MBB: Duke 71, Sparty 61 Post-Game Thread

[pfrduke]

Go Duke!

[hurleyfor3]

Was that the 2010 team on defense?

[Gthoma2a]

Elite 8! Now, let's hope we come out ready for Louisville's best shot. They will want revenge.

[Newton_14]

ELite 8 bound baby! Go Duke!

[Chris Randolph]

Great team win. Very impressed with the defensive scheme and how the players performed it

[Gthoma2a]

Was that the 2010 team on defense?

That was our Bahamas defense! We don't have a Zoub.

[pamtar]

Thank god for Tyler Thornton!

[Les Grossman]

Man, can't argue with that tournament D!

[trinity92]

Think we've win by double digits in all three games so far. Tough and gritty win for our boys. On to Louisville!

[dukelifer]

Wow- That was impressive. Duke gutted it out and Rasheed was money from the line. Great team D- great effort for 40 minutes. Weathered a bad game by Cook and foul trouble to Mason. Still- this was as good a win I have seen Duke have in a while. This felt like a old time Duke game and Duke has not peaked. Lets hope they are loose and hitting on Sunday. Very happy with this team tonight - or morning!

[6th Man]

I'm proud of those boys tonight. Great effort. What a luxury to give Sulaimon the ball and let him go one on one. Made the free throws. Awesome!

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Was that the 2010 team on defense?

No. It was 2001 with Battier and Nate James-like Defense.

[Gthoma2a]

Thank god for Tyler Thornton!

Yes, but hopefully Quinn is back Sunday. He was a huge piece to the puzzle that beat Louisville the first time.

[wgl1228]

Ok where can I watch the post game presser?

[CDu]

To quote Doug Gottlieb: "that was championship-level basketball from the Blue Devils."

[Wildling]

Thank god for Tyler Thornton!

Amen!

[mcdukie]

So many people said that we would lose this game. Seth Davis said we could blown out! Did they forget we have a man named Coach K!

[gocanes0506]

Fantastic D. Great job by Sheed to make his free throws to seal this win.

It will be interesting to see how K and Co try and shut down the two guards for Louisville.

Thoughts for that game:

Going to have to have Kelly and Sheed making jump shots versus louisville.
Slow the game down and ensure we have enough guards back to not allow the guards to get into transition
The basketball gods will be a mix company for this game. Duke has played well in Indianapolis. The but is only 3 times has a number 1 seed not made it to the final four. It has happened but not a lot.

[duke96]

Wow- That was impressive. Duke gutted it out and Rasheed was money from the line. Great team D- great effort for 40 minutes. Weathered a bad game by Cook and foul trouble to Mason. Still- this was as good a win I have seen Duke have in a while. This felt like a old time Duke game and Duke has not peaked. Lets hope they are loose and hitting on Sunday. Very happy with this team tonight - or morning!

Yeah! Well said. If this team starts to hit on all cylinders, watch out. Lville will be a huge challenge.

[Les Grossman]

Oh, man, Charles Barkley just harshed my mellow

[chaosmage]

To quote Doug Gottlieb: "that was championship-level basketball from the Blue Devils."

He complimented us!! I wonder if he gets a bonus for that.

[pfrduke]

Oh, man, Charles Barkley just harshed my mellow

If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

[dyedwab]

The defense tonight was tremendous. We didn't get killed on the boards. Wow!

Seth in the first half, Rasheed on the line in the 2nd...What great performances...

I think the Creighton/MSU games is the best two game stretch of defense we have played all year...

[RoyalBlue08]

Like everyone else, really impressed with the increased intensity on defense this whole tournament. I wasn't sure if this team had an extra gear for the tournament but it looks pretty clear to me that they do. Very excited for what should be another war on Sunday!

[FerryFor50]

Awesome, awesome win. Fantastic D. Great effort on the boards (even though MSU out-rebounded Duke). MSU is a hard working, blue collar team and Duke outworked them.

Curry, Plumlee and Sulaimon were fantastic. Kelly was solid. Cook... we need the old Cook back.

Thornton brought much needed toughness to the game, as did Hairston. Very satisfying win.

[Newton_14]

Props to my buds Hurley and PFR being quicker on the trigger!

Great game by our guys! Seth set the tone and got enough help from Mason and Rasheed on offense, team as a whole turned in another good defensive game. Well done Duke! Got that latest Sweet 16 monkey off their backs! Well done guys!

Need to get Cook and Kelly going offensively to have a chance from here on out. Cook just was not mentally there tonight.

Congrats to Izzo and Sparty on their tourney showing. Just ran into a better team.

Survive and Advance! We are in the mix and have a chance!

GO DUKE and GO TO HELL CAROLINA! 9F

[NashvilleDevil]

If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

What was the gist of what he said?

[wgl1228]

Oh, man, Charles Barkley just harshed my mellow

He is awful and doesn't care to be there.

[CDu]

He complimented us!! I wonder if he gets a bonus for that.

Many people forget that Gottlieb picked Duke to win it in 2010. He will make some outlandish comments, but he's not afraid to praise Duke when we look really impressive.

[Atlanta Duke]

If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

File away the Barkley quote - "savvy won't help them on Sunday"

[Orange&BlackSheep]

hits an open three, blocks a layup on a fast break, brilliant steal that was part of the run that created separation from the 2nd half tie ...

beautiful ....

--O&BS

[luburch]

What was the gist of what he said?

That it was more of Michigan State's bad offense than Duke's good defense.

[KandG]

This team has met my expectations for the season and then some. I'd expect more if they were in another region, but unfortunately they got Louisville. That doesn't mean they can't win, because the defense tonight was exceptional, but as long as they're competitive on Sunday I'll be happy.

For us to win on Sunday, though, we really need Quinn to be in a good place. In the game thread, I was a bit snarky about him, but apparently the coaches felt the same way about his play. Need this defense, need Quinn to be there to help handle Louisville's guards.

What a game tonight by this team. Apart from a few blatant lapses (fouling 3 point shooters), all the rotations were good and players stayed in front of their assignments and didn't give them easy looks. Loved it.

[NashvilleDevil]

That it was more of Michigan State's bad offense than Duke's good defense.

I have always liked Barkley but he should know better. Duke's defense was a huge part of Michigan St's offensive woes.

[CLW]

To quote Doug Gottlieb: "that was championship-level basketball from the Blue Devils."

man we are screwed now we need Doug "white man perspective" Gottlieb calling us "alarmingly unathletic" for us to have any shot at the title. we are doomed!

[BD80]

Boy, that Coach K guy is a really good coach. Its good to see the D come together again with Kelly getting back into the groove.

[trinity92]

And an amazing job by Tyler on a night we really needed him. The win is all the more impressive when you consider how long Cook was on the bench . . .

[sporthenry]

hits an open three, blocks a layup on a fast break, brilliant steal that was part of the run that created separation from the 2nd half tie ...

beautiful ....

--O&BS

That thread questioning TT couldn't have come at a better time. I think TT even impressed those of us who believe in him. Maybe we can start a thread questioning Kelly or Cook to jump start them against Louisville.

[Newton_14]

Great team win. Very impressed with the defensive scheme and how the players performed it

Agree. The interior defensive scheme by K tonight was unique to anything I have seen from him and it worked to perfection. Their bigs went 8-34, and we held Sparty to only two made FG's over a very long stretch of that 2nd half. Defense and rebounding won this game for us.

[buddy]

Not pretty, but solid, especially in the second half. Great defense. Timely shots. Who knew Rasheed was a JJ clone from the foul line. Great team foul shooting. Survive and advance.

[mr. synellinden]

Was that the 2010 team on defense?

That was almost word-for-word what I was going to post. Had quite the 2010 feel - I felt a strange calm when I saw the shot of Coach K sitting on his chair in Indy like he did in 2010.

Defense wins championships and we just played our two best defensive games of the year in a row.

[NashvilleDevil]

Boy, that Coach K guy is a really good coach. Its good to see the D come together again with Kelly getting back into the groove.

His presence on defense has elevated this team to another level. On one of his shots tonight it looked like he was guiding it instead of just shooting it. Here's to him finding his shot Sunday and for Quinn to come out fired up to lead this team to Atlanta.

