MBB: Duke 90, Temple 67 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[uh_no]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

we really ratcheted up the rebounding in the second half.

we also shot 60% from 3, which we shouldn't expect, as most of our 3pt shooting performances have been somewhat lackluster....but we didn't need it....

either way, it means seth is doin well.


very happy to see marshall nearly back...he'll be huge to relieve the pressure


very good game all around. business as usual for this team

[CLW]

Nice solid team effort but a few lapses in intensity for a few spells allowed Temple to take nearly 20 point leads and bring them down to the low teens. Rebounding also continues to concern me but the way we are playing O and D right now it's really nitpicking this team is the best team in the country right now.

[duke74]

Well let me be the first to say what a great present the guys gave us on the first night of Hanukkah...and against TEMPLE! (Sorry, couldn't resist)

[mo.st.dukie]

we really ratcheted up the rebounding in the second half.

we also shot 60% from 3, which we shouldn't expect, as most of our 3pt shooting performances have been somewhat lackluster....but we didn't need it....



We also missed a ton of layups and shots around the basket that should've been finished. Mason had a bunch of those. The three point shooting won't always be there but hopefully in the future we'll do a better job finishing the easy ones. The two that stick out in my mind the most is Alex's missed layup and Ryan's missed layup after the Mason behind-the-back pass and there were a bunch more than that.

This wasn't Duke's best game but still won comfortably and the game was played with a double-digit margin basically the whole way. The game got "tight" when Temple cut it to 12.

[uh_no]

We also missed a ton of layups and shots around the basket that should've been finished. Mason had a bunch of those. The three point shooting won't always be there but hopefully in the future we'll do a better job finishing the easy ones. The two that stick out in my mind the most is Alex's missed layup and Ryan's missed layup after the Mason behind-the-back pass and there were a bunch more than that.

This wasn't Duke's best game but still won comfortably and the game was played with a double-digit margin basically the whole way. The game got "tight" when Temple cut it to 12.

Yep. no doubt some missed cheapies, we gotta remember these kids have finals on their mind now though....so i can't fault them for not being super sharp.

it's telling that even if we had a much more mediocre 3pt shooting night, we still would have been comfortable....when in past yeas it might have spelled disaster.

[mgtr]

I agree that this was not Mason's best game, and we need to a better job on rebounding. But I saw a lot of positives -- Seth, of course; Kelly being more active inside; Cook; and Jefferson and Murphy getting some more burn. Murphy certainly wasn't perfect, but he is definitely gaining in confidence. This added playing time should repay us in the Spring.

[devildeac]

Really good game by Ryan with his double-double. Sulaimon with 7 A and 0 TO.

[uh_no]

I agree that this was not Mason's best game, and we need to a better job on rebounding. But I saw a lot of positives -- Seth, of course; Kelly being more active inside; Cook; and Jefferson and Murphy getting some more burn. Murphy certainly wasn't perfect, but he is definitely gaining in confidence. This added playing time should repay us in the Spring.

we were much better on the boards in the second half than the first. and mason with his 15 or whatever he had was certainly not part of the problem there.

[roywhite]

This is quite a Duke team. I watched them play Minnesota (just for one example) and was very impressed with Minnesota...Duke wins by 18. I watched the game today, and was impressed with Temple in many respects....Duke wins by 23.

Number 1 thing IMO is the improvement on defense. Last year Temple was able to get into the lane and get open shots; this year Temple had a much harder time getting open shots; they actually found 3-pt shots to be their best opportunity....this a case where Duke's defense took them out of their normal game.

Cook and Sulaimon on the perimter are really good defenders....BIG improvement in our perimeter defense over last year, and in overall team defense.

[chrishoke]

Sulaimon with 7 A and 0 TO.

WOW! I love this kid.

[roywhite]

According to the ESPN Boxscore (http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=323430150) (not always accurate), no Temple starter had more than 7 points. No Duke starter had fewer than 8 points. Duke had 19 assists vs only 6 turnovers.

Khalif Wyatt, a very talented senior, who played well against us last year and averaged over 17 pts/game last year, ended up 3-15 from the field. Some of that is cold shooting, but quite a bit is due to very good Duke defense.

[NYBri]

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite Duke teams. They can score from all five positions. Something they haven't had in a long time. AND they really know each other well.

Great game by Curry. Mason is a rock. Sulaimon reminds me of Nolan. You can even tell Murphy is going to be really good.

Great time to be a Blue Devil Fan.

[cptnflash]

This game illustrated Pomeroy's recent commentary perfectly. We got beaten on the boards (again), but did everything else (effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, and free throw rate) so much better than the other team that it didn't matter.

[uh_no]

This game illustrated Pomeroy's recent commentary perfectly. We got beaten on the boards (again), but did everything else (effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, and free throw rate) so much better than the other team that it didn't matter.

not really, imo

On our shots, we got 26 of them and they got 14
on their shots, they got 21 of them and we got 10

it's effectively a wash

[hudlow]

I like the way these guys are likin' each other. They seem to be having fun.

Nobody in the country is playing better defense and the O is not far behind.

[uh_no]

I like the way these guys are likin' each other. They seem to be having fun.

Nobody in the country is playing better defense and the O is not far behind.

Ehhhh, I think that is a bit of a stretch....our numbers will likely improve tomorrow, but we have the second best offense and 12th best defense, per kenpom.

