MBB: Duke vs Miami Pre-Game & In-Game Thread

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

In the spirit of "next play" I thought I would kick this off. Only about 36 hours away from tip off of what will be a very telling game regarding the rest of our season.

Obviously, a lot will be made of the game in Coral Gables and the possible return of Ryan Kelly. The gauntlet has been thrown down, and Duke needs to wear their armor to this match. I expect Cameron to be rocking even more than against UNC earlier this season. Should be the stuff memories are made of.

[sagegrouse]

In the spirit of "next play" I thought I would kick this off. Only about 36 hours away from tip off of what will be a very telling game regarding the rest of our season.

Obviously, a lot will be made of the game in Coral Gables and the possible return of Ryan Kelly. The gauntlet has been thrown down, and Duke needs to wear their armor to this match. I expect Cameron to be rocking even more than against UNC earlier this season. Should be the stuff memories are made of.

Here are my questions for Saturday's game:


Which Miami team will show up? The one that sluaghtered us last time or the one that got blown out by Wake?

Which Duke team will show up? The team that won seven ACC home games by an average of 17 points or the team that struggled against Maryland, Virginia, Miami and State on the road?

Will Rasheed rebound from a poor outing against UVa?

Will Ryan (a) play and (b) be a factor?

Will it be raining threes for Duke?



sagegrouse

[davekay1971]

The gauntlet has definitely been thrown down.

Mason - You have a beast to deal with. Be the bigger beast.
Josh/Alex/Amile - Kadji can drain the 3. Stay on him.
Quinn - Shane Larkin mocked all of us. Destroy him.
Seth - You're the best senior shooting guard on the court Saturday. Prove it.
Sheed - You da man. Be da man. Attack mode, all night long.

[CDu]

Well, prior to last night, I was thinking that this could be a "gravy" game (i.e., the rest is gravy). We already weren't going to get the #1 seed in the ACC tourney, so a loss to Miami without Kelly wouldn't hurt too much. But with the UVa loss, this game takes on added importance. We are now clinging to a 1-game lead (without tiebreaker advantage) over UVa, and we have another tough road game against UNC to close out the season.

Miami loves the pick and roll game. As we saw against UVa, we stink at defending the pick and roll game. We let a guy who can't shoot (Evans) repeatedly get into the lane to create easy buckets. Well, Larkin is MUCH better than Evans - in all facets of the game. We can't defend the pick and roll as poorly as we did last night.

The one positive is that Sulaimon gets a slightly easier assignment on Scott. I say slightly, because Scott is a veteran and is also really good. But he's a streaky shooter (unlike Harris who is just really good all the time) and can occasionally play out of control. Hopefully a fired up Sulaimon can win that matchup.

Inside, Mason will have his work cut out for him. He's struggled with Johnson in the past, and Miami can throw waves of bigs at Mason throughout the game.

At PF, we just have to hope Kadji has an off-night or gets in foul trouble, because neither Jefferson nor Hairston is really capable of guarding him otherwise. This is one (of many) team against whom we could really use Kelly.

We need Cook to step his game up. As has been mentioned by me and by several other posters, Cook has really fallen off as a playmaker in the past several weeks. In has past 6 games, he has 17 assists and 18 turnovers. That's unacceptable for any PG, but especially for a PG on a team with as many scoring options as we have. I'm not sure why his PG game has regressed, but it is a disturbing trend. And it's the type of thing that can't happen against a team as good as Miami is.

Hopefully the team can regroup, refocus, and figure out how to play better defense (and better offense) by Saturday. If not, we could be sitting in 3rd in the ACC going into the final week.

[licc85]

Here are my questions for Saturday's game:

1. Which Miami team will show up? The one that sluaghtered us last time or the one that got blown out by Wake?

2. Which Duke team will show up? The team that won seven ACC home games by an average of 17 points or the team that struggled against Maryland, Virginia, Miami and State on the road?

3. Will Rasheed rebound from a poor outing against UVa?

4. Will Ryan (a) play and (b) be a factor?

5. Will it be raining threes for Duke?


sagegrouse

Just for fun:

1. This one is easy, it's gotta be somewhere in the middle. There's no way they stomp us that badly in Cameron (unless I'm REALLY overrating us), and there's no way they have that big of a letdown in such a high profile game. They will bring it, but I doubt they roll over us like last time.

2. Well, the easy answer is, we're at home. We play well at home . . . usually. Duke hardly ever loses 2 in a row. I think we come out with a much better effort than in Charlottesville.

3. Gotta imagine this is a yes. Rasheed's already been through a slump, and he knows he needs to step up for us to win this game. At the very least, he plays much better defense than last time out. There's pretty much no way he plays worse than on Thursday night, so I'll expect him to be his usual self.

4a. Doubt it, but would be pleasantly surprised if he did.
4b. If he does play, it's hard to imagine him coming out guns blazing back 100%, so that's a no.

5. Basically a coin toss here. Miami defends the 3 well, so I definitely don't see a repeat of our awesome shooting nights against VTech and NC State, but it's also hard to see us winning unless the 3s are falling. I'm calling a 7 point Duke win, so I think we shoot reasonably well, maybe along the lines of a 7 for 15 night.

As far as what we need to do to come out on top, I think Rick Majerus said it best: "To win: defend, rebound."

[DukeGirl4ever]

The gauntlet has definitely been thrown down.

Mason - You have a beast to deal with. Be the bigger beast.
Josh/Alex/Amile - Kadji can drain the 3. Stay on him.
Quinn - Shane Larkin mocked all of us. Destroy him.
Seth - You're the best senior shooting guard on the court Saturday. Prove it.
Sheed - You da man. Be da man. Attack mode, all night long.

Dave, I can't give you any more sporks, but this made me smile!

I know K said Ryan would (probably) not be back until VT or UNC, but has that changed now given how he's progressed in practice?

Quinn needs to go back to that attacking PG we saw earlier in the year, and Mason needs to turn it up a notch.
Seth, just keep being a Curry. That'll do!

[sagegrouse]

Just for fun:

1. This one is easy, it's gotta be somewhere in the middle. There's no way they stomp us that badly in Cameron (unless I'm REALLY overrating us), and there's no way they have that big of a letdown in such a high profile game. They will bring it, but I doubt they roll over us like last time.

2. Well, the easy answer is, we're at home. We play well at home . . . usually. Duke hardly ever loses 2 in a row. I think we come out with a much better effort than in Charlottesville.

3. Gotta imagine this is a yes. Rasheed's already been through a slump, and he knows he needs to step up for us to win this game. At the very least, he plays much better defense than last time out. There's pretty much no way he plays worse than on Thursday night, so I'll expect him to be his usual self.

4a. Doubt it, but would be pleasantly surprised if he did.
4b. If he does play, it's hard to imagine him coming out guns blazing back 100%, so that's a no.

5. Basically a coin toss here. Miami defends the 3 well, so I definitely don't see a repeat of our awesome shooting nights against VTech and NC State, but it's also hard to see us winning unless the 3s are falling. I'm calling a 7 point Duke win, so I think we shoot reasonably well, maybe along the lines of a 7 for 15 night.

As far as what we need to do to come out on top, I think Rick Majerus said it best: "How to win: Defend and rebound."

Very good. Now, for extra credit:

6. Given K's harsh comments about our power forwards (no offensive rebounds, even though they weren't blocked out; two total rebounds; and four points in 37 minutes), what will be the composite line for Josh, Amile and Alex against Miami? Points, offensive rebounds, total rebounds.

sagegrouse

[Billy Dat]

Nolan says it's a no-no to compare situations - Jeff Goodman
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/21787379/good-n-plenty-catsheels-iffy-but-would-be-great-first-four-matchup

"No one would know better than Nolan Smith. Remember, he was the guy clearly affected the most when Kyrie Irving returned to the court for Duke in the NCAA tournament after missing three months. Smith was forced to slide over to the two-guard spot -- and the Blue Devils wound up getting crushed by Arizona in the Sweet 16.

Smith said there is no comparison between the situation two seasons ago and the one about to occur in Durham with Ryan Kelly.

Kelly practiced for the first time since re-injuring his foot back in January -- and could return to game action as soon as this weekend against Miami, although the more likely scenario has him coming back for Senior Night against Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

"I had the ball the whole year," Smith said. "It wasn't easy for me moving back off the ball for the tournament."

Smith said that Kelly will have an easy adjustment, and also said his presence will once again make it easier for Mason Plumlee in the post.

"The ball isn't in Ryan's hands all the time," Smith said. "It's just different for a four or a five-man. Ryan will come in and make shots. He doesn't run the offense."

[CDu]

Nolan says it's a no-no to compare situations - Jeff Goodman
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/21787379/good-n-plenty-catsheels-iffy-but-would-be-great-first-four-matchup

"No one would know better than Nolan Smith. Remember, he was the guy clearly affected the most when Kyrie Irving returned to the court for Duke in the NCAA tournament after missing three months. Smith was forced to slide over to the two-guard spot -- and the Blue Devils wound up getting crushed by Arizona in the Sweet 16.