[kmspeaks]

That's the defense that was top 10 in Pomeroy before Kelly went out. How long did the 1 field goal stint end up being 13, 14+ minutes? Just a fantastic team effort on that end, especially in the second half.

I LOVE TYLER THORNTON! The flagrant foul aside he was all over the place wreaking havoc defensively and knocked down his one 3 point attempt. I'm sure the sportscenter highlights will focus on Curry's great shooting but Tyler was flat out awesome tonight.

[mcdukie]

K's defensive scheme was outstanding. As good as a Coach as Izzo is he really didn't have an answer.

[BlueandWhite]

Great game, Blue Devils -- great overall team performance & outstanding defense.

Charles Barkley re: Duke's defense and our prospects vs Louisville "That won't help them on Sunday..."

And regarding tonight's game & MSU's inability to score in the 2nd half, disagreeing with the other CBS commentators -- "That was more about bad offense..."

Well guess what, Sir Charles...you're wrong! It WAS more about Duke's defense.

Let's go Devils -- beat Louisville!!

[matt1]

Like I said earlier, it was important to have three play well. We had that from Plumlee, Curry, and Suliamon. Kelly was also fine.

[turnandburn55]

Bad offense by MSU? Maybe to an extent, but we had a hand on every ball, a body on every would-be shooter-- it's not like they were missing uncontested layups or taking 18-footers early in the shot clock.

[Les Grossman]

On one of his shots tonight it looked like [Kelly] was guiding it instead of just shooting it. Here's to him finding his shot Sunday
When he hits two in a row, he will go for 25 or so. I'm predicting that happens sunday.

[dukelifer]

This team has met my expectations for the season and then some. I'd expect more if they were in another region, but unfortunately they got Louisville. That doesn't mean they can't win, because the defense tonight was exceptional, but as long as they're competitive on Sunday I'll be happy.

For us to win on Sunday, though, we really need Quinn to be in a good place. In the game thread, I was a bit snarky about him, but apparently the coaches felt the same way about his play. Need this defense, need Quinn to be there to help handle Louisville's guards.

What a game tonight by this team. Apart from a few blatant lapses (fouling 3 point shooters), all the rotations were good and players stayed in front of their assignments and didn't give them easy looks. Loved it.

Last time Cook had 0 he came back with 27. Here is hoping history repeats itself

[Les Grossman]

Last time Cook had 0 he came back with 27. Here is hoping history repeats itself
Yes, that's another pretty good prediction for Easter sunday.

[CDu]

Awesome, awesome defense. For 37 minutes we were just relentless on defense. We got tentative down the stretch after we built the big lead, but overall it was just a really impressive showing.

Also, great shooting performance from the line. 24-26 for the team was absolutely HUGE!

Thank goodness Curry brought his "A" game tonight, because for about 30 minutes of this game it didn't seem like the rest of the guys wanted to score. We finally got a few bunnies to build the lead, though, and were able to get it done.

Louisville will be a much different animal: better on both ends of the floor than MSU. Thankfully, they also aren't a terrific shooting team. Hopefully we can protect the ball, keep them out of transition, and make it to the Final Four!

[jv001]

Last time Cook had 0 he came back with 27. Here is hoping history repeats itself

I just want Quinn to play good defense, get into the lane and handle the ball like the point guard he is. Don't be droop dog with that head down. GoDuke!

[gocanes0506]

Last time Cook had 0 he came back with 27. Here is hoping history repeats itself

With the amount of guards Duke has on its bench, I expect a recovery by Cook. All of them can give them tips and lessons learned on how to improve. I believe he will be very hyped for the potential matchup he will have. He seems to turn it up when he faces a superior PG. Lets hope so.

[mgtr]

Hairston's best game by far. No silly 15 foot shotputs, no silly fouls, and a timely charge taken. Go Josh.

[Duke 81 LA]

Last time Cook had 0 he came back with 27. Here is hoping history repeats itself

Curry was the obvious MVP, but Thornton stepped on Cook's off night and MORE than held his own. Kudos to Tiny Thor!!M

[wsb3]

Game time set yet for Sunday?

[striker219]

Great game, Blue Devils -- great overall team performance & outstanding defense.

Charles Barkley re: Duke's defense and our prospects vs Louisville "That won't help them on Sunday..."

And regarding tonight's game & MSU's inability to score in the 2nd half, disagreeing with the other CBS commentators -- "That was more about bad offense..."

Well guess what, Sir Charles...you're wrong! It WAS more about Duke's defense.

Let's go Devils -- beat Louisville!!

No, he's probably right. It'll be just like 2010 when we were destroyed by West Virginia in this very building, just like everyone said was going to happen. I'm going to go ahead and preemptively start crying now.

[Chicken Little]

Oh, man, Charles Barkley just harshed my mellow

I don't know if there's a person in the universe whose opinion in this arena matters less than a man who admitted to losing more than $10 Million gambling.

[mr. synellinden]

Game time set yet for Sunday?

Yes, the late game - 5:05 start I believe.

[SCMatt33]

I'm not above admitting when I'm wrong. I was very critical of Duke's defense after the Maryland game and said that our style was not sustainable with two guys hurt and only playing 7 for the most part. Here was my suggestion from that thread:


I'm not suggesting that they suddenly play a UVA defense because that would be too drastic of a change, but they need to keep it inside the NBA line and force teams to take long possessions and help coax the team through 40 minutes. I know the three's didn't fall tonight, but other than the first round, Maryland is likely the worst team that we will play from here on out and the conditioning won't improve significantly in the next few weeks. Coach K is the best because he builds around what he has. He knows this team the best out of anyone and I'm sure that his ideas are better than mine, but pushing 7 guys to play 100% for 40 minutes won't end with Duke in Atlanta.

Obviously, Duke has not gotten rid of the pressure and has kept the base defense the same, but Coach K built a few big tweaks around his (and his opponents) personnel that have worked brilliantly. Against Creighton, Duke had Ryan Kelly and Amile Jefferson guard Doug McDermott straight up. At times, Duke will double out of a pick and roll and rely on the remaining big to help on the roll. Both of those guys stuck with McDermott no matter what. He dared anyone else on that team to beat us and they couldn't. It also allowed Jefferson to get in the game at all, because Amile has really struggled with picking up the plays and rotations on the defense this year and has basically been benched since Kelly came back because of it.

Tonight, it was the soft double on the bigs. We didn't always try to go with the full double so that we didn't give up passes on the back end. Instead, we guarded straight up on Payne's and Nix's strong side, and had help waiting on the weak side. We then had the guard sag down on the opposite big, but not fully commit to fronting him so that we could still recover to a three point shooter. The game was tightly called, so they still got to the line on drives, but this post defense really helped frustrate their bigs on the first shot, and it kept our guys in great rebounding position. No official box score yet, so this number will probably be adjusted slightly, but ESPN has 8 offense boards for MSU (a couple off of blocked shots, too) and 26 defensive boards for Duke, for only 23.5% offensive rebounding. That was huge in not giving up easy buckets.

I'm fully impressed with how this team has played in the tournament no matter what happens Sunday. Duke-Louisville could easily been a title game match-up.

[CDu]

Hairston's best game by far. No silly 15 foot shotputs, no silly fouls, and a timely charge taken. Go Josh.

Not to mention he forced Nix into what should have been a travel (and ended up just a badly missed layup). It was a solid 6 minutes of play from him.

[SoCalDukeFan]

His free throws were money.

SoCal

[-bdbd]

Really great, great win. Even if they lose Sun., which I don't think they will, this team has really proven something. Big win for K, too, over a big rival Izzo. Very SMART, well-played Duke game. They really had scouted well how to play great D (double team) on their inside scoring big. We played smart too. Nice milking the clock once we got the lead (against a team finding it hard to score, limiting possessions was great strategy). But it is GREAT to see Duke get props from Kenny Smith and Gottlieb and crew - both of whom were picking MSU at the half - and it bodes well the rest of the way.

I do worry about how well Seth can come back in less than 48 hours.....

No, the CBS ad at the end of their show for the Sun. game did NOT show a time for Sunday's game (and they would have there if they could obviously).

[wsb3]

Yes, the late game - 5:05 start I believe.

Thank you.

[roywhite]

Great toughness and defense against Sparty, who is known for toughness and defense. Sweet.

