MBB: Duke 93, UNC 81 Post-Game Thread

[pfrduke]

Go Duke!

[jwillfan]

I love that our students didn't rush the court. Been there before. Love beating the Heels. GTHC!

[ChicagoHeel]

Congrats on the win. A tip of the hat to Parker- a really impressive effort. I hope he enjoys the NBA next year.

On the one hand, it was a straightforward game. Your offense overwhelmed our defense; your stars played better than our star.

Looking at the stats though, it was weird. Who would have thought we would shoot such a high percentage from the field (59%) and FT (70+%) line and lose in a game that wasn’t that close? Or that you would kill us on the boards?

The foul trouble for McAdoo certainly hurt, but even had he played more we still would have needed a few more things to go our way. You hit your threes and FTs and your stars played like stars. Hard for us to win under those circumstances.

Bottom line, Roy is right, we have little margin for error. When a talented team plays well against us, we have to play perfectly to win and that didn’t happen tonight. You guys played well and deserved to win.

[Troublemaker]

We have a very good team full of great kids who have heart and camaraderie.

We have a great coach.

We are fine.

Great response on Senior Night, team.

(To Heel Fans: you have a very good team. Marcus Paige is a killer.)

[NSDukeFan]

Very satisfying to get a solid win to take the stench out after the Wake game. A great game leading up to the ACCT. Parker and Hood are very good at playing basketball. Thank you seniors for some great years at Duke.

[ChrisP]

Much respect to this UNC team. They seem to maximize their talent for sure. Glad for our guys that we won and especially on senior night but...I still saw a pretty bad defense and that worries me greatly.

Huge props to Jabari & Rodney (and also Rasheed for hitting his FT's down the stretch)

[mgtr]

Well, I feel much less trepidation about the upcoming tournaments. It is clear that the coach listened to us and did the right thing (that is a joke!) The team played well and played as if they cared. That counts for a lot. Props to Parker and Hood.

[NashvilleDevil]

Duke won and did it convincingly. Should be no complaints about this very satisfying win.

[CDu]

Jabari Parker! That was awesome. Best game of his season.

Also, kudos to Cook for one of his better games in recent memory.

Oh, and Hood was terrific too.

[mo.st.dukie]

Paige is so infuriating to watch. You think we have him stopped and corralled but somehow he finds a way to get a shot off and buries it. What's more infuriating is how he saves it all for the 2nd half when winning time comes around.

Great game offensively for our team and that's been missing for the last 5 games or so. That might have been Jabari's most complete game of the season. If we can figure out the PG situation we might be alright in both tournaments.

[FerryFor50]

Really baffled how everyone is so sure that Parker is gone when he's not really sure himself.

Is he ready? Sure. But maybe he wants to stick around...

That said, great effort. The defense wasn't great tonight, but the offense was firing on all cylinders and the rebounding was outstanding. Duke played decent defense early on but UNC would not miss. The sloppy ball handling against the press was troubling, but overall, happy with the W!

[KandG]

Fabulous offense, FT shooting, Jabari and Rodney A++ games. Very good dissection of the numerous zone looks UNC threw at Duke in the second half.

The defense and the final five minutes....well, there will be time to stew over that before the tournament. Summary: problems haven't gone away. UNC didn't help themselves, though, with some inexplicable decisions after they generated turnovers, not to mention fouling a lot with a lot of time left, then taking a long time to foul with a minute left.

Paige is ridiculous. I know the students got mad because Roy kept fouling & calling time outs even with less than a minute left, but honestly, when you have a player as unstoppable as Paige and Duke looks as shaky as it does late game, why not extend the game as long as you can?

Thank you seniors, Jabari and Rodney. Can't even get mad at Tyler for his silly fifth foul, including the complaining about it, because it was so Tyler. I hope he's a little smarter than that in the tournament so that we can find a way to get past the first or second weekend, but I love him for his attitude and enjoyed his time at Duke. GTHC!!

[tfk53]

Very pleased to see Cook play with more energy - only a couple times where his decision making was suspect. 6-6 FT at crucial times. We need him to play more like this to go deep in March.
Curious why Plumlee did not see the action in the 2nd half(if he had any, it was brief.
Overall, satisfying win although still concerns with giving up easy layups and transition points. Was not expecting us to go over 90 against the heels.

[dhillbluedevil]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mattman91]

Three words.

Burn the benches.

[Luther]

Thank you Todd,josh,Tyler and Andre it has been an absolute pleasure.

[devildeac]

34-20 boards, Duke. Great job.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Important outcome, both mentally and emotionally, for us tonight.

We held the lead in the 2nd half and steadily increased it by continuing to apply offensive pressure.

I truly believe our best defense is our offense this year.

If not for the prevent offense(stall ball) in the last 5 minutes, we win by 20.

But that's a minor complaint. Overall, solid game by all.

Congrats to the Seniors and all those that may have played their last game in CIS!

[ChrisP]

Sorry, not sharing in the optimism. Sure, we won and against a streaking UNC team but I saw bad defense, poor decision making late in the game, and shaky inbounding & ballhandling down the stretch.

Still seems like live by the 3/die by the 3 to me.

Otoh, awesome games from Hood & Parker and great FT shooting but I still am not seeing a championship team at the moment.

[kmspeaks]

Duke won and did it convincingly. Should be no complaints about this very satisfying win.

What's a post game thread without complaining though? Here's mine, no Todd for the last 20-30 seconds. :p

[DukieInBrasil]

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

Glad to see that we were unable to choke away a 19 point lead, but seriously, great game by Parker and Hood, and Jefferson on the Oboards.
Glad to see Dawkins get #1,000 at home!
Parker has elevated himself into super-special player category. So much awesome! I'm glad he's given up on the step-back jumpers, for the most part. Being aggressive and getting buckets close is where he's at his best.
Why does ESPN insist on making everything about McAdon't??? Paige was by far their best player and ESPN gave JMM top billing? Heck, Paige even outrebounded him!!! As much as i despise the Cheaters, Paige has also become a special player.
Also, 12>8...

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Pretty simple analysis in this one, too much Parker and Hood. Great individual efforts from both, particularly Parker.

UNC did not get enough offensive production from the wings again, Tokoto or Mcdonald, and turned it over way too much to win that game.

I liked UNC's toughness, never quitting.

UNC's offense is better when Britt is at point and Paige is at the 2g. I'd like to see more of that in the future with LMac rotating with Tokoto at the sf.

Good win...more ball still to be played.

[NashvilleDevil]

What's a post game thread without complaining though? Here's mine, no Todd for the last 20-30 seconds. :p

Actually that's my one complaint too.

[roywhite]

34-20 boards, Duke. Great job.

Yep, key stat; UNC actually shot a higher percentage from the field and from 3-pt; Duke had more shots due to the good work on the boards, and hit their foul shots late to sustain the lead.

[devildeac]

6/10 3s second half helped give us separation tonight after a 2/13 first half.

[Dukehky]

Actually that's my one complaint too.

I wasn't thrilled when K put pagliuca in at BC instead of Todd. Sure his dad was there, but his dad is the CEO of Baine capital, so he can afford to fly down for another game.

Part of this is Roy's fault because he fouled the whole freaking time, if he was going to let us run the clock out with 30 seconds left, Todd would have been in.

[FerryFor50]

Yep, key stat; UNC actually shot a higher percentage from the field and from 3-pt; Duke had more shots due to the good work on the boards, and hit their foul shots late to sustain the lead.

Plus, an offensive board is as good as forcing a turnover.

[pfrduke]

Sorry, not sharing in the optimism. Sure, we won and against a streaking UNC team but I saw bad defense, poor decision making late in the game, and shaky inbounding & ballhandling down the stretch.

Still seems like live by the 3/die by the 3 to me.

Otoh, awesome games from Hood & Parker and great FT shooting but I still am not seeing a championship team at the moment.

We shot 8-23 from 3, which is below our season average. We got 69 points not from 3s, vs. 24 points from 3s. How was this a live by the 3 die by the 3 game?

[Trinity09]

Three things:

1) Wish we'd have busted it open and won by 25+

2) Wish K would've given Todd some burn--20 seconds, 10 seconds, whatever

3) GTHC GTH ES!!! DDMF!!!

[doctorhook]

Great win of course. Two things. We have to handle the end of game pressure better and specifically stop inbounding the pass to the corner which makes the trap easy. Secondlly, when the team is up almost twenty, keep running the offense at a slower pace rather than holding it with 5 min to go. If Brice Johnson dunk counted, it would have gotten very scary.

[pfrduke]

Related - we shot 21-33 from 2 tonight. That's ridiculous. Our offensive execution happened inside first (including on the offensive glass) and outside benefited from it.

[hurleyfor3]

Jabari takes charge. He does that the rest of the way, maybe I'll forget about losing to Wake.

Maybe.

[devildeac]

Yep, key stat; UNC actually shot a higher percentage from the field and from 3-pt; Duke had more shots due to the good work on the boards, and hit their foul shots late to sustain the lead.

87% FT. Are you kidding me? That was huge, too.

[FerryFor50]

We shot 8-23 from 3, which is below our season average. We got 69 points not from 3s, vs. 24 points from 3s. How was this a live by the 3 die by the 3 game?

You and your silly facts.

[Atlanta Duke]

Sorry, not sharing in the optimism. Sure, we won and against a streaking UNC team but I saw bad defense, poor decision making late in the game, and shaky inbounding & ballhandling down the stretch.

Still seems like live by the 3/die by the 3 to me.

Otoh, awesome games from Hood & Parker and great FT shooting but I still am not seeing a championship team at the moment.

Yep - Jerry Palm will probably will drop Duke down to a #6 seed in his bracket after this

[kshepinthehouse]

We shot 8-23 from 3, which is below our season average. We got 69 points not from 3s, vs. 24 points from 3s. How was this a live by the 3 die by the 3 game?

I agree. I felt like we took the ball to the basket a lot more than in recent games.

[FerryFor50]

Yep - Jerry Palm will probably will drop Duke down to a #6 seed in his bracket after this

Chris P = Chris Palm, Jerry's long lost son.

[CDu]

We shot 8-23 from 3, which is below our season average. We got 69 points not from 3s, vs. 24 points from 3s. How was this a live by the 3 die by the 3 game?

To be fair, when we weren't hitting 3s (first half), this game was really close. When we were (second half), we blew them out.

[NashvilleDevil]

Sorry, not sharing in the optimism. Sure, we won and against a streaking UNC team but I saw bad defense, poor decision making late in the game, and shaky inbounding & ballhandling down the stretch.

Still seems like live by the 3/die by the 3 to me.

Otoh, awesome games from Hood & Parker and great FT shooting but I still am not seeing a championship team at the moment.

What we are reading is someone who cannot savor a win against Carolina.

[Dukehky]

When we give the ball to our two lottery picks, good things happen. When we go away from them, teams go on runs, tonight was no exception. What a really fun game to watch though. Not too often you see a team score in the 90s in college. Thank God Dre made a 3. Wouldn't have been right if, in his last game in Cameron, he went 0-fee from deep. Dre all day.

[MaxAMillion]

Sorry, not sharing in the optimism. Sure, we won and against a streaking UNC team but I saw bad defense, poor decision making late in the game, and shaky inbounding & ballhandling down the stretch.

Still seems like live by the 3/die by the 3 to me.

Otoh, awesome games from Hood & Parker and great FT shooting but I still am not seeing a championship team at the moment.

Who are the championship teams that you see:? Kansas? Arizona?

[azzefkram]

Great game by the good guys. Jabari was awesome tonight. Not just the stat stuff, very vocal and showed solid leadership. Rodney was great. Welcome back Quinn and Amile. We are going to need you guys over the next month. Thank you Josh, Tyler and Dre. I wish there was a way to get Josh in in the second half so he could get a proper send off.

[ChrisP]

We shot 8-23 from 3, which is below our season average. We got 69 points not from 3s, vs. 24 points from 3s. How was this a live by the 3 die by the 3 game?

Umm..because we had to shoot 60% from 3 in the 2nd half in order to win. Without the multiple threes in the second, that game would have been WAY tighter down the stretch.

Did we watch the same game?

[FerryFor50]

Umm..because we had to shoot 60% from 3 in the 2nd half in order to win. Without the multiple threes in the second, that game would have been WAY tighter down the stretch.

Did we watch the same game?

UNC shot 62% in the first half and Duke was 1-13 or so from three at that point. They still led by 3.

[Luther]

Did the guys have a chance to speak after the game? If so does anyone have a link?

[gofurman]

Lots of good -
- PARKER, what more can be said. WWWOOOWWW - How can an 18 year old (most Fr like Hansbrough are 19 and 20) be that good and strong??? unbelievable
- better play from Cook, even taking the Timeout instead of a turnover near halfcourt... in bball you get so many timeouts its fine to use one or two to avoid turnover
- Hood - great job by Hood and Parker to drive the ball as well as shoot the occasional J
- FT shooting, nice at 27-31. More important than we realize. If that is 20-31 (not horrible) that UNC run at the end is completely different and the game could have gone to UNC. Its that important
- glad to see the 3s in the 2nd half
- STELLAR rebounding, this was huge as it adds up to more shots for us

- a little bad
- Still have lapses on D .. I think Carolina was shooting over 50% at one point.
- Still the total shooting on 3s is not great. We cant seem to hit a 40% clip again like we did earlier in year. The announcers remarked how great the 3 shooting was in the second half but the total was still 35% which is slightly below average. Would love to see us hitting 40% again.
- Last few minutes we just don't seem to handle well, odd for a team that seems to have some ball handlers and lots of great FT shooters ! I mean, SURELY we aren't losing focus in wanting to beat Carolina on Senior Night. If you cant keep focus on that, what can you focus on.


- scary -------
Marcus Paige. Dude is absolutely a killer now. I mean SCARY Just scary. Every time he shot I was sure it was going in - bump him, he just makes a 4 point play.. drive, shoot the three, floater. whatever - I give credit where it is due. HE IS SCARY good. Anytime you have a PG that good you can win. No mystery to me why Carolina Is playing very well now.

[hurleyfor3]

Grumpy Cat is not impressed.

http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3988&d=1394339922

[BlueDevilBrowns]

To be fair, when we weren't hitting 3s (first half), this game was really close. When we were (second half), we blew them out.

This. I think that's maybe what the op meant, that hitting our 2nd half 3's gave us the separation we didn't have in the 1st half.

I agree, though, rebounding and FT shooting were just as, if not more, important.

[ChrisP]

Who are the championship teams that you see:? Kansas? Arizona?

Maybe Zona. Florida looks pretty good to me as well.

Duke won't win it (and I am referring to the ACC championship as well) with the kind of defense we played tonight. We might win 1 or 2 or 4 in a row, but you know that old saying about how defense wins championships? Yeah, that.

[pfrduke]

Umm..because we had to shoot 60% from 3 in the 2nd half in order to win. Without the multiple threes in the second, that game would have been WAY tighter down the stretch.

Did we watch the same game?