Smith said there is no comparison between the situation two seasons ago and the one about to occur in Durham with Ryan Kelly.

Kelly practiced for the first time since re-injuring his foot back in January -- and could return to game action as soon as this weekend against Miami, although the more likely scenario has him coming back for Senior Night against Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

"I had the ball the whole year," Smith said. "It wasn't easy for me moving back off the ball for the tournament."

Smith said that Kelly will have an easy adjustment, and also said his presence will once again make it easier for Mason Plumlee in the post.

"The ball isn't in Ryan's hands all the time," Smith said. "It's just different for a four or a five-man. Ryan will come in and make shots. He doesn't run the offense."

Exactly. Maybe now that a former player (in fact, the player most affected by the Irving return) has said it, people will start to take it to heart. Kelly's return has none of the potential downside that Irving's return had. Nothing about our offense or defense has to change in a way that is for the worse. Everything gets easier with Kelly on the floor. And Kelly doesn't even have to touch the ball for everything to get easier.

[Kedsy]

Inside, Mason will have his work cut out for him. He's struggled with Johnson in the past, and Miami can throw waves of bigs at Mason throughout the game.

I don't think two guys can be considered "waves." Miami only plays seven guys, and only three of them are tall: Johnson, Gamble, and Kadji. And Kadji won't be guarding Mason, will he? If he does, it would be because Johnson is in foul trouble, so again it's basically two guys.

[jipops]

There really is very little margin for error for this game. We have to play near flawless ball offensively and actually make a few plays defensively to get away with a win here. Miami has an advantage in almost every aspect except for where the game is being played. Not to over-simplify but we need them to make some mental mistakes while being able to capitalize on those by hitting a high percentage of shots. I think it's a safe bet we're going to be pounded on the boards once again. I expect Mason to struggle getting decent positioning in the post against Miami's big bodies. What I'm hoping is that Miami's perimeter just struggles to get anything to go down. I'm hoping they lose focus from time to time and turn the ball over.

I don't know if the result of this game is really telling of what will transpire for the rest of the season. We know we stink defensively right now and have for a little awhile. We know we're getting Ryan back but have no idea to the extent he'll be able to contribute on Saturday, if at all. We don't know if our offensive and defensive struggles that have occurred post-Kelly will be corrected back to November and December form in time. We certainly can't expect that to be the case Saturday. We know we have a big man that has carried us all season. It is possible this has started to wear him down.

What really lessens my confidence in this game is our quick turnaround. We need Curry to hit shots in high volume to have a chance Saturday and he has shown issues this season trying to handle a quick turnaround such as this. Really the whole team has. Seth just put in 35 minutes, Rasheed 36, and Mason a full 40. Miami is coming off an extra day's rest following an easy home win over bottom feeder VT.

Again, a lot just has to somehow go right... and it can. We've been in tough situations before and pulled through. A win here would certainly boost team confidence but a loss wouldn't exactly expose anything we don't already know. Also, Miami is a very good team, best in the conference by far.


It may not have seemed fathomable recently that we could very well end up finishing 4th in the league but here it is.

[dukelifer]

There really is very little margin for error for this game. We have to play near flawless ball offensively and actually make a few plays defensively to get away with a win here. Miami has an advantage in almost every aspect except for where the game is being played. Not to over-simplify but we need them to make some mental mistakes while being able to capitalize on those by hitting a high percentage of shots. I think it's a safe bet we're going to be pounded on the boards once again. I expect Mason to struggle getting decent positioning in the post against Miami's big bodies. What I'm hoping is that Miami's perimeter just struggles to get anything to go down. I'm hoping they lose focus from time to time and turn the ball over.

I don't know if the result of this game is really telling of what will transpire for the rest of the season. We know we stink defensively right now and have for a little awhile. We know we're getting Ryan back but have no idea to the extent he'll be able to contribute on Saturday, if at all. We don't know if our offensive and defensive struggles that have occurred post-Kelly will be corrected back to November and December form in time. We certainly can't expect that to be the case Saturday. We know we have a big man that has carried us all season. It is possible this has started to wear him down.

What really lessens my confidence in this game is our quick turnaround. We need Curry to hit shots in high volume to have a chance Saturday and he has shown issues this season trying to handle a quick turnaround such as this. Really the whole team has. Seth just put in 35 minutes, Rasheed 36, and Mason a full 40. Miami is coming off an extra day's rest following an easy home win over bottom feeder VT.

Again, a lot just has to somehow go right... and it can. We've been in tough situations before and pulled through. A win here would certainly boost team confidence but a loss wouldn't exactly expose anything we don't already know. Also, Miami is a very good team, best in the conference by far.


It may not have seemed fathomable recently that we could very well end up finishing 4th in the league but here it is.
Before yesterday I was bummed that Duke would not finish 2nd but now I am resigned that they are likely to finish 3 or 4th as the teams ahead have more favorable schedules. The thing is that I have no idea how good the ACC is right now and Duke did not play outside the league without Kelly. So Duke has been over-ranked due to the Kelly games and may be ranked appropriately if Kelly does not come back at full capacity. But the regular season title is out of reach and now it is about the post season. Being 2nd or 5th does not matter too much for the ACC tourney as everyone in that group is pretty even on a neutral floor. So the game tomorrow is more a barometer on toughness and fight. They need to show themselves that they can rise to the occasion - win or lose.The league standings will not matter much in two weeks and if Kelly can help Duke- there will be an effectively new team out there that may actually be deeper than if Kelly had played all season. Duke with Kelly has a good shot at two more tournament championships - it all depends on how healthy everyone will be in a couple weeks.

[MCFinARL]

Exactly. Maybe now that a former player (in fact, the player most affected by the Irving return) has said it, people will start to take it to heart. Kelly's return has none of the potential downside that Irving's return had. Nothing about our offense or defense has to change in a way that is for the worse. Everything gets easier with Kelly on the floor. And Kelly doesn't even have to touch the ball for everything to get easier.

True, but--a lot will depend on how rusty Kelly is after so much time out. If it becomes clear he isn't hitting his shots, his ability to spread the defense will be reduced. And his defensive contributions, much improved over last year, may not be quite as good as they were earlier either.

Guess I am just saying that, while I agree adding him back in doesn't seem likely to disrupt the team, it remains to be seen how much it will actually help the team.

[COYS]

True, but--a lot will depend on how rusty Kelly is after so much time out. If it becomes clear he isn't hitting his shots, his ability to spread the defense will be reduced. And his defensive contributions, much improved over last year, may not be quite as good as they were earlier either.

Guess I am just saying that, while I agree adding him back in doesn't seem likely to disrupt the team, it remains to be seen how much it will actually help the team.

While all this is true, I think he will help spread the floor even if he isn't hot from three land to start. No team wants to be the victim of a Ryan barrage of threes. Even if he's missing, teams will still close out hard when he gets the ball in the corner. they will also find it waaaay harder to go all in on a double team on Mason. The threat of Ryan should be enough to open up the floor a little more. No one is even remotely worried about Josh or Amile going gangbusters from three.

Your comments about the defense are true, however. It will be interesting to see how that goes. Ryan is a very smart player, so i would expect him to get up to speed on the defensive end very quickly. However, i wouldn't be surprised if there is a little bit of rust with his reaction time and footwork.

[CDu]

I don't think two guys can be considered "waves." Miami only plays seven guys, and only three of them are tall: Johnson, Gamble, and Kadji. And Kadji won't be guarding Mason, will he? If he does, it would be because Johnson is in foul trouble, so again it's basically two guys.

Miami has two additional guys that they can turn to if Gamble and Johnson are in foul trouble: Jekiri (6'11", 227) and Swoope (6'6", 233). Gamble and Johnson are the main two, but they are not afraid to go deeper if need be. They actually have a third (Apkejioir) but he rarely plays now that Johnson is back.

[jipops]

Miami has two additional guys that they can turn to if Gamble and Johnson are in foul trouble: Jekiri (6'11", 227) and Swoope (6'6", 233). Gamble and Johnson are the main two, but they are not afraid to go deeper if need be. They actually have a third (Apkejioir) but he rarely plays now that Johnson is back.

At 6-10, 300lbs, I'm sure Reggie does feel like multiple waves. So your statement is largely correct based on one guy.

[DukeAlumBS]

My friends,

I agree with jipops comments. We have to be perfect. Yesterday Virginia brought their A game, and we got pounded. I am hoping for a win here. My concerns are if Kelly comes back and is not in basketball shape.The possibility of him missing his shots, may hurt us. We need to make each shot count. Our rebounding was horrible yesterday, and defense as well. With Kelly out, the team dynamics changed dramatically. But we need to get him in so we can move on. I saw comments about the rest of our schedule being hard to finish out the season.
I see wins including UNC at CH. Of course I had us winning by 48 yesterday, so do not listen to me.

