MBB: Duke vs. Florida State (Feb 9, 7 pm ET, ESPN) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

There's a game tonight! Lets get to discussing it.

My thoughts:

Can Duke keep up the momentum from the beat down we put on the IRISH?

How will Jah handle all the size that Florida State can throw at him?

Will we see the intense Man to Man we saw Saturday or will Coach K go back to mixing it up with Zone?

Can Justice Winslow continue to put pressure on the D with drives, or will he go back to settling for Jump Shots? (This is key for us down the stretch)

Will we keep improving in the second half of the ACC schedule and sling shot our way into March as a top seed, hopefully a #1 seed? (not about this game in general but something I will be looking at in each game)

Can we keep improving on our Free Throw stats? (I am betting on a lot of free throws for our big guys this game, FSU has a lot of fouls to give)


Enjoy the game, and LETS GO DUKE!!!!

[porkpa]

ESPN guys, not CBS.

[jv001]

After reading the write up on FSU's front line/centers, I wondered if we'll see much of Jahlil and MPIII together? I could see both pros and cons as to why not or why to use that lineup. 1) Jahlil will probably need more rest against that huge group, and MPIII is Duke's only other true center, so he may just come in to give Jahlil rest. 2) If both Jahlil and Marshall stay out of foul trouble, we could very well see that lineup in the 2nd half. If we do, it will probably be in a zone defense. My big fear in this game that we will be out rebounded with our smaller lineup(Jah, Winslow and 3 guards). I hope the guys fear FSU as much as I do and come ready to play. GoDuke!

[Troublemaker]

After reading the write up on FSU's front line/centers, I wondered if we'll see much of Jahlil and MPIII together?

As an avowed fan of Twin Towers, I'm going to guess that we won't see Twin Towers much at all. Nor should we. My new love right now is just getting Justise and Matt, our two best defenders, to share the court as much as possible, and the best way to do that is probably the smallball lineup with Justise at the 4 and Matt at the 3.

FSU may have size, but I doubt they're talented enough to win the tradeoff. Justise will hurt FSU on offense being guarded by a big guy more than the FSU big man can hurt Justise on postups and rebounding going the other way.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

ESPN guys, not CBS.

Yep messed up my copy and paste skills, Mods can you edit my horrible mistake, and ban me for a 3 months after the season is over as punishment?

GAME IS ON ESPN

[peterjswift]

I always have a illogical fear of the game against FSU. I always have the idea that playing down in Tallahassee is dangerous, and that Duke always seems to struggle against FSU. I decided that this must be a fallacy based on recency bias...or perhaps because of particularly bad memories of Sheldon and JJ struggling @ FSU in the past.

So - I decided to go back and look at our record against FSU for the last 14 seasons (or however many ESPN has available) and reassure myself that Duke dominates @ Tallahassee, and that there was no truth to my faulty memory.

Unfortunately...I didn't discover domination; winning, yes, but not domination. Overall, since the 2001/2002 season, Duke is 6 - 4 against FSU on the road. Five of those games were decided by 5 points or less. In the more friendly confines of Cameron, the record is a lot better: 7 - 2, with four of those games decided by 3 points or less (one win in OT). On a neutral court, Duke is 0 - 1 against FSU...3 point margin.

So - overall, Duke is 13 and 7, with 10 of those games being decided by 5 points or less. Six of the games being one possession games! And at least one game decided by a controversial technical.

I haven't compared this record to Duke's record against other ACC schools, but outside of MD and UNC, I can't think of another team that has played Duke as consistently as FSU...and even in "down" years for FSU, they seem to get things together when they play Duke.

This year, their ugliest losses are to Providence and Nebraska, and neither of those were blowouts.

Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, there will be a long thread of posts regaling us with FSU's new ugliest loss...but based on past history (which, as I'm sure Kedsy or any logical person around here can remind me is essentially superstition since the teams dramatically change so much from year to year), this is always a game that worries me.

[NM Duke Fan]

It is a bit like some NCAA tournament games, in that there is a two day turnaround after a very emotional win. With the added factor of a fairly long trip. So it is a great test of focus and consistency. Hopefully the defensive momentum especially will carry over. As Winslow said, a standard has now been set, and it is up to them to uphold that standard. There is a new reference point as to what is possible on defense to draw upon every game from now on...

[bbosbbos]

I need to finish my work in time and go home early.

Noles are not an easy one with their strong D. Hope our guys stay hungry.

Go Duke!

[FerryFor50]

FSU would have been a lot scarier in November, but their leading scorer Aaron Thomas was dismissed after being ruled ineligible.

