MBB: Duke 75, Virginia Tech 60 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[MartyClark]

Good win! I thought the guys showed a lot of toughness and energy.

Only question/negative - What's up with Miles? He's not much of a factor.

[Chris Randolph]

All around good win. Nice to see us improve on some weaknesses. Still some work to do, which goes for every team in the nation.

Considering the Plumlees struggled offensively, impressive getting 75 points on the road. Ready for Seth to get his shot back. Austin was very good and Josh provided a tremendous boost.

On to Miami who should be tough

[Devilsfan]

ESPN announced twice tonight that the Miami at Duke game is Saturday. .???

[RoyalBlue08]

ESPN announced twice tonight that the Miami at Duke game is Saturday. .???

Not only that, but it is on ESPNU and they still don't get it right. I think as far as overall production value, that might have been an all time low for ESPN

[mgtr]

Good game, vast improvement over St. Johns. Looks like another year with no NCAA for
Seth Greenberg! Also, I find it hard to believe that Miles is the best practice player when he plays as he did tonight. Mason needs more practice on his left handed hook, but overall he had some wonderful plays.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

ESPN announced twice tonight that the Miami at Duke game is Saturday. .???
It's on Sunday at 3 p.m. It better be, anyway! :cool:

[doctorhook]

Mason's hook is good when he is not falling away from the basket. VT did a good job of pushing him out. I would love him to pump fake then go up and under which he rarely does.

[OldSchool]

Some thoughts:

1. Too often Mason establishes position just a bit too far from the basket. Then his hook shot changes from a high percentage shot to an iffy dart throw. Get him set a little closer and that weapon is unstoppable.

2. One of my favorite plays by this team is the Austin - Mason pick and roll. Those two don't quite have the timing and the options figured out yet, but when they do watch out. When Austin turned the corner and Mason slipped to the post VT had to double-team Mason on his cut to the post, leaving a three-point shooter wide open, but Austin didn't recognize the opening. The play when executed well by those two presents severe problems for a defense. With more experience and practice specifically on the pick and roll they would be devastating.

3. The Quinn Cook/MP3 true 1/true 5 combination will be something SPECIAL in coming years. You heard it here first. Tell 'em "OldSchool" told you so.

4. Congratulations to the team on maintaining mental focus on defense for long stretches tonight.

[Bluealum]

Against us...

The crowd
The announcers
The refs

Even though they are bottom feeders this year they always get up for us and had the above intangibles going for them. The team played well and had a brilliant stretch midway through the first half through the midpoint of the second.

Pros:
Austin was simply brilliant in all phases. Great D, great passing, great drives, great shooting the 3
Mason hustled like crazy and set a very good tone. He was a man in the lane
Hairston provided a real spark and defended well
Cook was a real sparkplug when he was in
Solid Defense by Andre, the T was a bit over the top. There is more woofing than that in a girls T-ball game
Ryan hustled throughout and took advantage of his opportunities
Lots of energy among the players which kept the intensity up till late in the second half

Cons:
Miles, after some great games never got into the flow

Conclusion:
K is a motivational genius - chapter 999

Whither MG? Will we not really see him again in anything resembling a contested game? Kedsy predicted this...

[weezie]

1. Too often Mason establishes position just a bit too far from the basket. Then his hook shot changes from a high percentage shot to an iffy dart throw. Get him set a little closer and that weapon is unstoppable.


There's the puzzle: how does he gain just that half a foot closer?

[millerecu]

I love duke basketball. However the fans drive me nuts. Last Saturday after a WIN...maybe not a beautiful hard fought one....but a win...there was already 4"waterproofed" pages of people saying how bad they played. How the guys have no hear. Yet after a win where th e guys fought hard for 40you minutes....we can barely fill a page.


I love Duke .....period.

[Saratoga2]

The intensity was there for the entire game, and that was an improvement over many of our efforts. There was one period near the end of the game where it appeared our guards were not stopping the dribbler and they quickly penetrated putting unreasonable pressure on our bigs. Thart seemed to coincide with some misses by Mason inside and Seth, so it appeared to be small run, but I don't think we got less intense. As far as individual players were concerned, I noted the following:

I loved Austin's game tonight. He was great scoring, initiating offense for others, being in the right place rebounding and staying with his man defensively. Great game for him and an improvement from earlier in the year.

Josh provided some energy and it is good to see someone who can finish around the basket while absorbing contact.

Seth had some very good minutes but he also made a mistake and was only so-so with his open looks. Overall though, I thought it was an improvement.

Quinn made some good offensive plays but he also took a couple of questionable shots from outside. The PG should use better judgment on shot selection. He was also beaten a couple of times but his man then missed a shot in close, so we didn't pay for his defensive lapses.

Ryan played hard and did made some good penetration plays but I think he got a little careless, trying to dribble through three players and then throwing the ball away. Still he played hard and gave us 15 pts.

Mason played very hard. His block coming from behind just demonstrated hustle and extra effort. He was having trouble scoring inside against a pretty good defensive player. I thought the announcers got it wrong as well as the refs, when they didn't call a charge on Davila, who cleared out using his shoulder. Mason bounced from the impact about 3 feet. The replay showed pretty clearly if was a charge but they went on about a Mason Flop.

Miles was active inside. I just wish he could hit the 2 footers inside. I wonder why he can't just put those in. He did go up and get a second chance on one of those. I also didn't like him reaching in 25 feet from the basket. He needs to be smarter with his defense.

Andre played but seemed to be negatively impacted by the technical foul. He took very few shots in the game.

If we played against FSU with the intensity that we showed tonight we would have won that game by a decent margin. Maybe this is the start of something good. I didn't see Michael in the game, so I suppose he is way down the bench.

[weezie]

It's on Sunday at 3 p.m. It better be, anyway! :cool:

Yeah, like I'm getting my game outfit all pressed and ready! :)

[OldSchool]

There's the puzzle: how does he gain just that half a foot closer?

What Mason is doing now is catching the ball and then doing the work to get close enough to get his hook shot off, either by trying to back his man in or using a dribble to initiate a move across the lane. He needs to do the work before catching the ball, using his hips and legs to establish closer position. It makes the entry pass more difficult, as the passer needs to time it right so the defender does not reach around to steal it or slap it away. Dwight Howard uses the same hook shot, and Mason should watch how Dwight works very hard bodying up the defender beforehand to get a close position down low and present himself for the entry pass.

[UrinalCake]

Great win, great to see the players respond to Coach K calling them out. The announcers sure did make a huge deal of VT's "run" to cut the lead from 22 to 14, but I'm not worried about it at all. It was basically a couple missed shots and a couple makes by them. Mason was relatively quiet offensively but great on defense. As a team I thought our defensive rotations were a little quicker and we were even doing a decent job staying in front of our man most of the time.

Austin had a couple nice assists to Josh on pick and rolls, that was need to see that chemistry. Overall we took care of business.

[UrinalCake]

What Mason is doing now is catching the ball and then doing the work to get close enough to get his hook shot off, either by trying to back his man in or using a dribble to initiate a move across the lane. He needs to do the work before catching the ball, using his hips and legs to establish closer position.

The guards need to be on the same page too. You can't expect Mason to establish position in the lane and then stand there for 4-5 seconds holding off his man while the guard decides whether to throw it to him. When Mason posts up there's only a split second or so when he can receive the ball. The ball handler needs to recognize this and be looking for him. I saw a few times where he did establish good position and just never got the ball.

Once we do learn how to get him the ball inside, and he learns to make his move more quickly (you don't have the luxury of holding the ball and then taking 4-5 dribbles when you start off in the lane) then he'll be pretty unstoppable.

[porsche5k]

Great game by the Devils. I think Austin had his best play as a Duke player when he drove to the basket and dished it off to Josh Hairston for the easy bucket. He looked controlled and in touch with the game.

I'll be doing my best to welcome Duke back against Miami Sunday. Lets make Cameron loud and intimidating and GO DEVILS.

[bluedevilfan1998]

The technical was absurd, the flop on Mason was ridiculous, and Karl Hess is the worst ref ever.

Rivers and Kelly did great, though, and Mason's block was awesome. As far as the V-tech fans go, the person who
threw that should have been taken out of the stadium. That was ridiculous. Duke's defense has improved a lot, and
Hairston had one of his best games tonight. Great win, horrible calls.

