MBB: Duke at Notre Dame (1/30, 7pm ET) Pre-game and In-game thread

[CDu]

Big game. Tomorrow. Discuss.

[BandAlum83]

Go Duke!!!!!

[dukelifer]

Need to keep it in reach and then hope for some solid D and O down the stretch. Will be another difficult game.

[NM Duke Fan]

I would like to test out a line up of Giles, Amile, Jackson, Allen, Luke either early or as the starting crew, and if it works well use it frequently. If the D that Giles was able to play the last 2 minutes shows up early it will really help. And give some tme to the Energizer Vrank! Surely Matt will not have such a poor shooting game again.

Really interested to see if Luke can continue to get some great shots, he has the team's full attention and to me is a de facto captain, leading by example. Now to see how Tatum can flow within a more Luke dominant offense and within the rhythm of the game will be important. He brings a valuable dimension, just needs to fine tune it and also become a better passer.

If the intensity and focus of the last part of the second half follows through, there definitely is a chance for a second ACC road win in a row!

[WVDUKEFAN]

I would like to test out a line up of Giles, Amile, Jackson, Allen, Luke either early or as the starting crew, and if it works well use it frequently. If the D that Giles was able to play the last 2 minutes shows up early it will really help. And give some tme to the Energizer Vrank! Surely Matt will not have such a poor shooting game again.

Really interested to see if Luke can continue to get some great shots, he has the team's full attention and to me is a de facto captain, leading by example. Now to see how Tatum can flow within a more Luke dominant offense and within the rhythm of the game will be important. He brings a valuable dimension, just needs to fine tune it and also become a better passer.

If the intensity and focus of the last part of the second half follows through, there definitely is a chance for a second ACC road win in a row!

Is Tatum the 5th man? Someone else posted that Tatum needs to play more in the blocks than from the perimeter. Tatum needs to find his role. As much as we need offense, the defense need was what won the game against Wake Forest.

[richardjackson199]

Vegas spread is currently Pick-Em. I'd expect Joe Q Bettor to give the edge to the home team, but picking against the spread is clearly not my strength.

Of course after Wake you'd think - Go to Luke. Mike Brey is a good coach, and will think - Stop Luke. So to counter that I'd certainly run the offense through Luke, but I'd have him look to really create open shots for teammates. ie Expect Notre Dame to initially really focus on trying to stop Luke from getting good shots (but of course take them if they're open). Luke is also quite adept at creating for teammates, so I'd tell those teammates to be ready to shoot, and expect to get some good shots early on.

Then when Brey adjusts at halftime, have Luke drop another 30 in the 2nd half. And hell, as long as we don't get 30 fouls called on us, that should make things a little easier than what we're used to.

Should be fun!

[CDu]

One nicety from the Wake game: due to all of the foul trouble, our bigs are well-rested. Jefferson played just 20 minutes. Giles just 18. Tatum 21. Bolden just 3. The only guy who logged excessive minutes was Jones. So we should be relatively fresh despite the short turnaround time. Hopefully Jefferson's lack of PT bodes well for his availability/effectiveness tomorrow.

[DukeWarhead]

ND has had Duke's number latetly. Have played with much more passion in those games. Not very confident in this one, but not sure my confidence will be high much again this season.

[NYBri]

I'd feel much better if K was on the bench.

[SlapTheFloor]

I think it's very unlikely we win this game. It would require us playing much better than we have at any point this season. I'm just hoping we make progress as a team. Go Duke!

[gofurman]

. ND has had Duke's number latetly. Have played with much more passion in those games. Not very confident in this one, but not sure my confidence will be high much again this season.

You have a great point. MATCH. UPS. MATCHUPS. Matter as much or more than talent. K can't even solve Brey. I personally suspect bc our D always seems susceptible to quick guards and Brey usually plays a smaller quicker group than most. Especially this year we are susceptible to quick perimeter penetration and ND specializes in that.

Brey and Miami are our two struggles. I think the only two we have a losing record against...