Freshman (kind of... he was ineligible last season (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9602614/florida-state-xavier-rathan-mayes-ruled-academically-ineligible)) Xavier Rathan-Mayes (fun fact: he was Andrew Wiggins' old teammate and was almost able to talk Wiggins into going to FSU) is picking up some of that slack. He dropped 35 on UNC and 21 on Wake, but since that game hasn't shot all that well (combined 10-28 the last 3 games). He's probably the biggest concern, but if Duke has figured out how to play defense against guards like Jerian Grant, they can certainly handle Mayes.

Montay Brandon and Devon Bookert are the other scoring threats. Brandon doesn't shoot very well from 3, but is more of a slasher. Bookert is the 3 point guy (41% this season).

The front line of FSU is a bunch of 7 footers. None of them are as good as Jahlil Okafor. None of them are even as good as Marshall Plumlee, honestly. They generally combine to play 30-40 minutes, as either conditioning, foul trouble or their overall limitations keeps them off the floor for extended periods.

I'm sure this will be another dogfight, as FSU always is, and we'll all wonder in the game thread why Duke didn't put them away, but it's the ACC people. These things happen. :)

[CDu]

FSU is an odd opponent. They have some pretty good players in Rathan-Mayes and Brandon, both of whom are excellent at attacking the basket but are not great shooters.

And they have 3 really big centers (all 7'0" or taller) that they rotate interchangeably. However, they don't actually play any of those two guys together very often (and with good reason; two of the three are pretty awful). Turpin is the most talented of the 3, but they play Bojanovski (the best shotblocker and rebounder) a bit more. Ojo is a behemoth, but he's got less skill than Joel James.

At the PF, they will play Cofer and Smith. Those two are both 6'8-6'9" athletes. Smith fancies himself a 3pt shooter, but he is not (14.3%). Neither is overwhelmingly good.

At SF, they play Brandon as much as they possibly can (34 mpg). Brandon is, in some ways, a lot like Marcus Georges-Hunt, only taller. He likes to attack the rim, rebounds well, and is a terrific athlete. Not the best ballhandler in the world, and not a great 3pt shooter. But he is a tough player in transition and very capable of having a big night. The other minutes will be filled by Berwick.

At guard, it is predominantly Bookert/Rathan-Mayes/Berwick. Rathan-Mayes is the playmaker of the group. He is a little reminiscent of Elliot Williams. A really good athlete who can score or distribute, but isn't a great outside shooter. Bookert is a fantastic outside shooter, but less gifted off the dribble and not much of a playmaker. Berwick is sort of non-descript to me, as he plays just 10 mpg.

FSU will try to play physically, will crowd the lane defensively, and will try to play to their strength/athleticism. They are, as is usually the case with Leonard Hamilton's teams, extremely strong and athletic. They are, as is usually the case with Leonard Hamilton's teams, not very good offensively. However, unlike typical Hamilton teams, they are not very good defensively this year.

I'd expect to see little change to our approach in this one. We'll still rely heavily on Winslow and Matt Jones at SF/PF, and Allen and Plumlee will play sparingly as needed (unless it is a blowout). We'll throw some zone at them if needed (and it should work well against them). And we'll try to get Okafor involved early against FSU's big but not very good centers.

[peterjswift]

I'd expect to see little change to our approach in this one. We'll still rely heavily on Winslow and Matt Jones at SF/PF, and Allen and Plumlee will play sparingly as needed (unless it is a blowout). We'll throw some zone at them if needed (and it should work well against them). And we'll try to get Okafor involved early against FSU's big but not very good centers.

I agree with most of what you said, but I would expect to see Plumlee play a little more this game to spell Okafor. Since FSU can continually rotate in centers (and possibly employ a "hack-an-Okafor" strategy) I would expect Okafor to need a little more rest than normal - not that he won't outplay those that are in against him, but it will require more consistent effort for him on both offense and defense. I would be surprised if FSU isn't excessively physical with Okafor. I just hope that the refs recognize all of the pushing and shoving that is bound to happen in the paint.

[DavidBenAkiva]

As an avowed fan of Twin Towers, I'm going to guess that we won't see Twin Towers much at all. Nor should we. My new love right now is just getting Justise and Matt, our two best defenders, to share the court as much as possible, and the best way to do that is probably the smallball lineup with Justise at the 4 and Matt at the 3.

FSU may have size, but I doubt they're talented enough to win the tradeoff. Justise will hurt FSU on offense being guarded by a big guy more than the FSU big man can hurt Justise on postups and rebounding going the other way.

K has been really good at matching up the strategy to the team this year, exploiting weaknesses. When we played Louisville, we went zone to counteract their strength around the rim (and also our man-to-man D sucked). When we were playing St. Johns, the Twin Towers approach really mucked up their dribble penetration. The 2-3 and 3-2 zone against Virginia made the team speed up their plays and caused a lot of problems late in the game by disrupting their entry passes. It's all been about exploiting weaknesses.

