MBB: Duke 93, BC 82 Post-Game Thread

[CDu]

Have at it.

[DukeWarhead]

can't polish the turd of the last ten minutes. Really weak. If Amile is out a long time, this was a bad game all around. but a win.

[CDu]

Great first half. Mediocre start to the second. Awful finish to the second half. Jefferson getting hurt had a ton to do with that as we were forced to play 2-3 frosh the entire second half. It showed.

Kennard was bad today. Not as a shooter, where he was fine. But defensively he was abysmal.

Allen was terrific. Tatum had some really nice moments. Giles too. Both had lazy moments in transition though.

Bolden was energetic but missed some assignments on D.

It is a win though. Hopefully Jefferson's foot is okay. And hopefully this helps our guys learn not to get complacent.

[arnie]

Giles starting to show his skills and if fully healthy think he'll be a beast rest of year. Bolden seems so far behind; don't think he'll have much impact.

[Bob Green]

We scored 93 points and won by double digits so I'm not going to overreact to the end of the game.

[NashvilleDevil]

Didn't watch the collapse because I was out. But Duke was firing on most cylinders even after Amile went out. From what I've gathered it seems Duke missed several open looks during BC's run and they couldn't make a stop which could be attributed to Amile being out.

Biggest concern from this game is obviously Amile's health. FSU is giving the Hokies the business today and I'm sure they will be amped to play Duke in Tallahassee. Rest up fellas cause Tuesday is going to be tough.

[jipops]

Focus, must maintain it. That didn't happen today.

This was a very frustrating game to watch as a very mediocre team basically scored at will. But the team is still learning so can't take it as a sure sign of things to come.

Obviously not having Amile makes us a much less imposing team. Will just have wait for how long he'll be out.

[Karl Beem]

We scored 93 points and won by double digits so I'm not going to overreact to the end of the game.

We lose this game if we hadn't been up 25 or if we played a team with more than 2 players.

[TKG]

Our margin for error is slim.

[FerryFor50]

Disappointing finish, but they held on and hit the FTs to close out a double digit win.

Losing Amile was the key; you could see it at the end of the first half, too.

The layup drill was a result of poor pick and roll and lack of help defense - both of those have to do with communication. Not coincidentally, Amile is the man in communicator out there. Having to play two freshmen exposed that, despite the bigs looking decent otherwise.

Experience and playing time will help improve the situation. Hopefully, it won't happen because Amile is out, but because everyone is playing.

[NashvilleDevil]

We lose this game if we hadn't been up 25 or if we played a team with more than 2 players.

If Amile doesn't get hurt Duke wins by 25+. Amile anchors the D and when he went out it was up to Giles or Tatum and they are not ready for that responsibility yet.

[du_bb1]

poor second half--I thought, do to lack of focus-let up with big lead-
loss of aggressiveness hurt on both ends=will get better and learn from this

[Kjeffrey]

Didn't watch the collapse because I was out. But Duke was firing on most cylinders even after Amile went out. From what I've gathered it seems Duke missed several open looks during BC's run and they couldn't make a stop which could be attributed to Amile being out.

Biggest concern from this game is obviously Amile's health. FSU is giving the Hokies the business today and I'm sure they will be amped to play Duke in Tallahassee. Rest up fellas cause Tuesday is going to be tough.

FSU has a very favorable schedule when they play ranked teams. Lots of them being played in Tallahassee. Must be nice!

[NashvilleDevil]

FSU has a very favorable schedule when they play ranked teams. Lots of them being played in Tallahassee. Must be nice!

Was thinking that as I posted. Because of that, if Duke falters, FSU could get the 1 seed in the ACC tourney.

[Kjeffrey]

Disappointing finish, but they held on and hit the FTs to close out a double digit win.

Losing Amile was the key; you could see it at the end of the first half, too.

The layup drill was a result of poor pick and roll and lack of help defense - both of those have to do with communication. Not coincidentally, Amile is the man in communicator out there. Having to play two freshmen exposed that, despite the bigs looking decent otherwise.

Experience and playing time will help improve the situation. Hopefully, it won't happen because Amile is out, but because everyone is playing.

Just don't understand why Capel didn't use timeouts to refocus the team. Also, why no Chase? Not even one opportunity?

[bluenorth]

Giles starting to show his skills and if fully healthy think he'll be a beast rest of year. Bolden seems so far behind; don't think he'll have much impact.

I have hopes for Bolden, as he seems to understand the need to get back on D. However, with 4 fouls in 7 minutes of play, he's still adjusting to this level of play. I'd prefer to see him use the arm bar less, but he seems to rely on it.

[richardjackson199]

Just don't understand why Capel didn't use timeouts to refocus the team. Also, why no Chase? Not even one opportunity?

Chase was out injured in the last game. I would assume he was not fully ready to return, or he probably would have.

[Coballs]

Is the post-game press conference broadcast online? Interested to hear Capel's comments...especially re: Amile.

[COYS]

This was such a strange game. After the first half, I was ready to comment on how amazing our defense was at forcing turnovers, something we don't really do all that much of. It even seemed like we were not picking up BC on defense quite as far out as usual, which allowed our length to really show. I felt like this was true even after Amile went out of the game. If it weren't for their scores after a few uncharacteristic turnovers from us on offense, we probably would have been up 30 at the half.

In the second half, BC took way better care of the ball and used backdoor cuts and dribble penetration to slice through our half court defense and continued taking advantage of a few uncharacteristic turnovers to get a few transition buckets, too. As foul trouble on our bigs mounted, we got worse and worse. Neither Harry nor Marques have ever tried to play an ACC game while in foul trouble, and with Amile out, our defensive rotations looked awful.

Meanwhile, our offense sputtered as Luke's really bad day on offense kept him off the floor for stretches of play and the rest of the guys had trouble hitting some really good looks.

At the end of the day, the only thing I'm really concerned about is Amile's foot. No, it wasnt pretty in the second half, but better Harry and Marques get a little taste of foul trouble as fatigue in a game we led by 25 than on the road against a top team. Grayson has looked really good running the offense. Jayson is evolving on offense, even if he still doesn't get spacing or ball movement right every time. And Harry looked great for about half the minutes he played. Hopefully, as he rounds into game shape, he can start extending the total number of minutes he is capable of high level play. If indeed Amile is out for any length of time and Chase isn't ready to go, we will need Harry to be ready to handle serious minutes.

[Native]

Is the post-game press conference broadcast online? Interested to hear Capel's comments...especially re: Amile.

Duke Chronicle reporting (http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2017/01/jefferson-exits-with-first-half-injury-as-duke-mens-basketball-cruises-past-boston-college) from the postgame that it is indeed a foot injury for Amile, but no timetable for his return has been disclosed.


"He hurt his foot. We don’t know the extent of it yet," associate head coach Jeff Capel said after the game, who added that Jefferson will undergo tests in the coming days. "We’ll hopefully find out a little bit later."