Have nice day my friends, and weekend,

Jimmy

[Kedsy]

Miami has two additional guys that they can turn to if Gamble and Johnson are in foul trouble: Jekiri (6'11", 227) and Swoope (6'6", 233). Gamble and Johnson are the main two, but they are not afraid to go deeper if need be. They actually have a third (Apkejioir) but he rarely plays now that Johnson is back.

Jekiri plays about 6 minutes a game. In ACC play, Swoope has played fewer than 4 mpg, plus he's four or five inches shorter than Mason. That seems more like a ripple in a puddle than a wave.


My friends,

I agree with jipops comments. We have to be perfect. Yesterday Virginia brought their A game, and we got pounded. I am hoping for a win here. My concerns are if Kelly comes back and is not in basketball shape.The possibility of him missing his shots, may hurt us. We need to make each shot count. Our rebounding was horrible yesterday, and defense as well. With Kelly out, the team dynamics changed dramatically. But we need to get him in so we can move on. I saw comments about the rest of our schedule being hard to finish out the season.
I see wins including UNC at CH. Of course I had us winning by 48 yesterday, so do not listen to me.

Have nice day my friends, and weekend,

Jimmy

Stay thirsty, my friends.

[CDu]

Jekiri plays about 6 minutes a game. In ACC play, Swoope has played fewer than 4 mpg, plus he's four or five inches shorter than Mason. That seems more like a ripple in a puddle than a wave.

When we're talking about the third and fourth option at C, I'd call that waves, especially considering that 6mpg is more than our backup C plays. Obviously the quality drops off dramatically after the first 3 bigs for Miami. But the fact that they can go to a 4th and 5th (and even 6th in a pinch) big is significant. Especially when we are forced to go with Mason or bust.

[Kedsy]

When we're talking about the third and fourth option at C, I'd call that waves, especially considering that 6mpg is more than our backup C plays. Obviously the quality drops off dramatically after the first 3 bigs for Miami. But the fact that they can go to a 4th and 5th (and even 6th in a pinch) big is significant. Especially when we are forced to go with Mason or bust.

OK, I think we're arguing semantics here, but is Swoope at 6'6 really an option at center against Mason? Frankly, if he's in and we need to give Mason a rest, we could just go with Josh at center, and we'd still have a size advantage at the position. And if Kadji is playing center Miami is giving up their biggest advantage (because he's not playing PF against Amile or Josh or Alex). So basically, Miami has two guys to play center plus a third guy to play a few minutes and use a few fouls. If Ryan plays (and I'm assuming he won't, but if we meet Miami again in the ACCT, I assume he will), we have pretty much the same thing.

[CDu]

OK, I think we're arguing semantics here, but is Swoope at 6'6 really an option at center against Mason? Frankly, if he's in and we need to give Mason a rest, we could just go with Josh at center, and we'd still have a size advantage at the position. And if Kadji is playing center Miami is giving up their biggest advantage (because he's not playing PF against Amile or Josh or Alex). So basically, Miami has two guys to play center plus a third guy to play a few minutes and use a few fouls. If Ryan plays (and I'm assuming he won't, but if we meet Miami again in the ACCT, I assume he will), we have pretty much the same thing.

If Swoope is in, Kadji is probably at C. My point is that Miami can constantly have a 6'9+, veteran, productive player on the floor at all times. And they have the depth to have a second 6'9"+, veteran, productive player on the court for most of the game. And they have the depth behind that to make sure their first three are fresh, whereas we don't have any kind of depth to rest him.

[-bdbd]

Here are my questions for Saturday's game:

Which Miami team will show up? The one that sluaghtered us last time or the one that got blown out by Wake?
Miami has certainly been inconsistent in the last few weeks. Remember that there was more than just the Wake game where they could have lost. I would agree with licc85 that it should fall in the middle, but point out that there is some potential here for them to get discouraged quickly if things don't flow their way early.




Which Duke team will show up? The team that won seven ACC home games by an average of 17 points or the team that struggled against Maryland, Virginia, Miami and State on the road?
Who ever really knows with these things? But all of the indicators are for a very focused, determined, (angry?) Duke team to be in attendance Sat. night in CIS. The way the UVA game flowed - lots of frustration there - and then the taunting/floor-slapping blow-out in Miami in January, plus the now-importance of this game in the ACC standings for us (less so for Miami obviously).... I just can't imagine them not being fired up for Miami. Perhaps the only real danger is the team being a little over-amped...




Will Rasheed rebound from a poor outing against UVa?
That will be interesting to see. I think he will get a lot of coaching attention between now and then though, so I'd learn towards something positive. Would be a really good time to see some Senior leadership put in an appearance.




Will Ryan (a) play and (b) be a factor?
I don't think it matters. As lcc85 said, he won't play a lot, even if he does play (less than ten minutes max), as the big prize is still coming in late-March.




Will it be raining threes for Duke?
No doubt that we will be shooting the three a lot. It'll be interesting to see the level of D/effort Miami plays throughout, however, especially if they get down. This has not been a consistent-effort team lately, and their "mature" players will clearly be aware that this game doesn't really matter for them anymore.


I'm looking for an intense game, very possibly a preview of the ACC Championship game in Greensboro a couple weeks later. Get psyched Duke!
Crazies, better bring that A-game to this one!!:mad:

[throatybeard]

Being 2nd or 5th does not matter too much for the ACC tourney as everyone in that group is pretty even on a neutral floor.

Um, no. Second, third, fourth, perhaps not a lot of difference.

Fifth means you don't get a bye, have to play on Thursday, and have to win four games.

I don't particularly like the 3-seed, either, as it means you don't get finished on Friday until around Midnight East.

[CDu]

Um, no. Second, third, fourth, perhaps not a lot of difference.

Fifth means you don't get a bye, have to play on Thursday, and have to win four games.

I don't particularly like the 3-seed, either, as it means you don't get finished on Friday until around Midnight East.

I'd argue that #2 and #3 are somewhat similar. #4 is worse in that you'd have to face Miami in the semis, and you'll be stuck playing one of the other 5 good teams (there's a dropoff after 5) on Friday. #5 is even worse, as you'd have to play Thursday, and THEN play the same tough route as the #4 seed.

#4 is certainly closer in difficulty to #3 than #5, but I'd say there's a big drop in preference after #3.

[Bob Green]

Duke opens in Vegas as a 5.5 points favorite. The over/under has not yet been posted.

[dukelifer]

Um, no. Second, third, fourth, perhaps not a lot of difference.

Fifth means you don't get a bye, have to play on Thursday, and have to win four games.

I don't particularly like the 3-seed, either, as it means you don't get finished on Friday until around Midnight East.

Yes- the 5th seed would not be good unless you are a UConn and ride the momentum of 4 games to an NCAA championship.

[Kedsy]

Yes- the 5th seed would not be good unless you are a UConn and ride the momentum of 4 games to an NCAA championship.

Of course UConn was actually the 9th seed in the 2011 Big East tournament, and had to win five BET games before getting to the NCAAT, but I understand your point.

[dukelifer]

Of course UConn was actually the 9th seed in the 2011 Big East tournament, and had to win five BET games before getting to the NCAAT, but I understand your point.
Duke usually rides an ACC championship to a sweet 16 or better, but with the gimpy Curry and Kelly- not sure it is worth playing more than two games, whatever the seed. Strange strange year.

[cptnflash]

Duke usually rides an ACC championship to a sweet 16 or better, but with the gimpy Curry and Kelly- not sure it is worth playing more than two games, whatever the seed. Strange strange year.

Winning is always worth the effort. Always.

[Troublemaker]

Duke opens in Vegas as a 5.5 points favorite. The over/under has not yet been posted.

Up to 6.5 now. This smells like an easy win coming.

[cptnflash]

Up to 6.5 now. This smells like an easy win coming.

We'll win tomorrow. Book it.

But also, no matter how good we look tomorrow, forget about it immediately, whether Ryan plays or not. Tomorrow's game is special, and has no bearing on what we're capable of / will or will not achieve / where our ceiling or floor is come the postseason. OK? Please everyone, do not overreact and start making reservations for Atlanta when we tear Miami a new one tomorrow evening.

[jipops]

We'll win tomorrow. Book it.

But also, no matter how good we look tomorrow, forget about it immediately, whether Ryan plays or not. Tomorrow's game is special, and has no bearing on what we're capable of / will or will not achieve / where our ceiling or floor is come the postseason. OK? Please everyone, do not overreact and start making reservations for Atlanta when we tear Miami a new one tomorrow evening.

I totally agree. We already have an idea of what we are without Ryan and what we may/may not be capable of. What we don't know now is what kind of team we'll be with Ryan back. And I'm not banking on us knowing much about that tomorrow, whether he plays or not. It's going to be a process.

