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View Full Version : MBB: Duke vs. Utah (Dec 19, 12 pm, ESPN) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread



JBDuke
12-16-2015, 07:45 AM
Duke makes its annual pre-Christmas trip to the Big Apple, facing Utah in Madison Square Garden this Saturday, December 19th, at noon ET. Put your pre-game and in-game thoughts here.

David Bunkley
12-16-2015, 08:50 AM
...but we can ill afford to have another dumpster fire of a game by our remaining bigs in this one. Marshall will need to play some smart defense in order to remain on the floor with Poeltl...this will be key, because if Poeltl helps off of Marshall, which you have to think he will, then hopefully MP3 will be the recipient of some open dunks/layups. I once heard my high school basketball coach say "You don't get points for flinging it up against the backboard" and I hope Marshall considers this and opts against too many more pirouettes in the lane.

Get well soon, Amile.

#GODUKE

flyingdutchdevil
12-16-2015, 09:37 AM
...but we can ill afford to have another dumpster fire of a game by our remaining bigs in this one. Marshall will need to play some smart defense in order to remain on the floor with Poeltl...this will be key, because if Poeltl helps off of Marshall, which you have to think he will, then hopefully MP3 will be the recipient of some open dunks/layups. I once heard my high school basketball coach say "You don't get points for flinging it up against the backboard" and I hope Marshall considers this and opts against too many more pirouettes in the lane.

Get well soon, Amile.

#GODUKE

Yup. But the good news is that MP3 is solid at scoring from dump-offs and hand-offs under the rim. If he tries an iso against Poeltl, I will probably throw something at the TV.

Duke is better at 4 of the 5 positions, but I think that Utah has the single best player on the floor in Poeltl (even better than Grayson). He's averaging an insane 20.1 points off 70% shooting! That's Okafor-esque. Add in the 10 rpg and 2.2 blocks, and this is a serious big.

I suspect that Ingram will spend all his time at the 4 and MP3 and Chase will split responsibilities at the 5. I hope that's the case, because at least MP3 or Chase (hopefully not both) will be in foul trouble. Poeltl is the best player that Duke will play against so far this season. I'm curious as to how Coach K manages Poeltl: give him his 25-30 points and guard the hell out of the other players, or double Poeltl? I think he'll go for the former.

jv001
12-16-2015, 10:30 AM
I don't think I saw any of Duke's 1-3-1 Zone defense last night. I know we used the 2-3 zone and it wasn't pretty. Amile was a key part of our 1-3-1 but I don't know how well we can play it without him. I'm sure Coach K will something up his sleeve against Utah. GoDuke!

AIRFORCEDUKIE
12-16-2015, 10:37 AM
This should be a really nice post Amile Injury test for the squad. I expect some more shuffling and tweaks of the lineups from Coach K, then he will probably stick with whats working to get the win. Hopefully our shots are falling and we can keep Marshall out of foul trouble. That will be a pretty big key to the game. I look forward to entertainment after two days of star wars mayhem for me :D

Troublemaker
12-16-2015, 10:53 AM
I watched parts of Wichita State's 67-50 spanking of Utah, and the Shockers took away Poetl (11 points, 7 rebounds) with ball pressure on Utah's guards, who weren't able to make the entry pass to the post. Utah really misses Delon Wright and committed 19 turnovers in that game. I don't think Duke's defense is close to WSU's right now, especially with Van Fleet healthy and WSU playing at home, but we should win this game. Utah's offense (28th) is apparently better than their defense (113th), and their offense isn't anything to write home about without consistent guard play, something they've been trying to solve all season. I'm surprised that Brandon Taylor hasn't been able to play a good point for them based on what I saw from him last season, but it seems he's best in a combo guard role next to a true PG like Delon Wright.

mo.st.dukie
12-16-2015, 11:43 AM
I'm expecting a very similar game to the last two games we played in MSG. At times we will look overwhemed and other times our opponent will look overwhelmed. It's going to be a very hard fought game and perhaps one that we will have to make a comeback and/or make huge plays in the final minutes to get a close win. Utah is a good team who is searching for a resume building win, they will be hungry.

