Teams to Avoid This Month

[BlueDevilBrowns]

OK, I couldn't think of a cooler title for this thread but if one of the Mods can, feel free to change it.

What teams do you think Duke should stay away from in the NCAAT?

My list is:

Georgetown and Michigan(princeton offense is a bad matchup)

Kansas, Louisville, and Ohio St.(1 team from LY's FF usually returns the next year).

Baylor(athletic and speedy PG).

UCLA(potential Zona 2011 team).

Thoughts?

[NashvilleDevil]

OK, I couldn't think of a cooler title for this thread but if one of the Mods can, feel free to change it.

What teams do you think Duke should stay away from in the NCAAT?

My list is:

Georgetown and Michigan(princeton offense is a bad matchup)

Kansas, Louisville, and Ohio St.(1 team from LY's FF usually returns the next year).

Baylor(athletic and speedy PG).

UCLA(potential Zona 2011 team).

Thoughts?

Why does Duke want to stay alway from any of these teams? When Duke is healthy they haven't lost.

[uh_no]

Why does Duke want to stay alway from any of these teams? When Duke is healthy they haven't lost.

couldn't have said it better myself.

I don't think there is a team in the country that can defend kelly plumlee and curry.

I said it last march, and I still think it true. Duke is the best team in the country, and if duke even plays mediocre-ly...nobody can defend them.

[Lord Ash]

Duke.

At least, for everyone else.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Why does Duke want to stay alway from any of these teams? When Duke is healthy they haven't lost.

I had no idea.

So you're saying you don't care who Duke plays in the NCAAT?

No matter how good Duke is, matchups are important. While we are undefeated and clearly the best team in the country with Kelly, we're still not 1999 Duke yet. Matchups and style of play are kinda a factor.

It's a fun "what-if" type of question.

[uh_no]

I had no idea.

So you're saying you don't care who Duke plays in the NCAAT?

No matter how good Duke is, matchups are important. While we are undefeated and clearly the best team in the country with Kelly, we're still not 1999 Duke yet. Matchups and style of play are kinda a factor.

It's a fun "what-if" type of question.

goergetown, since they can get hot
miamia, since if they play well, they can kill us (i don't htink we win the first matchup even with kelly)
indiana (they would match up so well with us)

[SCMatt33]

OK, I couldn't think of a cooler title for this thread but if one of the Mods can, feel free to change it.

What teams do you think Duke should stay away from in the NCAAT?

My list is:

Georgetown and Michigan(princeton offense is a bad matchup)

Kansas, Louisville, and Ohio St.(1 team from LY's FF usually returns the next year).

Baylor(athletic and speedy PG).

UCLA(potential Zona 2011 team).

Thoughts?

I personally wouldn't mind seeing many of the teams on this list. Georgetown and Michigan both play at a more deliberate pace, and one of the issues I see for this team is conditioning. Kelly and Curry are playing at less than 100%. Playing 38 minutes a night has taken a toll on Mason and Sulaimon has had trouble adjusting to the longer college season. I guess that Kansas, Louisville, and OSU would pose some problems, but Kansas and Louisville are both 1/2 seeds and OSU is likely a 2/3 seed depending on how conference tourneys shake out. That means if we hold onto a one, we wouldn't see them until at least the elite 8, so I'd love to see any of them on that basis. Same thing is true for Baylor. I can't see any way they get a single digit seed, so we wouldn't see them until at least the Sweet 16, and that would be awesome. Also, do they still play a lot of zone, because I never mind seeing Duke play a zone team. The only way I wouldn't want to see UCLA is if we play them in the Staples Center, and with the Zags looking like a 1 seed, we'd have to be the #8 overall seed for that to happen, and UCLA somehow moves all the way up to a 3 seed. (if they were a 6, Zona would probably get to be out west ahead of them and block them out based on the first 3 teams in different regions rule)

I haven't looked too much at all of the individual teams, but the profile I'd like to avoid is a team with size that likes to get up and down the floor, and plays a high pressure half court D. That type of team could get Duke tired in the second half and pull away if Duke isn't knocking down 3's at a remarkable rate. You certainly think about Indiana with that profile, but again, we'll probably only meet up with them in Atlanta, so I'm not worried about them.

[NashvilleDevil]

couldn't have said it better myself.

I don't think there is a team in the country that can defend kelly plumlee and curry.

I said it last march, and I still think it true. Duke is the best team in the country, and if duke even plays mediocre-ly...nobody can defend them.

Whoever Duke may play in the Sweet 16 since that is the round Duke has had the most trouble getting through, save for '04 and '10, the last several years.

