MBB: Duke vs Washington Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[Bob Green]

Next up for Duke is the Washington Huskies. To start off the game discussion, how about we skew a poll at Seattle Sports Radio website:

http://www.sportsradiokjr.com/pages/dickfainpage.html

You all know what to do.

[Fish80]

Terrance Ross could be a match up problem for us. 6'6" and agile, mobile, hostile. Well, maybe just hostile for game time. N'Diaye is a big 7' dude and averaging close to 10 boards this year, up a bit from last year. Need to get a body on him and keep him off the boards.

[DukieInBrasil]

is that the same N'Diaye that Duke was interested in recruiting from Idaho, the teammate of Felix Carrick? Am i getting his name right?

[nocilla]

is that the same N'Diaye that Duke was interested in recruiting from Idaho, the teammate of Felix Carrick? Am i getting his name right?

From the Terrance Jones thread, yes.


Also interesting that their 7' center (Aziz) was the player Nate James originally scouted at CSI, which led to him finding Carrick Felix. Will be an interesting matchup with Mason.

[roywhite]

is that the same N'Diaye that Duke was interested in recruiting from Idaho, the teammate of Felix Carrick? Am i getting his name right?

Carrick Felix, that is...now averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds for the Sendek Sun Devils of Arizona State.
Had to look up the name myself.

Carrick, we hardly knew ye. :)

And I feel sorry for anyone named N'Diaye (a fairly common name it turns out) because of the legacy that Makhtar left.
He occupies the lowest circle of ex-Tarheels.

[Saratoga2]

Washington is a big team with Abdul Gaddy, a 6'3" Jr guard and CJ Wilcox a 6'5" guard starting and with Tony Wroten a 6'5" freshman coming of the bench at guard. They also have Terrance Ross a 6'6" small forward/G who can create problems. On the back line they have Aziz N'Daiya a 7' C and Darnell Gant a 6"8" F and a backup F in Desmond Simmons.

Washington is a good but not great team and they will test us in this one. I will be very interested to see the height of their guards bothers our shooters like it seemed to against OSU. There is not a large disparity in size when we start Austin, Andre and Seth but it seems similar to what we faced when we lost, except their defense is not in the same league with OSU.

[CDu]

Washington is a big team with Abdul Gaddy, a 6'3" Jr guard and CJ Wilcox a 6'5" guard starting and with Tony Wroten a 6'5" freshman coming of the bench at guard. They also have Terrance Ross a 6'6" small forward/G who can create problems. On the back line they have Aziz N'Daiya a 7' C and Darnell Gant a 6"8" F and a backup F in Desmond Simmons.

Washington is a good but not great team and they will test us in this one. I will be very interested to see the height of their guards bothers our shooters like it seemed to against OSU. There is not a large disparity in size when we start Austin, Andre and Seth but it seems similar to what we faced when we lost, except their defense is not in the same league with OSU.

As you kind of allude to, Washington hasn't been very good defensively. OSU has the #2 (based on KenPom) defense in the country. Washington is #73 in defense.

Also, I'd argue that it wasn't OSU's size on the perimeter that gave us trouble. In fact, OSU's perimeter defense isn't really any bigger than Michigan or Tennessee, and we scored 75+ in those two games. I'd say it was OSU's aggressiveness (both on the ball and fighting through off-ball screens) rather than their size that bothered us. As such, I'm less concerned about Washington on the defensive end.

Where I could see difficulty is on the other end. That's a lot of size and athleticism to attack the glass, if they can take advantage of it.

[Bob Green]

I believe this game will be a real challenge. As I stated in the Phase II thread and the Terrence Ross thread, Terrence Ross is an exceptional player who will provide an early glimpse at how our defense will match-up against Harrison Barnes. Ross isn't as big as Barnes, but he has better hops and a much tighter handle. Ross can beat his defender off the dribble or knock down the 3-pointer if given an inch of space. C.J. Wilcox, Abdul Gaddy and Tony Wroten are also big talented guards who will challenge Duke's defense.

I wrote a preview on the game, which includes a Q&A session with a radio host from Seattle Sports Radio so if anyone is interested in giving it a read, here is a link:

http://bluedevilnation.net/2011/12/washington-huskies-preview-with-guest-question-and-answer/

This is a game where I expect Duke to take advantage of their superior front court by playing inside-out. Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly will be key to our success. On defense, we need to harass Abdul Gaddy for 40 minutes in order to disrupt Washington's offense. Tyler Thornton should see plenty of action in this one.

[Kedsy]

I believe this game will be a real challenge. As I stated in the Phase II thread and the Terrence Ross thread, Terrence Ross is an exceptional player who will provide an early glimpse at how our defense will match-up against Harrison Barnes. Ross isn't as big as Barnes, but he has better hops and a much tighter handle. Ross can beat his defender off the dribble or knock down the 3-pointer if given an inch of space. C.J. Wilcox, Abdul Gaddy and Tony Wroten are also big talented guards who will challenge Duke's defense.