Saratoga2
12-16-2015, 02:25 PM
Yup. But the good news is that MP3 is solid at scoring from dump-offs and hand-offs under the rim. If he tries an iso against Poeltl, I will probably throw something at the TV.

Duke is better at 4 of the 5 positions, but I think that Utah has the single best player on the floor in Poeltl (even better than Grayson). He's averaging an insane 20.1 points off 70% shooting! That's Okafor-esque. Add in the 10 rpg and 2.2 blocks, and this is a serious big.

I suspect that Ingram will spend all his time at the 4 and MP3 and Chase will split responsibilities at the 5. I hope that's the case, because at least MP3 or Chase (hopefully not both) will be in foul trouble. Poeltl is the best player that Duke will play against so far this season. I'm curious as to how Coach K manages Poeltl: give him his 25-30 points and guard the hell out of the other players, or double Poeltl? I think he'll go for the former.

Marshall seems to have little or no ability to score unless set up for the direct dunk. I think there has been something in the Plumley genes which has made them uncoordinated and clumsy on post offense and in my view Marshall is the most limited of the Plumleys. Saying that, Marshall is still important on defense against Utah. He will need to put a body on Poeltl, keep him away from getting position near the basket and keep him away from offensive rebound opportunities. If he can do only that, it will be enough to give Duke a good chance of winning the game. Holding Poeltl down will be difficult and it has to be done without accumulating a lot of fouls. The refs will be watching that matchup. Utah will no doubt help off of Plumley since he is not a significant threat to score. Chase is neither strong enough or has enough sense of the game to be effective against Poeltl so I hope we don't have to use him for extended minutes in that role.

Maybe we can up the game tempo and tire Utah by running. I think our guards are superior and with Brandon, there will be 4 scorers on the floor on every possession.

JNort
12-16-2015, 08:28 PM
Maybe I'm another big headed Duke fan that other fan bases find annoying but this game doesn't really scare me like it seems to others. I see none of the usual "be wary" things that make me feel uneasy about an opponent in this one.

I consider this a home game. We are easily better at every position except one. With that large of an advantage in talent at other positions it should be relatively easy to eliminate or reduce the output of the one disadvantage by A) let said player "get his" or B) help on said player and make others beat you.

Duke is playing too focused right now and was humbled not too long ago by UK to over look an opponent.

My final point and there are more but time is limiting me to these for now. Is that I have waaay more faith in Plumlee than many of you seem to. To many people want to nitpick his game and not focus enough on what he does good. I think we have become a little spoiled after Oakafor, MP2, and senior version Zoubek and to some degree Ryan that we are taking for granted Marshalls talents. No he isn't gonna win any player awards or be a guy who makes moves in the paint to score or pop outside for 3. You will however get solid defense most nights, great hustle, leadership, a guy who embraces any matchup and doesn't back down and to me appears to be a solid passers after getting rebounds.

Troublemaker
12-16-2015, 08:38 PM
With Marshall -- first and foremost, he's got to not turn the ball over. He had 4 against Ga Southern. Catch the ball cleanly, pass to teammates not the Cameron bleachers, and get the ball up on the glass instead of getting stripped.

subzero02
12-16-2015, 08:44 PM
Marshall seems to have little or no ability to score unless set up for the direct dunk. I think there has been something in the Plumley genes which has made them uncoordinated and clumsy on post offense and in my view Marshall is the most limited of the Plumleys. Saying that, Marshall is still important on defense against Utah. He will need to put a body on Poeltl, keep him away from getting position near the basket and keep him away from offensive rebound opportunities. If he can do only that, it will be enough to give Duke a good chance of winning the game. Holding Poeltl down will be difficult and it has to be done without accumulating a lot of fouls. The refs will be watching that matchup. Utah will no doubt help off of Plumley since he is not a significant threat to score. Chase is neither strong enough or has enough sense of the game to be effective against Poeltl so I hope we don't have to use him for extended minutes in that role.