We shot below our season average from 3. We won by 12. You say we had to shoot 60% from 3 to make it a not-close game (against the #14 team in the country, on a 12-game winning streak), but you ignore that we shot 2-13 from 3 in the first half AND STILL LED at halftime. We scored inside, we got on the boards. Those are the things that won the game for us. It's not like we shot 50% from deep all game and won by 3.

[MaxAMillion]

When we give the ball to our two lottery picks, good things happen. When we go away from them, teams go on runs, tonight was no exception. What a really fun game to watch though. Not too often you see a team score in the 90s in college. Thank God Dre made a 3. Wouldn't have been right if, in his last game in Cameron, he went 0-fee from deep. Dre all mother f-in day.

When Cook plays well good things happen. The offense is good when all the players on the floor contribute and play well. When the guards struggle (which has happened in several of the losses) the offense and the team look ordinary.

[Gthoma2a]

I am thinking that we showed the recruits in attendance how to defend home court.

[FerryFor50]

This. I think that's maybe what the op meant, that hitting our 2nd half 3's gave us the separation we didn't have in the 1st half.

I agree, though, rebounding and FT shooting were just as, if not more, important.

Yea but dying by the three implies losing. They were never in danger of losing this game. I know this because I was never in danger of kicking my cat.

[NashvilleDevil]

Maybe Zona. Florida looks pretty good to me as well.

Duke won't win it (and I am referring to the ACC championship as well) with the kind of defense we played tonight. We might win 1 or 2 or 4 in a row, but you know that old saying about how defense wins championships? Yeah, that.

You mean the Arizona team that couldn't score the last 5 minutes of the game against Oregon? That is down a man and looks like a contender for first 1 seed beat?

[Billy Dat]

Great to win!

Amazing that it could be the final game in Cameron for the entire starting 5.

I loved Jabari's energy tonight, it seems like he is trying to really step up as a leader. Hood was nearly equally big in scoring.

It baffles me how much we can score with little to any offensive structure. The rebounding made up for our less than stellar D. It was great to hit free throws.

Paige is a beast!

The crowd seemed unbelievable tonight - well done fans! I loved the shots of our recruits standing with Tony Romo, especially Okafor who has the face of "The Brow" and the physique of Dwight Howard.

Great bounce back. I guess we'll be a 3 seed in the ACC. Regular Season in the books - time to fight or die!!!

[sagegrouse]

Yep, key stat; UNC actually shot a higher percentage from the field and from 3-pt; Duke had more shots due to the good work on the boards, and hit their foul shots late to sustain the lead.

According to ESPN's statistics, Duke got more offensive rebounds (15) than UNC got defensive rebounds (14).

[ChrisP]

We shot below our season average from 3. We won by 12. You say we had to shoot 60% from 3 to make it a not-close game (against the #14 team in the country, on a 12-game winning streak), but you ignore that we shot 2-13 from 3 in the first half AND STILL LED at halftime. We scored inside, we got on the boards. Those are the things that won the game for us. It's not like we shot 50% from deep all game and won by 3.

Yeah, that GIANT lead we had at half (3 pts) when JMM was on the bench for a lot of the first had me feeling super confident.

Look, clearly this team is capable of hitting a high % from 3 - and I hope they do because it makes us very tough to beat - but our defense is just bad and not that of a championship-level team, imho.

[FerryFor50]

You mean the Arizona team that couldn't score the last 5 minutes of the game against Oregon? That is down a man and looks like a contender for first 1 seed beat?

Plus everyone forgets that Zona plays in the PAC12. Not exactly a world beating power conference.

[NashvilleDevil]

Yeah, that GIANT lead we had at half (3 pts) when JMM was on the bench for a lot of the first had me feeling super confident.

Look, clearly this team is capable of hitting a high % from 3 - and I hope they do because it makes us very tough to beat - but our defense is just bad and not that of a championship-level team, imho.

It appears you're never super confident about Duke even after a win against Carolina. Give it a rest.

[Dukehky]

Great to win!

Amazing that it could be the final game in Cameron for the entire starting 5.

I loved Jabari's energy tonight, it seems like he is trying to really step up as a leader. Hood was nearly equally big in scoring.

It baffles me how much we can score with little to any offensive structure. The rebounding made up for our less than stellar D. It was great to hit free throws.

Paige is a beast!

The crowd seemed unbelievable tonight - well done fans! I loved the shots of our recruits standing with Tony Romo, especially Okafor who has the face of "The Brow" and the physique of Dwight Howard.

Great bounce back. I guess we'll be a 3 seed in the ACC. Regular Season in the books - time to fight or die!!!



Wow, he does not have the body of Dwight Howard. Way too much Caboose and not the shoulders of someone who does 100000000 shoulder shrugs a day.

I wish I could dislike Paige, but he is really incredible. I think Jabari made the ACC POY race a lot closer after tonight.

[ChrisP]

You mean the Arizona team that couldn't score the last 5 minutes of the game against Oregon? That is down a man and looks like a contender for first 1 seed beat?

Ever since that man went down, Zona has done pretty well. Still #1 according to Kenpom. I thought they were screwed when he went down but...they have done pretty well, I think.

[sagegrouse]

Sorry, not sharing in the optimism. Sure, we won and against a streaking UNC team but I saw bad defense, poor decision making late in the game, and shaky inbounding & ballhandling down the stretch.

Still seems like live by the 3/die by the 3 to me.

Otoh, awesome games from Hood & Parker and great FT shooting but I still am not seeing a championship team at the moment.

You are the embodiment of the not-so-old saying, "Every silver lining has a dark gray cloud."

[NashvilleDevil]

Wow, he does not have the body of Dwight Howard. Way too much Caboose and not the shoulders of someone who does 100000000 shoulder shrugs a day.

I wish I could dislike Paige, but he is really incredible. I think Jabari made the ACC POY race a lot closer after tonight.

It was great to see Jabari put on a show tonight after Wiggins did his thing in KU's loss. Some of those shots Jabari made tonight were incredible.

[OldSchool]

I loved the shots of our recruits standing with Tony Romo

...and I liked the fact that even with Tony Romo in the house our regular season did not end with a loss!

[roywhite]

Cowboy QB Tony Romo on Sports Center, and raving about the experience of a game in Cameron and also Coach K; cool.

[jipops]

Excellent ball movement tonight. It should also be pointed out that Quinn played excellent ball denial on Paige during a crucial stretch of the 2nd half where Duke opened up a big lead. Then Jabari just went to work. That kid can play.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Yea but dying by the three implies losing. They were never in danger of losing this game.

Well, I do think there was a danger at halftime.

UNC dug out of a huge early deficit to be down only 3 when all season they have been a much better 2nd half team.

And playing in close 2nd halves isn't exactly our specialty this year.

Having said that, we won because our overall offensive intensity knocked them back in the 2nd half.

By the time UNC recovered, with the help of Stall Ball, it was too little, too late.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Few teams play perfect basketball for 40 minutes. unc-ch is playing great. We stunk up the place at Wake.

So while there where some things I did not like, overall I love it. And the big two took charge.

It was also nice to see the real Quinn Cook.

SoCal

[Deslok]

One other sort of good/bad. Sulaimon a couple of times was on the verge of losing his cool - and drawing a T - on plays where he thought he was fouled and got no whistle. On at least 2 occasions Parker grabbed him away from jawing at the ref to calm him down. Great presence and awareness to keep the focus on playing better basketball.
Also not getting so many kudos but deserving them, Jefferson was very effective on the boards and very active with his hands. He deflected a half dozen or so passes, some of which ended with steals but all of which disrupted the UNC offense.

[Atlanta Duke]

Did we watch the same game?

I think so - despite Roy's apparent interest in covering the spread with the incessant fouling in the last minute, I saw a team favored by 9 win by 12 while burying free throws down the stretch

Games can get tight - in today's game there is no 1968 UCLA or 1976 Indiana out there that can just steamroller everyone - and Carolina has some impressive heart in pulling together after their season could have crashed courtesy of Mr. Hairston

Great win and if this was Jabari Parker's farewell in Cameron what a way to say goodbye

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Cowboy QB Tony Romo on Sports Center, and raving about the experience of a game in Cameron and also Coach K; cool.

Our Texas-area recruits gotta love that!

[ChrisP]

It appears you're never super confident about Duke even after a win against Carolina. Give it a rest.

No, I am not super confident after the game we gacked up at Wake, actually. And thanks for telling me what to do.

Sorry, didn't realize there was a board rule about calling it like you see it and being a realist. My bad.

[Troublemaker]

Myles Turner selfie in the midst of Crazies (that's Luke Kennard to his left and Chase Jeter to HIS left):

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BiQZPV5IAAEo0wR.jpg

[Wheat/"/"/"]

According to ESPN's statistics, Duke got more offensive rebounds (15) than UNC got defensive rebounds (14).

It was a big time effort on the boards, especially Parker.

Not having McAdoo on the court for extended minutes or a healthy Meeks hurt UNC there, for sure.

[FerryFor50]

Ever since that man went down, Zona has done pretty well. Still #1 according to Kenpom. I thought they were screwed when he went down but...they have done pretty well, I think.

Have they?

They lost to Oregon. They barely got by Utah and Oregon St. They lost to Arizona St. Squeaked by Oregon the first time they played. Lost to Cal. They went 7-3 since then. Duke has been 7-3 in that same stretch.

[Dukehky]

Myles Turner was hugging on Okafor after a big Duke play... So you're saying there is a chance!!!?

With the atmosphere as good as it was tonight, with the offense just flowing and obvious need for a rim protector (not that I'm complaining too much, the kid is just a great shot blocker), hard to not put a seed of interest in his brain or at least grow it if it really was there. I think there's a chance Turner came in just to get to go to a Duke v. UNC game for free, but I'd be hard pressed to believe that he left there not thinking, "It would be awesome to play here."

[Billy Dat]

Laura Keeley ‏@laurakeeley 4m
Mike Krzyzewski also stated for the record that he doesn't color his hair. "That's a myth."

[tbyers11]

Umm..because we had to shoot 60% from 3 in the 2nd half in order to win. Without the multiple threes in the second, that game would have been WAY tighter down the stretch.

Did we watch the same game?

Umm, if we hit 2-3 more threes in the first half and miss them in the second half it is still the same result. Also Roy told ESPN at half that they were going to play more zone and make Duke beat them hitting 3's. Thankfully, duke did so

[devilnfla]

I am thinking that we showed the recruits in attendance how to defend home court.

Saw Big Oak behind the bench. Who else was there and any thoughts on the recruiting weekend with Jeter?

[pfrduke]

No, I am not super confident after the game we gacked up at Wake, actually. And thanks for telling me what to do.

Sorry, didn't realize there was a board rule about calling it like you see it and being a realist. My bad.

"Realist" is the word that pessimists like to use to try to convey that their negative view is right and everyone else is wrong. It's denigrating to people who think the real view is that we played pretty darn well tonight.

You're not happy after a 12 point win over our rival. In which we scored more points than UNC has given up all season. Fine. That's your right as a fan. You're wrong (in my view), but fine. Quit raining on everyone else's parade though. It's tiresome.

[FerryFor50]

Well, I do think there was a danger at halftime.

UNC dug out of a huge early deficit to be down only 3 when all season they have been a much better 2nd half team.

And playing in close 2nd halves isn't exactly our specialty this year.

Having said that, we won because our overall offensive intensity knocked them back in the 2nd half.

By the time UNC recovered, with the help of Stall Ball, it was too little, too late.

I don't think UNC led the entire game, did they? I was never concerned...

[duke4ever19]

Was going to take a midnight stroll over to IC, but alas, IC is under a scheduled maintenance.

No meltdown watching for me tonight. :(

[ChrisP]

You are the embodiment of the not-so-old saying, "Every silver lining has a dark gray cloud."

I am THRILLED we won tonight and beat our most hated rival. But I am bummed that we were still bad on D and shaky against the press and made dumb fouls when the game was essentially over. That's all I am saying. I am sorry I seem to be bumming some people out with my realistic view.

Don't let those pesky facts get in the way!

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I am THRILLED we won tonight and beat our most hated rival. But I am bummed that we were still bad on D and shaky against the press and made dumb fouls when the game was essentially over. That's all I am saying. I am sorry I seem to be bumming some people out with my realistic view.

Don't let those pesky facts get in the way!
Buzz kill.

[CDu]

Laura Keeley ‏@laurakeeley 4m
Mike Krzyzewski also stated for the record that he doesn't color his hair. "That's a myth."

67-year-old men do not have hair that is darker than it was when they were 40. He dyes it. No big deal. Everyone is due some degree of vanity.

[ChicagoHeel]

What happened on the boards? Wheat is certainly correct, McAdoo's foul trouble and Meeks' illness hurt. But I didn't really get a sense if Duke was rebounding well and with aggression, we were rebounding poorly, or what. Maybe you guys had better spacing on offense or got us out of position driving to the basket. I'm really not sure.


It was a big time effort on the boards, especially Parker.

Not having McAdoo on the court for extended minutes or a healthy Meeks hurt UNC there, for sure.

[BD80]

...and I liked the fact that even with Tony Romo in the house our regular season did not end with a loss!


Cowboy QB Tony Romo on Sports Center, and raving about the experience of a game in Cameron and also Coach K; cool.

Do I now root for Romo? Huge conflict for a Steeler fan ...

Great atmosphere for recruiting. Congrats to the Crazies ... well done.

[FerryFor50]

What happened on the boards? Wheat is certainly correct, McAdoo's foul trouble and Meeks' illness hurt. But I didn't really get a sense if Duke was rebounding well and with aggression, we were rebounding poorly, or what. Maybe you guys had better spacing on offense or got us out of position driving to the basket. I'm really not sure.

Some of it was outworking UNC. Some was just the ball bouncing the right way. I'll take it!

[oakvillebluedevil]

Laura Keeley ‏@laurakeeley 4m
Mike Krzyzewski also stated for the record that he doesn't color his hair. "That's a myth."

So I guess there really is no silver lining :)

[Billy Dat]

Julius Hodge ‏@Follow24Hodge 1h
And you guys thought I was REALLY rooting for UNC? C'monnnn! I've learned whomever I root for during this game loses. I made a choice! #duke

[NashvilleDevil]

I am THRILLED we won tonight and beat our most hated rival. But I am bummed that we were still bad on D and shaky against the press and made dumb fouls when the game was essentially over. That's all I am saying. I am sorry I seem to be bumming some people out with my realistic view.

Don't let those pesky facts get in the way!

Facts like Duke won, Carolina never led at any moment of the game, Duke scored 90 points a mark that Carolina has not allowed all year, Duke had as many offensive rebounds as Carolina had defensive rebounds and it took you five minutes to write a post from the "realist" perspective after the win?