[Les Grossman]

I don't know if there's a person in the universe whose opinion in this arena matters less than a man who admitted to losing more than $10 Million gambling.
I'm actually a Barkley fan. I loved him as a player, and love the way he tortures Kenny Smith on TV. He just disagrees for the sake of disagreeing. I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember even now what he said about Duke v Sparty.

[CoachJ10]

Making basketball plays is what won this game for us. We may be amazingly unathletic, but we sure do have some guys who know how to play the game of basketball.

PS i wanted to strangle nantz when intentional did his free throw jinx.

PPS someone should send the video of the last 5 minutes to bill self and kansas. that is how you close a win out.

[CDu]

Really great, great win. Even if they lose Sun., which I don't think they will, this team has really proven something. Big win for K, too, over a big rival Izzo. Very SMART, well-played Duke game. They really had scouted well how to play great D (double team) on their inside scoring big. We played smart too. Nice milking the clock once we got the lead (against a team finding it hard to score, limiting possessions was great strategy). But it is GREAT to see Duke get props from Kenny Smith and Gottlieb and crew - both of whom were picking MSU at the half - and it bodes well the rest of the way.

I do worry about how well Seth can come back in less than 48 hours.....

No, the CBS ad at the end of their show for the Sun. game dod NOT show a time for Sunday's game (and they would have there if they could obviously).

Yeah, this is an important point. Win or lose on Sunday, this has been a heck of a season. It is easy to forget (because of our amazing start), but before the season many were questioning whether this team would be a top-10 caliber team. They had tons of question marks. Well, this team has more than answered those questions. We are one of the last 8 teams standing. We have a chance to make Coach K's 12th Final Four. And the only way we don't make it is if we lose to the consensus #1 team in the nation.

All that being said, let's go ahead and put a whoopin' on the Cardinals!

[jipops]

Man I love this defense. Some say Mich St is offensively challenged, but remember teams like UVA and Maryland were scoring at will against us. Spartans are a much better team than those.

Have to give Hairston huge props for his defense down low. He was perfect for this type of game. And Kelly's help side D was terrific. Not a thing of beauty on offense but I don't really care. We took care of the ball and played stellar D.

[Billy Dat]

Tonight, it was the soft double on the bigs. We didn't always try to go with the full double so that we didn't give up passes on the back end. Instead, we guarded straight up on Payne's and Nix's strong side, and had help waiting on the weak side. We then had the guard sag down on the opposite big, but not fully commit to fronting him so that we could still recover to a three point shooter. The game was tightly called, so they still got to the line on drives, but this post defense really helped frustrate their bigs on the first shot, and it kept our guys in great rebounding position. No official box score yet, so this number will probably be adjusted slightly, but ESPN has 8 offense boards for MSU (a couple off of blocked shots, too) and 26 defensive boards for Duke, for only 23.5% offensive rebounding. That was huge in not giving up easy buckets.

THIS and

-Curry's offensive explosion was surreal. It was Kelly vs Miami-esque, it just didn't last as long. We needed every one of those buckets.

-Thornton was great, he has really raised his game in terms of being much more mistake free, so he brings what he usually brings to the table while taking less off the table. I loved the hard foul on Nix to set the tone, and he was just up into their guards and scrappy all over the place. For the first time, I was begging for K to keep Cook on the bench and play Tyler...and he did.

-I was more impressed with Mason and Kelly's D as described by SCMatt33, then their offense, but Mason also did a really nice job playmaking out of the post, and Ryan did a nice job putting the ball on the floor to keep the defense honest. But Mason, for the love of James Naismith, can you please PLEASE try and use that pogo stick vertical to dunk balls when you are within 3 feet of the hoop. The only time I screamed in rage was when he missed the bunny that would have put us up 12 and immediately picked up his 4th on the rebound. That was a scary time, except...

-...that was when Sheed decided to kick in on offense. Before he started nailing foul shots, he got 2 run outs that were just huge, and kept the lead at 6-8 when MSU was ready to keep it at 4-6. Big plays, and he also grabbed some key boards.

-I echo the praise of Josh. The charge he drew was a really important play, as was Tyler's recovery to block the sure lay-up, as was Seth's hard foul on the Harris breakaway. We did an amazing job of not letting them get run out hoops which could have changed the momentum.

-Others in the thread praised our toughness, and I couldn't agree more. What a revelation for a Duke team to show another gear, in the NCAAs, when it comes to defense and toughness.

Yeah, Louisville is good, but they better be ready to play because we look hungry and ready to draw that blue line. I hope our opponents keep slapping the court, we'll keep slapping them upside their heads!!!!!!!!!

[Son of Mojo]

Making basketball plays is what won this game for us. We may be amazingly unathletic, but we sure do have some guys who know how to play the game of basketball.

PS i wanted to strangle nantz when intentional did his free throw jinx.

PPS someone should send the video of the last 5 minutes to bill self and kansas. that is how you close a win out.

There is a cloud of obscenity over my house STILL calling him a jinxing matriarchal lover after that...........couldn't restrain myself.

And some tournament revenge for '86 would be a great Easter present. Go Devils!!!!!!!!

[pfrduke]

The three things I'm looking for are having a 6% or better advantage on turnovers (ideally, would be MSU around 24% and us around 15%); better than 30% offensive rebounding and better than 65% defensive rebounding; and 35% or better from beyond the arc. I think all of those things are within reach (if slightly optimistic), and I think it will be hard for MSU to win if all of those things come out in our favor - they'd either have to go crazy shooting from the field or dominate at the free throw line.

So, I went 1 1/2 for 3.

Turnovers - we were +4.6%, 12.4% for us and 17% for them
Rebounding - defensive rebounding was great, at 75% - MSU had only three games worse than that all season. Offensive was not great - just 1/6, far short of 30%
3s - we hit 7/18, or 39%. Thank you Seth.

[roywhite]

Young Steven Izzo understood this matchup better than most of the talking heads.

[SCMatt33]

There is a cloud of obscenity over my house STILL calling him a jinxing matriarchal lover after that...........couldn't restrain myself.

I was more upset at Clark Kellogg's jinx of putting us in the elite 8 right before Trice hit that 3 to make it 8 with :42 seconds left. It would have been really tough with our FT shooting and the refs tight whistle, but still, it WASN'T OVER

[UrinalCake]

Oh, man, Charles Barkley just harshed my mellow

Did you see the reaction from Greg Anthony, who was seated next to Barkley, right after Barkley finished his comments and before the camera cut away? Anthony gave this little smirk, as if to say "this guy has no idea what he's talking about."


I LOVE TYLER THORNTON! The flagrant foul aside he was all over the place wreaking havoc defensively and knocked down his one 3 point attempt.

I actually think the flagrant foul sent a clear message early on that Duke wasn't going to be pushed around and wasn't going to give up anything easy. And I don't think it happened by accident; I think Coach K instructed him to play hard and if you're going to foul, make sure they don't score. In addition to everything that's already been said, Duke's toughness was a huge key in this game and something a lot of people weren't expecting.

After saying before the game that Duke was soft and would be pushed around by MSU, I fully expect our critics to now say that Duke is a bunch of thugs who got away with murder 8-).

[Furniture]

He is awful and doesn't care to be there.

I like him. He speaks his mind. He is the most interesting of the commentators!
Funny, thoughtful. Don't take him too seriously because I am sure he doesn't take himself too seriously!

[mr. synellinden]

Seth tied Phil Henderson's Duke record for most three pointers in an NCAA tournament game. Phil set that in 1990.

Just heard on ESPN that Jason Williams also hit 6 in a game.

VERY INTERESTING FACT:

Both Henderson and Williams accomplished the feat on March 22nd AND against UCLA.

**Williams also did it a week earlier against Monmouth in the first round game.

[J4Kop99]

Hard to really find the words to describe just how clutch Sulaimon was in the 2nd half. It wasn't that the ball fell into his hands and he found himself on the line... he made sure he had the ball. Huge performance from him (a freshman!) in a big game like that. He stayed under control, knew when to attack, and knocked down his free throws.

-Curry was/is an absolute warrior. Big time 3 after big time 3. He carried us on offense in the 1st half and gave us the buckets we badly needed.