I wrote a preview on the game, which includes a Q&A session with a radio host from Seattle Sports Radio so if anyone is interested in giving it a read, here is a link:

http://bluedevilnation.net/2011/12/washington-huskies-preview-with-guest-question-and-answer/

This is a game where I expect Duke to take advantage of their superior front court by playing inside-out. Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly will be key to our success. On defense, we need to harass Abdul Gaddy for 40 minutes in order to disrupt Washington's offense. Tyler Thornton should see plenty of action in this one.

Nice preview, Bob. Washington's backcourt sounds pretty scary.

I think Andre's status is a bigger deal than people are making it out to be. Whether or not you think Andre can guard Ross adequately, putting Austin on Ross seems like it would hurt our defense at two positions (plus a third position where we're going to have a challenge guarding their PG no matter what). Putting Mike in the lineup to guard Ross, especially if that's combined with Tyler at PG, would likely stifle our offense. If Andre plays and is 100% physically, he'll be very important in this game. If he doesn't play, I have a feeling we're going to wish he did.

[dbowen]

I Thought I heard the announcers during the UW-Marquette game say that UW was staying in NY all week. Was I hearing things, or does anyone know if they flew home and were planning to fly back for Satuday's game??

If they did travel back home in between games, this might give us an advantage. On the other hand, if they stayed all week, and did nothing but prepare for us, we might be in for a real challenge. Either way, they're gonna come out swinging. I just hope we can throw the first punch this time.

[1 24 90]

I Thought I heard the announcers during the UW-Marquette game say that UW was staying in NY all week. Was I hearing things, or does anyone know if they flew home and were planning to fly back for Satuday's game??

If they did travel back home in between games, this might give us an advantage. On the other hand, if they stayed all week, and did nothing but prepare for us, we might be in for a real challenge. Either way, they're gonna come out swinging. I just hope we can throw the first punch this time.

They stayed in NY all week. Dickie V was talking about how they were going to go see "Memphis" and another Broadway show and they had to write papers on them.

[jipops]

Nice preview, Bob. Washington's backcourt sounds pretty scary.

I think Andre's status is a bigger deal than people are making it out to be. Whether or not you think Andre can guard Ross adequately, putting Austin on Ross seems like it would hurt our defense at two positions (plus a third position where we're going to have a challenge guarding their PG no matter what). Putting Mike in the lineup to guard Ross, especially if that's combined with Tyler at PG, would likely stifle our offense. If Andre plays and is 100% physically, he'll be very important in this game. If he doesn't play, I have a feeling we're going to wish he did.

I totally agree which is one of the reasons I was so very bummed when he went down the other night. Of the matchup issues we were already going to face, now they have been increased with Andre being out or not at full strength. In addition to this, I didn't really get a vibe that our defense is in a really good place at this current time with the Colo State game. I know the focus was to take away their strength which was the 3pt shot which left the lane open for them, but our communication in providing help still looked poor. A lot of guys made mistakes out there by over-committing and leaving an open lane. If those are still habits then a team with the size and athleticism of WU could really hurt us. I really don't feel great about this game. I'm concerned it could turn into something like what we saw in the St John's game last year. I think we'll be more ready to play than the OSU game but I don't know how well we will be able to defend. I'm not overly concerned overall if we drop this one though. I stated from the beginning I expect an up and down year for this team.

[UrinalCake]

Any updates on Andre's status? Is he going to play?

[hustleplays]

Nice preview, Bob. Washington's backcourt sounds pretty scary.

I think Andre's status is a bigger deal than people are making it out to be. Whether or not you think Andre can guard Ross adequately, putting Austin on Ross seems like it would hurt our defense at two positions (plus a third position where we're going to have a challenge guarding their PG no matter what). Putting Mike in the lineup to guard Ross, especially if that's combined with Tyler at PG, would likely stifle our offense. If Andre plays and is 100% physically, he'll be very important in this game. If he doesn't play, I have a feeling we're going to wish he did.

Kedsy posted some good rebuttals and questions to my CSU pre/in-game thread post, and I would like to respond. Sorry for the delay [that day job is way annoying], but I do think our discussion is pertinent going forward.

I have been championing seeing Quinn or Tyler at point. Kedsy asked the very fair question: Why, especially re Tyler, would that help our offense? We know that Tyler adds a lot on defense, while his offensive skills are limited. IMO, his primary contribution on offense is allowing Seth to play the 2. Seth is a classic, great 2 guard. While I wouldn't have predicted 8 assists from Seth [and only one TO], I just see him being much more proficient when he doesn't have to bring the ball up and start the offense. Our overall Assists/TO ration was terrific, as was our Assists/Buckets ratio. I fully acknowledge that there are many other variables that might account for this, including what CSU did and didn't do. But this outcome -- directionally speaking -- is what I was hoping for.

From my eyeball perspective, I do see either Tyler or Quinn running a slightly smoother offense, more flow to it. I know this is a judgment call on my part. Small sample size [one game], but worth noting that Tyler/Quinn had 6 Assists between them and 0 TOs. [Kedsy, I know that their season's A/TO ratios are worse, but is it possible that they --and the entire offense -- might be improving?]

Whether Tyler or Quinn starts going forward -- I think one of them will -- depends, I believe on Quinn's readiness to lead offensively and on his defensive adequacy. I acknowledge, agree with, that our defense needs the most improvement right now.