We could go nuts and just start nailing 3's and Miami lays an egg. We could come out mentally drained and Miami beats us up.

[Troublemaker]

Before yesterday I was bummed that Duke would not finish 2nd but now I am resigned that they are likely to finish 3 or 4th as the teams ahead have more favorable schedules.

FYI, Pomeroy still has Duke projected to finish 2nd with a 13-5 record. I think that is still the most likely scenario (in fact, I think we finish 14-4). 3rd and 4th (and some say 5th) are still possibilities, but 2nd is still most likely, imo.

[dukelifer]

FYI, Pomeroy still has Duke projected to finish 2nd with a 13-5 record. I think that is still the most likely scenario (in fact, I think we finish 14-4). 3rd and 4th (and some say 5th) are still possibilities, but 2nd is still most likely, imo.

Hope you are right. I will be in Cameron tomorrow.

[NashvilleDevil]

Tweet from Jeff Goodman:

"Not 100 percent, but hearing that Duke's Ryan Kelly is leaning towards returning tomorrow against Miami - source told CBSSports."

[cptnflash]

Tweet from Jeff Goodman:

"Not 100 percent, but hearing that Duke's Ryan Kelly is leaning towards returning tomorrow against Miami - source told CBSSports."

Isn't this the same guy that originated the "2 to 4 weeks" prognosis when Ryan first got injured? At work we would call this guy noise, rather than signal.

[NashvilleDevil]

Isn't this the same guy that originated the "2 to 4 weeks" prognosis when Ryan first got injured? At work we would call this guy noise, rather than signal.

And if he plays tomorrow what is he then?

[Troublemaker]

Have to think Ryan will at least check-in to the game at some point for a Willis-Reed style 2-minute stint.

Hopefully he can play more than that. Hopefully it'll be 10-15 minutes, but even if it's just 2 minutes, seeing him at the scorer's table will energize the building and the team.

We're playing on shorter rest than Miami, but a well-timed Ryan-at-the-scorer's-table energy boost will erase that advantage. Every other intangible belongs to Duke (e.g. Why does Miami even care about this game?). Ryan for two minutes, and Duke wins easily.

[devildeac]

Tweet from Jeff Goodman:

"Not 100 percent, but hearing that Duke's Ryan Kelly is leaning towards returning tomorrow against Miami - source told CBSSports."

shh, don't tell Larranaga...

[cptnflash]

And if he plays tomorrow what is he then?

In that case, Goodman would most definitely be confirming his status as noise, not signal. If Ryan doesn't play tomorrow, we may be able to begin thinking about Goodman as a contrary indicator, which is marginally more useful. But it would take a significantly larger sample size before I'd be ready to pile into the "fade Goodman" trade in any size.

[davekay1971]

And if he plays tomorrow what is he then?

Blind squirrel finding a nut?

[tele]

Blind squirrel finding a nut?

You'd be saying he's very reliable source then, since all squirrels are blind after dark, not having cones in their eyes and they tend to store food in their nests. So finding a nut would be more or less a daily occurrence. I'd say he plays then.

[Bob Green]

Duke is now a 7 points favorite with the over/under set at 135.5 so Vegas is looking for a score in the neighborhood of 71-64.

[Duke of Nashville]

Not feeling very optimistic.

If we can't guard ball screens against UVA how the hell are we going to guard them against Miami?

I think Nate James was once quoted as saying that Cameron was good for 8-9 points. We are going to need all them tomorrow.

Come onnnnnnnnn White Raven.

[slower]

We'll win tomorrow. Book it...when we tear Miami a new one tomorrow evening.

smh

Gotta love the eternal optimists. Hope you're right. Don't be surprised if you're not.

[TWRX5284]

smh

Gotta love the eternal optimists. Hope you're right. Don't be surprised if you're not.

Duke rarely drops 2 in a row. Duke is at home. Duke by 7.

[JStuart]

You'd be saying he's very reliable source then, since all squirrels are blind after dark, not having cones in their eyes and they tend to store food in their nests. So finding a nut would be more or less a daily occurrence. I'd say he plays then.

If squirrels have no cones, then they would have limited vision in the daytime. The rod neuroreceptors are responsible for low-light situations and sensitivity to motion.
Maybe this is why they have trouble figuring out which way to run when they get caught in the middle of the road in front of my car.
But please keep up your fine basketball commentary; I enjoy your posts.
Now blind pigs and acorns, have at it.
JStuart, Duke Ophth. '81

[billy]

From the Miami Herald: "It’s going to be the best game of the year, in my opinion,” Kadji said. “A coach like Coach K, who in my opinion is the best coach in the world, he’s going to have them ready."

[cptnflash]

smh

Gotta love the eternal optimists. Hope you're right. Don't be surprised if you're not.

Ha! That's the last thing I ever expected to be called on this board. Have you ever read any of my previous posts? Like in the Miami, Maryland, or Virginia pre-game threads? Or in the Ryan Kelly foot vigil?

I'm optimistic when it's warranted. Today, it's warranted.

[sagegrouse]

Blind squirrel finding a nut?


You'd be saying he's very reliable source then, since all squirrels are blind after dark, not having cones in their eyes and they tend to store food in their nests. So finding a nut would be more or less a daily occurrence. I'd say he plays then.


If squirrels have no cones, then they would have limited vision in the daytime. The rod neuroreceptors are responsible for low-light situations and sensitivity to motion.
Maybe this is why they have trouble figuring out which way to run when they get caught in the middle of the road in front of my car.
But please keep up your fine basketball commentary; I enjoy your posts.
Now blind pigs and acorns, have at it.
JStuart, Duke Ophth. '81

Blind squirrels? This is hopeless Yankee blather. If you are ('scuse me, "is") a child of the South, then you know the correct expression is, "Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then."

sagegrouse

[DukeAlumBS]

My friends,

Trying to get on track. Jason Williams picks us to win today. I like him better than Jay Bilas, he always picks against us.
So positive first reporting, and the vegas line is on our side today as well.

Enjoy the game,

Jimmy

[slower]

Ha! That's the last thing I ever expected to be called on this board. Have you ever read any of my previous posts? Like in the Miami, Maryland, or Virginia pre-game threads? Or in the Ryan Kelly foot vigil?

I'm optimistic when it's warranted. Today, it's warranted.

I guess that , compared to ME :D , almost everybody is an optimist.

I just see people predicting various margins of victory after every game that seem somewhat optimistic.

[subzero02]

This won't be an easy game folks... Miami is a veteran squad and it looks like they played fairly well in their last game after a string of four consecutive subpar performances. Hopefully Cameron propels us to play well for 40 minutes... Crash the defensive glass... Limit Kadji's touches... Stay in front of Larkin and be ready to rotate if he gets by Cook

[NashvilleDevil]

Digger said there is no way Duke beats Miami.

[Bluedog]

Digger said there is no way Duke beats Miami.

That's a good sign. I also don't understand how Digger can be so blatantly pro Notre Dame and nobody seems to care, but if somebody was like that for Duke, they'd be crucified. I guess it's because Notre Dame hadn't been that relevant on the national scene lately. I also found it interesting that they were discussing court storming using Coach K as the catalyst (and basically only showing stormings against Duke), but failed to mention that Coach K said he is FOR student celebrations following a victory. He just thinks they should allow the players to get off first. Sloppy journalism in my mind with Jalen Rose talking about how great court storming is to celebrate. Can't they ever read a full quote? Especially since it was in response to a question. It's not as if coach K brought the subject up on his own.

In any event, psyched for the game tonight. Let's go Duke!

[Chris Randolph]

This game would be even more exciting had we won the other night but that said as the day goes on I am getting more and more pumped for the game.

If Duke is not motivated to lock down Miami and come out and hit them in the mouth for 40 minutes, then this team should be ashamed. After the beat down in Miami and the mocking (slapping the floor), there is NO excuse to not come out swinging for a full 40 minutes. Mason Plumlee, you better be a MAN tonight!

Part of me hopes Ryan gets on the floor, a bigger part of me hopes he doesn't. This game, while seemingly big in the moment, doesn't do much for us conference championship wise. I would rather him get one more full week of practice, then work himself back into things in the last 2 games

As for my prediction for the game, ehhhh. Hoping Duke plays well, Miami is going to bring it

[slower]

This game is a total gut check. If we don't see some fire today, we aren't ever gonna see it.

Which way are you gonna go, guys?

[NashvilleDevil]

That's a good sign. I also don't understand how Digger can be so blatantly pro Notre Dame and nobody seems to care, but if somebody was like that for Duke, they'd be crucified. I guess it's because Notre Dame hadn't been that relevant on the national scene lately. I also found it interesting that they were discussing court storming using Coach K as the catalyst (and basically only showing stormings against Duke), but failed to mention that Coach K said he is FOR student celebrations following a victory. He just thinks they should allow the players to get off first. Sloppy journalism in my mind with Jalen Rose talking about how great court storming is to celebrate. Can't they ever read a full quote? Especially since it was in response to a question. It's not as if coach K brought the subject up on his own.

