Duke 66, Creighton 50 MBB Post Game Thread

[pfrduke]

Go Duke!

[hurleyfor3]

Quit complaining, we won by 16.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

Glad we won. Can't delete this from the DVR fast enough. Bring on Sparty!

[pfrduke]

By the way, a lot of people said we couldn't survive bad games from Seth, Ryan and Mason. Well, Curry did ok, Ryan was awful on offense, and Mason was in foul trouble all night, and we won by 16. Nice work boys.

[superdave]

The Defense was exceptional. Great team D!

[devildeac]

How many points below their average did we hold them tonight? I'll agree with pfr-great D!

[House G]

We won because we got all the calls.

[Utley]

How Sweet it is. Freshman! Suilamon best player on the floor.

[ChrisP]

Thank you to ALL our guys! True team effort. Too bad Kelly and Seth couldn't shoot better, but LOVED what Amile and Rasheed did. If we can play D like this in the future, we'll be very hard to beat.

[elvis14]

Sweet, very sweet!

[Troublemaker]

Great, ugly win.

We weathered the storm of horribly ticky-tack foul trouble.

Our defense dominated a very good offensive team.

Hope to see more of Amile this tournament.

Sheed was a stud.

[devildeac]

Huge win for the 2000th in Duke history!!

[J4Kop99]

The 2nd half defense was some of the finest I have seen from Duke.

[luburch]

Beautiful team defense.

[TampaDukie]

Whew! Survive and advance. Refs made us work for it, though. Really proud of the freshman playing like seniors tonight.

[pfrduke]

Really, really fantastic defense. Our best of the season. Creighton never got comfortable on offense - they were out of sync for 40 minutes.

[miramar]

Certainly not the game anyone was expecting, but with all the foul trouble and Kelly's shooting problems, this was a huge team victory. Rasheed and Amile were outstanding, and Seth came through when we needed it.

[Durham Thunder]

Ugly, ugly game. Survive & Advance. Amile Jefferson is undoubtedly MOTM.

[FerryFor50]

Gutsy win. Despite the excessive whistle, Duke proved they can win the grind it out game against a physical team and without their shots falling.

Reminds me a lot of the Duke team we saw in early November, except we now have Amile developed a bit to help out in foul trouble.

McD scored 21, but 12 were from the line. Duke only allowed him to put up 4 three point attempts and most of those were contested. They left a few other guys WIDE open but luckily, Creighton couldn't shoot either.

This game really worried me. Now it's over and I get to worry about the next physical grind it out team... Mich St.

[dukeballboy88]

Great win for this team. Im excited we get Michigan st next that could be a classic. I hope Rasheed continues to be aggressive and Amile needs more burn. If it were me, Amile would get off the bench before Josh.

[freedevil]

We beat Creighton, and Len Elmore. Go Duke.

[arnie]

We won because we got all the calls.

Funny. But that will be the Elmore and Company theme.

[ChrisP]

We won because we got all the calls.

If, by "all", you mean "none", then, well, I concur! :cool:

[gocanes0506]

Glad Duke got its 2000th.

On to Sparty. Better get that fast pace O ready if we want to stop them. If we thought the Jays Center was a space eater, take a look at Nix. Run that kid and keep MSU out of the half court set.

[Mal]

AMILE!!!

For as whiny as he looked during the game, to his credit, McDermott looked pretty gracious and not sulky afterward.

Big finish by Seth. Nice job by Sheed, too. He had some very big buckets/free throws down the stretch, too.

[Durham Thunder]

we made it to 2,000 wins!

[CLW]

Best Defense probably all year and certainly since at least the Bahamas. They shots weren't falling but they didn't let them affect the D.

Tyler; Amile and Sheed were HUGE tonight.

[arnie]

AMILE!!!

For as whiny as he looked during the game, to his credit, McDermott looked pretty gracious and not sulky afterward.

Big finish by Seth. Nice job by Sheed, too. He had some very big buckets/free throws down the stretch, too.

Thornton was also very good

[J4Kop99]

Really, really fantastic defense. Our best of the season. Creighton never got comfortable on offense - they were out of sync for 40 minutes.

I do think Creighton was getting what they wanted for most of the 1st half, they just couldn't knock down their shots. However, Duke really turned it up in the 2nd half and absolutely shut them down. If not for all of their free throws, they would have scored something like 13-15 pts.

[jipops]

Glad we won. Can't delete this from the DVR fast enough. Bring on Sparty!

But we haven't seen defense like this since January, why delete it?

Sheed took advantage of the matchup today. We called his number a lot tonight. Curry shook off a cold night to hit the big ones.

Damn, our defense! I loved it. If the refs weren't so whistle happy this would have been a 25+ pt win.

Amile gave us an enormous lift on one of the Nation's best players.

Love this win!

[Dukeface88]

Great win for this team. Im excited we get Michigan st next that could be a classic.

If the refs call MSU like this one, every starter on both teams is going to foul out with ten minutes left in the game.

[chaosmage]

Stuart Scott getting dogged on SportsCenter tonight during the UNX loss!

[superdave]

Amile had a nice stretch on defense vs McDermott. He was in the right position and worked hard.

K went with Tyler for a few second half stretches over Quinn in order to help onto McDermott. Interesting move that worked well because you could help off Creightons point guard.

We packed the lane tonight and won the game on the boards. No second shots for the Jays. We had it tough on offense without shots falling and all the fouls and uncalled fouls. But the D was exceptional.

This should grow some confidence for our guys.

[NashvilleDevil]

If the refs call MSU like this one, every starter on both teams is going to foul out with ten minutes left in the game.

In the game? How about 10 minutes left in the first half.

[dukelifer]

Very proud of the effort from the guys. You need to win ugly sometimes and Duke did tonight. Duke's D was disruptive and they made life difficult for McDermott. Huge, huge props to Rasheed and Amile. Rasheed was the best athlete on the floor and took advantage. Amile gave great minutes when Duke looked like the entire front line with bench would foul out with 10 to go. This was a team win and a great game plan by K. Feel like a monkey is off their backs- I expect a more relaxed team next week. Kelly needs to get his shot back if Duke is going to advance in the next round. But every week is different.

[mr. synellinden]

The Defense was exceptional. Great team D!

That was the best defensive game we've played since the 2010 championship game. I'm curious to see where our KenPom numbers go tomorrow.

If we can continue to play defense like that, we can beat anyone and everyone.

One more thing - and I've been saying this all season - Amile Jefferson needs more playing time. He makes winning plays. His defense tonight was outstanding.

[Dukeface88]

In the game? How about 10 minutes left in the first half.

Well, I assume we'd pull players who picked up their third.

[CoachJ10]

Toughness. Mental toughness. Great win. That is called playing with heart.

Two side notes.

A. The reffing this weekend has been atrocious. The NCAA should be embarrassed. From the Ohio State call...to the joke of an Indiana game...to the out of bounds in Miami game...to the farce that was the Duke game...these refs just did not do the players/coaches/fans their due. We deserve far better than what we just had.

B. Not only is Len Elmore a horrible commentator...but tonight he was just a plain jerk. Why does anyone have him on air?

[licc85]

MVP goes to Josh Hairston for fouling out and forcing Coach K's hand to put Amile in the game. I have a feeling Amile is going to be a guy we need to come in and bring that energy and toughness if we want to get to the final 4. Seth is gonna have to have a good game against MSU or we might not be able to put up enough points. The 2 freshmen were outstanding and stepped up huge.

[striker219]

If, by "all", you mean "none", then, well, I concur! :cool:

I don't know what game you watched, but I watched duke/creighton with my friend northcarolina.scout.com, and according to him, duke got every call all night long and creighton played like choir boys, especially compared to the beating those dirty thugs laid down on the helpless victims in a lighter shade of blue a year ago.

[NashvilleDevil]

Amile had a nice stretch on defense vs McDermott. He was in the right position and worked hard.

K went with Tyler for a few second half stretches over Quinn in order to help onto McDermott. Interesting move that worked well because you could help off Creightons point guard.

We packed the lane tonight and won the game on the boards. No second shots for the Jays. We had it tough on offense without shots falling and all the fouls and uncalled fouls. But the D was exceptional.

This should grow some confidence for our guys.

Amile really stepped up that is right. What I love is although he has not been playing much since Ryan came back he went out there and worked his tail off guarding one of the best players in the country and got a huge basket as well. Good to see him have that type of game.

[killerleft]

Exceptional win! Earned through battle, defense like the old days. Go Amile! I saw where somebody wanted to delete this from the DVR. Not me! 'Night all, sleep well!

!

[jay]

Quit complaining, we won by 16.

I've read a page and a half of almost all positive comments in this thread. Perhaps you are the one who needs to quit complaining about the complainers.

[FerryFor50]

You have to wonder if Ryan's offense suffered because of how hard he had to work on defense. Personally, I'd take his defensive effort when no one else on the opposing team is a real offensive threat.

[JamminJoe]

Great defense in this game and great performance by the bench. Hopefully, Kelly will get back his rhythm on offense by the Michigan State game.

[GGLC]

That was the best defensive game we've played since the 2010 championship game. I'm curious to see where our KenPom numbers go tomorrow.

If we can continue to play defense like that, we can beat anyone and everyone.

One more thing - and I've been saying this all season - Amile Jefferson needs more playing time. He makes winning plays. His defense tonight was outstanding.

Concur. Wow. How did we do that?

Major props to Rasheed, Amile, Tyler, and Seth for flat out BRINGING it.

[gotoguy]

Great game by the frosh. Excellent second half defense and we never lost our poise out there. Bring on Sparty

[FerryFor50]

I've read a page and a half of almost all positive comments in this thread. Perhaps you are the one who needs to quit complaining about the complainers.

Go read the in-game thread and then think about why he said it. :)

[dukelifer]

Toughness. Mental toughness. Great win. That is called playing with heart.

Two side notes.

A. The reffing this weekend has been atrocious. The NCAA should be embarrassed. From the Ohio State call...to the joke of an Indiana game...to the out of bounds in Miami game...to the farce that was the Duke game...these refs just did not do the players/coaches/fans their due. We deserve far better than what we just had.

B. Not only is Len Elmore a horrible commentator...but tonight he was just a plain jerk. Why does anyone have him on air?

Keep Len coming- Duke wins when he calls these games. The more he criticizes the better Duke plays. Some strange cosmic punishment for Len.

[superdave]

I've read a page and a half of almost all positive comments in this thread. Perhaps you are the one who needs to quit complaining about the complainers.

The pre game thread was exceptionally whiny for two days. Uncharacteristic of DBR.

[NashvilleDevil]

The pre game thread was exceptionally whiny for two days. Uncharacteristic of DBR.

If it was whiny for Creighton what is it going to be like for the next 6 days fretting about Michigan St.?

[ChrisP]

It didn't even dawn on me until someone else mentioned it that two of our best players tonight were our freshmen! Way to go, fellas!

I think maybe my favorite thing about this game is that we never seemed to lose focus or let our foot off the gas once we got a lead. Did CU even lead after it was 2-0 on the opening tip? I think they did get ahead like 18-17 maybe but I believe that was it. I was very concerned about the late tip time affecting Duke's ability to focus, but I think it worked the other way around on the Creighton players.

[WiJoe]

9:45 Friday night

[CoachJ10]

Keep Len coming- Duke wins when he calls these games. The more he criticizes the better Duke plays. Some strange cosmic punishment for Len.

He still gets to utter his bitter comments about Duke and his dishonest descriptions of the game...so if we have to take one for the team as fans, so be it. But it just is wrong that he gets to do this for a living.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

The pressure of being the hunted is off now for our guys, as I believe K's Theme this week will be "everyone and their mother thinks Izzo, MSU, and the B1G are teflon, so I guess all we have is ourselves".

I love Duke as the underdog!

Plus, another week for RKelly to get back up to speed.

GO DUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[superdave]

You have to wonder if Ryan's offense suffered because of how hard he had to work on defense. Personally, I'd take his defensive effort when no one else on the opposing team is a real offensive threat.

Ryan didn't have plays run for him. He looked to pass first. I think he was deferential to better match ups like Rasheed.

We should have played through Ryan early though, to force McDermott to guard. That and free throws we're my only complaints.

Again, really encouraging defensive effort.

[CajunDevil]

This game was amazing because we faced tremendous adversity (fouls on our bigs) and shots not falling (Ryan-all game and Seth for most of game), yet played GORGEOUS D against McDermott et al, and got the win.

This game showed a toughness that Duke hasn't shown in quite awhile - maybe since the Bahamas.

Amile Jefferson and Rasheed Suliamon get the game balls tonight.

Bring on Sparty...

[KandG]

Amazing win. Just need some offense from Ryan and less of the ridiculous officiating we saw tonight, and we're pretty much back to being the team pundits said we could be when Ryan returned.

Apart from the contributions from Sheed, Amile and even Josh (though his fouling is still an issue), I thought Tyler was HUGE on both ends of the floor. Really made it hard for their guards to set up McDermott and Echenique and his help defense was exceptional.

Best defense we've played all season. I also liked how the coaching staff had the offense go to Seth exclusively for a stretch in the second half. Even though Seth's shooting numbers were so-so, he looked energetic coming off screens and taking shots all night -- none of that stress fracture acting as an anvil on his energy that we've seen in some games this season.

Sweet 16!!!

[jipops]

Toughness. Mental toughness. Great win. That is called playing with heart.



B. Not only is Len Elmore a horrible commentator...but tonight he was just a plain jerk. Why does anyone have him on air?

B I also agree with. This was a completely unprofessional effort by Elmore. "The refs are letting them play"? Yes, he actually said that. The physical nature of the game is preventing Creighton from getting into their offense? Really???

I usually don't give a crap about the announcers and I largely ignore Vitale, but this was the worst piece of crap commentary I've ever heard.

Reggie Miller was damn good though.

[Troublemaker]

One more thought. Ain't no slow team gonna beat Duke.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

9:45 Friday night

Works for me. I read earlier today where Quinn stated that Duke likes the later games.

I assume the announcers will be Nantz and Kellog.