[Troublemaker]

Laura Keeley ‏@laurakeeley (https://twitter.com/laurakeeley) 26m (https://twitter.com/laurakeeley/status/442519025139331072) #Duke (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Duke&src=hash)'s Rodney Hood said he was tired of being around Durham and having people yell Carolina at him. Mentioned it happened at WalMart

[FerryFor50]

Julius Hodge ‏@Follow24Hodge 1h
And you guys thought I was REALLY rooting for UNC? C'monnnn! I've learned whomever I root for during this game loses. I made a choice! #duke

As I said in chat... UNC-Duke is the only time State fans cheer for Duke. It's also the only time they make and rational decisions...

[sagegrouse]

Umm..because we had to shoot 60% from 3 in the 2nd half in order to win. Without the multiple threes in the second, that game would have been WAY tighter down the stretch.

Did we watch the same game?

Apparently not. You are cherry-picking statistics to make the point that a 12-point win was truly a lucky performance. I don't agree. I thought Duke was the clearly superior team in both halves.

One key to the game was the 15 offensive rebounds by Duke versus only 14 defensive RBs by Carolina (ESPN stats).

Duke shot slightly below its season average for 3's and wa-a-a-a-y above the season average for 2's, 21 for 34 (62%).

I like our chances going forward if Jabari goes 30/11 in every game:D, but more realistically, he'll likely average 20/10 and we will need more offense from Quinn, Rasheed and Andre.

Kindly,
Sage

[FerryFor50]

Laura Keeley ‏@laurakeeley (https://twitter.com/laurakeeley) 26m (https://twitter.com/laurakeeley/status/442519025139331072) #Duke (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Duke&src=hash)'s Rodney Hood said he was tired of being around Durham and having people yell Carolina at him. Mentioned it happened at WalMart

At walmart? Not at all ironic...

[duke4ever19]

Laura Keeley ‏@laurakeeley (https://twitter.com/laurakeeley) 26m (https://twitter.com/laurakeeley/status/442519025139331072) #Duke (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Duke&src=hash)'s Rodney Hood said he was tired of being around Durham and having people yell Carolina at him. Mentioned it happened at WalMart

It's one of life's little truisms . . . Nothing good comes from shopping at Walmart.

[sagegrouse]

I am THRILLED we won tonight and beat our most hated rival. But I am bummed that we were still bad on D and shaky against the press and made dumb fouls when the game was essentially over. That's all I am saying. I am sorry I seem to be bumming some people out with my realistic view.

Don't let those pesky facts get in the way!

"shaky against the press and made dumb fouls when the game was essentially over." Why would I worry about garbage time?

[gofurman]

I am THRILLED we won tonight and beat our most hated rival. But I am bummed that we were still bad on D and shaky against the press and made dumb fouls when the game was essentially over. That's all I am saying. I am sorry I seem to be bumming some people out with my realistic view.

Don't let those pesky facts get in the way!

I want to back ChrisP - its a GREAT win. GREAT. I get his sentiment though. As a goal-oriented person I am thinking more than just beating UNC. We are just pointing out that Duke isnt perfect and we hope to see better D (this is my primary thing, as I don't want to count on 90 pts of O to get a win) and we ARE shaky vs the pressure... which is odd bc we are usually good vs moderate pressure.

Pressure D from our opponent and porous (to say the least) D on our part is exactly what cost us just a few nights ago vs a horrid Wake team - can t have that come and go every other game or the sweet sixteen is as far as we can go. The D has to be a little better and we need to handle pressure a little better (which Quinn did some tonight by calling timeouts etc). I want to win 90-70.. not 90-80...

Tonight we did well - handled pressure better and had some times of very good D (like the beginning of the game when it seemed we tipped every pass UNC threw ! )... and that got us a lead that we held. Just want even more of it. Now that I think back on it I do want to give kudos to those first 5 minutes or so of D in this game - outstanding ! That was old school Duke D where every entry pass was a challenge. I think UNC had 4 points or so after 5minutes of game.

[Dukehky]

Roy Williams: "Whatever the hell "it" is, Jabari found it"

Best thing to ever come out of Roy's mouth. What a monster. He gets at least 15 shots a game from here on out. Shoot, give him 20.

[roywhite]

Duke 93 -- UNC 81 (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=209429330)

Leslie McDonald in 30 minutes and McAdoo in 24 minutes both had 0 rebounds
UNC shot 59.1% from the floor
Duke 27-31 from the line

[jipops]

It was a big time effort on the boards, especially Parker.

Not having McAdoo on the court for extended minutes or a healthy Meeks hurt UNC there, for sure.

What's wrong with Meeks?

[FerryFor50]

What's wrong with Meeks?

He ate too much. Had a tummy ache.

[Kedsy]

To be fair, when we weren't hitting 3s (first half), this game was really close.

I'd say the score was close, but the game really wasn't. To me, it seemed we were dominating them but because we shot a low percentage on our threes (and they shot a high percentage on everything), the score was closer than the game appeared to be.


I think Carolina was shooting over 50% at one point.

They shot almost 60% for the entire game, so I think Carolina was shooting over 50% for a whole lot more than one point. Pretty much the whole game, really.

[Dukehky]

Duke 93 -- UNC 81 (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=209429330)

Leslie McDonald in 30 minutes and McAdoo in 24 minutes both had 0 rebounds
UNC shot 59.1% from the floor
Duke 27-31 from the line

Amile was really good tonight in every facet. I thought Matt Jones played really well too in his limited minutes. Was a little surprised Marshall didn't get more burn, but with Jabari dominating the way he was, it was better to leave space in the middle. Amile is a threat to catch and drive from the elbow at least. Would actually like to see a little more of it.

[gofurman]

Duke 93 -- UNC 81 (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22724&SPID=1845&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=209429330)

Leslie McDonald in 30 minutes and McAdoo in 24 minutes both had 0 rebounds
UNC shot 59.1% from the floor
Duke 27-31 from the line

This was my main point. 60%??? It was a GREAT win. Superb!!!!!!!!!!!! But we cant allow 60% shooting. Just cant overcome that vs 5 tough NCAA opponents. I wonder if anyone has ever won the title allowing opponents to shoot, say, 50%? I would think not. Love this win - just want better D. Cmon guys - you can do it

[Furniture]

I am THRILLED we won tonight and beat our most hated rival. But I am bummed that we were still bad on D and shaky against the press and made dumb fouls when the game was essentially over. That's all I am saying. I am sorry I seem to be bumming some people out with my realistic view.

Don't let those pesky facts get in the way!

The fact is that Duke won mr Debbie downer...

[roywhite]

McAdoo should start the game with 1 foul in the books just for that scruffy beard.

[SCMatt33]

I'll certainly going to enjoy this one, but that's the second consecutive collapse in the last 5 minutes. This difference is that Duke was up 19 at the start of it instead of 7. At that point we proceeded to give up 18 points in 7 possessions, and it would have been more if not for the basket interference play. Duke then got a break when carolina bricked a few jumpers followed by some misses on chippies after bad turnovers under our own basket. On the good side, the free throw shooting is good enough to just give up layups in the last minute and know that we'll get two back, but what happened from 5 minutes to 2 minutes is concerning going forward because it's not nearly the first time it's happened this year.

Against Kansas, Duke was up 73-72 before giving up at least one point on 12 straight possession to end the game
Against ND, Duke was up 62-60 with 7:19 to play before giving up points on 5 straight possessions (the streak was only broken by 2 missed FT's) to go down by 6.
Against Clemson, Duke gave up points on 7 of 9 possessions (one of the two stops was 2 missed FT's) from 9:47 to 5:05 to go from up 2 to down 7.
Against Wake, it was the 17-0 run that occurred by scoring on 9 straight possessions.
Against UVA, Duke gave up 15 points on 6 straight possessions in the last four minutes to go from up 11 to down 1 before the home rims gave Sheed the good bounce.
In the first Carolina game, Duke gave up points on 12 of the last 13 possessions after being up 53-49 with 7 minutes left.

Of coarse, not all close games have been a collapse by the defense. Duke did hold Maryland scoreless in the last two and a half minutes of that game and a big defensive stretch keyed the decisive run against Pitt, but the general defensive performance in close games does not lend itself to winning six in a row when it counts.

The silver lining here is that NO ONE, not Kansas, not Syracuse, not Arizona, has gone out and handled Duke for 40 minutes. Duke has been in contention in every single game this year. They just have to figure out a way to stay in it on defense for 40 minutes against good teams with some kind of consistency. They haven't done it yet, but you never know.

[UrinalCake]

Among the many impressive things that Jabari did was his leadership while UNC made their last push. After Rasheed turned the ball over and started complaining to the ref, Jabari grabbed him and pulled him into the huddle and said what I presume to be, "let it go, and let's play some D!" Then Parker stepped up and blocked Paige's shot to end the threat of them cutting the lead to 5. This team has been in dire need of a leader on the court, and it's awesome to see Parker taking on that role.

My video feed kept cutting out throughout the game... can someone tell me (objectively speaking, of course) if any of MacAdoo's fouls were questionable? I know that one of the big stories from the UNC side is going to be that him being in foul trouble was what cost them the game. Do they have a legitimate gripe?

[CDu]

McAdoo should start the game with 1 foul in the books just for that scruffy beard.

It looked like he stuck cotton balls randomly on his face.

[Billy Dat]

The fact is that Duke won mr Debbie downer...

Bottom line, anyone can post whatever they want, but posting a bunch of downer views in the first wave of joy after a UNC win is walking into the octagon and asking to be flamed, no matter whether they are rational or not. The convo will eventually move that way anyway, but the next morning seems like a better time.

[FerryFor50]

It looked like he stuck cotton balls randomly on his face.
Patchadoo

[CDu]

Among the many impressive things that Jabari did was his leadership while UNC made their last push. After Rasheed turned the ball over and started complaining to the ref, Jabari grabbed him and pulled him into the huddle and said what I presume to be, "let it go, and let's play some D!" Then Parker stepped up and blocked Paige's shot to end the threat of them cutting the lead to 5. This team has been in dire need of a leader on the court, and it's awesome to see Parker taking on that role.

My video feed kept cutting out throughout the game... can someone tell me (objectively speaking, of course) if any of MacAdoo's fouls were questionable? I know that one of the big stories from the UNC side is going to be that him being in foul trouble was what cost them the game. Do they have a legitimate gripe?

Parker was absolutely amazing tonight. Best I have ever seen from a frosh.

[Potato]

So glad to be wrong. The offense turned it up tonight and it was beautiful. Excellent ball movement and we had IDENTITY. Finally in a big game we had go-to players in Hood and Parker, the two best players on our team and the two that should be the catalysts of it. Still work to be done, but we showed how good we can truly be in that stretch in the second half tonight. Go Duke! Cameron Indoor showed again tonight why it's the greatest venue in sports. Honestly I would cut an arm off to be able to be a student at Duke, sucks is such an elite school. Anyways I'm so pumped Caaaarrroooollllliiinnaaa GO TO HELL

[Billy Dat]

My video feed kept cutting out throughout the game... can someone tell me (objectively speaking, of course) if any of MacAdoo's fouls were questionable? I know that one of the big stories from the UNC side is going to be that him being in foul trouble was what cost them the game. Do they have a legitimate gripe?

I thought the 3rd foul call on him was pretty cheap, his arms were pretty close to being straight up but they nailed him because they weren't perfectly straight up.

[FerryFor50]

I thought the 3rd foul call on him was pretty cheap, his arms were pretty close to being straight up but they nailed him because they weren't perfectly straight up.

Made up for not being called for a hook on the previous possession...

[OldSchool]

Julius Hodge ‏@Follow24Hodge 1h
And you guys thought I was REALLY rooting for UNC? C'monnnn! I've learned whomever I root for during this game loses. I made a choice! #duke

Wait, what? He knows that whomever he roots for loses. So knowing that, he chooses to root for Duke. Doesn't that mean then that he was really rooting for Duke to lose, since he knows that whomever he roots for loses? In other words, he was really rooting for UNC?

And, naturally, UNC loses, since he was really rooting for them, thus proving the inevitability of the Julius Hodge rooting phenomenon.

[Selover]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but if I'm remembering correctly, I don't think Jabari had a dunk tonight. If I had known he'd have 30 points I would have guessed he'd have 3 or 4 dunks. Just that was kind of interesting.

[CDu]

What's wrong with Meeks?

The announcers said he was under the weather.

[kshepinthehouse]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but if I'm remembering correctly, I don't think Jabari had a dunk tonight. If I had known he'd have 30 points I would have guessed he'd have 3 or 4 dunks. Just that was kind of interesting.

I think the up and under move in which he got elbowed in the mouth afterwards could be classified as a dunk

[Atlanta Duke]

Among the many impressive things that Jabari did was his leadership while UNC made their last push. After Rasheed turned the ball over and started complaining to the ref, Jabari grabbed him and pulled him into the huddle and said what I presume to be, "let it go, and let's play some D!" Then Parker stepped up and blocked Paige's shot to end the threat of them cutting the lead to 5. This team has been in dire need of a leader on the court, and it's awesome to see Parker taking on that role.


I noted that as well - it thought it was a combination of getting Rasheed focused and avoiding a potential technical.

I guess this post-game comment by Wojo after the Wake debacle was heard by the intended recipients


"The teams that I’ve been a part of that have had the most success in March are teams with great internal leadership. The players, as much as you can try to inspire and motivate them, those guys have to show it."
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/...#storylink=cpy

[CDu]

I think the up and under move in which he got elbowed in the mouth afterwards could be classified as a dunk

Dunk or no dunk, it was a whole lot of awesome.

[downeastdad]

Just got home, watched the DVR, and hadn't the luxury of the in-game comments, so apologies if this was covered. The replay of JMM ScruffyBeard's dunk for Carolina's first point, sure looked like he pulled the rim down with his left hand about 4 inches, which was the only thing that allowed him to get the ball over the rim with his right hand. Basket interference? Just askin'.

[Kedsy]

I am THRILLED we won tonight and beat our most hated rival. But I am bummed that we were still bad on D and shaky against the press and made dumb fouls when the game was essentially over. That's all I am saying. I am sorry I seem to be bumming some people out with my realistic view.

Don't let those pesky facts get in the way!

The thing is, "bad on D," "shaky against the press," and "dumb fouls" aren't facts, pesky or otherwise, they're your opinions.

Also, our D for the first 32 minutes of the game held UNC to 1.1 points per possession, about the same as they usually score (1.09). After that, it looked like we were playing not to foul, and maybe lost concentration for a bit, but since we had a 19 point lead, playing not to foul may have been a strategic decision, rather than a failure of defense.


By the time UNC recovered, with the help of Stall Ball, it was too little, too late.

That's the whole point of stall ball. You don't get extra prizes for winning by 20 instead of winning by 12. At some stage in the game, it's more important to use time than to score points if you want to make sure you win the game, even if that decreases the final margin.

[Atlanta Duke]

Cowboy QB Tony Romo on Sports Center, and raving about the experience of a game in Cameron and also Coach K; cool.

