LOTS of interest in this years MBB team

[dbowen]

First off, I'd like to say how much I Love watching Duke basketball! The thread of fans expressing their disinterest in this years team really shows how spoiled we've become.

How can anyone who calls themself of Duke fan not be interested in seeing this team grow? Did anyone really think we were going to breeze through this season with minimal losses? This team needs our support through the great wins AND tough losses. Ya it would've been nice to hold serve at home and keep that streak alive, but at the same time we all have to remember that this team has loads of potential and as hard as it is to see through the FSU loss, these guys are maturing quite nicely. We haven't seen the finished product yet and I hope we don't for about another month or so.

I'm looking forward to watching this team face a little adversity on wednesday night. And also to see the level of urgency that they display in front of a hostile crowd after a heartbreaking home loss. You think these guys wanna win the ACC title this year? This win would go a long way towards it!

Much easier said than done, but sit back, relax and take this team in for who they are and not a team from the past who some are expecting them to be.

GO DUKE!

[moonpie23]

I'm down with this....it's not like the talent isn't there....and we HAVE become a bit spoiled.....

[DukeGirl4ever]

Dbowen, I agree 100% with your post about watching this team grow.
I am actually enjoying this year A LOT more than last year. I guess that needs an explanation...

Last year, we had unbelievable expectations and talent. Fresh off a national championship, I remember reading some post claiming we'd win 3 in a row! I'm a bit more level-headed and said we needed to win a second one first...
Then TOEgate occurred. Literally every waking moment was spent logging on to DBR to see if there was any news on Kyrie's return (ok, not every waking moment...just every moment I logged on to the computer). As a result, the season flew by as I was too focused on a darn toe, rather than watching and appreciating two unbelievable seniors. I said it last year, and I'll say it again - I FELT CHEATED. I felt cheated because I didn't get to see THAT team reach its true potential, which was the complete opposite of that thrilling 2010 team.

So, with that, I am really enjoying this year's team. It's fun to see the twists and turns this team takes and analyze the adjustments Coach K is trying to make with the line-up. My only fear with this team is that we peaked in Maui....I hope I am wrong. Teams need to peak at the right time to make a big run.

As always, I'm a superfan regardless of expectations and talent! I enjoy this team very much!

GO DUKE!

[MarkD83]

I am glad this thread was started to express the interest that always exists for Duke bball. Hopefully, this discussion stays at the top of the thread list as long as the other thread.

In terms of "peaking at the wrong time", I don't think Maui was anything close to this team being at its best. Quinn had not shown what he could do as a point guard. Mason had not strung together solid games im Maui. Miles had not emerged as a force on the boards. Austin was still trying to find where to fit in. Andre had not started to hit his threes consistently.

For sure, there were glimpses of some of these things in Maui but not eveything that this team could do. Even though the FSU game was a loss, in my mind the rebounding and defense were the best we have seen from Duke all year.

I think Duke will peak in March when they need to. For now Coach K has game film to show the team what they individually and collectively can acheive and he will put this to good use to keep them on the right path.

[UrinalCake]

Great post, this year's team is definitely one that will sustain a lot of growth and development over the course of the season. 2010 wasn't that long ago, a season we entered with two proven guards on our entire roster (neither of whom was a true point guard), solid but unspectacular big men, and a team down the street that had just won a title and stolen our #1 recruit. We were outplayed at Wisconsin, blown out at Georgetown, and blown out again at NC State two weeks later. We didn't have a true road win until more than halfway through the season. We were slow and couldn't guard against athletes (sound familiar?). Yet for all these question marks, everything came together late in the season.

Who knows what will happen this year, but it's still a heck of a lot of fun watching it unfold, regardless of the final outcome.

[DukeGirl4ever]

Mark, you are correct.
I think I should have worded my post to say "I HOPE they didn't peak in Maui."

I agree - lots of room for improvement....I just felt that they all came together and fought like a team in Maui - that game against Kansas was a phenomenal game...one where we could have backed down and we didn't. Thought it showed a lot of mental toughness.

A few games after that, I wasn't seeing it (Temple being one). Hopefully that was just a fluke.

I'm looking forward to our response at Maryland!

[Saratoga2]

I enjoy each and every season that the Duke basketball team is playing and have for many years. This years edition is one featuring individual growth and coming together as a team. Like others, I am impressed with the improvement I am seeing this season and possibly we will see a much better team come tournament time. In particular, I see the following individual improvements year.