[uh_no]

Whoever Duke may play in the Sweet 16 since that is the round Duke has had the most trouble getting through, save for '04 and '10, the last several years.

to be fair, I think we get overrated sometimes.

I think, though, that this is the best team in the country....i don't see some scrub 4 seed ebating uus

[NashvilleDevil]

to be fair, I think we get overrated sometimes.

I think, though, that this is the best team in the country....i don't see some scrub 4 seed ebating uus

Agreed but as Han Solo says, now don't get cocky.

[uh_no]

Agreed but as Han Solo says, now don't get cocky.

good sentiment.

I have a hard time, though, seeing flaws in Duke with Kelly.

Leave Plumlee single, and he'll beat you.
Double Plumlee, and Kelly will kill you.
Hedge over to help on plumlee, and Curry will kill you.

With Kelly on defense, Plumlee can avoid fouls while playing good defense. we could have missed all our 3pt shots today and still won.



we played a really good UNC team today (and I do think they're "really good" with their small lineup), while not not shooting the lights out from outside.


I think we are the best team in the country. I think we can beat anyone when we play as we we did tonight...I don't think we can lose to anyone when we play like we CAN play.

We COULD have played better tonight (not a knock on a very good performance tonight), and I think a mediocre night isn't a death knell (as it has been the past two years), but a 50/50 shot against anyone in the country.

I think a slightly better than average night, we beat Indiana, MSU, UM, KU or anyone.


bring it on.

I'm going to be cocky until someone beats us with Kelly there at tipoff

[hurleyfor3]

reminder: we have won absolutely nothing yet

[uh_no]

reminder: we have won absolutely nothing yet

we won the battle for atlantis
we're undefeated at home
we're undefeated with ryan

while those might not be official titles, I'm sure at least some feel them important

as always, winning postseason tournaments is at least some what dependent on chance. I simply feel that our play with the team we currently put on the court is good enough that we can beat any other team in the country most of the time (and most mediocre teams nearly every time)

is it possible that we may lose to maryland or UNC or miami (or someone else) next week? of course. But I think if you took any team in the country, and put them up against duke 10 times on a neutral court, duke would win more often than not.


I think we can be efficient enough on offense to mitigate an opponent scoring a bunch, and I think we can be efficient enough to prevent a team scoring when we are having difficulty.

Before RK went out, we were nearly tops on both ends of the court, and I think we are again.

if we stay healthy, I think we have a very good chance to win every game we play, and that doesn't mean we WILL win. Sports are naturally probabilistic in nature. So we may lose, but I don't think we will have the abnormal loss as we have been accustomed to recently (but 2010), and I think we will be competitive in every game we play (with a favorable chance to win)

[-bdbd]

When asked during the postgame, the ESPN on-court Gameday crew - first Digger, then Jay and Jay - all said that DUKE is the best team in the country right now. They actually said it twice, during two separate segments. As if for emphasis, they also later mentioned that Lunardi now has Duke as the first among the #1 seeds (of particular value if we lose in the ACCT, we now look pretty good for a #1 regardless).

So my answer for the question at the top of this thread? Duke.
Duke is the team that nobody should want to play. Nothing wrong with feeling our oats and thumping our chests a bit at that.

But I agree that you still guard against complacency, as there are most certainly areas we could improve in. But as for confidence, the group should have it in spades! :D

[gam7]

OK, I couldn't think of a cooler title for this thread but if one of the Mods can, feel free to change it.

What teams do you think Duke should stay away from in the NCAAT?

My list is:

Georgetown and Michigan(princeton offense is a bad matchup)

Kansas, Louisville, and Ohio St.(1 team from LY's FF usually returns the next year).

Baylor(athletic and speedy PG).

UCLA(potential Zona 2011 team).

Thoughts?

I agree with Kansas and Louisville. First, these are teams that won't have to double on Mason with Withey and Deng. Second, they have guards that would give us (and anybody else) serious trouble in McLemore and Smith. Third, these are teams we would likely play in the round of 8 (if fortunate enough to get there), and I think there is something to the problems Curry has had on quick turnarounds.

[devildeac]

Michigan. With Robinson, Burke, McGary, Morgan, Stauskas and Hardaway, they are a bit young but have size, played a good schedule and have Beilein on the bench. Gave us fits a couple years ago in Charlotte in the second round when Kyrie was back for his second game after his injury.

I still like our chances with Ryan playing again. Makes us so hard to defend and makes us better defensively, too.

[timmy c]

Miami... The Heat have been really hot recently and as much as I like this Duke team, they really don't have anyone who can guard Lebron. :rolleyes::p

[Les Grossman]

They rebound very very well and have half dozen guys who can go off for 20.

Still really like our chances, though.

[Native]

I want no part of Florida. Very fast and athletic. Would give us fits IMO.

