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hurleyfor3
03-22-2013, 04:43 PM
This is the discussion thread for Duke's Round of 32 game. Time is not set until the Creighton/Cincy game ends or later tonight. Please stop asking about this.

rsvman
03-22-2013, 05:45 PM
McDermott is going to be tough to contain. He could go all Joe Harris on us, and then some. I hope he doesn't get people into foul trouble while doing it.

They shoot free throws extremely well, so we cannot afford to be behind going into crunch time.

Their biggest weakness is their defense, so I hope we can pour it on offensively and make it so that even in Doug gets 40 points we escape with the win. I expect a dogfight from start to finish, but I think we pull this one out provided there's no major foul trouble. It would be great if Kelly could get his shot back between now and Sunday.

Bob Green
03-22-2013, 05:51 PM
McDermott and Echenique are a load inside so Plumlee and Kelly must be focused on defense; however, our perimeter players are superior. Curry, Cook, Sulaimon and Thornton need to dominate their match-ups.

Wander
03-22-2013, 05:52 PM
Before the brackets came out, Creighton was a team I was planning on putting far. They're the last of the 7-10 seeds that I want to face in the second round. I think I'm more scared of Echnique pulling down 15+ rebounds than McDermott going off for 30+ points.

That said, we are and should be the favorites, and our game today was encouraging.

sagegrouse
03-22-2013, 05:55 PM
McDermott is going to be tough to contain. He could go all Joe Harris on us, and then some. I hope he doesn't get people into foul trouble while doing it.

They shoot free throws extremely well, so we cannot afford to be behind going into crunch time.

Their biggest weakness is their defense, so I hope we can pour it on offensively and make it so that even in Doug gets 40 points we escape with the win. I expect a dogfight from start to finish, but I think we pull this one out provided there's no major foul trouble. It would be great if Kelly could get his shot back between now and Sunday.

I am mostly worried about US. I would gladly accept another 10-14 performance from Seth, but I don't expect it. Twice in a row is a lot. We will need to get serious points from Ryan, Quinn, or Rasheed -- or all three! Mason also must get his points and rebounds against Echenique and Co.

The Blue Jay players with the most minutes are 6-9, 6-8, 6-5, 6-1 and 6-0. We are taller, but not by much.

I think Quinn is the key. If he has a wonderful game -- and today's was very good -- I like Duke's chances.

sagegrouse

Tripping William
03-22-2013, 06:04 PM
Besides a Duke win, I especially hope Quinn Cook's wrist survives unfractured. Kendall Marshall and all ....

luburch
03-22-2013, 06:04 PM
Beyond excited for the Kelly/McDermott matchup.

TKG
03-22-2013, 06:06 PM
Who guards McDermott?

NashvilleDevil
03-22-2013, 06:10 PM
Looking forward to this. I think they play much looser Sunday after getting the win today. Creighton will be tough because of McDermott but he has had bad games this year against teams without the talent Duke will put on the floor. As others have said they need to limit the supporting players.

Native
03-22-2013, 06:12 PM
Little birdie told me it's a 9:40 PM tip, but haven't been able to confirm yet. Would make absolutely no sense.

Bluedog
03-22-2013, 06:14 PM
That's what GoDuke says....man, so late. Let's get it done!

1 24 90
03-22-2013, 06:26 PM
Little birdie told me it's a 9:40 PM tip, but haven't been able to confirm yet. Would make absolutely no sense.

CBS doesn't want the Duke game? wow

NashvilleDevil
03-22-2013, 06:43 PM
Little birdie told me it's a 9:40 PM tip, but haven't been able to confirm yet. Would make absolutely no sense.

I thought Sunday games weren't given times until today's games were done

Troublemaker
03-22-2013, 06:45 PM
Who guards McDermott?

Kelly. And while I think Ryan is a very good team defender, I don't think he's going to be slowing down McDermott. 30+ would not surprise me. What I'm hoping for though is that Ryan avoids foul trouble and can offset McDermott a bit with buckets on the other end.

The arguably best player in the country is going to get his points. Hopefully Duke can clamp down on his teammates and score comfortably against Creighton's average defense, enough to have more points than them after 40 minutes, regardless of what McDermott does.

NashvilleDevil
03-22-2013, 06:48 PM
Kelly. And while I think Ryan is a very good team defender, I don't think he's going to be slowing down McDermott. 30+ would not surprise me. What I'm hoping for though is that Ryan avoids foul trouble and can offset McDermott a bit with buckets on the other end.

The arguably best player in the country is going to get his points. Hopefully Duke can clamp down on his teammates and score comfortably against Creighton's average defense, enough to have more points than them after 40 minutes, regardless of what McDermott does.

I think Kelly is up to the task. He did a good job on Deshaun Thomas earlier this year.

Chris Randolph
03-22-2013, 06:59 PM
Should be an exciting game. I would use Kelly and Suliamon to guard McDermott. We CANNOT let Wragge kill it from 3 point range.

In the end Plumlee must win his matchup with Echenique, especially on the boards. If he does so, Duke advances.

77devil
03-22-2013, 07:10 PM
McDermott and Echenique are a load inside so Plumlee and Kelly must be focused on defense; however, our perimeter players are superior. Curry, Cook, Sulaimon and Thornton need to dominate their match-ups.

Agree. Our guards are much quicker. I don't see any lock down defender on the Blue Jays who can cover Seth. If Seth can more or less offset McDermott in points production, and Quinn and Sheed have normal games, we should win.

TKG
03-22-2013, 07:11 PM
Kelly. And while I think Ryan is a very good team defender, I don't think he's going to be slowing down McDermott. 30+ would not surprise me. What I'm hoping for though is that Ryan avoids foul trouble and can offset McDermott a bit with buckets on the other end.

The arguably best player in the country is going to get his points. Hopefully Duke can clamp down on his teammates and score comfortably against Creighton's average defense, enough to have more points than them after 40 minutes, regardless of what McDermott does.

My concern is the toll it will take on Ryan chasing McDermott all over the court, fighting through screens, etc. Ryan's fitness is still a question mark and his lateral quickness, while never a strength, has not been helped with the injury. Then there is the issue of how Ryan's offensive game might be affected by expending a lot of energy on the defensive end guarding McDermott. Not sure what other options exist; expect Josh will get some time guarding McDermott as well.

Native
03-22-2013, 07:14 PM
Do we try to make McDermott beat us by himself? It'll be interesting to see what K and co. do defensively for this game.

77devil
03-22-2013, 07:21 PM
My concern is the toll it will take on Ryan chasing McDermott all over the court, fighting through screens, etc. Ryan's fitness is still a question mark and his lateral quickness, while never a strength, has not been helped with the injury. Then there is the issue of how Ryan's offensive game might be affected by expending a lot of energy on the defensive end guarding McDermott. Not sure what other options exist; expect Josh will get some time guarding McDermott as well.

Is it possible that K goes with a front line of Mason, Ryan, and Josh at times and has Josh harassing McDermott. Doubtful, as he tends to stick with standard rotations at this point, but he mixed it up somewhat in the first half today.

Gmadaduke
03-22-2013, 07:31 PM
Strangely enough, it seems that Creighton Duke was actually a character in the Friday The 13th movies. Having seen none of these movies, I cannot comment on how this might bear on Sunday's outcome:

http://fridaythe13th.wikia.com/wiki/Creighton_Duke

Wander
03-22-2013, 07:41 PM
Is it possible that K goes with a front line of Mason, Ryan, and Josh at times and has Josh harassing McDermott. Doubtful, as he tends to stick with standard rotations at this point, but he mixed it up somewhat in the first half today.

I doubt it will happen like this, but I was thinking of the same thing. Not a bad idea to have someone whose sole responsibility is making life hell for McDermott; I think this is a game where Hairston can really make an impact.

CDu
03-22-2013, 07:47 PM
Is it possible that K goes with a front line of Mason, Ryan, and Josh at times and has Josh harassing McDermott. Doubtful, as he tends to stick with standard rotations at this point, but he mixed it up somewhat in the first half today.

Not gonna happen. He'll go with Kelly on McDermott and let the guards defend Creighton's 3-guard lineup. Going with 3 bigs puts us at a disadvantage defensively on the perimeter.

hillsborodevil
03-22-2013, 07:50 PM
I'm guessing McDermott and company will go to the FT line often. How soon do they get to the bonus before Duke? To counter, Duke will need to hit some 3's. I don't mean lighting it up, but avoiding a bad shooting night which I do not expect.

I see Josh and Amile harassing McDermott to avoid foul trouble for the starting five.

ns7
03-22-2013, 08:16 PM
Creighton is not good at offensive rebounding, grabbing 28% of their misses against mediocre competition. We need to limit their OR. They are good at defensive rebounding. We don't need to be Minnesota here, but we should aim to grab 30% of our misses.

They are not taller than us, so hopefully our guards are aggressive at getting the boards and loose balls, especially on D. It's imperative to limit their lethal offense to one shot per possession.

subzero02
03-22-2013, 09:01 PM
Little birdie told me it's a 9:40 PM tip, but haven't been able to confirm yet. Would make absolutely no sense.

Anymore word from that birdie?

pfrduke
03-22-2013, 09:04 PM
Anymore word from that birdie?

As H43 said above - GAME TIME IS ANNOUNCED AFTER ALL FRIDAY GAMES ARE OVER. CBS makes the call.

subzero02
03-22-2013, 09:25 PM
As H43 said above - GAME TIME IS ANNOUNCED AFTER ALL FRIDAY GAMES ARE OVER. CBS makes the call.

I know that's the policy but maybe he has a source that is close to the team or cbs

Indoor66
03-22-2013, 09:27 PM
The CBS site does NOT have a time. The game is marked TBD - as they all are.

hurleyfor3
03-22-2013, 09:30 PM
nobody knows the time yet stop asking or speculating

JNort
03-22-2013, 09:31 PM
Before the brackets came out, Creighton was a team I was planning on putting far. They're the last of the 7-10 seeds that I want to face in the second round. I think I'm more scared of Echnique pulling down 15+ rebounds than McDermott going off for 30+ points.

That said, we are and should be the favorites, and our game today was encouraging.

Not sure why you would be afraid of Creighton. They are possibly the best match-up for us, actually that said I think we win easier against them than we did against Albany. Creighton is very poor on defense, they don't penetrate well, and are kind of slow footed. What have we had problems with mostly? Penetration! We should win by at least 15.

NashvilleDevil
03-22-2013, 09:35 PM
Not sure why you would be afraid of Creighton. They are possibly the best match-up for us, actually that said I think we win easier against them than we did against Albany. Creighton is very poor on defense, they don't penetrate well, and are kind of slow footed. What have we had problems with mostly? Penetration! We should win by at least 15.

Finally someone saying Duke will win without all the handwringing. This team is making it to the Elite Eight this year and after that it's a crapshoot.

dukelifer
03-22-2013, 09:44 PM
Not sure why you would be afraid of Creighton. They are possibly the best match-up for us, actually that said I think we win easier against them than we did against Albany. Creighton is very poor on defense, they don't penetrate well, and are kind of slow footed. What have we had problems with mostly? Penetration! We should win by at least 15.

Duke may win but it will not be 15. Creighton has been in every ball game except one - This will come down to the last few minutes.

NashvilleDevil
03-22-2013, 09:54 PM
Duke may win but it will not be 15. Creighton has been in every ball game except one - This will come down to the last few minutes.

Sunday will be the 2nd game they are not in. Duke will be looser Sunday after the win today and I think they take it to the Blue Jays.

subzero02
03-22-2013, 10:09 PM
We are currently 4.5 point favorites

jipops
03-22-2013, 10:16 PM
I think one of the big keys is for Ryan to make McDermott work on D. Dylan will almost assuredly get his 20+, but Ryan making him work could slow him down late in the game. This could be a high scoring affair. Both teams have shown a propensity for defensive struggles.

moonpie23
03-22-2013, 10:18 PM
what's the birdie's cell? i'll text him

JNort
03-22-2013, 10:21 PM
Duke may win but it will not be 15. Creighton has been in every ball game except one - This will come down to the last few minutes.

Yeah and Creighton hasn't played Duke have they? Not to mention Creighton has played a joke of a schedule, who was the best team they played? Wisconsin? If we played that schedule we may lose 1 game all year. We may not win by 15 but I think we do win easy.

CDu
03-22-2013, 10:22 PM
This matchup is a bit of a mirror. Creighton is the poor-man's Duke. They have a stretch 4, they shoot well as a team from 3 and from the line, and they are a better offensive team than defensive team.

McDermott is their best player. He's a LOT like Kelly - great shooting touch from anywhere on the floor, but not terribly quick. He's a better-shooting version of Kelly, but Kelly is the better defender. And whereas Kelly is a secondary offensive player for Duke, McDermott is their go-to guy. That's going to be a very tough assignment for Kelly. Hopefully he's up to the challenge.

Gibbs and Chatman are very good ballhandlers, willing passers, and fantastic shooters. They aren't overly explosive off the dribble though, which is good for us as that tends to be our weakness. It will be important to not let them go crazy from 3pt range.

Echenique is a 6'9" widebody - a rugged post player with limited athleticism but loads of toughness. Mason needs to outquick Echenique and/or hit his hooks, because he's not going to be able to back Echenique down on the blocks.

The real key will be chasing Creighton off the 3pt line. They are a FANTASTIC 3pt shooting team. Probably the best in the country at it. There will be times when they have 5 guys on the floor who shoot 38% or better from 3 point range (when Wragge is in for Echenique). That will be a very difficult task for Mason as he'll have to commit on the perimeter.

On our offensive end, Creighton is not a terribly good defensive team. They will be physical, and hopefully the refs won't let them get away with it. But we need to be patient and rely on our offense. Cook had a great game today; he needs to carry his play over to Sunday. If he can create shots for others, good things happen. If he's settling for jumpers and perimeter passes, that's not a good thing. We need to feed Mason and to have Cook and Sulaimon be aggressive off the dribble. I don't think we want to settle for a 3pt shooting contest in this one. We're bigger and more athletic. We need to take advantage of that.

dukelifer
03-22-2013, 10:35 PM
This matchup is a bit of a mirror. Creighton is the poor-man's Duke. They have a stretch 4, they shoot well as a team from 3 and from the line, and they are a better offensive team than defensive team.

McDermott is their best player. He's a LOT like Kelly - great shooting touch from anywhere on the floor, but not terribly quick. He's a better-shooting version of Kelly, but Kelly is the better defender. And whereas Kelly is a secondary offensive player for Duke, McDermott is their go-to guy. That's going to be a very tough assignment for Kelly. Hopefully he's up to the challenge.

Gibbs and Chatman are very good ballhandlers, willing passers, and fantastic shooters. They aren't overly explosive off the dribble though, which is good for us as that tends to be our weakness. It will be important to not let them go crazy from 3pt range.

Echenique is a 6'9" widebody - a rugged post player with limited athleticism but loads of toughness. Mason needs to outquick Echenique and/or hit his hooks, because he's not going to be able to back Echenique down on the blocks.

The real key will be chasing Creighton off the 3pt line. They are a FANTASTIC 3pt shooting team. Probably the best in the country at it. There will be times when they have 5 guys on the floor who shoot 38% or better from 3 point range (when Wragge is in for Echenique). That will be a very difficult task for Mason as he'll have to commit on the perimeter.

On our offensive end, Creighton is not a terribly good defensive team. They will be physical, and hopefully the refs won't let them get away with it. But we need to be patient and rely on our offense. Cook had a great game today; he needs to carry his play over to Sunday. If he can create shots for others, good things happen. If he's settling for jumpers and perimeter passes, that's not a good thing. We need to feed Mason and to have Cook and Sulaimon be aggressive off the dribble. I don't think we want to settle for a 3pt shooting contest in this one. We're bigger and more athletic. We need to take advantage of that.

I absolutely agree with this analysis. Creighton plays like Duke but Duke has better athletes. Duke needs to take the ball inside (Cook needs to penetrate and dish) and limit their threes. But that is easier said than done. If Ryan can get out of his funk, Duke might have an easier time. But he is not playing at the highest level right now. This game will come down to Curry and Cook. Both need to have big nights.

Chris Randolph
03-23-2013, 12:52 AM
9:40 tip, per Stewart Mandel on twitter. Geez that's late

hurleyfor3
03-23-2013, 12:53 AM
Time confirmed for 2140 EDT. Network not yet confirmed, although cbs is showing its usual primetime schedule, so it won't be them.

Duvall
03-23-2013, 12:54 AM
TBS.

awhom111
03-23-2013, 12:54 AM
30 minutes after the conclusion of the other Philadelphia game on TBS at approximately 9:40pm Eastern is confirmed:
http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=6351

All other tips are listed for the weekend too.

pfrduke
03-23-2013, 01:03 AM
What a crappy start time.

Duvall
03-23-2013, 01:04 AM
A 10:00 tip on a Sunday night in Philadelphia? Way to be, NCAA.

throatybeard
03-23-2013, 01:12 AM
This is the discussion thread for Duke's Round of 32 game. Time is not set until the Creighton/Cincy game ends or later tonight. Please stop asking about this.

Is Michael Thompson going to transfer? I'm getting really worried. Not to mention, I'm angry about JJ's minutes in Orlando.

77devil
03-23-2013, 06:38 AM
Between the start time and a Len Elmore included announcing crew, I'm thinking somebody at CBS doesn't like us, or is Sean McManus exhibiting his inner Jay Bilas?

dukelifer
03-23-2013, 06:52 AM
Between the start time and a Len Elmore included announcing crew, I'm thinking somebody at CBS doesn't like us, or is Sean McManus exhibiting his inner Jay Bilas?

Len was the analyst for the 1992 game in Philly. To me - he is a good luck charm. Duke wins a lot when he calls the game.