[wsb3]

I don't view this win as ugly at all.. it was a grind it out tough win.. Two bigs with four fouls with 15 minutes to go and we win by 16. Amile was huge and I was so hoping he would play in this game as I watched it develop. Rasheed I love this kid.. Seth huge buckets...Ryan please find your shot...

[Philadukie]

Best defense since December/January.

Amile's defense on McDermott was something else. If you taped the game, go back and watch it. His defense was key to extending our lead and stopping any momentum by Creighton.

Amile might not be MOTM, but he certainly wins the Andre Dawkins award.

[Blue Man]

Best coaching job K has done in a long long time. Defense really came through. Wow I am impressed esp with Kelly lack of offense and foul trouble

[burnspbesq]

I've read a page and a half of almost all positive comments in this thread. Perhaps you are the one who needs to quit complaining about the complainers.

May I respectfully suggest that you drop your snarkometer off at the dealer tomorrow. It appears to need re calibration.

Defensive clinic tonight. Extremely proud of our guys.

[Newton_14]

Really, really fantastic defense. Our best of the season. Creighton never got comfortable on offense - they were out of sync for 40 minutes.

Could not agree more. That was old school Duke defense. Our entire group of perimeter players totally shut down their vaunted 3 Ball attack. Interior D was derailed by mind boggling foul calls. At one point I thought the refs were going to foul out our entire roster of front line players by the 10 minute mark. It was crazy. Tyler, Rasheed, Quinn, and Seth all played rock solid perimeter defense.

Rasheed carried us on offense, Tyler's 3 just before half was a great momentum boost, and Seth did well attacking the rim when his 3 Ball was absent. Still hit two back breaking 3's down the stretch though.

Very proud of Amile, as he defended McFreeThrow shooter really well and helped hold down the fort with starters hamstrung by foul trouble.

Could not be more proud of this team and this win given all the adversity they faced tonight. Cold shooting, foul trouble, beyond physical opponent, and odd line ups at times due to the foul trouble. They overcame in a big way.

Survive and Advance! On to the Sweet 16!

Go Duke!

[NashvilleDevil]

B I agree with. This was a completely unprofessional effort by Elmore. "The refs are letting them play"? Yes, he actually said that. The physical nature of the game is preventing Creighton from getting into their offense? Really???

I usually don't give a crap about the announcers and I largely ignore Vitale, but this was the worst piece of crap commentary I've ever heard.

Reggie Miller was damn good though.

I turned down the volume since Elmore was calling the game. I have watched NBA games that Miller announces and I have never thought he was that good. Maybe being next to Elmore makes him seem better.

[dukelifer]

He still gets to utter his bitter comments about Duke and his dishonest descriptions of the game...so if we have to take one for the team as fans, so be it. But it just is wrong that he gets to do this for a living.

I tune him out- because it is always the same. Miller was good.

[Atldukie79]

We almost got Okafered!
Amile was a great fit to cover McD...but we will need Hairstons body in the MSU game.

I wondered why Cook was out for much of the end game situation?

Suli needs to remember this feeling and try to invoke it more often!

[Utley]

The end of the half 3 by Tyler was huge! We may have won the game in the last minute of the first half.

[CoachJ10]

I tune him out- because it is always the same. Miller was good.

You have more self-discipline then I do.

[gofurman]

AMILE!!!

For as whiny as he looked during the game, to his credit, McDermott looked pretty gracious and not sulky afterward.

Big finish by Seth. Nice job by Sheed, too. He had some very big buckets/free throws down the stretch, too.

McDermott seems classy - and what a shooter! never let the D get so far inside his head that he missed a FT. 12/12..after going perrfect against Cinci I believe too. I swear every time Rasheed or Cook or Curry would come to the line we would get two out of every three. McD never would miss. Quite a shooter and some of the few shots he got to go in vs Kelly were unbelievable. Lucky for us Kelly's missing O (and 1/2 FT for him also) was negated by frustrating D on McD. Great team D!!

cons - poor shooting (some due to Creightons D for sure)
cons - many fouls were deserved but you still have to avoid the silly ones (Plumlee hacking down on Echinique for his third or fourth, Hairston obvious over tha back for no reason and a push on their guy who had the layup made, we had a few you just have to give up the basket and realize the foul is more costly than the basket). Still maybe our theory was 'no matter what - foul and get in their heads - no easy baskets' ; need Mason and Kelly on the floor

Pros - WIN, survive, advance
- won without great nights from ANY of the big three honestly. Plulee did a little (10,5) and Curry hit some big ones and got points but even his were low percentage for him - he mirrored McD some to me. curry was 5-15 overall and 2-9 from the three. Made points at FT line with nifty moves to get fouled.
- Suliamon ! (eveyone was mentioning Amile but we needed O and Suliamon was great!
- Amile
- Team D was fantastic

* odd how Creighton is known for Great O and poor D - that wasnt the team I saw. To give them credit their D was great

[Utley]

Also ironic that Albany shot way better than the best shooting team in the country

[loran16]

@kpelton (BBall Prospectus writer):


Nearly 40% of Creighton's shots this season were 3s. Tonight: 26%. Great work by Duke D.

I think that says it all. I kept thinking that we'd need to keep scoring once our bigs got in foul trouble because Creighton were inevitably going to go on a run. Never happened. Terrific.

[SCMatt33]

Great win. I loved seeing Mason more active on the defensive end from the get go. He was back to challenging plays inside and didn't get caught flat footed.

You can break it down a lot of ways, but the biggest thing was that Duke shot bad, Creighton shot worse. As tight as the game was called, it should not have been a low scoring affair. I also thought that Greg McDermott made a fatal error before the game even tipped by working out a strategy to not have his guys crash the offensive glass. He completely negated Duke's biggest weakness. Even small teams who have crashed the boards have had success rebounding against Duke this year.

Duke's guards seemed to adjust to the refs better than Creighton's and took advantage of it to get in the lane and draw some fouls.

The big story was Amile. He gave some great minutes off the bench. The reason he hadn't been able to get in games lately was that he got lost a lot in Duke defensive schemes and rotations. Coach K was able to eliminate that by having him just stick to McDermott and not worry about switches or help or double teams. He just played one-on-one D.

Off to Indy.

[ChrisP]

The pre game thread was exceptionally whiny for two days. Uncharacteristic of DBR.

I'm sorry, but I'm tired of some posters here ragging on others for being "whiny" if/when any kind of concern is mentioned about our team. It's certainly your right not to like it and to comment on it, but I'm just over it. After the loss to Lehigh last year, the blowout and total meltdown against 'Zona in 2011, JJ going 3-18 against LSU in 2006, and the loss to VCU in 2007, PLUS the inexplicably lethargic performance against Maryland in the ACC tourney, I don't think it is at all unusual for some of us to worry and/or not feel super confident about this year's' Duke team.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Duke basketball and have since I was a kid but I'm realistic enough to know that this is not one of the great Duke teams of years past. This team has some flaws and some warts. I love them, but they are not awe-inspiring most of the time.

I know I feel a lot better about the team after tonight and I hope others will too, but I wish we could stop with the complaining about being "whiny" and "handwringing".

[TampaDukie]

He still gets to utter his bitter comments about Duke and his dishonest descriptions of the game...so if we have to take one for the team as fans, so be it. But it just is wrong that he gets to do this for a living.
I listened to the entire game on mute, because I refuse to be aggravated by him anymore. But even non-Duke fans on my Twitter timeline were taking exception to his commentary, especially the comment about the refs letting the team play.

Glad to see that we do indeed have Nantz and Kellogg next week. Kellogg can be a tool, but anyone's better than Elmore.

[hsheffield]

If it was whiny for Creighton what is it going to be like for the next 6 days fretting about Michigan St.?

Can we have a whining moratorium until at least Wednesday?


OTOH, has anyone else noticed that Duke has beaten 4 of the other Sweet 16 teams?

Amazingly that includes Florida GC! Of course one of the 4 teams handed us our worst loss in a long time...OMG does that count as whining?

[uh_no]

I listened to the entire game on mute, because I refuse to be aggravated by him anymore. But even non-Duke fans on my Twitter timeline were taking exception to his commentary, especially the comment about the refs letting the team play.

Glad to see that we do indeed have Nantz and Kellogg next week. Kellogg can be a tool, but anyone's better than Elmore.

I generally prefer intentional derision to complete incompetence....at least it indicates some semblance of a working brain....

[matt1]

All things considered, it was a good win

We won by 16 despite the foul trouble and poor shooting. On a side note, someone could just look at the final score and think that it was a blowout.

[jipops]

I turned down the volume since Elmore was calling the game. I have watched NBA games that Miller announces and I have never thought he was that good. Maybe being next to Elmore makes him seem better.

Quote of the night from Reggie

"Amare Stoudamire has a skills academy? What does he teach?"

And it kind of made Len sound stupid, among other things self-inflicted.

[Potato]

Yep couldn't be prouder of Duke. Faced a ton of adversity and still pretty much handles Creighton. With all the foul trouble I just knew Creighton was gonna get hot and go on a run to make things close down the stretch but they never did, amazing defense please bring that with us to Indy. Amile is so much better than Hairston it's not even funny, he should get big minutes vs MSU and he deserves them. As far as Sparty goes we most certainly can win, we're due a good shooting night and with how we played D tonight I'm so much more confident in that aspect. Welp, time to rest up a few days and get ready for the Spartans. We're still alive.

Goodnight, Duke Nation! Sweet 16 bound!

[WiJoe]

Works for me. I read earlier today where Quinn stated that Duke likes the later games.

I assume the announcers will be Nantz and Kellog.

I think those two will be at the east regional in dc

[NashvilleDevil]

I'm sorry, but I'm tired of some posters here ragging on others for being "whiny" if/when any kind of concern is mentioned about our team. It's certainly your right not to like it and to comment on it, but I'm just over it. After the loss to Lehigh last year, the blowout and total meltdown against 'Zona in 2011, JJ going 3-18 against LSU in 2006, and the loss to VCU in 2007, PLUS the inexplicably lethargic performance against Maryland in the ACC tourney, I don't think it is at all unusual for some of us to worry and/or not feel super confident about this year's' Duke team.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Duke basketball and have since I was a kid but I'm realistic enough to know that this is not one of the great Duke teams of years past. This team has some flaws and some warts. I love them, but they are not awe-inspiring most of the time.

I know I feel a lot better about the team after tonight and I hope others will too, but I wish we could stop with the complaining about being "whiny" and "handwringing".

My complaint with the pre game thread was some posters elevating Creighton to a mythical level of greatness. They are a good team and have been a consistent program for close to 20 years, but one poster called them a powerhouse and that was a bit much for me. I also understand not wanting to get to confident after the early exits Duke has had since 2000 but that is going to happen. No sense in dwelling on the past when preparing for a 2013 tournament game.

[NashvilleDevil]

Quote of the night from Reggie

"Amare Stoudamire has a skills academy? What does he teach?"

And it kind of made Len sound stupid, among other things self-inflicted.

Okay, that is a great line! Reggie was one of the better talkers during his NBA career.

[dukepsy1963]

...guys. I am ready for the next one.... get some deserved rest!::D

[FerryFor50]

I am absolutely shocked Thornton didn't pick up a foul in 23 minutes in a game where 46 fouls were called.

And honestly, a majority of the fouls were on bigs. Duke guards hardly picked up any fouls...

[Duke 81 LA]

Best line of the night.

I agree completely.
Necessity was the mother of invention.
Amile is someone that is really our only guy who can match up with the McDermotts and some of the other 6-8-ish inside/outside guys. He knows how to finish inside and has great hands and wingspan.hopefully, his positive performance tonight, will allow Coach K to have some trust.
A small thing, but it was one of the favorable by-products of the Kelly Maury. Amile did get some quality time in January and February. Paid off tonight.... Big time.
He should have been the guy to guard the UVa stud, too.
It really helped to have four different guys guard McDermott. While Kelly started well against him, McDermott wold have figured him out.



MVP goes to Josh Hairston for fouling out and forcing Coach K's hand to put Amile in the game. I have a feeling Amile is going to be a guy we need to come in and bring that energy and toughness if we want to get to the final 4. Seth is gonna have to have a good game against MSU or we might not be able to put up enough points. The 2 freshmen were outstanding and stepped up huge.

[Andre Buckner Fan]

My complaint with the pre game thread was some posters elevating Creighton to a mythical level of greatness. They are a good team and have been a consistent program for close to 20 years, but one poster called them a powerhouse, that was a bit much for me. I also understand not wanting to get to confident after the early exits Duke has had since 2000 but that is going to happen no sense in dwelling on the past when preparing for a 2013 tournament game.

I could easily call them a mid-major powerhouse. They're as legit as Gonzaga without the overseeding. Just because we beat them doesn't mean they weren't great.

[MaxAMillion]

I will never get why Jefferson doesn't play more. He seems like he would provide some valuable minutes (like he did tonight) if he was a regular part of the rotation.

[loran16]

Great win. I loved seeing Mason more active on the defensive end from the get go. He was back to challenging plays inside and didn't get caught flat footed.

You can break it down a lot of ways, but the biggest thing was that Duke shot bad, Creighton shot worse. As tight as the game was called, it should not have been a low scoring affair. I also thought that Greg McDermott made a fatal error before the game even tipped by working out a strategy to not have his guys crash the offensive glass. He completely negated Duke's biggest weakness. Even small teams who have crashed the boards have had success rebounding against Duke this year.

Duke's guards seemed to adjust to the refs better than Creighton's and took advantage of it to get in the lane and draw some fouls.

The big story was Amile. He gave some great minutes off the bench. The reason he hadn't been able to get in games lately was that he got lost a lot in Duke defensive schemes and rotations. Coach K was able to eliminate that by having him just stick to McDermott and not worry about switches or help or double teams. He just played one-on-one D.

Off to Indy.

Creighton's the #270 O Rebounding team in the country. They're worse than us in that area. Not exactly where they were going to succeed.

[wallyman]

Agree with all the love for Amile. He always does something special when he's in there -- rebound, block, garbage basket. Love Josh's hustle, but Amile brings much more to the table. Beyond that Rasheed was a stud -- he looked like the kind of guy on the other team who usually sends us home early. And great floor game from Quinn. Bring on Sparty.

