MBB: Duke 80, Pittsburgh 65 -- Post-Game Thread

[SupaDave]

Put your post game thoughts here.

Big win on the road.

[Native]

I love this team.

[arnie]

Put your post game thoughts here.

Big win on the road.

We're all the way back

[luburch]

Andre Dawkins. That is all.

[Duvall]

Oh hey, Duke won a TRUE ROAD GAME.

[OldPhiKap]

Put your post game thoughts here.

Big win on the road.

Whole team played well, end to end.

Parker great, Dre great. MP3 great.

Amile double double -- my player of the game.

[theschwartz]

Great game for Duke! Best win of the year by far, in my opinion. Going on the road to a tough team that had confidence and snatching away the game from them in the 2nd half. Very proud of this effort by everybody, but with big shout outs to Dre and Amile. Couldn't have won it without their 2nd half contributions.

[77devil]

Put your post game thoughts here.

Big win on the road.

As Ferryfor50 wrote in chat, Pitt is the new MD. Jamie Dixon is easy to dislike.

[I_am_a_Blue_Devil]

Best they have looked all year. Offense looked incredible. Don't get too excited though. Tough game coming up next.

[OldPhiKap]

As Ferryfor50 wrote in chat, Pitt is the new MD. Jamie Dixon is easy to dislike.

Disagree. Big respect for Pitt.

[CLW]

HUGE statement win on the road. The O just torched the 11th best D in the country. Other than a few bad shots from Parker just about everyone was taking and making good/wide open shots. They won't always fall but that offense in the 2nd half was a thing of beauty.

The D was actually pretty decent too holding Pitt below their average output offensively and we ended up +4 on the glass which is impressive. Hood's D on Patterson was particularly note worthy and Marshall bothered allot of shots as well when he was in the game.

[bbosbbos]

O = slow start, but D always strong. Dre, AJ, Parker and Hood are good. Marshall played well again.

If give a word to describe this game, it is "Defense".

[91devil]

When this team moves the ball on offense, like it did for most of the second half, it is REALLY tough to guard and beat. Well done, boys.

Lost a bit of respect for Jamie Dixon tonight. That post-game almost brush-off handshake with K was pretty immature.

[Duvall]

Best they have looked all year. Offense looked incredible. Don't get too excited though. Tough game coming up next.

Pfft. Get excited. This was a big win, and a win Saturday would be a bonus.

[NashvilleDevil]

As Ferryfor50 wrote in chat, Pitt is the new MD. Jamie Dixon is easy to dislike.

Was it Dixon or Jay Wright people were discussing as K successors? Or both?

[gurufrisbee]

Cook is too hurt to start, Sheed has a lousy game, Bajari has a terrible second half, most of the crappy officiating went against us, and even in a tough road location against a good team we win by 15. We may not be the #1 team in the country, but there isn't anyone we can't beat when we play our best. And you know there are some Orange lookin' fellows taking note of that.

[gus]

Great win. Offense was clicking, and the defense looked pretty good too.

Did it look to anyone else like Jamie Dixon avoided making eye contact with Coach K? And speaking of Pitt coaching, someone on the Pitt coaching staff should point out to Zanna that he's playing basketball, not volleyball.

[wsb3]

Big road win. At one point it was such a grind in out possession by possession game that it had that NCAA feel to it.

This team has matured so much & the defense has really come a long way. Love the minutes & the quality MP3 is giving us.

Very proud of this team. On to Syracuse.

Andre raining 3's. I could not be happier for that young man.

[NYBri]

I said it double-digit win in the other thread. Others mocked me. 15 frickin' points!

[NashvilleDevil]

Best they have looked all year. Offense looked incredible. Don't get too excited though. Tough game coming up next.

I'm giddy and now they're playing with house money.

[arnie]

When this team moves the ball on offense, like it did for most of the second half, it is REALLY tough to guard and beat. Well done, boys.

Lost a bit of respect for Jamie Dixon tonight. That post-game almost brush-off handshake with K was pretty immature.

Yea that was very telling. K seemed shocked.

[TKG]

If Rasheed ever learns how to finish at the rim he will be a monster. He can get to the basket on most defenders but seems to have trouble scoring. He was 1-7 from the field tonight and I counted at least three shots he missed at the rim. He is so quick.

[gus]

Pfft. Get excited. This was a big win, and a win Saturday would be a bonus.

Yeah, seriously. Enjoy the moments!

[BlueDevilBrowns]

As Ferryfor50 wrote in chat, Pitt is the new MD. Jamie Dixon is easy to dislike.

You could sense the Terp-like inferiority complex from both the coach and the crowd right from the beginning. More interested in complaining about Duke than focusing on their own team.

[gurufrisbee]

Lost a bit of respect for Jamie Dixon tonight. That post-game almost brush-off handshake with K was pretty immature.

I noticed that, too. I'm hoping he had diarrhea.

[timmy c]

Line-up with the best +/-
Plumlee, Amile, Dre, Cook, Hood +8

Looks like you can play Amile and plumlee together if Dre is shooting lights out!

[KandG]

Best win of the year. An offense that actually showed composure with a lead instead of frittering possessions away with spastic one-on-three play with under 10 seconds left. Loved all the out of bounds sets that found guys ready to shoot good shots, and the passing under pressure (especially from Quinn & Sheed, not always the best of decision makers when scrambling against good defenses)

The defense will obviously get a lot of pub, for good reason, but I enjoyed the improvement in the quality of offense at least as much, because this is a team with quality offensive players. Rodney and Jabari weren't even that potent in the 2nd half, and Duke still romped.

[roywhite]

I said it double-digit win in the other thread. Others mocked me. 15 frickin' points!

Nice job; I predicted Duke by 8 or 10; very pleased with the performance all around.

About the only thing missing from this game that should have happened -- a Technical on Jamie Dixon.

[FerryFor50]

Awesome, awesome win.

Best I've seen Duke play all year. Gritty, grind out game. Hostile crowd (and coach... Jamie Dickson is the new Gary Williams). Questionable officiating (24 FTs to 15 for Duke... and Pitt intentionally fouled four times at the end).

How does Duke respond?

- Hits big shots (Dre in particular)
- Outrebounds one of the toughest rebounding teams in the country (Hello Amile!)
- Takes the lead at the half and answers every Pitt shot, when it seemed like Pitt couldn't miss
- Multiple contributors on offense and defense
- great help defense
- 19 assists on 28 FGs... and just 7 turnovers against a good, physical defense
- not letting the physicality or crowd get into your head
- extending the lead surgically, methodically
- perfect stallball execution
- great drive and dishes and even hitting the cutter on the pick and roll

Excellent win. Hopefully they don't rest on their laurels and can carry this positive play over to Syracuse.

[MartyClark]

Great game. I think this is Duke's best game of the year. Pitt may not be a top 15 team when all is said and done, but they are solid.

Bring on Cuse. I'm ready.

[gus]

Yea that was very telling. K seemed shocked.

Glad I'm not the only one who saw that. That seemed childish. Even Gary Williams shook hands with eye contact after games.

[77devil]

Was it Dixon or Jay Wright people were discussing as K successors? Or both?

Don't know but for me neither. Not even remotely a consideration.

[OldPhiKap]

You could sense the Terp-like inferiority complex from both the coach and the crowd right from the beginning. More interested in complaining about Duke than focusing on their own team.


I noticed that, too. I'm hoping he had diarrhea.

Before we get too twisted, K does not linger after a loss. Dixon is proud, and this was a signature game. He got smoked. Give him some slack.

JMHO.

[NYBri]

On to 'Cuse! Another double digit win!

[Ggallagher]

There was a lot to like in the game tonight - in addition to the beauty of Andre's shots and his reactions. But what really got my attention was Andre out on the floor talking and the other guys listening. I can't say that I've seen that before. And if Andre starts getting confident and stepping into more of a leadership role, these guys could get seriously powerful.

[FerryFor50]

Before we get too twisted, K does not linger after a loss. Dixon is proud, and this was a signature game. He got smoked. Give him some slack.

JMHO.

It wasn't just the quick handshake. Dickson (yes, I'm misspelling it wrong on purpose) purposefully looked away from K. Very Belichek-ian.

Plus, the constant terping during the game by Dixon despite his team being well ahead in FT discrepancy and getting away with murder inside.

[gurufrisbee]

Great game. I think this is Duke's best game of the year. Pitt may not be a top 15 team when all is said and done, but they are solid.
.

I think Pitt is another ACC team with serious sweet sixteen possibilities. Along with Duke, Cuse, NC, and Virginia.

[cptnflash]

Amazing team effort in the second half, was very happy to see more balance offensively instead of just having Jabari take a bunch of shots.

A few other thoughts...

Rodney was awesome... he gets my vote for MOTM. Those of you that follow KenPom know how unbelievably good Lamar Patterson has been this year. Obviously defense is a team effort but Rodney had primary responsibility and held Patterson to 4 of 14 from the field, with 5 TO's. Outstanding effort on D, and quietly contributed an efficient 13 points plus 4 assists on the other side of the ball as well.

Always great to see Andre knock down 3's. I love that kid.

With four days off before Syracuse, hopefully Quinn's ankle has time to heal. Our offense runs so much better with him at the point.

Pound for pound, I'll take Amile over any other rebounder in the country. And he's sneaky good on drives to the hoop. Free throws even look a little better lately.

Overall, other than Jabari's tendency to go it alone sometimes, I really love this team.

[Dukehky]

Welcome to the league boys. Hope the kids had fun camping out for a whole day in 0 degree weather.

Hood is improving tremendously as a defender, learning how to use his length while guarding on the perimeter. I think in the 2nd half we didn't get Jabari the ball early enough and he cooled off, but Dre came in and just got silly on them boys.

That was fun. Greenberg: Cuse is the only team that can win it all. If we get hot, look out, and with the way the defense and boards are picking up, we can win even when we're not. That dude is a fool. Jamie Dixon whined the whole game, it was really off-putting.

Bilas put it well. Marshall has game changing traits for this Duke team, and he needed game action to get it going. I'm glad he started getting more run. Maybe he started to earn it in practice, but I think the more likely reason is that with the advent of the line changes, he made the most of his chances in game time, and earned his PT from his previous PT. Matt didn't play much tonight, which is okay, I just love him, but Rasheed was great on defense. He just needs a game where he sees some of his driving shots go down to get the confidence back up, because currently, as I've said before, he starts his drives looking to pass, and when you do that, TOs are going to happen if that becomes a part of the scouting report. Quinn gutted out a really solid game and Tyler was very good defensively.

[bbosbbos]

You are brilliant in that. Please predict the next game. Thanks


I said it double-digit win in the other thread. Others mocked me. 15 frickin' points!

[gus]

You could sense the Terp-like inferiority complex from both the coach and the crowd right from the beginning. More interested in complaining about Duke than focusing on their own team.

Late in the game after a good no call the crowd did like, someone shouted loud enough for the TV mics to pick him: "Hey refs! you're already up 11, how about giving us a call!" Childish. Wonder if it was Dixon?

[TKG]

Before we get too twisted, K does not linger after a loss. Dixon is proud, and this was a signature game. He got smoked. Give him some slack.

JMHO.


Dixon's post game presser might test this hypothesis.

[lotusland]

This team is really coming together in a way that seemed really unlikely following the Clemson game. I knew they would improve but I never thought they would come together so much so fast on both sides of the ball. The platoon lineup is really fun to watch. Nice first half from Parker and second half by Dre. Cook had a really solid game on a bum wheel. Hood was Hood but Amile and Plumlee playing their respective roles really adds a post presence on the defense as well as on the glass. I'm going to vote for Dre for POTG just because of the big ole smile on his face but it was truly a team effort.

[cptnflash]

I think Pitt is another ACC team with serious sweet sixteen possibilities. Along with Duke, Cuse, NC, and Virginia.

NC??? As in, UNC? Were you talking about the NIT Sweet Sixteen?

[bbosbbos]

Feel the same. Can anybody call Nolan back to help Rasheed? Rasheed has the move similar to Nolan, but his finishing is almost zero.


If Rasheed ever learns how to finish at the rim he will be a monster. He can get to the basket on most defenders but seems to have trouble scoring. He was 1-7 from the field tonight and I counted at least three shots he missed at the rim. He is so quick.

[gus]

Before we get too twisted, K does not linger after a loss. Dixon is proud, and this was a signature game. He got smoked. Give him some slack.

JMHO.

Quit being an adult. I don't like mocking the kids anymore, but I think the coaches are still fair game.

[FerryFor50]

Late in the game after a good no call the crowd did like, someone shouted loud enough for the TV mics to pick him: "Hey refs! you're already up 11, how about giving us a call!" Childish. Wonder if it was Dixon?

That was hilarious. I felt like I was at a NC State home game.

[kAzE]

I'm sure I speak for us all when I say: "HELL YEAH!!"

Amazing performance from the whole team. A couple of boneheaded plays from Parker and Cook aside, that was easily the best we've played the entire year, and worthy of our preseason top-5 status. Here's what I took from this game:

1. We are unstoppable when Dawkins is making it rain. He was the man, and everyone who was trying to accuse him of not stepping up in big games can zip it.
2. Amile Jefferson is our 3rd best player, and he plays like he's been in this program for 4 years. The guy does absolutely everything we need him to do, and he does it incredibly well. He never makes mistakes, and he's always in the right place at the right time. I freakin love this guy. He's a stone-cold lead pipe lock to be a captain next year.
3. You can see why Coach K says Jabari is the most talented, but Hood is our best player. And there's only 1 thing that separates the 2: SHOT SELECTION. At least in this game, I only said "WTH JABARI?" twice. He's getting better, but the heat checks need to stop. Hood takes quality shots most of the time, and he did a magnificent job defending Pitt's best player. Hood is our best player right now.
4. MP3 isn't a noob anymore! He can play double digit minutes in a big road game, and be really damn effective! We have 7-footer in the rotation! Hooray!!!

Oh . . and the officiating was horrendous. Seriously, these refs need to get demoted to the MAAC or something. That was an abomination of an officiating job.

[FerryFor50]

I'm sure I speak for us all when I say: "HELL YEAH!!"

Amazing performance from the whole team. A couple of boneheaded plays from Parker and Cook aside, that was easily the best we've played the entire year, and worthy of our preseason top-5 status. Here's what I took from this game:

1. We are unstoppable when Dawkins is making it rain. He was the man, and everyone who was trying to accuse him of not stepping up in big games can zip it.
2. Amile Jefferson is our 3rd best player, and he plays like he's been in this program for 4 years. The guy does absolutely everything we need him to do, and he does it incredibly well. He never makes mistakes, and he's always in the right place at the right time. I freakin love this guy. He's a stone-cold lead pipe lock to be a captain next year.
3. You can see why Coach K says Jabari is the most talented, but Hood is our best player. And there's only 1 thing that separates the 2: SHOT SELECTION. At least in this game, I only said "WTH JABARI?" twice. He's getting better, but the heat checks need to stop. Hood takes quality shots every time, and he did a magnificent job defending Pitt's best player. Hood is our best player right now.
4. MP3 isn't a noob anymore! He can play double digit minutes in a big road game, and be really damn effective! We ha 7-footer in the rotation! Hooray!!!

I dunno.. Hood's drive into a triple team was a pretty bad decision...

[gurufrisbee]

NC??? As in, UNC? Were you talking about the NIT Sweet Sixteen?

They are capable of a sweet sixteen run. It's only two good games in a row. That's about the limit for them.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Feel like a new rivalry may have been born tonight.

[dukelifer]

Great win by Duke. Passed the ball well and hit big shots. Pitt is a very good team and that was not an easy place to play. Andre was great- best game of the year for him. Marshall is really playing well. He is under control and doing what is asked of him. Amile is a rock now. Jabari is still a work in progress but he can be electrifying. The D is much much better. Pitt scored but they hit some tough shots. This team has not hit its peak. Very impressed with this effort tonight. Did not think Duke could separate but when they did, Pitt had no answer. Andre was on fire!

[NYBri]

You are brilliant in that. Please predict the next game. Thanks

I'll be more circumspect. We beat 'Cuse by 11. :)

I'm just so excited about this win...almost as much as when Rivers nailed the dagger.

[cptnflash]

They are capable of a sweet sixteen run. It's only two good games in a row. That's about the limit for them.

They have to make the tournament first, which looks unlikely at this point.

[Listen to Quants]

Whole team played well, end to end.

Parker great, Dre great. MP3 great.

Amile double double -- my player of the game.

Jefferson was so efficient 5-5 from the field, 4-5 from the line, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, 10 boards, on as noted by Bilas, 'no plays run for him.' Massive contribution. Moves his feet well on defense too, not Lance Thomas yet but well.

[OldPhiKap]

Dixon's post game presser might test this hypothesis.


Quit being an adult. I don't like mocking the kids anymore, but I think the coaches are still fair game.


You win with class and dignity. You lose with class and dignity. If you don't, you deserve to be called out for it and for behaving in whatever negative way someone sees that as. I'd call Dixon a "thug" but then I might get called a racist.

Damn, swimming upstream here for sure.

Dixon is a very good coach. He is a competitor. He just got schooled, at home, in The Home Game of the Year for Pitt.

I look forward to the presses, we will see. He may be a tool, he may be a competitor who just took a whooping and ain't happy. Don't like the former, don't blame the latter.

Again, we do not lose often -- but when we do, K blows through and gets out of there. Not unexpected to think others do the same.

[jacone21]

We've had a taste of the Big East.... and it was pretty damn sweet!

[FerryFor50]

Jefferson was so efficient 5-5 from the field, 4-5 from the line, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, 10 boards, on as noted by Bilas, 'no plays run for him.' Massive contribution. Moves his feet well on defense too, not Lance Thomas yet but well.

Needs to develop a mid-range jumper to be a Lance Thomas. But I think Amile is already a better rebounder and finisher than Lance was. Might even be a better shot blocker.

[hudlow]

Feel like a new rivalry may have been born tonight.

Oh noooo, please not another Terp-like obsession...

[arnie]

That was hilarious. I felt like I was at a NC State home game.

Great comparison as State fan thinks refs steal every game from them.

[Brockt10]

Line-up with the best +/-
Plumlee, Amile, Dre, Cook, Hood +8

Looks like you can play Amile and plumlee together if Dre is shooting lights out!

I suggested this before the fsu game and no one agreed. I also said the team looks better when hood and Parker aren't on the court together and I stand by that. Ball movement is so much better when you don't have two stars on the court that try to play ISO a lot.

All said and done tonight.....I couldn't be prouder to be a duke fan. I agree with other than a few bad shots by Parker, this team played perfectly against a solid team at a tough venue. Everyone played to their potential tonight.

[rsvman]

Great, great win in a tough environment.

At the beginning of the second half Pitt made pretty much every shot they tossed up. Even if we played good hard D the entire possession. That's the kind of thing that can easily demoralize a road team.

But our guys played with composure, possession by possession. Dawkins was an assassin, but this was very clearly a team victory.

I am ecstatic!

[luburch]

We've had a taste of the Big East.... and it was pretty damn sweet!

Really? I thought it was kinda chewy and flavorless.

[DBFAN]

I told you guys, it's my birthday, and the 14th anniversary of the miracle minute, Gone in 55 sec, whatever you like to call it. This game was decided before the plane even touched down in Pittsburgh...

[gurufrisbee]

They have to make the tournament first, which looks unlikely at this point.

It's NC - if they are .500 the tournament wants them in.

[kAzE]

Awesome, awesome win.

Best I've seen Duke play all year. Gritty, grind out game. Hostile crowd (and coach... Jamie Dickson is the new Gary Williams). Questionable officiating (24 FTs to 15 for Duke... and Pitt intentionally fouled four times at the end).

How does Duke respond?

- Hits big shots (Dre in particular)
- Outrebounds one of the toughest rebounding teams in the country (Hello Amile!)
- Takes the lead at the half and answers every Pitt shot, when it seemed like Pitt couldn't miss
- Multiple contributors on offense and defense
- great help defense
- 19 assists on 28 FGs... and just 7 turnovers against a good, physical defense
- not letting the physicality or crowd get into your head
- extending the lead surgically, methodically
- perfect stallball execution
- great drive and dishes and even hitting the cutter on the pick and roll

Excellent win. Hopefully they don't rest on their laurels and can carry this positive play over to Syracuse.

