MBB: Duke @UNC Pre-game and in-game thread (Now Feb 20 2100 EST)

[BD80]

... Kedsy, your fact checking is remarkable. Had the New Republic had you on their masthead, "Shattered Glass" surely would never have made it to the silver screen.

Kedsy would never have asked Samuel L Jackson about his Super Bowl commercial

[oldnavy]

I was just thinking today that no matter what happens Thursday night, the story that "Duke was too scared to play UNC in the snow" is going to enter the lore of the rivalry. 50 years from now, UNC fans that weren't alive when it happened will be repeating that meme.

My question is whether or not the outcome of Thursday night's makeup will have any impact on the UNC outrage over the postponement?

I mean, if Duke wins are we going to be subjected to endless rants that, "If we had played you last week with all the students surrounding the court, we would have won"?

Or if UNC wins, will the outrage die down a bit (I'm sure there will be a few snarky, "We would have beat you worse last week" comments)?

-- Or no matter what happens Thursday night, if Duke loses to 'Cuse Saturday night, will be have Duke fans moaning that we lost because we had to play UNC 48 hours earlier?

First, it is beyond ridiculous to think that the game was cancelled due to the type of crowd that may or may not have shown up. But take a look at it logically:

UNC essentially "cancelled" their season ticket holder's tickets, declaring the weather too bad to travel. Then they said that anyone who could walk to the game could come because the buses were not going to run. This was UNC's decision.

Now, how on earth does it make sense to anyone other than a UNC "NUT-JOB" that Duke could be expected to defy nature and somehow travel by bus to the game? "Oh, but it is only 8 meager miles to UNC"... well it is about 1 mile from the parking lots to the DD and that was too far for UNC to run their buses...

It would have made much more sense if UNC had said, we are having no issues with travel, buses running on schedule, roads clear, business as usual. come on over...

BUT THEY DIDN'T. They themselves shut down the traffic to and from the dome, told their ticket holders not to come and limiting travel to foot traffic (students)... then they spun the yarn to make it look like, "well we were all set, but Duke just didn't seem to think they could make it..."

UNC is utterly shameless. I never liked them because I always knew that they were snobs and arrogant beyond anything I have ever encountered, but here over the past year or so, they have proven themselves to be dishonest on top of it all, and I hate dishonesty.

UNC should have cancelled this game early in the afternoon when they were scrambling to send staff, students and everyone else home. They should have cancelled the game when they determined that travel to the dome would be unsafe and that they couldn't even operate their own buses safely.

But in typical UNC fashion, they didn't. They made Duke make the call so they could have this ridiculous argument that somehow Coach K was too afraid to play in front of what was sure to be over 20,000 rabid students, the best crowd ever to witness a college basketball game...

I hate to be harsh, but anyone who really believes this is either stupid or mentally insane.

Yes, UNC once again didn't do what they should have done (the right thing), and once again they are spinning the tall tale of how it was some one other than UNC's fault...

And of course you are right that no matter the outcome tomorrow night, there will be a BS spin put on it...

[Dukeblue91]

Here's a fun question to attack strangers on the internet over; If Duke can only win one of these next two games (of course we hope and believe they will win both), which game do you want?
Knocking of number 1 is pretty sweet but this is unc-ch we are talking about.
Thoughts?

As much as I would like to get revenge on Syracuse and be the first team to beat them, UNC is and always will be the more important for me to beat.
I do hope that we can do both and I also hope that if we beat the Orange that we can do so by a nice margin so that there won't be any question as to who the better team is.
But if I had a choice of picking only one win out of those 2 it will always be to beat the holes.
But that is just me and my wishful thinking.

GTHC GTH.

[Brockt10]

I think it's very simple the Blue team doesn't have a consitant scoring threat. I love Cook but unlike Sheed who is now starting instead of coming in with the line change at this time isn't as productive ( nagging injury/confidence?) Yes Dawkins is very valuable weapon and Jones is tough on D but remember still a true freshman. Josh is going to grab some boards and maybe a charge and Marshell isn't as effective without Sheed penetrating the lane. Cook is very capable of leading the 2nd just as Sheed did earlier but right now/lastnight just wasen't effective. It did allow the starters to rest some but Tech took advantage of the line changes. I liked how K worked in Jones and Marshell through out the 2nd half without the whole line change. I know Tyler has taken some heat on this board over the past four years but at this point I love him starting beside Sheed. They both play on ball D and with our other starting 4 Tyler doesn't need to score nor do we need him to either. When he does shoot he is hitting about 50% of his 3's and he is smart with the ball does not rush things, brings leadership to the floor and makes smart passes. Enough with this, here is to Thursdsy at @
9 GTHC and Goooooooo Duke!!!

I agree that the second five played better with Sulaimon but our starters played much better when they were rested throughout the half. I think the team as a whole plays better with the substitutions.

[Dukeblue91]

First, it is beyond ridiculous to think that the game was cancelled due to the type of crowd that may or may not have shown up. But take a look at it logically:

UNC essentially "cancelled" their season ticket holder's tickets, declaring the weather too bad to travel. Then they said that anyone who could walk to the game could come because the buses were not going to run. This was UNC's decision.

Now, how on earth does it make sense to anyone other than a UNC "NUT-JOB" that Duke could be expected to defy nature and somehow travel by bus to the game? "Oh, but it is only 8 meager miles to UNC"... well it is about 1 mile from the parking lots to the DD and that was too far for UNC to run their buses...

It would have made much more sense if UNC had said, we are having no issues with travel, buses running on schedule, roads clear, business as usual. come on over...

BUT THEY DIDN'T. They themselves shut down the traffic to and from the dome, told their ticket holders not to come and limiting travel to foot traffic (students)... then they spun the yarn to make it look like, "well we were all set, but Duke just didn't seem to think they could make it..."

UNC is utterly shameless. I never liked them because I always knew that they were snobs and arrogant beyond anything I have ever encountered, but here over the past year or so, they have proven themselves to be dishonest on top of it all, and I hate dishonesty.

UNC should have cancelled this game early in the afternoon when they were scrambling to send staff, students and everyone else home. They should have cancelled the game when they determined that travel to the dome would be unsafe and that they couldn't even operate their own buses safely.

But in typical UNC fashion, they didn't. They made Duke make the call so they could have this ridiculous argument that somehow Coach K was too afraid to play in front of what was sure to be over 20,000 rabid students, the best crowd ever to witness a college basketball game...

I hate to be harsh, but anyone who really believes this is either stupid or mentally insane.

Yes, UNC once again didn't do what they should have done (the right thing), and once again they are spinning the tall tale of how it was some one other than UNC's fault...

And of course you are right that no matter the outcome tomorrow night, there will be a BS spin put on it...

I agree with you 100% and UNC has proven again what they are all about.
Here is hoping that we beat them by 20+ points that way there is nothing left to say of what could have been if they had all students at the Dean Dump.
The older I get and the more I see the less I can stand the school of cheats.

[Kfanarmy]

... If both teams do what they normally do, Duke will win. The only way UNC wins is if they play over their head and we tank -- which admittedly in a rivalry game is always possible. But don't pretend like the teams have similar talent. Duke is way more talented than UNC. I really don't see that on the whole. I believe Duke may have a slight edge. Carolina is recruiting excellence year in and year out; the guys they have aren't "way" less talented. Duke has a better Offense; Carolina has a better Defense. Duke can get into foul trouble in this game, because Carolina tends to draw a BUNCH of fouls attacking the rim, especially at home. If that happens and Duke has a couple of big guys in trouble early, it gets pretty difficult. I hope it plays out that Duke looks way more talented, but I think it is pretty close, especially performance over the past month or so.

[CatDevil]

first, it is beyond ridiculous to think that the game was cancelled due to the type of crowd that may or may not have shown up. But take a look at it logically:

Unc essentially "cancelled" their season ticket holder's tickets, declaring the weather too bad to travel. Then they said that anyone who could walk to the game could come because the buses were not going to run. This was unc's decision.

Now, how on earth does it make sense to anyone other than a unc "nut-job" that duke could be expected to defy nature and somehow travel by bus to the game? "oh, but it is only 8 meager miles to unc"... Well it is about 1 mile from the parking lots to the dd and that was too far for unc to run their buses...

It would have made much more sense if unc had said, we are having no issues with travel, buses running on schedule, roads clear, business as usual. Come on over...

But they didn't. They themselves shut down the traffic to and from the dome, told their ticket holders not to come and limiting travel to foot traffic (students)... Then they spun the yarn to make it look like, "well we were all set, but duke just didn't seem to think they could make it..."

unc is utterly shameless. I never liked them because i always knew that they were snobs and arrogant beyond anything i have ever encountered, but here over the past year or so, they have proven themselves to be dishonest on top of it all, and i hate dishonesty.

Unc should have cancelled this game early in the afternoon when they were scrambling to send staff, students and everyone else home. They should have cancelled the game when they determined that travel to the dome would be unsafe and that they couldn't even operate their own buses safely.

But in typical unc fashion, they didn't. They made duke make the call so they could have this ridiculous argument that somehow coach k was too afraid to play in front of what was sure to be over 20,000 rabid students, the best crowd ever to witness a college basketball game...

I hate to be harsh, but anyone who really believes this is either stupid or mentally insane.

Yes, unc once again didn't do what they should have done (the right thing), and once again they are spinning the tall tale of how it was some one other than unc's fault...

And of course you are right that no matter the outcome tomorrow night, there will be a bs spin put on it...

You stated this perfectly!! So much so that I hope you will not mind if I print this out and post by the water cooler. I will make sure that you the author receives appropriate credit. (plagiarism will not be tolerated). I know the holes are unreasonable but I feel sure this will shut down two of three. One on one I beat the other bad guy all day long;)

[jipops]

I have noticed that you always overrate UNC. I'm not sure if you do it just to temper your expectations for Duke or what, but there it is.

Paige has certainly had a good year, but if you look at the stats (http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/compare?add=marcus-paige&p1=quinn-cook), his are very similar to Quinn Cook's (Paige plays more minutes than Quinn and gets to the line more, and Quinn has a better a/to ratio), and, ironically, despite stats very similar to "one of the best guards in the conference," people around here seem to think Quinn is on the verge of losing his place in our rotation.