1. Miles has come a long ways in the past few weeks. He is playing better defense and is rebounding. He can also put the ball in the net more often. He has been mistake prone in the past but is coming on like Zoubek did his senior season.
2. Andre may have turned a corner this past couple of weeks. He is playing decent defense and has his shot back. The positive thing with Andre is that he could get so much better if he could get the confidence to put the ball on the floor and have a go at the basket.
3. Quinn showed what he can do and his defense is getting better with PT. I was hoping for a linear progression with his improvement. Maybe he is injured or something since he got so little time in the FSU game.
4. Austin is coming along very well after tailing off a little. I see him as our most talented player and one who could carry us to future wins.
5. The other players may have plateaued a bit recently but certainly Mason and Seth are quality players but both need improvement in their games, which may come by tournament time. Ryan and Tyler also are quality players and both seem on the upswing at this time.

Other than individual improvments, I would like the guys to communicate better on the floor on the defensive end. Penetration and back cuts have been hurting us. I would like us to have the floor leadership to demand we start games with intensity and maintain it for 40 minutes. We did much better at that against FSU. Finally, I would like the team to pass the ball more and dribble in place less.

Whatever they do, I never tire of watching them grow and a team and as individuals.

[bluedevilfan1998]

I agree. This team has to grow a lot, and they've done a lot better than expected. Quinn Cook has been excellent, and Austin Rivers is a good addition to the team.
This is by far Miles' best year, and Mason has done great as well. This has been a great year. Think about it-They are a new team, and will have to adjust will all the changes,
but they are doing good so far. :cool:

[Lar77]

I enjoy each and every season that the Duke basketball team is playing and have for many years. This years edition is one featuring individual growth and coming together as a team. Like others, I am impressed with the improvement I am seeing this season and possibly we will see a much better team come tournament time. In particular, I see the following individual improvements year.

1. Miles has come a long ways in the past few weeks. He is playing better defense and is rebounding. He can also put the ball in the net more often. He has been mistake prone in the past but is coming on like Zoubek did his senior season.
2. Andre may have turned a corner this past couple of weeks. He is playing decent defense and has his shot back. The positive thing with Andre is that he could get so much better if he could get the confidence to put the ball on the floor and have a go at the basket.
3. Quinn showed what he can do and his defense is getting better with PT. I was hoping for a linear progression with his improvement. Maybe he is injured or something since he got so little time in the FSU game.
4. Austin is coming along very well after tailing off a little. I see him as our most talented player and one who could carry us to future wins.
5. The other players may have plateaued a bit recently but certainly Mason and Seth are quality players but both need improvement in their games, which may come by tournament time. Ryan and Tyler also are quality players and both seem on the upswing at this time.

Other than individual improvments, I would like the guys to communicate better on the floor on the defensive end. Penetration and back cuts have been hurting us. I would like us to have the floor leadership to demand we start games with intensity and maintain it for 40 minutes. We did much better at that against FSU. Finally, I would like the team to pass the ball more and dribble in place less.

Whatever they do, I never tire of watching them grow and a team and as individuals.

Saratoga2 has made some great observations. Miles' development this year reminds me a lot of Z in his senior year. Quinn did not look well on Saturday - don't know whether it was his knee or the flu, but he had to leave at one point.

Our guys are putting in an effort, but we still haven't gotten to the intensity for 40 minutes that we need and as a result we can't seem to put teams away. There are clearly sparks, but we still need some guys who will take a "refuse to give" approach. FSU refused to back down (they rarely do against us) and that gave them the opportunity to win. Same with Temple.

This team can be special and this Wednesday may be another step forward.

[JNort]

Now this is what I call a great thread! :cool: I love watching this team; All the close games, a great offense but a defense that needs some tweaking, Andre coming around a bit more consistently every week, Ryan Kelly and his big games, the unpredictable Rivers, our "PG conundrum", Mason and his free throw journey, and off course Marshall Plumlee and his witty humor each week on DukeBluePlanet.

[Jarhead]

Thanks to dbowen for starting this thread. It's a counter punch to the perceived negative tone that reportedly has been floating around. I'm anxious to see Wednesday's game up in DC. These guys make up a pretty darn good team that will be a terror to all opponents in February, maybe sooner. I'm not going to predict another NC banner, though. I'll leave that to the players.

