MBB: Duke at Pitt (Sunday Feb 28, 2pm ET CBS) pre-game/in-game thread

[CDu]

Last road game of the ACC season. Let's get a win!

[BD80]

... Let's get a win!

I second that, a Milly times!

[Furniture]

I second that, a Milly times!

Me too. Amile-ion times!

[rifraf]

The ACC is apparently reviewing Grayson's trip at the end of the FSU game...hope we have in for this game.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14848101/duke-blue-devils-star-grayson-allen-seen-tripping-another-opponent-win-florida-state-seminoles

[CDu]

Pitt is your typical Pitt team: undersized (height-wise) up front, but very physical all over the court. They'll want to make this a bar fight type of game. It is not likely to look pretty, and the fact that the game is in Pittsburgh is not in our favor.

Center: Pitt doesn't play a traditional center. They have a bevy of relatively big guys that rotate through the center and power forward position. Rafael Maia is the starter, but that's in name only. He generally plays no more than 10-15 minutes per game. He's a relatively big (6'9", 245lb), rebounder who provides little else besides fouls. After Maia, the Panthers have a trio of options in Sheldon Jeter (6'8", 225lb), Ryan Luther (6'9", 215lb), and Alonzo Nelson-Ododa (6'9", 235lb). Jeter and Luther are reasonably athletic. Jeter can score inside, and plays the most minutes of the bunch (15-20 mpg). Luther is a decent 3pt shooter and hustle guy, and plays about 10-15 mpg, sometimes more. Ododa just comes in for spot minutes.

Forwards: While Pitt isn't terribly big at center, they are quite solid at forwards. The starting PF is Michael Young (6'9", 235lb). Young is a terrific player. He rebounds solidly and is their leading scorer. He's an inside presence that must be accounted for. He plays about 30 mpg. The majority of the backup PF minutes go to the quartet of bigs already mentioned, as Pitt always has two PFs on the floor. Alongside Young, Pitt has a rather big SF in Jamel Artis (6'7", 220lb). Artis is a really versatile player who can score in the post and can shoot the 3. Whereas Young is a rugged, consistent presence, Artis is more mercurial. He'll have monster games (multiple 20+ pt games) and he'll disappear (multiple games with 6 or fewer points). Hopefully he's not having an "on" day, because if he is he can be a real handful. Artis is kind of a cross between a wing and a forward, a college 3/4.

Wings: Aside from center, the wing position is the weakness of the Panthers' team. Along with Artis, they start Chris Jones (6'6", 215lb) at SG. Jones is an inconsistent outside shooter, and is more of a role player (defense, hustle) than skill player. He plays a lot of minutes, but rarely provides much offense. Aside from a 23-pt outburst against Wake, he's topped 8 points just once more in ACC play. Behind Jones and Artis, Pitt rotates a trio of guards: Smith, Johnson, and Wilson. Smith (6'4", 185lb) is the shooter of the bunch, shooting over 40% from 3 over his last 3 seasons (two of which came at Coppin State). But he is quite mercurial, and has really been out of favor recently (just 7 total points in his last 6 games combined). Johnson is a 6'7", 185lb freshman who has shown signs of a good shooting touch in limited action, but has been very inconsistent in terms of game-to-game production. Wilson is a 6'5", 200lb freshman combo guard who doesn't really stand out in any aspect of the game, and doesn't play major minutes. None of the three backups have had any consistent impact from game to game. Sort of a twist on the "if you have two QBs, you've got no QBs" concept applied to backup wings.

PG: The steady-Eddie guy on the team besides Michael Young is James Robinson. Robinson is a throwback PG. He's a tough-nosed, defensive-minded, pass-first PG in the truest sense of the term. He doesn't turn the ball over (nearly 5:1 assist:turnover ratio). What he doesn't do particularly well, though, is shoot. He's never topped 35% from 3. For that reason, he's often been reluctant to shoot, which has been a bit detrimental to the team in my opinion. This year, he's been a bit more aggressive, and has actually won them some games as a scorer. How involved he gets in the scoring may be a key factor in this one.

Again, Pitt is going to leave our guys with some bruises. I hate to speculate on Jefferson's return, but this would absolutely be a good game to get his leadership and toughness (and if nothing else an extra body) out there. We are definitely the more skilled team, at almost every spot on the floor. But Pitt has a way of dragging the game into the mud. Hopefully we can come out on top.

