MBB: Duke 66, UConn 56 Post-Game Thread [Archive]

DukeDevil

12-18-2014, 10:35 PM

My random thoughts,

Okafor was a beast, but I felt that his most important contribution was playing smart, passing out. His hands and ball control are just so impressive. His ability to snatch in passes always makes me shake my head in disbelief. His body language before drawing Brimah's fourth was just so dominant...he was basically daring Brimah to stop him.

Tyus just always shows up big when we need him.

Winslow was MIA for a lot of the game, but kudos to him for persisting and then showing up big late on both ends of the floor. I have to say that his refusal to become frustrated and disappear was so very unfreshman-like. I also really appreciated Bilas pointing how how K was having him set up in the post for the pass in from Okafor from the top of the paint to help take advantage of a mismatch. I know he didn't connect on it (or may have once), but I love when the commentators can actually bring to light things I may not have noticed otherwise. I bet K continues to try to play this move to take advantage of size mismatches with Winslow.

Marshall...I always want you to do well man...can we slap some glue stick to those hands? He keeps getting passes in great position and just can't reign them in.

Sulaimon, I was frustrated to see that he didn't show up very well today, but he's still my guy. I'm hoping he can put together several good games in a row coming back from the holidays.

Bench was fairly MIA today in general...

DukieInBrasil

12-18-2014, 10:35 PM

Tyus, rises up to play big in big games, even though UCons are not the toughest this year their backcourt is tough. And Tyus did a commendable job. Amile also played like a man, and Jahlil overcame the Poke-the-Oak defense.
I'll save the negatives for myself, i'll just savor a tough neutral court win over a worthy opponent.

JBDuke

12-18-2014, 10:39 PM

... I also really appreciated Bilas pointing how how K was having him set up in the post for the pass in from Okafor from the top of the paint to help take advantage of a mismatch. I know he didn't connect on it (or may have once), but I love when the commentators can actually bring to light things I may not have noticed otherwise. I bet K continues to try to play this move to take advantage of size mismatches with Winslow.
...

I think the key was UConn's aggressive doubling of Jah. He could pull two big guys all the way to the high post, leaving the low post free for Justise or Amile. We've seen lots of teams double Jah in the post, but they generally haven't doubled him that far from the basket. If anyone else tries UConn's defensive schemes on Jah, I suspect we'll see more of those plays.

mgtr

12-18-2014, 10:40 PM

I like our starting five a lot -- what's not to like? Sheed is normally a gamer, but stepping in bounds on the endline, and trying to bring the ball upcourt against a team like UCon, not so much. I like the effort of Marshall Plumlee, but he needs a lot of catching the ball drills. I guess that Matt Jones needs to decide if he is a defender or a shooter. He started the season shooting great, but he may need to back off. If he can continue to defend well, there is a place for him on this team.
Back to the starting five, as a lad, many years ago, I read a book called "The Fighting Five," about a successful high school basketball team. My fantasy played out, as my own high basketball team was so successful that I couldn't make the team (Don Nelson was on that team!) So I see our starting five as the modern "Fighting Five." I look for continued success.

Philadukie

12-18-2014, 10:44 PM

I thought UConn played a tough defensive game. They really disrupted us with their length and quickness. Boatright especially. He was marvelous, but as Bilas said in the post game, UConn didn't really have anyone else that could consistently score. Hamilton had some nice one on one moves though.

I thought our guys should be praised for playing in a tough defensive oriented game, shooting poorly from 3, and still winning by double digits - yet again. In fact, isn't this the first time in history that a Duke team has won it's first 10 games by double digits? Think about that.

I don't get some of the negativity, and I think some of the comments are using a VERY small sample size to make blanket conclusions. Bench play was "disturbing" and "we're in trouble with our depth?" Really? Compared to whom? Kentucky. Who else? Good grief. Go watch the Wisconsin or Stanford or Mich St games again. Our bench played just fine in those games.

Also, in another thread someone said we're seeing the "real Winslow now" with respect to offense. What Winslow would that be? The one who averages 12 points a game and scored, wait for it, 12 points tonight?

How about giving the team, in the middle of a distracting exam and holiday period, a little break. At least save those drastic conclusions until the first loss (and yes, there will be a few for those who are eager to panic).

FerryFor50

12-18-2014, 10:44 PM

SCMatt33

12-18-2014, 10:47 PM

This seemed like a pretty even game for most of the night, except for that 15-2 run early in the second half. Duke goes on 15-2 type runs all the time to change games, but this one was quite a bit different than we're used too. First, it too awhile. This wasn't a run where Duke scored 15 points in possessions in a span of 2:30. This run took over 5 minutes to complete. Duke did take care of it's scoring in only 10 possessions (scoring on 8 of them), but they were longer possession fueled by offensive rebounding and longer possession (though the run was capped with some fast break opportunities). Second, this run involve a very big defensive stand over a long period of time. From the point that UConn tied the game at 30 with 18:16 remaining, they only score 2 points over the next 6 and a half minutes. Duke went on a big, long run, and they did it playing at UConn's pace. The third and probably most surprising statistic about the run is that it came without a made three point field goal. Seriously, when's the last time you can remember Duke going on a 15-2 run without a three? The run started with 6 consecutive 2 pointers and ended with 3 FT's. That right there is the ball game and it was able to happen on a night when Duke was only shooting 26% from 3 and 37% overall.

I'm sure you can criticize a lot of things about this game and the Elon game right before it, but these guys are still Freshman. You heard Jah in the ESPN interview talking about being excited to go home to his family tomorrow. These kids have never been away from home for months at a time, and couple that with what I'm sure was a stressful week of finals, it's understandable to see some mental (turnovers) and physical (shooting) lapses. It was also outstanding to see that during this time, the real emphasis has been put on defense, because that can get you through a lot of bad nights.

Saratoga2

12-18-2014, 10:49 PM

Nothing from the bench - that is very disturbing. Grayson, MJ and MPIII played very little and Rasheed had a pretty bad game - 0-4, no points and 5 turnovers. We are going to need more than that from him and our bench in general.

The starting 5 all had very good to excellent games. UCONN has some very good and quick players with Boatright being among the quickest and best guard in the country. We played good defense against them and were most vulnerable when their very good and agressive defense turned us over. Twelve in the first game alone. Jahlil is a problem for everyone to stop but also Amile had an excellent game and I thought Justise plays agressively and stongly. We have very good and dependable starting guards.

Like you, I thought our bench was weak tonight. Rasheed was a major liability out there, he is too likely to turn the ball over against the kind of pressure that UCONN briings. Sheed's defense is better, but he shouldn't be handling the ball and bringing it up. Marshall wasn't at all strong or quick to the ball. It was surprising to see him having the ball taken away. A guy that big who has two hands on the ball should not be having it taken from him. Matt didn't seem to contribute much. Maybe UCONN is just good enough to expose some of our more marginal guys. Grayson got out there and looked like he didn't want to risk making mistakes. Actually, he made less mistakes out there than our other subs, but he also made little impact on the game.

How does coach K get more out of the bench against the better teams? I can think that UVA and Louisville are two that can give us trouble. I really don't have any suggestions. Maybe repetitions will help.

Still it was a 10 point win and against UCONN, which makes it even sweeter.

sagegrouse

12-18-2014, 10:51 PM

We kept our poise, and the key players were freshmen. Good, gritty game -- which we needed. Not exactly a typical Duke game -- high rebound totals (40 to 29), mediocre shooting percentage, lots of turnovers but good assist total (10 out of 18 FG's). For this year, a 70+% on free throws is a welcome stat. UConn had only five assists out of 23 FG's, a tribute to the tenacity of our defense.

Henderson

12-18-2014, 10:53 PM

FerryFor50

12-18-2014, 10:55 PM

Just noticed this, but for all the complaining about MP3's play, but he had 2 blocks and an offensive board in just 5 minutes played. Not terrible. Just needs to be ready to catch the ball.

mgtr

12-18-2014, 10:56 PM

Jones took one shot. He played 6 minutes. Didn't really get enough time to do much. Not sure why he needs to back off. He's shooting 45% from 3. Cook went 2-7. Should he back off, too?

He's a 3 and D guy. That's what championship teams need.

You are comparing the season for Jones with one game for Cook. If I recall correctly, early in the season Jones was a deadeye, but not so much lately. If it is the end of the game, and I need a 3 pointer, I would prefer Cook to take the shot. Now, if Jones gets his early season form back, and I hope he does, I will be in seventh heaven -- the more great 3 point shooters, the better. If at the end of the game, I need a lock down defender, I would choose Sulaimon or M. Jones.

FerryFor50

12-18-2014, 11:00 PM

You are comparing the season for Jones with one game for Cook. If I recall correctly, early in the season Jones was a deadeye, but not so much lately. If it is the end of the game, and I need a 3 pointer, I would prefer Cook to take the shot. Now, if Jones gets his early season form back, and I hope he does, I will be in seventh heaven -- the more great 3 point shooters, the better. If at the end of the game, I need a lock down defender, I would choose Sulaimon or M. Jones.

No, I'm comparing the season for Cook with the season for Jones. Both were deadeye at the start. Both have trailed off the last two games. Cook went 1-6 against Elon. Jones was 0-4. The prior 2 games, Jones took just 1 shot.

If they're wide open, I'm fine with both of them taking that shot. I think you're still stuck on Matt Jones of last season.

mgtr

12-18-2014, 11:01 PM

OldPhiKap

12-18-2014, 11:01 PM

Just noticed this, but for all the complaining about MP3's play, but he had 2 blocks and an offensive board in just 5 minutes played. Not terrible. Just needs to be ready to catch the ball.

To be fair to MP3, a few of those passes should not have been thrown to him. Feeding him as he moves to the low block is a bad pass; let him get low and then throw it in. A forward he ain't.

-bdbd

12-18-2014, 11:01 PM

Sloppy game for sure.
Amile was awesome.
Okafor was Okafor.
The 3 by Winslow was the nail.
We hit the foul shots at a pace that kept them at bay.
Have a nice break guys!
Come back refreshed for the drive to 1000!

