MBB: Duke 94, Marist 49 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[OldPhiKap]

Can't win 'em all without winning the first.

Crazy talent we put on the floor tonight. And we have three potential OADs in street clothes. Sick.

[slower]

Big men MUST hit those free throws. Jack White has a nice stroke. Delaurier will be a highlight-reel guy. Jackson looks confident.

All in all, this game tells us...not much. Kansas will be an extreme challenge.

[Tripping William]

Can't win 'em all without winning the first.

Crazy talent we put on the floor tonight. And we have three potential OADs in street clothes. Sick.

Yep. When we get fully healthy, watch out. Especially on defense.

[CDu]

Nice to win convincingly without three of our top seven players. Replacing DeLaurier and White with Giles and Tatum will be a dramatic upgrade. Replacing Vrankovic with Bolden (and perhaps pushing Jeter into Vrankovic's role) will be a big upgrade as well. It was nice to see our other main rotation players looking fairly sharp. Allen didn't finish particularly well, but I am not worried at all about him.

[Troublemaker]

Stephen Wiseman ‏@stevewisemanNC (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC) 6m6 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC/status/797264525124837376)Durham, NC (https://twitter.com/search?q=place%3Abced47a0c99c71d0)
Coach K offered no timetable for the return of Giles, Bolden and Tatum.


Stephen Wiseman ‏@stevewisemanNC (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC) 4m4 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC/status/797264856844029952)Durham, NC (https://twitter.com/search?q=place%3Abced47a0c99c71d0)
"We have to be careful not to try to get these guys back too soon. We are going to shut these guys down for a while." -- Coach K.

[NashvilleDevil]

Stephen Wiseman ‏@stevewisemanNC (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC) 6m6 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC/status/797264525124837376)Durham, NC (https://twitter.com/search?q=place%3Abced47a0c99c71d0)
Coach K offered no timetable for the return of Giles, Bolden and Tatum.


Stephen Wiseman ‏@stevewisemanNC (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC) 4m4 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC/status/797264856844029952)Durham, NC (https://twitter.com/search?q=place%3Abced47a0c99c71d0)
"We have to be careful not to try to get these guys back too soon. We are going to shut these guys down for a while." -- Coach K.


I am starting to think we will be lucky to see Giles play at all and I'm 50/50 with Tatum and Bolden.

[mo.st.dukie]

I am starting to think we will be lucky to see Giles play at all and I'm 50/50 with Tatum and Bolden.

Relax, it's November. Even if "a while" is two months that's still just early ACC play. The main thing is to have all three back and well worked into the rotation by March. No need to rush them back, we aren't playing to win a championship in November and December. And to be honest, we don't exactly have a gauntlet in the non-conference.

[Ultrarunner]

Relax, it's November. Even if "a while" is two months that's still just early ACC play. The main thing is to have all three back and well worked into the rotation by March. No need to rush them back, we aren't playing to win a championship in November and December. And to be honest, we don't exactly have a gauntlet in the non-conference.

It does have the potential to blow my minutes predictions to smithereens, though.

Priorities, man.

[devildeac]

Stephen Wiseman ‏@stevewisemanNC (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC) 6m6 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC/status/797264525124837376)Durham, NC (https://twitter.com/search?q=place%3Abced47a0c99c71d0)
Coach K offered no timetable for the return of Giles, Bolden and Tatum.


Stephen Wiseman ‏@stevewisemanNC (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC) 4m4 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/stevewisemanNC/status/797264856844029952)Durham, NC (https://twitter.com/search?q=place%3Abced47a0c99c71d0)
"We have to be careful not to try to get these guys back too soon. We are going to shut these guys down for a while." -- Coach K.


Can we all re-do our minutes predictions :rolleyes: ? That doesn't sound encouraging.

[OZ]

I am starting to think we will be lucky to see Giles play at all and I'm 50/50 with Tatum and Bolden.

This is just nuts, crazy, weird, bizarre...