Maybe we can up the game tempo and tire Utah by running. I think our guards are superior and with Brandon, there will be 4 scorers on the floor on every possession.

There has been at least 1 Plumlee on Duke's roster since the 2008-2009 season... you should know how the last name is spelled by now considering we are only a few weeks away from 2016.

NSDukeFan
12-16-2015, 08:52 PM
Marshall seems to have little or no ability to score unless set up for the direct dunk. I think there has been something in the Plumley genes which has made them uncoordinated and clumsy on post offense and in my view Marshall is the most limited of the Plumleys.

I kind of liked how Marshall came out and scored early against UK. I also like how he doesn't need touches, defends, rebounds, sets screens and leads selflessly. I agree that I haven't seen anything coordinated from the Plumleys. The Plumlees, on the other hand, have been some of the tallest, most athletic big men I have seen, which is probably why two of them are in the NBA and the third is a productive starter on a college championship contender (maybe less so without Amile.). I will be sad when we don't have any more Plumlees as I have felt for the last 7 years that Duke had always had at least one player who can get up as high as anyone they were facing. Thank you Plumlees.

JBDuke
12-17-2015, 11:56 PM
Game notes from goduke.com:

http://www.goduke.com/pdf9/4267506.pdf

Olympic Fan
12-18-2015, 01:48 AM
Maybe I'm another big headed Duke fan that other fan bases find annoying but this game doesn't really scare me like it seems to others. I see none of the usual "be wary" things that make me feel uneasy about an opponent in this one.

I don't know if you are big-headed or not, but I do think you are seriously underestimating a Utah team that returns four starters from the team that last year's national championship Duke team beat by six points (63-57) in the Sweet 16. They did lose Deion Wright, who was a good player and their starting point guard, but he was pretty terrible in that game (10 points on 4-of-13 shooting; two assists and two turnovers).

They return 7-0 C Jacob Poeltl (10 pts, 8 reb, 3 blocks vs. Duke last year), junior forward Chris Reyes, senior forward Jordan Loveridge and senior guard Brandon Taylor. Reyes has actually lost playing time to 6-9 redshirt Kyle Kuzma (he redshirted because he was academically ineligible). They went into the season thinking sophomore Isaiah Wright would take over at the point ... instead juco All-American Lorenzo Bonam has won the role.

I know they had two bad games (losses to Miami and Wichita State), but they are big, deep and very experienced. Pomeroy rates them No. 40 nationally -- which is better than VCU or Georgetown, two teams that gave us fits earlier this season in Madison Square Garden -- back when we had Amile in the lineup. Jakob Poeltl is averaging 19 points, 8.5 rebounds and shooting just under 70 percent from the floor. He's showing up as a top 10 pick in NBA mock drafts (Chad Ford has him at No. 7).

I'm not saying Duke won't win or even that Duke shouldn't be favored. But don't take this game for granted. I don't know what warning signs you are looking for, but I don't think this Duke is so established and so consistent that we can take a team as good as Utah for granted. If the Devils play well, we should win ... if we don't, Utah is good enough to beat us ... even in our home-away-from-home.

I just hope Grayson hits his Madison Square Garden average (31.0 ppg) and Brandon tops 23 points for the fourth straight games. Would it be too greedy to hope that Luke's shot also starts falling?

flyingdutchdevil
12-18-2015, 08:44 AM
I don't know if you are big-headed or not, but I do think you are seriously underestimating a Utah team that returns four starters from the team that last year's national championship Duke team beat by six points (63-57) in the Sweet 16. They did lose Deion Wright, who was a good player and their starting point guard, but he was pretty terrible in that game (10 points on 4-of-13 shooting; two assists and two turnovers).