Hey, come on . . . I actually have respect for Gary, Jamie Dixon is a joke. He's whiny and entitled, and has an atrocious comb-over.

[FerryFor50]

Really? I thought it was kinda chewy and flavorless.

Too bad there's no MSG for the Syracuse game.

[OldPhiKap]

Really? I thought it was kinda chewy and flavorless.

You mean it was . . . . Foul?

[arnie]

Needs to develop a mid-range jumper to be a Lance Thomas. But I think Amile is already a better rebounder and finisher than Lance was. Might even be a better shot blocker.

Definitely a better rebounder than Lance - rebounding was not his strong suit. Probably not as good a defender- but Amile still just a soph.

[FerryFor50]

Hey, come on . . . I actually have respect for Gary, Jamie Dixon is a joke. He's whiny and entitled, and has an atrocious comb-over.

You obviously didn't watch a lot of Gary Williams when Maryland was good. He was sooooo obnoxious. Same "we get screwed by the refs attitude"...

[Duvall]

Hey, come on . . . I actually have respect for Gary, Jamie Dixon is a joke. He's whiny and entitled, and has an atrocious comb-over.

Gary did have great hair.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Oh noooo, please not another Terp-like obsession...
I didn't mean in a bad way. I for one am loving the new ACC. Let's face it, the product being forth the last several years by the conference has been pretty suspect. I hope this energizes some new rivalries.

[roywhite]

Definitely a better rebounder than Lance - rebounding was not his strong suit. Probably not as good a defender- but Amile still just a soph.

Lots of good words for Amile on this thread and he deserves every one of them.

Among the things I like best about Amile -- his basketball IQ is terrific and he just rarely makes mistakes.

[Saratoga2]

You have to like the win against Pitt. The guys had to overcome a hostile atmosphere against a very good and well coached team. There were subtle differences in Dukes substitution pattern tonight. Coming through from the bench very well were Andre and Marshall.

I thought Amile played well enough to be considered one of Dukes stars. Great and smart effort on his part. Jabari continues to play very well and teams have to plan to stop him on offense. His rebounding remains strong. Rodney had an excellent game with his defense being as important as his offense.

I thought Quinn ran the team better than Tyler and the team responded when he came in although he must have had some mobility limits with the sore ankle.

What a weapon with Andre just killing them with a rain of 3's. He was also active on defense. Good game for him.

Marshall's presence on the floor was making it difficult for Pitt to score around the basket. He is an increasingly important part of the team despite not getting scoring opportunities.

What could be improved:

Rasheed make great penetrating moves but again has had trouble finishing around the basket, leaving opportunities for a team to fast break against us.

Rodney has also had the tendency to drive into the teeth of the defense and get the ball stripped. Between Rasheed and Rodney we had 6 plays that gave Pitt opportunities for breaks.

Josh was not competitive rebounding. He had opportunities but was either not big enough or athletic enough to get the ball. Don't know what to do with that problem. I did think the team with Amile and Marshall in the game together with 3 point shooters was very effective.

Great win where we made a good team look bad. The team is definitely improving although maybe the bench is shortening. When we play weaker teams we may be able to go back to the wider substitution pattern as we had during the last few games.

[bbosbbos]

4 times...


I dunno.. Hood's drive into a triple team was a pretty bad decision...

[Newton_14]

Big big win. Statement game win. I was a little frustrated at K with not subbing much in the 2nd half from the 20:00 mark to the 11:00 mark, as I felt the second unit guys played really well again in the first half, but he finally starting subbing at that point and got Andre back in there. That was key to the win in my opinion. That is really my only major nit to pick in a wonderful game by the Devils. They looked the part of a legit Top10 team tonight. Pitt is a really good team, and their crowd and atmosphere were terrific as well, so our guys had to bring it at a very high level not only to win the game, but really to stay in it.

I liked our defense tonight a lot. Credit Pitt that even though we turned them into a 2 point jumpshooting team for many possessions, they hit a lot of them. They also took advantage of any open 3 we gave them and knocked those down too. Fortunately we just did not give them that many. Having seen Pitt play 3 times, I feared they would torch us in the paint, both off the dribble and with post play, but in the end we held our own in there thanks to really good play by Amile, MP3, and Jabari. Our perimeter guys were good with staying in front of their man to limit blow by's, and Hood was draped all over Patterson for much of the night. Add to that, that every single guy fought like heck in the paint, and it all added up to good defense by the eye test.

Offensively, Pitt got a great look at the best shooter in the nation. What a night for Andre. He is so fun to watch when he gets in that zone. It's like a layup. That 6th and final 3 with the shotclock running out was the dagger that drove any chance of a comeback to the mat. Beautiful. We balanced that with interior scoring from Jabari, Amile, and some nice drives and midrange shots from Hood who also hit from downtown. Other than a couple of bad shots by Jabari, we took good shots most of the night.

All in all just a great night. Easily the biggest and most important win of the season to date. Another moment of growth for both individuals and as a team. They should carry a lot of confidence into the big battle with Syracuse this weekend.

The goal as of right now? Beat Syracuse. Nothing else matters as of today.

Go Duke!

[ice-9]

My big takeaway is that this team doesn't need hero ball from Parker or Hood, we have enough weapons to get and convert high quality shots. And it's good to know it's there in case nothing is working - but it should be the backup not the point.

[kAzE]

I dunno.. Hood's drive into a triple team was a pretty bad decision...

Okay, good point. In his defense though, I think he got fouled by all 3 of those guys.


You obviously didn't watch a lot of Gary Williams when Maryland was good. He was sooooo obnoxious. Same "we get screwed by the refs attitude"...

To be honest, I actually kind of liked Maryland for awhile, back when they had Steve Francis and Terrence Morris. That was a fun team to watch. Of course, I quickly got over that once their fans started being the most obnoxious fans ever. I guess I never really noticed Gary Williams being obnoxious, I just felt bad for him a lot, because he was always so sweaty and he was always getting crushed by us. Plus, at the end of the day, at least he had respect for Coach K and for Duke. Dixon can't even shake hands properly, what a bad loser.

[DukieInBrasil]

Dre all day!!! 20 points on 9 shots? Insane efficiency!
Amile is playing inspired ball as well. Rodney with a understated yet effective night and Quinn looked solid, not great, but few bone-headed mistakes.
Jabari's got a lot of talent, but his shot selection right now is terrible. In a tighter game, those mental errors will cost us dearly.
Rasheed's intensity and slashing is a good thing to see, but he is not finishing very well. He can't finish with contact (weren't those being called fouls earlier in the year?), indicating that he is not under control when he is in the scoring zone.

Duke controlled the tempo of the game and made winning plays in the end-game. There were no stretches of brain-fart basketball. That's how this team will take steps towards being a champion!

[Henderson]

Feel like a new rivalry may have been born tonight.

I was thinking that this afternoon. And I think you're right. It does have that feel.

Dare I speculate that it might have had its origins on September 21, 2013?

[Merlindevildog91]

Gary did have great hair.

You didn't like the Jamie Dixon separated at birth from Pepe le Pew hair?

[Atlanta Duke]

It wasn't just the quick handshake. Dickson (yes, I'm misspelling it wrong on purpose) purposefully looked away from K. Very Belichek-ian.

Plus, the constant terping during the game by Dixon despite his team being well ahead in FT discrepancy and getting away with murder inside.

Having grown up in Pittsburgh I still read the Pittsburgh papers. Pittsburgh sportswriters have been on Dixon for years for flaming out in the NCAAs but were very upbeat about Pitt's chances against Duke after a close loss at Syracuse and were posting columns such as this:

Dixon, Pitt in line with Duke
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports#ixzz2remCnZc0

Dixon was disappointed by tonight's performance and knows he is going to get roasted for losing to K. As far as Dixon's conduct, I am no fan of Belichick the person but Belichick-ian conduct includes acting that way while winning three titles. Dixon has not won anything beyond Big East tournament titles.

That having been said what is more important is a great win

[GGLC]

Some of you should stop focusing on the other team's coach and celebrate our team's big win.

[NashvilleDevil]

Dre all day!!! 20 points on 9 shots? Insane efficiency!
Amile is playing inspired ball as well. Rodney with a understated yet effective night and Quinn looked solid, not great, but few bone-headed mistakes.
Jabari's got a lot of talent, but his shot selection right now is terrible. In a tighter game, those mental errors will cost us dearly.
Rasheed's intensity and slashing is a good thing to see, but he is not finishing very well. He can't finish with contact (weren't those being called fouls earlier in the year?), indicating that he is not under control when he is in the scoring zone.

Duke controlled the tempo of the game and made winning plays in the end-game. There were no stretches of brain-fart basketball. That's how this team will take steps towards being a champion!

I have to disagree with this, by my count he took two ill advised step back 3s but other than that thought his shot selection was pretty good.

[Dukehky]

Obviously I am bad at Spanish.

Baxter, in English!!! You know I don't speak Spanish.

So, my 16-2 prediction is still intact, that's a good thing. I thought we came out a little flat to start the game, which I would like to see corrected, but Duke fixed that pretty quickly, especially after the first media time out. If some of their role players hadn't had the games of their lives (which means like 9 points for 2 of them apiece) we win this game by more than twenty. They made every open shot. Didn't get many, but the ones they did get, they made all of them, that doesn't happen often.

I am just so happy we won tonight. Probably our best win of the season, with an opportunity and challenge to top it coming up here in a few days. I hope we give Cuse the same warm welcome to the ACC that we handed to Pitt.

[azzefkram]

Great win for the good guys. Solid contributions all around. Jabari carried us in the first half then Andre went off in the second. Easily the best we've played all year.

BTW we are up to 4 on Kenpom

[BD80]

It wasn't just the quick handshake. Dickson (yes, I'm misspelling it wrong on purpose) purposefully looked away from K. Very Belichek-ian.

Plus, the constant terping during the game by Dixon despite his team being well ahead in FT discrepancy and getting away with murder inside.

A neutral observer would find this rather ironic, you are engaging in worse behavior in accusing someone of such behavior.

A coach was working the refs on his home court, heaven forfend! You sound like a terp or a heel whining about Coach K working the refs.

If Dixon says anything post-game about poor or questionable officiating, then I'll concede your assertions. Doubt that'll happen.

[NashvilleDevil]

Baxter, in English!!! You know I don't speak Spanish.

So, my 16-2 prediction is still intact, that's a good thing. I thought we came out a little flat to start the game, which I would like to see corrected, but Duke fixed that pretty quickly, especially after the first media time out. If some of their role players hadn't had the games of their lives (which means like 9 points for 2 of them apiece) we win this game by more than twenty. They made every open shot. Didn't get many, but the ones they did get, they made all of them, that doesn't happen often.

I am just so happy we won tonight. Probably our best win of the season, with an opportunity and challenge to top it coming up here in a few days. I hope we give Cuse the same warm welcome to the ACC that we handed to Pitt.

They shot a ton of FTs as well that kept the game close. It appears Duke has found a nice rhythm right now and look forward to what they do Saturday night.

[Atlanta Duke]

I didn't mean in a bad way. I for one am loving the new ACC. Let's face it, the product being forth the last several years by the conference has been pretty suspect. I hope this energizes some new rivalries.

In his post game comments K states he is glad to have Pitt in the ACC

"This is a spectacular venue. What an addition to the ACC"

https://twitter.com/PaulZeise/statuses/427991343936196608

[FerryFor50]

A neutral observer would find this rather ironic, you are engaging in worse behavior in accusing someone of such behavior.

A coach was working the refs on his home court, heaven forfend! You sound like a terp or a heel whining about Coach K working the refs.

If Dixon says anything post-game about poor or questionable officiating, then I'll concede your assertions. Doubt that'll happen.

I was more concerned with the handshake. The ref working was a sidebar...

[arnie]

Having grown up in Pittsburgh I still read the Pittsburgh papers. Pittsburgh sportswriters have been on Dixon for years for flaming out in the NCAAs but were very upbeat about Pitt's chances against Duke after a close loss at Syracuse and were posting columns such as this:

Dixon, Pitt in line with Duke
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports#ixzz2remCnZc0

Dixon was disappointed by tonight's performance and knows he is going to get roasted for losing to K. As far as Dixon's conduct, I am no fan of Belichick the person but Belichick-ian conduct includes acting that way while winning three titles. Dixon has not won anything beyond Big East tournament titles.

That having been said what is more important is a great win

Pitt adds very little to the conference - admitting them may have been a huge mistake. Think they fit better in the AAC or whatever league has Cincy and UConn.

[Cameron]

Welcome to the ACC, Jamel Artis.

That was a statement win. We played as if the entire history of the conference was on the line. That pride to play for Duke was palpable. A total team effort.

Rodney looked like Rick Mahorn out there. He rendered Lamar Patterson utterly useless in the first half for Pitt. That set the tone of the game. We're Duke, and you better not forget it.

Jabari played possessed in the opening 20 minutes. He got anything he wanted. Loved that, while he took and made some nice outside shots, Jabari made it a concerted effort to work Pitt over inside. They had nobody who could handle him one-on-one inside the arc, and he let them know that early. Those quick dunks inside were back breakers for Pitt and kept the crowd at bay from the onset.

Amile continues to put together a great season. Probably the most consistent guy on the team, and that's a huge compliment.

Marshall once again did all the little things to help his team win and worked his butt off when in the game. He's an enormous asset inside as a rebounder and shot alterer. He redirected the trajectory of at least two or three Pitt shot attempts inside. He had 4 rebounds, 1 block and 1 assist, and played some excellent defense away from the post. His footwork and overall movement are vastly improving game by game. The presence of mind on that trap in the corner near mid-court is the type of smart play the kid brings to this team.

Andre apparently was not messing around tonight. Kid entered the game midway through the second half, silenced the crowd and turned the lights off on his way out. Perhaps his single-greatest shooting performance as a Blue Devil. And he's had some doozies. The Wisconsin and Baylor games as a frosh; dropping 26 at MSG against Michigan State; hitting seven first-half threes against Wake Forest in Cameron; at FSU in '12. But, while Jabari and Rodney pieced it together, Andre put the final nails in the coffin tonight. That was a sensational exhibition.

Again, this was a team effort and a statement win, not only for us, but for "our" conference. You are not just going to walk into ACC country and steal the show. One down. One to go. Let's handle our business on Saturday, boys.

[roywhite]

A neutral observer would find this rather ironic, you are engaging in worse behavior in accusing someone of such behavior.

A coach was working the refs on his home court, heaven forfend! You sound like a terp or a heel whining about Coach K working the refs.

If Dixon says anything post-game about poor or questionable officiating, then I'll concede your assertions. Doubt that'll happen.

FWIW, I though Dixon deserved to be T'd up on a couple occasions; he was way out on the floor and wailing away. Frankly, I think he lost his cool; he so wanted to win this game, but he came up against a better team and better coach. But Dixon (or how we pronounce his name) was not the story of this game.

A great performance by Duke was the story of this game. Amile Jefferson and Andre Dawkins were stellar; the team defense was terrific; young Jabari produced big time, esp. in the 1st half; Rodney scored and defended Pitt's best player well; MP3 hustled and made plays.

Let's appreciate and enjoy this win; it was a good one.

[wilson]

Think they fit better in the AAC or whatever league has Cincy and UConn.This might well be true, though I think the difference is negligible if not non-existent.


Pitt adds very little to the conference - admitting them may have been a huge mistake.I'm not looking for an argument, but I am interested to know why you'd think this?

[dhillbluedevil]

A road win in conference is a bonus - at a ranked team's gym is another bonus. More contributions from the bench have been a key to this run of good play. Excited to see the team keep growing and improving!

[CDu]

That game was, in my opinion, the best we've played all year. We got punched in the mouth early, as Pitt was much tougher than us in the early going. But from the under-12 timeout in the first half until the end of the game we just steadily clawed our way into the lead before eventually pulling away. We outscored Pitt 73-53 over the last 32 minutes of the game. That's impressive.

And the way we did it was impressive, too. Hood and Parker weren't other-wordly tonight on offense. Both played solidly (not spectacularly, but solidly) and both were among our leading scorers. But other guys stepped up: most notably Dawkins and Jefferson. Cook chipped in with a solid second half and finished with 9 and 6. Sulaimon scored just 3 but added 4 assists.

Interestingly, we got a combined 0 points, 1 assist, 1 offensive rebound, and 1 turnover from the rest of the guys. But despite getting just 12 points from 6 of our 10 rotation players, and despite getting just an okay night from Parker offensively, we still dominated the game.

Other thoughts:
- So much for the re-emphasis on the foul rules. That game was a classic Big East style of game. Players on both teams were allowed to do pretty much whatever they wanted inside. The officials are going to have to step in and start calling that stuff. Otherwise, the game is going to get unwatchable.
- If any team wasn't aware that they need to keep track of Dawkins at all time, consider this their warning. He was amazing. Just lethal. And his flurry of threes in the second half was just awesome to watch. Possibly the most dangerous player in the country. You simply can't let him get open. He's such an X-factor type of player. He was the difference in this one - literally. Both teams played to a draw otherwise, but Pitt simply had no answer for Dawkins.
- Not to be lost in the Dawkins love-fest was the performance of Jefferson. 14 points and 10 rebounds with 2 blocks and a steal is really impressive. He just has a great instinct for finding rebounds and baskets. It's uncanny. For him to cancel out Zanna like that was huge.
- I also don't want to forget the defensive effort applied by Hood on Patterson. Patterson is having a 1st Team All-ACC type of season, but tonight (largely behind the efforts of Hood) Patterson scored just 14 on 14 shots, and had just 1 assist to 5 turnovers. Hood got tired as the game wore on and Patterson got some good looks late, but when the game was still in doubt Hood was terrific. That was probably his best defensive game in a Duke uniform.
- Parker got 21 and 11, and it was an off-night for him. Ho-hum. This guy is amazing. His effort on the boards the last few games has been outstanding, and his attention to detail on defense is getting better.
- Small shout out to Plumlee for doing a good job of mucking things up around the rim defensively when he was in. He did get stuck in a really unfortunate switch onto Patterson and he did miss an assignment in the second half, but overall he played well. The two-headed monster of Jefferson and Plumlee at C is working out quite nicely. I hope it continues moving forward.
- A huge statement win for us. We really needed to play well tonight. Getting a win was huge. Coolly, collectedly handling Pitt by 20 was icing on the cake.

And now, we get the reward of rest. The big battle with the 'Cuse is 5 days away. Hopefully we can give Syracuse a similar welcome to the conference that we gave Pitt.

[devilnfla]

Marshall once again did all the little things to help his team win and worked his --- off when in the game. He's an enormous asset inside as a rebounder and shot alterer. He redirected the trajectory of at least two or three Pitt shot attempts inside. He had 4 rebounds, 1 block and 1 assist, and played some excellent defense away from the post. His footwork and overall movement are vastly improving game by game. The presence of mind on that trap in the corner near mid-court is the type of smart play the kid brings to this team.


Can't believe no one has mentioned that hook shot he attempted in the first half. It didn't look half bad and almost went down. Hoping he can develop something nice like that in the next two years.

[Duke71]

When this team moves the ball on offense, like it did for most of the second half, it is REALLY tough to guard and beat. Well done, boys.

Lost a bit of respect for Jamie Dixon tonight. That post-game almost brush-off handshake with K was pretty immature.

You were not the ONLY person to comment on this tonight, simply the first.

But before any of the fellow Dukies get too carried away with their hubris, go back and review Coach K's post-game perfunctory handshake snub of Mike Brey (his loyal protégé during our first two NC seasons in 91-92) after ND kicked our butts recently. Our Mikey wasn't feeling too good at the moment himself.

Class is in the eye of the beholder and the way I see it, the folks you resonate with on this point aren't beholding too much either or are having some issues with short-term memory.

[FerryFor50]

You were not the ONLY person to comment on this tonight, simply the first.