When it comes to FSU, going big is a strength-on-strength approach. As stated above, I expect to see a lot of Jah+4 lineups with Winslow and Matt Jones on the court. Good luck to FSU trying to matchup with two point guards and Winslow's ability in transition on the floor. It's not hard to imagine that Okafor will be better at running the court than their 4 7-footers, either.

Then again, we might see some zone to mix things up. That will force FSU into a perimeter shooting team, which is not their strength. That didn't work out too well against an even worse shooting team in Georgia Tech. However, I have a feeling that had more to do with Duke's intensity and focus than anything else.

[CDu]

I agree with most of what you said, but I would expect to see Plumlee play a little more this game to spell Okafor. Since FSU can continually rotate in centers (and possibly employ a "hack-an-Okafor" strategy) I would expect Okafor to need a little more rest than normal - not that he won't outplay those that are in against him, but it will require more consistent effort for him on both offense and defense. I would be surprised if FSU isn't excessively physical with Okafor. I just hope that the refs recognize all of the pushing and shoving that is bound to happen in the paint.

I really don't think we'll need to see more of Plumlee than usual. For one thing, FSU's bigs aren't really big and physical except for Ojo (and he plays less than 10 mpg). Bojanovski is really skinny, and Turpin isn't much bigger. For another, none of those guys will require much work from Okafor defensively. Turpin is the most capable guy, but he's definitely not a guy they run the offense through, nor is he a big offensive rebound guy.

Basically, they are probably less equipped to play a physical game with Okafor than Notre Dame was. Auguste is stronger than either Turpin or Bojanovski (and those guys play ~30 mpg), and Colson is no slouch in the physicality department either. Only Ojo is really suited to get physical with Okafor. The other two are more or less flies on the back of an elephant (just really tall flies).

I am quite sure that FSU will try to be excessively physical with Okafor, but (like with other teams that have tried it) I don't expect it to be successful.

[jhmoss1812]

As a FSU PhD student, I'll be one of the 30 people in the crowd tonight. Looking forward to watching your team in person. FSU always plays Duke tough but I just don't see them puling off the upset tonight. The team just lacks the fundamentals needed to beat a team like Duke. I expect a close first half and Duke to assert itself in the second half and win by 10-12 points.

[NancyCarol]

I get nervous playing FSU because of thuggery. I hope first of all we win of course, and second that none of our players are injured. Having lived in Florida for 15 years I've seen FSU play a number of games where they just scared the heck out of me with seriously dangerous fouls. I went on to live in DC and now Texas (fairly scary places for different reasons) and FSU still worries me. Obviously I don't know a fraction of the strategy, stats, and details that most of you do, so I base my thoughts on women's intuition and hope is is as wrong about tonight as it has been during the selection of certain male companions during my lost and wild youth.

[Kedsy]

I haven't compared this record to Duke's record against other ACC schools, but outside of MD and UNC, I can't think of another team that has played Duke as consistently as FSU...and even in "down" years for FSU, they seem to get things together when they play Duke.

DUKE ROAD RECORD AGAINST ACC TEAMS, 2001 to 2015 (so far)
--------------------------------------------------------------


Team W L win % win by 10 or fewer
Pitt 1 0 1.000 0
L'ville 1 0 1.000 0
BC 6 1 0.857 4
Ga Tech 9 2 0.818 4
Clemson 8 2 0.800 4
Va Tech 6 2 0.750 2
Miami 5 2 0.714 3
FSU 6 4 0.600 3
Virginia 5 4 0.556 0
NC State 6 5 0.545 3
UNC 8 6 0.571 4
Maryland 7 6 0.538 4
Wake 7 6 0.538 4
Syracuse 0 1 0.000 0
N Dame 0 2 0.000 0


As you can see, when it comes to road games, Florida State is exactly in the middle when it comes to playing Duke tough on the road. We can fear them, but we probably shouldn't fear them any more than your typical ACC team on the road.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

As a FSU PhD student, I'll be one of the 30 people in the crowd tonight. Looking forward to watching your team in person. FSU always plays Duke tough but I just don't see them puling off the upset tonight. The team just lacks the fundamentals needed to beat a team like Duke. I expect a close first half and Duke to assert itself in the second half and win by 10-12 points.

Its Duke remember, even if the typical crowd is 30 people tonight it will be to capacity. Its the FSU student sections super bowl and chance to get on TV, can't miss that.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I am quite sure that FSU will try to be excessively physical with Okafor, but (like with other teams that have tried it) I don't expect it to be successful.

While you will most certainly be correct, FSU's depth at the 5 makes the "Hack-a-For" a very appealing strategy for FSU. With Okafor hitting a poor 57% from the line (although a more impressive 64% in conference play) and 15 fouls for FSU to give, I suspect Okafor will be shooting more fouls during this game than any ACC match up.