Our frontcourt of Jabari, Amile, Rodney, and Marshall certainly isn't overwhelmed statistically by McAdoo, Meeks, Johnson, and James; in fact, I think we have an advantage. Other than Meeks over Amile they don't even have a size advantage. And our backcourt of Quinn, Rasheed, Tyler, and Andre is worlds better than Paige, McDonald, Tokoto, and Britt.

So we don't have to "hit a high rate of 3's" -- our normal rate will do just fine. If both teams do what they normally do, Duke will win. The only way UNC wins is if they play over their head and we tank -- which admittedly in a rivalry game is always possible. But don't pretend like the teams have similar talent. Duke is way more talented than UNC.

The opposing front court players have tended to have above average games against us in terms of scoring - Okaro White, Jake Leyman, Charles Mitchel, & Jerami Grant the most recent examples. McAdoo, Meeks, and Johnson with all their flaws are still quite capable in and around the paint. And I think our normal rate of 3's this season is actually a high rate of 3's. I hope we can further replicate that Thursday night against what has shown throughout the season to be a good defense. And I don't think there is anyone that will dispute that Paige is playing better basketball than Cook these days.

Yes, we put more talent on the floor overall. I'm certainly not pretending we are equals in talent. But I do think there are matchups here we will struggle with and we can't afford many offensive droughts. Hopefully we can exploit some as well with Rodney and Jabari. Maybe it seems like I'm over-rating UNC on a regular basis. The past few seasons' results for UNC doesn't really suggest that though. I certainly don't think UNC is a team that just isn't very good.

[Matches]

Yes, we put more talent on the floor overall. I'm certainly not pretending we are equals in talent. But I do think there are matchups here we will struggle with and we can't afford many offensive droughts. Hopefully we can exploit some as well with Rodney and Jabari. Maybe it seems like I'm over-rating UNC on a regular basis. The past few seasons' results for UNC doesn't really suggest that though. I certainly don't think UNC is a team that just isn't very good.

I'm not sure how useful season stats are in measuring the two teams, really. K talked about this recently and I think it holds pretty true for both teams.

Both UNC and Duke are way better right now than they were earlier in the year. I'd dismissed most of UNC's recent streak as being the product of a favorable schedule, but in watching them the last few games they are significantly improved. They are a good defensive team, probably one of the better defensive teams of the Roy era. Their biggest problem has been an inability to put the ball in the basket, and they've improved pretty markedly in that respect. They're still a terrible 3-pt shooting team but they get to the rim well and have big men who are good finishers.

With that said, I think it's fairly clear Duke is the more talented team. The gap is not so great, though, that UNC couldn't beat us on a given night, especially playing at home.

[freshmanjs]

I have noticed that you always overrate UNC. I'm not sure if you do it just to temper your expectations for Duke or what, but there it is.



I have noticed that you always (at least this year) underrate UNC. I'm not sure why you do this, but there it is.

In Kenpom, UNC is #21. That is certainly good. Not as good as Duke, I agree. But it's much better than Wake. Early in the year, you dismissed their high Kenpom ranking because it was early in the year. what about now?

UNC's ACC record is 1 game worse than ours. Yes, they struggled early in the conference, but so did we. We are 1 possession arrow away from having the same record in ACC play heading into Thursday.

Yes, we beat UCLA and Michigan and @Pitt. They beat Louisville, Mich St, and Kentucky.

Yes, they lost to Belmont. We almost lost to Vermont.

I just don't see a massive amount of separation in actual performance. We have been better, but it's not by a huge margin.

I think I agree that we have the edge in talent, but i'm not really sure what that means aside from actual on the court performance which is pretty close (UNC much better defensively and Duke much better offensively).

[Duvall]

I have noticed that you always (at least this year) underrate UNC. I'm not sure why you do this, but there it is.

In Kenpom, UNC is #21. That is certainly good. Not as good as Duke, I agree. But it's much better than Wake. Early in the year, you dismissed their high Kenpom ranking because it was early in the year. what about now?

UNC's ACC record is 1 game worse than ours. Yes, they struggled early in the conference, but so did we. We are 1 possession arrow away from having the same record in ACC play heading into Thursday.

Yes, we beat UCLA and Michigan and @Pitt. They beat Louisville, Mich St, and Kentucky.

Yes, they lost to Belmont. We almost lost to Vermont.

I just don't see a massive amount of separation in actual performance. We have been better, but it's not by a huge margin.

I think I agree that we have the edge in talent, but i'm not really sure what that means aside from actual on the court performance which is pretty close (UNC much better defensively and Duke much better offensively).

Let's not pretend that the difference between a top-five performance in computer and meatbag rankings and a fringe top-25 performance isn't substantial. Per Sagarin Predictor, the gap between Duke and UNC on a neutral court is about the same as the difference between UNC and NC State on a neutral court. (Tomorrow's game, of course, will not be on a neutral court.)

[FerryFor50]

First, it is beyond ridiculous to think that the game was cancelled due to the type of crowd that may or may not have shown up. But take a look at it logically:

UNC essentially "cancelled" their season ticket holder's tickets, declaring the weather too bad to travel. Then they said that anyone who could walk to the game could come because the buses were not going to run. This was UNC's decision.

Now, how on earth does it make sense to anyone other than a UNC "NUT-JOB" that Duke could be expected to defy nature and somehow travel by bus to the game? "Oh, but it is only 8 meager miles to UNC"... well it is about 1 mile from the parking lots to the DD and that was too far for UNC to run their buses...

It would have made much more sense if UNC had said, we are having no issues with travel, buses running on schedule, roads clear, business as usual. come on over...

BUT THEY DIDN'T. They themselves shut down the traffic to and from the dome, told their ticket holders not to come and limiting travel to foot traffic (students)... then they spun the yarn to make it look like, "well we were all set, but Duke just didn't seem to think they could make it..."

UNC is utterly shameless. I never liked them because I always knew that they were snobs and arrogant beyond anything I have ever encountered, but here over the past year or so, they have proven themselves to be dishonest on top of it all, and I hate dishonesty.

UNC should have cancelled this game early in the afternoon when they were scrambling to send staff, students and everyone else home. They should have cancelled the game when they determined that travel to the dome would be unsafe and that they couldn't even operate their own buses safely.

But in typical UNC fashion, they didn't. They made Duke make the call so they could have this ridiculous argument that somehow Coach K was too afraid to play in front of what was sure to be over 20,000 rabid students, the best crowd ever to witness a college basketball game...

I hate to be harsh, but anyone who really believes this is either stupid or mentally insane.

Yes, UNC once again didn't do what they should have done (the right thing), and once again they are spinning the tall tale of how it was some one other than UNC's fault...

And of course you are right that no matter the outcome tomorrow night, there will be a BS spin put on it...

I have my doubts that, even with free tickets to anyone, they would have been able to fill the dome with 20,000 students. Only 8,000 live on campus. The rest commute at least a small distance. Many of the students live well over 1 mile away. Then imagine the gridlock from the people who *did* decide to drive? And the accidents to and from (at midnight) the game?

I suspect inertia would have set in for many (or traffic would have stopped many) and the dome would have had *maybe* 5000-8000 attendees.

Not only are they arrogant, snobbish and dishonest, they are delusional.

Btw, did anyone see the shirts some are selling?

http://www.thrillcitync.com/news/2014/2/12/douche-university-and-the-winner-is

Stay classy, Carolina.

[freshmanjs]

Let's not pretend that the difference between a top-five performance in computer and meatbag rankings and a fringe top-25 performance isn't substantial. Per Sagarin Predictor, the gap between Duke and UNC on a neutral court is about the same as the difference between UNC and NC State on a neutral court. (Tomorrow's game, of course, will not be on a neutral court.)

agree. i'm not saying duke and unc are equal. i'm saying kedsy is way underrating unc.

[roywhite]

UNC's ACC record is 1 game worse than ours. Yes, they struggled early in the conference, but so did we. We are 1 possession arrow away from having the same record in ACC play heading into Thursday.

Yes, we beat UCLA and Michigan and @Pitt. They beat Louisville, Mich St, and Kentucky.

Yes, they lost to Belmont. We almost lost to Vermont.

I just don't see a massive amount of separation in actual performance. We have been better, but it's not by a huge margin.

I think I agree that we have the edge in talent, but i'm not really sure what that means aside from actual on the court performance which is pretty close (UNC much better defensively and Duke much better offensively).


agree. i'm not saying duke and unc are equal. i'm saying kedsy is way underrating unc.

Seemed to me you were indicating very little difference between Duke and UNC, but denying that in your most recent post.

And, "we are 1 possession arrow away from having the same record in ACC play"?
Is that what you took from the victory over Maryland? that one call was determinant?

[flyingdutchdevil]

agree. i'm not saying duke and unc are equal. i'm saying kedsy is way underrating unc.

I fully agree with you that DBR, in general, is underrating UNC. They aren't Syracuse, but they are a top 5 team in the ACC. They clearly have good-to-really good talent at at least 3 positions and they are huge.

Duke is clearly better and would beat UNC 8/10 times on a neutral court. But this isn't a neutral court. And is Duke/Carolina.

[freshmanjs]

Seemed to me you were indicating very little difference between Duke and UNC, but denying that in your most recent post.

And, "we are 1 possession arrow away from having the same record in ACC play"?
Is that what you took from the victory over Maryland? that one call was determinant?

of course i'm not saying it was determinant. who knows what would have happened? i'm saying that our ACC records are similar. and that the Marlyand game could have gone either way. i think Duke is outstanding. I think UNC is good and improving. their defense has been better than ours throughout.

i AGREE that Duke is better. I DISAGREE with the view expressed by Kedsy and maybe others that UNC is not a very good team, that they are no better than Wake, that they are not top 50, that they have very little talent, etc.

[Kedsy]

Carolina is recruiting excellence year in and year out; the guys they have aren't "way" less talented.

