MBB: Duke 80, Syracuse 72 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[hurleyfor3]

The refs won it for us. [/bilas]

[House G]

Jay must be terribly disappointed.

[Tripping William]

I think Elvis had a song about this. :)

[dukelifer]

Always good to shoot over 60% in a half. Nice win. Showing their toughness to come back. This team is growing up big time.

[SCMatt33]

Cause started 7-10 from three. Went 1-12 after. Yay regression to the mean. It had to happen in one of these games.

[Duvall]

I like Duke's chances of making the NCAA Tournament now.

[fuse]

Weathered the storm of a fired up Gbinje and Syracuse in the first half.
Played our game throughout and prevailed in a tough contest.

Quinn continues to amaze me with his leadership, will to win, and focus.
Okafor played a great game, Tyus continues to quietly drive the bus, and Winslow is just a freak of nature.

Great win, hard fought and earned.

[dukebluesincebirth]

This looked like a mature team tonight. Very pleased with the poise after getting down in 1st half. Quinn continues to lead by example and bring toughness when needed. Proud of these boys tonight!

[DukeDevil]

I gotta say I don't think the refs were biased to either team. They called the game equally terribly both ways. The players clearly had no idea if they had to play off or if they could play aggressively, due to the bipolar nature of the calls.

[Duvall]

I gotta say I don't think the refs were biased to either team. They called the game equally terribly both ways. The players clearly had no idea if they had to play off or if they could play aggressively, due to the bipolar nature of the calls.

The refs' refusal to call Okafor's fifth definitely evened things out a bit

[CoachJ10]

A good road win, even if it was ugly. Not always pretty, but a tough situation for anything other than ugly basketball.

Now...on to the true story of the game. The ACC should be ashamed of the refs that they are putting in the court this season. Strong statement? Yes. But I think it is fair to say that most of us fans are getting tired of such a contrast between the caliber of basketball (or potential basketball) being played and the refs on the court.

When every game turns into this head scratching, throw your hands up in frustration at how things are being called and not called, it gets old and fast.

PS If Christmas had travelled one more time without it being called...sigh...

[Henderson]

Michael Gb has had 6 minutes off total in the last 5 games. Dang. 27 points? Why didn't we recruit him?

Anyhoo...

A win for the good guys and a loss by the cheaters to The Glowering Hair makes for a pretty good day.

[gurufrisbee]

Always like to see us get big wins on the road against solid teams, so this was good for that.

Always hate to see games where the officiating is terrible, especially when it's so terrible AND lopsided in one team's favor that it easily could make the better team not win, so this was awful because it was exactly that.

[Freethrw33]

Very Good Win for Duke!
Grayson made 2 huge free-throws at the end. Big time.
Matt Jones with some nice drives and clutch shooting. He actually looked comfortable taking it to the basket a little bit today. Dug out that low pass for a key three too.
Much prefer having Winslow (vs. Amile) at the free throw line on offense vs. the 2-3 zone, since Amile's inability to have developed any type of offensive game outside of 2-feet from the basket really limits his effectiveness. Still time next season for him to add this to his game I'm hoping.
Tyus Jones played under control and made some nice, solid plays.
Duke went to the "stall ball" like always, but think that wasting away 25-28 seconds of the shot clock with still 8+ minutes left in the game was a bit early, even for K, as Duke went through a stretch there where we just weren't running any offense.

For SU: Gbinije played with such fluidity. Found myself wishing he would be at Duke for next year, especially if T. Jones goes pro! Cooney was throwing up some outside prayers (Does he ever make those shots while falling sideways? Not even JJ would make those). Christmas missed lots of "easy ones" right around the basket. Doesn't have near the touch of Okafor (at least in this game).

Nice composure and overall a very good win!!!!

[mgtr]

Happy to see Grayson make several good plays. With only 8 scholarship players, they all need to contribute. Jah was a man among boys (mostly). Another important road win. Beginning to look as though we could win out -- that would be great!

[77devil]

The refs' refusal to call Okafor's fifth definitely evened things out a bit

A truly absurd statement, as the officiating was atrocious on both ends. Both Christmas and Roberson could have fouled out twice.

[sagegrouse]

From an 11-point deficit to an eight-point win OK with me.

[ChrisP]

The refs' refusal to call Okafor's fifth definitely evened things out a bit

Maybe they didn't call a 5th because his 4th was a complete joke. I agree, though, that Okafor got away with at least 1 foul after that horrible 4th one was called.

[arnie]

I like Duke's chances of making the NCAA Tournament now.

HaHa - our guards are super; that should carry us to at least the sweet16. Coupled with a true center, we should have all the parts this year.

[dairedevil]

The refs won it for us. [/bilas]

I'm not trying to stir anything up or start an argument, mainly because I understand the frustration of being a fan, watching a playback, and listening to the announcer explain what was wrong about a call. I really didn't like listening to Bilas talk about the non-foul call. It sure didn't seem like he did the same thing when Duke was fouled and Syracuse wasn't called. Does he have any control over the replays? Or do the producers or guys in the truck tell him we're showing this and analyze it? And yeah, I think that it easily could have been called a foul...one of many, many that were not called in that game, on both teams.

I don't want to think that Bilas is anti-Duke. In fact, in listening to what he said late in the game about Duke's resume, and how good of a team they are, I don't believe that Jay is anything but an admirer of Duke and Coach K.

[BD80]

Guys Duke successfully recruited out of high school - 107
Guys Cuse successfully recruited out of high school - 45

[ChrisP]

Great to get a win in a tough road environment. I thought everyone played pretty well. Grayson with some tough FT's at the end, Jah solid as usual and Quinn with some great poise and leadership.

Also, glad to see M Jones hit some big shots but...oy vey, he had 3 AWFUL passes that ended up as turnovers. Maybe as he gets more PT, he'll learn but I was really worried they would cost us the game.

[conmanlhughes]

Ref's call it even, all the big men foul out on both teams. Apparently Syracuse made a mistake hiring the refs for the basketball game, when they were obviously football refs. Must've gotten the dates switched with somethin...

[wilko]

The refs' refusal to call Okafor's fifth definitely evened things out a bit

Ehhh. They owed us from Hoods non call last yr...
No tears for them

[FerryFor50]

Great to see them tough this one out and overcome some adversity.

Yes, the officiating was bad (for both teams). Yes, the game was Big East-style physical (which seems to be the norm in the ACC). Yes, a former Duke player went off for 27 points. Yes, Rakeem Christmas never gets called for walks or hooking with his elbow.

But these are the types of games you have to win if you expect to go anywhere in March. Duke has shown they can win high scoring games, low scoring games, defensive struggles, when they are hitting 3s, when they are not hitting threes, and when they have players in foul trouble (particularly Okafor).

The 2010 team, though better defensively overall, was similarly versatile.