[chaosmage]

We had several players have the worst offensive nights of their career. Ryan had 1 point I think; Seth had some great shots, but his percentage was way off. The officiating was horribly inconsistent.

And we still held the one of the best offenses (on paper) in the country to 50 points, our freshmen played hard, and we never quit or complained (unlike the other team).

We're a great team, and Friday will be a great game. Go DEVILS!!!

[NashvilleDevil]

I could easily call them a mid-major powerhouse. They're as legit as Gonzaga without the overseeding. Just because we beat them doesn't mean they weren't great.

They are a good team and a good program, they have pretty much owned the Missouri Valley Conference since the mid 90s. I just got tired of reading a number of posts on the pre game thread that gave Duke no chance against them. If Duke could have made a couple baskets early, the game would have been a rout by the 10 minute mark of the first half. Even with poor shooting and foul trouble Duke managed to keep the lead around 9 points most of the 2nd half until Seth and Rasheed hit the daggers from 3.

[SCMatt33]

Creighton's the #270 O Rebounding team in the country. They're worse than us in that area. Not exactly where they were going to succeed.

I can see why if that's their normal strategy. It still played right into our hands, that and Creighton missing just about every 3 out there.

[Billy Dat]

The game ended after midnight, I think. I wouldn't mind at least one more Monday victory this season.

It's funny how sometimes foul trouble can be the best thing for a team. Tonight, it did two things (1) got some meaningful minutes for Amile and (2) forced us to change up the offense. I felt like our offense was getting a little predictable, especially because I think Quinn tends to telegraph where he wants to go with the pass - the defense can see where he's looking for screening action to spring someone free, usually Curry. Once the fouls altered our rotation, K changed the point of attack by letting Curry initiate and it kind of unclogged the toilet, for lack of a better term.

-The team defense was awesome, but I also feel like Creighton made it easier for us by not going harder at Ryan and Mason when they were in the game. We survived a looong time when they both had 4. I'll give the credit to our D, but I thought they blew some chances to really put us on our heels.

-Curry as maestro of the half court in the second half was awesome.

-Sheed was a beast, and made some huge buckets down the stretch even though he spent a long stretch on the bench for a good long time in the second. I am impressed by how he had seemed to lose all his tentativeness - how about the 3 he stroked with confidence with 4:17 left. That was big time, as was the two he hit before it.

-Other huge shots were Tyler's 3 to end the half, Curry's 8 straight between 15 and 12 left in the second that pushed a 4 point lead to 9, and Curry's 3 with 6:42 left that pushed it from 8 back to 11.

-Cook, Rasheed, Tyler and Seth collected 20 of our 36 rebounds!!!

-I am one of those people screaming for Mason to try and block shots. He did tonight, and fouled out. BUT, I think we can all agree that at least 3 of those fouls were extremely dumb, especially the two on Echenique when he was pinned below the rim. There has to be a happy medium, Mase.

The way we won this game made me feel more optimistic about our chances in this tournament. We had a lot of adversity and guys just stepped up and made big plays on both ends. Here's to win number 2,000 and bring on Sparty!!!

[Billy Dat]

I am absolutely shocked Thornton didn't pick up a foul in 23 minutes in a game where 46 fouls were called.

And honestly, a majority of the fouls were on bigs. Duke guards hardly picked up any fouls...

He managed to nearly rip off McDermott's arm on that breakaway and there was no whistle...that's when I knew the game was in the bag. :p

[ChillinDuke]

Big win!!!

A lot to like.

And a lot to not like - which might be the best part.

- Chillin

[jacone21]

He managed to nearly rip off McDermott's arm on that breakaway and there was no whistle...that's when I knew the game was in the bag. :p

Yeah I was about to say, It wasn't for the lack of trying.

[camion]

This wasn't a blowout. It was a grind out. Not pretty, but I found it very satisfying. Tyler"s three to end the half was a morale buster for the other team. Kudos to Amile for great play at a crucial time.

I'm happy. Now I just need some sleep.

[g-money]

A great team effort by DUKE tonight. A few highlights:

- Excellent team defense, perhaps our best of the season, with the one caveat that Creighton lacked quick guards (to my eye) - which played to our strengths.
- Awesome contributions from the "role players" and underclassmen on the team - Rasheed, Amile, and TT were all terrific. RK had some great passes.
- Lots of clutch/good shots by Seth, Rasheed, and Amile to keep the margin at 12-13 through the last 10 minutes. This team knows how to close out!
- The clunker against Maryland has been fully expunged

On to the Sweet Sixteen! I expect we'll play well next weekend, but no matter what happens from here on out, it's been a great season. Let's enjoy the ride.

[LSanders]

Quote of the night from Reggie

"Amare Stoudamire has a skills academy? What does he teach?"

I think the rest of the quote was ... What does he teach? How to shoot from 25 feet?


Anyway, I may be looking thru blue-colored glasses, but the best things about tonight's win were:

1) Between foul trouble and off-shooting, we had to depend on other people contributing. Between rebounds, shots, etc., this felt like more of a team win than the Seth and Mason show. That's gotta help confidence.

2) Defense was excellent on a terrific offensive team.

3) Rasheed's back!

[tommy]

We beat Creighton, and Len Elmore. Go Duke.

I can't stand Elmore any more than the next guy, and he is clearly very anti-Duke in his bones. But I have to say, I didn't hear much of it from him tonight. I was listening for it too, and expecting to hear the anti-Duke biased stuff from him, but really what was there? You can nitpick on him here and there, but really, it wasn't anywhere close to what we've become used to from him. I think Reggie Miller has a modifying effect on him, maybe. Sure, Len was a little too adamant about how Mason couldn't move Echinique underneath due to Echinique's weight and girth, but he was right. I did love, though, how one time when he was reiterating that point, he did so just while they were showing a replay of the one time when Mason DID move him out of the way down low (and proceeded to blow the layup!) All in all, though, I've heard much, much worse from Elmore.

[UrinalCake]

You have to wonder if Ryan's offense suffered because of how hard he had to work on defense.

Coach K basically said this in his post-game radio interview. Said Ryan did an amazing job guarding mcDermott all game, and that Ryan was the happiest guy in the locker room after the game, because he knows what his contribution to the team was and it wasn't scoring points.

I think our game plan was to be aggressive going after the ball. It led to some unnecessary fouls, but also some great defensive plays and offensive rebounds. Hopefully we can find the perfect balance against MSU.

Also, this game showed how Ryan's injury could have been a blessing in disguise. Without him being out, Amile would have never gotten that playing time during the season and been this ready to step in and contribute. I love his game and his attitude and am so glad we got him instead of Mitch McGary (sorry, a little off topic I know)

Great win, let's enjoy the week and then keep it going!

[tommy]

Coach K basically said this in his post-game radio interview. Said Ryan did an amazing job guarding mcDermott all game, and that Ryan was the happiest guy in the locker room after the game, because he knows what his contribution to the team was and it wasn't scoring points.

I think our game plan was to be aggressive going after the ball. It led to some unnecessary fouls, but also some great defensive plays and offensive rebounds. Hopefully we can find the perfect balance against MSU.

Also, this game showed how Ryan's injury could have been a blessing in disguise. Without him being out, Amile would have never gotten that playing time during the season and been this ready to step in and contribute. I love his game and his attitude and am so glad we got him instead of Mitch McGary (sorry, a little off topic I know)

I don't want to go off topic either, but did you see Mitch McGary play against VCU on Saturday??

[ncexnyc]

Also, this game showed how Ryan's injury could have been a blessing in disguise. Without him being out, Amile would have never gotten that playing time during the season and been this ready to step in and contribute. I love his game and his attitude and am so glad we got him instead of Mitch McGary (sorry, a little off topic I know)

So in the upcoming seasons when a board member complains about player x or player y not getting any meaningful burn during the regular season I hope anyone who's ready for giving the typical snarky response they love to give in that situation takes a moment to remember this game.

Rasheed was aggressive from the get go and frankly when he's in attack mode his game sure looks good.

Tyler upheld the Bruise Brother's family honor tonight. The 3 at the half had to be a huge boost in the locker room

Unfortunately Bruise Brother #2 Josh didn't have his best game. I'm normally a fan of his roughhouse, high energy style, but I was screaming at the t.v. for Coach K to bring in Amile.

Amile did a fantastic job on D and managed several key plays on offense as well. I totally agree with UC that Amile's in season minutes enabled him to step-up when we needed him.

Mason was solid. Was a bit distressed that he was setting up/getting pushed so far from the basket. He needs to stay down on the blocks where he's a lot more effective.

Wow, Ryan has really been in a scoring funk. I'm glad he hasn't let that hamper the rest of his game. He played solid D and had several nice feeds.

Seth was a warrior. Not a great game, but he kept plugging away. Reminds me of Jon, in that he's not the fleetest of foot, but he's very crafty and somehow finds his way to the basket.

Quinn played solid D and while he wasn't dishing like he was on Friday he wasn't making any bad plays.

I'll be looking forward to seeing how the so-called experts view the next game. I know after what MSU did on Saturday they'll probably have us dead and buried, but I really like our chances on Friday night.

[77devil]

Long night. Not much I can add at this point except this.

3298

[-bdbd]

Good points NCEXNYC.
I think that we really need to give a LOT of credit to K and the coaching staff for a great scouting effort and excellent gameplan. The strategy to play tough, physical D on McD worked. We probably had to rotate more guys on him than desired, due to all of the fouls, but he sure seemed to wear down in the second half. Wow - what a "message" on the hard slap (it was a foul, but not called probably b/s McD had just gotten away with a stiff-arm to RK'd neck) across McD's hands along the baseline, late in the first half. Duke knew the best way to take him out of his comfort zone, and it worked!

Thank God Seth started hitting a couple clutch shots, and making great drives, in the second half. With RK and MP2 fairly "off," we desperately needed his leadership. And without Amile's stellar defense on McD in the second half, I just don't think that we wiuld have won this one. And, of course, a very solid, workmanlike game by TT, as always! That banked three at the halftime buzzer was HUGE for momentum. And Rasheed was just unguardable at times.

On the TT shot and Duke play in the last minute of the first half, I love that K has apparently learned from the pro's on the USA team about going 2-for-1 possessions in the last minute of the halves. It played out perfect tonight. With the ball at the one-minute mark, Duke will always try to shoot between about the 42-second and 55-second marks. It ensures another possession. :D

Once we got into all of that second half foul trouble, I really felt that the Creighton coach missed a huge opportunity when he took Echinique out for long stretches. We had no big bodies there to keep banging with him, with Josh fouling out early and RK and MP2 walking on egg-shells... Thank goodness MP2 didn't get whistled for running into the guard with about 7 minutes left and coming out, on Offense, to set a pick out past the arc. Coulda been disastrous!!

MSU likes to play physical and big. Look for them to pressure the 3-point line/shooters and push MP2 away from the bucket. It may prove important that AJ got to gain some key experience tonight, as we'll need big-man depth again on Fri. around 9pm in Indy. BTW, be prepared for a very hostile crowd, full of L'ville and MSU fans from fairly near to Indianapolis.

This is about as relieved as I've felt after a big game in a long while. Great TEAM win tonight. :D


So in the upcoming seasons when a board member complains about player x or player y not getting any meaningful burn during the regular season I hope anyone who's ready for giving the typical snarky response they love to give in that situation takes a moment to remember this game.

Rasheed was aggressive from the get go and frankly when he's in attack mode his game sure looks good.

Tyler upheld the Bruise Brother's family honor tonight. The 3 at the half had to be a huge boost in the locker room

Unfortunately Bruise Brother #2 Josh didn't have his best game. I'm normally a fan of his roughhouse, high energy style, but I was screaming at the t.v. for Coach K to bring in Amile.

Amile did a fantastic job on D and managed several key plays on offense as well. I totally agree with UC that Amile's in season minutes enabled him to step-up when we needed him.

Mason was solid. Was a bit distressed that he was setting up/getting pushed so far from the basket. He needs to stay down on the blocks where he's a lot more effective.

Wow, Ryan has really been in a scoring funk. I'm glad he hasn't let that hamper the rest of his game. He played solid D and had several nice feeds.

Seth was a warrior. Not a great game, but he kept plugging away. Reminds me of Jon, in that he's not the fleetest of foot, but he's very crafty and somehow finds his way to the basket.

Quinn played solid D and while he wasn't dishing like he was on Friday he wasn't making any bad plays.

I'll be looking forward to seeing how the so-called experts view the next game. I know after what MSU did on Saturday they'll probably have us dead and buried, but I really like our chances on Friday night.

[Dukeface88]

I'm sorry, but I'm tired of some posters here ragging on others for being "whiny" if/when any kind of concern is mentioned about our team. It's certainly your right not to like it and to comment on it, but I'm just over it. After the loss to Lehigh last year, the blowout and total meltdown against 'Zona in 2011, JJ going 3-18 against LSU in 2006, and the loss to VCU in 2007, PLUS the inexplicably lethargic performance against Maryland in the ACC tourney, I don't think it is at all unusual for some of us to worry and/or not feel super confident about this year's' Duke team.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Duke basketball and have since I was a kid but I'm realistic enough to know that this is not one of the great Duke teams of years past. This team has some flaws and some warts. I love them, but they are not awe-inspiring most of the time.

I know I feel a lot better about the team after tonight and I hope others will too, but I wish we could stop with the complaining about being "whiny" and "handwringing".

I agree that there's a line between "having concerns" and "being whiny". There are absolutely reasons to have concerns about this team - we're bot particularly deep, our defense has been shakey at times, we don't rebound well, there are opposing teams who present unfavorable matchups, and so forth. But when:


Yep. Looks like a VERY possible second-round flameout - IF we win today. Depressing.

wow this is going to be way too close for comfort and we will not survive the weekend playing like this.

Embarrassing

Gonna be another early exit from the tourney like this...

All appear on a single page in the Albany thread - a game that we led for all 40 minutes and won easily - I think that line has been crossed. Almost every post on that page was negative. It is entirely valid to say that sort of thing was an overreaction.