While I don't think recruiting ranking says everything about how good a team is, since you bring it up, here are the comparative recruiting rankings for each team's 8 rotation players, according to RSCI:

Duke: 3, 12, 21, 25*, 27, 31, 61, 100+

UNC: 6, 28, 40, 44, 56, 57, 58, 93

* - Andre Dawkins didn't have an RSCI rank due to his re-classification. In a google search of recruiting services, every one I found had him ranked between 20 and 25, so I put him in as #25

So, while it's true UNC is running 8 top 100 guys out there, they only have three top 40 guys (and one of those is #40). Duke has 7 top 40 guys, plus three more top 40 guys who aren't regular rotation players (UNC has one top 40 guy who isn't in the rotation).

To the extent that recruiting can measure talent, Duke is way more talented.

Of course, that won't assure us the win tomorrow, but that's a different question.

[FerryFor50]

I fully agree with you that DBR, in general, is underrating UNC. They aren't Syracuse, but they are a top 5 team in the ACC. They clearly have good-to-really good talent at at least 3 positions and they are huge.

Duke is clearly better and would beat UNC 8/10 times on a neutral court. But this isn't a neutral court. And is Duke/Carolina.

Top 5 in the ACC this year isn't really much to brag about...

The whole conference is down. Syracuse, UVA and Duke are top 3. After that? Meh.

Pitt and UNC both have had decent runs, but are both pretty flawed teams that are ripe for early exits in the NCAAs.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Top 5 in the ACC this year isn't really much to brag about...

The whole conference is down. Syracuse, UVA and Duke are top 3. After that? Meh.

Pitt and UNC both have had decent runs, but are both pretty flawed teams that are ripe for early exits in the NCAAs.

Then let's agree to disagree. UNC isn't as bad as many DBR posters think they are. #21 in Kenpom isn't that bad.

But, like most posters, I think we'll win. If we lose, DBR will blame it on the refs. Isn't that how this goes?

[Kedsy]

I think I agree that we have the edge in talent, but i'm not really sure what that means aside from actual on the court performance which is pretty close (UNC much better defensively and Duke much better offensively).

UNC has been playing well, much better than I expected. However, I still do think that if you line up, player by player, UNC's rotation against Wake's, the two teams should be pretty close. The fact that they're not close is, in my opinion, a testament to how good a coaching job Roy Williams is doing this season. As I said earlier in this thread, this UNC season reminds me of UNC's 2006 team that significantly overachieved.

That said, I still don't think they're that good. When people say things like "I think we're going to have problems matching up in this one. We simply have to hit a high rate of 3's to counter all the 2's they'll get inside, else it's going to be a rough night" (which is what jipops said before my post that started this discussion), I feel the need to express a contrary view.

[freshmanjs]

UNC has been playing well, much better than I expected. However, I still do think that if you line up, player by player, UNC's rotation against Wake's, the two teams should be pretty close. The fact that they're not close is, in my opinion, a testament to how good a coaching job Roy Williams is doing this season. As I said earlier in this thread, this UNC season reminds me of UNC's 2006 team that significantly overachieved.

That said, I still don't think they're that good. When people say things like "I think we're going to have problems matching up in this one. We simply have to hit a high rate of 3's to counter all the 2's they'll get inside, else it's going to be a rough night" (which is what jipops said before my post that started this discussion), I feel the need to express a contrary view.

i agree with you that we don't need some kind of special performance or abnormally good shooting night to win.

[brevity]

Here's a fun question to attack strangers on the internet over; If Duke can only win one of these next two games (of course we hope and believe they will win both), which game do you want?
Knocking of number 1 is pretty sweet but this is unc-ch we are talking about.
Thoughts?

If this is how you attack strangers over the Internet, I don't think you're doing it right.

You're basically asking if we'd rather have a split against Carolina and a split against Syracuse instead of sweeping Carolina and being swept by Syracuse. The splits give us the last word against both teams until the ACC tournament, and show the nation that Duke can overcome any style of opponent play. So if I had to pick, I'd pick that.

[oldnavy]

I have my doubts that, even with free tickets to anyone, they would have been able to fill the dome with 20,000 students. Only 8,000 live on campus. The rest commute at least a small distance. Many of the students live well over 1 mile away. Then imagine the gridlock from the people who *did* decide to drive? And the accidents to and from (at midnight) the game?

I suspect inertia would have set in for many (or traffic would have stopped many) and the dome would have had *maybe* 5000-8000 attendees.

Not only are they arrogant, snobbish and dishonest, they are delusional.

Btw, did anyone see the shirts some are selling?

http://www.thrillcitync.com/news/2014/2/12/douche-university-and-the-winner-is

Stay classy, Carolina.

I have no respect anymore for UNC. The rivalry isn't what it was, because you cannot take UNC serious. They lie, they cheat, they cover up, they make personal attacks against their critics, and their fans believe Coach K has greater powers than the Greek gods of mythology, and that he single handily orchestrates all that happens in the college basketball world to Duke's advantage. (which makes me wonder why we haven't won 31 straight Natty's??).

What's somewhat ironic is that Coach K has become what Dean Smith once was and MORE... and the UNC fans hate him.... what they used to "worship" in Dean they now despise in Coach K.

[jipops]

UNC has been playing well, much better than I expected. However, I still do think that if you line up, player by player, UNC's rotation against Wake's, the two teams should be pretty close. The fact that they're not close is, in my opinion, a testament to how good a coaching job Roy Williams is doing this season. As I said earlier in this thread, this UNC season reminds me of UNC's 2006 team that significantly overachieved.

That said, I still don't think they're that good. When people say things like "I think we're going to have problems matching up in this one. We simply have to hit a high rate of 3's to counter all the 2's they'll get inside, else it's going to be a rough night" (which is what jipops said before my post that started this discussion), I feel the need to express a contrary view.

And remember that 2006 team beat Duke, which you have claimed in the past to be one of Duke's best teams, in Cameron.

I knew full well this would spark a healthy debate. And I'll stand by what I said. I really don't think it's going to take UNC playing over their heads to pull this one out. And it may be somewhat obvious that a lot of the outcome depends on how much we can limit Paige since he seems to drive most everything for UNC on offense. Can we limit his drives and keep the ball more in the hands of Britt and McDonald? If Paige has open line of sight to the lane, then that makes it easy for JMM, Meeks, and Johnson and could create foul issues. Can we somewhat hold our own against a team that is 8th in the nation in rebounding? Jabari has been doing the bulk of his offensive damage in the paint recently (with some beautiful post moves btw). Will he be able to get the same position on the blocks against UNC's defense? This I'm not so sure about.

On the other side, who in the world for UNC is going to be able to check Rodney, Rasheed, and Andre? Tokoto?, Britt? If those guys hit a high (per the usual) rate of 3's will the heels be able to counter? If they don't hit their usual high rate, what do we go with?

[arnie]

i agree with you that we don't need some kind of special performance or abnormally good shooting night to win.

N&O reporter Andrew Carter states this am that all remaining UNC games are "winnable" by the heels. Using his logic that the game at Duke is winnable, all games UNC will play are winnable. I guess he's technically correct, seems to be an unnecessary statement.

[FerryFor50]

Then let's agree to disagree. UNC isn't as bad as many DBR posters think they are. #21 in Kenpom isn't that bad.

But, like most posters, I think we'll win. If we lose, DBR will blame it on the refs. Isn't that how this goes?

That will depend on how many Duke players foul out... ;)

[FerryFor50]

N&O reporter Andrew Carter states this am that all remaining UNC games are "winnable" by the heels. Using his logic that the game at Duke is winnable, all games UNC will play are winnable. I guess he's technically correct, seems to be an unnecessary statement.

Technically, every game any team plays is "winnable."

Plus, Carter is a UNC homer. https://twitter.com/_andrewcarter

[oldnavy]

N&O reporter Andrew Carter states this am that all remaining UNC games are "winnable" by the heels. Using his logic that the game at Duke is winnable, all games UNC will play are winnable. I guess he's technically correct, seems to be an unnecessary statement.

To say anything else would be ridiculous... of course they are all winnable. Any one game is winnable... Chimanade (sp?) beat UVA and Ralph Sampson....

What was his point?

They are all losable as well are they not?

[Kfanarmy]

While I don't think recruiting ranking says everything about how good a team is, since you bring it up, here are the comparative recruiting rankings for each team's 8 rotation players, according to RSCI:

Duke: 3, 12, 21, 25*, 27, 31, 61, 100+

UNC: 6, 28, 40, 44, 56, 57, 58, 93

* - Andre Dawkins didn't have an RSCI rank due to his re-classification. In a google search of recruiting services, every one I found had him ranked between 20 and 25, so I put him in as #25

So, while it's true UNC is running 8 top 100 guys out there, they only have three top 40 guys (and one of those is #40). Duke has 7 top 40 guys, plus three more top 40 guys who aren't regular rotation players (UNC has one top 40 guy who isn't in the rotation).

To the extent that recruiting can measure talent, Duke is way more talented.

Of course, that won't assure us the win tomorrow, but that's a different question. Ok, I'll concede the point wrt rankings. Hopefully you'll feel the same way AFTER the game is played and you see them mano y mano. The best team on a given night, is much more important than the best players on a given night. In any case, I'll be looking for a big fat whopping W when the clock hits zero.

[jv001]

No matter what, it's the first Duke-unc game and on top of that they SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Always have and always will. GTHC!!!! GoDuke!

[Billy Dat]

Btw, did anyone see the shirts some are selling?
http://www.thrillcitync.com/news/2014/2/12/douche-university-and-the-winner-is
Stay classy, Carolina.

I actually think those shirts are kind of funny, at least they try to play on the entitled, wealthy, louche Duke stereotype...far more creative than the blunt "F Duke" or the like.

Tomorrow's game has some real juice. Carolina is playing well, we are playing well, our styles contrast, we are both carrying a heavy load of games this week, there are real NCAA seed implications on the line, both are sort of "is the team for real" type tests. Bring it on...9F!

[Duvall]

Technically, every game any team plays is "winnable."