OZZIE4DUKE
03-23-2013, 07:34 AM
Len was the analyst for the 1992 game in Philly. To me - he is a good luck charm. Duke wins a lot when he calls the game.

Duke wins a lot whoever calls the game! :cool:http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

arnie
03-23-2013, 08:23 AM
Between the start time and a Len Elmore included announcing crew, I'm thinking somebody at CBS doesn't like us, or is Sean McManus exhibiting his inner Jay Bilas?

A really bizarre time for our game with a schoolday following. San Diego State is playing on Sunday - why in the world would they not schedule that game for the late slot? Makes absolutely no sense, and many in the east and even central time zones will not stay up to see the end. The only thing worse would be to add Mike Patrick to the already dismal announcing team.

NM Duke Fan
03-23-2013, 08:49 AM
McDermott grew up rooting for Duke, and during recruiting Duke focused all its attention on Harrison Barnes instead.

" It could be remembered as the most futile recruiting expedition in Duke history. The Blue Devils lost Harrison Barnes, the country's No. 1 player, to rival Carolina. But they also completely overlooked another future All-American, Creighton's Doug McDermott.

"Based on what we know now we would have loved to have him," said Wojciechowski, who sat courtside and scouted McDermott on Friday afternoon. "Watching him in high school, you always felt like he'd be a really good college player."

No one knew that McDermott would evolve into one of the elite players in college basketball, the type who can take a program on his shoulders and carry them deep in the NCAA Tournament. Even his own father didn't recruit him to Iowa State.

On Sunday, when No. 7 Creighton plays No. 2 Duke, McDermott will get a chance to beat the team he grew up rooting for.

"I remember I was star-stuck when I saw Coach K come to my high school," said McDermott. "There were no hard feelings," he added. "I felt like my game fit the mid-major scene a little better. I dreamed of playing at a school like that, but at the same time they had to go their separate ways and I'm happy where I'm at."

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-college-basketball-mens-tournament/news/20130322/creighton-doug-mcdermott-ncaa-tournament/#ixzz2OMnbEY9T

Saratoga2
03-23-2013, 08:55 AM
I'm guessing McDermott and company will go to the FT line often. How soon do they get to the bonus before Duke? To counter, Duke will need to hit some 3's. I don't mean lighting it up, but avoiding a bad shooting night which I do not expect.

I see Josh and Amile harassing McDermott to avoid foul trouble for the starting five.

Ryan matches up best on McDermott, but it is unlikely that he can guard him for more than 25 minutes. Physical conditioning and foul issues might preclude that. Since McDermott is a fairly strong player, we might want to use Josh to spell Ryan on defense. The question then would be who subs in for Mason? Alex's defense is not his strong suit and Amile might still not have the physical presence needed. I think we need Rasheed to guard on the perimeter. It will be interesting to see.

Hopefully, Ryan will find his outside shot for this game. He really has not been shooting the three well since the Miami game.

As far as our fouling, it is time for Tyler to stop the silly fouling. We don't want to put ourselves into the penalty wiith these guys. Actually, we had silly reaction fouls from Quinn, Josh and Ryan as well. Our guys have to remember how this game could be won or lost on the foul line.

wilko
03-23-2013, 09:16 AM
Not sure why you would be afraid of Creighton. They are possibly the best match-up for us, actually that said I think we win easier against them than we did against Albany. Creighton is very poor on defense, they don't penetrate well, and are kind of slow footed. What have we had problems with mostly? Penetration! We should win by at least 15.

I dunno squat about Creighton. 1st time I'd seen them play was against Cincy yesterday.
While Cincy couldn't throw the ball in the ocean from the end of a pier - I liked a potential match-up with Creighton.

Why?
They were slower looking that Cincy. We have had issues stopping the guy from turning the corner and penetrating the lane. Cincy looked better equipped to DO just that. If we have a choice between playing a team that runs a system or a collection of guys play 1:1 as a group. I'll take the system guys. We do fairly good against those. Its dudes going all Bootsy on us I worry about.

roywhite
03-23-2013, 09:22 AM
Going into the round of 32, Duke has a 9-1 record vs teams still in the tournament, and is 8-0 vs those teams with Ryan Kelly in our lineup.

jmck214
03-23-2013, 09:46 AM
I remember when the Sunday round of 32 games would end at around 7

OldPhiKap
03-23-2013, 09:55 AM
I remember when the Sunday round of 32 games would end at around 7

Of course, I remember listening to games on the radio because there was no cable tv.

But yeah, are we the best draw on the West Coast or something?

Atlanta Duke
03-23-2013, 10:13 AM
A really bizarre time for our game with a schoolday following. San Diego State is playing on Sunday - why in the world would they not schedule that game for the late slot? Makes absolutely no sense, and many in the east and even central time zones will not stay up to see the end.

No doubt the 9:40 start on a Sunday night is a pain for Duke fans not on the West Coast but someone has to play the non-CBS games on Sunday

Assuming the Philadelphia pod was scheduled for Sunday evening games at the start of the tournament, once Georgetown lost I assume it made sense from the NCAA's perspective for Duke to play the second Sunday night game in order to avoid the TV visual of having Florida Gulf Coast-San Diego State played before 5000 or so fans in a pretty much empty arena. TV ratings drive the process but the NCAA presumably has some interest in avoiding many fans leaving the premises in Philadelphia after Duke plays.

Next time someone claims the NCAA always gives Duke the breaks on scheduling and seeding we can cite the 2013 tournament in rebuttal.

Bay Area Duke Fan
03-23-2013, 10:37 AM
More rest for Ryan and Seth.

oldnavy
03-23-2013, 10:41 AM
More rest for Ryan and Seth.

Exactly. Not sure why folks are upset with this time other than it will mean getting to bed late on a work night. I think having almost two and 1/2 days of rest will only help.

Tripping William
03-23-2013, 10:43 AM
More rest for Ryan and Seth.

And McDermott & Echenique, who played a later game than Kelly & Curry. Am guessing "rest" is a wash on this one.

ChrisP
03-23-2013, 10:43 AM
More rest for Ryan and Seth.

Yeah, maybe, but also a chance for the guys to sit around and wait all day and most of the night to play a game. I realize the late start could affect both teams equally, but I swear, whenever Duke has one of these late start times, it seems we start out awfully sluggish. And we all know this team's propensity for slow starts. I do NOT like this one bit. The last thing we need is for our guys to come out cold against a team hungry for the upset and itching for a "statement win".

If the game before ours goes into overtime or turns into a foul-fest, then ugh, don't even get me started!

I am probably wrong about this, but I really don't remember Sunday games being played this late in the past. There are only 8 games that day and CBS didn't seem to mind some overlap of games in the second round, so...what gives? There is ZERO about this late start time that I like (in case that wasn't already clear). :mad:

ChrisP
03-23-2013, 10:46 AM
Exactly. Not sure why folks are upset with this time other than it will mean getting to bed late on a work night. I think having almost two and 1/2 days of rest will only help.

If we were in a different time zone, I wouldn't mind (as much) the late start time for myself. What I'm worried about is how it will impact the players on the team. I guess, technically speaking, we are in the "Midwest" bracket, but obviously we're not playing in a midwest time zone so...I think the late start sucks.

I suppose two posts about this is enough from me though so...Go Duke!

freshmanjs
03-23-2013, 11:01 AM
Yeah, maybe, but also a chance for the guys to sit around and wait all day and most of the night to play a game. I realize the late start could affect both teams equally, but I swear, whenever Duke has one of these late start times, it seems we start out awfully sluggish. And we all know this team's propensity for slow starts. I do NOT like this one bit. The last thing we need is for our guys to come out cold against a team hungry for the upset and itching for a "statement win".



It's true we've had some sluggish starts (not sure if it's correlated to late tip times). On the other hand, we won a lot of tough games with 9pm or later starts: KY, Louisville, Ohio St, and both UNC games.

dukelifer
03-23-2013, 11:13 AM
This is a huge game for this Creighton team and they will fight to the end. They are an excellent shooting team and every player is a good to great free throw shooter. Duke and the coaching staff will need to be very wary of momentum shifts that can lead to big runs . I don't feel that any lead will be safe in this game. Duke will need to win the last 2-3 minutes. Cook is the key. He needs to play very well at the end of the game and use the assist to get his guys easy scores.

jipops
03-23-2013, 11:13 AM
Yeah, maybe, but also a chance for the guys to sit around and wait all day and most of the night to play a game. I realize the late start could affect both teams equally, but I swear, whenever Duke has one of these late start times, it seems we start out awfully sluggish.


Well, the UNC game in the Dean Dome was a 9pm start and we torched them from the opening tip. So I don't think a 9:40pm start will have much of an effect on us. There are other factors at play that could be more significant.

Whereas the Maryland ACCT game start was around 7pm and we were not shows for that. So maybe a late start is good? Could we make the tip midnight?

oldnavy
03-23-2013, 11:19 AM
If we were in a different time zone, I wouldn't mind (as much) the late start time for myself. What I'm worried about is how it will impact the players on the team. I guess, technically speaking, we are in the "Midwest" bracket, but obviously we're not playing in a midwest time zone so...I think the late start sucks.

I suppose two posts about this is enough from me though so...Go Duke!

Both teams are affected by this. It is not like it is some huge disadvantage to Duke. And I seem to remember a pretty good start to the ~9:10 tip off game at Chapel Hill a couple of weeks ago.

Hey, if you don't like it, that is fine with me and I am not saying that in a snarky internet posting way. I have certain "superstions" or things that I don't really "like" about certain games, so I understand the angst, I really do. But this isn't one of those things for me. I honestly think that the coaching staff and players can use the extra hours in a positive way.

Now if they come out and lay an egg, I will have to rethink my position on this subject!! ;)

weezie
03-23-2013, 11:24 AM
Yeah, I'm not worried about the players...I'm more concerned for me! That's not the most enjoyable drive in the world down ol'95 at 1:00am....so I'm counting on being happy...and making my husband drive.

-bdbd
03-23-2013, 11:27 AM
Len was the analyst for the 1992 game in Philly. To me - he is a good luck charm. Duke wins a lot when he calls the game.

Much to his chagrin!!

dukelifer
03-23-2013, 11:34 AM
Both teams are affected by this. It is not like it is some huge disadvantage to Duke. And I seem to remember a pretty good start to the ~9:10 tip off game at Chapel Hill a couple of weeks ago.

Hey, if you don't like it, that is fine with me and I am not saying that in a snarky internet posting way. I have certain "superstions" or things that I don't really "like" about certain games, so I understand the angst, I really do. But this isn't one of those things for me. I honestly think that the coaching staff and players can use the extra hours in a positive way.

Now if they come out and lay an egg, I will have to rethink my position on this subject!! ;)

Creighton will be more amped up for this and Duke may strike early- but Creighton is fully capable of coming back from any deficit ( as is Duke). Duke needs to attack and get them in foul trouble early.

Mudge
03-23-2013, 11:38 AM
A 10:00 tip on a Sunday night in Philadelphia? Way to be, NCAA.

How else to ensure that Duke has the absolutely least amount of turnaround time possible before Duke's next game (if Duke wins)... Michigan State will probably win sometime this afternoon, and then have 1.5 days more time to rest/scout/prepare for their next matchup on Thursday than Duke will, if Duke beats Creighton... this always happens-- the NCAA wants Duke on later, to get more viewers, so they screw Duke out of the earlier start times that normally are accorded to the higher seeded team in a tournament run by competent people (i.e.- the ACC tournament). In this case, the situation is compounded by Duke having to switch from Fri/Sun combination in the first weekend, to Thur/Sat combo in the second weekend (which, in the old days of the tournament, could never happen until the Final Four)... of course, Duke never gets to be the one that starts on Thur/Sat and then switches to Fri/Sun, picking up that valuable extra day.

ChrisP
03-23-2013, 11:42 AM
Both teams are affected by this. It is not like it is some huge disadvantage to Duke. And I seem to remember a pretty good start to the ~9:10 tip off game at Chapel Hill a couple of weeks ago.

Hey, if you don't like it, that is fine with me and I am not saying that in a snarky internet posting way. I have certain "superstions" or things that I don't really "like" about certain games, so I understand the angst, I really do. But this isn't one of those things for me. I honestly think that the coaching staff and players can use the extra hours in a positive way.

Now if they come out and lay an egg, I will have to rethink my position on this subject!! ;)

I am probably putting way too much emphasis on the memories of how we played the last couple of times ESPN did "Gameday" from Cameron for the senior night game vs. UNC but I seem to recall that all the hype and buildup didn't work out so well for us. It's a different kind of pressure in this game, but pressure nonetheless. Look, I'm hope I'm TOTALLY wrong to be worried about this, but sometimes I just get a feeling and, well, this is one of those times :(

Reilly
03-23-2013, 11:53 AM
A 7-seed means they are the 25th to 28th best team .... yet Sagarin predictor has them as the 17th best team in the land ... the SRS at s-r also has them at #17 ... and some new net total average point differential tool at s-r has them as the 15th best team out there ...

They got a guy playing 16 minutes who scores almost 8 pts/game .... McD shoots 50% from 3s ... they seem super skilled, on paper, offensively ...

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/previews/2013-03-24-creighton.html

Cameron
03-23-2013, 11:58 AM
I'm very worried about Creighton turning this game into a three-point shooting contest, leading to us overplaying the arc more than usual and then McDermott and Echenique taking over inside. We just do not have the depth on the wing defensively to stop their onslaught. They have four guys 6-5 or taller that can rain threes. We better put handcuffs on Ethan Wragge before the game starts -- literally -- because at 6-7 he will kill us on the wing. He will shoot shots that would win him a prize at half-time and he will make them. That is a guarantee. We are going to hate that kid tomorrow night.

Mason better not play his patented trampoline defense trying to block every shot and "sky" for every rebound. We need Mason to get physical and body up on Echenique. Creighton is going to play physical. Do not be fooled by their "cuddly" mid-major persona. They are one of the dirtiest teams in the country, and will do absolutely whatever it takes to win tomorrow night. I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan Kelly's foot was the number one Duke player on Creighton's scouting report. Last year, Grant Gibbs routinely swiped at Kendall Marshall's injured hand. And it was intentional.

I don't feel good about this game at all. God I hope I am wrong. One thing is certain, though, absolutely none of us here are going to ever like Creighton again after the way they play tomorrow.

OldPhiKap
03-23-2013, 11:59 AM
Creighton is better than their seeding. This is a very difficult draw.

Gotta bring it.

MChambers
03-23-2013, 12:01 PM
In particular, can we avoid putting Creighton on the line? They shoot free throws well.

Josh and Tyler need to avoid silly fouls in this one.

Bob Green
03-23-2013, 12:11 PM
Duke opened as a 4 points favorite with the over/under set at 141 so Vegas is looking for a score in the neighborhood of 72-69. The early money is on Duke and the over as the consensus spread is now 5 points and the over/under has moved up to 144: 74-70.

DU82
03-23-2013, 12:12 PM
How else to ensure that Duke has the absolutely least amount of turnaround time possible before Duke's next game (if Duke wins)... Michigan State will probably win sometime this afternoon, and then have 1.5 days more time to rest/scout/prepare for their next matchup on Thursday than Duke will, if Duke beats Creighton... this always happens-- the NCAA wants Duke on later, to get more viewers, so they screw Duke out of the earlier start times that normally are accorded to the higher seeded team in a tournament run by competent people (i.e.- the ACC tournament). In this case, the situation is compounded by Duke having to switch from Fri/Sun combination in the first weekend, to Thur/Sat combo in the second weekend (which, in the old days of the tournament, could never happen until the Final Four)... of course, Duke never gets to be the one that starts on Thur/Sat and then switches to Fri/Sun, picking up that valuable extra day.

Well, the Indianapolis region plays on March 29th and 31st, which according to my 2013 calendar is Friday-Sunday.

SCMatt33
03-23-2013, 12:20 PM
How else to ensure that Duke has the absolutely least amount of turnaround time possible before Duke's next game (if Duke wins)... Michigan State will probably win sometime this afternoon, and then have 1.5 days more time to rest/scout/prepare for their next matchup on Thursday than Duke will, if Duke beats Creighton... this always happens-- the NCAA wants Duke on later, to get more viewers, so they screw Duke out of the earlier start times that normally are accorded to the higher seeded team in a tournament run by competent people (i.e.- the ACC tournament). In this case, the situation is compounded by Duke having to switch from Fri/Sun combination in the first weekend, to Thur/Sat combo in the second weekend (which, in the old days of the tournament, could never happen until the Final Four)... of course, Duke never gets to be the one that starts on Thur/Sat and then switches to Fri/Sun, picking up that valuable extra day.

I really think this isn't that big of a deal since it's Sun to Friday and not Sun to Thursday. If anything, I think this helps us a bit since Creighton is a central time team, so it could feel a bit like a 10:40 tip to them. If Duke wins, they'll still get a full 2.5 days at home before shipping out Wednesday afternoon. It's only the Sunday-Thursday turnaround that would worry me. Besides, They had 6 days of rest before Friday's game, and 5 days of rest before the ACCT, and they didn't exactly overachieve in those games.

Bob Green
03-23-2013, 12:22 PM
...i think this helps us a bit since creighton is a central time team, so it could feel a bit like a 10:40 tip to them.

9:40 edt = 8:40 cdt.

OldPhiKap
03-23-2013, 12:23 PM
Duke is familiar with games at odd times, this is more a pain to the fans than the players.

-bdbd
03-23-2013, 12:29 PM
More rest for Ryan and Seth.

Way to look at that half-FULL glass!!


Ryan matches up best on McDermott, but it is unlikely that he can guard him for more than 25 minutes. Physical conditioning and foul issues might preclude that. Since McDermott is a fairly strong player, we might want to use Josh to spell Ryan on defense. The question then would be who subs in for Mason? Alex's defense is not his strong suit and Amile might still not have the physical presence needed. I think we need Rasheed to guard on the perimeter. It will be interesting to see.