[TruBlu]

Will Grayson be allowed to make the trip?:o

(I'm so sorry)

[Lar77]

Pitt is your typical Pitt team: undersized (height-wise) up front, but very physical all over the court. They'll want to make this a bar fight type of game. It is not likely to look pretty, and the fact that the game is in Pittsburgh is not in our favor.

Center: Pitt doesn't play a traditional center. They have a bevy of relatively big guys that rotate through the center and power forward position. Rafael Maia is the starter, but that's in name only. He generally plays no more than 10-15 minutes per game. He's a relatively big (6'9", 245lb), rebounder who provides little else besides fouls. After Maia, the Panthers have a trio of options in Sheldon Jeter (6'8", 225lb), Ryan Luther (6'9", 215lb), and Alonzo Nelson-Ododa (6'9", 235lb). Jeter and Luther are reasonably athletic. Jeter can score inside, and plays the most minutes of the bunch (15-20 mpg). Luther is a decent 3pt shooter and hustle guy, and plays about 10-15 mpg, sometimes more. Ododa just comes in for spot minutes.

Forwards: While Pitt isn't terribly big at center, they are quite solid at forwards. The starting PF is Michael Young (6'9", 235lb). Young is a terrific player. He rebounds solidly and is their leading scorer. He's an inside presence that must be accounted for. He plays about 30 mpg. The majority of the backup PF minutes go to the quartet of bigs already mentioned, as Pitt always has two PFs on the floor. Alongside Young, Pitt has a rather big SF in Jamel Artis (6'7", 220lb). Artis is a really versatile player who can score in the post and can shoot the 3. Whereas Young is a rugged, consistent presence, Artis is more mercurial. He'll have monster games (multiple 20+ pt games) and he'll disappear (multiple games with 6 or fewer points). Hopefully he's not having an "on" day, because if he is he can be a real handful. Artis is kind of a cross between a wing and a forward, a college 3/4.

Wings: Aside from center, the wing position is the weakness of the Panthers' team. Along with Artis, they start Chris Jones (6'6", 215lb) at SG. Jones is an inconsistent outside shooter, and is more of a role player (defense, hustle) than skill player. He plays a lot of minutes, but rarely provides much offense. Aside from a 23-pt outburst against Wake, he's topped 8 points just once more in ACC play. Behind Jones and Artis, Pitt rotates a trio of guards: Smith, Johnson, and Wilson. Smith (6'4", 185lb) is the shooter of the bunch, shooting over 40% from 3 over his last 3 seasons (two of which came at Coppin State). But he is quite mercurial, and has really been out of favor recently (just 7 total points in his last 6 games combined). Johnson is a 6'7", 185lb freshman who has shown signs of a good shooting touch in limited action, but has been very inconsistent in terms of game-to-game production. Wilson is a 6'5", 200lb freshman combo guard who doesn't really stand out in any aspect of the game, and doesn't play major minutes. None of the three backups have had any consistent impact from game to game. Sort of a twist on the "if you have two QBs, you've got no QBs" concept applied to backup wings.

PG: The steady-Eddie guy on the team besides Michael Young is James Robinson. Robinson is a throwback PG. He's a tough-nosed, defensive-minded, pass-first PG in the truest sense of the term. He doesn't turn the ball over (nearly 5:1 assist:turnover ratio). What he doesn't do particularly well, though, is shoot. He's never topped 35% from 3. For that reason, he's often been reluctant to shoot, which has been a bit detrimental to the team in my opinion. This year, he's been a bit more aggressive, and has actually won them some games as a scorer. How involved he gets in the scoring may be a key factor in this one.

Again, Pitt is going to leave our guys with some bruises. I hate to speculate on Jefferson's return, but this would absolutely be a good game to get his leadership and toughness (and if nothing else an extra body) out there. We are definitely the more skilled team, at almost every spot on the floor. But Pitt has a way of dragging the game into the mud. Hopefully we can come out on top.

Thanks again, CDu, for a great summary.

This game will be physical, but not as bad a Louisville. Pitt's opportunity is to turn this into a Big East game, and at home they will get some benefit. We should win, but it also should be close. An Amile sighting would be beneficial.

