This schedule is killing me

[rthomas]

OK, I understand it's exam week at Duke. But waiting a week until Temple and then another break of 11 days? Cornell and Elon back to back days (on ESPNU no less, for me like watching on a black and white tv in the 70's). Then Santa Clara 9 days later?

Who puts this schedule together? They should be fired.

It's not like the old days when the first meaning full game was maybe in December, somebody like Michigan, but still. Whoever is scheduling, the AD or Coach K or whoever, needs to throw us a bone.

[jimsumner]

OK, I understand it's exam week at Duke. But waiting a week until Temple and then another break of 11 days? Cornell and Elon back to back days (on ESPNU no less, for me like watching on a black and white tv in the 70's). Then Santa Clara 9 days later?

Who puts this schedule together? They should be fired.

It's not like the old days when the first meaning full game was maybe in December, somebody like Michigan, but still. Whoever is scheduling, the AD or Coach K or whoever, needs to throw us a bone.

Between tonight and 12-18, NC State plays two games, Cleveland State and Norfolk State.

North Carolina goes a week between UAB and ETSU, another week before ECU.

Miami has a 13-day lay-off, Georgia Tech a nine-day layoff.

I could go on. Semesters end, papers are due, exams are taken. It's not unreasonable to give college students time to take care of these realities and maybe find a few days somewhere between all of this and entertaining us, to go home for a few days.

[Duvall]

OK, I understand it's exam week at Duke. But waiting a week until Temple and then another break of 11 days? Cornell and Elon back to back days (on ESPNU no less, for me like watching on a black and white tv in the 70's). Then Santa Clara 9 days later?

Who puts this schedule together? They should be fired.

This guy (http://www.goduke.com//mediaPortal/player.dbml?POPOUT=1&db_oem_id=4200&id=1128714&catid=901&start=1.803) offers an explanation starting around the 1:15 mark. Good enough for me.

[Class of '94]

Between tonight and 12-18, NC State plays two games, Cleveland State and Norfolk State.

North Carolina goes a week between UAB and ETSU, another week before ECU.

Miami has a 13-day lay-off, Georgia Tech a nine-day layoff.

I could go on. Semesters end, papers are due, exams are taken. It's not unreasonable to give college students time to take care of these realities and maybe find a few days somewhere between all of this and entertaining us, to go home for a few days.

And coming off such an intense month of playing top-quality games in November, the time off allows the team to recharge and prepare for conference games. Once the conference slate starts, I don't believe they have any time-off (in terms of a week or more between games); and this amount of time between games will good for Seth and Marshall, and hopefully allow both a greater chance to heal and get healthier.

[Newton_14]

This guy (http://www.goduke.com//mediaPortal/player.dbml?POPOUT=1&db_oem_id=4200&id=1128714&catid=901&start=1.803) offers an explanation starting around the 1:15 mark. Good enough for me.

And again here. (http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&db_oem_id=4200)

He said he would never again have a mid-week game this week of the year (week prior to exams) as the staff feels both academics and athletic performance suffers.

We will have to get used to the two long breaks before and after Christmas exams.

[Lauderdevil]

Two things:

(a) these guys are students -- exams do matter, even to them.
(b) much-needed time for Seth and Marshall to get healthy

A little clear-your-head break after a very intense start to the season is probably perfect for the longer term. We're just going to have to find something else to focus on for the next couple weeks. (Maybe the fiscal cliff negotiations?)

I give the schedule-makers an A.

[TruBlu]

OK, I understand it's exam week at Duke. But waiting a week until Temple and then another break of 11 days? Cornell and Elon back to back days (on ESPNU no less, for me like watching on a black and white tv in the 70's). Then Santa Clara 9 days later?

Who puts this schedule together? They should be fired.

It's not like the old days when the first meaning full game was maybe in December, somebody like Michigan, but still. Whoever is scheduling, the AD or Coach K or whoever, needs to throw us a bone.

But in the new days, we have ESPN3, and can re-watch the following games of the Blue Devils vs: Ga State, Kentucky, Ohio State, Delaware.

For comic relief, you could also re-watch UNC vs: Butler, Indiana

Or you could do like I do and get reacquainted with my wife. (But I would expect you to chip in and pay some of my household expenses.)