Grayson Allen is starting to look more comfortable out there and has played some pretty solid defense. Add him to an already solid mix and I think Duke might be ok in March. :)

[FerryFor50]

I'm not trying to stir anything up or start an argument, mainly because I understand the frustration of being a fan, watching a playback, and listening to the announcer explain what was wrong about a call. I really didn't like listening to Bilas talk about the non-foul call. It sure didn't seem like he did the same thing when Duke was fouled and Syracuse wasn't called. Does he have any control over the replays? Or do the producers or guys in the truck tell him we're showing this and analyze it? And yeah, I think that it easily could have been called a foul...one of many, many that were not called in that game, on both teams.

I don't want to think that Bilas is anti-Duke. In fact, in listening to what he said late in the game about Duke's resume, and how good of a team they are, I don't believe that Jay is anything but an admirer of Duke and Coach K.

Honestly I think it's less Bilas and more ESPN driving the narrative. I think they tell all their broadcasters to do this sort of thing. The directors control the replays and feed info to announcers into earpieces. Bilas just parrots it because he likes keeping his job.

[dukelifer]

Michael Gb has had 6 minutes off total in the last 5 games. Dang. 27 points? Why didn't we recruit him?

Anyhoo...

A win for the good guys and a loss by the cheaters to The Glowering Hair makes for a pretty good day.
We would have gotten last year's Silent G. This year's is pretty good.

[-jk]

Glad to buck today's Triangle upset meme...

-jk

[FerryFor50]

We would have gotten last year's Silent G. This year's is pretty good.

Yeah, he's really been playing well lately. Good to see. Tough that he had such a good game against Duke.

Also, great day overall - Duke wins, UNC loses badly and NCSU upsets L'ville.

[tbyers11]

Honestly I think it's less Bilas and more ESPN driving the narrative. I think they tell all their broadcasters to do this sort of thing. The directors control the replays and feed info to announcers into earpieces. Bilas just parrots it because he likes keeping his job.

This. Jay clearly pointed out 3 fouls on Syracuse in the first half: Jahlil fouled on a post move, Grayson on a driving layup, and Justise on a driving layup that he thought were fouls that the refs ignored. The ESPN producers in the truck showed none of these replays. However, the "foul" on Quinn (he got all ball but did have a hand on the back. To me, it's really hard to tell on replay how much, if any, effect that hand on the back has) was given three replays.

As to the game, I really liked the mental toughness we showed to close the gap in the first half when it seemed like we were getting hacked with no calls and Syracuse was hitting 7/10 3s. Some of those 3s were open but some were challenged/defended well. I'm really glad Syracuse 3 point shooting regressed to the mean in the second half.

We also showed good toughness/skill in the last few minutes after Syracuse closed to 3. Good effort on the road against a jacked up team playing the biggest game left on its schedule that shot out of its mind in the 1st half

[porkpa]

I really hate to see us play slow down ball, especially so early in the game. It seems like we lose our rhythm and forget what got us to the point where we are ahead and playing slow down.

[sagegrouse]

Honestly I think it's less Bilas and more ESPN driving the narrative. I think they tell all their broadcasters to do this sort of thing. The directors control the replays and feed info to announcers into earpieces. Bilas just parrots it because he likes keeping his job.

Well, sorry. Bilas is the #1 ESPN basketball commentator, and when and if there is a dispute, he probably talks with the President of ESPN, John Skipper. I don't think Jay worries much about what a director or producer wants him to say. Howsomever, those folks do have real power -- they control the live picture and the replays, which definitely affects what the announcers say.

[Henderson]

We would have gotten last year's Silent G. This year's is pretty good.

I think you're assuming that a player who sits a year develops, while sitting, equally to one who plays.

[jgehtland]

I was particularly pleased to see an old staple of Duke from my days (the early 90's): the first-five-minutes-after-the-half-soul-crushing-run. That 13-2 run out of the gate was a thing of beauty, and also the only time during the whole game I didn't yell something about the officiating (which, I might add, I did both ways, the refs were that awful).

However, specifically referring to ESPN choosing to replay Quinn's "all ball and a little waist" non-call, and what should have been Okafor's fifth, I will note that they never once mentioned, let alone replayed, Grayson getting by two Syracuse players on the breakaway and getting yanked backward by both of them, so dramatically that he threw up a wild shot to sell that it was a shooting foul, only to see the ball bounce hard off the backboard into Cooney's hands starting a fast break the other way. People watching the game with me, who are not basketball watchers, asked "so you can just pull on people like that?" and I had to try to calmly explain, "no, you can't".

I love that the team overcame Silent G's insane first half to be only down 3. I can't say I predicted that second half, but felt confident that G wouldn't end up 10-12 from 3 for the game. Loved watching Coach K pull him aside in the handshake line to give him some strong words, and the big smile on G's face during the exchange. Glad to see that those relationships aren't always completely lost. That, and Marshall's big smile and hug for G. Makes me happy that those guys are on the team I root for.

[FerryFor50]

Well, sorry. Bilas is the #1 ESPN basketball commentator, and when and if there is a dispute, he probably talks with the President of ESPN, John Skipper. I don't think Jay worries much about what a director or producer wants him to say. Howsomever, those folks do have real power -- they control the live picture and the replays, which definitely affects what the announcers say.

Right, but I'm sure they'd have a conversation if Jay went all Duke homer in the same way Scott Van Pelt/Len Elmore go anti-Duke/pro-Maryland.

[roywhite]

Eh, big deal about the refs and the announcers.

I'm delighted to get another good road win vs a highly motivated opponent and a huge crowd. Good job by Jahlil with 23/13 against one of the better big men in the conference. I always enjoy a few highlight athletic plays from Justise, and love the poise of Tyus and Quinn.

Looking forward to more fun vs the Heels.

[wsb3]

Maybe they didn't call a 5th because his 4th was a complete joke. I agree, though, that Okafor got away with at least 1 foul after that horrible 4th one was called.

I agree with you on this statement. The 5th was a foul but the 4th not so much.

As for Bilas I like him a lot but he did get on my nerves tonight..At the time he was harping about the foul on Duke that was not called I believe the Cuse were already in the double bonus while they had only been whistled for half that many fouls. Like others have stated...the officials missed a lot of calls both ways. I think it was Cook who got manhandled just as badly on an open drive in the first half.

Loved how cool..Grayson played tonight.. The smile on his face when he came to the bench after making those huge free throws..Made me feel so good for that young man.

[Atldukie79]

Yes, Syracuse 3 point shooting returned to the mean in the second half...but I think it had a lot to do with a lack of savvy defense in the first half by Duke. For some reason, we repeatedly left G and Cooney alone, often by running under a pick, It is a cardinal sin to do that, especially against a hot 3 point shooter.

I agree that Amile is not the best high post choice against the Cuse defense...or any 2-3 zone. Not only do they let him catch it, they do not cover him to shoot. And he doesn't...can't.

However, it is the almost perfect day... Duke wins... Louisville, Syracuse and UNC lose. Only a Wake Forest end of game bucket to upset UVA would have completed an improbable day where 4 top ACC teams lose and Duke wins.