Spot on. This was an ugly game (and Calhoun even mentioned that U-con WANTED it that way).
Amile was the star, and for once I liked the commentary talking about how he's really learned well how to play off of the ball, off of Okafor's double-teams. That ability is probably going to win us some key games in Feb. and March.
I really agree that Winslow's three was the dagger, but his tip-in of Okafor's missed FT (what was up with that U-con player along the lane next to him reaching out and clapping loud at Okafor while he shot?!) was another dagger at a key time. He doesn't do that, and U-con has the ball after two missed Duke FT's and only down 3 or 5 I think.
We shot FT's better than normal, though they seemed to tire (and miss a bunch late). Concentration?

Was it just me or didn't it seem that the U-con crowd was louder than the Duke one, even though the commentators said the stadium was 50-50?

** Watching the game, I was bumming that we weren't drubbing the Huskies - I really, really dislike that team/school, and love that they openly have pined for ACC membership (and the ACC said, "Talk to the hand"). But in the end, it dawned on me -- this way it is actually better. You KNOW that all their fans are talking about on their boards and during the long, slow drive back to CT is, "Duke gets all the calls." It probabably gnaws at them even more than if we'd won by 20. HEHEHEHEHEHE!! ;)

FerryFor50

12-18-2014, 11:04 PM

To be fair to MP3, a few of those passes should not have been thrown to him. Feeding him as he moves to the low block is a bad pass; let him get low and then throw it in. A forward he ain't.

Oh I agree. Sheed's pass was a bail out. Winslow's pass was... eh?

But he still needs to always be ready. The Sheed pass could have been a monster dunk had he been ready!

Henderson

12-18-2014, 11:08 PM

To be fair to MP3, a few of those passes should not have been thrown to him. Feeding him as he moves to the low block is a bad pass; let him get low and then throw it in. A forward he ain't.

Another way to put that is, "Don't expect him to catch those, because he doesn't have the hands to catch them." I dunno if that makes the pass a bad one or his hands the problem. Guess it doesn't matter. But many post players can do it.

FerryFor50

12-18-2014, 11:08 PM

From ESPN Stats Twitter feed:

UConn and Duke bench players combined for 2 pts on 1-14 FG tonight. That's the fewest combined bench points in a D-I game this season.

Also:

This is the first time that Duke has started 10-0 under Coach K with all 10 wins coming by double figures.

Danke Shane

12-18-2014, 11:10 PM

CajunDevil

12-18-2014, 11:11 PM

We made plays down the stretch. Justise's tip-in, his steal at the other end and then his three was crucial. The only way UCONN had a chance tonight, given their offensive limitations, was to make this game ugly. They did that, yet our guys persevered. Good win against a hungry, almost desperate, defending Nat'l Champs on a neutral court by double digits.I look forward to seeing this team play 2-3 games per week before I have the slightest concern about our bench play.

mr. synellinden

12-18-2014, 11:15 PM

And they still won by 10 points. Bench was bad tonight but they've been good most of the year.

Against an unranked team that lost to Yale at home.

I actually thought UConn looked like a top 20 team tonight. And our starters were outstanding. I'm just concerned about the depth over the course of the season, which I thought would be a strength for this team.

Ultrarunner

12-18-2014, 11:19 PM

Just noticed this, but for all the complaining about MP3's play, but he had 2 blocks and an offensive board in just 5 minutes played. Not terrible. Just needs to be ready to catch the ball.

I think you hit the issue with Marshall - he's not ready to catch the ball since no one has bothered to toss it to him for three years. Now that the team is getting use to feeding the post players. I expect Marshall will make the adjustment pretty quickly.

OldPhiKap

12-18-2014, 11:19 PM

Another way to put that is, "Don't expect him to catch those, because he doesn't have the hands to catch them." I dunno if that makes the pass a bad one or his hands the problem. Guess it doesn't matter. But many post players can do it.

Most 7 footers cannot catch the ball moving down the lane cleanly without traveling. The passer needs to know where to get a player the ball. Let him get into position on the blocks where he has the advantage, not in a position where a turnover is likely.

Even if we take the view that MP3 doesn't have that in his arsenal but others do -- he doesn't, so don't feed him there.

Passing is not just finding someone open, it's finding an open player in a positive situation.

Dukehky

12-18-2014, 11:19 PM

In all the years I've watched college basketball, I can't ever remember a player standing along the lane during free throws CLAPPING directly at the shooter. And he was the player closest to Oakafor no less. Thought that was bush league.

Busch* League

And I agree. I've seen it before though, and in the early 90s every Duke player used to put his hands up while the other player shot free throws. I don't know why they did it but it is fairly distracting, so I don't have a huge huge problem with it. In the last minute, Purvis was really being a punk while trying to guard Tyus. He hit him in the face repeatedly. If Kevin Ollie isn't careful, his face is going to get stuck like that.

FerryFor50

12-18-2014, 11:23 PM

In the last minute, Purvis was really being a punk while trying to guard Tyus. He hit him in the face repeatedly. If Kevin Ollie isn't careful, his face is going to get stuck like that.

Yea the Purvis stuff was uncalled for. I could see him trying to get in Jones' head if he did it early in the game. But he was doing that when the game was pretty much out of hand. Punk move.

azzefkram

12-18-2014, 11:33 PM

To be fair to MP3, a few of those passes should not have been thrown to him. Feeding him as he moves to the low block is a bad pass; let him get low and then throw it in. A forward he ain't.

Couldn't agree more. Justise's pass was behind MP3 as he was moving toward the basket and Sheed's was at his waist in traffic as he getting in position for a board. MP3 does need to grasp the ball better but those weren't great passes.

DFife90

12-18-2014, 11:44 PM

I love seeing the starting five all scoring in double figures. I've seen a couple of posts on this thread bemoaning the lack of bench scoring. But you've got to balance that concern by a starting five where everyone can score. You can have successful basketball teams where you don't get much of any scoring from one or two starters. But if they all can score then your bench just needs to hold court for awhile when your starters are not in the game. Plumlee made some mistakes in not expecting a couple of passes but when his head was in the game, he did his job well. He forced their 7 footer to give up a shot and pass then got the rebound--that's an excellent possession and he is only in there to give Okafor a rest. That is a perfect possession. Matt and Rasheed did not have good games in relief from the bench but that is atypical and no need for concern. Both will have better games. Furthermore, if all your starters can score, the bench players don't have to be lethal, they just have to hold serve.

Just as a reminder, we have won back to back championships with a short bench and fewer than five starters being able to score in the way the starting five can score this season. Jefferson proved beyond doubt that you cannot George Ackles him (footnote for the younger Duke fans: Coach K did not have the players to match up with UNLV starting five in '91 so he basically left Ackles alone with the theory that if Ackles can beat us, then we lose, but I'm keeping 2 men on Johnson at all times). Reign in the turnovers and have your two bench players play like they are capable of (Matt and Rasheed) and a comfortable win becomes a dominating win.

You can focus on the weaknesses if you must, but mind you, you're never going to get your perfect game (second half of Georgetown-'Nova excepted) and the upside of this game is impressive because all five starters being able to score and rebound can make up for an uncharacteristic number of turnovers and an off game from two solid bench players.

There is a lot of positive to take from this game, my friends!

Furniture

12-19-2014, 12:05 AM

The bench wasn't great, but this was a pretty physical game. Reminded me of the old Big East. (not in a good way)

I'll take the win though.

How can the bench be great if K doesn't play them?

Billy Dat

12-19-2014, 12:06 AM

Winslow and Jones showed themselves again to be gamers. They like the big moment and play their best when the pressure is on. That is a good sign. Jefferson has become an outstanding rebounder and you have to like the way Okafor passed the ball as he was surrounded the entire night. The bench was not good tonight but that will come with more playing time. Usually Sheed plays better in these types of games. The team can win ugly and that is good to see.

Agree all around save for the reason for bad bench play, I just think they played poorly and K barely used them in the second half. Some of the early fouls messed with the rotation a bit and Rasheed was plain bad. I was very impressed by Okafor avoiding foul trouble...smart.

And they still won by 10 points.

Certainly warrants mentioning, this team has much better closing instincts then last year.

I also really appreciated Bilas pointing how how K was having him set up in the post for the pass in from Okafor from the top of the paint to help take advantage of a mismatch. I know he didn't connect on it (or may have once), but I love when the commentators can actually bring to light things I may not have noticed otherwise. I bet K continues to try to play this move to take advantage of size mismatches with Winslow.

This was excellent coaching. Had we gone to this earlier, it would have paid off. We run a lot of high/low with Jah and its nice that he passes well enough to be the high which clears out the low.

We kept our poise, and the key players were freshmen. Good, gritty game -- which we needed. Not exactly a typical Duke game -- high rebound totals (40 to 29), mediocre shooting percentage, lots of turnovers but good assist total (10 out of 18 FG's). For this year, a 70+% on free throws is a welcome stat. UConn had only five assists out of 23 FG's, a tribute to the tenacity of our defense.

This team can win ugly and win pretty...it's nice to be able to win a variety of ways. The second half D was really good. They hit some tough shots but we really forced them to go one-on-one - although that seems to be their default mode of trying to score.

Was it just me or didn't it seem that the U-con crowd was louder than the Duke one, even though the commentators said the stadium was 50-50?
** Watching the game, I was bumming that we weren't drubbing the Huskies - I really, really dislike that team/school, and love that they openly have pined for ACC membership (and the ACC said, "Talk to the hand"). But in the end, it dawned on me -- this way it is actually better. You KNOW that all their fans are talking about on their boards and during the long, slow drive back to CT is, "Duke gets all the calls." It probabably gnaws at them even more than if we'd won by 20. HEHEHEHEHEHE!! ;)

I was at the game. Their younger fans are pretty Terpish - drunk, looking to pick fights, crying about the refs, doing a lot of post game loser laments "What about 1999? We got two rings since your last ring". Wah, wah, wah, wah.

Duvall

12-19-2014, 12:09 AM

How can the bench be great if K doesn't play them?

By not making unforced turnovers, missing every shot and generally looking lost?

nyesq83

12-19-2014, 12:42 AM

The starters start and the bench is the bench.