But before any of the fellow Dukies get too carried away with their hubris, go back and review Coach K's post-game perfunctory handshake snub of Mike Brey (his loyal protégé during our first two NC seasons in 91-92) after ND kicked our butts recently. Our Mikey wasn't feeling too good at the moment himself.

Class is in the eye of the beholder and the way I see it, the folks you resonate with on this point aren't beholding too much either or are having some issues with short-term memory.

Did K purposely look away from Brey?

[Cameron]

Can't believe no one has mentioned that hook shot he attempted in the first half. It didn't look half bad and almost went down. Hoping he can develop something nice like that in the next two years.

Ah, yes, the baby skyhook. That was the prettiest miss I've ever seen. Had Marshall converted on that one, I'd have overrun this site with Plumlee propaganda that would've left Joseph Goebbells in awe.

Marshall is just infectious. There is something different about him than either of his two brothers, and I liked his brothers. An intensity and ferocious desire to leave an impact on each and every minute he is on the floor that is just rare in today's role player. Tyler Thornton has carried himself in that same way his entire career. It's an admirable trait.

[Listen to Quants]

Needs to develop a mid-range jumper to be a Lance Thomas. But I think Amile is already a better rebounder and finisher than Lance was. Might even be a better shot blocker.

All reasonable. I was just comparing ... really wishing ... Jefferson could reach Lance Thomas levels of on-ball defensive movement away from the rim. Just picked Thomas as perhaps the best Duke 'big man' at moving his feet while 'stuck' on a switch. And, of yeah, a mid range jumper would prove quite handy.

[Duke71]

Did K purposely look away from Brey?

Well, that was a rather lame defense of our Mike's snub of Mike Brey....and I'll concede your point that he made good eye contact as he snubbed him. But really? Are we subcategorizing snubs here?

[Atldukie79]

A few points to add:

* I suspect there is a secret memo that went out to the refs at the beginning of the year that said call every touch a foul...and then revert back to last year's interpretation of the rules. There is a palpable difference in the way the game is being called. I think the extra bumps hinder Suli most of all as a light weight slasher.

* I agree that this is the best we played all year. But pause and consider if Dre hits 2-7 instead of 6-7. This is a different game. I know...if if if...but did anyone else notice the consecutive missed front end of one and ones down the stretch? Yikes...in a close game it would have been a huge topic on this board.

* Pitt's defense was very similar to ours...hard nosed, relentless and in your face.

[roywhite]

Duke 80 -- Pitt 65 (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=209387499)

Some delicious stats here:
Rebounds:
Duke 37
Pitt 32

Duke 19 assists/ 7 turnovers
Pitt 12 assists/ 10 turnovers

Lamar Patterson 4-14 shooting and 5 turnovers

Andre Dawkins 6 for 7 from 3-pt

[FerryFor50]

Well, that was a rather lame defense of our Mike's snub of Mike Brey....and I'll concede your point that he made good eye contact as he snubbed him. But really? Are we subcategorizing snubs here?

Not lame at all. Quick handshake with eye contact is way more respectable than looking in the exact opposite direction like the guy slighted you somehow by daring to win in your building...

Was not really a defense as much as an honest question as I did not know if he did it didn't make eye contact.

[SCMatt33]

There's so many superlatives and accolades to give to Jabari for keeping us in it, Dawkins for shooting daggers at the end, Hood for containing Patterson, Cook for orchestrating some beautiful stall-fence that made the last 4 minutes delightfully boring, or even Coach K for schooling a great defensive team like Pitt with some excellent plays out of bounds and out of time out's. The most impressive thing to me was the rebounding led by Jefferson, Jabari, and Marshall. Duke out-rebounded Pitt 37-32 (33.3% offensive rebounding and only 27.8% offensive rebounding for Pitt) in spite of Pitt entering the game as a top 15 rebounding team on both offense and defense (according to Ken Pom). It was one thing to grab those boards against a zone in Miami, and a surprisingly poor defensive rebounding team (322nd) in FSU, but to do it on the road, against a physical team in a loosely called game is really impressive.

[slower]

On to 'Cuse! Another double digit win!

Hey, man, you guessed right about this game. But don't fall too much in love with your own powers of prognostication.

[NashvilleDevil]

A few points to add:

* I suspect there is a secret memo that went out to the refs at the beginning of the year that said call every touch a foul...and then revert back to last year's interpretation of the rules. There is a palpable difference in the way the game is being called. I think the extra bumps hinder Suli most of all as a light weight slasher.

* I agree that this is the best we played all year. But pause and consider if Dre hits 2-7 instead of 6-7. This is a different game. I know...if if if...but did anyone else notice the consecutive missed front end of one and ones down the stretch? Yikes...in a close game it would have been a huge topic on this board.

* Pitt's defense was very similar to ours...hard nosed, relentless and in your face.

What? If Dre goes 2/7, Duke still wins by 3 and since it did not happen there is absolutely no point to even bring it up and do not forget that Pitt camped at the free throw line most of the game which kept them in it.

[Newton_14]

Can't believe no one has mentioned that hook shot he attempted in the first half. It didn't look half bad and almost went down. Hoping he can develop something nice like that in the next two years.

I mentioned the lefty jumphook in the MOTM thread but you are absolutely right. I really felt MP3 deserved for that to go down. Shame on the basketball gods for spinning it out. MP3 is improving game by game. We now have a very legitimate 7 Footer as our backup Center. Was a little surprised K did not trust him enough to play him more in the 2nd half as I thought his first half play warranted that. If Marshall can keep this up and even improve a little more, he can and will be a solid piece of the rotation, which will make this team stronger before all is said and done.

If the kids keep this up, I really believe that between their level of play, and at the urging of the assistant coaches, it is going to force K to keep going 9 and 10 deep on the road, and 11 deep at home. I noticed on Saturday, K did something with Semi he used to do with Tyler as a freshman (prior to Kyrie getting hurt). K sent in Semi Saturday with under a minute to go in the first half for one defensive possession. Just to get his feet wet at a moment that isn't garbage time. I hope he will keep working Semi into games like that moving forward.

Things can change, but with the way kids are playing individually, and with how the team is now playing and having a lot of success, I feel K needs to keep playing 10 to 11 guys game in and game out with 8 or 9 getting double figure minutes. That kind of quality depth is a great weapon to have, especially when there is little to no drop off in the quality of play, and keeps guys fresh, and inspired.

[gofurman]

As Ferryfor50 wrote in chat, Pitt is the new MD. Jamie Dixon is easy to dislike.


Pitt is NOT Maryland to me. They play tough hard-nosed ball (as you would expect from the town of Pittsburgh!) but not dirty - a little talking... but the fans alone are wwaaaaaaaayyy better than what I have heard and seen from Maryland. I didn't see beer bottles thrown...

Unless someone knows otherwise I wouldn't put Pitt and Maryland in the same class at all. Pitt is a good addition to the league ...

[FerryFor50]

Pitt is NOT Maryland to me. They play tough hard-nosed ball (as you would expect from the town of Pittsburgh!) but not dirty - a little talking... but the fans alone are wwaaaaaaaayyy better than what I have heard and seen from Maryland. I didn't see beer bottles thrown...

Unless someone knows otherwise I wouldn't put Pitt and Maryland in the same class at all. Pitt is a good addition to the league ...

Give it time. A few more Duke wins with perceived ref bias and who knows what level of insanity Pitt fans will reach.

[Kfanarmy]

That was really fun to watch. Duke got off to a bit of a slow start, but then from about the 12 minute mark of the 1st half to the 10 minute mark of the second half, it was pretty much shot for shot, two good teams matching play for play. I was wondering who was going to blink first and give up the two possession lead and was glad when Pitt finally missed and Duke hit a three to make it a six point margin. There was a five minute stretch just before that I thought showed an incredible amount of mental toughness on both team's part. Just a really good, gutty, fun-to-watch win.

I didn't notice the refs as much as others did. I didn't see too many really egregious calls against Duke, and Pitt is known for really tough D.

While I don't know him personally, I like Jamie Dixon. He may have been a bit emotional after this loss, which will be a tough pill to swallow, but I didn't see anything to get up in arms about.

Great game! The team is growing toward its potential.

[greybeard]

The best basketball player on this team is Amile Jefferson. If he stays 4 years, he might well wi9nd up the best of the decade, going backwards of course.

[alteran]

I noticed that, too. I'm hoping he had diarrhea.
If not, I hope he gets it.

[Atldukie79]

What? If Dre goes 2/7, Duke still wins by 3 and since it did not happen there is absolutely no point to even bring it up and do not forget that Pitt camped at the free throw line most of the game which kept them in it.

My comment was "its a different game", not that we don't win it. It is simplistic to suggest that everything would have played out the same way and therefore Duke wins by three.

The point to be made was if we had not hit such a high percentage of threes, (as happens) it might have been a different outcome. Even a close win would be perceived differently by this board than the convincing result of today.

If we followed your suggestion to not bring up something that did not happen, the board would lose a lot of its content.

[NashvilleDevil]

My comment was "its a different game", not that we don't win it. It is simplistic to suggest that everything would have played out the same way and therefore Duke wins by three.

The point to be made was if we had not hit such a high percentage of threes, (as happens) it might have been a different outcome. Even a close win would be perceived differently by this board than the convincing result of today.

If we followed your suggestion to not bring up something that did not happen, the board would lose a lot of its content.

But why even bring it up after that win?

[Newton_14]

One other thing. I don't like "twerping" so I really don't like it when I fall prey to it myself. That said I have a question for the board. Is it my imagination, or does Jabari often get hammered on post moves, with the baseline ref right there two feet from the play, and a foul is never called? Not saying it happens 10 times a game or anything, but at least 2 to 3 times a game I find myself saying, "dang he got hit pretty hard there" and no call. I remember one play clearly tonight where Jabari made a post move, went up, got fouled hard by his man, and the help defender blocked the shot cleanly at the top. No call. Ref was two feet from them. I don't get it. There was at least one play in the UVA game where the same thing happened. The next possession down, Hood gets lightly bumped dribbling on the wing and they call a foul. I turned to my buddy sitting beside me at the game and said "how was that a foul, and the last play on Jabari was not?" College refs just really drive me nuts.

Anyway, just curious if anyone else has noticed this with Jabari in the post.

[duke4ever19]

The best basketball player on this team is Amile Jefferson. If he stays 4 years, he might well wi9nd up the best of the decade, going backwards of course.

Yeah, 20 scouts were there to see Amile Jefferson. :rolleyes:

I love Jefferson and his game, but Jabari and Hood are the two best all-around players on this team. Several teams have a Jefferson on their squad, but few-to-none have a Parker and Hood.

[brevity]

The best basketball player on this team is Amile Jefferson. If he stays 4 years, he might well wi9nd up the best of the decade, going backwards of course.

Agreed, though I'm not sure why Amile has to go backwards.

[phaedrus]

I was happy to see Plumlee make a few good plays in a row in the first half, but I was extremely confused when I then saw "Plumlee 12 points 12 rebounds" flash by on the ticker.

Too many Plumlees.

[FerryFor50]

One other thing. I don't like "twerping" so I really don't like it when I fall prey to it myself. That said I have a question for the board. Is it my imagination, or does Jabari often get hammered on post moves, with the baseline ref right there two feet from the play, and a foul is never called? Not saying it happens 10 times a game or anything, but at least 2 to 3 times a game I find myself saying, "dang he got hit pretty hard there" and no call. I remember one play clearly tonight where Jabari made a post move, went up, got fouled hard by his man, and the help defender blocked the shot cleanly at the top. No call. Ref was two feet from them. I don't get it. There was at least one play in the UVA game where the same thing happened. The next possession down, Hood gets lightly bumped dribbling on the wing and they call a foul. I turned to my buddy sitting beside me at the game and said "how was that a foul, and the last play on Jabari was not?" College refs just really drive me nuts.

Anyway, just curious if anyone else has noticed this with Jabari in the post.

I've noticed it. He gets the Shaq treatment.

Sheed also gets hit on drives a lot.

[Newton_14]

Yeah, 20 scouts were there to see Amile Jefferson. :rolleyes:

I love Jefferson and his game, but Jabari and Hood are the two best all-around players on this team. Several teams have a Jefferson on their squad, but few-to-none have a Parker and Hood.I said at the beginning of the year that while Jabari was the best NBA talent on the team, Hood was the best college basketball player on the team. Have not changed my mind on that either.

Amile is coming a long very nicely and becoming a really good college player. Not the best on this team of course, as you note, but greybeard's hyperbole aside, I do think Amile is going to be one heck of a good/great college basketball player by his Sr season. Dude has skills.

[BD80]

I was happy to see Plumlee make a few good plays in a row in the first half, but I was extremely confused when I then saw "Plumlee 12 points 12 rebounds" flash by on the ticker.

Too many Plumlees.

Bah. I'd say we could use one or two more in the pipeline.

[OldSchool]

I mentioned the lefty jumphook in the MOTM thread but you are absolutely right. I really felt MP3 deserved for that to go down. Shame on the basketball gods for spinning it out.

And credit Josh for making an entry pass to MP3 on that play.

[Wander]

And credit Josh for making an entry pass to MP3 on that play.

Which brings up another thing - there were at least two times when we actually passed the ball to the roller on the pick-and-roll for a basket. Crazy!

[duke4ever19]

I said at the beginning of the year that while Jabari was the best NBA talent on the team, Hood was the best college basketball player on the team. Have not changed my mind on that either.

Amile is coming a long very nicely and becoming a really good college player. Not the best on this team of course, as you note, but greybeard's hyperbole aside, I do think Amile is going to be one heck of a good/great college basketball player by his Sr season. Dude has skills.

I completely agree. I love Jefferson's game and his defensive skills (at this moment) easily surpass of Parker and Hood. But we have now seen Parker grab double digit boards (like Jefferson) and only Parker is capable of averaging around 20 pts a game, and the potential to go for 30+ pts on any given night.

[OldPhiKap]

And credit Josh . . . .

Don't tell Loran, the internet will collapse.

[FerryFor50]

I completely agree. I love Jefferson's game and his defensive skills (at this moment) easily surpass of Parker and Hood. But we have now seen Parker grab double digit boards (like Jefferson) and only Parker is capable of averaging around 20 pts a game, and the potential to go for 30+ pts on any given night.

To expand on this.... While I hate how Jabari takes ill-advised heat check shots, I LOVE how much he's dedicated himself to rebounding and playing with more energy on defense. He went through a shooting slump and rather than sulk, he let other aspects of his game develop.

[Troublemaker]

Great win! Have we peaked too soon :-)

Coach K postgame presser:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLeOYjNDrTU

[AtlDuke72]

Needs to develop a mid-range jumper to be a Lance Thomas. But I think Amile is already a better rebounder and finisher than Lance was. Might even be a better shot blocker.

Lance Thomas gets better and better in people's memory. Amile is already a much more productive player. Did Thomas ever have a double double or even 10 rebounds in a game?

[duke4ever19]

To expand on this.... While I hate how Jabari takes ill-advised heat check shots, I LOVE how much he's dedicated himself to rebounding and playing with more energy on defense. He went through a shooting slump and rather than sulk, he let other aspects of his game develop.

As Jay Bilas says, the so-called "heat-check" shot also goes by another name.... "bad shot."

I think he said this in a Duke game recently.

[ice-9]

But why even bring it up after that win?

I had a similar thought to Atlduke79. Not in the sense of being a Debbie downer -- I very much enjoyed this victory, our best of the season so far -- and also not in the sense that even if we won by only 3 points it would be any less of a win.

The point is that the score is deceiving; this game was a lot closer than the 15 points indicates. We can't expect Dawkins to shoot 6-7 from 3 every game (though all his looks were great) and we benefited from a bit of luck today. We didn't dominate Pitt. We played strong defense, executed very good offense, and rode a hot shooting night from Dre. Without that last component, it could/would have gone down to the wire.

Pitt is a very good team, as is Syracuse.

[devildeac]

O = slow start, but D always strong. Dre, AJ, Parker and Hood are good. Marshall played well again.

If give a word to describe this game, it is "Defense".

Maybe we need a new word after tonight: Dre-fense;).

[heyman25]

Best game of the season by far. Masterful game performance.My only pet peeve is Rasheed could you please finish your dribble drives! Amile Jefferson is becoming a star!

[FerryFor50]

Lance Thomas gets better and better in people's memory. Amile is already a much more productive player. Did Thomas ever have a double double or even 10 rebounds in a game?

Agreed.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/lance-thomas-1.html

He averaged 4.9 rebounds per game his senior year. He was a good defender, great energy guy. Could hit an open mid-range jumper. But his TRB% was only 10.7. He was as good an offensive rebounder as a defensive rebounder, but Amile is light years better on the boards. Lance reminds me more of David McClure than Amile Jefferson.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/amile-jefferson-1.html

[ice-9]

Lance Thomas gets better and better in people's memory. Amile is already a much more productive player. Did Thomas ever have a double double or even 10 rebounds in a game?

How many Atlanta Dukies are there??

But yes, I agree offensively Amile is ahead of Thomas. Amile is much faster and much better at getting to the rim. He's got great hands, nice footwork (and thus a serviceable post game) and a soft touch. Amile brings credibility to the second part of the pick'n'roll.

Lance was absolutely integral to that championship team though. Without him, we wouldn't have won. His defensive presence and leadership were critical.

[alteran]

One other thing. I don't like "twerping" so I really don't like it when I fall prey to it myself. That said I have a question for the board. Is it my imagination, or does Jabari often get hammered on post moves, with the baseline ref right there two feet from the play, and a foul is never called? Not saying it happens 10 times a game or anything, but at least 2 to 3 times a game I find myself saying, "dang he got hit pretty hard there" and no call. I remember one play clearly tonight where Jabari made a post move, went up, got fouled hard by his man, and the help defender blocked the shot cleanly at the top. No call. Ref was two feet from them. I don't get it. There was at least one play in the UVA game where the same thing happened. The next possession down, Hood gets lightly bumped dribbling on the wing and they call a foul. I turned to my buddy sitting beside me at the game and said "how was that a foul, and the last play on Jabari was not?" College refs just really drive me nuts.

Anyway, just curious if anyone else has noticed this with Jabari in the post.

"Twerping?" Is that like some sort of unholy combination of twerking and terping?

i thought the officials reverted a little to last year's officiating of the post game, meaning, essentially, NOT officiating the post game. I thought Rodney got hammered a few times as well. In fact, I'm usually quick to say the officials gave us the short end but thought it was reasonably close tonight.

i have felt they were letting people get more contact on Parker in other games, tho. Will keep an eye on this.

[OldPhiKap]

Great win! Have we peaked too soon :-)

Coach K postgame presser:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLeOYjNDrTU

Thanks for the link, cannot spork yet but everyone should watch this.

[NashvilleDevil]

Lance Thomas gets better and better in people's memory. Amile is already a much more productive player. Did Thomas ever have a double double or even 10 rebounds in a game?

Lance did get this rebound though. (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg9dQOKNYc4)

[Clay Feet POF]

Deliciously Satisfying…… Really Growing Up

[duke96]

You didn't like the Jamie Dixon separated at birth from Pepe le Pew hair?

Anyone else think he kinda looks like Stripe?

3829

[Henderson]

Watch out. Tonight he continued shifting gears. Look at 8:00 to 7:00 in the first half if you have the replay. He was aggressive and active with good defensive play. He blitzed a pick and roll that led to a Pitt turnover. Then when he sat, he looked like, "Freak yeah, majortruckers, I'm playing this game." His size and activity on defense clearly intimidated the Pitt players on occasion.

Another big plus, when he's in the game, Jabari doesn't get guarded by the opposing 5. Tonight that meant that instead of banging Zanna for offensive opportunities, he had a freshman guarding him in a lot of situation. MP3 = Pressure Relief Valve for Jabari. Over a long season that could be particularly important for an 18 year old.

P.S. Great team effort on Patterson. He's a terrific talent and was limited tonight by great defensive focus.

[Zeb]

Lance reminds me more of David McClure than Amile Jefferson.



If we have to make a comparison, Amile reminded me a bit of Tony Lang tonight.