[jimsumner]

RE Seth and Marshall.

Yes, the modest schedule for the next few weeks should prove beneficial. But I'm pretty sure that didn't factor into the schedule. Unless Nostradamus is on the staff. :)

[CameronBornAndBred]

Who puts this schedule together? They should be fired.

Probably the same dude who scheduled us to play the insane gauntlet we just made it through. I love that guy!

[Lunchab1es]

At the end of the day they are still kids in college. They have to take care of exams, presentations, paper, etc. I'm sure they wouldn't mind seeing their families at some point over the holidays as well, especially since they didn't exactly have a bunch of down time over Thanksgiving :p

From a pure fan perspective, I'm thankful for a bit of a break as well - too many high stress games! I could use a few cupcake match ups for my heart!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I understand the rationale behind it, but it is a bit odd. I always make fun of college football... BCS teams load up on pansies early in the season, build momentum through the conference play and into the conference championships and then.... take a month off before one more game. It's just a silly waste of time. It's almost like two separate seasons.

Now, I'm recognizing that basketball does something almost as silly. You have these great early season matchups in tournaments and conference challenges, then everyone retires to their corners for about a month before starting conference play. Ugh. All you are left with is late season NFL where good teams are resting their starters, and early season NBA where everyone's running at 60% speed.

Go Duke!

[jimsumner]

Some people, including Jay Bilas, IIRC, have argued that college basketball should be a one-semester sport. Start playing with the spring semester and go all the way into May. May Madness.

Solves a lot of problems. Doesn't solve the one where ESPN has holes in their schedule.

[rthomas]

Some people, including Jay Bilas, IIRC, have argued that college basketball should be a one-semester sport. Start playing with the spring semester and go all the way into May. May Madness.

Solves a lot of problems. Doesn't solve the one where ESPN has holes in their schedule.

Some people have also argued that freshmen shouldn't play so they can focus on academics and getting adjusted to college life.

[wilson]

Semesters end, papers are due, exams are taken. It's not unreasonable to give college students time to take care of these realities and maybe find a few days somewhere between all of this and entertaining us, to go home for a few days.Agreed. We can't well decry the death of the "student" half of "student-athlete" while simultaneously hungrily crying for more end-of-semester games. If anything, I think it speaks well of our program that our basketball players will be stressing at Perkins and in their rooms and wherever else along with every other Dukie who has to endure finals.

[drcharl]

Some people have also argued that freshmen shouldn't play so they can focus on academics and getting adjusted to college life.

Reminds me of when I was at Duke and there was separate freshman basketball team with a more limited and local schedule.

[Dev11]

...our basketball players will be stressing at Perkins and in their rooms and wherever else along with every other Dukie who has to endure finals.

I believe you're talking about Shooters.

I've always thought that being in a winter sport was a pretty raw deal as far as being a student, since you're pretty much in season for the entire school year, save about a month at the beginning and end of the year. In spring and fall sports, you have to give up big chunks of summer, but at least during the summer the pace of school isn't so intense. It does seem like only having your sport for a semester per year would be beneficial academically and physically, but unfortunately we're past the time of the ideal 'student-athlete' (in my opinion).

Let the kids rest. They aren't professionals and we shouldn't expect them to be so.

[loran16]

OK, I understand it's exam week at Duke. But waiting a week until Temple and then another break of 11 days? Cornell and Elon back to back days (on ESPNU no less, for me like watching on a black and white tv in the 70's). Then Santa Clara 9 days later?

Who puts this schedule together? They should be fired.

It's not like the old days when the first meaning full game was maybe in December, somebody like Michigan, but still. Whoever is scheduling, the AD or Coach K or whoever, needs to throw us a bone.

I like the days off in December honestly, though Jim can you explain why we have back to back games on the schedule? Very very odd.

[johnb]

I like the days off in December honestly, though Jim can you explain why we have back to back games on the schedule? Very very odd.

Unlike Jim--who is forced to rely on actual knowledge and hard-earned facts--I have a more romantic, internally-originated explanation for this as well as a variety of other issues related to Duke basketball and life itself.

In regards to your question, I'd guess that several games in a row is a bit like playing in domes: early practice for later tournaments. Not to mention the reports of a 2 million dollar fee for playing in a tournament named after a large, expensive resort.