[Pghdukie]

A very good summary of Pitt. I've seen Pitt a few times this year, if there Big 3 hit a few shots early - this could be a very good Pitt team. If they don't and Duke races out to a lead, it could well be a double digit win. Pitt will definitely make this a very physical game. They are border line tourney team and this is their last chance for a resume building win.

[DukieInKansas]

Will Grayson be allowed to make the trip?:o

(I'm so sorry)

If he does, will the student section have signs?

"Glad you made the trip. See you next fall."


ETA: Not endorsing tripping of any kind. GA has been reprimanded and I hope he has learned from this.
Wish I could have sporked you.

[Tripping William]

If he does, will the student section have signs?

"Glad you made the trip. See you next fall."


ETA: Not endorsing tripping of any kind. GA has been reprimanded and I hope he has learned from this.
Wish I could have sporked you.

I think you've stumbled onto something here. But I might be a little biased. :rolleyes:

(Ditto the bold.)

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

Looks like Grayson will play, unless Coach K decides to sit him for a half or the game.

[dukie’s_daughter]

I think Grayson's got a leg up on the competition...

(Bad pun... I'm sorry...)

[BD80]

I think Grayson's got a leg up on the competition...

(Bad pun... I'm sorry...)

There's no apologizing in Pun Club.

Rathan-Meyer's step-father is a former NBA player. Might we call this a misstep, son?

[DukieInKansas]

If he does, will the student section have signs?

"Glad you made the trip. See you next fall."


ETA: Not endorsing tripping of any kind. GA has been reprimanded and I hope he has learned from this.
Wish I could have sporked you.


I think you've stumbled onto something here. But I might be a little biased. :rolleyes:

(Ditto the bold.)

I hope my niece who goes to Pitt isn't reading this. :D I don't want to give her any ideas.

[elvis14]

So glad Allen is going to get to play after his second vicious tripping incident! Now that both the Louisville and FSU players are out of the hospital, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that they were not permanently maimed. Hopefully Pitt isn't able to TRIP Grayson up causing him to FALL back into these vicious, vicious habits.

CDu, thanks for the report on the Pitt team. I'm really hoping this is the game we see Amile play. My hope is that we build a big enough lead that'll allow him to get some minutes in without a ton of pressure. Also with a decent lead, we could continue to get Jeter minutes.

[Doria]

This is the second of the two games I was worried about in the last stretch to close out the season (FSU worked out pretty well). Artis had a career day against us last year, in the second meeting of the season. Our guards--including Sulaimon--had good games to carry us in that one. Okafor didn't have a terrible day, but nowhere near a dominant performance. And if Jefferson can't go at all, we surely miss his pretty good game against them, though I have every confidence that Marshall will give us another great game; and I also have hope that Jeter continues his solid play, too.

It'll be a tough game, and last year's game wasn't really a walk in the park. We're going to have to (again!) play through fatigue, particularly in the second half, on the road.

A good, consistent shooting night would help a lot to ease some pressure. Doesn't have to be all 3's, but need to convert every chance we reasonably can in what I anticipate to be a close, grinding game. I'll be more than happy to come here post-game, and admit that I was worried for nothing if we coast to an easy victory, but I don't think that anyone can reasonably expect that will happen.

Edit: I don't think I've been able to watch Pitt play at all this year. Can someone remind me what defenses they play predominantly?

[CDu]

This is the second of the two games I was worried about in the last stretch to close out the season (FSU worked out pretty well). Artis had a career day against us last year, in the second meeting of the season. Our guards--including Sulaimon--had good games to carry us in that one. Okafor didn't have a terrible day, but nowhere near a dominant performance. And if Jefferson can't go at all, we surely miss his pretty good game against them, though I have every confidence that Marshall will give us another great game; and I also have hope that Jeter continues his solid play, too.

It'll be a tough game, and last year's game wasn't really a walk in the park. We're going to have to (again!) play through fatigue, particularly in the second half, on the road.

A good, consistent shooting night would help a lot to ease some pressure. Doesn't have to be all 3's, but need to convert every chance we reasonably can in what I anticipate to be a close, grinding game. I'll be more than happy to come here post-game, and admit that I was worried for nothing if we coast to an easy victory, but I don't think that anyone can reasonably expect that will happen.