Honestly I am good w 9-9 or 10-8 so this would be a bonus win. Hope we win but road games at ND are really tough for the best Duke teams

[CoachJ10]

Defense has never been the strong suit of Mike Brey team's and I don't think his squad this season matches up well against us on that end either. Luke and Grayson (and Frank) can put a lot of penetration pressure on ND...and this should lead to some open 3s as well as offensive rebounding opportunities. I think Capel will piggyback off the momentum those 2 players had on Saturday, and will really focus on moving the offense to get those guys the chances to create. Jayson should take the opportunity to crash the boards or run the p&r and go strong to the basket. ND does not have the presence to put a lot of fight up.

On defense...well, that gameplan is about as simple as it comes. Talk, talk, talk...be aware, be aware, be aware...HUSTLE, HUSTLE, HUSTLE.

I actually feel pretty good about this game.

[CDu]

The Irish have definitely had our number the past few years. This year's version isn't quite as good as recent years. But they sure aren't bad, either.

Inside is the weakness of this Irish team. Auguste is gone, leaving them with few options inside. They start Gebben (6'10", 255lb junior from Lithuania), a plodding, low-skill big. But Gebben plays only about 16 mpg. They also will bring Torres (6'7", 230lb senior) for about 9 mpg. Torres is more athletic but even less skilled than Gebben. Those two are just there to eat up minutes at center. The rest of they time, they go with Colson (6'5", 225lb junior). Colson is kind of like a poor man's Elton Brand. He is short, but he is a bull in a china shop. He plays with a ton of energy and strength. To Colson's credit, he has improved his skills substantially too. He hits free throws and is a threat out to 20+ feet. Colson averages 15 and 10 and is a stud.

At PF, Colson starts, and gets about half of his minutes there. Behind him is Matt Ryan (6'8", 215lb soph). Ryan is a stretch-4 who doesn't play a ton but can really shoot it. The Irish will also play super small for almost half the game with Beacham (6'8", 200lb senior) there. Beacham is a lanky, athletic shooter who can score a little off the dribble but is most comfy from 3pt range.

On the wings, the Irish are really tough. I mentioned Beacham, but the other star is Vasturia (6'5", 210lb senior). Vasturia is basically their version of Kennard: dead-eye 3pt shooter, surprisingly effective in the lane. Beacham and Vasturia both average 14.5 ppg. The third member of the wings is Pfluegger (6'6" 190lb soph). Pflueger can also really shoot but is a good defender too.

At PG is where the Irish have surprised to remain good. Farrell (6'0" 175lb junior) went from a backup minutes-filler to the unquestioned floor general. He is kind of a bulldog, averages 14 and 6, and can also really shoot it. Behind Farrell is Gibbs (6'3" 200lb frosh), an athletic and capable backup who (you guessed it) can shoot.

The Irish aren't quite as good on offense as they have been the past few years. But they are still good. They play small, they play at a deliberate pace, but they spread you out and they can really shoot. Six different regulars shoot over 38% from three, and Farrell, Vasturia, Gibbs, and Pflueger can attack off the dribble. Colson gives them balance too.

On defense, the Irish have historically stunk. Well, this year they are not awful there. They are #63 in defense, which is a big step up.

This isn't going to be easy. We will have to be really organized on defense. The one plus is that we can probably get away with a small lineup, because they will certainly go small. But even then, they will really stretch us defensively. We can win, but it will take our best game of the season to do so.

[jv001]

The Irish have definitely had our number the past few years. This year's version isn't quite as good as recent years. But they sure aren't bad, either.

Inside is the weakness of this Irish team. Auguste is gone, leaving them with few options inside. They start Gebben (6'10", 255lb junior from Lithuania), a plodding, low-skill big. But Gebben plays only about 16 mpg. They also will bring Torres (6'7", 230lb senior) for about 9 mpg. Torres is more athletic but even less skilled than Gebben. Those two are just there to eat up minutes at center. The rest of they time, they go with Colson (6'5", 225lb junior). Colson is kind of like a poor man's Elton Brand. He is short, but he is a bull in a china shop. He plays with a ton of energy and strength. To Colson's credit, he has improved his skills substantially too. He hits free throws and is a threat out to 20+ feet. Colson averages 15 and 10 and is a stud.