No surprise Deadspin is already on that:)

Tony Romo And Jason Garrett Are Duke Fans. Of Course They Are.

http://deadspin.com/tony-romo-and-jason-garrett-are-duke-fans-of-course-th-1539622921

[duke09hms]

The thing is, "bad on D," "shaky against the press," and "dumb fouls" aren't facts, pesky or otherwise, they're your opinions.



Stating we have a bad defense is well-supported by facts. Our defense has dropped to #83, and UNC shot 59% tonight.

We will have to get "hot" on defense for us to make a long postseason run.

The last time our defense ranked in the 80s was 2012 when we lost to Lehigh.

[DesertDevil]

Ever since that man went down, Zona has done pretty well. Still #1 according to Kenpom. I thought they were screwed when he went down but...they have done pretty well, I think.

I live in Tucson & watch U of A on a regular basis. If they were in a quality conference they would have 8-9 losses. That would be even if they hadn't lost Ashley. They are weak from the FT line & have little to no offensive rhythm.

Defensively a very good team, but not good enough to make up for their offense against good competition.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifTonight was most satisfying! Doubly so! http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

[Troublemaker]

The offensive story:

1 - Duke uses our two stars to attack the basket against UNC's perimeter-pressuring man-to-man. Stars deliver big-time; they finish, they make short jumpers, they don't turn the ball over. Offense gains confidence even though 3s aren't dropping yet.

2 - UNC has to start sagging in to help on the inside. Duke's shooters are receiving more and more space on the kickouts.

3 - 3s finally start dropping. Duke is thoroughly destroying UNC's defense now, with everything working.

4 - UNC switches up defenses to 1-2-2 "point zone" and 1-3-1 zone. Duke CONTINUES to kill them because Duke's offense has its confidence this time around and quickly diagnoses and attacks the zones, unlike last time. UNC's bag of tricks has run out.

5 - Duke has the big lead and struggles some against UNC's fullcourt press but makes free throws to seal the win.

Duke scored 1.36 ppp against UNC's defense, by far the most UNC has given up this season.

Duke-UNC games this season, if we continue to play them, will be determined strength vs strength. In Chapel Hill, their defense won. In Cameron, Duke's offense won.

[Oriole Way]

I live in Tucson & watch U of A on a regular basis. If they were in a quality conference they would have 8-9 losses. That would be even if they hadn't lost Ashley. They are weak from the FT line & have little to no offensive rhythm.

Defensively a very good team, but not good enough to make up for their offense against good competition.

I would like to be Arizona's #2 in the West for those reasons. They have capitalized on a weak schedule and weak conference. I also would wouldn't mind being Wichita St.'s #2 in whatever region they're in for the same reasons.

[InSpades]

I think we saw the blueprint for a good postseason run tonight. Lots of Jabari and lots of Rodney. No reason this team can't ride those studs.

Definitely impressed with Paige. He's a player. Best PG in the conference if you ask me. UNC with a good PG is always a scary team.

[brevity]

Cowboy QB Tony Romo on Sports Center, and raving about the experience of a game in Cameron and also Coach K; cool.

Duke Blue Planet (http://dukeblueplanet.com/) has video of Tony Romo and Jason Garrett on the court with Quinn Cook and Jay Williams:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws9dh4X_-Hw#t=17

According to their Instagram page (http://instagram.com/dukeblueplanet), this happened Friday. There's another video (http://instagram.com/p/lQe5emRGap/) there.


Julius Hodge ‏@Follow24Hodge 1h
And you guys thought I was REALLY rooting for UNC? C'monnnn! I've learned whomever I root for during this game loses. I made a choice! #duke

Context:

Julius Hodge ‏@Follow24Hodge 3h
Yeah Leslie!! #gounc

He fake-rooted for UNC because he hoped they'd lose. You can count on a State guy to want Duke to beat UNC, because all State guys are anti-UNC. Julius Hodge is a unique case, though. He's mostly anti-UNC, but his testicles are anti-Wake Forest.


Laura Keeley ‏@laurakeeley 4m
Mike Krzyzewski also stated for the record that he doesn't color his hair. "That's a myth."

I need to start following Laura Keeley. I was following Shannon Spake for a while, or at least until the restraining order.

[JPtheGame]

Really baffled how everyone is so sure that Parker is gone when he's not really sure himself.

Is he ready? Sure. But maybe he wants to stick around...

That said, great effort. The defense wasn't great tonight, but the offense was firing on all cylinders and the rebounding was outstanding. Duke played decent defense early on but UNC would not miss. The sloppy ball handling against the press was troubling, but overall, happy with the W!

Dont say everyone. I have been convinced for some time that Parker will be back. No inside knowledge and admittedly it's a no lose prognostication. However, I feel like Parker is so unique that the common knowledge approach (If player is draftable, player automatically leaves) doesnt apply here. Jahlil signing even though KU made up significant ground late only added to my confidence.

Great win tonight! Nice to see what we will need to see (Parker and Hood both at a high level) if Duke is to advance deep into the tourney.

[Steven43]

Sorry, not sharing in the optimism. Sure, we won and against a streaking UNC team but I saw bad defense, poor decision making late in the game, and shaky inbounding & ballhandling down the stretch.

Still seems like live by the 3/die by the 3 to me.

Otoh, awesome games from Hood & Parker and great FT shooting but I still am not seeing a championship team at the moment.

Is this some kind of a bad joke? Anytime we beat UNC there should be nothing but happy thoughts. You need a reality check. This was UNC!! Don't you get it?

[Steven43]

No surprise Deadspin is already on that:)

Tony Romo And Jason Garrett Are Duke Fans. Of Course They Are.

http://deadspin.com/tony-romo-and-jason-garrett-are-duke-fans-of-course-th-1539622921

I grew up in Texas after age five and I am a Dallas Cowboys fan. My dad used to regale me of stories about Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Joe Dimaggio, etc. and that is why I became a Yankees fan. I watched Duke lose to Kentucky in the NCAA final with Jim Spanarkel, Gene Banks, Mike Gminski et al. That was the genesis of my Duke fandom and I have followed the Blue Devils faithfully ever since. Then my wife went to medical school at Duke and I often got tickets to stand in the grad student section. If I needed my love of Duke cemented (which I did not) that would have done it. The only part of the article that does not fit me is my intense dislike of the Los Angeles Lakers. I am a Boston Celtics fan. I was born in Boston and saw some games at the Garden when I was quite young. So that's it. Cowboys, Yankees, Celtics and Duke. Call me a frontrunner, I guess, but I have legitimate reasons. I didn't just jump on the various bandwagons.

Oh, and I have a new respect for Jason Garrett and Tony Romo. If you missed Tony Romo's interview on the Cameron floor after the game you should check it out Very good stuff.

[brevity]

Sorry, not sharing in the optimism. Sure, we won and against a streaking UNC team but I saw bad defense, poor decision making late in the game, and shaky inbounding & ballhandling down the stretch.

Still seems like live by the 3/die by the 3 to me.

Otoh, awesome games from Hood & Parker and great FT shooting but I still am not seeing a championship team at the moment.


Yep - Jerry Palm will probably will drop Duke down to a #6 seed in his bracket after this


Chris P = Chris Palm, Jerry's long lost son.


What we are reading is someone who cannot savor a win against Carolina.


You are the embodiment of the not-so-old saying, "Every silver lining has a dark gray cloud."


Is this some kind of a bad joke? Anytime we beat UNC there should be nothing but happy thoughts. You need a reality check. This was UNC!! Don't you get it?

Full disclosure: ChrisP is not Chris Palm, but Chris P. Neidermeyer. It's important that he bring these points up now so that he can explain to us that he was right in case Duke loses in the NCAA Tournament.

So sorry to hear of your grandfather, Douglas:

3990

[ice-9]

What a game! I'm so proud of our Duke guys for bouncing back the way they did after Wake Forest. They played like men tonight.

Jabari and Rodney were phenomenal. I had complained before at the beginning of the season that we shouldn't play hero ball so much; that Rodney and Jabari didn't need to do so much offensively; well, after tonight, I think they're ready to play some more hero ball. Jabari in particular...the multitude of ways that he scored was amazing and his defence has improved a lot.

I didn't think our D was that bad. Yes, we did have some breakdowns that led to easy baskets, but against an elite PG like Paige some breakdown is inevitable. Paige was incredible. What a stud. But overall I thought the defence was quite OK -- we forced 13 turnovers and UNC just never seemed to get into a groove offensively despite shooting so well. This was one of those games where the defence looked better to the eyes than it did on paper. Give UNC credit though, they made some big plays too.

Rebounding was key to the game. Even though we didn't shoot well in the first half, we still led by three. Rebounding and generating turnovers were reasons why. Duke is slowly learning that it doesn't need to shoot well to win; it just need to learn to defend and rebound consistently. A lesson I wish we remembered in the Wake game.

Where I differ from most opinions on the board is Marshall and Quinn.

Marshall was paired most of the time with Hairston, and I didn't think this was an effective combo. They just don't command enough attention offensively and UNC was able to sag defenders to the perimeter a bit. We had a tough time getting the offence started when both were in the game, and they didn't rebound or defend well enough to compensate. At least when paired with Hairston, I don't see a case for playing Marshall many minutes. He would probably look better paired with Jabari, but then again so would Jefferson and Hairston, and Coach K seems to prefer playing Parker with Jefferson.

I also didn't think today was Quinn's best game. Yes, he made crucial foul shots, made some key baskets, and yes, he did record 6 assists, but still...he wasn't a great PG tonight. I know that's probably a controversial statement. But he seemed flaky with the ball, didn't make great decisions, was aggressive on taking shots when he should have been more aggressive on penetrating and dishing. I remember this one play where he dribbled the ball too long on the perimeter (with nothing much else happening) and you can see Coach K at the bottom of the screen gesturing wildly for Quinn to pass it to Rodney on the perimeter, and then for someone to set a pick for Rodney to get a play going. So Coach K wanted Rodney to initiate the offence instead of Quinn, and this was way out on the perimeter. When Quinn is at his best, he should be THE guy to fulfil that role. He wasn't that guy tonight.

We looked really bad at the end of the Wake Forest game, but today we looked quite OK. If it wasn't for the Wake game, you'd think Duke is well on its way on an upward trajectory to the 1-seed. Yes, a 19 point lead got whittled down to 12, but don't forget Paige played out of his mind in that stretch, McAdoo was back on the floor and we deliberately played slower and safer to burn clock.

[dukelifer]

Great win by the boys. Cameron was loud and rowdy. Parker was amazing. He and Hood carried Duke and that was good to see. Duke's guard play was poor in the first half. Quinn started to play better in the second and hit some big shots. Still Paige was much better late and put huge pressure on Duke. Without the big cushion I am not sure what would have happened. Still Duke was dominant for most of the second half. Just need to finish much better- but that has been the season to date.

I came away impressed with UNC in that they are able to play in different modes- big and small. But if UNC had PJ- they would have been pretty dominant. UNC's second guard is limited. This UNC team is as good as Paige and the kid was tough down the stretch. There is a little Curry in that guy. I still expect them to make noise in the big tourney unless they play a team with taller, stronger guards who can slow Paige down.

Very happy with the win and hopefully Duke's guard play will be more consistent. The ACC tourney is a good place to get that going.

[lotusland]

I think we saw the blueprint for a good postseason run tonight. Lots of Jabari and lots of Rodney. No reason this team can't ride those studs.

Definitely impressed with Paige. He's a player. Best PG in the conference if you ask me. UNC with a good PG is always a scary team.

yeah Paige>Ennis imo. Any chance he declares for the draft?

[dukelifer]

yeah Paige>Ennis imo. Any chance he declares for the draft?

Not a chance

[lotusland]

What a game! I'm so proud of our Duke guys for bouncing back the way they did after Wake Forest. They played like men tonight.

Jabari and Rodney were phenomenal. I had complained before at the beginning of the season that we shouldn't play hero ball so much; that Rodney and Jabari didn't need to do so much offensively; well, after tonight, I think they're ready to play some more hero ball. Jabari in particular...the multitude of ways that he scored was amazing and his defence has improved a lot.

I didn't think our D was that bad. Yes, we did have some breakdowns that led to easy baskets, but against an elite PG like Paige some breakdown is inevitable. Paige was incredible. What a stud. But overall I thought the defence was quite OK -- we forced 13 turnovers and UNC just never seemed to get into a groove offensively despite shooting so well. This was one of those games where the defence looked better to the eyes than it did on paper. Give UNC credit though, they made some big plays too.

Rebounding was key to the game. Even though we didn't shoot well in the first half, we still led by three. Rebounding and generating turnovers were reasons why. Duke is slowly learning that it doesn't need to shoot well to win; it just need to learn to defend and rebound consistently. A lesson I wish we remembered in the Wake game.

Where I differ from most opinions on the board is Marshall and Quinn.

Marshall was paired most of the time with Hairston, and I didn't think this was an effective combo. They just don't command enough attention offensively and UNC was able to sag defenders to the perimeter a bit. We had a tough time getting the offence started when both were in the game, and they didn't rebound or defend well enough to compensate. At least when paired with Hairston, I don't see a case for playing Marshall many minutes. He would probably look better paired with Jabari, but then again so would Jefferson and Hairston, and Coach K seems to prefer playing Parker with Jefferson.

I also didn't think today was Quinn's best game. Yes, he made crucial foul shots, made some key baskets, and yes, he did record 6 assists, but still...he wasn't a great PG tonight. I know that's probably a controversial statement. But he seemed flaky with the ball, didn't make great decisions, was aggressive on taking shots when he should have been more aggressive on penetrating and dishing. I remember this one play where he dribbled the ball too long on the perimeter (with nothing much else happening) and you can see Coach K at the bottom of the screen gesturing wildly for Quinn to pass it to Rodney on the perimeter, and then for someone to set a pick for Rodney to get a play going. So Coach K wanted Rodney to initiate the offence instead of Quinn, and this was way out on the perimeter. When Quinn is at his best, he should be THE guy to fulfil that role. He wasn't that guy tonight.

We looked really bad at the end of the Wake Forest game, but today we looked quite OK. If it wasn't for the Wake game, you'd think Duke is well on its way on an upward trajectory to the 1-seed. Yes, a 19 point lead got whittled down to 12, but don't forget Paige played out of his mind in that stretch, McAdoo was back on the floor and we deliberately played slower and safer to burn clock.

all good points. I think the purpose of playing josh and mp3 , whether together or separate, is to keep parker, hood and Jefferson out of foul trouble. Mp3 also adds energy and can be a rim protector although not so much last night. Agree cook displayed his flaws but I think it is big that he's gotten his mojo back on offense. We need Quinn, tt and sheed to knock down shots to keep the defense honest. I do hope I never see see the ball in-bounded to Quinn running towards the corner against the press again though.

[duke96]

McAdoo should start the game with 1 foul in the books just for that scruffy beard.

Now that their little win streak is over, I suspect he will be shaving it!