Plus, Carter is a UNC homer. https://twitter.com/_andrewcarter

Well, the UNC beatwriter from the News & Observer pretty much has to be a homer these days.

[oldnavy]

Well, the UNC beatwriter from the News & Observer pretty much has to be a homer these days.

Sure he does, but does he need to make obvious and ignorant comments that serve no purpose or provide any enlightenment to the conversation at hand....

Oh, wait my mistake... he is a UNC journalist after all... this was "pretty highbrow" for him.

[jipops]

Well, the UNC beatwriter from the News & Observer pretty much has to be a homer these days.

Yea, he's no more a UNC homer than Keeley is a Duke homer (who is excellent btw).

[Duvall]

Sure he does, but does he need to make obvious and ignorant comments that serve no purpose or provide any enlightenment to the conversation at hand....

Oh, wait my mistake... he is a UNC journalist after all... this was "pretty highbrow" for him.

I believe Carter went to NC State. But he has to shade his commentary towards the Heels to offset the resentment towards his publication in the UNC athletic department. Otherwise no one talks to him and he can't do his job.

[cato]

We are 1 possession arrow away from having the same record in ACC play heading into Thursday.


Uh, what?

[Duvall]

This is so very true.

Another way to look at would be if you were going to draft a team off of a pool of both team's rosters. Looking at it without Duke-Blue colored glasses, the top 10(taking into account talent/production/impact) would go in this order:

1. Parker - DU
2. Hood - DU
3. Paige - UNC
4. JMM - UNC
5. Sulaimon - DU
6. Amile - DU


It's tough to compare Jefferson and McAdoo because of their different roles, but this may be a stretch.

[Dev11]

Sure he does, but does he need to make obvious and ignorant comments that serve no purpose or provide any enlightenment to the conversation at hand....

Oh, wait my mistake... he is a UNC journalist after all... this was "pretty highbrow" for him.

It's funny, because Carter, as I understand, is a State alumnus.

You have to expect writers who cover a specific beat to lean positively towards their subjects. They have to maintain good relationships.

[UrinalCake]

Uh, what?

I think he's suggesting that the possession arrow error in the Maryland game gave us the game. Which I think is a crock. You could say we were a roll off of the rim from having the same record as UNC, but you could easily play that game for numerous games that were both won and lost by each team.

[jipops]

I think he's suggesting that the possession arrow error in the Maryland game gave us the game. Which I think is a crock. You could say we were a roll off of the rim from having the same record as UNC, but you could easily play that game for numerous games that were both won and lost by each team.

Yea, one could also make the argument that we are one missed foul call on a dunk attempt away from having already beaten the #1 team in the nation on their floor. There are what-if's everywhere. But the possession arrow argument where there was still over 6 minutes to be played is indeed a crock.

[slower]

Sure he does, but does he need to make obvious and ignorant comments that serve no purpose or provide any enlightenment to the conversation at hand....

Oh, wait my mistake... he is a UNC journalist after all... this was "pretty highbrow" for him.

His prose is actually quite beautiful when read in the original Swahili.

[Kedsy]

And remember that 2006 team beat Duke, which you have claimed in the past to be one of Duke's best teams, in Cameron.

Of course it's possible that UNC wins. I've never said otherwise. But that 2006 game was a huge upset. Because UNC is playing at home tomorrow, if they win it won't be quite as big an upset as in 2006, but it would still be an upset. Duke is the better team.


Hopefully you'll feel the same way AFTER the game is played and you see them mano y mano. The best team on a given night, is much more important than the best players on a given night. In any case, I'll be looking for a big fat whopping W when the clock hits zero.

I'm fairly confident I will still feel the same about the comparative talent levels after the game, win or lose. But I join you in looking for a bfwW tomorrow night.

[DukeAlumBS]

Of course it's possible that UNC wins. I've never said otherwise. But that 2006 game was a huge upset. Because UNC is playing at home tomorrow, if they win it won't be quite as big an upset as in 2006, but it would still be an upset. Duke is the better team.



I'm fairly confident I will still feel the same about the comparative talent levels after the game, win or lose. But I join you in looking for a bfwW tomorrow night.

This team is a much better team than UNC. Wheat?

Any early point spread as of yet?

You all have a nice day
Jimmy

[FerryFor50]

It's funny, because Carter, as I understand, is a State alumnus.

You have to expect writers who cover a specific beat to lean positively towards their subjects. They have to maintain good relationships.

Going to a school doesn't mean you root for them. There were a lot of Carolina fans at State. I went to State and was a Duke fan, even when State played Duke.

[arnie]

To say anything else would be ridiculous... of course they are all winnable. Any one game is winnable... Chimanade (sp?) beat UVA and Ralph Sampson....

What was his point?

They are all losable as well are they not?

I think his point is none of UNC's remaining opponents nor the venues for the games are that difficult.

[Kedsy]

I think his point is none of UNC's remaining opponents nor the venues for the games are that difficult.

But if he includes Duke at Cameron as an opponent and venue that is not that difficult, I agree with those who say it's hard to take him seriously.

[jipops]

Of course it's possible that UNC wins. I've never said otherwise. But that 2006 game was a huge upset. Because UNC is playing at home tomorrow, if they win it won't be quite as big an upset as in 2006, but it would still be an upset. Duke is the better team.



I actually came away from the Syracuse game thinking we were the better team there, despite the loss.

[arnie]

But if he includes Duke at Cameron as an opponent and venue that is not that difficult, I agree with those who say it's hard to take him seriously.

Yea, I took the quote as a direct slam at Duke's capabilities - or he simply didn't "study" the schedule to determine the opponents for their remaining 6 games.

[Indoor66]

Yea, one could also make the argument that we are one missed foul call on a dunk attempt away from having already beaten the #1 team in the nation on their floor. There are what-if's everywhere. But the possession arrow argument where there was still over 6 minutes to be played is indeed a crock.

Yeah, you know. If a hop toad had longer legs it wouldn't bump its a??!

[freshmanjs]

I think he's suggesting that the possession arrow error in the Maryland game gave us the game. Which I think is a crock. You could say we were a roll off of the rim from having the same record as UNC, but you could easily play that game for numerous games that were both won and lost by each team.

no, i'm just suggesting that unc's conference record is almost as good as Duke's. very close indeed, considering how that game went this weekend. yes, we also could have won the syracuse game and on and on. i am not saying the refs gave us the game or that call was determinant or any other such nonsense. simply that if you just look at actual game outcomes, the difference between what Duke has done and what UNC has done is there, but isn't huge.

[freshmanjs]

Let's not pretend that the difference between a top-five performance in computer and meatbag rankings and a fringe top-25 performance isn't substantial. Per Sagarin Predictor, the gap between Duke and UNC on a neutral court is about the same as the difference between UNC and NC State on a neutral court. (Tomorrow's game, of course, will not be on a neutral court.)

if you look at sagarin, we are between a 2-3 point favorite depending whether you look at the "Rating or the "Predictor". so, like i said, we're better but not by a huge margin.

also, the gap between duke and unc on sagarin rating is 5.01 points, while the gap between unc and ncsu is 7.7. that's materially different.

[Kedsy]

if you look at sagarin, we are between a 2-3 point favorite depending whether you look at the "Rating or the "Predictor". so, like i said, we're better but not by a huge margin.

also, the gap between duke and unc on sagarin rating is 5.01 points, while the gap between unc and ncsu is 7.7. that's materially different.

If you look at Sagarin predictor, the gap between Duke and UNC is 6.63 and the gap between UNC and NCSU is 7.26, so not as different.

If you want exact comparisons, the gap between Duke and UNC in Sagarin predictor is practically the same as the gap between UNC and teams like Richmond, Southern Mississippi, New Mexico State, St. Joseph's and Penn State. In regular Sagarin, the gap between Duke and UNC is almost the same as the gap between UNC and teams like Dayton, St. Mary's, and Green Bay. The gap between Duke and UNC on Pomeroy is wider than the gap between UNC and Utah or California.

So no matter how you slice it, it's a pretty big gap. On a neutral floor, anyway. As you point out, it's only a couple points on UNC's home floor.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

It's tough to compare Jefferson and McAdoo because of their different roles, but this may be a stretch.

And you may be correct. But, my point in ranking the players was to show the disparity in talent between Duke and UNC, even if I gave the benefit of the doubt to a couple of UNC players over ours just for the sake of argument(JMM over Jefferson and Sulaimon, for instance).

Even after that, my point still stands - that 7 of the top 10 players on the floor tomorrow night will be wearing the darker shade of blue.

[Kedsy]

if you look at sagarin, we are between a 2-3 point favorite depending whether you look at the "Rating or the "Predictor". so, like i said, we're better but not by a huge margin.

also, the gap between duke and unc on sagarin rating is 5.01 points, while the gap between unc and ncsu is 7.7. that's materially different.

I just ran some numbers using Pomeroy's rankings and formulas. Pomeroy's numbers suggest the difference between Duke and UNC is about the same as the average difference between a 2 seed and a 7 seed in the NCAAT.

On a neutral floor, 2s beat 7s about 75% of the time. Meaning the favorite in such games can certainly lose, but it's always a pretty major upset when they do.

If they played those games on the underdog's home floor, obviously it would make a big difference, making UNC's chance of winning the game much higher, but it doesn't change the fact that Duke is by far the better team.

[freshmanjs]

I just ran some numbers using Pomeroy's rankings and formulas. Pomeroy's numbers suggest the difference between Duke and UNC is about the same as the average difference between a 2 seed and a 7 seed in the NCAAT.

On a neutral floor, 2s beat 7s about 75% of the time. Meaning the favorite in such games can certainly lose, but it's always a pretty major upset when they do.

If they played those games on the underdog's home floor, obviously it would make a big difference, making UNC's chance of winning the game much higher, but it doesn't change the fact that Duke is by far the better team.

i agree. conference games in the grind of february against 7 seeds are often tough games, though. even for elite teams.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

....but it doesn't change the fact that Duke is by far the better team.

Pencils and decimal points don't play the games.