[duke86]

I was able to attend both games this weekend in Philadelphia, and I won't go into X's and O's, as I cannot remember everything (being a tennis player, you would think I could remember certain points, I can't...), but I want to just briefly discuss the crowd. First off, I am very happy to have been able to get up to Philly, as I live in D.C. (just got back and have work in the AM - that will be rough), to see the Blue Devils fight their way into the Sweet Sixteen. There were loads of Duke fans, especially tonight (Sunday) even with the very difficult start times (1200 and then 2140, are you kidding me?). But, we were quiet. Watching the SDSU/FGCU before our game, and even the Creighton/Cincy game on Friday, our fans just didn't have the energy that I would expect or hoped to see. Creighton had a very loud and supportive side throughout their both of their games, and I give them a lot of credit. They stood for much of the game tonight and had a very loud support group, even as the refs took the fans out of the game. Our section, behind the bench, were very quiet, except for K's family, who continued to lead cheers and stand when we needed that extra lift. Our cheerleaders and band did an amazing job, as always, trying to get the thousands of Duke supporters in the game, but it just seemed like many of them just sat on their hands (or kept reading their phones) for much of the game. Maybe it was the late start time tonight and the early start time on Friday, but I hope the fans that show up to Indy are ready to cheer and be vocal. Our team needs it. They deserve it. I truly wish our students could attend some of these games (they may have, I don't know).

Anyway, I'll stop complaining, it was a great win...#2000 was great to witness in person.

Survive and Advance...

[AncientPsychicT]

I generally prefer intentional derision to complete incompetence....at least it indicates some semblance of a working brain....

:mad: ACK! You just reminded me of the Len Elmore - Mike Patrick duo we would get stuck with a couple years ago for what seemed like EVERY SINGLE GAME.

Talk about a double whammy......

*shiver*

[mapleleafdevil]

Hopefully we start to move the ball. Dumping it down to Mason in the post and standing around watching is not a recipe for success. I am surprised that K let them do this time and time again.

[TNDukeFan]

My first thought about the game this morning was that Duke had the easiest time of any 2 seed. Miami and tOSU both had to win at the end, and Georgetown...well, you know.

Wonderful, gutty performance. Looking forward to Friday!

[DevilYouthCoach]

This game was amazing because we faced tremendous adversity (fouls on our bigs) and shots not falling (Ryan-all game and Seth for most of game), yet played GORGEOUS D against McDermott et al, and got the win.

This game showed a toughness that Duke hasn't shown in quite awhile - maybe since the Bahamas.

Amile Jefferson and Rasheed Suliamon get the game balls tonight.

Bring on Sparty...



I think Quinn Cook also deserves a ton of credit too! No surprises from him -- he played a totally heads-up game throughout. Tough defense, good passing, rebounding, wonderful backward layup when we needed it! Leadership. He has become so good that we tend to take his performance for granted now.

Also, I am picturing a MSU game in which all of our shooters come together in synchrony!

[davekay1971]

That was a sensational win.

Our defense was stellar. Beyond stellar. There aren't really good words for the defensive job our guys did last night. 16 of 53. That's what they did to a GREAT shooting team. 2 of 19 from behind the arc for a team that averages 9 made 3s per game. Neither of those shooting numbers was an accident. Both of those numbers are evidence of our coaching staff identifying perfectly what Creighton does as an offense, implementing a great defensive game plan for shutting it down, and our guys executing it very, very well.

And all that while Plumlee and Kelly were absolutely saddled with foul trouble, and both of them on some ricky-tack fouls. Amile came in and did a wonderful job providing minutes defending McDermott. Hairston wasn't as effective or efficient as Amile on defense, but his contribution was important to keeping McDermott in check. For awhile in the 2nd half, we even had Kelly and Plumlee on the bench at the same time with a front line of Amile and Josh...and we maintained the lead. To me, that stretch, where we were able to maintain a double digit lead with Kelly and Plumlee on the bench, decided the game.

Great job all around. Our perimeter guys shut down their 3 point shooters, our four headed monster of Mase, Ryan, Amile, and Josh (plus a little bit of Tyler) kept McDermott off balance and frustrated all night. And our guys, mainly Rasheed and Seth, found ways to score enough to take advantage of the one-hitter our defense was pitching.

On to Michigan State, but I'm going to take today to savor what our guys did last night. They got a test from Creighton (and some whistle-happy refs) and passed it with flying colors.

[Bob Green]

cons - many fouls were deserved but you still have to avoid the silly ones (Plumlee hacking down on Echinique for his third or fourth...

I'd love to see the replay of that foul a couple more times because it appeared Mason got all ball to me. I was scared to death by Mason setting screens at the top of the key with four fouls. How many silly ones has he picked up doing that over his career?

[House G]

When Mason was a sophomore, he had 25 points against Marquette:
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=303260150
My recollection is that he was more effective on offense when our guards penetrated and set him up. He does not seem to be able to post up a defender of any size, yet it is imperative that we have an inside presence. Granted, Kyrie Irving was the guy setting the table for Mason back then and we had a different cast of characters on our team. Although easier said than done, I believe Quinn and Rasheed are quick enough to get in the paint and distribute to our bigs when the defense collapses.

[Rudy]

Three straight poor offensive games has to produce worry among the fans. With the exception of the ACC tournament, the team's effort has been excellent, though, which makes me pull for them and hope all the harder that more than one guy at a time rediscovers his shooting touch.

[roywhite]

Three straight poor offensive games has to produce worry among the fans. With the exception of the ACC tournament, the team's effort has been excellent, though, which makes me pull for them and hope all the harder that more than one guy at a time rediscovers his shooting touch.

Well, no, actually.

The Maryland game in the ACC Tournament was a bad game in many aspects, and it did worry fans coming into the tournament. But I'm very pleased with the first weekend. We did hit some shots against Albany, and we know Seth and Ryan are very capable of big games going forward.

Major plusses for the team defense, and a number of players grabbing rebounds. Also great to see, and be reminded, of just how good Coach K and his staff are at designing a scheme to limit the opposing team's weapons. And good to see very positive contributions from freshmen Rasheed and Amile. They didn't play like freshmen, and now have a feel for the tournament.

Sparty is plenty tough, but there are seldom easy games in the Sweet Sixteen and beyond. Very happy to see where this Duke team is in many areas now.

[jipops]

Well, no, actually.

The Maryland game in the ACC Tournament was a bad game in many aspects, and it did worry fans coming into the tournament. But I'm very pleased with the first weekend. We did hit some shots against Albany, and we know Seth and Ryan are very capable of big games going forward.

Major plusses for the team defense, and a number of players grabbing rebounds. Also great to see, and be reminded, of just how good Coach K and his staff are at designing a scheme to limit the opposing team's weapons. And good to see very positive contributions from freshmen Rasheed and Amile. They didn't play like freshmen, and now have a feel for the tournament.

Sparty is plenty tough, but there are seldom easy games in the Sweet Sixteen and beyond. Very happy to see where this Duke team is in many areas now.

Really, really good teams can shoot 38% from the floor and still beat a top 25 team. I'm quite pleased about the way we were able to win last night. And I'd say we're very much due for a scorching hot shooting night in our next one.

[rsvman]

Concur. Wow. How did we do that?

Major props to Rasheed, Amile, Tyler, and Seth for flat out BRINGING it.
I think that K made some major adjustments to our defense that were aimed specifically at neutralizing Creighton's strengths.

Normally, K has Plumlee not only hedging on the high screen, but hedging HARD, pushing the opposing point guard away from the basket. In last night's game, there was a token hedge or no hedge at all. Rather, he had the team shut down the three ball. Our guys were all over them at and beyond the line.

I think he made some adjustments at halftime, as well. In the first half, Creighton's go-to was to establish McDermott on the low block. Once he got the ball there, he either scored or managed to get the foul call (and since he was a machine at the line, that was an automatic two points, as well). In the second half, they had a very hard time getting him the ball there. The defense seemed heavily involved in denying him the ball, and they kept him off the low post position almost the entire half.

Coach K deserves a lot of credit. Last night's game, with all the fouls, turned into a chess match between K and Coach McDermott, and Coach K got the checkmate. Did you notice the substitution patterns? The 2-for-1 at the end of the half? The in-game adjustments? The overall defensive adjustment that must've been made before the game even started? Notice that on the 2-for-1 at the end of the half he called a set play for Rasheed? Most coaches wouldn't have done that, especially when they have three seniors on the court. K went with the hot hand.

Everybody knows that Coach K is a great coach, but I think he gets short shrift for things like last night's game. A lot of people think K wins because of great recruiting and a good "system," or good motivation. All of that is true, but last night's game is an example of how K can also be an outstanding "X's and O's" type of "in-game" coach like Al McGuire or Rick Majerus. We are truly spoiled.

[UrinalCake]

I don't want to go off topic either, but did you see Mitch McGary play against VCU on Saturday??

He did have a great game but most of his season has been underwhelming. He certainly hasn't looked like the lottery pick be projected himself to be. My dislike for McGary is based on the fact that he bought into the negative recruiting about Coach K and then made some very public criticisms of us. Had he come here, I honestly think there would have been some chemistry issues with him playing behind our seniors and with Ryan being out and then coming back. Conversely, Amile has maintained a positive attitude throughout everything and has made the most of whatever playing time he gets. He'll be a great four year player for us.

[superdave]

I think that K made some major adjustments to our defense that were aimed specifically at neutralizing Creighton's strengths.

Normally, K has Plumlee not only hedging on the high screen, but hedging HARD, pushing the opposing point guard away from the basket. In last night's game, there was a token hedge or no hedge at all. Rather, he had the team shut down the three ball. Our guys were all over them at and beyond the line.

I think he made some adjustments at halftime, as well. In the first half, Creighton's go-to was to establish McDermott on the low block. Once he got the ball there, he either scored or managed to get the foul call (and since he was a machine at the line, that was an automatic two points, as well). In the second half, they had a very hard time getting him the ball there. The defense seemed heavily involved in denying him the ball, and they kept him off the low post position almost the entire half.

Coach K deserves a lot of credit. Last night's game, with all the fouls, turned into a chess match between K and Coach McDermott, and Coach K got the checkmate. Did you notice the substitution patterns? The 2-for-1 at the end of the half? The in-game adjustments? The overall defensive adjustment that must've been made before the game even started? Notice that on the 2-for-1 at the end of the half he called a set play for Rasheed? Most coaches wouldn't have done that, especially when they have three seniors on the court. K went with the hot hand.

Everybody knows that Coach K is a great coach, but I think he gets short shrift for things like last night's game. A lot of people think K wins because of great recruiting and a good "system," or good motivation. All of that is true, but last night's game is an example of how K can also be an outstanding "X's and O's" type of "in-game" coach like Al McGuire or Rick Majerus. We are truly spoiled.

Excellent post. Thanks for pointing out several of Coach K's moves last night.

I noticed the difference in screen hedging last night. It seemed like Duke's goal was to guard against 3s and to clog the lane whenever McDermott tried to post up. We closed out on shooters really well and pushed guys off the 3 point line. We also cheated into the lane on help side defense a lot. Tyler was almost playing a one man zone in the lane at times in the 2nd half.

On offense we really fed Rasheed to drive last night, and looked to have our bigs set a screen with the ball a lot. Not sure what caused that tactic, but it was our go to - Rasheed or Seth taking the handoff from a big at the foul line extended, and forcing the defender to choose over/under the screen.

This game should really add to this team's confidence. Felt like Maui all over again.

[77devil]

I think that K made some major adjustments to our defense that were aimed specifically at neutralizing Creighton's strengths.

Normally, K has Plumlee not only hedging on the high screen, but hedging HARD, pushing the opposing point guard away from the basket. In last night's game, there was a token hedge or no hedge at all. Rather, he had the team shut down the three ball. Our guys were all over them at and beyond the line.

I think he made some adjustments at halftime, as well. In the first half, Creighton's go-to was to establish McDermott on the low block. Once he got the ball there, he either scored or managed to get the foul call (and since he was a machine at the line, that was an automatic two points, as well). In the second half, they had a very hard time getting him the ball there. The defense seemed heavily involved in denying him the ball, and they kept him off the low post position almost the entire half.

Coach K deserves a lot of credit. Last night's game, with all the fouls, turned into a chess match between K and Coach McDermott, and Coach K got the checkmate. Did you notice the substitution patterns? The 2-for-1 at the end of the half? The in-game adjustments? The overall defensive adjustment that must've been made before the game even started? Notice that on the 2-for-1 at the end of the half he called a set play for Rasheed? Most coaches wouldn't have done that, especially when they have three seniors on the court. K went with the hot hand.

Everybody knows that Coach K is a great coach, but I think he gets short shrift for things like last night's game. A lot of people think K wins because of great recruiting and a good "system," or good motivation. All of that is true, but last night's game is an example of how K can also be an outstanding "X's and O's" type of "in-game" coach like Al McGuire or Rick Majerus. We are truly spoiled.

Excellent analysis. I wasn't able to give you sporks. We are indeed spoiled. When someone operates at such a high level over such a long period of time, excellence is often taken for granted. The mistakes are overly accentuated.

[fuse]

I got a little good natured ribbing on an earlier thread about comparing Thornton's game to Battier's, saying a more apt comparison was a mini-McClure instead of a mini-Battier.

Those that don't understand Tyler's value need to go back and watch the game again. I'm pretty sure that Tyler was in the game late because he was able to switch out front on McDermott and effectively guard him.

Wells Fargo bank was open for Tyler on that end of half three, and he hit some clutch shots, but it was Tyler's swarming defense that helped make the difference.

Major props to Amile, also- his length definitely also bothered McDermott.

I am not meaning to take anything away from the rest of the team- Suliamon was awesome, and as a team we survived a night where Mason and Ryan were not at their best.

Great game, survive and advance.

[jay]

I switched my bank to Wells Fargo on Friday. Seriously, I did.

All of you, and Tyler Thornton, are welcome. I'm quite sure that's what won the game (and set up that beautiful halftime bank shot) for Duke.

In lieu of money and medals, I will accept lavish praise in the form of pitchforks.

:P

[MChambers]

This game should really add to this team's confidence. Felt like Maui all over again.
Do you mean Bahamas 2012? Or do you mean Maui 2011, as in "we'll always have Maui", even though Miles and Austin are off to the NBA?