[weezie]

What Mason is doing now is catching the ball and then doing the work to get close enough to get his hook shot off, either by trying to back his man in or using a dribble to initiate a move across the lane. He needs to do the work before catching the ball, using his hips and legs to establish closer position. It makes the entry pass more difficult, as the passer needs to time it right so the defender does not reach around to steal it or slap it away. Dwight Howard uses the same hook shot, and Mason should watch how Dwight works very hard bodying up the defender beforehand to get a close position down low and present himself for the entry pass.

Good answer! It's all in the passing. Survey says!!!!

[OldSchool]

The guards need to be on the same page too. You can't expect Mason to establish position in the lane and then stand there for 4-5 seconds holding off his man while the guard decides whether to throw it to him. When Mason posts up there's only a split second or so when he can receive the ball. The ball handler needs to recognize this and be looking for him. I saw a few times where he did establish good position and just never got the ball.

Agreed. There was a point early in the game when we got the ball in transition and Mason outran two defenders toward the rim and would have had a monster dunk had Austin fed him the ball over the top of the defenders. No doubt it is very frustrating for Mason when he works hard and doesn't get rewarded with the ball because the guards aren't seeing the opening.

[Lunchab1es]

I thought this one of the best 40 minute team performances we have had all season. Let's hope this is us turning a corner!

[Billy Dat]

I thought this one of the best 40 minute team performances we have had all season. Let's hope this is us turning a corner!

No doubt. I was especially pleased that the team didn't let the aggressive officiating or Davila's hot start throw them off their game. The team seemed mature and poised, as exemplified by Rivers. He looked sharp and in control for 90% of the game. While Mason missed some shots early, I love when we go to him and let him operate. Kelly had some nice streaks of scoring, I really liked his drive and flush. Hairston was a real presence with his starting role, and I thought we got nice minutes from Cook, too. The balanced scoring was nice. The defense seemed solid, too. It's easy to say that VTech stinks, but we did a much better job of pushing out to a big lead and maintaining it. Nice response to the St. Johns game. Let's hope they build on it against Miami.

[ChrisP]

I thought this one of the best 40 minute team performances we have had all season. Let's hope this is us turning a corner!

Yes, people can argue over and analyze stats all day long, but this game passed the old fashioned "eye test", at least for me, as a very well-played, solid game that resulted in a big win over a team that has traditionally given us lots of trouble at their house. I was really disheartened at the effort in the SJU game and I know lots of other folks were too. That was seriously the first time I can remember in my years as a fan that people were so disgusted with a win. Even if we'd have lost tonight, I would have been pleased with the heart and energy we displayed against VT. Go Duke!

[diveonthefloor]

Prediction:

Karl Hess not offered the seat next to Coach K on the bus ride back to Durham.

[burnspbesq]

Karl Hess is the worst ref ever.

You must be young. No one who ever saw Lenny Wirtz or Dick Bavaro would ever say that.

[burnspbesq]

Murray State, down 11 early in the second half, goes on a 24-2 run.

[ChrisP]

Ok, I know that it's just one, but I really liked Austin's complete game tonight. He was not only focused on both ends of the floor and under control, but it really did seem to me that he was putting his stamp on this game (and, dare I say, this team) tonight. I wouldn't necessarily have guessed that a freshman - even one as talented and skilled as Austin Rivers - could end up as this team's leader but...I ain't gonna complain about it. :D

[throatybeard]

You must be young. No one who ever saw Lenny Wirtz or Dick Bavaro would ever say that.

Paparo. Valentine.

Just found out Paparo is in the Syracuse HOF. Hmm.

Lou Bello was pretty cool.

[roywhite]

Official Boxscore (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205373364)

Really nice game for Austin:
35 min 4-6 3-pt 18 pts 5 rebs 5 asst 2 turnovers

Duke had only 7 turnovers total; outrebounded VaTech 33-29

This was a Duke performance that we've seen before....played tough and smart.
That coach we have....he knows what he's doing.

[NYBri]

Austin brung it tonight. Both ends of the floor.

Good game. Turning point?

[Billy Dat]

Did you guys check the post-game comments about how the team has self-banned social media usage, calling out Twitter specifically? Interesting. It's clear that today's youth spends as much time engaged with media devices as they do actually speaking with each other. K is such a face-to-face, look-me-in-the eye type, I wonder if he pushed for it. This season has been an interesting ride so far.

[Newton_14]

Best performance in quite some time. Might have been the best team defensive performance of the year. Vatech has quick guards, yet time and again they were unable to beat our guys off the dribble. It happened some, but not often. Prettiest play of the game for me was Josh leading the break, hitting Tyler, Tyler no dribble, immediate pass back to Josh for the And-1. That is basketball 101 at its finest.

Quinn looked like he is slowed a bit by the knee again. He did not display the quickness we have seen in earlier games, but I thought he overcame that and gave the team a boost when he was in there. Agree that Austin had his best all around game of the year on both sides of the ball. My favorite play from him all night, was when he darted into the lane on help defense, and stepped right in front of the pass, when Mason had left his man to stop the ball. That was a thing of beauty, and a play he does not make 2 or 3 games ago even. The defensive rotations were really good all game. It is all about hustle. If the guys learn to do that possession by possession 40 minutes a game they can beat anybody.

Austin said after the game, that on the long bus ride up yesterday, K had them watch game tape of some of the better defensive Duke teams of years past. They watched together and he said there was much discussion between the players on how they too, can play with that intensity. It looks like it paid off.'

The tech on Andre was ridiculous. If that is taunting, then there should be about 15 to 20 technicals per game most nights. As hyped as Andre was at that time (and K had just told him about 15 seconds before that to stop talking to Tech Players) I expected the replay to show him mouthing directly in a the defenders face. He absolutely did not do that though. No body language, and no Tech player near him. A stupid call in my view. The shame of it is that jumper was dripping wet, and could have been the start of a huge night for Andre. It definitely affected the rest of his night.

A lot of good in this game and very little bad. K was very pleased after the game. Bring on Miami.

[arnie]

" Prettiest play of the game for me was Josh leading the break, hitting Tyler, Tyler no dribble, immediate pass back to Josh for the And-1. That is basketball 101 at its finest. '

That play was surprising - didn't know Hairston could take off like that. Good 9-man rotation tonite with all 9 getting a lot of minutes.

[arnie]

" Prettiest play of the game for me was Josh leading the break, hitting Tyler, Tyler no dribble, immediate pass back to Josh for the And-1. That is basketball 101 at its finest. '

That play was surprising - didn't know Hairston could take off like that. Good 9-man rotation tonite with all 9 getting a lot of minutes.

Forgot to mention - thought it was Elmore/Patrick's worst performance ever - and that's saying a lot.

[Kishiznit]

Very nice floor game by QC. This kid was running the point when the lead stretched in the 1st half and made things happen in the 2nd half. Should be getting the most minutes at the point if we have a chance in March/April.

[Kishiznit]

Forgot to mention - thought it was Elmore/Patrick's worst performance ever - and that's saying a lot.

Concur....Mike Patrick is terrible and he missed like 4 calls in a row. 5 second call....NO; foul on Mason ....NO; DUKE on Saturday....NO....

Seriously, how does Len Elmore have a job? He is at his best when debating over the charge calls. For some reason, when we establish our position, we don't get there quick enough but when we go to the basket, the other squad beats us there.

ONe thought though - did he call Patrick out by saying that Greenburg was on the hot seat? It appeared that way and have not gone back and listened again. patric was quick to change the subject IIRC.

[OldPhiKap]

Paparo. Valentine.

Just found out Paparo is in the Syracuse HOF. Hmm.

Lou Bello was pretty cool.

Lenny Wirtz was in a class all by himself. I don't think there is a way for me to describe my feelings without setting off the cuss filter.

Dick Paparo never really bothered me, IIRC he called ACC and Big East games. He called games in the Big-East style of the time, which wasn't our game and therefore did not mesh well with our style. But I thought he was fairly consistent.

Valentine, no love here. Seems he wants to be the center of attention, making some inconsistent call at a critical time in order to draw attention to himself. Tool.

[delfrio]

Did you guys check the post-game comments about how the team has self-banned social media usage, calling out Twitter specifically? Interesting. It's clear that today's youth spends as much time engaged with media devices as they do actually speaking with each other. K is such a face-to-face, look-me-in-the eye type, I wonder if he pushed for it. This season has been an interesting ride so far.

Definitely interesting. QC is all over Twitter usually. Now, can someone please inform Karl Hess about this ban:

https://twitter.com/#!/KarlHessReferee

[Reilly]

...

35 min 4-6 3-pt 18 pts 5 rebs 5 asst 2 turnovers

....

Imagine if he had hit just one more three pointer ...