-Mason struggled for some of the game but he battled down low and did what he had to do. (Nice to know we can win like that against a team with solids bigs when Mason struggles)

-Cook struggled mightily but TT picked him/us up. What a gritty performance from Tyler.

-Kelly knocked down a few jumpers and played tough defense down low. I just love that he doesn't feel the need to force shots up. He understands that he can effect the game whether he is scoring or not.

-Big mins from hairston and that charge was a very important play.

As other have said, Coach had one hell of a game plan. Izzo couldn't really handle it and neither could the MSU big men.

Feels good to win but I'm already nervous for Sunday.

[Class of '94]

Does anyone have an idea as to what was going on with Cook. He just looked like mentally he was never in the game as evidenced by his unforeced turnovers and throwing the ball away. As a poster pointed out earlier, we're going to need Cook to play better and be more aggressive on offense in order to beat Louisville.

Also, I don't know if anyone saw the postgame interview with Izzo; you could tell he was not happy and it appeared that he was close to blaming the refs for the loss by saying that the difference the number of fouls called against MSU through his team out of rhythm and that the difference in the game was Duke got to the foul line more and shot more freethrows. I know Izzo is disappointed that he lost to K but would hate for him make excuses and use the "ref card". Izzo's better than that.

[TNTDevil]

Why do people keep on with "Ryan needs to [step up on offense]". Sweet Bieber! He was 4-11 from the floor, great mid-range jumpers that really mattered. Yeah, he went 0-4 from three but, sooner-or-later, you gotta' pay the fee for that Miami performance :D.

It wasn't an offensive masterpiece by Kelly but it was critical. And his defense was simply amazing.

Our third game. Our third win. And we've yet to play our best ball.

[El_Diablo]

I actually think the flagrant foul sent a clear message early on that Duke wasn't going to be pushed around and wasn't going to give up anything easy. And I don't think it happened by accident; I think Coach K instructed him to play hard and if you're going to foul, make sure they don't score.

I think that is just how Tyler plays--no special instructions needed.

[mr. synellinden]

Does anyone have an idea as to what was going on with Cook. He just looked like mentally he was never in the game as evidenced by his unforeced turnovers and throwing the ball away. As a poster pointed out earlier, we're going to need Cook to play better and be more aggressive on offense in order to beat Louisville.

Also, I don't know if anyone saw the postgame interview with Izzo; you could tell he was not happy and it appeared that he was close to blaming the refs for the loss by saying that the difference the number of fouls called against MSU through his team out of rhythm and that the difference in the game was Duke got to the foul line more and shot more freethrows. I know Izzo is disappointed that he lost to K but would hate for him make excuses and use the "ref card". Izzo's better than that.

I saw the press conference too and had the same impression from Izzo's comments. Objectively, I don't blame him. I think it was a poorly officiated game in general, and I do think we benefitted from more questionable calls than they did. However, there was a blatant goaltending they missed, and I think they missed a blatant charge on one play where Sulaimon was called for a block. The offensive player lowered his shoulder and ran Rasheed over, but he was called for the block.

I noticed the officiating in this game, which is never a good thing.

[watzone]

Seth Curry goes off on MSU - http://bluedevilnation.net/2013/03/seth-curry-goes-off-against-michigan-state/ Post game video from the Duke locker room.

[J4Kop99]

I saw the press conference too and had the same impression from Izzo's comments. Objectively, I don't blame him. I think it was a poorly officiated game in general, and I do think we benefitted from more questionable calls than they did. However, there was a blatant goaltending they missed, and I think they missed a blatant charge on one play where Sulaimon was called for a block. The offensive player lowered his shoulder and ran Rasheed over, but he was called for the block.

I noticed the officiating in this game, which is never a good thing.

not to mention the 5-step lay up.

[ncexnyc]

An excellent team victory with contributions from just about everyone.

It seems hard to believe, but just a few short weeks ago we were lamenting our perimeter D and how easy it was for the opposition to penetrate. WOW, what a turnaround.

Seth was a stud. The question is will the short turnaround be a problem.

Ryan was fantastic on the defensive end and he showed some life on the offensive end as well. I like him as the safety on the defensive backline. He does a great job of help defense.

Mason played very well and aside from that really dumb foul after the missed bunny, he more than held his own against the supposedly superior MSU frontline.

Rasheed has that special something, which enables him to shake off some poor play and string together several minutes of outstanding play. He was CLUTCH down the stretch.

Quinn was absolutely horrible! Sorry, but there isn't anyway to sugarcoat his play, especially on the offensive end. I will say he wasn't too bad on D and got a raw deal on that one foul he was called for, as he was clearly pushed into the MSU player he was guarding.

Bruise Brother #1, my man Tyler. The dude just keeps on making big play after big play. Knocking balls loose and giving no quarter.

Bruise Brother #2, big brother Josh. Way to bounce back from your last game. Love the way he raced down the court, found a spot to set up shop and took the charge like a man. Somebody should send that clip to PJ Hairston and the rest of the tar heels, textbook defense.

No love for Amile this game, but I'm not worried. I know if his number is called on Sunday he can do the job and do it extremely well.

Another brilliant game plan by the master. Coach K put forth a great plan for stifling the MSU attack and the players followed it to a T.

This season has certainly erased the nasty taste of Lehigh out of my mouth, but I'm feeling greedy. Let's take it to Da'Ville on Sunday.

And yes, I hope Quinn rises from the dead on the third day.

[jv001]

THIS and

-Curry's offensive explosion was surreal. It was Kelly vs Miami-esque, it just didn't last as long. We needed every one of those buckets.

-Thornton was great, he has really raised his game in terms of being much more mistake free, so he brings what he usually brings to the table while taking less off the table. I loved the hard foul on Nix to set the tone, and he was just up into their guards and scrappy all over the place. For the first time, I was begging for K to keep Cook on the bench and play Tyler...and he did.
-I was more impressed with Mason and Kelly's D as described by SCMatt33, then their offense, but Mason also did a really nice job playmaking out of the post, and Ryan did a nice job putting the ball on the floor to keep the defense honest. But Mason, for the love of James Naismith, can you please PLEASE try and use that pogo stick vertical to dunk balls when you are within 3 feet of the hoop. The only time I screamed in rage was when he missed the bunny that would have put us up 12 and immediately picked up his 4th on the rebound. That was a scary time, except...

-...that was when Sheed decided to kick in on offense. Before he started nailing foul shots, he got 2 run outs that were just huge, and kept the lead at 6-8 when MSU was ready to keep it at 4-6. Big plays, and he also grabbed some key boards.

-I echo the praise of Josh. The charge he drew was a really important play, as was Tyler's recovery to block the sure lay-up, as was Seth's hard foul on the Harris breakaway. We did an amazing job of not letting them get run out hoops which could have changed the momentum.

-Others in the thread praised our toughness, and I couldn't agree more. What a revelation for a Duke team to show another gear, in the NCAAs, when it comes to defense and toughness.

Yeah, Louisville is good, but they better be ready to play because we look hungry and ready to draw that blue line. I hope our opponents keep slapping the court, we'll keep slapping them upside their heads!!!!!!!!!

Tyler was great in this game and I loved the pass to Ryan for and one. That was a key play to stretch the lead to I believe 9 points. We kept the pressure on MSU through out the second half. Just a great game for everyone. We need Quinn to be focused for Louisville. Their press is the key for their success. Look for Ryan to help out in beating that press. GoDuke!

[kostar]

I'm not sure if this was discussed in the in game thread since it's so long to go through. But does anyone know what was going on with all the Duke style floor slapping by MSU? I was at a bar (in Toronto) so I had no audio, they played hockey and had the hockey audio going, haha.

[jv001]

I'm not sure if this was discussed in the in game thread since it's so long to go through. But does anyone know what was going on with all the Duke style floor slapping by MSU? I was at a bar (in Toronto) so I had no audio, they played hockey and had the hockey audio going, haha.

On the Duke radio broadcast(Bob Harris) said that MSU has been doing that this year when they need a stop. Guess it's ok if they copy the best. GoDuke!

[kostar]

On the Duke radio broadcast(Bob Harris) said that MSU have been doing that this year when they need a stop. Guess it's ok if they copy the best. GoDuke!

haha If they've been doing it all year, and they copy the best, then I guess that's all good. I was hoping that we would get a floor slap near the end of the game from our guys.