[Troublemaker]

As expected, the Duke-UNC point spread has been adjusted downwards to 1.5 from the 2.5 it was last Wednesday. This reflects:

(a) UNC picking up two good wins against Pitt and FSU in the interim & Duke struggling with Maryland, thus leading to the Heels gaining slightly in most computer rankings. For example, last Wednesday, KenPom had Duke by 2 but now KenPom has Duke by 1

(b) UNC having the advantage over Duke of an extra day of rest, which wasn't the case for the previously scheduled meeting

[davekay1971]

Pencils and decimal points don't play the games.

True! Fortunately for Duke, players play the games and Duke has the better ones. On UNC's home court, the oddsmakers have it as a slight lean toward Duke. That seems about right. As always, we fans can only hope our players perform their best. Good luck in all thing you enjoy Wheat except for college sports. I hope your team loses brutally! :-)

[NYBri]

As expected, the Duke-UNC point spread has been adjusted downwards to 1.5 from the 2.5 it was last Wednesday. This reflects:

(a) UNC picking up two good wins against Pitt and FSU in the interim & Duke struggling with Maryland, thus leading to the Heels gaining slightly in most computer rankings. For example, last Wednesday, KenPom had Duke by 2 but now KenPom has Duke by 1

(b) UNC having the advantage over Duke of an extra day of rest, which wasn't the case for the previously scheduled meeting

Duke by 13.

GTHC!!!!!

[Bob Green]

The keys to me are:

1. Neutralize Paige - Carolina goes as Paige goes
2. Pound the glass
3. Shoot > 40% on 3 PT FGs

It seems like forever ago that I listed my keys to the game and the past week hasn't changed my opinion one iota. In regard to our 3 PT FG shooting performance, I agree with others who have posted up thread that we do not need an extraordinary performance from the Bonusphere, just a normal performance.

In last night's easy road win over Georgia Tech, we made 10-18 (55.6%) 3 PT FGs. In the two point home victory over Maryland, we made 5-24 (20.8%) 3 PT FGs. As long as we shoot around our season average of 41.6% we will be okay.

Looking at 3 PT FG shooting performance in our five losses, we had bad shooting nights three times out of five.

Kansas: 7-18 (38.9%)
Arizona: 4-14 (28.6%)
Notre Dame: 12-28 (42.9%)
Clemson: 8-25 (32%)
Syracuse: 15-36 (41.7%)

I'm sure there are games we won when we had a less than stellar night shooting 3-pointers, but I didn't take the time to look at the box score for all 21 victories. To me, a good night shooting the ball against Carolina is required; however, an extraordinary night shooting the ball is not.

[Newton_14]

Pencils and decimal points don't play the games.

Agree. Everyone is overthinking this. It comes down to one thing just like always. Duke shoot wells and they win. Duke shoots bad and UNC has a shot to pull the upset.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

....I hope your team loses brutally! :-)

Ditto! :)

[Gewebe14]

Pencils and decimal points don't play the games.

Unless of course you count John Henson circa his freshman year :-)

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPm8h4GnABQ46rER9Cd2Wdn31SbM9mT 34mjPsMvr9RoKuNrOpq1Q

[jipops]

Agree. Everyone is overthinking this. It comes down to one thing just like always. Duke shoot wells and they win. Duke shoots bad and UNC has a shot to pull the upset.

Might help if Duke is able play the kind of perimeter defense they played last night too. In case there is a need to offset below average shooting.

[FerryFor50]

Ditto! :)

You also hope your team loses brutally? ;)

[devilnfla]

Pencils and decimal points don't play the games.

You are correct, Carolina may have the advantage. They don't need pencils for their no show classes and probably don't understand the concept of the decimal point.

[Reilly]

“It is several games in a short time period, but we would be practicing almost every day,” Williams said. “They’d rather play games than practice.

“And it’s what it is. I try not to make any big deal out of it. I belittle the whole thing about people saying it’s hard. What good does it do to say ‘woe is me?’

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/19/3637336/duke-north-carolina-its-bigger.html#storylink=cpy

[Kedsy]

Pencils and decimal points don't play the games.

Very true. I'm not for a moment suggesting otherwise. But until the game is actually being played, that's all we got.

[Dukehky]

Let's beat these punks into the freaking ground.

I know 80 people who bought tickets on StubHub last week for under $100 dollars (all Duke fans), and the Holes didn't get those tickets back. So I'll be there raising a little Hell. Hopefully Roy doesn't throw me out... He has been known to do that.

[left_hook_lacey]

Agree. Everyone is overthinking this. It comes down to one thing just like always. Duke shoot wells and they win. Duke shoots bad and UNC has a shot to pull the upset.

Agreed. This is generally the case year in and year out. Some years more than others, but generally the norm.

There is one key that I think could be a major factor that no one( I don't think) has mentioned.

UNC seems to have a really hard time holding on to the ball in the games they've struggled. Britt, Tokoto, and even Paige, have made some really terrible passes in the flow of their offense and the defenses have jumped the passing routes leading to easy layups. And that was against some pretty mediocre defense.

Keep an eye on entry passes early on, if they try to force it, it could get ugly for them quickly.

[dyedwab]

Agree. Everyone is overthinking this. It comes down to one thing just like always. Duke shoot wells and they win. Duke shoots bad and UNC has a shot to pull the upset.

Completely agree, but want to make this a bit more explicit. Duke shooting "well" means Duke shooting like it normally does - 41% from 3, or so. This is an incredibly good offensive Duke team, even though its fairly obvious to those of us who have watched them all season that we haven't have everybody play well all at once on the offensive end. But our adjusted offensive efficiency is currently the second best ever in the KenPom era (and we only trail this year's Creighton team by.5).

The point? Our offensive is really, really good and if it doesn't perform anomalously like it did against MD, we should win.

[oldnavy]

"What good does it do to say woe is me?"...

You tell us Roy since you have perfected the art.... seriously this guy is out of touch, has he totally forgotten that he just did a full interview of "woe is me" crapola?

Any hew... I don't think the short turn around time is bad at all.... of course the coaches know better, but to me I think that since we have already put the prep work in, know UNC's tendencies and have a short trip to CH, we will be fine. In fact I like the idea of getting them sooner verses later, so there is less "mental" time to over think and perhaps stress...

As far as physical rest, I am sure that we did not have much activity planned in practice, probably a lot of walk thru and film study...

Let's get it on!!

GTHC GTH!

[dukelifer]

Another key - beyond a good shooting night from 3 - is a good start. Need to play with confidence from the get go. This will be a game of runs. Need to stay close in the first half and stay out of foul trouble.

[oldnavy]

One coach says it's "unfair", the other says "no excuses, let's play"..... see if you can guess...


"The frustrating thing is that you go through all the junk on game day and the stress and everything and then you don't get to play," Williams said Wednesday. "So you've got to do it twice for only one game. That's not fair. We did it last week and we'll do it again tomorrow."

“It is what it is. Would you rather not be in that game, even if you played the night before?” Krzyzewski said. “Of course you would rather be in this game and the game on Saturday. No excuses and let’s play…. Hopefully we’ll play well because North Carolina is playing great.


I am so thankful we have Coach K....

[theAlaskanBear]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rOBFg9eHJpA/UwVgsbYj4mI/AAAAAAAAC2M/yzyFhLQ2az4/s1600/1.gif

As if we needed any other reasons to hate UNC. GTH Carolina, go to hell.

[superdave]

Let's beat these punks into the freaking ground.

I know 80 people who bought tickets on StubHub last week for under $100 dollars (all Duke fans), and the Holes didn't get those tickets back. So I'll be there raising a little Hell. Hopefully Roy doesn't throw me out... He has been known to do that.

Have fun. Raise Hell. Report back on the atmosphere, please.

GTHC.

[jv001]

Have fun. Raise Hell. Report back on the atmosphere, please.

GTHC.

But please don't let old roy kick you out of the arena because you are too loud when they(unc) clanks their free throws, :cool: GoDuke!

[davekay1971]

Go to Hell Carolina go to Hell!

[superdave]

McAdoo followed up his 24 points and 12 boards vs Pitt with a 0 point, 5 board performance vs FSU.

He's also fouled out in both games. I hope he dares to guard Jabari. He'll be in foul trouble quickly.

[flyingdutchdevil]

McAdoo followed up his 24 points and 12 boards vs Pitt with a 0 point, 5 board performance vs FSU.

He's also fouled out in both games. I hope he dares to guard Jabari. He'll be in foul trouble quickly.

JMM has been a joy to watch. From a top 5 lottery pick after his freshman year to middle of the second round as a junior.

He has improved some, but nowhere near how a high caliber player should have improved.

I agree with you on Jabari; I'm not sure who the hell is going to guard him. They don't have a long, mobile, and big defender outside of JMM (unlike Syracuse, which has Grant, Fair, and possibly Christmas) who can try to guard Jabari. And if JMM is playing half half-assed D (get it ;)) in order to avoid foul trouble, Jabari's gonna have a field day.

[ice-9]

JMM has been a joy to watch. From a top 5 lottery pick after his freshman year to middle of the second round as a junior.

He has improved some, but nowhere near how a high caliber player should have improved.

I dislike the Tar Holes as much as the next Duke fan, but somehow delighting in the unrealized potential of a young man who by most accounts is a nice guy seems a little mean.

Can we not hate on the team and make fun of the coach, yet still feel bad for a kid who chose to stay in school and suffered for it?

[flyingdutchdevil]

I dislike the Tar Heels as much as the next Duke fan, but somehow delighting in the unrealized potential of a young man who by most accounts is a nice guy seems a little mean.

Can we not hate on the team and make fun of the coach, yet still feel bad for a kid who chose to stay in school and suffered for it?

I should clarify and state that it's a product of poor development on the player and the coaching staff (NBA potential is a product of this, however).

Given that the team is made of individual players and the teams are generally small, it's difficult to poke fun at a team without pointing out individual players. Also, I feel that JMM epitomizes this UNC team: highly inconsistent, lots of raw talent but can't seem to extract it, athletic players without the fundamentals, etc. etc.