[Sgt. Dingleberry]

Definitely interesting. QC is all over Twitter usually. Now, can someone please inform Karl Hess about this ban:

https://twitter.com/#!/KarlHessReferee

There were really strange calls on both sides, but the moving pick Kelly got called for to open up Seth for a 3 in the first half is the foul I will nominate for worst call of the year so far. Thanks Karl.

[mgtr]

How the guys have no hear. Yet after a win where th e guys fought hard for 40you minutes....we can barely fill a page.


All your base are belong to us.

[JNort]

IMO this was by far the best and most balanced performance as a team. This game also had so many positives idk where to begin but I will try anyway.


Mason was 2-2 from the line and the team overall shot 13-16 from the line. Mason did not shoot great but shot good enough, the thing I liked most was his hustle block from behind and he stayed aggressive on offense.

Austin not only shot efficiently (7-11, 4-6 from 3) but he played stellar on ball and amazing off-ball defense. He also did very good at distributing or looking for open teammates on almost every drive he made tonight. He continues this and scary things will happen.

Tyler and Josh being in the starting lineup was not offensively beneficial at the start (at least my eyes say that) but they both seemed to infuse a needed defensive intensity that got the bench fired up and ready to go when they came in. Also these two guys seem to hustle more and use more energy than the other guys which really helps everyone out.

Andre played perfectly into his role in this game. He provided his quick spark on offense by draining a 3 right after he forced a TO on defense. He did get a T for supposedly talking after the made 3 but it seemed to help set the tone of the game. Although my favorite part was after he forced the TO he yelled and beat his chest then celebrated a bit with Tyler. This is imo what we need more of, we need these guys to get pumped out there on defense.

Curry is still struggling with his shot but was a perfect 6-6 from the line.

Miles made a silly foul at half-court but played well in 9 mins (4 pts and 5 boards)

Ryan Kelly made some great decisions out there when he had the ball and shot well from the field. Overall another solid game for him.





Notes:

Team Defense- I was watching the guys that were off the ball a good bit and they were sticking to their guys like glue and actually boxing out after shots. On ball defense was also very very good, I can only recall a few times where we had a complete breakdown on D. We forced 13 To's which is pretty decent but importantly we scored off of them as well. Our switches on screens also went smoothly, this last week must have been one of the toughest for these guys in practice cause coach was not happy in game and I bet he made a few changes in practice.

Balance- We have really had balance all year in the fact that every night its a different 2-3 guys doing the scoring but tonight.... ALL 9 guys scored! Rivers had the game high of 18 but he created for others very well and they capitalized. Only Curry and Tyler did not shoot well from the field but both hit their free throws so you could say Curry was 5-10 and Tyler 1-2.

Rivers development- He had 5 boards and 5 assists to go with 18 pts today! But most importantly he kept his head up when driving and dribbling looking for open guys. He also did not do a lot of his standing around isolation moves, he got the ball and made his moves most of the time and if the were not there he gave it up. His defense has been ok to good all year but tonight it seemed great on and off the ball. Loved his defense on the fast break stop he had!

Cook and his knee- Cook looked good out there today and looked like he had zero problems with the knee. He had 3 assists and 0 turnovers in 12 mins of play. I like his aggressiveness but he needs to fight the urge to shoot some of these he has attempted on the year. He got lucky today on the, well lets call it a running hook shot but overall I think he is going to be vital to this teams long term success.

Free Throws- 81% at 13-16!! Great job from the line.

Etc..- In the second half VT started getting easy buckets as our defense started to get slack but K called the TO and the team responded appropriately. Maybe they are getting that killer instinct everyone says we are missing.

[Rudy]

Austin brung it tonight. Both ends of the floor.

Good game. Turning point?

Agreed. Earlier in the season he seemed to force his way to the rim too much, his 3 pointers were not falling real well and sometimes he was inattentive on defense. Tonight he found open shooters and cutters when he had the ball (team-high 5 assists), shot 4/6 from 3 and played good defense all night.

Mason perfect from the line again tonight. Yay!

We have 4 very good 3-point shooters. And Cook and Thornton are not among those 4. ;)


Forgot to mention - thought it was Elmore/Patrick's worst performance ever - and that's saying a lot.

My wife usually doesn't notice the commentators other than Dickie V. Tonight after one of Elmore's comments, she asked, "Who is that?"

"Lenny Elmore, a good center for one of Maryland's great teams back in the Lefty days," I said.

"He's very tedious."

"Yes. Yes he is."

[_Gary]

The tech on Andre was ridiculous. If that is taunting, then there should be about 15 to 20 technicals per game most nights. As hyped as Andre was at that time (and K had just told him about 15 seconds before that to stop talking to Tech Players) I expected the replay to show him mouthing directly in a the defenders face. He absolutely did not do that though. No body language, and no Tech player near him. A stupid call in my view. The shame of it is that jumper was dripping wet, and could have been the start of a huge night for Andre. It definitely affected the rest of his night.

I absolutely agree and said so in the "In-game" thread when it happened. Pointed out the exact same points you made. That was a ridiculously bad technical call on Dre, and it sure seemed to derail what I thought might be a big night for him. Unfortunately the tech produced his 2nd foul, and it was still relatively early in the first half, so Andre was relegated to watching from the bench lest he pick up a third one before halftime. Thankfully, that pathetic call didn't hurt the team as a whole since others picked up the slack (Austin in particular on the offensive end).

Great win for the good guys!!

[OldPhiKap]

"He's very tedious."




Your wife is either a master of understatement, or the most polite person in your town.

Either way, count your blessings.

[OldPhiKap]

I absolutely agree and said so in the "In-game" thread when it happened. Pointed out the exact same points you made. That was a ridiculously bad technical call on Dre, and it sure seemed to derail what I thought might be a big night for him. Unfortunately the tech produced his 2nd foul, and it was still relatively early in the first half, so Andre was relegated to watching from the bench lest he pick up a third one before halftime. Thankfully, that pathetic call didn't hurt the team as a whole since others picked up the slack (Austin in particular on the offensive end).

Great win for the good guys!!

Didn't see the game during that stretch, so can't comment specifically. Dre needs to realize that there is a target on his back about this stuff, though, and act accordingly.

Let the game do the talking.

[SouthPointDFan]

Is Silent G still recovering from the flu?

[devildeac]

Prediction:

Karl Hess not offered the seat next to Coach K on the bus ride back to Durham.

I dunno about that. I imagine K might have relished the opportunity to have his undivided atttention for 3 hours or so;).

[devildeac]

Your wife is either a master of understatement, or the most polite person in your town.

Either way, count your blessings.

The lovely and vivacious Mrs. devildeac has also asked on several occasions such questions as: "Why does len elmore hate Duke so much?" and "Why does mike patrick look/sound like he's intoxicated and make so many mistakes during a broadcast?" And she is usually very (very) mild mannered and tolerant.

[hq2]

Nice to see Josh getting quality minutes. Think K is trying to plug that tweener hole in our D some, and Josh is
about all there is. Need to have him ready to play big minutes against Harrison Barnes. Also, would be nice
to see them run a couple of pick and pops for him. He's shown a respectable mid range jumper, and if he could
knock that down some, it would help take some scoring pressure off the other players.

Good overall defensive intensity the whole game.

[OldPhiKap]

I dunno about that. I imagine K might have relished the opportunity to have his undivided atttention for 3 hours or so;).

Now that there's funny, I don't care who you are.

Question is, if you were Karl, would you be drinking ale or red wine? Someone left me two bottles of Red Rocket Ale, but hit a California Zin instead.

Sorry I missed the action at Section 21, trust that a good time was had by all.

[OldPhiKap]

The lovely and vivacious Mrs. devildeac has also asked on several occasions such questions as: "Why does len elmore hate Duke so much?" and "Why does mike patrick look/sound like he's intoxicated and make so many mistakes during a broadcast?" And she is usually very (very) mild mannered and tolerant.

Please tell Mrs, dd, in order:

1. Because Len is a bitter old Twerp.

2. Because Mike was a pretty good announcer when Dinah Shore still did commercials during the games, but has faded since. The Pilot has sailed.

3. I hope Mrs. dd enjoyed the mashed potatoes at Christmas, please tell her that i have a special batch planned for St. Patrick's Day.

[Kedsy]

My favorite play from him all night, was when he darted into the lane on help defense, and stepped right in front of the pass, when Mason had left his man to stop the ball.