In the second half he gave us an entirely new dimension on offense. Slipping a screen and then calling for the ball (and we actually threw it to him!)--just haven't seen us do that much with our bigs. And he finishes tough shots really well. He handles the ball so much better than we're used to from a Duke big--when we really space the floor and Amile's guy is too worried about helping on Hood or Parker, having Amile drive to the hoop is a great play. If he keeps showing this offensive versatility, it will open up so much for us. Really big step forward for him tonight.

[Newton_14]

"Twerping?" Is that like some sort of unholy combination of twerking and terping?

i thought the officials reverted a little to last year's officiating of the post game, meaning, essentially, NOT officiating the post game. I thought Rodney got hammered a few times as well. In fact, I'm usually quick to say the officials gave us the short end but thought it was reasonably close tonight.

i have felt they were letting people get more contact on Parker in other games, tho. Will keep an eye on this.

Thanks, and want to quickly clarify, I did not think the ref's were bad tonight. Just using that one play from tonight as one of the examples on how Jabari has been officiated in the post, most of the season.

I do agree with your thought on how college refs officiate post play on the whole though. They let a lot of contact go uncalled in the post, then call touch fouls on the perimeter. It has been that way for years it seems.

[jacone21]

Great win! Have we peaked too soon :-)

Coach K postgame presser:



I know I'm biased and all, but Coach is such a class act.

[Turk]

Give it time. A few more Duke wins with perceived ref bias and who knows what level of insanity Pitt fans will reach.

Oh please, please, give it time. Even better, give it a rest already. What's with all the Pittsburgh bashing from you? Despite Dixon's success, it's still a football town. BTW, Pitt brings more to the league than BC, Miami, ND (without football), Tech, and State, just to name a few. Pitt basketball is a welcome addition to a diluted league and Pitt football is competent (Wake, UVA, anyone?) and improving.

Here's your clue to when Pitt fans are getting insane: they will move selected games to the 17,000 seat Penguins arena instead of the 12,000 Oakland Zoo. Villanova does the same thing with their premier Big East matchups - move from on-campus to the Sixers arena for a few games. Until then, it's just a tough place to play, nothing more, nothing less.

That being said, let's talk about tonight, Most teams will look great when they shoot +50% from 3, but it's hardly a repeatable formula.

Duke, Pitt, and Syracuse are the three best teams in the league.. The rest of the regular season will determin which two will have to play in the semis, against the third team who will presumably play a much weaker opponent. If Duke doesn't beat Syracuse, then it seems likely Pitt and Duke will have a rematch in the semis.

[Troublemaker]

I said it double-digit win in the other thread. Others mocked me. 15 frickin' points!

Geez, a little disagreement is not a mocking! Congrats, though! You got me this time with a better prediction on this game than mine. I hope you're right about Cuse as well. (I kinda think you will be).

[ICP]

I agree this was our best game of the season, congrats to our guys!

Having said that, it's also good to keep things in perspective, as Bilas mentioned Pitt only played 2 top 50 teams and lost to both of them, so they might not be nearly as good as their 18-3 record would suggest... Our win over Michigan is probably still our best win. And unless we win at Cuse we would fall 3 games behind the Orange and have only a remote shot at the ACC title and a 1/2 seed in the tournament. We're on the right track, but still a long way to go... The weird thing is that I enjoy this team much more than teams in the past 2-3 years that were ranked in the top 10, not really sure why but I just love their potential!

[AtlDuke72]

Disagree. Big respect for Pitt.

I agree. Went onto the Pitt board to see what their fans would say about the game. Amazingly, not a single complaint about the officiating. Most posts said Duke had better players and/or coaching but no complaining about the refs. Compare that to IC, Maryland's board or State's board after just about any game. Pitt just needs more time to learn to I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. and moan like a real ACC team !

[Troublemaker]

I know I'm biased and all, but Coach is such a class act.

He's an amazing person. Not sure if he was even trying to, but I'd say he definitely won the favor of the Pitt media and fans in his first presser.

[FerryFor50]

Oh please, please, give it time. Even better, give it a rest already. What's with all the Pittsburgh bashing from you? Despite Dixon's success, it's still a football town. BTW, Pitt brings more to the league than BC, Miami, ND (without football), Tech, and State, just to name a few. Pitt basketball is a welcome addition to a diluted league and Pitt football is competent (Wake, UVA, anyone?) and improving.

Here's your clue to when Pitt fans are getting insane: they will move selected games to the 17,000 seat Penguins arena instead of the 12,000 Oakland Zoo. Villanova does the same thing with their premier Big East matchups - move from on-campus to the Sixers arena for a few games. Until then, it's just a tough place to play, nothing more, nothing less.

That being said, let's talk about tonight, Most teams will look great when they shoot +50% from 3, but it's hardly a repeatable formula.

Duke, Pitt, and Syracuse are the three best teams in the league.. The rest of the regular season will determin which two will have to play in the semis, against the third team who will presumably play a much weaker opponent. If Duke doesn't beat Syracuse, then it seems likely Pitt and Duke will have a rematch in the semis.

I don't like Big East style basketball. And I like that style even less when the opposing fans start screaming about every call that didn't go their way. Play physical, sure. But expect that the other team will also be physical and that there will be calls that don't go either team's way. I also was peeved at Dixon's post game handshake snub of K.

Maryland isn't that unfair of a comparison. MD had success at bball and in football. The Pitt comparison is apt, outside of the extreme lunacy of the Maryland fans. But Maryland fans didn't start out that insane; that grew over time with the Duke-Maryland rivalry of the late 90s/early 2000s. It is fair to see if that will come to pass over the course of the Pitt-Duke matchups.

While Pitt has built up a decent program, I'm not a fan of the style of play they bring. Wasn't a fan of it in 2007 either. (http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273540150)

[OldSchool]

Which brings up another thing - there were at least two times when we actually passed the ball to the roller on the pick-and-roll for a basket. Crazy!

Team was cray hitting the rolling screener tonight! Kind of ironic too, since Bilas had interviewed Lamar Patterson in practice talking about how Pitt likes to hit the rolling screener.

In the first half, Rodney hit Jabari rolling off a screen with a nice pass for a layup. In the second half, Rodney hit Amile after a screen with the same pass rolling to the basket. And there was that fantastic pass from Quinn late in the second half to Amile!

Also, the team actually had their collective head up looking for a cutting big. In the first half, Tyler found Jabari with a pass cutting to the post. And Marshall had a cut to an open layup, and Jabari missed him with the pass, but the thought was good. In the second half, Sheed got into the lane and found Amile cutting to the rim. Jabari got into the lane and flipped it over to Amile, who finished. Rodney hit Amile under the basket but there was no payoff.

I think we are screening, cutting and passing better than we have been, although they can get much better still. With so many solid three-point shooters, if defenders rotate to our rolling big, I'm confident our bigs can find the shooter left open.

The best time to take a three is not only after an offensive rebound, but after the defense has rotated leaving someone unguarded.

With the players we have, there is no reason this team should not be an excellent passing team. Unless we are at the end of a shot clock, we really shouldn't be in the position of taking threes shooting over top of the defender.

[SoCalDukeFan]

I guess those T shirts will be a nice momento of a 15 point defeat.

This was a tough team on the road and the crowd was ready for the biggest game at Pitt this year (maybe ever).

Its fun to talk about how good Andre played, or Amile, or Marshall etc. but how about the job Coach K and staff did. Those out of bounds plays were beautiful. Andre had to hit the shots but its nice that he had some great looks as well. And the list goes on.

I second the comment that the press conference shows once again what a class act Coach K is. I also liked that the sees the value in playing more players.

This is a very very good team when its hitting on all cylinders. I think the rest of the season is going to be fun.

SoCal

[gofurman]

My comment was "its a different game", not that we don't win it. It is simplistic to suggest that everything would have played out the same way and therefore Duke wins by three.

The point to be made was if we had not hit such a high percentage of threes, (as happens) it might have been a different outcome. Even a close win would be perceived differently by this board than the convincing result of today.

If we followed your suggestion to not bring up something that did not happen, the board would lose a lot of its content.

True - as my friend likes to say "Nothing occurs in a vacuum" - I recall when Duke won the title with Battier 2001 and some crazy guy said "well Duke won the title by 10 pts and given that Battier is gone but they now get so and so to replace him they will still win the title this next year.." WHAT??????? As if you can quantify all the Defense and little things that any one player does and simply just add and subtract points. It doesn't work like that. Plus - as is said above - any bad shooting night can COMPLETELY change things as instead of having a 10 point lead you have a 2 pt lead and play tighter. Its MUCH easier to hit daggers when you are up by 10 rather than shoot the game-winner down by 2...

[Sixthman]

You could sense the Terp-like inferiority complex from both the coach and the crowd right from the beginning. More interested in complaining about Duke than focusing on their own team.

The Maryland comparison is apt, as Dixon complained to the extent it undermined his coaching. Reminds me of Gary Williams.

[g-money]

A few quick hitters from tonight's game:

- Our best win of the season... a bit reminiscent of our win @ Clemson in 2010, dare I say. For Duke to win by 15 in spite of the absurd free throw differential is really impressive.
- For Andre, this was one of the signature games of what has become a terrific Duke career - up there with the Baylor win and the 2011 MSU win IMO. I voted him MOTM for the simple reason that his hot hand turned a close game into a blowout.
- Aside from #34, one of my favorite plays tonight was Quinn's lob into Amile off a pick-and-roll for the and-one. Passes like that are what makes basketball beautiful. Amile rarely dunks yet is probably the best scorer/finisher from inside 5' on the team.
- We just beat one of the best rebounding teams in the country at their own game. Awesome.

Re: Jamie Dixon, I wouldn't be too judgmental after a tough loss. He's been a great asset to USA basketball, and his sister (who died tragically) was once the coach of the women's team at Army. Everything I've heard about him tells me he's a class act. So let's not put him in the Calhoun category just yet.

[FerryFor50]

The Jamie Dixon presser:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIwui8DHuro&noredirect=1

No terping about refs, so that's good. Gave some credit to Duke, but most of it was criticism of his own team's defensive breakdowns (and himself). Doesn't really credit Duke's defense, but his own team's impatience on offense.

Talks about sitting Artis in the 2nd half, likely due to defense. Good for Duke - Artis was shooting well.

Likely doesn't think his offense isn't good enough to win games for them. I would agree... Pitt is (and really always has been) built on defense and rebounding.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

I agree. Went onto the Pitt board to see what their fans would say about the game. Amazingly, not a single complaint about the officiating. Most posts said Duke had better players and/or coaching but no complaining about the refs. Compare that to IC, Maryland's board or State's board after just about any game. Pitt just needs more time to learn to I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. and moan like a real ACC team !

So this board has become more like IC, MD and State boards than the Pitt board ??

[Kedsy]

In the first half, I thought Pitt solidly outplayed us. And yet, when the halftime buzzer sounded we were up 2. To me, that was the ballgame. Pitt gave us their best shot, they outplayed us and we were still winning. Had to be pretty demoralizing for them, but more than that, when we made a little run midway through the second half, it gave us separation, rather than simply getting us close to caught up.

Those of you comparing Amile Jefferson to Lance Thomas or Tony Lang are seriously underselling Amile's rebounding. On the defensive end, his current defensive rebounding percentage is better than any season put up by Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, Brian Zoubek, Josh McRoberts, Shelden Williams, Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand, or any other Duke player going back at least to 1997. He's the best Duke defensive rebounder in a long, long time. And his offensive rebounding percentage is top five among Duke players in that timeframe. Based on combined percentage, he's currently the ACC's leading rebounder.

Andre is currently leading the ACC in oRtg, and he's doing it with a usage rate of 24.6%. His eFG% is almost 65% and his TS% is almost 68%, which is pretty amazing. Today's 20 points came in just 15 minutes, too, coming on the heels of 11 points in 11 minutes against FSU. In 21 games this season, Andre now has scored 30+ points per 40 minutes in 11 games.

Our defense tonight was very solid for most of the game. On offense, I thought we started the game flat because of Quinn's situation. I'm not crazy about a Tyler/Rasheed backcourt combined with Rodney and Jabari. That's not a group that meshes so well on offense. Oddly, I didn't think Quinn did as good a job with the 2nd unit as Rasheed has been doing. Once Quinn heals, I hope we go back to a Quinn/Matt backcourt with the first unit and Rasheed/Tyler with the second unit.

Just like I thought people were crazy to give up on the team after the Clemson loss, I think people are a bit too giddy now. That said, I still believe we have a decent shot at a 14-4 or 13-5 ACC record, and a #2 (or even #1, if the chips all fall right) seed in the NCAAT.

On to Syracuse.

[Native]

Watch out. Tonight he continued shifting gears. Look at 8:00 to 7:00 in the first half if you have the replay. He was aggressive and active with good defensive play. He blitzed a pick and roll that led to a Pitt turnover. Then when he sat, he looked like, "Freak yeah, majortruckers, I'm playing this game." His size and activity on defense clearly intimidated the Pitt players on occasion.

Pitt ran into a brick wall in the post tonight. We don't need Marshall for anything else other than his sheer size and shot-altering ability.

[WakeDevil]

A refresher for those of you who think that the team getting the most rebounds automatically wins the rebounding battle.

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=829

Look, the next time you see this particular two-word abomination, keep in mind this is what it's really measuring:

"Team that plays at a moderately fast pace and never forces turnovers but does force a lot of misses and rebounds them and then comes down the floor and misses a fair number of their own shots and rebounds those at some risk of giving up transition baskets by the opponent."

[Troublemaker]

I'm looking forward to Luke Winn's weekly power poll on Thursday. We're going to crack Winn's Top 16 again for the first time in a few weeks. That was the best off-the-court aspect of this win to me (besides Coach K's presser). When Winn writes up his Duke blurb, it will probably include a healthy dose of Amile.

[Turk]

I don't like Big East style basketball. And I like that style even less when the opposing fans start screaming about every call that didn't go their way. Play physical, sure. But expect that the other team will also be physical and that there will be calls that don't go either team's way. I also was peeved at Dixon's post game handshake snub of K.

Maryland isn't that unfair of a comparison. MD had success at bball and in football. The Pitt comparison is apt, outside of the extreme lunacy of the Maryland fans. But Maryland fans didn't start out that insane; that grew over time with the Duke-Maryland rivalry of the late 90s/early 2000s. It is fair to see if that will come to pass over the course of the Pitt-Duke matchups.

While Pitt has built up a decent program, I'm not a fan of the style of play they bring. Wasn't a fan of it in 2007 either. (http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273540150)

Of course home fans scream about every call that doesn't go their way. That's their job, and (gasp) it happens in Cameron too. And sure, the Big East (R.I.P) had a rep for physical ball, but Pitt didn't invent it, they just adapted. And what exactly were you expecting in the handshake line? Genuflections? Hugs and kisses?

Lastly, the only way to build new rivalries is over decades of annual football matchups and home-and-home (and ACC Tourney) basketball matchups. That won't happen with Pitt and Duke in the diluted ACC. Most Pittsburgh people enjoy an occasional nap on their couch, so they wouldn't even consider setting a nice piece of furniture on fire and throwing it into the middle of the street. (Plus, the city has 6 Super Bowls, 3 Stanley Cups, and a couple of World Seriouses, so been there, done that). No worries there.

If you don't like Pitt, fine, just say so (as you just did), and go on your way. No need to go looking for real or imagined insults.

BTW, Pitt made a nice comeback at MSG in 2007; how can you blame their style of play for that? Unless it's a bad thing that Pitt killed Duke on the boards that night, and Duke couldn't convert its chances to win, IIRC.

[Faustus]

Did anyone happen to notice if K said anything to Dick Groat on press row tonight? (His number 10 at Duke has been retired as an All-American in bball but for some years now has been doing color for Pitt basketball games.) Couldn't really tell from the camera cutaway there at the end. Probably wasn't on his mind at the time.

Big win tonight in so many ways.

[Duvall]

A refresher for those of you who think that the team getting the most rebounds automatically wins the rebounding battle.

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=829

Look, the next time you see this particular two-word abomination, keep in mind this is what it's really measuring:

"Team that plays at a moderately fast pace and never forces turnovers but does force a lot of misses and rebounds them and then comes down the floor and misses a fair number of their own shots and rebounds those at some risk of giving up transition baskets by the opponent."

Uh, okay. Duke had the higher rebounding percentage at both ends.

[uh_no]

Of course home fans scream about every call that doesn't go their way. That's their job, and (gasp) it happens in Cameron too. And sure, the Big East (R.I.P) had a rep for physical ball, but Pitt didn't invent it, they just adapted. And what exactly were you expecting in the handshake line? Genuflections? Hugs and kisses?

Lastly, the only way to build new rivalries is over decades of annual football matchups and home-and-home (and ACC Tourney) basketball matchups. That won't happen with Pitt and Duke in the diluted ACC. Most Pittsburgh people enjoy an occasional nap on their couch, so they wouldn't even consider setting a nice piece of furniture on fire and throwing it into the middle of the street. (Plus, the city has 6 Super Bowls, 3 Stanley Cups, and a couple of World Seriouses, so been there, done that). No worries there.

If you don't like Pitt, fine, just say so (as you just did), and go on your way. No need to go looking for real or imagined insults.

BTW, Pitt made a nice comeback at MSG in 2007; how can you blame their style of play for that? Unless it's a bad thing that Pitt killed Duke on the boards that night, and Duke couldn't convert its chances to win, IIRC.

free throws and layups.....we had our chances.

[FerryFor50]

Of course home fans scream about every call that doesn't go their way. That's their job, and (gasp) it happens in Cameron too. And sure, the Big East (R.I.P) had a rep for physical ball, but Pitt didn't invent it, they just adapted. And what exactly were you expecting in the handshake line? Genuflections? Hugs and kisses?

Lastly, the only way to build new rivalries is over decades of annual football matchups and home-and-home (and ACC Tourney) basketball matchups. That won't happen with Pitt and Duke in the diluted ACC. Most Pittsburgh people enjoy an occasional nap on their couch, so they wouldn't even consider setting a nice piece of furniture on fire and throwing it into the middle of the street. (Plus, the city has 6 Super Bowls, 3 Stanley Cups, and a couple of World Seriouses, so been there, done that). No worries there.

If you don't like Pitt, fine, just say so (as you just did), and go on your way. No need to go looking for real or imagined insults.

BTW, Pitt made a nice comeback at MSG in 2007; how can you blame their style of play for that? Unless it's a bad thing that Pitt killed Duke on the boards that night, and Duke couldn't convert its chances to win, IIRC.

Whether Pitt invented it or adapted is irrelevant. That's how they are designed and I'm not a fan of that style of play.

Sure opposing fans all scream about calls, but it seems more prevalent with some crowds than others. There is a palatable difference between listening to fans at an NC State game vs a UNC game vs a Duke game.

I'm not blaming Pitt's style of play for beating Duke in 2007. I'm blaming it for 47 total fouls and 50 total FTs, which resulted in a 65-64 score WITH an overtime.

[greybeard]

Yeah, 20 scouts were there to see Amile Jefferson. :rolleyes:

I love Jefferson and his game, but Jabari and Hood are the two best all-around players on this team. Several teams have a Jefferson on their squad, but few-to-none have a Parker and Hood.

What Amile does best is incredibly valuable. It is also unstoppable.

[hustleplays]

One other thing. I don't like "twerping" so I really don't like it when I fall prey to it myself. That said I have a question for the board. Is it my imagination, or does Jabari often get hammered on post moves, with the baseline ref right there two feet from the play, and a foul is never called? Not saying it happens 10 times a game or anything, but at least 2 to 3 times a game I find myself saying, "dang he got hit pretty hard there" and no call. I remember one play clearly tonight where Jabari made a post move, went up, got fouled hard by his man, and the help defender blocked the shot cleanly at the top. No call. Ref was two feet from them. I don't get it. There was at least one play in the UVA game where the same thing happened. The next possession down, Hood gets lightly bumped dribbling on the wing and they call a foul. I turned to my buddy sitting beside me at the game and said "how was that a foul, and the last play on Jabari was not?" College refs just really drive me nuts.

Anyway, just curious if anyone else has noticed this with Jabari in the post.