[DBFAN]

The Tatum thing is the most bizarre. Two weeks ago we were told he would be back in 2 weeks. Now it's no timetable??? Starting to look like a Jefferson situation for all 3 at this point

[sagegrouse]

Sage crossed the continental divide and attended tonight's game (and last night's game -- wow!). Here are my impressions:


Jack White burned a year of eligibility, and I was impressed with his strength and general level of basketball skill. Looks like a 22-23 YO out there.
Frank Jackson is a MAJOR college player.
Kennard and Allen are stars, and the order may change from game to game.
Matt Jones is a valuable player on the court.
Ditto Amile, but I am not expecting much offense.
Jeter and DeLaurier ain't bad, and I look forward to their continued development.
Vrank the Tank is a big dude, and I enjoyed watching him shed two defenders in getting a put-back dunk -- they fell to the floor.
Great to see Justin Robinson on the floor.

[Edouble]

Relax, it's November. Even if "a while" is two months that's still just early ACC play. The main thing is to have all three back and well worked into the rotation by March. No need to rush them back, we aren't playing to win a championship in November and December. And to be honest, we don't exactly have a gauntlet in the non-conference.

We are playing for a #1 seed. These injuries will catch up to us, given time.

[DBFAN]

We may not win Championships in Nov And Dec but we don't win them by throwing 3 players in the mix in March either. We tried that with Kyrie didn't work. I'll be honest it is weird watching them because have no clue if that will even be the team for the next game or not. Just hard to get invested emotionally or whatever you wanna call it when that is happening. I really just don't know how it could have just been a sprain for Tatum if they are giving us the whole no Time Table thing. The game against Kansas is gonna be rough. Don't think we will get blown out but it may not be the great matchup people are expecting

[mo.st.dukie]

We are playing for a #1 seed. These injuries will catch up to us, given time.


Well, we're playing to win a national championship. Obviously a 1 seed greatly increases the chances but come on, if we're a 2 seed because of early losses but fully healthy in March we'll be in fine shape. And look at the schedule, we're looking at maybe 2-3 losses in the non-conference max (probably be more like 1) with plenty of opportunities to get big wins in conference play to still get a 1 seed. It's a long season with a lot of opportunities, I don't see any reason to freak out about injuries at this point in time. If this were happening in January, hit the panic button. But just way too early for that.

[grossbus]

Geez, this is a downer.

[rsvman]

We are playing for a #1 seed. These injuries will catch up to us, given time.

It depends. This is a pretty good team even without them. If we don't rack up L's waiting for them to get into the rotation, it won't hurt us. In fact, it could actually end up as a net plus, because the downstream guys get seasoned while we wait. If they are all back and healthy by mid-February, the committee may also give us seeding consideration even if we have a few more losses than we'd like to have.

In any case, I think it's way too early to worry about it.

[mo.st.dukie]

We may not win Championships in Nov And Dec but we don't win them by throwing 3 players in the mix in March either. We tried that with Kyrie didn't work. I'll be honest it is weird watching them because have no clue if that will even be the team for the next game or not. Just hard to get invested emotionally or whatever you wanna call it when that is happening. I really just don't know how it could have just been a sprain for Tatum if they are giving us the whole no Time Table thing. The game against Kansas is gonna be rough. Don't think we will get blown out but it may not be the great matchup people are expecting

Do you seriously think Coach K is going to sit these guys for 4 months? Giles has been doing individual workouts. Tatum practiced this week but it was a bit of a rush. Bolden, by all accounts, was not on crutches or wearing a boot tonight. There's just simply no reason to rush them back, especially this early in the season.

[dukelifer]

The Tatum thing is the most bizarre. Two weeks ago we were told he would be back in 2 weeks. Now it's no timetable??? Starting to look like a Jefferson situation for all 3 at this point

3 none and done players possibly- very strange.

[DBFAN]

Do you seriously think Coach K is going to sit these guys for 4 months?

Did you seriously think Jefferson would miss entire season last year. Do you have any info whatsoever that says Giles is coming back soon, or any info on what Bolden Lower Leg injury even is. How could it not seem strange to anyone that it was said by K that Tatum just had a sprain 2 weeks ago, and that he would be back in 2 weeks, but tonight there is no timetable for him. Grant it when he said there was no timetable he may not have meant to lump Tatum in with that but hard to think he didn't

[DBFAN]

I don't think the sky is falling but I just find it all to be strange. The only good news that I caught tonight was that Bolden wasn't in a boot or crutches which tells me it isn't too severe. Admittedly I have no clue what to think about the Giles situation but the Tatum one perplexes me. While we never want any kid to be rushed back, Duke didnt seem to mind throwing Allen and Jones right back in. I don't think there is some conspiracy just hard to have a lot of confidence when K gets ambiguous about injuries. When he has done that in the past it never turned out well

[Ichabod Drain]

So much pessimism. Good game tonight. I liked what I saw from our players who played.