[MCFinARL]

Definitely would like to avoid Georgetown, which usually plays very well against us and, despite the slip-up against Villanova, is generally playing very well.
Florida is mysterious--they looked unbelievable earlier in the year but haven't been very impressive recently.

[OldPhiKap]

Georgetown makes every game an ugly game. Not sure i want to play them.

Indiana, Michigan are interesting match-ups.

Miami is one of the few teams older than we are. They may cause real damage if they stay focused.

I do not want to play anyone that causes Digger Phelps to pick us as clear winners.

[ncexnyc]

Seeing UCLA mentioned gave me a good laugh. Not that I've watched them play, but the fact that they have the Wear twins and LDII. Our friends down the road would go crazy if that came to pass.

[OldPhiKap]

Seeing UCLA mentioned gave me a good laugh. Not that I've watched them play, but the fact that they have the Wear twins and LDII. Our friends down the road would go crazy if that came to pass.

The only thing I would enjoy more than watching UCLA and UNC in the tourney, would be watching them play in the NIT.

[Wander]

Well, if we're even playing Georgetown or Indiana, we're likely already in the Final Four. Naming the top teams is sort of obvious, right? The more interesting discussion is looking at potential second round or Sweet 16 teams that I want to avoid.

Pitt may be the nightmare Sweet 16 matchup. Kenpom says they're probably the most underrated team out there. Kenpom has missed with this sort of thing before, but usually with a team from a smaller conference. And they're a great offensive rebounding team, which, Kelly or no Kelly, is our biggest weakness.

I'd also rather not play Memphis, Wichita State, and Creighton coming from the 8/9 game.

[juise]

Seeing UCLA mentioned gave me a good laugh. Not that I've watched them play, but the fact that they have the Wear twins and LDII. Our friends down the road would go crazy if that came to pass.

With that dynamic trio, UNCLA is definitely a team to avoid (watching) in March.

[Indoor66]

I fear NONE of them. Go DUKE.

[Ben1029]

Miami... The Heat have been really hot recently and as much as I like this Duke team, they really don't have anyone who can guard Lebron. :rolleyes::p

+1. Yes he would create some matchup problems.

[rthomas]

Liberty Flames.

[freshmanjs]

With that dynamic trio, UNCLA is definitely a team to avoid (watching) in March.

LDIII has been outstanding this season. He was really terrific in the game yesterday vs. Washington. What an improved player (and he is fun to watch actually). He's a big part of why UCLA has been playing so well recently.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Liberty Flames.

You just know the committee would love to put Liberty vs. Duke with the whole Curry angle.

I would say the odds are high they are in the play-in game with the winner playing Duke.

[burnspbesq]

couldn't have said it better myself.

I don't think there is a team in the country that can defend kelly plumlee and curry..

Umm, allow me to introduce you to the firm of Olynyk, Pangos, and Harris. Gonzaga worries me more than any other team.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Why does Duke want to stay alway from any of these teams? When Duke is healthy they haven't lost.

The best team does not necessarily win the tournament.

I don't UCLA will make a deep run. Not enough depth. Really don't fear them at all. Mason will kill them inside.

I guess I do fear a team that can has some good shooters who could get very hot.

SoCal

[Hancock 4 Duke]

The best team does not necessarily win the tournament.

I don't UCLA will make a deep run. Not enough depth. Really don't fear them at all. Mason will kill them inside.

I guess I do fear a team that can has some good shooters who could get very hot.

SoCal

I think he means teams OTHER than Duke :P

[InSpades]

VCU. Or any team that likes to press. If I was trying to beat this Duke team I would press all game. Frankly we haven't handled it well recently and we are not very deep. It may not work out but it has a chance.

If I'm a lesser team I want to get Duke tired. Not many teams in the country can match Duke 1-5 but 6-10? Maybe... Especially the 2nd game in 3 days.

[sporthenry]

Umm, allow me to introduce you to the firm of Olynyk, Pangos, and Harris. Gonzaga worries me more than any other team.

Duke won't see Gonzaga until the F4 and probably the Championship. I don't think that is what the intent of this thread is. I know you were responding to another poster but people just listing top 10 teams really doesn't get the point. If we get to the F4 or E8, I think many here will consider that a success in and of itself. After that, it will all be about match ups and luck. Sure, I'd love to avoid Michigan, MSU, Gonzaga, Indiana, Kansas, and Florida on way to a national title but I doubt it works out that way.

[sporthenry]

The best team does not necessarily win the tournament.

I don't UCLA will make a deep run. Not enough depth. Really don't fear them at all. Mason will kill them inside.

I guess I do fear a team that can has some good shooters who could get very hot.