Shoot well from the strip, Okafor, cus you ain't getting any easy buckets against the Trees of FSU.

[Kedsy]

I hope Justise's ankle is OK. Has anyone heard anything about it?

[flyingdutchdevil]

I hope Justise's ankle is OK. Has anyone heard anything about it?

Are you referring to when he landed on the ND player's foot? Or is this a separate event?

Haven't heard anything about the ankle, which I always deem as good news.

[peterjswift]

DUKE ROAD RECORD AGAINST ACC TEAMS, 2001 to 2015 (so far)
--------------------------------------------------------------


Team W L win % win by 10 or fewer
Pitt 1 0 1.000 0
L'ville 1 0 1.000 0
BC 6 1 0.857 4
Ga Tech 9 2 0.818 4
Clemson 8 2 0.800 4
Va Tech 6 2 0.750 2
Miami 5 2 0.714 3
FSU 6 4 0.600 3
Virginia 5 4 0.556 0
NC State 6 5 0.545 3
UNC 8 6 0.571 4
Maryland 7 6 0.538 4
Wake 7 6 0.538 4
Syracuse 0 1 0.000 0
N Dame 0 2 0.000 0


As you can see, when it comes to road games, Florida State is exactly in the middle when it comes to playing Duke tough on the road. We can fear them, but we probably shouldn't fear them any more than your typical ACC team on the road.

Wow. Great. Now I'm going to be way more afraid of games @ Winston Salem than I have been. I think the lesson to be learned is that no ACC road game is easy.

[Kedsy]

Are you referring to when he landed on the ND player's foot? Or is this a separate event?

Haven't heard anything about the ankle, which I always deem as good news.

The in-game injury. I know he kept playing, but he seemed to be favoring it during the game.

[Henderson]

DUKE ROAD RECORD AGAINST ACC TEAMS, 2001 to 2015 (so far)
--------------------------------------------------------------


Team W L win % win by 10 or fewer
Pitt 1 0 1.000 0
L'ville 1 0 1.000 0
BC 6 1 0.857 4
Ga Tech 9 2 0.818 4
Clemson 8 2 0.800 4
Va Tech 6 2 0.750 2
Miami 5 2 0.714 3
FSU 6 4 0.600 3
Virginia 5 4 0.556 0
NC State 6 5 0.545 3
UNC 8 6 0.571 4
Maryland 7 6 0.538 4
Wake 7 6 0.538 4
Syracuse 0 1 0.000 0
N Dame 0 2 0.000 0


As you can see, when it comes to road games, Florida State is exactly in the middle when it comes to playing Duke tough on the road. We can fear them, but we probably shouldn't fear them any more than your typical ACC team on the road.

Interesting stat compilation. Thanks for that.

But teams change yearly, especially over a period so long as 2001-2015. So I'm not sure those stats are all that relevant. If those stats have relevance today, they would (without more) suggest a 40% chance that Duke will lose tonight. Althought those stats don't tell us much about tonight, it could happen. But the odds aren't 40%.

[peterjswift]

Interesting stat compilation. Thanks for that.

But teams change yearly, especially over a period so long as 2001-2015. So I'm not sure those stats are all that relevant. If those stats have relevance today, they would (without more) suggest a 40% chance that Duke will lose tonight. Althought those stats don't tell us much about tonight, it could happen. But the odds aren't 40%.

Kedsy was kindly refuting my position of superstition based on previous games @ Tallahassee. I don't think he is trying to make a statement of relevance.

Still - very interesting. I was surprised to see Duke's record @ Winston Salem...

[Henderson]

Kedsy was kindly refuting my position of superstition based on previous games @ Tallahassee. I don't think he is trying to make a statement of relevance.

I'm sure no one on DBR posts stats knowing that they are irrelevant.

[CDu]

Kedsy was kindly refuting my position of superstition based on previous games @ Tallahassee. I don't think he is trying to make a statement of relevance.

Still - very interesting. I was surprised to see Duke's record @ Winston Salem...

It's easy to forget, but Wake was actually very good in the early 2000s. Darius Songaila, Josh Howard, Chris Paul, etc. Many of those losses to Wake happened a while ago.

[devildeac]

I'm sure no one on DBR posts stats knowing that they are irrelevant.

I do that less than 10% of the time:rolleyes:.

[DukieInKansas]

I do that less than 10% of the time:rolleyes:.

Is this part of your 90% of facts are made up?


Let's Go, Duke!

[Kedsy]

It's easy to forget, but Wake was actually very good in the early 2000s. Darius Songaila, Josh Howard, Chris Paul, etc. Many of those losses to Wake happened a while ago.