Thank you, Newton, for expressing my own perplexity. On the perimeter, it's Queensbury Rules. A slight touch, how rude, a foul. Like the first foul on Quinn. His hands were up but there was a slight chest bump.

In the post? Lord of the Flies. Big East redux. Guys [on both teams[ get hammered, and no foul. I saw Jabari, Rodney, Quinn and Sheed get clobbered but the refs saw no infraction. I suppose this was the same for Pitt's guys.

I know that I don't know what's going on. Just a conjecture: Do the refs not like the rules they are compelled to enforce on the perimeter, so they compensate by letting post play be very physical? Just don't know. It's frustrating to watch, and I wonder how difficult it must be for players to figure it out.

All that said, a great, tough win for Duke tonight! So glad to see so many of our players contribute. I am so happy and relieved that K is using his bench liberally and creatively.

[hustleplays]

I said at the beginning of the year that while Jabari was the best NBA talent on the team, Hood was the best college basketball player on the team. Have not changed my mind on that either.

Amile is coming a long very nicely and becoming a really good college player. Not the best on this team of course, as you note, but greybeard's hyperbole aside, I do think Amile is going to be one heck of a good/great college basketball player by his Sr season. Dude has skills.

Probably most of you heard that Coach K said, pre-game, that while Jabari is the most talented player on the team, Rodney is the best player.

I apologize if this was mentioned elsewhere on this thread.

[Turk]

Thank you, Newton, for expressing my own perplexity. On the perimeter, it's Queensbury Rules. A slight touch, how rude, a foul. Like the first foul on Quinn. His hands were up but there was a slight chest bump.

In the post? Lord of the Flies. Big East redux. Guys [on both teams[ get hammered, and no foul. I saw Jabari, Rodney, Quinn and Sheed get clobbered but the refs saw no infraction. I suppose this was the same for Pitt's guys.

I know that I don't know what's going on. Just a conjecture: Do the refs not like the rules they are compelled to enforce on the perimeter, so they compensate by letting post play be very physical? Just don't know. It's frustrating to watch, and I wonder how difficult it must be for players to figure it out.

All that said, a great, tough win for Duke tonight! So glad to see so many of our players contribute. I am so happy and relieved that K is using his bench liberally and creatively.

Re reffing: it has ever been thus. In the paint, no autopsy, no foul. Most casual fans can't see what's really going on because of the traffic inside. Outside, flop all you want and see what you can get when the crowd moans. Besides, Coach K is not shy about providing constructive criticism to the refs and begging to differ with them in a calm and polite manner. Next play.

[Native]

3830

The Black tenters rallied tonight to welcome the team back to campus. Image courtesy of Duke Blue Planet.

Coach K's words: "The [Oakland] Zoo was good, but they weren't close."

[El_Diablo]

Did anyone happen to notice if K said anything to Dick Groat on press row tonight? (His number 10 at Duke has been retired as an All-American in bball but for some years now has been doing color for Pitt basketball games.) Couldn't really tell from the camera cutaway there at the end. Probably wasn't on his mind at the time.

Big win tonight in so many ways.

Yes. They had a little ceremony before the game to honor Groat.

http://www.post-gazette.com/image/2014/01/27/20140127mfpittsports12-2.jpg

[greybeard]

Yeah, 20 scouts were there to see Amile Jefferson. :rolleyes:

I love Jefferson and his game, but Jabari and Hood are the two best all-around players on this team. Several teams have a Jefferson on their squad, but few-to-none have a Parker and Hood.

You seriously think 20 coaches were there just to see Parker and Hood? There are at least 4 first rounders playing for Duke, perhaps as many as 6, and 7 will get drafted in all when they leave. I don't know Pitts' roster but they have to have at least a couple of kids the pros have an interest in.

And then, there are always the sleepers that nobody has labeled "can't misses" since they were 12; the heads come looking to see one of the can't misses and boom, a kid from nowhere whose name nobody knows jumps out.

As the saying goes, tea leaves cannot be read after the tea has been made.

[Cameron]

What Amile does best is incredibly valuable. It is also unstoppable.

As I said earlier in the thread, Amile might just be the most consistent producer on the team with regard to what he does, which is snatch rebounds; score off rebounds, loose balls, dump downs, put-backs or quick flashes to the rim; get offensive boards into the hands of open outside shooters; set hard, route-clearing screens; run the floor; and play diligent defense. Those attributes are, for the most part, all constants and unrelated to chance in the way that is three-point shooting, for example. It's very difficult to have an "off" night rebounding or dunking/putting-back/shooting the ball from close range, unless a player just takes the night off mentally or physically.

What Amile does really is, by and large, unstoppable. A team could put two bodies on him in an effort to hinder his success on the glass and as an inside/clean-up scorer, but with Jabari and Rodney on the team that would never happen as long as either of them are in the game. Amile is almost like a freelancer out there, at liberty to do his thing pretty much all game long with minimal interruption from the other team who is understandably concerned with what our pair of superstar forwards is doing.

Amile is killing it out there this year. So happy this kid has another two years here. I am in love with his play.

[Turk]

Whether Pitt invented it or adapted is irrelevant. That's how they are designed and I'm not a fan of that style of play.

Sure opposing fans all scream about calls, but it seems more prevalent with some crowds than others. There is a palatable difference between listening to fans at an NC State game vs a UNC game vs a Duke game.

I'm not blaming Pitt's style of play for beating Duke in 2007. I'm blaming it for 47 total fouls and 50 total FTs, which resulted in a 65-64 score WITH an overtime.

Well, duh. NC State has been terrible for decades with occasional flashes of mediocrity. unc plays in a gym called a "mausoleum" and its fans are known as "wine and cheesers". No wonder they're all in a coma. My suggestion is to take in a few games in good college gyms where you don't have a dog in the fight and recalibrate your expectations. Heck, if you ever find yourself stuck in Philly I'll be glad to host at whatever the best available game might be, and we can compare and contrast assorted styles of play at leisure.

[hustleplays]

Re reffing: it has ever been thus. In the paint, no autopsy, no foul. Most casual fans can't see what's really going on because of the traffic inside. Outside, flop all you want and see what you can get when the crowd moans. Besides, Coach K is not shy about providing constructive criticism to the refs and begging to differ with them in a calm and polite manner. Next play.

Sorry, Turk, with respect, I am no casual fan and this year is different.

I agree, of course, that traditionally there has been a difference in calls made on the perimeter vs. in the post. [duh]

However, this year, the disparity seems so glaring. Perhaps the simple answer is that the rules for point play have not been changed [other than the change in calling offensive charging], while the rules for perimeter defense have been changed. Perhaps my basketball mind has not adjusted to viewing the game in such a strongly bifurcated way.

I'm not interested in a debate here, just trying to understand this year's game better. In all of my years of basketball watching, I have never been so focused on how the refs are calling the game. I find this distracting, Maybe it's not distracting to the players, but I sometimes see on the faces of the players [such as on Quinn's] a genuine perplexity and frustration.

All that aside, great win for Duke!

[LSanders]

Disagree. Big respect for Pitt.

Agree ... And Dixon's a terrific coach, who makes his teams tougher and better. I like him (even though facing his teams will always be challenging.)

[tommy]

I agree with most everyone else that this was our best performance of the year. This is by and large what most folks had in mind when talking about us pre-season, that we could play smart, aggressive defense, utilize an array of multitalented players at the offensive end, go deeper than we ever have, and beat anybody, anywhere. This team, that plays like we did tonight, is a championship contender.

I saw a lot of things to like. Among them:

*Our hedging on ball screens and our double-teaming/trapping out high was the best it's been all year. It wasn't perfect, but nobody should expect perfection. And it wasn't only Marshall, of course. All the guys were talking, they were switching appropriately, and like I said, hedging and recovering. All of that takes tremendous communication among guys who are finally seeming to have gotten familiar not only with the defensive schemes but with each other in playing those schemes. Terrific communication and effort -- for the entire game -- on the defensive end.

*Rodney Hood's defense against Patterson was just superb. He was on Patterson almost the entire time he (Rodney) was on the floor, and while Patterson started out fairly strong, Rodney proceeded to essentially take him out of the game. There were long stretches where Patterson seemed to not even touch the ball, and where it was easy to forget he was even out there on the floor.

*For me, it got a little frustrating because for 3/4 of this game, though we were being very, very efficient on the offensive end, we couldn't create any separation from Pitt, or even take the lead at all for some time. They were matching us blow-for-blow. When that is happening, especially in a hostile environment, it can become exhausting, not only physically but perhaps more importantly, emotionally. Kind of like, 'jeez, what do we have to do to put these guys away?' But we didn't get discouraged or frustrated. Instead, we maintained our focus and our extremely high level of play at both ends, and eventually, starting at about the 8 or 9 minute mark of the second half, Pitt could no longer match us. Really a testament to our guys' courage and determination, and ability to fight through a difficult challenge posed by a jacked up opponent. I'm thinking that's got to pay dividends down the road in a similar situation.

*Amile's game is just growing by leaps and bounds. He's been a terrific rebounder all season, but he's continuing to improve in that area. He just has a terrific knack for being in the right place at the right time, he fights for balls, he outhustles guys to balls, all of it at both ends. What an asset. OK raise your hand if you predicted we'd get 27 offensive rebounds and totally destroy FSU on the boards, and then two days later out rebound Pittsburgh on the road. Nobody? Didn't think so.

And Amile demonstrated tonight that he has improved his offensive game as well. Still no mid-range J, but he seems to have gotten even more crafty and smart with the ball within 6 feet of the basket. He never seems to get his shot blocked, he uses the rim beautifully to shield from the defender, he's good with both hands around the hoop -- just a skilled inside scorer. And I just loved the play where he faked the handoff and went the other way, to the hoop. Pitt player left something on the floor trying to defend Amile that time. Just great.

*You could tell Quinn was hurting. Though I have never really understood not starting a guy in his situation and then bringing him in a few minutes later -- if he can play, why not start him? -- but he didn't have the same type of explosiveness either off the dribble or on his leaps at the rim. Better get the ultrasound machine warmed up for heavy use the rest of this week.

*Like everyone else, I'm very happy that Marshall has gained the trust of the coaches and has established himself as a part of the rotation. There's just no question that he's having an impact defensively and on the boards, and with the energizing effect he has on the whole team. I loved that blocked shot that he just swatted tonight and then with disdain just headed down towards the other end. As if to say, 'who do you think you're going up against? Get that outta here!'

*While the platoon system is not really happening anymore, K is still using the longer bench. But I must say, he didn't use it as much in the second half. I can't find a link to the second half stats, but it seemed to me that Matt and Josh barely played at all in the second half, and Tyler and Marshall played more but not a tremendous amount either. We really went primarily with six guys -- Quinn, Rasheed, Rodney, Jabari, Amile, and Andre, with a little of Tyler and Marshall thrown in. So . . . not so much different than K has traditionally done it. I was concerned early in the second half when we didn't sub at all for awhile, then when we did, both Rodney and Jabari stayed in. Were they not going to get any rest? Did that mean they'd be worn down at crunch time? It turned out they did get some rest, and there was no issue of being worn out in this one, but I do think it's something to watch going forward. It seems like K has recognized the benefits of using more guys this year -- how could he not? -- but it's still difficult sometimes to break old habits and fully go with a real, say, 9 man rotation, and really difficult to go with 10. Not criticizing, because who plays a true 10 man rotation, but I don't want him to go back to just 6 or even 7 guys that he feels he can comfortably play in difficult situations.

All in all, great night to be a Duke fan. Things are looking so much more hopeful for this team to reach its potential than they looked a few short weeks ago. Long way to go of course, and a lot can still happen, but this team -- as advertised to those who were listening -- appears to be gaining strength as the season moves forward rather than stagnating and having other teams catch up to us.

[tommy]

Oh, and Jamie Dixon's hair is ridiculous.

[kAzE]

*For me, it got a little frustrating because for 3/4 of this game, though we were being very, very efficient on the offensive end, we couldn't create any separation from Pitt, or even take the lead at all for some time. They were matching us blow-for-blow. When that is happening, especially in a hostile environment, it can become exhausting, not only physically but perhaps more importantly, emotionally. Kind of like, 'jeez, what do we have to do to put these guys away?' But we didn't get discouraged or frustrated. Instead, we maintained our focus and our extremely high level of play at both ends, and eventually, starting at about the 8 or 9 minute mark of the second half, Pitt could no longer match us. Really a testament to our guys' courage and determination, and ability to fight through a difficult challenge posed by a jacked up opponent. I'm thinking that's got to pay dividends down the road in a similar situation.


This is a really great point. Things were not going our way in several areas. Despite our excellent defense, they were still hitting really difficult shots, and the officials were calling the game in favor of Pitt for almost the entire game. A month ago, this team would have crumbled. We would have started going 1 on 1 on offense, throwing up terrible shot after terrible shot, and our effort on rebounding and defense would begin to wane.

Now, this team has some real mental toughness. The way we just kept doing our thing in the 2nd half showed a ton of poise. We took their very best shot and never panicked. I felt like we had the game under control from start to finish, despite how close it was for most of the game.

[DukeDevil]

I was curious and popped over to the scout forum page for Pitt and, as someone else noted earlier, it was quite positive. Not one person Terped, they were a bit down on their team and didn't give themselves enough credit...we pulled away in the 2nd half but they played some amazing ball in the first half. It was a bit frustrating to be fairly productive offensively and have them match us every play. At one point, it felt like they just couldn't miss, every shot they put up went in. At the end of this game, I felt Pitt was a solid addition to the ACC. Fans turned out and cheered, some fairly strong coaching and playing, and from what I've seen so far, classy fans. Good riddance to bad terpish.

One interesting comment from their boards:

"Luckily 90pct of teams are more like Pitt than the quasi-NBA one and done teams like Duke or Kentucky."

I gagged a little at the Kentucky comparison...

My favorite things from this game:

- This team's fortitude to stick it out, keep playing their game and keep up the hard defense is what sealed it.

- Marshall...I love that he puts it all out there for every minute he's on the court. I want this kid to do well, and it's so gratifying to watch him go from a season where a lot of people felt he'd just ride the pine for garbage minutes to providing solid positive minutes to the team

- While I love seeing Jabari score, I'm far more excited by his ability to pull a good number of rebounds consistently over the past few games. I think it reflects both his development as well as the effect the deeper bench is having for him (more energy to go after rebounds, less time stuck bodying up against a bigger opposing center)

- Dre...having watching him and known his story over the years, every game where I see him playing well, laughing...it just warms the heart.

- Amile - I know he was playing well, but for some reason I don't think it mentally clicked for me just how good he was getting until this game. It was almost like I was in amile-denile.

- Rasheed - he's another guy I just want to see do well so badly. I think it's safe to say he is our primary ball handler in stall ball situations. He's fantastic at getting to the rim...just needs to start finishing those and it's another 8-10 ppg

- Stall ball - I think it's going to be critical down the road to have a team that can effectively pull off the stall ball. I no longer automatically groan when we go into it, or do the mental math of subtracting 8-10 points for 1.5 minutes of game time left (which is how it's felt in the past).

I could go on and on, and I'm super excited about this win. I realize we are all probably getting overly excited about this win, but would we be the DBR board if we didn't have a bipolar mentality to our team? (WE WON! WE'RE TAKING EVERYONE DOWN! WE LOST, IT'S OVER, IT'S ALL OVER) Anyway, I'm going to enjoy the next few days.

[CBecker]

What a great win, definitely the best I've seen them play so far this season. Pitt was really up for the game infront of a big crowd and came out with energy and played well, but to stay with them and pull away in the second half was a fine effort!

[TKG]

Anyone else think he kinda looks like Stripe?

3829


I thought that was Miles Daivs!

[BlueandWhite]

What a great win, definitely the best I've seen them play so far this season. Pitt was really up for the game infront of a big crowd and came out with energy and played well, but to stay with them and pull away in the second half was a fine effort!

Great team win on the road!! I'm sure the Duke team had worked hard in recent practices and it showed last night -- bring on Syracuse!

[JNort]

O = slow start, but D always strong. Dre, AJ, Parker and Hood are good. Marshall played well again.

If give a word to describe this game, it is "Defense".

My word would be "Timely". This game came at a perfect time in the season, Dawkins got hot when we could only trade buckets for awhile, Amile's drive n dish was at a big point in the game.

[OldPhiKap]

The Jamie Dixon presser:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIwui8DHuro&noredirect=1

No terping about refs, so that's good. Gave some credit to Duke, but most of it was criticism of his own team's defensive breakdowns (and himself). Doesn't really credit Duke's defense, but his own team's impatience on offense.

Talks about sitting Artis in the 2nd half, likely due to defense. Good for Duke - Artis was shooting well.

Likely doesn't think his offense isn't good enough to win games for them. I would agree... Pitt is (and really always has been) built on defense and rebounding.

No nonsense there.

I like Diamond, thought the Pitt crowd was good and the team played tough but fair. Nothing like Maryland, I do not see the connection at all.

[daveduke76]

Having grown up in Pittsburgh I still read the Pittsburgh papers. Pittsburgh sportswriters have been on Dixon for years for flaming out in the NCAAs but were very upbeat about Pitt's chances against Duke after a close loss at Syracuse and were posting columns such as this:

Dixon, Pitt in line with Duke
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports#ixzz2remCnZc0

Dixon was disappointed by tonight's performance and knows he is going to get roasted for losing to K. As far as Dixon's conduct, I am no fan of Belichick the person but Belichick-ian conduct includes acting that way while winning three titles. Dixon has not won anything beyond Big East tournament titles.

That having been said what is more important is a great win

The Pitt followup article was actually quite good -
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2014/01/28/Ron-Cook-Pitt-Patterson-still-have-some-work-to-do/stories/201401280083

Some quotes -
"I have been pushing Pitt as the team to beat in the Atlantic Coast Conference. I also have been pushing Pitt's Lamar Patterson as the leading candidate for the league's player of the year award.
....
I'm taking it all back.

At least until I see how Pitt responds to a stinging home loss Monday night to Duke."

Talk about a disappointing performance in front of a record crowd at Petersen Events Center. I didn't see any team coming into the building and blowing out Pitt the way Duke did.

Duke had better, more athletic players than Pitt.

Duke outrebounded Pitt.

Duke outdefended Pitt.

Duke outscored Pitt, 80-65.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2014/01/28/Ron-Cook-Pitt-Patterson-still-have-some-work-to-do/stories/201401280083#ixzz2rhJjjomY

[jv001]

A great win on the road against a good tough Pitt team. Outside of Duke fans, not many other people gave Duke much of a chance to win. I don't know if it's because of our early play, bad defense or the respect for Pitt's program and venue of play. The Duke players: I thought Rodney was the non flashy player of the game(new game honor?). By that I mean his hard work guarding Patterson was a key to our win. Plus he was ok offensively with assists, points and rebounds. But it was his defense that was key. Andre was fantastic shooting the ball and his defense was ok. He's really improved. I guess Coach K heard Kedsy asking for more minutes for Dre and I agree. He needs more minutes because he's such a weapon coming off the bench with instant offense. Amile was once again Amile. I think we'd be better off not comparing him to former Duke players because he's a very good player in his own right. He's able to rebound with the best, he's able to put the ball on the floor, he's able to make good passes, he can defend/block shots and he can run the floor. Marshall is gaining Coach K's trust more every game and Marshall looks comfortable playing now. He's not thinking too much. He's just playing basketball. That left handed hook shot looked pretty good. Too bad it didn't stay down. The 5 position is in pretty good hands right now. Jabari played a very good all around game. I was most impressed with his rebounding and another double/double. It was good to see his shot dropping. He's really, really good. Quinn was slowed by the ankle injuries, but still made a couple of good plays toward the end to help seal the win. I was surprised he missed the front end of the one and one. Rasheed while he didn't shoot very well, he played good defense and made some good passes. Tyler, Matt and Josh all played hard and brought great energy while in the lineup. All in all, a great TEAM win. Now let's beat Cuse. GoDuke!

[CDu]

The best basketball player on this team is Amile Jefferson. If he stays 4 years, he might well wi9nd up the best of the decade, going backwards of course.