[dukejim1]

I think you're assuming that a player who sits a year develops, while sitting, equally to one who plays.

Gbinije had 33 total in Duke uniform and 27 tonight

[Billy Dat]

Cause started 7-10 from three. Went 1-12 after. Yay regression to the mean. It had to happen in one of these games.

Yes, I was counting on said regression and was happy to see it. I figured that if we were within 5 at halftime, we'd be fine.


Always like to see us get big wins on the road against solid teams, so this was good for that.

What a collection of road pelts we are amassing. Imagine if we hadn't given it away in South Bend. These guys are very mentally tough.


Very Good Win for Duke!
Grayson made 2 huge free-throws at the end. Big time.
Matt Jones with some nice drives and clutch shooting. He actually looked comfortable taking it to the basket a little bit today.
Much prefer having Winslow (vs. Amile) at the free throw line on offense vs. the 2-3 zone, since Amile's inability to have developed any type of offensive game outside of 2-feet from the basket really limits his effectiveness. Still time next season for him to add this to his game I'm hoping.
Tyus Jones played under control and made some nice, solid plays.
Duke went to the "stall ball" like always, but think that wasting away 25-28 seconds of the shot clock with still 8+ minutes left in the game was a bit early, even for K, as Duke went through a stretch there where we just weren't running any offense.

Agree with all of this, especially Matt Jones being a key to unclogging that Syracuse zone with some of his drives. It really frustrates me that Amile doesn't get more aggressive on offense - he was right at the beginnning but then he went back into his shell. Heck, even Marshall took it strong and put one in on a drive from the foul line. I did not sense that Jah was playing that well but his line says otherwise. I still get very frustrated at his seaming lack of offensive rebounds and his poor D at the rim but I think I am expecting perfection. The kid had a huge night as did Cook. I though our defense was good when it had to be, but not great all game, Syracuse missed a lot of make-able shots close in. Still, after Slient G and Cooney started well, we really shut them down for the most part. I also think they got away with some travels, and that the officials stunk both ways.

These kids are really putting together a heck of a season with some epic wins already in the bag, Wisconsin, Louisville, UVA, Notre Dame, St Johns now Syracuse on the road in their biggest game of the year, all the reports out of Florida State indicate that it was their best crowd of the year....very exciting.

[Billy Dat]

I hadn't heard anything about the potential Allen injuries...yikes. Glad he seems fine.

Laura Keeley @laurakeeley · 1h 1 hour ago
-A side note: Grayson Allen hurt his knee 2 days ago, to the point where he needed an X-ray, MRI and crutches. Was miraculously fine today
-No structural damage to Allen's knee. K said it was the strangest thing—Allen was just shooting, felt excruciating pain
-K said he couldn't explain it. Said maybe it is because he's such a strong leaper—said Capel told him same thing happened to B. Griffin
-Duke already depth-challenged. K said former players wouldn't believe how they're practicing—they can't practice much, given numbers

[Newton_14]

The refs won it for us. [/bilas]


Jay must be terribly disappointed.

Give him some credit guys... early in the game he sounded like a Duke homer for the first time in my recollection. I figured all the unc-cheat and Syracuse fans must have been throwing stuff at the tv...

He was actually right tonight though, exception being near the end he pointed out more of the missed calls on us than the missed calls on Syracuse. That was a horribly officiated game. It looked like rugby. Grayson got mugged on his one drive. Winslow got fouled about 8 times with no whistle, nuttin...Guys were getting killed out there. It was no place for the meek...that's for sure...

On to the game. Ode to Silent G. Or Silent G in the house. I think most of us knew he was going to develop into a really good player, whether he stayed or left, so not surprising. I caught myself dreaming of a line up of Cook, T. Jones, Silent G, Winslow, Okafor. That would be sick. I was pulling for him to get 40 in a losing cause.

I never got real nervous tonight for some reason until the last 4 minutes or so when Syracuse may one final drive for a touchdown, but our defensive line kept them out of the endzone. Was also scared when I noticed the guys were playing without helmets.

Sorry, could not help myself. On a serious note, I thought the run we made in the last 5 minutes of the 1st half and the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half (RIP Jimmy V, those were your words of advice) was the key, with the run in the last 5 minutes of the 1st half being THE key factor. Syracuse threw their absolute best knockout punch at us in the first half and looked up and saw Duke within 3 at the half. I felt that had to hurt. Our guys got up off the mat and started punching back, and attacking the lane at will. Jahlil was a beast inside and we hit enough 3's, and got enough fast break points to keep them at bay. I will keep saying it to the bitter end, the key to our offense is making sure we push the ball and get some easy buckets. Do that and hit just a few 3's to complement Jahlil, and the offensive side is taken care of.

3 more highlight reels for Winslow with 2 blocks and the unbelievable tip-in. Dude is fun to watch.

Great road win. Time to prep to send the cheaters to hell.

[gocanes0506]

After the 3rd Cuse conference game I've seen, the ACC needs to add more conference games.

How could Duke and Cuse only play twice a year 3 times in 12 years? That terrible. I'd rather see Cuse twice a year over Elon, UNCA, or other team in December. With a 16 team conference, some conference games are more like OOC games anyways.

[Duke31122]

I hadn't heard anything about the potential Allen injuries...yikes. Glad he seems fine.

Laura Keeley @laurakeeley · 1h 1 hour ago
-A side note: Grayson Allen hurt his knee 2 days ago, to the point where he needed an X-ray, MRI and crutches. Was miraculously fine today
-No structural damage to Allen's knee. K said it was the strangest thing—Allen was just shooting, felt excruciating pain
-K said he couldn't explain it. Said maybe it is because he's such a strong leaper—said Capel told him same thing happened to B. Griffin
-Duke already depth-challenged. K said former players wouldn't believe how they're practicing—they can't practice much, given numbers


Wonder what the last one means? Doesn't make me feel as good about the development of our guys. Hopefully it doesn't affect us come March.

[NashvilleDevil]

Wonder what the last one means? Doesn't make me feel as good about the development of our guys. Hopefully it doesn't affect us come March.

I think it means having 8 scholarship players means they cannot practice like they normally would. It has nothing to do with player development.

[GGLC]

Wonder what the last one means? Doesn't make me feel as good about the development of our guys. Hopefully it doesn't affect us come March.

This is why I don't understand people who say that Semi's transfer was no big deal or that it's not important to have bench and practice depth.

[CDu]

I think it means having 8 scholarship players means they cannot practice like they normally would. It has nothing to do with player development.

Well, 9 actually. But that does certainly limit things as the 10th guy is a walkon.

[freshmanjs]

For SU: Gbinije played with such fluidity. Found myself wishing he would be at Duke for next year, especially if T. Jones goes pro!

He would not have been on next years Duke team even if he stayed

[burnspbesq]

I really hate to see us play slow down ball, especially so early in the game. It seems like we lose our rhythm and forget what got us to the point where we are ahead and playing slow down.