This was my 3rd favorite play of the night. Great defensive play by Austin. My 2nd favorite play of the night was with about six minutes to play in the first half and us clinging to a 2 point lead. Ryan took a couple of dribbles then sprang at the basket so quickly nobody could get there to stop his dunk. An amazingly athletic play for someone who supposedly is slow and unathletic. He followed it on the next possession with a drive/finger roll, and by the time VPI scored their next basket we were up 11 and never looked back.

My favorite play of the night was the one that ended with Mason sprinting the length of the floor to block a layup from behind (about six minutes to go in the game). What made it my favorite was not the block (although it was a sensational block), but the fact that VPI had what looked like an easy two until Tyler came out of nowhere to disrupt the initial shot. Then Andre hustled back to break up the follow and force a pass. And then Mason sprinted the entire length of the floor for the senstational block. It's an easy score unless all three guys make great plays.


Tyler and Josh being in the starting lineup was not offensively beneficial at the start (at least my eyes say that) but they both seemed to infuse a needed defensive intensity that got the bench fired up and ready to go when they came in. Also these two guys seem to hustle more and use more energy than the other guys which really helps everyone out.

I completely agree with this. At first I questioned the lineup as offensively clunky, but Tyler and Josh brought so much energy and intensity that they set the tone for the rest of the team. And the rest of the team followed, which is key.

We played a 9 man rotation tonight (if you include Miles who played 9 minutes). As I've pointed out on several occasions, this would be very unusual if K went with such a long rotation, but we've been looking for a surprise change and maybe this is it. I'm very curious to see how this plays out, moving forward.


Nice to see Josh getting quality minutes. Think K is trying to plug that tweener hole in our D some, and Josh is
about all there is. Need to have him ready to play big minutes against Harrison Barnes.

Patrick kept saying something like that, except Josh was playing the 4, so he wasn't playing tweener (which in this context I think means a biggish small forward) so much as slightly undersized power forward. And no disrespect intended toward Josh, but there's essentially a zero percent chance that he'd match up with HB, and even less that he'd defend HB particularly well.

If we start tonight's starting lineup against UNC next week, Josh would have to guard Henson. Andre would guard Barnes. Tyler would guard Marshall and Austin would guard Bullock. We'd be giving up at least 3 (and probably 4) inches at all four positions.

[Kfanarmy]

....The announcers sure did make a huge deal of VT's "run" to cut the lead from 22 to 14, but I'm not worried about it at all. It was basically a couple missed shots and a couple makes by them.... Duke played a great game....but they got up, I think it was 22 points, and headed to the bench I thought there was going to be a bit of a let down....a bit too much celebrating to maintain the kind of focus they'd been playing with. From that point on, and I think that was the under 8 time out, VT outscored them by 7...really in about a 2 minute span they lost focus and had to regain intensity to prevent a significant comeback. I think K called a timeout to keep the ship righted.

[Scorp4me]

Very nice floor game by QC. This kid was running the point when the lead stretched in the 1st half and made things happen in the 2nd half. Should be getting the most minutes at the point if we have a chance in March/April.

I find it interesting that several posters in the first few pages took the time to critique every players performance...and all of them left out Tyler completely. It took til the third page for someone to remember that he even played. Poor kid!

[sagegrouse]

I find it interesting that several posters in the first few pages took the time to critique every players performance...and all of them left out Tyler completely. It took til the third page for someone to remember that he even played. Poor kid!

Oh, yeah,Tyler was in the game. I could tell because there were Hokie bodies on the floor. Kinda like Mack the Knife?

sagegrouse

[snowdenscold]

Whoever said earlier that this was a low-point for ESPN production values was spot on.

Announcers aside, we were treated to shots all game of VA Tech fans' heads walking up and down the aisles. Combined with the weird lighting issues (pseudo white-out's, etc.) and the graphics insisting the Miami game was on Saturday, and it was just poor.


However, I will say that for some reason I found Mike Patrick going, "First place: Cadillac, Second place: steak knives, third place... you're fired" quite amusing.

[Neals384]

Great effort by the team to put in a full 40 minutes.

Props to Josh for earning a start and playing like a starter as well.

As other's mentioned Quinn was a real energizer but needs to improve his decision making.

I'll have to disagree with the posters who thought Andre's T was a bad call. Just before the T, Hess called both teams together to lecture them - and he said something to Andre 1-on-1. Next play, Andre caused a turnover and woofed about it. Coach K said something to him as he went back down court. That sets the stage for Andre's 3 and then the T. Two spectacular plays in a row, but he ignored warnings from both Hess and Coach K.

That's about the only Hess call I agreed with, tho. Miles reach-in was all ball, Mason's flop should have been a charge, Seth's blocking foul should have been a charge, Mason's reachin was all ball, Kelly's moving pick...but we did get one back on Josh's shot - the clock had clearly run out. Just hoping Hess' schedule doesn't have him anywhere near CH in 6 days.

[brumby041]

I'll have to disagree with the posters who thought Andre's T was a bad call. Just before the T, Hess called both teams together to lecture them - and he said something to Andre 1-on-1. Next play, Andre caused a turnover and woofed about it. Coach K said something to him as he went back down court. That sets the stage for Andre's 3 and then the T. Two spectacular plays in a row, but he ignored warnings from both Hess and Coach K.



Agree. Although it appeared that Dre didn't do anything (I couldn't read his lips to see what he said) - he does need to be aware of the situation and the way that the refs are calling the game, especially when the ref in question is as shaky as Karl Hess. (Doesn't the league review the job these guys do each game? How does Hess still have a job?)

However, my favorite part of the whole incident was Elmore's explanation that "you just can't talk junk in basketball, ever". Sometimes it is hard to believe that he actually played the game...

[hustleplays]

Yes, people can argue over and analyze stats all day long, but this game passed the old fashioned "eye test", at least for me, as a very well-played, solid game that resulted in a big win over a team that has traditionally given us lots of trouble at their house. I was really disheartened at the effort in the SJU game and I know lots of other folks were too. That was seriously the first time I can remember in my years as a fan that people were so disgusted with a win. Even if we'd have lost tonight, I would have been pleased with the heart and energy we displayed against VT. Go Duke!

Yep, many folks, including Coach K, were disgusted with our win against St. Johns. Tonight, my eyeballs also saw hallmark Duke defense: spirited, intense, tough, cohesive. I've seen no reports that we have increased our height or footspeed. Winning the hustleplays [yes, my favorite part of basketball]. So many examples, but my favorite is, as Kedsy noted, three different guys hustling on one play, ending with Mason swatting away a sure basket. Our offensive and defensive limits and liabilities are well documented. What so many of us have questioned is: Will this team commit to playing consistently with full heart, individually and as a team.

[Starter]

I find it interesting that several posters in the first few pages took the time to critique every players performance...and all of them left out Tyler completely. It took til the third page for someone to remember that he even played. Poor kid!

Well, he took one shot and had one assist in 28 minutes. There's not a lot to say.

Here's my favorite sequence: Duke up four, about 4:30 left. Cook comes in for Thornton, immediately vaporizes his man for a layup. Runs (!) it up the court after a rebound and gets it to a trailing Kelly for a three. Cook then feeds a cutting Dawkins in the paint for a floater, pushing Duke's lead from 4 to 11 in about 1:20 of game time. Cook also took it coast to coast and got fouled (he missed the front end) and hit an admittedly wild but totally sweet hook shot. He missed a wide open three that I want him taking every time. The only reason they weren't up 13 at the half was a buzzer three. His knee looked fine; his defense looked fine. I'm guessing the decision-making I keep hearing about came with his dinner order or something. He's gotta learn: Always order the fish.

I'm not the biggest Kelly fan in the universe, but I thought he looked great. My favorite part about his game was how assertive he was to the basket. He kind of looked like Danilo Gallinari in that regard -- a tall three who doesn't look like he should be able to drive, but gets to the rack and the line. If it wasn't a defensive liability, I'd love to see Kelly play the 5 so he could take his man outside and take him off the dribble. I have my doubts about his consistency, but man, he's a matchup nightmare when he's like this.

Other than that? Rivers is totally awesome in all facets of the game. But we already knew that.

[Starter]

I will say this for Thornton: I loved the play he made with about 5:45 left, when he chased down a fast break and knocked the ball away for just enough time to allow Mason Plumlee to get there and block the shot. His effort level and enthusiasm are definitely infectious, and I'm certainly a fan of that aspect of his game.

That, and his sneaker game is always on point. Zoom Rookies (http://www.kixandthecity.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Zoom-Rookie-WhiteBlack-M-1m-e1316037349279.jpg) tonight, Uptempo 2's (http://www.nikeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Nike-Air-Max-Uptempo-2-Duke-1.jpg) last game. Love it.