[Kjeffrey]

I have hopes for Bolden, as he seems to understand the need to get back on D. However, with 4 fouls in 7 minutes of play, he's still adjusting to this level of play. I'd prefer to see him use the arm bar less, but he seems to rely on it.

I agree. Bolden hustles his butt off while Giles jogs around. Bonner called him out on multiple times today. Unfortunately Bolden isn't as polished.

[WVDUKEFAN]

Giles is getting exceedingly better every game. He's still learning, but will be where he needs to be when the time comes. Bolden is thinking too much. If Amile is hurt, they are going to have to learn on the fly. I like Allen at PG.

[MartyClark]

A couple of thoughts and questions:

1. Amile is very important to this team. I hope I am wrong but I worry that he has a serious injury. I suspect that they x-rayed his foot. If it was just an ankle sprain, I think he would have been back.

2. Giles brings a lot to the team but he makes some fundamental mistakes on defense. There are times when he does not seem to be running hard enough on offense and defense. I don't know whether it is conditioning, adjusting to the speed of the college game, or just being tentative because of his significant knee injuries. I think he will continue to improve. His length and jumping ability are impressive.

3. Bolden was hustling, to my untrained eye, but missed some defensive rotations. I think he will also get better.

4. Why no Vrank?

5. What's Jeter's status?

Duke has a tough upcoming week. I'll be at the Louisville game. Go Duke.

[Saratoga2]

Hard to understand what went on in the second half. BC was a quick team and took us apart in the second half. Not having Amile was a part of the problem as neither Harry or Marques defends that that well. Luke wasn't able to stay in front of guys although he certainly tried to be in the right place. We also had great trouble scoring in the second half during a long dry spell, so we need to get our act together.

Some of the good

Giles looked good offensively on several plays
Grayson did a nice job of passing for the most part and could have easily gotten more assists
Tatum is a rock on offense and defensive. Not to say he still doesn't make quite a few mistakes.
Maques diving for a ball in the first half.

Some of the bad

Harry wasn't running the floor on defense or offense. He doesn't appear to have fully gotten into game shape as yet. Harry also has to avoid bringing his hands down on an opponent as he has the ability to block shots instead of drawing fouls.
Marques defense is way behind at this point. He looks confused even though he has the tools to be a good defender
Luke seemed to disappear offensively. Were the BC defenders to big or quick for him? We need him to shoulder part of the scoring load and have seen that he can do it.


We all hope that Amile will recover quickly from whatever injury occurred. The team doesn't look nearly as good with him on the bench.

[jipops]

Duke Chronicle reporting (http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2017/01/jefferson-exits-with-first-half-injury-as-duke-mens-basketball-cruises-past-boston-college) from the postgame that it is indeed a foot injury for Amile, but no timetable for his return has been disclosed.

Without much info, I'm just going to assume he's out at least the next couple games. Which are 2 games we cannot afford at all for him to be out.

[CDu]

Duke Chronicle reporting (http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2017/01/jefferson-exits-with-first-half-injury-as-duke-mens-basketball-cruises-past-boston-college) from the postgame that it is indeed a foot injury for Amile, but no timetable for his return has been disclosed.

That is what I feared. Hope it turns out not to be a serious foot injury.

[SkyBrickey]

I have hopes for Bolden, as he seems to understand the need to get back on D. However, with 4 fouls in 7 minutes of play, he's still adjusting to this level of play. I'd prefer to see him use the arm bar less, but he seems to rely on it.

Bolden was on track to start at the beginning of the year. He's clearly got a ways to go to make it all the way back - I expect him to be a huge asset by February both on the boards and protecting the rim.

I like to think there was improvement even on the court today. On one play he failed to roll to the rim and missed a Graysen pass. GA let him know it. On the next pick and roll with GA, he rolled, caught the pass, was fouled and made both free throws. Progress.

[TKG]

Disappointing finish, but they held on and hit the FTs to close out a double digit win.

Losing Amile was the key; you could see it at the end of the first half, too.

The layup drill was a result of poor pick and roll and lack of help defense - both of those have to do with communication. Not coincidentally, Amile is the man in communicator out there. Having to play two freshmen exposed that, despite the bigs looking decent otherwise.

Experience and playing time will help improve the situation. Hopefully, it won't happen because Amile is out, but because everyone is playing.

While I agree with your overall assessment, my concern is what I perceive to be a lack of engagement/commitment to D. From my amateur perspective I see a number of players whose energy level appears to be much higher on offense than defense. I am not sure how communication, alone, gets those players to commit to playing D.

[COYS]

I agree. Bolden hustles his butt off while Giles jogs around. Bonner called him out on multiple times today. Unfortunately Bolden isn't as polished.

I'm not sure what this post is supposed to mean. Harry hustled to tip loose balls, rotate on D, and jump into the passing lanes on many occasions today. Of course, he also rotated late on D, went for the block instead of getting good defensive position, and overplayed on D onmany occasions, too. There was one time when he was upset with himself for missing a shot and he was slow getting back down the court, but I think it's just plain wrong to imply that Harry doesn't hustle on the court. In fact, some of our best defensive moments were the result of Harry hustling.

As he gets back into game shape and improves his focus, I think we'll see him maintain his focus better at all times. But this was by far his most energetic game, yet, even if it wasn't perfect.

[bluenorth]

I agree. Bolden hustles his butt off while Giles jogs around. Bonner called him out on multiple times today. Unfortunately Bolden isn't as polished.

Yes, they bring different skill sets to the court. Wonder if they can help each other to improve? Wishful thinking. Maybe if they played together for 2-3 years....

[szstark]

Our margin for error is slim.

Do you really believe that? We haven't been healthy all year and yet we have won 14 games. When someone goes down or has a bad game, someone else steps up. Today's result seemed to be more because the freshmen haven't learned to communicate properly on defense yet and they haven't learned how to close out a game yet. Last year's team had a slim margin for error. This team is nothing like last year's team.

[NYBri]

Amile's foot was not in a boot when he was on the bench in the second half.

[Bob Green]

I like Allen at PG.

Agreed!

Allen had a double double today with 12 points and 11 assists. Yes, he turned it over five times but a couple were not his fault like the pass to Bolden on the pick-n-roll when Bolden didn't roll to the basket.

[bluenorth]

Bolden was on track to start at the beginning of the year. He's clearly got a ways to go to make it all the way back - I expect him to be a huge asset by February both on the boards and protecting the rim.

I like to think there was improvement even on the court today. On one play he failed to roll to the rim and missed a Graysen pass. GA let him know it. On the next pick and roll with GA, he rolled, caught the pass, was fouled and made both free throws. Progress.

You're right, that was a quick learning process. Plus, did you think you'd see Bolden go 100% from the line while Allen missed a pair and even Kennard missed one?

[jipops]

A couple of thoughts and questions:

1. Amile is very important to this team. I hope I am wrong but I worry that he has a serious injury. I suspect that they x-rayed his foot. If it was just an ankle sprain, I think he would have been back.



