution. What I DO remember is him standing around again and being a ball-handling liability. Listen, I LOVE Dre - love his shot, his swag (when he has it) and his personality - but let's stop all these RIDICULOUS comparisons to JJ that have been floating around all pre-season.

Well, my starting point was that his game was not outstanding, so we are maybe not that far apart there--and I have not been making the JJ comparison, so I will let the people who do make that comparison address that.

I do have a somewhat more positive read on Dre's overall performance yesterday than you do, though, so maybe we will just have to agree to disagree. While he was in standing in the corner some, part of that time he was wide open and signaling for the ball, but getting no notice from Seth/Austin. He did move some as well, at least while I was watching, and it never seemed to me that he was disengaged from the game mentally or emotionally. Overall, though, and interestingly, it did seem he was more assertive and intense on defense than on offense in this game. Still not the performance we would like to see from Dre, perhaps, but one he can build on.

[CDu]

I thought Mason was a consistently assertive presence throughout the game. There were a few stretches where Thornton was the key, and Rivers was fantastic in the first half. But Mason was the guy that gave us the most from start to finish.

[ncexnyc]

I voted for Tyler. If he keeps playing like this, I'm sure we'll see the opposition issue fly swatters with Tyler picture on them to their fanbase. This is one pesky player who has a nose for the ball.

[mapei]

I voted Tyler because his best moments came at such critical times. But I've got no problem with anyone who voted Mason.

[SilkyJ]

I'm off to study the box score, but I like to vote in the MOTM poll first and my vote went to Tyler Thornton.

I like this approach. MOTM is an eye test, and that's why:


I'll take the guy who made the winning shot

Dre wasn't hitting tonight, but unlike what we've seen before, he stayed aggressive, played good D and didn't disappear completely. He looked focused and ready to hit his next shot, like a shooter needs to be. I liked his demeanor after he hit the last 3; he was calm and focused.

He's got the ability, so its all mental for him. If he can keep that focus and attitude, he's going to have lots of big games.


I thought Mason was a consistently assertive presence throughout the game. There were a few stretches where Thornton was the key, and Rivers was fantastic in the first half. But Mason was the guy that gave us the most from start to finish.

I generally agree with this. Mason played really well all game.

I Liked Thornton's play and disruptiveness as well, but he's still got a ways to come. He's gonna play a lot though, and I'm sure he'll get better.

[ArkieDukie]

Brilliant move. I meant to select Mason and selected Miles instead. Good grief.

Mason had a stellar game; he was everywhere. To paraphrase J-Will in the post-game, Duke needs that Mason to show up consistently for every game. My only gripe is that he dribbles too much. He makes me really nervous when he brings the ball down the court on a fast break. That, and when he's on the free throw line. Other than that, loved his effort against Belmont. Hope we get to say that a lot this year.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to Tyler Thornton. Love, love, love his game. Any time he entered the game, the entire team picked it up a notch on defense. I'll call him MOTM 1b.

[Newton_14]

I've got to say I thought Tyler Thornton brought some good things in this game. Most importantly defensively he was a beast. I have a feeling he is going to draw a number of technicals on opposing players because he is like a mosquito on defense. He just buzzes around and annoys the hell out of you. He made some heady plays and was an opportunistic scorer. I think that is good because it will force defenses to play him, especially if he continues to knock down his shots. He also had a very nice move late and hit a contested layup. I thought Duke played better in the half court on both defense and offense when he was in the game and I wouldn't be shocked if he wasn't starting or at the very least a consistent 6th man with Ryan Kelly.

Thonton? Now that's a first!:)

I am going to disagree on the choice of bug. Tyler is more like a gnat! I realize a gnat does not bite, they are everywhere and aggravate the heck out of you!:)

Okay, enough silliness. I agree with you 100% about Tyler. He is just a tremendously great help defender. I think we need to track how many turnovers he forces and at the end of the year, look at what % of our forced TO's were created by Tyler. Part of it is hustle and desire, part of it is understanding Duke's defensive scheme's better than many others before him, and a big part of it is a great ability to read the play and anticipate where the ball is going.

I love watching this kid play defense. Just a joy to watch.

[mkline09]

Thonton? Now that's a first!:)

I am going to disagree on the choice of bug. Tyler is more like a gnat! I realize a gnat does not bite, they are everywhere and aggravate the heck out of you!:)

Okay, enough silliness. I agree with you 100% about Tyler. He is just a tremendously great help defender. I think we need to track how many turnovers he forces and at the end of the year, look at what % of our forced TO's were created by Tyler. Part of it is hustle and desire, part of it is understanding Duke's defensive scheme's better than many others before him, and a big part of it is a great ability to read the play and anticipate where the ball is going.

I love watching this kid play defense. Just a joy to watch.

I initially thought gnat too but thought hey it might draw some blood this year.

[basket1544]

Thorns draw blood. Maybe our gnat has thorns?

[mkline09]

Thorns draw blood. Maybe our gnat has thorns?

Every Rose has its Thorns and perhaps Thornton is this team's rose.

[NSDukeFan]

Thonton? Now that's a first!:)

I am going to disagree on the choice of bug. Tyler is more like a gnat! I realize a gnat does not bite, they are everywhere and aggravate the heck out of you!:)

Okay, enough silliness. I agree with you 100% about Tyler. He is just a tremendously great help defender. I think we need to track how many turnovers he forces and at the end of the year, look at what % of our forced TO's were created by Tyler. Part of it is hustle and desire, part of it is understanding Duke's defensive scheme's better than many others before him, and a big part of it is a great ability to read the play and anticipate where the ball is going.

I love watching this kid play defense. Just a joy to watch.

I was surprised early in the year when coach K mentioned about how good a defensive player Tyler was, as my impression from last year was that he hustled a lot, had quick hands and generated some steals. It didn't appear to me that he was particularly strong at staying in front of the offensive player to prevent penetration. Others have made comments that he is very strong in help side but is not great one-on-one. My impression (small sample size and all and subjective) is that Tyler is doing a better job so far at preventing penetration and keeping his man in front of him. I hope I am correct and that this continues for Tyler, as well as Austin, Seth and Dre especially, as this has been one of my concerns with the loss of Kyrie, but moreso Kyle and Nolan from last year's team.