In any event, psyched for the game tonight. Let's go Duke!

Re: court storming

In an earlier game day, without Jalen, Jay Bilas did mention Coach K's entire quote. Jay is against court storming unless it is organic. His example of organic court storming was IU beating UK last season.

[wk2109]

I also found it interesting that they were discussing court storming using Coach K as the catalyst (and basically only showing stormings against Duke), but failed to mention that Coach K said he is FOR student celebrations following a victory. He just thinks they should allow the players to get off first. Sloppy journalism in my mind with Jalen Rose talking about how great court storming is to celebrate. Can't they ever read a full quote? Especially since it was in response to a question. It's not as if coach K brought the subject up on his own.

I was thinking the exact same thing today. Simple-minded Jalen Rose only focused on the issue of whether court-stormings should happen when the actual issue that K talked about was player safety. Everyone else seemed to understand that the issue wasn't as simple as Jalen was making it out to be. I think Jay Bilas probably gets really annoyed at how illogical the other GameDay guys can be.

I like how all the focus of today's game seems to be on Miami and not on Duke. Miami really hasn't been playing that well lately -- if they come in and play like they did when they squeaked by Clemson and UVA and lost to Wake, and if Duke has anything resembling a normal shooting performance, Duke should win. I hope all the hype keeps getting to Miami's heads.

[subzero02]

Seth Davis just said that Kelly is a game time decision... He said he will play and might start!!!

[devildeac]

If squirrels have no cones, then they would have limited vision in the daytime. The rod neuroreceptors are responsible for low-light situations and sensitivity to motion.
Maybe this is why they have trouble figuring out which way to run when they get caught in the middle of the road in front of my car.
But please keep up your fine basketball commentary; I enjoy your posts.
Now blind pigs and acorns, have at it.
JStuart, Duke Ophth. '81

Links?

(kidding, folks, kidding. Look at his cred;))

[pamtar]

Seth Davis just said that Kelly is a game time decision... He said he will play and might start!!!

Source (his)?

[subzero02]

Source (his)?

He didn't provide a source... This was said during halftime of louisville and syracuse... He said kelly practiced full contact yesteday... He said Duke labeled Kelly a game time decision... Davis stated "that he's not a game time decision, he's going play and might even start"

[DukeAlumBS]

I saw this and that would be very nice and start Kelly . And we have a heck of a game!
I am dreaming now, but hope Coach K takes a chance and states to the Miami coach. After we destroy you, there will be no court storming for your saftey!
And we beat them by say; 40 points! Then I woke up.

Have nice day, Go Duke.
Jimmy,

[kmspeaks]

That's a good sign. I also don't understand how Digger can be so blatantly pro Notre Dame and nobody seems to care, but if somebody was like that for Duke, they'd be crucified. I guess it's because Notre Dame hadn't been that relevant on the national scene lately. I also found it interesting that they were discussing court storming using Coach K as the catalyst (and basically only showing stormings against Duke), but failed to mention that Coach K said he is FOR student celebrations following a victory. He just thinks they should allow the players to get off first. Sloppy journalism in my mind with Jalen Rose talking about how great court storming is to celebrate. Can't they ever read a full quote? Especially since it was in response to a question. It's not as if coach K brought the subject up on his own.

In any event, psyched for the game tonight. Let's go Duke!

With the state of the "media" today, I'd say if it can't fit in one tweet they're not going to read the whole thing.

[sporthenry]

I was thinking the exact same thing today. Simple-minded Jalen Rose only focused on the issue of whether court-stormings should happen when the actual issue that K talked about was player safety. Everyone else seemed to understand that the issue wasn't as simple as Jalen was making it out to be. I think Jay Bilas probably gets really annoyed at how illogical the other GameDay guys can be.

It is okay, the CBS guys weren't much better. Greg Anthony wants no restrictions. He thinks that bad things will happen and that we shouldn't do anything even if someone gets injured or a fight happens b/c society isn't perfect. Gottlieb say you can't get rid of it b/c it is engrained in basketball, which I sort of agree. Then he says he doesn't want it to jump the shark. You mean it hasn't already? Then Seth Davis was the old man, who said something bad will happen and that something has to happen before something bad happens. But the end was the kicker, Gottlieb was completely fine until the end and goes something along the lines of, well we know that if a Duke person gets hit, they'll flop anyways. It is amazing at how unprofessional these guys can be but I guess that is more a comment on the average viewer who actually believes that junk.

As far as storming the court, I don't think it should be banned completely but they should put some type of punishment in place to limit the amount it happens so that it only happens when it should happen. Duke is a top 5 team sure. But Virginia was favorites in Vegas. If they want to make it to the S16, they'll have to beat a similar team. So will they storm the court in the NCAAT as well? And Duke has 4 losses this year, by the 4th loss, it ain't that special.

[uh_no]

It is okay, the CBS guys weren't much better. Greg Anthony wants no restrictions. He thinks that bad things will happen and that we shouldn't do anything even if someone gets injured or a fight happens b/c society isn't perfect. Gottlieb say you can't get rid of it b/c it is engrained in basketball, which I sort of agree. Then he says he doesn't want it to jump the shark. You mean it hasn't already? Then Seth Davis was the old man, who said something bad will happen and that something has to happen before something bad happens. But the end was the kicker, Gottlieb was completely fine until the end and goes something along the lines of, well we know that if a Duke person gets hit, they'll flop anyways. It is amazing at how unprofessional these guys can be but I guess that is more a comment on the average viewer who actually believes that junk.

As far as storming the court, I don't think it should be banned completely but they should put some type of punishment in place to limit the amount it happens so that it only happens when it should happen. Duke is a top 5 team sure. But Virginia was favorites in Vegas. If they want to make it to the S16, they'll have to beat a similar team. So will they storm the court in the NCAAT as well? And Duke has 4 losses this year, by the 4th loss, it ain't that special.

Maybe we shouldn't flatter ourselves that they were celebrating duke losing...it could have been any top 5 opponent and they would have stormed the court...it was them celebrating a win over a highly ranked opponent...

[subzero02]

With the state of the "media" today, I'd say if it can't fit in one tweet they're not going to read the whole thing.

I am a little depressed now because I think you are right...

[sporthenry]

Maybe we shouldn't flatter ourselves that they were celebrating duke losing...it could have been any top 5 opponent and they would have stormed the court...it was them celebrating a win over a highly ranked opponent...

But that is my point. The top 5 teams have a 16 losses. So there should be 16 court stormings in a year? And that doesn't even take into account teams like Florida, Kansas, or Arizona who were in or around the top 5 and lost. And they were Vegas favorites. NC State was predicted to win the ACC. And those stormings were staged. It wasn't like the Indiana one or even the Duke one which was the organic one that Bilas talked about. The students just want to storm the court and that is the problem. You don't look for an excuse to storm the court.

[JStuart]

Links?

(kidding, folks, kidding. Look at his cred;))

Devildeac, I don't subscribe to veterinary journals, so I can't link anything today. I have had some patients who were, ah, shall we say, squirrelly?
Let's hope that even a blind hog (or even Dickie V) will be able to see how pumped up our effort will be tonight.

[subzero02]

Maybe we shouldn't flatter ourselves that they were celebrating duke losing...it could have been any top 5 opponent and they would have stormed the court...it was them celebrating a win over a highly ranked opponent...

Do you know how much we are hated, especially in conference? Our ranking has lot to do with it but schools really want to rub it in our faces when we lose because we're Duke.

[Henderson]

Do you know how much we are hated, especially in conference? Our ranking has lot to do with it but schools really want to rub it in our faces when we lose because we're Duke.

Agree. But UVa has been down for a few years now, and this win probably took them off the bubble for an NCAAT bid. Those too are reasons for celebration.

But K has an excellent point: The host school, which in the ACC is responsible for crowd control, needs a system to ensure the safety of the visiting team leaving the court. That yellow phalanx along the Duke bench was admirable, so I give UVa credit for that. What UVa didn't do was keep the students from pouring down the stairs right in front of the Duke tunnel. That's what Coach K was screaming about to the uniformed police. Very shortly thereafter, the cops blocked the students long enough for Duke to exit the court (leading to much booing by UVa fans -- not attractive). They and other schools just need to do a better job at that sort of planning.

[HateCarolina]

Wow!! Here I was thinking I might find some light pre-Miami game analysis and I run in to more court storming discussion.

Now here's hoping Ryan, Seth, and Mason can show some senior leadership and take it to Miami from the start.

[Phoenix22]

Did anyone mention the Ryan Kelly is starting?

Twiiter: @Duke_MBB: Game time 15 minutes away. Duke starters Cook, Curry, Sulaimon, Plumlee and Kelly

[Furniture]

Did anyone mention the Ryan Kelly is starting?