[oldnavy]

Best play of the night and perhaps the year was the recovery/hustle play noted by others above where Mason finishes with the blocked shot. That play alone epitomizes what this team has to do to be a FF contender. IF they continue to play with that verve and hustle, they can be that good, but they cannot let up because they can just a easily be a one and done team.

Tried the sound off, radio on technique tonight, but the radio was a good 10 seconds ahead of the TV and was too distracting. So just watched it in silence. There is no down side to doing this by the way...

The refs were worse than usual tonight. It is hard for me to imagine a universe in which Duke commits twice as many fouls in a half as VT...

Andre must do something that irks refs. I get the technical call, because it is clear he and the others were warned right before he got it, but I am still trying to figure out the technical for hanging on the rim a few games back... especially since I saw Henson do a one arm pull up on the rim the other night without a call. It may be the only time in two or three years I have seen the hanging on the rim call.... Dre must be channeling Daniel Ewing.

[Reilly]

... Elmore's explanation that "you just can't talk junk in basketball, ever"....

Here's the rule:

Section 5. (Men) CLASS A Unsporting Technical Infractions

Art. 1. A player or substitute committing an unsportsmanlike act including, but
not limited to, the following:
....

b. Using profanity or vulgarity; taunting, baiting or ridiculing another player
or bench personnel; or pointing a finger at or making obscene gestures
toward another player or bench personnel.

[roywhite]

Check the picture of Mason in the N&O story about the game (http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/02/1826300/live-updates-duke-on-the-road.html)

Haha. And he certainly has put on some muscle during his time at Duke.

[moonpie23]

Tried the sound off, radio on technique tonight, but the radio was a good 10 seconds ahead of the TV and was too distracting. So just watched it in silence. There is no down side to doing this by the way...



it was that way at first...but if you just deal with it for a bit, you'll be rewarded with knowing exactly what to watch for on each play and getting to see it develop... i'm doing it every game....

plus.......no elmore.

[House G]

Tried the sound off, radio on technique tonight, but the radio was a good 10 seconds ahead of the TV and was too distracting. So just watched it in silence. There is no down side to doing this by the way...

Except you would have missed Elmore's reference to Glengarry Glen Ross.

[millerecu]

All your base are belong to us.

I have no defense on that one....stupid "smart" phone. Guess I need to learn to proof read before I send!

[brumby041]

Here's the rule:

Section 5. (Men) CLASS A Unsporting Technical Infractions

Art. 1. A player or substitute committing an unsportsmanlike act including, but
not limited to, the following:
....

b. Using profanity or vulgarity; taunting, baiting or ridiculing another player
or bench personnel; or pointing a finger at or making obscene gestures
toward another player or bench personnel.

I know and understand the rule. I'm talking about the reality of being on the court. At least when I played (in HS, and in the 80's), there was plenty of smack talked all the time. Also, Elmore's holier-than-thou attitude and arrogance just kills me. As though he's much too dignified to sink to the level of trash talk.

Similarly, did anyone see SportsCenter this morning when they covered the game? Loved the commentary and video. Video of Dawkins hitting the three and running back down court. Announcer (SC) says that he got a T and seems to be waiting for something in the clip to justify the T.

I still don't understand how Hess still has a job. (And I'm not just being a Duke homer - it seems like any game I see him ref is poorly or inconsistently called.)

[davekay1971]

However, I will say that for some reason I found Mike Patrick going, "First place: Cadillac, Second place: steak knives, third place... you're fired" quite amusing.

Despite my general loathing for Elmore, I have to give the credit to Lenny for the Glengarry reference with "Always be closing". Apparently on his free evenings Len does NOT spend all his time throwing darts a pictures of Coach K. He catches great movies from time to time as a diversion.

Great game for us. The guys came out, played great ball on both ends of the court, and took care of business on in a hostile environment. Special props to Austin for great all around play, and to Mason, Josh, and Tyler for great energy and intensity. Looking forward to the Miami game to see if our guys maintain the intensity and focus that they had last night.

[cruxer]

Similarly, did anyone see SportsCenter this morning when they covered the game? Loved the commentary and video. Video of Dawkins hitting the three and running back down court. Announcer (SC) says that he got a T and seems to be waiting for something in the clip to justify the T.


Funny I was watching a replay of College Basketball Live on ESPNU this morning and Gottlieb called it a cheap tech during the replay. I was shocked that #1 ESPN replayed a play where Duke got hosed during the highlight package and #2 Gottlieb (!) said something with which I wholeheartedly agreed. That along with finding a ray of light last night in Elmore's Glengarry Glenn Ross reference, I am suffering from some cognitive dissonance.

-c

[Devilsfan]

Also Gotlieb when questioned repeated with a sense of joy that he feels Fl. State is the second best team in the ACC. That's fine but he seems to enjoy putting down Duke even when it's by not mentioning them.

[RockyMtDevil]

That was fantastic. Heart, passion, chippiness, toughness, and a desire to bleepin bury Tech. Hairston started things off with a couple of good offensive rebounds and the hustle play by Tyler and Mason in the second half showed this team seems to have gotten the message. I loved Cook's play, he brings something to our transition game that nobody else does.

Kelly played smart, he picked his spots and seemed to play with passion. I loved Hairston's attitude, he seemed to lift everyone last night. We still need that vocal, in your face leader on the court. here's hoping Austin can develop that as he grows into the end of his freshman year.

BTW, I don't know if espn announcers are taught this in their remedial announcing school, but I am so sick and tired of them constantly talking about the referees instead of calling the freakin game. Either way, it's just horrendous and only plays up to national bias. Shut up about the officials and call the game. I assume it is because they have such a lack of understanding about the nuances of the game that to pick about fouls is the only way to fill the air time. Patrick is absolutely horrible. I don't understand how such a large company continues to employ mediocre talent. It baffles me. I guess it's because they have no competition. Competition breeds excellence and ESPN is the only dog in the fight.

[OldPhiKap]

Funny I was watching a replay of College Basketball Live on ESPNU this morning and Gottlieb called it a cheap tech during the replay. I was shocked that #1 ESPN replayed a play where Duke got hosed during the highlight package and #2 Gottlieb (!) said something with which I wholeheartedly agreed. That along with finding a ray of light last night in Elmore's Glengarry Glenn Ross reference, I am suffering from some cognitive dissonance.

-c

Elmore is very smart. He's also dour, repetitive and prone to harp on calls by referees. He's a less-interesting Billy Packer.

[RockyMtDevil]

I couldn't help notice Greenberg's complete lack of acknowledgement of K in the post game handshake, what a classless jerk he seems to be. The whinning, the marytr syndrom and vitriol is becoming his only schtik. Can't stand him and wonder if the Hokie faithful aren't getting tired of his non winning act as well.

[devildeac]

Except you would have missed Elmore's reference to Glengarry Glen Ross.

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then. Even my wife, who rarely has an unkind word for anyone (except me, of course), loathes listening to that numbing duo.

[theAlaskanBear]

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then. Even my wife, who rarely has an unkind word for anyone (except me, of course), loathes listening to that numbing duo.

As annoying as Elmore is, it was Mike Patrick who was lost. Patrick would say something unfactual about the game like "Rivers with the ball..." when CLEARLY it was Seth Curry, or Tyler Thorton, or Andre Dawkins. There were 4 instances that I noticed like that. He also was atrocious on foul calls. For guys who calls Duke games all the time for ESPN that is ridiculous.

But about the game: I had knots in my stomach the first 10 minutes because it was going to be brutal VTech physical game like it is every year. But our guys played with grit and refused to back down in a hostile environment. Kelly had a great spurt in the first have to give us some separation. Andre had some nice entry passes and a great, angry three. Rivers had a great, well balanced game with good passing, shooting, taking it to the rim...and set up Hairston on a couple of great drives. Hairston was great. He established the toughness and hustle at the beginning of the game.

[Johnboy]

Not only that, but it is on ESPNU and they still don't get it right. I think as far as overall production value, that might have been an all time low for ESPN

I was more disappointed than usual with Len and Mike, until after our game, I switched to TNT to watch the Bulls v. Knicks game. They have dispensed with play by play entirely, so, while I enjoyed seeing Boozer play, and knew most of the star players, much of the time I sat there wondering who it was I was watching. I guess for avid nba fans this isn't a problem, but for occasional viewers like me, it's not like I'm going to tune in more often. It was a close, well- played game, too. Not a blowout where commentators feel like they have to carry the load.