No. He is good, but he is not the best player on this team. Nor the second best. Probably not third.

And unless he improves a LOT over the next 2+ years, he won't crack the top-10 of the last decade.

That isn't a slight to Jefferson, but rather a compliment to the talent on this team and the teams of the last decade.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I was critical last night on the DBR chat of the decision to give Quinn so much PT given his injury. Looking back at it and looking at the box score this morning, that was a pretty gutsy effort... 27 min, 9 pts, 6 ast, 2 to, 1 stl. Yes, he made some bad plays and decisions here and there, but you gotta love his heart, and he played a key role in managing our lead at the end. I'd say be's becoming a great crunch time player.

[pfrduke]

Team was cray hitting the rolling screener tonight! Kind of ironic too, since Bilas had interviewed Lamar Patterson in practice talking about how Pitt likes to hit the rolling screener.

In the first half, Rodney hit Jabari rolling off a screen with a nice pass for a layup. In the second half, Rodney hit Amile after a screen with the same pass rolling to the basket. And there was that fantastic pass from Quinn late in the second half to Amile!

This first play is something I wish we would do more often. Putting our two most talented and multi-faceted offensive players into a screen and roll situation is bound to create good results. Virtually any decision the defense makes will give either Hood or Parker space to work, which is a high-percentage outcome for the offense. And if they get rotations such that the defense has to commit a third person, then the rest of the offense is playing 3 on 2.

The second play you reference was really nicely drawn up - a wrinkle on the first. They put Hood up top and sent both Parker and Jefferson to screen from opposite sides. That's an extremely difficult test for the two guys defending the screeners. A wrong move leaves a guy with a free run to the rim (which Amile got when he slipped the screen), or a free jump shot coming off of either side, or a pick and pop for Parker, etc.

Having so many people on court who can create shots for themselves and others gives our offense so many options. Simple actions - wing pick and rolls in space, some double screens, screen the screener off the ball (Dawkins got open on a couple of these, as I recall) - put pressure on the opposing defense, and as soon as they're scrambling in rotations, odds are we'll get a shot we like.

Also, it's great when we have enough cushion down the stretch to put the all-offense lineup on the floor for stall ball possessions. We closed out with Cook-Sulaimon-Dawkins-Hood-Parker. What a nightmare for the defense. Everybody on the court shoots 3s and free throws well. Everyone but Dawkins is capable with the ball in their hands, and if you double off of Dawkins (as we saw Pitt do, stupidly, with 6 seconds on the shot clock and Hood still above the top of the key) you may as well put 3 in the books. That lineup doesn't have the size (or, really, the skills) to be defensively sound over a long stretch of possessions, but when we're trying to take the air out of the ball and preserve the lead, that lineup is pretty much perfect.

[sagegrouse]

No nonsense there.

I like Diamond, thought the Pitt crowd was good and the team played tough but fair. Nothing like Maryland, I do not see the connection at all.

Let's not confuse Jamie "Hoops" Dixon with Jamie "Banks" Dimon, head of JP Morgan Chase.

[Matches]

No. He is good, but he is not the best player on this team. Nor the second best. Probably not third.

And unless he improves a LOT over the next 2+ years, he won't crack the top-10 of the last decade.

That isn't a slight to Jefferson, but rather a compliment to the talent on this team and the teams of the last decade.

If he continues to develop the way he has been, I think there's a good chance Amile will be remembered as the best *rebounder* of the last decade. He really is exceptional in that department.

And clearly he is very valuable to this team. I've loved watching him progress this year - he's even starting to get better at defending the post which was a giant problem for him earlier in the year.

But Hood is the best player on the team right now, esp. given his own improvement on defense. Amile will be an excellent 4-year player here (and he will be here 4 years).

[pfrduke]

*While the platoon system is not really happening anymore, K is still using the longer bench. But I must say, he didn't use it as much in the second half. I can't find a link to the second half stats, but it seemed to me that Matt and Josh barely played at all in the second half, and Tyler and Marshall played more but not a tremendous amount either. We really went primarily with six guys -- Quinn, Rasheed, Rodney, Jabari, Amile, and Andre, with a little of Tyler and Marshall thrown in. So . . . not so much different than K has traditionally done it. I was concerned early in the second half when we didn't sub at all for awhile, then when we did, both Rodney and Jabari stayed in. Were they not going to get any rest? Did that mean they'd be worn down at crunch time? It turned out they did get some rest, and there was no issue of being worn out in this one, but I do think it's something to watch going forward. It seems like K has recognized the benefits of using more guys this year -- how could he not? -- but it's still difficult sometimes to break old habits and fully go with a real, say, 9 man rotation, and really difficult to go with 10. Not criticizing, because who plays a true 10 man rotation, but I don't want him to go back to just 6 or even 7 guys that he feels he can comfortably play in difficult situations.

K ran a constant stream of players in and out of the game in the first half. It was a good, deep rotation. It gets lots of guys on the court, and - in my opinion most importantly - it keeps our best players fresh so we can lean on them in the second half. Every coach, everywhere, leans on his best guys when the level of competition increases. And well they should. I think we're going to see, in the more difficult games, 10 guys and free rotations in the first half, and much tighter lineups and rotations in the second half. I think that's a perfect use of our depth.

[Saratoga2]

I said at the beginning of the year that while Jabari was the best NBA talent on the team, Hood was the best college basketball player on the team. Have not changed my mind on that either.

Amile is coming a long very nicely and becoming a really good college player. Not the best on this team of course, as you note, but greybeard's hyperbole aside, I do think Amile is going to be one heck of a good/great college basketball player by his Sr season. Dude has skills.

Jabari, Rodney, Amile and Andre are all playing well and are likely to improve more during the season, but I believe the greatest improvement will come from a few of the players who get less ink, and they will make the team a real threat in the tournament. In particular:

1. Rasheed has shown the ability to slash to the rim but has not as yet finished well. If he can have growth in that area and use a pull up jumper at times he could add a dimension to the team that it doesn't now have.

2. Marshall is really making strides. He has the size we need and plays very hard and can be intimidating defensively. He was open under the basket once and the pass to him was errant. It is possible that he can add an offensive dimension to his game and that would further require defenses to think about which option to cover.

3. Matt has been good defensively and was known for his shot and play making ability at the previous level. If he can find his offensive offensive game he could help this team in a supporting role.

4. Semi has had very little exposure, especially in meaningful game situations. He has the tools to be a good rebounder and has hit his foul shots when he did play. Maybe he is too raw to make the jump this year, but we seem to need another rebounder to support Amile and Marshall for short periods.

Quinn, Tyler and Josh give a lot to this team but are unlikely to make big improvement during the year.

[OldPhiKap]

Let's not confuse Jamie "Hoops" Dixon with Jamie "Banks" Dimon, head of JP Morgan Chase.

Ooops, that's what happens when I post while reading the WSJ.

I was kinda meh about Pitt joining the league, but I really thought last night that they brought a quality team with a quality venue. Welcome to the ACC!

[gus]

We closed out with Cook-Sulaimon-Dawkins-Hood-Parker. What a nightmare for the defense. Everybody on the court shoots 3s and free throws well. Everyone but Dawkins is capable with the ball in their hands, and if you double off of Dawkins (as we saw Pitt do, stupidly, with 6 seconds on the shot clock and Hood still above the top of the key) you may as well put 3 in the books. That lineup doesn't have the size (or, really, the skills) to be defensively sound over a long stretch of possessions, but when we're trying to take the air out of the ball and preserve the lead, that lineup is pretty much perfect.

The other great thing about that line up.... their FT%'s this season: 85.2, 78.8, 88.5, 84.4, 76.3

When a 76.3% free throw shooter is your best option for fouling... fouling is not going help you much.

[NashvilleDevil]

The other great thing about that line up.... their FT%'s this season: 85.2, 78.8, 88.5, 84.4, 76.3

When a 76.3% free throw shooter is your best option for fouling... fouling is not going help you much.

I remember early in the season there was concern that the free throw shooting would not be good. Looks like the fellas have figured it out.

[flyingdutchdevil]

The Jamie Dixon presser:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIwui8DHuro&noredirect=1

No terping about refs, so that's good. Gave some credit to Duke, but most of it was criticism of his own team's defensive breakdowns (and himself). Doesn't really credit Duke's defense, but his own team's impatience on offense.

Talks about sitting Artis in the 2nd half, likely due to defense. Good for Duke - Artis was shooting well.

Likely doesn't think his offense isn't good enough to win games for them. I would agree... Pitt is (and really always has been) built on defense and rebounding.

I forgot that losers are supposed to just complement all aspects of the winner and not focus on their own game...

I thought that the press conference was appropriate in ever way. Dixon complemented Duke on 4-5 separate occasions (including singling out Dawkins) and said that the loss was on the players' poor D and Dixon's lack of motivation.

I am a huge Dixon fan. I think he's a great coach and, like a few - including Ferryfor50 - have said, he's like Gary Williams. And I mean that in every positive way possible: not a great recruiter, teams play hard, no nonsense teams, really good x's & o's coach. I think the "Pitt is the new Maryland" comments are way off base. Opposing fans are supposed to get riled up. They are supposed to scream. They are supposed to scream at the refs when calls don't do their way. I am a huge fan of the Oakland Zoo.

Lastly, about the handshake. Yes, Dixon didn't look at Coach K in the eye. It wasn't a classy move. But give the guy a break! He got destroyed against a team that wasn't supposed to win. At home. In front of probably the most powerful Pitt alums and administration. Fans paid $900 for tickets. $900! I'm sure Dixon felt that he let down the whole school with that loss (and I'm sure the fans and alums are writing that exact same thing on their forums). The poor handshake wasn't classy, but I do understand it.

And while we're on the subject of handshakes, another poster brought up the Mike Brey handshake with Coach K. If Dixon was classless in shaking Coach K's hand, then I feel that Coach K was just as classless in shaking Mike Brey's hand. I mean, it was quick and to the point. Brey is a student of Coach K; I would have expected Coach K to at least share a moment. But I digress...

[gus]

I forgot that losers are supposed to just complement all aspects of the winner and not focus on their own game...

I thought that the press conference was appropriate in ever way. Dixon complemented Duke on 4-5 separate occasions (including singling out Dawkins) and said that the loss was on the players' poor D and Dixon's lack of motivation.

I am a huge Dixon fan. I think he's a great coach and, like a few - including Ferryfor50 - have said, he's like Gary Williams. And I mean that in every positive way possible: not a great recruiter, teams play hard, no nonsense teams, really good x's & o's coach. I think the "Pitt is the new Maryland" comments are way off base. Opposing fans are supposed to get riled up. They are supposed to scream. They are supposed to scream at the refs when calls don't do their way. I am a huge fan of the Oakland Zoo.

Lastly, about the handshake. Yes, Dixon didn't look at Coach K in the eye. It wasn't a classy move. But give the guy a break! He got destroyed against a team that wasn't supposed to win. At home. In front of probably the most powerful Pitt alums and administration. Fans paid $900 for tickets. $900! I'm sure Dixon felt that he let down the whole school with that loss (and I'm sure the fans and alums are writing that exact same thing on their forums). The poor handshake wasn't classy, but I do understand it.

And while we're on the subject of handshakes, another poster brought up the Mike Brey handshake with Coach K. If Dixon was classless in shaking Coach K's hand, then I feel that Coach K was just as classless in shaking Mike Brey's hand. I mean, it was quick and to the point. Brey is a student of Coach K; I would have expected Coach K to at least share a moment. But I digress...

Nice post.

I do have to say, I liked the crowd. I thought it made for a fun environment. I also liked the sign the article on DBR caught: "Jabari Parker listens to Nickelback". That's a good free throw distraction attempt.

[FerryFor50]

I forgot that losers are supposed to just complement all aspects of the winner and not focus on their own game...

I thought that the press conference was appropriate in ever way. Dixon complemented Duke on 4-5 separate occasions (including singling out Dawkins) and said that the loss was on the players' poor D and Dixon's lack of motivation.

I am a huge Dixon fan. I think he's a great coach and, like a few - including Ferryfor50 - have said, he's like Gary Williams. And I mean that in every positive way possible: not a great recruiter, teams play hard, no nonsense teams, really good x's & o's coach. I think the "Pitt is the new Maryland" comments are way off base. Opposing fans are supposed to get riled up. They are supposed to scream. They are supposed to scream at the refs when calls don't do their way. I am a huge fan of the Oakland Zoo.

Lastly, about the handshake. Yes, Dixon didn't look at Coach K in the eye. It wasn't a classy move. But give the guy a break! He got destroyed against a team that wasn't supposed to win. At home. In front of probably the most powerful Pitt alums and administration. Fans paid $900 for tickets. $900! I'm sure Dixon felt that he let down the whole school with that loss (and I'm sure the fans and alums are writing that exact same thing on their forums). The poor handshake wasn't classy, but I do understand it.

And while we're on the subject of handshakes, another poster brought up the Mike Brey handshake with Coach K. If Dixon was classless in shaking Coach K's hand, then I feel that Coach K was just as classless in shaking Mike Brey's hand. I mean, it was quick and to the point. Brey is a student of Coach K; I would have expected Coach K to at least share a moment. But I digress...

He was SPECIFICALLY asked about Duke's defense. Perfect opportunity to say "yea they gave us some problems." Instead, he says Pitt was impatient. Know what caused that impatience? Pretty good defense, combined with great offense.

Also, not buying the "he just lost" argument. Pitt was done for a solid 10 minutes in that game. Dixon had plenty of time to compose himself and at least feign class with the handshake.

Again, I did not see the Brey handshake. But unless K completely looked the opposite way as Brey, then it's not in the same ballpark of snub.

We differ in opinion about Pitt's fanbase. I think they have potential to be the new Maryland. Time will tell... But spending 900 bucks on a game in a "football city" isn't helping the case...

[jv001]

I forgot that losers are supposed to just complement all aspects of the winner and not focus on their own game...

I thought that the press conference was appropriate in ever way. Dixon complemented Duke on 4-5 separate occasions (including singling out Dawkins) and said that the loss was on the players' poor D and Dixon's lack of motivation.

I am a huge Dixon fan. I think he's a great coach and, like a few - including Ferryfor50 - have said, he's like Gary Williams. And I mean that in every positive way possible: not a great recruiter, teams play hard, no nonsense teams, really good x's & o's coach. I think the "Pitt is the new Maryland" comments are way off base. Opposing fans are supposed to get riled up. They are supposed to scream. They are supposed to scream at the refs when calls don't do their way. I am a huge fan of the Oakland Zoo.

Lastly, about the handshake. Yes, Dixon didn't look at Coach K in the eye. It wasn't a classy move. But give the guy a break! He got destroyed against a team that wasn't supposed to win. At home. In front of probably the most powerful Pitt alums and administration. Fans paid $900 for tickets. $900! I'm sure Dixon felt that he let down the whole school with that loss (and I'm sure the fans and alums are writing that exact same thing on their forums). The poor handshake wasn't classy, but I do understand it.

And while we're on the subject of handshakes, another poster brought up the Mike Brey handshake with Coach K. If Dixon was classless in shaking Coach K's hand, then I feel that Coach K was just as classless in shaking Mike Brey's hand. I mean, it was quick and to the point. Brey is a student of Coach K; I would have expected Coach K to at least share a moment. But I digress...

I think both coaches probably would want a "do-over" on the handshake thing. As you said, Dixon and the Panthers had just played one of the most important, big build up games in their arena. And things didn't go so well for him and his team. Had a right to be down and upset. As for Coach K he was going through a more sorrowful time and no one should take him to task for the cold shoulder approach. Both are good guys and great coaches. GoDuke!

[Troublemaker]

Re: K/Brey handshake. Guys, Duke tries not to linger on the court after a road loss when the opposing fans are streaming onto it.

I'm sure Coach K called Brey and congratulated him. Maybe not directly after the game, though, since Coach K was probably still shaken from burying his brother the day before.

[ChillinDuke]

He was SPECIFICALLY asked about Duke's defense. Perfect opportunity to say "yea they gave us some problems." Instead, he says Pitt was impatient. Know what caused that impatience? Pretty good defense, combined with great offense.

Also, not buying the "he just lost" argument. Pitt was done for a solid 10 minutes in that game. Dixon had plenty of time to compose himself and at least feign class with the handshake.

Again, I did not see the Brey handshake. But unless K completely looked the opposite way as Brey, then it's not in the same ballpark of snub.

We differ in opinion about Pitt's fanbase. I think they have potential to be the new Maryland. Time will tell... But spending 900 bucks on a game in a "football city" isn't helping the case...

I agree (strongly) with some that are calling for restraint here. I didn't see the Dixon handshake, nor the Brey handshake, and frankly I don't care much.

Dixon is a good coach. Pitt is a good fanbase. I have never, to this point, heard any objective stories or points of view that lead me to second guess those two beliefs.

It all just sounds silly and childish. Jamie lost a tough, hard fought, program-benchmarking game to one of the premier blue blood programs in which they have just joined the same conference and will be facing every year in perpetuity. That's frustrating! I don't blame the guy...at all. He's been hearing for years how great the Big East is at basketball and waltzing through his first run through the ACC (with the exception of also-newbie Syracuse) and finally gets Duke - and boom, his team gets punched back. At home. I'd be pissed. And I reckon K would be too. Apparently, he could have had a classier handshake. But you know what? His team played a classy game - and that speaks louder to me.

I thought the fans were great too. Didn't see a sea of people acting like idiots like at Maryland games.

Basically, it's going to take a lot more than one not-flawlessly-noble handshake for me to start throwing my arms up at a Pitt program and coach who have a lot of brand equity nationwide.

- Chillin

[sagegrouse]

Here's Ol' Sage's post from the MBB Polls thread:



Originally posted by Sage Grouse:


Originally Posted by Duvall

Maybe, but Pomeroy ranks Duke 9th in the country and still gives Duke a 50.4% chance of going 0-2 on the road against Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Have to think a team around 20th would face even worse odds.
I feel it in my bones that All Day Dre will sink one or both of these interlopers.

It's better to be lucky than good....

[flyingdutchdevil]

We differ in opinion about Pitt's fanbase. I think they have potential to be the new Maryland. Time will tell... But spending 900 bucks on a game in a "football city" isn't helping the case...

I don't get the bolded part. Why is spending money on a sport that isn't your bread-and-butter sport equivalent to becoming an obnoxious fan base? If Duke fans begin spending money on football games, does that turn us into Maryland fans? Is paying $3,000 for a Duke/UNC game indicative of obnoxious behaviour?

[Ichabod Drain]

He was SPECIFICALLY asked about Duke's defense. Perfect opportunity to say "yea they gave us some problems." Instead, he says Pitt was impatient. Know what caused that impatience? Pretty good defense, combined with great offense.

Also, not buying the "he just lost" argument. Pitt was done for a solid 10 minutes in that game. Dixon had plenty of time to compose himself and at least feign class with the handshake.

Again, I did not see the Brey handshake. But unless K completely looked the opposite way as Brey, then it's not in the same ballpark of snub.

We differ in opinion about Pitt's fanbase. I think they have potential to be the new Maryland. Time will tell... But spending 900 bucks on a game in a "football city" isn't helping the case...

This is pretty harsh. Dixon wanted that game bad and was pretty complimentary of Duke while at the same time being critical of him and his team. And I don't think Dixon gave up on the game 10 minutes before it was over.

What do you mean by spending 900 bucks on a game in a "football city" isn't helping the case?

[GGLC]

I forgot that losers are supposed to just complement all aspects of the winner and not focus on their own game...

I thought that the press conference was appropriate in ever way. Dixon complemented Duke on 4-5 separate occasions (including singling out Dawkins) and said that the loss was on the players' poor D and Dixon's lack of motivation.

I am a huge Dixon fan. I think he's a great coach and, like a few - including Ferryfor50 - have said, he's like Gary Williams. And I mean that in every positive way possible: not a great recruiter, teams play hard, no nonsense teams, really good x's & o's coach. I think the "Pitt is the new Maryland" comments are way off base. Opposing fans are supposed to get riled up. They are supposed to scream. They are supposed to scream at the refs when calls don't do their way. I am a huge fan of the Oakland Zoo.