[DBFAN]

It's not so much pessimism as it is just strange. I mean we all get it that we don't need to rush them, but coming off a season where all we heard was no timetable, people will start having doubts. I'm almost 100 percent sure we will see Tatum and Bolden soon, but to be honest I also thought Jefferson would only be out a few weeks last year.

[Newton_14]

Do you seriously think Coach K is going to sit these guys for 4 months? Giles has been doing individual workouts. Tatum practiced this week but it was a bit of a rush. Bolden, by all accounts, was not on crutches or wearing a boot tonight. There's just simply no reason to rush them back, especially this early in the season.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Tatum and Bolden take the floor against Kansas...

[mo.st.dukie]

I don't think the sky is falling but I just find it all to be strange. The only good news that I caught tonight was that Bolden wasn't in a boot or crutches which tells me it isn't too severe. Admittedly I have no clue what to think about the Giles situation but the Tatum one perplexes me. While we never want any kid to be rushed back, Duke didnt seem to mind throwing Allen and Jones right back in. I don't think there is some conspiracy just hard to have a lot of confidence when K gets ambiguous about injuries. When he has done that in the past it never turned out well

I don't really think it's that strange. They thought Tatum would be back, he practiced this week and apparently it was just too soon, that he wasn't as ready as they had hoped. Sometimes that's the way it goes, you can't always predict these kinds of things. We already know Giles has been doing individual work and he was slated for 5-on-0 non contact drills last week. I think he is ambiguous about injuries because he doesn't want to put mental pressure on the player and also because you can't always predict how certain players and certain injuries will react. I get that it's frustrating as a fan, especially given what we've seen with injuries in the past, but I just don't see any reason right now to jump to the conclusion that these situations are exactly like those past injuries we've seen.

[OldPhiKap]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Tatum and Bolden take the floor against Kansas...

Same here, until K says different. Patience.

[kAzE]

I think we all just need to relax. These guys are competitive dudes. They are going to play when they are ready. Coach K was previously quoted saying the Tatum injury wasn't too bad. The Bolden injury is a bit of a head scratcher, since we've had next to nothing on the information front, but as he's been walking around fine with no boot, you can only assume he's probably going to be okay.

As for the guys who played, I had a few thoughts on some players through CTC, the exhibition games, and today's opener:

Frank looks incredible. He's been to biggest surprise for me thus far. He has very nice ability to finish around the rim, maybe the best of the guards. He possesses elite quickness and athleticism, and is pretty strong. Has some iffy decision making with the ball, but overall way better than I had imagined at this point. I will need to see how he does against tougher defenders, but his slashing and shooting ability off the dribble or the catch makes him a dangerous offensive weapon on or off the ball. In addition, his perimeter defense is excellent. He and Matt are a smothering presence on the ball handler. I would not be surprised if he became a starter at some point. I don't know who he would replace, but man, I don't see how you keep a defensive force like him on the bench.

Luke has been seriously balling out so far this season. He's got such a smooth game and is always under control. If it's really true that he's grown to 6'6", that really helps his NBA prospects. I think Luke will be a VERY good pro someday with his game.

Matt has changed his shooting form, and I like the shot. It's got a quicker release and looks more natural. Definitely an improvement. His defense has been lock down as always, but has he been working on his vertical? 2 impressive dunks already this season . . . I can't seem to remember a single one over his first 3 years. Were those his first 2 career dunks?

Grayson has been pressing a bit in my opinion these few games so far. He seems even more aggressive than he did last year, if that's even possible. I'm pretty much always worried he's going to hurt himself on every play. He needs to let the game come to him a bit more. He seems to decide pretty early on if he's going to pass or try to score, instead of just letting the defense dictate what he does.

I compared Javin to Amile Jefferson at one point, and boy was I wrong. Physically, they measure very similarly, but that guy is a YouTube clip waiting to happen.

I cannot believe how ridiculous this team is, even without arguably the 3 most talented players. This is insanity. It's going to be a treat to watch this team play all year. Let's just get these injuries taken care of so we can start putting the whole team together.

LETS GO DUKE.