If the team scores 66 points and holds the other team to 56, and the starters average double figures, I do not mind this result one whit.

I love this team. Young guys held despite incredible pressure and harassment and aggressive play on both ends of the floor.

The rest is noise. Or, I respect your opinions, but you must see the bigger picture.

Might be an imperfect victory, but it is a strong victory, it sends a message, it rewards alumni support, it helps recruiting, it shows K and crew are still relevant, it showcases our amazing student-athletes, et cetera

ACCBBallFan

12-19-2014, 01:10 AM

Against an unranked team that lost to Yale at home.

I actually thought UConn looked like a top 20 team tonight. And our starters were outstanding. I'm just concerned about the depth over the course of the season, which I thought would be a strength for this team.

It certainly wasn't a pretty game but we won. Great games by Amile, Tyus and Jah. Quinn was pretty good even though his shot wasn't falling. I thought his D on Boatright was respectable. Justise seemed to be taken out of the game by that early charging foul though he rallied in the fourth quarter. Sheed was dreadful. MP3 and MJones gave them some positive minutes. Greyson looked a bit like a deer in the headlights out there which struck me as odd since he's been fairly confident when he's played.

UConn is definitely better than their record and one of the better defenses we've faced.

The UCONN record is deceiving. They could very easily have come in 6-1 rather than 4-3 having blown a lead with only 5 seconds to go twice.

In a weak confernece with L-ville now in ACC, and SMU losing a top frosh to international play. Ken Pomeroy still has them as auto bid.

mo.st.dukie

12-19-2014, 01:32 AM

The UCONN record is deceiving. They could very easily have come in 6-1 rather than 4-3 having blown a lead with only 5 seconds to go twice.

In a weak confernece with L-ville now in ACC, and SMU losing a top frosh to international play. Ken Pomeroy still has them as auto bid.

Any time you have a guard who can single-handedly take over you can win a lot of games. They have good length inside, just no match for Jah and Amile, so that will help them as well. They should have beaten Texas.

This Duke team responds very well to pressure and adversity. In all of our tough games whenever the opponent would make a run and take the lead or tie it up or get closer our team always responded by playing harder and making big plays. In the beginning of the 2nd half tonight when K called that timeout and then Uconn eventually tied the game at 30 the team seemed to flip a switch and they took everything up several notches to put the game out of reach. Obviously it would be great if they played pretty basketball and easily won every game but it's a characteristic of a good team to be able to win ugly and to be able to handle pressure situations.

burnspbesq

12-19-2014, 01:39 AM

Bob Green

12-19-2014, 05:23 AM

Does anyone want to suggest any other possibilities?

Another possibility is he isn't that bad. The refs called 24 fouls on UConn to 16 on Duke. I don't like Hess but fans of all teams have the perspective that the refs hate them. I'm sure the UConn boards are full of complaints about the refs today.

Amile Jefferson is really looking good playing his natural PF position alongside a legitimate C. I expect he will have many more games this season where he either records a double - double or is in the ball park. He is fantastic in the high post passing and driving to the hoop, if he can start to knockdown the foul line jumper, he will be in the All ACC conversation.

Marshall Plumlee remains limited. We play 4 on 5 on offense due to his inability to catch the ball. Moreover, his effectiveness as a rebounder is limited by him fumbling away the ball instead of securing it high.

wavedukefan70s

12-19-2014, 06:49 AM

So Hess did his usual abysmal, abominable, inexcusable job tonight.

The question is, of course, how does he continue to get a disproportionate share of plum game assignments?

Can it be that he is actually one of the best officials available? That seems impossible.

Does he have pictures of every coach in the ACC coming out of a women's dorm at 3 a.m. with his shoes in his hand and his shirt half untucked?

Does anyone want to suggest any other possibilities?

I know in highschool refs are graded by there peers.maybe they do that in college to.that being said there are fouls on almost every play.they just have to decide what to call.
With all the mental fatigue of exams and physical nature of this game I thought we did fairly well.

oldnavy

12-19-2014, 07:07 AM

Another possibility is he isn't that bad. The refs called 24 fouls on UConn to 16 on Duke. I don't like Hess but fans of all teams have the perspective that the refs hate them. I'm sure the UConn boards are full of complaints about the refs today.

Amile Jefferson is really looking good playing his natural PF position alongside a legitimate C. I expect he will have many more games this season where he either records a double - double or is in the ball park. He is fantastic in the high post passing and driving to the hoop, if he can start to knockdown the foul line jumper, he will be in the All ACC conversation.

Marshall Plumlee remains limited. We play 4 on 5 on offense due to his inability to catch the ball. Moreover, his effectiveness as a rebounder is limited by him fumbling away the ball instead of securing it high.

I hate to see Hess and his crew call any game much less a Duke game. I imagine he isn't as bad as I think he is, but I am not a fan. His major problem to me is that he OVER CALLs almost every game. Tonight's may have been an exception given the aggression of UConn, but in general, Karl wants you and everyone to know that HE is one the floor.

To me a good ref is one who basically goes unnoticed.

Agree with the Amile comments fully. He is playing very well.

Lots to not like about this game if that is what you are looking for... but for a game in December with all the distractions that come with exams, upcoming break and Christmas plans, against a team with very, very good guard play (Duke kryptonite)....

I'll take it and feel pretty good about it.

Remember this is the same team that beat Wisconsin at Kohl just a week or so ago..... K will have them ready come ACC time.

jv001

12-19-2014, 07:18 AM

To be fair to MP3, a few of those passes should not have been thrown to him. Feeding him as he moves to the low block is a bad pass; let him get low and then throw it in. A forward he ain't.

I was thinking the same thing while watching the game last night. Marshall is limited to the low post and that's it. Well, except setting picks up top. I couldn't spork you, but here's a GoDuke :cool:

jv001

12-19-2014, 07:40 AM

A good game that had the feel of a first round NCAA game. The announcers mentioned that during the telecast. Jay Bilas noted last night that Jah has improved his rebounding since the first few games and I agree. He's now getting better position when the shot goes up. Good game for the starters with special shout out to Amile and Tyus. It looks like the December layoff has affected Matt Jones, Rasheed and Marshall the most. It seems they are not back to game speed after the layoff and exams. Way too many fumbled balls and turnovers, but I'm sure they will get back to normal, steady play soon. I lost all respect for Purvis last night. He played like a punk during the last few minutes. But I give praise to Boatwright who was spectacular. GoDuke!

Papa John

12-19-2014, 07:48 AM

In the beginning of the 2nd half tonight when K called that timeout and then Uconn eventually tied the game at 30 the team seemed to flip a switch and they took everything up several notches to put the game out of reach.

We went to eleven at that moment.

Wow, is Kevin Ollie a huge whiner or what? The dude was over-dramatically reacting to calls all night like a toddler having a tantrum, and most of his players mimic this ultra-whiny behavior as well. Just play the game, for cryin' out tears!

Man, is our defense this season a thing of beauty!

Saratoga2

12-19-2014, 08:03 AM

Unlike others, I think Kevin Ollie is a smart coach who last year won the national championship with a team faeturing two small and quick guards. He has less this year although Boatright is clearly one of the best guards in college ball. I think he recognized that his best chance was to play a tough physical defense and get his points off of turnovers sinced he couldn't match up in the half court. I believe this is the first time the team has play against such a quick team across the board.

It was good for our three main freshman to play under that pressure and while they made some mistakes, they clearly were superior to UCONN as a team. This is great game experience for them and to get it this early in the season is good for team development. I am not worried about the shooting percentage as they were probably fatigued playing at that pace.

That Rasheed had trouble handling that pressure is not a suprise. He dribbles rather high up and with the ball shown to the defender. It didn't work for him tonight and he seemed to come a bit unraveled by that pressure. That doesn't mean his defense was impacted and doesn't mean he won't handle other teams with less speed and agressiveness. The coaches have to recognize what he can do well and not to put him into situations that he has probleems with.

Marshall does have problems catching and holding onto the ball and was slow to react in some situations. He did make a couple of plays as others have noted. The best thing for him is to watch the game tapes and realize that he would do better to keep the ball up high when he rebounds and keep both hands on it. He also would do better to be more agressive in going for the ball.

I can't say much about either Matt or Grayson as they played so little. They too have to learn by facing pressure and finding out wwhat they can do.

The good news is we won by 10 despite all the TOs. In reality, the points lost on Rasheed's TO probably amounted to 8 and we would have won by much more had he played under more control.

DukeHLM'13

12-19-2014, 08:04 AM

Tough, gritty, hard-fought win. Some cold shooting and too many turnovers, but give some credit to UConn. They wanted this game, and our guys wouldn't let 'em have it. Tough group, and they battled through some adversity tonight. I'm happy.

Yes, yes , yes. Based on last night UConn is certainly better than their record suggests. Also, think back to the last couple of years...what are the odds that we win a very physical game like this where the other team has an extremely athletic guard (Boatright) playing at, what I will assume, is his highest level.

Sure it would probably have been close, but in the last few years I think we lose this game by ~5 points. I think that this says a lot about how this team doesn't have some of the deficiencies (defense, toughness) of the last couple Duke teams.

roywhite

12-19-2014, 08:08 AM

jv001

12-19-2014, 08:13 AM

Unlike others, I think Kevin Ollie is a smart coach who last year won the national championship with a team faeturing two small and quick guards. He has less this year although Boatright is clearly one of the best guards in college ball. I think he recognized that his best chance was to play a tough physical defense and get his points off of turnovers sinced he couldn't match up in the half court. I believe this is the first time the team has play against such a quick team across the board.

It was good for our three main freshman to play under that pressure and while they made some mistakes, they clearly were superior to UCONN as a team. This is great game experience for them and to get it this early in the season is good for team development. I am not worried about the shooting percentage as they were probably fatigued playing at that pace.

That Rasheed had trouble handling that pressure is not a suprise. He dribbles rather high up and with the ball shown to the defender. It didn't work for him tonight and he seemed to come a bit unraveled by that pressure. That doesn't mean his defense was impacted and doesn't mean he won't handle other teams with less speed and agressiveness. The coaches have to recognize what he can do well and not to put him into situations that he has probleems with.
Marshall does have problems catching and holding onto the ball and was slow to react in some situations. He did make a couple of plays as others have noted. The best thing for him is to watch the game tapes and realize that he would do better to keep the ball up high when he rebounds and keep both hands on it. He also would do better to be more agressive in going for the ball.

I can't say much about either Matt or Grayson as they played so little. They too have to learn by facing pressure and finding out wwhat they can do.

The good news is we won by 10 despite all the TOs. In reality, the points lost on Rasheed's TO probably amounted to 8 and we would have won by much more had he played under more control.

Agree on all fronts, especially on Rasheed dribbling so high. He had better get that dribble lower before January 17th when the Blue Devils visit Louisville. The Cardinals play a pressing full court defense that can cause lot's of turnovers. Since I've not seen Louisville play this season, Let me say, I'm going on past Louisville teams. GoDuke!

jv001

12-19-2014, 08:19 AM

Such a different game than the Wisconsin game --- shooting way off, too many turnovers, very little production from bench.

Still -- a 10-point win vs a big-name team that was psyched up to play Duke. Gotta love it -- amazing how a good defense can help us win even when the shots aren't falling. Oh, and this Tyus Jones kid -- he shows up for big games. Wow.

Isn't that the truth, my twin city friend. Tyus turns it up a notch when we play big games. It looks like he's ho-hum against the Elon's but against the big name schools, he turns it on. Jeckle and Hyde like. GoDuke!

TKG

12-19-2014, 08:26 AM

Expect Louisville to pressure our guards as well. Tyus will need some help so Rasheed needs to works on his ball handling.

moonpie23

12-19-2014, 08:29 AM

We went to eleven at that moment.

Wow, is Kevin Ollie a huge whiner or what? The dude was over-dramatically reacting to calls all night like a toddler having a tantrum, and most of his players mimic this ultra-whiny behavior as well. Just play the game, for cryin' out tears!

Man, is our defense this season a thing of beauty!

Frozone

sagegrouse

12-19-2014, 08:37 AM

Isn't that the truth, my twin city friend. Tyus turns it up a notch when we play big games. It looks like he's ho-hum against the Elon's but against the big name schools, he turns it on. Jeckle and Hyde like. GoDuke!

Tyus is a mature college point guard, and he's only 18. (a) He gets everyone else into the offense. (b) If others are struggling, he looks to score. (c) If the opponents put pressure on the point, he can drive and dish or finish. I thought the last point was especially relevant against UConn.

Henderson

12-19-2014, 09:27 AM

Most 7 footers cannot catch the ball moving down the lane cleanly without traveling. The passer needs to know where to get a player the ball. Let him get into position on the blocks where he has the advantage, not in a position where a turnover is likely.

Even if we take the view that MP3 doesn't have that in his arsenal but others do -- he doesn't, so don't feed him there.

Passing is not just finding someone open, it's finding an open player in a positive situation.

You're right. Marshall is perhaps the most improved player this year, but we can't expect him to become an exceptional 7 footer overnight. He still has problems gripping the ball and receiving passes that surprise him. I'll bet he's grabbing those passes in practice, which is likely why he gets fed like that in a game. I predict we'll see improvement on that score both from the increased selectivity of the passers and Marshall's own better focus on always being ready.

I certainly don't want to seem too much an MP3 critic. I love what he brings to this team, and I love the curve of his continued development as he gets more PT.

Plus, he makes his 3s and FTs!

OldPhiKap

12-19-2014, 09:51 AM

Henderson

12-19-2014, 10:04 AM

This observation about Amile is dead on. And if folks try to double Jah, Amile will kill from the weak side.

I got the sense that this was game-planned by Coach K going into this game. Take advantage of the Jahcentricity coming off his great games against Wisc and Elon, and distribute out of the doubleteams more than usual. Result: Scoreboard and Box Score. Just like the switching done against Wisc.

Yes, Coach K is pretty good.

Billy Dat

12-19-2014, 10:23 AM

Some interesting tweets coming out of the game.

John Gasaway ‏@JohnGasaway 2h2 hours ago
Duke turnover % through first 8 games: 13.9. Over the last 2: 25.5. Shooting 29% on 3s over last 4 contests.

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 1h1 hour ago
NBA Scout: “Obviously, Okafor’s the best player in college basketball, it’s not even close'

Philadukie

12-19-2014, 10:25 AM

Expect Louisville to pressure our guards as well. Tyus will need some help so Rasheed needs to works on his ball handling.

Y'know, you can also beat pressure with this thing called passing. In fact, it's much preferred and more important than "Rasheed working on his ballhandling."

Sorry, cranky this morning with a seven week old at home. Not sleeping a lot.

Billy Dat

12-19-2014, 10:27 AM

roywhite

12-19-2014, 10:41 AM

SI's Luke Winn concludes that Duke's ability to win in different ways in different places makes us a legit title threat

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2014/12/19/duke-uconn-tyus-jones-jahlil-okafor-kevin-ollie-ryan-boatright

Thanks for posting, and certainly agree with that point.

Not crazy that Winn predicts all 3 starting freshmen will be in the NBA next year, but que sera sera. I'll certainly enjoy watching this team this year.

Lar77

12-19-2014, 10:55 AM

Not a pretty game to watch but we won. Next play.

UConn played rough and were quicker than we were. It took a while to adjust but we did enough.

What is with Purvis? He smacked Tyus 3 times before the refs finally called it.

We clearly need some time off to refocus. I'm concerned about Grayson's head - every time he comes in he looks very tentative. Same with Matt Jones. Both seem to be thinking too much and not playing.

Billy Dat

12-19-2014, 11:00 AM

Some additional stuff from the K presser:
http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=3615063&db_oem_id=4200

-Ways the team needs to improve reactions to Jah's gravity
---Amile needs to be ready to score, "If he shot faked tonight, he'd have scored 20"
---The perimeter guys need to anticipate Jah's kick-out off the double and be ready to shoot
---Related to the above, they also need to be ready to shot fake and drive off the aggressive close-out

-Haven't been strong with the ball the past 2 games which is a problem because our halfcourt D has been awesome and we wind up giving points away in transition
-Tyus handled himself quite nicely mano-a-mano vs Boatwright which is an extremely tough match-up

K had several funny lines:
-This one made all the wire reports so you have probably seen it but it was still very funny, ""They were out to lunch," Krzyzewski said, explaining why he asked for the break just 41 seconds into the second half of Duke's game against Connecticut. "They were in la-la land."
-Talking about the Holiday break, "They need to get away from classes and see their families...they need to get away from me. Actually, they never want to leave me, I am always pushing them away"
-On Winslow's missed lay-up in the second half, "He misses that lay-up...that's the highest my feet have come above my waist in 20 years"

sagegrouse

12-19-2014, 11:03 AM

This observation about Amile is dead on. And if folks try to double Jah, Amile will kill from the weak side.

It's really hard to vote for the player of the match because, even if Jahlil scores few points, he distorts the court so much that the other players get easy opportunities for both points and rebounds.

DBFAN

12-19-2014, 11:05 AM

Worried about depth. Not many minutes from the bench,poor productivity. If or when our first five gets in foul trouble we may have serious problems.

Nah wouldn't worry. Not gonna be many games in which Sheed doesn't score. He had a bad game, and when he has a bad game the entire second unit will be prone to stinking it up as well. I think the Grayson move was more than him earning some time. I think K was trying to light a fire in Sheed, and Winslow. Seem to work for Winslow, Sheed....not so much. But he will be fine and so will the bench

Kedsy

12-19-2014, 11:30 AM

A good game that had the feel of a first round NCAA game.

I hope we have a high enough seed so that a game against a team like UConn would be a second round (round of 32) game. UConn is much better than a #16 or #15 seed.

flyingdutchdevil

12-19-2014, 11:46 AM

Nah wouldn't worry. Not gonna be many games in which Sheed doesn't score. He had a bad game, and when he has a bad game the entire second unit will be prone to stinking it up as well. I think the Grayson move was more than him earning some time. I think K was trying to light a fire in Sheed, and Winslow. Seem to work for Winslow, Sheed....not so much. But he will be fine and so will the bench

Yeah, Sulaimon just had an awful game offensively. Nothing went his way: silly turnovers, too much pressure, double dribbling, poor shooting... not his day.

I suspect that Sulaimon will absolutely be working on this for the next few weeks.

Duvall

12-19-2014, 11:55 AM

I hope we have a high enough seed so that a game against a team like UConn would be a second round (round of 32) game. UConn is much better than a #16 or #15 seed.

How much better, though? With a projected RPI in the 70-range and not many chances left for a quality win, a high seed might not meet an 11 or 12-seeded UConn until the third round at the earliest.

jv001

12-19-2014, 12:03 PM

I hope we have a high enough seed so that a game against a team like UConn would be a second round (round of 32) game. UConn is much better than a #16 or #15 seed.

I think they are better than a 15 or 16 seed but their resume will have to improve to get a higher seed. Boatright is terrific and Hamilton is a good player. Purvis seems to have regressed and I couldn't tell much about Brimah (the 40 point center) as he saw most of the game from the bench because of foul trouble. GoDuke!

jacone21

12-19-2014, 12:18 PM

COYS

12-19-2014, 12:24 PM

SI's Luke Winn concludes that Duke's ability to win in different ways in different places makes us a legit title threat

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2014/12/19/duke-uconn-tyus-jones-jahlil-okafor-kevin-ollie-ryan-boatright

Yeah, it really was impressive to me that we won when our offense was perhaps the worst it's been all year. If we had gotten our live ball turnovers under control, it wouldn't have been such an ugly win. Our offense is so ridiculously efficient and our half-court defense is so stout that turning the ball over is really just the worst thing we can do (as I guess that's always true, but still . . .). Take away a few fast-break points for the Huskies and give us a few extra possessions with shot attempts on the offensive end and this game becomes a relatively comfortable double digit win even if our shooting percentage was no better on those extra possessions.

One thing that helped us in this game was that we really defended ball screens well. It was interesting because we employed a variety of strategies. We iced a lot of ball screens on the wings, fought through most at the top of the key, and then switched on others. Amile even had a really good hedge and recover. Even with all those live ball turnovers and fast breaks that we gave up, UCONN still only managed .856 points per possession. I know they are far from a dominant offensive team (103rd in KenPom), but man, that was still a really good defensive performance. We definitely benefited because, besides Boatright, UCONN couldn't buy a three pointer. But still, our combo of switching, icing, and fighting through screens helped us keep the Huskies really out of sorts in the half court. I'm not too worried about our offense, even the turnovers. I suspect that this game will prove to be one of our worst of the year on the offensive end. And while we probably will turn the ball over more against good competition than we were early in the season, I also think our turnover rate the past two games has been on the high end of the spectrum. On the other end of the court, however, I hope that this is a sign that our improved defense will hold up as the schedule gets tougher. We will be really tough to beat if we protect the ball better and also play defense like we did last night.

Kfanarmy

12-19-2014, 12:35 PM

I think Grayson was so shocked to be inserted last night that he wasn't ready. Hopefully that experience will make him be ready next time. He did look a bit shell shocked there....fotunately Purvis had the same look on his face, I think both were caused by the intensity of the Defense the two teams were throwing down.

Wander

12-19-2014, 12:48 PM

How much better, though? With a projected RPI in the 70-range and not many chances left for a quality win, a high seed might not meet an 11 or 12-seeded UConn until the third round at the earliest.

It's not unthinkable that UConn misses the tournament entirely. Winning one of their two remaining meaningful non-conference games would go a long way, but they're both on the road (Florida and Stanford).

Kedsy

12-19-2014, 12:52 PM

Yeah, it really was impressive to me that we won when our offense was perhaps the worst it's been all year. If we had gotten our live ball turnovers under control, it wouldn't have been such an ugly win. Our offense is so ridiculously efficient and our half-court defense is so stout that turning the ball over is really just the worst thing we can do (as I guess that's always true, but still . . .). Take away a few fast-break points for the Huskies and give us a few extra possessions with shot attempts on the offensive end and this game becomes a relatively comfortable double digit win even if our shooting percentage was no better on those extra possessions.

One thing that helped us in this game was that we really defended ball screens well. It was interesting because we employed a variety of strategies. We iced a lot of ball screens on the wings, fought through most at the top of the key, and then switched on others. Amile even had a really good hedge and recover. Even with all those live ball turnovers and fast breaks that we gave up, UCONN still only managed .856 points per possession. I know they are far from a dominant offensive team (103rd in KenPom), but man, that was still a really good defensive performance. We definitely benefited because, besides Boatright, UCONN couldn't buy a three pointer. But still, our combo of switching, icing, and fighting through screens helped us keep the Huskies really out of sorts in the half court. I'm not too worried about our offense, even the turnovers. I suspect that this game will prove to be one of our worst of the year on the offensive end. And while we probably will turn the ball over more against good competition than we were early in the season, I also think our turnover rate the past two games has been on the high end of the spectrum. On the other end of the court, however, I hope that this is a sign that our improved defense will hold up as the schedule gets tougher. We will be really tough to beat if we protect the ball better and also play defense like we did last night.

From inside the arena, I agree our defense looked really strong, albeit against a team that seemed to be offensively challenged.

As far as the turnovers go, UConn is really quick and they have long guys who challenge at the rim. I thought Tyus looked a little taken aback by their quickness. He kept his poise, which is good, and by the end of the game was using his craftiness to get inside their defense, but it seemed to me he couldn't do the things that he's used to doing and that flummoxed him a little bit, though I thought he looked more comfortable at the end of the game than he did in the beginning. It'll be interesting to see if he's more ready for the next super-quick team we play (Louisville?) and how much his approach improves, or whether he'll simply have problems against defenders who are significantly quicker than he is.

Seemed to me that a bunch of our turnovers came in transition, and it looked like we neither expected UConn to challenge at the moment we began the transition nor to get back as quickly as they did. That's likely a mental issue; our freshmen probably have never played against players capable of doing what UConn did. Hopefully experience and practice will make them realize they have to be more careful in transition against good teams, and we'll be better at that the next time.

Also, it didn't look like we expected the hard double-teams UConn threw at Jahlil every time he touched the ball, or at least we didn't expect the hard double-team to come so quickly. It's possible some of our turnovers happened on the one side because our players expected to be able to pass to a more open Jahlil and didn't know what to do when the passing lane close up, and/or on the other side because our players didn't move quickly enough once Jahlil got the ball. If the double comes and none of our guys are ready to receive a pass, the advantage moves away from us and to the defense. Again, I thought we did a better job of dealing with this as the game wore on. Hopefully, we'll be more ready from the outset the next time a team tries it against us.

Finally, I think we could probably use more practice against a full-court press. We looked a little mechanical when dealing with UConn's press, and perhaps a little uncomfortable. If we get better at it then the next time we face a pressing team we may not have so many turnovers.

Kedsy

12-19-2014, 12:53 PM

It's not unthinkable that UConn misses the tournament entirely. Winning one of their two remaining meaningful non-conference games would go a long way, but they're both on the road (Florida and Stanford).

I agree, but they'd still be a much better team than Duke's likely first-round opponent.

wilson

12-19-2014, 12:55 PM

Busch* LeagueIncorrect (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bush+league). The phrase "bush league" originated in 1906, to describe the dusty, out-of-the-way towns where small-time baseball players chased Major League dreams. The "Busch League" to which you refer, NASCAR's Busch Grand National Series, originated in 1984 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xfinity_Series#Busch_Grand_National_Series_.281984 .E2.80.932003.29).

Billy Dat

12-19-2014, 12:57 PM

Yeah, it really was impressive to me that we won when our offense was perhaps the worst it's been all year. If we had gotten our live ball turnovers under control, it wouldn't have been such an ugly win. Our offense is so ridiculously efficient and our half-court defense is so stout that turning the ball over is really just the worst thing we can do (as I guess that's always true, but still . . .). Take away a few fast-break points for the Huskies and give us a few extra possessions with shot attempts on the offensive end and this game becomes a relatively comfortable double digit win even if our shooting percentage was no better on those extra possessions.

One thing that helped us in this game was that we really defended ball screens well. It was interesting because we employed a variety of strategies. We iced a lot of ball screens on the wings, fought through most at the top of the key, and then switched on others. Amile even had a really good hedge and recover. Even with all those live ball turnovers and fast breaks that we gave up, UCONN still only managed .856 points per possession. I know they are far from a dominant offensive team (103rd in KenPom), but man, that was still a really good defensive performance. We definitely benefited because, besides Boatright, UCONN couldn't buy a three pointer. But still, our combo of switching, icing, and fighting through screens helped us keep the Huskies really out of sorts in the half court. I'm not too worried about our offense, even the turnovers. I suspect that this game will prove to be one of our worst of the year on the offensive end. And while we probably will turn the ball over more against good competition than we were early in the season, I also think our turnover rate the past two games has been on the high end of the spectrum. On the other end of the court, however, I hope that this is a sign that our improved defense will hold up as the schedule gets tougher. We will be really tough to beat if we protect the ball better and also play defense like we did last night.

I have no stats to back this up, but one seaming difference in this team versus those of recent vintage is their ability to answer momentum challenges. The part of your post I bolded made me think of this. As you mention, there were several sequences where we had the ball up 8 or 10 and had a chance to push the lead out. We failed to, and UConn came back and scored on the other end, the crowd came alive, and we seemed poised to give up our lead. BUT, we had an answer, and this team seems to answer the bell at those critical times when the tide could turn.

Examples:
-We're up 22-15 in the first half and we get a steal, we miss a 3, get another shot at it, Rasheed coughs it up and they get a lay-up going the other way. We could be up 9 or 10, instead we are up 5 and the crowd surges. We cough it up again but this time Marshall swats them at the rim, Justise gets fouled on the ensuing loose ball and goes to the line where he hits 2 and we're back up 7. We answered with defense and making free throws. I feel like recent teams might have given up a mini-run and the lead at that point.
-Up 10 with just under 5 to go. We force UConn to have Brimah shoot, they get the o-board and the putback, now up 8. Justise misses a 3, they come down, Justise blocks them at the rim but they get another board and putback - up 6 and the crowd is going nuts as the TV timeout hits with just under 4 to go. Out of the timeout, Justise nails that huge 3, gets a steal, and Tyus gets fouled and hits 2. In essence, that was the ballgame. Justise's 3 reminded me of how Hurley used to hit huge "answer" shots like that all the time.

This team has a habit of "answering". It's quite a good talent to have.

Wander

12-19-2014, 12:59 PM

I agree, but they'd still be a much better team than Duke's likely first-round opponent.

Definitely. We don't need to feel bad that we didn't blow them out by 30 or whatever.

Duvall

12-19-2014, 01:01 PM

Incorrect (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bush+league). The phrase "bush league" originated in 1906, to describe the dusty, out-of-the-way towns where small-time baseball players chased Major League dreams.

Also applicable to the American Athletic Conference.

Channing

12-19-2014, 01:31 PM

Kedsy

12-19-2014, 01:41 PM

This team has a habit of "answering". It's quite a good talent to have.

I agree. Believe it or not, UConn only scored as many as four (4) points in a row five times during the game:

** First half, 18:36 to 18:17 -- UConn scores 4 points in a row to take its only lead, 4-3. Duke responds with 6 straight points to go ahead 9-4.

** First half, 15:45 to 15:13 -- UConn scores 4 points in a row to pull within one, 9-8. Duke responds with 5 straight points to expand the lead to 14-8.

** End of first half; beginning of second half: 1:26 (first) to 18:15 (second) -- UConn scores 7 straight to tie game at 30-30. Duke responds with 8 straight points on way to 15-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 45-32.

** Second half, 4:25 to 3:45 -- UConn scores 4 straight to pull within 57-51. Duke responds with 5 straight to get to 62-51.

** Second half, 2:17 to 2:01 -- UConn scores 5 straight to pull within 62-56. Duke ends the game with 4 straight to win 66-56.

So, first of all, it's amazing that UConn scored more than two consecutive baskets only once in the entire game. But also that after every multi-basket "run" by UConn, Duke immediately went on a mini-run of its own, and after the one (almost) real UConn run (7 points across halftime), Duke again immediately responded with its most decisive run of the night. To me, that's impressive.

Kedsy

12-19-2014, 01:43 PM

I may have been seeing things last night, but did Duke's D on the Pick and Roll seem to incorporate more ICE principles than in years past? I know Coach picked up some offensive principles from D'Antoni a couple years ago ... perhaps he picked up some defensive principles from Thibodeau too.

You didn't imagine it. It's been going on for some time. Troublemaker and others have been discussing Duke's new predilection for ICE-ing since the pre-season.

Duke3517

12-19-2014, 01:56 PM

Not the best game but I believe in Duke's depth. Sheed and Grayson are solid players. As long as Plumlee is productive on defense and rebounding then their won't be much of a problem.

UConn played real hard, just not enough talent.

COYS

12-19-2014, 02:08 PM

I agree. Believe it or not, UConn only scored as many as four (4) points in a row five times during the game:

** First half, 18:36 to 18:17 -- UConn scores 4 points in a row to take its only lead, 4-3. Duke responds with 6 straight points to go ahead 9-4.

** First half, 15:45 to 15:13 -- UConn scores 4 points in a row to pull within one, 9-8. Duke responds with 5 straight points to expand the lead to 14-8.

** End of first half; beginning of second half: 1:26 (first) to 18:15 (second) -- UConn scores 7 straight to tie game at 30-30. Duke responds with 8 straight points on way to 15-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 45-32.

** Second half, 4:25 to 3:45 -- UConn scores 4 straight to pull within 57-51. Duke responds with 5 straight to get to 62-51.

** Second half, 2:17 to 2:01 -- UConn scores 5 straight to pull within 62-56. Duke ends the game with 4 straight to win 66-56.

So, first of all, it's amazing that UConn scored more than two consecutive baskets only once in the entire game. But also that after every multi-basket "run" by UConn, Duke immediately went on a mini-run of its own, and after the one (almost) real UConn run (7 points across halftime), Duke again immediately responded with its most decisive run of the night. To me, that's impressive.

That is impressive. It definitely demonstrates a focus on the defensive end for the team this year . . . something that was sorely lacking last season.

It really is a testament to how mature our three freshmen are that the team plays so focused and poised all the time. Kedsy, you mentioned Tyus looking a little rattled but then quickly regaining his composure and going on to lead our offense. In addition, Justise, for the THIRD GAME IN A ROW, picked up two early fouls, with one of them being an offensive foul (he's had a nasty habit of picking up offensive fouls early in the game, recently). After starting the year on such a high note, he must've have been frustrated picking up those fouls yet again and going to the bench. Then, when he came back on, he was missing shot after shot, including a simple lay-in on a post-up opportunity. Yet, his demeanor never changed and he ended up getting the two biggest buckets in crunch time with the three from the wing and then the awesome tip in off of a free throw miss. Really impressive composure. The cliche is true: our freshmen don't look like freshmen out there.

DU82

12-19-2014, 02:15 PM

After the game, my niece, who works for Rutgers, said that she's glad they're not in their league anymore, and would rather play Maryland. (Referring to both their team and especially their fans.)

Didn't help that they sold alcohol at the game. The UCon fans didn't need the liquid reinforcement.

The Brendan T. Byrne/Continental Airlines/Izod Center is a dinosaur or the late '70s/early '80s, much like the DESSAC or Rupp. Time to stop playing there. Not easy to get there without a car, and a nightmare to leave after the game (the traffic engineer bemoans the lack of any sense of organization or planning. Just let drivers go wherever, creating gridlock at the too narrow exit. Inside, the corridor was jammed before, at halftime and after, and terrible concessions. Move the NYC games to Brooklyn, or even Newark ifMSG is too crowded.

ACCBBallFan

12-19-2014, 02:34 PM

...
** End of first half; beginning of second half: 1:26 (first) to 18:15 (second) -- UConn scores 7 straight to tie game at 30-30. Duke responds with 8 straight points on way to 15-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 45-32.

....
So, first of all, it's amazing that UConn scored more than two consecutive baskets only once in the entire game. But also that after every multi-basket "run" by UConn, Duke immediately went on a mini-run of its own, and after the one (almost) real UConn run (7 points across halftime), Duke again immediately responded with its most decisive run of the night. To me, that's impressive.

And coach K immediately responded with a timeout and tongue lashing when UConn got that easy put back.

Billy Dat

12-19-2014, 02:51 PM

The Brendan T. Byrne/Continental Airlines/Izod Center is a dinosaur or the late '70s/early '80s, much like the DESSAC or Rupp. Time to stop playing there. Not easy to get there without a car, and a nightmare to leave after the game (the traffic engineer bemoans the lack of any sense of organization or planning. Just let drivers go wherever, creating gridlock at the too narrow exit. Inside, the corridor was jammed before, at halftime and after, and terrible concessions. Move the NYC games to Brooklyn, or even Newark ifMSG is too crowded.

I agree with everything you say (nice $25 bang for parking!) and can only imagine that it must be the cheapest NYC-area arena to rent which makes our take of the gate that much more. It was an expensive night all around, $100 ticket, $25 for parking, the GW Bridge toll and the Turnpike tolls and the Manhattan bridge tolls got me for at least another $30. It all rolls up to $200.

But, to say I saw the 2014-15 National Champs in person....PRICELESS! (too soon?)

Wait, I meant the broken remnants of the 2013-14 champs, my mistake.

CDu

12-19-2014, 03:25 PM

I agree. Believe it or not, UConn only scored as many as four (4) points in a row five times during the game:

** First half, 18:36 to 18:17 -- UConn scores 4 points in a row to take its only lead, 4-3. Duke responds with 6 straight points to go ahead 9-4.

** First half, 15:45 to 15:13 -- UConn scores 4 points in a row to pull within one, 9-8. Duke responds with 5 straight points to expand the lead to 14-8.

** End of first half; beginning of second half: 1:26 (first) to 18:15 (second) -- UConn scores 7 straight to tie game at 30-30. Duke responds with 8 straight points on way to 15-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 45-32.

** Second half, 4:25 to 3:45 -- UConn scores 4 straight to pull within 57-51. Duke responds with 5 straight to get to 62-51.

** Second half, 2:17 to 2:01 -- UConn scores 5 straight to pull within 62-56. Duke ends the game with 4 straight to win 66-56.

So, first of all, it's amazing that UConn scored more than two consecutive baskets only once in the entire game. But also that after every multi-basket "run" by UConn, Duke immediately went on a mini-run of its own, and after the one (almost) real UConn run (7 points across halftime), Duke again immediately responded with its most decisive run of the night. To me, that's impressive.

Of course, given that the final score was pretty close, you could argue the opposite (that Duke doesn't have the killer instinct). I mean, we only had a similar number of stretches with 4 or more straight points:

6-0 run from 18:11 to 16:30 (answered by a 4-0 run by UConn)
5-0 run from 15:00 to 13:46 (followed by back and forth for a while)
8-0 run from 17:40 to 15:17 (run unanswered)
7-0 run from 14:10 to 12:46 (back and forth for a while)
4-0 run from 3:14 to 2:34 (answered by a 5-0 run by UConn)
4-0 run to end the game

Basically, this was just a back and forth game with the exception of a 15-2 run from 17:40 to 12:46 of the second half.

jv001

12-19-2014, 03:56 PM

As was the eye test, the stats also show our guards were shaky with the ball: 4 assists and 11 turnovers. Tyus 3/3, Quinn 1/3, Rasheed 0/5, Allen and M. Jones 0/0. Quinn played 39 minutes, Tyus played 38 minutes and Rasheed played 17 minutes. Matt and Grayson played a few minutes. The 17 minutes by Rasheed indicates that Coach K went with 3 guards several times. Too lazy to look that up. Our front line had 27 rebounds with Amile leading the way with 13. Amile also had 9 offensive rebounds. He's a gamer. 10 more day until next tip off. GoDuke!

jipops

12-19-2014, 04:04 PM

Don't know if this has already been said but this game reminded me a lot of the UConn game back in the fall of '09, with our eventual title team. We shot the ball very poorly, UConn hung around for most of the game, but we out-rebounded them and held them off at the end. I think the fact that our defense really stifled them to mostly one-on-one offensive play is very encouraging.

As a matter of fact, we shot the ball even worse in that '09 game (29%), just didn't turn it over nearly as much.

roywhite

12-19-2014, 04:12 PM

Of course, given that the final score was pretty close, you could argue the opposite (that Duke doesn't have the killer instinct). I mean, we only had a similar number of stretches with 4 or more straight points:

6-0 run from 18:11 to 16:30 (answered by a 4-0 run by UConn)
5-0 run from 15:00 to 13:46 (followed by back and forth for a while)
8-0 run from 17:40 to 15:17 (run unanswered)
7-0 run from 14:10 to 12:46 (back and forth for a while)
4-0 run from 3:14 to 2:34 (answered by a 5-0 run by UConn)
4-0 run to end the game

Basically, this was just a back and forth game with the exception of a 15-2 run from 17:40 to 12:46 of the second half.

Well, Duke led for 37:55, score was tied for 1:58, and UConn led for 7 seconds. Not what I would call back-and-forth.

More of a Duke led nearly all the way, and answered the UConn challenges.

CDu

12-19-2014, 06:06 PM

Well, Duke led for 37:55, score was tied for 1:58, and UConn led for 7 seconds. Not what I would call back-and-forth.

More of a Duke led nearly all the way, and answered the UConn challenges.

Semantics disagreement. Back and forth in that neither team had major control. We led pretty much the whole way, but until the 15-2 run it was pretty much always within 2 possessions. And aside from that big run, UConn outscored us.

We would get a few, then they would get some. Just happened that we got out to a 9-4 start, so UConn's counters just brought it back to roughly all square.

uh_no

12-19-2014, 06:48 PM

Semantics disagreement. Back and forth in that neither team had major control. We led pretty much the whole way, but until the 15-2 run it was pretty much always within 2 possessions. And aside from that big run, UConn outscored us.

We would get a few, then they would get some. Just happened that we got out to a 9-4 start, so UConn's counters just brought it back to roughly all square.

I'll be back later with some more analysis from a uconn fan :) but the by the view that the game was a series of mostly alternating buckets is highly corroborated by the %safe stat tracked over the course of the game:

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=26457&bView=3&sInclude=dleadsafe

Duke didn't have a lead that was more than 25% safe until there was 1 minute left in the game. But for a spike at 4:30 and 2:30, the %safe was never above 10%....and even after those spikes, the game quickly returned to effective "toss up" status. I would agree largely that it was a "back and forth" game...in that the lead never really deviated from about +5 duke for most of the game

duke would hit, pushing the lead up to 9-10....and then uconn would hit back, sometimes pulling it to 1-3.

so you're probably right that it's semantics....but just because there is a relatively small initial bias doesn't mean the way the rest of the game went must necessarily be described differently.

NSDukeFan

12-19-2014, 09:38 PM

I think Grayson was so shocked to be inserted last night that he wasn't ready. Hopefully that experience will make him be ready next time.

Maybe Grayson was a bit surprised to be put in, but I was glad to see him in and doing ok against very aggressive and quick guards. Good experience and I hope he continues to get minutes once ACC play starts.

FerryFor50

12-19-2014, 09:48 PM

Maybe Grayson was a bit surprised to be put in, but I was glad to see him in and doing ok against very aggressive and quick guards. Good experience and I hope he continues to get minutes once ACC play starts.

I think Grayson got in because K was looking for an offensive spark at that point of the game. Tinkering a bit because of the poor shooting probably.

NSDukeFan

12-19-2014, 09:50 PM

I think Grayson got in because K was looking for an offensive spark at that point of the game. Tinkering a bit because of the poor shooting probably.

Based on his play so far, I would say that Grayson is worth a try when looking for an offensive spark.

Kedsy

12-19-2014, 11:41 PM

duke would hit, pushing the lead up to 9-10....and then uconn would hit back, sometimes pulling it to 1-3.

This is not accurate. Duke got its first 8-point-or-more lead with 15:23 to go in the 2nd half (38-30). After that, it never got closer than 6 points.

JohnJ

12-20-2014, 06:51 AM

Change it to 7 points instead of 9-10 pts and he's correct. Duke had 7 pt leads at least three times in the first half.

For some reason, I was never worried in this game even though UConn tied it in the second half. But then, I have never been worried about this team the whole year so far. There is just something really special about this group.

Bob Green

12-20-2014, 08:28 AM

As a matter of fact, we shot the ball even worse in that '09 game (29%), just didn't turn it over nearly as much.

Yeah, that Jon Scheyer dude was a heck of a point guard.

For some reason, I was never worried in this game even though UConn tied it in the second half.

I too was never worried during the game. It seemed we had things under control the whole way. It was a tough, competitive contest but far from a nail biter.

jv001

12-20-2014, 08:33 AM

Yeah, that Jon Scheyer dude was a heck of a point guard.

I too was never worried during the game. It seemed we had things under control the whole way. It was a tough, competitive contest but far from a nail biter.

I like you two Blue Devil experts :cool: never worried about this game. For some reason, I've not worried about any games so far. I don't know if it's this group seems to have everything under control or I'm over confident. I hope I stay this way during ACC play. GoDuke!

sagegrouse

12-20-2014, 08:42 AM

I like you two Blue Devil experts :cool: never worried about this game. For some reason, I've not worried about any games so far. I don't know if it's this group seems to have everything under control or I'm over confident. I hope I stay this way during ACC play. GoDuke!

Definition: Nail-biter, n., comp. Maryland 38, Duke 16 in first half of 2001 Final Four.

jv001

12-20-2014, 08:45 AM

Definition: Nail-biter, n., comp. Maryland 38, Duke 16 in first half of 2001 Final Four.

Jason Williams show? GoDuke!

Saratoga2

12-20-2014, 09:16 AM

Yeah, that Jon Scheyer dude was a heck of a point guard.

Seeing Jon Scheyer's name was kind of a memory jog for me. I have read some entries where the writer advocated more practice for Rasheed to allow him to handle the pressure applied by UCONN's speed, length and agressiveness. The reality is that some players by the natural selection process become point guards. Guys like Tyus and Quinn to a lesser degree have been recognized by their ability to stay cool, see the floor and handle pressure. No one is perfect in that regard, but they certainly are better. Jon Scheyer was unusual, in that he had those inate abilities even though he was not particularly quick. I don't think extended practice for Rasheed will give him the kind of gifts he would need to react to pressure like that. Against weaker teams with less speed and aggressiveness he will be fine and it is up to the coaches to recognize the talents that he does have and put him into situations where he can succeed. He is a very good defender and has a reasonable shot and is a tough kid. I think highly of him but people shouldn't delude themselves into thinking additional practice will give him gifts he doesn't possess.

The same thinking about MP3 might lead some to indicate additional repetitions will allow him to be able to catch the ball in a crowd or get a rebound against quick players. His reaction time seems to be a little slower than some other players. You can't teach 7 feet and 260 pounds, so he has to use what he has to advantage. Players trying to get him the ball need to realize his limitations and not pass to him in a crowd or when he is running. He certainly can learn or remember to keep the ball high when he rebounds, which would makwe him a better player.

jv001

12-20-2014, 09:36 AM

Seeing Jon Scheyer's name was kind of a memory jog for me. I have read some entries where the writer advocated more practice for Rasheed to allow him to handle the pressure applied by UCONN's speed, length and agressiveness. The reality is that some players by the natural selection process become point guards. Guys like Tyus and Quinn to a lesser degree have been recognized by their ability to stay cool, see the floor and handle pressure. No one is perfect in that regard, but they certainly are better. Jon Scheyer was unusual, in that he had those inate abilities even though he was not particularly quick. I don't think extended practice for Rasheed will give him the kind of gifts he would need to react to pressure like that. Against weaker teams with less speed and aggressiveness he will be fine and it is up to the coaches to recognize the talents that he does have and put him into situations where he can succeed. He is a very good defender and has a reasonable shot and is a tough kid. I think highly of him but people shouldn't delude themselves into thinking additional practice will give him gifts he doesn't possess.

The same thinking about MP3 might lead some to indicate additional repetitions will allow him to be able to catch the ball in a crowd or get a rebound against quick players. His reaction time seems to be a little slower than some other players. You can't teach 7 feet and 260 pounds, so he has to use what he has to advantage. Players trying to get him the ball need to realize his limitations and not pass to him in a crowd or when he is running. He certainly can learn or remember to keep the ball high when he rebounds, which would makwe him a better player.

Jon was a special player for Duke and he was pretty calm in pressure situations. I think if Rasheed would duplicate some of Jon's traits he would be a better player for it. Rasheed tends to be in a hurry where as Jon took his time and sized up the situation. I'm still in the camp that thinks Rasheed can be a good point guard, but in order to do that, he needs to be in control and not so herky jerky. Dribbling the ball a little lower would help as well. It seems Sheed has good work habits, so I think he'll get better at the things the coaching staff wants from him. GoDuke!

By the way, Jumbo can tell us a lot about Jon Scheyer. Jumbo knew he was going to be special before most of us caught on. GoDuke!

Wander

12-20-2014, 01:03 PM

Jon was a special player for Duke and he was pretty calm in pressure situations. I think if Rasheed would duplicate some of Jon's traits he would be a better player for it. Rasheed tends to be in a hurry where as Jon took his time and sized up the situation. I'm still in the camp that thinks Rasheed can be a good point guard, but in order to do that, he needs to be in control and not so herky jerky. Dribbling the ball a little lower would help as well. It seems Sheed has good work habits, so I think he'll get better at the things the coaching staff wants from him. GoDuke!

I hate to say it but the Rasheed is sort of the anti-Scheyer. Scheyer was removed from the starting lineup his sophomore year just like Rasheed, but it never impacted his play. Scheyer was moved from SG to PG just like Rasheed, but team play improved dramatically as a result. Rasheed is a talented guard who doesn't finish well, doesn't have a lot of intangibles, and whose biggest weakness is probably turning the ball over a lot. Scheyer was a not-athletic guard who finished great, had amazing intangibles, and whose greatest strength was probably never turning the ball over.

Rasheed will never become a Scheyer-like player. I've always thought he could be something like a cross between Nolan Smith and Gerald Henderson, and I still think he can be that good by the time his career is over.

DBFAN

12-20-2014, 01:16 PM

I hate to say it but the Rasheed is sort of the anti-Scheyer. Scheyer was removed from the starting lineup his sophomore year just like Rasheed, but it never impacted his play. Scheyer was moved from SG to PG just like Rasheed, but team play improved dramatically as a result. Rasheed is a talented guard who doesn't finish well, doesn't have a lot of intangibles, and whose biggest weakness is probably turning the ball over a lot. Scheyer was a not-athletic guard who finished great, had amazing intangibles, and whose greatest strength was probably never turning the ball over.

Rasheed will never become a Scheyer-like player. I've always thought he could be something like a cross between Nolan Smith and Gerald Henderson, and I still think he can be that good by the time his career is over.
This is what I have thought of Sheed for quite some time now. He has always reminded me of Nolan Smith. I'm not exactly positive but I thought that Nolan got better when the dribble got a little lower. Of course that could just be my eyes playing tricks because they had such a good season. If Sheed can just bring it down a little bit it would completely change the way defenders approach him. They couldn't just sit and try to swipe the ball. That would then give him an extra inch or 2 away from his defender. If the defender chose not to respect him he could then use his upper body strength to over power. Of course I say all this like it's easy, but habits are so hard to break.
BTW I can also see his game being a mix between Nolan and DeMarcus Nelson. That could just be me getting older and not being able to remember how those guys played anymore 😎

Henderson

12-20-2014, 02:27 PM

I hate to say it but the Rasheed is sort of the anti-Scheyer. Scheyer was removed from the starting lineup his sophomore year just like Rasheed, but it never impacted his play. Scheyer was moved from SG to PG just like Rasheed, but team play improved dramatically as a result. Rasheed is a talented guard who doesn't finish well, doesn't have a lot of intangibles, and whose biggest weakness is probably turning the ball over a lot. Scheyer was a not-athletic guard who finished great, had amazing intangibles, and whose greatest strength was probably never turning the ball over.

Rasheed will never become a Scheyer-like player. I've always thought he could be something like a cross between Nolan Smith and Gerald Henderson, and I still think he can be that good by the time his career is over.

This is what I have thought of Sheed for quite some time now. He has always reminded me of Nolan Smith. I'm not exactly positive but I thought that Nolan got better when the dribble got a little lower. Of course that could just be my eyes playing tricks because they had such a good season. If Sheed can just bring it down a little bit it would completely change the way defenders approach him. They couldn't just sit and try to swipe the ball. That would then give him an extra inch or 2 away from his defender. If the defender chose not to respect him he could then use his upper body strength to over power. Of course I say all this like it's easy, but habits are so hard to break.
BTW I can also see his game being a mix between Nolan and DeMarcus Nelson. That could just be me getting older and not being able to remember how those guys played anymore ��

Y'all are talking offense, and understandably so. But watch the replay of the UConn game. Sheed's box score numbers are deceiving. He played excellent D and was rewarded with minutes.

K talked weeks ago about Rasheed finding his role and singled him out as Duke's best on-ball defender. If, as it appears to me, Sulaimon is finding that role and embracing it, it might be unfair to stick with the mostly offensive expectations we (I) had of him after his freshman season.

Speaking of defense, I focused on MP3 in the replay, and he was very good on defense.

uh_no

12-20-2014, 03:32 PM

So i've simmered on this game for a few days....(and had a bunch of other work and wanted to do this justice)

sooo

it was great to see calhoun, okafor, and hamilton out there competing in a uconn game again :)

The game largely as i expected overall....i guessed 10 points and was lucky enough to be spot on. THe game was rather slow and by many definitions "ugly"....I think both teams ought to be able to come out pleased with their performances, even if there were things they could have done better.

FIrst uconn:
THe good: uconn held the best offense in the country by far to far below what would have been their predicted efficiency. Before the free throws pushed the number up, duke was sitting around 91 P/100 on offense. Per kenpom, uconn should give up 91 or so to an average offense....so effectively they made a duke offense average....that's exceptional for a team losing one of the best defensive guards to graduation.

Their ability to double team okafor and STILL be able to rotate back on the pass out of the double was very impressive. I'm guessing they worked hard at that, and it showed as the double didn't allow many stupid easy buckets (i don't remember any explicitly...but wouldn't be surprised if there were a couple). The fact that they were able to stay in the game for the first half without brimah was very very promising.

Hamilton played eye to eye with winslow. Winslow may be the best freshman wing, but I think hamilton is in the top handful. He's done well to replace deandre daniels (as much as this team would have helped to have daniels back this year....)

Kentom facey was exceptionally efficient.

Uconn was able to shut duke's bench down.

The bad: brimah showed he's still an extremely raw sophomore....2 fouls in less than a minute....i expect him to imprrove, and didn't expect him to kill it against okafor....but you gotta do better than that staying on the floor

uconn has a lot of trouble on offense...despite having weapons.....it was harped on all night that uconn needs that second option...i'd argue that they have guys that are capable of scoring, but it's how defenses play them that prevents them from using the weapons they have. after boatright, uconn had 14 out of facey, and 10 out of hamilton....who have both showed the potential to be there....they were largely able to get into the paint, as well as generate points off TOs....the issue? they can't shoot worth a lick for 3...they don't have a single legitimate threat....so teams can pack it in, and hedge a lot more against penetration...uconn knocks a couple down earlier? you never know....and this isn't just complaining about a poor shooting night....nobody on that team can shoot the three....

the neutral: PUrvis was okay...got to the rim impressively a couple times and got 8 points...he's not the threat that boatright was last year (to nappier), but he was also out last year with shoulder surgery, and has been battling a high ankle sprain....whether this is what we get from purvis, or whether he settles in with some more time is yet to be seen

the team is largely young...replacing 3 starters off a championship team....hamilton, facey, and purvis are trying to step in....and the team showed flashes that they CAN be good...heck they were tied with duke in the second half....even a marginal improvement on offense makes them a much better team, and allows them to actually reap wins from playing what has been pretty good defense all year....they came together last year at the end....and it's yet to be seen how they will go this year. there're easily the best team in the AAC IMO...so we'll see.

On to the DUKIES;
the good: okafor.....i'm flabbergasted he got so few votes in the player of the game thread....after largely not getting to the line in our bigger games, he put 9 fouls on uconn's centers...taking them out of the game. while i would have loved to see a little more aggression against the double team, he was effective in getting the ball back out to people who could make a better play.

the composure: this is the kind of game that last year duke very well might have lost.....team we should beat hangs around...this year, though, duke showed far more composure on offense, and was able to win handily despite a poor 3 point shooting performance (partially uconn's fault....they do a good job at getting out to prevent open threes). I think this is due to two things, mainly, exceptional point guard play, and exceptional balance.

tyus jones showed once again, he can score when he wants, and facilitate when he wants....one of the best few PGs (if not the best) in the country

the bad: penetration defense....uconn got much of their first half offense by penetrating into the lane....obviously it's going to be tough against boatright, but purvis and hamilton also at times were able to get open shots in the lane easier then they ought to have....unfortunately they didn't knock as many down as they could or should have

turnovers....duke didn't shine too bright against the pressure D....especially in the first half....turnovers turnovers turnovers....largely contributed to the poor efficiency....were also not able to pass to open shots often....credit uconn

the bench....it's clear we start our best 5.....and it's not really close at any position. sulaimon did a good job on defense....but was a non-factor on the other side...getting a starter in foul trouble could be an issue for duke in the postseason....i'm not saying it will be, but if you can get one of the starters off for a period of time, it may slow down the offense enough to give a sliver of hope

the neutral: I think uconn showed a certain kind of team that can beat duke....pesky defense with a good post double team, and quick guards....but who is also better offensively than uconn....fortunately, I don't think such a team exists in the country. I'm not saying that duke WOULD lose, but they could....as I pointed out, if uconn was slightly more competent on the offensive end....this would have been an excellent challenge. obviously there are other ways to beat this team, like playing a bunch of space jam sized guys in two platoons....but we'll see

justice was not bad, but not great. as i pointed out, the matchup with hamilton was largely a wash...it will be interesting to watch going forward to see if he maintains the stupid high level he started at, or comes somewhat back to earth. it's one game....i don't want to draw too many conclusions, though.

SO all in all, i'm happy...it was an exciting game throughout....both teams played well, my team won. unfortunately my team lost. Thanks y'all for puttin up with me for a couple days. enjoy the reprieve, though, since duke uconn women is coming up next week!

jv001

12-20-2014, 03:43 PM

Y'all are talking offense, and understandably so. But watch the replay of the UConn game. Sheed's box score numbers are deceiving. He played excellent D and was rewarded with minutes.

K talked weeks ago about Rasheed finding his role and singled him out as Duke's best on-ball defender. If, as it appears to me, Sulaimon is finding that role and embracing it, it might be unfair to stick with the mostly offensive expectations we (I) had of him after his freshman season.

Speaking of defense, I focused on MP3 in the replay, and he was very good on defense.

My comments on Rasheed are strictly based on his being able to play point guard on a high level. The way Scheyer did for us in 2010. I agree Rasheed is very valuable playing good defense and that will get him lot's of minutes(ie Thornton). One thing that I noticed watching the replay of the UConn game was Rasheed showed poor attitude one play. I'm talking about the pass he made to Plumlee which Marshall should have caught and probably scored a bucket. But he fumbled it and UConn got a fast break out of it. Rasheed shook his head, ran half speed back down court and after UConn scored, he shook his head again. A good point guard never does these things. It reminded me of Coach K sitting Bobby Hurley down and watch film of him and how he acted on the court. Bobby became maybe the best Duke point guard ever after that. Rasheed is one of my favorite players but he can't play point guard unless he get's under control. GoDuke!

Duvall

12-20-2014, 04:11 PM

the neutral: I think uconn showed a certain kind of team that can beat duke....pesky defense with a good post double team, and quick guards....but who is also better offensively than uconn....fortunately, I don't think such a team exists in the country.

Aside from the two in Duke's league? Most teams are better than UConn offensively.

millerecu

12-20-2014, 04:13 PM

I honestly do not get all of the negative Sheed comments. Was he great on offense in THIS game....no. However he was great against a very good Wisconsin defense. When NO one could penetrate against Elon he carved them up and made some great assists...even if some of them were hockey assists. Some of his turnovers in the UConn game were passes that some of the starters would have grabbed, not so much the bench.

weezie

12-21-2014, 12:07 PM

Late to the thread as we were at the game. Time to smush the Izod and move on. A long trip out there as rush hour, even in the bus;a kind of grimy venue and terrible food and beers.

Having Larry, Moe and Curly call the game was torture. Honestly thought the first half would never end.

Back to MSG, please.

indy1duke

12-21-2014, 02:52 PM

I would echo Weezie's sentiments about the IZOD center -- tired, cramped and expensive. We wisely ate early in NYC before bussing to NJ. It was fun standing in line for 40 minutes to get on a bus. We loved our seats across from Coach K. Apparently the fans around us were bored. I have never encountered more folks getting up and down blocking out view to buy overpriced food and drink. You would think that before the game, or at half time, might be the right time for that sort of thing. Honestly why not stay at home and watch it on your DVR. These were not Cameron Crazies.

It only took about five minutes of being in a stadium half full of UCONNs to remember why I have such animosity for that team. The whistle blew a lot, but given the physical nature of the game it was not surprising. It kind of reminded me of the Alamo Dome and 2004 when the referees decided the game by not whistling Emeka Okafor for his 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th fouls, but somehow didn't have any problem fouling out 2 or 3 of our bigs. I am still bitter about that outcome. Our Okafor got fouled by Brimah and Nolan and wisely didn't commit fouls.

How many of you have been thinking of a Final Four matchup with KY and wondering how we can keep our bigs in the game if it is really physical and they throw all their big guys at Okafor and try to bait him into charges. I have visions of them flopping every time he spins baseline and dunks. But if we have that game it means we've had a darn good year.