Duke has a tough upcoming week. I'll be at the Louisville game. Go Duke.

Does Duke actually have an xray machine in the locker room? I don't think so. If they did and results came back then we would not have seen him on the bench without a boot.

My guess is it's bad though. If he's out for an extended amount of time that once again ends Duke's hopes for an elusive ACC title. The next 2 games could be ugly.

[OldPhiKap]

It's over.

[WillJ]

Agreed!

Allen had a double double today with 12 points and 11 assists. Yes, he turned it over five times but a couple were not his fault like the pass to Bolden on the pick-n-roll when Bolden didn't roll to the basket.

I thought this was the most interesting development of the game. Allen seems to have changed his attitude towards being a passer rather than a (effective) kamikaze pilot. I think it's good for the team, but maybe it's good for Grayson, too.

[uh_no]

i see a lot about how good we were in the first half... but there were still major issues, especially in the half court offense, where our efficiency was not particularly good... the total looked gaudy because of the high Tempo and a lot of points in transition. we also got out rebounded if i recall

bc was a bit better with the ball, or at least in transition defense in the second half... and that resulted in points rather than tos, and limited our breakaway opportunities.... combined with missing amile, it was a recipe for disaster

[MChambers]

While I agree with your overall assessment, my concern is what I perceive to be a lack of engagement/commitment to D. From my amateur perspective I see a number of players whose energy level appears to be much higher on offense than defense. I am not sure how communication, alone, gets those players to commit to playing D.
Not sure which players you saw, but I saw Bolden working hard, but not always knowing the right move. Late in the game, he rotated to cause a BC guard to miss a layup. Unfortunately, BC got the offensive board and an open three, but it wasn't Bolden's fault.

His first two fouls were debatable, as least as seen through blue-shaded lenses, especially the second, where the only contact seemed to be between Marques's nose and the elbow of the off-arm of the BC player.

Giles is more mobile, and therefore better suited for the college game. He made some nice plays, but he too has a way to go in knowing what to do. If he hadn't reached in on his fourth foul, it would have been a nice play.

[Kjeffrey]

I'm not sure what this post is supposed to mean. Harry hustled to tip loose balls, rotate on D, and jump into the passing lanes on many occasions today. Of course, he also rotated late on D, went for the block instead of getting good defensive position, and overplayed on D onmany occasions, too. There was one time when he was upset with himself for missing a shot and he was slow getting back down the court, but I think it's just plain wrong to imply that Harry doesn't hustle on the court. In fact, some of our best defensive moments were the result of Harry hustling.

As he gets back into game shape and improves his focus, I think we'll see him maintain his focus better at all times. But this was by far his most energetic game, yet, even if it wasn't perfect.

I don't expect anyone to be perfect. Never said it. I don't think Giles consistently hustles and clearly I am not the only one who sees it since Dan Bonner and others have mentioned it. Maybe it is conditioning. He s a very good player and he is getting back into groove but he has lapses on defense.

[MChambers]

I'm not sure what this post is supposed to mean. Harry hustled to tip loose balls, rotate on D, and jump into the passing lanes on many occasions today. Of course, he also rotated late on D, went for the block instead of getting good defensive position, and overplayed on D onmany occasions, too. There was one time when he was upset with himself for missing a shot and he was slow getting back down the court, but I think it's just plain wrong to imply that Harry doesn't hustle on the court. In fact, some of our best defensive moments were the result of Harry hustling.

As he gets back into game shape and improves his focus, I think we'll see him maintain his focus better at all times. But this was by far his most energetic game, yet, even if it wasn't perfect.

I also think Harry had some very good moments. He got a lot more minutes today, so I expect he was pretty tired, which may have contributed to his lack of focus.

[KandG]

Really rough second half after a sterling first. Credit to BC for constantly going at us no matter what the deficit was, though: Duke had 25 and 24 point leads, and BC just kept getting it down to under 20 and hanging around until their final frantic push to get the lead down to 6 points. As others have said, our defense definitely suffered with Amile out: we overplayed passing lanes a lot and got backdoored way too easily, and frequently missed rotations.

Giles and Bolden are very talented but definitely need more experience with defending at this level. Harry fouls too much and has a bad habit of reaching rather than making himself big when players drive at him...he also loses focus and doesn't always run back in transition as quickly as he should. Bolden is actually a bit better than Giles when it comes to using his size to try and wall off drivers, but he's slower and has a tougher time defending in space and recovering in time to get rebounds.

Both will improve as the season goes along (Giles probably by a lot given his physical tools), but we have to live with the mistakes (and possible losses if Amile is indeed out for a few games) for the time being.

14 assists in the first half, only 6 in the second half (including 3 in the first 15 minutes of the 2nd). I sensed with a 20+ point lead that Coach Capel was willing to look at different ways of attacking BC's defense (more isolations for Tatum in particular). Even though Jayson's reads weren't always the best (he missed a wide open Jackson at one point but managed to score over 3 BC defenders anyway), he's so talented he can pile up points.

I know I say this after every game, but though Tatum's athletic gifts are conspicuous on offense, he can be a real difference maker on defense as well. Several times he got his hands on BC drives and kept them from getting out in transition with just an extended hand here and there. He got victimized backdoor like his teammates, but he has the athleticism to make up for mistakes as well.

Final point about the game: felt like the tide turned coming out of a time out up 79-62. Not every shot we took after that was bad, but it felt a lot more like hero ball on several possessions. Luke had only 6 shots for the game, including only two 3 point attempts, his fewest of the season. BC guarded Luke well, but you have all this drive and kick and post talent on the team and can't find a way to get Luke more than two 3 point looks?. (I wonder if the neglect of Kennard on offense was partially responsible for his defensive lapses, because Robinson just carved him up late in the game.)

Anyway, this sounds hypercritical, but even with a bad second half with laggard passing and not getting in the bonus until late in the half, they still got 40 in the half. Offense doesn't appear to be the team's problem other than getting everyone fully involved. Communication and cohesion on both ends is the continued goal with a team this young.

[uh_no]

Jack, Frank, and javin just walked into Enzo's.... should i ask them what's up with amile??? ,😀:-P

[Kjeffrey]

Agreed!

Allen had a double double today with 12 points and 11 assists. Yes, he turned it over five times but a couple were not his fault like the pass to Bolden on the pick-n-roll when Bolden didn't roll to the basket.

Before the season I remember people questioning whether Allen could be a distributor. Certainly not a problem today.

[MChambers]

Lost in the second half meltdown was the very efficient performance of Mr. Tatum. After a rough start to the game, with some wild passes and turnovers, he put in a very nice performance. He had three assists, at least two of which were on open threes in the first half. He really didn't force many shots and, when he did, he mostly made them. His three with about a minute to go was huge.

[Skydog]

Weird sub patterns by Capel.

Started Giles but subbed him less than 3 min into game - unusually quick hook that usually indicates a pissed coach or an injury. No biggie, but unexpected.