[rthomas]

Let the kids rest.

Bah Humbug. They are kids.

[Greg_Newton]

Unlike Jim--who is forced to rely on actual knowledge and hard-earned facts--I have a more romantic, internally-originated explanation for this as well as a variety of other issues related to Duke basketball and life itself.

In regards to your question, I'd guess that several games in a row is a bit like playing in domes: early practice for later tournaments. Not to mention the reports of a 2 million dollar fee for playing in a tournament named after a large, expensive resort.

I'm also perplexed by the back-to-back Cornell/Elon games. Practice for the ACC tournament or something? Seems like, if anything, they'd space them out another day to mimic the NCAA schedule.

[basket1544]

I'm just glad the ACC doesn't follow the Ivy league schedule. All their conference games are back-to-backs on weekends.

[Newton_14]

I'm also perplexed by the back-to-back Cornell/Elon games. Practice for the ACC tournament or something? Seems like, if anything, they'd space them out another day to mimic the NCAA schedule.

I know time flies so maybe this happened further back than I think, but not so long ago we had games on back to back nights in the early season. Might even had been in a November as well. I think it was on a Monday and Tuesday night. One of the games was one of those early season tournaments where game 1 was played at the schools instead of the tourney site.

Going back further, like back to the 80's we sometimes had back to back games on a weekend. One of those years we played Iowa I believe, on a Saturday, and won a close, hard fought game, and then played a conference game on Sunday and lost. I wondered at the time why we did not play the conference game on Saturday and then Iowa on the Sunday so the guys would have been fresh for the conference game

Doesn't happen often, but back to back games on consecutive nights where it is not a tournament is not a new thing for a K led Duke team.

[throatybeard]

One of those years we played Iowa I believe, on a Saturday, and won a close, hard fought game, and then played a conference game on Sunday and lost. I wondered at the time why we did not play the conference game on Saturday and then Iowa on the Sunday so the guys would have been fresh for the conference game

Virginia. I want to say it was Hurley/THill's senior year. I also want to say it ended a very long home win streak. 36 perhaps. I also want to say Billy Packer said something asinine about the late Chris Street during the Iowa game.

[77devil]

OK, I understand it's exam week at Duke. But waiting a week until Temple and then another break of 11 days? Cornell and Elon back to back days (on ESPNU no less, for me like watching on a black and white tv in the 70's). Then Santa Clara 9 days later?

Who puts this schedule together? They should be fired.

It's not like the old days when the first meaning full game was maybe in December, somebody like Michigan, but still. Whoever is scheduling, the AD or Coach K or whoever, needs to throw us a bone.

I'm not sure if you're serious, but believe it or not the schedule is not about us.

[rthomas]

I'm not sure if you're serious, but believe it or not the schedule is not about us.

Half serious. I'm an academic so I am full serious about academics. But I'm a basketball fan and full serious about basketball. So that makes me half serious.

But I am jonseing to see our team play again. That's the real point I was trying to make.

[gumbomoop]

Half serious. I'm an academic so I am full serious about academics. But I'm a basketball fan and full serious about basketball. So that makes me half serious.

Wait, this should make you fully serious, and actually doubly serious.

Moreover, as an academic, you're likely certifiably wacky, seriously so. And as a Duke bball fanatic, totally wacky, way seriously so.

So no way you're half serious. You're dangerously serious.

I'm serious.

[rthomas]

Wait, this should make you fully serious, and actually doubly serious.

Moreover, as an academic, you're likely certifiably wacky, seriously so. And as a Duke bball fanatic, totally wacky, way seriously so.

So no way you're half serious. You're dangerously serious.

I'm serious.

What does that make my turnover ratio?

[pfrduke]

I know time flies so maybe this happened further back than I think, but not so long ago we had games on back to back nights in the early season. Might even had been in a November as well. I think it was on a Monday and Tuesday night. One of the games was one of those early season tournaments where game 1 was played at the schools instead of the tourney site.

This was last year. Belmont to open the season on 11/11 (the "mainland" round of the Maui) followed by Presbyterian on 11/12.

[Eternal Outlaw]

Some people, including Jay Bilas, IIRC, have argued that college basketball should be a one-semester sport. Start playing with the spring semester and go all the way into May. May Madness.