[Billy Dat]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rOBFg9eHJpA/UwVgsbYj4mI/AAAAAAAAC2M/yzyFhLQ2az4/s1600/1.gif

As if we needed any other reasons to hate UNC. GTH Carolina, go to hell.

The ACC's career scoring leader, ladies and gents! He just wants it more than anyone else. He has officially entered the "Eduardo Najera" era of his career.

[Olympic Fan]

Check out this celebrity and his UNCheat hate:

http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/19/bill-murray-university-of-illinois-north-carolina-video/?adid=sidebarwidget-most-popular-4

[azzefkram]

If we play D like we did the past 2 games, I like our chances. I can't wait for tip-off.

[MChambers]

Can we not hate on the team and make fun of the coach, yet still feel bad for a kid who chose to stay in school and suffered for it?
Of course we can feel bad for McAdoo and that's fine. Still, had he gone in the lottery, he'd probably been in a similar position to Austin Rivers, struggling to keep a roster spot in the NBA. So I don't think he is suffering from staying in school.

[superdave]

Of course we can feel bad for McAdoo and that's fine. Still, had he gone in the lottery, he'd probably been in a similar position to Austin Rivers, struggling to keep a roster spot in the NBA. So I don't think he is suffering from staying in school.

Why feel bad for McAdoo? I am sure he works hard. You have to in order to compete in the ACC.

However, you have to work REALLY hard to be 1st team All-ACC and be a lottery pick. McAdoo doesn twork hard enough for that. The talent is there; he just doesnt put in the extra work. At least not from my perspective. And certainly not from NBA scouts' perspective.

In that regard, he fits in well with Roy "What's my tee time?" Williams and crew.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Why feel bad for McAdoo? I am sure he works hard. You have to in order to compete in the ACC.

However, you have to work REALLY hard to be 1st team All-ACC and be a lottery pick. McAdoo doesn twork hard enough for that. The talent is there; he just doesnt put in the extra work. At least not from my perspective. And certainly not from NBA scouts' perspective.

In that regard, he fits in well with Roy "What's my tee time?" Williams and crew.

Is twork the past tense of twerk? Did JMM get lessons from Danny Green? Is JMM the new Miley?

[MChambers]

NBA scouts say that Miley has a lot of upside? Or maybe something else?

[Bluealum]

Let's beat these punks into the freaking ground.

I know 80 people who bought tickets on StubHub last week for under $100 dollars (all Duke fans), and the Holes didn't get those tickets back. So I'll be there raising a little Hell. Hopefully Roy doesn't throw me out... He has been known to do that.

Make that 81! Bought lower bowl center court tix for $110! In over 30 years of Duke hoops watching this will be my only trip to the hump for a Duke/UNC game. Will be in Royal Blue in enemy territory, hoping to watch our guys deflate the dome! Will be on the lookout for the other 80!

Cheers,
LETS GO DUKE! 9F!

[MarkD83]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rOBFg9eHJpA/UwVgsbYj4mI/AAAAAAAAC2M/yzyFhLQ2az4/s1600/1.gif

As if we needed any other reasons to hate UNC. GTH Carolina, go to hell.

I believe the ref is calling a take down and near-fall and Hansbrough wins the match.

[DukeAlumBS]

Someone used this and I see this in this team so much. In the Syracuse game and in Rodney Hodge disappointment at the end of that game. I saw it at Pitt. A weak team. As Syracuse will pan out as well. K made changes early and it is working very well. I would not nit pick this team?
He has made them a winner!
I saw this at the Arizona game early. I was there and they were in it for an early game the entire game to the end !
Duke will win this, and win out!
That is what I see in this team, is they are very confidance!
Duke by 30, 20, 10. Get in trouble each time I make my prediction!

Duke by 50!!!!
GTHC I love my Duke
Wheat you a fly fisherman?

Nice day my friends
Jimmy

[FerryFor50]

Check out this celebrity and his UNCheat hate:

http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/19/bill-murray-university-of-illinois-north-carolina-video/?adid=sidebarwidget-most-popular-4

Just another reason Bill Murray is awesome...

[Bob Green]

Current consensus in Vegas has Duke favored by two points with the over/under set at 150 so the odds makers are looking for a score in the neighborhood of 76-74. The front page feature article at Vegas Insider is on Duke/Carolina and states the under is 8-2 over the last 10 games.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/story.cfm/story/1513463


Duke has beaten UNC in seven of the last nine meetings, including three in a row in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils cruised to a 69-53 win as two-point road 'dogs at UNC last year. McAdoo had a team-high 15 points for the Heels in the losing effort.

The 'under' is 8-2 in the last 10 head-to-head meetings.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Current consensus in Vegas has Duke favored by two points with the over/under set at 150 so the odds makers are looking for a score in the neighborhood of 76-74. The front page feature article at Vegas Insider is on Duke/Carolina and states the under is 8-2 over the last 10 games.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/story.cfm/story/1513463

Interesting. 150? I'd have to go over. We're ripe for an offensive explosion after 2 quiet offensive games.

[theAlaskanBear]

I believe the ref is calling a take down and near-fall and Hansbrough wins the match.

It was a double foul, no technicals...lol. Dunleavy hit him but that was after Tyler locked his arm up in a sleeper hold coming down from the rebound.

Also, Kwenda kuzimu, Carolina, kwenda kuzimu!

[DukieInBrasil]

It was a double foul, no technicals...lol. Dunleavy hit him but that was after Tyler locked his arm up in a sleeper hold coming down from the rebound.

Also, Kwenda kuzimu, Carolina, kwenda kuzimu!

Psycho T, always Classy!
I wonder if Meeks will try to take the rivalry to a new level by trying to eat a Duke player.
"I don't know what happened, alluva sudden i just got real hungry cuz i hadn't eaten in like, 5 minutes. And there he was, just looking juicy and delicious, like a real big Whopper. So i took a bite, and things kinda got a little outta control. Sorry (sorta)" - KM

[theAlaskanBear]

Psycho T, always Classy!
I wonder if Meeks will try to take the rivalry to a new level by trying to eat a Duke player.
"I don't know what happened, alluva sudden i just got real hungry cuz i hadn't eaten in like, 5 minutes. And there he was, just looking juicy and delicious, like a real big Whopper. So i took a bite, and things kinda got a little outta control. Sorry (sorta)" - KM

Do you mean Kendall Marshall? Ryan Kelly is literally the Captain of the Lakers squad right now...over Kendall Marshall...rararara


Vá para o inferno, Carolina, vá para o inferno!

[Dev11]

Psycho T, always Classy!
I wonder if Meeks will try to take the rivalry to a new level by trying to eat a Duke player.
"I don't know what happened, alluva sudden i just got real hungry cuz i hadn't eaten in like, 5 minutes. And there he was, just looking juicy and delicious, like a real big Whopper. So i took a bite, and things kinda got a little outta control. Sorry (sorta)" - KM

Don't try to put words in Kennedy Meeks's mouth. He'd just eat them anyway.

[mattman91]

The nerves are setting in right about now. Luckily, I have plenty of alcohol on deck. Let the drinking begin.

[dcar1985]

Black uni's tonite....:(

[-jk]

The nerves are setting in right about now. Luckily, I have plenty of alcohol on deck. Let the drinking begin.

Booze of choice? Ymm Beer? or something more substantial?

-jk

[noworries]

Booze of choice? Ymm Beer? or something more substantial?

-jk

Red Oak and a Natty Greene's sampler...game on.

[mattman91]

Booze of choice? Ymm Beer? or something more substantial?

-jk

Ymmm beer level. Starting off with a local porter, Highland Oatmeal Porter. I also have plenty Founders All Day IPAs in the on deck circle. If it gets ugly, the Kraken will drown my sorrows.

Go Duke! Gthc! Gth!

[mattman91]

Ymmm beer level. Starting off with a local porter, Highland Oatmeal Porter. I also have plenty Founders All Day IPAs in the on deck circle. If it gets ugly, the Kraken will drown my sorrows.

Go Duke! Gthc! Gth!

Ummm...beer before liquor, never sicker?

[theAlaskanBear]

Ymmm beer level. Starting off with a local porter, Highland Oatmeal Porter. I also have plenty Founders All Day IPAs in the on deck circle. If it gets ugly, the Kraken will drown my sorrows.

Go Duke! Gthc! Gth!

I am going to drink my only Durham beer for luck -- the "Fearrington Winter Coffee and Pecan Porter" from Fullsteam!

Cehenneme git, cehenneme Carolina git!

[Bob Green]

Booze of choice? Ymm Beer? or something more substantial?

-jk

My Miller High Life is going down smooth. Ymm Beer!

[Wheat/"/"/"]

We should have a pretty good read on what sort of game it's gonna be in the first 5 minutes.

[-jk]

My Miller High Life is going down smooth. Ymm Beer!

Bourbon on ice over here. Mmm.

-jk

[moonpie23]

malbec

[nmduke2001]

Dre goes for 22 and Duke wins comfortably.

[Wildling]

Dre goes for 22 and Duke wins comfortably.

I like the way you think!

[mattman91]

Bourbon on ice over here. Mmm.

-jk

"One bourbon, one scotch, one beer"

[rhynelander]

All this pregame talk has me rather parched. I have some bulliet corn or rye whiskey, the better part of a lovely Ribera del Duero, and half of Odell's spring sampler left. Decisions, decisions...

Already got my black jersey on for the game tonight, let's beat those cheatin' heels!!

[roywhite]

Out of many, many Duke -- UNC games, I'm not sure what percentage I've been able to watch straight through. Just get too nervous....walk outside, change the channel, peek in, watch the recorded version lagging 5 minutes or so behind real action, etc. Come on, Devils; jump out and make this easy on us.

[mattman91]

All this pregame talk has me rather parched. I have some bulliet corn or rye whiskey, the better part of a lovely Ribera del Duero, and half of Odell's spring sampler left. Decisions, decisions...

Already got my black jersey on for the game tonight, let's beat those cheatin' heels!!