Now that is likely skewed a bit to the conservative side due to our tough schedule, so i would imagine as those other top schools start to get into the meat of their schedules in conference play, their efficiencies will drop

in the end I think we have a top offense and a top 10 defense, but there are definitely better defenses out there.

[hudlow]

Ehhhh, I think that is a bit of a stretch....our numbers will likely improve tomorrow, but we have the second best offense and 12th best defense, per kenpom.

Now that is likely skewed a bit to the conservative side due to our tough schedule, so i would imagine as those other top schools start to get into the meat of their schedules in conference play, their efficiencies will drop

in the end I think we have a top offense and a top 10 defense, but there are definitely better defenses out there.

If you look at all the numbers I'd have to agree with you. It doesn't add up. But no one has played and beaten the quality teams Duke has...not even close.

Go Duke!

[Saratoga2]

I too saw a lot of positives in the game and some things that could be done better. Among the positives:
1. The overall play of Quinn. Excellent leadership and ball control with the exception of one bad pass. Excellent on ball defense and scoring when needed. I loved his game.
2. Ryan had an excellent game. He isn't the fastest guy but the combination of size, experience, ball handling and scoring ability is something most teams can't match at that position. I like Ryan's defense and he was in there fighting for rebounds.
3. Seth is that scorer that keeps the defense honest. We keep the ball moving and he gets open enough times to put up some big numbers. He also has the experience out there to know when to shoot and when to draw a foul.
4. Rasheed's ball handling and defense is valuable, even when he is not scoring a lot.
5. Mason draws a lot of defense and get his points and rebounds, even though he wasn't finishing all that well as others have mentioned.
6. Tyler gave us solid minutes and he gets his nose in there for defense and rebounding and does help the offense run without scoring a lot.
7. We got interesting minutes from Alex and Amile. Both have the size and athleticism to help in all facets of the game. What they need is experience.
8. Josh gave us minutes and can do as he did this afternoon. Give our bigs a break at times.
9. We have yet to get Marshall on the floor. He will add even more capability to this already top tier team.
10. Overall team defense was very impressive.

The not so good aspects of the game:
1. As others have said, we didn't finish very well around the basket. Since Mason will be doing the most of that throughout the season, his finishing ability is the most important to the team. One thing I noticed is he should finish with the hand away from the defender instead of with the hand closest to minimize the opportunities for blocks.
2. We made a few badly conceived passes. Seth threw a low bounce pass into Mason that was ill advised. Bigs are not good at handling low bounce passes. Quinn made a poor pass in when he got caught in the air. These weren't the understandable ones at the end of the clock, but part of the play with clock left. We are so good now that we can eliminate those wild passes and be even a better team.
3. Our bigs ran the floor well, but I think they were getting tired and that may have led to us getting out hustled on rebounds at times. Having another big to substitute, should help us in that area.

I am happy to be past this game, which I viewed as a possible trap. Coach K had them ready and they showed determination today. Temple was undefeated and had some nice pieces and we well coached and played hard for 40 minutes. Very impressive!

[coachbrent]

I must admit I wasn't sure what to expect today, this is the type of game that past Duke teams might have slipped up on. (exams, week off)
These kids are very impressive. They seem to love playing together. I agree about a few lapses to allow Temple to cut it down to 12 or 10, but this team punched right back every time with a big shot or a 3 point play or even a defensive stop. I kept waiting for Temple to get it to single digits and then it could have been a down to the wire game, but this group plays with a good mix of poise and tenacity and wouldn't let that happen today. Very Proud Duke fan this evening! :o Going to be a fun season!!!

[fgb]

Sulaimon reminds me of Nolan.

nolan reminds me of sulaimon!

[ChicagoCrazy84]

We also missed a ton of layups and shots around the basket that should've been finished. Mason had a bunch of those. The three point shooting won't always be there but hopefully in the future we'll do a better job finishing the easy ones. The two that stick out in my mind the most is Alex's missed layup and Ryan's missed layup after the Mason behind-the-back pass and there were a bunch more than that.

This wasn't Duke's best game but still won comfortably and the game was played with a double-digit margin basically the whole way. The game got "tight" when Temple cut it to 12.


I saw them miss a few easy ones but that's going to happen from time to time. I am not going to nitpick, you just have to look at the overall body of work and they are playing extremely well. It really is cool to see, they just have that trust with each other that they didn't have last year. Really excited for conference play.

[camion]

I love how this team plays. I thought Temple played tough today, but they were never able to get close after we made our first run. We had answers.

Just think, the opposing team must put their worst defender on one of Mason, Ryan, Seth, Rasheed, or Quinn. That must be depressing for a coach to ponder.

We have five legitimate options on offense and five solid defenders on defense. We keep after people on both ends for the whole game.

The bench is solid and getting stronger. Still waiting in the wings is Marshall.

And then there's the passing. Love it.

[oldnavy]

nolan reminds me of sulaimon!

I think Sulaimon is a better passer than Nolan was, and I LOVED Nolan.

[devildeac]

From espn:

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/69569/rapid-reaction-duke-90-temple-67

I like this paragraph:

"Much will be made by Duke critics about the imbalance in the free throw shooting (29 to 4), but anyone who watched the game will know that is a lazy argument. The Blue Devils rolled the Owls, not because they got calls but because they played better and are better."