I don't think that was a decision by Duke to slow down. With about 10 minutes to go, Cuse switched from a 2-3 to a 3-2, which made it considerably more difficult for us to get the ball to the logo. I thought we showed good patience in not trying to force the ball in.

[Newton_14]

Well, 9 actually. But that does certainly limit things as the 10th guy is a walkon.Agree and it does impact development. Winslow was defended everyday in practice by Semi until he left and Tyus was defended by Rasheed. The second team is now Grayson, Matt, MP3, Obi, Walkon. Big difference in talent the first team's going against daily.

[fgb]

Gbinije had 33 total in Duke uniform and 27 tonight

he had 33 total as a true freshman/soph on a top 10 team. he had 27 in one game as a redshirt junior.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

........ and the uniforms looked gorgeous !!!!
Love, Ima

[tbyers11]

he had 33 total as a true freshman/soph on a top 10 team. he had 27 in one game as a redshirt junior.

He had 33 pts in 18 games in a total of 111 minutes for Duke as a freshman. Didn't play at Duke as a sophomore. He transferred after his freshman year in 2011-12.

[freshmanjs]

Amile had only 14 minutes. Even with Jah in foul trouble. Surprising. Barely played in the 2nd half. He also was the only guy not standing and cheering when Jah had the big dunk with about 4 minutes left.

[KandG]

Amile had only 14 minutes. Even with Jah in foul trouble. Surprising. Barely played in the 2nd half. He also was the only guy not standing and cheering when Jah had the big dunk with about 4 minutes left.

Wasn't exploiting gaps in Syracuse's zone effectively on offense, not is he as good as Matt at chasing Syracuse's shooters on the perimeter defensively. I like Amile, but this was definitely a rough game for him. Duke's elbow entries were a lot more effective with Justise flashing to the foul line.

[Duke31122]

Agree and it does impact development. Winslow was defended everyday in practice by Semi until he left and Tyus was defended by Rasheed. The second team is now Grayson, Matt, MP3, Obi, Walkon. Big difference in talent the first team's going against daily.

It is affected some, but in reality think about it. Grayson probably covers Tyus, a walk on probably covers Quinn. I would imagine Matt covers Quinn and Winslow some. Obi matches up with Amile, and Marshall on Jahlil.

I'm sure the guys are still getting better. You gotta think Semi wasn't a huge defensive presence, a big body, but he was raw. I would imagine our guys are still getting better.

I'm sure all of this went into consideration when K let Rasheed go. Since he was let go, Duke has been playing well. We have won every game, and you can tell they really have each other's back. At this point in the year we know who we are.

I just want to know what K meant by it. I'm sure he was laughing when he said it, just as a fan who is not on the inside, it makes me a little nervous.

[brevity]

I think Elvis had a song about this. :)

Knowing DBR, it's not "A Little Less Conversation".

"All Shook Up"? "It's Now or Never"? "Devil in Disguise"?

Nah, it's gotta be "Blue Christmas".


Guys Duke successfully recruited out of high school - 107
Guys Cuse successfully recruited out of high school - 45

Guys Cuse successfully recruited out of Duke - 1

[mo.st.dukie]

Agree and it does impact development. Winslow was defended everyday in practice by Semi until he left and Tyus was defended by Rasheed. The second team is now Grayson, Matt, MP3, Obi, Walkon. Big difference in talent the first team's going against daily.

Most of what occurs now is scouting the upcoming opponents. So Grayson would play the part of Cooney and that group would run what Syracuse would run, or at least what Syracuse ran on the scouting videos. It's not like the talent of our 2nd unit is a huge factor in Justise becoming a better ball-handler, passer, and shooter. Most of that type of development takes place in the offseason anyways as well as those September and October practices and getting comfortable in actual games. I'd venture to guess what K is really talking about is how hard, how long, and how often they practice. He said they can't practice much.

[cptnflash]

I love this game for Grayson, especially the free throws at the end. Despite Grayson's reputation as a shooter (and his good FT% in a limited number of attempts), I think it was a smart play by Boeheim to foul him intentionally when it was still a 2 possession game with 39 seconds left and we were in the 1-and-1. All they needed was a front-end miss, but the kid showed major cool and knocked them both down. Well done!

However, as noted above, Coach K's description of his knee problem sounds really scary! I've had two knee surgeries and can't imagine going from "excruciating pain" and crutches to playing basketball in just 48 hours. Glad to hear that the x-rays and MRI were negative but still have a bad feeling about this that I can't shake. Coach K's comment that he "got medicated" sounds a little ominous.

[roywhite]

Most of what occurs now is scouting the upcoming opponents. So Grayson would play the part of Cooney and that group would run what Syracuse would run, or at least what Syracuse ran on the scouting videos. It's not like the talent of our 2nd unit is a huge factor in Justise becoming a better ball-handler, passer, and shooter. Most of that type of development takes place in the offseason anyways as well as those September and October practices and getting comfortable in actual games. I'd venture to guess what K is really talking about is how hard, how long, and how often they practice. He said they can't practice much.

Yeah, our current depth situation is not ideal for practice and development, and would really be precarious if we lose a player to injury. But, look at some of the other top ACC teams; we saw how thin Syracuse is, nearly the same with Notre Dame, UVa is missing Justin Anderson, and even a deep UNC team has lost players to injury. Perhaps because of injuries and more frequent transfer situations, teams with good quality depth seem rare.

[TKG]

In response to a question about Michael G., post game, Coach said there are 600/650 transfers in college basketball each year. I was shocked by that figure.

[Furniture]

A couple of things. First of all the whole game felt like (fresh)men against boys. Even when down by a lot in the first half they looked really composed.
Its very pleasing to see Matt, MP3 and Grayson develop into their roles in the team. We really look strong!
Lastly i think many were wondering how Sheed being dismissed would affect them and it's very obvious how together they are. It's almost to the point of the whole team is sending a message; we are better now.....

[dukelifer]

I love this game for Grayson, especially the free throws at the end. Despite Grayson's reputation as a shooter (and his good FT% in a limited number of attempts), I think it was a smart play by Boeheim to foul him intentionally when it was still a 2 possession game with 39 seconds left and we were in the 1-and-1. All they needed was a front-end miss, but the kid showed major cool and knocked them both down. Well done!

However, as noted above, Coach K's description of his knee problem sounds really scary! I've had two knee surgeries and can't imagine going from "excruciating pain" and crutches to playing basketball in just 48 hours. Glad to hear that the x-rays and MRI were negative but still have a bad feeling about this that I can't shake. Coach K's comment that he "got medicated" sounds a little ominous.

Just listened to the press conference. Yes- strange that he could not walk. Could be something related to his quads and not structural. Apparently he had a good week of practice and tweaked it not during any real activity- just shooting. He seemed to move very well during the game, however. We shall see.

[Billy Dat]

As we segue into prognostication about Grayson's knee, can a re-appearance from the long missing greybeard be far behind?