[6th Man]

I just wish the staff was a little more forthcoming about what is going on. To the best of my knowledge we don't even know what Bolden did. Did he stub his toe or does he have something more severe going on? What happened to Tatum to create such a change in his return? Harry's situation is a little more well known and understandable. When you are so secretive and these guys are walking around without crutches/boots it almost gives off a bad impression about toughness and willingness to play ball. I get protecting futures, but I think being so secretive about it doesn't help perception of the kids any. I guess we as fans aren't owed anything, but I find it a little frustrating.

On a more positive note, I was pleased with the guys that did play tonight. A lot of improvement from the returning players. In particular, Chase looks a lot more confident.

[BandAlum83]

Sage crossed the continental divide and attended tonight's game (and last night's game -- wow!). Here are my impressions:


Jack White burned a year of eligibility, and I was impressed with his strength and general level of basketball skill. Looks like a 22-23 YO out there.
Frank Jackson is a MAJOR college player.
Kennard and Allen are stars, and the order may change from game to game.
Matt Jones is a valuable player on the court.
Ditto Amile, but I am not expecting much offense.
Jeter and DeLaurier ain't bad, and I look forward to their continued development.
Vrank the Tank is a big dude, and I enjoyed watching him shed two defenders in getting a put-back dunk -- they fell to the floor.
Great to see Justin Robinson on the floor.



Can you elaborate on this? I've been really anticipating seeing him play. Do you think he could get some minutes this year? I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of redshirt rules. Did he pass a minutes mark or something in this one game?

[jimsumner]

I just wish the staff was a little more forthcoming about what is going on. To the best of my knowledge we don't even know what Bolden did. Did he stub his toe or does he have something more severe going on? What happened to Tatum to create such a change in his return? Harry's situation is a little more well known and understandable. When you are so secretive and these guys are walking around without crutches/boots it almost gives off a bad impression about toughness and willingness to play ball. I get protecting futures, but I think being so secretive about it doesn't help perception of the kids any. I guess we as fans aren't owed anything, but I find it a little frustrating.

On a more positive note, I was pleased with the guys that did play tonight. A lot of improvement from the returning players. In particular, Chase looks a lot more confident.

Bolden? K said that there was no specific episode. He just woke up one day and it hurt. Lower leg injury.

Words like "mysterious" were thrown around.

As I suggested in my gamer, I would be quite surprised to see any of these guys on the floor against Kansas.

After that, I would not venture a guess.

K's post-game was beyond strange. He looked exhausted. He referenced having a game in 18 hours or so and indicated that he didn't want any questions. A couple of people tried anyway and we did get some info on the injuries. But according to my phone, the whole thing was over in less than five minutes.

It was not a good vibe.

Try not to read too much into this. Maybe he has a cold, maybe there's something going on. And he did have some nice things to say about the football team. K wants to be Corbin McCarthy.

I have to assume that a program/university with the resources that Duke has at its disposal can get this figured out and under control. But right now, I'll stick with mysterious.

[BandAlum83]

3 none and done players possibly- very strange.

Isn't it waaaaaaay too soon to even be entertaining that as a possibility? C'mon, really?

[BandAlum83]

Did you seriously think Jefferson would miss entire season last year. Do you have any info whatsoever that says Giles is coming back soon, or any info on what Bolden Lower Leg injury even is. How could it not seem strange to anyone that it was said by K that Tatum just had a sprain 2 weeks ago, and that he would be back in 2 weeks, but tonight there is no timetable for him. Grant it when he said there was no timetable he may not have meant to lump Tatum in with that but hard to think he didn't


Any chance K just doesn't want Kansas to have anything to scout by putting any of these guys on the floor in easy, meaningless games? They can get better work in practice before Tuesday.

[CDu]

Can you elaborate on this? I've been really anticipating seeing him play. Do you think he could get some minutes this year? I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of redshirt rules. Did he pass a minutes mark or something in this one game?

Barring injury, the minutes limit for a redshirt is 0. So by taking the floor, the redshirt option is gone.

As for White's game, it was pretty non-descript. He was fouled three times on Duke fast breaks, and otherwise looked like a walk-on. I think he looks like Olek Czyz with less vertical and better shooting.

[OldPhiKap]

Bolden? K said that there was no specific episode. He just woke up one day and it hurt. Lower leg injury.

Words like "mysterious" were thrown around.

As I suggested in my gamer, I would be quite surprised to see any of these guys on the floor against Kansas.