The final reason I like Tyler at point is intangible -- I see him providing intensive floor leadership. He reminds me of Greg Paulus. I remember Greg's chewing out the whole team when he was only a new frosh. Also reminds me of virtually all of our vets on the 2010 team. I don't see Seth or anyone else right now providing intensive floor leadership on offense. I certainly may be wrong about this.

Also, Kedsy asked, What did I say about Jon Scheyer? Fair enough again. I said many things about Jon, most statements containing words and phrases like "awesome" and "thank you!" I see Jon having key PG/combo strengths that Seth doesn't have [as much of]. While Jon was not super quick and athletic, he was quick and athletic enough. I think we all would agree that Jon had [has!] great court vision and b-ball IQ, is a great passer, and is exceptionally strong with the ball. He was also a strong floor leader. I would love to have him running point this year! Sorry for the nostalgia.

Both Kedsy and Bob raise scary issues regarding our D without Andre. For his sake and ours, I hope he is feeling Ok. I felt that he lost his starting position because, while his offensive efficiency was high, his productivity wasn't. I confess ignorance as to how his defense was viewed by the coaching staff. Certainly coming off the bench "worked" for whatever reason, and it was exciting to see.

Seems pretty obvious that Alex M will be redshirting this season.

Should be another really good basketball game. We are so lucky. Go Duke!

[Bob Green]

Nice preview, Bob. Washington's backcourt sounds pretty scary.

Thanks! I'm really worried about their size and talent. The game should be a barn burner.


I think Andre's status is a bigger deal than people are making it out to be...If Andre plays and is 100% physically, he'll be very important in this game. If he doesn't play, I have a feeling we're going to wish he did.

I'm anxiously awaiting word on Dawkins' health, but my expectation is we will not hear anything before the pregame show. We need to be at full strength to match up against Washington's back court. Depth is our advantage so if Dawkins is inactive or limited tomorrow it swings things toward the Huskies.

Odds in Las Vegas opened with Duke 9.5 points favorite, but the line is currently at 7.5 or 8 points:

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/odds/las-vegas/

[Newton_14]

Thanks! I'm really worried about their size and talent. The game should be a barn burner.



I'm anxiously awaiting word on Dawkins' health, but my expectation is we will not hear anything before the pregame show. We need to be at full strength to match up against Washington's back court. Depth is our advantage so if Dawkins is inactive or limited tomorrow it swings things toward the Huskies.

Odds in Las Vegas opened with Duke 9.5 points favorite, but the line is currently at 7.5 or 8 points:

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/odds/las-vegas/

Great write up Bob. Nicely done. I agree on Andre. K never discloses injury status on guys who are questionable or day to day. I predict Andre will give it a go tomorrow. Capel mentioned after the game Wednesday night that, had it been a close game, they would have played Andre to see if he could play through it. After Andre came out from halftime and the trainer gave the staff the update, they chose to send Andre back to the locker room for treatment. Unless he had a setback or the plane ride caused issues, I think it is a good chance he tries to play. Hopefully he is ok and can play as many minutes as needed. We need him out there for sure in this match-up.

I like our advantages in the paint. If we can limit turnovers, and get the ball inside to the big guys, we can have success. I do worry about defending their perimeter guys and stopping penetration, especially since we will likely focus on taking away the 3-Ball which will leave us even more susceptible to the penetration. The big guys will have their hands full again trying to stop their guards from getting layups all while trying to prevent easy dump off passes to the big they leave to help.

Should be a good game.

[Kedsy]

From my eyeball perspective, I do see either Tyler or Quinn running a slightly smoother offense, more flow to it.

That's interesting. My eyeball perspective is our offense bogs down when Tyler runs the point. A lot. Quinn seems pretty smooth on O.


Whether Tyler or Quinn starts going forward -- I think one of them will -- depends, I believe on Quinn's readiness to lead offensively and on his defensive adequacy. I acknowledge, agree with, that our defense needs the most improvement right now.

Well, tomorrow's matchup will be a big test for the lineup with Tyler or Quinn at the point, because the defensive issues I foresee will be severly tested against Washington's big perimeter players. Especially if Andre is hurt and can't play (or tries to play but is too tentative due to his injury), we will see whether a Tyler/Seth/Austin or a Quinn/Seth/Austin (or, I suppose, Tyler/Quinn/Austin) can truly cut it on D or not. If Andre's out, we may also see whether the many Mike G proponents are correct about Mike's defensive ability.

We'll see tomorrow. I will be attending the game, so I'll see whatever happens with my own eyes.

[Bob Green]

Here is a transcript of Romar's teleconference interview:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskymensbasketballblog/2016979334_lorenzo_romar_w_7.html


(What are you most concerned about with Duke?) "They have a lot of things to worry about. I think their ability to shoot three-pointers helps them big time. They're shooting 50 percent overall and about 42 percent from the three-point line. If they get going, they can really destroy teams. We have to find a away to not allow them to go crazy on the three-point line."

Additionally, senior guard Scott Suggs, who has been out with an injury, has decided to redshirt. Romar talks about the impact of losing Suggs for the season and discusses former UW player Brandon Roy's apparent decision to retire from the NBA.