[Saratoga2]

I expected coach K to start the seniors and I expected to be down with them in the game but it turned out they were fired up and built a nice lead. Once we went to our staters the game played more evenly in the first have with Macadoo causing us problems and Meeks not up to par. Jabari and Hood both were in a leadership role and that expanded as the night went on. UNC really didn't have much inside presence and were playing smaller, which allowed Jabari and Amile to be effective around the boards. Jabari was just incredible, nothing more to say. His best game at Duke on an overall basis and Rodney was also just about unstoppable.

Quinn played better tonight although too darn much dribbling and two plays in a row where we ran out the shot clock without getting a shot. He did hit his free throws which was big for us. Some of the old nemisis of driving into double and triple teams but not as much tonight. Poor handling of the press was there as well and silly fouls, paricularly by our guards. I know Paige is good, but could Matt have done at least a job to partly slow him down? Paige is quick and has a nice shot, but having him dribble the length of the floor and score in a few seconds was just poor defense.

Against some teams we will not get a huge cushion in rebounding, nor will we hit such a high percentage of our free throws. We need to play with the fire we had tonight but we also have to do a much better job of defending. Matt is there and no doubt Marshall will be needed against the bigger teams. Perhaps a little less of the pairing of Tyler and Quinn would also help.

[NYBri]

If Jabari leaves after this year, and I suspect he will, nice going away present for the craZies.

Looked like he grew up last night. Grabbing Sheed and getting him to focus was great to see.

And rebounding. Great job.

[BD80]

What's wrong with Meeks?

Same thing that was wrong with Marshall, didn't fit with what his coach was looking for in that particular game.

The carowhina boo-hoos about JMM foul issues are amusing. As if carolina missed his rebounding (ZERO) - whereas Brice Johnson played like a beast.


yeah Paige>Ennis imo. Any chance he declares for the draft?

Paige sure looked like a lottery pick to me.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Defense is more than just field goal percentage. We forced a ton of turnovers in the first half and we were spectaculat in the boards. It is really rare to shoot 42% vs 60% in a half of basketball, and still be ahead.

That isn't getting lucky, that is doing all the little things.

I am really pleased to defend home court, beat those Holes, and end the regular season on a high note. My hope is that this is the beginning of Parker taking over in a leadership role. Leadership has been our biggest vacuum all season, and the time to elevate is now!

Go Duke! Win out!

[TruBlu]

Also, our D for the first 32 minutes of the game held UNC to 1.1 points per possession, about the same as they usually score (1.09). After that, it looked like we were playing not to foul, and maybe lost concentration for a bit, but since we had a 19 point lead, playing not to foul may have been a strategic decision, rather than a failure of defense.


We did play some matador defense in the closing minutes, allowing Paige to score a few baskets unimpeded. I would prefer that we at least show a little defense in instances like this. In addition to a few bad ball-handling errors, this almost let them back into the game, when they had no business being that close.

[TruBlu]

Laura Keeley ‏@laurakeeley 4m
Mike Krzyzewski also stated for the record that he doesn't color his hair. "That's a myth."

He may not color his hair . . . maybe someone else (his wife or stylist) does.

[AtlDuke72]

No, I am not super confident after the game we gacked up at Wake, actually. And thanks for telling me what to do.

Sorry, didn't realize there was a board rule about calling it like you see it and being a realist. My bad.

No rules I just think that most of us have heard enough from you.

[Troublemaker]

I expected coach K to start the seniors and I expected to be down with them in the game but it turned out they were fired up and built a nice lead.

It wasn't just being fired up and playing above themselves or anything like that. Each of the three seniors brings something to the basketball court. They didn't do anything out of the ordinary for them.


UNC really didn't have much inside presence and were playing smaller, which allowed Jabari and Amile to be effective around the boards.

UNC didn't allow anything; Duke went and took. I guess people aren't aware that even though Meeks starts for UNC, Brice Johnson plays more minutes than him on a regular basis. In fact, Meeks actually played the same amount of minutes against Duke as he did in his last game against Notre Dame. Perhaps he was slowed by some illness, but 95% of the credit for Duke's rebounding margin should go to the fight our players showed, not because UNC played smaller. This is not to say we should always expect to outrebound them by 14, but we can be competitive on the boards with this team.


Perhaps a little less of the pairing of Tyler and Quinn would also help.

Worst catchphrase since "Show me the money!"?

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

We did play some matador defense in the closing minutes, allowing Paige to score a few baskets unimpeded. I would prefer that we at least show a little defense in instances like this. In addition to a few bad ball-handling errors, this almost let them back into the game, when they had no business being that close.
K was specific in pointing out that we were really trying to protect against the three and willing to trade 2 PT shots for 2 FTs if we had to. Worked out quite well I'd say.

[Emerrick]

My hope is that this is the beginning of Parker taking over in a leadership role. Leadership has been our biggest vacuum all season, and the time to elevate is now!

Go Duke! Win out!

As I thought about the loss to Wake as well as other less spectacular games, this point is the crux of our problems. We just don't have a true court leader. Parker may have changed that. As was pointed out earlier, he was focused on getting his team together on huddles (sheed example) which is one sign of a court leader. I'd rather see it in our point guards, but I just don't see it happening. If Parker and Hood can play like they did last night, we've got a great chance. If one or both of them can emerge as leaders, March will be a fun month. I can't describe how disappointed I was about the Wake game. Alternatively, I can't describe how excited I am about this win. A season of big highs and big lows. One game doesn't do it, but hopefully a leader will emerge through the ACC tourney and take us to Texas. Time to get focused and win out!

Oh, and Dawkins, just shoot it. Don't hesitate, just shoot! Hesitation is your enemy! (I love that kid - hoping for a great rest of season for him). Whatever happens, I'm going to miss him the most.

[gotoguy]

K was specific in pointing out that we were really trying to protect against the three and willing to trade 2 PT shots for 2 FTs if we had to. Worked out quite well I'd say.

Agree but I would have felt a bit less uncomfortable has we avoided a few of those end of game turnovers against the press by Cook and Sulaimon. Another thing to work on this week in practice and improve just as we were so much more effective last night attacking their zone than we were in Chapel Hill.

[gumbomoop]

Brice Johnson played like a beast.... Paige sure looked like a lottery pick to me.

I suppose Johnson, like most players, can be inconsistent; but when he's [pretty often] on, he's effective, with a strong go-to shot close to basket, their second best player, surpassing McAdoo, whom I badly overpraised a couple of years ago as UNC's "next great player." I was wrong about how good McAdoo would be, as several posters correctly told me.

Turns out UNC's next great player was/is Paige, with whom I began to be very impressed halfway through last season. I thought EK posters were underestimating him then, but I didn't imagine, more than a year ago, that he'd turn out this good. Unfortunately.

I've posted intermittently my view that, especially for perimeter players, a solid handle is the single most important physical ability. Paige's is way more than solid. Rasheed especially.] Paige has other sterling qualities: (1) super hops, sproing-boing level, out of nowhere, because opponents haven't noticed; (2) excellent body control, most noticeable when he's moving very fast with great handle, and then creates space for soft jumper; (3) quickness [handle + court space-sense] to get to rim for surprising lay-up over much taller opponent or dish to teammate for dunk.

As to lottery pick, I'd be [pleasantly] shocked should he declare. I don't follow NBA, but, for all Paige's strengths, strength probably isn't yet one of them. I'll be interested to see whether, in the NCAAT, Paige comes up against a physically strong and quick defender, on a smart defensive team. Unlikely UNC can get far unless Paige controls the game. Gotta limit Paige, but hard to do.

[roywhite]

K was specific in pointing out that we were really trying to protect against the three and willing to trade 2 PT shots for 2 FTs if we had to. Worked out quite well I'd say.

There's Coach K using that darn arithmetic thing again. No wonder people think he's some sort of diabolical, hair-dyed wizard.

[Duke95]

Paige is a stud. Great player. Reminds me of Hubert Davis a bit.

[18258]

agreed about Paige, he 's pretty much unstoppable, seems to works ball screens as well as anyone Ive seen in awhile, I absolutlelyl loved our rebounding last night, they had a will, desire or whatever you call it

[roywhite]

Paige is a stud. Great player. Reminds me of Hubert Davis a bit.

Really? I don't see that -- Hubert was a good player, but pretty much a jump shooter as I recall.

Paige comparison? I don't want to go totally nuts, but Paige reminds me some of Johnny Dawkins: similar body types, not tall but long, left-handers, can drive and dish, drive and finish, pull up, or shoot from distance, capable of taking a game over, and can run all day. Gets steals on defense and can take a ball the length of the court.

[Duke95]

Really? I don't see that -- Hubert was a good player, but pretty much a jump shooter as I recall.

Paige comparison? I don't want to go totally nuts, but Paige reminds me some of Johnny Dawkins: similar body types, not tall but long, left-handers, can drive and dish, drive and finish, pull up, or shoot from distance, capable of taking a game over, and can run all day. Gets steals on defense and can take a ball the length of the court.

You missed the "a bit" part. I was referring to the quick jump shooting ability.

[Billy Dat]

Paige is a stud. Great player. Reminds me of Hubert Davis a bit.

Is Paige becoming one of the Heels that its hard to dislike even as he is ripping your heart out? This team seems to like really unlikable players along the Ginyard, Frasor, Beaker, Cota axis.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Is Paige becoming one of the Heels that its hard to dislike even as he is ripping your heart out? This team seems to like really unlikable players along the Ginyard, Frasor, Beaker, Cota axis.

I had the distinct pleasure of watching last night's game with 5 Heels fans. I noted (to myself, of course) that this really is a difficult team to not like. I don't mean to describe them as lovable scamps, but they just don't seem hate worthy. Maybe because the clear person to hate (PJ) has been, ahem, removed from the equation. And also (please don't tell) I do respect the way that they rallied themselves once it was clear PJ wasn't coming back.

To be clear, I will continue to root against them with all my heart and soul, but this year's team doesn't have that one or two guys that just make my skin crawl then I see their visages on the TV. That horrible color blue does still churn my stomach though.

Regardless, I will relish the chance to whoop them one more time next weekend, should the opportunity arise.

[roywhite]

I had the distinct pleasure of watching last night's game with 5 Heels fans. I noted (to myself, of course) that this really is a difficult team to not like. I don't mean to describe them as lovable scamps, but they just don't seem hate worthy. Maybe because the clear person to hate (PJ) has been, ahem, removed from the equation. And also (please don't tell) I do respect the way that they rallied themselves once it was clear PJ wasn't coming back.

To be clear, I will continue to root against them with all my heart and soul, but this year's team doesn't have that one or two guys that just make my skin crawl then I see their visages on the TV. That horrible color blue does still churn my stomach though.

Regardless, I will relish the chance to whoop them one more time next weekend, should the opportunity arise.

Well, let's not too carried away. Seeing McAdoo on my TV is not a pleasant sight.

And how about the elbow to Jabari's face one time on a change of possession after a score? Like to see that again, and I know Coach K was not happy; he was on the officials calling for a review and possible technical foul. Really not sure which UNC player was involved or if it was intentional. Anyone with more info on that play?

[ChrisP]

The fact is that Duke won mr Debbie downer...

OMG, I almost - ALMOST - forgot how very sensitive some on this board are. It's like if I don't say I think Coach K can walk on water that I'm a pessimistic jerk. Yes, Duke won and I'm really, really, really happy about the win. Great performances by Hood & Parker. In fact, Parker's was one for the ages. I hate UNC and want to beat them by 40 every time we step on the court (or field). But facts are facts and the FACT is we did force some turnovers early in both halves but...when we didn't, UNC scored at a very high clip.

Another poster here tried to twist my words and claim that I obviously felt Duke was lucky to win. I NEVER said that - mainly because I never thought that. I do wonder what would have happened if Meeks hadn't been slowed by a stomach bug and McAdoo by serious foul trouble AND we hadn't made 60% of our 3's in the second half.

Look, I am not one of those Duke fans who thinks the season is a disappointment if we don't win the national championship. I will admit that it's my problem and my fault that I had very high expectations for this team. I own that and take responsibility for the fact that I have certain ideas about how good we could be with all of the ridiculous talent we have on our roster. And I'm bummed that it's March, the regular season is over, and we still don't seem to have that killer instinct great teams have. We were up 19 in the 2nd half last night and then committed some dumb, needless fouls AND looked shaky against UNC's press - and don't forget, Carolina missed a couple chippies when they ripped it out of our guys' hands that could have made the game closer than it was. But I absolutely think we were (and are) the better team and deserved to win.

I swear, some people act like any kind of criticism around here is blasphemy and then get all up on their high horses to tell others to "give it a rest" and I'm tired of it. You don't have to agree with me and I don't have to agree with you, but please, please don't tell me how I should feel or put words in my mouth or devalue my opinion because it doesn't match yours.

[pfrduke]

Well, let's not too carried away. Seeing McAdoo on my TV is not a pleasant sight.

And how about the elbow to Jabari's face one time on a change of possession after a score? Like to see that again, and I know Coach K was not happy; he was on the officials calling for a review and possible technical foul. Really not sure which UNC player was involved or if it was intentional. Anyone with more info on that play?

It was Brice Johnson and it didn't look intentional (not that intent matters in terms of whether a technical should have been assessed)

[A-Tex Devil]

Did I hear LMFAO piped in during a second half timeout? Or was that completely crowd generated. If former, let's just play Zombie Nation, too, wear black and gold and call ourselves Wake Forest. If latter.... Meh. /generationalcrabbiness

Sorry if I missed this in another thread.

[devilnfla]

I had the distinct pleasure of watching last night's game with 5 Heels fans. I noted (to myself, of course) that this really is a difficult team to not like. I don't mean to describe them as lovable scamps, but they just don't seem hate worthy. Maybe because the clear person to hate (PJ) has been, ahem, removed from the equation. And also (please don't tell) I do respect the way that they rallied themselves once it was clear PJ wasn't coming back.

To be clear, I will continue to root against them with all my heart and soul, but this year's team doesn't have that one or two guys that just make my skin crawl then I see their visages on the TV. That horrible color blue does still churn my stomach though.

Regardless, I will relish the chance to whoop them one more time next weekend, should the opportunity arise.

Just watching the facial expressions of McDonald, Johnson (who reminds me of Henson) and Tokoto are enough to keep my distain for the holes, not to mention the fact that McAdoo feels he's never committed a foul before. There's plenty of reasons to hate this version of holes!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

OMG, I almost - ALMOST - forgot how very sensitive some on this board are. It's like if I don't say I think Coach K can walk on water that I'm a pessimistic jerk. Yes, Duke won and I'm really, really, really happy about the win. Great performances by Hood & Parker. In fact, Parker's was one for the ages. I hate UNC and want to beat them by 40 every time we step on the court (or field). But facts are facts and the FACT is we did force some turnovers early in both halves but...when we didn't, UNC scored at a very high clip.

Another poster here tried to twist my words and claim that I obviously felt Duke was lucky to win. I NEVER said that - mainly because I never thought that. I do wonder what would have happened if Meeks hadn't been slowed by a stomach bug and McAdoo by serious foul trouble AND we hadn't made 60% of our 3's in the second half.