After that, I would not venture a guess.

K's post-game was beyond strange. He looked exhausted. He referenced having a game in 18 hours or so and indicated that he didn't want any questions. A couple of people tried anyway and we did get some info on the injuries. But according to my phone, the whole thing was over in less than five minutes.

It was not a good vibe.

Try not to read too much into this. Maybe he has a cold, maybe there's something going on. And he did have some nice things to say about the football team. K wants to be Corbin McCarthy.

I have to assume that a program/university with the resources that Duke has at its disposal can get this figured out and under control. But right now, I'll stick with mysterious.

Watched it, agreed. I know that Grand Canyon has the best long snapper in college and all, but -- that was as big of a brush-off press conference as I have seen from K. And he's not always Mr. Gabby as is.

For an opening game, and one with a huge winning margin at that, one would expect a less surly K. Even knowing all that I know about him. He obviously does not want to talk about any of them.

Strange. Kinda like the hush-hush outbreak at Clavius Base in 2001, A Space Odyssey.

Strange.

[jimsumner]

Barring injury, the minutes limit for a redshirt is 0. So by taking the floor, the redshirt option is gone.

As for White's game, it was pretty non-descript. He was fouled three times on Duke fast breaks, and otherwise looked like a walk-on. I think he looks like Olek Czyz with less vertical and better shooting.

A true freshman can play in an exhibition game and still retain a redshirt. But playing in a regular-season game eliminates that possibility.

White looks a lot better than a walk-on to me. Significantly better. I've suggested earlier that he could have a Marty Clark/Lee Melchionni/David McClure type of career arc, i.e. not playing much early on but becoming a rotation player down the line. I like his game. He's an above-average athlete, good skill set, good hoops IQ and he's tough.

He'll be a contributor. IMO.

[subzero02]

A true freshman can play in an exhibition game and still retain a redshirt. But playing in a regular-season game eliminates that possibility.

White looks a lot better than a walk-on to me. Significantly better. I've suggested earlier that he could have a Marty Clark/Lee Melchionni/David McClure type of career arc, i.e. not playing much early on but becoming a rotation player down the line. I like his game. He's an above-average athlete, good skill set, good hoops IQ and he's tough.

He'll be a contributor. IMO.

I think he has a chance to have a very good career at Duke. At worst, I think he'll be a rich man's Melchionni

[mgtr]

The team on the floor tonight was good, very similar to last year's team. Jeter was improved, we sort of swapped out point guards from last year, and we had no Marshall. We need to be a lot better than we were tonight. Kansas was not impressive in their OT loss.

[CDu]

I think he has a chance to have a very good career at Duke. At worst, I think he'll be a rich man's Melchionni

I think this is highly optimistic, but I hope you are right. My suspicion is that he never cracks the rotation. I just think we will have too many elite players for him to do so.

I don't think he is as talented as, say, Pocius. And I think the talent around him is better and deeper than when Pocius was here. And Pocius didn't get major minutes.

I still see Olek Czyz with less leaping ability and perhaps better shooting touch. I just don't see him being a rotation guy at Duke. That isn't a slight. The vast majority of D-1 players (heck, even the majority of BCS schools' players) aren't quite good enough to be regulars at Duke.

This team is loaded. I love what I see out of Jackson. DeLaurier is an athletic freak, and I think by next year he could be an impact player in the post. He has game-changing athleticism. With experience, I think he can be a force. And Bolden, Tatum, and Giles are better than him, so look out!

And then there are the vets. Jefferson just looks so steady out there. Same with Jones. Kennard looks like a scoring savant. And that doesn't even get to our All-American. Just an embarrassment of riches.

[Kedsy]

I am starting to think we will be lucky to see Giles play at all and I'm 50/50 with Tatum and Bolden.


The Tatum thing is the most bizarre. Two weeks ago we were told he would be back in 2 weeks. Now it's no timetable??? Starting to look like a Jefferson situation for all 3 at this point


3 none and done players possibly- very strange.

Chill, dudes. I admit it's a bit odd, but the conclusions you all are drawing are just plain crazy.


I would not be surprised if [Frank Jackson] became a starter at some point. I don't know who he would replace, but man, I don't see how you keep a defensive force like him on the bench.