At PF, Colson starts, and gets about half of his minutes there. Behind him is Matt Ryan (6'8", 215lb soph). Ryan is a stretch-4 who doesn't play a ton but can really shoot it. The Irish will also play super small for almost half the game with Beacham (6'8", 200lb senior) there. Beacham is a lanky, athletic shooter who can score a little off the dribble but is most comfy from 3pt range.

On the wings, the Irish are really tough. I mentioned Beacham, but the other star is Vasturia (6'5", 210lb senior). Vasturia is basically their version of Kennard: dead-eye 3pt shooter, surprisingly effective in the lane. Beacham and Vasturia both average 14.5 ppg. The third member of the wings is Pfluegger (6'6" 190lb soph). Pflueger can also really shoot but is a good defender too.

At PG is where the Irish have surprised to remain good. Farrell (6'0" 175lb junior) went from a backup minutes-filler to the unquestioned floor general. He is kind of a bulldog, averages 14 and 6, and can also really shoot it. Behind Farrell is Gibbs (6'3" 200lb frosh), an athletic and capable backup who (you guessed it) can shoot.

The Irish aren't quite as good on offense as they have been the past few years. But they are still good. They play small, they play at a deliberate pace, but they spread you out and they can really shoot. Six different regulars shoot over 38% from three, and Farrell, Vasturia, Gibbs, and Pflueger can attack off the dribble. Colson gives them balance too.

On defense, the Irish have historically stunk. Well, this year they are not awful there. They are #63 in defense, which is a big step up.

This isn't going to be easy. We will have to be really organized on defense. The one plus is that we can probably get away with a small lineup, because they will certainly go small. But even then, they will really stretch us defensively. We can win, but it will take our best game of the season to do so.

It looks like match ups are going to be very important. Looking at your write up on ND, they can go 9 deep. I can see where they go small with all the shooters they have and with Colson they can get away with it. He's a brute that can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket and he's comfortable shooting from the perimeter. He's been known to hurt Duke in the past and on top of this, he can hit the boards. Coach Capel has his work cut out for him in matching up with them. I would say that ND has it's work cut out for them, but they seem more settled in their rotation than Duke does. I believe if we can come away with another road win against a good Irish team, Duke will have the confidence they need to get on a run. GoDuke!

[DavidBenAkiva]

This is such a weird game to predict. On one hand, Notre Dame does not matchup well with Duke at all. They are super small and rely on their top four players - Beachem, Colson, Ferrell, and Vasturia - to an absurd amount. They all average over 30 minutes and between 14.0 and 15.5 points per game. In that sense, there is balance, and they range in height from a small point guard (6'0"), two good-sized wings (6'5" and 6'8"), and an undersized forward (6'5"). Colson is only so-so posting up, but he plays with a lot of heart and has traditionally done very well against Duke in his previous 2 seasons in South Bend.

With Giles, Jefferson, and Tatum in the frontcourt and then some combination of Allen, Jackson, Jones, and Kennard, Duke would have a serious height advantage. I think Giles and Jefferson could really feast on putbacks. Tatum would have a great rebounding edge, too. Colson is averaging a double-double, but then after him, the Irish don't crash the glass. No one else is averaging more than 4.5 boards a game. If Colson gets in foul trouble, they will be at a serious disadvantage on the boards. Allen and Kennard have done a great job on the boards this year, helping to supplement Jefferson. The guards for Duke won't face a shot-blocker in the paint, and so driving to the hoop should be available all game.

With such deficiencies, how does ND keep doing it? They spread you out and make shots. Beachem, Vasturia, and Ferrell all have at least 100 3 point attempts on the season, and they are shooting it well, too. Being able to spread out and knock down shots does a lot for a team.

