Reddit Top 50 Men's CBB Preview

[Troublemaker]

A Wisconsin fan named Terker on Reddit has been doing writeups for his Top 50 teams, counting them down to #1, and he's been getting rave reviews for his analysis.

Here's the one for #8 Duke (https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBasketball/comments/3l9vq7/terkers_top_25_previews_8_duke_blue_devils/). I think it's well done.

Here's the master index (https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBasketball/comments/3mfrpx/terkers_top_25_previews_2_maryland_terrapins/) (scroll down) for all the teams he's done so far. #2 Maryland just came out today.

It does look like he will end up ranking UNC #1, but I personally wouldn't hold that against him. It's his writeups that are interesting and informative, not his numerical ranking of the teams. Note: he will use some curse words here and there.

[weezie]

... It's his writeups that are interesting and informative, not his numerical ranking of the teams...

Looks like excellent work on his part. Even if he ranks the nitwits down the road at #1, what difference does that make anyway? They'll screw it up.

[OldPhiKap]

Great write-up, particularly the last line.

[moonpie23]

money quote in responses:

"the plumlees have more rings than dean smith".


hahahaha

[jimsumner]

He does seem to have a more optimistic view of Obi then some folks. If Obi turns out to be an impact player this season, then Duke is going to be scary good.

[Edouble]

Wow, I was excited about this article based on the comments above, but the quality of writing is pretty bad. I made it half way through. It's definitely one to skip.

[weezie]

Come on Edubs, not everybody can get into Duke.

[MarkD83]

money quote in responses:

"the plumlees have more rings than dean smith".


hahahaha

and more than Roy...also none of the plumlees' rings are in danger of being revoked.

[OldPhiKap]

He does seem to have a more optimistic view of Obi then some folks. If Obi turns out to be an impact player this season, then Duke is going to be scary good.

He, and Jeter. But agreed, if they both meet those expectations, it could be an exceptional year.

Like the man said, though -- get to March, and then Duke is Duke.

[Olympic Fan]

He does seem to have a more optimistic view of Obi then some folks. If Obi turns out to be an impact player this season, then Duke is going to be scary good.

And I'm amazed at the skepticism among Duke fans as to Obi's impact. On the Scout Board. the consensus is that he'll be a marginal player -- maybe the 11th man.

My reaction is: When was the last time K took a transfer who didn't turn out to be an impact player -- right away? The answer, for the record, is never -- every transfer to K's program has started in his first eligible season (although in Curry's case, it was only after Kyrie's injury); every transfer has ended up first-team All-ACC, except Rodney Hood and he was the top vote-getter on the second team in his one season at Duke; every transfer has been a first-round NBA draft pick except Seth Curry ... and he's currently in the NBA.

Why do people think Obi will be different?

He comes in as a proven rebounder -- he had more rebounds in his freshmen year at Rice than any Duke freshman since Mike Gminski in 1977. At least one NBA big man (Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons) has called Obi the toughest defender he's ever had to go against. Okafor is on record as praising his defensive work in practice. And there's little question that he'll be our strongest, most physical player at 6-9, 270 (only Vrankovic has the physical size to match Obi).

Look, I'm not suggesting the Obi is a sure or even likely starter and certainly not a star -- his offensive skills are suspect. But I think a guy who can rebound at the highest level and play tough, physical defense in the post will see significant playing time. We'll need somebody like him to match up with strong, powerful post players -- like Anya and Abu at NC State, Mitchell at Georgia Tech, Auguste at Notre Dame, Meeks at UNC and, if we play them, Carter at Maryland or Diallo at Kansas.

[Troublemaker]

Wow, I was excited about this article based on the comments above, but the quality of writing is pretty bad. I made it half way through. It's definitely one to skip.

To each his own.

There's a certain amount of informality in his writing since he IS just a message board poster, afterall, but I find his writing digestible enough and I like his level of detail.

When Duke plays any of these 50 teams, I'll definitely be referring back to these posts to bone up.