Yes, clearly the big D assignment is RK on McD. I expect Josh to be the primary relief on that assignment, as RK will wear down, plus fouls. It IS possible for us to play just a three-man rotation up front, as Josh can also spell MP2 up front as well, when HE has to come out. (Not like MP2 and RK HAVE to come out at the same time, plus Creighton's 2 bigs don't play 40 minutes apiece.) When they have Wragge and Dingman in off the bench it would be possible, at least, for Rasheed to draw those D assignments primarily, as they both seem to be primarily perimeter threats, though you could easily see Amile or Murphy in some against McD or the bench guys. Heck, don't rule out MP3 bodying up on Echinique to absorb some pounding and some fouls.

Breakdown of Creighton stats:

Sagarin: 17 -- KenPom: 17 -- Record: 28-7 (13-5 in MVC)

Good Wins: Wisconsin*, Cincinnati*, @ California, Akron (*-Neutral Site)
Bad Losses: @ Drake, @ Northern Iowa, @ Illinois State, @ Indiana State

Starting lineup:
C-Greg Echenique, SR (6'9, 260): 9.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 0.4 APG, 1.7 BPG, .658 FG%, .645 FT%
F-Doug McDermott, JR (6'8, 225): 23.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, .561 FG%, .497 3P%, .860 FT%
G-Grant Gibbs, SR (6'5, 210): 8.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, .532 FG%, .404 3P%, .757 FT%
G-Jahenns Manigat, JR (6'1, 175): 6.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, .425 FG%, .380 3P%, .741 FT%
G-Austin Chatman, SO (6'0, 185): 7.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, .401 FG%, .440 3P%, .804 FT%
Bench:
F-Ethan Wragge, JR (6'7, 225): 7.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.4 APG, .436 FG%, .435 3P%, .935 FT%
G-Avery Dingman, SO (6'6, 205): 3.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, .411 FG%, .407 3P%, .750 FT%

Defense Efficiency: #77
Offensive Efficiency: #7
3-Point %: #2
3-Point% Defense: #55
Free Throw Rate: #238
Free Throw Rate D: #10
TO %: #111
TO % D: #326

dukefan10
03-23-2013, 12:30 PM
I’m absolutely convinced that as a whole, Duke fans really believe that the NCAA is constantly trying to figure out ways to screw us up. Do you really believe that the 9:40 time slot is some maniacal plan by the NCAA’s evil geniuses? What are the chances that we just so happen to get this time slot? As for time to scout this next opponent, do you really believe that Duke’s coaching staff has absolutely no idea how they are going to play MSU/Memphis if indeed we do make it to the S16? And is Creighton seeded below their abilities? Probably, but so are a slew of other teams! Does the NCAA have it out for their opponents too? We’re going to have to win 6 games against 6 quality opponents to get out of here with the trophy, just like every other team in the tournament. And are we really that down on our team? Is Creighton a good 3pt shooting team? Yes. So is Duke. Is Creighton a good FT shooting team? Yes. So is Duke. Why does every strength that an opponent has cause us to cower in our boots? The fact is, we’re a very good team just like every other team in the tournament. We have our strengths and we have our weaknesses, but we are good! If this team plays with intensity and heart, there are not too many teams that can beat us. Go Duke!

jipops
03-23-2013, 12:33 PM
Duke's last two opponents have shot a combined 48.5% from 3. If this statistic is not drastically different tomorrow night, then it will not have mattered when the start time was.

Cameron
03-23-2013, 12:48 PM
Duke's last two opponents have shot a combined 48.5% from 3. If this statistic is not drastically different tomorrow night, then it will not have mattered when the start time was.

This. In that scenario, we will get run off the court. Statistically, Creighton is pretty much dead even with us in three-point field goal success rate. Where they have the edge is in the size of their three-point shooters. They are giants compared to us. Creighton's most proficient outside shooters stand 6-8, 6-7, 6-6 and 6-5. Outside of Ryan Kelly, we don't have one player over 6-4 that can shoot the triple -- or guard the triple, more importantly. Our wings are completely outmatched if this game turns into an outside shooting exhibition for Creighton.

I desperately wanted Cincy. They are an erratic team that hoists All-Star game type shots and plays very unsound fundamentally, and inside the Bearcats have no players that are anywhere near as strong as Echenique. Instead, we have been assigned a team that starts five Dale Ellises. ----.

simmias
03-23-2013, 12:58 PM
Duke opened as a 4 points favorite with the over/under set at 141 so Vegas is looking for a score in the neighborhood of 72-69. The early money is on Duke and the over as the consensus spread is now 5 points and the over/under has moved up to 144: 74-70.
Thanks for posting this. I was just looking at the 5-point spread and 90% of public on Duke and it gave me a heart attack. Good to know the line moved - doesn't scream "Vegas trap" as much as I thought.

roywhite
03-23-2013, 01:05 PM
Yeah, I'm not worried about the players...I'm more concerned for me! That's not the most enjoyable drive in the world down ol'95 at 1:00am....so I'm counting on being happy...and making my husband drive.

weezie, you're on the scene in Philadelphia?
Good to hear...way to represent!

Not a bad city to wander around in the off time...lots to see and some great places to eat...from sandwiches to fancy dining.

dukelifer
03-23-2013, 01:12 PM
This. In that scenario, we will get run off the court. Statistically, Creighton is pretty much dead even with us in three-point field goal success rate. Where they have the edge is in the size of their three-point shooters. They are giants compared to us. Creighton's most proficient outside shooters stand 6-8, 6-7, 6-6 and 6-5. Outside of Ryan Kelly, we don't have one player over 6-4 that can shoot the triple -- or guard the triple, more importantly. Our wings are completely outmatched if this game turns into an outside shooting exhibition for Creighton.

I desperately wanted Cincy. They are an erratic team that hoists All-Star game type shots and plays very unsound fundamentally, and inside the Bearcats have no players that are anywhere near as strong as Echenique. Instead, we have been assigned a team that starts five Dale Ellises. ----.

Duke will need to turn them over. Creighton is vulnerable to a good athletic team that crashes the boards. Duke is not that team and will need to take them out of their comfort zone somehow. If Duke does not crumble - they should be there at the end. Then it is all about execution and Cook using his quickness

BigZ
03-23-2013, 01:17 PM
Duke has not lost a game yet when both Mason and Seth play well. As long as that duo has a good game the Devils should be fine.

NashvilleDevil
03-23-2013, 01:26 PM
I’m absolutely convinced that as a whole, Duke fans really believe that the NCAA is constantly trying to figure out ways to screw us up. Do you really believe that the 9:40 time slot is some maniacal plan by the NCAA’s evil geniuses? What are the chances that we just so happen to get this time slot? As for time to scout this next opponent, do you really believe that Duke’s coaching staff has absolutely no idea how they are going to play MSU/Memphis if indeed we do make it to the S16? And is Creighton seeded below their abilities? Probably, but so are a slew of other teams! Does the NCAA have it out for their opponents too? We’re going to have to win 6 games against 6 quality opponents to get out of here with the trophy, just like every other team in the tournament. And are we really that down on our team? Is Creighton a good 3pt shooting team? Yes. So is Duke. Is Creighton a good FT shooting team? Yes. So is Duke. Why does every strength that an opponent has cause us to cower in our boots? The fact is, we’re a very good team just like every other team in the tournament. We have our strengths and we have our weaknesses, but we are good! If this team plays with intensity and heart, there are not too many teams that can beat us. Go Duke!

I think many people here are gunshy about predicting Duke tourney wins because of the early exits since 2000 and I also think the 1999 title game plays a part in this worrying about every opponent. It is like the Red Sox fans before 2004, they were always worried about the other show dropping. There is absolutely nothing we can do as fans that will determine the outcome of the game. This team will be ready tomorrow night and I think you see a Duke performance to is reminiscent of what they did earlier this year.

Dukeblue91
03-23-2013, 01:26 PM
This should be a good game for our guards especially Rasheed as he should be able to slice and dice against their defense.
This will also help Curry as they are not very big on the wing and at the guard spots, if he keeps shooting great we should be okay.
But my worry is for Curry to have another bad shooting night and for Kelly not picking up the slack.
Cook needs to keep doing what he has been doing of late and early on in the season and be a distributing PG and not looking to score first.
If Duke fires from all cylinders they are hard to beat but this doesn't happen all that often lately.
This should be a great game and it is a great matchup for us and also them.
Go Duke.

Reilly
03-23-2013, 01:28 PM
... could easily see Amile ... in some against McD ...

I'd like to see this some. "Amile, you are in your home town, it's prime time in the NCAA tourney, this is the only game on, the whole country is watching, go out and hound the guy some say is the player of the year ...."

NSDukeFan
03-23-2013, 01:43 PM
This. In that scenario, we will get run off the court. Statistically, Creighton is pretty much dead even with us in three-point field goal success rate. Where they have the edge is in the size of their three-point shooters. They are giants compared to us. Creighton's most proficient outside shooters stand 6-8, 6-7, 6-6 and 6-5. Outside of Ryan Kelly, we don't have one player over 6-4 that can shoot the triple -- or guard the triple, more importantly. Our wings are completely outmatched if this game turns into an outside shooting exhibition for Creighton.

I desperately wanted Cincy. They are an erratic team that hoists All-Star game type shots and plays very unsound fundamentally, and inside the Bearcats have no players that are anywhere near as strong as Echenique. Instead, we have been assigned a team that starts five Dale Ellises. ----.

I bet you that is the first time that Echenique has been compared to Dale Ellis. I also think it requires a fair bit of imagination to skip 6'11 Ryan Kelly to say that all of Duke's shooters are small. I would consider Ryan fairly significant when looking at the team's 3-point threats.
I think Creighton is a team to worry about as they all are in a one and done tournament. This sounds like a team that could certainly get hot, but hopefully Duke defends well enough to prevent Creighton from getting hot.

CajunDevil
03-23-2013, 01:59 PM
Seriously, guys... this board has become a bunch of whining, crying chicken littles. We have a great shot to go to Sweet 16 tomorrow, in fact, it would be a HUGE upset for us not to make it. We match up incredibly well - no great penetrating point guard, no athletic wings, a plodding 6'9" big man and a slow-footed 4 (great shooter and highly skilled - but slow). This is a GREAT matchup for us, especially considering we could have faced Cincy which would've been troublesome - given their athleticism.

Regardless, please enjoy this team and stop worrying...

roywhite
03-23-2013, 02:09 PM
Seriously, guys... this board has become a bunch of whining, crying chicken littles. We have a great shot to go to Sweet 16 tomorrow, in fact, it would be a HUGE upset for us not to make it. We match up incredibly well - no great penetrating point guard, no athletic wings, a plodding 6'9" big man and a slow-footed 4 (great shooter and highly skilled - but slow). This is a GREAT matchup for us, especially considering we could have faced Cincy which would've been troublesome - given their athleticism.

Regardless, please enjoy this team and stop worrying...

One prediction here....should Duke win, even before the end of the game, we'll see a post to the effect of "we'll never beat Michigan State playing like this".

dukelifer
03-23-2013, 02:12 PM
Seriously, guys... this board has become a bunch of whining, crying chicken littles. We have a great shot to go to Sweet 16 tomorrow, in fact, it would be a HUGE upset for us not to make it. We match up incredibly well - no great penetrating point guard, no athletic wings, a plodding 6'9" big man and a slow-footed 4 (great shooter and highly skilled - but slow). This is a GREAT matchup for us, especially considering we could have faced Cincy which would've been troublesome - given their athleticism.

Regardless, please enjoy this team and stop worrying...

Makes you wonder how Creighton has won any games this year. No athletes and a slow footed, plodding 4. Somehow I think they understand how to make the sum better than the parts. Duke has to disrupt them. If Duke's D was more consistent and disruptive - I would feel much better. Duke's D has lacked something since Kelly went down - and they need to bring it tomorrow.

NashvilleDevil
03-23-2013, 02:13 PM
One prediction here....should Duke win, even before the end of the game, we'll see a post to the effect of "we'll never beat Michigan State playing like this".

We will see a post like that before the first TV timeout.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-23-2013, 02:20 PM
My turn to whine about NCAA scheduling in general... how is it possible that it is 2:20pm on Saturday of the first weekend of the tournament, and there are NO live games at the moment? And yet, Duke is playing tomorrow at almost 10pm?

This disappoints me.

To clarify, I'm just annoyed because I'd prefer not to stay up that late to watch, not because I think it will have any unfair or biased effect on Duke.

Go Duke!

arnie
03-23-2013, 02:21 PM
Seriously, guys... this board has become a bunch of whining, crying chicken littles. We have a great shot to go to Sweet 16 tomorrow, in fact, it would be a HUGE upset for us not to make it. We match up incredibly well - no great penetrating point guard, no athletic wings, a plodding 6'9" big man and a slow-footed 4 (great shooter and highly skilled - but slow). This is a GREAT matchup for us, especially considering we could have faced Cincy which would've been troublesome - given their athleticism.

Regardless, please enjoy this team and stop worrying...

Completely disagree with the above, but certainly hope I'm wrong. If I had to bet the game, I'd bet on Creighton - see it as a tossup with very slight advantage their way. We are not a very good defensive team now and aren't fast breaking well at all. We have to play better 3-point defense. Call it chicken little; but that's how I see it.

Dukeface88
03-23-2013, 02:30 PM
Makes you wonder how Creighton has won any games this year. No athletes and a slow footed, plodding 4. Somehow I think they understand how to make the sum better than the parts. Duke has to disrupt them. If Duke's D was more consistent and disruptive - I would feel much better.

Hmm, let's try something:


Makes you wonder how Duke has won any games this year. No athletes and a slow footed, plodding 4. Somehow I think they understand how to make the sum better than the parts. Creighton has to disrupt them. If Creighton's D was more consistent and disruptive - I would feel much better.

Yep, still works.

NashvilleDevil
03-23-2013, 02:31 PM
Seriously, guys... this board has become a bunch of whining, crying chicken littles. We have a great shot to go to Sweet 16 tomorrow, in fact, it would be a HUGE upset for us not to make it. We match up incredibly well - no great penetrating point guard, no athletic wings, a plodding 6'9" big man and a slow-footed 4 (great shooter and highly skilled - but slow). This is a GREAT matchup for us, especially considering we could have faced Cincy which would've been troublesome - given their athleticism.

Regardless, please enjoy this team and stop worrying...

I agree with this. Tired of the chicken littles. Duke will win and it won't be close.

Cameron
03-23-2013, 02:59 PM
I bet you that is the first time that Echenique has been compared to Dale Ellis. I also think it requires a fair bit of imagination to skip 6'11 Ryan Kelly to say that all of Duke's shooters are small. I would consider Ryan fairly significant when looking at the team's 3-point threats.

Please do not put words in my mouth. I clearly stated with the exception of Ryan Kelly, Duke's shooters are much smaller than Creigthon's. The numbers do not lie. You will see tomorrow night when the two teams take the court. Creighton has four three-point shooters who stand 6-8, 6-7, 6-6 and 6-5. They will be a mismatch for us if they are all hitting, which, as a 43% three-point shooting team, probably is not out of the realm of possibility.

I am glad that you are more confident about the game than I am. I hope you are right. But I do not know it. Anyone who thinks We Are Duke And We Will Beat Tiny Creighton is simply living in a dream land. It will not be as easy as Duke vs. Tiny Creighton. They are not so tiny. They are a basketball powerhouse.

Chris Randolph
03-23-2013, 03:03 PM
A lot of discussion about McDermott and rightfully so. But I don't think stopping him is the key. He will have a good game and have good numbers. We cannot allow Echenique and Wragge have good games.

NashvilleDevil
03-23-2013, 03:06 PM
They are a basketball powerhouse.

They are? They have been a good program for close to 20 years but calling them a powerhouse is pure hyperbole.

Cameron
03-23-2013, 03:11 PM
They are? They have been a good program for close to 20 years but calling them a powerhouse is pure hyperbole.

This year. They are as good a team as there is still playing. And Doug McDermott is as good a player as is still playing. Creighton getting to the Final Four and winning it all is within reach. The same can be said for Saint Louis in our bracket. So yes, Creighton is a powerhouse.

CajunDevil
03-23-2013, 03:27 PM
This year. They are as good a team as there is still playing. And Doug McDermott is as good a player as is still playing. Creighton getting to the Final Four and winning it all is within reach. The same can be said for Saint Louis in our bracket. So yes, Creighton is a powerhouse.

Creighton is NOT a basketball powerhouse...

Laura Keeley @laurakeeley
Creighton hasn't beaten a ranked team since March 4, 2007 (Southern Illinois). Hasn't beaten a top 10 team since Feb. 9, 1974 (Marquette)

Laura Keeley @laurakeeley
10. So 0-10 vs. ranked teams since 3/4/07 MT @RealTimBritton how many ranked teams has Creighton played since Southern Illinois?

sporthenry
03-23-2013, 03:35 PM
Creighton is NOT a basketball powerhouse...

Laura Keeley @laurakeeley
Creighton hasn't beaten a ranked team since March 4, 2007 (Southern Illinois). Hasn't beaten a top 10 team since Feb. 9, 1974 (Marquette)

Laura Keeley @laurakeeley
10. So 0-10 vs. ranked teams since 3/4/07 MT @RealTimBritton how many ranked teams has Creighton played since Southern Illinois?

I would agree that Creighton isn't a powerhouse. They are like any other 7-10 seed. Perhaps they are a bit better than the rest but they didn't exactly blow out Cincinatti and all of the games from here on out will be difficult.

I think it is crazy to call them F4 contenders (but I would have said the same thing about Butler in 2011). They'll be able to show it on the court but beating Duke and then probably MSU and Louisville would be as impressive a run as perhaps any team in recent memory.