Luke has been seriously balling out so far this season. He's got such a smooth game and is always under control. If it's really true that he's grown to 6'6", that really helps his NBA prospects. I think Luke will be a VERY good pro someday with his game.

The amazing thing about this year's team is that Frank and Luke will both probably be coming off the bench once we get healthy. And Chase Jeter, who looks like a real player now and would start on the vast majority of teams in Division I and would be at least a rotation player on all but a few, will have a challenge finding minutes at all once everyone is back. Embarrassment of riches, indeed.


Can you elaborate on this? I've been really anticipating seeing him play. Do you think he could get some minutes this year? I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of redshirt rules. Did he pass a minutes mark or something in this one game?

Jack White has looked pretty good so far. He has good size for a wing and a college-ready body right now. He can shoot and he can run the floor and he goes hard all the time, especially after rebounds. That said, I doubt he'll see even a single minute in non-garbage time this season. I agree with those who see a Lee Melchionni-like career arc for him.

As others have said, once he played even a minute in a real game (he had 12 mins tonight), the redshirt option is gone.

[Old Gold]

I see a bigger upside for White because of his lateral quickness. He has the potential to be a really good defender.

[Saratoga2]

Any chance K just doesn't want Kansas to have anything to scout by putting any of these guys on the floor in easy, meaningless games? They can get better work in practice before Tuesday.

We know Giles is recovering from the knee cleanout, so that was a real situation with a recovery time dependent to some degree on the individual.
The other two are unknown so it leaves us somewhat suspicious. Maybe a twisted or lightly sprained ankle or knee in Tatum's case or maybe something completely different. Why not just say what the concern is? In Bolden's case the thought is something hurt in his lower leg (not even which one). That isn't much information and we are left to guess if it was a sprain or stress fracture. Again, what is the reason for being so secretive about what is known? The coaching staff doesn't owe the fans an explanation, on the other hand they wind up looking a bit like they are running a political campaign.

[rocketeli]

That wasn't a very informative game, as expected. Marist isn't very good and all the Duke players were able to perform to expectations and stay in their comfort zones of their various skill sets. Allen, as others have noted does seem to be "pressing" a bit. Maybe feeling the weight of expectations, his and others?
Kansas of course will be a whole different thing.
I'm taking a lemonade view of the early season injuries. Firstly, much better to have them now than later in the season when it would disrupt an already established rotation. Second, it gives the very talented bench players some playing time. Thirdly and most importantly, it prevents that typical scenario where Duke starts way ahead of other teams in December, then everybody else catches up, figures Duke out, and things get stale or harder in the late season. With the team still evolving into January, this will be prevented.
Also interesting, whether or not you "like" Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson, it could be argued that there will be an inverse correlation between their playing time and the overall success of the team--because if their playing time goes down, that means that bigger and/or more talented players have also learned the Duke system and are committed to playing smart, hard defense.

[azzefkram]

While I don't think much can be gleaned from a game against a clearly over-matched opponent, it was fabulous to see Duke basketball.

Pleasant surprises

I know Marist didn't present the most formidable front line, but Chase looked much more comfortable out there. I hope he keeps progressing.
Even as constituted I think this team can be special. A full roster would be awesome. I do think our ceiling is significantly higher if Frank can earn the point.
How cool is it that when Matt has his feet set, I am surprised when the ball doesn't go in.
I know Vrank won't see much burn during Kedsy games, but it looks like he's progressed to the point where he can be utilized in a break glass in case of emergency sort of way without too much drop off.
I am going to have to pay more attention to Luke. I thought he was having an okay game and then I checked the box and he nearly got a double-double. He's a crafty one.
Not really a pleasant surprise but still great to see Amile being Amile and Matt being Matt.
The potential for a good defense.
He's not ready for prime time but Javin sure is fun to watch. The announcers kept saying he's 6'10". Is he really that tall?



Things I'm less thrilled about

Our transition D or lack thereof. Some of it was caused by some rather ill-advised drives but too much was caused by poor rotations.
Grayson pressing. While it is a significant part of his game, there were a few too many I'm going to drive into four defenders and see what happens.
Fouls. I am guessing it's the early season "we're going to call everything" scenario. If not, let's be more judicious out there guys.



As for the injuries/mysteries, I am assuming I won't see GTB play so I can be pleasantly surprised when they do.

[grad_devil]

I just had a chance to watch the replay. My favorite line (paraphrased) from Chris Spatola?