While that's true, Duke has lost 3 of its last 7 trips to Winston Salem (including last season). Wake is a tough road trip for Duke.

[FerryFor50]

It's easy to forget, but Wake was actually very good in the early 2000s. Darius Songaila, Josh Howard, Chris Paul, etc. Many of those losses to Wake happened a while ago.

Well, one was last season (Tyler Cavanaugh????):

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/one-and-one/2014/03/05/duke-wake-forest-upset-acc-ncaa-tournament

And another in 2008 (Jeff Teague, James Johnson, Al Farouq Aminu):

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290280154

And who can forget this one? (four players have 4 or more fouls, two foul out - the Chris Paul years)

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=250330154

[gumbomoop]

I get nervous playing FSU because of thuggery. I hope first of all we win of course, and second that none of our players are injured. Having lived in Florida for 15 years I've seen FSU play a number of games where they just scared the heck out of me with seriously dangerous fouls. I went on to live in DC and now Texas (fairly scary places for different reasons) and FSU still worries me. Obviously I don't know a fraction of the strategy, stats, and details that most of you do, so I base my thoughts on women's intuition and hope is is as wrong about tonight as it has been during the selection of certain male companions during my lost and wild youth.

I was going to post this reply:

Lot to worry about here: thuggery [Sons of Anarchy? Football hooligans?], scary Tallahassee [too close to Georgia? Alabama? Mississippi seems safely distant, as does Fidel], scary DC [permanent or part-time residents?], different-scary Texas [People's Republic of Austin or the rest of the state?], women's intuition [Lady Gaga's? Kate McKinnon's?]

If you were to take the bolded regret over to Off-Topic, I bet you'd get plenty of commiseration and empathy, from various lost and wild perspectives.

But then decided not to, as, absent the emoticons, there's no telling how it might be misinterpreted.

[peterjswift]

While that's true, Duke has lost 3 of its last 7 trips to Winston Salem (including last season). Wake is a tough road trip for Duke.

I blame the tie-dye and spinners.

[devildeac]

Well, one was last season (Tyler Cavanaugh????):

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/one-and-one/2014/03/05/duke-wake-forest-upset-acc-ncaa-tournament

And another in 2008 (Jeff Teague, James Johnson, Al Farouq Aminu):

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=290280154

And who can forget this one? (four players have 4 or more fouls, two foul out - the Chris Paul years)

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=250330154

Is that last one on your list the game where Paul tried to shove/drive Ewing's head through the floor and Daniel got a T for pushing him off or "retaliating," thus "cementing" his reputation as being a technical foul "magnet.":mad::rolleyes:

[FerryFor50]

Is that last one on your list the game where Paul tried to shove/drive Ewing's head through the floor and Daniel got a T for pushing him off or "retaliating," thus "cementing" his reputation as being a technical foul "magnet.":mad::rolleyes:

Ding ding!

I suppose it could have been worse, where Paul is concerned...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F3tptzEWmM

[CDu]

Is that last one on your list the game where Paul tried to shove/drive Ewing's head through the floor and Daniel got a T for pushing him off or "retaliating," thus "cementing" his reputation as being a technical foul "magnet.":mad::rolleyes:

I thought that game was at Duke.

[subzero02]

I always have a illogical fear of the game against FSU. I always have the idea that playing down in Tallahassee is dangerous, and that Duke always seems to struggle against FSU. I decided that this must be a fallacy based on recency bias...or perhaps because of particularly bad memories of Sheldon and JJ struggling @ FSU in the past.

So - I decided to go back and look at our record against FSU for the last 14 seasons (or however many ESPN has available) and reassure myself that Duke dominates @ Tallahassee, and that there was no truth to my faulty memory.

Unfortunately...I didn't discover domination; winning, yes, but not domination. Overall, since the 2001/2002 season, Duke is 6 - 4 against FSU on the road. Five of those games were decided by 5 points or less. In the more friendly confines of Cameron, the record is a lot better: 7 - 2, with four of those games decided by 3 points or less (one win in OT). On a neutral court, Duke is 0 - 1 against FSU...3 point margin.

So - overall, Duke is 13 and 7, with 10 of those games being decided by 5 points or less. Six of the games being one possession games! And at least one game decided by a controversial technical.

I haven't compared this record to Duke's record against other ACC schools, but outside of MD and UNC, I can't think of another team that has played Duke as consistently as FSU...and even in "down" years for FSU, they seem to get things together when they play Duke.

This year, their ugliest losses are to Providence and Nebraska, and neither of those were blowouts.

Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, there will be a long thread of posts regaling us with FSU's new ugliest loss...but based on past history (which, as I'm sure Kedsy or any logical person around here can remind me is essentially superstition since the teams dramatically change so much from year to year), this is always a game that worries me.