Wonder if len elmoron will read that piece...

[devildeac]

I even considered voting for Ozzie for MOTM as he is bringing me Dream Puffz (http://www.dreampuffz.com/) and pastrami. But, he was not listed on the poll so I voted for Seth. Ryan played a real solid game, too. Only 3/9 shooting but otherwise, a very complete game.

[Native]

I think Sulaimon is a better passer than Nolan was

This times a billion! Sulaimon's passing is scary good for a freshman. Wonder what he'll be like as a sophomore, and (hopefully) junior and/or senior?

[-bdbd]

This times a billion! Sulaimon's passing is scary good for a freshman. Wonder what he'll be like as a sophomore, and (hopefully) junior and/or senior?

And I think Nolan, who I just loved, improved a great deal during the several years of his Duke tenure. Rasheed is clearly much more advanced as a Frosh. If he improves as much, percentage-wise, over the next few years (* presuming he stays that long!) then WATCH OUT for this kid as a superstar his Junior and Senior seasons!! :D :eek:

[Class of '94]

And I think Nolan, who I just loved, improved a great deal during the several years of his Duke tenure. Rasheed is clearly much more advanced as a Frosh. If he improves as much, percentage-wise, over the next few years (* presuming he stays that long!) then WATCH OUT for this kid as a superstar his Junior and Senior seasons!! :D :eek:

Not to be a downer; but if Rasheed continues to grow and improve his play, I think we would be fortunate to see him play for Duke in his Junior year. IMO, I don't see him playing for Duke for 4 years. That said, G-Hill chose to play at Duke for 4 years when he could've been a lottery pick after his sophmore year, so anything can happen.

I'm just going to enjoy watching this year's team play and continue to grow and get better. With Temple out of the way, I think this team has a serious chance of being undefeated going into the State game at the RBC Center; and if they can win that game, the sky's the limit for this team in the ACC and beyond.

[sagegrouse]

Thornton's steal and court-length pass to a streaking Jefferson was as good a play as I have seen this year.

Thornton's pass would have been eclipsed by the three-card monte on the fast break, including a behind-the-back pass from Mason to Ryan, but Ryan didn't finish.

I thought Mason played well, but more as an exceptional mortal than a god. I hate it when my idols turn back to mortals.

sagegrosue

[jipops]

I think Sulaimon is a better passer than Nolan was, and I LOVED Nolan.

I get all the comparisons to Nolan, but to me Sulaimon is more similar to Scheyer. Jon was a guy who could and did play all 3 positions on the perimeter, setup an offense by both distributing and directing, make plays, play very solid D, etc... Sulaimon seems like to me like another Scheyer will a couple extra gears.

As far as the game, it seemed odd that we had so much trouble finishing plays around the basket. This one could have approached the biscuit mark if some of those plays were finished. Mason seemed especially rather awkward at times, not like we've seen him lately. But despite all that we still hung 90 and won comfortably against an opponent that usually seems to give us fits. And another nit, we did allow 16 assists today. That may be the highest total by far our defense has allowed so far this season.

[pfrduke]

I thought Mason played well, but more as an exceptional mortal than a god. I hate it when my idols turn back to mortals.

One thing I liked a lot was, when we were running the clock play toward the end of the game, was the design to get Mason the ball in the post with a 4-out, 1-in set. The ability to get an inside-oriented look in a set play like that, as opposed to what we've traditionally done in that situation which is have a guard generate from the wing or a top-key ball screen, is huge. It makes the end game offense much more versatile.

[gep]

The not so good aspects of the game:
1. As others have said, we didn't finish very well around the basket. Since Mason will be doing the most of that throughout the season, his finishing ability is the most important to the team. One thing I noticed is he should finish with the hand away from the defender instead of with the hand closest to minimize the opportunities for blocks.


I thought Mason looked a bit out of sorts on offense. It appeared to me that he would have made a few of the close-in misses in the past. I guess that would be a point of emphasis in the next days.


We have five legitimate options on offense and five solid defenders on defense. We keep after people on both ends for the whole game.

Rasheed had 8. One more basket all all starters are in double-figure scoring. Amazing. Who do you guard?


This times a billion! Sulaimon's passing is scary good for a freshman. Wonder what he'll be like as a sophomore, and (hopefully) junior and/or senior?


Not to be a downer; but if Rasheed continues to grow and improve his play, I think we would be fortunate to see him play for Duke in his Junior year. IMO, I don't see him playing for Duke for 4 years. That said, G-Hill chose to play at Duke for 4 years when he could've been a lottery pick after his sophmore year, so anything can happen.


As others have posted, to me, Rasheed has improved EVERY game. I think I also see improvement within a game. My thoughts when I see this is that he may not make it for 4 years... but I wish he would stay. Just imagine...

[Native]

I thought Mason looked a bit out of sorts on offense. It appeared to me that he would have made a few of the close-in misses in the past. I guess that would be a point of emphasis in the next days.



Rasheed had 8. One more basket all all starters are in double-figure scoring. Amazing. Who do you guard?





As others have posted, to me, Rasheed has improved EVERY game. I think I also see improvement within a game. My thoughts when I see this is that he may not make it for 4 years... but I wish he would stay. Just imagine...