"Grayson Allen falls harder than any player in America"

It's so true, right? Made me chuckle. Let's hope none of that falling has a negative effect on Grayson's health.

[duke96]

Anyone have an idea how to watch a replay of the game?

Had thought it would be on WatchESPN but doesn't seem to be there.

Thanks!

[Wahoo2000]

Bolden? K said that there was no specific episode. He just woke up one day and it hurt. Lower leg injury. Words like "mysterious" were thrown around.


***Warning: Uninformed Rival Fan Speculation Ahead***

Sounds similar to a stress-reaction type of issue. We had that with Darion Atkins during his 2nd year. He was really starting to show out and ended up having to sit about 4-6 weeks to let it heal, then was on a pretty short (10mpg-ish) minutes restriction for the remainder of the season. From what I remember reading, EVERY case is different in these situations, and healing/recovery varies wildly from person to person. Also, tough to monitor as you can only gauge REAL progress by lack of pain AFTER playing.

No idea if Bolden has a stress reaction, but if he DOES, that would totally explain a)"just woke up and it hurt", and b)the lack any kind of timetable

[Wahoo2000]

Anyone have an idea how to watch a replay of the game?

Had thought it would be on WatchESPN but doesn't seem to be there.

Thanks!

It's on the watch ESPN mobile app for me under "replays" yesterday (7pm eastern) OR you MIGHT find it here if this link works:

http://www.espn.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2916332/launchPlayer/true

[TruBlu]

Anyone have an idea how to watch a replay of the game?

Had thought it would be on WatchESPN but doesn't seem to be there.

Thanks!

On my home computer, the Duke/Marist game wasn't listed as being available for replay. But when I did a search for "Duke" at the top of the screen, it magically appeared, and I was able to watch it. Maybe you are having the same phenomenon on your device.

[duke96]

Thanks so much trublu and wahoo. Bizarrely neither of these seem to work for me. Game just doesn't show up as available to watch in replay. Hoping just an aberration for this game!

[duke96]

Ok updated app and now it shows up. Just in case anyone else has same issue.

[DukieInBrasil]

Duke was good. Marist was weak.
I liked seeing how all of the "non-rotation" players get lots of minutes. Vrank (the Tank) looked solid, White did fine. DeLaurier's athleticism is awesome but his skill level is lagging behind, don't need too much skill to grab rebounds and block sots though.
The real highlight of the game is that Justin Robinson scored in his first game.
I think we'll now more after Grand Canyon, which on paper ought to be better.
It was good to rest the starters and good that the bench guys got lots of minutes, since they'll be back on the court with less than 21 hours turnaround.

[ChillinDuke]

Some reactions on this thread are truly bizarre. The game went more or less as expected. I thought just about everyone tracked at or above expectations. And we have a back-to-back so lineup combos were varied and non-standard. I thought it was a great tune up.

One weird thing I thought was K's press conference. I didn't take much out of it other than we have a game today and he wants to prep immediately and not get into injury questions. But it was still non-standard K.

- Chillin

[superdave]

I was impressed with our big guys. They crashed the boards pretty well. Watching Jeter switch on the perimeter made me think he's worked really hard on his game and has a lot more confidence than last season.

We did not seem to get into the set offense a whole lot because Marist couldnt stop anyone from driving. I hope for some better D tonight to get these guys ready for Tuesday.

[DukieInBrasil]

other interesting things of note: Vrank played 5 more minutes last night than he did all of last year, as well as scoring more points (5 vs 4) and grabbing more rebounds (10 vs 7) than he did all of last year.
promising start for the Tank :cool:

[Edouble]

Duke was good. Marist was weak.
I liked seeing how all of the "non-rotation" players get lots of minutes. Vrank (the Tank) looked solid, White did fine. DeLaurier's athleticism is awesome but his skill level is lagging behind, don't need too much skill to grab rebounds and block shots though.
The real highlight of the game is that Justin Robinson scored in his first game.
I think we'll now more after Grand Canyon, which on paper ought to be better.
It was good to rest the starters and good that the bench guys got lots of minutes, since they'll be back on the court with less than 21 hours turnaround.

I came away from the game feeling an increased level of confidence in our backup front court.

We have had years when our backup front court players did not look ready to step on the hardwood.