Sheldon never struggled at FSU

[devildeac]

I thought that game was at Duke.

FerryFor50 thinks it was at Wake based on his response above yours. Somewhere out there, some youtube clip has the correct answer:o.

[FerryFor50]

FerryFor50 thinks it was at Wake based on his response above yours. Somewhere out there, some youtube clip has the correct answer:o.

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=250330154


Things got testy on the floor, with players from both teams clawing after the ball until the officials separated them.

It led to a lengthy replay review of the battle, with Ewing and Paul each getting called with offsetting technical fouls.

Game was in W-S.

I don't know why I bothered linking it earlier if no one was gonna read it! :p

[peterjswift]

Sheldon never struggled at FSU

I think he played well and got his points, but I know he fouled out in at least one loss @ Tallahassee. This was the game that K sent all the players to the locker room other than the ones on the floor....Duke was ranked #1 at the time and they ended up losing by 5 and FSU stormed the court. I think I remember it as a "struggle" simply because they lost.

[CDu]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=250330154



Game was in W-S.

I don't know why I bothered linking it earlier if no one was gonna read it! :p

Ah, OK.

[FerryFor50]

Ah, OK.

Yea I dunno why it's not in the box score if it's in the recap.

It's in this one, though

http://duke.scout.com/story/349326-box-score-wake-92-duke-89

[jv001]

Duke currently a 11.5 favorite against FSU. It seems the odds makers think the game will not be as close as some of us Duke fans. :cool: GoDuke!

[devildeac]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=250330154



Game was in W-S.

I don't know why I bothered linking it earlier if no one was gonna read it! :p

I gotta admit, I just looked at the stats and raised my blood pressure 20-30 points and didn't think my aneurysm would tolerate another 20-30 point increase, so I didn't read the game summary. Plus, reading is an upper level course:o.

Thanks for the excerpts.

[-jk]

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]

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

www.scacchoops.com/duke-at-fsu-basketball-live-stats-02092015

[moonpie23]

soooooooo, which horrible part of FSU's game will be suddenly miraculous tonight?

3's?

boards?

tunovers?


which FSU player will go off and have his career game tonight?



duke gets everyone's best shot....

[SCMatt33]

How do you get to the first media timeout without Okafor so much as touching the ball on offense? That's inexcusable.

[wilson]

How do you get to the first media timeout without Okafor so much as touching the ball on offense? That's inexcusable.How does Jefferson get swatted in the face and it's not a foul?

[davekay1971]

Hey, 5 minutes into the game and we've given up a safety, but otherwise doing okay. Defense is holding the FSU offense in check. But we need to get some production from the O. I think Cut should call a few bubble screens, try to open up the middle of FSU's D-Line a little.

Oh...wait...this is February.

[CDu]

How does Jefferson get swatted in the face and it's not a foul?

Because the officials missed it?

[YmoBeThere]

try to open up the middle of FSU's D-Line a little.

Oh...wait...this is February.

They did take out their run clogger at the first timeout...

[SCMatt33]

So I guess it's not a foul tonight unless you body check a guy to the floor. Marshall probably coming in with 2 on Okafor. Seems like the kind of game he'll do well in anyway.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Ugly game, Jah is getting bumped and pusjed everywhere, and then FSU flops and its a foul.

[arnie]

How does Jefferson get swatted in the face and it's not a foul?

Will be a brutal game. Need to hit a few outside shots.

[gcashwell]

Plumlee caught a pass!

[wilson]

Plumlee caught a pass!Nifty little up-and-under there.

[gcashwell]

Plumlee caught a pass!

Two passes!

[CDu]

Playing about as poorly as possible offensively, but winning. I feel good.

[pfrduke]

FSU's offense is indescribably bad. I've seen a handful of the worst shots I've seen anyone take all season just here in the first 10 minutes. Their offensive scheme seems to consist of someone deciding "hmm, I should shoot" and then shooting, regardless of circumstance.

[77devil]

Because the officials missed it?

Ref would have to be blind to miss three fouls in one play.

[Chicken Little]

So I guess it's not a foul tonight unless you body check a guy to the floor. Marshall probably coming in with 2 on Okafor. Seems like the kind of game he'll do well in anyway.

Dangerous way to call a game. I'll be holding my breath that there are no injuries for either team. Also anticipating a second half where they over-compensate and call everything. Ugly basketball to watch.

[duketaylor]

Marshall's a very important component for this team. On both ends. Very active and disruptive. Jah in foul trouble and we're increasing the lead. Good stuff!!

[CoachJ10]

are just brutal. It really is getting old to keep on making this statement in these bruiser ball games.

[Karl Beem]

Refs incompetent. Announcers likewise.