1 24 90
03-23-2013, 03:39 PM
IMO tomorrow's late game is totally dictated by what games CBS wants to show in order to maximize their ratings. The reason they are the only network broadcasting games this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon is to avoid the other networks cannibalizing their ratings. On Sunday, the best site to cover to maximize ratings is Dayton because Ohio State and Indiana will play there. Also, their #1 broadcast team of Nantz & Kellogg are there so that could factor into the decision too. Also, Kansas & UNC is definitely a draw so I can totally see why that is the 5 p.m. game and since the other game in KC is Lasalle/Ole Miss it makes perfect sense that CBS doesn't want that game. Also, in Austin, Florida/Minnesota and Illinois/Miami isn't exactly a top draw. Finally with FGCU vs. SDSU, I can see why Duke gets relegated to the late game on TBS.

Finally, this type of phenomenon is in its 3rd year once they went to 4 networks covering all games. In the past, the only option was CBS and they would have a quadruple header on Saturday and a tripleheader on Sunday so all games would be finished around 7 p.m. Many times in the past Duke would be the only game on Saturday at noon so I don't think Duke is being slighted by the networks.

NashvilleDevil
03-23-2013, 03:45 PM
This year. They are as good a team as there is still playing. And Doug McDermott is as good a player as is still playing. Creighton getting to the Final Four and winning it all is within reach. The same can be said for Saint Louis in our bracket. So yes, Creighton is a powerhouse.

Those are not powerhouses. They are very good teams that can make some tournament noise but neither of those teams will make the final four and Creighton's tourney run ends tomorrow night.

gofurman
03-23-2013, 03:57 PM
This should be a good game for our guards especially Rasheed as he should be able to slice and dice against their defense.
This will also help Curry as they are not very big on the wing and at the guard spots, if he keeps shooting great we should be okay.
But my worry is for Curry to have another bad shooting night and for Kelly not picking up the slack.
Cook needs to keep doing what he has been doing of late and early on in the season and be a distributing PG and not looking to score first.
If Duke fires from all cylinders they are hard to beat but this doesn't happen all that often lately.
This should be a great game and it is a great matchup for us and also them.
Go Duke.

I am all about being positive but they ARE big on the wing - or at least their three shooters are tall.

southgater
03-23-2013, 05:04 PM
Considering the late time for our game and the absence of the favored and relatively local Georgetown team in the other game in Philly, I am thinking that tickets might be more readily available than normal. So, I'm considering heading up there to look for a last minute ticket to our game. Does anyone have any thoughts on how likely it would be to find a reasonably-priced ticket and any advice on how best to do this?
Thanks,
Southgater

tele
03-23-2013, 05:09 PM
IMO tomorrow's late game is totally dictated by what games CBS wants to show in order to maximize their ratings. The reason they are the only network broadcasting games this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon is to avoid the other networks cannibalizing their ratings. On Sunday, the best site to cover to maximize ratings is Dayton because Ohio State and Indiana will play there. Also, their #1 broadcast team of Nantz & Kellogg are there so that could factor into the decision too. Also, Kansas & UNC is definitely a draw so I can totally see why that is the 5 p.m. game and since the other game in KC is Lasalle/Ole Miss it makes perfect sense that CBS doesn't want that game. Also, in Austin, Florida/Minnesota and Illinois/Miami isn't exactly a top draw. Finally with FGCU vs. SDSU, I can see why Duke gets relegated to the late game on TBS.

Finally, this type of phenomenon is in its 3rd year once they went to 4 networks covering all games. In the past, the only option was CBS and they would have a quadruple header on Saturday and a tripleheader on Sunday so all games would be finished around 7 p.m. Many times in the past Duke would be the only game on Saturday at noon so I don't think Duke is being slighted by the networks.

You may be right, my initial reaction was it was odd Duke was on TBS and not CBS, the time was less surprising to me. I agree it is not the best time to be playing, just hope the prior game doesn't go to overtime. I think CBS was basically giving TBS a headline game in Nationwide primetime, or as close as you can get to it. Maybe to make up for TBS and the other cable networks not getting the prominent or higher rated games so far? Duke will draw eyes to TBS, hopefully in a win. Maybe TBS got to choose which game they had on for their sunday evening exclusive and they wanted Duke for the maximum nationwide ratings. Makes sense to me.

I think if Duke can play good perimeter defense and not turntheballover they should win. Mason needs to have a good game and he needs to get the ball in the post. Cook had a good game against Albany, he needs to continue to get the ball to the seniors and sheed and not try and do too much. Go Duke!

summerwind03
03-23-2013, 05:10 PM
Considering the late time for our game and the absence of the favored and relatively local Georgetown team in the other game in Philly, I am thinking that tickets might be more readily available than normal. So, I'm considering heading up there to look for a last minute ticket to our game. Does anyone have any thoughts on how likely it would be to find a reasonably-priced ticket and any advice on how best to do this?
Thanks,
Southgater

Yes, I know of at least 4 tickets available. Pm me if you're interested.

Come on out Duke fans, and support your team. You can always sleep after basketball season.

dukelifer
03-23-2013, 05:20 PM
Hmm, let's try something:



Yep, still works.

Clever but I would contend Duke has some athletes in Mason and Rasheed. But yes both teams are mirrors of each other.

Cameron
03-23-2013, 05:55 PM
You all are more poised than I am in March. I applaud your ability to stay calm under extreme duress. I am on a whole program of beta blockers this time of year.

Troublemaker
03-23-2013, 06:03 PM
We have a great shot to go to Sweet 16 tomorrow, in fact, it would be a HUGE upset for us not to make it. We match up incredibly well - no great penetrating point guard, no athletic wings, a plodding 6'9" big man and a slow-footed 4 (great shooter and highly skilled - but slow). This is a GREAT matchup for us


I agree more than disagree with this. I just wish McDermott were a little bit less great, i.e. that Creighton's talents were a bit more spread about their 5 players on the court. I'm wary of a great player winning a game by himself.

But, on the whole, I'm feeling confident about this one. They're not going to out-athlete Duke, as you point out.

Cameron
03-23-2013, 06:04 PM
I would agree that Creighton isn't a powerhouse. They are like any other 7-10 seed. Perhaps they are a bit better than the rest but they didn't exactly blow out Cincinatti and all of the games from here on out will be difficult.

I think it is crazy to call them F4 contenders (but I would have said the same thing about Butler in 2011). They'll be able to show it on the court but beating Duke and then probably MSU and Louisville would be as impressive a run as perhaps any team in recent memory.

Saint Louis could very well come out of this region. They are a really, really good team.

I think that we'll see how good Creighton really is tomorrow night, but I'd love to be wrong. Glad that some of the people in this thread are not on our team or we'd for sure lose. Overlooking your opponent is never a good thing. Any team that features a legitimate national player of the year candidate, sound guard play and a calvary of shooters is a force in this tournament.

sporthenry
03-23-2013, 06:12 PM
Glad that some of the people in this thread are not on our team or we'd for sure lose. Overlooking your opponent is never a good thing. Any team that features a legitimate national player of the year candidate, sound guard play and a calvary of shooters is a force in this tournament.

Well we are fans, this is what we do. Just about every team left is a force in some capacity. There are 32 teams left (30 technically with today's results). They were either the 37 best at large or won their conference and then beat another tournament team. Every team has shown an ability to beat just about anyone else on a given night.

But even forgetting about Louisville, Creighton will have to go through a legitimate NPOY candidate (for which they have less to guard then Duke does to McDermott), a team with more than sound guard play and a team who can shoot the ball just as good, and then they have Kelly.

And if Creighton gets by that, they have to play arguably the strongest front court in the country.

pfrduke
03-23-2013, 06:15 PM
Saint Louis could very well come out of this region. They are a really, really good team.

I think that we'll see how good Creighton really is tomorrow night, but I'd love to be wrong. Glad that some of the people in this thread are not on our team or we'd for sure lose. Overlooking your opponent is never a good thing. Any team that features a legitimate national player of the year candidate, sound guard play and a calvary of shooters is a force in this tournament.

Yeah, but we're not all very good at basketball. And a lot of us are, shall we say, a few years removed from our athletic peak. I don't think there are any 5 posters who could give Creighton much of a game.

FerryFor50
03-23-2013, 06:17 PM
Yeah, but we're not all very good at basketball. And a lot of us are, shall we say, a few years removed from our athletic peak. I don't think there are any 5 posters who could give Creighton much of a game.

Speak for yourself! I could take McDermott! :p

CajunDevil
03-23-2013, 06:18 PM
Glad that some of the people in this thread are not on our team or we'd for sure lose. Overlooking your opponent is never a good thing. Any team that features a legitimate national player of the year candidate, sound guard play and a calvary of shooters is a force in this tournament.

of course we'd be in trouble... we aren't players on our Duke team, and we are most likely old, fat and alarmingly unathletic :p (at least I am at this point in life)

No one is "overlooking" Creighton, we are just being realistic...

NashvilleDevil
03-23-2013, 06:30 PM
Saint Louis could very well come out of this region. They are a really, really good team.

I think that we'll see how good Creighton really is tomorrow night, but I'd love to be wrong. Glad that some of the people in this thread are not on our team or we'd for sure lose. Overlooking your opponent is never a good thing. Any team that features a legitimate national player of the year candidate, sound guard play and a calvary of shooters is a force in this tournament.

I am not overlooking anyone I just do not understand all the handwringing about opponents. I know Coach K will have the team ready and I am sure the team will be ready. I think the no show against Maryland was the best thing that could have happened. They have heard all year that have not lost with Ryan in the lineup and I'm sure they thought they could juat show up and win against the Terps. That was a wake up call and I think they will be focused for tomorrow night. I also think the big hurdle for this team was their opening game since most of the guys were there for last year's opening round upset. I think they will at loose and Creighton will make it a game for a little bit but ultimately Duke wins by 15+.
We as fans have no control on what is going to happen tomorrow night. We should just enjoy how great this team has played this year and root for them as hard as we can. More often than not the kids wearing the Duke jersey succeed.

Potato
03-23-2013, 06:32 PM
This year. They are as good a team as there is still playing. And Doug McDermott is as good a player as is still playing. Creighton getting to the Final Four and winning it all is within reach. The same can be said for Saint Louis in our bracket. So yes, Creighton is a powerhouse.

not sure if serious. i don't think duke is going to have a cake-walk, they're going to have to play well to win but in the end i think our guys will get it done. mcdermott will have a big game, but on paper we're still better. as long as we're knocking down some threes and hold up well on the boards we should win by 6-8.

sporthenry
03-23-2013, 06:35 PM
Kenpom currently has us as winners approx 64% of the time. Add in the fact that Creighton is coming off a much harder game and his stats don't account for the loss of Kelly. So I'd say Duke wins somewhere between 2/3 to 3/4 of the time if you believe kenpom's numbers.

Biggest thing will be seeing if Kelly's foot is 100% b/c at times he looked to favor it and he'll need to be 100% against McDermott.

BlueDevilBrowns
03-23-2013, 06:51 PM
OK, this is gonna sound crazy and stupid, but I think the Creighton game is going to be harder for Duke than the next game, if they advance. At least from a mental standpoint. This team this year seems to play to the level of their opponent. Except for the Miami debacle, our losses have come against unranked, mediocre teams in Va, State, and Md.

Our best, most complete games have come against elite competition(i.e. L'ville, OSU, VCU, @UNC, Mia).

If we make it to Indy, I like our chances ALOT.

Cameron
03-23-2013, 06:59 PM
of course we'd be in trouble... we aren't players on our Duke team, and we are most likely old, fat and alarmingly unathletic :p (at least I am at this point in life)

No one is "overlooking" Creighton, we are just being realistic...

After Lehigh, there is no such thing as being realistic. Anything can and does happen.

Not that this is scientific evidence that the Bluejays are a juggernaut, but in one of the bracket pools I am in, I'd say more than 50% of people have Creighton picked to beat Duke. It's not at all crazy to think that Creighton will win. They are a very good team and after watching them play several times this season -- notably in the MVC tournament and against Cincy -- it's no wonder why. They are a very, very good basketball team with a player that is perhaps better than any other player in the whole tournament.

Dukeface88
03-23-2013, 07:20 PM
Clever but I would contend Duke has some athletes in Mason and Rasheed. But yes both teams are mirrors of each other.

True, I was more going with the prevailing wisdom of the talking heads.



I think that we'll see how good Creighton really is tomorrow night, but I'd love to be wrong. Glad that some of the people in this thread are not on our team or we'd for sure lose. Overlooking your opponent is never a good thing. Any team that features a legitimate national player of the year candidate, sound guard play and a calvary of shooters is a force in this tournament.

Obviously, Creighton is a force - they won their conference and are well regarded by the dork polls. But you know what? The next time we play a team that isn't a force is going to be in late October or early November. The bravado you're seeing is, I think, a reaction to what has been quite a lot of negative buzz here in recent weeks. I understand that everyone is a bit gunshy after Maryland in the ACC and Lehigh last year, but at some point you have to say "enough is enough". This Duke team does even better with the stats gurus, has its own NPOY candidate, shooters and solid guards, has already beaten six conference champions, and has the winningest coach in college basketball at the helm. If there's a criticism I have of this team, it's that they get flustered too easily; that their attitude so often seems to be "Not this again" rather than "So what if you're closing the gap, or even ahead - we know how this game is going to end, and it isn't good for you." So athletic skills aside, the people in this thread I'd want to keep away from this team are those showing too little confidence, rather than too much.

Norman Pfyster
03-23-2013, 07:24 PM
Creighton in itself doesn't so much worry me as Seth Curry playing on short rest does. I admire the hell out of his performance all season long playing on a bum leg, but the fact is he is not nearly as productive on a short rest as otherwise. It significantly reduces Duke's margin.

Cameron
03-23-2013, 07:34 PM
The bravado you're seeing is, I think, a reaction to what has been quite a lot of negative buzz here in recent weeks. I understand that everyone is a bit gunshy after Maryland in the ACC and Lehigh last year, but at some point you have to say "enough is enough". This Duke team does even better with the stats gurus, has its own NPOY candidate, shooters and solid guards, has already beaten six conference champions, and has the winningest coach in college basketball at the helm. If there's a criticism I have of this team, it's that they get flustered too easily; that their attitude so often seems to be "Not this again" rather than "So what if you're closing the gap, or even ahead - we know how this game is going to end, and it isn't good for you." So athletic skills aside, the people in this thread I'd want to keep away from this team are those showing too little confidence, rather than too much.

I'm a lost cause it terms of cynicism, but I like your line of thinking. I think you hit the bravado point on the head. I also find it aggravating that none of my friends are giving Duke any credit or chance to advance in this tournament. As a fan of the program, though, I am simply too nervous this time of year to have any belief myself. It's not a great way to live, without any hope, but it's much easier to deal with sorrow.

moonpie23
03-23-2013, 07:59 PM
i try to learn from my mistakes....last year, i thought we'd have great game against lehigh.....i'm a bit gun shy....

Wander
03-23-2013, 08:02 PM
Not sure why you would be afraid of Creighton. They are possibly the best match-up for us, actually that said I think we win easier against them than we did against Albany. Creighton is very poor on defense, they don't penetrate well, and are kind of slow footed. What have we had problems with mostly? Penetration! We should win by at least 15.

I don't agree penetration is our biggest problem - rebounding is. I don't even think penetration is a weakness of our team, especially with Kelly back. I'm not saying Creighton's going to win, and I won't even be surprised if we win by 15+; I just think Creighton is being seriously underrated here, especially the non-McDermott players.

Bay Area Duke Fan
03-23-2013, 08:48 PM
This Duke team does even better with the stats gurus, has its own NPOY candidate, shooters and solid guards, has already beaten six conference champions, and has the winningest coach in college basketball at the helm.h.

It's unrealistic at this point to say that Duke has a NPOY candidate.

Cameron
03-23-2013, 08:57 PM
It's unrealistic at this point to say that Duke has a NPOY candidate.

I agree with this. With regard to this year, when we take the court on Sunday night the best player on the floor will not be wearing a Duke jersey.

freshmanjs
03-23-2013, 09:00 PM
I agree with this. With regard to this year, when we take the court on Sunday night the best player on the floor will not be wearing a Duke jersey.

i agree with you, we have no chance to beat creighton. they are much better than duke. duke does not have any good players and has no business being a 2 seed. creighton is an amazing world beating powerhouse like st louis. imagine how badly we'd lose if we had to play oregon.

sporthenry
03-23-2013, 09:01 PM
It's unrealistic at this point to say that Duke has a NPOY candidate.

Mason was 1 of 15 finalists and if we want to get that technical, McDermott probably doesn't have a realistic shot either. It is a 2 horse race between Burke and Oladipo. But now we are splitting hairs, McDermott will probably finish above Mason but both are great basketball players in their own right.

NashvilleDevil
03-23-2013, 09:06 PM
i agree with you, we have no chance to beat creighton. they are much better than duke. duke does not have any good players and has no business being a 2 seed. creighton is an amazing world beating powerhouse like st louis. imagine how badly we'd lose if we had to play oregon.

You beat me to it about St. Louis getting a beat down.

jipops
03-23-2013, 09:11 PM
One prediction here....should Duke win, even before the end of the game, we'll see a post to the effect of "we'll never beat Michigan State playing like this".

Crap, we're already looking past Creighton. We're doomed I say, doomed!!

Cameron
03-23-2013, 09:18 PM
i agree with you, we have no chance to beat creighton. they are much better than duke. duke does not have any good players and has no business being a 2 seed. creighton is an amazing world beating powerhouse like st louis. imagine how badly we'd lose if we had to play oregon.