Look, I am not one of those Duke fans who thinks the season is a disappointment if we don't win the national championship. I will admit that it's my problem and my fault that I had very high expectations for this team. I own that and take responsibility for the fact that I have certain ideas about how good we could be with all of the ridiculous talent we have on our roster. And I'm bummed that it's March, the regular season is over, and we still don't seem to have that killer instinct great teams have. We were up 19 in the 2nd half last night and then committed some dumb, needless fouls AND looked shaky against UNC's press - and don't forget, Carolina missed a couple chippies when they ripped it out of our guys' hands that could have made the game closer than it was. But I absolutely think we were (and are) the better team and deserved to win.

I swear, some people act like any kind of criticism around here is blasphemy and then get all up on their high horses to tell others to "give it a rest" and I'm tired of it. You don't have to agree with me and I don't have to agree with you, but please, please don't tell me how I should feel or put words in my mouth or devalue my opinion because it doesn't match yours.

There was plenty of criticism all over the place after the Wake game. I think what you are encountering is that people are reluctant to listen as someone beats the drum of gloom and doom after winning the 33rd straight game at home, breaking a 12 game winning streak for one of the hottest teams in the country, and (of course) beating our rival. Additionally, I'm confused by how you think we won the game due to streaky three point shooting when we shot 35% for the game. Saying "yeah, but you hit several in the second half" just ignores why they call them "percentages" and "averages." It's not a snap shot. We shot below our average for the game, scrapped like heck at loose balls, rebounds, turnovers, and beat back a potential comeback against a very good team.

Don't be surprised if people have relatively little tolerance for your "yeah, but" attitude today. We all know that in order to extend our season, we need to play top-notch ball for the rest of the season. I'd wager that if we play like we did last night, I like our odds against just about anyone.

Great win. Go Duke.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

It was Brice Johnson and it didn't look intentional (not that intent matters in terms of whether a technical should have been assessed)

One of the ESPN videos on their website shows the play. It is a quick look, and they spend more time chattering about Coach K asking for the foul than discussing the play itself. Didn't seem egregious to me.

[kshepinthehouse]

One of the ESPN videos on their website shows the play. It is a quick look, and they spend more time chattering about Coach K asking for the foul than discussing the play itself. Didn't seem egregious to me.

Still should have been reviewed.

[Kdogg]

Now that their little win streak is over, I suspect he will be shaving it!

For old(er) timers: Was he channeling Rasheed Wallace with the hair and beard?

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Still should have been reviewed.

I don't disagree.

[OldSchool]

Julius Hodge ‏@Follow24Hodge 3h
Yeah Leslie!! #gounc

He fake-rooted for UNC because he hoped they'd lose. You can count on a State guy to want Duke to beat UNC, because all State guys are anti-UNC. Julius Hodge is a unique case, though. He's mostly anti-UNC, but his testicles are anti-Wake Forest.

So even though whomever he roots for loses, Julius Hodge managed to outsmart fate to get us the win? That's like solving Epimenides' paradox! Thanks, Julius!

[Kedsy]

Is Paige becoming one of the Heels that its hard to dislike even as he is ripping your heart out? This team seems to like really unlikable players along the Ginyard, Frasor, Beaker, Cota axis.

What was wrong with Frasor? Other than the school he opted to attend?

[MCFinARL]

What was wrong with Frasor? Other than the school he opted to attend?

The only thing I didn't like about Frasor was the way he always seemed to shoot lights out against Duke. (And no, I haven't checked the stats, that's just my impression.)

[rsvman]

Just acomment about something I haven't seen talked about much in this thread, and then my commentary about "stall ball."


1) Much improved hedging. Although Paige split the hedge a few times, overall I thought our hedging was better than usual in this game. Specifically, I thought Parker's hedging was noticeably better. It's like he was channelling Marshall. Among all the other things he did right that were much more obvious, I think it's important to give credit where credit is due. Hedging isn't sexy, but when you do it correctly, it's really important. Marshall is still clearly our best hedger, but I thought Jabari really stepped up this aspect of his game last night.

2) "Stall ball." I saw a couple of comments in this thread about how stall ball almost lost us the game or how, if it weren't for stall ball, we would've won by 20. With regard to the latter comment, I'd like to say this: "Or, we might've lost the game."
Near the end of the game, Paige was virtually unstoppable. The amount of time it took Carolina from inbounding the ball to shooting at the basket was generally about 5 seconds. If we kept pushing the tempo, we might've scored over 100 and won by 20, provided that we continued to make a very high percentage of our shots. But if, perchance, our shooting began to revert to the mean, we might've found ourselves in an even tighter game, because we would've given Carolina a lot more possessions. Those possessions, as mentioned above, were quick and productive.

I was a critic of "stall ball" for a long time, too, until a few years ago when I decided to keep close track of it. For an entire season I had a notebook and I wrote down what the lead was and how much time was left in the game when we went to the slow down. I then recorded the final outcome of the game, including the point spread. What I learned by doing this is that stall ball looks bad, but isn't bad. It works. It worked last night, too.

[OldSchool]

Duke Blue Planet has video of Tony Romo and Jason Garrett on the court with Quinn Cook and Jay Williams

Romo's jump shot isn't bad!

I admit I was worried about the karma when Dre threw an interception to a Carolina player with under 2 minutes left in the game. But Jabari stepped up and kept them out of the end zone, um I mean, protected the rim!

[Channing]

I had the distinct pleasure of watching last night's game with 5 Heels fans. I noted (to myself, of course) that this really is a difficult team to not like. I don't mean to describe them as lovable scamps, but they just don't seem hate worthy. Maybe because the clear person to hate (PJ) has been, ahem, removed from the equation. And also (please don't tell) I do respect the way that they rallied themselves once it was clear PJ wasn't coming back.

To be clear, I will continue to root against them with all my heart and soul, but this year's team doesn't have that one or two guys that just make my skin crawl then I see their visages on the TV. That horrible color blue does still churn my stomach though.

Regardless, I will relish the chance to whoop them one more time next weekend, should the opportunity arise.

I can't stand Brice Johnson. I haven't disliked a heel as much as him in a long long time.

[OldPhiKap]

Just acomment about something I haven't seen talked about much in this thread, and then my commentary about "stall ball."


1) Much improved hedging. Although Paige split the hedge a few times, overall I thought our hedging was better than usual in this game. Specifically, I thought Parker's hedging was noticeably better. It's like he was channelling Marshall. Among all the other things he did right that were much more obvious, I think it's important to give credit where credit is due. Hedging isn't sexy, but when you do it correctly, it's really important. Marshall is still clearly our best hedger, but I thought Jabari really stepped up this aspect of his game last night.

2) "Stall ball." I saw a couple of comments in this thread about how stall ball almost lost us the game or how, if it weren't for stall ball, we would've won by 20. With regard to the latter comment, I'd like to say this: "Or, we might've lost the game."
Near the end of the game, Paige was virtually unstoppable. The amount of time it took Carolina from inbounding the ball to shooting at the basket was generally about 5 seconds. If we kept pushing the tempo, we might've scored over 100 and won by 20, provided that we continued to make a very high percentage of our shots. But if, perchance, our shooting began to revert to the mean, we might've found ourselves in an even tighter game, because we would've given Carolina a lot more possessions. Those possessions, as mentioned above, were quick and productive.

I was a critic of "stall ball" for a long time, too, until a few years ago when I decided to keep close track of it. For an entire season I had a notebook and I wrote down what the lead was and how much time was left in the game when we went to the slow down. I then recorded the final outcome of the game, including the point spread. What I learned by doing this is that stall ball looks bad, but isn't bad. It works. It worked last night, too.

Wholly agree. And as to stall ball, we ran it to perfection last night and it clearly helped keep Carolina at bay.

[freshmanjs]

Wholly agree. And as to stall ball, we ran it to perfection last night and it clearly helped keep Carolina at bay.

i'm not sure having 2 key possessions end in shot clock violations is running it to perfection.

[dyedwab]

Just acomment about something I haven't seen talked about much in this thread, and then my commentary about "stall ball."


2) "Stall ball." I saw a couple of comments in this thread about how stall ball almost lost us the game or how, if it weren't for stall ball, we would've won by 20. With regard to the latter comment, I'd like to say this: "Or, we might've lost the game."
Near the end of the game, Paige was virtually unstoppable. The amount of time it took Carolina from inbounding the ball to shooting at the basket was generally about 5 seconds. If we kept pushing the tempo, we might've scored over 100 and won by 20, provided that we continued to make a very high percentage of our shots. But if, perchance, our shooting began to revert to the mean, we might've found ourselves in an even tighter game, because we would've given Carolina a lot more possessions. Those possessions, as mentioned above, were quick and productive.

I was a critic of "stall ball" for a long time, too, until a few years ago when I decided to keep close track of it. For an entire season I had a notebook and I wrote down what the lead was and how much time was left in the game when we went to the slow down. I then recorded the final outcome of the game, including the point spread. What I learned by doing this is that stall ball looks bad, but isn't bad. It works. It worked last night, too.

The issue with stall ball, as it always is, is the execution. Having two empty possessions because of shot clock violations tends to exacerbate the tendencies to look at how bad it is. But, as you point out, even empty 35 second possession in a game like this reduces the number of available possessions for a team to mount a comeback. But, with a team that has some decision-making problems on offense to begin with, stall ball just made it look worse.

That said, one aspect that is part and parcel of stall ball is making foul shouts. And last night we did that....our last 16 points came from the foul line....That's crucial going forward.

[BD80]

... For an entire season I had a notebook and I wrote down what the lead was and how much time was left in the game when we went to the slow down. ...

Less than 10 minutes left, with a lead greater than the number of minutes left?

[Olympic Fan]

I agree with all the love for Paige -- he's emerged as a great player after a pretty mediocre freshman year.

But I don't think he's the best point guard in the league -- because he's more of a shooting guard that sometimes plays the point.

UNC is at its best offensively when Nate Britt is at the point and Paige is strictly a shooting guard -- that's when he went off against Duke late. Earlier, when Paige was at the point, he was so focused on distribution that he couldn't generate his own shot.

Ennis is a much better playmaker ... Paige is a better player and a better guard, but Ennis is a better point guard.

[Kedsy]

The only thing I didn't like about Frasor was the way he always seemed to shoot lights out against Duke. (And no, I haven't checked the stats, that's just my impression.)

All right, you forced me to look it up. In his senior year, in the game at Duke, Frasor shot 3 for 4 from three against us. In the other five games he played against Duke, he shot 10 for 24 (42%) against us, 3 for 7 from three-land (43%). So it was more like one game than always, but he did a decent percentage of his threes against us.

[MCFinARL]

All right, you forced me to look it up. In his senior year, in the game at Duke, Frasor shot 3 for 4 from three against us. In the other five games he played against Duke, he shot 10 for 24 (42%) against us, 3 for 7 from three-land (43%). So it was more like one game than always, but he did a decent percentage of his threes against us.

That senior year one is probably the one I'm remembering. I will note, though, that I have now looked up his career stats--36.3% overall and 30.7% from 3. So we did, apparently, get some of his better work overall. What surprises me the most is that your statistics seem to show that he never hit a 3 against Duke except in that one game--I would not have guessed that.

[rsvman]

Less than 10 minutes left, with a lead greater than the number of minutes left?

No, I don't think this is correct.

That notebook has long since been thrown away, or I would go check to make sure. My feeling is that generally he waits quite a bit longer than the 10-minute mark to start (usually) and I had the distinct impression that the decision was more situational than algorithmic.

But, as always, I reserve the right to be completely incorrect. ;-)

[MCFinARL]

No, I don't think this is correct.

That notebook has long since been thrown away, or I would go check to make sure. My feeling is that generally he waits quite a bit longer than the 10-minute mark to start (usually) and I had the distinct impression that the decision was more situational than algorithmic.

But, as always, I reserve the right to be completely incorrect. ;-)

A man's assertions should exceed his knowledge, or what's an internet for? :D

[NashvilleDevil]

OMG, I almost - ALMOST - forgot how very sensitive some on this board are. It's like if I don't say I think Coach K can walk on water that I'm a pessimistic jerk. Yes, Duke won and I'm really, really, really happy about the win. Great performances by Hood & Parker. In fact, Parker's was one for the ages. I hate UNC and want to beat them by 40 every time we step on the court (or field). But facts are facts and the FACT is we did force some turnovers early in both halves but...when we didn't, UNC scored at a very high clip.

Another poster here tried to twist my words and claim that I obviously felt Duke was lucky to win. I NEVER said that - mainly because I never thought that. I do wonder what would have happened if Meeks hadn't been slowed by a stomach bug and McAdoo by serious foul trouble AND we hadn't made 60% of our 3's in the second half.

Look, I am not one of those Duke fans who thinks the season is a disappointment if we don't win the national championship. I will admit that it's my problem and my fault that I had very high expectations for this team. I own that and take responsibility for the fact that I have certain ideas about how good we could be with all of the ridiculous talent we have on our roster. And I'm bummed that it's March, the regular season is over, and we still don't seem to have that killer instinct great teams have. We were up 19 in the 2nd half last night and then committed some dumb, needless fouls AND looked shaky against UNC's press - and don't forget, Carolina missed a couple chippies when they ripped it out of our guys' hands that could have made the game closer than it was. But I absolutely think we were (and are) the better team and deserved to win.

I swear, some people act like any kind of criticism around here is blasphemy and then get all up on their high horses to tell others to "give it a rest" and I'm tired of it. You don't have to agree with me and I don't have to agree with you, but please, please don't tell me how I should feel or put words in my mouth or devalue my opinion because it doesn't match yours.

No, what people were upset about is you waited all of 5 minutes to criticize after a big win against Carolina. As one poster noted you've set yourself up nicely for the "I told you so" posts whenever Duke loses again.

[sagegrouse]

That senior year one is probably the one I'm remembering. I will note, though, that I have now looked up his career stats--36.3% overall and 30.7% from 3. So we did, apparently, get some of his better work overall. What surprises me the most is that your statistics seem to show that he never hit a 3 against Duke except in that one game--I would not have guessed that.

I think you misread the previous post: I believe it was 3-4 in one game and 3-7 from three-point range the OTHER five games.

[BD80]

... you've set yourself up nicely for the "I told you so" posts whenever Duke loses again.

2016? (It might take the 2015 class some time to gel)

[NashvilleDevil]

2016? (It might take the 2015 class some time to gel)

I think you're right. I look forward to ChrisP's post when that happens.

[NashvilleDevil]

One thing I I haven't seen mentioned. Props to Josh for scoring a basket in his last home game, on a nifty move too, and for taking one of his patented 17 footers.

[MCFinARL]

I think you misread the previous post: I believe it was 3-4 in one game and 3-7 from three-point range the OTHER five games.

Oh, that makes more sense. I think the time change has addled my mind. (Any excuse I can think of.)