Twiiter: @Duke_MBB: Game time 15 minutes away. Duke starters Cook, Curry, Sulaimon, Plumlee and Kelly

Great. Now when will the game start on TV?

[moonpie23]

Let's go duke!!!!

[BlueDevilBrowns]

I hate to call out a fellow Hickory-native but why in the world do you foul down 17 with less than 2 minutes left!!!!!!!!!!???

[wgl1228]

Man I can't wait to see Kelly out there. Hope he does well!

[_Gary]

This TX/OKS game had only 6 minutes left at about 5:48 PM (EST). And here it is 20 minutes later and there's still a minute left. That's five minutes of on court play taking twenty. And it's a blow out at that! Ugh.

[slower]

Mason with another soft start.

[Steven43]

Kelly already hit a 3. He didn't waste any time.

[riverside6]

Live tempo-based stats for the game here...

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=14636

[IBleedBlue]

Any links to see this game online?

[Chris Randolph]

Plumlee better figure out how to contribute on offense. Wonder if he has lost confidence

[_Gary]

The lack of ability to stop dribble penetration continues to be a big issue, imho. Both our guards and bigs seem to consistently allow their men to blow right by them. Both Quinn and Mason have to really shore up that part of their game.

[mapei]

Why didn't someone come out to help in Duke's last play?

[sporthenry]

In 4 minutes, Kelly has more points than Amile/Josh combined last game. Josh comes in and immediately gets a moving screen.

On the whole, offense looks much better. Just missing open shots. Defense looks improved but just from more focus and intensity.

[SCMatt33]

They aren't missing floaters. You have to challenge them.

[arnie]

The lack of ability to stop dribble penetration continues to be a big issue, imho. Both our guards and bigs seem to consistently allow their men to blow right by them. Both Quinn and Mason have to really shore up that part of their game.

Team is playing poorly. If Miami was on we'd be way down

[mapei]

wow!

[DukieInBrasil]

Pagining Quinn Cook, paging Quinn Cook, please find your playmaking mojo.

(that was just a pathetically lazy pass to Curry off his knee o.o.b)

[mapei]

Paging a rebounder.

[slower]

Man I can't wait to see Kelly out there. Hope he does well!

Thank God he's in there, or we'd be getting hammered.

Plumlee, AGAIN, doesn't seem to be able to move to get a rebound.

[SCMatt33]

Mason's gas tank looks like it's near E. Haven't seen him move well in the half court at all. He can't venture outside on D if he won't get back.

[_Gary]

I know most people here don't like Dickie V, but he's calling it right thus far. The biggest problem is we can't stop Miami's dribble penetration. They are making a living in the lane.

[sporthenry]

Well I take that back about the defense. At least UVA gave us three weeks to figure out our defense against this. We are going to have to sag like we did in 2010 and figure out something with the hedge. Kelly can usually hedge but Mason looks lost when he has to show.

[slower]

Mason's gas tank looks like it's near E. Haven't seen him move well in the half court at all. He can't venture outside on D if he won't get back.

He's definitely playing himself down the draft charts. He's gonna see guys like this every night in the NBA.

[mapei]

It looks like we've never had to defend the drive before?

[Channing]

Perhaps bellying them up 40 ft from the hoop so they go right by us isn't a great plan .... a simple screen and they go.right through the lane

[sporthenry]

The hedge on the screen is pathetic. We are going to have to adopt UVA's style of the hedge showing and pushing the dribbler out to half court and hope we can get back. But these weak shows aren't going to cut it.

[CLW]

Could we please bring back the 2010 "style" of contain instead of insane ball pressure? Miami is much quicker than we are and extending the half court pressure is just leaving us too exposed.

[Chris Randolph]

Our guards cant keep up. Miami guards have no fear of driving in the paint because they know there isn't a shot blocker. Twice Plumlee has chosen to act like he is taking a charge instead of contesting. Stupid

[Philadukie]

I haven't seen this much dribble penetration since Eric Maynor punked Greg Paulus. We will NOT go anywhere if this continues. Teams will penetrate and crash the offensive boards all day on us.

[SCMatt33]

I know most people here don't like Dickie V, but he's calling it right thus far. The biggest problem is we can't stop Miami's dribble penetration. They are making a living in the lane.

My question is where's Mason in the back to challenge. We play a high pressure D that will get beat a lot. Mason's had cement shoes on. He's gotten caught in no mans land so many times. Mason is doing noting to alter shots and it's killing us.

[mapei]

Mason has had some aggressive scores and one block, but on the whole I agree that he looks tired. Some don't want to hear it, but that's what it looks like.

[_Gary]

He's definitely playing himself down the draft charts.

Right now I see three guys that were playing at a much higher level two months ago than they are now: Mason, Quinn and Sheed. With the freshman, it's understandable and he's actually started picking it back up over the last couple of weeks. But Quinn and Mason really aren't playing at the same level they were in December and early January. They both need to turn it around quickly.

[Chris Randolph]

Could we please bring back the 2010 "style" of contain instead of insane ball pressure? Miami is much quicker than we are and extending the half court pressure is just leaving us too exposed.

+100000000000000..... Stubborn

[mapei]

Could we please bring back the 2010 "style" of contain instead of insane ball pressure? Miami is much quicker than we are and extending the half court pressure is just leaving us too exposed.

Excellent point.

[sporthenry]

It isn't just the pressure, it is the hedge. What Ryan just did there is what we have to do all the time. You have to either trap the guard and don't let him turn the corner or you have to at least make him go around you.

[sporthenry]

Woah. Just blow a play dead b/c a guy is down. Pretty sure that isn't how that works.

[Channing]

I hope he is OK but how can they stop us in the middle.of pushing the ball?

Also, has cook gotten slower?

[TNDukeFan]

Any links to see this game online?

http://www.firstrow1.eu/watch/172392/1/watch-5-miami-fl-vs-3-duke.html

[mapei]

We're being outrebounded 13-7 so far. Not good.

[SCMatt33]

Mason has had some aggressive scores and one block, but on the whole I agree that he looks tired. Some don't want to hear it, but that's what it looks like.

Even the scores and the block weren't "aggressive" in the energy sense. They were power moves. He hasn't moved well, and he hasn't jumped well. Those two missed layups would have been dunks in November or December, no question.

[chaosmage]

Several times one of Duke's players has gone down, and play doesn't stop with us playing four on five, or the reverse. Scott gets hurt and the whistle is blown? Is there a specific rule? Or is it ref's discretion? If K requests a timeout for that, is it ok?

Simply curious.

[TKG]

Sheed doing his best Claude Rains impersonation......

[Philadukie]

I can't figure out what is going on with Quinn. Decision making, body language/facial expressions, lackadaisical execution. Very weird. Looks like he's hitting a wall, perhaps more emotional than physical.

[Chris Randolph]

Getting nothing out of our guards. Considering that, we are only down 6. Gotta step up your game fellas. It's that time of year

[_Gary]

Even the scores and the block weren't "aggressive" in the energy sense. They were power moves. He hasn't moved well, and he hasn't jumped well. Those two missed layups would have been dunks in November or December, no question.

Agree 100%. Mason's vertical, especially down low and in traffic, just hasn't been there over the last few weeks. I'm not sure what the problem is, but his motor just doesn't appear to be running at full capacity.

[sporthenry]

Several times one of Duke's players has gone down, and play doesn't stop with us playing four on five, or the reverse. Scott gets hurt and the whistle is blown? Is there a specific rule? Or is it ref's discretion? If K requests a timeout for that, is it ok?

Simply curious.

I looked it up. Wrong call this game.


Art. 6.
Suspends play immediately when necessary to protect an injured player.
Art. 7.
Suspends play after the ball is dead or controlled by the injured player’s
team or when the opponents complete a play after a player is injured.
a.
A play shall be completed when a team withholds the ball from play by
ceasing to attempt to score or advance the ball to a scoring position.
Art. 8.
Suspends play at the earliest possible time when a player incurs a wound
that causes bleeding or has blood on his or her body caused by blood from another
player’s wound. Allow for 20 seconds to remedy the situation before instructing
the player to leave the game.

[Channing]

Sulaimon needs to get his head in the game

[mapei]

After this game, I hope never to see Reggie Johnson again.

[jipops]

We are shooting ourselves in the foot. We cannot afford these turnovers.

[TKG]

Sulaimon needs to get his head in the game

Let him do it from the bench...

[_Gary]

Sulaimon needs to get his head in the game

He, Quinn and Mason. The dropoff in play from all three those guys is high.

[_Gary]

I love Ryan Kelly!!!!

[mapei]

I now apologize publicly for every time I doubted whether RK was that big a difference-maker.

[CLW]

Well Kelly certainly doesn't look rusty at all

[slower]

Between Mason's disappearing act, Quinn and Sheed's body language and other factors, this is an EXTREMELY dangerous game. If we lose this game in anything other than a close fashion, I think these guys never get their confidence back, not completely.