Your sarcasm aside, do you not think Doug McDermott is one of the best players in the country? If you do, then me calling him the best player on the court is really not a stretch. I happen to think he is. That doesn't mean Duke doesn't have a shot to win. I have never once said that. I said I am worried about our second round opponent in the NCAA Tournament who won their conference and beat Cincinnati in their first game. I am being, what others here like to call, realistic.

freshmanjs
03-23-2013, 09:23 PM
Your sarcasm aside, do you not think Doug McDermott is one of the best players in the country? If you do, then me calling him the best player on the court is really not a stretch. I happen to think he is. That doesn't mean Duke doesn't have a shot to win. I have never once said that. I said I am worried about our second round opponent in the NCAA Tournament who won their conference and beat Cincinnati in their first game. I am being, what others here like to call, realistic.


**** not directed at any specific individual ****

Why be worried? It's a game, entertainment. Duke has a good team and a great chance to win. What if they lose? If the possibility of losing in the NCAA tournament causes angst and stress, it may not be worth paying attention.

The general negativity around here makes it seem like Duke basketball is not fun for a lot of people. It's as if identities are wrapped up in it and people are afraid that the team losing reflects badly on them or something.

I do feel a little down when Duke loses, mostly because the season is over and I have to wait til November for more games.

BD80
03-23-2013, 09:53 PM
... The same can be said for Saint Louis in our bracket [ getting to the Final Four and winning it all is within reach] ...


Saint Louis could very well come out of this region. ...

I disagree :rolleyes:


... and we are most likely old, fat and alarmingly unathletic :p (at least I am at this point in life) ...

Check out Rex Chapman, that will make you feel better ...


**** not directed at any specific individual ****

Why be worried? It's a game, entertainment. Duke has a good team and a great chance to win. What if they lose? If the possibility of losing in the NCAA tournament causes angst and stress, it may not be worth paying attention.

The general negativity around here makes it seem like Duke basketball is not fun for a lot of people. It's as if identities are wrapped up in it and people are afraidM that the team losing reflects badly on them or something.

I do feel a little down when Duke loses, mostly because the season is over and I have to wait til November for more games.

My problem is that I don't enjoy rhe wins as much as I am saddened by the losses

Cameron
03-23-2013, 09:56 PM
I disagree :rolleyes:

I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but hindsight is 20/20. There is a reason many college basketball analysts also believed Saint Louis had the components to make a Final Four run. They were a really good team with a great coach.

We lost to Miami by 30, if you'll recall. On some nights, things just don't go your way. You are being short sighted.

BD80
03-23-2013, 10:00 PM
I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but hindsight is 20/20. There is a reason many college basketball analysts also believed Saint Louis had the components to make a Final Four run. They were a really good team with a great coach.

We lost to Miami by 30, if you'll recall. On some nights, things just don't go your way. You are being short sighted.

The :rolleyes: emoticon was an indication that I was being a smartass. Of course you can pretty much assume that with any of my comments

Cameron
03-23-2013, 10:06 PM
The :rolleyes: emoticon was an indication that I was being a smartass. Of course you can pretty much assume that with any of my comments

Got ya. I'm never sure what that particular smiley is trying to say. He's rather aggressive.

I am defensive by nature, so nevermind.

CatDevil
03-23-2013, 11:03 PM
Speak for yourself! I could take McDermott! :p

LOL...this was just too funny to go without a comment!!!

moonpie23
03-23-2013, 11:18 PM
I agree with this. With regard to this year, when we take the court on Sunday night the best player on the floor will not be wearing a Duke jersey.

we shall see....

howardlander
03-23-2013, 11:51 PM
I agree with this. With regard to this year, when we take the court on Sunday night the best player on the floor will not be wearing a Duke jersey.

Look, I don't mean to diminish Creighton and I won't be particularly surprised if they win tomorrow, but take good look at their schedule (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/156/creighton-bluejays) and ask yourself how many points Mason or Seth or Kelly would have averaged against it. Kelly scored 36 against Miami; how many Miami's do you see on Creighton's schedule? Well, maybe the real question is how many minutes any of those guys would have played, since I suspect a lot of the games would have been over shortly after halftime. Again, Creighton may well win, but who exactly have they beaten that is so impressive?

Howard

hurleyfor3
03-24-2013, 12:19 AM
In case you needed another reason to panic, team with bird mascots are undefeated in the tourney so far.

Louisville Cardinals 2-0
Oregon Ducks 2-0
Creighton Barrels Blue Jays 1-0
Kansas Jayhawks 1-0
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 1-0
Temple Owls 1-0
Marquette Golden Eagles 2-0
Miami Hurricanes, whose mascot is an ibis 1-0

11-0 so far.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 12:30 AM
Greetings Dukies... I'm writing this post from snowy Omaha, NE as a loyal Jays fan. I've enjoyed reading thru the comments about the game tomorrow. Duke fans seem 100x smarter about basketball than the Carolina fans that I ran into last year at this time... Let me first start off by saying that neither me nor any other Jays fan believes that CU is a superior team to Duke. Duke has amazing tradition and in my opinion you have the greatest coach in the history of basketball. Period. Now that being said.. I believe that the game tomorrow night is going to be a classic. The matchups are great and I think it will come down to the final seconds.

And to answer your questions about who we've played this year? Is it an ACC - Duke schedule? No of course not, you guys play one of the toughest schedules in the country year and in year out. But we did beat 5 teams that made the tourney this year including the team who just knocked off Gonzaga. In fact we beat Wichita twice. One of those games CU scored 91 against Wichita (McDermott had 41) who allowed on avg of 60pts/gm this year. By far the best D in the Valley. Don't think for a second that McDermott is all CU has either. We have 3 point shooters all over the floor (Wragge in particular can be lethal if he gets it going, ask Cincy), Ech who is just as big and physical as Plumlee, a point guard who shoots over 55%, and Gibbs who has a 4:1 asst/turnover ratio.

Should be a great game and I'm looking forward to it. Go Jays!!

dalmatians98
03-24-2013, 12:34 AM
The only downside to beating Creighton is that the handwringing will immediately begin about Michigan State. And God help some of you if we actually make it to the Final Four or *gulp* the championship.

hurleyfor3
03-24-2013, 12:46 AM
Greetings Dukies... I'm writing this post from snowy Omaha, NE as a loyal Jays fan. I've enjoyed reading thru the comments about the game tomorrow. Duke fans seem 100x smarter about basketball than the Carolina fans that I ran into last year at this time... Let me first start off by saying that neither me nor any other Jays fan believes that CU is a superior team to Duke. Duke has amazing tradition and in my opinion you have the greatest coach in the history of basketball. Period. Now that being said.. I believe that the game tomorrow night is going to be a classic. The matchups are great and I think it will come down to the final seconds.

Welcome. It should be clear from this thread none of us are taking this game lightly. This will be as good a test for us as any because if we lose, a deep run wasn't meant to be.

I'd be interested to hear what you and your fans are concerned about re playing us. Don't worry is if it's something like officiating, we've heard it all before.

Hope you stick around after the game's over.

BigZ
03-24-2013, 12:58 AM
Here is a cool stat of the teams that advanced to the round of 32 Duke went 9-1 against those teams during the year while UNC went 0-7. Trying to get some more optimism here.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 12:59 AM
Welcome. It should be clear from this thread none of us are taking this game lightly. This will be as good a test for us as any because if we lose, a deep run wasn't meant to be.

I'd be interested to hear what you and your fans are concerned about re playing us. Don't worry is if it's something like officiating, we've heard it all before.

Hope you stick around after the game's over.

The main thing we're concerned about it the obvious. Duke has better athletes, higher grade recruits, size, depth and the best coach in the game. We know in order to win our entire roster must be clicking on all cylinders which has happened before. CU has had 5-10 games this year where I'm not sure anyone in the country could have beat them. When Doug and Ech can score from inside it opens up our shooters - it all starts there.

I actually think CU and Duke are very similar teams. Both can outscore anyone in the country, the have shooters all over the floor, and a stretch 4 man who can light it up from all over the court. Both have been suspect on defense at times and also against poor teams (CU had a stretch of 4 losses in Feb against Valley teams that didn't make any postseason tourney). But when they're on.. they're on which I think is the same that could be said for Duke.

I think the one thing we're most worried about it depth. Out starting 5 can keep up but we don't have any good big guys other than Ech and McDermott. That could be a killer for us..

hurleyfor3
03-24-2013, 01:20 AM
I actually think CU and Duke are very similar teams.

Yeah, that does sound a lot like us, although we have also have Seth Curry. That said, a 25-30 point night from him is no guarantee of victory.

I think our two biggest concerns, other than general panic, are that Mason seemed to have peaked in the first half of the year, and that Ryan hasn't been consistent since coming back. In other words, that we haven't been able to put it all together offensively. Defensively, we're not gonna change, although I wouldn't call us terrible. We beat just about everyone who shoots average, and did without Kelly. Our style of defense may *enable* hot teams to win but I think our shooters have to have a bad game too.

brevity
03-24-2013, 01:24 AM
Duke fans seem 100x smarter about basketball than the Carolina fans that I ran into last year at this time...

You may be rooting for the opposing team, but there's no doubt that you speak our language. Come back anytime, and please tell us more about the Baby Blue Blockheads from a third party perspective.

Oh, and congratulations on the new conference affiliation. It didn't quite happen for us in New Orleans. Seems Omaha was a little less Big Easy and a little more Big Easty.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 01:32 AM
You may be rooting for the opposing team, but there's no doubt that you speak our language. Come back anytime, and please tell us more about the Baby Blue Blockheads from a third party perspective.

Oh, and congratulations on the new conference affiliation. It didn't quite happen for us in New Orleans. Seems Omaha was a little less Big Easy and a little more Big Easty.

After that game we played against UNC last year I was shocked. Some of the Jays players had death threats on their social media after what UNC fans called an "intent to purposely harm" their players. Are you kidding me?? CU has a great basketball program but they've never been called thugs or too aggressive. I just thought the whole thing was ridiculous and made me lose all respect for the UNC program.

From what I've seen of Duke so far, it's not that way at all.

throatybeard
03-24-2013, 01:52 AM
Thanks to JaysFan for actually adding some content to this thread.

Dukeface88
03-24-2013, 03:13 AM
The main thing we're concerned about it the obvious. Duke has better athletes, higher grade recruits, size, depth and the best coach in the game. We know in order to win our entire roster must be clicking on all cylinders which has happened before. CU has had 5-10 games this year where I'm not sure anyone in the country could have beat them. When Doug and Ech can score from inside it opens up our shooters - it all starts there.

I actually think CU and Duke are very similar teams. Both can outscore anyone in the country, the have shooters all over the floor, and a stretch 4 man who can light it up from all over the court. Both have been suspect on defense at times and also against poor teams (CU had a stretch of 4 losses in Feb against Valley teams that didn't make any postseason tourney). But when they're on.. they're on which I think is the same that could be said for Duke.

I think the one thing we're most worried about it depth. Out starting 5 can keep up but we don't have any good big guys other than Ech and McDermott. That could be a killer for us..

Welcome to the board! We always like to get fans of opposing teams on the board to talk about match-ups and stuff. I don't think most of us know much your players other than McDermott, although we've been talking him up for a while now. His stats being generally better than those of his high school teammate Harrison Barnes have been a source of much amusement here.

What you describe does sound a lot like us - including the depth concerns. Coach K has basically cut the rotation down to 7 since Ryan Kelly came back, and his conditioning is a bit suspect after being injured for so long. We were hoping to see how he'd handle a short turn-around in the ACC tournament, but that clearly didn't work out as intended. I think our biggest fear, though, is facing a guy in McDermott who can go off for eleventy kajillion points. That's more or less what led to our previous two tournament exits at the hands of CJ McCullom and Dereck Williams.

Bob Green
03-24-2013, 06:44 AM
I like to go to the opponent's hometown newspaper to read things from their perspective:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130323/BLUEJAYS/708109995/1685#shatel-coach-k-gives-jays-a-salute-not-a-slight


When the Jays are playing their pace and shooting it — a requirement tonight — they can play with anyone in the country.

Duke, meanwhile, can beat Miami or lose to Virginia or Maryland. This is not a great Duke team.

This is not North Carolina last year. Duke isn't as athletic. Echenique is a good matchup on Mason Plumlee. But who does Duke put on Doug? Maybe his old roommate from last summer, Ryan Kelly. Duke may not have anyone who can stop Doug.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130323/BLUEJAYS/703239811#notes-manigat-eager-to-face-curry


“He's a guy you definitely have to be on as soon as he gets over halfcourt,” Manigat said. “He's a guy that uses ball screens effectively, and he always seems to be in attack mode. You can't afford to relax on him.”

And a nice write up on Ryan Kelly:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130323/BLUEJAYS/703239820#devil-defender-braces-for-test


Kelly undoubtedly will get some help, but he’ll draw the primary assignment against McDermott. Although he said the thought of him being a defensive stopper would have been laughable when he joined the program, Kelly’s influence on that end of the court is undeniable.

MChambers
03-24-2013, 06:57 AM
The :rolleyes: emoticon was an indication that I was being a smartass. Of course you can pretty much assume that with any of my comments

Didn't most of us major in smartass?

MChambers
03-24-2013, 06:59 AM
After that game we played against UNC last year I was shocked. Some of the Jays players had death threats on their social media after what UNC fans called an "intent to purposely harm" their players. Are you kidding me?? CU has a great basketball program but they've never been called thugs or too aggressive. I just thought the whole thing was ridiculous and made me lose all respect for the UNC program.

From what I've seen of Duke so far, it's not that way at all.
We like to think Duke is completely different from UNC!

Welcome to the forum

Udaman
03-24-2013, 09:20 AM
Don't know about the rest of you, but I've got a bad feeling about this game. Horrible really.

First, just the timing of it. I hate that they put us so late. My 9 year old won't be able to watch a minute of it live (he has national testing tomorrow up here in Massachusetts, so I can't let him stay up late).

Second, there's no way we should be playing them. It's a joke that we and they were put in the MidWest, and that they are a 7 seed. We should have been out West, or Miami should have been and we should have been in the East. Creighton is the best 7 seed by far. Completely unfair to them and us.

Third, they are exactly the kind of mid-major that terrifies me. They played at beat Wisconsin (by double digits). Did the same at California. Did the same to Arizona State. Their conference was really good, and Wichita State just beat Gonzaga, and Creighton beat them twice. This was a team ranked as high as #11 and that currently is ranked 20th. I would rather be playing any other 7 seed, any other 6 seed, any other 5 seed, and any other 4 other than Michigan. They are that good. (see point #2).

Fourth, they have a superstar player that can carry them. McDermott is that good. Think Keith Van Smart at Utah good. He averages 22 points and 7.6 boards a game. He shoots threes really well. He gets assists and steals. He's put up 40 this year. The game flows through him and he doesn't get in foul trouble. He makes everyone better and they don't get as nervous because they know that every time down the court he's capable of scoring. And since he comes out for threes, he's tough for big men to guard. Kelly will have his work cut out for him for sure.

Fifth. They all shoot their free throws. 8 of their top 9 scorers shoot 74% or better. You do not beat this team if you are down by more than 2 scores in the last minute. You just don't. Ask Cincy. We have to be leading, or have it a one possession game down the stretch, or just turn your TV off and go to bed.

Sixth, and most important, their reliance on threes. They make about 9 of 24 a game. Yep, they average taking 24 threes. And they have six guys who average making at least one a game and seven who average taking more than 1.5 a game. They pass the ball into McDermott and he gets double teamed then he kicks it out, and everyone can shoot. If just one of them gets hot, we are in trouble. And because of the long ball, if they get in a big deficit, they can shoot their way out....or if it's close, a couple of trips down the court can turn a 1 point deficit into a 5 point lead in a few seconds. I think the game comes down to three pointers. If they make between 7 and 11 it's a close game that anyone can win. If they make 6 or fewer we likely win easy. If they make 12 or more, we lose. It's that simple. Our guards have to stay on their guards. Period. If the ball comes into the lane, we can't have our guards help on defense, if we do that will leave a shooter open. That's a tough thing to have your guys do when all year long they've been playing a different way. Be ready for lots of drives and dishes and wide open three pointers that will have you pulling your hair out.

We need to rebound like mad - especially on the defensive end. You can't give these guys multiple chances, and you can't let them get garbage long range three missed rebounds. Simply can't do it. Creighton is an excellent team, and their coaches are telling them today that Wichita State just beat the number 1 team in the country, and they beat Wichita State twice. They are telling them that they not only belong on the same floor with Duke, they are better. And that we have all the pressure on us (and we do), and that the crowd will get behind them, and the longer the game is close the more mistakes we'll make under the pressure.

If we get by this game, from here on out we are playing power teams. Nobody else gets to play the "nobody believes in us card" or "let's shock the world and show them who belongs." This is the most dangerous game we play all year.....and I have this sinking feeling that we are going to lose (could easily see a 78-72 kind of game here).

Here's hoping I'm wrong.

dukelifer
03-24-2013, 09:40 AM
Don't know about the rest of you, but I've got a bad feeling about this game. Horrible really.

First, just the timing of it. I hate that they put us so late. My 9 year old won't be able to watch a minute of it live (he has national testing tomorrow up here in Massachusetts, so I can't let him stay up late).

Second, there's no way we should be playing them. It's a joke that we and they were put in the MidWest, and that they are a 7 seed. We should have been out West, or Miami should have been and we should have been in the East. Creighton is the best 7 seed by far. Completely unfair to them and us.

Third, they are exactly the kind of mid-major that terrifies me. They played at beat Wisconsin (by double digits). Did the same at California. Did the same to Arizona State. Their conference was really good, and Wichita State just beat Gonzaga, and Creighton beat them twice. This was a team ranked as high as #11 and that currently is ranked 20th. I would rather be playing any other 7 seed, any other 6 seed, any other 5 seed, and any other 4 other than Michigan. They are that good. (see point #2).