Edit: I don't think I've been able to watch Pitt play at all this year. Can someone remind me what defenses they play predominantly?

Pitt plays either, but prefers man to man.

[Henderson]

I think Grayson's got a leg up on the competition...



At least he ain't shy shy shy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7eve-kJHSA

[freshmanjs]

At least he ain't shy shy shy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7eve-kJHSA

Cialis commercials on TV and songs about shyness induced ED on the message boards...college hoops is looking up these days.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

I have two keys to this game, stay healthy we don't need anyone hurt. Second give the ball to Grayson Allen and let him score as many points as humanly possible just to piss everyone else off. That is all.

[BandAlum83]

I have two keys to this game, stay healthy we don't need anyone hurt. Second give the ball to Grayson Allen and let him score as many points as humanly possible just to piss everyone else off. That is all.

Now THAT would be awesome...Danny Ferry single game record territory. :D

[Pghdukie]

Pitt has been getting an awful lot of offensive rebounds of late. Coincides with their shooting woes, but they do crash the boards hard

[ancienteagle]

So glad Allen is going to get to play after his second vicious tripping incident! Now that both the Louisville and FSU players are out of the hospital, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that they were not permanently maimed. Hopefully Pitt isn't able to TRIP Grayson up causing him to FALL back into these vicious, vicious habits.

What about the other poor Louisville kid who shattered his elbow on mean ol' Grayson's mouth. Will he survive? Gonna have to rein that boy in!

[Indoor66]

Pitt has been getting an awful lot of offensive rebounds of late. Coincides with their shooting woes, but they do crash the boards hard

When you throw up that many bricks, some fall into your hands. ;):cool: But I agree, they do hit the boards hard.

[Troublemaker]

Duke / Pitt is a pick'em game, according to Vegas.

That makes me somewhat nervous.

I did make a small bet on Duke in the Wagering thread, and I feel confident Duke will win, BUT it's just sketchy that almost everyone will be betting on Duke at that line.

[Olympic Fan]

Duke / Pitt is a pick'em game, according to Vegas.

That makes me somewhat nervous.

I did make a small bet on Duke in the Wagering thread, and I feel confident Duke will win, BUT it's just sketchy that almost everyone will be betting on Duke at that line.

Pomeroy makes Duke a slight favorite -- 57 percent chance to win. Duke is projected as the 76-74 winner.

That is too close for comfort. Duke is actually a bigger favorite according to Pomeroy next week against UNC (a 59 percent favorite).

Interesting trivia -- Duke has held Pitt to exactly 65 points in the last three meetings -- 2007 (a one-point OT loss), 2014 (a 15-point win at Pitt) and 2015 (a 14-point win at Duke).

[uh_no]

Pomeroy makes Duke a slight favorite -- 57 percent chance to win. Duke is projected as the 76-74 winner.

That is too close for comfort. Duke is actually a bigger favorite according to Pomeroy next week against UNC (a 59 percent favorite).

Interesting trivia -- Duke has held Pitt to exactly 65 points in the last three meetings -- 2007 (a one-point OT loss), 2014 (a 15-point win at Pitt) and 2015 (a 14-point win at Duke).

you had to bring up that game at the garden....

[Devilwin]

We've still got a chance to win the regular season if we win out. We'd need Miami to tank, but we win the rest of our games we can tie for first at least, providing Miami loses one, and win it if they drop two. Unbelievable after all our injuries.:cool:

[dukebluesincebirth]

Up early and extra hype for this game after blood boiling since Thursday and the media coverage from the TMZ of sports. It's not Duke vs. Pitt. It's Duke vs. the World again. Bring it. Let's GO Devils!!!

[devildeac]

Maybe this belongs in today's game thread :o.

Quote Originally Posted by oldnavy

I don't worry about Grayson getting hurt so much as I do that he will be called for a bunch of nit picky touch fouls and that might impede his ability to play defense.

Grayson is tough enough to take care of himself, but he does need to especially careful to not do anything that could be interpreted as outside the boundaries of good sportsmanship.

If he does start getting punked on, I would hope someone like Matt Jones or Plumlee would intervene on his behalf.

Today's game is going to be interesting to watch GA and how the officials call it for him.