[Troublemaker]

Here is the writeup for #1 UNC (https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBasketball/comments/3mnhck/terkers_top_25_previews_1_north_carolina_tar_heels/) to complete the series. Updated master index at the bottom.

Again, writer is not shy about using profanity.

[flyingdutchdevil]

...but I didn't like this one at all. Yes, the information is accurate. Yes, the analysis is pretty deep. Yes, he clearly understands our players.

But it's so positive that it doesn't provide any real substance. IMO, there are so many question marks about this Duke team (and moreso than most Duke teams) and this author fails to address the vast majority of them. "Duke will be Duke" means that Duke will be good, but I really want to know how good. And if anyone reads this analysis, it sounds like Duke is going to win the whole tourney without any resistance.

I love the analysts who provide the two-way street commentary: Duke will be good here, Duke will be not so good here, and Duke has these question marks. This author doesn't dive into the latter two.

[Troublemaker]

I love the analysts who provide the two-way street commentary: Duke will be good here, Duke will be not so good here, and Duke has these question marks. This author doesn't dive into the latter two.

I can see that. He does soft pedal some of the big question marks, e.g. "With fewer proven scoring options returning this season, it will be important for Thornton to be efficient and get everyone involved." Maybe that's why all the Reddit CBB fans love these writeups, in the optimistic/hopeful times of the Offseason.

[COYS]

...but I didn't like this one at all. Yes, the information is accurate. Yes, the analysis is pretty deep. Yes, he clearly understands our players.

But it's so positive that it doesn't provide any real substance. IMO, there are so many question marks about this Duke team (and moreso than most Duke teams) and this author fails to address the vast majority of them. "Duke will be Duke" means that Duke will be good, but I really want to know how good. And if anyone reads this analysis, it sounds like Duke is going to win the whole tourney without any resistance.

I love the analysts who provide the two-way street commentary: Duke will be good here, Duke will be not so good here, and Duke has these question marks. This author doesn't dive into the latter two.

To be fair to the author, he is a Wisconsin fan who is viewing Duke's upcoming season through the lens of the bridesmaid who just missed the best chance to actually be the bride. His view of Duke being "really good" means that there is a realistic chance that all the pieces come together and Duke is able to compete for the title. In Duke's "bad" years over the past six seasons, "bad" has meant a top 20 team that perhaps could've gotten hot and made a tourney run but instead ran into problems in the first round (2012 and 2014). And even in 2012, Ryan Kelly's injury plaid a big, big role in limiting the ability of the team to realistically challenge for the title. Outside of those two years, Duke has either won the national title (2010 and 2015) or been a legitimate contender (2011, 2013). From a Wisconsin fan's perspective, none of those years were truly "bad" years (UK and UNC have all had worse "bad" years during this stretch . . . only Kansas can claim to have had similarly good "bad" seasons). So, because the author is a college basketball fan first and an analyst second . . . and because he happens to be a fan of the team that Duke beat to win the national title and his team has little chance of returning to the top of the mountain this season, his rosy picture of Duke's upcoming season proves how spoiled we are. The worst case scenario is a repeat of 2014 when we had a talented but flawed team and finished in the top 20. The best case is a third championship season since 2010. And a middle of the road scenario is a top 10 team that has a legitimate chance to reach the Final Four and win the title. To basically every fan base outside of Duke, UK, Kansas and (because their fans are still clinging to the good old days of fake classes) UNC, that's a pretty rosy outlook for the season.

[Kedsy]

The worst case scenario is a repeat of 2014 when we had a talented but flawed team and finished in the top 20.

I know it's a technicality based on whether or not "finished" poll numbers include the NCAA tournament, but the 2014 Duke team finished #8 in the final AP poll. In my mind that makes the "worst case" even better.

[PackMan97]

He puts the cheaters at #1 but he does lay into them pretty hard.