[BD80]

Amile had only 14 minutes. Even with Jah in foul trouble. Surprising. Barely played in the 2nd half. He also was the only guy not standing and cheering when Jah had the big dunk with about 4 minutes left.

Amile has not been playing nearly as well as he did at the beginning of the year

[Clay Feet POF]

As we segue into prognostication about Grayson's knee, can a re-appearance from the long missing greybeard be far behind?


Yeah, where is that man....I miss him.

[Troublemaker]

Not much to say about this game. Character win that we've come to expect from this team. Got down double digits in the first half against an amped-up 'Cuse team and former Duke player, then made a late half push to keep it close, forcing Syracuse to go into halftime with "we should be up more" thoughts, then took control of the game out of the gate in the second half and kept 'Cuse at bay the rest of the way.

Jah decisively won the center matchup vs Christmas.

Our fastbreak pushes in the first half were things of beauty. Whoooosh. Scoring off even made baskets.

ACC opponents are now shooting 37.2% from three against Duke, "good" for 13th in the conference! Who would've predicted that?! I think some of that is just flukiness. Hopefully Duke's remaining opponents will return that average to the mean.

[Rich]

Amile has not been playing nearly as well as he did at the beginning of the year

That may be true, but against the 'Cuse zone you need a forward who can flash to the foul line and make plays, whether it's hitting a shot from there a la Rodney Hood or driving to the hoop and either hitting a shot, drawing a foul, or dishing while the big men collapse. While I think Amile could be that player, and has shown flashes of being that player in the past, he was not that player in the beginning of the game. It was only a matter of time when K switched him out and put Winslow in there, who is much more of an offensive threat that far from the basket. After the first few possessions it was obvious that Amile could not play that role last night and a switch was necessary.

[Ultrarunner]

Amile has not been playing nearly as well as he did at the beginning of the year

I suspect he has a nagging injury to his shoulder that is hampering him. When he came of the court during the St. John game, he was favoring a shoulder. He hasn't played at the same level since.

[Kedsy]

The refs won it for us. [/bilas]


I really didn't like listening to Bilas talk about the non-foul call. It sure didn't seem like he did the same thing when Duke was fouled and Syracuse wasn't called.


Jay clearly pointed out 3 fouls on Syracuse in the first half: Jahlil fouled on a post move, Grayson on a driving layup, and Justise on a driving layup that he thought were fouls that the refs ignored.


Give him some credit guys... early in the game he sounded like a Duke homer for the first time in my recollection. I figured all the unc-cheat and Syracuse fans must have been throwing stuff at the tv...

He was actually right tonight though, exception being near the end he pointed out more of the missed calls on us than the missed calls on Syracuse.

I think anyone who heard Bilas as anti-Duke or pro-Syracuse last night is hearing out of only one ear. As tbyers11 pointed out, Bilas pointed out three uncalled Syracuse fouls before he pointed out the two uncalled Duke fouls. To me he seemed pretty complimentary of Coach K and of Duke in general, and if anyone thinks any announcer should avoid saying anything that suggests Duke isn't perfect, I fear you'll be disappointed pretty much every game.

That aside, a good win. I know some people thought it should be an easy game, but I never thought it would be. Silent G going off against us like that illustrates why most teams won't let players transfer in-conference (I know Silent G technically didn't transfer in-conference, which is why it was allowed at the time).

[Kedsy]

I still get very frustrated at his seaming lack of offensive rebounds and his poor D at the rim but I think I am expecting perfection.

Jahlil averages more than 4 offensive rebounds a game. He's 2nd in the ACC in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in the country. So while I agree that his defense isn't so great, I think it's pretty hard to complain about Jahlil's offensive rebounding.

[Billy Dat]

Jahlil averages more than 4 offensive rebounds a game. He's 2nd in the ACC in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in the country. So while I agree that his defense isn't so great, I think it's pretty hard to complain about Jahlil's offensive rebounding.

I agree, I think I expect the unattainable from the kid all the time. When that ball is loose on the o-boards, I expect him to get it because he's so big and I always think he gets boxed out too easily by smaller players. But, if he was too aggressive, he'd probably be picking up a bunch of dumb fouls. I admit I have a problem, stay strong Jahzilla.

[CDu]

Re garding the foul calls, Bilas was right:

- The no-call on Allen's fast break should have been a foul
- The no-call on Winslow's fast-break should have been a foul
- The no-call on Cook's hand-check of Cooney's fast break was a bad call.
- Plumlee's blocking foul should have been a charge on Christmas
- Okafor did foul Christmas

The officiating was atrocious both ways, just as Bilas said. Thankfully, we prevailed.

A quietly dominant performance by Okafor. Quietest 23 and 13 I can remember; maybe I am getting spoiled. Cook was terrific as well. His shooting was big, and his passing was really good. The tandem of Winslow and Matt Jones was great at finding the seams of the zone. Tyus Jones was quietly solid too. And Allen and Plumlee were solid contributors in their 7th/8th man roles.

The only slightly disappointing game was Jefferson's. He has really been quiet of late since the Pitt game. I don't know if it is a confidence thing or what, but I hope he regains his form.

Still, overall it is a road win against a not-awful team that played well. I will gladly take it.

[bjornolf]

The refs' refusal to call Okafor's fifth definitely evened things out a bit

Maybe it's a name thing with Okafor. I seem to recall a championship game with a UConn team where a guy with the same name was hammering players for like 10 minutes without getting his fifth.

[dukelifer]

I think anyone who heard Bilas as anti-Duke or pro-Syracuse last night is hearing out of only one ear. As tbyers11 pointed out, Bilas pointed out three uncalled Syracuse fouls before he pointed out the two uncalled Duke fouls. To me he seemed pretty complimentary of Coach K and of Duke in general, and if anyone thinks any announcer should avoid saying anything that suggests Duke isn't perfect, I fear you'll be disappointed pretty much every game.

That aside, a good win. I know some people thought it should be an easy game, but I never thought it would be. Silent G going off against us like that illustrates why most teams won't let players transfer in-conference (I know Silent G technically didn't transfer in-conference, which is why it was allowed at the time).

Folks should listen to the replay- when you already know who will win. I think you will find that Jay was pretty complimentary of Duke throughout the game. His complaints of missed fouls were legit on both sides. I have no idea how Okafor was not called at the end. That is called 9 times out of 10. Duke dodged a big one there but as others pointed out- there were many missed on the Duke players. The refs let the teams play and outside an otherworldly performance by Silent G, Duke was the better team.

[Troublemaker]

One other random note: Justise's shooting form has looked very smooth from both FT line and distance lately, and the results have been good.

[SilkyJ]

Jahlil averages more than 4 offensive rebounds a game. He's 2nd in the ACC in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in the country. So while I agree that his defense isn't so great, I think it's pretty hard to complain about Jahlil's offensive rebounding.