[arnie]

Marshall's a very important component for this team. On both ends. Very active and disruptive. Jah in foul trouble and we're increasing the lead. Good stuff!!

Yep. Without him and we'd have problems on lots of games. He has improved dramatically.

[wilson]

Refs incompetent. Announcers likewise.Agreed on the refs, but I'm unwilling to proclaim Shane Battier incompetent in any endeavor under any circumstances.

[NashvilleDevil]

It looks like FSU is going to hit all their 3s tonight.

[CDu]

It looks like FSU is going to hit all their 3s tonight.

If Bookert is the one shooting them, it is possible. He is a fantastic shooter.

[pfrduke]

Solid half - a little disappointed that our best offense was an FSU missed shot, but with the Noles' length, cracking the half court defense was never going to be the easiest thing.

[77devil]

Agreed on the refs, but I'm unwilling to proclaim Shane Battier incompetent in any endeavor under any circumstances.

Incompetent no, but lots of room for improvement.

[Karl Beem]

Agreed on the refs, but I'm unwilling to proclaim Shane Battier incompetent in any endeavor under any circumstances.

They are swollowing this horrible ref behavior without comment.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Refs incompetent. Announcers likewise.

How dare you blaspheme in such manner. Shane Battier can sit in the booth and talk about knitting and it will be the best story ever told. He can talk about his bowel movements and Ill be fascinated. Im reporting you to the proper authorities!!!!

-only have serious in case you are incapable of reading sarcasm.

[CDu]

Up 8 despite shooting 27% on 3s. I will take it. Just have to shoot better.

[FerryFor50]

So the progression of officiating Jahlil has gone from "let everyone do whatever they want to him underneath with no calls" to "let everyone do what they want to him underneath but call Jahlil now and then for a bad offensive foul."

Wonder how that's going to look by March?

[wilson]

Incompetent no, but lots of room for improvement.I mean yes, but it's ok with me because Shane Battier.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

So the progression of officiating Jahlil has gone from "let everyone do whatever they want to him underneath with no calls" to "let everyone do what they want to him underneath but call Jahlil now and then for a bad offensive foul."

Wonder how that's going to look by March?

Agreed, its really frustrating to watch him get pushed around all game and when he tries to play aggressive he gets an offensive foul. Its maddening! !!

[Tripping William]

Up 8 despite shooting 27% on 3s. I will take it. Just have to shoot better.

And with bupkis from Jahlil. I'm with you; I'll take it.

[NashvilleDevil]

So the progression of officiating Jahlil has gone from "let everyone do whatever they want to him underneath with no calls" to "let everyone do what they want to him underneath but call Jahlil now and then for a bad offensive foul."

Wonder how that's going to look by March?

And some wonder why he's not as aggressive on defense its because he's gonna get whistled for a ridiculous offensive foul every game.

[Karl Beem]

How did this team win 5 ACC games? i guess 5 teams fainted when they saw FSU's monsters.

[CoachJ10]

So the progression of officiating Jahlil has gone from "let everyone do whatever they want to him underneath with no calls" to "let everyone do what they want to him underneath but call Jahlil now and then for a bad offensive foul."

Wonder how that's going to look by March?

Hopefully he will get the "Emeka" Okafor treatment and foul out the entire front line of our opponents...

[SCMatt33]

You can say what you want about the refs, but they have at least been fairly consistent. They are calling the game very loose, but aren't letting shooters get completely mauled too bad. It really took Duke. The better part of 16 minutes to figure that out, but they have started attacking the paint more in the last few minutes and finally got some calls because of it. They're calling nothing on drive and rebounds. Have the refs been perfect? Of coarse not. The no call on Jefferson early and Plumlee's first (FSU got a steal on the exact same play on the other end an Okafor was rightly mad) were missed calls. I really credit Duke with playing tough and (eventually) taking what this game has given them. In the second half, I really want to see them get Okafor involved, especially in the pick and roll, because his footwork is so much better than any FSU player and their size has allowed them to deny him the post. I also want to see more drives from Winslow in the half four since he has the frame to take it to the shot blockers and body contact is being rewarded with foul calls. The guards are having a tougher time forcing FSU to use their body because of the huge size difference and settled for jumpers early because of it.

[kmspeaks]

You can say what you want about the refs, but they have at least been fairly consistent.

Being consistently bad is still bad.

[pfrduke]

And the FSU missed shots continue to be our best offense.

[FerryFor50]

lol

That's like the 3rd lob pass to Okafor in a row. Maybe FSU should defend that.

[SCMatt33]

lol

That's like the 3rd lob pass to Okafor in a row. Maybe FSU should defend that.

Seriously. FSU did a great job early of denying Okafor the ball and now they just forget about him entirely. I don't know why, but I'm sure Jah's fine with it.