Fourth, they have a superstar player that can carry them. McDermott is that good. Think Keith Van Smart at Utah good. He averages 22 points and 7.6 boards a game. He shoots threes really well. He gets assists and steals. He's put up 40 this year. The game flows through him and he doesn't get in foul trouble. He makes everyone better and they don't get as nervous because they know that every time down the court he's capable of scoring. And since he comes out for threes, he's tough for big men to guard. Kelly will have his work cut out for him for sure.

Fifth. They all shoot their free throws. 8 of their top 9 scorers shoot 74% or better. You do not beat this team if you are down by more than 2 scores in the last minute. You just don't. Ask Cincy. We have to be leading, or have it a one possession game down the stretch, or just turn your TV off and go to bed.

Sixth, and most important, their reliance on threes. They make about 9 of 24 a game. Yep, they average taking 24 threes. And they have six guys who average making at least one a game and seven who average taking more than 1.5 a game. They pass the ball into McDermott and he gets double teamed then he kicks it out, and everyone can shoot. If just one of them gets hot, we are in trouble. And because of the long ball, if they get in a big deficit, they can shoot their way out....or if it's close, a couple of trips down the court can turn a 1 point deficit into a 5 point lead in a few seconds. I think the game comes down to three pointers. If they make between 7 and 11 it's a close game that anyone can win. If they make 6 or fewer we likely win easy. If they make 12 or more, we lose. It's that simple. Our guards have to stay on their guards. Period. If the ball comes into the lane, we can't have our guards help on defense, if we do that will leave a shooter open. That's a tough thing to have your guys do when all year long they've been playing a different way. Be ready for lots of drives and dishes and wide open three pointers that will have you pulling your hair out.

We need to rebound like mad - especially on the defensive end. You can't give these guys multiple chances, and you can't let them get garbage long range three missed rebounds. Simply can't do it. Creighton is an excellent team, and their coaches are telling them today that Wichita State just beat the number 1 team in the country, and they beat Wichita State twice. They are telling them that they not only belong on the same floor with Duke, they are better. And that we have all the pressure on us (and we do), and that the crowd will get behind them, and the longer the game is close the more mistakes we'll make under the pressure.

If we get by this game, from here on out we are playing power teams. Nobody else gets to play the "nobody believes in us card" or "let's shock the world and show them who belongs." This is the most dangerous game we play all year.....and I have this sinking feeling that we are going to lose (could easily see a 78-72 kind of game here).

Here's hoping I'm wrong.

You are right that everything is against Duke in this game. But if Duke is National Champion caliber - they have to play the teams in front of them. McDermott is not only good but he is an gamer. He likes the big moment and has supreme confidence. Duke will need to play disruptive in your face defense all night. Duke should treat this as a national championship game because Creighton is going to.

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2013, 09:43 AM
Don't know about the rest of you, but I've got a bad feeling about this game. Horrible really.

First, just the timing of it. I hate that they put us so late. My 9 year old won't be able to watch a minute of it live (he has national testing tomorrow up here in Massachusetts, so I can't let him stay up late).

Second, there's no way we should be playing them. It's a joke that we and they were put in the MidWest, and that they are a 7 seed. We should have been out West, or Miami should have been and we should have been in the East. Creighton is the best 7 seed by far. Completely unfair to them and us.

Third, they are exactly the kind of mid-major that terrifies me. They played at beat Wisconsin (by double digits). Did the same at California. Did the same to Arizona State. Their conference was really good, and Wichita State just beat Gonzaga, and Creighton beat them twice. This was a team ranked as high as #11 and that currently is ranked 20th. I would rather be playing any other 7 seed, any other 6 seed, any other 5 seed, and any other 4 other than Michigan. They are that good. (see point #2).

Fourth, they have a superstar player that can carry them. McDermott is that good. Think Keith Van Smart at Utah good. He averages 22 points and 7.6 boards a game. He shoots threes really well. He gets assists and steals. He's put up 40 this year. The game flows through him and he doesn't get in foul trouble. He makes everyone better and they don't get as nervous because they know that every time down the court he's capable of scoring. And since he comes out for threes, he's tough for big men to guard. Kelly will have his work cut out for him for sure.

Fifth. They all shoot their free throws. 8 of their top 9 scorers shoot 74% or better. You do not beat this team if you are down by more than 2 scores in the last minute. You just don't. Ask Cincy. We have to be leading, or have it a one possession game down the stretch, or just turn your TV off and go to bed.

Sixth, and most important, their reliance on threes. They make about 9 of 24 a game. Yep, they average taking 24 threes. And they have six guys who average making at least one a game and seven who average taking more than 1.5 a game. They pass the ball into McDermott and he gets double teamed then he kicks it out, and everyone can shoot. If just one of them gets hot, we are in trouble. And because of the long ball, if they get in a big deficit, they can shoot their way out....or if it's close, a couple of trips down the court can turn a 1 point deficit into a 5 point lead in a few seconds. I think the game comes down to three pointers. If they make between 7 and 11 it's a close game that anyone can win. If they make 6 or fewer we likely win easy. If they make 12 or more, we lose. It's that simple. Our guards have to stay on their guards. Period. If the ball comes into the lane, we can't have our guards help on defense, if we do that will leave a shooter open. That's a tough thing to have your guys do when all year long they've been playing a different way. Be ready for lots of drives and dishes and wide open three pointers that will have you pulling your hair out.

We need to rebound like mad - especially on the defensive end. You can't give these guys multiple chances, and you can't let them get garbage long range three missed rebounds. Simply can't do it. Creighton is an excellent team, and their coaches are telling them today that Wichita State just beat the number 1 team in the country, and they beat Wichita State twice. They are telling them that they not only belong on the same floor with Duke, they are better. And that we have all the pressure on us (and we do), and that the crowd will get behind them, and the longer the game is close the more mistakes we'll make under the pressure.

If we get by this game, from here on out we are playing power teams. Nobody else gets to play the "nobody believes in us card" or "let's shock the world and show them who belongs." This is the most dangerous game we play all year.....and I have this sinking feeling that we are going to lose (could easily see a 78-72 kind of game here).

Here's hoping I'm wrong.

I think McDermott's comp is Wally Szerbiack. Even though Wally led Miami to a Sweet 16 back in the day I don't see Doug doing that for Creighton. Duke wins by double digits.

pfrduke
03-24-2013, 09:44 AM
You are right that everything is against Duke in this game. But if Duke is National Champion caliber - they have to play the teams in front of them. McDermott is not only good but he is an gamer. He likes the big moment and has supreme confidence. Duke will need to play disruptive in your face defense all night. Duke should treat this as a national championship game because Creighton is going to.

Give me a break. Everything is against Duke? Creighton is very good. McDermott is very good. But come on, we're not the little sisters of the poor. The dooming and glooming around here is a little excessive. I'm not saying we're going to win - we certainly very easily could lose. But reading this thread you'd think we were playing the 1990 Running Rebels. I don't think the Creighton basketball team has ever been quite so revered as it has been by the posters here.

Be optimistic. Hope for good results. Be disappointed if they don't happen. But geez, get some perspective.*

*This is directed not just at you, duke lifer.

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2013, 09:44 AM
You are right that everything is against Duke in this game. But if Duke is National Champion caliber - they have to play the teams in front of them. McDermott is not only good but he is an gamer. He likes the big moment and has supreme confidence. Duke will need to play disruptive in your face defense all night. Duke should treat this as a national championship game because Creighton is going to.

How is everything not against Creighton in this game? They have one the best years in school history and their reward is playing Duke in the 2nd round.

davekay1971
03-24-2013, 09:51 AM
I was in a good mood till I read Udaman's post. Now I think I'll start drinking early and be passed out before tip-off.

I always have more stress in the first weekend than I do later in the tournament. This is totally self centered, but here's the subject of my stress: I live in enemy territory. If Duke loses today, I get to hear nearly a year of UNC fans talking about how Duke got upset again. As if it's never happened to them, as if they don't have a major academic scandal that tarnishes everything they've done there in the last 10+ years, as if their season was a rampant success, as if we didn't beat their butts twice, etc. Ugh. And that's even IF they lose to KU today - ("well, we got hosed on our seed and lost to a 1 seed, blah blah blah"). If Duke loses today and UNC wins...the Tarheel fans will blather on incessantly about Roy's masterful coaching job and how K is washed up. The horror...the horror...

Let UNC lose today and Duke win, and that stress is DONE. Then I can get back to the usual stress of hoping our guys do well and achieve everything they can achieve.

BTW, just a little applause for the DBR posters. The insight and analysis on this thread have been far superior (despite the incredibly high stress and anxiety level) to ANYTHING I've seen on CBS, ESPN, CNNSI, etc. I made the mistake of watching some video preview of today's games on ESPN.com. The Duke-Creighton analysis boiled down to: Duke lives and dies by the 3, they need to hit their shots, and if they aren't hitting and rely on the 3 they're in trouble...for Creighton, Doug McDermott is really good so they should get the ball to him. That was it. A largely inaccurate analysis of Duke, a pathetically incomplete analysis of Creighton, all of which could have been written by a high school kid in Laos who reads internet college hoops blogs but has never actually watched a game.

cbarry
03-24-2013, 10:06 AM
I also have a bad feeling about this game, but not necessarily because of our opponent, and their leading player. It's more about us not playing well recently. We played uninspired ball and lost to Maryland, and we were not overly impressive in beating a far inferior Albany team. With those games as precedents, it's hard to see us going very far in the tourney. We need to refocus on defense in a big way-- DEFENSE is what wins championships. Our 3s won't fall every night, but our D must be consistent.

Speaking of D, since Creighton has such a dominant player, how about putting Ryan and Seth on him, and letting the other 3 play a modified zone to guard the other 4 players? Make the other 4 beat us, but don't let McDermott get his 35-40 pts, as will likely be the case.

OldPhiKap
03-24-2013, 10:06 AM
Greetings Dukies... I'm writing this post from snowy Omaha, NE as a loyal Jays fan. I've enjoyed reading thru the comments about the game tomorrow. Duke fans seem 100x smarter about basketball than the Carolina fans that I ran into last year at this time... Let me first start off by saying that neither me nor any other Jays fan believes that CU is a superior team to Duke. Duke has amazing tradition and in my opinion you have the greatest coach in the history of basketball. Period. Now that being said.. I believe that the game tomorrow night is going to be a classic. The matchups are great and I think it will come down to the final seconds.

And to answer your questions about who we've played this year? Is it an ACC - Duke schedule? No of course not, you guys play one of the toughest schedules in the country year and in year out. But we did beat 5 teams that made the tourney this year including the team who just knocked off Gonzaga. In fact we beat Wichita twice. One of those games CU scored 91 against Wichita (McDermott had 41) who allowed on avg of 60pts/gm this year. By far the best D in the Valley. Don't think for a second that McDermott is all CU has either. We have 3 point shooters all over the floor (Wragge in particular can be lethal if he gets it going, ask Cincy), Ech who is just as big and physical as Plumlee, a point guard who shoots over 55%, and Gibbs who has a 4:1 asst/turnover ratio.

Should be a great game and I'm looking forward to it. Go Jays!!

Welcome! You know you had us all at "Duke fans seem 100x smarter about basketball than the Carolina fans that I ran into last year at this time!"

When we discussed teams we did not want to see in our bracket, Creighton's name came up a lot. Well -coached, good inside/outside balance, high offensive efficiency, real talent. Should be a great game, from my perspective I am hoping that our senior experience (having survived all the way in 2010) lets us pull this game out at crunch time. But lots of respect for CU and they obviously can win it too.

I am sure our staff has looked at whether any of your players are foul prone, and will drive at them. Anyone come to mind from your perspective?

As for the sky-is-falling fellow Duke fans, I imagine this is sorta silly to an outsider. We certainly are playing a talented team who could beat us. We are also a team led by three seniors, and a coach who was won a game or two. No need to hunt for monsters under the bed, enjoy the great challenge we face in front of us tonight. Go Duke!

gwlaw99
03-24-2013, 10:11 AM
The main thing we're concerned about it the obvious. Duke has better athletes, higher grade recruits, size, depth and the best coach in the game. We know in order to win our entire roster must be clicking on all cylinders which has happened before. CU has had 5-10 games this year where I'm not sure anyone in the country could have beat them. When Doug and Ech can score from inside it opens up our shooters - it all starts there.

I actually think CU and Duke are very similar teams. Both can outscore anyone in the country, the have shooters all over the floor, and a stretch 4 man who can light it up from all over the court. Both have been suspect on defense at times and also against poor teams (CU had a stretch of 4 losses in Feb against Valley teams that didn't make any postseason tourney). But when they're on.. they're on which I think is the same that could be said for Duke.

I think the one thing we're most worried about it depth. Out starting 5 can keep up but we don't have any good big guys other than Ech and McDermott. That could be a killer for us..

What is the main Creighton board? Rivals.com look kind of dead.

dukelifer
03-24-2013, 10:14 AM
Give me a break. Everything is against Duke? Creighton is very good. McDermott is very good. But come on, we're not the little sisters of the poor. The dooming and glooming around here is a little excessive. I'm not saying we're going to win - we certainly very easily could lose. But reading this thread you'd think we were playing the 1990 Running Rebels. I don't think the Creighton basketball team has ever been quite so revered as it has been by the posters here.

Be optimistic. Hope for good results. Be disappointed if they don't happen. But geez, get some perspective.*

*This is directed not just at you, duke lifer.
I am going to be ecstatic if Duke wins and disappointed if they lose but not crushed. I am a lucky fan who has witnessed a lot of great ball from Duke.I also have no illusions that Creighton will even win the next game should they win tonight- this is all about this game. Duke is a very good team and has had a very good year with two gimpy seniors. In some ways- they over achieved. But this game is different because it is against a team who has a player who can give this Duke team fits. I am not sure why this Duke team is not able to put the hammer down defensively like some Duke teams of the past but I suspect it is because we lack a 6' 7" player who can be a stopper. Duke's perimeter is small- maybe tiny. That said Duke can out score most teams. Creighton can as well. So the game will be played and we will see if Duke can come up with a wrinkle- or if tired legs become an issue. My hope is that Duke can get an amped up McDermott into foul trouble. If Duke can maintain focus they can be in a position to win it with Quinn and Rasheed. I do not agree with the posters who think this is a walk in the park but I will be happy to be proven wrong.

Gthoma2a
03-24-2013, 10:15 AM
From the timing of this game, you would have thought we were on the west coast. I will watch it, but I probably won't get to sleep tonight.

dukelifer
03-24-2013, 10:19 AM
How is everything not against Creighton in this game? They have one the best years in school history and their reward is playing Duke in the 2nd round.

Because beating Duke is as close to winning a national championship as most teams will ever get. That is what comes with being one of the best programs in the last 25 years. Duke is supposed to win championships- no glory in beating Creighton- just a step along a path.

Dr. Rosenrosen
03-24-2013, 10:29 AM
It's a good thing all this fantastic intel and these specific concerns, not to mention tactical recommendations, have been posted here over the last 24 hours. Otherwise K and staff would be totally lost and we'd stand no chance of competing tonight. Phew.

On second thought, you know what, you worry warts are right. We shouldn't even play the game tonight. It's a foregone conclusion. They have a high scorer. A physically strong inside player. And a supporting cast who, surprise surprise, can also shoot a basketball through a hoop from time to time. We're done for. Forget it. Let's start looking forward to and debating our ability to match up against teams like this next season.

I mean, c'mon people...

Bob Green
03-24-2013, 10:56 AM
Speaking of D, since Creighton has such a dominant player, how about putting Ryan and Seth on him, and letting the other 3 play a modified zone to guard the other 4 players? Make the other 4 beat us, but don't let McDermott get his 35-40 pts, as will likely be the case.

Two reasons: first, because Coach K isn't going to play zone for more than a possession or two once in a Blue Moon. Second, because more times than not, junk defenses fail to achieve their objective.

I say play McDermott straight up with Kelly and focus on dominating the perimeter were we have superior talent. Focusing upon perimeter ball pressure will make Creighton work very hard getting the ball to McDermott and disrupt their offensive flow. In the end, I believe McDermott will get his points; hopefully it is at the expense of his teammates.

Troublemaker
03-24-2013, 10:56 AM
I've become more and more confident as gametime approaches. The story of this season doesn't end here.

It's going to end next week in an '86 redux, after we survive a war with Mich St (Kansas) while Louisville gets to toy with 12 seed Oregon (11 seed LSU), and therefore is much fresher when they play Duke in the de facto (de jure) national championship game.

Tonight we win comfortably.

Reilly
03-24-2013, 11:05 AM
Looked at Friday's box scores to see if Creighton found the Philly rims or sight-lines unfriendly at all.

Creighton: 47% on 3s, 88% on FTs
Duke: 36% on 3s, 71% on FTs.

Dear God in Heaven, we're toast .... until Sulaimon realizes he can slash his way to 24 points ....

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2013, 11:07 AM
Looked at Friday's box scores to see if Creighton found the Philly rims or sight-lines unfriendly at all.

Creighton: 47% on 3s, 88% on FTs
Duke: 36% on 3s, 71% on FTs.

Dear God in Heaven, we're toast .... until Sulaimon realizes he can slash his way to 24 points ....

Yep, Duke is done. Probably should call the NCAA and forfeit.

Dr. Rosenrosen
03-24-2013, 11:13 AM
Looked at Friday's box scores to see if Creighton found the Philly rims or sight-lines unfriendly at all.

Creighton: 47% on 3s, 88% on FTs
Duke: 36% on 3s, 71% on FTs.

Dear God in Heaven, we're toast .... until Sulaimon realizes he can slash his way to 24 points ....
Can't tell if there is sarcasm intended here or not.