Lastly, about the handshake. Yes, Dixon didn't look at Coach K in the eye. It wasn't a classy move. But give the guy a break! He got destroyed against a team that wasn't supposed to win. At home. In front of probably the most powerful Pitt alums and administration. Fans paid $900 for tickets. $900! I'm sure Dixon felt that he let down the whole school with that loss (and I'm sure the fans and alums are writing that exact same thing on their forums). The poor handshake wasn't classy, but I do understand it.

And while we're on the subject of handshakes, another poster brought up the Mike Brey handshake with Coach K. If Dixon was classless in shaking Coach K's hand, then I feel that Coach K was just as classless in shaking Mike Brey's hand. I mean, it was quick and to the point. Brey is a student of Coach K; I would have expected Coach K to at least share a moment. But I digress...

Very well said.

[Faustus]

Thanks, El Diablo, for the answer and photo posted back on page 10. Groat of course went on to become an All-Star shortstop for the Pirates with a World Series win, but is I believe the 2nd Duke player to have his basketball uniform retired as well -- it's Number 10. Long, long time ago, both of those, however...

This could become somewhat important come ACC tournament seeding time, but by only playing them once, Duke already owns the tie-breaker with both UVa and now Pitt (don't think that losing any tie-breaker to Notre Dame and Clemson, also the case, will matter any...). And then there's a pair of games with Syracuse...

[-jk]

Thanks, El Diablo, for the answer and photo posted back on page 10. Groat of course went on to become an All-Star shortstop for the Pirates with a World Series win, but is I believe the 2nd Duke player to have his basketball uniform retired as well -- it's Number 10. Long, long time ago, both of those, however...

This could become somewhat important come ACC tournament seeding time, but by only playing them once, Duke already owns the tie-breaker with both UVa and now Pitt (don't think that losing any tie-breaker to Notre Dame and Clemson, also the case, will matter any...). And then there's a pair of games with Syracuse...

Groat's was the first (and for decades, the only) retired jersey. Not until G-Man destroyed records and got his retired did the ice break. Duke went back and retired some of the 60's greats much later.

-jk

[FerryFor50]

This is pretty harsh. Dixon wanted that game bad and was pretty complimentary of Duke while at the same time being critical of him and his team. And I don't think Dixon gave up on the game 10 minutes before it was over.

What do you mean by spending 900 bucks on a game in a "football city" isn't helping the case?


I don't get the bolded part. Why is spending money on a sport that isn't your bread-and-butter sport equivalent to becoming an obnoxious fan base? If Duke fans begin spending money on football games, does that turn us into Maryland fans? Is paying $3,000 for a Duke/UNC game indicative of obnoxious behaviour?

I believe that when you spend exorbitant amounts of money on a sport that isn't your bread and butter sport, it's indicative of a fanbase "forcing the issue." This is how I felt about the Maryland fanbase - they never were really into the sport, but the rivalry. For Maryland, it was more about hating Duke than supporting their team. I'd be curious to see if Pitt fans spend upwards of $900 for the UNC or Syracuse games...

I'm probably way off-base, and I'm ok with that. It's just a gut feeling. I get suspicious of a fanbase that gets extra ravenous about the "big" games... I mean, they came to the WARMUPS to jeer Duke. Do they do that for other teams? Syracuse? UNC?

$3000 for Duke-UNC is a bit obnoxious, too. But at least there are decades of tradition with that rivalry.

Obviously I am in the minority here, but I believe you should lose with as much class as you win with. Watch a Coach K presser after a loss. How often does he credit the other team? Pretty often....

[roywhite]

We differ in opinion about Pitt's fanbase. I think they have potential to be the new Maryland.

Okay; I think you have something there, though I'm not sure about the degree of similarity.

My .02 on this (and this .02 is built on the credibility of Pittsburgh being my original home town, and still keep up with the PA sports teams, including Pitt, Penn State, Steelers, etc.)

Pitt fans do have a bit of an inferiority complex:
Their football team doesn't have it's own stadium; they play at Heinz field and have trouble filling it more than halfway, while in-state rival PSU often plays before 100,000+. Their football program has slipped considerably since the days of Dorsett and Marino. Their campus is an urban one and they catch grief about that. Their basketball program has done great in wins and losses, but poorly in the NCAA Tournament. During the league changes, Pitt was not courted by the B1G Ten. The local media wants to see a winner and Pitt doesn't often fill that role.

And the fans can be very vocal and on the rowdy side. Dixon is very demonstrative, which tends to spur the fans on. Still, I don't see them approaching the level of vitriol that the Terp fans had; they were hateful and occasionally violent. Good riddance to the Maryland fans. I'll take the trade.

We'll see how the Duke -- Pitt rivalry goes.

[OldPhiKap]

Thanks, El Diablo, for the answer and photo posted back on page 10. Groat of course went on to become an All-Star shortstop for the Pirates with a World Series win, but is I believe the 2nd Duke player to have his basketball uniform retired as well -- it's Number 10. Long, long time ago, both of those, however...

This could become somewhat important come ACC tournament seeding time, but by only playing them once, Duke already owns the tie-breaker with both UVa and now Pitt (don't think that losing any tie-breaker to Notre Dame and Clemson, also the case, will matter any...). And then there's a pair of games with Syracuse...

I thought his was the first to be retired by Duke. But he has great ties to both Duke and the city of Pittsburgh.

[77devil]

I was critical last night on the DBR chat of the decision to give Quinn so much PT given his injury. Looking back at it and looking at the box score this morning, that was a pretty gutsy effort... 27 min, 9 pts, 6 ast, 2 to, 1 stl. Yes, he made some bad plays and decisions here and there, but you gotta love his heart, and he played a key role in managing our lead at the end. I'd say be's becoming a great crunch time player.

Thanks for this. Quinn is our guy, and like it or not, Duke will not achieve its potential without Quinn on the floor.

[killerleft]

I was more concerned with the handshake. The ref working was a sidebar...

I got the Maryland vibe for just a second or two early in the game, but I'm gonna have to give Dixon and the Panthers a pass. I'm sure the coach was very disappointed after the game. I haven't seen enough of him to really get a good read on him yet. He's definitely going to have to improve on his sweating...

[OldPhiKap]

I mean, they came to the WARMUPS to jeer Duke. Do they do that for other teams? Syracuse? UNC?



I think that is more a reflection of what a benchmark we are, than anything else. We are the biggest game that most teams play, and we're playing in thier house for the first time.

The Syracuse game sold out in 5 minutes. I don't think anyone would say that Syracuse is not basketball-savvy.

Flip side, I went to the Alabama-Duke game in Wally Wade a few years ago. National power coming to our house. First time I'd seen Wally Wade full in decades, and they even added bleacher seats. That enthusiasm was partly a reflection of Duke, but largely a reflection of the benchmark that Alabama is in football. All told, Pitt hosting Duke in hoops had a much higher probability of a home win than Duke hosting the Crimson Tide four or five years ago.

[FerryFor50]

Okay; I think you have something there, though I'm not sure about the degree of similarity.

My .02 on this (and this .02 is built on the credibility of Pittsburgh being my original home town, and still keep up with the PA sports teams, including Pitt, Penn State, Steelers, etc.)

Pitt fans do have a bit of an inferiority complex:
Their football team doesn't have it's own stadium; they play at Heinz field and have trouble filling it more than halfway, while in-state rival PSU often plays before 100,000+. Their football program has slipped considerably since the days of Dorsett and Marino. Their campus is an urban one and they catch grief about that. Their basketball program has done great in wins and losses, but poorly in the NCAA Tournament. During the league changes, Pitt was not courted by the B1G Ten. The local media wants to see a winner and Pitt doesn't often fill that role.

And the fans can be very vocal and on the rowdy side. Dixon is very demonstrative, which tends to spur the fans on. Still, I don't see them approaching the level of vitriol that the Terp fans had; they were hateful and occasionally violent. Good riddance to the Maryland fans. I'll take the trade.

We'll see how the Duke -- Pitt rivalry goes.

Yea, agree with all of the above. Pretty much makes the point I was trying to make (but obviously made it poorly).

I don't think Pitt fans will be rioting and burning couches or throwing bottles. But I do see them being a pain in the rear in years to come. Hopefully they prove me wrong. I'd much rather see a healthy rivalry than a bitter one.

[flyingdutchdevil]

A lot has already been said on this thread, but I figured I'd chime in. As usual. For better or for worse.

1) Best game we've played. Offensively, we were unstoppable. Defensively, that was just a great game.

2) Jabari is the ultimate decoy. ESPN (I think) had a great article how Pitt's 2nd half strategy was to stop Jabari. It worked. Unfortunately, it also led to great looks by the lawfirm of Jefferson, Dawkins & Hood. Also credit Sulaimon and Cook for frequently finding the open man.

3) Is this the game where we can officially say that the 5 is an asset to this team? For at least 4 games running, the 5 has been great on offensive, really good on the boards, and opportunistic defensively. I know a few posters were saying that all we needed from the 5 is D and rebounding. I think we are getting more from this spot than we think. MP3 has played well enough that he needs to be in the rotation (which he currently is).

4) Sulaimon didn't have the best of games. But his solid (as usual) defense and playmaking abilities really helped out there. Despite similar size, he and Nolan are very different when attacking the rim. Nolan always kept his head down - and hence didn't pass much when driving - but was amazing at finishing at the rim. Sulaimon always keeps his head up - which leads to plenty of passes - but is ineffective at finishing at the rim (when he doesn't get hacked).

5) Dawkins ate something special for dinner. Did he enjoy Pittsburgh's famous pierogies? Maybe a kielbasa or Italian sausage or two? All I can say it, wow. That is the best 3pt clinic I've seen with Redick's UVa game.

6) Hood is the unsung hero during this game. He may have had 2-3 poor drives, but his 3pt shooting coupled with his incredible D on Lamar was just beautiful.

7) My wife commented that the whole Pitt coaching staff could be cast in the Sopranos. Do you think that Dixon, Brey, and Calipari secretly meet about putting a horse's head in Bill Self's bed?

[FerryFor50]

I think that is more a reflection of what a benchmark we are, than anything else. We are the biggest game that most teams play, and we're playing in thier house for the first time.

The Syracuse game sold out in 5 minutes. I don't think anyone would say that Syracuse is not basketball-savvy.

Flip side, I went to the Alabama-Duke game in Wally Wade a few years ago. National power coming to our house. First time I'd seen Wally Wade full in decades, and they even added bleacher seats. That enthusiasm was partly a reflection of Duke, but largely a reflection of the benchmark that Alabama is in football. All told, Pitt hosting Duke in hoops had a much higher probability of a home win than Duke hosting the Crimson Tide four or five years ago.

Fair points. But I'd give more of a pass to Syracuse for taking their team that seriously, as they've got a rich tradition. I get a little nervous when the programs that haven't accomplished that much start acting like the programs that have. Nothing worse than undeserved entitlement.

As for Duke-Alabama, I think most people wanted to see Alabama much less than wanting to jeer them. No one showed up to heckle the pre-game warmups... there wasn't a snowball's chance that Duke was competing in that game.

[77devil]

And the fans can be very vocal and on the rowdy side. Dixon is very demonstrative, which tends to spur the fans on. Still, I don't see them approaching the level of vitriol that the Terp fans had; they were hateful and occasionally violent. Good riddance to the Maryland fans. I'll take the trade.

Ditto, and as you imply, unless there were incidents of fans throwing objects at our player's parents, gross vulgarity, riots, vandalism, and arson, any and all suggestions that Pitt's fanbase is the new Maryland are wildly over blown.

[Indoor66]

Well, that was a rather lame defense of our Mike's snub of Mike Brey....and I'll concede your point that he made good eye contact as he snubbed him. But really? Are we subcategorizing snubs here?

Of course we are, this is DBR. We quantify and over analyze everything. As to Dixon, he led Pitt for minutes on the court. He deserved to be T'd.

[FerryFor50]

Ditto, and as you imply, unless there were incidents of fans throwing objects at our player's parents, gross vulgarity, riots, vandalism, and arson, any and all suggestions that Pitt's fanbase is the new Maryland are wildly over blown.

Would you take "Maryland-lite"? ;)

[flyingdutchdevil]

...throwing objects at our parents, gross vulgarity, riots, vandalism, and arson...

Wait - are my Christmas reunions equivalent to Maryland fans?

[Faustus]

Thanks, JK. I was afraid Jim Sumner would have to rise from convalescent bed to settle that. Remember well seeing only Groat's uniform hanging in the display cabinet in the Cameron lobby along with the Orange Bowl bowl and etc.

Will be very interested to see what happns in the Pitt-UVa game this weekend. One of them has to lose - rather hoping it's UVa. I don't think either team after that has many conference games remaining where they won't be the favorite.

[roywhite]

Would you take "Maryland-lite"? ;)

Thanks, I prefer an Iron City Lite, or IC-Lite as they call it.

That's a brew that would not rate favorably with devildeac and his high-falutin beer tastes :D, but fits pretty well in Western PA.

Or, as some yinzers might recall, how about an Olde Frothingslosh (http://www.rustycans.com/HISTORY/oldfroth.html), the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom.

Whatever the choice, this Duke effort last night deserves a toast. Truly outstanding.

[Troublemaker]

3) Is this the game where we can officially say that the 5 is an asset to this team? For at least 4 games running, the 5 has been great on offensive, really good on the boards, and opportunistic defensively. I know a few posters were saying that all we needed from the 5 is D and rebounding. I think we are getting more from this spot than we think. MP3 has played well enough that he needs to be in the rotation (which he currently is).

Hear, hear. This needed to have been said several games earlier, but I'm okay with saying it now as well. Amile is arguably the best C in the conference. The Amile/MP3 center tandem is arguably the best center tandem in the league.

Also:

Jabari is probably the best 4 in the league.

Rodney has a case now for being the best 3 with his head-to-head win over Patterson.

Quinn is one of the top 2 PGs in the league. Sheed is capable of playing very well at PG, too.

And between Sheed, Dre, Tyler, and Matt, we have a ridiculous amount of flexibility at the 2 to cover many different situations and needs. One of this quartet will always be playing well during a game, and usually two of them will be.

The coaches deserve a ton of credit for developing these guys in-season because a lot of what I've stated certainly wasn't true at the beginning of the season. Rodney's defense has improved dramatically making it possible for him to be the best 2-way SF in the league. Everyone knows about Amile's improvement over the course of the season. Even Jabari is improving by learning how to play aggressive to get fouled in league play so that he's still pouring in points if his shot isn't on.

Very proud of this team and the coaches. Great talent, but also great workers and great people.

[duke4ever19]

What Amile does best is incredibly valuable. It is also unstoppable.

I never implied that what Amile does on the court isn't valuable or "unstoppable" (whatever you mean by that).

It seems you like to read into my posts what you like and then chastise me for your interpretation of what I said.

Let me be clear: Amile Jefferson is a valuable asset to this team and will be a darn good player when he leaves. He also happens to be one of my favorite players of any we've had the past several years. However, he is not as good a basketball player as either Parker or Hood.

Coach K himself has said that both Parker and Hood are his best players.

Honestly, I think some of you try to be so clever that you end up sounding foolish. Sorry if that earns me a slap on the wrist from the mods, but it's true.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Hear, hear. This needed to have been said several games earlier, but I'm okay with saying it now as well. Amile is arguably the best C in the conference. The Amile/MP3 center tandem is arguably the best center tandem in the league.

Also:

Jabari is probably the best 4 in the league.

Rodney has a case now for being the best 3 with his head-to-head win over Patterson.

Quinn is one of the top 2 PGs in the league. Sheed is capable of playing very well at PG, too.

And between Sheed, Dre, Tyler, and Matt, we have a ridiculous amount of flexibility at the 2 to cover many different situations and needs. One of this quartet will always be playing well during a game, and usually two of them will be.

The coaches deserve a ton of credit for developing these guys in-season because a lot of what I've stated certainly wasn't true at the beginning of the season. Rodney's defense has improved dramatically making it possible for him to be the best 2-way SF in the league. Everyone knows about Amile's improvement over the course of the season. Even Jabari is improving by learning how to play aggressive to get fouled in league play so that he's still pouring in points if his shot isn't on.

Very proud of this team and the coaches. Great talent, but also great workers and great people.

I'd agree on the 5 stop. The 4 and 3 stop are debatable. Lamar Patterson - last night withstanding - has been unbelievable. And CJ Fair is, well, an athletic senior on a well-coached Syracuse team. We have the best 3-4 tandem, but I'm not too sure about the best individual 3 and 4, especially in ACC play (where Jabari has slightly cooled off and Lamar has exploded). As for the 2, I think Ennis wins that straight up. I love Cook and still view him as our third banana, but Tyler Ennis is arguably better at everything.

At the 2, we are deepest and combining all players would create a tougher, more volatile JJ Redick. But we can only play one player at a time.

But I agree! Proud of everyone on the team and the coaching staff. We are now the scariest team in the ACC.

[FerryFor50]

I'd agree on the 5 stop. The 4 and 3 stop are debatable. Lamar Patterson - last night withstanding - has been unbelievable. And CJ Fair is, well, an athletic senior on a well-coached Syracuse team. We have the best 3-4 tandem, but I'm not too sure about the best individual 3 and 4, especially in ACC play (where Jabari has slightly cooled off and Lamar has exploded). As for the 2, I think Ennis wins that straight up. I love Cook and still view him as our third banana, but Tyler Ennis is arguably better at everything.

At the 2, we are deepest and combining all players would create a tougher, more volatile JJ Redick. But we can only play one player at a time.

But I agree! Proud of everyone on the team and the coaching staff. We are now the scariest team in the ACC.

I wouldn't say Ennis is arguably better. He is absolutely better. Would not be surprised to see him leave for the NBA after this season. Syracuse has been very fortunate with PG recruiting the past few years.

[alteran]

I agree this was our best game of the season, congrats to our guys!

Having said that, it's also good to keep things in perspective, as Bilas mentioned Pitt only played 2 top 50 teams and lost to both of them, so they might not be nearly as good as their 18-3 record would suggest... Our win over Michigan is probably still our best win. And unless we win at Cuse we would fall 3 games behind the Orange and have only a remote shot at the ACC title and a 1/2 seed in the tournament. We're on the right track, but still a long way to go... The weird thing is that I enjoy this team much more than teams in the past 2-3 years that were ranked in the top 10, not really sure why but I just love their potential!

Not to pick nits, but losing to Cuse would not make us a long shot at the ACC title, but in the ACC REGULAR SEASON.

If we manage to get one of the top four slots in the ACC Tournament, our chance of winning the ACC title is as good as anybody's.

[Duvall]

No. He is good, but he is not the best player on this team. Nor the second best. Probably not third.

And unless he improves a LOT over the next 2+ years, he won't crack the top-10 of the last decade.

That isn't a slight to Jefferson, but rather a compliment to the talent on this team and the teams of the last decade.

Well, now I'm wondering who will end up as the leading candidate to be Duke's best player of the 2007-2016 timeframe. Not impossible to see Jefferson developing into an All-American, which would put him in the mix.

[Lar77]

A lot has already been said on this thread, but I figured I'd chime in. As usual. For better or for worse.

1) Best game we've played. Offensively, we were unstoppable. Defensively, that was just a great game.

2) Jabari is the ultimate decoy. ESPN (I think) had a great article how Pitt's 2nd half strategy was to stop Jabari. It worked. Unfortunately, it also led to great looks by the lawfirm of Jefferson, Dawkins & Hood. Also credit Sulaimon and Cook for frequently finding the open man.

3) Is this the game where we can officially say that the 5 is an asset to this team? For at least 4 games running, the 5 has been great on offensive, really good on the boards, and opportunistic defensively. I know a few posters were saying that all we needed from the 5 is D and rebounding. I think we are getting more from this spot than we think. MP3 has played well enough that he needs to be in the rotation (which he currently is).