Quote Originally Posted by slower

MP3 looks like he was pushed pretty close to the edge last game. And as somebody said upthread (or in a different thread), I don't think K would object to players defending themselves against repeated abuse.


Call me paranoid here, but I can see (another) poorly/unevenly/inconsistently called game today with lots of touch fouls on Duke and lots of physical play uncalled by Pitt, like several Duke vs maryland/Wake/f$u games in the last 5-10 years where we had 3/4/5 players foul out.:mad:

(And yes, I sure messed up those quote tags by re-posting this in the Pitt thread :o .)

[Skitzle]

Any chance we see Amile?

[Devilwin]

I doubt it. My feeling is (and I can be wrong) we see him again next season. I feel if he was coming back this year he would have in the recent games.

[arnie]

I doubt it. My feeling is (and I can be wrong) we see him again next season. I feel if he was coming back this year he would have in the recent games.

And in fact the "Amile Foot Injury - When will he be back thread" is now on 2nd page. More proof that he's not coming back this year.

[wavedukefan70s]

As long as colson doesnt get a free pass to hack shove ect.i think we will be ok.

[Turk]

CDu's summary is spot on. Been keeping an eye on the Panthers and will be up in Peanut Heaven with a couple of my kids, while my Swee'Pea will be down in the Oakland Zoo.

Also, Robinson, the PG, is getting some love for setting the record for games played at Pitt. It' their Senior Day, so I emotions will be running high and my expectations are set accordingly. "Pick em" sounds about right to me, with Duke -5 on a neutral court and -10 in Cameron. (Of course I'm not in the DBR Fantasy Wagering, so take my .01 for what little it's worth).

Good to be back in the "ould sod".... Go Duke!! ("Hail to Pitt!" when they play anyone else!)

[DukeDevilDeb]

I doubt it. My feeling is (and I can be wrong) we see him again next season. I feel if he was coming back this year he would have in the recent games.

I totally agree. But sadly. GO DEVILS!

[BandAlum83]

Isn't anyone at the game to give us a clue? Is Amile in uniform?

I guess maybe the beat reporters don't make the trip and just watch on TV, because they've been tweeting updates by now.

[CDu]

As long as colson doesnt get a free pass to hack shove ect.i think we will be ok.

Colson?

[HK Dukie]

you had to bring up that game at the garden...

Actually I'm glad he brought up that 2007 garden game. Pitt fans were the worst winning fans of a basketball game I've seen first hand (although I haven't seen the terps in cole personally). That was quite some time ago, and sample size isn't particularly high, but I appreciate the reminder because it just makes me want Duke to win even that much harder.

[PensDevil]

Isn't anyone at the game to give us a clue? Is Amile in uniform?

I guess maybe the beat reporters don't make the trip and just watch on TV, because they've been tweeting updates by now.

Amile is in street clothes with a boot on during the shoot around.

Everyone is out on the floor except Allen. Don't know what to make of that yet.

Edit - scratch the no Allen yet. He just came out to a nice round of boos.

[mattman91]

Any live streams for this game?

[-jk]

DBR Chat (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/misc.php?do=cchatbox) is open!

If it gets a bit slow, refresh the page. If you're on a mobile device, you'll need to select "Blue" at the bottom.

As always - please follow the DBR Posting Guidelines.

Let's Go Duke!

-jk

[riverside6]

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

http://www.scacchoops.com/duke-at-pittsburgh-basketball-live-stats-02282016

[NM Duke Fan]

Any live streams for this game?

It is available on the official CBS Sporline website:

http://www.cbssports.com

[stillcrazie]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/video/cbk-live/NCAAB_20160228_DUKE@PITT

[gocanes0506]

Duke isn't ready for Pitt. Pitt shooting a high percentage so far.

[Coballs]

Uh-ohhhhh! Looking like it's going to be a long afternoon. Duke coming out absolutely flat against a physical and hungry team who are also shooting the lights out.

[uh_no]

Uh-ohhhhh! Looking like it's going to be a long afternoon. Duke coming out absolutely flat against a physical and hungry team who are also shooting the lights out.

flat? that's a stupid word IMO used to describe any time a team is playing poorly....at least you didn't say "no heart"...

Pitt watched the UL tape, realized we turn the ball over like a rotisserie chicken under tough pressure, and just played ingram and allen tight. we missed a few threes, turned it over a lot...and they hit a few shots.

