MOTM: Duke vs Tennessee (Nov 21, 2011)

[Bob Green]

Who was the Man-of-the-Match?

[NSDukeFan]

I saw the basic stats, but I still have to pick Mason as he just seemed like a monster on the boards and had some great moves inside.

[Wander]

Between Tennessee and Michigan State, opponents have missed lots of close-range shots against us. I don't think that's entirely just due to poor play from the opposing players. Mason's gotten better at choosing how to contest shots (going for the blocked shot vs positional stuff).

[hq2]

RK. MAN of the match. Spell that M-A-N MAN! (Muddy Waters!)

[CDu]

I went with Curry because he made several big plays during the key second half run. But I could understand a vote for Kelly (very efficient), Mason (tons of boards), or Rivers (leading scorer, a few key threes and a really nice finish to the second half).

Basically, nobody particularly stood out above the rest in this one. It was a pretty balanced effort.

[juise]

I went with Curry because he made several big plays during the key second half run. But I could understand a vote for Kelly (very efficient), Mason (tons of boards), or Rivers (leading scorer, a few key threes and a really nice finish to the second half).

Basically, nobody particularly stood out above the rest in this one. It was a pretty balanced effort.

Those were also my thoughts. I just thought Curry made the plays that helped turn the tide and build momentum. Great team effort today.

[MCFinARL]

In the end, I decided not to vote here--I could make a case for Mason, or Ryan, or Seth, or Austin (though he might also be a candidate for fail of the match at some points in the game)--and I saw good plays from Andre and Tyler as well. For me, the team is MOTM this time.

[gcashwell]

All I can say from this one is I am happy with the steady progress of Miles and Dre. They are both much better than last year.

Edit: I meant for the sentence above to go in the post game thread. I liked Kelly for motm. He is tough.

[jv001]

Went with Kelly. Ryan played his usual solid game, 17pts, 6 rebs, 1 assist. I liked the two set plays Coach K called for him. It's great to have two bigs(Mason & Ryan) that can handle the ball. Several guys could have won MOTM in this game. GoDuke!

[Newton_14]

I went with Ryan. Very solid 17 and 6 effort. I loved watching him taking the guy off the dribble when K called the two iso sets for him. Nice. Good game by Seth as well with 17 and 4 assists, 2 steals. Honorable Mention for Austin for setting the career high with 18.

[ArkieDukie]

Add me to the RK votes. Solid game with scoring, defense, and just generally affecting the flow of the game. MP2 was also great.

[JBDuke]

My vote goes to Austin in this one. It just seemed like he stepped up when we needed it. He hit those big threes late in the first half to give us our first real separation. Then in the second half, his drives got us up to a 10 point cushion.

I agree, though, that several other players could be MOTM. Seth was solid, with some pretty stellar D and some nice offense, too. Ryan was Ryan - dependable and efficient. Mason had a couple of nice moves, some great defense around the basket. Even Tyler provided a key spark on D in the first half.

[weezie]

Agreed. Austin is catching on at a very impressive pace. The team is markedly different when he is on the court.
It's going to be exciting to watch him really settle into the Duke program.

[mkline09]

Went with Ryan "The White Raven" Kelly. Solid all around game. Came up big in the clutch when Duke needed a shot. I like what he should be able to do tomorrow against that 1-3-1 zone. I think he will be a key part in the game plan.

[westwall]

I am surprised at the lack of support on the Board for Andre. I was at the game and felt his scoring was crucial in keeping Duke in the game during the first half, before others got going. Ryan and Mason had very solid games, and each had a gorgeous move for a basket in the second half, but Andre played D, ran the baseline and never seemed to be the object of K's "advices" during TOs, so I believe the coaches also thought he played well.

[ACCBBallFan]

I gave a slight edge to Mason, but a case can be made for any of the starters.

Metrics label below is all the positive stats miniutes, points, bpards, steals, assists, blocks minus turnovers minues fouils.

Metrics +/- Total
50 12 62 Mason Plumlee, F
54 07 61 Seth Curry, G

52 06 58 Austin Rivers, G
48 08 56 Ryan Kelly, F
40 12 52 Andre Dawkins, G

28 01 29 Miles Plumlee, F

14 01 15 Quinn Cook, G
07 05 12 Tyler Thornton, G

04 -2 02 Josh Hairston, F

[mkline09]

I am surprised at the lack of support on the Board for Andre. I was at the game and felt his scoring was crucial in keeping Duke in the game during the first half, before others got going. Ryan and Mason had very solid games, and each had a gorgeous move for a basket in the second half, but Andre played D, ran the baseline and never seemed to be the object of K's "advices" during TOs, so I believe the coaches also thought he played well.

I voted for Ryan Kelly but I'll second your thoughts. Andre is playing so much better all around so far this year. His defense is much better and he seems way more active on the offensive end of the floor. So I feel your love for Andre, he is going to be a big contributor and the most exciting part is it looks like it might come consistently and not just from behind the arc.

[CDu]

I am surprised at the lack of support on the Board for Andre. I was at the game and felt his scoring was crucial in keeping Duke in the game during the first half, before others got going. Ryan and Mason had very solid games, and each had a gorgeous move for a basket in the second half, but Andre played D, ran the baseline and never seemed to be the object of K's "advices" during TOs, so I believe the coaches also thought he played well.

He certainly did play well. He just wasn't among the guys I'd suggest for player of the game. Of course, part of that is not necessarily his fault (he didn't get a ton of opportunities). But that's unfortunately sort of irrelevant when discussing the player of the game.

[sagegrouse]

I gave a slight edge to Mason, but a case can be made for any of the starters.

Metrics label below is all the positive stats miniutes, points, bpards, steals, assists, blocks minus turnovers minues fouils.

Metrics +/- Total
50 12 62 Mason Plumlee, F
54 07 61 Seth Curry, G

52 06 58 Austin Rivers, G
48 08 56 Ryan Kelly, F
40 12 52 Andre Dawkins, G

28 01 29 Miles Plumlee, F

14 01 15 Quinn Cook, G
07 05 12 Tyler Thornton, G

04 -2 02 Josh Hairston, F

That's an impressive array of numbers, but except for the apparent plus-minus in the middle, I have no idea what they represent.

sagegrouse