[sporthenry]

Seems like nobody game planned for Kelly. Would be nice to push the pace and catch Mason in the open court versus the 300 pounder.

Watching Cook and Sulaimon struggle with their emotions also makes me appreciate how mature our guards have been like Curry, Scheyer, Nolan, etc. I have complete faith they'll get their eventually but for now, they need to be managed.

[Channing]

Great Quinn. Body him up at half court so he goes right by you. Every single time

[mapei]

I think Sheed will be OK. Quinn, I'm worried about.

[Furniture]

Let's be positive guys!!!

[Philadukie]

Let's go god#€<€}!!!!

Folks, this is the inflection point of the season!! This is it god#>{€!!!

If we don't get it done tonight, we're never getting it done.

[Channing]

Why can our PG not get assists?

[slower]

He's definitely playing himself down the draft charts. He's gonna see guys like this every night in the NBA.

Ryan, OTOH, is moving himself UP the chart. Without him, this is a slaughter.

[DukieInBrasil]

Larkin is just smoking Cook tonight.
However, Kelly is smoking Miami's D to compensate.

[sporthenry]

I think Duke's overplay 30 feet from the basket is sort of an emotion thing in front of the home crowd. Trying to get into the guys and force turnovers for the crowd.

[mapei]

Hey, if we win, I think we should storm the court. Just saying.

[_Gary]

I think Sheed will be OK. Quinn, I'm worried about.

Maybe that dribble drive layup will get Quinn going.

[Chris Randolph]

That Ryan Kelly guy is quite good

[CLW]

AGAIN I do NOT understand K's decision with the insane ball pressure. If you wanted to try it to start out fine but Cook just cannot keep up with Larkin on the high ball screens and its just killing our D. If Miami beats us jacking 3s fine I'd rather take my shot with that than them beating us with dunks/layups.

[Furniture]

Seth hasn't even started yet!
We can do it!!!

[rsvman]

We could really use to get Curry going in this game. He seems really hesitant, like his confidence is rattled for some reason.

[TKG]

Seriously, when was Mason's last decent game against a quality opponent?

[sporthenry]

The defense seems to be settling down. Starting to sag and hedge. At least making Miami make a few plays to score as opposed to just driving down the lane. But we pretty much gift wrapped them 20 points to start the game.

[Channing]

Its like our feet are in.cement on d

[subzero02]

I would say Kelly's performance is willis reedesque but Reed didn't play this well in his comeback

[_Gary]

Miami hasn't missed a floater yet. Admittedly, we are allowing them pretty easy ones, but still. They've hit every single one by my count.

[DukieInBrasil]

Duke is killing itself at the line tonight, shooting under 50% so far. We'd be up 2 if we were making FTs.

[Chris Randolph]

I hope in the upcoming week we work on defending the on ball screen. That's all

[TNDukeFan]

wow, Mason was wide open under the basket.

[Channing]

At what point did Quinn cook lose the ability to penetrate?

[sporthenry]

Duke is killing itself at the line tonight, shooting under 50% so far. We'd be up 2 if we were making FTs.

Well it is only a sample of 7 FTs. Anytime we score 34 points, we should have the lead in the first half. I'd say our defense is killing us.

[FerryFor50]

At what point did Quinn cook lose the ability to penetrate?

He hasn't - Larkin is just a good, quick defender.

[CLW]

3/7 for the line -4 on the glass and we are giving up layups seemingly at will but thanks to Kelly only down two at the half.

i don't think we win this one unless we change the D to a more contain half court man.

[_Gary]

wow, Mason was wide open under the basket.

Yep. Quinn missed him.

[OldSchool]

AGAIN I do NOT understand K's decision with the insane ball pressure. If you wanted to try it to start out fine but Cook just cannot keep up with Larkin on the high ball screens and its just killing our D. If Miami beats us jacking 3s fine I'd rather take my shot with that than them beating us with dunks/layups.

I'm with you. Quinn crowds Larkin so closely that he just lets him go right by him for essentially a halfcourt 5 on 4. Stay in front of him. Just stay in front of him.

Are they just too proud to pop in the tape of the Virginia game at Miami and see how it should be done defensively? Stay in front of Larkin. Stay in front of him. Make them execute in the halfcourt 5 on 5. Make them shoot jump shots.

With our lousy on-ball defense this game would be a blow-out were it not for Ryan.

[Channing]

3/7 for the line -4 on the glass and we are giving up layups seemingly at will but thanks to Kelly only down two at the half.

i don't think we win this one unless we change the D to a more contain half court man.

He didn't do it last game either ... or against vt

[Chris Randolph]

Curry, Cook, Suliamon have to step up, that simple. Have some pride. Kelly going bananas, one would think that would get everyone else going. Not happening. Geez. Miami is darn good and they were ready to go today as they are attacking.

[Henderson]

With their trend line in recent games, I thought Miami was running out of gas in the long season. But it's Duke that looks tired. Not enough time between games, or cumulative? Both?

We often rally past pumped up teams in the second half as their fatigue hits them. Hope that's the case here.

RK. What a man.

[jipops]

I know our defense stinks but wow Miami is impressive as hell.

[mapei]

3/7 for the line -4 on the glass and we are giving up layups seemingly at will but thanks to Kelly only down two at the half.

i don't think we win this one unless we change the D to a more contain half court man.

We also need someone besides RK to score 5 points.

[ice-9]

Incredibly fortunate to have Kelly playing so well and only down by two.

Guys, you have to credit Miami's defense for our guards' struggles. They're being guarded really, really well.

The story of the game is our defense, or rather lack of it. It's just too easy for Miami to score. I echo everyone's thoughts here to contain vs. pressure, we simply can't pull off the latter against this Miami team.

It's not Mason's fault that Miami's guards are driving down the lane open and he has to decide whether to challenge or stick to his man. We need him on the floor and can't afford to have him in foul trouble.

[FerryFor50]

With our lousy on-ball defense this game would be a blow-out were it not for Ryan.

Kind of like the first time we played Miami...

[CAT Blue Devil]

Overcorrection to Kelly in the second half - Curry carries the load. Key is can we stop the easy shots in the lane - either keep them out or Mason needs to alter some shots!

[jipops]

With their trend line in recent games, I thought Miami was running out of gas in the long season. But it's Duke that looks tired. Not enough time between games, or cumulative? Both?

We often rally past pumped up teams in the second half as their fatigue hits them. Hope that's the case here.

RK. What a man.

Just came off a road game less than 48 hours ago. It was a given we would be tired.

[pfrduke]

I don't understand why we find high screens so difficult to defend. It's not like they're running complex offensive schemes, it's just a high screen or a wing screen, but we really can't defend it.

[Chris Randolph]

This team has too many good parts to not play well come tourney time. Hope we start a rise towards the top, starting with this 2nd half

[FerryFor50]

Just came off a road game less than 48 hours ago. It was a given we would be tired.

Not just a road game - a late road game, that was physically brutal.

[_Gary]

If ever Coach K were going to change up the defense at halftime, it needs to be this game. Everyone on the face of the earth watching this game can see we are unable to stop the dribble penetration when we pressure as much as we have. I understand that's our defensive philosophy, but with Miami we have got to pull back some - imho.

[Luther]

I think Sheed will be OK. Quinn, I'm worried about.

I agree. How many times is he going to let his man blow by him? What happened to the Quinn from earlier in the year??????

[gwlaw99]

Ryan seems to be the only big who's hedging is effective. The hard hedge is working for him. I wonder if coach K will not play their guards as tight in the second half. We need to adapt not pretend we can play their guards tight and prevent them from getting into the lane. We need to go to the 2010 defense and make them beat us from 3.

[mapei]

Just came off a road game less than 48 hours ago. It was a given we would be tired.

We looked tired last game as well. But I agree with you that UM is really impressive.

[Furniture]

Another game and too much negativity here. Miami is a really good team. Give the guys a chance.

WE HAVE NOT LOST YET!

[RoyalBlue08]

I wouldn't mind the pressure man to man so much if it wasn't being backed up by Mason at the rim. If you are going to play high risk defense and give up some drives to the lane you need a big man who is going to protect the rim. Mason has no interest in defense other than trying to draw the occasional charge. This is doubly frustrating to me because 1) He is not very good at it and 2) He has the athleticism necessary to be a shot blocking force.

[Henderson]

Only 1 offensive rebound in that half. Ugly stat.

[rthomas]

I know our defense stinks but wow Miami is impressive as hell.

Barry Larkin's kid is a great point guard.

[#1Duke]

Kelly is playing fantastic and he got many open looks. Hope he can keep it up in the second half and doesn't get tired.
Mason and Curry need to step up and do it quickly. Miami IS playing some good defense though.
Going to be an interesting second half.

[sporthenry]

Ryan seems to be the only big who's hedging is effective. The hard hedge is working for him. I wonder if coach K will not play their guards as tight in the second half. We need to adapt not pretend we can play their guards tight and prevent them from getting into the lane. We need to go to the 2010 defense and make them beat us from 3.