We've scored 19 points in 14 minutes...i wish i could temper this, but that number is so unimaginably poor for a top offense. Even if they did miss a couple shots, we'd still be down almost double digits.

This game is over. Sorry. That's the reality for me at this point.

[CoSprings]

As much as everyone on this board believes this Duke team will make a 'deep run' in March, this game is a reminder of the severe limitations this team has. Wow, just getting absolutely blown out so far by a bubble team who isn't that prolific on the offensive end. Duke has overachieved the last three weeks, sadly it looks like we are back to normal in this first half. Really frustrating to see them come out and get utterly dominated like this early on.

[wavedukefan70s]

They aint missing much man we can fight and get back in it a little at a time.

[CoSprings]

Currently Pitt has 22 rebounds to our 9. Wow, just wow.

[uh_no]

Currently Pitt has 22 rebounds to our 9. Wow, just wow.

5 of them came on one posession!

[uh_no]

5 of them came on one posession!

also that buzzer shot could have been huge!

[fuse]

Lucky to be in the game with a soft start and strong(er) finish in the first half.

Doesn't seem possible that Pitt can continue the high percentage of makes.

Definitely think we can outscore them by 8 in the second.

Let's Go Duke!

[SCMatt33]

Man, running an NBA offense without NBA rules is killing us. Ingram had 2 drive that would be easy and one at the next level, and Grayson would have had a clear path call. Instead, we get a baseline out of bounds and 2 1-and-1's.

[wavedukefan70s]

Down to 7 .we can do this.the way grayson is getting the buisness from the crowd is sad.
Thanks espn and the below average sportswriters.
This game is not over we can win this.

[CDu]

Gotta do a better job on the glass. Gotta do a better job taking care of the ball. Gotta make them miss more shots. Gotta shoot a little better ourselves. We can win this game.

[uh_no]

Man, running an NBA offense without NBA rules is killing us. Ingram had 2 drive that would be easy and one at the next level, and Grayson would have had a clear path call. Instead, we get a baseline out of bounds and 2 1-and-1's.

of all the things that went wrong, this isn't in the top 5...

1) failing to deal with on-ball pressure in the half court...causing us to generate effectively no offense for 15 minutes
2) rebounding
3) pitt shooting a silly percentage
4) matt getting in foul trouble
5) no ability to get it inside the arc for much of the half

While it's an interesting point, we know we're not going to get those calls, and we shouldn't...but not getting those calls is not the reason the offense struggled.

[wavedukefan70s]

This team is tough as nails. we will win this game.

[FerryFor50]

of all the things that went wrong, this isn't in the top 5...

1) failing to deal with on-ball pressure in the half court...causing us to generate effectively no offense for 15 minutes
2) rebounding
3) pitt shooting a silly percentage
4) matt getting in foul trouble
5) no ability to get it inside the arc for much of the half

While it's an interesting point, we know we're not going to get those calls, and we shouldn't...but not getting those calls is not the reason the offense struggled.

He's not saying we're not getting calls. He's saying lack of continuation and clear path rules in college cost us some points.

[Coballs]

flat? that's a stupid word IMO used to describe any time a team is playing poorly...at least you didn't say "no heart"...

Pitt watched the UL tape, realized we turn the ball over like a rotisserie chicken under tough pressure, and just played ingram and allen tight. we missed a few threes, turned it over a lot...and they hit a few shots.

We've scored 19 points in 14 minutes...i wish i could temper this, but that number is so unimaginably poor for a top offense. Even if they did miss a couple shots, we'd still be down almost double digits.

This game is over. Sorry. That's the reality for me at this point.

Whoa, take it easy bro with your snarky comments about my choice of words, especially when you and I have said essentially the same thing. I think declaring this game over in the first half was a far less intelligent statement than anything I said. But maybe you haven't been watching Duke basketball nearly as long as I have.

[NashvilleDevil]

As much as everyone on this board believes this Duke team will make a 'deep run' in March, this game is a reminder of the severe limitations this team has. Wow, just getting absolutely blown out so far by a bubble team who isn't that prolific on the offensive end. Duke has overachieved the last three weeks, sadly it looks like we are back to normal in this first half. Really frustrating to see them come out and get utterly dominated like this early on.