[hurleyfor3]

BTW, that was win #30.

[1 24 90]

BTW, that was win #30.

The graphics said Duke ties Kentucky with most 30 win seasons. Coach K is, of course, the leader in that category too.

[g-money]

Great win for Duke and Coach K tonight. A few forward-looking bullet points:

- Seth carried us offensively. Will he be able to do it again against Louisville? The stats show that he's been better when he's had time to rest; let's hope 48 hours are enough.
- Quinn actually played well defensively tonight in terms of keeping the MSU guards in front of him. I think he'll be able to get the turnover bug out of his system in time for Sunday - which will be critical if we are to survive Louisville's press. Think back to the Bahamas, Quinn!
- I predict Mason and RK are in line for good games as well.

Will we win on Sunday? I don't know, but it has been an awesome season either way. Keep it up guys.

Go Duke!

[porkpa]

I thought Mason played a very good game. However he sometimes forgets that he is a big, strong stud. When you are three feet of less from the basket DUNK THE BALL!!!

[CameronBlue]

Quinn had a bad case of nerves IMO; the magnitude of the stage got into his head a little bit. Not sure how you'd otherwise explain his performance, losing the dribble twice, difficulty running the offense and setting up guys effectively with well-timed entry passes. What a luxury it is to have TT step in and manage the offense with critical assistance from Rasheed. Tyler may not dazzle with his one on one prowess but he knows instinctively how to bring fluidity to the offense and his teammates clearly have confidence in him. Also good to see Kelly's assertiveness and confidence in his shot slowly beginning to return which gives me confidence that Duke can offer an effective mid-range threat to keep L-ville's perimeter defenders honest. There isn't a player on this team except maybe Rasheed in two years that has lottery-pick potential, instead this team survives by its wits and determination.

[davekay1971]

There isn't a player on this team except maybe Rasheed in two years that has lottery-pick potential, instead this team survives by its wits and determination.

Mason is a projected lottery pick, but, yeah, this team has shown that they are a FIST.

That game, and the Creighton game, were great, great defensive games. The most suffocating defense I've seen Duke play in a long time. That's the kind of defense that gives us a chance to win against anyone in the nation.

One particularly nice part of that defensive performance was that it came against a team that has the kind of guard that has caused us problems with penetrating and breaking down the defense in Appling. We were able to prevent that from happening last night. Important when our next opponent has quick guards like that, as well.

Strong work all around. Thornton played so well. Hairston's play, racing back faster than MSU's ball carrier, establishing himself perfectly, and taking the charge, was stunning. Ryan's defense was stellar.

On the other end, Curry was, obviously, wonderful. He's putting the finishing touches on a senior year for the ages, particularly considering he's been doing it all through injury. Mase was very good. Ryan is still off range from 3, but his mid range game is just fine. If he can find the range from 3, look out. And Rasheed...he was unstoppable off the dribble. The guys trying to defend him just had no ability to stop him without fouling. What a weapon to have in the end-game.

I have faith in Quinn. He'll be better tomorrow. The kid's a gamer.

[NashvilleDevil]

I thought Mason played a very good game. However he sometimes forgets that he is a big, strong stud. When you are three feet of less from the basket DUNK THE BALL!!!

My thought exactly when he got the nice dish from Rasheed. I think he was surprised how wide open he was and missed it and then got the foul. He also almost missed the reverse after Ryan's beautiful entry pass.

[Troublemaker]

Terrific job on the boards by the team. There were relatively few scenarios where MSU could win only out-rebounding Duke by 4 overall and specifically grabbing only 25% of their own misses. Duke's guards did a very good job pitching in on this front: Sheed with 4 boards, Curry with 3, Tyler with 3, Cook with 2. They all matched or out-rebounded Branden Dawson who only had 2 boards, which was amazing to me.

With the rebounding under control, it allowed Duke's stellar defense, free-throw shooting, and Curry's big night to carry the day to a 10-point win. Those achievements could easily have been lost amid MSU playing volleyball with rebounds under the basket, but the team didn't allow that to happen.

Very proud of Duke's effort.

[Troublemaker]

From http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/03/29/2789228/live-from-indianapolis-duke-vs.html


When the Spartans came away with points on three of their first four possessions of the second half, Krzyzewski called timeout.

And then Krzyzewski gave his team a verbal tongue-lashing. He slammed down his stool. Then Wojciechowski yelled. Then Jeff Capel. Then Chris Collins. Then Krzyzewski mimicked his team’s lackluster effort and did his lazy-dance out of the huddle. Then Capel got up in Cook's face as the team went back on the floor.

“Seth was scoring on every possession. It’s almost like we felt we could relax on defense,” Krzyzewski said. “When you get a guy hot like that and you can get a couple of defensive stops with it, then you’re going to get separation. And we weren’t doing that.

“It was basically to remind them that this kid is not going to be able to do this the whole second half. But while he is, let’s pick up the intensity on the defensive end.”

Duke responded with five straight stops, including a five second call and two offensive fouls.

Counting the Curry 3 before the timeout, Duke went on a 9-0 run with Curry and Mason Plumlee doing all the scoring. The lead was 47-38 at that point.

Gary Harris broke that drought with a drive to cut the lead to 47-43 with just under 12 minutes remaining. But that field goal was the only one in a nearly 15-minute span that wasn’t broken until there were fewer than four minutes remaining in the game.


Legend.

[Les Grossman]

I think it was a poorly officiated game in general, and I do think we benefitted from more questionable calls than they did. However, there was a blatant goaltending they missed, and I think they missed a blatant charge on one play where Sulaimon was called for a block.

I thought the officiating was just average. Now the previous game, the whistleball match v Creighton, *that* was poorly officiated.
To your list of obvious, missed calls that advantaged MSU, I'll add the missed 5-steps-to-the-basket traveling no-call on that MSU fast break. Your two, plus this one, tips the bad officiating advantage decidedly to MSU.

[theAlaskanBear]

I saw the press conference too and had the same impression from Izzo's comments. Objectively, I don't blame him. I think it was a poorly officiated game in general, and I do think we benefitted from more questionable calls than they did. However, there was a blatant goaltending they missed, and I think they missed a blatant charge on one play where Sulaimon was called for a block. The offensive player lowered his shoulder and ran Rasheed over, but he was called for the block.

I noticed the officiating in this game, which is never a good thing.

Yeah, but that's on Mich St. Once Duke got ahead they tried to get more physical on defense. The Refs weren't great but they missed calls that would have gone Duke's way as well.

Besides, the whole Mich St front line would have fouled out from moving screens. Seriously.

Don't whine about the refs -- your teams offense didn't flounder because Duke was fouling you.

[TKG]

I'll have a double portion of crow (well done, please), with my Texas Pete on the side; for dessert, perhaps a serving of humble pie ala mode.

Now, I have to start worrying about Louisville.

[Saratoga2]

I was expecting a tight, hard fought, physical game. To some extent it was, but I think the Duke defense stole the MSU confidence and they really played like a ddefeated team for most of the second half.

Watching Seth play offense when he is rested is like watching the best in college ball. He was deadly for a long period and finally Harris provided defense that slowd him, but he still could hit foul shots to keep our point totals climbing.

The matchup between Mason and Nix was clearly won by Mason. The two big defense in the paint helped Mason aand I loved it when he hit his free throws. Yes, he missed a couple of chippies, but you have to accept somee of that when he plays.

Ryan is beginning to hit his shhorter range shots but is still off on his threes. His form seemed better and he was missing by less, but still not there all the way. His defense was excellent and overall the three seniors carried the team along with Rasheed.

Rasheed looked nervous at the start but got back in the groove, with outstanding defense and then his offense began to click. Most of it had to come from the foul line, but he was money from there.

What was going on with Quinn. He was playing tough solid defense, but somehow he must have been nervous on offense and did nothing to help the team in that regard. This are young guys and it is hard to know what goes through their mind at times like those. He needs to focus on what he is going to do to take it to the opponent rather than what he might do wrong.

Good that we had Tyler to come in and pick him up. Tyler played aggressively to say the least and scored on one three ball. We will need Quinn to be in form against Louisville though, since the pressure applied to our ball handlers will be much greater. Tyler is okay with the ball, but he might not handle the expected pressure and Seth is worse in that regard.