I agree that our guards need to sag a bit. Larkin isn't going to turn the ball over anyways. The hedging is also a problem. The guard needs to go over the screen with the hard hedge to double. Everyone else needs to rotate and they should just watch UVA to see how to play defense against the screen and roll.

[#1Duke]

Another game and too much negativity here. Miami is a really good team. Give the guys a chance.

WE HAVE NOT LOST YET!

This game is FAR from over to be sure. Going to be gut check time from here on out.

[SCMatt33]

I think one thing to remember is that (and I'm as guilty of this as anyone) is that this is the first 48 hour turnaround Duke has had in ACC play and the ONLY time this year that Duke will play in two different locations within 48 hours. I've seen a lot of mental mistakes from Sheed especially. Mason still looks tired physically (though he was a bit better in the last five minutes).

If the defensive woes keep up past tonight though, I think we might need a radical change on that front. If we can't generate steals with the pressure and then get beat on the dribble, it might be time to consider packing the defense in a bit.

[TheItinerantSon]

I don't understand why we find high screens so difficult to defend. It's not like they're running complex offensive schemes, it's just a high screen or a wing screen, but we really can't defend it.

Ball screens are harder to defend than 'complex offensive schemes'. NBA offensive and defensive strategy revolve around them.

[CLW]

well i now need to reconsider my position on the contain now that Greenberg said that's what Duke needs to do in the 2nd half.

[heyman25]

Guard play by Duke can't get any worse. Optimistic for the second half. Kelly has saved us from getting a beatdown by Miami.

[Channing]

When we went down 7 everyone got a little more intense. Lets get back there

[Channing]

well i now need to reconsider my position on the contain now that Greenberg said that's what Duke needs to do in the 2nd half.

He is 100% right

[rsvman]

well i now need to reconsider my position on the contain now that Greenberg said that's what Duke needs to do in the 2nd half.
LOL

However, I actually believe that Greenburg knows his basketball. Not a great coach but his ideas were always strong. He called it, in my opinion.

If Miami shuts down Kelly, Curry will have to step it up.

[Troublemaker]

We started to trap the guard on the ball screen, and that's been more effective so I think we're going to continue with that at first.

If Miami starts beating that method, we might start pulling the troops back.

I'm worried about offense. Ryan's not going to score 20 again. Need to get someone else going.

[captmojo]

Miami needs to be ready at the line. Duke can afford to be VERY aggressive this half.

[jipops]

We beat NC State with our worst defensive display of the season. So there is some possibility to stink it up defensively and still win.

[Channing]

Here is the intensity!!

[mapei]

We. Need. Rebounds.

[jipops]

That sequence hurt. We forced 4 missed shots but couldn't grab a board. That tends to kill intensity on D.

[TKG]

Our defense is atrocious.

[CLW]

miami is REALLY strong at the our two biggest holes (1) guarding the dribble; (2) rebounding

[duke96]

Our defense is atrocious.

Atrocious

[arnie]

We. Need. Rebounds.

I see Mason picking it up now. Hope Kelly staysin

[sporthenry]

What is Mason doing on help defense. He just stands under the basket. Doesn't try to block a shot and since he is under the basket, his rebounding is non-existent.

[TKG]

atrocious

atrocious

[DukieInBrasil]

Hairston again with the insistence to switch on to the guard at the top and getting just schooled to the rim.

[Channing]

Please .... stop the penetration. Make them shoot threea

[Furniture]

Curry.......

[rhynelander]

What an incredible game so far. That insane lefty layup might have got seth going. On the other hand we seem allergic to boxing out.

[Channing]

And they get the rebound one on three

[sporthenry]

The penetration is bad but we have a 6'11 AA who is an athletic freak. Why doesn't he act like a Dwight Howard? Are you telling me Mason can't jump higher than Withey? No reason Mason shouldn't be averaging 3 blocks a game.

[chaosmage]

still eligible for the player of the year, even though he missed so many games? :-P

[TNDukeFan]

It warms my old-school heart that the refs have called the U twice for over the back.

[TKG]

Mason flops and his man gets the offensive rebound.

[CLW]

mason is playing soft tonight and our on ball defense from the perimeter is just no match for the speed of the miami perimeter.

[rsvman]

Once that switch was made, how is Plumlee not ready for Larkin to drive he lane? Did he really think Hairston was going to stay in front of Larkin?

[Henderson]

They've taken 10 more shots rhan we have . We are-6 on the boards.

[CAT Blue Devil]

Zero transition activity in this game, unless you consider Larkin's repeated fast break to the rim from the top of the half court position.

[chaosmage]

It warms my old-school heart that the refs have called the U twice for over the back.

the UVA game, I'm happy they're calling the other team for anything, although 3 obvious walk/travel calls have been missed.

[rsvman]

Three? I think at least four

[mapei]

Boards are now 27 to 19.

[ice-9]

Miami is shooting 21% (3-14) on threes. Let's cut off the drive and force them to shoot!

[Channing]

Once that switch was made, how is Plumlee not ready for Larkin to drive he lane? Did he really think Hairston was going to stay in front of Larkin?

How do we not have a plan to get a switch back in that case
.. parking did nothing for 5 seconds

[Chris Randolph]

Wojo should punch mason for not challenging shots in the paint. Is mason a mental midget or something?

[Channing]

Take it to the hoop rashees!!!

[sporthenry]

Curry has as many rebounds as Mason. Cook has as many blocks. Either contest shots or get every rebound.

[Henderson]

Larkin and Quinn havealmost identical stats right now.

RJ otoh... Not so much.

[CAT Blue Devil]

Mason!!!!! Snap out of it. This is too much. AAAAAhhnhhnh

[CLW]

wow are we soft. 1 on 3 1 on 2 and the 1 gets the ball. no fight.

[TKG]

Gotta love our consistency on the defensive end........

[Tucknut]

I can't believe the lack of effort by Mason. Seems like Ryan is the only Blue Devil practicing the lost art of blocking out.

[jipops]

Exhaustion clearly setting in. Game could get away right here.

[CAT Blue Devil]

What about Jefferson????

[_Gary]

Miami is destroying us with their athleticism. So many offensive boards because they are out-jumping and out-hustling us.

[mapei]

Rebounds now 31 to 19, offensive 9 to 2.

[A-Tex Devil]

Not a lot of rebound "want to" with this team.

[sporthenry]

Honestly, Mason's play is just mind boggling. I'd much rather have Marshall out there. If Mason is tired or afraid of picking up fouls. I don't really care, he shouldn't be out there. If he is going to play scared, he can't play. The excuse we need Mason out there b/c Kelly is injured is no longer applicable. As bad as our penetration defense might be, there is no help at the rim and on the off chance they miss, he doesn't even get the rebound.

[Furniture]

Let's not give up...

[arnie]

Exhaustion clearly setting in. Game could get away right here.

If Mason is that tired let Amile sub for him

[mapei]

Miami is destroying us with their athleticism. So many offensive boards because they are out-jumping and out-hustling us.

They are also much stronger.

[jipops]

If Sheed doesn't hit those open shots, we don't have a very good chance.

[Chris Randolph]

Mason is a zero impact player on defense. He doesn't challenge shots nor is he pulling down rebounds. We need Zoubs

[Zephyrius]

Miami is destroying us with their athleticism. So many offensive boards because they are out-jumping and out-hustling us.

it's not athleticism... it's just heart. it seems like we're scared of anyone who drives towards the basket right now

[SCMatt33]

How many points in a row have been on 2nd chances for Miami. I don't understand how there aren't at least 3 guys crashing the boards. Except for that last one, which was one on two, Miami is getting offensive boards because they have more guys at the glass. You can't win by standing still. You can't move when everyone is either hurt, playing 38 minutes a night, or both.

[Henderson]

Boards 28-18 with Johnson out...

[mattman91]

Why do we never box out? Mightas well
put todd in

[Channing]

Exhaustion is a cop out

[captmojo]

How often will the refs turn a blind eye to the Miami 2-step?

[wgl1228]

I'm sorry but we just can't play this defense anymore.

[Kjeffrey]

I said it Thursday night and I will say it again. Why doesn't Coach K change the game plan? Put Alex or Amile in the game. We need their energy!

[A-Tex Devil]

Exhaustion clearly setting in. Game could get away right here.

Why do we get exhausted and Miami doesn't? Perhaps Miami is just better this year. Hope we pull it out though. If we lose and I hear the word "exhaustion"' though, I am going to flip my lid. Our schedule isn't any less brutal than any other ACC team.

[sporthenry]

Mason gets a rebound 20 feet from the basket on a tip out.

[Henderson]

Mason hasn't shot a foul shot. Does he have mono?

[Dukeface88]

Ryan Kelly is good at basketball.

[captmojo]

Ryan on fire!