[Troublemaker]

From this article http://www.omaha.com/article/20130324/BLUEJAYS/703249832/1001#shatel-creighton-offense-puts-up-a-clunker-on-big-stage :

Give the Blue Devils and the great Coach K credit here. Their offense wasn’t much to look at it, but their defensive game plan was a thing of beauty.

“They did a great job defending us,” Wragge said. “They did an unbelievable job of switching every screen and the pick-and-pops. They were really in my grill. I swear, one time, I was three feet inbounds and they were all over me. I could hear them say, ‘Don’t let him catch it.’

“For a two-day prep, that’s pretty impressive."

[southgater]

I thought a big point in the game was about 4 minutes left when a Duke player took a charge. (Sorry, I actually didn't see who took it.) Creighton had a bit of momentum or at least hope then but the charge seemed to take the wind out of their sails. Anyone remember who took it?

Also, towards the end, last 4 min or so, when we had RK plus the 4 gaurds on the floor, I thought Tyler played exceptional D on McDermott, especially giving up as much size as he did to McD. The game could have easily slipped into the nailbiter column during this stretch, but McD couldn't seem to get any good shots against Tyler.

[Ichabod Drain]

From this article http://www.omaha.com/article/20130324/BLUEJAYS/703249832/1001#shatel-creighton-offense-puts-up-a-clunker-on-big-stage :

Give the Blue Devils and the great Coach K credit here. Their offense wasn’t much to look at it, but their defensive game plan was a thing of beauty.

“They did a great job defending us,” Wragge said. “They did an unbelievable job of switching every screen and the pick-and-pops. They were really in my grill. I swear, one time, I was three feet inbounds and they were all over me. I could hear them say, ‘Don’t let him catch it.’

“For a two-day prep, that’s pretty impressive."

This is awesome. Everyone has said how ugly a game it was, and for good reason, but i can't stress enough that we held the number one shooting team in the country (and number five in assists per game) to their lowest point total of the year. That is pretty amazing.

[ArtVandelay]

Likes:
1) Defense, obviously. Ryan for the most part did a great job staying with McDermott and forcing him to shoot over him. Amile did a GREAT job of forcing him away from the basket and catching the ball out on the perimeter, but not in shooting position. In retrospect, actually a great match-up for Amile -- McDermott is not so strong that he could have his way with Amile in the block, and Amile is quick and long enough to bother him. Sadly, I don't think the Sparty match-up will play to his strengths.

2) Rasheed looking for his mid-range jumper. When he drives it all the way, he tends to put his head down and try to finish through heavy traffic too often. But he has a nice mid-range game where if he gets by his man, he can get a clean look at a jumper and make it consistently. Like to see it.

3) Seth's sick step-back, between the legs move that literally knocked the Creighton defender on the floor. If only he'd made that one. And generally a big second half from Seth, making clutch shots and buckets.

Dislikes:

1) Quinn reverting back to Bad Quinn again at times. A few too many possessions where he resorted to a bad shot for himself or otherwise just was too passive. He controls the tempo nicely, but I'd like to see him try to create plays a bit more often to try to get easier shots.

2) Not getting Mason the ball enough. Good things happen when he touches the ball. Feed the big man! I know he had foul trouble, but sometimes we drifted away from him even when he was out there.

3) Ryan still sluggish offensively. Here's hoping he snaps out of it. We need him to knock down shots to draw the Sparty big men away from the paint.

[superdave]

Likes:Dislikes:

1) Quinn reverting back to Bad Quinn again at times. A few too many possessions where he resorted to a bad shot for himself or otherwise just was too passive. He controls the tempo nicely, but I'd like to see him try to create plays a bit more often to try to get easier shots.

2) Not getting Mason the ball enough. Good things happen when he touches the ball. Feed the big man! I know he had foul trouble, but sometimes we drifted away from him even when he was out there.

3) Ryan still sluggish offensively. Here's hoping he snaps out of it. We need him to knock down shots to draw the Sparty big men away from the paint.

We played well on offense when we forced Creighton to guard us for 25+ seconds. When we shot too early in the shot clock, it was typically forced and defended reasonably well. Quinn has to recognize that more, and force the team to be patient.

Mason was up against an elite defender in Echenique. The announcers kept pointing out that Mason could not move him off his position. Echenique is stout - 260lbs I think. But Mason is often successful in those situations in taking a hard dribble or two, attracting a second defender, then kicking out. Great play for this team's shooters.

As streaky as Ryan is, I think he may be due for a nice game or two. I suspect you get efficient Seth Friday night because he's rested, and you get a sweet shooting Ryan all next weekend. He's due. Hope we get both those guys clicking vs. Sparty and really jump on them early. One game at a time!

[Billy Dat]

Dislikes:

1) Quinn reverting back to Bad Quinn again at times. A few too many possessions where he resorted to a bad shot for himself or otherwise just was too passive. He controls the tempo nicely, but I'd like to see him try to create plays a bit more often to try to get easier shots.

2) Not getting Mason the ball enough. Good things happen when he touches the ball. Feed the big man! I know he had foul trouble, but sometimes we drifted away from him even when he was out there.

3) Ryan still sluggish offensively. Here's hoping he snaps out of it. We need him to knock down shots to draw the Sparty big men away from the paint.

I think you make some valid points, ones that I share in part, but they are balanced by the following:

-I thought that Quinn, especially in the second half, played a really solid game. In the first, I, too, wanted him to drive more and he put up one of his patented "floaters to nowhere". But, he really made the most of his second half minutes and finished with a nice 7 pts, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 turnover line, and very few energy wasting woofs, taunts or hands of his head. I love the way he has evolved and think he's going to be a really solid PG for us the next two years, and for the rest of this year. We didn't really need his scoring last night. Plus, I thought his on ball defense was really effective.

-Agree that Mase didn't get the ball inside enough, especially in the first half. We run so much side court hand-off screens, with Mason often involved as the screener, that it's just as much Seth and Kelly's responsibility to feed the post as it is Mason's. He does seem to prefer the catch and face action to the low block post. I was surprised he didn't try to out quick Echenique last night with those middle dribble sky hooks, he was mostly bull rushing the baseline with little success due to the Big E's bulk.

-As the early part of this season showed, we are actually ok when Ryan struggles to score because his passing has come a long way. As others have pointed out, he threw some real beauties last night for lay-ups. It would be nice to see him get going in the first half against MSU so that those bigs can't just bully Mason around under the hoop all night.

[mph]

-I am one of those people screaming for Mason to try and block shots. He did tonight, and fouled out. BUT, I think we can all agree that at least 3 of those fouls were extremely dumb, especially the two on Echenique when he was pinned below the rim. There has to be a happy medium, Mase.

The way we won this game made me feel more optimistic about our chances in this tournament. We had a lot of adversity and guys just stepped up and made big plays on both ends. Here's to win number 2,000 and bring on Sparty!!!

I agree that one of the more encouraging things about tonight's game was Mason contesting shots at the rim. Creighton missed quite a few layups but many of them were contested. Mason's help defense was substantially better than it was during the Maryland game. I also think our team defense was helped by Creighton's lack of a blow-by guard. Appling and Harris will be harder to keep out of the lane, so I'll be interested to see how our help defense looks when they penetrate.

All in all, I think this was one of our better wins of the season. We were never seriously threatened in the 2nd half of a game where our shots weren't falling and two of our most important players were in foul trouble.

[CDu]

I thought a big point in the game was about 4 minutes left when a Duke player took a charge. (Sorry, I actually didn't see who took it.) Creighton had a bit of momentum or at least hope then but the charge seemed to take the wind out of their sails. Anyone remember who took it?

When in doubt, assume it was Thornton. In this case, you'd be correct with such an assumption.


Also, towards the end, last 4 min or so, when we had RK plus the 4 gaurds on the floor, I thought Tyler played exceptional D on McDermott, especially giving up as much size as he did to McD. The game could have easily slipped into the nailbiter column during this stretch, but McD couldn't seem to get any good shots against Tyler.

It was a terrific defensive game from Thornton to go along with his two timely 3s. I thoroughly enjoyed his disruptive presence and his "one man zone" defense down the stretch - defending the perimeter passing lanes and barking defensive orders to his teammates.

It will be interesting to see how he's used against MSU on Friday. Will he guard Dawson? He's the one guard with the strength to fight with Dawson on box outs.

[DukieInBrasil]

I'd love to see the replay of that foul a couple more times because it appeared Mason got all ball to me. I was scared to death by Mason setting screens at the top of the key with four fouls. How many silly ones has he picked up doing that over his career?

There was the 4th foul when Mason was behind McD and THAT one looked like all ball. The 3rd foul was when Mason was guarding GE, had his hands up in the air in good defensive position, then slapped down at the ball, got some arm and then raised his arms up again as if he had never slapped at the ball. Mason was under the rim on that one, and was a pretty poor play on his part.
Otherwise, Mason had a pretty solid all around game, efficient shooting from the floor, decent FTs, 5 rebs, at least one assist, block and steal, all despite sitting on the bench quite a bit. It wasn't Mason's best game, but it was one of the better performances for a Duke player last night.

[Saratoga2]

We just beat a top 25 team with a 28/7 record decisively, in a rough and tumble game. That qualified us as a sweet sixteen team and a lot of good can be seen in the way the guys played.

1. I second those who noticed that Mason played more agressive defense and challenged shots instead of backing off. Even though he fouled out, his contribution during the game was obvious.

2. Ryan played well defensively and he also rebounded and made excellent passes to help the offense. Yes, his shooting remains off, but he has the opportunity to turn that around in the next game.

3. Rasheed used his size and/or quickness advantage over any of the Creighton guards. He really looked confident in his offense and flew around making it difficult for them to get three point shots.

4. Amile's contribution was noted by many here. His combination of size, length and athleticism really bothered McDermott. He made a case for his inclusion in the rotation when matchups are favorable. Having him as a 4th big man is a plus. Even when our foul trouble seemed dire, we all must remember that we had both Alex and MP3 available to come in and give minutes and hold the fort.

5. Tyler had an excellent game. When he avoids the chippy and gratuitous fouls he really can be a defensive force for the team. He was that last night and also gave us a big lift with the 2 3's.

6. Quinn had a steady game. He had been getting criticized for looking for his shot first. I didn't see a lot of that last night. I did see good defense and steady handling of the offense.

7. Seth looked off in the beginning for the game having trouble with both ball handling and shooting efficiency. It is difficult to know what causes a person to have these periods (his injury?) but to his credit, he did play through it and displayed his fine offensive game in the second half.

We were well coached and we can say positive things about 7 of our players. Has to be a good night and give us positive feelings going forward. What we will need are the following:

- continued agressive defense by Mason
- Improved shooting by Ryan. He knows the issue and will be working on it.
- confident play by Rasheed. Matchups may not allow him to go for 20, but he needs to take what they give him.
- Amile can offer some things both offensively and defensively and should see PT when matchups allow
- We need Tyler's effort and leadership in the game. To do that, he needs to play smart and avoid the chippy fouls that has been his problem.
- Quinn needs to control the ball on offense, make smart plays and get assists. We are not getting many points running, so he needs to concentrate on optimizing our half court game. I also want him to look for his baskets when he can penetrate. Become a threat at least so the opponent can't ignore guarding him.
- Seth just has to keep his stellar offensive game going. He is and continues to be one of the top offensive threats in the country. The only thing which can slow him down is his health or a dedicated big and quick defender. So far there have been few who could stop him.

On to the next game on a positive note.

[gus]

Likes:
1) Quinn reverting back to Bad Quinn again at times. A few too many possessions where he resorted to a bad shot for himself or otherwise just was too passive. He controls the tempo nicely, but I'd like to see him try to create plays a bit more often to try to get easier shots.

I can think of one shot in the first half that I imagine you're lumping into these. After walking the ball up court, Quinn took a three pointer over a defender very early in the shot clock after a little stutter step. He missed, and Creighton got the rebound.

What was interesting to me was that it came after an extended conversation with the bench while the ball was still in the back court. Quinn actually had his back to the front court.

I can't imagine Quinn was freelancing after that conversation, but I don't really know.

[Starter]

Quote of the night from Reggie

"Amare Stoudamire has a skills academy? What does he teach?"

And it kind of made Len sound stupid, among other things self-inflicted.

I'm sorry, but I thought that was a pretty pathetic line from a pretty pathetic broadcaster. It's easy to get down on Stoudemire now that his knees are (predictably) betraying him -- trust me, as a Knicks fan, I'd love to be able to amnesty him if they hadn't used that already -- but this is a guy who has spent the past decade as one of the unequivocal best offensive players in the game. And I mean, how is the fact that he can hit a midrange jump shot really a knock on his skills?

Now, his defense is another story, and always has been. Even Amar'e has acknowledged that. But far be it from Reggie to criticize him for that given his own propensity to flop around like a hooked fish on a boat.

Not to mention, if the Stoudemire Skills Academy is turning out players like Kelly and McDermott, well, a stay there sounds like a pretty sound investment to me.

**Disclaimer -- My adverse reaction here is at least in some part due to Miller messing with my adolescence in that damn eight points in 11 seconds game. I fully admit that. But Miller is also an abominable announcer, consistently unprepared, totally lame and with a lousy voice to boot. I'll take 10 Mike Patricks over one Reggie Miller.

**In terms of the game, I agree with those who thought Krzyzewski had a primarily brilliant defensive game plan. I didn't like Kelly being in the game to pick up his third foul while McDermott sat on the bench -- shades of Shelden Williams vs. UConn in '04, it gave me palpitations -- but aside from that, he pushed all the right buttons down the stretch. Amile Jefferson was a revelation. I thought he gave McDermott all sorts of problems with his ball denial and wingspan, and I hope they can find a place for his skill set against MSU even against stronger, more physical players.

[ArtVandelay]

I can think of one shot in the first half that I imagine you're lumping into these. After walking the ball up court, Quinn took a three pointer over a defender very early in the shot clock after a little stutter step. He missed, and Creighton got the rebound.

What was interesting to me was that it came after an extended conversation with the bench while the ball was still in the back court. Quinn actually had his back to the front court.

I can't imagine Quinn was freelancing after that conversation, but I don't really know.