Jeter has recovered well from his first exhibition game fiasco. Vrank looks more mobile than expected. DeLaurier will mess up your defense if you snooze on him. That athleticism can ugly up any opponent's night.

[Rich]

other interesting things of note: Vrank played 5 more minutes last night than he did all of last year, as well as scoring more points (5 vs 4) and grabbing more rebounds (10 vs 7) than he did all of last year.
promising start for the Tank :cool:

If I recall correctly, the vast majority (if not all) of Vrank's minutes last year was the game that Coach K sat out and Capel was at the helm. By playing last night it seems to suggest that Coach K personally has more confidence in him.

[jimsumner]

If I recall correctly, the vast majority (if not all) of Vrank's minutes last year was the game that Coach K sat out and Capel was at the helm. By playing last night it seems to suggest that Coach K personally has more confidence in him.

Vrankovic played 14 minutes last season. One of those was at Georgia Tech. That one minute was the only PT he saw after playing four minutes against Elon on 12-28.

Jack White? I interviewed him earlier in the season for an article on Jones. He sounds Australian. Of course. But it's so neat to hear that up close and personal. Crocodile Dundee.

[dukelifer]

Chill, dudes. I admit it's a bit odd, but the conclusions you all are drawing are just plain crazy.



The amazing thing about this year's team is that Frank and Luke will both probably be coming off the bench once we get healthy. And Chase Jeter, who looks like a real player now and would start on the vast majority of teams in Division I and would be at least a rotation player on all but a few, will have a challenge finding minutes at all once everyone is back. Embarrassment of riches, indeed.



Jack White has looked pretty good so far. He has good size for a wing and a college-ready body right now. He can shoot and he can run the floor and he goes hard all the time, especially after rebounds. That said, I doubt he'll see even a single minute in non-garbage time this season. I agree with those who see a Lee Melchionni-like career arc for him.

As others have said, once he played even a minute in a real game (he had 12 mins tonight), the redshirt option is gone.
My reaction was simply to use the phrase none and done which clearly fell flat. I am not worried at this point. Still early and the talent level should allow them to plug right in. But there is always concern. Just like everyone believes in their hearts that players get on shooting streaks - even if the statistics says no- people also believe that seasons are marked by themes, and injuries have defined this early season with the three best Freshman being hit by the bug. That is a very strange coincidence.

[dukelifer]

I was impressed with our big guys. They crashed the boards pretty well. Watching Jeter switch on the perimeter made me think he's worked really hard on his game and has a lot more confidence than last season.

We did not seem to get into the set offense a whole lot because Marist couldnt stop anyone from driving. I hope for some better D tonight to get these guys ready for Tuesday.

Unlike many on this board- I saw glimpses from Jeter last year. Confidence is a funny thing. He could become a really good before his career is over as long as he continues to work. I also see a lot of Marshall in Vrank. He is a big dude and has good instincts. That is a good starting point.

[OldPhiKap]

Unlike many on this board- I saw glimpses from Jeter last year. Confidence is a funny thing. He could become a really good before his career is over as long as he continues to work. I also see a lot of Marshall in Vrank. He is a big dude and has good instincts. That is a good starting point.

I thought that the light started to come on for Chase at the end of the season, agreed.

Vrank is growing into it. If he just keeps working hard he can certainly contribute. Zoubeks happen.

[jimsumner]

I thought that the light started to come on for Chase at the end of the season, agreed.

Vrank is growing into it. If he just keeps working hard he can certainly contribute. Zoubeks happen.

Zoubeks do indeed happen.

The one that happened for Duke happened to a top-30 recruit, a Parade All-America, who was held back early in his career by foot problems but still played 235 minutes as a freshman, 221 more than the maybe top-150 recruit played as a freshman.

Don't get me wrong. I would love to see Vrankovic develop into a Zoubek-level player. But I think we may be talking apples and oranges here.

[sagegrouse]

Duke was good. Marist was weak.
I liked seeing how all of the "non-rotation" players get lots of minutes. Vrank (the Tank) looked solid, White did fine. DeLaurier's athleticism is awesome but his skill level is lagging behind, don't need too much skill to grab rebounds and block sots though.
The real highlight of the game is that Justin Robinson scored in his first game.
I think we'll now more after Grand Canyon, which on paper ought to be better.
It was good to rest the starters and good that the bench guys got lots of minutes, since they'll be back on the court with less than 21 hours turnaround.

Good motto for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union?