4) Sulaimon didn't have the best of games. But his solid (as usual) defense and playmaking abilities really helped out there. Despite similar size, he and Nolan are very different when attacking the rim. Nolan always kept his head down - and hence didn't pass much when driving - but was amazing at finishing at the rim. Sulaimon always keeps his head up - which leads to plenty of passes - but is ineffective at finishing at the rim (when he doesn't get hacked).

5) Dawkins ate something special for dinner. Did he enjoy Pittsburgh's famous pierogies? Maybe a kielbasa or Italian sausage or two? All I can say it, wow. That is the best 3pt clinic I've seen with Redick's UVa game.

6) Hood is the unsung hero during this game. He may have had 2-3 poor drives, but his 3pt shooting coupled with his incredible D on Lamar was just beautiful.

7) My wife commented that the whole Pitt coaching staff could be cast in the Sopranos. Do you think that Dixon, Brey, and Calipari secretly meet about putting a horse's head in Bill Self's bed?

I had to laugh at #7. My wife said the same thing. I bet the ref had someone else start his car after the game.

Just keep feeding Dre whatever. It's good to see him have fun out there.

[kAzE]

Hear, hear. This needed to have been said several games earlier, but I'm okay with saying it now as well. Amile is arguably the best C in the conference. The Amile/MP3 center tandem is arguably the best center tandem in the league.

Also:

Jabari is probably the best 4 in the league.

Rodney has a case now for being the best 3 with his head-to-head win over Patterson.

Quinn is one of the top 2 PGs in the league.

It's tough to proclaim Jefferson the best center in the league, just because he's just not really a center. Jabari's actually been guarding opposing centers most of the time on defense, and Amile still plays more like a 4 on offense. So, we don't really have a center in the starting lineup, we just run 3 forwards and 2 guards. If we were going by natural position, I'd pick him amongst the top 5 PFs in the league behind Jabari and CJ Fair, and in the mix with McAdoo and Zanna for 3rd best PF. I think he's better than those guys though, so I'd say he's the 3rd best PF in the league, but he's getting better and better every game.

However, no argument that Jabari and Hood are the best at the 4 and 3, respectively. We may legitimately have the best, most versatile front court in the nation, if not 2nd behind Kansas. I was about to dispute the Quinn comment, but then realized the only guy I could think of who was definitely better was Ennis . . . the ACC is ridiculously shallow at PG this year, my goodness.

[WakeDevil]

Uh, okay. Duke had the higher rebounding percentage at both ends.

In a recent game with FSU, Duke "lost" the rebounding margin because it won the turnover margin by a huge amount. You can't get a rebound when the other team doesn't take a shot. That's why adding defensive and offensive rebounds is an ignorant stat.

[UrinalCake]

Loved the description by Bilas that Amile is a "space rebounder," meaning he doesn't just get the rebounds that come right to him, he also goes out and gets the ball when it's out of his space. That is so true and we need that out of him. The whole team has been rebounding so well lately, it's just one more area that we've been able to turn around from the beginning of the year.

Did anyone else catch the segment during the broadcast on "blitzing the ball screen"? Essentially when we are on defense and can identify that Pitt is trying to set a ball screen, the guy defending the screener will sprint out and try to beat him to the spot. They highlighted a play where Marshall did this and forced a turnover by double-teaming the ballhandler. But a couple possessions prior to that I noticed he tried the same thing and it led to his man being wide open under the basket. Tyler also beat his man to the spot at least once that I can remember and got a steal off of it. So I'll be interested to see if this is a strategy we start to employ more often, rather than hedging (and BTW Marshall has really improved his hedging on defense, as has Jabari. Our rotations on the help after the hedge are also working so much better than a month ago).

Fantastic win, let's keep it going and show the league that the ACC title still goes through Duke.

[Wander]

Well, now I'm wondering who will end up as the leading candidate to be Duke's best player of the 2007-2016 timeframe. Not impossible to see Jefferson developing into an All-American, which would put him in the mix.

Well, you'd have to start with the three guys who led Duke to a national championship, wouldn't you? You could probably make a case for any of those three.

[Li_Duke]

Bah. I'd say we could use one or two more in the pipeline.

An Onion sports article had reported that we signed 7 more Plumlees. I'm imagining Coach K playing 5 of them together next year.

[Billy Dat]

It's always fun to read through happy threads after big wins.

After scanning all of the posts, here are some thoughts I hope are semi-fresh takes:

-First off, I really enjoyed Cameron (#92 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698321#post698321)), CDu (#96 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698332#post698332)) and tommy (#179 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698467#post698467)) in-depth breakdowns of the game. Well done, fellas.

-In terms of Jabari. The earlier parts of the thread seemed to reflect the "he's great but erratic" trope, while his defenders started to emerge later in the thread. I agree with kAze (#48 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698253#post698253)), that he needs to avoid bad heat check 3s, Ferryfor50 (#128 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698389#post698389)) commented on his evolving offensive low post game. I'll add that the offensive flow and continuity that OldSchool (#152 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698422#post698422)) referenced and flyingdutch (#219 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698542#post698542)) began crediting to Jabari as a decoy has everything to do with Jabari. The kid was a one man wrecking crew in the first half and all of the open spaces in the second half were a result of him getting double and triple teamed every time he touched the ball. Our offense has gotten better because everyone has settled into their proper roles. Jabari is the one that the other team game plans for, and he has responded by making quicker moves, recognizing the double team and passing out of it, and trying like heck to get to the line by not settling for contested jumpers. Rodney, because of the attention Jabari draws, is awesome at getting high efficiency shots - being in position to either catch and shoot 3s or using his potential drive to set-up pull up 3s, or going to the hole. He and Jabari now understand how to play off each other and I'd argue against those who think we're better when they don't play with each other (but I don't have the line-up stats to back that up). Everyone else is settling in around them, especially Amile. Bottom line, the threat of Jabari makes everything else happen. I don't see him as erratic, I see him as our most important player.

-Great points by rsvman (#62 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698271#post698271)), kfanarmy (#112 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698369#post698369)), and tommy (#179) about the possession-by-possession nature of the game. In the second half, we had so many opportunities to push the game to two posessions and we failed. Finally, there was the sequence just under 10 minutes when Dre drove and then tipped in his own miss, Amile brilliantly faked the hand-off, drove and found Quinn in the corner for 3, and then Dre hit another 3. BOOM, we never look back. We proved the tougher team during that stretch, kept our D tough and fought them off. That was a new gear we had not shown to date.

-I am not sure we've gone away from the platoons. The past two games, we've had disruptions to the starting line-up (Hood against FSU and Quinn against Pitt) which has mucked up the platoon. We'll see what happens against Syracuse, but I think with a weaker stretch of ACC games looming, I hope K reverts back to the platoon to keep everyone engaged.

-Kudos to the staff, and K, for the adjustments made this year, including the platoon. I love that they are not "stick to the plan" guys but are constantly refining and trying to optimize our approach. Newton_14 (#76 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698287#post698287)) got into this a little in his post.

-On top of all the deserved Amile kudos, I still think he has another gear on offense involving driving the ball. I think he has handles that we haven't seen. We may not see it this year, but I suspect he can score a lot more than he does, and get to the line more. What a player he is becoming!

-As for Dixon, my only takeaway was (A) I had rarely seen a coach so aggressive about being on the court, talking directly in a refs ear, while the action was happening on the half court in front of them. I mean, he was right behind the ref, basically talking right in his ear. I am sure others do it, but is funny that more coaches don't get the ref baiting criticism that K and others get. Other than that, i thought the Pitt arena was amazing, the fans were good, and K really did lavish praise on the whole region in the post-game "My Mother is from this part of the country!"

Great win, let's keep it going on Saturday.

[CDu]

Well, now I'm wondering who will end up as the leading candidate to be Duke's best player of the 2007-2016 timeframe. Not impossible to see Jefferson developing into an All-American, which would put him in the mix.

I took the "ten year" comment to refer to the past 10 years from today (so 2005-2014). If the intention was really to mean 2007-2016, then the list certainly gets shorter (drop Redick and Williams and perhaps McRoberts from the list). Of course, then you have to consider any guys who might add their names to the list in 2015 and/or 2016.

And from there, it depends on what you use as your criteria. Do you define "best player" as "best player to wear a Duke uniform" or "player who contributed most while in a Duke uniform?" In any criteria, I would give Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith a very healthy head start over Jefferson. But in terms of purely best player, I'd add Parker, Hood, Henderson, Irving, McRoberts, and perhaps Rivers to that list. And depending upon how you define the timing, either Okafor and Jones or Redick and Williams join the list.

In no way do I mean to de-value what Jefferson provides to this team. But being incredibly valuable doesn't make you the best player on the team. Parker is incredibly valuable. Hood is incredibly valuable. Cook is incredibly valuable. Dawkins is incredibly valuable. We have lots of incredibly valuable players on the team. And we have had incredibly valuable players for many, many years.

Jefferson is a very good player. I have no doubt he'll play all four years (I don't really see him being an early-entry threat this year or next). And he'll continue to be a huge contributor for us during that time. But unless his game expands a LOT, I don't know that he's going to threaten to be the best player of the last decade.

[kAzE]

It's always fun to read through happy threads after big wins.

After scanning all of the posts, here are some thoughts I hope are semi-fresh takes:

-First off, I really enjoyed Cameron (#92 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698321#post698321)), CDu (#96 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698332#post698332)) and tommy (#179 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698467#post698467)) in-depth breakdowns of the game. Well done, fellas.

-In terms of Jabari. The earlier parts of the thread seemed to reflect the "he's great but erratic" trope, while his defenders started to emerge later in the thread. I agree with kAze (#48 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698253#post698253)), that he needs to avoid bad heat check 3s, Ferryfor50 (#128 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698389#post698389)) commented on his evolving offensive low post game. I'll add that the offensive flow and continuity that OldSchool (#152 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698422#post698422)) referenced and flyingdutch (#219 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698542#post698542)) began crediting to Jabari as a decoy has everything to do with Jabari. The kid was a one man wrecking crew in the first half and all of the open spaces in the second half were a result of him getting double and triple teamed every time he touched the ball. Our offense has gotten better because everyone has settled into their proper roles. Jabari is the one that the other team game plans for, and he has responded by making quicker moves, recognizing the double team and passing out of it, and trying like heck to get to the line by not settling for contested jumpers. Rodney, because of the attention Jabari draws, is awesome at getting high efficiency shots - being in position to either catch and shoot 3s or using his potential drive to set-up pull up 3s, or going to the hole. He and Jabari now understand how to play off each other and I'd argue against those who think we're better when they don't play with each other (but I don't have the line-up stats to back that up). Everyone else is settling in around them, especially Amile. Bottom line, the threat of Jabari makes everything else happen. I don't see him as erratic, I see him as our most important player.

-Great points by rsvman (#62 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698271#post698271)), kfanarmy (#112 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698369#post698369)), and tommy (#179) about the possession-by-possession nature of the game. In the second half, we had so many opportunities to push the game to two posessions and we failed. Finally, there was the sequence just under 10 minutes when Dre drove and then tipped in his own miss, Amile brilliantly faked the hand-off, drove and found Quinn in the corner for 3, and then Dre hit another 3. BOOM, we never look back. We proved the tougher team during that stretch, kept our D tough and fought them off. That was a new gear we had not shown to date.

-I am not sure we've gone away from the platoons. The past two games, we've had disruptions to the starting line-up (Hood against FSU and Quinn against Pitt) which has mucked up the platoon. We'll see what happens against Syracuse, but I think with a weaker stretch of ACC games looming, I hope K reverts back to the platoon to keep everyone engaged.

-Kudos to the staff, and K, for the adjustments made this year, including the platoon. I love that they are not "stick to the plan" guys but are constantly refining and trying to optimize our approach. Newton_14 (#76 (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?32941-MBB-Duke-80-Pittsburgh-65-Post-Game-Thread&p=698287#post698287)) got into this a little in his post.

-On top of all the deserved Amile kudos, I still think he has another gear on offense involving driving the ball. I think he has handles that we haven't seen. We may not see it this year, but I suspect he can score a lot more than he does, and get to the line more. What a player he is becoming!

-As for Dixon, my only takeaway was (A) I had rarely seen a coach so aggressive about being on the court, talking directly in a refs ear, while the action was happening on the half court in front of them. I mean, he was right behind the ref, basically talking right in his ear. I am sure others do it, but is funny that more coaches don't get the ref baiting criticism that K and others get. Other than that, i thought the Pitt arena was amazing, the fans were good, and K really did lavish praise on the whole region in the post-game "My Mother is from this part of the country!"

Great win, let's keep it going on Saturday.

You know, I was just thinking about this in relation to Dawkins, and how nobody ever gets mad when he tosses up a heat check 3. That says a lot about our confidence in his stroke. I mean, seriously, if Dre gets a wide open look from the wing with 34 seconds left on the shot clock in a close game with the lead at crunch time, do you want him to take the shot or pass it and take more time off the clock? I say shoot it. He's in ultimate green light territory at this point.

Sadly, I haven't been to a game in person since Dawkins joined the team. Is he just automatic from deep in warm-ups?

You're right about Jabari, obviously. Without him, this offense is not the #2 offense on kenpom. He makes everything go, because he's the one guy who does everything offensively, and can score from anywhere. No matter how well everyone else is playing, we have to remember that playing with a guy like Jabari makes them better just by default because of the attention he demands from opposing defenses.

[FerryFor50]

You know, I was just thinking about this in relation to Dawkins, and how nobody ever gets mad when he tosses up a heat check 3. That says a lot about our confidence in his stroke. I mean, seriously, if Dre gets a wide open look from the wing with 34 seconds left in a close game with the lead at crunch time, do you want him to take the shot or pass it and take more time off the clock? I say shoot it. He's in ultimate green light territory at this point.

He also doesn't dribble, step back and fadeaway... :)

[Kedsy]

*Our hedging on ball screens and our double-teaming/trapping out high was the best it's been all year. It wasn't perfect, but nobody should expect perfection. And it wasn't only Marshall, of course. All the guys were talking, they were switching appropriately, and like I said, hedging and recovering. All of that takes tremendous communication among guys who are finally seeming to have gotten familiar not only with the defensive schemes but with each other in playing those schemes. Terrific communication and effort -- for the entire game -- on the defensive end.

The potentially good news is once you figure out how to communicate properly on defense, it's probably not something that goes away again. There's a decent chance that we'll see close to the same level of defensive communication for the rest of the season. And that's exciting.

That said, I'm still a little worried that this team might be susceptible to concentration lapses, leading to bad stretches on defense. We didn't see it last night against Pitt, but personally I'll be worried about it for the rest of the season.


*While the platoon system is not really happening anymore, K is still using the longer bench. But I must say, he didn't use it as much in the second half. I can't find a link to the second half stats, but it seemed to me that Matt and Josh barely played at all in the second half, and Tyler and Marshall played more but not a tremendous amount either. We really went primarily with six guys -- Quinn, Rasheed, Rodney, Jabari, Amile, and Andre, with a little of Tyler and Marshall thrown in. So . . . not so much different than K has traditionally done it. I was concerned early in the second half when we didn't sub at all for awhile, then when we did, both Rodney and Jabari stayed in. Were they not going to get any rest? Did that mean they'd be worn down at crunch time? It turned out they did get some rest, and there was no issue of being worn out in this one, but I do think it's something to watch going forward. It seems like K has recognized the benefits of using more guys this year -- how could he not? -- but it's still difficult sometimes to break old habits and fully go with a real, say, 9 man rotation, and really difficult to go with 10. Not criticizing, because who plays a true 10 man rotation, but I don't want him to go back to just 6 or even 7 guys that he feels he can comfortably play in difficult situations.

Yeah, the Pitt game was sort of halfway between the old 7-man rotation and the new platoon system. Not sure how helpful the table below is in illustrating this, but I tried.

However, Coach K hadn't really been playing the second unit much in the last 15 minutes of the game before Pitt, either. For example, Marshall's minutes since the new system started: 12, 13, 7, 12, 12 (the 7 is in the Miami game). His playing time against Pitt was pretty consistent with what he'd been doing.

My guess is we have a pretty good chance of using more or less the "Pitt template" for the rest of the season, although looking at the table I suspect the 3rd slot (Quinn against Pitt) will go up 2 or 3 minutes, probably at the expense of the 5th slot. The 6th slot against Pitt was a bit low compared to either system, so that might go up too, probably at the expense of the 7th and 8th slots (looking more like 18/12/11). Hopefully, the 7th and 8th men won't dip below 10 minutes and the 9th and 10th men will at least get 4 or 5 non-garbage time minutes, but you never know with Coach K.



# 1/4 to 1/11 1/13 to 1/27 w/o NCSU w/o NCSU&Pitt Pitt Platoon diff Pitt diff
1 39.3 31.8 32.3 31.3 35 7.1 3.7
2 36.0 29.8 30.8 29.7 34 5.3 4.3
3 31.3 28.0 28.8 29.3 27 2.6 -2.3
4 26.3 25.6 26.0 25.7 27 0.3 1.3
5 23.3 23.2 24.8 24.0 27 -1.4 3.0
6 20.7 17.6 17.8 18.7 15 2.9 -3.7
7 12.0 13.2 12.8 12.3 14 -0.8 1.7
8 7.0 11.6 11.3 11.0 12 -4.3 1.0
9 3.0 9.2 8.3 9.3 5 -5.3 -4.3
10 1.0 7.2 6.0 6.7 4 -5.0 -2.7
11 0.0 2.4 1.5 2.0 0 -1.5 -2.0


Note: I have a column w/o NC State because that game was such a blowout and garbage time skewed the distribution. We didn't really play that much garbage time in any of the other games. The column w/o NCSU and Pitt theoretically shows the "true" line change system.

[kAzE]

He also doesn't dribble, step back and fadeaway... :)

If it was Dre in that game, I'll still take it! Haven't you ever played NBA jam? When the ball is glowing, you basically can't miss!

[flyingdutchdevil]

If it was Dre in that game, I'll still take it! Haven't you ever played NBA jam? When the face is glowing, you basically can't miss!

I changed it for you. This accurately reflects Dre.

[devildeac]

Thanks, I prefer an Iron City Lite, or IC-Lite as they call it.

That's a brew that would not rate favorably with devildeac and his high-falutin beer tastes :D, but fits pretty well in Western PA.

Or, as some yinzers might recall, how about an Olde Frothingslosh (http://www.rustycans.com/HISTORY/oldfroth.html), the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom.

Whatever the choice, this Duke effort last night deserves a toast. Truly outstanding.

Great Lakes brews should be available in western Pennsylvania;) . Had a few Duquesne lagers a good friend brought down as a peace offering prior to the Duke-Pitt FB game last fall. Not a bad brew. Even he refers to Iron City as Iron (rhymes with City:o).
On topic, that was a very satisfying win last PM.

[Kedsy]

Quinn, Tyler and Josh give a lot to this team but are unlikely to make big improvement during the year.

Personally, I think Quinn has a lot of room for improvement. His biggest issues are consistency of concentration and decision making. Not saying he absolutely will, but those are both things you can improve on during the season.


Did anyone else catch the segment during the broadcast on "blitzing the ball screen"? Essentially when we are on defense and can identify that Pitt is trying to set a ball screen, the guy defending the screener will sprint out and try to beat him to the spot. They highlighted a play where Marshall did this and forced a turnover by double-teaming the ballhandler. But a couple possessions prior to that I noticed he tried the same thing and it led to his man being wide open under the basket.

I noticed that as well. I found it funny how Bilas was praising it when the exact same play led to an easy layup maybe a minute earlier. Seems like a feast or famine strategy.

[cato]

As the saying goes, tea leaves cannot be read after the tea has been made.

How does that make sense? Tea leaves are read in the bottom of the cup, after the person has finished drinking his or her tea.

At least, that's my understanding.

[duke96]

Nice post.

I do have to say, I liked the crowd. I thought it made for a fun environment. I also liked the sign the article on DBR caught: "Jabari Parker listens to Nickelback". That's a good free throw distraction attempt.

Anyone understand this sign by the way? Just really random??

[duke96]

How does that make sense? Tea leaves are read in the bottom of the cup, after the person has finished drinking his or her tea.

At least, that's my understanding.

Indeed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasseography).