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View Full Version : MBB- Duke (17-3) @ Virginia (19-0) JPJ Arena Charlottesville, Virginia 7PM ET



AIRFORCEDUKIE
01-30-2015, 08:29 AM
Its Friday, we got a big game tomorrow night against what some might consider the best team in the Nation. Perhaps we should start talking about it.

Keys to the game:

Duke: How does the team react to Sheeds dismissal?
Who steps up?
Can we find a way to defend?
Can VA stop Jah?
Free Throws, Free Throws, Free Throws

Virginia: Can they keep us from scoring?
Do they double the post?
Can they score enough to keep up with us on a good shooting night?

Mods forgive me for any protocol bypassing. I hadn't seen any pre game thread so I figured I would move us along to the "Next Play" and start one. This is a massive game for us and for the nation.

Troublemaker
01-30-2015, 08:41 AM
Will this game be known as The Marshall Plumlee Game? Or at least the Second one of those, since it'll be hard to top the SJU game for that moniker.

Marshall's going to get major run in this game. Coach K is completely intrigued by the twin towers pairing after the SJU game. If he was willing to try twin towers against Notre Dame for a few minutes, I believe he's going to give it a more extensive look against UVA since none of Tobey, Gill, or Atkins are shooters. It'll be UVA's 3 classic big men pounding against Duke's 3 classic big men in Jah, Amile, and Marshall. I don't see Justise playing much 4 in this one.

My dear Marshall, I've been clamoring for more playing time for you all season. Kick some butt out there, please! Oh, when you're in Amile's ball-handling spot at the top of the key, don't panic. If the pass isn't there, wait; don't throw it anyway. Put the onus on the guards to come to you. Do that, play with calm, ration your energy, and you're going to have a fine game and possibly be the key to victory.

CarmenWallaceWade
01-30-2015, 08:51 AM
A big test just got enormous. Given the events that have unfolded within the last 24 hours, if we can pull it together and win this game it will speak volumes to our mental toughness. Not to mention it would show that we are still able to compete with the best teams in the nation despite losing a very valuable contributor. Can't wait to see if the team can pull it together and compete at a high level.

jipops
01-30-2015, 08:55 AM
I must say I felt more positive about this game late Wednesday night than I do now. It has to be difficult for such a young group to focus after such a significant event on the roster has taken place. This isn't quite the same as getting charged up after a guy going out with an injury.

This will obviously be especially tough due to UVA's elite defense which goes up against a team that wasn't especially powerful on the perimeter that is now down a shooter.

It's sort of a conundrum with Matt Jones and Plumlee. Having Plumlee in with Okafor could provide some advantages in the front court and Matt Jones is now probably our best defender but neither one offers much of anything on offense. And we are already going to have a difficult time scoring. And I don't see Grayson getting any sort of meaningful pt, he'll be way in over his head in this one.

We don't match up well with their lengthy back court. On the other hand they have no individual answer for Okafor either. I thing playing long stretches of zone make sense in this one, especially since the Hoos haven't been shooting great from the perimeter lately (except for GT).

We're 2-0 in games where we're the underdog so far. Hopefully we can make it 3-0 but I'm not counting on it.

Danke Shane
01-30-2015, 09:41 AM
This year seems to be destined as the "year of the off court distractions", which is unfortunate given the abundance of youth on this team. First it was all the build up to 1K, now it's Rasheed's dismissal.

At this point, I almost don't even care what our final record or tournament seeding is. I'd just like to see the team play solid, confident basketball and be gelling in March.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
01-30-2015, 09:44 AM
Gee, think we might see some changes to our game-plan and our minutes played?

I have nothing to say. I'm glad I'm not the one in charge of rallying the troops and coming up with a strategy to win this game. And, I'm glad we have The Man on the bench. Eager to see what comes together.

weezie
01-30-2015, 09:46 AM
hoo friends are sure we'll come out with both barrels firing. Can't tell if they are really concerned or just hungover from beatings of years past.
I try to remember what it was like when Duke was gaining prominence all those years ago so maybe it's just their anxieties from sitting so high on the flag pole.

CDu
01-30-2015, 10:24 AM
It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a Duke team overcame major adversity to win a game against a very talented, well-coached team in a game they shouldn't win. Let's hope it happens.

As for the game, UVa is pretty athletic at every spot, and fairly long and physical. They are able to switch seamlessly on screens at 3-4 positions when Gill is in at PF. Tobey is an underrated player on both ends inside and will certainly make Okafor work. He may be the best one-on-one defender in the post that Okafor has faced this year. Actually, I'll say he is the best, and it might not be very close.

On top of that, UVa will almost certainly trap Okafor inside with a second big. And they are extremely good at defensive rotations, so it won't be easy to punish them for that help.

Trogdon and Anderson are extremely physical, extremely capable wings. Perrantes is a little less consistent as a scorer, but he runs the offense well and (like everyone) he defends well.

There isn't anything in particular that UVa does poorly. They are careful with the ball, they score extremely efficiently, and they defend ferociously.

The one thing we can hope is that Okafor and our 3pt shooters are on, and that Brogdon and Anderson and Perrantes are off. If that is the case, we can certainly win this game.

Looking forward to seeing how the team responds to adversity. Hopefully they band together and play a great game tomorrow!

MCFinARL
01-30-2015, 10:36 AM
It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a Duke team overcame major adversity to win a game against a very talented, well-coached team in a game they shouldn't win. Let's hope it happens.

As for the game, UVa is pretty athletic at every spot, and fairly long and physical. They are able to switch seamlessly on screens at 3-4 positions when Gill is in at PF. Tobey is an underrated player on both ends inside and will certainly make Okafor work. He may be the best one-on-one defender in the post that Okafor has faced this year. Actually, I'll say he is the best, and it might not be very close.

On top of that, UVa will almost certainly trap Okafor inside with a second big. And they are extremely good at defensive rotations, so it won't be easy to punish them for that help.

Trogdon and Anderson are extremely physical, extremely capable wings. Perrantes is a little less consistent as a scorer, but he runs the offense well and (like everyone) he defends well.

There isn't anything in particular that UVa does poorly. They are careful with the ball, they score extremely efficiently, and they defend ferociously.

The one thing we can hope is that Okafor and our 3pt shooters are on, and that Brogdon and Anderson and Perrantes are off. If that is the case, we can certainly win this game.

Looking forward to seeing how the team responds to adversity. Hopefully they band together and play a great game tomorrow!

I agree 3-point shooting needs to be on for this game--Cook, T. Jones, M. Jones, let's go! Maybe Winslow as well, who hit a couple long shots on Wednesday. Okafor will get his opportunities, but when he has to pass out of a double team, the shooters need to be ready to hit.

gumbomoop
01-30-2015, 10:46 AM
Marshall's going to get major run in this game. Coach K is completely intrigued by the twin towers pairing after the SJU game. If he was willing to try twin towers against Notre Dame for a few minutes, I believe he's going to give it a more extensive look against UVA since none of Tobey, Gill, or Atkins are shooters. It'll be UVA's 3 classic big men pounding against Duke's 3 classic big men in Jah, Amile, and Marshall. I don't see Justise playing much 4 in this one.

I, too, think Marshall will get more minutes Saturday. On UVa's 3 big "non-shooters," do you mean they almost always score close to the basket, that they don't shoot jumpers?

tbyers11
01-30-2015, 11:25 AM
I, too, think Marshall will get more minutes Saturday. On UVa's 3 big "non-shooters," do you mean they almost always score close to the basket, that they don't shoot jumpers?

From games I've watched none of Gill, Tobey or Atkins are 3 pt shooters. In fact, they are each 0-1 on 3FG for the year. They can all hit the 15 footer though.

Dukehky
01-30-2015, 11:31 AM
It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a Duke team overcame major adversity to win a game against a very talented, well-coached team in a game they shouldn't win. Let's hope it happens.

As for the game, UVa is pretty athletic at every spot, and fairly long and physical. They are able to switch seamlessly on screens at 3-4 positions when Gill is in at PF. Tobey is an underrated player on both ends inside and will certainly make Okafor work. He may be the best one-on-one defender in the post that Okafor has faced this year. Actually, I'll say he is the best, and it might not be very close.

On top of that, UVa will almost certainly trap Okafor inside with a second big. And they are extremely good at defensive rotations, so it won't be easy to punish them for that help.

Trogdon and Anderson are extremely physical, extremely capable wings. Perrantes is a little less consistent as a scorer, but he runs the offense well and (like everyone) he defends well.

There isn't anything in particular that UVa does poorly. They are careful with the ball, they score extremely efficiently, and they defend ferociously.

The one thing we can hope is that Okafor and our 3pt shooters are on, and that Brogdon and Anderson and Perrantes are off. If that is the case, we can certainly win this game.

Looking forward to seeing how the team responds to adversity. Hopefully they band together and play a great game tomorrow!

Actually this is the first time that a Duke team will have to overcome this kind of adversity. I'm really worried about the next couple of weeks. K is going to have his work cut out for him, not in the coaching department. I do not see this game going well. If youth has been a reason that we've lost games when to State and Miami, then I think youth is a reason that we are not going to be prepared to play this game.

Regardless, I'm going to watch this game to see if we play hard. If we play hard and lose, even if we get creamed (possible), I think we will be okay in the long run. If we look really troubled, then I will be really troubled.

jipops
01-30-2015, 11:50 AM
It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a Duke team overcame major adversity to win a game against a very talented, well-coached team in a game they shouldn't win. Let's hope it happens.

As for the game, UVa is pretty athletic at every spot, and fairly long and physical. They are able to switch seamlessly on screens at 3-4 positions when Gill is in at PF. Tobey is an underrated player on both ends inside and will certainly make Okafor work. He may be the best one-on-one defender in the post that Okafor has faced this year. Actually, I'll say he is the best, and it might not be very close.

On top of that, UVa will almost certainly trap Okafor inside with a second big. And they are extremely good at defensive rotations, so it won't be easy to punish them for that help.

Trogdon and Anderson are extremely physical, extremely capable wings. Perrantes is a little less consistent as a scorer, but he runs the offense well and (like everyone) he defends well.

There isn't anything in particular that UVa does poorly. They are careful with the ball, they score extremely efficiently, and they defend ferociously.

The one thing we can hope is that Okafor and our 3pt shooters are on, and that Brogdon and Anderson and Perrantes are off. If that is the case, we can certainly win this game.

Looking forward to seeing how the team responds to adversity. Hopefully they band together and play a great game tomorrow!

This is almost a singular now. We'll have to lean on Cook even more, and I'm thinking UVA knows this. While a difficult game already it's hard to see us keeping up if Cook isn't knocking them down in large volume with good efficiency.

kAzE
01-30-2015, 12:00 PM
This is almost a singular now. We'll have to lean on Cook even more, and I'm thinking UVA knows this. While a difficult game already it's hard to see us keeping up if Cook isn't knocking them down in large volume with good efficiency.

Winslow has been surprisingly good from deep this year, and Tyus Jones manages to hit some big 3s as well. We have some shooting on the perimeter, it's just that neither of our bigs are going to pull defenders out of the paint. I see us going with Winslow at the 4 for long stretches this game. They go 6-11, 6-8, and 6-8 for their top 3 bigs. Then again, we're down one of our best perimeter options now, so I guess it really depends on if Matt Jones decides to have an good shooting day or not.

jipops
01-30-2015, 12:12 PM
Winslow has been surprisingly good from deep this year, and Tyus Jones manages to hit some big 3s as well. We have some shooting on the perimeter, it's just that neither of our bigs are going to pull defenders out of the paint. I see us going with Winslow at the 4 for long stretches this game. They go 6-11, 6-8, and 6-8 for their top 3 bigs. Then again, we're down one of our best perimeter options now, so I guess it really depends on if Matt Jones decides to have an good shooting day or not.

I wouldn't say surprisingly good, but sure he can hit it. But if I'm scouting Duke I'm not real concerned about Winslow and the Jones' jacking it up from 3. Unlike Cook, Justise and Matt need a decent amount of time just to be set before letting it go. I do think Tyus is a very promising 3pt shooter but he's a freshman that just hasn't made it more of a strength yet. Sheed was a 40% shooter from 3 so far this season. Winslow and the Jones' all hover around 37, that's a big difference. Not all bad, but not killer either. Cook, even with such a high number of attempts, is real close to 40. So yea, there has been a rather large drop off in our 3pt shooting with Sheed gone, and it wasn't particularly powerful to begin with. Contrast this with UVA who has 3 guys shooting over 40 and another one at 38.

roywhite
01-30-2015, 12:18 PM
I've been quite surprised by the dramatic improvement of Justin Anderson for the Cavs; he is now their leading scorer. If I recall, Duke looked at him when he was a high school sophomore, but then dropped off his recruitment.

Prior to this year, he shot around 30% from 3-pt; this year, he's hitting 51.9% from 3-pt, as well as 50% overall FG, and 81% from the FT line. His size also makes him a tough cover -- he's 6'6" 230#, long-armed, and jumps well. I'd like to see (a hopefully healthy) Justise Winslow check him.

I expect Duke to play well and win.

Kedsy
01-30-2015, 12:20 PM
This is almost a singular now. We'll have to lean on Cook even more, and I'm thinking UVA knows this. While a difficult game already it's hard to see us keeping up if Cook isn't knocking them down in large volume with good efficiency.

It would be really hard for Virginia (or anybody else) to try to lock down both Quinn and Jahlil. If the Hoos (or anyone else) try to do that, I like the odds of our other three (probably wide open) players being able to score in bunches, especially with Tyus running the show.

kAzE
01-30-2015, 12:21 PM
I wouldn't say surprisingly good, but sure he can hit it. But if I'm scouting Duke I'm not real concerned about Winslow and the Jones' jacking it up from 3. Unlike Cook, Justise and Matt need a decent amount of time just to be set before letting it go. I do think Tyus is a very promising 3pt shooter but he's a freshman that just hasn't made it more of a strength yet. Sheed was a 40% shooter from 3 so far this season. Winslow and the Jones' all hover around 37, that's a big difference. Not all bad, but not killer either. Cook, even with such a high number of attempts, is real close to 40. So yea, there has been a rather large drop off in our 3pt shooting with Sheed gone, and it wasn't particularly powerful to begin with. Contrast this with UVA who has 3 guys shooting over 40 and another one at 38.

I'd say I'm absolutely stunned that he's shooting this well from deep. Considering how poorly he shoots free throws, and that the scouting report on him coming out of high school was "does everything but shoot," I think 37% is well above expectations. he's picked it up lately, too. Some of his earlier games in the year included some really poor shooting performances, but he's gone 5-9 in the past 3 contests. I don't mind him taking that shot if it's available. The fact that he can provide minutes at the 4 make his shooting ability even more valuable. It really does wonders for our spacing.

jipops
01-30-2015, 12:29 PM
It would be really hard for Virginia (or anybody else) to try to lock down both Quinn and Jahlil. If the Hoos (or anyone else) try to do that, I like the odds of our other three (probably wide open) players being able to score in bunches, especially with Tyus running the show.

A lot of Duke's 3's have come as a result of Okafor passing out of the post and either directly from that or a swing pass. Matt and Justise have been most successful with wide open looks and nobody in vicinity of them where they can gather themselves before firing. I don't see them getting those kind of looks from UVA's D, even on swing passes. Quinn has developed more of a quick trigger but he's likely going to have a 6-5 defender on him. So yea, we'll likely need Tyus Stones to make quite a few appearances in this one.

jacone21
01-30-2015, 12:54 PM
I'm not really feeling this game right now. I sure hope the team is in a better frame of mind about Duke basketball than I am at the moment. I could see the game going any of a number of ways, from gut check win to complete rock bottom, crash and burn, blow out loss. Who knows? One thing's for sure. There will be a damn ghost on the bench.

jipops
01-30-2015, 01:05 PM
I'd say I'm absolutely stunned that he's shooting this well from deep. Considering how poorly he shoots free throws, and that the scouting report on him coming out of high school was "does everything but shoot," I think 37% is well above expectations. he's picked it up lately, too. Some of his earlier games in the year included some really poor shooting performances, but he's gone 5-9 in the past 3 contests. I don't mind him taking that shot if it's available. The fact that he can provide minutes at the 4 make his shooting ability even more valuable. It really does wonders for our spacing.

I agree he can be a big asset at the 4. And yes his percentage is better than expected. But I still just don't see him as a reliable shooter right now. He can hit the 3, but he's usually only going to take it off a pass and has to be wide open with plenty of time to shoot. Though it certainly isn't outside of the realm of possibility that he could get hot.

CDu
01-30-2015, 01:20 PM
This is almost a singular now. We'll have to lean on Cook even more, and I'm thinking UVA knows this. While a difficult game already it's hard to see us keeping up if Cook isn't knocking them down in large volume with good efficiency.

I disagree a bit. Winslow and the Jones brothers are all shooting 36.7% or better from 3pt range. They are all more than capable of helping us from 3pt range. Cook is clearly the best of the bunch, but we still have 3 others capable of knocking them down.


I wouldn't say surprisingly good, but sure he can hit it. But if I'm scouting Duke I'm not real concerned about Winslow and the Jones' jacking it up from 3. Unlike Cook, Justise and Matt need a decent amount of time just to be set before letting it go. I do think Tyus is a very promising 3pt shooter but he's a freshman that just hasn't made it more of a strength yet. Sheed was a 40% shooter from 3 so far this season. Winslow and the Jones' all hover around 37, that's a big difference. Not all bad, but not killer either. Cook, even with such a high number of attempts, is real close to 40. So yea, there has been a rather large drop off in our 3pt shooting with Sheed gone, and it wasn't particularly powerful to begin with. Contrast this with UVA who has 3 guys shooting over 40 and another one at 38.

Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow are a whopping two makes each from 40% on the season. Matt Jones is one make away. Conversely, Sulaimon was just two misses above those guys in the 36-37% range. I don't think that's a big difference.

Over the course of a season or two? Maybe a big difference. But we aren't talking about a ton of attempts (all 4 are in the 55-70 attempt range), and thus I don't think they are significantly different 3pt shooters.

Troublemaker
01-30-2015, 01:36 PM
I, too, think Marshall will get more minutes Saturday. On UVa's 3 big "non-shooters," do you mean they almost always score close to the basket, that they don't shoot jumpers?

Just that they won't draw MP3 (or Jah) all the way out to the 3-pt line. They can hit the midrange as tbyers mentions above, but that midrange skill should not be able to compromise Duke's basket protection the way a stretch 4 could. I am excited to see if the twin towers look can protect the basket the way I think it can. And if Marshall can, on offense, make catches and passes without turning the ball over, we might have something.

CDu
01-30-2015, 01:43 PM
I, too, think Marshall will get more minutes Saturday. On UVa's 3 big "non-shooters," do you mean they almost always score close to the basket, that they don't shoot jumpers?

Gill can certainly hit a 15 foot jumper, but tends to do most of his work near the rim. Tobey and Atkins are going to do pretty much all of their scoring around the rim.

Troublemaker
01-30-2015, 01:57 PM
It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a Duke team overcame major adversity to win a game against a very talented, well-coached team in a game they shouldn't win. Let's hope it happens.

As for the game, UVa is pretty athletic at every spot, and fairly long and physical. They are able to switch seamlessly on screens at 3-4 positions when Gill is in at PF. Tobey is an underrated player on both ends inside and will certainly make Okafor work. He may be the best one-on-one defender in the post that Okafor has faced this year. Actually, I'll say he is the best, and it might not be very close.

On top of that, UVa will almost certainly trap Okafor inside with a second big. And they are extremely good at defensive rotations, so it won't be easy to punish them for that help.

Trogdon and Anderson are extremely physical, extremely capable wings. Perrantes is a little less consistent as a scorer, but he runs the offense well and (like everyone) he defends well.

There isn't anything in particular that UVa does poorly. They are careful with the ball, they score extremely efficiently, and they defend ferociously.

The one thing we can hope is that Okafor and our 3pt shooters are on, and that Brogdon and Anderson and Perrantes are off. If that is the case, we can certainly win this game.

Looking forward to seeing how the team responds to adversity. Hopefully they band together and play a great game tomorrow!

CDu - This is a really good quickie primer on UVA. Thanks.

I'm hoping Duke can get some buckets in transition tomorrow. Not that transition defense is a weakness for UVA, but I just can't see winning this game by consistently going up against that UVA halfcourt defense. I think Tyus is an excellent transition guard, so hopefully he can find some cheap buckets for Duke tomorrow that lesser guards can't find against UVA. Regardless, Duke's defense has to show up tomorrow. This isn't really a game where we can just outscore the other team. Play one of our best defensive games (which I think will be very possible with MP3 and Matt getting more playing time). Rebound and quickly get the ball up the floor in transition. Shoot well. That's my upset formula.

jhmoss1812
01-30-2015, 02:13 PM
CDu - This is a really good quickie primer on UVA. Thanks.

I'm hoping Duke can get some buckets in transition tomorrow. Not that transition defense is a weakness for UVA, but I just can't see winning this game by consistently going up against that UVA halfcourt defense. I think Tyus is an excellent transition guard, so hopefully he can find some cheap buckets for Duke tomorrow that lesser guards can't find against UVA. Regardless, Duke's defense has to show up tomorrow. This isn't really a game where we can just outscore the other team. Play one of our best defensive games (which I think will be very possible with MP3 and Matt getting more playing time). Rebound and quickly get the ball up the floor in transition. Shoot well. That's my upset formula.

First of all, sorry to hear about Sheed. He's a really talented player and I hope he can take advantage of other opportunities he'll have.

Regarding the game, it should be a really good one. I know you guys are shorter than you expected to be for this game. That could galvanize the team and springboard you. However, having less depth against UVA usually isn't a good thing. We will grind you guys and frustrate you on both sides of the ball. Transition buckets would be huge for you but don't count on many. We've given up an insanely low number of transition points this season. Duke can definitely win this game but you'll have to win it. We won't give it away. We don't turn the ball over, we don't miss free throws. We clean up the glass really well and force teams to beat us in the half-court. I'm interested to see how Duke defends us. We've struggled against the zone in stretches so I wouldn't be surprised to see you guys play more zone. Should be an intense game in an electric atmosphere. Here's to a great game tomorrow night.

peterjswift
01-30-2015, 02:22 PM
I know it is a big challenge to figure out how to fill Rasheed's shoes in these situations, and there is a lot of uncertainty about how these changes will affect the rotation and the defensive/offensive schemes...remember, Duke isn't the only team facing that uncertainty! UVA also has the pressure of having no idea how Duke is going to respond to this situation and to Coach K's lineup changes. K has already proven this season that he is willing to make major changes (switching to zone!), who knows what other wrinkles there are out there.

As much pressure as Duke feels, and as many off the court scenarios that Duke has to deal with, there's no doubt this is a big game that UVA players circled long ago, and that they have been thinking about...as well as dealing with their unbeaten record. There is a lot of pressure on UVA right now, and in some ways, not as much pressure on Duke. I don't think there is a huge expectation for Duke to go in to Virginia on the road and come away with a win - especially after losing an important player (regardless of the circumstances). There is a HUGE amount of pressure on the coaches and players at UVA - pressure that none of them are accustomed to dealing with.

I kind of like the underdog mentality and the chance to snatch a big game from UVA. I can't wait to watch.

Olympic Fan
01-30-2015, 02:24 PM
Actually this is the first time that a Duke team will have to overcome this kind of adversity. I'm really worried about the next couple of weeks. K is going to have his work cut out for him, not in the coaching department. I do not see this game going well. If youth has been a reason that we've lost games when to State and Miami, then I think youth is a reason that we are not going to be prepared to play this game.

Regardless, I'm going to watch this game to see if we play hard. If we play hard and lose, even if we get creamed (possible), I think we will be okay in the long run. If we look really troubled, then I will be really troubled.

If you mean adversity because of a player dismissal ... yes, since that's never happened during the K era.

But think back to the last week of the regular season in 2001. On Wednesday night, Carlos Boozer breaks his foot in a tough home loss to Maryland. The next day, everybody is going nuts -- its the end of the world. Boozer was a MUCH more important player on that team that Rasheed was n this one. He was the starting center and the only interior scorer on the team. His backup was sophomore Casey Sanders, a former McDonald's All-American who had almost never played.

That team -- three days after losing Boozer -- went into Chapel Hill for a game at No. 4 UNC and absolutely dominated the Tar Heels. That team went on to win 10 straight games and the national title (with Boozer returning to play a key role in the last two wins).

K has dealt successfully with similar losses over the years -- Elton Brand in 1998; Kyrie Irving in 2011 due to injuries; the meltdown of starting center Greg Newton in 1997 (which might be the closest to the Sulaimon dismissal).

Not saying it definitely will happen. K doesn't always work miracles -- the loss of Ryan Kelly late in 2012 doomed that team. But he's done it enough times that I won't believe he can't do it now until I see it (not) happen.

But, like you, I am curious to see how this team responds. Was Rasheed a distraction and a cancer? Or will his obvious talents be missed? How the team plays Saturday will go a long way to answering that question.

I don't think it comes down to a win or a loss. On paper, this is the toughest regular season game Duke will face -- on the road, against the unbeaten No. 2 ranked team and with them having a week to prepare. Duke could be at its best and still lose this one. That doesn't mean this isn't a Final Four or even national championship contender.

But HOW they play -- with focus and purpose and THOUGHNESS -- that's what I'll be looking for (although a win would be nice).

gumbomoop
01-30-2015, 02:47 PM
Just that they won't draw MP3 (or Jah) all the way out to the 3-pt line. They can hit the midrange as tbyers mentions above, but that midrange skill should not be able to compromise Duke's basket protection the way a stretch 4 could. I am excited to see if the twin towers look can protect the basket the way I think it can.


Gill can certainly hit a 15 foot jumper, but tends to do most of his work near the rim. Tobey and Atkins are going to do pretty much all of their scoring around the rim.

You two have watched UVa more than I. The conclusion I draw from your two posts is that we might expect to see a few more minutes from Marshall. Seems likely that Justise stays at the wing/3, often guarding Anderson, I'd think. Maybe Marshall's minutes will depend partially on Amile's possible foul issues, but I'll be surprised if Marshall doesn't get 15+ on Sat, spelling both Jahlil and Amile.

Forgot to add: am I correct that UVa's defense is especially effective in that they guard well without fouling much? If yes, well, that portends a tough game for our 3 bigs, as UVa interior defenders will have the extra advantage of not having to worry overly if they do foul, given FT % of Amile and Jahlil. I'd guess they'll not fear Marshall converting many FTs, either.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
01-30-2015, 02:56 PM
If you mean adversity because of a player dismissal ... yes, since that's never happened during the K era.

But think back to the last week of the regular season in 2001. On Wednesday night, Carlos Boozer breaks his foot in a tough home loss to Maryland. The next day, everybody is going nuts -- its the end of the world. Boozer was a MUCH more important player on that team that Rasheed was n this one. He was the starting center and the only interior scorer on the team. His backup was sophomore Casey Sanders, a former McDonald's All-American who had almost never played.

That team -- three days after losing Boozer -- went into Chapel Hill for a game at No. 4 UNC and absolutely dominated the Tar Heels. That team went on to win 10 straight games and the national title (with Boozer returning to play a key role in the last two wins).

K has dealt successfully with similar losses over the years -- Elton Brand in 1998; Kyrie Irving in 2011 due to injuries; the meltdown of starting center Greg Newton in 1997 (which might be the closest to the Sulaimon dismissal).

Not saying it definitely will happen. K doesn't always work miracles -- the loss of Ryan Kelly late in 2012 doomed that team. But he's done it enough times that I won't believe he can't do it now until I see it (not) happen.

But, like you, I am curious to see how this team responds. Was Rasheed a distraction and a cancer? Or will his obvious talents be missed? How the team plays Saturday will go a long way to answering that question.

I don't think it comes down to a win or a loss. On paper, this is the toughest regular season game Duke will face -- on the road, against the unbeaten No. 2 ranked team and with them having a week to prepare. Duke could be at its best and still lose this one. That doesn't mean this isn't a Final Four or even national championship contender.

But HOW they play -- with focus and purpose and THOUGHNESS -- that's what I'll be looking for (although a win would be nice).

You should be posting in the optimism thread.

And yes, if anyone can rally this talented but young team to the fullest of their potential, it is out coach. And you are right about not really knowing how the team may react; if Sheed was a cause for chemistry issues, it might end up being a net win for the remaining players to have Coach not stand for it. As I said in another thread, the media seemed to think the Seahawks were done when they traded Percy Harvin mid-season. That seems to have worked out well for them.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
01-30-2015, 02:57 PM
If you mean adversity because of a player dismissal ... yes, since that's never happened during the K era.

But think back to the last week of the regular season in 2001. On Wednesday night, Carlos Boozer breaks his foot in a tough home loss to Maryland. The next day, everybody is going nuts -- its the end of the world. Boozer was a MUCH more important player on that team that Rasheed was n this one. He was the starting center and the only interior scorer on the team. His backup was sophomore Casey Sanders, a former McDonald's All-American who had almost never played.

That team -- three days after losing Boozer -- went into Chapel Hill for a game at No. 4 UNC and absolutely dominated the Tar Heels. That team went on to win 10 straight games and the national title (with Boozer returning to play a key role in the last two wins).

K has dealt successfully with similar losses over the years -- Elton Brand in 1998; Kyrie Irving in 2011 due to injuries; the meltdown of starting center Greg Newton in 1997 (which might be the closest to the Sulaimon dismissal).

Not saying it definitely will happen. K doesn't always work miracles -- the loss of Ryan Kelly late in 2012 doomed that team. But he's done it enough times that I won't believe he can't do it now until I see it (not) happen.

But, like you, I am curious to see how this team responds. Was Rasheed a distraction and a cancer? Or will his obvious talents be missed? How the team plays Saturday will go a long way to answering that question.

I don't think it comes down to a win or a loss. On paper, this is the toughest regular season game Duke will face -- on the road, against the unbeaten No. 2 ranked team and with them having a week to prepare. Duke could be at its best and still lose this one. That doesn't mean this isn't a Final Four or even national championship contender.

But HOW they play -- with focus and purpose and THOUGHNESS -- that's what I'll be looking for (although a win would be nice).

Good post with good thoughts, only problem is that team had JWill, Mike Dunleavy, and some guy named Battier who was capable of making up for almost any defensive mistake. Everything else though is spot on, and K can make magic happen in these situations. I am excited to see how it works out. Imagine if they make it all work, and go on to do some big things this season. Time will tell.

CDu
01-30-2015, 03:02 PM
You two have watched UVa more than I. The conclusion I draw from your two posts is that we might expect to see a few more minutes from Marshall. Seems likely that Justise stays at the wing/3, often guarding Anderson, I'd think. Maybe Marshall's minutes will depend partially on Amile's possible foul issues, but I'll be surprised if Marshall doesn't get 15+ on Sat, spelling both Jahlil and Amile.

Forgot to add: am I correct that UVa's defense is especially effective in that they guard well without fouling much? If yes, well, that portends a tough game for our 3 bigs, as UVa interior defenders will have the extra advantage of not having to worry overly if they do foul, given FT % of Amile and Jahlil. I'd guess they'll not fear Marshall converting many FTs, either.

I won't be at all surprised to see Plumlee get double-digit minutes. I think 15+ might be a stretch though: he hasn't topped 12 since November. But this is definitely a game he is more suited to play in given Notre Dame's size and general disinterest in playing a "stretch 4" (though they will occasionally have Anderson at PF; in that case I'd DEFINITELY not play both Plumlee and Okafor).

You are correct that UVa is very good at guarding physically without fouling. And it will certainly be a tough game for our bigs. They are also an extremely good defensive rebounding team, which makes it harder for guys like Jefferson, Plumlee, and Matt Jones to be effective offensively.

kmspeaks
01-30-2015, 03:26 PM
You are correct that UVa is very good at guarding physically without fouling. And it will certainly be a tough game for our bigs. They are also an extremely good defensive rebounding team, which makes it harder for guys like Jefferson, Plumlee, and Matt Jones to be effective offensively.

I think part of the reason they're so good at this is because they are physical where the refs tend to allow such things - off the ball. I was at the Davidson game in December and because I didn't really have a rooting interest I had a blast watching the entire court and seeing all 5 guys move and react together from my seat high up in the rafters of the JPJ. For the first 30 minutes Davidson was getting whatever shot they wanted, having multiple guys circle cut off a screen at the elbow and the UVA defenders were getting all jammed up. About midway through the 2nd half Tony Bennett brought Evan Nolte in off the bench and put him on Davidson's #4 who had been killing the Cavs. Nolte got really physical with him, not letting him make the cuts he wanted or even get to where the screen was being set. Davidson's offense bogged down, UVA started dumping it inside, upset avoided.

Virginia doesn't play dirty, but I think the physicality may be reminiscent of the St. Johns game. Hopefully our young guys fully absorbed that lesson and won't be knocked back for 30 minutes like they were last weekend.

MCFinARL
01-30-2015, 03:41 PM
I won't be at all surprised to see Plumlee get double-digit minutes. I think 15+ might be a stretch though: he hasn't topped 12 since November. But this is definitely a game he is more suited to play in given Notre Dame's size and general disinterest in playing a "stretch 4" (though they will occasionally have Anderson at PF; in that case I'd DEFINITELY not play both Plumlee and Okafor).

You are correct that UVa is very good at guarding physically without fouling. And it will certainly be a tough game for our bigs. They are also an extremely good defensive rebounding team, which makes it harder for guys like Jefferson, Plumlee, and Matt Jones to be effective offensively.

Yes--one need only look at the foul differential in last year's ACC tournament game between Duke and UVa--15 fouls for UVa, 29 for Duke, yet UVa had very effective interior defense. They are good at working with the body, not the hands/arms.

Bob Green
01-30-2015, 03:43 PM
On defense, when we go man-to-man, Justin Anderson is a tough match-up for Duke with Justise Winslow banged up a bit. We also have to ensure we get back quickly on unsuccessful offensive possession or after a turnover because even though Virginia has a reputation as a grind it out team, they will look to push the ball up the court quickly when the opportunity presents itself. Obviously, limiting unsuccessful offensive possessions and turnovers will go a long way toward preventing Virginia from achieving success in transition. Offensive efficiency will be a key for Duke tomorrow night in Charlottesville.

Wahoo2000
01-30-2015, 03:45 PM
It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a Duke team overcame major adversity to win a game against a very talented, well-coached team in a game they shouldn't win. Let's hope it happens.

As for the game, UVa is pretty athletic at every spot, and fairly long and physical. They are able to switch seamlessly on screens at 3-4 positions when Gill is in at PF. Tobey is an underrated player on both ends inside and will certainly make Okafor work. He may be the best one-on-one defender in the post that Okafor has faced this year. Actually, I'll say he is the best, and it might not be very close.

On top of that, UVa will almost certainly trap Okafor inside with a second big. And they are extremely good at defensive rotations, so it won't be easy to punish them for that help.

Trogdon and Anderson are extremely physical, extremely capable wings. Perrantes is a little less consistent as a scorer, but he runs the offense well and (like everyone) he defends well.

There isn't anything in particular that UVa does poorly. They are careful with the ball, they score extremely efficiently, and they defend ferociously.

The one thing we can hope is that Okafor and our 3pt shooters are on, and that Brogdon and Anderson and Perrantes are off. If that is the case, we can certainly win this game.

Looking forward to seeing how the team responds to adversity. Hopefully they band together and play a great game tomorrow!


Some points, from a UVA fan perspective:

-We've started mixing up the post double/trap MUCH more this season. In the past, we seemingly would double vs a good post player EVERY single time he caught the ball. I think that against Okafor, we'll double more than usual, but probably not with every touch.

-When we DO double, it typically comes from the lowest positioned defender on the weak side (usually the other big). The player covering the weak side wing rotates to cover the post in that scenario. Against most teams, this leaves the cross-court skip pass for a wide open 3. The pack principles however, usually cause the defender guarding the player at the key to drop right down around the FT line AS the double comes. This does 2 things - clogs the lane to prevent cutters slicing through for an easy layup AND allows us to disrupt the passing lanes from the post double to BOTH the key and opposite wing. It's VITAL that this player have good defensive instincts, and be long/athletic/quick (usually hoping that Brogdon, Anderson, or Shayok is in this spot). When we're able to "set the D" in this way, we can usually post trap effectively without giving a clean look at 3 - even with a couple extra passes. Of course it doesn't ALWAYS work out that way - we sometimes have "wrong" players in the key spots, and sometimes a big like Okafor who is a superior passer can thread the needle on those kickouts despite the pressure from the double and a good player playing "free safety". This is one of the most interesting matchups of the game for me - can Duke make us pay for doubling the post?

-How much will Plumlee play? I think that Tobey, Gill, and Atkins are all MORE than solid shooting from 15-18 feet. Tobey in particular won't hesitate to pull from that distance. The other two will as well, but it's more unlikely unless we're into the last 10-12 seconds of the shot clock. Where Plumlee will (IMO) hurt Duke is on the other end of the floor. Our defense is SO packed in already, I can't imagine how much more sticky it will be to operate in there if we have a big who can basically plant in the lane and not have to guard anyone. Whoever gets Plumlee will only have 3 responsibilities: HELP, hedge screens Plumlee sets, box him out. I'm not sure that you want to, against a D this good, play 4-on-5 for extended stretches. Additionally, as I remember, Jefferson has played terrifically against us the last few - both scoring and rebounding. Personally, if I were a Duke fan, I'd be hoping for 30+ min from Jefferson AND Okafor, 10ish from Winslow in the post, and whatever scraps are left can go to Plumlee.

-How aggressive will Tyus be driving the ball? Our toughest games (or at least the ones where our defense had the most trouble) were Miami and Davidson. No accident that those teams both had guards that not only could knock down the 3, but could also blow by you (Trimble at Maryland was killing us in this manner as well). Penetration from the perimeter into the paint is the best way to beat the packline. You'll cause breakdowns, and likely foul trouble as well. Seems from the last few games I've seen that Jones hasn't been in all-out attack mode that often though. Seems to really pick his spots to drive. I think if he goes hard a little more often, that'll be a boon to Duke's chances of winning.

-Will some of UVA's key guys "get back on track"? After a scorching non-conference season, Anderson and Gill have quieted down quite a bit offensively. Anderson's 3pt% in conference play is still very good (40%) but nowhere near the crazy numbers from Nov&Dec (28-46; 61%). Gill, meanwhile, is only averaging about 8ppg in conference after being around 14 in Nov and Dec. FT attempts are also down by almost half (nearly 6 to right at 3) and now minutes are starting to trail off as well. Tobey even has been lackluster the last 4 games (2.5ppg, 1.25rpg). Eventually these guys (Tobey and Gill moreso than Anderson) WILL come around. Will it happen tomorrow with the extra motivation of playing a top-tier opponent? We'll see.

-Will UVA's bench continue to step up? Atkins (though he has started occasionally), Shayok, and Wilkins - the latter 2 1st year players - have been pretty outstanding lately. Shayok and Atkins have both been MUCH better than what I think any Wahoo fan expected coming into the season. Certainly, Atkins has been out most consistent big and is DEFINITELY the best post defender we have. He's also showed surprising offense this season. His jump hook has been VERY consistent, and his 15 foot jumper has been hot and cold. He's the best defensive rebounder we have by a mile. His style of game is similar to Akil Mitchell last year - quick, springy, athletic. Not an ELITE defender like Mitchell, but much more polished offensively. Shayok has been a revelation. His ability to pick up the nuances of the pack-line, as well as his length, athleticism, and shooting have made him the 4th perimeter player on the team. I doubt you'll see more than 2 minutes tomorrow from any player on the perimeter besides him and the 3 starters. Wilkins was languishing on the bench in late December and early January, but as Gill has "come back to Earth" a bit he's gotten consistent minutes. We absolutely would have lost at Notre Dame if not for his contributions. He VERY slightly undersized as a stretch 4 at 6'7, mostly because he has a tremendous wingspan and vertical leap. He's definitely been an "energy guy" and "sparkplug" rebounding and playing defense. Surprisingly he's also shown the ability to step out and hit the 3 or an 18 foot jumper. I really couldn't be any more pleased the way these guys have been playing recently.

-Will Brogdon and Perrantes continue to be clutch? Perrantes, while not a huge scorer, has shown the ability several times already to be the guy who hits a tough shot to end a dry spell for us. Brogdon has been coming out of the gates hot lately, and also has made some clutch plays down the stretch in tight games. And if we're up more than a possession with 30 seconds or less left, it's pretty much over. These guys are both 90% type FT shooters, and if possible, even BETTER under pressure. If you have to foul late, hope Perrantes is inbounding, and double Brogdon.

I definitely think either team could win tomorrow. 3pt% and foul trouble will likely be the biggest stats at the end if I had to guess.

PS - Can I say I love Amile Jefferson? That guy is WAAAAAAY underrated in my book. I think if he was a much more vocal leader, your team chemistry would be a few notches higher.

CDu
01-30-2015, 04:03 PM
Will some of UVA's key guys "get back on track"? After a scorching non-conference season, Anderson and Gill have quieted down quite a bit offensively. Anderson's 3pt% in conference play is still very good (40%) but nowhere near the crazy numbers from Nov&Dec (28-46; 61%). Gill, meanwhile, is only averaging about 8ppg in conference after being around 14 in Nov and Dec. FT attempts are also down by almost half (nearly 6 to right at 3) and now minutes are starting to trail off as well. Tobey even has been lackluster the last 4 games (2.5ppg, 1.25rpg). Eventually these guys (Tobey and Gill moreso than Anderson) WILL come around. Will it happen tomorrow with the extra motivation of playing a top-tier opponent? We'll see.

PS - Can I say I love Amile Jefferson? That guy is WAAAAAAY underrated in my book. I think if he was a much more vocal leader, your team chemistry would be a few notches higher.

Thanks much for your analysis/comments. Always nice to get insights from the other side. Your thoughts are always welcome.

As for your two comments:

With regard to those guys "getting back on track", I'd actually argue that their more recent play is more indicative of their abilities (except for Tobey). I think your preseason schedule (which was pretty light on competition) made these guys look better than they are.

Anderson had become the greatest shooter in college basketball history for the first part of this season. For a guy who shot at or below 30% from 3 in each of his first two years, you had to know that wasn't sustainable. If anything, I'd say that the 40% he is shooting in ACC play is perhaps still shooting a bit over his head (though perhaps not). But I certainly wouldn't expect him to return to his early-season absurdity, or anywhere close to it.

Similarly, I think Gill's numbers were a bit inflated by playing against undersized and generally overmatched opponents. In the Maryland game, for example, he got just 11 points and 6 rebounds (and 4 fouls). And that's probably the only reasonably big and talented team you played in the pre-conference schedule. Not that the ACC are a bunch of juggernauts inside, but they typically have more size than you saw in the non-con schedule.

Tobey has played below his norm the past 4 games for sure, but I'd say his ~8ppg and ~6rpg are about right.

As for Jefferson, I think he has loads of potential and he is a terrific rebounder. He is still figuring out his defensive game and (moreso) how to play offense. But he is definitely a key part of our team. This matchup doesn't exactly bode well for him, though. He has basically the same limitations offensively as Plumlee in that you don't have to guard him outside of about 8 feet.

Wahoo2000
01-30-2015, 04:21 PM
Thanks much for your analysis/comments. Always nice to get insights from the other side. Your thoughts are always welcome.

As for your two comments:

With regard to those guys "getting back on track", I'd actually argue that their more recent play is more indicative of their abilities (except for Tobey). I think your preseason schedule (which was pretty light on competition) made these guys look better than they are.

Anderson had become the greatest shooter in college basketball history for the first part of this season. For a guy who shot at or below 30% from 3 in each of his first two years, you had to know that wasn't sustainable. If anything, I'd say that the 40% he is shooting in ACC play is perhaps still shooting a bit over his head (though perhaps not). But I certainly wouldn't expect him to return to his early-season absurdity, or anywhere close to it.

Similarly, I think Gill's numbers were a bit inflated by playing against undersized and generally overmatched opponents. In the Maryland game, for example, he got just 11 points and 6 rebounds (and 4 fouls). And that's probably the only reasonably big and talented team you played in the pre-conference schedule. Not that the ACC are a bunch of juggernauts inside, but they typically have more size than you saw in the non-con schedule.

Tobey has played below his norm the past 4 games for sure, but I'd say his ~8ppg and ~6rpg are about right.

As for Jefferson, I think he has loads of potential and he is a terrific rebounder. He is still figuring out his defensive game and (moreso) how to play offense. But he is definitely a key part of our team. This matchup doesn't exactly bode well for him, though. He has basically the same limitations offensively as Plumlee in that you don't have to guard him outside of about 8 feet.

I think most if this is close to spot-on. I think Gill is GREAT at drawing contact on the interior and finishing. Lately (as opposed to last year too, not just this noncon season) he's been getting many fewer whistles while simultaneously having more trouble finishing around the rim. I expect both of those things to get a little better. He is more than capable of being a 12 and 8 guy for us, even against top 30 competition. Anderson is likely showing his true colors now (sadly), but the crazy shooting went on for SO long that I think I'd deluded myself into thinking he was going to be a 45+ percentage guy. We'll see what happens the rest of the season. I just don't get Tobey, it seems like he has all the tools to dominate offensively, just missing a kind of "fire" or killer instinct. He tends to get down on himself when he starts poorly too. I really thought he had the most NBA potential in his class when they arrived at UVA, but I don't think he's ever going to realize it.

And vis a vis Jefferson/Plumlee - I've seen Jefferson make some nice catches in traffic and some nice moves to the basket, so he's at least KIND of a threat. Plumlee doesn't even think about attempting to score. To me, that's a significant difference.

Troublemaker
01-30-2015, 04:23 PM
First of all, sorry to hear about Sheed. He's a really talented player and I hope he can take advantage of other opportunities he'll have.

Regarding the game, it should be a really good one. I know you guys are shorter than you expected to be for this game. That could galvanize the team and springboard you. However, having less depth against UVA usually isn't a good thing. We will grind you guys and frustrate you on both sides of the ball. Transition buckets would be huge for you but don't count on many. We've given up an insanely low number of transition points this season. Duke can definitely win this game but you'll have to win it. We won't give it away. We don't turn the ball over, we don't miss free throws. We clean up the glass really well and force teams to beat us in the half-court. I'm interested to see how Duke defends us. We've struggled against the zone in stretches so I wouldn't be surprised to see you guys play more zone. Should be an intense game in an electric atmosphere. Here's to a great game tomorrow night.

Thanks for the response, despite virtually ruining my hope for Duke getting some easy buckets in transition. (Still holding a glimmer of hope that maybe Tyus can perform some magic).

Interesting comments about depth. UVA wouldn't have been the first team that jumped to mind as being an opponent that one would need a lot of depth to play against. You guys play a low-possession game and don't draw that many fouls on offense. I guess your physicality will wear people down? UVA does seem to have a knack to go on game-saving runs at the end of the game. In any case, I hope 7 players will be enough because that's what Duke will likely play tomorrow.

Kedsy
01-30-2015, 04:34 PM
K has already proven this season that he is willing to make major changes (switching to zone!), who knows what other wrinkles there are out there.

This is a good point. For our two biggest games this season (@Wisconsin and @Louisville), Coach K wheeled out major surprises -- switching every screen against Wisconsin and zone against Louisville -- and those surprises seemed to flummox our opponents. I have to wonder if he's saving another surprise for Virginia.


But think back to the last week of the regular season in 2001. On Wednesday night, Carlos Boozer breaks his foot in a tough home loss to Maryland. The next day, everybody is going nuts -- its the end of the world. Boozer was a MUCH more important player on that team that Rasheed was n this one. He was the starting center and the only interior scorer on the team. His backup was sophomore Casey Sanders, a former McDonald's All-American who had almost never played.

That team -- three days after losing Boozer -- went into Chapel Hill for a game at No. 4 UNC and absolutely dominated the Tar Heels. That team went on to win 10 straight games and the national title (with Boozer returning to play a key role in the last two wins).

I think from a psychological standpoint, the dynamic playing after a key player is injured would be different than something like this (where a key player is dismissed from the team). To me, it would seem easier to come out supercharged the game after the former than it would be the game after the latter. But obviously, we'll see.

Troublemaker
01-30-2015, 04:41 PM
Some points, from a UVA fan perspective:

Good thoughts! Thanks for your perspective.



-How much will Plumlee play? I think that Tobey, Gill, and Atkins are all MORE than solid shooting from 15-18 feet. Tobey in particular won't hesitate to pull from that distance. The other two will as well, but it's more unlikely unless we're into the last 10-12 seconds of the shot clock. Where Plumlee will (IMO) hurt Duke is on the other end of the floor. Our defense is SO packed in already, I can't imagine how much more sticky it will be to operate in there if we have a big who can basically plant in the lane and not have to guard anyone. Whoever gets Plumlee will only have 3 responsibilities: HELP, hedge screens Plumlee sets, box him out. I'm not sure that you want to, against a D this good, play 4-on-5 for extended stretches. Additionally, as I remember, Jefferson has played terrifically against us the last few - both scoring and rebounding. Personally, if I were a Duke fan, I'd be hoping for 30+ min from Jefferson AND Okafor, 10ish from Winslow in the post, and whatever scraps are left can go to Plumlee.

[snip]

PS - Can I say I love Amile Jefferson? That guy is WAAAAAAY underrated in my book. I think if he was a much more vocal leader, your team chemistry would be a few notches higher.

Yeah, the decision to pair Plumlee with Okafor would not be for Plumlee's offense, that's for sure. It'd be for his defense and because he's easily the best shotblocker on Duke's team, as Okafor has unfortunately been average in that regard. Duke right now is searching for ways to protect its basket.

The thing about Jefferson is that when he played well against you guys last season, he was the starting center. This season, he has to play off of Okafor, which is a different task. Many of Duke's opponents have played him in the way you described your plan to play Plumlee. Still, Amile is definitely the better offensive player because of superior catching, ball-handling, and passing abilities. But he's not a 7-foot shotblocker.

Everything in life is a tradeoff. Wouldn't it be nice if every player were great both offensively and defensively? I'd like to see Okafor for 35 min, Amile for 30 min, and Plumlee for 15 min. I want to see if this 3-man big rotation can shut down the middle on you guys.




-How aggressive will Tyus be driving the ball? Our toughest games (or at least the ones where our defense had the most trouble) were Miami and Davidson. No accident that those teams both had guards that not only could knock down the 3, but could also blow by you (Trimble at Maryland was killing us in this manner as well). Penetration from the perimeter into the paint is the best way to beat the packline. You'll cause breakdowns, and likely foul trouble as well. Seems from the last few games I've seen that Jones hasn't been in all-out attack mode that often though. Seems to really pick his spots to drive. I think if he goes hard a little more often, that'll be a boon to Duke's chances of winning.


Good tip! I hope Tyus can do same things that those other guards did to hurt you guys. Tyus has been the key in several big wins already for Duke.

bbosbbos
01-30-2015, 05:00 PM
Teams that playing us always have their best game in the season. UVA is not an exception. Furthermore, Tony is one of the best college bb coach. (imho, he is the #1 currently). His D is so strong that opponents usually could not score enough to win.

In order to beat UVA, we have to let the bb move well. No TOs. Good movement normally generates space for our guards for threes. This season we had very good bb movement in the early phase. In that phase big Jah did not score that many. In the recent phase we tried to feed big Jah regularly, resulting in a slower bb movement and predictable O. I think that is the problem of our O. In the 1st half of St John game, we fed big Jah less than normal. I think we should do this more often.

However, I am just not that optimistic for this game. We need some time to improve.

CDu
01-30-2015, 05:10 PM
I think most if this is close to spot-on. I think Gill is GREAT at drawing contact on the interior and finishing. Lately (as opposed to last year too, not just this noncon season) he's been getting many fewer whistles while simultaneously having more trouble finishing around the rim. I expect both of those things to get a little better. He is more than capable of being a 12 and 8 guy for us, even against top 30 competition. Anderson is likely showing his true colors now (sadly), but the crazy shooting went on for SO long that I think I'd deluded myself into thinking he was going to be a 45+ percentage guy. We'll see what happens the rest of the season. I just don't get Tobey, it seems like he has all the tools to dominate offensively, just missing a kind of "fire" or killer instinct. He tends to get down on himself when he starts poorly too. I really thought he had the most NBA potential in his class when they arrived at UVA, but I don't think he's ever going to realize it.

And vis a vis Jefferson/Plumlee - I've seen Jefferson make some nice catches in traffic and some nice moves to the basket, so he's at least KIND of a threat. Plumlee doesn't even think about attempting to score. To me, that's a significant difference.

Yeah, I agree with all of this. I definitely didn't mean to disparage Gill. He is certainly good, just maybe not quite pre-con season good. And Tobey is an enigma. He had a strong game I think as a frosh against UNC, and I thought "this kid is gonna be trouble." And he continues to show the ability. But MAN can the kid disappear for a while. The results just have never matched the talent.

Agree on Jefferson/Plumlee. The only value Plumlee brings is screening and offensive rebounds. Jefferson can't shoot, but he can dribble, catch, and is clever around the rim. But against a contracted defense, I think Jefferson's offensive value goes down a lot. I hope I am wrong though.

jhmoss1812
01-30-2015, 06:16 PM
Thanks for the response, despite virtually ruining my hope for Duke getting some easy buckets in transition. (Still holding a glimmer of hope that maybe Tyus can perform some magic).

Interesting comments about depth. UVA wouldn't have been the first team that jumped to mind as being an opponent that one would need a lot of depth to play against. You guys play a low-possession game and don't draw that many fouls on offense. I guess your physicality will wear people down? UVA does seem to have a knack to go on game-saving runs at the end of the game. In any case, I hope 7 players will be enough because that's what Duke will likely play tomorrow.

Playing UVa is just different than really playing most other teams. It's a different animal. Although you play less possessions against us, the possessions are more physically and mentally draining. You have to grind the whole 40 minutes. That wears teams down and you can see the frustration on our opponent's faces and in their body language. Teams tend to shoot FTs really poorly against us as well (64 % from the line). I don't think that's a fluke. They are exhausted and lose focus. I am not saying that will happen to Duke but it's something that could creep into play.

Our players are just incredibly mentally tough. That's why you see a lot of the game-saving runs as you call it. They just have a lot of confidence in one another. Mark Turgeon (MD coach) said that he felt a cockiness and arrogance to our players and meant it completely as a compliment. We just have extreme confidence that we'll find a way to win. Through 19 games, we have. We'll see if we get through 20.

-bdbd
01-30-2015, 07:06 PM
When asked at halftime of the Duke-ND game, regarding whether he'd double-up on Jah or "do like Mike Brey and try to cover him 1-on-1 mostly, Coach Bennett said something like, "Yeah, that's who we are. We like to trap a lot."

He sure seemed to be saying he planned to double-team Jah most of the time.

Hoping others will be able to step up.

lotusland
01-30-2015, 08:03 PM
We got the ball to Amile down low for the first score against ND and he made a quick move to the basket but I didn't see that again for the rest of the game. I'm not an expert on UVA defense by any means but I think we need to take advantage of the extra attention given to Okafor. With the Syracuse zone we can get the ball to a big like Amile in the high post to start the the offense but I'm not sure where the "soft spot" is with UVA. I think teams play to guard Okafor and the 3 point line againt Duke so I'd like to find away to get Amile and maybe Winslow some opportunities. Amile is pretty nifty down low even if he needs a dribble (but not 2) to get there. If they trap or double team Amile I like Okafor coming from the weak side if Amile can get the shot to the rim or the glass.

I'm not sure how deep UVA is but I would expect to see hard fouls again Jah and Amile in the post to make them hit FTs.

Dukehky
01-30-2015, 08:22 PM
We got the ball to Amile down low for the first score against ND and he made a quick move to the basket but I didn't see that again for the rest of the game. I'm not an expert on UVA defense by any means but I think we need to take advantage of the extra attention given to Okafor. With the Syracuse zone we can get the ball to a big like Amile in the high post to start the the offense but I'm not sure where the "soft spot" is with UVA. I think teams play to guard Okafor and the 3 point line againt Duke so I'd like to find away to get Amile and maybe Winslow some opportunities. Amile is pretty nifty down low even if he needs a dribble (but not 2) to get there. If they trap or double team Amile I like Okafor coming from the weak side if Amile can get the shot to the rim or the glass.

I'm not sure how deep UVA is but I would expect to see hard fouls again Jah and Amile in the post to make them hit FTs.

Anthony Gill on defense is a whole different beast than an albeit super athletic 6'5 Connaughton. I like Amile's moves in the post too, but this isn't the game to exploit it.

roywhite
01-30-2015, 09:28 PM
When asked at halftime of the Duke-ND game, regarding whether he'd double-up on Jah or "do like Mike Brey and try to cover him 1-on-1 mostly, Coach Bennett said something like, "Yeah, that's who we are. We like to trap a lot."

He sure seemed to be saying he planned to double-team Jah most of the time.

Hoping others will be able to step up.

Talking to a friend who played college basketball and now coaches youth league, I got an interesting explanation of UVa's defensive philosophy:
The players are taught to have defensive responsibility for 1.5 opponents; this is your primary man to check, but you should also be prepared to "dig down" or move to cover another player when the ball goes to him. With good coaching, good athletes, and this system, the Cavs are a really hard team to score on. The best way to attack them is really good ball movement, which should eventually produce an opening.

jv001
01-30-2015, 10:57 PM
Talking to a friend who played college basketball and now coaches youth league, I got an interesting explanation of UVa's defensive philosophy:
The players are taught to have defensive responsibility for 1.5 opponents; this is your primary man to check, but you should also be prepared to "dig down" or move to cover another player when the ball goes to him. With good coaching, good athletes, and this system, the Cavs are a really hard team to score on. The best way to attack them is really good ball movement, which should eventually produce an opening.

I heard a former bb player on XM radio describe Virginia's defense just as you stated above. He also said that they play hard defense and try to get teams to get deep into the shot clock so they will take a bad shot. If they are able to run off the miss, they do. But if they aren't able to run, then they work the ball around for most of the shot clock and take the first good shot they get with enough time on the clock that they don't have to rush. Seems to me that is good strategy for most teams. He said that VA will try to wear Tyus down because he's the key to Duke offense. GoDuke!

DieHard
01-31-2015, 12:07 AM
At times I feel this team is like a kid after his birthday with a new toy. All we do is play with the new toy we have wanted for a while, and forget about the ones we have loved for years. Or maybe it is the JJ/superstar effect. Remember against Georgetown, when K yelled at the team that he (JJ) "was not going to bail you out this time?" I love Okafor, and would not trade him for anyone, but our perimeter needs to play 40 minutes. Not stand around and wait for our superstar to bail them out. In our loses, towards the end, we walk the ball up court, feed Okafor, and everyone waits for him to do something. Nobody moves. It is predictable, they double/triple team him (we do not move), foul him, and he is a bad foul shooter. When it is not working, we need to go back to drive and kick. Drive and get fouled (those guys shoot a much better percentage). Okafor will still be a factor with rebounds and cleanup baskets. It would also open it up to feeding him sporadically.

I also think UVA is so well versed with their opponent's standard offense that they will stop it. Run motion the whole time. Set plays fall into their strategy.

gep
01-31-2015, 12:14 AM
At times I feel this team is like a kid after his birthday with a new toy. All we do is play with the new toy we have wanted for a while, and forget about the ones we have loved for years. Or maybe it is the JJ/superstar effect. Remember against Georgetown, when K yelled at the team that he (JJ) "was not going to bail you out this time?" I love Okafor, and would not trade him for anyone, but our perimeter needs to play 40 minutes. Not stand around and wait for our superstar to bail them out. In our loses, towards the end, we walk the ball up court, feed Okafor, and everyone waits for him to do something. Nobody moves. It is predictable, they double/triple team him (we do not move), foul him, and he is a bad foul shooter. When it is not working, we need to go back to drive and kick. Drive and get fouled (those guys shoot a much better percentage). Okafor will still be a factor with rebounds and cleanup baskets. It would also open it up to feeding him sporadically.

I also think UVA is so well versed with their opponent's standard offense that they will stop it. Run motion the whole time. Set plays fall into their strategy.

Along with the zone with Marshall, I think this may be the key. Quinn and Tyus have to continually drive into the defense. Make the defense defend.:cool:

dukelifer
01-31-2015, 07:10 AM
This game is all about Duke's mental toughness. It will be challenged in a big way. The hope is that they can keep it close until the last 5 minutes. But a lack of focus or foul trouble and it will be a long night. It will be interesting to watch the team's body language and who is the vocal leader. There is a lot of talent on Duke's team but that does not always translate to wins. This team will be tested tonight with the whole basketball world watching.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
01-31-2015, 07:29 AM
Everyone can stop worrying. I dreamed last night that the game goes to double overtime and Duke wins by 994 points.

Take it to Vegas people: Duke by 994 points in 2OT.

Bob Green
01-31-2015, 08:44 AM
In our loses, towards the end, we walk the ball up court, feed Okafor, and everyone waits for him to do something. Nobody moves. It is predictable, they double/triple team him (we do not move), foul him, and he is a bad foul shooter.

Okafor could certainly be a better foul shooter, and he was bad against Notre Dame (28.6%), but at 56.2% on the season he is far from bad. Bad foul shooters do not go 14-17 in a game. And he wasn't bad in the other two losses as he shot 3-5 against Miami and 7-11 against NCSU.


When it is not working, we need to go back to drive and kick. Drive and get fouled (those guys shoot a much better percentage). Okafor will still be a factor with rebounds and cleanup baskets. It would also open it up to feeding him sporadically.

When you have the best player in the nation on your team, delegating his role to "rebounds and cleanup baskets" is not the proper path. The offense needs to run through Okafor. Yes, the offense needs to run, which means all five players need to be involved, but I remain a strong advocate of playing inside out in the halfcourt set.


I also think UVA is so well versed with their opponent's standard offense that they will stop it. Run motion the whole time. Set plays fall into their strategy.

I'm relatively certain Coach K has a wrinkle or two up his sleeve to throw at the Wahoos. We will find out tonight. My two main concerns headed into tonight's game are Winslow's health and 3-point shooting.

arnie
01-31-2015, 09:02 AM
Everyone can stop worrying. I dreamed last night that the game goes to double overtime and Duke wins by 994 points.

Take it to Vegas people: Duke by 994 points in 2OT.

Published line this morning is UVA -5.5. Don't remember when we were this big of a dog. Line seems out if whack since UVA games are so low scoring. Wonder what Vegas knows?

jacone21
01-31-2015, 09:09 AM
Everyone can stop worrying. I dreamed last night that the game goes to double overtime and Duke wins by 994 points.

Take it to Vegas people: Duke by 994 points in 2OT.

I don't trust dreams. In 99 on title game eve, I dreamed we be UConn by 52. And you know how that turned out. So based on your dream, I can't see us winning by more than 850 points tonight.

gumbomoop
01-31-2015, 09:20 AM
Among the subjects discussed on several different threads is who will take Rasheed's minutes. I think there's a consensus that Jahlil is playing his max. Quinn, too, or close to max. Maybe most would agree that Tyus may get a few more minutes, as he's "only" at 30, and is a/the O-key. If healthy, Justise gets a few of the newly available minutes. A few more for Amile. Maybe that leaves ~ 10 new minutes. Is there in fact a consensus on these points about a few more minutes for 3 of the starters?

If yes, then most seem to think most of the remaining ~ 10 go to Matt. Some want to see Grayson get his chance. A few, including me, have predicted Marshall moves toward 15/game. Maybe that's my hope rather than a sensible prediction.

For right now, the issue is today's game. As Anderson gets lots of minutes, it strikes me that Justise is his defender; thus Justise isn't likely to be available at the 4. Then, as UVa has 3 pretty effective bigs, we might expect to see Marshall for at least a few more than his so-far average of 9. Matt is already at 17, solidly in the rotation, and would surely need to defend Brogdan at times. I doubt that Grayson sees much if any time today.

Going forward, any of our 3 bench guys could play extra-extra minutes if they come in and spark. What may be described as the battle for those last ~ 10 Rasheed-minutes might vary game-to-game, depending on opponent bigs, Amile foul problems, opposing big guards.

DieHard
01-31-2015, 09:21 AM
Bob,
It really was not my intention that they use Okafor as a "cleanup and rebound" option always. Five straight times down court of doing the exact same thing is fine when it works. When it is not working, adjust.

fuse
01-31-2015, 09:36 AM
Keys to the game:

-team's focus / mental state
-ability to fight through adversity (not giving up if down)
-Marshall's minutes / avoiding foul trouble
-getting an offensive boost from Amile and Matt
-Winslow playing healthy

And maybe the biggest post Notre Dame: hitting free throws and making easy buckets (lay ups).
Our hot starts (spending a lot of energy and emotion for early big leads) have opened doors for teams to come back as we don't sustain that emotion and energy for 40 minutes of play.
We need some gas in the tank at the end.

These may all be "well, duh" observations.
I believe we'll know a lot more about the team and its trajectory after tonight.

TruBlu
01-31-2015, 09:37 AM
Everyone can stop worrying. I dreamed last night that the game goes to double overtime and Duke wins by 994 points.

Take it to Vegas people: Duke by 994 points in 2OT.

I'll have what he had last night. (Can I expect the same kind of dream while anticipating the Victoria Secret Valentine Day special?)

Bob Green
01-31-2015, 09:45 AM
Bob,
It really was not my intention that they use Okafor as a "cleanup and rebound" option always. Five straight times down court of doing the exact same thing is fine when it works. When it is not working, adjust.

I agree with you on the adjust part as long as the adjustment includes Okafor. He needs to touch the ball on almost every halfcourt possession. Playing inside out not only creates high percentage shots it also creates open looks on the perimeter.

Troublemaker
01-31-2015, 09:48 AM
Published line this morning is UVA -5.5. Don't remember when we were this big of a dog. Line seems out if whack since UVA games are so low scoring. Wonder what Vegas knows?

That line is actually giving Duke respect. Many of the computer power ratings predict worse than 5.5. Pomeroy has us losing by 10, for example.

Troublemaker
01-31-2015, 09:56 AM
Our hot starts (spending a lot of energy and emotion for early big leads) have opened doors for teams to come back as we don't sustain that emotion and energy for 40 minutes of play.
We need some gas in the tank at the end.

This made me think of something from UVA's perspective, too. The Cavaliers don't have a lot of experience with this College Gameday, rowdy, primetime atmosphere that will be in place tonight. Maybe, just maybe, this is one of those games where UVA doesn't ration energy properly. Come out a little bit too hyped and not have their usual energy at the end of the game.

I think there's a decent chance UVA will dominate Duke early. We have to hang in there, counterpunch, keep it close at halftime, hope we have more in the tank than them in the second half.

DukeDevil
01-31-2015, 10:05 AM
I know it's just a quick practice dunk...but I'm going to be overly optimistic and take it as a sign Justise is starting to heal up from injuries


https://mtc.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/170C87B9B61173112664206282752_3a5d5b4b8d7.1.5.3469 98506036765099.mp4?versionId=kgKYdeecIJtanFC1Q0TI6 HyarFZmnoT1

subzero02
01-31-2015, 12:28 PM
We were 3 point underdogs to Louisville and 4 point dogs to Wisconsin... Hopefully we step up big again today. A career game from Okafor would be nice.

MChambers
01-31-2015, 12:33 PM
According to NPR (in a story about the Greek system controversy at UVa), tonight "U.Va. faces its traditional rival, No. 4 Duke."

http://www.npr.org/2015/01/31/382818460/u-va-sorority-women-say-party-ban-is-patronizing

DieHard
01-31-2015, 06:06 PM
I agree with you on the adjust part as long as the adjustment includes Okafor. He needs to touch the ball on almost every halfcourt possession. Playing inside out not only creates high percentage shots it also creates open looks on the perimeter.

Sorry for the delay in response. Was watching my boy play baseball. Crazy that they start real games this week.

Good. Then we agree to agree. The other half of my statement was that the rest of the team was standing around waiting for Okafor to do something, bail them out. I think the offense should run through him, just others need to get open, move, receive a pass, drive, shoot, or pass back to Okafor. Against both NCSU and ND, we became very stagnant in the last 10 minutes after the initial pass into Okafor. Waited for him to do it all.

-jk
01-31-2015, 06:26 PM
DBR Chat (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/misc.php?do=cchatbox) is open!

If it gets a bit slow, refresh the page. As always - please follow the DBR Posting Guidelines.

Let's Go Duke!

-jk

riverside6
01-31-2015, 06:47 PM
Live tempo-based stats for Duke/UVA, starters posted...

www.scacchoops.com/duke-at-virginia-basketball-live-stats-01312015

AIRFORCEDUKIE
01-31-2015, 07:01 PM
With UNC and ND losing this game just got that much bigger. We could keep pace for that bye in the tournament which being down a player will be key.

pfrduke
01-31-2015, 07:15 PM
Playing disciplined on defense - solid start. I like the idea of playing a little fast on offense - all of our points have come off of aggressive, attacking plays.

duke79
01-31-2015, 07:31 PM
Gotta to make more free throws !! These should be free points for us.

pfrduke
01-31-2015, 07:31 PM
Keep the "push push push" offense going.

Also, hi Justise - welcome back. We missed you.

Tripping William
01-31-2015, 07:33 PM
Keep the "push push push" offense going.

Also, hi Justise - welcome back. We missed you.

Agreed. He looks as though he's no longer in significant pain.

gurufrisbee
01-31-2015, 07:33 PM
It's a nice start, but we need to shoot better than 60% from the FT line and better than 0% for threes.

AIRFORCEDUKIE
01-31-2015, 07:36 PM
Getting murdered on the offensive glass

dukelifer
01-31-2015, 07:50 PM
It's a nice start, but we need to shoot better than 60% from the FT line and better than 0% for threes.

Can't win close games if you can't shoot throws. A clear problem for this team. Not sure it will get fixed this season.

arnie
01-31-2015, 07:53 PM
It's a nice start, but we need to shoot better than 60% from the FT line and better than 0% for threes.

We've played as well as possible I think. But I'll beat the dead horse, if our frontcourt can't hit FTs, we will lose most close games. Also, did we hit a shot longer than 5 feet?

duketaylor
01-31-2015, 07:53 PM
Decent half, missed some chances. That's always the case. Certainly plenty of intensity. Keep up the pressure and hit a few more shots.

FTs always a concern.

GO DUKE!!!

_Gary
01-31-2015, 07:53 PM
Getting murdered on the offensive glass

If "getting murdered" can ever be understated, this is it. I can't remember the last time we've been so thoroughly beaten on the boards in a half of basketball.

bbosbbos
01-31-2015, 07:57 PM
Can anybody close to the team tell QC something for me? When we were leading he tried to pass the ball with the his hands were only 3 feet away from the rim. When our score was behind QC always played hero ball with a lot of heart. I do not know why he played like 2 different players. Please step up and shoot it.

77devil
01-31-2015, 07:57 PM
Not much success off sets but pushing the ball has been very effective. More fouls should have been called on those plays, Justice was hammered twice with no call.

50% free throws will not get it done.

And what's with Servanthood posted in the UVA locker room.

jv001
01-31-2015, 07:58 PM
If "getting murdered" can ever be understated, this is it. I can't remember the last time we've been so thoroughly beaten on the boards in a half of basketball.

Getting beat on the boards and we're scoring in the paint. Jahlil only getting 1 bucket. GoDuke!

bbosbbos
01-31-2015, 08:00 PM
We are playing a lot better now than that in Miami game. We are growing. Hopefully we will peak in the march.



Getting beat on the boards and we're scoring in the paint. Jahlil only getting 1 bucket. GoDuke!

FerryFor50
01-31-2015, 08:01 PM
If "getting murdered" can ever be understated, this is it. I can't remember the last time we've been so thoroughly beaten on the boards in a half of basketball.

Which is weird.

Duke is a bigger overall team and a better overall rebounding team. UVA is 13th in the ACC in offensive boards.

And it's not like losing Sulaimon was going to hurt rebounding.

From the eye test, seems like just some bounces/missed box outs.

Hopefully they correct that.

Tripping William
01-31-2015, 08:02 PM
Getting beat on the boards and we're scoring in the paint. Jahlil only getting 1 bucket. GoDuke!

We have not yet begun to fight .... (and yet we lead by one)

jv001
01-31-2015, 08:02 PM
Which is weird.

Duke is a bigger overall team and a better overall rebounding team. UVA is 13th in the ACC in offensive boards.

And it's not like losing Sulaimon was going to hurt rebounding.

From the eye test, seems like just some bounces/missed box outs.

Hopefully they correct that.

I think one of the announcers said Virginia is bigger than Duke except at the 5. Their guards are much bigger than Quinn and Tyus. GoDuke!

Troublemaker
01-31-2015, 08:05 PM
Ugh, I can't believe it, but I'm sort of pessimistic right now. Once again, it feels like Duke should be up more right now. I think UVA was jittery early from the College Game Day hype; feels like they have another level they can get to. They started to win the "tug of war" between their offensive rebounding and our transition offense as the half progressed.

Not feeling good about this. Hopefully I'm just ridiculously wrong. Gonna start drinking just in case.

FerryFor50
01-31-2015, 08:06 PM
Ugh, I can't believe it, but I'm sort of pessimistic right now. Once again, it feels like Duke should be up more right now. I think UVA was jittery early from the College Game Day hype; feels like they have another level they can get to. They started to win the "tug of war" between their offensive rebounding and our transition offense as the half progressed.

Not feeling good about this. Hopefully I'm just ridiculously wrong. Gonna start drinking just in case.

Don't worry. At least UNC lost.

gumbomoop
01-31-2015, 08:07 PM
FT issues are a key against any good opponent.

Duke has the FT advantage late-game if protecting a lead, with Quinn and Tyus. But missed FTs by Amile and Jahlil in first 30-35 minutes of the game make a late-game toss-up more likely. So their weak FT shooting is double jeopardy. Makes moving out to strong lead more difficult, and makes winning close more difficult.

If we hit FT's early, we get a chance for Quinn and Tyus to protect lead late. If we waste FT chances in first 30-35 minutes, we have no lead to protect, and thus lose a key late advantage.

FerryFor50
01-31-2015, 08:08 PM
I get REALLY sick of no calls on offensive players pushing defenders into screens to get free.

_Gary
01-31-2015, 08:08 PM
Cheap call on Tyus to start the 2nd half. Harbinger of things to come? Ho p e not.

_Gary
01-31-2015, 08:12 PM
Gonna get away from us quick if we aren't careful.

FerryFor50
01-31-2015, 08:13 PM
Gee, maybe he walked there because he got pushed?

FerryFor50
01-31-2015, 08:14 PM
And then he gets hit with a touch foul on a shot.

Oak gets no love from the officials.

Karl Beem
01-31-2015, 08:14 PM
Can he be worse?

_Gary
01-31-2015, 08:14 PM
Calls getting very one-sided. Not sure if it would help, but if I were K I'd take a Tech to make a point about it. Oak is getting zero respect.

bbosbbos
01-31-2015, 08:15 PM
I do not complain about the refs. We TO the ball too much. The problem is on us.

gurufrisbee
01-31-2015, 08:17 PM
Can't make a single three.
Can't shoot free throws worthy of a college basketball team at any level
Getting killed on offensive glass.
Okafor is doing next to nothing.
We're on the road.
Against an undefeated team ranked #2 in the nation.

We really should be down twenty.

FerryFor50
01-31-2015, 08:19 PM
Zone em up. Getting into the paint too much.

Brogden is killing us.

duke79
01-31-2015, 08:20 PM
Have we made a single outside shot yet in this game? I don't remember any?

bbosbbos
01-31-2015, 08:20 PM
At this moment we need a leader. Someone needs to shoot. Where is he? Captain?

_Gary
01-31-2015, 08:22 PM
4-4. Things could be worse, right? In all seriousness, without a huge turnaround quickly, that will be our ACC record in less than an hour. This isn't St John's we are playing tonight.

gcashwell
01-31-2015, 08:22 PM
Zone em up. Getting into the paint too much.

Brogden is killing us.

Story of our lives for the last three years...

subzero02
01-31-2015, 08:22 PM
Screw Bennet and his rocky poster

FerryFor50
01-31-2015, 08:23 PM
And now jumpers are bouncing off the front of the rim and in for UVA, not to mention another "unsung hero" lighting us up. Ugh.

vrob90
01-31-2015, 08:26 PM
However this game ends (and it's looking problematic, to say the least), it would be much better if folks resist the "officials are at fault" theme.

_Gary
01-31-2015, 08:27 PM
Matt misses another open 3. We just don't have enough outside shooters this year.

arnie
01-31-2015, 08:28 PM
However this game ends (and it's looking problematic, to say the least), it would be much better if folks resist the "officials are at fault" theme.

I agree. We simply don't play to UVAs level

FerryFor50
01-31-2015, 08:28 PM
Holy cow. Oak got a call in the post.

tux
01-31-2015, 08:36 PM
Whoever is guarding Brogdon needs to stop turning there heads to look at the ball. His cuts are killing us...

_Gary
01-31-2015, 08:38 PM
We had a glimpse of what a normal Duke team could do with a dominant inside player earlier this season when we were shooting 3s like typical Blue Devil squads of the past. But we've gone so cold as a team from the outside since ACC play its just a shame.

_Gary
01-31-2015, 08:48 PM
Fantastic grit shown by our guys to get back in this game - twice!

tux
01-31-2015, 08:48 PM
Well, Duke is not going away easily. If we lose this game, I'd say the ND and UVA losses look a lot better than our last 2 game losing streak. Two top-10 teams on the road was never going to be easy. Our guys have not shot the ball well tonight, but they've fought hard.

arnie
01-31-2015, 08:54 PM
Whoever is guarding Brogdon needs to stop turning there heads to look at the ball. His cuts are killing us...

WOW!!

Tripping William
01-31-2015, 08:56 PM
Onions!

77devil
01-31-2015, 08:56 PM
Huge

arnie
01-31-2015, 08:56 PM
WOW!!

Didn't see that coming