But bigger issue for me was this: Our best player this season* - Kennard - only played 28 minutes, 4th most on the team. That was his lowest minutes for the season other than the GT blowout when the benches were emptied. In this game where we were really struggling to score in the 2nd half (went over 5 minutes w/o a field goal at one point) why was Kennard on the bench for long stretches? Yes Kennard might have had some defensive issues and took his eye off the ball on that pass from Allen (which turned out to not matter), but everyone on the team had defensive issues and made mistakes. I don't think our 2nd half defense could have been worse with or without him. And there was a good chance our offense would have been better.

*How good has Kennard been? His 134.7 offensive efficiency is 17th best in the nation and by far best on our team. And Kenpom has him as the game MVP (for both teams) in 4 of our last 7 games. That's pretty strong.

[MartyClark]

Does Duke actually have an xray machine in the locker room? I don't think so. If they did and results came back then we would not have seen him on the bench without a boot.

My guess is it's bad though. If he's out for an extended amount of time that once again ends Duke's hopes for an elusive ACC title. The next 2 games could be ugly.

Good point, I don't actually know whether they have an x-ray machine onsite.

[Bob Green]

Weird sub patterns by Capel.

Our best player this season* - Kennard - only played 28 minutes, 4th most on the team.

Kennard seemed to be lacking energy today. Several of his shots came up short hitting the front of the rim an indicator of tired (or weak) legs. It wouldn't surprise me to hear he is under the weather.

[BD80]

Agreed!

Allen had a double double today with 12 points and 11 assists. Yes, he turned it over five times but a couple were not his fault like the pass to Bolden on the pick-n-roll when Bolden didn't roll to the basket.

There were two moments that I considered critical for Grayson. The first is when a BC player played a little game of footsie with Grayson away from the play, they kind of had their feet overlapping and contact at the ankle. The BC player pulled his foot in, dragging Grayson's with it, kind of a vertical Indian Leg Wrestling. Grayson flared a bit but walked away. It seemed to me that the BC player was intentionally baiting Grayson, but Grayson did not rise to the bait. Huge moment.

There was a later dribble-drive past Grayson where Grayson got beat laterally, and he extended his trailing forearm making contact. This seemed more of a reflex born of frustration. I hope the staff shows him this one a few times, it seemed to be the kind of reaction he needs to stifle.

On the whole, phenomenal performance by Grayson. Channel that competitive nature into his teammates rather than the opponents. (I don't mean trip his teammates!)

[TKG]

Not sure which players you saw, but I saw Bolden working hard, but not always knowing the right move. Late in the game, he rotated to cause a BC guard to miss a layup. Unfortunately, BC got the offensive board and an open three, but it wasn't Bolden's fault.

His first two fouls were debatable, as least as seen through blue-shaded lenses, especially the second, where the only contact seemed to be between Marques's nose and the elbow of the off-arm of the BC player.

Giles is more mobile, and therefore better suited for the college game. He made some nice plays, but he too has a way to go in knowing what to do. If he hadn't reached in on his fourth foul, it would have been a nice play.

The players that caught my eye today were Tatum, Giles, Kennard and Bolden. The consensus seems to be that given injuries and conditioning that both Harry and Marques get a pass in the short term. But neither moves their feet particularly well in man-to-man situations and neither gets backs in transition. Luke loses his man frequently and gets lost on screens. Jayson's entire personality changes when we are on offense.

Look, I love this team and realize we are talking about kids but these are just my observations/impressions. Frequently, I will rewatch games and focus on the defense. Am I being hypercritical? Maybe. But these are my concerns. We have a lot of offensive weapons and skilled offensive players. If we are going to be a successful team we need the same commitment to D and I think the weakness is more than just poor communication.

[Bluedevil114]

There were two moments that I considered critical for Grayson. The first is when a BC player played a little game of footsie with Grayson away from the play, they kind of had their feet overlapping and contact at the ankle. The BC player pulled his foot in, dragging Grayson's with it, kind of a vertical Indian Leg Wrestling. Grayson flared a bit but walked away. It seemed to me that the BC player was intentionally baiting Grayson, but Grayson did not rise to the bait. Huge moment.

There was a later dribble-drive past Grayson where Grayson got beat laterally, and he extended his trailing forearm making contact. This seemed more of a reflex born of frustration. I hope the staff shows him this one a few times, it seemed to be the kind of reaction he needs to stifle.

On the whole, phenomenal performance by Grayson. Channel that competitive nature into his teammates rather than the opponents. (I don't mean trip his teammates!)

I saw the forearm in the back by Grayson. If reviewed during the game it could have been called a technical foul on Grayson as it looked intentional and probably done out of frustration. Very dangerous play by Grayson. If called a technical it would have stirred up the Duke and Grayson haters again.

[uh_no]

Kennard seemed to be lacking energy today. Several of his shots came up short hitting the front of the rim an indicator of tired (or weak) legs. It wouldn't surprise me to hear he is under the weather.

seems everyone I know is or has been sick in the past month....wouldn't be surprised. Of course, the team would never let anyone know if he were!

[Indoor66]

Maybe Luke has a bug and lacks energy. There is a lot of the flu in my area.

[TKG]

I saw the forearm in the back by Grayson. If reviewed during the game it could have been called a technical foul on Grayson as it looked intentional and probably done out of frustration. Very dangerous play by Grayson. If called a technical it would have stirred up the Duke and Grayson haters again.


I just received an update notification from Bleacher Report Team Stream with the banner: "Did Grayson Allen try to trip a BC player? Video posted : You Be the judge".

Just wow!

[richardjackson199]

I just received an update notification from Bleacher Report Team Stream with the banner: "Did Grayson Allen try to trip a BC player? Video posted : You Be the judge".

Just wow!

Just saw the video. This is a nothing. No one was tripped.

http://bleacherreport.com/duke-basketball

[tbyers11]

Weird sub patterns by Capel.

Started Giles but subbed him less than 3 min into game - unusually quick hook that usually indicates a pissed coach or an injury. No biggie, but unexpected.

But bigger issue for me was this: Our best player this season* - Kennard - only played 28 minutes, 4th most on the team. That was his lowest minutes for the season other than the GT blowout when the benches were emptied. In this game where we were really struggling to score in the 2nd half (went over 5 minutes w/o a field goal at one point) why was Kennard on the bench for long stretches? Yes Kennard might have had some defensive issues and took his eye off the ball on that pass from Allen (which turned out to not matter), but everyone on the team had defensive issues and made mistakes. I don't think our 2nd half defense could have been worse with or without him. And there was a good chance our offense would have been better.

*How good has Kennard been? His 134.7 offensive efficiency is 17th best in the nation and by far best on our team. And Kenpom has him as the game MVP (for both teams) in 4 of our last 7 games. That's pretty strong.

I disagree with the weird sub patterns for Giles. He came out after the first 3 minutes of the game against GT as well. His first rotation in every game that he has played has been very short (about 3 min).