I like that you come back to the boards when Duke is struggling.

[rsvman]

Matt somehow managed to get into foul trouble without committing a foul.

Bizarre that we're not down more than 7 after how well Pitt shot and how poorly we rebounded.

Maybe with the help of a little reversion to the mean we can find a way to win this one, but it won't be easy.

[SCMatt33]

of all the things that went wrong, this isn't in the top 5...

1) failing to deal with on-ball pressure in the half court...causing us to generate effectively no offense for 15 minutes
2) rebounding
3) pitt shooting a silly percentage
4) matt getting in foul trouble
5) no ability to get it inside the arc for much of the half

While it's an interesting point, we know we're not going to get those calls, and we shouldn't...but not getting those calls is not the reason the offense struggled.

I think that many of the things you list are mere symptoms of the problem. The NBA type iso offense is part of the reason we aren't getting it inside the arc or dealing with pressure well. Running that in November and December, even against good teams, we'd get to the double bonus with 10 minutes left in the half. Now, it's been rolled back a lot (not entirely for sure), and as a result, it's a lot harder to just bull your way to the rim. I think rebounding is something we just have to account for against good rebounding teams. Unless Amile comes back, I don't think we'll be hanging on the boards with the best of em. So I'm certainly not saying that running an NBA offense without the accompanying rules advantages is the reason we're losing, I think it is something that can cause us problems at times when the offense goes tremendously stagnant against heavy ball pressure

[uh_no]

Whoa, take it easy bro with your snarky comments about my choice of words, especially when you and I have said essentially the same thing. I think declaring this game over in the first half was a far less intelligent statement than anything I said. But maybe you haven't been watching Duke basketball nearly as long as I have.

sorry. a bit peeved...not at you!

i'm just extremely averse to colloqialisms that really don't say anything. "coming out flat" doesn't really MEAN anything...and it epitomizes most of the way that analysts talk about the game.

One might as well say "man..we came out and they scored more points than us".

So apologies for taking the brunt of my frestration...it was not meant so poorly.

[CDu]

Sloppy start to the second half. Definitely not the way we wanted to come out.

[CoSprings]

I like that you come back to the boards when Duke is struggling.

Seriously? What, are you in middle school? I'm just making a comment on how poorly we are playing. Sometimes it just helps to get the frustration out. Give me a break dude.

[rsvman]

can't get a rebound and if we try, they call a foul.

[SCMatt33]

Man I get so frustrated with the stagnant offense. Duke has caught exactly one pass inside the 3 point arc in the half. Unsurprisingly, that occurred on the only possession we scored.

[jwillfan]

Our inability to score against their D has us pretty exposed. That and our inability to stop them inside. Anything else I missed? Not that a team like UNCheat could play D as well but teams are gonna study tape.

[arnie]

can't get a rebound and if we try, they call a foul.
Not only poor rebounding position when Pitt has ball, fumbling the bounds that fall in our hands. Matt not a good rebounder at the 3 and Plumlee just not himself today.

[wavedukefan70s]

Need to drive .to hesitant.
Also yes i relized my mistake of thinking colson played for pitt.
My memory failed me again lol.

[kshepinthehouse]

Definitely inside the circle on that charge call.

[CDu]

Definitely inside the circle on that charge call.

Yup. That was a bad call. He was there in plenty of time, but "there" wasn't a legal position to take a charge.

[rsvman]

yet another second chance basket.

time for Vranc

[wavedukefan70s]

Geeez 3 pointer from oregon hurt.

[SCMatt33]

At the under 8 timeout Duke has caught a total of 2 passes inside the 3 point arc in the half by my count. Scored on both possessions. Score on 5 of the rest of them, though that's counting Luke's steal and shoot with wasn't really a half court set

[TruBlu]

At the under 8 timeout Duke has caught a total of 2 passes inside the 3 point arc in the half by my count. Scored on both possessions. Score on 5 of the rest of them, though that's counting Luke's steal and shoot with wasn't really a half court set

And Plumlee has been wide open a few times without getting a pass.

[fuse]

I stand corrected as this game appears out of reach with 7:30 to go.

What I am struggling with is how much of this is poor effort/execution by Duke, and how much is "game of the season" out of Pitt?