In sum, Len and Mike were better by far than Reggie Miller and whoever it was he was chatting with.

[UrinalCake]

Whoever said earlier that this was a low-point for ESPN production values was spot on.

Announcers aside, we were treated to shots all game of VA Tech fans' heads walking up and down the aisles. Combined with the weird lighting issues (pseudo white-out's, etc.) and the graphics insisting the Miami game was on Saturday, and it was just poor.

Not only that but the box score on their website listed Marshall Plumlee as a starter. They had him in there in addition to Mason, so it's not like they just got the two of them mixed up.

I was watching on ESPN3 and had the weird lighting stuff going on too and assumed it was a video compression issue. Weird...

[lmb]

Not only that but the box score on their website listed Marshall Plumlee as a starter. They had him in there in addition to Mason, so it's not like they just got the two of them mixed up.

I was watching on ESPN3 and had the weird lighting stuff going on too and assumed it was a video compression issue. Weird...



I don't know if it happened more than once, but the time I noticed it I assume it was the engineers in the truck making an iris adjustment. They were on the regular wide-shot court camera which blazed up and then they cut to a shot of some banner or sign high up in the arena that was dark. Then they opened the iris up a bit for that camera. They obviously meant to iris up on the banner camera while it was in preview but accidentally did it to the on-air (program) camera.

[Scorp4me]

Well, he took one shot and had one assist in 28 minutes. There's not a lot to say.

I don't think I can respond to that with anything that isn't snide so let's just agree we're both glad Coach K decides the line ups.

[oldnavy]

it was that way at first...but if you just deal with it for a bit, you'll be rewarded with knowing exactly what to watch for on each play and getting to see it develop... i'm doing it every game....

plus.......no elmore.

True.

Wouldn't be nice if there were a network that would televise basketball games without trying to improve on the product with a bunch of crappy production gimicks? I am SOOOO tired of ESPN's obsession with showing just about everything except the game. From fans, to coaches to players running down the court, they seem to look for things other than the action on the court. Tell me who would think that shrinking the game video in order to put a coach in cameo is a good idea? Does ANYONE want to see either Coach K, Seth, Roy, et. al., watch/coach the game??? I want to watch the game!! Not the coach, not the father of player X, not the kid that just made a layup run down the court.... show the freaking game!!

Also, why not use some of the space on the score line to post total team fouls, possession arrow, etc... along with the timeouts? We certainly cannot count on getting that info from the announcers. BUT, we can count on seeing and hearing about the next two weeks of ESPN programing. It is almost like this game is a commercial for the next game....

OK, Rant over.

[rsvman]

I think the fact that the refs called the game very tightly played right into our hands. VT wanted the game to be extremely physical, but they would've all fouled out if they had continued to play that way. I think that the refs tight calling may have also had something to do with why K went with a 9-man rotation.

Overall, a nice win in a tough road environment.


I also agree that Mike Patrick and Len Elmore reached a nadir last night. They were just terrible. And I agree that showing the coaches during the game was stupid and pointless. If I wanted to watch the game on a 24-inch screen I would've bought a 24-inch television!

[roywhite]

True.

Wouldn't be nice if there were a network that would televise basketball games without trying to improve on the product with a bunch of crappy production gimicks? I am SOOOO tired of ESPN's obsession with showing just about everything except the game. From fans, to coaches to players running down the court, they seem to look for things other than the action on the court. Tell me who would think that shrinking the game video in order to put a coach in cameo is a good idea? Does ANYONE want to see either Coach K, Seth, Roy, et. al., watch/coach the game??? I want to watch the game!! Not the coach, not the father of player X, not the kid that just made a layup run down the court.... show the freaking game!!

Also, why not use some of the space on the score line to post total team fouls, possession arrow, etc... along with the timeouts? We certainly cannot count on getting that info from the announcers. BUT, we can count on seeing and hearing about the next two weeks of ESPN programing. It is almost like this game is a commercial for the next game....

OK, Rant over.

Preach on, brother!

You've expressed many of my gripes....just to highlight one, I hate that most announcers DO NOT report the number of team fouls on a regular basis; it's important to know when a team will hit the 7 foul bonus and then the 10 foul double bonus, and when a team has a foul or two to give late in a half. More often than not, this is not communicated on games I watch.

[BlueDevilCorvette!]

Good win...great team effort especially defensively...would have love to see Silent G get some PT, however, he is always very supportive of his teammates despite his lack of PT.

[Reilly]

Elmore is ... dour, repetitive and prone to harp on calls by referees ... a less-interesting Billy Packer.

If I had to choose, I'd take Len's lower-modulated dourness over Packer's nastiness and screechiness ...

Neither's good, but I find Len easier to ignore and, so, better.

[Reilly]

... I hate that most announcers DO NOT report the number of team fouls on a regular basis; it's important to know...

Had the same discussion with a friend during last night's game. Said friend has been complaining about this same issue for going on 20 years. It's not getting better. Solution: track them at home. Make four lists to 10 (two teams, two halves). Circle the numbers yourself.

[dball]

I hate that most announcers DO NOT report the number of team fouls on a regular basis; it's important to know when a team will hit the 7 foul bonus and then the 10 foul double bonus, and when a team has a foul or two to give late in a half. More often than not, this is not communicated on games I watch.

ESPN carries this information in the score line. Look for the word "BONUS" under the team score and "BONUS+" when the double bonus is reached. Granted the announcers rarely mention it unless it's very late in the game and a team has not yet reached 7.

[superdave]

So....Miles Plumlee got 9 minutes last night. He got 9 minutes vs. St. John's as well. I hope this is not an emerging trend as he has proven to be one of our better defenders. If it works, I'll shut up. But I think we need more of Miles, not less.

Anyone care to agree or disagree?

[snowdenscold]

ESPN carries this information in the score line. Look for the word "BONUS" under the team score and "BONUS+" when the double bonus is reached. Granted the announcers rarely mention it unless it's very late in the game and a team has not yet reached 7.

It's a nice addition, but only solves part of the problem. You have no idea how close you are to the single or double bonus until you get there. So if there's no display up, we don't know if the team has 0 fouls or 6 fouls. Same with 7-9. That can affect the tension the viewer has in a close game.

[UrinalCake]

I think we need more of Miles, not less.

I'm a big fan of Miles but St. John's and VT are both small teams so they're not a good matchup for him. I assume we'll see more of him on Sunday guarding big Reggie Johnson.

[superdave]

I'm a big fan of Miles but St. John's and VT are both small teams so they're not a good matchup for him. I assume we'll see more of him on Sunday guarding big Reggie Johnson.

True. And I also just read Tommy's defensive charting thread about Miles' struggles last night. I do like it when Coach K lets a guy play through some struggles. We are seeing that with Seth right now. But not as much with Miles and I think your point about matchups directing Miles' minutes is correct.

[oldnavy]

ESPN carries this information in the score line. Look for the word "BONUS" under the team score and "BONUS+" when the double bonus is reached. Granted the announcers rarely mention it unless it's very late in the game and a team has not yet reached 7.

I know that they put bonus in there when the team has reached the 7th foul, but I want to know how many fouls have been called. Like Roy White said, it is nice to know when your team (or the other) has a foul or two to "give". Especially at the end of tight games. In the good old days, the announcers would let you know after each call. They would say the players name, the total personal fouls for that player and the number of team fouls, just like the arean announcers do. Now we are lucky if they announce the foul on the correct player, much less give any additional info.

My overall point is that the game is enough. No need to "improve" it with silly camera angles and shots of stuff that is not important to the game. I cannot tell you how many times I (you) have missed a play because the camera was on the player who just scored running down the court rather than the ball in play. This is especially true when UNC is playing because they push the ball up so fast after a made basket.

I have written complaints to ESPN every year for the past 5 or so years, but to no avail.

[forbiddendonut]

I'm not sure why they don't light up the BONUS sign after a team commits its 6th foul.

[loldevilz]

Preach on, brother!

You've expressed many of my gripes....just to highlight one, I hate that most announcers DO NOT report the number of team fouls on a regular basis; it's important to know when a team will hit the 7 foul bonus and then the 10 foul double bonus, and when a team has a foul or two to give late in a half. More often than not, this is not communicated on games I watch.

This is on the TV scoreboard. It says bonus and bonus+ under the team name for bonus and double bonus.

[roywhite]

I know that they put bonus in there when the team has reached the 7th foul, but I want to know how many fouls have been called. Like Roy White said, it is nice to know when your team (or the other) has a foul or two to "give". Especially at the end of tight games. In the good old days, the announcers would let you know after each call. They would say the players name, the total personal fouls for that player and the number of team fouls, just like the arean announcers do. Now we are lucky if they announce the foul on the correct player, much less give any additional info.