Predicting future performance in one game based on performance in the one game immediately prior is I'm sure an accurate way of doing it. There's zero probability a team plays worse (or better) than they did in their last game.

cbarry
03-24-2013, 11:19 AM
Bob,
I like your strategy. That may be our best bet. I just hope we can really hit it hard on defense this game. Defense has been a weakness of ours in many games this year, and certainly all of our losses. I also hope that Ryan and Quinn can find their 3-point shots again. They are 0-for-Philly.


Two reasons: first, because Coach K isn't going to play zone for more than a possession or two once in a Blue Moon. Second, because more times than not, junk defenses fail to achieve their objective.

I say play McDermott straight up with Kelly and focus on dominating the perimeter were we have superior talent. Focusing upon perimeter ball pressure will make Creighton work very hard getting the ball to McDermott and disrupt their offensive flow. In the end, I believe McDermott will get his points; hopefully it is at the expense of his teammates.

ns7
03-24-2013, 11:31 AM
I want to put this game in perspective by comparing it to the other games today:
Duke -5.5 Creighton
SDSU -7.5 FGCU
Indiana -11.5 Temple
tOSU -7 Iowa State
Ole Miss -4.5 La Salle
Kansas -6.5 UNC
Miami -8 Illinois
Florida -8 Minnesota

Vegas has us as the second closest game today. So expect a close game, but we should win if we play well. As I mentioned earlier, I think rebounding is key, if we keep them off the offensive glass we should be able to limit their scoring. That combined with their weak defense would give us enough of an advantage to win.

In my opinion, the close spread is because of how strong Creighton is, versus how "weak" Duke is. Remember, we would easily be a 5-7 point favorite over UNC on a neutral floor, which is comparable to what Kansas is getting as a home favorite.

Dr. Rosenrosen
03-24-2013, 11:36 AM
Bob,
I like your strategy. That may be our best bet. I just hope we can really hit it hard on defense this game. Defense has been a weakness of ours in many games this year, and certainly all of our losses. I also hope that Ryan and Quinn can find their 3-point shots again. They are 0-for-Philly.
I actually hope Quinn is not taking threes but instead penetrating like sheed has been and finding easy shots for our bigs and/or open threes for our gunners. If Quinn decides he's just going to keep reversing the ball out top by dribbling back and forth and not using the high screen effectively to initiate the offense, we are going to see a lot of tough, contested shots late in the clock, which could make for a long night.

wiscodevil
03-24-2013, 11:37 AM
to me this is the "difficult" one. IF they beat Creighton I think they play their "A" game in the next two rounds. Their "A" game beats MSU and Louisville. I see Creighton giving them fits. Toss up.

cbarry
03-24-2013, 11:41 AM
I'm expecting a big game from Quinn. When I watched him this summer at the NC Pro-Am, I saw him literally put the team on his shoulders and take over the game. Down the stretch, I want the ball in Quinn's hands.

I actually hope Quinn is not taking threes but instead penetrating like sheed has been and finding easy shots for our bigs and/or open threes for our gunners. If Quinn decides he's just going to keep reversing the ball out top by dribbling back and forth and not using the high screen effectively to initiate the offense, we are going to see a lot of tough, contested shots late in the clock, which could make for a long night.

Gthoma2a
03-24-2013, 11:47 AM
I don't know if anyone is interested, but there is a nice scouting video of McDermott on Youtube by Mike Schmitz. He looks really good, but according to this, he doesn't have a great handle or lateral movement. If we can keep him from getting to just be a shooter, and keep him off the boards, we're should be okay in this game. No matter what, I don't see why we are underselling ourselves so hard on here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTj-rYiNWVU

ice-9
03-24-2013, 11:47 AM
At first, I was really worried about this game. We didn't look great against Maryland, and while we won comfortably we didn't look all that jazzed against Albany either - a team I thought we should have demolished.

But after I watched the Creighton-Cincinnati game, I feel a LOT better. It's not a given by any means but we can win this game. Here's how...

- Play in-your-face, disruptive defense. Don't let them get into their sets. Put a lot of pressure on their guards and try to generate turnovers. Cincinnati has an inept offense but they were successful with their pressure defense and had a chance to win that game.

- Stay close to their shooters, to the point where we're practically bodying them up. Force the shooters to put the ball on the floor and make a play. I think Creighton has a lot of outstanding shooters, but they're more of the spot up variety. More Tyler than Seth, essentially. And when they drive, don't help out so they can kick it to an open shooter. Play them man-to-man and make them take a jumper while on the move (and then box out!). They'll make a few, but this should result in fewer points vs. their preferred strategy of taking open 3-pointers.

- McDermott is tough when he has the ball, so make it as difficult as possible for him to catch it. That means playing the passing lanes, pressuring their guards, fronting the guy. And if he does catch it, play McDermott single coverage. How the refs call this game will be key. If McDermott gets the benefit of touch fouls, it's going to be tough. But if the refs lets us play, Ryan and Josh can be more physical and hopefully bother him. McDermott isn't going to get shut down, he's going to get his, but in single coverage no one else on that team is dynamic enough to generate their own points with a defender in their face. If we can contain McDermott with one defender, Creighton is going to struggle to score.

- Plumlee can't let Echenique get him into foul trouble. We're in big trouble if Plumlee is on the bench because then we'll have a mismatch with Josh or Ryan on the goggled beast, and I don't know that Coach K trusts Marshall enough to guard him. If it's Josh and Ryan vs. McDermott and Echenique as the bigs on the floor...I don't like that match-up. So Plumlee has to play smart. Think it should be OK -- Echenique is not a high volume scorer so Plumlee can't get rattled and try to play superman defense. Containing him is enough.

- Drive, drive, drive on offense. Our guards HAVE to be aggressive. We should be able to penetrate and get lay-ups, kick-outs or draw fouls from Creighton's bigs. Creighton doesn't have front court depth so if McDermott and Echenique gets into foul trouble it's game over for them. Creighton's defense isn't rated well for a reason (and one played against a schedule much softer than ours).

If Creighton has an off-shooting night, we should be able to beat them soundly. I'm hoping they'll regress to the mean in our game after shooting lights out against Cincinnati (especially that Wagge guy). We should win this game. There's a reason we're ranked top 10 and they are top 20. We'll have to defend really well and hope single coverage is enough to contain McDermott, because I don't think the other guys are going to beat us without McDermott opening things up for them. And then on the other end, aside from Echenique who does match up well with Plumlee, they will have a tough time containing our offense.

We need to be aggressive and play classic Duke D. If we do that, we should be fine.

I'm putting money where my mouth is -- $100 on the five point spread. :cool:

CLW
03-24-2013, 11:52 AM
We need to come out like the 2010 "Animals" for 40 minutes. IMHO that's been the "missing" piece from this club up to this point. They have shown flashes of it but have also gone through stretches of games where they appear to be going through the motions.

If this club can find its inner "Animal" the sky is the limit. If not they may be finished tonight.

rifraf
03-24-2013, 11:59 AM
Kelly aside, I feel like we've seen two Duke teams this year. The Duke team who showed up to play @Carolina and the Duke team who showed up to play Maryland in the ACC tournament. If we show up with the intensity, drive, and focus of the team who dominated the Dean Dome, I think there may only be one or two teams in this whole tournament who can beat us. When we're on, we are a great team.

I think a lot of the "chicken littles" are concerned because the Duke that played Albany played well but didn't seem to have the fire that one might have hoped for. A bunch of posters were complaining that there was a lot of doom and gloom before the Maryland game and look what happened. Can this team come out with focus and fire? Absolutely. I sure hope they do. However, I'm going to reserve the right to be concerned until the 15 minute mark when I see how we're playing. At this point I'm more confident that Creighton will be up and focused and locked in than I am that we will be.

uh_no
03-24-2013, 12:13 PM
Two reasons: first, because Coach K isn't going to play zone for more than a possession or two once in a Blue Moon. Second, because more times than not, junk defenses fail to achieve their objective.

I say play McDermott straight up with Kelly and focus on dominating the perimeter were we have superior talent. Focusing upon perimeter ball pressure will make Creighton work very hard getting the ball to McDermott and disrupt their offensive flow. In the end, I believe McDermott will get his points; hopefully it is at the expense of his teammates.

couple things, we threw a zone at miami for a bit, and it worked great.

you're right about junk defenses in general....unless it's what you do....UL plays a triangle and 2 often, but that's their defense...they work on it all the time and don't whip it out randomly to stop a specific team like we would be doing. The duke women is another example, they pretty much throw a different look at the opposition every time down the floor to great success, generally (though who knows if this is due to surperior players or to the defense)...someone else yesterday does the same...might have been CSU, where the coach had signs of all the defenses and would show different ones throughout the game....

so yeah, I can't imagine us running any sort of junk....it's just more worth our time to work on our actual defense than learning new ones at this point....Ido wish we'd throw out some more zone when we're having trouble stopping penetration like with maryland last week, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 12:20 PM
Morning Dukies.. Jaysfan is back on your boards. I've reading the content so far on this matchup from Duke fans. Gives me a whole different perspective on things! Any questions or concerns you have about facing the mighty underdog Jays??

Lunchab1es
03-24-2013, 12:20 PM
...someone else yesterday does the same...might have been CSU, where the coach had signs of all the defenses and would show different ones throughout the game....


I recall Coach Pastner of Memphis holding up a laminated piece of paper with a Triangle drawn on it... is this who you're remembering? Either way he was quite the entertaining coach to watch.

From here on out I'm nervous every game. None of our opponents are going to hand us a W, we'll have to take it. That being said, we are better than Creighton. If both teams play to their potential, we win. If we play beneath ourselves and they play great, we may lose.

I hope the Seniors get fired up and lead us to a strong victory!

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2013, 12:24 PM
Morning Dukies.. Jaysfan is back on your boards. I've reading the content so far on this matchup from Duke fans. Gives me a whole different perspective on things! Any questions or concerns you have about facing the mighty underdog Jays??

Welcome to the boards. Good to see a Nebraskan here. I went to school at UN-Lincoln and all of my friends were Jays bball fans. If the Huskers ever get a semblance of a basketball team what will that do for Creighton hoops?

uh_no
03-24-2013, 12:24 PM
I recall Coach Pastner of Memphis holding up a laminated piece of paper with a Triangle drawn on it... is this who you're remembering? Either way he was quite the entertaining coach to watch.

From here on out I'm nervous every game. None of our opponents are going to hand us a W, we'll have to take it. That being said, we are better than Creighton. If both teams play to their potential, we win. If we play beneath ourselves and they play great, we may lose.

I hope the Seniors get fired up and lead us to a strong victory!

that's it!

he had a bunch of papers, though, some said press, or man, i think at least one said "2-3"

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 12:29 PM
Welcome to the boards. Good to see a Nebraskan here. I went to school at UN-Lincoln and all of my friends were Jays bball fans. If the Huskers ever get a semblance of a basketball team what will that do for Creighton hoops?

There are two types of bball fans in the state. CU fans and NU fans who also root for Kansas.. or Duke.. or UNC lol. Basically everyone knows the Huskers don't play bball well so they have to have a 2nd team. I am a diehard Jays fan but I also root for both teams because lets face it, after Husker football season is over there's not a lot of sports to root for in this state.

But to answer your question, I think Miles will get NU turned around in a few years. I think that combined with CU heading to the Big East is going to make the CU - NU rivalry that much better in the next few years.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 12:32 PM
Ok Dukies.. in your opinion what kind of defender is Kelly? Do you think they will go man to man with McDermott or try and double the post and gamble on the outside shooters?

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2013, 12:47 PM
There are two types of bball fans in the state. CU fans and NU fans who also root for Kansas.. or Duke.. or UNC lol. Basically everyone knows the Huskers don't play bball well so they have to have a 2nd team. I am a diehard Jays fan but I also root for both teams because lets face it, after Husker football season is over there's not a lot of sports to root for in this state.

But to answer your question, I think Miles will get NU turned around in a few years. I think that combined with CU heading to the Big East is going to make the CU - NU rivalry that much better in the next few years.

I was there when the Huskers had their epic NIT run with Boone, Strickland, Lue, Hamilton, Moore. That was a solid team but they could never put it all together. Nebraska has a ton of resources and with the new arena opening they should start putting competitive teams on the floor.

rsvman
03-24-2013, 12:49 PM
Ok Dukies.. in your opinion what kind of defender is Kelly? Do you think they will go man to man with McDermott or try and double the post and gamble on the outside shooters?

He's a darned good defender when he can move well. I don't think he's anywhere near where he was before the foot injury, but he's still pretty good. He gets more blocks than you would expect. He's very good at "team defense," meaning that he is probably the best of our players at rotating to provide help.

He's a step slower than he used to be, probably partly because of the foot and partly because his conditioning is not as good as it once was. I don't see quickness as McDermott's maint threat, though, so I think Kelly has a decent chance of slowing his down some. McDermott will get his points, but I hope we make it difficult for him.

My guess is that Coach K will go man-to-man, at least at the outset. He'll continue that approach as long as it seems to be working. I really think he'll be reluctant to go to any kind of double-team, but I could be wrong.

Welcome to the boards.

Tripping William
03-24-2013, 12:52 PM
Ok Dukies.. in your opinion what kind of defender is Kelly? Do you think they will go man to man with McDermott or try and double the post and gamble on the outside shooters?

Kelly has 3-4 inches on Doug McD, and is a smart defender but not overly athletic. I think RK will mainly defend him straight up. My question is what happens if CU runs a lot of high screen-roll with McD. Duke hedges & switches so much (and so instinctively) that I can see Coach McD trying to get Doug to end up posting Quinn Cook or Seth Curry. The "game within the game" in this one should be fascinating.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 12:56 PM
He's a darned good defender when he can move well. I don't think he's anywhere near where he was before the foot injury, but he's still pretty good. He gets more blocks than you would expect. He's very good at "team defense," meaning that he is probably the best of our players at rotating to provide help.

He's a step slower than he used to be, probably partly because of the foot and partly because his conditioning is not as good as it once was. I don't see quickness as McDermott's maint threat, though, so I think Kelly has a decent chance of slowing his down some. McDermott will get his points, but I hope we make it difficult for him.

My guess is that Coach K will go man-to-man, at least at the outset. He'll continue that approach as long as it seems to be working. I really think he'll be reluctant to go to any kind of double-team, but I could be wrong.

Welcome to the boards.

The biggest problem McDermott will have is Kelly's length because he's got about 4 inches on him. That's what caused McDermott issues last year going up against Henson for UNC. But I like how we match up a lot better in this game than we did against UNC last year. UNC had way too much athleticism, depth and height for the Jays. Plus I think they were a little star struck in the first half of that game. I'm just hoping they don't get too anxious early on and play from behind. If they can come out of the gates hot I think it will be a great game.

Watch out for Echenique and Wragge. Everyone is talking about McDermott but those 2 guys are difference makers. Ech can out physical Plumlee in the post and Wragge is a tough matchup because he's 6'8" but all he does is shoots 3's.

Looking forward to a great game!!

Willy2351
03-24-2013, 01:07 PM
Welcome, Jaysfan!

Do you think Echenique can guard Plumlee one-on-one? Mason has struggles with double-teams sometimes, but there are very few people who can play him effectively one-on-one. Is Echenique one of them, in your opinion?

sporthenry
03-24-2013, 01:10 PM
Will Creighton's guards be able to penetrate? People talk about them shooting but penetration is really what kills Duke. Well that and offensive rebounding. Kenpom also says Creighton isn't a great offensive rebounding team, presumably b/c they get back on defense but Echenique appears to be a good rebounder.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 01:17 PM
Welcome, Jaysfan!

Do you think Echenique can guard Plumlee one-on-one? Mason has struggles with double-teams sometimes, but there are very few people who can play him effectively one-on-one. Is Echenique one of them, in your opinion?

I think he can. He was defensive MVP in the Valley and outplayed Zeller last year one on one. He is a beast down low but his biggest issue may be fatigue.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 01:20 PM
Will Creighton's guards be able to penetrate? People talk about them shooting but penetration is really what kills Duke. Well that and offensive rebounding. Kenpom also says Creighton isn't a great offensive rebounding team, presumably b/c they get back on defense but Echenique appears to be a good rebounder.

The only guard who is a solid penetrator is Gibbs and he plays the 3. Our PG and SG (Chatman and Manigat) are basically outside shooters. Offensive rebounding is not a strong suite at all for CU. That's why it's so important we're hitting our outside shots. Ech is a beast down low but he's really the only rebounding big man we have other than McDermott.

Another guy to keep an eye on is Manigat, our #2 guard. He's a pretty good shooter but his defensive is amazing. He may be face guarding Curry the entire game.

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2013, 01:27 PM
In a dunk contest between the head coaches Duke would be on the losing end for sure.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=31XFCD5TpdQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D31XFCD5TpdQ

Udaman
03-24-2013, 01:33 PM
I agree with Bob here 100%. We win this game if McDermott has 25 and nobody else has more than 12. The key is to play Kelly on him and have our guards stuck to their guards like glue. Every wide open three they shoot (and by that I mean a guy getting the ball with a defender more than 4 feet away) is bad news for us. It better not happen more than 2-3 times.

duke09hms
03-24-2013, 01:35 PM
I agree with Bob here 100%. We win this game if McDermott has 25 and nobody else has more than 12. The key is to play Kelly on him and have our guards stuck to their guards like glue. Every wide open three they shoot (and by that I mean a guy getting the ball with a defender more than 4 feet away) is bad news for us. It better not happen more than 2-3 times.

Exactly, I'm most worried about defense's penchant for over-helping (particularly on McDermott) and not recovering quickly enough back to their man. I'm afraid Creighton will get a lot of open 3s this way. Hopefully they miss them.

gumbomoop
03-24-2013, 01:45 PM
The only guard who is a solid penetrator is Gibbs and he plays the 3. Our PG and SG (Chatman and Manigat) are basically outside shooters. Offensive rebounding is not a strong suite at all for CU. That's why it's so important we're hitting our outside shots. Ech is a beast down low but he's really the only rebounding big man we have other than McDermott.