They return 7-0 C Jacob Poeltl (10 pts, 8 reb, 3 blocks vs. Duke last year), junior forward Chris Reyes, senior forward Jordan Loveridge and senior guard Brandon Taylor. Reyes has actually lost playing time to 6-9 redshirt Kyle Kuzma (he redshirted because he was academically ineligible). They went into the season thinking sophomore Isaiah Wright would take over at the point ... instead juco All-American Lorenzo Bonam has won the role.

I know they had two bad games (losses to Miami and Wichita State), but they are big, deep and very experienced. Pomeroy rates them No. 40 nationally -- which is better than VCU or Georgetown, two teams that gave us fits earlier this season in Madison Square Garden -- back when we had Amile in the lineup. Jakob Poeltl is averaging 19 points, 8.5 rebounds and shooting just under 70 percent from the floor. He's showing up as a top 10 pick in NBA mock drafts (Chad Ford has him at No. 7).

I'm not saying Duke won't win or even that Duke shouldn't be favored. But don't take this game for granted. I don't know what warning signs you are looking for, but I don't think this Duke is so established and so consistent that we can take a team as good as Utah for granted. If the Devils play well, we should win ... if we don't, Utah is good enough to beat us ... even in our home-away-from-home.

I just hope Grayson hits his Madison Square Garden average (31.0 ppg) and Brandon tops 23 points for the fourth straight games. Would it be too greedy to hope that Luke's shot also starts falling?

I think you're selling Delon Wright a little short here. I don't think he was good, I think he was excellent. He was one of the top PGs in last year's talented NCAA pool, and he was their best option on offense and defense. It's true that he had a really poor game against Duke (and thank goodness for that!), but he was pretty stellar throughout the year with 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.0 steals (and his 2013-2014 year was even better statistically). If Utah is pretty much the same team at last year minus Delon Wright, then Wright had a massive impact on team efficiency (kenpom):

2014-15 Utah: #8 (21st offense, 6th defense)
2015-16 Utah: #40 (26th offense, 112th defense)

There offense is the same, but there defense is atrocious now that Delon is no longer with the team. Amazing the defensive impact that one player can have.

I agree with you that Duke needs to take Utah seriously. This is pissed off Utah team after they got demolished by Wichita State. Also, they will be looking for some payback after last year's tournament. Duke will be better at 4 of the 5 starting positions, but they have the best player on the floor. Without Poeltl, this year is very futile. Duke will probably aggressively play the passing lanes and try to deny Poeltl the ball. Once he gets the ball, I'd expect zero double teams as Coach K will allow Poeltl to have his while playing great D on the other 4 players on the court.

And I love your optimism with Grayson, Ingram, and Luke. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I know that only two of those three will happen. Which two, you ask? I have no idea. But it will only be two. ;)

Indoor66
12-18-2015, 09:48 AM
I think you're selling Delon Wright a little short here. I don't think he was good, I think he was excellent. He was one of the top PGs in last year's talented NCAA pool, and he was their best option on offense and defense. It's true that he had a really poor game against Duke (and thank goodness for that!), but he was pretty stellar throughout the year with 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.0 steals (and his 2013-2014 year was even better statistically). If Utah is pretty much the same team at last year minus Delon Wright, then Wright had a massive impact on team efficiency (kenpom):

2014-15 Utah: #8 (21st offense, 6th defense)
2015-16 Utah: #40 (26th offense, 112th defense)

There offense is the same, but there defense is atrocious now that Delon is no longer with the team. Amazing the defensive impact that one player can have.

I agree with you that Duke needs to take Utah seriously. This is pissed off Utah team after they got demolished by Wichita State. Also, they will be looking for some payback after last year's tournament. Duke will be better at 4 of the 5 starting positions, but they have the best player on the floor. Without Poeltl, this year is very futile. Duke will probably aggressively play the passing lanes and try to deny Poeltl the ball. Once he gets the ball, I'd expect zero double teams as Coach K will allow Poeltl to have his while playing great D on the other 4 players on the court.