[FerryFor50]

I think you're right. I look forward to ChrisP's post when that happens.

Over / under on ChrisP calling for Matt Jones to start over Tyus?

[devildeac]

I would like to be Arizona's #2 in the West for those reasons. They have capitalized on a weak schedule and weak conference. I also would wouldn't mind being Wichita St.'s #2 in whatever region they're in for the same reasons.

Granted, it was a long time ago in a land far, far away, but I didn't like our last trip out to the West Regional vs 'Zona. But, payback can be a b*tch if we get another chance.

[Kedsy]

That senior year one is probably the one I'm remembering. I will note, though, that I have now looked up his career stats--36.3% overall and 30.7% from 3. So we did, apparently, get some of his better work overall. What surprises me the most is that your statistics seem to show that he never hit a 3 against Duke except in that one game--I would not have guessed that.

Sorry, I guess I didn't make it clear. He played 6 games against Duke, went 3 for 4 in one game (all threes) and 10 for 24 in the other five games (3-7 from three), so his career against us was 13 for 28 (46.4%), including 6 for 11 from three (45.5%). My point was he only shot lights out against us once, while the other five he was mediocre.

[greybeard]

very impressed with tempo off the bounce and into shots. Very little rush, no sense of I need to blast past, out quick, over power, good change of speeds. Thought Dawkins looked wonderful those first few scores, like he owned people, then on one or two jump shots they were not on his terms, shot from a step or two further with a ting of rush, but then found his terms. Rasheed was terrific in terms of tempo. Very impressed to see attempted finish that drew foul when he slowed as approached front of rim from penetration from out front left.

Hood's ability to stay organized, unhurried on the move, then use unusual cadence, a backwards one-two step (backwards meaning, instead of right left elevate, a left stab right elevate) to jump shot, have the organization to change timing, angle and trajectory of sweeping left hook like finishes, is really remarkable. I don't think that this guy interjects words that stultify perception-decision-action continuum. He is pure, with an intelligence that manifests in amazingly elegant, sensible, and effective performance. Very, very rare. People will analyze such a talent in many different ways, blind men and the camel. I think it the purist manifestation of being very intelligent; must be extraordinary to navigate in the world the way he does. No SAT to measure that. What am I saying, no SAT to measure anything, right?:eek:

[NashvilleDevil]

Over / under on ChrisP calling for Matt Jones to start over Tyus?

After the Blue/White game

[CDu]

Well, let's not too carried away. Seeing McAdoo on my TV is not a pleasant sight.

And how about the elbow to Jabari's face one time on a change of possession after a score? Like to see that again, and I know Coach K was not happy; he was on the officials calling for a review and possible technical foul. Really not sure which UNC player was involved or if it was intentional. Anyone with more info on that play?

Brice Johnson, and it looked intentional.

[greybeard]

Thought that taking the senior line up into a platoon system for the first half is the stuff of legend, should go down in Duke lore. The General giving three seniors a chance to go out competing together, not just for a moment, but for real, against UNC, in a game that was perhaps more than usual was so important to win, putting Hairston, Thornton, out there with Plumlee to comprise an improbably plodding trio on the court against thorough breads, Roy's starters, was stirring.

Then, Hood and Parker, after K says that is what he needs, that is what he is after, both go off, in what probably is a senior night for them.

Well, if it get's any better, please do send a wire.

[devildeac]

From wralsportsfan:

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/talking-points-parker-hood-topple-heels/13463169/

Be sure to scroll down to #5 and the photo that follows;).

Heh-heh.

[Acymetric]

Brice Johnson, and it looked intentional.

I couldn't tell if it was intentional or not but I don't get why the refs wouldn't look at it. Even more puzzling, the announcers were talking about it and showing the replay like they were going to take a second look, but it cuts away like a second or two before the contact was made! Flip the script on that one and its replayed like ten times over the course of the game in slow motion from 50 different angles. That said...

GO TO CLASS CAROLINA GO TO CLASS!

[devildeac]

3991

Anyone recognize those two rogues with their over-sized mugs displayed among the Crazies;)?

[FerryFor50]

I couldn't tell if it was intentional or not but I don't get why the refs wouldn't look at it. Even more puzzling, the announcers were talking about it and showing the replay like they were going to take a second look, but it cuts away like a second or two before the contact was made! Flip the script on that one and its replayed like ten times over the course of the game in slow motion from 50 different angles. That said...

GO TO CLASS CAROLINA GO TO CLASS!

Johnson had his elbow up in a very unnatural position. No reason for it other than to make contact.

[Acymetric]

3991

Anyone recognize those two rogues with their over-sized mugs displayed among the Crazies;)?

Glad they managed to sneak those past stadium staff somehow!

[oakvillebluedevil]

Taking a step back from the details for a minute, last night just reminded me how unbelievably lucky we are to be a part of this. Having a game where people are this invested, the players are this good, there's always so much on the line - it's pretty incredible.

Most little things have been covered - couple of random points I'd like to add:

Overall was great to see how confidently our team was letting the threes go last night. Great rhythm stepping into shots with no hesitation. After the past few shooting games we've had, that shows some real mental toughness.

As great as Jabari is, one area where he can definitely improve is in the post. He has a great first move (typically a drop step baseline), but no reliable counter. Rather than always but his head down and try to hook around folks, would love to see him dip that way, but then slide step back to the middle for a little hook shot. Think it could open up a lot of opportunities. Hope he stays around another year to work on it :)

Here's hoping Paige finds a way to move up into the first round and gets out of Chapel Hill...he's as complete a guard as I've seen there in a few years. Not to mention he's just tough.

[tommy]

I don't think that this guy (Hood) interjects words that stultify perception-decision-action continuum.

Oh, I don't think so either. You couldn't be more right about that.

[Native]

3991

Anyone recognize those two rogues with their over-sized mugs displayed among the Crazies;)?

Wink, wink. ;)

[BD80]

Johnson had his elbow up in a very unnatural position. No reason for it other than to make contact.

Looked to me like he was reaching for the ball coming through the net

[FerryFor50]

Looked to me like he was reaching for the ball coming through the net

Who reaches for a ball with their elbow at a 45 degree upward angle?

I don't think he meant to hurt anyone . It was just a weird angle for an elbow to be...

[NYBri]

We did play some matador defense in the closing minutes, allowing Paige to score a few baskets unimpeded. I would prefer that we at least show a little defense in instances like this. In addition to a few bad ball-handling errors, this almost let them back into the game, when they had no business being that close.

Bet K said over and over in the last couple of timeouts, "Don't Foul! Stops the clock and gives them a chance for more."

[OldPhiKap]

Bet K said over and over in the last couple of timeouts, "Don't Foul! Stops the clock and gives them a chance for more."

Especially after TT tapped Paige on the head and gave him a four point play. Major brain fart there.

[NashvilleDevil]

Especially after TT tapped Paige on the head and gave him a four point play. Major brain fart there.

That was the only moment I got nervous they were gonna make it close. Thank goodness for Brice's basket interference the next possession after that I felt it was over.

[OldPhiKap]

That was the only moment I got nervous they were gonna make it close. Thank goodness for Brice's basket interference the next possession after that I felt it was over.

That was a huge call (and the correct one).

[weezie]

What's better than driving up 85/95 with sad north carolinians flipping the bird as a Blu Devl passes?
Oh, well, maybe the Cameron dance craze, "Shake shake shake shake shake shake EVERYBODY!"

[devildeac]

Wink, wink. ;)

I'd say this more resembles the handsome young fellow in the refs shirt just above armpit level of the unc player:

:p

[alteran]

Was going to take a midnight stroll over to IC, but alas, IC is under a scheduled maintenance.

No meltdown watching for me tonight. :(
Seriously, a SCHEDULED maintenance?

Aren't these the tools that screamed that we deliberately dodged them during a freak snow storm?

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

What's better than driving up 85/95 with sad north carolinians flipping the bird as a Blu Devl passes?
Oh, well, maybe the Cameron dance craze, "Shake shake shake shake shake shake EVERYBODY!"
Jeez, I got flipped off driving with my young kids today. Two girls pulled up next to me, must have seen the sticker and then our hats and just flipped us off. I smiled and waved. ;)

[Billy Dat]

What was wrong with Frasor? Other than the school he opted to attend?

He was always pretty outspoken in his dislike for Duke:

http://dubsism.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/why-you-shouldnt-cheer-for-duke-largely-because-thanks-to-lehigh-you-cant-and-mike-krzyzewski-is-a-dick/
“I guess the thing that surprised me the most was you don’t realize how much he curses and how much he’s on the refs all the time,” says former UNC guard Bobby Frasor. “I remember someone telling me about [former Duke player] Taylor King during his freshman year and how he thought his name was ‘motherf'er,’ because that’s how Coach K got his attention. I don’t know how true it is. I mean, he’s a great coach and I’m not going to deny that at all, but the way he handles his players or acts with the refs and media, sometimes it kind of rubs people the wrong way.”

From, "Duke Sucks: A Completely Evenhanded, Unbiased Investigation into the Most Evil Team on Planet Earth"
"Not that dirty play always involves blood. Consider this priceless anecdote from UNC guard Bobby Frasor. Years ago as an eighth grader, Frasor was attending a basketball summer camp.
“Before camp would start all the campers would play. And in 8th grade I was pretty good so I played with some of the older guys,” he says. “We were playing against [current Duke assistant coaches] Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski. And I’m tying my shoe getting ready to play and Wojo throws it into Collins and he goes up for a layup. At the time I didn’t think about, but looking back on it, well, that’s Duke.”

There are more, I just couldn't find them right away. I know as the resident DBR fact checker you like everything to include an annotated bibliography so I tried to oblige.

I also didn't like the look on his face, but the only source for that is this sentence.

[alteran]

Among the many impressive things that Jabari did was his leadership while UNC made their last push. After Rasheed turned the ball over and started complaining to the ref, Jabari grabbed him and pulled him into the huddle and said what I presume to be, "let it go, and let's play some D!" Then Parker stepped up and blocked Paige's shot to end the threat of them cutting the lead to 5. This team has been in dire need of a leader on the court, and it's awesome to see Parker taking on that role.

My video feed kept cutting out throughout the game... can someone tell me (objectively speaking, of course) if any of MacAdoo's fouls were questionable? I know that one of the big stories from the UNC side is going to be that him being in foul trouble was what cost them the game. Do they have a legitimate gripe?
Wow. They got in the bonus with about ten minutes left in both halves on an opponent's home court and STILL have the nerve to whine about officiating?

[alteran]

The announcers said he was under the weather.
He wasn't under the weather. He was scared to play in Cameron.

[MChambers]

Among the many impressive things that Jabari did was his leadership while UNC made their last push. After Rasheed turned the ball over and started complaining to the ref, Jabari grabbed him and pulled him into the huddle and said what I presume to be, "let it go, and let's play some D!" Then Parker stepped up and blocked Paige's shot to end the threat of them cutting the lead to 5. This team has been in dire need of a leader on the court, and it's awesome to see Parker taking on that role.

My video feed kept cutting out throughout the game... can someone tell me (objectively speaking, of course) if any of MacAdoo's fouls were questionable? I know that one of the big stories from the UNC side is going to be that him being in foul trouble was what cost them the game. Do they have a legitimate gripe?

I didn't think any of McAdoo's fouls were the result of questionable officiating, just questionable decisionmaking by McAdoo. McAdoo got away with a fifth foul with 4 or 5 minutes left, setting a moving screen on Rasheed that freed Paige for a three point basket.

The reffing wasn't great, but it was better than in most games I've seen this year, with few questionable calls. Rasheed and Andre seemed not to be able to get a call, for reasons that escaped me.

[Troublemaker]

Frasor actually grew up a Duke fan. As far as I know, we never recruited him seriously. Must've burned. Chicago kid, too. Probably thought he had an in.

[Cell-R]

I just want to re-live that moment with around 14 minutes left in the second half when Rodney hit a 3 to send us into a UNC timeout and a rousing rendition of SHOTS!. Top 5 loudest/craziest moments in Cameron during my college career.

[Saratoga2]

Wholly agree. And as to stall ball, we ran it to perfection last night and it clearly helped keep Carolina at bay.

As I recall, we failed to get a decent shot away twice in a row. That doessn't sound like perfection to me

[dukelifer]

I just want to re-live that moment with around 14 minutes left in the second half when Rodney hit a 3 to send us into a UNC timeout and a rousing rendition of SHOTS!. Top 5 loudest/craziest moments in Cameron during my college career.

That was loud. A great moment by the crazies.

[Acymetric]

As I recall, we failed to get a decent shot away twice in a row. That doessn't sound like perfection to me

That can happen when running a standard offense too...

[alteran]

Well, let's not too carried away. Seeing McAdoo on my TV is not a pleasant sight.

And how about the elbow to Jabari's face one time on a change of possession after a score? Like to see that again, and I know Coach K was not happy; he was on the officials calling for a review and possible technical foul. Really not sure which UNC player was involved or if it was intentional. Anyone with more info on that play?
FWIW, it doesn't matter at all if it was intentional at all, the flagrant is supposed to be automatic from the contact and is reviewable, as I understand it.

[freshmanjs]

That can happen when running a standard offense too...

sure it can. and when it does, that is not "running a standard offense to perfection"

[MCFinARL]

Sorry, I guess I didn't make it clear. He played 6 games against Duke, went 3 for 4 in one game (all threes) and 10 for 24 in the other five games (3-7 from three), so his career against us was 13 for 28 (46.4%), including 6 for 11 from three (45.5%). My point was he only shot lights out against us once, while the other five he was mediocre.

As noted above, it's quite likely your post was clear and my reading was fuzzy. That being said, even at 10 for 24 and 3 for 7, Frasor was above his own career averages, even if mediocre in big picture terms.

[Papa John]

I didn't think any of McAdoo's fouls were the result of questionable officiating, just questionable decisionmaking by McAdoo. McAdoo got away with a fifth foul with 4 or 5 minutes left, setting a moving screen on Rasheed that freed Paige for a three point basket.

The reffing wasn't great, but it was better than in most games I've seen this year, with few questionable calls. Rasheed and Andre seemed not to be able to get a call, for reasons that escaped me.

Agree regarding the officiating in general--not great, but relatively even. McAdoo actually set moving screens on two successive trips down the floor, both which freed up Paige for baskets. He also set a third a bit later... Could have fouled out on any of the three. Dawkins was fouled on each of his first three shot attempts. The first, a three-pointer, he was clearly knocked back (into the Carolina bench, I believe), a pretty easy call I thought, but perhaps the official just turned when he released and missed the contact. On his pretty foul-line jumper the next time down the floor, he got swept across the top of the head (much like the 5th called on Tyler, which looked to me like Tyler never touched Paige, it just looked like there was contact because Paige embellished the whole sequence). Sulaimon was frustrating to watch, as I thought a couple of times he made bad decisions to drive into traffic, then got upset when he didn't draw a whistle following his bad decision. The most important thing about those moments, however, was that Parker corralled him to immediately get his head back into the game. Based on his comments afterwards and his actions during the game, it sounds like Parker has decided to grab the leadership reigns, which I think could bode well for our postseason futures...