[ChrisP]

Agreed, I'm having fun watching this team develop and am very excited about the upside! I, like some other posters around here, I'm sure, like to nitpick at times during the in-game threads, but I also am old enough now to realize that these are just kids playing a game and trying their best. I hope the D improves, I hope Mason starts hitting a higher % of his FT's (he already has, right), that we'll cut down on the silly turnovers, etc. but overall, we're pretty dang good and fans who feel otherwise are certainly entitled to their opinion. But I'm entitled to mine too, and I think that those people are just flat out spoiled!

Go DUKE!!! :cool:

[jv001]

I enjoy each and every season that the Duke basketball team is playing and have for many years. This years edition is one featuring individual growth and coming together as a team. Like others, I am impressed with the improvement I am seeing this season and possibly we will see a much better team come tournament time. In particular, I see the following individual improvements year.

1. Miles has come a long ways in the past few weeks. He is playing better defense and is rebounding. He can also put the ball in the net more often. He has been mistake prone in the past but is coming on like Zoubek did his senior season.
2. Andre may have turned a corner this past couple of weeks. He is playing decent defense and has his shot back. The positive thing with Andre is that he could get so much better if he could get the confidence to put the ball on the floor and have a go at the basket.
3. Quinn showed what he can do and his defense is getting better with PT. I was hoping for a linear progression with his improvement. Maybe he is injured or something since he got so little time in the FSU game.
4. Austin is coming along very well after tailing off a little. I see him as our most talented player and one who could carry us to future wins.
5. The other players may have plateaued a bit recently but certainly Mason and Seth are quality players but both need improvement in their games, which may come by tournament time. Ryan and Tyler also are quality players and both seem on the upswing at this time.

Other than individual improvments, I would like the guys to communicate better on the floor on the defensive end. Penetration and back cuts have been hurting us. I would like us to have the floor leadership to demand we start games with intensity and maintain it for 40 minutes. We did much better at that against FSU. Finally, I would like the team to pass the ball more and dribble in place less.

Whatever they do, I never tire of watching them grow and a team and as individuals.

I agree with every point you make. With #1 being my favorite this year. I really like Miles play this year. He's shown improvement every year, but this year is his best. One thing I like about Miles is his no fear approach. He plays the toughest of any player on the team. There's no back down in the guy. Next thing I like is the adjustment that Austin has been making in his game(from h/s to college). He still has a way to go in becoming an elite player but the ability is certainly there. I'm also looking forward to Quinn and his improvement. Lot's of things to like about this team. That's why I watch the games. GoDuke!

[killerleft]

My feeling about Duke basketball, especially when we have to replace some important players, could be summed up by Opie Taylor at the end of the 'Andy' episode when he first met Aunt Bee: "You need me!"

I didn't always know this.

[DUKIE V(A)]

Thanks for this thread!!! Duke basketball remains a highlight of the week for me (and my family). I really enjoy watching the players and team develop. My appreciation for Coach K and the staff has only grown over the years, and I have come to realize how truely spoiled I have been as a fan over the years. Watching the stuff on Blue Planet has only made my appreciation for the players and the team grow. I would highly recommend anyone losing some of their passion for Duke hoops to check out Blue Planet on a regular basis. I find this an excellent way to learn more about the personalities of the players, and this is helpful in building a stronger connection to the team. As I have mentioned before, I am so proud of the guys we are getting on and off the court. Quality players, often even higher quality individuals. The same can not be said for many other programs.

[gep]

I agree with every point you make. With #1 being my favorite this year. I really like Miles play this year. He's shown improvement every year, but this year is his best. One thing I like about Miles is his no fear approach. He plays the toughest of any player on the team. There's no back down in the guy. Next thing I like is the adjustment that Austin has been making in his game(from h/s to college). He still has a way to go in becoming an elite player but the ability is certainly there. I'm also looking forward to Quinn and his improvement. Lot's of things to like about this team. That's why I watch the games. GoDuke!

I agree... Miles is my focus this year. He's my Zoubs from 2007-2010. I'm not sure if Miles was recruited by Duke, but he committed to Stanford, then with the coaching change, asked to come to Duke since he liked what he saw when Mason was recruited. Since Miles came to Duke, he did his part as was asked of him (as I perceived it), and just continued to work. Every Duke game this year... I'm watching for Miles, whether he starts, or comes off the bench. And, he's gotten better this year with each game. I'm just so happy for him... and the team. Maybe it's easy to say since Miles is the only senior, but I really like to follow these guys. GO DUKE!!!

[dbowen]

There is still A Lot to like about this team!!!

Two great road wins in THE most hostile arenas in the ACC. Albeit against two teams that are struggling, but we took their first punch and punched back on the road.

LETS GO DUKE