All I hope - not that I'm naive enough to believe it will actually happen, but I hope - that the NCAA comes down so fracking hard on UNC that no school is ever tempted to make such a gamble as this again. It's a darned shame that cheating can pay off so hugely. At some point, it has to be snuffed out. Emphatically.
So, that's me standing on my soap box. I hate to be so negative at the end of what has been an awesome, fun experience, but I would not feel I'd done you full justice if I pulled a bunch of punches in the biggest article of all.


Personally, I just don't see the heels as having the toughness to be #1 or even make it to the Final Four. They played weak for the past few years and I don't see this years team changing that.

[left_hook_lacey]

With this quote.


Meeks can score by using his great wingspan, physicality, or simply his freakish leaping ability for such a big man.

I can overlook the writing style that some have mentioned up thread because Lord knows I'm no writer. But this is just not a true statement in my opinion.

I know I know, Meeks lost some weight and posted vidoes of him doing windmills in practice, but that hasn't translated to in-game play from what I saw last year. I think he has extended his ability to play more minutes, but not his explosiveness.

He plays flat footed and gets pinned under the board and blocked more often than not.(Which is also why I think some of his rebounding stats are inflated). If he is explosive and has freakish leaping ability, he doesn't use it in the game. He looks very ground-bound to me.

I'm not saying he can't find ways to score, because he has had some good games, but the description the author(or non-author?) uses seems way off to me.

If you don't agree, think about it in this context.....Which of the following seems more believable if you read the paper the day after a UNC game?

A.) Meeks finishes with a double-double 15pts and 15rbs.

or

B.) Meeks seals the game with a thundering two-hand throwdown over two defenders.

[devildeac]

With this quote.



I can overlook the writing style that some have mentioned up thread because Lord knows I'm no writer. But this is just not a true statement in my opinion.

I know I know, Meeks lost some weight and posted vidoes of him doing windmills in practice, but that hasn't translated to in-game play from what I saw last year. I think he has extended his ability to play more minutes, but not his explosiveness.

He plays flat footed and gets pinned under the board and blocked more often than not.(Which is also why I think some of his rebounding stats are inflated). If he is explosive and has freakish leaping ability, he doesn't use it in the game. He looks very ground-bound to me.

I'm not saying he can't find ways to score, because he has had some good games, but the description the author(or non-author?) uses seems way off to me.

If you don't agree, think about it in this context.....Which of the following seems more believable if you read the paper the day after a UNC game?

A.) Meeks finishes with a double-double cheeseburger and 15pts and 15rbs.

or

B.) Meeks seals the game with a thundering two-hand throwdown of two racks of Bobby Flay's ribs over two defenders.

I'd pick A.) or B.) (with the minor additions I made above)

[jimsumner]

Definitely the first time I've ever seen Kennedy Meeks and freakish leaping ability in the same sentence.

The one factual error in the Duke report that bothered me was . . .

"Both veterans have seen a little bit of everything as Blue Devils - from two NCAA Tournament appearances which saw Duke fail to even win a game, to winning all six tourney games en route to a national title."

The two veterans are Plumlee and Jefferson. Plumlee was sitting out his freshman season when Duke lost to Lehigh in 2012. But Jefferson was in high school in 2012. He certainly didn't witness that loss as a Blue Devil. In fact, not even as a committed future Blue Devil.

Just face-checking 101.

[left_hook_lacey]

Definitely the first time I've ever seen Kennedy Meeks and freakish leaping ability in the same sentence.

The one factual error in the Duke report that bothered me was . . .

"Both veterans have seen a little bit of everything as Blue Devils - from two NCAA Tournament appearances which saw Duke fail to even win a game, to winning all six tourney games en route to a national title."

The two veterans are Plumlee and Jefferson. Plumlee was sitting out his freshman season when Duke lost to Lehigh in 2012. But Jefferson was in high school in 2012. He certainly didn't witness that loss as a Blue Devil. In fact, not even as a committed future Blue Devil.

Just face-checking 101.

Nice catch. I totally missed that one. This guy seems like he has a fun hobby, but there is definately some cringe-worthy comments as well. But I'll give him his due, he knows more about ACC teams than I know about his, so kudos to him.