MOTM: Duke vs. Virginia Tech (Feb 25, 2012)

[JBDuke]

Who was Man of the Match in Duke's 70-65 overtime win over Virginia Tech?

[sagegrouse]

I hereby award him my Man of the Match vote -- and a Purple Heart for his head's bouncing on the floor after the screen.

He even got six points.

sage

[Wander]

Definitely Thornton, we don't get a shot at overtime if he doesn't lock down Green. By far our best defender this game. Notice who was guarding Green when he finally got some baskets in the 2nd half... not Thornton usually (always?). Plus drawing the 4th foul on Hudson and making him sit on the bench for a while. The couple threes are a nice bonus too.

[SupaDave]

Miles - 15 rebounds is huge. He's in the zone.

[CLW]

Miles with the boards and the 2 free throws to FINALLY put the game away in OT.

[Son of Mojo]

Tyler's nickname should be Sand because he's an irritant to whomever he's defending. MOTM for his defense and for getting the ball to guys in the right spots.

[Papa John]

In my opinion, could have been any of the four guys voted for thus far, who all made huge contributions in a game expected to be difficult, given the short turnaround from the physical battle against FSU... I voted Austin, who provided the most offensive punch in a game where we seemed to be completely out of sync offensively... Miles' rebounding and Tyler's D were also huge, as were Seth's consistent contributions on both ends...

[Saratoga2]

Like others, I could have voted for any one of 4 guys out there as it was a great team effort. I just thought Seth's overall play on offensive and defense was really special and he deserved to get the honor. Tyler had a great game and Miles rebounded well and actually got a critical bucket late in the game. Austin could be MOM every game it seems and he really caused VT's defense to struggle with his moves to the basket.

[MCFinARL]

I went with Tyler because, when there are several players who contribute a lot, I like to vote for the one who contributed more than we usually expect from him. For me, today, that was Tyler, with Miles a close second. Not overlooking the solid play by Austin and Seth, of course, just thought it was more in line with their "typical" contributions.

[devildeac]

After Thursday's game, I wanted to divide my vote 3 ways. Today, I want to divide it 4 ways. 1/4 for Miles and 15 boards, 1/4 for TT for his D, 1/4 for Seth and his offensive play and 1/4 for AR for a very hansboro-esque showing by shooting more FT by himself than the entire other team;):rolleyes:. Went with Austin for his points and willingness to take it to the rim and draw those FT. (Now about that ~65% shooting FT, big guy...)

[OldPhiKap]

The vote should go to the trainers who patched us up after getting back from Tallahassee and getting us ready for this one.


Voted for Austin, but Tyler and Seth were both equal really.

As several have noted, Tyler had GREAT defense for most of the game and at clutch spots.

Good win, move on.

Go Wahoos!!!!

[mgtr]

Have to agree with the "any of four" approach, but I chose Austin because he was consistently good throughout the game. Now, if we could just get a little more offense from the Plumlees, we would be in good shape.

[BluDvlsN1]

I voted for Seth bc of the steady stream of offense throughout the game mostly going to the goal off the dribble and off of cuts while the 3 ball shot was being defensed particularly well. Seth was a steady influence in the game at important junctures and he played a solid all around game on both sides of the ball.

This continues to set the stage for our team balance the remainder of the season. Going forward the opposition cannot soley focus on Austin's threat to drive. Our offensive balance is much stronger now, we have multiple offensive weapons and not only from the perimeter.

It makes our team very difficult to develop a game plan for. And VT did better than most.

Now here is what is really fun, every single vote up there is a solid/correct vote for various reasons.
No wrong answers, it's who we are. Balanced.

[buddy]

I agree that any of the four are deserving.

Is it just me, or was our offense (such as it was) MUCH better with Tyler on the floor than with Quinn?

[Greg_Newton]

I agree that any of the four are deserving.

Is it just me, or was our offense (such as it was) MUCH better with Tyler on the floor than with Quinn?

Tyler probably made the two best post feeds of the season today... both left Mason with a wide open layup/dunk. Of course, Mason had his dunk swatted from behind the first time and was fouled on the second, but they were great looks. One of them was at a crucial time, too.

Also can't overstate how well he played Green. Can't even count all of the possessions, but his defense on the final play of regulation was absolutely textbook.

I think Mason was also big-time down the stretch for us. His rebound/put-back when we were down three with under a minute left was huge, as were a few defensive rebounds, deflections, etc. Proud of him to come back like that after an awful game when Kelly fouled out.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Austin. He's becoming the player he thought he already was last summer! :cool: He's going to lead us to the promised land this year! http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifhttp://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifhttp://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

[jv001]

I voted for Miles for his 5 pts,15 rebounds, the hook shot and for swishing the two foul shots at the end. Our senior captain stepped up. I love the way he's playing. GoDuke!