Luke's minutes were down almost exclusively due to foul trouble. He sat the last 5:41 of the first half after picking up his 2nd foul. He also came out for 2:19 at the start of the 2nd half (17:44 mark) immediately after picking up his 3rd foul. If he plays most of those 8 minutes, his total is 34-35 which would be totally normal.

[ipatent]

Six players in double figures and Luke wasn't one of them.

Amile leaves injured after 13 minutes and the team is outrebounded 36-27. They'd better work on blocking out if they are going to have to play without him.

[Skydog]

Kennard seemed to be lacking energy today. Several of his shots came up short hitting the front of the rim an indicator of tired (or weak) legs. It wouldn't surprise me to hear he is under the weather.

Maybe but he wasn't that bad - his offensive rating was 118, tied with Tatum for 2nd best on the team (Amile was 1st). He also had 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and 0 turnovers. The main thing is he didn't shoot a lot. Part of the reason was his playing time dropped by about 25% from his average.

[TKG]

Just saw the video. This is a nothing. No one was tripped.

http://bleacherreport.com/duke-basketball


I agree there was no trip but the larger issue for me ( and I guess it should come as no surprise) is that this is not going to go away while GA is in a Duke uniform. The microscope that kid will be under is going to intense.

[FerryFor50]

Six players in double figures and Luke wasn't one of them.

Amile leaves injured after 13 minutes and the team is outrebounded 36-27. They'd better work on blocking out if they are going to have to play without him.

They were getting outrebounded with him in the game, too.

[COYS]

i see a lot about how good we were in the first half... but there were still major issues, especially in the half court offense, where our efficiency was not particularly good... the total looked gaudy because of the high Tempo and a lot of points in transition. we also got out rebounded if i recall



Not that I completely disagree with you, but we still put up an offensive efficiency of 137 in the first half, per scacchoops, IIRC. It just would've been even better if we had cut down on our turnovers.

As for rebounding, we gave up a few more offensive boards than normal in the first half, but the primary reason we didn't have many boards is because we were hitting our shots and we seemed to either turn BC over or give up a transition bucket. We still grabbed 64% of available defensive rebounds, which is below our season average, but not terrible.

Anyway, we were far from flawless in the first half, but we really were pretty good.

[kmspeaks]

I agree there was no trip but the larger issue for me ( and I guess it should come as no surprise) is that this is not going to go away while GA is in a Duke uniform. The microscope that kid will be under is going to intense.

Yep, that's why I totally agree with whoever started the "Full Death Star Mode" thread. Grayson could get punched in the face and there would be articles about how he stuck his jaw out and that type of play has no place in the game of basektball. #JustWinBaby

[Skydog]

I disagree with the weird sub patterns for Giles. He came out after the first 3 minutes of the game against GT as well. His first rotation in every game that he has played has been very short (about 3 min).

Luke's minutes were down almost exclusively due to foul trouble. He sat the last 5:41 of the first half after picking up his 2nd foul. He also came out for 2:19 at the start of the 2nd half (17:44 mark) immediately after picking up his 3rd foul. If he plays most of those 8 minutes, his total is 34-35 which would be totally normal.

Giles actually played 4.5 minutes before subbing out against GT. Before that he wasn't starting. Like I said no biggie.

As far as Luke - I think K would have played him a few more minutes even with the foul situation. He often doesn't sit his key players for very long if they have 2 fouls in the first half or 3 in the 2nd half. Especially high basketball IQ players that he trusts. I think Luke would fall in that category.

[tbyers11]

Giles actually played 4.5 minutes before subbing out against GT. Before that he wasn't starting. Like I said no biggie.

As far as Luke - I think K would have played him a few more minutes even with the foul situation. He often doesn't sit his key players for very long if they have 2 fouls in the first half or 3 in the 2nd half. Especially high basketball IQ players that he trusts. I think Luke would fall in that category.

Actually against GT, Harry came out at 16:39 of the first half (http://www.goduke.com/fls/4200/stats/2016-17/basketball-m/DU0104.pdf). Which is 3:21 for his first shift.

I agree that K frequently plays players, particularly key high IQ players, with foul trouble. However, that is frequently in close games. Up 18 with 5:41 left in the first half, I bet that K would have taken out Luke as well. Same thing for his third foul up 17 at the start of the 2nd half.

[uh_no]

Not that I completely disagree with you, but we still put up an offensive efficiency of 137 in the first half, per scacchoops, IIRC. It just would've been even better if we had cut down on our turnovers.

As for rebounding, we gave up a few more offensive boards than normal in the first half, but the primary reason we didn't have many boards is because we were hitting our shots and we seemed to either turn BC over or give up a transition bucket. We still grabbed 64% of available defensive rebounds, which is below our season average, but not terrible.

Anyway, we were far from flawless in the first half, but we really were pretty good.

i recall 125, which is a bit of a difference, but given what we should have put up given bc being awful, it still wasn't a great number

[gofurman]

I want to be wrong. But I posted in the pre-game thread how 'complacent' everyone (fans) was about this game. Very little pre-game thread talk. Everyone assumed we will kill them. Maybe we do if Amile is healthy. But you can't assume any health this year. That SUCKS. It kills me. I am a huuuuuge fan. This Amile thing is horrible. Please tell me he is coming back. Please !!!!!!!!

But I will never assume a win. Never. And I haven't watched this game but saw we were up by only six or seven w a minute left. Dang. At that level of play we are in for several losses. A lot.

[Brockt10]

Not sure if reported on the board yet but another claim of Allen tripping is blowing up.

[OZ]

I agree there was no trip but the larger issue for me ( and I guess it should come as no surprise) is that this is not going to go away while GA is in a Duke uniform. The microscope that kid will be under is going to intense.


It also shows how desperate these folks are to find something. When Allen got tripped from behind, I could only imagine the fake news and false outrage coming out of that had Allen done the tripping.

[billy]

Not sure if reported on the board yet but another claim of Allen tripping is blowing up.

All my UNC "friends" are all over it: http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/01/07/grayson-allen-tried-trip-player-again-duke-video

[NashvilleDevil]

It also shows how desperate these folks are to find something. When Allen got tripped from behind, I could only imagine the fake news and false outrage coming out of that had Allen done the tripping.

Dillon Brooks kicked a kid in the groin and was ejected. I think espn may be a little busy to go after Grayson. Seth greenberg even responded that it was not a trip, he was going through a screen and he got tripped.

[tbyers11]

Dillon Brooks kicked a kid in the groin and was ejected. I think espn may be a little busy to go after Grayson. Seth greenberg even responded that it was not a trip, he was going through a screen and he got tripped.

I feel dirty agreeing with Seth Greenberg, but he's right. If anything there was a foul on the BC player setting a screen, Is J-Will calling for a lifetime ban?

Here is a link to the Dillon Brooks video (https://twitter.com/i/web/status/817893791403102208). At first glance it looks like his leg comes up to break his fall/keep his knee from snapping. But, watching it from different angles I don't think he needed to kick his leg up with remotely as much force as he did to simply "break his fall". It looks intentional to me and I agree with the ref's decision on a flagrant 2 because it was excessive with intent to injure.