Josh gave us some good minutes and we will need him to play tough going forward.

Yes, there were missed calls in the game. Two clearly missed ones that favored MSU were the missed goal tending and the walk that instead led to a three point MSU score. No doubt there were others, as someone mentioned a charge called instead on Rasheed. Some also probably went against MSU, but Duke won this game with great defense, hot shooting and we hit our foul shots.

We face the biggest test Sunday. If we get past them, which will not be easy, the rest of the final fours are all teams that are not all that scary.

[kmspeaks]

Also, I don't know if anyone saw the postgame interview with Izzo; you could tell he was not happy and it appeared that he was close to blaming the refs for the loss by saying that the difference the number of fouls called against MSU through his team out of rhythm and that the difference in the game was Duke got to the foul line more and shot more freethrows. I know Izzo is disappointed that he lost to K but would hate for him make excuses and use the "ref card". Izzo's better than that.

I was going to ask about Izzo. He seemed really whinny during the game, with the camera cutting to him pitching a fit on just about every foul call against Michigan State. I haven't been able to watch a lot of him this year but I don't remember that being the norm. He's a great coach and one of my favorites outside of Durham but that wasn't the kind of leadership I expected. He almost looked like a terp in the 2nd half last night. Could it be that K's game plan frustrated him, he had no answers for our defense and was left with begging for calls?

[dukelifer]

I was expecting a tight, hard fought, physical game. To some extent it was, but I think the Duke defense stole the MSU confidence and they really played like a ddefeated team for most of the second half.

Watching Seth play offense when he is rested is like watching the best in college ball. He was deadly for a long period and finally Harris provided defense that slowd him, but he still could hit foul shots to keep our point totals climbing.

The matchup between Mason and Nix was clearly won by Mason. The two big defense in the paint helped Mason aand I loved it when he hit his free throws. Yes, he missed a couple of chippies, but you have to accept somee of that when he plays.

Ryan is beginning to hit his shhorter range shots but is still off on his threes. His form seemed better and he was missing by less, but still not there all the way. His defense was excellent and overall the three seniors carried the team along with Rasheed.

Rasheed looked nervous at the start but got back in the groove, with outstanding defense and then his offense began to click. Most of it had to come from the foul line, but he was money from there.

What was going on with Quinn. He was playing tough solid defense, but somehow he must have been nervous on offense and did nothing to help the team in that regard. This are young guys and it is hard to know what goes through their mind at times like those. He needs to focus on what he is going to do to take it to the opponent rather than what he might do wrong.

Good that we had Tyler to come in and pick him up. Tyler played aggressively to say the least and scored on one three ball. We will need Quinn to be in form against Louisville though, since the pressure applied to our ball handlers will be much greater. Tyler is okay with the ball, but he might not handle the expected pressure and Seth is worse in that regard.

Josh gave us some good minutes and we will need him to play tough going forward.

Yes, there were missed calls in the game. Two clearly missed ones that favored MSU were the missed goal tending and the walk that instead led to a three point MSU score. No doubt there were others, as someone mentioned a charge called instead on Rasheed. Some also probably went against MSU, but Duke won this game with great defense, hot shooting and we hit our foul shots.

We face the biggest test Sunday. If we get past them, which will not be easy, the rest of the final fours are all teams that are not all that scary.

Louisville may be the best opponent left out there and it will take an A effort to beat them. Lots to fight against- the crowd- short rest for Seth- the head of Quinn - but Duke is not often the hunter and so they just need to counter punch and hope they can execute down the stretch. Will be a war.

[jv001]

I was expecting a tight, hard fought, physical game. To some extent it was, but I think the Duke defense stole the MSU confidence and they really played like a ddefeated team for most of the second half.

Watching Seth play offense when he is rested is like watching the best in college ball. He was deadly for a long period and finally Harris provided defense that slowd him, but he still could hit foul shots to keep our point totals climbing.

The matchup between Mason and Nix was clearly won by Mason. The two big defense in the paint helped Mason aand I loved it when he hit his free throws. Yes, he missed a couple of chippies, but you have to accept somee of that when he plays.

Ryan is beginning to hit his shhorter range shots but is still off on his threes. His form seemed better and he was missing by less, but still not there all the way. His defense was excellent and overall the three seniors carried the team along with Rasheed.

Rasheed looked nervous at the start but got back in the groove, with outstanding defense and then his offense began to click. Most of it had to come from the foul line, but he was money from there.

What was going on with Quinn. He was playing tough solid defense, but somehow he must have been nervous on offense and did nothing to help the team in that regard. This are young guys and it is hard to know what goes through their mind at times like those. He needs to focus on what he is going to do to take it to the opponent rather than what he might do wrong.
Good that we had Tyler to come in and pick him up. Tyler played aggressively to say the least and scored on one three ball. We will need Quinn to be in form against Louisville though, since the pressure applied to our ball handlers will be much greater. Tyler is okay with the ball, but he might not handle the expected pressure and Seth is worse in that regard.

Josh gave us some good minutes and we will need him to play tough going forward.

Yes, there were missed calls in the game. Two clearly missed ones that favored MSU were the missed goal tending and the walk that instead led to a three point MSU score. No doubt there were others, as someone mentioned a charge called instead on Rasheed. Some also probably went against MSU, but Duke won this game with great defense, hot shooting and we hit our foul shots.

We face the biggest test Sunday. If we get past them, which will not be easy, the rest of the final fours are all teams that are not all that scary.

I agree that Ryans shot looked much better with much more arc. I look for RK to have a very good game Sunday. As for Quinn, it's in his head. He has a little of freshman Bobby Hurley in him right now. Focusing too much on missed shots and foul calls. I want to see him encouraging his team mates when things aren't going so well for him. We need energy from our point guard All this takes focus. If I remember correctly Coach K showed Bobby some video/film of his head dragging and complaining to officials and that changed his career. Maybe another trip to the video room would do the same for Quinn. GoDuke!

[60's Devil]

When he hits two in a row, he will go for 25 or so. I'm predicting that happens sunday.

If he finds his shot, we will be hard to handle if we keep up the great D. This game was very well planned and executed by the coaching staff. By the way, at least Barkley did pick Duke to win and also called us the best in North Carolina.

[CDu]

If he finds his shot, we will be hard to handle if we keep up the great D. This game was very well planned and executed by the coaching staff. By the way, at least Barkley did pick Duke to win and also called us the best in North Carolina.

Well that second part is sort of obvious, so no credit there (even though I do like the Chuckwagon). I mean, that's a bit like saying that Louisville is the best team in Kentucky this year. We were a #2 seed compared to 2 #8 seeds, a #14 seed, and a #16 seed. Of course we are the best in North Carolina this year.

[CoachJ10]

Yeah, but that's on Mich St. Once Duke got ahead they tried to get more physical on defense. The Refs weren't great but they missed calls that would have gone Duke's way as well.

Besides, the whole Mich St front line would have fouled out from moving screens. Seriously.

Don't whine about the refs -- your teams offense didn't flounder because Duke was fouling you.

MSU shot 24 free throws, Duke shot 26. Wonder if Izzo saw that stat.

[CDu]

MSU shot 24 free throws, Duke shot 26. Wonder if Izzo saw that stat.

To be fair, a comparison of free throw counts is a terrible way to make that argument. Hypothetically, let's say Team A committed a foul every time down court and the refs only called half of those. On the other end, let's say Team B committed only 2 actual fouls all game but were called for 5 fouls. In that situation, Team B would have shot more free throws, but clearly they would have been the ones getting hosed by the calls.

That being said, I agree that the poor officiating wasn't clearly in our favor. The tenor of the officiating was in our favor, as they called lots of fouls which played against MSU's preference of a physical game. But in terms of the actual calls made, I don't think it would be fair to say that we got the better end of it. They certainly received the benefit of the two most glaringly missed calls (the goaltend, the travel), while we got the benefit of a somewhat-borderline reaching foul (Harris on Curry late in the game as we were stalling) and a few "Thornton specials" in transition. But on aggregate, I'd say that the officiating was fairly evenly bad.