At the start of the season I said he'd stay all 4 years as he didn't have the PG skill set to go to the league. Now, I'm not so sure. Kid can share the rock.

[wallyman]

By our high standards, not our best game -- Mason, in particular, looked flummoxed and missed shots he will usually make. But still really encouraging, especially Seth's play. Think we risk taking him for granted, but you have a guy who shoots everything so well -- from 3s to free throws -- that's a guy you want healthy and engaged. Ryan was all over the place, Rasheed's passing was a thing of beauty and great to see Amile and Alex contribute. Amile, in particular, really makes the most of his minutes. But most encouraging thing to me was seeing Seth looking so smooth and comfortable. The rest clearly did him well...

[Olympic Fan]

Interesting quote near the end of AP's Duke-Temple game story:

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=323430150

Coach K is talking about Duke's success at the Meadowlands (20-1 alltime) and he says:

"I see (Christian) Laettner hitting a jumper off a side out of bounds play," he said. "I see (David) Henderson dunking over (Alonzo) Mourning. I see J.J. (Redick) going for 100. I see a lot of great things in the building and today will be another one. There are no gimmees here. These are all big-time games."

Now, the line about JJ going for 100 is just hyperbole, but every Duke fan knows that the Henderson who dunked on Mourning was PHIL Henndersonn not David (who graduated in 1986 -- three years before Mourning was a freshman). I'm sure K knows too -- the fact that the first name is in parenthesis indicates that it was added (incorrectly) by the author of the story.

[cptnflash]

Ehhhh, I think that is a bit of a stretch....our numbers will likely improve tomorrow, but we have the second best offense and 12th best defense, per kenpom.

Now that is likely skewed a bit to the conservative side due to our tough schedule, so i would imagine as those other top schools start to get into the meat of their schedules in conference play, their efficiencies will drop

in the end I think we have a top offense and a top 10 defense, but there are definitely better defenses out there.

+1. Could not have said it better. We are an elite offensive team, and much improved y/y defensively, but unless we start forcing more turnovers and/or doing a better job on the defensive glass, we are nowhere near the best defensive team in the country. Top 10 is probably our ceiling on defense given our personnel. But obviously that's a pretty good ceiling!

[cptnflash]

At the start of the season I said he'd stay all 4 years as he didn't have the PG skill set to go to the league. Now, I'm not so sure. Kid can share the rock.

I will be stunned if Rasheed is still a Blue Devil three years from now. I'm just hoping we still have him next year. Had a friendly disagreement with my wife on this very topic during the game tonight - she thinks he's gone after this year. Fortunately her track record is not good in terms of predicting the time of departure of our NBA-caliber players, so I'm hoping (for selfish reasons) she's wrong again this time.

[dchen09]

I will be stunned if Rasheed is still a Blue Devil three years from now. I'm just hoping we still have him next year. Had a friendly disagreement with my wife on this very topic during the game tonight - she thinks he's gone after this year. Fortunately her track record is not good in terms of predicting the time of departure of our NBA-caliber players, so I'm hoping (for selfish reasons) she's wrong again this time.

So just checking with draftexpress, he has Sulaimon going 20th in the 2014 (next years) draft. They are usually pretty good about scouting and predicting draft position. I think the main knock on Sulaimon is that he isn't amazing in any one or two aspects. He has good handle and vision, but not good enough to play the point. He is a good shooter/slasher but he's still a bit too streaky and doesn't have Rivers level of penetrating. Physically, he is athletic and quick, but not mindblowingly so. He's also slightly on the small side (6'3 in socks) for the two (though he does have a 6'8 wingspan). Is he an amazing college player? Definitely. But he's not an ideal NBA prospect.

I'm not saying that he won't have an NBA career, just that scouts won't view him as a superstar in the making draft pick. As such, there's no hurry for teams to draft him.

[Kedsy]

I thought Mason looked a bit out of sorts on offense. It appeared to me that he would have made a few of the close-in misses in the past. I guess that would be a point of emphasis in the next days.

I was at the game, and to me it appeared as if Mason was knocked back a little by the physicality of Temple's play. His close-in misses all seemed to come after him getting muscled by Temple's interior defenders, and he just didn't appear prepared for that level of physical play. He seemed to get better at dealing with it as the game went on.

[Greg_Newton]

So, uhh... we're pretty good right now.

I can't remember the last time we had this much scoring depth in our starting five. Who is even the worst offensive player? 17-points-in-OSU-second-half Rasheed Sulaimon? Atlantis MVP Quinn Cook? Especially if Kelly continues to create his own shot off the bounce, we're going to be pretty darn hard to gameplan for.

We generally tend to be ahead of the curve at this point in the season, but that was a juggernaut performance. Temple was an undefeated, top 50 team with a top 50 defense and slow tempo, and we put up 90 points almost casually. We need to enjoy this team while we can, because they're playing beautiful basketball.

[Kedsy]

From espn:

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/69569/rapid-reaction-duke-90-temple-67

I like this paragraph:

"Much will be made by Duke critics about the imbalance in the free throw shooting (29 to 4), but anyone who watched the game will know that is a lazy argument. The Blue Devils rolled the Owls, not because they got calls but because they played better and are better."

As I said in my earlier post, Temple played a very physical game. In the early minutes, the fouls weren't being called, and Mason seemed a bit flustered. Then the refs started calling things, but Temple kept playing the same way (hence the foul disparity).