But Notre Dame has lost 3 of their last four, including on Saturday against surprising Georgia Tech. This is a desperate moment for the Fighting Irish. They will need a big win to right the ship, and here comes a troubled and wobbly Duke team. I look at the team on paper and feel like Duke should have an easy day. Tatum should be excited to run to the rim and score all game. Kennard should be excited to shoot over his defender all game or draw attention and kick out to an open Allen, Jones, or Jackson. Jefferson should be able to roll to the rim for layup after layup. Heck, if Bolden can give us 15 minutes, he should be able to easily post up and get 10 points.

But I am just not confident in this team right now. I don't know if they'll be able to stop the Irish from driving and kicking to an open shooter. Duke should be able to win, but will they play like it?

[jv001]

This is such a weird game to predict. On one hand, Notre Dame does not matchup well with Duke at all. They are super small and rely on their top four players - Beachem, Colson, Ferrell, and Vasturia - to an absurd amount. They all average over 30 minutes and between 14.0 and 15.5 points per game. In that sense, there is balance, and they range in height from a small point guard (6'0"), two good-sized wings (6'5" and 6'8"), and an undersized forward (6'5"). Colson is only so-so posting up, but he plays with a lot of heart and has traditionally done very well against Duke in his previous 2 seasons in South Bend.

With Giles, Jefferson, and Tatum in the frontcourt and then some combination of Allen, Jackson, Jones, and Kennard, Duke would have a serious height advantage. I think Giles and Jefferson could really feast on putbacks. Tatum would have a great rebounding edge, too. Colson is averaging a double-double, but then after him, the Irish don't crash the glass. No one else is averaging more than 4.5 boards a game. If Colson gets in foul trouble, they will be at a serious disadvantage on the boards. Allen and Kennard have done a great job on the boards this year, helping to supplement Jefferson. The guards for Duke won't face a shot-blocker in the paint, and so driving to the hoop should be available all game.

With such deficiencies, how does ND keep doing it? They spread you out and make shots. Beachem, Vasturia, and Ferrell all have at least 100 3 point attempts on the season, and they are shooting it well, too. Being able to spread out and knock down shots does a lot for a team.

But Notre Dame has lost 3 of their last four, including on Saturday against surprising Georgia Tech. This is a desperate moment for the Fighting Irish. They will need a big win to right the ship, and here comes a troubled and wobbly Duke team. I look at the team on paper and feel like Duke should have an easy day. Tatum should be excited to run to the rim and score all game. Kennard should be excited to shoot over his defender all game or draw attention and kick out to an open Allen, Jones, or Jackson. Jefferson should be able to roll to the rim for layup after layup. Heck, if Bolden can give us 15 minutes, he should be able to easily post up and get 10 points.

But I am just not confident in this team right now. I don't know if they'll be able to stop the Irish from driving and kicking to an open shooter. Duke should be able to win, but will they play like it?

That's why I think Coach Capel will have to come up with the correct matchups. GoDuke!

[gofurman]

This is such a weird game to predict. On one hand, Notre Dame does not matchup well with Duke at all. They are super small and rely on their top four players - Beachem, Colson, Ferrell, and Vasturia - to an absurd amount. They all average over 30 minutes and between 14.0 and 15.5 points per game. In that sense, there is balance, and they range in height from a small point guard (6'0"), two good-sized wings (6'5" and 6'8"), and an undersized forward (6'5"). Colson is only so-so posting up, but he plays with a lot of heart and has traditionally done very well against Duke in his previous 2 seasons in South Bend.

With Giles, Jefferson, and Tatum in the frontcourt and then some combination of Allen, Jackson, Jones, and Kennard, Duke would have a serious height advantage. I think Giles and Jefferson could really feast on putbacks. Tatum would have a great rebounding edge, too. Colson is averaging a double-double, but then after him, the Irish don't crash the glass. No one else is averaging more than 4.5 boards a game. If Colson gets in foul trouble, they will be at a serious disadvantage on the boards. Allen and Kennard have done a great job on the boards this year, helping to supplement Jefferson. The guards for Duke won't face a shot-blocker in the paint, and so driving to the hoop should be available all game.

With such deficiencies, how does ND keep doing it? They spread you out and make shots. Beachem, Vasturia, and Ferrell all have at least 100 3 point attempts on the season, and they are shooting it well, too. Being able to spread out and knock down shots does a lot for a team.