[FerryFor50]

Seriously. FSU did a great job early of denying Okafor the ball and now they just forget about him entirely. I don't know why, but I'm sure Jah's fine with it.

I wonder what the halftime adjustment discussion was.

"Hey coach, they're really tall inside. What do we do to get Jah involved?"

"Throw it over them."

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Classy crowd

[FerryFor50]

Classy crowd

Only thing classier would be busting out the tomahawk chop

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Thats just stupid lucky

[NashvilleDevil]

Hitting over 50% from three now. That's the thing the Noles do very badly that they are doing well tonight.

[gumbomoop]

soooooooo, which horrible part of FSU's game will be suddenly miraculous tonight?

3's?

boards?

tunovers?


which FSU player will go off and have his career game tonight?



duke gets everyone's best shot....

Seems a pretty relevant post.

[FerryFor50]

Hitting over 50% from three now. That's the thing the Noles do very badly that they are doing well tonight.

2 near 30 footers there in a row.

Shooting like GT from 3.

[SCMatt33]

Hitting over 50% from three now. That's the thing the Noles do very badly that they are doing well tonight.

To be a fair, this isn't a "just tonight thing" they did this against VT their last time out.

[NashvilleDevil]

To be a fair, this isn't a "just tonight thing" they did this against VT their last time out.

They shoot 29% from 3 on the season.

[arnie]

Hitting over 50% from three now. That's the thing the Noles do very badly that they are doing well tonight.

Why is this game close? Neither Winslow, Jefferson or Matt have a FG

[ChrisP]

Winslow having a tough night. Doesn't seem to be attacking with the same confidence he has had lately. Maybe FSU's size?

[wilson]

Winslow having a tough night. Doesn't seem to be attacking with the same confidence he has had lately. Maybe FSU's size?I think he has navigated the floor fine; his touch around the rim has just been lacking. I'm mostly inclined to just chalk it up as one of those nights.

[SCMatt33]

They shoot 29% from 3 on the season.

But 33.5% in ACC play and went 8-18 in their last game. Definitely still better than normal, but you gotta be ready for that. Duke needs to be in attack mode the rest of the way, not sitting back and letting them hang in there

[jipops]

Now we have to rely on D. Don't like this

[ChrisP]

Wow, finding ways to give it away...jeez!!!

[gcashwell]

I hate stall ball. Hate it.

[ChrisP]

Why is Okafor not getting at least a touch lately, either?

[SCMatt33]

No fouls!!!!

[wilson]

Am I crazy, or did Tyus Jones just get fouled twice?
We haven't executed well, but this has been an execrable display of thugball, enabled by the officials.

[gcashwell]

Why is Okafor not getting at least a touch lately, either?

Because he can't make free throws.

[FerryFor50]

Am I crazy, or did Tyus Jones just get fouled twice?
We haven't executed well, but this has been an execrable display of thugball, enabled by the officials.

Definitely got smacked in the face.

Block was cleanup top, but thought Ojo got him with the body.

And then the missed travel on the impossible FSU layup.

Game is going pretty much how I thought. Likely will win, but was close.

[ChrisP]

Because he can't make free throws.

Yeah but we went away from Okafor when were still fairly comfortably ahead

[77devil]

Am I crazy, or did Tyus Jones just get fouled twice?
We haven't executed well, but this has been an execrable display of thugball, enabled by the officials.

Well, Amile got fouled 3 times early on and they didn't call those either

[duketaylor]

Chanting "overrated" as we lead? No rocket scientists there!

[royalblue]

Because Oakafor is very bad from the line and K does not want a hack a oak situation.

[wilson]

Definitely got smacked in the face.

Block was cleanup top, but thought Ojo got him with the body.

And then the missed travel on the impossible FSU layup.

Game is going pretty much how I thought. Likely will win, but was close.I can't think of a single enjoyable moment this evening. Just get us out of that dump unscathed by injury.

[gofurman]

I can't think of a single enjoyable moment this evening. Just get us out of that dump unscathed by injury.



Wilson, Exactly my pt when I titled the fsu threads 'FSU scares me'. FSU is a house of horror. Get out - jus' escape

[wilson]

Wilson, Exactly my pt when I titled the fsu threads 'FSU scares me'. FSU is a house of horror. Get out - jus' escapeYes, and your point was a good one.

[FerryFor50]

Wilson, Exactly my pt when I titled the fsu threads 'FSU scares me'. FSU is a house of horror. Get out - jus' escape

If your point was "FSU is going to physically beat the crap out of us" then yes.

But I never thought Duke would lose this game. And likely still will not, unless they get a miracle rebound/putback here.

[kmspeaks]

Next time you want to complain about the lack of creativity in Cameron, let's remember this game. The only 2 audible chants tonight have been "overrated" (when they're losing) and profanity.