Solves a lot of problems. Doesn't solve the one where ESPN has holes in their schedule.

Sounds like a horrible idea to me. So now you can schedule around winter finals and be done with basketball before spring finals. In that scenario winter finals would obviously be safe but it sounds like teams would be doing the Conference/NCAA tournament and spring finals at the same time. Either one can put a ton of stress/pressure on a kid, I can't imagine kids dealing with both at the same time.

[gumbomoop]

What does that make my turnover ratio?

Using a combo of KenPom's Pythagorean system and Nate Silver's Bayesian approach, I calculate it as 1:1, since it seems to be a ratio of a thing to itself.

But I'll guess your A/TO to be 6:1, superb in any league or board.

[Newton_14]

This was last year. Belmont to open the season on 11/11 (the "mainland" round of the Maui) followed by Presbyterian on 11/12.

Dang, good catch Paul, and that was not even the b2b I was thinking of. There are others, and I only checked back to the 06-07 Season. So, not an oddity at all, really.

2006-07
11/12- Columbia
11/13-Georgia Southern

2008-09
11/10- Presbyterian
11/11- Georgia Southern

2009-10
11/16- Coastal Carolina
11/17- Charlotte

[pfrduke]

Dang, good catch Paul, and that was not even the b2b I was thinking of. There are others, and I only checked back to the 06-07 Season. So, not an oddity at all, really.

2006-07
11/12- Columbia
11/13-Georgia Southern

2008-09
11/10- Presbyterian
11/11- Georgia Southern

2009-10
11/16- Coastal Carolina
11/17- Charlotte

Those, though, are all pre-season tournaments, which often schedule back-to-back, even at campus locations. 06/07 was the CBE Classic (we lost to Marquette in the finals - our last pre-season tournament loss), 08/09 was the 2k Sports Classic (we beat SIU and Michigan in NY), and 09/10 was the PNIT (we beat ASU - despite being alarmingly unathletic - and UCONN in NY). The unique thing about last year (and now this year) is that the games did not happen back to back because of a tournament.

[throatybeard]

Virginia. I want to say it was Hurley/THill's senior year. I also want to say it ended a very long home win streak. 36 perhaps. I also want to say Billy Packer said something asinine about the late Chris Street during the Iowa game.

I just checked wiki. It asserts that Street's last game was the Duke game, and it was after that that he crashed into the snow plow.

[Newton_14]

I just checked wiki. It asserts that Street's last game was the Duke game, and it was after that that he crashed into the snow plow.

Wow. Great memory Throaty. I had forgotten all about Street and the tragic accident. Didn't realize that game was his last either. Thanks for sharing that.

[gep]

Half serious. I'm an academic so I am full serious about academics. But I'm a basketball fan and full serious about basketball. So that makes me half serious.

But I am jonseing to see our team play again. That's the real point I was trying to make.

WE ALL ARE. I'm not singling you out... but you're the most recent on this. If they play continuously (not consecutive days, but 2-3 times a week), and keep a 40-game schedule, they'll be done by February. Or, they play much more games... then will it approach the NBA, where early games, other games, doesn't matter, and the team cruises, or, even worse, leave players home? Or, maybe Jay B's suggestion works :confused:

[throatybeard]

Wow. Great memory Throaty. I had forgotten all about Street and the tragic accident. Didn't realize that game was his last either. Thanks for sharing that.

Almost great. I had conflated Packer's "nail in the coffin" comments with the actual Iowa-Duke game, so I thought Street had died before the Duke game. Packer made that mouth-off a little later, presumably.

At any rate, I do think that's about the last time we had a scheduled, RS, non-tournament B2B set of games on a single weekend. I was in 11th grade, but I have a general recollection of the announcers talking [during the Virginia game] about how silly it was of us to attempt such a feat on a single weekend. Despite the fact the the pre-season tournaments and ACCT ask us to do the same, or more, and not at home.

I'm waiting for a Sumner or equivalent authority (wait, I think there are none, now that Brill is gone) to confirm that the UVA loss ended a historic Duke homecourt win streak.

The main thing I remember about the Sunday game is Hurley looked GASSED. So maybe we were tired.