[Emerrick]

Not sure if reported on the board yet but another claim of Allen tripping is blowing up.

I just watched the play in slow motion. The BC player set a screen, leaned in with his shoulder and knocked GA forward. To catch his balance, his leg naturally came up. He would have fallen otherwise. These idiots are reaching. In reality, when watched in slomo, the screen was illegal.

[chrishoke]

ACC and ESPN weigh in on GA.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/18428590/acc-says-tell-grayson-allen-duke-blue-devils-intentionally-made-contact-boston-college-player

[duke4ever19]

Not sure if reported on the board yet but another claim of Allen tripping is blowing up.

This is why people compare ESPN to TMZ.

There is no tripping going on here.

The folks at ESPN know that there is nothing here.

Just my opinion, but I think in times past, this particular story would have been passed around on some unc message boards and maybe a few blogs and die out.
ESPN is now having to compete with all these little sports blogs because they are taking more and more of their traffic, so a non-story must become a story on ESPN, even if it's clearly illegitimate, because they need those extra clicks.

Edit: Perhaps while Jay Williams is still on his mighty high horse, he can take his employer to task for piling on a kid needlessly?

[lotusland]

Greenberg confirming now that not tripping is not an issue. Apparently ESPN contacted the ACC and confirmed that not tripping does not warrant further suspension or sanctions either. No foul was called so it looks like GA is getting off scot-free for not tripping.

[sagegrouse]

I feel dirty agreeing with Seth Greenberg, but he's right. If anything there was a foul on the BC player setting a screen, Is J-Will calling for a lifetime ban?

Here is a link to the Dillon Brooks video (https://twitter.com/i/web/status/817893791403102208). At first glance it looks like his leg comes up to break his fall/keep his knee from snapping. But, watching it from different angles I don't think he needed to kick his leg up with remotely as much force as he did to simply "break his fall". It looks intentional to me and I agree with the ref's decision on a flagrant 2 because it was excessive with intent to injure.

If Grayson Allen had done that, he would be banned for life from NCAA games.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

This is why people compare ESPN to TMZ.

There is no tripping going on here.

The folks at ESPN know that there is nothing here.

Just my opinion, but I think in times past, this particular story would have been passed around on some unc message boards and maybe a few blogs and die out.
ESPN is now having to compete with all these little sports blogs because they are taking more and more of their traffic, so a non-story must become a story on ESPN, even if it's clearly illegitimate, because they need those extra clicks.

Edit: Perhaps while Jay Williams is still on his mighty high horse, he can take his employer to task for piling on a kid needlessly?
Good thing there isn't a monster cheating scandal with loads of evidence being continuously found for these tools to report on. I mean, they'd bring the interweb to its knees reporting on every detail.

[vfefrenzy]

Just a suggestion: how about everyone stop linking to garbage people lying about Grayson. They do it for attention, so don't give them what they want.

[duke4ever19]

Just a suggestion: how about everyone stop linking to garbage people lying about Grayson. They do it for attention, so don't give them what they want.

I agree it's garbage and yes, it started with some random guy uploading a video to twitter.

However, at least three major sports sites, ESPN and CBSSPORTS and Sports Illustrated, have decided to make it a front-page worthy story, so I think it's worth addressing.

I totally get where your coming from, but my wife isn't interested in my dissecting the Grayson Allen saga, so this is all I have at the moment. :)

[DukeDevil]

All this uproar about Grayson, and nobody seemed over there to care that Bolden got called for a foul for getting hit in the face and getting a bloody nose. I wonder why that is?

[fisheyes]

All this uproar about Grayson, and nobody seemed over there to care that Bolden got called for a foul for getting hit in the face and getting a bloody nose. I wonder why that is?

Because we live in a world where the truth no longer matters. SMH

Waiting for penalty in 3....2....1....

[DukeDevil]

I'd rather we link to Grayson plays like this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMOGJOelTDU

[devildeac]

I'd rather we link to Grayson plays like this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMOGJOelTDU

Well, he did throw the ball at another player who wasn't looking...

:rolleyes:

[FerryFor50]

All this uproar about Grayson, and nobody seemed over there to care that Bolden got called for a foul for getting hit in the face and getting a bloody nose. I wonder why that is?

Same guy hit Giles in the face on a drive, too.

And is the same guy in the "tripping" video.

Tava - the next hated BC player.

[WWBD]

My favorite Grayson play today was on a fast break when he's driving to the lane -- and he literally looks both LEFT and RIGHT to find someone, anyone to pass to. No one's there with him (he's too fast) so he takes the shot himself and gets fouled.

Just perfectly exemplifies his new attitude. "I can score -- I will score if you make me -- but I'd rather set up every other guy on this team."

[Kedsy]

Hard to understand what went on in the second half.

I don't think it's that hard to understand.

BC offense while Amile was in the game:

minutes: 12:48
points scored: 20
points per minute: 1.56
points per possession: 0.74


BC offense while Amile was not in the game:

minutes: 27:12
points scored: 62
points per minute: 2.27
points per possession: 1.09


If BC had continued the same scoring per minute while Amile was out, their final point total would have been 62, rather than 82.
If BC had continued the same scoring per possession while Amile was out, their final point total would also have been 62, rather than 82.

In other words, if Duke had the same defensive efficiency without Amile as they did with Amile, we would have won by 30+. Obviously, there's no guarantee we would have continued defending that efficiently for the last 27 minutes with Amile in the game, but visually, it seemed the defensive problem in the second half had to do with poor communication and poor interior rotations, so I think there's a good chance it would have been pretty close.

[BD80]

... If BC had continued the same scoring per minute while Amile was out, their final point total would have been 62, rather than 82.
If BC had continued the same scoring per possession while Amile was out, their final point total would also have been 62, rather than 82. ...

Isn't math strange?

1+ 2 is the same as 2 + 1 !!!!!!

[CDu]

I want to be wrong. But I posted in the pre-game thread how 'complacent' everyone (fans) was about this game. Very little pre-game thread talk. Everyone assumed we will kill them. Maybe we do if Amile is healthy. But you can't assume any health this year. That SUCKS. It kills me. I am a huuuuuge fan. This Amile thing is horrible. Please tell me he is coming back. Please !!!!!!!!

But I will never assume a win. Never. And I haven't watched this game but saw we were up by only six or seven w a minute left. Dang. At that level of play we are in for several losses. A lot.

We were up by 20+ points at the half, when Jefferson played for much of the half. So we were indeed smoking BC as expected while at full strength.

In the second half, we had to play two or three frosh for the entire half. And I think we got complacent. And when we got complacent, the transition defense suffered. But heck, we were STILL up 20 with under 10 minutes to go.

If Jefferson doesn't go down, we win by 30+ points.