And I love your optimism with Grayson, Ingram, and Luke. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I know that only two of those three will happen. Which two, you ask? I have no idea. But it will only be two. ;)

You seem quite certain here. You "know" this how?

flyingdutchdevil
12-18-2015, 10:26 AM
You seem quite certain here. You "know" this how?

Being facetious. And realistic. Hence the smiley face.

Kfanarmy
12-18-2015, 11:06 AM
The staff had no time to make adjustments in the hours between Amile's injury and the Ga Southern game. I don't think the Duke we saw will be the Duke we see. The team will have made some adjustments to Amile's absence and will try to take away the strength of Utah's skilled interior play. Can't wait to see it.

Troublemaker
12-18-2015, 11:09 AM
Careful expecting too much there. Probably the bulk of the adjustments will be made during the winter break period after Utah.

blUDAYvil
12-18-2015, 11:39 AM
Game notes from goduke.com:

http://www.goduke.com/pdf9/4267506.pdf

Always interesting reading but was surprised to see this:

NOBEL/BASKETBALL COMBO
• On the heels of its fifth NCAA championship in men’s basketball, Duke is the first school since California in 1959 to win a men’s basketball title
and have a Nobel Prize winner in the same year. Paul Modrich, the James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry, was named a 2015 Nobel Prize
Winner for his work in mechanistic studies of DNA repair.

Not taking anything away from the achievements of Duke's excellent faculty, obviously, but just don't see what one has to do with the other.

Indoor66
12-18-2015, 11:46 AM
Being facetious. And realistic. Hence the smiley face.

Oops, I overlooked the smiley. Sorry.... :cool:

Olympic Fan
12-18-2015, 12:12 PM
I think you're selling Delon Wright a little short here. I don't think he was good, I think he was excellent. He was one of the top PGs in last year's talented NCAA pool, and he was their best option on offense and defense. It's true that he had a really poor game against Duke (and thank goodness for that!), but he was pretty stellar throughout the year with 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.0 steals (and his 2013-2014 year was even better statistically). If Utah is pretty much the same team at last year minus Delon Wright, then Wright had a massive impact on team efficiency (kenpom):

2014-15 Utah: #8 (21st offense, 6th defense)
2015-16 Utah: #40 (26th offense, 112th defense)

There offense is the same, but there defense is atrocious now that Delon is no longer with the team. Amazing the defensive impact that one player can have.

I agree with you that Duke needs to take Utah seriously. This is pissed off Utah team after they got demolished by Wichita State. Also, they will be looking for some payback after last year's tournament. Duke will be better at 4 of the 5 starting positions, but they have the best player on the floor. Without Poeltl, this year is very futile. Duke will probably aggressively play the passing lanes and try to deny Poeltl the ball. Once he gets the ball, I'd expect zero double teams as Coach K will allow Poeltl to have his while playing great D on the other 4 players on the court.

And I love your optimism with Grayson, Ingram, and Luke. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I know that only two of those three will happen. Which two, you ask? I have no idea. But it will only be two. ;)

Amazing how there's this one team that returns four of five starters from a Sweet 16 team and almost every commentator in the nation thinks they are the preseason number one team in the nation. Then this other Sweet 16 team returns four of five starters and suddenly they are not any good.

I understand that Deion Wright is better than JP Tokoto, but unlike UNC which added nobody of consequence, Utah added a juco All-American point guard and a talented 6-9 player who was academically ineligible.

I just don't understand the difference in perception between the two.

English
12-18-2015, 12:28 PM
...Deion Wright is better than JP Tokoto...

First, it's Delon Wright. Not Deion.