All of this is subject to subjective peception.

[magjayran]

I know time flies so maybe this happened further back than I think, but not so long ago we had games on back to back nights in the early season. Might even had been in a November as well. I think it was on a Monday and Tuesday night. One of the games was one of those early season tournaments where game 1 was played at the schools instead of the tourney site.

Going back further, like back to the 80's we sometimes had back to back games on a weekend. One of those years we played Iowa I believe, on a Saturday, and won a close, hard fought game, and then played a conference game on Sunday and lost. I wondered at the time why we did not play the conference game on Saturday and then Iowa on the Sunday so the guys would have been fresh for the conference game

Doesn't happen often, but back to back games on consecutive nights where it is not a tournament is not a new thing for a K led Duke team.

I believe it was the early 90's and I believe Tony Lang had one of the great Duke dunks of all time against Iowa. Anyone else remember this? I wonder if there's youtube of it?

[Johnboy]

Duke beat NC State on February 15, 1986, 72-70 in Reynolds, then the next day took on David Rivers and Notre Dame in Cameron. Amaker fouls out late, but Johnny Dawkins blocks a Rivers shot as time expires to preserve a 75-74 win. Great weekend!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Sounds like a horrible idea to me. So now you can schedule around winter finals and be done with basketball before spring finals. In that scenario winter finals would obviously be safe but it sounds like teams would be doing the Conference/NCAA tournament and spring finals at the same time. Either one can put a ton of stress/pressure on a kid, I can't imagine kids dealing with both at the same time.
Besides, the month of May is reserved for us freaking out over who is staying and who is declaring for the draft. The pressure/stress of dealing with that plus a tournament would be unhealthy for us fans.

[Turtleboy]

Sail with the pilot, all the way ...

[BD80]

RE Seth and Marshall.

Yes, the modest schedule for the next few weeks should prove beneficial. But I'm pretty sure that didn't factor into the schedule. Unless Nostradamus is on the staff. :)

"Krzyzewski" is Polish for "Nostradamus." "Wojciechowski" is Polish for "great ability to coach big men."


Some people have also argued that freshmen shouldn't play so they can focus on academics and getting adjusted to college life.

calipari is NOT one of them


Reminds me of when I was at Duke and there was separate freshman basketball team with a more limited and local schedule.

The freshman team pictures are painted on the walls of caves in France. I know, I watched them being done.

[dukee94]

. . . confirm that the UVA loss ended a historic Duke homecourt win streak..

The Virgina loss was 17 January, 1993. We had not lost in Cameron since 4 March, 1990. The UVA game was the second semester of my junior year and was the first home loss we had suffered the entire time I had been in school. I am not sure how that streak compares to any other streaks.

[Greg_Newton]

Those, though, are all pre-season tournaments, which often schedule back-to-back, even at campus locations. 06/07 was the CBE Classic (we lost to Marquette in the finals - our last pre-season tournament loss), 08/09 was the 2k Sports Classic (we beat SIU and Michigan in NY), and 09/10 was the PNIT (we beat ASU - despite being alarmingly unathletic - and UCONN in NY). The unique thing about last year (and now this year) is that the games did not happen back to back because of a tournament.

Good call - it is sort of interesting that we've now done this in two consecutive years, at our (i.e. K's) discretion. I wonder if it says something about the importance of the ACC tournament to K, or maybe how he thinks it's a critical time to have his team confident and winning, etc. I can't really think of any other reason to schedule games without a day in between (outside of tipoff tournaments).

[kmspeaks]

Sounds like a horrible idea to me. So now you can schedule around winter finals and be done with basketball before spring finals. In that scenario winter finals would obviously be safe but it sounds like teams would be doing the Conference/NCAA tournament and spring finals at the same time. Either one can put a ton of stress/pressure on a kid, I can't imagine kids dealing with both at the same time.

Which is currently the case for many division 2 and 3 spring sport athletes. It was always fun going to a professor and telling him/her I had to take a final early because we were leaving for Conference Tournament. On more than one occasion we had to have the administration step in to get a professor to agree. At least at that level you're typically only looking at a few hours on a bus and showing up 3-4 hours before your first game. I definitely wouldn't want to deal with that when you factor in the added travel and time for an ACC or NCAA Tournament.