Whining about the refs is for losers. I have a lot of respect for Coach Izzo and his program. And I respect that he fought very hard NOT to blame the refs. And he did conclude that "the better team won", so kudos on that. But I think that, when he goes back and watches the tape, he'll find that he has little room for gripe with the refs.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

MSU shot 24 free throws, Duke shot 26. Wonder if Izzo saw that stat.
And we shot 8 of those 26 in the last 1:40 as they were fouling us purposefully. So, up to that point they shot 24 FTs to our 18.

I, too, am surprised by the whiny response.

[billy]

Well that second part is sort of obvious, so no credit there (even though I do like the Chuckwagon). I mean, that's a bit like saying that Louisville is the best team in Kentucky this year. We were a #2 seed compared to 2 #8 seeds, a #14 seed, and a #16 seed. Of course we are the best in North Carolina this year.

I figured he was just ribbing Kenny Smith

[CoachJ10]

To be fair, a comparison of free throw counts is a terrible way to make that argument. Hypothetically, let's say Team A committed a foul every time down court and the refs only called half of those. On the other end, let's say Team B committed only 2 actual fouls all game but were called for 5 fouls. In that situation, Team B would have shot more free throws, but clearly they would have been the ones getting hosed by the calls.

That being said, I agree that the poor officiating wasn't clearly in our favor. The tenor of the officiating was in our favor, as they called lots of fouls which played against MSU's preference of a physical game. But in terms of the actual calls made, I don't think it would be fair to say that we got the better end of it. They certainly received the benefit of the two most glaringly missed calls (the goaltend, the travel), while we got the benefit of a somewhat-borderline reaching foul (Harris on Curry late in the game as we were stalling) and a few "Thornton specials" in transition. But on aggregate, I'd say that the officiating was fairly evenly bad.

Whining about the refs is for losers. I have a lot of respect for Coach Izzo and his program. And I respect that he fought very hard NOT to blame the refs. And he did conclude that "the better team won", so kudos on that. But I think that, when he goes back and watches the tape, he'll find that he has little room for gripe with the refs.


If the complaint was about Duke shooting more free throws than MSU, then comparing attempts is the only way to make that argument. Now, if the complaint was about officiating during the game in general, well yes...a more holistic review is more applicable. I thought it was reasonably well officiated compared to other games this tournament (ex. the traveling and goaltending plays). The point I was making was...Duke didn't win this game because we were marching to the charity stripe and our opponent wasn't. That narrative can be nipped in the bud.

[CDu]

If the complaint was about Duke shooting more free throws than MSU, then comparing attempts is the only way to make that argument. Now, if the complaint was about officiating during the game in general, well yes...a more holistic review is more applicable. I thought it was reasonably well officiated compared to other games this tournament (ex. the traveling and goaltending plays). The point I was making was...Duke didn't win this game because we were marching to the charity stripe and our opponent wasn't. That narrative can be nipped in the bud.

Right, but I don't think that was ever the narrative from Izzo. The narrative seems to be that Izzo was unhappy with the officiating. I'm quite sure he saw the number of free throw attempts, so I'm quite sure he wasn't complaining about us being given a free march to the free throw line.

[killerleft]

Before I even start reading this morning, I want to state an obvious fact: The B1G Whatever prides itself on being "physical". The B1G Whatever prides itself on being "tough". But whenever one of their teams loses to Duke, they turn into Whiny Bullies.

They try to tough it out with the supposedly soft Duke Blue Devils. Instead, Duke easily counters with a toughness of our own, negating their inside guys BEFORE they get into foul trouble. Frustrations mount and they can't cover our one inside guy without fouling him. Before you know it, Tom Izzo (or insert whatever B1G coach is currently losing to Duke) and his players just can't believe what is happening to them.

They don't look for answers from within themselves, as Coach K forces our players to do. No. They revert to the negative energy that is Terping. No figuring out how to counter Seth Curry (well, any figuring that doesn't consist of holding on to him for dear life). No actually getting in front of Mason to stop his sojourn across the lane before he launches a moon shot or passes to an open guy outside.

Oh, they can ignore the most obvious non-call goaltend in years. They can ignore a guy taking a Jordan stroll down the lane using a minimum of four steps without dribbling. The aforementioned Hold-a-Curry is apparently part of the B1G toughness mystique - unless Duke does it. Evidently "hypocritical" is a feeder ditch for Battle Creek!:p

I get kind of tired of it. Then again, if it keeps our opponents' minds off making in-game adjustments, where's the harm? It feeds the Duke Blue Machine. It feeds it quite well.

Thank you very much. I feel better now.

[Indoor66]

Louisville may be the best opponent left out there and it will take an A effort to beat them. Lots to fight against- the crowd- short rest for Seth- the head of Quinn - but Duke is not often the hunter and so they just need to counter punch and hope they can execute down the stretch. Will be a war.

It will take an A++ effort by Lville to beat Duke. If Duke plays its game, Duke wins. We are a better team.

[Dukeblue91]

This was a great played game and orchestrated by the master himself Coach K.
Play of the game was Tyler's hard foul it set the tone of the game and but the Spartans on notice that we will not be bullied by them.
That alone flustered them to no end as it seemed that their game plan was to out tough us and push us into submission.
It constantly amazes me that teams think that this is a working strategy against the Blue Devils as it hardly ever works.

Tyler T. was huge for us once again and played a great game as was everyone not called Quinn Cook.
I think however he will be back and huge on Sunday and we will need his ball handle against Louisville.
Rayan is due for a big game especially with the 3pt shot and I'm happy that at least his mid game has come back at the perfect time.
Rasheed is just something else for a freshman and he is the difference maker for us and how far we go, I don't think many people including him realize how important he is for us and the team.

I'm a little worried about Seth and hope that I'm wrong but toward the end he looked very tired and I hope one day is enough to rest him.
Mason well is Mason and he did well even though he could have done a little better but he did well anyways.
I'm so proud of these kids and what they have accomplished this season and I think that they can pull this off if we can win tomorrow.
The defense for the last couple of games has been absolutely awesome and a throwback of the good ole days of your typical Duke team.
Coach K. truly is a master out there and he knows how to get the most out off those kids and he knows how to make a winning game plan and how to make the players buy into it.
I can't wait to see what he has in store for us on Sunday.

Go Duke!

[roywhite]

I agree that Ryans shot looked much better with much more arc. I look for RK to have a very good game Sunday. As for Quinn, it's in his head. He has a little of freshman Bobby Hurley in him right now. Focusing too much on missed shots and foul calls. I want to see him encouraging his team mates when things aren't going so well for him. We need energy from our point guard All this takes focus. If I remember correctly Coach K showed Bobby some video/film of his head dragging and complaining to officials and that changed his career. Maybe another trip to the video room would do the same for Quinn. GoDuke!

Nothing quite like a butt on the pine to send a message to the brain.

I expect Quinn to receive and process the message, and to play well vs Louisville.

[El_Diablo]

Silver lining to Cook's night: he should be well-rested for Sunday.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Nothing quite like a butt on the pine to send a message to the brain.

I expect Quinn to receive and process the message, and to play well vs Louisville.

He has to be at the top of his game to handle UL's press, no doubt. Here's to hoping he is ready to go.

Go Duke!

[Blue Man]

I'll have a double portion of crow (well done, please), with my Texas Pete on the side; for dessert, perhaps a serving of humble pie ala mode.

Now, I have to start worrying about Louisville.
Make that a double please on the crow and hot sauce. I predicted that Duke's defense was not good enough to take them past 16. K really coached well the past couple of games..... wow. But on to L'ville. It will take a monumental effort to contain them. But I plan on eating no more crow. A few 3's from Kelly and step up another level up in D and yes it just might work.

[dukelifer]

It will take an A++ effort by Lville to beat Duke. If Duke plays its game, Duke wins. We are a better team.

Louisville is on a run. They had one bad 3 game stretch in January and 5OT loss to Notre Dame and have won ever since by an average of double digits. Not sure who is a better team but they have been playing really well.

[DukieInBrasil]

He has to be at the top of his game to handle UL's press, no doubt. Here's to hoping he is ready to go.

Go Duke!

Actually, Ryan's passing ability to go over the press (and Mason as well, to a lesser extent) is just as if not more important than Quinn's ability to dribble through it. Once in the half-court, Quinn's ability to not randomly cough the ball up a la vs MSU, will be a huge key. At times this year Quinn has shown masterful ball-handling skills, so i hope he is able to do what he has shown in the past that he is able to do.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Wow, based on some of these posts, you'd think our win last night sent us through a time warp back to 1991 and we're about to face UNLV.