My view of the team so far seems a bit different than many of you. I don't see a dominant team out there. I see a team with senior leadership that doesn't really get ruffled. They know how to win and they're confident they will win and they play that way. They don't get sped up, they don't change the game plan. They just play.

I honestly can't say if I think this team is more talented than many of the teams we've played. I can't tell if they're really the best or second best team in the country. What I can say is we've played a really tough schedule, including several close games, and I haven't for a single moment been worried that we'd lose. The team's confidence has infected me through the TV (or live, as I've attended a couple games). Even more impressive, as Roy White pointed out, in several games it seemed the other team was really playing well and yet Duke's lead kept growing and growing.

It's been a good start. Hopefully we'll keep moving forward.

[tommy]

There's going to be a more extensive piece up on Watzone's site bluedevilnation.net in the next couple of days about Ryan Kelly, but I have to say I just love what this guy is giving us. A number of folks have talked about his improved individual defense, and I think his team defense has gotten a lot better too. But on offense, he has really adjusted his game to give the team what it needs. Coming into this year, 40% of his career field goal attempts had been 3-pointers. This year, 32% so far. That's a 20% decrease. It's obvious that he has made a concerted effort to be that second guy to mix it up underneath, so Mason doesn't have to go it alone. He's putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the hoop so much more than he ever has. Because he's a senior he's getting calls he didn't get two years ago. Huge help in getting the team into the bonus early.

And perhaps my favorite play of the day today was when we ran classic high-low action. But not like would be expected, with Ryan high feeding Mason low. The opposite! Mason got it at the free throw line, Ryan pinned his man down low, and Mason fed him beautifully. It's that kind of diversity of offensive play that makes us very, very difficult to defend. Keep it up big guy!

[Greg_Newton]

not really, imo

On their shots, we got 26 of them and they got 14
on our shots, they got 21 of them and we got 10

it's effectively a wash

I switched the bolded - think they were backwards.

Defensive rebounding is really my only real concern right now though (aside from Mason's FTs potentially regressing). At 65% for the night, we hit our #267 rank right on the head. Hopefully this will be the next step in the Zoubeking of Ryan Kelly (first was randomly becoming a beast of a defender, of course).

[uh_no]

I switched the bolded - think they were backwards.

Defensive rebounding is really my only real concern right now though (aside from Mason's FTs potentially regressing). At 65% for the night, we hit our #267 rank right on the head. Hopefully this will be the next step in the Zoubeking of Ryan Kelly (first was randomly becoming a beast of a defender, of course).

wait, we didn't have 26 offensive rebounds?

good catch.

[Greg_Newton]

But on offense, he has really adjusted his game to give the team what it needs. Coming into this year, 40% of his career field goal attempts had been 3-pointers. This year, 32% so far. That's a 20% decrease. It's obvious that he has made a concerted effort to be that second guy to mix it up underneath, so Mason doesn't have to go it alone. He's putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the hoop so much more than he ever has.

The funny thing is, he had all of these moves in HS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFYo8qH0eo8]). I sort of think it's just taken him this long to really get comfortable enough with the speed and physicality of the college games to use the rest of his skllset - it's always been there, he's just never looked quite confident enough to put his head down and go to work against college defenses. Great to see him doing so this year.

[porkpa]

I'll admit it. At this point, this is a much better team than I anticipated it being. When they were rated in the top ten pre season, I thought it might have been a stretch. What it has that some of our recent teams may not have had is great balance and the potential for terrific depth. If Coach K is ever criticized, it usually is related to his use of his bench. This year it appears that he really has a terrific backup group of young players with untold potential. Most importantly, he is using them. All this without MP3, who appears to be almost ready. The future looks very bright.

[MChambers]

My view of the team so far seems a bit different than many of you. I don't see a dominant team out there. I see a team with senior leadership that doesn't really get ruffled. They know how to win and they're confident they will win and they play that way. They don't get sped up, they don't change the game plan. They just play.

I honestly can't say if I think this team is more talented than many of the teams we've played. I can't tell if they're really the best or second best team in the country. What I can say is we've played a really tough schedule, including several close games, and I haven't for a single moment been worried that we'd lose. The team's confidence has infected me through the TV (or live, as I've attended a couple games). Even more impressive, as Roy White pointed out, in several games it seemed the other team was really playing well and yet Duke's lead kept growing and growing.
I agree with this. The team is off to a great start, but they are far from dominant.

The defense played a solid game today, but was not able to create turnovers, which is a little disappointing. I'd like to see more defensive growth. The offense, on the other hand, seems to be capable of scoring against anyone, at any pace.

[Indoor66]

As others have posted, to me, Rasheed has improved EVERY game. I think I also see improvement within a game. My thoughts when I see this is that he may not make it for 4 years... but I wish he would stay. Just imagine...

I see team improvement in every game. This is what excites me so much about this team.

[camion]

I agree with this. The team is off to a great start, but they are far from dominant.

The defense played a solid game today, but was not able to create turnovers, which is a little disappointing. I'd like to see more defensive growth. The offense, on the other hand, seems to be capable of scoring against anyone, at any pace.

We may not be a dominant team, but we have already proved we can beat dominant teams.

And we can get better.