My black #5 Daniel Ewing..err.. Rodney Hood Jersey is on :)

[riverside6]

Live tempo-based stats for Duke/UNC, starters posted...

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=20110

[bedeviled]

As seems to have become standard, the tip-off is delayed 15 minutes, per ESPN2

[weezie]

boring purdue

[jv001]

As seems to have become standard, the tip-off is delayed 15 minutes, per ESPN2

The whinny tarheels will blame that on Duke too. GoDuke!

[weezie]

Out of many, many Duke -- UNC games, I'm not sure what percentage I've been able to watch straight through. Just get too nervous....walk outside, change the channel, peek in, watch the recorded version lagging 5 minutes or so behind real action, etc. Come on, Devils; jump out and make this easy on us.

roywhite for heaven's sake, come on over here and sit next to me. Let's come up with colorful descriptives and make fun of their fans!

[moonpie23]

too nervous to think…


GO DUKE!!!!!!

[roywhite]

roywhite for heaven's sake, come on over here and sit next to me. Let's come up with colorful descriptives and make fun of their fans!

Thanks, weezie! Best offer I've had in a while.

[duke4ever19]

Hey Mich. St. stop fouling, please.

Edit: Thanks.

[Gthoma2a]

We need to get settled in.

[NYBri]

Tight. Maybe not our night.

[Gthoma2a]

Tight. Maybe not our night.

Way too early for this. We just need to calm down. Really need to do that. Walking when it isn't necessary. We shouldn't be the nervous team here.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

On pace for 45 turnovers.

Gotta play smarter.

[J4Kop99]

Both teams playing a step too fast. Gotta settle in. I do like our interior defense thus far although our guys need to stop jumping on every shot attempt in the paint. UNC will eventually catch on and use a pump fake.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Hood is en fuego

[J4Kop99]

Starting to settle in now. Nice to see Rodney get going. Also, great to see Marshall give us some minutes.

[J4Kop99]

I mentioned this earlier but our guys defending down low need to stay down. Parker will foul out by the 10 min mark of the 1st half if he continues to jump and swat at every attempt... (and if coach K forgets to take him out...)

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Boy, they really are terrible at free throws

[Gthoma2a]

Too aggressive on the shots at the rim. Need to settle in or we are going to face a Syracuse scenario. That won't just bite us tonight, but in the tournaments, as well. We can't be that easy to get in foul trouble.

[striker219]

I'm never one to harp on a persons physical appearance, but someone needs to tell McAdoo to shave.

[Wildling]

I hate the Hood got that 2nd foul.

He was feeling it. He knew they couldn't guard him..........

[Billy Dat]

Their D has us off rhythm. We need to limit our turnovers.

[18258]

cant rebound wit unx

[Gthoma2a]

And they say Dre can't drive!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Loving Andre tonight. Would love to see more on ball pressure and fast breaks.

MP3 playing smart ball tonight

[Billy Dat]

Yeah Dre, just what we needed. We need to crack the code on offense. We are all one on one. It may take until halftime until we can make wholesale adjustments.

[J4Kop99]

It's been a small sample size so far, but I'm liking what I see from Marshall. If he can somehow provide 4 pts, 6 rebs (couple Orebs) and 1 block, that would be huge. All we need is smart activity on both ends.

-Great take by Andre. Back-to-back hesitation drives.

[gocanes0506]

2 keys to the game:

Shoot the ball well

Rebound to limit 2nd chance Carolina points.


The team has do the 2nd well even if they don't do the 1st one well. They are letting poor offense affect their defense.

[DukeDiva]

Drive Dre Drive!

[Gthoma2a]

cant rebound wit unx

The key is getting them in foul trouble They have the size on us with Meeks, but he can be removed with stupid plays like the foul he committed against Plumlee.

[jipops]

UNC's defense making our offense look very weak.

[duke4ever19]

Hood back in.

[Gthoma2a]

Way to go Plumlee! They have been downing him, too. Glad to see our boys make IC eat their words.

[sporthenry]

I wanna say Duke's defense is bad but these refs making it tough for anyone to play defense.

[LBF]

Jabari is tired already

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Boy, they really are terrible at free throws

Just sayin

[Wildling]

Jabari is tired already

Both teams are breathing very heavy. They are both putting forth a ton of effort on the defensive end.

[_Gary]

Ever since Ed Cota, every PG for the Heels palms the ball like crazy. It's really been infuriating to watch them do this year after year and almost never get called for something that creates such a distinct advantage. Coach K was asking for a call just a minute ago.

[Gthoma2a]

Another on Jefferson. That's a problem.

If we start hitting 3s at our normal rate, we'll really start to separate.

[striker219]

Just sayin

Thank your favorite diety for that. How can a high level team be this bad at something called a "free" throw.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Thank your favorite diety for that. How can a high level team be this bad at something called a "free" throw.

Really strange.

No rhythm to this game yet on either end.

[Emerrick]

LOL

Hack-a-Heel

[LBF]

We need more of that low post Jabari. I hope he can get a second wind

[Gthoma2a]

Both teams are breathing very heavy. They are both putting forth a ton of effort on the defensive end.

I'm getting a little concerned about Saturday with this pace. Well, screw the future, let's beat the heck out of some sheep tonight!

[gocanes0506]

Ever since Ed Cota, every PG for the Heels palms the ball like crazy. It's really been infuriating to watch them do this year after year and almost never get called for something that creates such a distinct advantage. Coach K was asking for a call just a minute ago.

Ever since the late 90s almost every player palms the ball like crazy. You cant do half the crossovers you are allowed to do today without carrying or palming the ball first. Its not just Carolina players i'm afraid.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

We need more of that low post Jabari. I hope he can get a second wind

I would also like to see some more post moves from Amile.

And interior defense that moves their feet.

Very tense game.

[Billy Dat]

Guys might appear tired because they are over hyped. The second half will be better.

Love that K sat Jabari and Hood for a long stretch to keep those fouls down. Great minutes from Marshall. Let's get to the half with no more fouls on Jabari or Rodney or Amile.

We have limited Paige but McDonald is having a nice game.

As for the Heel foul shooting..to quote Rasheed Wallace...BALL DON'T LIE!

[striker219]

Ever since Ed Cota, every PG for the Heels palms the ball like crazy. It's really been infuriating to watch them do this year after year and almost never get called for something that creates such a distinct advantage. Coach K was asking for a call just a minute ago.

In fairness though, just about every point guard from every team does it, it's become a part of the game.

Is carolina worse about it then everyone else? Absolutely. Am I way too biased to be making that sort of proclamation? Absolutely. Do I care?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! GTHC!

[sporthenry]

Impressed with UNC's defense. Hopefully, Duke makes some adjustments or just settles in on offense in the 2nd half.

[_Gary]

Ever since the late 90s almost every player palms the ball like crazy. You cant do half the crossovers you are allowed to do today without carrying or palming the ball first. Its not just Carolina players i'm afraid.

Yes, pretty much every player does it. But the Carolina PGs are much more blatant about it than most others.

[J4Kop99]

Yes, pretty much every player does it. But the Carolina PGs are much more blatant about it than most others.

gotta get 'em ready for the pros. Ol' Roy is always looking out for his guys.

[J4Kop99]

so.many.fouls. It's almost as if the refs have taken it upon themselves to fix the UNC FT woes.

[Billy Dat]

Great game to see the real Quinn Cook back. He has been our best player this past 10 minutes.

[gocanes0506]

Yes, pretty much every player does it. But the Carolina PGs are much more blatant about it than most others.

Watch some St Johns, St Joe's etc games. They will look mild. Some of the guys I have seen cant even dribble the ball with their hand on top of the ball.

[Billy Dat]

Up 7 at the half, I'll take it. Would have been nice to have a better possession on the final play...we called a timeout for that?

As efficient as our offense is from an advanced stats perspective, I don't get why we often take half the shot clock to get into it.

The Heels are so weak in the halfcourt, if we can limit their transition and offensive boards, we'll be fine.

[Ichabod Drain]

Saw Justise behind the bench. Dude looks BIG! I like it!

[lotusland]

Nice half from cook, Hood and Parker especially. Nice contributions from MP3 and Dre too. Hated to see that 3rd on Amile. 20 minutes to go.

[Duke79UNLV77]

I have to agree with Wojo. This is one of the better Carolina teams at denying the passing lanes in a while, and they are making our guys work really hard to get open looks. But, we're driving great. Need to watch the foul trouble in the second half.

[arnie]

Great game to see the real Quinn Cook back. He has been our best player this past 10 minutes.

Not what I expected- Dawkins/ thornton off, Amile not sharp, but Cook, Hood, Parker carrying us. Plumlee is solid. If we can shoot the 3 better, no concerns in 2nd half

[Wheat/"/"/"]

It's painful as a UNC fan to see the team continue to make so many mental mistakes resulting into TO's and to shoot FT's so poorly.

My team can't expect to win doing things like stepping on lines and missing foul shots.

[Gthoma2a]

I won't peek at IC. I will save it and savor it until after the game. Oh, I hope it is sweet.

[roywhite]

Jabari with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks at the break.

Best player on the floor. Savor the moment, big guy; keep it up.

[Billy Dat]

It's painful as a UNC fan to see the team continue to make so many mental mistakes resulting into TO's and to shoot FT's so poorly.

My team can't expect to win doing things like stepping on lines and missing foul shots.

Wheat - the free throws must make you want to jump off the Dean Dome roof...but they went on a streak at the end of the half. Ball don't lie my man.

[Gthoma2a]

It's painful as a UNC fan to see the team continue to make so many mental mistakes resulting into TO's and to shoot FT's so poorly.

My team can't expect to win doing things like stepping on lines and missing foul shots.

Honestly, we did. We made plenty of bad plays. We are still wound tight, but that is the game.

I also have to say to my local station that I don't give a damn about PJ Hairston or his little interview.

[gocanes0506]

annoying to see the lack of consistency in the refereeing. Parker goes down when going to the basket but a one arm bump is called a foul on the other end? UGH.

The boys are going to have work hard at boxing out in the 2nd. The over the back calls aren't going to magically start to be called.