Remind me, what is offensive rebounding % defined as? I would assume either A) % of your team's misses that you rebound (when you're on the floor), or B) # of offensive rebounds per minute.

I would think B) is offensive rebounding rate, and a lot easier to compute than A), which I'm guessing is what you are discussing. How do you even get that stat??

[vick]

Remind me, what is offensive rebounding % defined as? I would assume either A) % of your team's misses that you rebound (when you're on the floor), or B) # of offensive rebounds per minute.

I would think B) is offensive rebounding rate, and a lot easier to compute than A), which I'm guessing is what you are discussing. How do you even get that stat??

It's "A." You take the total number of offensive rebounds your team gets plus the number of defensive rebounds the opponent gets and multiply by the percent of the time a player is on the floor in order to get the rebounds available. A player's offensive rebounds are divided by this number to get offensive rebounding %. It's a bit of an estimation because it assumes that missed shots are generated at the same rate when a player is on and off the floor, but more useful than rebounds per minute because it accounts for 1) pace and 2) how many shots you and your teammates miss.

[slower]

Amile had only 14 minutes. Even with Jah in foul trouble. Surprising. Barely played in the 2nd half. He also was the only guy not standing and cheering when Jah had the big dunk with about 4 minutes left.

As some of us have said repeatedly, Amile's offensive limitations WILL affect his playing time. And he's not going to suddenly bust out a mid-range jumper this late in the season.

[sagegrouse]

It's "A." You take the total number of offensive rebounds your team gets plus the number of defensive rebounds the opponent gets and multiply by the percent of the time a player is on the floor in order to get the rebounds available. A player's offensive rebounds are divided by this number to get offensive rebounding %. It's a bit of an estimation because it assumes that missed shots are generated at the same rate when a player is on and off the floor, but more useful than rebounds per minute because it accounts for 1) pace and 2) how many shots you and your teammates miss.

So, "Rebounds Available" is a pretty rough measure of the actual data, unless the player plays almost the minutes? for someone like MP3, who plays 10-15 minutes a game, it's pretty much a joke, isn't it? I mean, there is no reason to believe that "missed shots" are evenly distributed throughout the game.

[vick]

So, "Rebounds Available" is a pretty rough measure of the actual data, unless the player plays almost the minutes? for someone like MP3, who plays 10-15 minutes a game, it's pretty much a joke, isn't it? I mean, there is no reason to believe that "missed shots" are evenly distributed throughout the game.

"Joke" is stronger than I'd put it--generally teams don't radically change their pace too much with different lineups (though of course they do some), and few if any bench players are such huge impact performers on defense as to dramatically affect shooting percentages in a sustainable way. But yes, it is an estimation and should always be treated as such. Then again, almost all stats are estimations to some degree--assists most famously, but even blocks and rebounds are subject to more interpretation than is sometimes understood.

[uh_no]

So, "Rebounds Available" is a pretty rough measure of the actual data, unless the player plays almost the minutes? for someone like MP3, who plays 10-15 minutes a game, it's pretty much a joke, isn't it? I mean, there is no reason to believe that "missed shots" are evenly distributed throughout the game.

we track everything else...shouldn't it be simple to track the missed shot count while a player is on the floor? seems such a convoluted way to get to a less optimal answer

[sagegrouse]

So, "Rebounds Available" is a pretty rough measure of the actual data, unless the player plays almost the minutes? for someone like MP3, who plays 10-15 minutes a game, it's pretty much a joke, isn't it? I mean, there is no reason to believe that "missed shots" are evenly distributed throughout the game.


we track everything else...shouldn't it be simple to track the missed shot count while a player is on the floor? seems such a convoluted way to get to a less optimal answer

I have reconsidered. Stats over, say, 20 games for a player averaging 10-15 minutes per game could be meaningful. A single-game stat is pretty weak.

[freshmanjs]

As some of us have said repeatedly, Amile's offensive limitations WILL affect his playing time. And he's not going to suddenly bust out a mid-range jumper this late in the season.

I agree, but this was the first time I ever saw that kind of body language from him on the bench. He also didn't have his customary role as MC of the top plays video. Obviously, there could be many explanations for both of those. Just surprising.

[g-money]

I agree, but this was the first time I ever saw that kind of body language from him on the bench. He also didn't have his customary role as MC of the top plays video. Obviously, there could be many explanations for both of those. Just surprising.

I seem to recall a play very early in the game where Amile caught the ball in the high post and didn't even turn around to look at the basket. The cameras then cut to Coach K, who seemed to be saying "shoot the ball, Amile!". I could be wrong, but perhaps K wants Amile to be more aggressive.

[Olympic Fan]

I just saw the official box score, which listed the official attendance at 35,466 ... that's exactly the same as last year's game, which was touted as the largest on-campus attendance in college basketball history.

So now the two Duke at Syracuse games are the top TWO college games in history?

And I know it set a new record for most combined wins by to coaches -- going into the game, K had 1,004 to Boeheim's 964 -- a total of 1,968.

If neither retires, when they meet next year, there is an excellent chance that they will be over 2,000 combined wins.

[devildeac]

Maybe it's a name thing with Okafor. I seem to recall a championship game with a UConn team where a guy with the same name was hammering players for like 10 minutes without getting his fifth.

Hell, he never even got his 4th foul:

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/games/boxscore.php?gameid=20040403

:mad::mad:

[ncexnyc]

Yeah, where is that man....I miss him.

I've been wondering that as well. I hope he is ok.

I've been waiting for him to chime in on the Tyus to Jah combo. I'm sure if he's watching he's loving the perfect entry passes and the wonderful hands and footwork that Jah displays.

I'm extremely pleased with this teams ability to play different styles. Go big on us an we counter with MP3. Go small and we can counter likewise. Pack it in and we can pull Amile and sub in Matt. As long as everyone continues to embrace their role this team will be fine.

[gurufrisbee]

Not the rebounding percentage stat garbage again. People kept trying to use that around here last year to keep pretending we were some good rebounding team when anyone watching knew that was not at all the case. Please ever bring that useless junk up again.

What I don't understand about Amile is that he's shown many times he can get the ball and take one quick dribble and attack at the hoop and be a fairly effective scorer that way, but against the 2-3 zone he got it in the high post where he clearly didn't want to shoot and just looked like he was panicking and that one dribble attack wasn't even an option - but both Winslow and MP3 got it in the high post and did try to take one dribble and attack the rim (and then usually got hammered to the ground by multiple Orangemen and there was never a call at all, but that's another story). I know he is no Rodney Hood and doesn't have a good mid range shot to take at the high post (which would be awesome to still have - he's barely a factor in Utah, can he come back?), but I think he could be good against the zone doing that.

[duketaylor]

Two thoughts as I saw the first half, not the second:

Completely agree about Amile catching the ball early, at about the foul line, and not even turning to show "triple threat" and just passing it back out. Even if he doesn't shoot or make a move to the basket he could at least pose a threat of doing something offensive. Keeping his back to the basket poses no threat. Justise will turn and pose a threat. I can understand why K would be displeased with Amile's actions.