[oldnavy]

As I said in my earlier post, Temple played a very physical game. In the early minutes, the fouls weren't being called, and Mason seemed a bit flustered. Then the refs started calling things, but Temple kept playing the same way (hence the foul disparity).

My view of the team so far seems a bit different than many of you. I don't see a dominant team out there. I see a team with senior leadership that doesn't really get ruffled. They know how to win and they're confident they will win and they play that way. They don't get sped up, they don't change the game plan. They just play.

I honestly can't say if I think this team is more talented than many of the teams we've played. I can't tell if they're really the best or second best team in the country. What I can say is we've played a really tough schedule, including several close games, and I haven't for a single moment been worried that we'd lose. The team's confidence has infected me through the TV (or live, as I've attended a couple games). Even more impressive, as Roy White pointed out, in several games it seemed the other team was really playing well and yet Duke's lead kept growing and growing.

It's been a good start. Hopefully we'll keep moving forward.

So far this team has played VERY well. Dominate?? That is a strong description for any team, so I would agree that we are not a dominate team.

I had lower expectations for this team coming into the season and they have really surprised me thus far at how good they are so soon.

The key thing to me is the improved chemistry. Of course the improved play of our returners and the addition of Sulaimon is all part of it, but this team seems to enjoy being on the court together and they seem to enjoy setting each other up for success.

I really am starting to warm up to this group. They have the chance to be very special come spring time.

[PSurprise]

When I think of dominate, I think of the '99 team. That team had so many weapons and outstanding players. However, I think that this has the potential to get close to the '99 team. I think we have the best starting five in the country right now. The one thing I would love to see as the season progresses is that the bench guys get a little more time and start to see them improve. I did notice yesterday some drop off when the subs came in, which of course can be expected. I hope we can get them some quality time and they improve to a point where they're giving us even solider (like that?) minutes, that would be great.

[gumbomoop]

I suppose there's an emerging consensus that Duke is not [quite?] a dominant team, but can - because they have already - beat top-10 teams.

I wonder whether there's also something close to a consensus on EK that (1) there are no dominant teams so far, and more important, (2) there are no obvious candidates to dominate as the season progresses.

It's logical right now to see IU and Duke as top 2, but I doubt many careful observers on EK and elsewhere would confidently predict that either of these teams will lose only a game or 2 all season. Even if the top 2 right now are also the top 2 on Selection Sunday, neither would likely be an overwhelming-because-dominant favorite to win the NC.

It's wide open, with no team looking both on paper and on the floor as dominant as at least one UK and one UNC team has looked over the past few years. Or, say, as dominant as UNLV looked at, say, noon on March 30, 1991.

[Saratoga2]

When I think of dominate, I think of the '99 team. That team had so many weapons and outstanding players. However, I think that this has the potential to get close to the '99 team. I think we have the best starting five in the country right now. The one thing I would love to see as the season progresses is that the bench guys get a little more time and start to see them improve. I did notice yesterday some drop off when the subs came in, which of course can be expected. I hope we can get them some quality time and they improve to a point where they're giving us even solider (like that?) minutes, that would be great.

Even without talking about Marshall, I think our subs are very high quality. In the case of Alex, I see a guy who is very quick and athletic for his size. He can handle the ball and can shoot. I think he could play the 2, 3 or 4. We don't need is confidence needs to grow by getting PT and his defense still needs to come up to par, but he is already a capable substitute. I see Amile in the same way. Kind of thin right now, but a determined player with length and toughness. He needs PT also, but there isn't a tremendous drop off when he is in the game. We do have the opportunity coming up with relatively easy games coming up to get both of these guys ( and Mason also when he is ready0, significant PT

Given that we already have Josh and Tyler as experienced subs, one could argue that our bench is as strong as it has been in many years..

[grossbus]

what i like about what kelly is doing on offense is not that he is taking it to the hole (because it seems he does not make a lot of those shots), but that he will pull up and take the 10-15 foot J which he seems to make a lot. takes the charge out of the equation, too.

[gumbomoop]

Given that we already have Josh and Tyler as experienced subs, one could argue that our bench is as strong as it has been in many years..

I, too, like the bench, but my intuition, K's own statements, and what I think I saw in the Temple game lead me to guess that K likes the bench in part because of their willingness to accept [i.e., minimal to absolutely no bad vibes] very limited minutes, including DNPs. At one point in yesterday's game, after Temple hit several shots in a row, K got his starters back in, to stop the possible bad momentum.

K has confidence in the starting 5 + Tyler. Will be interesting to see whether Marshall emerges as a consistent contributor, making it 5 + 2. If yes, equally interesting to see which, if any, among Josh, Amile, and Alex gets spot-role minutes in tight games.

On a different subject, but thread-relevant, I think I saw in yesterday's game evidence that, while his footwork is very, very much improved, Mason still has footwork and/or overthinking issues when he's crowded. For example, when there are too many bodies in the lane, his movements v. Temple several times reverted to what Wheat described as "bulky." Going forward, I will be interested to see whether opponents try to double him, to prevent him from getting close-in shots. As long as Duke has, well, maybe 5 guys [Is that right??] to whom a double-teamed Mason might confidently pass the ball for a spot-up 3, opponents may not be able to test Mason's footwork too frequently.