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

Did it seem, for those who heard what Coach Izzo had to say, that he was complaining (in a backhanded way) that "Duke gets all the calls?" I don't know how to link the press conference from MSU and then strip it down to the lines I am referring to. One can hear the entire press conference on GODUKE.COM Since I don't have evidence to provide this might be one of those posts the moderators need to remove.

Please disregard this post, I looked at thread and lots of discussion about this already.

GO DUKE!

[Atlanta Duke]

It appears Terps fans will find a fan base with similar interests after the move to the Big Ten:)

Michigan State’s season ended Friday night with a loss to Duke, and anger from some of East Lansing’s residents spurred police action in its wake. According to coverage from MLive.com that developed over the course of several hours, there were at least seven couch fires reported in East Lansing last night.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/30/couch-fires-reported-after-michigan-states-loss-to-duke/

[BD80]

[Sheed's] free throws were money.

SoCal

But he was the only one on our team that missed a free throw ... ;)


... PS i wanted to strangle nantz when intentional did his free throw jinx. ...

I think Nantz was suprised, and embarrassed that the jinx worked; Sheed was in such a groove Nantz felt safe in trying to fill airspace with an interesting stat. When Sheed missed, you could hear Nantz mumbling, almost as if he was trying to figure out how to admit his "mistake."


Young Steven Izzo understood this matchup better than most of the talking heads.

Which is why Coach K jokingly rewarded such genius with a scholarship offer. Are there coaching scholarships? I'd feel safe offering any Izzo offspring with such a scholly.

[dukelifer]

Wow, based on some of these posts, you'd think our win last night sent us through a time warp back to 1991 and we're about to face UNLV.

I will take the outcome of that game

[slower]

Wow, based on some of these posts, you'd think our win last night sent us through a time warp back to 1991 and we're about to face UNLV.

And based on others, you'd think we were the Miami Heat. Look, Louisville is favored. Anybody who says that "if we just play our game", then they can't beat us, is just ignorant. It could go either way. We won't know until tomorrow.

[Lennies]

I sure hope Mason didn't hurt that guy (Nix) coming over his back on Mason's 4th foul...

[AtlDuke72]

I hate to say it but Charles Barkley is usually right about the games - I remember him picking Arizona against the Devils a few years ago. Still, I like our chances if Seth Curry can do it again. I have not seen any more posts saying that he should not be starting like the silly one early in the season ! What a game he played last night - hope his leg holds up tomorrow.

[smvalkyries]

I wish I could replay the sequence where he took the charge last night to verify this. It looked to me like Josh was under our basket in offensive rebounding position when we turned the ball over in the key and MSU started a fast break. I did notice that Josh immediately started sprinting down court whethe rest of the players around him were jogging back. Somehow Josh spotted the MSU fast break 20-25 feet yet got down court fast enough to not only get in the play but establish position and take the block. Maybe I should keep it as a memory and not verify it as I am not sure it is possible for Josh to move that fast. At any rate it was a great hustle play- typical of Josh- which in part typifies our team's success this year. I definitely want to see that run on Josh'ds senior highlight film next year. Tnks Josh!

[uh_no]

I wish I could replay the sequence where he took the charge last night to verify this. It looked to me like Josh was under our basket in offensive rebounding position when we turned the ball over in the key and MSU started a fast break. I did notice that Josh immediately started sprinting down court whethe rest of the players around him were jogging back. Somehow Josh spotted the MSU fast break 20-25 feet yet got down court fast enough to not only get in the play but establish position and take the block. Maybe I should keep it as a memory and not verify it as I am not sure it is possible for Josh to move that fast. At any rate it was a great hustle play- typical of Josh- which in part typifies our team's success this year. I definitely want to see that run on Josh'ds senior highlight film next year. Tnks Josh!

absolutely. I've railed on josh for two years, but i've come to terms of what he is and what he isn't.

He's going to come in for 10 minutes a game and give ryan and mason a break, and he isn't going to be a liability. He'll foul on defense if he gets beat, he won't be out of position (experience!!!) and plays his butt off.

He's never going to be a star on the offensive end, and while his 18' adventures are vexing, it's not like we're playing 4/5....he'll integrate into the offense, set screens, do what he needs to, get the occasional layup/putback, and allow the scorers to score.

here's to josh.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

And based on others, you'd think we were the Miami Heat. Look, Louisville is favored. Anybody who says that "if we just play our game", then they can't beat us, is just ignorant. It could go either way. We won't know until tomorrow.

Agreed. But it's not like Louisville is some ridiculous juggernaut that no one can beat and the computers say they will win 99 out of 100 simulated games with us. They're very good. So are we. I like our chances. It won't likely require us to play the game of the century to beat them. But we're gonna have to bring it. We'll know in about 25 hours.

[rsvman]

A lot of talk on this thread about K's defensive adjustments, which were great.

But I thought the offensive adjustments were amazing, too. This is what I saw. Coach K must've recognized that Plumlee would not have much of an advantage on the low block because of the girth and strength of Nix. So rather than setting Plumlee up on the low block and trying to feed him, the offense started with Plumlee at the top of the key. Deliberately. Over and over again. Curry then came up from the wing and past Plumlee, getting a screen there. This allowed a couple of early open looks for Curry, which probably helped to get him going.
If nothing was available there, they frequently fed Plumlee the ball on the left wing about 15 feet from the basket. The idea here, probably, was that Plumlee is quicker and more mobile than Nix. So if Nix rushes out to cover Plumlee, Mason could take him off the dribble, scoring or drawing the foul. This approach was very successful.
I haven't seen this particular offensive set in any earlier game this season. Therefore I believe it was devised by K specifically for the Michigan State game.

Two games in a row with really superb adjustments on both offense and defense that brought us double-digit wins in both games. I can't wait to see what his plan is for Louisville.

Brilliant coaching by K so far in this tournament.

[dukelifer]

I hate to say it but Charles Barkley is usually right about the games - I remember him picking Arizona against the Devils a few years ago. Still, I like our chances if Seth Curry can do it again. I have not seen any more posts saying that he should not be starting like the silly one early in the season ! What a game he played last night - hope his leg holds up tomorrow.

He is Nostradamas. He picked Kansas, Indiana, New Mexico and Louisville for the FF. So far 0-3.

[Des Esseintes]

He is Nostradamas. He picked Kansas, Indiana, New Mexico and Louisville for the FF. So far 0-3.

For real. In some past years, Barkley has looked prescient. This year, he's been oddly cantankerous and kind of breathtakingly careless. Somehow, he's managed to sound even less informed this weekend than he did at the start of the tournament.

His NBA work is much better.

[Kedsy]

A lot of talk on this thread about K's defensive adjustments, which were great.

But I thought the offensive adjustments were amazing, too. This is what I saw. Coach K must've recognized that Plumlee would not have much of an advantage on the low block because of the girth and strength of Nix. So rather than setting Plumlee up on the low block and trying to feed him, the offense started with Plumlee at the top of the key. Deliberately. Over and over again. Curry then came up from the wing and past Plumlee, getting a screen there. This allowed a couple of early open looks for Curry, which probably helped to get him going.
If nothing was available there, they frequently fed Plumlee the ball on the left wing about 15 feet from the basket. The idea here, probably, was that Plumlee is quicker and more mobile than Nix. So if Nix rushes out to cover Plumlee, Mason could take him off the dribble, scoring or drawing the foul. This approach was very successful.
I haven't seen this particular offensive set in any earlier game this season. Therefore I believe it was devised by K specifically for the Michigan State game.

Two games in a row with really superb adjustments on both offense and defense that brought us double-digit wins in both games. I can't wait to see what his plan is for Louisville.

Brilliant coaching by K so far in this tournament.

I noticed this as well with Mason and Nix and thought it was a brilliant game plan. Nix looked totally unsure of what to do and a little nervous about having to cover Mason so far from the basket. Nix wasn't prepared for it and I don't think he ever really recovered from that discombobulation. Clearly Izzo hadn't expected that sort of offensive set out of Duke. Point for Coach K.