After reading responses, it may be that I mis-remembered how often this happened. It seemed to me that it happened more than once. It might have been a small number close together such that it stuck out to me. I think the larger problem was that it felt like he was doing a lot of "hanging out" dribbling the ball around and not doing much play-making during some stretches.

[tele]

Can we have a whining moratorium until at least Wednesday?


OTOH, has anyone else noticed that Duke has beaten 4 of the other Sweet 16 teams?

Amazingly that includes Florida GC! Of course one of the 4 teams handed us our worst loss in a long time...OMG does that count as whining?

Kenpom has your whining efficiency at about 20%, others may know for sure, but my guess is that is probably below the board average.;)

[OldPhiKap]

Kenpom has your whining efficiency at about 20%, others may know for sure, but my guess is that is probably below the board average.;)

Hope for a good seed. ;>)

[DukeAlumBS]

Kenpom has your whining efficiency at about 20%, others may know for sure, but my guess is that is probably below the board average.;)

A very nice point. Stop moaning and groaning. And root for your team. And be thankful. And understand what the coach is doing. Kelly for instance, he did not score. He held the bigs to very low scoring ( 9 ) points! And was happy with this in my reading. That was his job yesterday.
Thank you very much.

Jim

[jjasper0729]

Anyone know if and where the post game interview videos can be found? wral has a 1 minute clip but I was looking for the full post game interview if it's available.

Thanks

[Native]

Anyone know if and where the post game interview videos can be found? wral has a 1 minute clip but I was looking for the full post game interview if it's available.

Thanks

GoDuke (http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=2011705&db_oem_id=4200) has it up.

[J.Blink]

Is there a reliable place to find a Bob Harris game broadcast online or mobile? I couldn't find that GoDuke carries (subscription) one live. I would love to mute the TV and listen to Bob instead.

The sad thing is that I live in Durham, but the only radio I have is in my car! The 620AM website doesn't stream the game; it replaces the broadcast with some other programming.

[jjasper0729]

GoDuke (http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=2011705&db_oem_id=4200) has it up.

Thanks

[oldnavy]

Is there a reliable place to find a Bob Harris game broadcast online or mobile? I couldn't find that GoDuke carries (subscription) one live. I would love to mute the TV and listen to Bob instead.

The sad thing is that I live in Durham, but the only radio I have is in my car! The 620AM website doesn't stream the game; it replaces the broadcast with some other programming.

The cheapest way would probably just by an inexpensive fm/am radio at radio shack or somewhere... I listen to the one on my alarm clock.

[dukelifer]

Is there a reliable place to find a Bob Harris game broadcast online or mobile? I couldn't find that GoDuke carries (subscription) one live. I would love to mute the TV and listen to Bob instead.

The sad thing is that I live in Durham, but the only radio I have is in my car! The 620AM website doesn't stream the game; it replaces the broadcast with some other programming.

I have not checked it during the tourney but if you have the tunein radio app - you can get WCCG 104.5. They usually carry the Duke game.

Fayetteville, North Carolina's 1st Choice For Hip Hop and R&B.

They have a webpage and a player- so you may be able to do it from a computer

[NSDukeFan]

Quote of the night from Reggie

"Amare Stoudamire has a skills academy? What does he teach?"

And it kind of made Len sound stupid, among other things self-inflicted.
Agree with others. That was a great line. I kind of like having Reggie doing the games. I don't have strong feelings about his announcing, but I think he makes some good points.

Go read the in-game thread and then think about why he said it. :)
I stopped reading the in-game threads awhile ago. I realize there are some good posts in there, but I don't enjoy destructive criticism.

He managed to nearly rip off McDermott's arm on that breakaway and there was no whistle...that's when I knew the game was in the bag. :p
It would have been nice for him to have had some of that leeway vs. UVA, one of the few games that Thornton didn't get his money's worth from his fouls.


...
I think that we really need to give a LOT of credit to K and the coaching staff for a great scouting effort and excellent gameplan. ...
I was very impressed that the one of the best, if not the best, shooting teams in the country was not getting very many open looks from three. I thought that was a big key to the victory. Great work by coach K and the staff. And nice analysis of it by rsvman in his post.

And, of course, a very solid, workmanlike game by TT, as always! That banked three at the halftime buzzer was HUGE for momentum. And Rasheed was just unguardable at times.
The banked three made me think of Williams hitting the late three for Arizona in '11. I took it as a good omen for Duke in the second half. Of course, I thought the extra 3 points might come in handy as well. Rasheed was a tough match-up for them as it didn't appear they had anyone who could keep him in front of them.


On the TT shot and Duke play in the last minute of the first half, I love that K has apparently learned from the pro's on the USA team about going 2-for-1 possessions in the last minute of the halves. It played out perfect tonight. With the ball at the one-minute mark, Duke will always try to shoot between about the 42-second and 55-second marks. It ensures another possession. :D

Once we got into all of that second half foul trouble, I really felt that the Creighton coach missed a huge opportunity when he took Echinique out for long stretches. We had no big bodies there to keep banging with him, with Josh fouling out early and RK and MP2 walking on egg-shells... Thank goodness MP2 didn't get whistled for running into the guard with about 7 minutes left and coming out, on Offense, to set a pick out past the arc. Coulda been disastrous!!

...
This is about as relieved as I've felt after a big game in a long while. Great TEAM win tonight. :D
I also like the way Duke executes at the end of halves and it paid off in this game. I was also glad to see Echenique out when Mason and Ryan sat as Duke was going to have a tough time matching up with him, though maybe McDermott (coach) was wondering who Echenique would guard.
I agree I was also nervous in this one with the foul trouble, but I started feeling better when I was watching the team get stop after stop with hard nosed tough defense. I thought the team played extremely tough against Creighton and that makes me believe this team has what it takes to beat a tough team like MSU.


I agree that there's a line between "having concerns" and "being whiny". There are absolutely reasons to have concerns about this team - we're bot particularly deep, our defense has been shakey at times, we don't rebound well, there are opposing teams who present unfavorable matchups, and so forth. But when:






All appear on a single page in the Albany thread - a game that we led for all 40 minutes and won easily - I think that line has been crossed. Almost every post on that page was negative. It is entirely valid to say that sort of thing was an overreaction.

I think you highlighted this point very well.


That was a sensational win.

Our defense was stellar. Beyond stellar. There aren't really good words for the defensive job our guys did last night. 16 of 53. That's what they did to a GREAT shooting team. 2 of 19 from behind the arc for a team that averages 9 made 3s per game. Neither of those shooting numbers was an accident. Both of those numbers are evidence of our coaching staff identifying perfectly what Creighton does as an offense, implementing a great defensive game plan for shutting it down, and our guys executing it very, very well.

And all that while Plumlee and Kelly were absolutely saddled with foul trouble, and both of them on some ricky-tack fouls. Amile came in and did a wonderful job providing minutes defending McDermott. Hairston wasn't as effective or efficient as Amile on defense, but his contribution was important to keeping McDermott in check. For awhile in the 2nd half, we even had Kelly and Plumlee on the bench at the same time with a front line of Amile and Josh...and we maintained the lead. To me, that stretch, where we were able to maintain a double digit lead with Kelly and Plumlee on the bench, decided the game.

Great job all around. Our perimeter guys shut down their 3 point shooters, our four headed monster of Mase, Ryan, Amile, and Josh (plus a little bit of Tyler) kept McDermott off balance and frustrated all night. And our guys, mainly Rasheed and Seth, found ways to score enough to take advantage of the one-hitter our defense was pitching.

On to Michigan State, but I'm going to take today to savor what our guys did last night. They got a test from Creighton (and some whistle-happy refs) and passed it with flying colors.

I agree that was a fantastic defensive effort against a very good offensive team. I was also very happy with the contribution made by Amile when he was called upon. Every time we got a stop with Kelly and Mason on the bench I got more and more excited. This is definitely another win this year worth savoring.

I also really enjoyed watching McDermott play. He has very quick feet on his cuts and is always looking for an edge position-wise. I thought he got the benefit of the doubt on a few calls where he gave better than he got (e.g. pushing Amile all the way from the 3-point line to the middle of the key where Amile got called for a hold), but he plays tough, positions himself well, cuts hard and just seemed like a very smart player. I enjoyed his play much more since Duke won.

[moonpie23]

Is there a reliable place to find a Bob Harris game broadcast online or mobile? I couldn't find that GoDuke carries (subscription) one live. I would love to mute the TV and listen to Bob instead.

The sad thing is that I live in Durham, but the only radio I have is in my car! The 620AM website doesn't stream the game; it replaces the broadcast with some other programming.

it's irritating that the radio station can't stream the game..... :(

when i'm traveling out of the area, i've been known to have my wife put the phone beside the radio at home and call me so i can listen over the phone while watching the slinbox.....

[Mal]

I kind of like having Reggie doing the games. I don't have strong feelings about his announcing, but I think he makes some good points.

I agree. In addition to the comments every else has noted, he didn't let some of the dumb argumentative crap from Elmore go unchallenged or unmocked. Like when he pointed out that his simple statement that Duke has "arguably" the best incoming freshman in the country next year in Parker was a perfectly accurate statement, since he hedged with the word "arguably" in order to satisfy dweebs who would want to argue over who the top recruit is when that's not the freaking point, Len. Maybe that comes from being a Hall of Fame player. Reggie seemed to have the self-confidence to call out Elmore for being a pompous you-know-what on national TV because he has nothing to lose.

I kept waiting for him to say "Lighten up, Francis."

He also immediately noticed, and noted several times, the impact Jefferson was having on the game.

[roywhite]

He also immediately noticed, and noted several times, the impact Jefferson was having on the game.

Not to get off on a tangent here, but.....wouldn't mind seeing more of Amile, even if it cost Josh a few minutes.
I guess there may be a consideration that Michigan State has too much muscle for him at this point, but I really like Amile's defense and ability to finish near the basket.

[oldnavy]

Not to get off on a tangent here, but.....wouldn't mind seeing more of Amile, even if it cost Josh a few minutes.
I guess there may be a consideration that Michigan State has too much muscle for him at this point, but I really like Amile's defense and ability to finish near the basket.

Not to mention his nack for grabbing boards.... I really look forward to seeing his game develop as he matures.

[_Gary]

Completely agree about Amile. I know Josh brings more experience and beef (something that will likely be needed against MSU), but I love Jefferson's knack for the ball, especially offensive rebounds (already said, I know, but I really do agree). Hopefully this past game does something positive for him in terms of potential minutes going forward in this tournament.

[DukieInBrasil]

Not to get off on a tangent here, but.....wouldn't mind seeing more of Amile, even if it cost Josh a few minutes.
I guess there may be a consideration that Michigan State has too much muscle for him at this point, but I really like Amile's defense and ability to finish near the basket.

This point was put in stark contrast in the first two games of the NCAAT. In the 1st game, Josh received a nifty, no-look over-the-shoulder pass from Mason with an unobstructed path to the basket, took a step and launched and got emphatically stuffed below the rim. In the 2nd game Josh received a pass under the basket wide-open and couldn't handle it properly and traveled. Josh also bricked a pair of his patented line-drive not-quite-long-enough-to-be-a-3 pointers. Also in the 2nd game, Amile received a pass with 2 defenders in his area, bobbled it a bit, went up for a contested shot and found a good angle for a difficult lay-up for the score, something Josh has not shown the knack for. Willingly passing the ball to Josh on offense is our lowest efficiency play, and in the NCAAT it needs to be a play that is avoided at all times. Josh grabbing some Oboards and getting some tip shots is the only type of offense we should be looking for from him.

Although Josh grabbed 5 boards vs. Creighton, which came in only 11 minutes (an absurdly high rate for him), it seems like more good things happen when Amile is playing. Both Amile and Josh grabbed 1 Oboard. Amile also blocks shots at a much higher rate than Josh, so he brings something on D that Josh doesn't. Now, Josh has taken more charges than anybody else, but he also gets a lot of blocking fouls trying to draw charges, so that might very well be a wash.

I like the way Amile plays and i like the way he changes the energy of the game. Perhaps MSU won't be a great match up for AJ since they are quite hefty, but AJ has shown consistently that he is lithe and agile and can go get rebounds and loose balls and blocks even though he can't muscle his way to them. He also expands our offensive options when he's in.

[Andre Buckner Fan]

Kenpom has your whining efficiency at about 20%, others may know for sure, but my guess is that is probably below the board average.;)

Everyone else may be happy with their team underperforming, but I can't help but point out that none of our players grew wings and flew around the court. They not only haven't done this during the Creighton game, but they haven't done this all season. I remember back in the day when Laettner used to grow swan wings soar above the opposition and never miss a shot or ever make a mistake.

I'm sorry mods and other folks, but the hard truth is, we'll never win another game until our boys learn to fly. And it is because am a true fan that I have to post this.

[davekay1971]

Everyone else may be happy with their team underperforming, but I can't help but point out that none of our players grew wings and flew around the court. They not only haven't done this during the Creighton game, but they haven't done this all season. I remember back in the day when Laettner used to grow swan wings soar above the opposition and never miss a shot or ever make a mistake.

I'm sorry mods and other folks, but the hard truth is, we'll never win another game until our boys learn to fly. And it is because am a true fan that I have to post this.

We were just better back then. I remember the game, his senior year, where Grant had 42 points on 14 shot attempts, 14 assists, 18 boards, 5 steals, 8 blocked shots, and sang the National Anthem before the game...on key, while playing the piano accompaniment. Whitney Houston was in attendance that day and said, "Wow, I wish I could sing the National Anthem that well."

I gotta go shoo some kids off my lawn...

[hurleyfor3]

Everyone else may be happy with their team underperforming, but I can't help but point out that none of our players grew wings and flew around the court. They not only haven't done this during the Creighton game, but they haven't done this all season. I remember back in the day when Laettner used to grow swan wings soar above the opposition and never miss a shot or ever make a mistake.

I'm sorry mods and other folks, but the hard truth is, we'll never win another game until our boys learn to fly. And it is because am a true fan that I have to post this.

I completely agree, we need more alicorns.