[Kedsy]

On a different subject, but thread-relevant, I think I saw in yesterday's game evidence that, while his footwork is very, very much improved, Mason still has footwork and/or overthinking issues when he's crowded. For example, when there are too many bodies in the lane, his movements v. Temple several times reverted to what Wheat described as "bulky." Going forward, I will be interested to see whether opponents try to double him, to prevent him from getting close-in shots. As long as Duke has, well, maybe 5 guys [Is that right??] to whom a double-teamed Mason might confidently pass the ball for a spot-up 3, opponents may not be able to test Mason's footwork too frequently.

I think I said this earlier, but Temple was very physical with Mason and it looked like it knocked him back. He wasn't prepared to be bodied and bumped so much for some reason. It didn't seem to me to be as much a footwork issue as him coming up against players who were surprisingly strong and willing to use that strength against him in semi-legal (some might argue non-legal) ways. That was what it looked like to me, anyway; it may not be right.

[dukelifer]

I am optimistic about this team primarily because of the improvement of Quinn Cook on both sides of the ball. There were moments in the game when he looked in complete control. He is moving so much better this year- gliding from spot to spot- and can easily get to the hoop when the opportunity presents itself. Overall the team is passing so much better.

I think Duke is farther along than many teams it has played but that gap will close once teams get into league play. This is why Duke needs to get a little more from Alex and Amile. I liked what I saw from both, yesterday. Alex could have hung his head after missing that layup- but he made several nice moves to get to the basket and took the three with confidence. I think Duke could play with Seth, Rasheed, Cook, Amile and Alex and be a pretty decent team for long stretches. Ryan Kelly is playing very well and is a tough matchup for most teams. His midrange game is very good - maybe the best on the team- and if he could just finish better- he will be very difficult to stop. I like that he is no longer settling for threes. He has that fake and step in and is hitting it with high efficiency.

ACC play will be wearing as it usually is- but Duke has all the elements to have a very good year. Yesterday, Temple made their run and Duke was able to match three for three and then build their own run. That is the sign of a team that knows how to win. Lots to like but the league play will have its own surprises. I do not think this team has hit their ceiling. Look for the bench to develop and be more productive in the next several weeks. There will be one or two games in ACC play when they will help Duke win a big game.

[gumbomoop]

I think I said this earlier, but Temple was very physical with Mason and it looked like it knocked him back. He wasn't prepared to be bodied and bumped so much for some reason. It didn't seem to me to be as much a footwork issue as him coming up against players who were surprisingly strong and willing to use that strength against him in semi-legal (some might argue non-legal) ways. That was what it looked like to me, anyway; it may not be right.

Yeah, I may be overdoing the footwork thing, but I admit I'm not quite ready to give up worrying about it. I also mentioned overthinking [Mason's, not mine..... but come to think of it....]. And your point is definitely on target re Temple's physical play, esp early.

The going-forward issue will be seeing how opposing coaches decide to play Mason: crowding him, or letting him do whatever he can, in order to try to shut down the 3-bombers. I will repeat my reference to Duke's having, maybe, 5 - repeat 5 - such bombers. Ryan's 3-bomb % is, right now, the worst of the 5. Quinn's 3-stroke is surprisingly good, as is Rasheed's, as is Tyler's. Seth's current 40% might edge up a bit, too.

[TruBlu]

When I think of dominate, I think of the '99 team. That team had so many weapons and outstanding players. However, I think that this has the potential to get close to the '99 team. I think we have the best starting five in the country right now. The one thing I would love to see as the season progresses is that the bench guys get a little more time and start to see them improve. I did notice yesterday some drop off when the subs came in, which of course can be expected. I hope we can get them some quality time and they improve to a point where they're giving us even solider (like that?) minutes, that would be great.

Seth Curry agrees with you. In his post game interview after the Temple game, when asked what areas this Duke team could improve, his answer was basically " . . . bench play . . ."

Although many posters on this board point out that Coach K tends to go with a short bench, the fact that Seth responded in this fashion indicates to me that this year might be different as our bench continues to improve. This is probably more important, ironically, due to something else Seth said in the same interview . . . that his injury was one that meant that some days he would be able to play, and some days he would not.

[Class of '94]

Seth Curry agrees with you. In his post game interview after the Temple game, when asked what areas this Duke team could improve, his answer was basically " . . . bench play . . ."

Although many posters on this board point out that Coach K tends to go with a short bench, the fact that Seth responded in this fashion indicates to me that this year might be different as our bench continues to improve. This is probably more important, ironically, due to something else Seth said in the same interview . . . that his injury was one that meant that some days he would be able to play, and some days he would not.

Watching Seth play yesterday, I think it is clear that he plays better with more time-off between games; and it will be a challenge for him to play games that are close together such as during the ACC and NCAA tournaments. You have to wonder how good the team and Seth, especially, would be if he didn't have to deal with this injury; but I hope at the end of the season, we're not left wondering "What if" or "Only if" Seth wasn't hurt in regards to the team reaching its post-season goals (a la Kyrie's foot injury). If Seth can continue to manage his injury and other guys continue to step up, I think the team will be fine; but it will have to be a team effort

[cptnflash]

not really, imo

On our shots, we got 26 of them and they got 14
on their shots, they got 21 of them and we got 10

it's effectively a wash

Pomeroy's four factors from last night's game:

Effective Field Goal Percentage:
Duke = 57.6
Temple = 45.2

Turnover Percentage:
Duke = 8.8
Temple = 14.6

Offensive Rebounding Percentage:
Duke = 32.4
Temple = 37.2

Free Throw Rate:
Duke = 49.1
Temple = 5.5

So like I said, we got outrebounded (again), but we did everything else so much better than Temple that it didn't matter. And to be fair, the difference in rebounding wasn't huge. I think that's our recipe this year - keep it reasonably close on the boards, win the turnover battle, outshoot the opposition, and get to the line. I just hope that's sustainable in a single elimination tournament.