I thought Jah showed more interest in defense and hustled more downcourt last night than any other game I've seen. I may have missed one or 2 games this year/season.

[NSDukeFan]

Not the rebounding percentage stat garbage again. People kept trying to use that around here last year to keep pretending we were some good rebounding team when anyone watching knew that was not at all the case. Please ever bring that useless junk up again.

What I don't understand about Amile is that he's shown many times he can get the ball and take one quick dribble and attack at the hoop and be a fairly effective scorer that way, but against the 2-3 zone he got it in the high post where he clearly didn't want to shoot and just looked like he was panicking and that one dribble attack wasn't even an option - but both Winslow and MP3 got it in the high post and did try to take one dribble and attack the rim (and then usually got hammered to the ground by multiple Orangemen and there was never a call at all, but that's another story). I know he is no Rodney Hood and doesn't have a good mid range shot to take at the high post (which would be awesome to still have - he's barely a factor in Utah, can he come back?), but I think he could be good against the zone doing that.

I would prefer to learn more about rebounding percentage stats over the eye test, as I feel knowing what percentage of a team's available shots are rebounded is a pretty good indication of rebounding prowess.

I agree completely about Amile. I don't care if he ever shoots the 12-15 foot shots from the high post (I wouldn't mind if he did sometimes) nearly as much as I would just like him to square up and look at what the defense is doing. Maybe he can pass to Jahlil down low, or take one dribble and get a layup or jump hoop. We don't know as his first inclination is to dribble away from the hoop and look for a guard. Amile is the player I am cheering for most in the next few games as I love his game when he is at his best.

[Kedsy]

Not the rebounding percentage stat garbage again. People kept trying to use that around here last year to keep pretending we were some good rebounding team when anyone watching knew that was not at all the case. Please ever bring that useless junk up again.

Which stat would you prefer to measure rebounding prowess? Your eyes? What if your (gurufrisbee's) eyes disagree with someone else's? Are other people's opinions also "garbage" or "useless junk"? Or is it only objective measures that are garbage/useless junk?

Also, it's worth noting that when we're talking about team stats (e.g., how good or bad the team was at defensive rebounding in 2013-14), the measure of offensive rebounding percentage and defensive rebounding percentage don't suffer from the same estimation uncertainty as has been discussed regarding individual rebounding percentages.

[Newton_14]

Two thoughts as I saw the first half, not the second:

Completely agree about Amile catching the ball early, at about the foul line, and not even turning to show "triple threat" and just passing it back out. Even if he doesn't shoot or make a move to the basket he could at least pose a threat of doing something offensive. Keeping his back to the basket poses no threat. Justise will turn and pose a threat. I can understand why K would be displeased with Amile's actions.

I thought Jah showed more interest in defense and hustled more downcourt last night than any other game I've seen. I may have missed one or 2 games this year/season.
Agree on both points. Amile is one of my favorite players and the frustrating thing is, he CAN score. He has shown us that many times over. He has turned into a pretty decent Free Throw shooter this season, so against that zone I would love to see him turn, face up, take his time, and shoot it. Syracuse and other teams have shown that they are going to back off and dare him to shoot it so fine. Take a dribble like it's a FT and calmly shoot it, then crash the boards once you have finished your follow through. Or attack like MP3 and Winslow did which will almost always draw a foul except with the 3 refs during that game. Horribly officiated game. Or drive but shoot the one handed floater that he has shown he can also make. To not even turn to face up puts zero pressure on the defense and allows them to stick like glue to our shooters as well as Jahlil.

I love the wrinkle K thru at them in the 2nd Half. With Jahlil and Winslow in, K brought both to the high post and let them catch and play off each other attacking. That worked very nicely a couple of times and made it difficult for Cuse to defend.

I also want to throw a shout out to Grayson Allen before making a few comments on Syracuse. I liked that K trusted Grayson enough to put him in for more than token minutes in that environment, and K did the same thing in the @UVA game. For those that know K well, he has shown over and over again throughout the years that if he does not trust a young player in those type environments the kid is never taking his warmups off. Grayson has come a long way in a very short time actually. He was super tentative in the St Johns game, but has slowly looked more comfortable game over game since. He now only looks slightly tentative, and it is allowing him to just play and let his natural skills kick in. When he translates to "no tentativeness - nice confidence" I think his level of play is going to go up significantly and he will wow us at times. Seeing him calmly knock down that 3 when he came in during the first half was great. It is very unfortunate the refs swallowed their whistles on his drive, when he absolutely got mugged twice. That kind of thing can be a confidence killer for a young player. A Senior can blow it off, but a freshman can be hurt by that crap. Credit Grayson for overcoming that and again calmly knocking down the two free throws under high pressure with the game on the line late. Very nice contributions from the young man.

Syracuse: I think most folks see a zone as passive, but Syracuse actually attacks you with that zone. If you catch it in the corner, you better know what you are going to do with the ball prior to the catch, then not hesitate when you do catch it. Otherwise that trap is lethal. They also make it very hard to get an open look from 3, which again, is odd for a zone team. On offense they also attack you, keeping a lot of pressure on defense for the entire shot clock. They fast break very well when they create turnovers as well. Say what you want about Boeheim, but the man can coach, and his zone is probably the second best zone I have ever seen behind the late Tark's Amoeba zone at UNLV.

I know it is a byproduct of years of honing, and kids working on just that defense year round in workouts and practice, but I would love it if K could somehow turn our zone into a true replica of Syracuse's zone, making it a zone that attacks the way Cuse does it.

Like I said earlier, great win by our guys in a tough environment. I expected a tough game wire to wire and that's exactly what we got. Credit our guys for overcoming the crowd, the high level play from Gbinijie and his teammates, the insane officiating, falling behind by double digits, but then turning it around late in the first half, and then playing at a really high level for most of that 2nd half. Beautiful basketball. Well done Blue Devils.

Love the uni's too.

[Furniture]

Two thoughts as I saw the first half, not the second:

Completely agree about Amile catching the ball early, at about the foul line, and not even turning to show "triple threat" and just passing it back out. Even if he doesn't shoot or make a move to the basket he could at least pose a threat of doing something offensive. Keeping his back to the basket poses no threat. Justise will turn and pose a threat. I can understand why K would be displeased with Amile's actions.

I thought Jah showed more interest in defense and hustled more downcourt last night than any other game I've seen. I may have missed one or 2 games this year/season.

I have no real real idea but I sort of have a hard time thinking that any player let alone Amile would not shoot unless he has been told not to. Surely K has told him not to shoot?

[mgtr]

I have no real real idea but I sort of have a hard time thinking that any player let alone Amile would not shoot unless he has been told not to. Surely K has told him not to shoot?

Another possible explanation for Amile's failure to rebound much or attempt shots is that he could be injured. I don't have any info on that, but it seems there has been at least one post on that. In the past he has rebounded a fair amount, and made scoring moves in close. We need more of those moves.