[Saratoga2]

The stat line indicates Amile played for 13 minutes

[CDu]

The stat line indicates Amile played for 13 minutes

Yes. Jefferson played for most of the first half before getting hurt with around 7:30 left in the half. We were up 17 at the time. He hobbled down court but couldn't go, and BC eventually scored on essentially a 5-4 off an offensive rebound. He then exited. We finished the off okay (not great, 18-14) for a 19-point lead.

In the second half, without Jefferson, we played essentially even with them until around 10 minutes left. At that point we were up 20. Then we got lazy, let them cut it to six before pulling ourselves together just a bit down the stretch.

With Jefferson, we were +15 in ~13 minutes (12:48 to be exact). Without him, we were -4 in ~27 minutes.

[OldPhiKap]

Yes. Jefferson played for most of the first half before getting hurt with around 7:30 left in the half. We were up 17 at the time. He hobbled down court but couldn't go, and BC eventually scored on essentially a 5-4 off an offensive rebound. He then exited. We finished the off okay (not great, 18-14) for a 19-point lead.

In the second half, without Jefferson, we played essentially even with them until around 10 minutes left. At that point we were up 20. Then we got lazy, let them cut it to six before pulling ourselves together just a bit down the stretch.

With Jefferson, we were +15 in ~13 minutes (12:48 to be exact). Without him, we were -4 in ~27 minutes.

I think it really boils down to this. Amile is the QB of the defense. Not just play, but leadership and communication. Asking freshmen in their fourth or fifth collegiate game to fill that role is really a stretch; they are still learning the system and adjusting to college ball as is.

[Kjeffrey]

Same guy hit Giles in the face on a drive, too.

And is the same guy in the "tripping" video.

Tava - the next hated BC player.

My husband said he was playing dirty in the Wake game too.

[duke74]

All this uproar about Grayson, and nobody seemed over there to care that Bolden got called for a foul for getting hit in the face and getting a bloody nose. I wonder why that is?

I may have mis-seen it, but it seemed to me that the BC players tended to lead their drives with elbows or forearms - including that drive.

[jv001]

Agreed!

Allen had a double double today with 12 points and 11 assists. Yes, he turned it over five times but a couple were not his fault like the pass to Bolden on the pick-n-roll when Bolden didn't roll to the basket.

I'm just now reading the comments from yesterday's game. I know of at least 2 turnovers that were not Grayson's fault. The one you mentioned above(bolded) where Bolden didn't cut to the basket. The other one was Grayson's quick pass to Luke on the sideline. Luke took his eyes off the ball and he couldn't hold on. Luke was just not himself yesterday and the worst wasn't his offense. He played lackluster defense the entire game and it had me wondering if he was under the weather. Not the weather outside.:cool: We really missed Amile in the 2nd half when we seemed to think every 3 point shot would cure the problem. But it was our non-defense that was our problem. I'm hoping Harry, Jayson and Bolden can learn to communicate on defense like Amile. Matt, Luke and Grayson seem to get it but our freshmen have a ways to go. Tough game Tuesday and I hope Capel and our other coaches can coach our guys up in a short turn-around. We have a tough Fl. State team in Tallahassee. GoDuke!

[jv001]

It's over.

MSC....so here's a GoDuke :cool: We have the talent most teams would die for. The freshmen have been injured and missed important practice time and in game experience. We may not win the regular season title if Amile's out for a week or two, but we can win the ACCT and the NCAAT. We might surprise the naysayers and win the regular season title if our freshmen can get up to speed on Duke defense. GoDuke!

[CDu]

I may have mis-seen it, but it seemed to me that the BC players tended to lead their drives with elbows or forearms - including that drive.

The forearm fend on a driving layup is actually a pretty common move across all levels of basketball. It's used to give separation from the defender to reduce risk of a blocked shot. Even our guys use it. It just happens to have caught Bolden in the face (usually it catches the defender in the chest). But it's a blind move as the shooter is looking at the basket.

Tava is a physical, unskilled player for sure. I don't think that was a dirty play though.

[camion]

The forearm fend on a driving layup is actually a pretty common move across all levels of basketball. It's used to give separation from the defender to reduce risk of a blocked shot. Even our guys use it. It just happens to have caught Bolden in the face (usually it catches the defender in the chest). But it's a blind move as the shooter is looking at the basket.

Tava is a physical, unskilled player for sure. I don't think that was a dirty play though.

I agree that it was a fairly normal basketball play that unfortunately drew blood. Nothing dirty intended and not surprising.


However, it was "dirtier" than anything Grayson did yesterday if you were dissecting the game in slow mo looking for dirt.

[CDu]

I'm just now reading the comments from yesterday's game. I know of at least 2 turnovers that were not Grayson's fault. The one you mentioned above(bolded) where Bolden didn't cut to the basket. The other one was Grayson's quick pass to Luke on the sideline. Luke took his eyes off the ball and he couldn't hold on. Luke was just not himself yesterday and the worst wasn't his offense. He played lackluster defense the entire game and it had me wondering if he was under the weather. Not the weather outside.:cool: We really missed Amile in the 2nd half when we seemed to think every 3 point shot would cure the problem. But it was our non-defense that was our problem. I'm hoping Harry, Jayson and Bolden can learn to communicate on defense like Amile. Matt, Luke and Grayson seem to get it but our freshmen have a ways to go. Tough game Tuesday and I hope Capel and our other coaches can coach our guys up in a short turn-around. We have a tough Fl. State team in Tallahassee. GoDuke!

That second one you mentioned did not go down as a turnover on Allen. It might have (or it might have gone on Kennard), but the officials actually called Giles for a moving screen (his 5th foul) instead.

[duke74]

I agree that it was a fairly normal basketball play that unfortunately drew blood. Nothing dirty intended and not surprising.


However, it was "dirtier" than anything Grayson did yesterday if you were dissecting the game in slow mo looking for dirt.

Agree. That was actually my point - nothing Gray did was "dirty" or meant as a retaliation for anything.

[jv001]

That second one you mentioned did not go down as a turnover on Allen. It might have (or it might have gone on Kennard), but the officials actually called Giles for a moving screen (his 5th foul) instead.

You are correct, that was when Giles received his fifth foul. My bad. GoDuke!

[Skydog]

Actually against GT, Harry came out at 16:39 of the first half (http://www.goduke.com/fls/4200/stats/2016-17/basketball-m/DU0104.pdf). Which is 3:21 for his first shift.

I agree that K frequently plays players, particularly key high IQ players, with foul trouble. However, that is frequently in close games. Up 18 with 5:41 left in the first half, I bet that K would have taken out Luke as well. Same thing for his third foul up 17 at the start of the 2nd half.

Yep, I misread the GT pbp on Giles - he went out with 4 1/2 min left in 1st half. Re Luke - I wasn't the only one wondering why he was on the bench when we were struggling in the 2nd half - several twitter posters were remarking on it. And if you don't trust twitter posters then where are we as a society?