Oh yeah... Almost forgot... The elbow, on watching the replay, looked obviously intentional... He had the ball in the other hand and brought his elbow up, then seemed to rethink the decision... The question is whether there was any contact. I think that is what K asked Jabari, and I think Jabari indicated there was, which then set K off... It definitely should have been reviewed, and it would have been nice to see the angle that ESPN was about to show on the slow mo replay, but then cut off with their logo--that angle would have likely confirmed whether there was actual contact... Not sure why they cut the replay off there...

[NashvilleDevil]

Agree regarding the officiating in general--not great, but relatively even. McAdoo actually set moving screens on two successive trips down the floor, both which freed up Paige for baskets. He also set a third a bit later... Could have fouled out on any of the three. Dawkins was fouled on each of his first three shot attempts. The first, a three-pointer, he was clearly knocked back (into the Carolina bench, I believe), a pretty easy call I thought, but perhaps the official just turned when he released and missed the contact. On his pretty foul-line jumper the next time down the floor, he got swept across the top of the head (much like the 5th called on Tyler, which looked to me like Tyler never touched Paige, it just looked like there was contact because Paige embellished the whole sequence). Sulaimon was frustrating to watch, as I thought a couple of times he made bad decisions to drive into traffic, then got upset when he didn't draw a whistle following his bad decision. The most important thing about those moments, however, was that Parker corralled him to immediately get his head back into the game. Based on his comments afterwards and his actions during the game, it sounds like Parker has decided to grab the leadership reigns, which I think could bode well for our postseason futures...

Oh yeah... Almost forgot... The elbow, on watching the replay, looked obviously intentional... He had the ball in the other hand and brought his elbow up, then seemed to rethink the decision... The question is whether there was any contact. I think that is what K asked Jabari, and I think Jabari indicated there was, which then set K off... It definitely should have been reviewed, and it would have been nice to see the angle that ESPN was about to show on the slow mo replay, but then cut off with their logo--that angle would have likely confirmed whether there was actual contact... Not sure why they cut the replay off there...

Jabari is used to winning titles.

[Newton_14]

First, I am super happy with this win. Not sure I could have stomached tomorrow had we lost. Also sweet that we put the beatdown on them for much of this 2nd Half. I did get nervous down the stretch, but mainly due to the turnovers against the press, and then not getting the ball to Jabari when we have it. Stall Ball is fine and the correct strategy in my opinion, but you have to be smart enough to get Jabari the ball with 12+ seconds left on the shot clock. They had no one that could defend him without fouling (including JMM) so give him the ball.

At the half I was not real happy. We had the lead but could not get stops and our guard play was pretty marginal. Boy did that change in a hurry in the 2nd half. Once Quinn hit that 3 he transformed into a different player. My favorite non-Jabari play of the game was Andre getting a deflection and then hitting Quinn with a quick shovel pass through a tight window that led to the up and under lefty layup on the other end. Awesome play and Andre deserves a lot of credit there as does Quinn. Yeah we hit some 3's but we have a great shooting team and they are not going to slump forever. There is nothing abnormal about Andre, Hood, and Quinn hitting wide open 3's right at the line. In addition to Quinn playing much better, I thought Amile had a really good game last night. (Which limited MP3's minutes, but that's ok too.) We are dynamic when both Quinn and Amile are playing well. It would help if Rasheed can get his game back on track as well.

One comment on Paige. I'll preface by saying the guy is a great player. No question. However, I am more impressed with his game in Raleigh than last night. When you go into desperation mode, it becomes a playground atmosphere, and the game pressure eases up a bit, making it easier to hit shots. The 4 point play was ridiculous, and I fully believe the basket inteference shot was going in. He took that shot a good 3 feet behind the line. Not dissing the kid, just think it is easier to hit shots when you are way down than it is in a tight game. Very glad it never got tight enough to test that theory though.

Making a concerted effort to get Jabari and Hood the most shots was big and something that needs to continue. That said we are better when we have 4 or 5 guys in double figures, which obviously can still happen even with the Jabari/Hood focus. Have not looked at the box score yet but I believe had Andre hit one more bucket (like say 3 free throws after getting hammered with no call on the corner 3. Gaud Awful no call there) he would have been in double figures giving us 5 players (Jabari/Hood/Quinn/Rasheed).

Shout out to the seniors Josh, Tyler, Andre. Their unit came out strong and gave us 7 early points (Andre-5, Josh-2) and also played good defense. Say what you want about their skillsets, you won't find 3 better kids or teammates. I am going to miss all 3 of them. Really wanted that jumper to fall for Josh but I guess it fitting that it looked good but missed.

Unc- The most difficult unc team ever to figure out. Without Paige they don't even make the NIT. With him they seem to be able to beat almost any team while also being able to lose to any team. They are good defensively, and if they go quick can score much easier/better than earlier in the year. Just a hard team to figure out.

As for Duke, we need more of what we saw in the 2nd half, and we need ball movement. At times (including last night) we turn into the 2012 team and just dribble it to death going no where. When they move the ball with crisp passing, screening and cuts, they score seemingly at will. The defense is what it is, so I think we should go all in pushing all of Jason Evans chips into the pot, on offense. Focus on lineups and strategies that can score the ball. I did like the return to the line changes last night, thought it helped them tremendously, and reallly every kid that got out there did something good at one point or another.

So congrats to Jabari for an outstanding night, same for Rodney, and congrats to the team for getting a big win on the biggest regular season stage. A star studded affair with Romo, Jason Garrett, Roger Goodell, Switzer, and Tubbs, along with former players, future players, and key recruits.

Well done Devils! Thank you for sending the cheaters to hell. 9F

On to Greensboro!

Edit- Forgot to add. Unless my memory is lying to me, one of our better line ups last night in the 2nd half, was Quinn, Hood, Andre, Jabari, and Amile. It led to great spacing and room for Jabari to operate. I will have to check, but I believe when that line up was out there, we got multiple buckets from Jabari inside, a Quinn 3, a Dawkins 3, a Hood 3, and the dipsy-do fastbreak layup by Quinn. Unc had a really hard time defending that lineup. I hope we see it more.

[gus]

As I recall, we failed to get a decent shot away twice in a row. That doessn't sound like perfection to me

In a well executed stall, getting a good shot isn't the point. Eating enough clock to leave insufficient time for your opponent to be able to score enough points to tie the game is.

[gumbomoop]

I agree with all the love for Paige -- he's emerged as a great player after a pretty mediocre freshman year.

But I don't think he's the best point guard in the league -- because he's more of a shooting guard that sometimes plays the point.

UNC is at its best offensively when Nate Britt is at the point and Paige is strictly a shooting guard -- that's when he went off against Duke late. Earlier, when Paige was at the point, he was so focused on distribution that he couldn't generate his own shot.

My recollection is that Paige was mediocre first half, maybe 2/3 of his frosh year, but came on strong in last 10-12 games. But my real point in citing OF is to agree heartily with the description of Paige as a 2-guard, possibly combo guard. Back when Roy recruited Joel Berry, I posted that this might be a problem for him, as he was stacking up too many PGs [Davis and White, too....].

But I now see -- and am even willing to consider the possibility that Roy was way ahead of me, and knew what he was doing -- that Paige can play quite nice, and nicely, with Britt or Berry. I know nothing about Berry, but both Britt and Paige do a decent job of defending. UNC will almost surely play 2 small guards at all times next year, and maybe some team with big guards could exploit this, but Paige and Britt aren't chumps on D.

[UrinalCake]

If you missed Tony Romo's interview on the Cameron floor after the game you should check it out Very good stuff.

I'm not surprised the reporter managed to intercept Romo after the game. After all, everybody else does.

[OldPhiKap]

sure it can. and when it does, that is not "running a standard offense to perfection"

We took 70 seconds off the clock. On most other possessions, we scored late after eating a bunch of time.

Better than giving in to the press, jacking up a shot after 15 seconds, and giving Carolina the ball on the break going the other way.

[blev23]

I just want to re-live that moment with around 14 minutes left in the second half when Rodney hit a 3 to send us into a UNC timeout and a rousing rendition of SHOTS!. Top 5 loudest/craziest moments in Cameron during my college career.

Thought I was the only person that felt this. I actually replayed it so much during the timeout that my son came downstairs to see what was happening. Sadly, I didn't record the game and directv isn't showing a replay. I would LOVE it if someone has the clip and could post it. Perfect emotion, sound, picture of crowd, camera angle. Somebody please post.

[Troublemaker]

Anyone recognize those two rogues with their over-sized mugs displayed among the Crazies;)?
Those were great!

This one's just mean but I enjoyed it as well:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BiQZF8PIMAA9ket.jpg

[bluesin]

Paige is a good player; that being said I wasn't super impressed with his game against us. Going into the under 8 time out we had a 19 point lead and the game was pretty well in hand - Paige had 8 points. We held their best player to 8 points through the first 32 minutes. He scored 16 points in the final 7:30 of the game, during which we were playing mostly not to foul, deny driving and fouling plays and making sure we were in position to get rebounds and run stall-ball (which I love). So 16 points is certainly a good amount for 8 minutes, but they were shots we had been denying hard for the previous 32.

UNC had 12 assists in the game. They had 1 in the last 8 minutes, on a Paige 3. They had 20 rebounds in the game, 2 in the final 8 minutes (one on each side of the ball, a team rebound and a free throw rebound). Duke basically said, go ahead and beat us one on one if you can but you're not getting any help and you're not getting any second chances. Not only did they say that, they did it. Credit to UNC and Paige for not going away and making some tough shots but the defensive strategy by Duke in the final 8 was markedly different from the first 32 minutes, and it worked, even if it gave us an ugly final number.

I'm of the opinion Paige had an OK game that we made look better because we went into prevent mode at the end. Scoring 16 points would be impressive if those points mattered toward the outcome in a meaningful way. I don't think Paige's final 16 points mattered very much at all. I'm sure someone is going to disagree with me.

The math, to me, says if you have a 19 point lead and there are 22 expected posessions in the game left, average time of possession 20 seconds, ball-parking that one based off of 30 for us and 10 for them (it's obviously wrong I think it was closer to 35 possessions) you're almost certainly going to be heavily favored to win that game. Even at 35 possessions you're going to be favored if you only score half as many points as they score, or once for every two times they score (generally).

I'm not saying we played a perfect game or outstanding defense, but I do think we're short changing how well we did play defense in the game according to the game situation and defensive scheme. And I really think we are over valuing Paige based on his final total. The only thing that made me worry at all in the final 8 minutes of that game was our execution in the face of the press, which was sporadic and a little tense.

[bedeviled]

Unless my memory is lying to me, one of our better line ups last night in the 2nd half, was Quinn, Hood, Andre, Jabari, and AmileI don't know how it broke down play-by-play, but, depending on your view of +/- measures, you might have to reconcile your memory with the lineup +/- from SCACCHoops. SCACCHoops has that as our worst performing lineup (http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=20156&bView=10) and did not record use of that lineup in the 1st half. I don't think the disparity between memory and +/- was due to stall ball either, as I think Tyler was in to close out the game prior to his last foul and then we substituted Andre/Amile in offense/defense mode.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Paige usually does not hunt his shot in first half's. He plays the point and tries to get others involved.

When Britt comes in at point guard is when Paige really looks to score.

As for trying to figure this UNC team out, I can tell you the main problems.

Poor overall outside shooting from the wings and poor basketball IQ from some of the young players along with a 5th year senior.

[jv001]

Paige usually does not hunt his shot in first half's. He plays the point and tries to get others involved.

When Britt comes in at point guard is when Paige really looks to score.

As for trying to figure this UNC team out, I can tell you the main problems.

Poor overall outside shooting from the wings and poor basketball IQ from some of the young players along with a 5th year senior.

Wheat, I'd have to add McAdoo in that group with a poor basketball IQ and not just from passing up a better NBA contract a while back. GoDuke!

[OldPhiKap]

Wheat, I'd have to add McAdoo in that group with a poor basketball IQ and not just from passing up a better NBA contract a while back. GoDuke!

I would add his horrific free throw percentage as well. It clearly has cost them a few times, although the team as a whole is pretty bad.

[weezie]

I just want to re-live that moment with around 14 minutes left in the second half when Rodney hit a 3 to send us into a UNC timeout and a rousing rendition of SHOTS!. Top 5 loudest/craziest moments in Cameron during my college career.

I'd venture that was one of the top ten loudest moments in Cameron in my considerably longer fan/college career in Cameron. Actually was spine-tingling! :D

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Wheat, I'd have to add McAdoo in that group with a poor basketball IQ and not just from passing up a better NBA contract a while back. GoDuke!

McAdoo is getting better, but he's hasn't got a great feel for the game, that's for sure. Staying all four years will make him a better player, not every player should leave just because they have great physical talent.

Long term, sticking around was the right move for him, and he should stay one more year too.

[Kedsy]

Long term, sticking around was the right move for him, and he should stay one more year too.

He'll almost have to, wouldn't you say?

[FerryFor50]

He'll almost have to, wouldn't you say?

Crap. I forgot he was only a junior. I would like to see him leave before he figures it out...

[Duvall]

McAdoo is getting better, but he's hasn't got a great feel for the game, that's for sure. Staying all four years will make him a better player, not every player should leave just because they have great physical talent.

Long term, sticking around was the right move for him, and he should stay one more year too.

It's certainly the right move for McAdoo now, and probably the only move. But leaving after his freshman year might have gotten him a guaranteed multi-million dollar contract, and there's no reason to think that will ever happen again for him.

[greybeard]

Roy is doing a spectacular job coaching which includes running things to maximize Paige. I do not know that Paige can score the ball 40 minutes, I doubt it actually. I think Paige shows as well as he does because of how Roy has his team playing. I think that Paige is performing smashingly; is he "all that," as everyone is saying. IMO, no.

[Newton_14]

I don't know how it broke down play-by-play, but, depending on your view of +/- measures, you might have to reconcile your memory with the lineup +/- from SCACCHoops. SCACCHoops has that as our worst performing lineup (http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=20156&bView=10) and did not record use of that lineup in the 1st half. I don't think the disparity between memory and +/- was due to stall ball either, as I think Tyler was in to close out the game prior to his last foul and then we substituted Andre/Amile in offense/defense mode.
One really sucky part: I was so wrapped up in the game I totally forgot to DVR it. I would love to go back and rewatch the stretch of the game I am talking about. I know our memories can certainly be flawed so no argument there. I would love to rewatch that run though. In addition to the Jabari hoops, Quinn 3, Andre 3, Hood 3, and Quinn dipsy-do layup, I thought the Amile fastbreak dunk happened with that lineup on the floor as well. I could be mixing it up though.

If anyone that DVR'd it could rewatch that stretch to see which 5 players were in during that time I will gladly give trident points! :)