Its positive to how poorly the team shot at times and some extended back up minutes being played while still being up at 7 at half. Rotate Thornton, Sul, and Cook on their PG to keep him from getting hot in the 2nd half like he seems to every game.

[CLW]

I was going to say MP3 gave us good mins but then Greenberg basically said the same thing so I must have missed a ton of miscues by the big fella.

Rebounding is key to the 2nd half. If we keep the Holes off the glass and keep them shooting jumpers we should be fine.

[roywhite]

We've shut Marcus Paige down; he's often a second half player, so there is still work to do. But the Heels just don't have enough shooters to spread things out.

[devilnfla]

Wouldnt mind seeing a little Matt Jones on McDonald.

[moonpie23]

i don't like the foul total on us.. hope dre and suli start draining some tres….

[Wheat/"/"/"]

UNC came out strong, then their immaturity showed.

Brice Johnson came in and casually turned right into Plumlee for a steal resulting in a Hood oop dunk. That gave him confidence and got him going. The rest of the the team stated to press and speed up, leading to more TO's.

And the missed FT's bring a teams confidence down, no matter how hard they try to put it behind them.

Duke's playing well and taking what UNC is giving them. The outside shots are being challenged, so they are taking it to the rim.

UNC right in it. I'd like to see better spacing and for them to continue to attack the rim next half.

[dairedevil]

if you've got a choice, are you watching ACC network or ESPN? I'm watching ACC, but wonder if the video is any better on ESPN..I don't listen to the commentary anyway, so who is calling the game not a real factor.

[gocanes0506]

2 UNX possessions = 2 Duke fouls to start the half

[PSurprise]

Need to pass the ball on the offensive end. Too much dribble and shot. We do much better with movement

[Wildling]

The fouling.............................please stop it.

[Billy Dat]

Tonight I am liking Cook & Plumlee> Jefferson & Thornton

[_Gary]

If the first minute of the 2nd half is any indication, I completely agree with conerns about foul totals. This may turn into a war of attrition, ala Syracuse.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

2 UNX possessions = 2 Duke fouls to start the half

Well, unc called a TO. You KNOW Ol Roy is pissed now!

[jipops]

It's painful as a UNC fan to see the team continue to make so many mental mistakes resulting into TO's and to shoot FT's so poorly.

My team can't expect to win doing things like stepping on lines and missing foul shots.

Don't worry. Our foul issues may give you guys a window to get back in this. How many will foul out tonight?

[_Gary]

Look for layup city with the Heels in the 2nd half. Duke can't guard at all for fear of more foul calls. This is going to be a tough one.

[gocanes0506]

alright let stop the streak of a unx possession equals a duke foul. 3 for 3 now.

[_Gary]

alright let stop the streak of a unx possession equals a duke foul. 3 for 3 now.

What are we supposed to do? It's either a "foul" or a layup every time down for UNC. If we don't have at least two guys foul out in this game I'll be shocked.

[JasonEvans]

On that charge on Cook, there is no way the Carolina player wasn't in the protected circle under the basket, right?

After struggling to score early, both teams are really in an offensive groove lately. It is helping Carolina that a few of Duke's players are really playing poor D.

-Jason

[Billy Dat]

Man, Jabari's "ole" defense is on full display tonight...I know he has two fouls but...sheesh.

Anyway, two 3s by Hood and Quinn and we are up 9. Doesn't feel like we should be, but we are. Gotta love Marshall in there, and I think this game is Quinn's to direct as one-on-one dribble penetration is what they are giving us. Guys need to watch him and move to the open spaces his drives create.

[nyesq83]

Watching on ACC and listening to the Bobcast radio over internet. Was the UNC defender inside the circle?

[g-money]

- Parker's having a great game on O, but he needs to be a bit more aggressive on D. The past two times down he's been nothing but a matador. You've only got two fouls Jabari!

- Cook is playing his best game in weeks. Same goes for Hood. Keep it up guys!

- I love the hustle by our team. They're fully dialed in.

- The Refs stink tonight. Sorry, couldn't resist.

[striker219]

Man, those heel fans are brutal. The TAR-HEELS chant is so intimidating I don't think the three by Hood even touched the rim. They scared a 47% 3 point shooter into an airball.

Wait, is it an airball if it doesn't touch anything while inside the rim?

[Gthoma2a]

How was that a foul on Hood? That made no sense. He goes under the basket, gets hammered and picks up a foul... Seriously, what did they see? I haven't seen a replay.

[J4Kop99]

Mcadoo channeling his inner Rasheed Wallace with that "beard" and hair combo

[nyesq83]

We are being Hoodwanked!

[sporthenry]

18 fouls to 9.

[JasonEvans]

On that charge on Cook, there is no way the Carolina player wasn't in the protected circle under the basket, right?

And now one on Hood. Does the circle not exist? What is with these bogus charge calls?!?!

[jipops]

Ok this is ridiculous. Could there BE more foul disparity?

[g-money]

How was that a foul on Hood? That made no sense. He goes under the basket, gets hammered and picks up a foul...

You see Gthoma2a, by ACC bylaw 10.15-24, the refs are not permitted to call a foul against UNC until UNC is in the bonus.

[J4Kop99]

There it is Masrhall. If only he flushed that down.

[mpj96]

Plumlee is having a great night so far.

[gocanes0506]

is Marshall Plumlee getting big? uh oh

[J4Kop99]

wow Marshall

[Billy Dat]

We are marshall!!!!!!

[Gthoma2a]

I get so sick of how they cover the games around here. I have to hear about PJ at the half an every break has McAdoo's ugly "beard" at the start of it.

[gocanes0506]

its not hack-a-hell out there its hack-a-duke with no call.

Atleast Marshall is getting after it and ill take the make up call on McAdoo. JP, et al needs to go at him to get him out.

[g-money]

Man, Jabari's "ole" defense is on full display tonight...I know he has two fouls but...sheesh.


- Parker's having a great game on O, but he needs to be a bit more aggressive on D. The past two times down he's been nothing but a matador. You've only got two fouls Jabari!

You beat me to the punch. Well played sir.

[Utley]

A lot to like so far tonight. One great thing about the depth is you never know who is going to show up big. We also definitely have our road legs under us.

All that being said - UNC is scarily hanging around. Definitely hard to feel to comfortable.

[Billy Dat]

You beat me to the punch. Well played.

I wish we were both inspired to say something about his great defense.

On cue, ESPN shows the Rivers game winner, I feel better.

[Billy Dat]

Maybe Dre could help bust this junk zone?

[Gthoma2a]

I wish we were both inspired to say something about his great defense.

On cue, ESPN shows the Rivers game winner, I feel better.

I hate to say it, but despite his lack of eyes on the game play-by-play, I kind of miss Dickie V.

[LBF]

Where is Andre?

[_Gary]

Getting away from us as we continue to settle for jumpers against this zone. I've hated our offense over the last few minutes.

[J4Kop99]

Roy pulling out a 1-3-1 zone

[Karl Beem]

My Kingdom for a jump shot!

[Utley]

Need to get Dawkins in against the zone - and otherwise go down low.

[Gthoma2a]

Getting away from us as we continue to settle for jumpers against this zone. I've hated our offense over the last few minutes.

Even the layups aren't falling.

[Billy Dat]

They are dictating the style they want, we need to find a way to impose our will.

[PSurprise]

Very tired looking right now

[_Gary]

We are getting crushed on the offensive boards right now.

[karmacoma]

We looked a bit tired on the offensive end Tuesday night, too. Worried.

[g-money]

Too many guys standing around on O. Painful to watch.

[J4Kop99]

Our guys are lost on offense. Give credit to UNC. We can't even get into a set until the 15 second mark on the shot clock. Settling for jump shots too, which is a horrible sign.

Get Jabari in the post.

[ChrisP]

Danger time. Don't like the way this is trending :(

[_Gary]

We are gassed right now. I look for Carolina to pull away and win this game unless something changes real quick! Not trying to be pessimistic, just realistic. We've got to get the lid off the rim. Several in close looks have rimmed out.

[Gthoma2a]

Parker abused at the rim with no call.

[Karl Beem]

Unbelievable!

[Billy Dat]

Even the layups aren't falling.

Amile and now Jabari...we are letting our offense impact our defense. Who is going to make a big shot to get us going?

[J4Kop99]

The refs have completely lost control of this game.

[sporthenry]

The fact that Dre hasn't been in this game is a huge mistake.

[PSurprise]

Parker is gassed

[snewman92]

That doesn't help in the midst of a nonslaught.

[jipops]

The fact that Dre hasn't been in this game is a huge mistake.

I agree

[arnie]

Unbelievable!

Horrendous O- but no reason to drive as refs swallowing hard

[jipops]

Kind of feels like we're starting to mail it in now

[karmacoma]

This is just painful to watch. Our offensive execution is non-existent. Anyone else surprised that Hairston and Jones haven't gotten any burn? The rest of the fellas look gassed.

[gocanes0506]

we'll see what the team is made of now. Can they stomach this one for a W?

[Billy Dat]

We are gassed right now. I look for Carolina to pull away and win this game unless something changes real quick! Not trying to be pessimistic, just realistic. We've got to get the lid off the rim. Several in close looks have rimmed out.

I agree about looking gassed, the body language heading into that timeout was terrible, especially from Jabari. Rodney looks like he has no lift. We need Cook back in this game to try and get some movement toward the rim. Rasheed's offense is also on stall, it would be nice to shake Dre free for some looks or drives.

[J4Kop99]

The fact that Dre hasn't been in this game is a huge mistake.

My only thought would be that K is worried that with UNC's ball pressure, it would force 'dre to put the ball on the floor and he doesn't like the sound of that...? Although, when 'dre was in, he took it hard to the hoop twice and finished both times.

[_Gary]

Between settling for too many jumpers, missing layups, and the foul call disparity, I'm in shock we still have a lead in this game. It's just insane that Carolina has been in the bonus for most of the 2nd half and we still aren't in the bonus with only 6 minutes left.

[striker219]

We are going to hit a shot again, right?