But Notre Dame has lost 3 of their last four, including on Saturday against surprising Georgia Tech. This is a desperate moment for the Fighting Irish. They will need a big win to right the ship, and here comes a troubled and wobbly Duke team. I look at the team on paper and feel like Duke should have an easy day. Tatum should be excited to run to the rim and score all game. Kennard should be excited to shoot over his defender all game or draw attention and kick out to an open Allen, Jones, or Jackson. Jefferson should be able to roll to the rim for layup after layup. Heck, if Bolden can give us 15 minutes, he should be able to easily post up and get 10 points.

But I am just not confident in this team right now. I don't know if they'll be able to stop the Irish from driving and kicking to an open shooter. Duke should be able to win, but will they play like it?

Norte dame is just strange. On paper they shouldn't match up w anyone in the ACC. But brey has them winning every year now ..and v well. On the one hand the heights of their players seem like a mid-major and that any acc team should dominate. But they never let that happen. They were a shot away from going to the final,four v UK a few years back. ND just flat shoots the ball well. Drive. Kick n shoot. It's basically Dukes formula but w a little les height. The interesting thing is they usually do it w a poor defense and still win. They shoot that well. All five players (even colson at center) can pull the three. And Vasturia etc can kill you. The only thing for us is they aren't Dennis Smith types that absolutely fly by w acceleration as far as I know. Please correct me if I am wrong here. ?

Good post above that I agree with (maybe agreeing is why I think it's a good post). We used to impose our will on teams. Right now we seem to have to adjust. Hopefully that changes w K back in Feb. but I suspect tomorrow we have to adjust to them. Used to we played our guys and you either adjusted to us or took an L

[Bob Green]

The team needs to put together some consistency. Saturday's big comeback win should've shown them they have the talent. Now they need to go out and execute for 40 minutes. A lot of us thought the 2nd half against Miami would be their season changing event but it wasn't. Will the last 2 minutes of the Wake game be that season changing event? We will start finding out tonight in South Bend against a talented team coming off a loss.

[fuse]

Bonzi Colson always seems to have career games against Duke.

Keeping him in Clark Kent instead of Superman mode is important.

We have the offense to hang with anybody.
Time to see if we can focus on defense.

[rocketeli]

This will be a tough game, I think. Everybody saves their best effort for Duke, it seems, and ND is playing at home and coming off a very disappointing upset. They will be focused.
People are talking a lot on DBR about what they want the players to do, but also I want the coaches to consider:
Defense--on and on we talk about how hard it is for OADs/freshmen etc to learn the defense. Well-simplify the defense! Play a simpler zone or straight up man to man and stop worrying about "hedging" and "icing" and that weird thing where the big runs out to the perimeter and back. Good hard basic defense would work better than what they are trying to do now.
Get the bigs involved in the offense. Would it kill us to run some pick and rolls or plays designed to get the ball down low?
No favorites. If Matt J forgets his role and starts to think he is Carmelo Anthony, bench his butt for a while. It hurts team chemistry when the other players feel that there is one set of rules for them and another for the "coach's pet."
Three passes before a shot once they are in the half court.
KISS

[Spanarkel]

The Irish are the leading FT% team in D-1 at 0.815. Hopefully they won't shot nearly as many FTs as Wake did against us on Saturday.

[Troublemaker]

People are talking a lot on DBR about what they want the players to do, but also I want the coaches to consider:

Oh, so many delightful nuggets in here, rocketeli. Thank you for enhancing my morning coffee.



stop worrying about "hedging" and "icing" and that weird thing where the big runs out to the perimeter and back.


You listed three things, but those are not three different things. The two things I bolded are the same, and it is not "weird." Hedging occurs all the time in basketball.



Defense--on and on we talk about how hard it is for OADs/freshmen etc to learn the defense. Well-simplify the defense! Play a simpler zone or straight up man to man


Please explain to me what a "straight up man to man" is. Better yet, after you define it, find me examples of college basketball teams that play "straight up man to man."