[Bob Green]

We'll see tomorrow. I will be attending the game, so I'll see whatever happens with my own eyes.

Good for you, enjoy the game! I'll look for a guy in a Duke shirt while watching on TV. ;)

[gumbomoop]

Thanks to Bob Green for the detailed preview.

I noticed a couple of things in UW's stats so far.

1. Their team FT % is a poor 61%, which seems in one sense deceptively low, but in another a real weakness. It's misleading, but simultaneously reflects a specific weakness, in that their 2 players with the most FTAs so far - Wroten and N'Daiye - are lousy from the line. Wroten seems clearly their perimeter guy who wants to get to the rim, and does, but so far can't shoot FTs. Even worse [than both Wroten and Mason Plumlee] is N'Daiye, who's at 33%. Foul that guy, and Wroten, too, when he gets in the lane. From their numbers, it doesn't seem that either Ross or Wilcox attacks the rim, but they are actually good FT shooters. Speaking of which, Seth Curry needs to get to line more.

2. The numbers suggest a pretty good rebounding team; Ross may be particularly dangerous rebounding from the wing. Our interior players have to rebound, and that can't be just Mason. Ryan, Miles, Josh, too, have to get some rebounds, because their perimeter players are substantially bigger, and substantially better rebounders, than are ours.

They looked pretty solid v. Marquette on Tues night, and could very easily be 5-2 instead of 4-3. I hope Ryan Kelly is aggressive from the beginning. Need an excellent game from him, confidence, smart play, scoring, rebounding, passing, sneaky shot-blocking.

[DukieInBrasil]

I hope Ryan Kelly is aggressive from the beginning. Need an excellent game from him, confidence, smart play, scoring, rebounding, passing, sneaky shot-blocking.
The one thing about Ryan's game this year that has been a surprise for me is how he's turning the ball over a lot, making unforced errors passing. I don't remember him being so careless with the ball as a So.

[gumbomoop]

The one thing about Ryan's game this year that has been a surprise for me is how he's turning the ball over a lot, making unforced errors passing. I don't remember him being so careless with the ball as a So.

Good point. I do remember one especially awful pass into the post from Ryan in the CSU game.

What I most want to see from Ryan is the confidence he exhibited in Maui. IMO he's multi-talented, but absent self-confidence, his game suffers in several ways. A tentative passer is not a good passer. For that matter, a tentative player is not a good player, period.

Mason, for example, is much more confident this season. He still drives me nuts [CSU game, at least twice] with totally useless "rhythm dribbles" instead of putting the ball in from right next to the rim, and the occasional flailing attempt to knock the ball away from an opponent after a Duke miss. But otherwise Mason is much more effective this season, decent footwork, left and right hand moves across the lane, a real threat to block shots. He doesn't yet "get" everything [see above, re bringing ball down for rhythm dribble], but he's getting toward getting it.

I thought Ryan got it in Maui. I hope he gets it back tomorrow [i.e., today.......].

[Bob Green]

I hope Ryan Kelly is aggressive from the beginning. Need an excellent game from him, confidence, smart play, scoring, rebounding, passing, sneaky shot-blocking.

Ryan Kelly is going to be a key player in today's game with his match-up against Darnell Gant (6'8") who is a stretch four with the ability to knock down perimeter jumpers. Gant averages 9.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Against Marquette, he scored 14 points on 6-9 shooting from the floor including 2-3 on 3PT FGs. I believe Kelly is a much more talented player than Gant so he needs to press his advantage.

UW is really thin in the front court, so if Gant or Aziz N'Diaye encounter foul problems, the Huskies have to play freshmen or go small.

[davekay1971]

Obviously I hope that Dre can go and go well today, but if he can't we should get plenty of opportunity to compare and contrast our team performance with Thornton vs. Cook on the court against a competitive backcourt. It's still my belief that our best perimeter is Curry at point, and Rivers and Dawkins at the 2 and 3. If Dawkins is unavailable, however, it'll be interesting to see a big chunk of time with Curry and Rivers at the 2 and 3 and alternatively Cook/Thornton at the point.

[Bob Green]

If Dawkins is unavailable, however, it'll be interesting to see a big chunk of time with Curry and Rivers at the 2 and 3 and alternatively Cook/Thornton at the point.

I'm concerned this line-up is too small to handle UW's big perimeter. Rivers (6'4") would be guarding Ross (6'6"), while Curry (6'2") checks Wilcox (6'5"). In this scenario, wouldn't Coach Krzyzewski be forced to counter with Gbinije (6'7")? Perhaps we will play zone for long stretches. :rolleyes:

Hopefully Dawkins is good to go and we will not have to find out.

[Dev11]

One, Austin Rivers less than two minutes into the game on a steal attempt.

[ChrisP]

Refs allowing LOTS of contact both ways early on. Thought that Austin's first basket should have absolutely been an "and 1"

[ChrisP]

Really glad to see Dawkins out there and...hitting his first shot! We need to settle down a bit on offense and finish at the rim and we should be able to build a nice lead.

[_Gary]

Really glad to see Dawkins out there and...hitting his first shot! We need to settle down a bit on offense and finish at the rim and we should be able to build a nice lead.

You and me both. I just love Tyler on the defensive end and with his hustle. He's already gotten us one or two extra possessions with his hustle, but once we are in our offensive sets he's just not got anything to help us. I so wish he'd either really develop a dependable outside shot or at least be a legit threat to drive and either finish or dish. But he's not either of those things right now, and we need more offense, imho.

[ChrisP]

Ok Ryan, you can stop shooting for a bit...

[jv001]

Ok Ryan, you can stop shooting for a bit...

Ryan no room for error on that line drive shot. Needs more arc.

[wacobluedevil]

You and me both. I just love Tyler on the defensive end and with his hustle. He's already gotten us one or two extra possessions with his hustle, but once we are in our offensive sets he's just not got anything to help us. I so wish he'd either really develop a dependable outside shot or at least be a legit threat to drive and either finish or dish. But he's not either of those things right now, and we need more offense, imho.

Well said. He just makes things happen.

[ChrisP]

Ok Ryan finally saw one go down so let's hope this is the start of another 18 in a row streak! I think UW is playing some tough D, but we've also looked real shaky on a lot of our passes - particularly feeds to the interior. Just feels like we need to slow down like half a beat and we could really blow this one open.

[gumbomoop]

Foul N'Daiye, yes. He shoots 33% FTs. Hope he's 0 for 2 after commercial.

[wacobluedevil]

Duke has twice as many fouls as the Huskies.

[FellowTraveler]

By my count, Dawkins has made 5 good entry passes into the post, which is 3-4 more than the rest of the team combined. And 0 bad passes, which is about 10 less than the rest of the team.

Austin and Mason look good so far, and Miles is having a solid game.

(While I was writing this, Dawkins made a successful-but-risky pass into the post that is not counted among the 5 mentioned above.)

[jv001]

I really like Andre's aggressiveness today. In all phases of the game. GoDuke!

[wacobluedevil]

Duke has twice as many fouls as the Huskies.

Okay, it's back on track with fouls evened up.

[DukieInBrasil]

we're looking really good, and also making UW look weak.
I was worried about Kelly, but he's got 2 Oboards for put-back pts. Plus he's got 6 boards to lead the team.
Miles looks good, Mason looks good. Dawkins loves MSG apparently.
Curry looks pretty ineffective, although Rivers has looked good (minus an ill-advised NBA 3).
Thornton got a 3-second tied ball and took a charge.
Everybody who has played has done something positive.

[sagegrouse]

Is Andre winning?

Get the ball to Mason! Get the ball to Mason!

Keep shooting, Ryan ... but smooth... smooth.

I miss the Plumbeard. I fear our NC chances have been dashed.

Great rebounding. We'll probably be forced to take a drug test by the NCAA.

sage

[FellowTraveler]

Looking at the box so far, Mason supposedly only has 3 rebounds; I'd guess a couple have been mis-attributed. And Thornton has 0 turnovers; I'd have given him at least 1 -- the opening-possession TO that was assigned to Curry. From the television angle, that looked like a bad pass from Thornton. (But I wouldn't be surprised if a better angle made clear that it was, indeed, Curry's fault.)

[ChrisP]

ESPN stats showing Mason with only 4 boards - that can't be right...

Can't believe he blew that 2 on 1 break opportunity though :(

[gumbomoop]

Cannot let N'Diaye get 3 shots close in. Cannot. Guy shoots 33% FTs, absolutely bricked 2 earlier in game.

[jv001]

Great energy from Tyler so far, but some errant passes. GoDuke!

[slower]

What a sorry way to finish the half.

Slight confidence shift for UW at the end of the half. Second half might not be so easy. Need to stop forcing those long entry passes to the post.

[ChrisP]

Other than some sloppy ballhandling/bad passes, I feel pretty good at the half, overall. UW has missed some open shots for sure and it could definitely be closer, but I like our energy today. I think our relatively high turnover number can primarily be attributed to errors of commission rather than omission - in other words, they seem to be coming as a result of being very aggressive.

[jv001]

ESPN stats showing Mason with only 4 boards - that can't be right...

Can't believe he blew that 2 on 1 break opportunity though :(

Both teams have missed some point blank shots. We need to make those. Mason's FT shot has seemingly gotten worse. Shooting the ball way too hard. But a very good effort so far on defense. Looks like we've worked on our D in practice. GoDuke!

[Cameron]

Cannot let N'Diaye get 3 shots close in. Cannot.

I would generally agree, but there's not much you can do when an opposing player brings out the "Dream Shake." What a move, and it only took three shots to go in. Pretty yet batting average efficient.

[snowdenscold]

Both teams have missed some point blank shots.

That's one of the things I definitely noticed so far - I can't believe how many points we've left bouncing around the rim. I felt we could surely have had 50 at the half. Fortunately Washington has done similarly (though probably fewer?).

[ChrisP]

Great start to the 2nd for Ryan!

[jv001]

We end up losing an easy rebound, they get two and one. Tyler ends up with 4th foul. Time to play some tough defense and smarter offense. GoDuke!

[ChrisP]

I love Tyler but that was a really, REALLY stupid foul right there. Either grab the guy's arm so he can't make the shot, or, since you have 3 already, just let it go and get on to the next play. I would hate to see us let the lead slip much further.

[snowdenscold]

Wow, what a turn-around for Ryan. I guess he didn't get around to eating his Wheatie's until halftime.

However, quite an inauspicious way to go into the under 16 timeout... yikes!

[FellowTraveler]

Has Mason gotten the ball in the post once this half? Maybe something worth trying ...

[jv001]

Andre's jump shot is so much better than his set shot. Just better form. GoDuke!

[jv001]

Wonder if Mason has ever thought about banking his free throws?

[slower]

Even a 14-point lead doesn't feel safe at this point.

[wacobluedevil]

Wonder if Mason has ever thought about banking his free throws?

His problem is that he's thinking too much.

[DukieInBrasil]

Seems like Dawkins and Kelly have had their mojos switched. Dawkins' last several 3s have all looked terrible. Kelly has been blocking shots, grabbing boards, and scoring pts.
Mason is a liability if he's not getting quick shots, teams are going to the hack a Mason strategy and it's paying off.
Miles just had a great Oboard and some great footwork for the dunk!!!
someone lamented the absence of the Beard (i think on MP I), but Miles is sporting a stubble-beard, perhaps the Beard is making a return? Kelly is definitely sporting the beard.

[snowdenscold]

How often do you see a team make 8 FT's in a row and then miss 7 in a row?

[1 24 90]

We end up losing an easy rebound, they get two and one. Tyler ends up with 4th foul. Time to play some tough defense and smarter offense. GoDuke!

Was it just me or did Andre get pushed in the back on that rebound play?

[jv001]

His problem is that he's thinking too much.

You could be right. He's down on himself and is probably thinking way too much when he steps to the line. He needs more arc on his shot, but nows a bad time to experiment. That should come in practice. GoDuke!

[FellowTraveler]

Washington is in the bonus with 12 minutes to go in large part because Tyler Thornton committed 3 fouls in 1:20. This is what I was talking about when I said his propensity to foul must be considered when assessing his defense.

[jv001]

Was it just me or did Andre get pushed in the back on that rebound play?

I don't know. It looked like he lost his balance when he and Mason both went for the rebound. GoDuke!

[Son of Mojo]

cbs is the WORST at showing replays while there's live action. They've already done it a few times today........why????

[FerryFor50]

I don't know. It looked like he lost his balance when he and Mason both went for the rebound. GoDuke!

He lost his balance because Gant pushed him in the back.

[COYS]

I'm just going to say this now, Miles Plumlee is having a game for himself. His +/- numbers have been great all season, but he's passing the eye test, today. Though he's still not the most fluid under the basket, he is clearly our best post defender and understands our defensive rotations the best. He's rebounding well, playing smart defense. He's got help-side blocks and strong-side blocks. Oh, and he's done a great job hedging on screens the few times he's had a chance to do so. THis has been a strong defensive game from Duke in general, but Miles has really displayed his value.

[Oriole Way]

K making a huge mistake for the development of this team by putting Cook in his doghouse and not responding to Thornton's foul trouble (a result of being over-matched and his poor on-the-ball defending) by giving Cook some extended minutes.

K is giving Cook the Elliot Williams treatment, and it's wrong. Let Cook play through his mistakes. It's not easy to sit on the bench for most of an entire half and come in cold and play your best.

[jv001]

He lost his balance because Gant pushed him in the back.

I missed that. Thanks.

[jv001]

Tale of two halves for Andre. Missed and easy one there. But I'm still pleased in his all around play today. We really need him to be agressive offensively and defensively. GoDuke!

[DukieInBrasil]

Someone needs to remind Andre that they are not playing from the 3pt line. He's missed a few that were just way too long. He just missed a lay-up, but then stepped in and got the defensive board. Good to see that he's staying active in the game.

[Tucknut]

It's a shame Austin always looks so upset. Even with a 17 point lead. It's rare I see the kid smile and laugh during a game. Gotta have some fun out there.

[COYS]

K making a huge mistake for the development of this team by putting Cook in his doghouse and not responding to Thornton's foul trouble (a result of being over-matched and his poor on-the-ball defending) by giving Cook some extended minutes.

K is giving Cook the Elliot Williams treatment, and it's wrong. Let Cook play through his mistakes. It's not easy to sit on the bench for most of an entire half and come in cold and play your best.

Yeah, but at Duke playing time is earned. He clearly values Cook 'cause he put him in at the end of the first half for defensive purposes to save Seth and Tyler from more foul trouble. He promptly made a few errors on defense. Not ones that can't be corrected, but still some obvious errors. In the meantime, the rest of the team is playing excellent defense today. Seth, Tyler, Austin and even Andre are busting their butts on D and playing great. It's crazy not to play them and sends the wrong message to the whole team. I think your comment that Quinn is "in the doghouse" ignores how well everyone else is playing.

Also, I don't understand the "Elliott Williams treatment" thing. Elliott worked hard in practice and eventually, when he demonstrated that he could be a big time contributor in big games, he earned his spot in the starting rotation. Personally, I hope that Seth, Tyler, Andre, and Austin all continue to improve along with Quinn to the point that Quinn isn't needed the way Williams was. However, I think it's clear the staff thinks he's going to be important to the team this year.

[ChrisP]

You could be right. He's down on himself and is probably thinking way too much when he steps to the line. He needs more arc on his shot, but nows a bad time to experiment. That should come in practice. GoDuke!

You sure about now not being a good time to experiment? ;) He's working on an 0-fer from the line thus far. Close to an airball on one. Can't get any worse...

[wacobluedevil]

Did you all see that little kid run out onto to court?

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

K making a huge mistake for the development of this team by putting Cook in his doghouse and not responding to Thornton's foul trouble (a result of being over-matched and his poor on-the-ball defending) by giving Cook some extended minutes.

K is giving Cook the Elliot Williams treatment, and it's wrong. Let Cook play through his mistakes. It's not easy to sit on the bench for most of an entire half and come in cold and play your best.

I totally agree. I think it's become clearly through the last few weeks that the game has passed Coach K by. He simply can't relate to these kids and can't field teams that compete against those more athletic teams. Time to start planning for the future and looking for a new ball coach.

Some people might argue that the winningest coach in the history of the game with 4 national championships and a fresh shiny gold medal might have built up some sort of credibility over the last 30 years or so, but I'm with you buddy...

Oh wait, I meant to say "Perhaps there's something going on with Cook that we don't know about OR perhaps Coach K has some genius plan that doesn't necessarily become clear over 30 minutes of game time."

In K I trust.

/Seriously though, what's your parallel with Cook and Williams?

[ChrisP]

Stats I'm looking at only show Curry with 3 TO's but it seems much worse than that to me. Jeez dude, get it together!

[gumbomoop]

Mason just gave up 2 sure points, to take a rhythm dribble and 2 missed FTs. Un-smart.

[jv001]

Mason is not going to get easy baskets because other teams are going to foul him. He may get some uncontested baskets from Austin. What is he today, 0-7? GoDuke!

[IBleedBlue]

Right now, Mason Plumlee at the free throw line is an automatic no show.
Today, he is 0 of 7 from the line. For his own stats, he left 7 points on the line. With those, he would be averaging more than what he is.

[slower]

Mason just gave up 2 sure points, to take a rhythm dribble and 2 missed FTs. Un-smart.

And Rivers (who has played a decent game otherwise) with the subsequent un-smart charge.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Mason just gave up 2 sure points, to take a rhythm dribble and 2 missed FTs. Un-smart.

It's my biggest beef with both Plumlee brothers - the unnecessary dribbles. I had a coach back when I was in middle school who drilled into my head that as a "big man" when you dribble, you lose so much of your height advantage and give teams time to double down on you inside. I'd love to see them get away from that move and go strong to the basket.

[FellowTraveler]

That rebound/pass from Thornton was just a great play.

[SMO]

Man, if the officials hadn't stopped calling fouls & violations against UW at around the 7:00'mark this wouldn't be close.

[jv001]

Definetly not one of Tyler's better games. Some shoddy passing & his fouling takes so much away from his defense. We are for sure a work in progress. GoDuke!

[ChrisP]

Hopefully, the coaching staff will use this under 4:00 timeout to calm the team down. We've played pretty solid all day and it would be a shame to see us blow it now. The last couple of minutes, we seem determined to make sloppy passes to the wings where they can be easily picked off and turned into easy transition buckets for UW. I'd like to see us finish strong. Wouldn't mind seeing Miles back in there as good things seem to happen when he's in the game.

[ChrisP]

OMG, WHAT are we DOING!!!!????

[COYS]

Definetly not one of Tyler's better games. Some shoddy passing & his fouling takes so much away from his defense. We are for sure a work in progress. GoDuke!

Yes, but his defense has been a big part of why we have this lead. A combo of Mason's freethrow misses, foul trouble, and a few bad turnovers is making this game way more interesting than it should be. And Tyler hasn't had as good of a second half, but he's definitely not had a bad game.

[ChrisP]

Curry is really not impressing me as a PG. These turnovers are KILLING us!

[slower]

Sorry to have to say it, but at this point, I have little confidence in this team's ability to hold a lead. They seem to be mentally fragile. And yeah, they may still win, but there's no way - NO WAY - it should have come to this.

[COYS]

Curry is really not impressing me as a PG. These turnovers are KILLING us!

Hard to single out Curry when Austin, Mason and Tyler have had some bad ones, too in the past few minutes.

[DukieInBrasil]

TT's D has been lacking as has his passing.

[wacobluedevil]

Sorry to have to say it, but at this point, I have little confidence in this team's ability to hold a lead. They seem to be mentally fragile.

A mark of an experienced team.

[ChrisP]

Sorry to have to say it, but at this point, I have little confidence in this team's ability to hold a lead.

Agreed but you have to realize it's still early December. Lots of upside potential, for sure. Certainly lots of "coachable moments"

[sporthenry]

OMG, WHAT are we DOING!!!!????

We are taking the air out of the ball b/c that is how K won 900 games. Additionally, we have our bet offensive weapon fouled out and our 2 guards with 4 fouls.

[J4Kop99]

This team is so bad at keeping a large lead... painful to watch.

[jv001]

Sorry to have to say it, but at this point, I have little confidence in this team's ability to hold a lead. They seem to be mentally fragile. And yeah, they may still win, but there's no way - NO WAY - it should have come to this.

Yeh me to when we just lost our best player to fouls.

[SMO]

The call Rivers fouled out on must have happened to him 5 times today with no call.

[COYS]

Hard to single out Curry when Austin, Mason and Tyler have had some bad ones, too in the past few minutes.

Our offensive sets are looking really poor right now no matter who has handled the ball. Austin has turned it over. Seth has turned it over. Our foul trouble has made us porous defensively at the perimeter. We're going to have to be creative the rest of the way without Austin or Seth.

[jv001]

Austin and Seth lost to fouls. Well let's see what Quinn can do.

[J4Kop99]

Washington seems to have travelled quite well.

[ChrisP]

We are taking the air out of the ball b/c that is how K won 900 games. Additionally, we have our bet offensive weapon fouled out and our 2 guards with 4 fouls.

I wasn't questioning the strategy - rather the AWFUL execution of said strategy.

[wacobluedevil]

Hack-a-Mason

[slower]

Will this be our first "Hack-A-Plum" game?

[jv001]

I still like the bank shot/Mason.

[sporthenry]

I wasn't questioning the strategy - rather the AWFUL execution of said strategy.

Well at some point then that question evolves into why are we still doing it and after years of watching us lose big leads, I have complete faith in K.

[J4Kop99]

Very scary spin move by Cook right there. Giving me a heart attack.

[J4Kop99]

This is honestly pathetic. I put this on Coach K too. Our guys just seem lackadaisical... going through the motions.

[ChrisP]

Well at some point then that question evolves into why are we still doing it and after years of watching us lose big leads, I have complete faith in K.

Um..dude, I'm not questioning the slow down game, I'm upset about the poor decision making by the players.

[snowdenscold]

Trading easy 2-pointers for (maybe) 1 made free throw is not going too well for us at the moment...

[wacobluedevil]

UW fouled the wrong guy in Dawkins.

[FerryFor50]

Gee, I wonder what they'll be working on in practice this week?

[DukieInBrasil]

This team is so bad at keeping a large lead... painful to watch.
in every game except the CSU, where Duke has gotten a big lead, they have given back more than half of it.
In this game, part of it is the design of the D, basically it's a "don't foul" D, so UW is getting lots of relatively clean looks.

[Oriole Way]

This was K's worst game in a couple of seasons. His gross mismanagement of Cook is beyond frustrating.

[ChrisP]

Nice play by Miles to break up that long pass! I told you guys good things happen when he's in there.

[sporthenry]

This is honestly pathetic. I put this on Coach K too. Our guys just seem lackadaisical... going through the motions.

1e

They just lost their two best guards to fouls. He slowed it down b/c of foul trouble and now we have a freshman guard who barely plays running the show. This is a learning point and will help this team grow up.

[FerryFor50]

The ONLY reason this is close is poor FT shooting. If they had even made 5 more FTs it's still a double digit lead.

[jv001]

This is honestly pathetic. I put this on Coach K too. Our guys just seem lackadaisical... going through the motions.

On Coach K? Was it his fault that our two best guards fouled out? Did he shoot Mason's FTs? Did he make the TOs? GoDuke & Go Coach K!

[SMO]

This was K's worst game in a couple of seasons. His gross mismanagement of Cook is beyond frustrating.

Care to elaborate? Not totally following you.

[ChrisP]

The ONLY reason this is close is poor FT shooting. If they had even made 5 more FTs it's still a double digit lead.

Well, I get your point, but respectfully disagree. We've been REAL shaky with our ball handling late in the game and made some bad/dangerous passes to the wings.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

This was K's worst game in a couple of seasons. His gross mismanagement of Cook is beyond frustrating.

Are you Quinn Cook's agent? He's a freshman playing in his tenth game after a summer lost to an injury. If K's worst game in a few seasons is a narrow win over a solid and athletic Pac-10 team in December, you must have an extraordinary esteem of K...

[slower]

It's called "choking".

[jv001]

We say that we need a big man. Boy could Washington use a good big man. They're set at the guards and wings. GoDuke!

[FerryFor50]

Well, I get your point, but respectfully disagree. We've been REAL shaky with our ball handling late in the game and made some bad/dangerous passes to the wings.

Ball handling has not been terrible. Some questionable passes, but they've shot 10-15 FTs in the past few minutes and haven't really made more than 50% until Cook and Kelly's.

That and UW started making shots. But I don't question the game plan at the end. You have to execute.

[J4Kop99]

On Coach K? Was it his fault that our two best guards fouled out? Did he shoot Mason's FTs? Did he make the TOs? GoDuke & Go Coach K!

Because it seems as if Duke's guards have not been ready for these situations all season. Even without Austin and curry (who really aren't that reliable with the ball to begin with) Cook was a highly ranked prospect, as was Thornton... you would have to assume they have seen pressure like this before in some of their big-time high school games.

I just do not understand why this has been happening so much this year. With or without foul trouble.