[devildeac]

Seth Curry agrees with you. In his post game interview after the Temple game, when asked what areas this Duke team could improve, his answer was basically " . . . bench play . . ."

Although many posters on this board point out that Coach K tends to go with a short bench, the fact that Seth responded in this fashion indicates to me that this year might be different as our bench continues to improve. This is probably more important, ironically, due to something else Seth said in the same interview . . . that his injury was one that meant that some days he would be able to play, and some days he would not.

Seth must read DBR:rolleyes:;). I noted that in the Raleigh N&O article this AM, too.

[superdave]

I can't remember the last time we had this much scoring depth in our starting five. Who is even the worst offensive player? 17-points-in-OSU-second-half Rasheed Sulaimon? Atlantis MVP Quinn Cook? Especially if Kelly continues to create his own shot off the bounce, we're going to be pretty darn hard to gameplan for.

We generally tend to be ahead of the curve at this point in the season, but that was a juggernaut performance. Temple was an undefeated, top 50 team with a top 50 defense and slow tempo, and we put up 90 points almost casually. We need to enjoy this team while we can, because they're playing beautiful basketball.

In 1992 all five starters (http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/seasons/season-stats.php?season=1991-92) averaged double digits. While Laettner was the man, everyone could score.

In 1999, we had balanced scoring (http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/seasons/season-stats.php?season=1998-99) with Brand and Langdon as the 1-2 punch.

2001 is another great example (http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/seasons/season-stats.php?season=2000-01) of balanced scoring.

Not bad comparisons. : )

[superdave]

Pomeroy's four factors from last night's game:

Effective Field Goal Percentage:
Duke = 57.6
Temple = 45.2

Turnover Percentage:
Duke = 8.8
Temple = 14.6

Offensive Rebounding Percentage:
Duke = 32.4
Temple = 37.2

Free Throw Rate:
Duke = 49.1
Temple = 5.5

So like I said, we got outrebounded (again), but we did everything else so much better than Temple that it didn't matter. And to be fair, the difference in rebounding wasn't huge. I think that's our recipe this year - keep it reasonably close on the boards, win the turnover battle, outshoot the opposition, and get to the line. I just hope that's sustainable in a single elimination tournament.

When you have a guard as your dominant scorer, they tend to be easier to shut down without sending them to the line. JJ is a prime example of that. He did not respond well to tall, athletic players, and they messed with his shot. Big guys on the other hand are harder to shut down without fouling. Mason shot poorly yesterday but clearly had enough respect from the refs to get to the line. So I think we're at an advantage on that point.

The balanced scoring is another advantage. Any of our starting 5 could go for 20, and do so without taking away shots from teammates. It is a group that fits well together.

My major concerns are still rebounding - not getting killed on the boards at least - and having enough confidence in our bench to be able to lean on them when necessary.

[flyingdutchdevil]

When you have a guard as your dominant scorer, they tend to be easier to shut down without sending them to the line. JJ is a prime example of that. He did not respond well to tall, athletic players, and they messed with his shot. Big guys on the other hand are harder to shut down without fouling. Mason shot poorly yesterday but clearly had enough respect from the refs to get to the line. So I think we're at an advantage on that point.

The balanced scoring is another advantage. Any of our starting 5 could go for 20, and do so without taking away shots from teammates. It is a group that fits well together.

My major concerns are still rebounding - not getting killed on the boards at least - and having enough confidence in our bench to be able to lean on them when necessary.

Agree on all fronts.

The really interesting thing about this team is, how do you beat them? If you double, triple, or quadruple-team Mason, as was done yesterday, then you leave 3-pt shooters open. If you play solid man-on-man, 3-4 players can beat you one-on-one. If it's zone, our 3-pt shooters have your number.

IMO, this has been a "fun" season so far. Not because we are winning (that helps, of course), but because any of our starters can go off for 20 points and dominant. 2010 was a great team, but we knew that Singler, Smith, or Scheyer was going to be the offensive force in that game.

[LSanders]

Temple just knocked off Syracuse ...

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=323570183

[sporthenry]

Temple just knocked off Syracuse ...

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=323570183

And OSU promptly loses to KU meaning that our 3 top 5 wins will probably result in 1 top 5 win and an unranked win. Granted this is counteracted by Minnesota being ranked and VCU/Temple probably should be ranked. But Duke's resume won't be as amazing as it once was, especially after conference play is over. UK still doesn't look very good and OSU's offense is rather putrid. Can't really see them keeping up with IU or MSU.

Add in that the ACC is really down and Duke still doesn't have much room for error. They won't have too many more ranked opponents on the schedule and it'll be tough to get through the ACC unscathed. Hopefully the BE and B1G beat each other up so they don't have a real #1.