Second, while I revile defending UNC even in a peripheral way, Delon Wright was a first round NBA draft pick point guard who went ahead of Tyus Jones in last year's draft. He was VERY instrumental in making Utah what they were last year--a top-25 team in both KenPom OEff and DEff. While Poeltl is their bread-and-butter this year, he was very raw last year. Losing Delon Wright from that Utah team isn't even in the same stratosphere as UNC losing Tokoto.

Now, I'm not defending UNC as a top-5 team, but the comp between what UNC was and is to what Utah was and is, is not an apples-to-apples comp.

westwall
12-18-2015, 12:41 PM
ESPN's Scoreboard, as of today, lists the "players to watch" as Jacob Poeltl and Amile Jefferson. Perhaps they know something Coach K does not.

devildeac
12-18-2015, 01:00 PM
Always interesting reading but was surprised to see this:

NOBEL/BASKETBALL COMBO
• On the heels of its fifth NCAA championship in men’s basketball, Duke is the first school since California in 1959 to win a men’s basketball title
and have a Nobel Prize winner in the same year. Paul Modrich, the James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry, was named a 2015 Nobel Prize
Winner for his work in mechanistic studies of DNA repair.

Not taking anything away from the achievements of Duke's excellent faculty, obviously, but just don't see what one has to do with the other.

We still get all the calls, academic and athletic? ;)

Kedsy
12-18-2015, 02:19 PM
First, it's Delon Wright. Not Deion.

Second, while I revile defending UNC even in a peripheral way, Delon Wright was a first round NBA draft pick point guard who went ahead of Tyus Jones in last year's draft. He was VERY instrumental in making Utah what they were last year--a top-25 team in both KenPom OEff and DEff. While Poeltl is their bread-and-butter this year, he was very raw last year. Losing Delon Wright from that Utah team isn't even in the same stratosphere as UNC losing Tokoto.

Now, I'm not defending UNC as a top-5 team, but the comp between what UNC was and is to what Utah was and is, is not an apples-to-apples comp.

Well, Tokoto was a second round NBA draft pick. Admittedly not as good as being drafted in the first round, but not nothing, either. Wright has only played 10 minutes total this season, so it's not like he was significantly more NBA-ready than Tokoto (who admittedly has spent the entire season so far in the D-League). And Olympic Fan has a point when he notes that Utah's newcomers are much better than UNC's. While there's no doubt in my mind that Wright is/was a better, more important player than Tokoto, I think people around here underestimate Tokoto's contributions (for example, did you know that Tokoto led UNC in assist percentage and assists per 40 minutes last season?). And both Wright and Tokoto were the cornerstone of their respective team's defense. In my opinion, it's not nearly as apples-to-oranges as you suggest.

All that said, despite their two losses, so far this season UNC this season has appeared to play better than Utah this season. So it's possible you're on to something.

Bob Green
12-19-2015, 05:48 AM
Duke is a 6.5 points favorite with the over/under set at 153:

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/odds/las-vegas/

Duke 80, Utah 73.

With Amile Jefferson not available, I'll be very happy with a 7 point win! This will be a big test for Marshall Plumlee. We are going to need his defense so he has to stay out of foul trouble. This is a game where we could see a line-up of Brandon Ingram and four guards for significant minutes. Will we see the 1-3-1?

Henderson
12-19-2015, 07:44 AM
Always interesting reading but was surprised to see this:

NOBEL/BASKETBALL COMBO
• On the heels of its fifth NCAA championship in men’s basketball, Duke is the first school since California in 1959 to win a men’s basketball title
and have a Nobel Prize winner in the same year. Paul Modrich, the James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry, was named a 2015 Nobel Prize
Winner for his work in mechanistic studies of DNA repair.

Not taking anything away from the achievements of Duke's excellent faculty, obviously, but just don't see what one has to do with the other.

The SID office puts those nuggets together. It gives broadcasters opportunities to sound even more insightful than usual. Athletics and academics. It's a theme we like being hammered home as often as possible. It's like Eruditio et Religio, 'cept for sports.

jv001
12-19-2015, 09:04 AM
Duke is a 6.5 points favorite with the over/under set at 153:

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/odds/las-vegas/

Duke 80, Utah 73.