Another guy to keep an eye on is Manigat, our #2 guard. He's a pretty good shooter but his defensive is amazing. He may be face guarding Curry the entire game.

Want to echo other posters who've expressed appreciation for your coming here and sharing really informative stuff.

Your answer to the guard-penetrator question is a "good" answer for most of us, as the general feeling around here is perimeter drivers cause our team big problems. Which isn't to say - as I think you can tell - that we aren't concerned about several other aspects of your strong team. Among other things, successful driving would probably get you into the bonus way too early. Your guys shoot FTs very well; and most posters here would probably say we're still amazed that Mason's % is 67%, as his form is way flat. We definitely don't want your team shooting lots of FTs, both because many of your guys do it well, and it might mean some bench time for one or more of our starters.

watzone
03-24-2013, 01:46 PM
Here is an interview with Jeff Capel who previews Creighton http://bluedevilnation.net/2013/03/coach-capel-talks-dukecreighton/

Chris Randolph
03-24-2013, 01:54 PM
The rumor floating around out there is that McDermott will only play the first half. His dad is a real tough cookie when it comes to staying up past bedtime.

Tripping William
03-24-2013, 01:57 PM
The rumor floating around out there is that McDermott will only play the first half. His dad is a real tough cookie when it comes to staying up past bedtime.

If Duke fans are going to chant about this, please, please ENUNCIATE. One "bedtime" controversy per season is enough.

gocanes0506
03-24-2013, 02:37 PM
I still think we are good if Sal stays aggressive, Cook drives to the basket under control, and we get a 4th and 5th scorer in double figures.

We have got to develop balance on O. Curry and Plumlee scored more than half of the points vs Albany. That is not good to rely on all tournament. If Curry went cold then Duke would have barely scored 50.

devildeac
03-24-2013, 02:39 PM
In case you needed another reason to panic, team with bird mascots are undefeated in the tourney so far.

Louisville Cardinals 2-0
Oregon Ducks 2-0
Creighton Barrels Blue Jays 1-0
Kansas Jayhawks 1-0
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 1-0
Temple Owls 1-0
Marquette Golden Eagles 2-0
Miami Hurricanes, whose mascot is an ibis 1-0

11-0 so far.

Are you saying we should become the Duke Bird Devils for a night:rolleyes:?

uh_no
03-24-2013, 02:39 PM
Are you saying we should become the Duke Bird Devils for a night:rolleyes:?

perhaps the white ravens?

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2013, 02:40 PM
I still think we are good if Sal stays aggressive, Cook drives to the basket under control, and we get a 4th and 5th scorer in double figures.

We have got to develop balance on O. Curry and Plumlee scored more than half of the points vs Albany. That is not good to rely on all tournament. If Curry went cold then Duke would have barely scored 50.

But he wasn't cold against Albany.

gocanes0506
03-24-2013, 02:44 PM
But he wasn't cold so against Albany.

Right but had he have been cold against Albany Duke may have only scored 50 and been home. Of course it is speculation. Just making my point as a 4th and 5th scorer is very important to help if one of the seniors is cold.

pfrduke
03-24-2013, 02:44 PM
I still think we are good if Sal stays aggressive, Cook drives to the basket under control, and we get a 4th and 5th scorer in double figures.

We have got to develop balance on O. Curry and Plumlee scored more than half of the points vs Albany. That is not good to rely on all tournament. If Curry went cold then Duke would have barely scored 50.

Sal?

davekay1971
03-24-2013, 02:46 PM
In case you needed another reason to panic, team with bird mascots are undefeated in the tourney so far.

Louisville Cardinals 2-0
Oregon Ducks 2-0
Creighton Barrels Blue Jays 1-0
Kansas Jayhawks 1-0
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 1-0
Temple Owls 1-0
Marquette Golden Eagles 2-0
Miami Hurricanes, whose mascot is an ibis 1-0

11-0 so far.

Hopefully the Tarheels will follow the trend of other "what the heck is a ... anyway?" mascots and go home early, right along with the Hoyas, Billikens, and Wahoos (which is such a mystery mascot that they didn't even make the tournament).

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 03:17 PM
I'm a little worried about our depth compared to Duke. How is the talent beyond the starting 5?

OldPhiKap
03-24-2013, 03:23 PM
I'm a little worried about our depth compared to Duke. How is the talent beyond the starting 5?

First guard off the bench is Tyler Thornton, perhaps our best defender. Real in your face Wojo-like if you remember when he played. Hits big shots at times, was our starting point guard last year when Quinn was hurt. K consistently calls him our toughest player, but you don't get that vibe just looking at him.

First big man is Josh Hairston, good rebounder and leads the team in charges taken IIRC. Likes to take 15-footers, not great at them but spreads the floor if he makes a few. Any offense is a bonus, most points on put backs.

Probably will not go deeper than that unless we have foul or fatigue issues. Other players good but not the focus of what we run typically.

How about your bench?

howardlander
03-24-2013, 03:27 PM
I'm a little worried about our depth compared to Duke. How is the talent beyond the starting 5?

There's some talent on the bench, but Coach K is not known for playing them. This year, when Kelly has been healthy, it's primarily been another guard Tyler Thornton and another forward Josh Hairston. Both are tough defenders who can, on occasion score some points, but generally don't. If Coach was of a mind to do it, he could also rotate in Amile Jefferson and Alex Murphy, who are both in the 6'8" to 6'9" range on McDermott, but I think it's unlikely.

Howard

Bob Green
03-24-2013, 03:32 PM
First big man is Josh Hairston, good rebounder and leads the team in charges taken IIRC. Likes to take 15-footers, not great at them but spreads the floor if he makes a few. Any offense is a bonus, most points on put backs.

When it comes to the 15-footers, Hairston can't hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle.

cbarry
03-24-2013, 03:35 PM
I think Amile will get some PT, guarding McDermott when Ryan gets in foul trouble. I really like his energy. I haven't been too impressed with Josh. He does have some good clean-up buckets near the hoop, and occasionally hits the 15-footer. I think Amile is a better player overall. Amile is just inexperienced in the Duke system, so doesn't get much PT yet. I hope that changes next year.

There's some talent on the bench, but Coach K is not known for playing them. This year, when Kelly has been healthy, it's primarily been another guard Tyler Thornton and another forward Josh Hairston. Both are tough defenders who can, on occasion score some points, but generally don't. If Coach was of a mind to do it, he could also rotate in Amile Jefferson and Alex Murphy, who are both in the 6'8" to 6'9" range on McDermott, but I think it's unlikely.

Howard

OldPhiKap
03-24-2013, 03:42 PM
There's some talent on the bench, but Coach K is not known for playing them. This year, when Kelly has been healthy, it's primarily been another guard Tyler Thornton and another forward Josh Hairston. Both are tough defenders who can, on occasion score some points, but generally don't. If Coach was of a mind to do it, he could also rotate in Amile Jefferson and Alex Murphy, who are both in the 6'8" to 6'9" range on McDermott, but I think it's unlikely.

Howard

I should have also mentioned Amile, a tall thin flexible energy frosh. May get some time to give Ryan a rest and cover McDermott. Kid will be really good in a few years when he gets some muscle. But has had flashes of high quality. Murphy is also a great future player, still getting up to game speed on D.


When it comes to the 15-footers, Hairston can't hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle.

That is certainly another way of putting it.

uh_no
03-24-2013, 03:45 PM
First big man is Josh Hairston, good rebounder and leads the team in charges taken IIRC.

he is also averaging 7.6 fouls per 40 minutes, which is easily the most on the team, and in fact 18th in all of college basketball. I'd imagine his block/charge ratio is not extraordinary.

pfrduke
03-24-2013, 03:48 PM
When it comes to the 15-footers, Hairston can't hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle.

I hate it when my bass fiddle to bull butt aim gets off. Need to spend more time in the bluegrass fields working on that. ;)

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 03:49 PM
I know our bench is not nearly as talented as Duke but we've git some talent.

Ethan Wragge was 6 man of the year in the Valley. His D has a little bit to be designed but when he's on from 3 pt range hes as good as anyone in the country. He's a shoot till you miss guy so you'll see him jack up 2 or 3 from 25'. Plus he's 6'8 so can be a mismatch.

Avery Dingman is a 6'6" swingman who can drive and shoot and adds a nice guard-forward to the rotation.

The only other guy who will makeuch of a difference is Will Artino a 6'11 center who subs in for Echenique. He's skinny though so Plumlee will push him around underneath.

Those are really the only 3 that play much off the bench. Gibbs and Chatman will play pretty much the whole game. McDermott tends to get lots of breaks which surprises people.

sporthenry
03-24-2013, 03:49 PM
Duke's bench is very limited. They don't really have an offensive spark so foul trouble will possibly affect their scoring. But their bench guys know their role and play it well. Heck, they are more likely to be in foul trouble than any of the starters. They are capable of hitting some shots if need be. Thornton has been known to knock down a few 3's but if he is shooting 3's even if they are open, then Creighton is probably in good shape. As others mentioned, Hairston has a proclivity to shoot some 17 foot 2 pointers but if he stays around the rim he can clean up some garbage. But the 6th and 7th man can provide a spark on defense and with toughness.

So unlike in past years when Duke could put a 6th man out there who could score (like Dre), their scoring will be from their starters. That is why you can pretty much tell what night it will be in the first 5 minutes. But any of their starters can go off for 20 or more on a given night so that is their strength on offense.

Potato
03-24-2013, 04:05 PM
Don't think gametime will ever get here lol. I'm so nervous, we're better on paper but Duke hasn't played well in games like this all year. Games against good teams, but games Duke still is expected to and should win. If we happen to win tonight I would be so much more confident going into the MSU game.

hillsborodevil
03-24-2013, 04:08 PM
I expect Duke to win tonight. If not I will go to bed disappointed. To fall asleep I will think back to the sweep over UNC. If that doesn't work I will think of the recent fond memory of the Victory Bell smothered in Duke Blue.

jaysfan1
03-24-2013, 04:14 PM
I think McDermott will have a huge game tonight. But it's going to take a lot more than Doug to get the upset. Here's what I'm hanging my hat on: The Jays are 12-0 this year when McDermott scores atleast 26.

arnie
03-24-2013, 04:28 PM
I expect Duke to win tonight. If not I will go to bed disappointed. To fall asleep I will think back to the sweep over UNC. If that doesn't work I will think of the recent fond memory of the Victory Bell smothered in Duke Blue.

Great advice. I think I may need it tonite

BlueDevilBrowns
03-24-2013, 04:34 PM
So unlike in past years when Duke could put a 6th man out there who could score (like Dre), their scoring will be from their starters. That is why you can pretty much tell what night it will be in the first 5 minutes.

Great Point. I can't remember a season when the first few minutes told so much for Duke. It seems when we start hot, we get confidence and keep the lead the whole game. We really haven't blown leads this year.

However, if we dig a hole in the beginning, it's a dogfight for the rest of the game.

The 1st half is key for Duke tonight.

Wheat/"/"/"
03-24-2013, 04:34 PM
Two keys to the game.

Curry. Will he be "on"? As Curry goes so goes Duke.

Mason's foul situation. Creighton is savvy and will challenge him and he does not always make the smartest decisions. He needs to be careful.

Dukeblue91
03-24-2013, 04:41 PM
Wow, okay yes this will be a tough game but some of you guys make it sound like we have no chance at all.
How in the world did Creighton ever lost 7 games being that great?
Could it be that we lose? sure but I believe in our guys and see us win this game.
We've played better teams and won so I don't see why we can't tonight.
Now if they make every 3 pt shot they throw up then it will be a long night but lets not forget that we are playing a team with very suspect defense which is taylor made for the cutting and driving abilities of Quinn, Rasheed and even Curry.

jipops
03-24-2013, 04:45 PM
Two keys to the game.

Curry. Will he be "on"? As Curry goes so goes Duke.

Mason's foul situation. Creighton is savvy and will challenge him and he does not always make the smartest decisions. He needs to be careful.

Not necessarily true re: Curry. He did only have 7 against Miami in Cameron. I think everyone has to be "on" offensively. That means high percentage shooting and low on turnovers. It seems Duke's D struggles a little less when the offense is going. If it isn't then the D is almost non-existent. In this respect it may be better we're playing Creighton and not Cinci.

We'll need to jump out early and set a tone. If we struggle to score early then things could get rough.

I do think Sheed may be able to take advantage of his matchup in this one.

devildeac
03-24-2013, 04:55 PM
When it comes to the 15-footers, Hairston can't hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle.

Now, now, Bob...

(:o:eek:)

OldPhiKap
03-24-2013, 04:57 PM
Now, now, Bob...

I better bring some uppers to Section 21.

devildeac
03-24-2013, 04:59 PM
I better bring some uppers to Section 21.

And your AK-47 for chatbot...

:mad:

OldPhiKap
03-24-2013, 05:04 PM
And your AK-47 for chatbot...

:mad:

As long as you have a defibrillator I am golden.

sporthenry
03-24-2013, 05:05 PM
I don't think people are being downers, just realistic. I like Duke's shot but Gonzaga and Georgetown are already home. OSU and IU should probably be home. This is a game versus a top 25 opponent. They can go either way. Of course, I along with many here including the Creighton fan think we are the better team but anything can happen and it just might come down to execution at the end like the IU game did.

But if we lose, we at least outlasted Georgetown and Gonzaga.

devildeac
03-24-2013, 05:20 PM
As long as you have a defibrillator I am golden.

Ready:

3293

NashvilleDevil
03-24-2013, 06:02 PM
Seth Davis just teased on twitter he's going to pick an upset on TNT. We can all agree he will be picking against Duke right?

freshmanjs
03-24-2013, 06:14 PM
But if we lose, we at least outlasted Georgetown and Gonzaga.

not sure losing in the same round is outlasting...

Cameron
03-24-2013, 06:20 PM
Duke has the better overall talent, but if Creighton wins it will not be an upset. This Bluejay team took Carolina to the final minutes last year in the second round, and this season they have wins over Wisconsin, @Cal, Cincinnati and won one of the best mid-major conferences in the country (with a Creighton win, the MVC would have two Sweet 16 participants). Also, Creighton will, in my view, have the best player on the court tonight in Doug McDermott. He is a star and will probably win the NPOTY award from at least one major media outlet.

An upset that does not make.

I just hope we play to the level that we all know we can and win this game. It will be a hard-fought tussle and we will need to bring it for 40 minutes.

BlueDevilBrowns
03-24-2013, 06:50 PM
Duke has the better overall talent, but if Creighton wins it will not be an upset. This Bluejay team took Carolina to the final minutes last year in the second round, and this season they have wins over Wisconsin, @Cal, Cincinnati and won one of the best mid-major conferences in the country (with a Creighton win, the MVC would have two Sweet 16 participants). Also, Creighton will, in my view, have the best player on the court tonight in Doug McDermott. He is a star and will probably win the NPOTY award from at least one major media outlet.

An upset that does not make.

I just hope we play to the level that we all know we can and win this game. It will be a hard-fought tussle and we will need to bring it for 40 minutes.

Oh, it most certainly will be an upset. We are the 2nd seed, they are the 7th. We are ranked in the top 10 and they are in the top 20. While they may have the best player, we have the next 3(maybe 5) best players. We are the better team top-to-bottom, without question.

You can also throw in the fact, as has been mentioned earlier on this thread, that they haven't beaten a ranked team in over 6 years and they haven't beaten a top 10 team since 1974.

If Creighton wins, it is an upset.

BlueDevilBrowns
03-24-2013, 06:51 PM
Seth Davis just teased on twitter he's going to pick an upset on TNT. We can all agree he will be picking against Duke right?

I hope he does, because his picks are almost always wrong.

Newton_14
03-24-2013, 06:53 PM
not sure losing in the same round is outlasting...

Georgetown lost their first game so Duke has already outlasted them.

RoyalBlue08
03-24-2013, 06:53 PM
Oh, it most certainly will be an upset. We are the 2nd seed, they are the 7th. We are ranked in the top 10 and they are in the top 20. While they may have the best player, we have the next 3(maybe 5) best players. We are the better team top-to-bottom, without question.

You can also throw in the fact, as has been mentioned earlier on this thread, that they haven't beaten a ranked team in over 6 years and they haven't beaten a top 10 team since 1974.

If Creighton wins, it is an upset.

And right about now Duke is between a 5.5 and 6 point favorite. I would think that any team that loses with that spread can be considered to have been upset.

freshmanjs
03-24-2013, 06:54 PM
Georgetown lost their first game so Duke has already outlasted them.

yes, i'm aware. i was referring to the gonzaga comment.

Cameron
03-24-2013, 07:04 PM
Oh, it most certainly will be an upset. We are the 2nd seed, they are the 7th. We are ranked in the top 10 and they are in the top 20. While they may have the best player, we have the next 3(maybe 5) best players. We are the better team top-to-bottom, without question.

You can also throw in the fact, as has been mentioned earlier on this thread, that they haven't beaten a ranked team in over 6 years and they haven't beaten a top 10 team since 1974.

If Creighton wins, it is an upset.

Maybe on paper. In real life, however, nobody would be stunned if Duke loses. Let's be real.

This time of year, there are no upsets anymore. Anybody can lose in a one and done tournament. I wasn't even surprised in the least to see Georgetown fall to a 15 seed -- it's the fifth straight year the Hoyas have lost to a double-digit seed and FGCU has already beaten Miami this season -- so I certainly won't be flummoxed if we lose to a team ranked in the AP Top 20 who has already beaten Wisconsin and won the MVC.

Of course, it's your opinion, so I can't really argue it.

OldPhiKap
03-24-2013, 07:11 PM
Ready:

3293

Me too, Doc:

3294

(Looks like I've emptied it already)