SoCal

I wouldn't really want to face UCLA in the 2nd round. They aren't great but winning the Pac 12 wasn't a fluke either. Both Shabazz and Jordan Adams could give Duke trouble with their height and the Wear twins are solid if not good players. I highly doubt Mason would kill them inside.

I think a lot of the 8/9 games will be very closely contested and wouldn't be surprised to see a few of the top 8 teams go down in the 2nd round. Teams like Mizzou, NC State, UCLA, Illinois and even the mid majors like Creighton will be able to beat a top team if they play well and the top team doesn't. We've already seen those teams beat top teams but they have flaws and are inconsistent. But in a 1 game tournament, all it takes is 1 off day from Curry, some foul trouble and all of a sudden, Duke is in a dogfight just to get to the S16.

For the record, I'd much rather face a mid-major even Butler than a BCS team. Yes, BCS teams are usually very inconsistent but that is what fears me. I know what I'm getting out of Creighton or Butler but have no clue what I could get out of UCLA or Illinois. And it seems that Duke has more success versus mid-majors because they rarely beat themselves and they can play a similar game to a mid major.

[gam7]

VCU. Or any team that likes to press. If I was trying to beat this Duke team I would press all game. Frankly we haven't handled it well recently and we are not very deep. It may not work out but it has a chance.


I disagree. I think we've shown that we're a difficult team to press, especially with Ryan. We handled it well against VCU and Louisville earlier in the year and we usually have 5 guys on the court who can handle the ball and are good passers. The press is not a huge concern of mine.

[InSpades]

I disagree. I think we've shown that we're a difficult team to press, especially with Ryan. We handled it well against VCU and Louisville earlier in the year and we usually have 5 guys on the court who can handle the ball and are good passers. The press is not a huge concern of mine.

Did you watch the end of the Miami game? UNC had some success with the half court trap too. I think we *could* be effective against the press but its not a guarantee and it may tire us out.

[Forrest]

Duke seems to have more trouble with the Sweet Sixteen game than any other. Looking at potential 4/5 seeds, I'd be really concerned if Duke had to face Florida or tOSU, but (1) I don't think either will drop to a 4, and (2) even so, they'd be the top of the 4 seeds and Duke would play the bottom. Of more likely 4/5 seeds, I'd rather not see Kansas State or, especially, Oklahoma State with Marcus Smart, Markel Brown and LeBryan Nash.

I'm not worried about the round of 32, but would just as soon not see Missouri there.

[johnb]

I think we're the best team, and I'd love the pain of playing Gonzaga or Indiana since that means we made the final 4.

I'd just toss in that we are marginally better than a half dozen teams, and "scrub" 4th seeds are still among the top 15 teams in the country. Yes, if we shoot 50% from 3-point land and 80% from the line, and if no one gets injured or in foul trouble, and if Mason gets a dozen rebounds, and if one of our seniors goes for 25+ points, and if the other team's future NBA starter doesn't go nuts on us, then we'll win. All of those can happen, but its still a lot of ifs.

[Neals384]

Lehigh.

Ok, so they're not in the tourney this year. And Duke is miles ahead of Duke 2012. You still gotta play 'em one round at a time.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Well, I think we can safely add Maryland to this list.

[El_Diablo]

Well, I think we can safely add Maryland to this list.

Be careful--the mods might lock this thread if you try to discuss the Maryland game. ;)

[Buckeye Devil]

Anyone want to play Wisconsin? They scored 17 points in the first half but totally dominated Michigan and won going away in the second half. It is such ugly ball but Bo Ryan is an effective coach.

[Buckeye Devil]

Be careful--the mods might lock this thread if you try to discuss the Maryland game.

In a way I can find it a bit refreshing that the mods take a position that 11 Final 4's and 4 National Titles buys quite a bit of slack.

But believe me, this would not fly here in Ohio State territory. We have people who aren't satisfied with Thad Matta winning 5 league titles in 9 years, going to 2 Final 4's, and winning 20+ games every year. Yeah, there have been some huge disappointments like not winning a national title 2 years ago with what was the best team in the nation. But to say the man can't coach, especially with what he pulled off with this OSU team this year is ridiculous. Heck, they even gave Jim Tressel a hard time and all he did was win a national title, go to BCS games and win more of them than he lost, win a whole slew of Big 10 titles, and beat Michigan to the point where it wasn't even fun to watch. I know he had an ignominious end, but for a man that didn't know how to coach he did ok, I guess. OSU fans expect to contend for and/or win a league and/or national title at least every other year, if not more. And the stupid letters to the editor of the Columbus Dispatch, wow!

With that said, to close the thread did seem to me a bit despotic. I didn't notice anything terribly unreasonable.