[ncexnyc]

This point was put in stark contrast in the first two games of the NCAAT. In the 1st game, Josh received a nifty, no-look over-the-shoulder pass from Mason with an unobstructed path to the basket, took a step and launched and got emphatically stuffed below the rim. In the 2nd game Josh received a pass under the basket wide-open and couldn't handle it properly and traveled. Josh also bricked a pair of his patented line-drive not-quite-long-enough-to-be-a-3 pointers. Also in the 2nd game, Amile received a pass with 2 defenders in his area, bobbled it a bit, went up for a contested shot and found a good angle for a difficult lay-up for the score, something Josh has not shown the knack for. Willingly passing the ball to Josh on offense is our lowest efficiency play, and in the NCAAT it needs to be a play that is avoided at all times. Josh grabbing some Oboards and getting some tip shots is the only type of offense we should be looking for from him.

Although Josh grabbed 5 boards vs. Creighton, which came in only 11 minutes (an absurdly high rate for him), it seems like more good things happen when Amile is playing. Both Amile and Josh grabbed 1 Oboard. Amile also blocks shots at a much higher rate than Josh, so he brings something on D that Josh doesn't. Now, Josh has taken more charges than anybody else, but he also gets a lot of blocking fouls trying to draw charges, so that might very well be a wash.

I like the way Amile plays and i like the way he changes the energy of the game. Perhaps MSU won't be a great match up for AJ since they are quite hefty, but AJ has shown consistently that he is lithe and agile and can go get rebounds and loose balls and blocks even though he can't muscle his way to them. He also expands our offensive options when he's in.

When you say, "we", which we are you talking about? Is it we the fans or is it we the Duke team? If it's we the fans, then you're probably right, but if it's the team then you're wrong. Josh has been given the green light to take that shot and despite it's ugly appearance I'd much rather him take this shot when it's in the flow of the offense than for him to pass on the shot and try to reset the offense, especially with the shot clock running down.

I agree with you that Amile is A LOT smoother around the rim, but I hate seeing him get the ball wide open for a short jumper only to see him turn his back to the basket and look to reset the offense because he won't take the jumper. At some point in time he's going to have to make that shot during his stay at Duke.

[juise]

... I'd much rather him take this shot when it's in the flow of the offense than for him to pass on the shot and try to reset the offense, especially with the shot clock running down.

I love Josh's effort, but frankly, I'd rather see Seth or Rasheed take a long, off-balance jumper than endure another one of Josh's 17-footers. Beyond the increased percent chance of going in, those shots seems to have a better chance of resulting in offensive rebounds... especially with Josh becoming a possible rebounder (versus one of the guards standing on the perimeter).

Obviously, reasonable minds can differ... and have frequently... on this point. I will make this my one post on the subject and then forever keep my peace (except to my former Duke roommate when we send angry texts after witnessing the shot in question).

[Sluggo]

Everyone else may be happy with their team underperforming, but I can't help but point out that none of our players grew wings and flew around the court. They not only haven't done this during the Creighton game, but they haven't done this all season. I remember back in the day when Laettner used to grow swan wings soar above the opposition and never miss a shot or ever make a mistake.

I'm sorry mods and other folks, but the hard truth is, we'll never win another game until our boys learn to fly. And it is because am a true fan that I have to post this.

Hi folks, this is my first post....I am a Duke fan of 25+ years from North Dakota. I think Andre B. touches on something I have thought all season and seems to be more evident now. This team lacks a true leader and is why you never know what you are going to get from game to game. I think Cook will be a leader next year but is not quite there, Curry and Kelly are too subdued and Mason, well rather than say something mean, I will just not say anything at all about ole Mason. On any given night, any one of 5 or 6 guys can step up and be the man but we don't have a Kraft, Larkin, Scheyer, Nolan Smith, etc. kinda guy that leads the team every night. So the game starts and everybody looks around to see who is going to take control for the night and when that doesn't happen, we have a "flat" night. Occassionally the stars align and everyone is on and we whip UNC, which always brings me great joy, but it's a very happen chance situation.

[NashvilleDevil]

Hi folks, this is my first post....I am a Duke fan of 25+ years from North Dakota. I think Andre B. touches on something I have thought all season and seems to be more evident now. This team lacks a true leader and is why you never know what you are going to get from game to game. I think Cook will be a leader next year but is not quite there, Curry and Kelly are too subdued and Mason, well rather than say something mean, I will just not say anything at all about ole Mason. On any given night, any one of 5 or 6 guys can step up and be the man but we don't have a Kraft, Larkin, Scheyer, Nolan Smith, etc. kinda guy that leads the team every night. So the game starts and everybody looks around to see who is going to take control for the night and when that doesn't happen, we have a "flat" night. Occassionally the stars align and everyone is on and we whip UNC, which always brings me great joy, but it's a very happen chance situation.

I think the leader of this team is Tyler. He just doesn't put up the scoring numbers. He does all the little things and I know good things will happen when he's on the floor.

[dukelifer]

We were just better back then. I remember the game, his senior year, where Grant had 42 points on 14 shot attempts, 14 assists, 18 boards, 5 steals, 8 blocked shots, and sang the National Anthem before the game...on key, while playing the piano accompaniment. Whitney Houston was in attendance that day and said, "Wow, I wish I could sing the National Anthem that well."

I gotta go shoo some kids off my lawn...

Remember when our walk-ons would outplay future NBA all stars? If he were playing today, Patrick Davidson would likely be ACC player of the year.

[pfrduke]

Hi folks, this is my first post....I am a Duke fan of 25+ years from North Dakota. I think Andre B. touches on something I have thought all season and seems to be more evident now. This team lacks a true leader and is why you never know what you are going to get from game to game. I think Cook will be a leader next year but is not quite there, Curry and Kelly are too subdued and Mason, well rather than say something mean, I will just not say anything at all about ole Mason. On any given night, any one of 5 or 6 guys can step up and be the man but we don't have a Kraft, Larkin, Scheyer, Nolan Smith, etc. kinda guy that leads the team every night. So the game starts and everybody looks around to see who is going to take control for the night and when that doesn't happen, we have a "flat" night. Occassionally the stars align and everyone is on and we whip UNC, which always brings me great joy, but it's a very happen chance situation.

I'm not sure you read his post correctly. Also, none of Kraft (sic.), Larkin, Scheyer, or Nolan have wings either. So I'm not sure those examples help.

[pfrduke]

Everyone else may be happy with their team underperforming, but I can't help but point out that none of our players grew wings and flew around the court. They not only haven't done this during the Creighton game, but they haven't done this all season. I remember back in the day when Laettner used to grow swan wings soar above the opposition and never miss a shot or ever make a mistake.

I'm sorry mods and other folks, but the hard truth is, we'll never win another game until our boys learn to fly. And it is because am a true fan that I have to post this.


Hi folks, this is my first post....I am a Duke fan of 25+ years from North Dakota. I think Andre B. touches on something I have thought all season and seems to be more evident now. This team lacks a true leader and is why you never know what you are going to get from game to game. I think Cook will be a leader next year but is not quite there, Curry and Kelly are too subdued and Mason, well rather than say something mean, I will just not say anything at all about ole Mason. On any given night, any one of 5 or 6 guys can step up and be the man but we don't have a Kraft, Larkin, Scheyer, Nolan Smith, etc. kinda guy that leads the team every night. So the game starts and everybody looks around to see who is going to take control for the night and when that doesn't happen, we have a "flat" night. Occassionally the stars align and everyone is on and we whip UNC, which always brings me great joy, but it's a very happen chance situation.

Seriously, this might be my favorite sequence of posts on this board.

[Newton_14]

Hi folks, this is my first post....I am a Duke fan of 25+ years from North Dakota. I think Andre B. touches on something I have thought all season and seems to be more evident now. This team lacks a true leader and is why you never know what you are going to get from game to game. I think Cook will be a leader next year but is not quite there, Curry and Kelly are too subdued and Mason, well rather than say something mean, I will just not say anything at all about ole Mason. On any given night, any one of 5 or 6 guys can step up and be the man but we don't have a Kraft, Larkin, Scheyer, Nolan Smith, etc. kinda guy that leads the team every night. So the game starts and everybody looks around to see who is going to take control for the night and when that doesn't happen, we have a "flat" night. Occassionally the stars align and everyone is on and we whip UNC, which always brings me great joy, but it's a very happen chance situation.

Yeah, like only 29 times this year. Very happen chance indeed. ;)

The guys won a war against a really good, top 20 team last night. The 3 Seniors are all good leaders, as is Tyler. Being different does not make one less effective as a leader. Mason has had a helluva year and I am sorry if you can't see that. Can't see how anyone can't respect his accomplishments this year, with no viable backup at all. We have one center. He has played 39-40 mpg practically all year and in just about every big game never left the floor. He and Seth carried this team all year, especially when Ryan went down.

Just listened to the entire post game presser and K had high praise for the maturity and leadership and "Communication" by the 3 seniors and Tyler last night and the good communication of the entire team on defense. He noted that Tyler were both great communicators on the floor last night, and when asked why the defense is obviously so much better with Ryan, K stated that 1. Ryan is great at defending his position, and 2. Ryan is great at "Communicating". So we do have two very vocal leaders in those two guys. Mason and Seth are quiet by nature (as was Singler) but have also led the team. Rasheed spoke about how the Seniors have led the way all season and he and the other underclassmen follow their lead. That's why they are 29-5 and still playing and 20-1 with Ryan. Had he not missed the 13 games they would likely be sitting at only 2 or at worst 3 losses, and a 1 seed.

On another note, Mike Decourcy was on local radio today and raved about the Duke defense last night. He said it was the best of the year by a long shot and was very impressive. He said that Cincy was a really good defensive team that could not stop Creighton, yet Duke held McDermott without a FG for the entire 2nd Half, and held their best 3 point shooter (Kraffe?) without a single 3 point attempt! He said he liked Duke in the match up with Sparty on Friday.

I said it earlier, but it bears repeating just how good the defense was last night, especially by the perimeter guys. Tyler was great but the other perimeter guys stayed in front of penetrators, fought through screens, disruptive Creighton's offensive sets, and closed out on shooters better than any Duke team in some time. Just a great defensive performance.

[devildeac]

Yeah, like only 29 times this year. Very happen chance indeed. ;)

The guys won a war against a really good, top 20 team last night. The 3 Seniors are all good leaders, as is Tyler. Being different does not make one less effective as a leader. Mason has had a helluva year and I am sorry if you can't see that. Can't see how anyone can't respect his accomplishments this year, with no viable backup at all. We have one center. He has played 39-40 mpg practically all year and in just about every big game never left the floor. He and Seth carried this team all year, especially when Ryan went down.

Just listened to the entire post game presser and K had high praise for the maturity and leadership and "Communication" by the 3 seniors and Tyler last night and the good communication of the entire team on defense. He noted that Tyler were both great communicators on the floor last night, and when asked why the defense is obviously so much better with Ryan, K stated that 1. Ryan is great at defending his position, and 2. Ryan is great at "Communicating". So we do have two very vocal leaders in those two guys. Mason and Seth are quiet by nature (as was Singler) but have also led the team. Rasheed spoke about how the Seniors have led the way all season and he and the other underclassmen follow their lead. That's why they are 29-5 and still playing and 20-1 with Ryan. Had he not missed the 13 games they would likely be sitting at only 2 or at worst 3 losses, and a 1 seed.

On another note, Mike Decourcy was on local radio today and raved about the Duke defense last night. He said it was the best of the year by a long shot and was very impressive. He said that Cincy was a really good defensive team that could not stop Creighton, yet Duke held McDermott without a FG for the entire 2nd Half, and held their best 3 point shooter (Kraffe?) without a single 3 point attempt! He said he liked Duke in the match up with Sparty on Friday.

I said it earlier, but it bears repeating just how good the defense was last night, especially by the perimeter guys. Tyler was great but the other perimeter guys stayed in front of penetrators, fought through screens, disruptive Creighton's offensive sets, and closed out on shooters better than any Duke team in some time. Just a great defensive performance.

This, along with all the other posts/interviews/articles here and in the media, harkens back to 1980 when Tom Butters hired K. One of his main reasons for the hire was the emphasis K placed on defense. I'll never find the quote from one of K's books, but it goes something like this: "Some nights we are going to shoot about 35%. I want to be able to win those games." Last night was one of those games. Highly impressive performance on the defensive end of the floor with a huge amount of foul trouble on our frontcourt. Masterful coaching from the sidelines, too. Excellent win.

[Sluggo]

I can see that there are not many of you that agree with my lack of leadership hypothesis. I have watched nearly every Duke game over the last 2 decades and I cannot remember another team that can come out so hot one night (see UNC game) and luke warm or downright cold (see Maryland games) another night. Am I the only one that feels that way? If so, maybe it is just me. On another note, I enjoyed reading all your posts leading up to the Creighton game, although I have to admit that, not seeing Creighton play this year, that you all had me way more worried than I probably would have normally been. Five minutes into the game I felt alot better as I didn't get the sense that we were over-matched.

[weezie]

I don't recognize whatever game some of our members are talking about but I was actually at the creighton game last night. Mason was a monster under the basket, sure he had to step aside on drives with four fouls on his back but he was extremely fluid otherwise. Tyler was locked in and drove his man nuts! Jefferson came in and could have won 6th man award for that game alone, his spark gave the team a settling down.

This team has three senior men who are leaving every darned bit of themselves on each court they play on. Mason has been a target all year and he's worn it well, along with the 2-3 defenders that drape themselves on him courtesy of refs who feel that's okey dokey. Seth is gutting every play, every shot out and as the competition has sped up, so has he and on a bum leg! Ryan is actually the floor commander now, he's got wonderful vision, nine games in a boot folks!!!!

K coached it like a symphony. It was a fine warm up for this coming weekend.

Let's GO DEVILS!!!!

[Sluggo]

I don't recognize whatever game some of our members are talking about but I was actually at the creighton game last night. Mason was a monster under the basket, sure he had to step aside on drives with four fouls on his back but he was extremely fluid otherwise. Tyler was locked in and drove his man nuts! Jefferson came in and could have won 6th man award for that game alone, his spark gave the team a settling down.