[Neals384]

I wasn't able to watch the game, so what follows is based on the game log. I usually reserve lineup comments for the +/- thread, but here goes:

Duke was fine as long as we had two bigs in the game. One big and the four freshmen was not good.

3 Bigs (Jefferson, Giles, Tatum): -3 in 4 minutes
Jefferson + one other big: +20 in 9 1/2 minutes
Two bigs, no Jefferson: +1 in 17 minutes
One big: -7 in 9 1/2 minutes, all in the 2nd half.

Yes, we missed Amile. But the other problem is that foul trouble for our three frosh meant we had to play 4 guards for almost half of the second half. Going forward, I'd like to see 2 bigs as much as possible. If Jeter is ready to rejoin the rotation, we may be OK. If it's just the 3 frosh and no Amile or Jeter, I'm expecting big issues when the fouls accumulate and we have to go small.

One other point: coach needs to retake "Coaching 101". When your guy gets his 4th foul, take him out. Giles got his 4th with 4 1/2 minutes left, stayed in the game, and picked up his 5th less than a minute later. Much better to have Bolden (with 4 fouls himself) in the game and give Giles a short breather. After all, if someone is going to foul out, you'd rather lose Bolden, right?

[uh_no]

coach needs to retake "Coaching 101". When your guy gets his 4th foul, take him out. Giles got his 4th with 4 1/2 minutes left, stayed in the game, and picked up his 5th less than a minute later. Much better to have Bolden (with 4 fouls himself) in the game and give Giles a short breather. After all, if someone is going to foul out, you'd rather lose Bolden, right?

Seriously dude? replacing someone with 4 fouls with another guy with 4 fouls is coaching 101? Apparently I missed that day.

He went small with tatum and 4 guards at the end anyway....

[jimsumner]

Giles and Bolden combined for nine fouls in 31 minutes.

Should improve as they regain their sea legs. But not really sustainable.

Need to get Jeter back. Bolden has a higher ceiling but right now Jeter is the more reliable option, IMO.

[Saratoga2]

Giles and Bolden combined for nine fouls in 31 minutes.

Should improve as they regain their sea legs. But not really sustainable.

Need to get Jeter back. Bolden has a higher ceiling but right now Jeter is the more reliable option, IMO.

Another alternative for a few minutes relief would be Javen DeLaurier. Is he still injured and if so what is the prognosis there?

[DukeandMdFan]

Seriously dude? replacing someone with 4 fouls with another guy with 4 fouls is coaching 101? Apparently I missed that day.

He went small with tatum and 4 guards at the end anyway...

I think it is a fair point - taking a guy out who just picked up his 4th foul so he can reflect (or have a coach tell him) whether he needs to change his approach.

[Stray Gator]

I wasn't able to watch the game, so what follows is based on the game log. . . .

One other point: coach needs to retake "Coaching 101". When your guy gets his 4th foul, take him out. Giles got his 4th with 4 1/2 minutes left, stayed in the game, and picked up his 5th less than a minute later. Much better to have Bolden (with 4 fouls himself) in the game and give Giles a short breather. After all, if someone is going to foul out, you'd rather lose Bolden, right?

Reasonable minds may differ, but I'm not so sure that Coach Capel needs any refresher courses in game and personnel management based on the fact that he allowed Harry to remain on the floor after picking up that fourth foul. I may be overthinking this, but I believe Coach Capel made a conscious decision to leave Giles and Tatum and Bolden exposed in the man-to-man defense during that painful final 10 minutes, because he could have resorted to the obvious salve by deploying a zone -- which would almost certainly have impeded BC's barrage of back-door lay-ups and penetrating drives that steadily melted Duke's lead. If so, his decision might signify a judgment that those frosh will need to accelerate the rate of their maturation to compensate for the anticipated absence of Amile. Perhaps the coaching manual recommends in this situation that it's better to have the less experienced guys learn to play through mistakes and fatigue and foul trouble on the floor in a home game with a lead that could safely be allowed to dwindle than to abruptly dump them into the deep end on the road during the next week.

[jimsumner]

Another alternative for a few minutes relief would be Javen DeLaurier. Is he still injured and if so what is the prognosis there?

He hasn't played much this season and none of that in recent games. Vrankovic might be a better option right now. But Jeter, Giles and Bolden should be enough to hold the fort until Jefferson comes back.

[Rich]

He hasn't played much this season and none of that in recent games. Vrankovic might be a better option right now. But Jeter, Giles and Bolden should be enough to hold the fort until Jefferson comes back.

If just one of them can figure out how to give help side defense when a quick guard dribbles past one of our guards, it would make a huge difference in the defense. I can't remember if Jeter was capable in this area, but Giles and Bolden are still trying to figure it out.

[uh_no]

He hasn't played much this season and none of that in recent games. Vrankovic might be a better option right now. But Jeter, Giles and Bolden should be enough to hold the fort until Jefferson comes back.

I thought if things were any more dire (i.e. someone fould out early enough that the other couldn't make it to the end without a break), we would have seen vrank. However we DID make it to the end (or at least until we went small for end game) I find it hard to be especially critical.

[Neals384]

Seriously dude? replacing someone with 4 fouls with another guy with 4 fouls is coaching 101? Apparently I missed that day.

He went small with tatum and 4 guards at the end anyway...

Yes, you take the guy out when he gets his 4th foul. Counter-examples are welcome.

[uh_no]

Yes, you take the guy out when he gets his 4th foul. Counter-examples are welcome.

last night. Duke won.

[Skydog]

Reasonable minds may differ, but I'm not so sure that Coach Capel needs any refresher courses in game and personnel management based on the fact that he allowed Harry to remain on the floor after picking up that fourth foul. I may be overthinking this, but I believe Coach Capel made a conscious decision to leave Giles and Tatum and Bolden exposed in the man-to-man defense during that painful final 10 minutes, because he could have resorted to the obvious salve by deploying a zone -- which would almost certainly have impeded BC's barrage of back-door lay-ups and penetrating drives that steadily melted Duke's lead. If so, his decision might signify a judgment that those frosh will need to accelerate the rate of their maturation to compensate for the anticipated absence of Amile. Perhaps the coaching manual recommends in this situation that it's better to have the less experienced guys learn to play through mistakes and fatigue and foul trouble on the floor in a home game with a lead that could safely be allowed to dwindle than to abruptly dump them into the deep end on the road during the next week.

I don't think Capel was withholding any game-saving salve for freshman training purposes. He looked a bit frustrated and like he was searching for answers in the 2nd half. If he had a magic bullet he would have used it before our lead dropped to 8 with 5 min to go and then again to 7 with less than 2 minutes left.

[brlftz]

I don't think Capel was withholding any game-saving salve for freshman training purposes. He looked a bit frustrated and like he was searching for answers in the 2nd half. If he had a magic bullet he would have used it before our lead dropped to 8 with 5 min to go and then again to 7 with less than 2 minutes left.

He definitely looked frustrated, and I can imagine a coach stubbornly refusing to take the easy way out and instead demanding that his players figure out how to execute.