Knew coming in this was a dangerous game.
Pitt definitely came to play today. #respect

[sbroc012]

Well the only things I can think of positive from this is that 1) ncaa tourney games are on a neutral court so GA won't have the constant boos 2) tourney is all about match ups and there are only a couple of truly physical teams in the country (one of which is done after this week) and yes all teams can play physical but there are only a few where physicality is what makes the team go (Louisville and pitt)

[CDu]

I stand corrected as this game appears out of reach with 7:30 to go.

What I am struggling with is how much of this is poor effort/execution by Duke, and how much is "game of the season" out of Pitt?

Knew coming in this was a dangerous game.
Pitt definitely came to play today. #respect

A lot of both.

[uh_no]

Well the only things I can think of positive from this is that 1) ncaa tourney games are on a neutral court so GA won't have the constant boos 2) tourney is all about match ups and there are only a couple of truly physical teams in the country (one of which is done after this week) and yes all teams can play physical but there are only a few where physicality is what makes the team go (Louisville and pitt)

well
1) given ESPN has ensured most of the country hates GA, at this point I think he'll get boos if the game were played even in North Korea...
2)yep. this is not a good matchup for us....a better matchup if we have amile, I think...but the more disconcerting thing is how the offense completely folded under high defensive pressure again.

[NashvilleDevil]

I really hope ESPN is happy that their week long narrative of Grayson as a villain worked. Nothing worked for Duke today but that probably didn't help matters.

[sbroc012]

A lot of both.
Games like this I take solace that their coach is still Jamie Dixon and they will still lose early in the tournament. This is their game of the year. If there is ever any truth to the statement that the tourney is about match ups this year proves to be the case. And Xavier just lost to Seton Hall.

[bleedingblue88]

This is a really bad loss, no question. We should be embarrassed. Pitt is not even a great team.

[rsvman]

completely destroyed on both sides of the ball. every shot they toss up seems to go in our bounce to one of their guys.

nothing you can do when everything goes the other guy's way

[FerryFor50]

This is a really bad loss, no question. We should be embarrassed. Pitt is not even a great team.

Pitt is a 20 win team. They have talent.

Blowouts happen, especially when you're short handed.

I'm proud they avoided a blowout loss this far in the season.

[sbroc012]

well
1) given ESPN has ensured most of the country hates GA, at this point I think he'll get boos if the game were played even in North Korea...
2)yep. this is not a good matchup for us...a better matchup if we have amile, I think...but the more disconcerting thing is how the offense completely folded under high defensive pressure again.

Agreed. But defensive pressure and physical defensive pressure are totally different. If we run into a Pitt type team in the ncaa we are in trouble. Otherwise nothing would surprise me this March.
As far as the GA boos. Yes everyone will hate him but the boos are generated by the students who are of little to no effect in neutral court games.

[fgb]

Well the only things I can think of positive from this is that 1) ncaa tourney games are on a neutral court so GA won't have the constant boos

i don't know...lot of duke haters out there, going to be fans of 8 teams at once in an arena, 7 of whom will not be rooting for duke. that's a lot of possible grayson allen haters.

[TruBlu]

Well, this one is over. Hopefully we have gotten our "stinker" out of the way.

[NYBri]

First real stinker of the year. Just a reminder that not long ago we were all extolling the heart and grit of this team.

This is still that team. Bad game against a fired up Pitt in their building. I would imagine K will point out where they played badly and why.

Next game...hopefully with Amile.

Go Devils!

[azzefkram]

An unfortunate afternoon for the good guys. Next game.

[sbroc012]

i don't know...lot of duke haters out there, going to be fans of 8 teams at once in an arena, 7 of whom will not be rooting for duke. that's a lot of possible grayson allen haters.

Sure there will be some murmur of boos but not the everytime he touches the ball and the arena resonates with boos. I'm too young to know about the Laetnner Era but did he ever get that type of treatment? JJ never got it to that degree that I can remember.

[downeastdad]

On the plus side, no one got hurt yet.

[DukieInKansas]

Well the only things I can think of positive from this is that 1) ncaa tourney games are on a neutral court so GA won't have the constant boos 2) tourney is all about match ups and there are only a couple of truly physical teams in the country (one of which is done after this week) and yes all teams can play physical but there are only a few where physicality is what makes the team go (Louisville and pitt)

Not so sure about the boos