This team has three senior men who are leaving every darned bit of themselves on each court they play on. Mason has been a target all year and he's worn it well, along with the 2-3 defenders that drape themselves on him courtesy of refs who feel that's okey dokey. Seth is gutting every play, every shot out and as the competition has sped up, so has he and on a bum leg! Ryan is actually the floor commander now, he's got wonderful vision, nine games in a boot folks!!!!

K coached it like a symphony. It was a fine warm up for this coming weekend.

Let's GO DEVILS!!!!

I'm so jealous of you being able to attend the game. Did the foul calls look as bad in person as they did on TV? What was the buzz in the stands regarding the fouls?

[bigfan]

I attended the game in Philly. Duke fans were complaining and booing the refs. A lot of people shouting that the refs needed to swallow the whistles, not to mention the ticky tacky fouls and letting McDermott get away with other fouls (like the one on Jefferson).

[Kedsy]

I'm so jealous of you being able to attend the game. Did the foul calls look as bad in person as they did on TV? What was the buzz in the stands regarding the fouls?

The game was one of the tightest called games I have ever seen. Having said that, and while I didn't have the best seat in the house, to me it looked like there was some contact on all or at least almost all of the calls. You can argue about whether or not the refs should have let some contact go (and obviously they did let a couple things go), but it's hard to convincingly argue the fouls they called didn't involve contact. It was a very physical game.

[CDu]

The game was one of the tightest called games I have ever seen. Having said that, and while I didn't have the best seat in the house, to me it looked like there was some contact on all or at least almost all of the calls. You can argue about whether or not the refs should have let some contact go (and obviously they did let a couple things go), but it's hard to convincingly argue the fouls they called didn't involve contact. It was a very physical game.

Yeah, from the TV viewpoint, I didn't see many calls made in which no foul was committed (maybe one of Mason's fouls and Hairston's 5th foul). I think the issue is more that they were very inconsistent. They'd let some fairly blatant stuff go at times and then call some touch fouls at others.

In a vacuum, I don't think many if any of the calls were bad calls. It's just relative to what else was being allowed that some of the calls seemed suspect.

[ice-9]

I stopped reading the in-game threads awhile ago. I realize there are some good posts in there, but I don't enjoy destructive criticism.

I sometimes like to read it *after* the game...I can read the negative posts in total peace already knowing the outcome. It can be quite interesting to read people's ups and downs...entertaining even!

[UrinalCake]

I love Josh's effort, but frankly, I'd rather see Seth or Rasheed take a long, off-balance jumper than endure another one of Josh's 17-footers.

All else being equal, sure, but defenses know this and so they are going to double off of Josh or Amile every chance they get. So the real question is, would you rather josh take a wide open 17-footer with five seconds left on the shot clock, or Seth take a 25 footer with two guys in his face with one second on the clock?

Also, with regards to Mason getting "pushed out" by Echenique, I think this was more a function of our guards' ability to feed him the ball. I'd see him establish good position inside but we couldn't get him the ball, so then he'd step farther out and receive a pass. I don't think he was being outmuscled. Unfortunately this is not something that is likely to change in the next three days as it has been a consistent problem for at least two years.

I think we have a great chance at moving on past Friday. Can't wait!

[NSDukeFan]

All else being equal, sure, but defenses know this and so they are going to double off of Josh or Amile every chance they get. So the real question is, would you rather josh take a wide open 17-footer with five seconds left on the shot clock, or Seth take a 25 footer with two guys in his face with one second on the clock?...


I am a Josh defender and have no problem with him taking the open 17-footer, though I would have expected him to hit a few more of them. But...I don't know, if Seth is anywhere near hot, I think I like him taking the 25 footer with two guys in his face. Most of the time, in my mind, if Seth can get his shot off, it's a good shot.

[Jderf]

All else being equal, sure, but defenses know this and so they are going to double off of Josh or Amile every chance they get. So the real question is, would you rather josh take a wide open 17-footer with five seconds left on the shot clock, or Seth take a 25 footer with two guys in his face with one second on the clock?

If that was how it happened most of the time, I would be fine with Josh taking that shot. But I feel like the vast majority of the time that Josh takes the long jumper, it is with a healthy 15-20 seconds left on the clock. That's not a good look -- at least not when the person taking the shot has been making it somewhere around 25% on the year (my guess).


I am a Josh defender and have no problem with him taking the open 17-footer, though I would have expected him to hit a few more of them.

I'd agree if we were in November, but it's March now and Josh has not been hitting that shot very successfully at all this season. I'm sure he makes them in practice, but for some reason or another he can't seem to connect at a decent clip under the bright lights. He seems almost panicked when he takes it, as if he just wants to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible before something bad happens. For anything other than a desperation shot at the buzzer, I think we can get a better look nine times out of ten.

[juise]

All else being equal, sure, but defenses know this and so they are going to double off of Josh or Amile every chance they get. So the real question is, would you rather josh take a wide open 17-footer with five seconds left on the shot clock, or Seth take a 25 footer with two guys in his face with one second on the clock?

Well, both shots are low percentage (we can disagree about which is lower - I would argue Josh's), but if the defense is doubling Seth, I like our chances of getting the offensive rebound better that I do if our PF is shooting a long line-drive.

[UrinalCake]

For anything other than a desperation shot at the buzzer, I think we can get a better look nine times out of ten.

Not trying to be a smartass here, but if we get a better shot nine times out of ten then that means he shoots one time out of ten. Over the course of a game that's probably 3-5 shots.

I'm not saying that Josh's jumper should be our first option. It should probably be our fifth option. But that still means it's an option. When the defense is specifically geared to leaving him open, then sometimes it winds up being the best shot. I do agree that he shouldn't be taking it with 20 seconds left on the clock. In my head I was thinking about the one time I can recall him shooting it this past game, which came with under 10 seconds if my cloudy memory serves correctly.

[Jderf]

Not trying to be a smartass here, but if we get a better shot nine times out of ten then that means he shoots one time out of ten. Over the course of a game that's probably 3-5 shots.

I see what you're saying here, but 3-5 shots is actually a lot, especially for a player like Josh. Right now, on the season, he's only averaging just over 2 shots per game. And I'd bet (or hope) that well over half of those are layups and putbacks. If Josh took 3-5 18-footers every game, I think I might have an aneurysm.

(And of course, nine out of ten was not meant to be a hard statistical threshold, just a figure of speech.)


I'm not saying that Josh's jumper should be our first option. It should probably be our fifth option. But that still means it's an option. When the defense is specifically geared to leaving him open, then sometimes it winds up being the best shot. I do agree that he shouldn't be taking it with 20 seconds left on the clock. In my head I was thinking about the one time I can recall him shooting it this past game, which came with under 10 seconds if my cloudy memory serves correctly.

Although fifth is probably very generous, I agree that it's an option. Just like Tyler putting up a 30-foot bank shot at halftime is an option. But it should never be an option by design. When all else fails, sure. Let it fly. But never when there are still double-digits left on the shot clock. Whenever I see Josh take that shot for anything but a desperation heave, I can't help but cringe.

I think Josh can (and does) find better ways to help this team.

[ncexnyc]

The should Josh shoot debate reminds me of the should Tyler be playing debate. In the past (freshman or sophomore year) if Josh put up a poor shot he got the quick hook. This year Coach K seems quite alright with Josh taking these shots. If this is good with Coach K then why are we questioning it? I think we all agree that we'd prefer someone else taking the shot, but when these shots come in the flow of the offense then I don't like the idea of trying to reset everything.

[Rich]

The should Josh shoot debate reminds me of the should Tyler be playing debate. In the past (freshman or sophomore year) if Josh put up a poor shot he got the quick hook. This year Coach K seems quite alright with Josh taking these shots. If this is good with Coach K then why are we questioning it? I think we all agree that we'd prefer someone else taking the shot, but when these shots come in the flow of the offense then I don't like the idea of trying to reset everything.

It's kismet. There will be a point this season when Josh takes that shot at a big point in a big game and hits it. Mark my words.

[killerleft]

I see what you're saying here, but 3-5 shots is actually a lot, especially for a player like Josh. Right now, on the season, he's only averaging just over 2 shots per game. And I'd bet (or hope) that well over half of those are layups and putbacks. If Josh took 3-5 18-footers every game, I think I might have an aneurysm.

(And of course, nine out of ten was not meant to be a hard statistical threshold, just a figure of speech.)



Although fifth is probably very generous, I agree that it's an option. Just like Tyler putting up a 30-foot bank shot at halftime is an option. But it should never be an option by design. When all else fails, sure. Let it fly. But never when there are still double-digits left on the shot clock. Whenever I see Josh take that shot for anything but a desperation heave, I can't help but cringe.

I think Josh can (and does) find better ways to help this team.

I've figured that when Josh shoots, it's because we actually want the other team to cover five players and not four. If he never shoots, he won't be covered.

[Kedsy]

The should Josh shoot debate reminds me of the should Tyler be playing debate. In the past (freshman or sophomore year) if Josh put up a poor shot he got the quick hook. This year Coach K seems quite alright with Josh taking these shots. If this is good with Coach K then why are we questioning it? I think we all agree that we'd prefer someone else taking the shot, but when these shots come in the flow of the offense then I don't like the idea of trying to reset everything.

While I mostly agree with you (in that if Coach K is OK with it than we should probably be OK with it too), I don't know how often Josh's shots are in the actual flow of the offense. It seems to me he gets the ball and nobody's guarding him so he puts up the shot. Pretty much every time he touches it inside the three-point arc on offense he shoots. That's not so much "flow" as it is "hey, I'm open."

[Kedsy]

I've figured that when Josh shoots, it's because we actually want the other team to cover five players and not four. If he never shoots, he won't be covered.

He's never covered anyway, so if that's the goal it's not working.

[Dukeface88]

The should Josh shoot debate reminds me of the should Tyler be playing debate. In the past (freshman or sophomore year) if Josh put up a poor shot he got the quick hook. This year Coach K seems quite alright with Josh taking these shots. If this is good with Coach K then why are we questioning it? I think we all agree that we'd prefer someone else taking the shot, but when these shots come in the flow of the offense then I don't like the idea of trying to reset everything.

But the debate isn't about whether Josh should shoot. It's whether Josh should shoot 18 foot jumpers. And personally, I don't think anyone should be shooting 18 foot jumpers regularly. It annoys me when Seth or Ryan or Rasheed shoot from just inside the arc, too. Josh just seems to do it more often than they do, while also being even less successful at it.

[CDu]

But the debate isn't about whether Josh should shoot. It's whether Josh should shoot 18 foot jumpers. And personally, I don't think anyone should be shooting 18 foot jumpers regularly. It annoys me when Seth or Ryan or Rasheed shoot from just inside the arc, too. Josh just seems to do it more often than they do, while also being even less successful at it.

Exactly. I have no problem with Hairston shooting when he's wide open. I have a problem with Hairston shooting 18-20-footers when he's wide open. either take a step backward and shoot a 3 or take a step or two closer and shoot a 15-footer. But the 18-20-footer is the worst shot in basketball (for anyone).

[MChambers]

If this is good with Coach K then why are we questioning it?
Because this is an Internet bulletin board. We question all sorts of things, even things we know nothing about!

[Monmouth77]

But the debate isn't about whether Josh should shoot. It's whether Josh should shoot 18 foot jumpers. And personally, I don't think anyone should be shooting 18 foot jumpers regularly. It annoys me when Seth or Ryan or Rasheed shoot from just inside the arc, too. Josh just seems to do it more often than they do, while also being even less successful at it.

As respects Rasheed specifically (and Curry and Ryan to lesser degrees), though I agree that it would be better to have these guys shoot threes, if they are getting chased off the line and are forced to drive, I am happy with whatever shot they feel comfortable shooting in rhythm off the bounce.

I have noticed that Rasheed loves to dribble to a spot between the top of the arc and the free throw line and pull up for a shot in rhythm-- it's his "go-to" move and he looks pretty smooth shooting it. Reminds me a little of Gerald Henderson during his junior year. I think he's smoother with that shot than on the catch and shoot 3 from the corner.

The well-founded CV about preferring 3 point shots and the 18 footer being the "worst shot in the game" have some merit. But you have to adjust to what the defense is giving you.

Josh is just a poor shooter. And he takes that shot without assessing whether he might be able to put it on the floor and draw a defender-- which would usually be better, and might draw a foul or create an opportunity to pass to man who is open.

No one will defend his 18 foot jumper. That's the kind of look opponents will give Duke "all day." For good reason.

It's also why we are better off most of the time with Jefferson on the floor when we need a sub at the 4-5.

But Josh will get his 5 fouls worth against Payne and Nix, and hopefully grab some rebounds and putbacks.

[TruBlu]

Because this is an Internet bulletin board. We question all sorts of things, even things we know nothing about!

And we question some things that we don't even have suspicions about.

[Rich]

As respects Rasheed specifically (and Curry and Ryan to lesser degrees), though I agree that it would be better to have these guys shoot threes, if they are getting chased off the line and are forced to drive, I am happy with whatever shot they feel comfortable shooting in rhythm off the bounce.

I have noticed that Rasheed loves to dribble to a spot between the top of the arc and the free throw line and pull up for a shot in rhythm-- it's his "go-to" move and he looks pretty smooth shooting it. Reminds me a little of Gerald Henderson during his junior year. I think he's smoother with that shot than on the catch and shoot 3 from the corner.

The well-founded CV about preferring 3 point shots and the 18 footer being the "worst shot in the game" have some merit. But you have to adjust to what the defense is giving you.

Josh is just a poor shooter. And he takes that shot without assessing whether he might be able to put it on the floor and draw a defender-- which would usually be better, and might draw a foul or create an opportunity to pass to man who is open.

No one will defend his 18 foot jumper. That's the kind of look opponents will give Duke "all day." For good reason.

It's also why we are better off most of the time with Jefferson on the floor when we need a sub at the 4-5.

But Josh will get his 5 fouls worth against Payne and Nix, and hopefully grab some rebounds and putbacks.

Better watch out with comments like that, Wheat is lurking.

[hurleyfor3]

We question all sorts of things, even things we know nothing about!

That is tautological. When we know something, there is no reason to question it. After all, this is the Internet, and we went to Duke. Who the hell thinks they can question us?