With Amile Jefferson not available, I'll be very happy with a 7 point win! This will be a big test for Marshall Plumlee. We are going to need his defense so he has to stay out of foul trouble. This is a game where we could see a line-up of Brandon Ingram and four guards for significant minutes. Will we see the 1-3-1?

This is where we'll miss Amile. The 1-3-1 has been a good defense for Duke so far, but Amile was a big part of that defense. Having both Amile and Brandon in that zone made it hard to pass around or over. I'm anxious to see if we use it today. GoDuke!

-jk
12-19-2015, 11:25 AM
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

devilsadvocate85
12-19-2015, 11:39 AM
Sitting in MSG and Grayson Allen is dressed but sitting on the bench not warming up?

Troublemaker
12-19-2015, 11:42 AM
Sitting in MSG and Grayson Allen is dressed but sitting on the bench not warming up?

Flu. Hopefully he can play. We'll see.

jipops
12-19-2015, 12:36 PM
Utah making it look very easy, when not making dumb mistakes.

Our defense is non-existent.

DUKEinFW
12-19-2015, 12:38 PM
Our offense is non existent

arnie
12-19-2015, 12:38 PM
Utah making it look very easy, when not making dumb mistakes.

Our defense is non-existent.

Really poor offense in past 10 or so - D has improved. At least no one in foul trouble.

dukelion
12-19-2015, 12:54 PM
I get we need to play some zone but man....our 2-3 is terrible. At least make them work for some points instead of the comically easy lay-ups and dunks.

Things changed dramatically when we started to play man.

All things considered we're in decent shape at the half.

jipops
12-19-2015, 12:58 PM
30 pts against a very poor defense. The ACC season could be a rough one.

arnie
12-19-2015, 12:59 PM
I get we need to play some zone but man...our 2-3 is terrible. At least make them work for some points instead of the comically easy lay-ups and dunks.

Things changed dramatically when we started to play man.

All things considered we're in decent shape at the half.

Standard comment from idiot analyst at half - "expect to get screwed by the refs when playing Duke in NYC."

DUKEinFW
12-19-2015, 01:01 PM
Yeah, D was decent in man to man. Shots not falling. A few in and out. Grayson may have the flu but seems to be conserving his energy nicely as he can still turn on the jets when he needs to. Just can't get one to fall.

CoSprings
12-19-2015, 01:04 PM
That was one of the most uninspiring halves of duke basketball I've ever watched. Everyone looked like they were just playing to get to the second half. so many easy buckets missed, really poor interior defense. We are lucky not to be down 15 against a pretty good club.

Not sure what else to expect though with a limited bench and Allen ailing. Just a shell of a team right now, somebody needs to step up. Ingram might have to go Bootsy in the second half if we are going to get a win.

DUKEinFW
12-19-2015, 01:05 PM
Time for some Garden magic!

DUKEinFW
12-19-2015, 01:11 PM
Bring it!

jipops
12-19-2015, 01:18 PM
Amazing how we cannot score...at...all.

IBleedBlue
12-19-2015, 01:18 PM
Why isn't sean obi getting any burn?

gumbomoop
12-19-2015, 01:25 PM
Even the GOAT occasionally messes up. Strange that K didn't take Plumlee out immediately when he got his 3d foul. Lots of 5-guards today.

DUKEinFW
12-19-2015, 01:31 PM
Jones!

dukelion
12-19-2015, 01:31 PM
Matt Jones is really becoming an all time fave for me....love how he has developed.

jipops
12-19-2015, 01:36 PM
Just rewatched that play with Plumlee. He definitely did not foul. Poetl simply fell back reaching for the ball.

Expect plenty of "makeup" calls now though

uh_no
12-19-2015, 02:29 PM
time to upgrade the amile thread to a vigil...