[budwom]

Perfect time to re-mention Bob Knight's observation that EVERY player has to have a place on the floor where he knows he can hit a shot.

If Amile could simply hit the simple 10-12 foot shot teams are giving him (make that daring him to take), it would be immensely helpful (and I'm a big Amile fan).

Whenever he got the ball Saturday, the defense retreated from him like he was rabid. That's one major reason why he only played 14 minutes.

[Billy Dat]

Perfect time to re-mention Bob Knight's observation that EVERY player has to have a place on the floor where he knows he can hit a shot.

If Amile could simply hit the simple 10-12 foot shot teams are giving him (make that daring him to take), it would be immensely helpful (and I'm a big Amile fan).

Whenever he got the ball Saturday, the defense retreated from him like he was rabid. That's one major reason why he only played 14 minutes.

Others have probably said this, but he reminds me a lot of Lance Thomas in this regard. I don't think Lance started to pop that open foul line jumper until his senior year, so maybe Amile is right on schedule. Of course, I'd like the schedule to move up 9 months.

[David Bunkley]

In a few of the high school games that I got to see him play in, I noticed something - often when his opponents would go to a zone, Tyus would pass the ball to a wing, then he would flash to the free throw line and get the ball back and direct the offense from there. It seemed to be effective for his high school team. I wonder why we haven't seen that. I suppose it has to do with greater size in the college game, Jah is a larger inside presence than he played with on his high school team, and we need Tyus on the perimeter.

Any thoughts?

[roywhite]

Perfect time to re-mention Bob Knight's observation that EVERY player has to have a place on the floor where he knows he can hit a shot.

If Amile could simply hit the simple 10-12 foot shot teams are giving him (make that daring him to take), it would be immensely helpful (and I'm a big Amile fan).

Whenever he got the ball Saturday, the defense retreated from him like he was rabid. That's one major reason why he only played 14 minutes.

Strange but true -- Amile's role is probably the least settled of anyone on the team at this point; I look for this to be Coach K's special project in the next few games. The most desirable outcome IMO would be to build up Amile's confidence and have him take open 10-12 foot jump shots (and hit a good %).

[-jk]

If Amile has a shot, it's junk around the basket. I think, though, he gets nervous when there's a lot of defensive size packed in around the basket.

-jk

[elvis14]

Watched the game again this morning. What a great way to start the day. Lots to like in this game. For starters, Jahlil owned Christmas. The stats look a little less lopsided because Christmas got a few easy buckets late in the game (when we were trying not to foul and Jahlil had 4 fouls). Another game where we had a good team effort. At some time during this game each player did something really good to raise the team up. I love that. The one thing I think we could have done better was to turn the ball over less. Thought we had some pretty preventable turnovers, particularly in the second half when we could have run away with it. I really liked our composure in this game. Even when we were down in the first half I thought the guys showed great confidence and kept their composure. The second half was really well played. I thought we came out really focussed to start the second half as we immediately turned the game around and never looked back.

Lots of talk early in this thread about the officiating and the commentators. My initial impression after the first time I watched the game was that the officiating was 1) bad 2) very pro-Cuse in the first half. So as I watched this game I took a few notes. In the first half there were 6 bad no calls where Syracuse fouled Duke and it was not called and there were 2 bad calls where a call was made against Duke and should not have. There was at least 1 bad no call in the first half that helped Duke. As I suspected, that first half was a complete hack job that fueled Syracuse. Of those 6 no-calls, two of them were mentioned (a single time) as a bad call/foul. No replays were shown no discussion just a casual "that was a foul" comment. In the second half there was 1 bad no-call and 3 bad calls against Duke. There were 3 bad no-calls against Syracuse. Those 3 bad calls against Duke were Jahlil's 3rd and 4th foul and the block that was called against MP3 where the offensive player clearly charged. For the charge, the commentators discussed how that type of play could be a charge but didn't go so far as to call it a bad call. Of the 3 no-calls against Syracuse, one was a reach in my Matt Jones that was clearly called a bad no call and a foul. Then there was the no-call when QC blocked Cooney's shot on the drive. That was called a no call 4 times, was compared to a football play and the replay was shown at least 3 times. The last was when Jahlil fouled Christmas. On that play a replay was shown and there were multiple comments clearly calling it a bad no call. At one time the commentator actually went out of his way to mention that the officials were doing a good job. That same commentator later contradicted himself by mentioning that the officiating was bad and saying that both teams were victims.

So after watching the game for the second time I stick by my initial impression. Syracuse was helped greatly by a slew of no calls and a couple of bad calls in the first half. As for the commentators and the editing, they were fairly pro-Cuse as well. Two of the calls against Duke were casually mentioned and no replay was shown. The calls against Cuse were mentioned multiple times and discussed and replays were shown. I suspect that had the commentator been anyone other than Bilas that the comments here would be stronger. The fact that it was Jay just makes it that much more disappointing.

[Troublemaker]

Others have probably said this, but he reminds me a lot of Lance Thomas in this regard. I don't think Lance started to pop that open foul line jumper until his senior year, so maybe Amile is right on schedule. Of course, I'd like the schedule to move up 9 months.

I've mentioned this before, but Amile spent all of his summer resting a hip injury (http://www.fayobserver.com/blogs/sports/acc_basketball/acc-basketball-back-from-a-hip-injury-talkative-amile-jefferson/article_900e3570-3f55-11e4-a16a-001a4bcf6878.html) and didn't play again until September. I don't think he was able to get up shots with a hip injury. Hopefully he has a healthy summer of 2015 and comes back with a decent midrange shot.


In a few of the high school games that I got to see him play in, I noticed something - often when his opponents would go to a zone, Tyus would pass the ball to a wing, then he would flash to the free throw line and get the ball back and direct the offense from there. It seemed to be effective for his high school team. I wonder why we haven't seen that. I suppose it has to do with greater size in the college game,

That's exactly right. The shortest high-post flashers against zone that I've seen on the college level are 6'5"-6'6" dudes. But usually, most teams just use their big men. You need to present a long and wide target to receive the pass in the middle. And then once you have the ball, you need size to be able to drive and finish through big man contact.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

If Amile has a shot, it's junk around the basket. I think, though, he gets nervous when there's a lot of defensive size packed in around the basket.

-jk
I think he deserves way more credit than this. He may not be consistent and his jump shot is non-existent. But he has shown some nice moves in the paint this year. And he has shown a better than decent ability to finish in traffic. It hasn't all been dump offs and easy put backs.

[devildeac]

Another possible explanation for Amile's failure to rebound much or attempt shots is that he could be injured. I don't have any info on that, but it seems there has been at least one post on that. In the past he has rebounded a fair amount, and made scoring moves in close. We need more of those moves.

We saw the photo here of Amile's eye injury during the (?) f$u game. I wonder if he was having difficulty figuring out which basket to shoot at each time down the court when we had the ball (part :rolleyes:, part :mad:).