My overall point is that the game is enough. No need to "improve" it with silly camera angles and shots of stuff that is not important to the game. I cannot tell you how many times I (you) have missed a play because the camera was on the player who just scored running down the court rather than the ball in play. This is especially true when UNC is playing because they push the ball up so fast after a made basket.

I have written complaints to ESPN every year for the past 5 or so years, but to no avail.

Actually, the announcer that was absolutely the best at updating team foul info was Woody Durham. Did it virtually without fail when a foul was committed.
No offense to Bob Harris; I don't hear him enough nowadays to know if he keeps up on that; he used to do a pretty good job when I listened to his broadcasts.

[lmb]

Was anyone actually there in person last night? I was just curious to hear what started the whole initial dust-up that eventually carried over to Dawkins techinical.

[JNort]

Preach on, brother!

You've expressed many of my gripes....just to highlight one, I hate that most announcers DO NOT report the number of team fouls on a regular basis; it's important to know when a team will hit the 7 foul bonus and then the 10 foul double bonus, and when a team has a foul or two to give late in a half. More often than not, this is not communicated on games I watch.

Well in a slight defense of game announcers why would they need to do that? That would be like them saying the score after every couple of buckets. It says on the tv screen at all times whether or not you are in the Bonus or Bonus+ and in late game situation when it is close almost every announcer says if you have a foul or two to give.

[UrinalCake]

I don't need the announcers to tell me the foul count after every single foul. Having fouls to give only really matters at the end of each half, so it'd be nice to tell us then. Besides that, I'd like to know when we've got SIX fouls and when we've got NINE. The reason being, Coach K really stresses the importance of not letting the opponents get into the bonus, so I like to watch how our defense changes in those situations.

The only time they ever display a graphic with the total number of team fouls is when there's a big discrepancy in favor of Duke. When it's the other way (lots more fouls called on Duke than the opponent) they don't show anything and the announcers don't say a word.

[JNort]

I don't need the announcers to tell me the foul count after every single foul. Having fouls to give only really matters at the end of each half, so it'd be nice to tell us then. Besides that, I'd like to know when we've got SIX fouls and when we've got NINE. The reason being, Coach K really stresses the importance of not letting the opponents get into the bonus, so I like to watch how our defense changes in those situations.

The only time they ever display a graphic with the total number of team fouls is when there's a big discrepancy in favor of Duke. When it's the other way (lots more fouls called on Duke than the opponent) they don't show anything and the announcers don't say a word.

Ooooo ok I was not really thinking of that. Maybe they just think the average fan is not thinking about it. So kudos to you for getting deeper into the game (not sarcasm). But based on what you said I agree it would be nice to know when we are one away.

[BluDvlsN1]

oldnavy said!

"(Wouldn't be nice if there were a network that would televise basketball games without trying to improve on the product with a bunch of crappy production gimicks? I am SOOOO tired of ESPN's obsession with showing just about everything except the game. From fans, to coaches to players running down the court, they seem to look for things other than the action on the court. Tell me who would think that shrinking the game video in order to put a coach in cameo is a good idea? Does ANYONE want to see either Coach K, Seth, Roy, et. al., watch/coach the game??? I want to watch the game!! Not the coach, not the father of player X, not the kid that just made a layup run down the court.... show the freaking game!!

Also, why not use some of the space on the score line to post total team fouls, possession arrow, etc... along with the timeouts? We certainly cannot count on getting that info from the announcers. BUT, we can count on seeing and hearing about the next two weeks of ESPN programing. It is almost like this game is a commercial for the next game....

OK, Rant over.[/QUOTE])"

I think the above is right on the mark with just one tiny exception..The lovely Mrs. Curry...Not a bad distraction!!

About Basketball!!


We saw a lot of what we had hoped to see last night and it was great to watch...
The effort, from the tip to the end was what we are used to seeing and loving!!

What I particularly liked the was, that the guys were looking and creating for each other on offense !!

I thought the reactions throughout the game from the bench, showed a team "even more" genuinely excited for one another than before..and it was great before!

It would be unnecessary to go through X's and O's plays...but the effort on defense to move the feet and be in position,was the ingredient to take this team to a new level! Pure effort and hard work, and it showed!

The game awareness of critical possessions to focus and get a stop or create a better shot for ourselves evidenced a team playing as a unit..and it was all of the guys..

These guys who for the most part were "studs" in their pre Duke lives, played like a "team"with passion on both sides of the ball, there were so many examples of hard work and extra effort to be in position on defense,
It clearly came together..

I believe these guys want it bad enough, to make it a habit!!

CIS should "rock" Sunday!!

1st prize "A Cadillac ElDorado" in Duke Blue !!

[Kedsy]

I think the fact that the refs called the game very tightly played right into our hands. VT wanted the game to be extremely physical, but they would've all fouled out if they had continued to play that way. I think that the refs tight calling may have also ad something to do with why K went with a 9-man rotation.

I don't think it had anything to do with the officiating. Starting Josh almost mandated a 9-man rotation. K wasn't going to drop Seth or Ryan from the rotation, so Josh in means either 9-man rotation or no Quinn or no Miles. Quinn brings something nobody else does, and Miles is our only senior. It will be interesting to see if Josh stays in the rotation or not, considering K's historical aversion to playing such a long bench. If Josh stays in, I really hope Quinn and Miles also continue to get decent run.

[BlueDevilBaby]

I was at the gym watching the second half so thankfully did not hear Patrick and Elmore (and ESPN) butcher the entire game. Of course, I am happy the team held on, but was a bit nervous the last several minutes, expecting a St. Johns-like melt-down with the much too easy buckets VA Tech was getting. For me, the most interesting point of the game was maybe during the last offensive time out Duke took when VA Tech had scored a few buckets in a row to get within maybe 10 (don't remember as I was trying not to fly off the treadmill). I was expecting another Coach K tirade a la the St. John's game, but he took a very different, calmer approach. Would love to know what he said to the fellas. Whatever it was, it was the right thing. No wonder he is the best coach EVER.

[roywhite]

I don't think it had anything to do with the officiating. Starting Josh almost mandated a 9-man rotation. K wasn't going to drop Seth or Ryan from the rotation, so Josh in means either 9-man rotation or no Quinn or no Miles. Quinn brings something nobody else does, and Miles is our only senior. It will be interesting to see if Josh stays in the rotation or not, considering K's historical aversion to playing such a long bench. If Josh stays in, I really hope Quinn and Miles also continue to get decent run.

Seems notable to me that even with 9 guys playing, Austin got 35 minutes; no one else reached 30 minutes.

No guarantee that he continues to get those kind of minutes or play as well as he did against VaTech, but it's a good illustration of how valuable he is when he plays smart.
A real difference maker.

[Kedsy]

Seems notable to me that even with 9 guys playing, Austin got 35 minutes; no one else reached 30 minutes.

No guarantee that he continues to get those kind of minutes or play as well as he did against VaTech, but it's a good illustration of how valuable he is when he plays smart.
A real difference maker.

I agree. I was very pleased with the following quote from Austin (from the Herald Sun article linked on the main page (http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/17383456/article-Duke-slams-Hokies?)):



“Sometimes you look at things you are doing well and things you haven’t been doing well,” Rivers said. “I’ve been looking at it. I know how I can create. Everybody is going to try to come at me because I can score so well. These past couple of games I’ve been trying to distribute more.”

[UrinalCake]

I was at the gym watching the second half so thankfully did not hear Patrick and Elmore (and ESPN) butcher the entire game. Of course, I am happy the team held on, but was a bit nervous the last several minutes, expecting a St. Johns-like melt-down with the much too easy buckets VA Tech was getting. For me, the most interesting point of the game was maybe during the last offensive time out Duke took when VA Tech had scored a few buckets in a row to get within maybe 10 (don't remember as I was trying not to fly off the treadmill). I was expecting another Coach K tirade a la the St. John's game, but he took a very different, calmer approach. Would love to know what he said to the fellas. Whatever it was, it was the right thing. No wonder he is the best coach EVER.

I think the closest they ever got in that run was 16. They had scored six straight points and ESPN was showing replays from the St. John's game, no doubt hoping we'd let them come back again. Then we turned the ball over, and then came the amazing sequence that ended with Mason's block. That was such a huge play not only for the hustle that we showed but because if they had scored again the crowd would have gotten back in it and our guys might have started doubting themselves. Instead we were able to maintain our big lead.

[Lid]

Check the picture of Mason in the N&O story about the game (http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/02/1826300/live-updates-duke-on-the-road.html)
Love the picture, and I love this quote in it from Rivers even more:

“We have nine games left now in the season,” Rivers said. “You look at the seniors like Miles (Plumlee). A month from now, he’ll never play in Cameron again. That kind of bothers me because I want to play hard for him. We’re going to fight for each other, especially the older guys.”

Newton_14 mentioned the Hairston-Tyler break, which was also one of my favorite plays last night. Loved the energy the team showed picking Josh up afterwards, and how Josh ran out of hands for others to pull on. Nothing like watching your favorite team when they seem to be having fun playing the game.

[JNort]

Mason
Josh
Andre
Austin
Tyler


Was this a line up to provoke some energy for the rest of the team?
or
Was this K just tinkering with different line ups?

Do we keep this line up for next week?

Do you think that we can use this line up effectively against the better teams?



At halftime yesterday Doug G thinks that this line up can not stick against "the big boys" and that it was used to motivate Ryan Kelly. Also interesting to watch will be how Curry responds to starting every game to being the first guard off the bench if this sticks.

[JNort]

My .02 was I like Dawkins, Rivers, and Tyler starting and think that could stick. Josh Hairston starting I think is a good mix up to motivate Kelly and Miles but will not stick the rest of this year.

Tyler it seems to me anyways motivates Dawkins more than anyone else and that includes the coaches. It would be interesting to see if Tyler has been on the court when Dawkins has done most of his scoring.

Another point on the guard line up is that someone has stated before that Curry does not score as well with Tyler in at the same time. Maybe this helps some if Curry is first off the bench for Dawkins and Quinn for Tyler.

Josh was great last night and should continue to get some pt but I do not see him starting being very effective against FSU, UNC, Virginia or possibly Miami. I think ultimately this was good for Kelly and Miles.

[oldnavy]

I think the closest they ever got in that run was 16. They had scored six straight points and ESPN was showing replays from the St. John's game, no doubt hoping we'd let them come back again. Then we turned the ball over, and then came the amazing sequence that ended with Mason's block. That was such a huge play not only for the hustle that we showed but because if they had scored again the crowd would have gotten back in it and our guys might have started doubting themselves. Instead we were able to maintain our big lead.

That is exactly why I think that may have been the play of the YEAR for this team. It was a statement play, and not a play that we have really seen all year IMO. Maybe the guys are finally buying into the 40 minute game, play every play mentality.

How many times do you think the players are going to see that replay in the film room??? I guess more than twice!!

[Papa John]

Also Gotlieb when questioned repeated with a sense of joy that he feels Fl. State is the second best team in the ACC. That's fine but he seems to enjoy putting down Duke even when it's by not mentioning them.

I found that to be laughable... FSU took UNC behind the woodshed. Until UNC returns the favor (or unless FSU loses a game that they shouldn't, which I don't see happening right now), calling Carolina the best in the league is ridiculous.

Also, Gottlieb looked like one of the filler mobsters from Goodfellas last night, like Johnny Two Times... You know, a character you glimpse for only a moment early on in the movie, then once again in the end, only this time hanging on a meat hook on a freezer or something. Gottlieb is alarmingly unintelligent, by the way...

[Wander]

It will be interesting to see if Josh stays in the rotation or not, considering K's historical aversion to playing such a long bench.

I think playing a long bench may be the midseason shake-up we've been looking for, rather than just increased minutes for an individual player.

The more I think about it, the more I think playing quickly and with lots of guys could be perfect for this roster makeup. It takes advantage of our strengths (balanced scoring, depth, athletic big men, shooters), while hiding our weaknesses (halfcourt defense, lack of height at small forward, guards who are better at getting steals than locking opponents down). In theory. And I say that as someone who almost always prefers a short rotation.

[weezie]

Forgot to mention - thought it was Elmore/Patrick's worst performance ever - and that's saying a lot.

But still, arnie, one can safely assume (without making an ___ of you and me) that the worst is always yet to come with those two boobs.

[Lar77]

I found that to be laughable... FSU took UNC behind the woodshed. Until UNC returns the favor (or unless FSU loses a game that they shouldn't, which I don't see happening right now), calling Carolina the best in the league is ridiculous.

Also, Gottlieb looked like one of the filler mobsters from Goodfellas last night, like Johnny Two Times... You know, a character you glimpse for only a moment early on in the movie, then once again in the end, only this time hanging on a meat hook on a freezer or something. Gottlieb is alarmingly unintelligent, by the way...

Hey, FSU is the second best, second best. I know he probably assumed we would know who he thinks is the best, but he never really said it

[Kedsy]

I think playing a long bench may be the midseason shake-up we've been looking for, rather than just increased minutes for an individual player.

The more I think about it, the more I think playing quickly and with lots of guys could be perfect for this roster makeup. It takes advantage of our strengths (balanced scoring, depth, athletic big men, shooters), while hiding our weaknesses (halfcourt defense, lack of height at small forward, guards who are better at getting steals than locking opponents down). In theory. And I say that as someone who almost always prefers a short rotation.

I agree and hope you're right. It would be a major philosophical shift for K, but he's been known to adopt major shifts before.

[Starter]

I don't think I can respond to that with anything that isn't snide so let's just agree we're both glad Coach K decides the line ups.

I think you're being a little bit hard on one of the only guys in the thread who went out of his way to praise Thornton for some stuff he did last night. And for his awesome sneakers! (I kid, I kid)

I'm glad to see the general tone has changed from the last game, both from the team and the fan base. This is a very good team, still getting better, just not nearly as polished as the teams we've had in recent years. In a lot of ways, that's made this group more intriguing for me.

[luvdahops]

I agree and hope you're right. It would be a major philosophical shift for K, but he's been known to adopt major shifts before.

May also be born of necessity, in that this team doesn't seem to be getting any closer to developing a clear personality and approach. So instead, K may purposefully run a bit deeper than usual and adjust the rotation game by game based on which combinations seem to match up best with a given opponent. Definitely a departure, but a logical one IMHO.

[SouthPointDFan]

Good win...great team effort especially defensively...would have love to see Silent G get some PT, however, he is always very supportive of his teammates despite his lack of PT.

Did Silent G make the trip to VT?

[gumbomoop]

Did Silent G make the trip to VT?

Yes, saw a couple of shots of him on bench, applauding his teammates for good plays.

[ACCBBallFan]

Here are the 5 man rotations in order of minutes played with multiple occurences marked with *2 or *3:

Duke VA Tech +/- Min


12 15 (3) 8.0 Seth-Austin-Mason-Ryan-Tyler *2

09 08 01 5.2 Austin-Mason-Dre-Tyler-Josh *2 (started each half but never played again as a unit)

10 05 05 5.0 Seth-Austin-Mason-Ryan-Quinn

07 06 01 4.3 Seth-Austin-Ryan-Tyler-Miles *2

11 04 07 4.0 Austin-Mason-Ryan-Dre-Tyler *3

09 05 04 3.3 Austin-Mason-Ryan-Dre-Quinn * 2

04 00 04 1.8 Seth-Mason-Ryan-Dre-Tyler

00 06 (6) 1.7 Seth-Austin-Tyler-Miles-Josh

02 00 02 1.6 Austin-Mason-Dre-Quinn-Josh

00 02 (2) 1.2 Seth-Mason-Dre-Quinn-Josh

04 02 02 1.2 Seth-Austin-Mason-Tyler-Josh

02 00 02 1.0 Austin-Ryan-Dre-Tyler-Josh

00 02 (2) 0.8 Seth-Austin-Ryan-Tyler-Josh

02 02 00 0.5 Seth-Tyler-Miles-Quinn-Josh

03 03 00 0.3 Austin-Ryan-Dre-Tyler-Miles

00 00 00 0.2 Seth-Ryan-Dre-Miles-Quinn

75 60 15 40.0 Game totals

Ones with +/- decided by more than just one three pointer or less are bolded.

In almost all games lately, the same lineup has started each half but once they are subbed out do not appear again as a unit until the start of second half and once subbed out not as a unit until next game.not necessarily as starters, nor necessarily even at all in next game.

[forbiddendonut]

I and others inquired in this thread about why ESPN doesn't light the BONUS symbol after 6 fouls (and BONUS+ after 9). Just finished watching Ohio St and Wisconsin and now they do. Once the result of the 6th or 9th foul is completed (FTs are shot for example) they light the appropriate icon. Well done, ESPN.