You probably think UVA does, right? Well, UVA does the "weird" hedging thing close to 100% of the time on pick-and-roll.



Get the bigs involved in the offense. Would it kill us to run some pick and rolls or plays designed to get the ball down low?


We're starting to run more and more post entries to Harry as he continue to improve returning from injury. He's shown graceful post moves and a nice touch. Stay patient. Harry is going to average 15 ppg pretty soon.



No favorites. If Matt J forgets his role and starts to think he is Carmelo Anthony, bench his butt for a while. It hurts team chemistry when the other players feel that there is one set of rules for them and another for the "coach's pet."


Lol, when has Matt played like Carmelo Anthony? Oh, let me guess. You mean he went 1-for-8 from 3 the other day? Look, we're a program that if a shooter has 8 open looks, we want him to fire 8 times. Obviously, he needs to hit his open shots at a good rate, which he does. After a horrible slump earlier in the season and the 1-for-8 yesterday, he's still at 34% on the season shooting threes. He'll continue to migrate back to his career average of 37% and possibly more, as he shot 42% last season. Shooters are going to have bad shooting days, and it all evens out (towards the mean). Was Grayson thinking he is Carmelo when he shot 1-for-9 against NCSU from three?



It hurts team chemistry when the other players feel that there is one set of rules for them and another for the "coach's pet."


Wow, Matt really rustles your jimmies. Thankfully, all the players and the coaches love Matt.

[flyingdutchdevil]

We're starting to run more and more post entries to Harry as he continue to improve returning from injury. He's shown graceful post moves and a nice touch. Stay patient. Harry is going to average 15 ppg pretty soon.

Agreed with what you wrote minus this. I'd be SHOCKED if Giles averages more than 10ppg for the remainder of the season.

IMO, he played his best game against Wake. He was soooo much better than anything that we've seen. And it came because Giles wasn't hunting his shot in the second half. He was screening for Luke. He was rebounding well. He was playing solid help defense without leaving that stunning hole in the middle that is often a byproduct of poor team defense. He stopped making dumb fouls in the second half.

And the truth is, we don't need Giles to score a lot. As a matter of fact, more shots for Giles likely means less shots for Luke (amongt other players. But it's Luke's shot that needs to be considered). And I don't think anyone wants that to happen.

I'm starting to see value of Giles, and it definitely isn't as a scorer.

[NM Duke Fan]

Agreed with what you wrote minus this. I'd be SHOCKED if Giles averages more than 10ppg for the remainder of the season.

IMO, he played his best game against Wake. He was soooo much better than anything that we've seen. And it came because Giles wasn't hunting his shot in the second half. He was screening for Luke. He was rebounding well. He was playing solid help defense without leaving that stunning hole in the middle that is often a byproduct of poor team defense. He stopped making dumb fouls in the second half.

And the truth is, we don't need Giles to score a lot. As a matter of fact, more shots for Giles likely means less shots for Luke (amongt other players. But it's Luke's shot that needs to be considered). And I don't think anyone wants that to happen.

I'm starting to see value of Giles, and it definitely isn't as a scorer.

Agreed! I want to see him further fine tune what he showed against Wake, that is what is needed, and I have heard a quote or two from him regarding rebounding and defense. He played an important role that game without being a major offensive option. Points are great when in the flow of the game, and he can over time expand that, including putbacks. Maybe ten or twelve points average a game is realisitic by the end of the year. For now, as one famous coach always says emphatically: "Just do your job!"

[Troublemaker]

Agreed with what you wrote minus this. I'd be SHOCKED if Giles averages more than 10ppg for the remainder of the season.

IMO, he played his best game against Wake. He was soooo much better than anything that we've seen. And it came because Giles wasn't hunting his shot in the second half. He was screening for Luke. He was rebounding well. He was playing solid help defense without leaving that stunning hole in the middle that is often a byproduct of poor team defense. He stopped making dumb fouls in the second half.

And the truth is, we don't need Giles to score a lot. As a matter of fact, more shots for Giles likely means less shots for Luke (amongt other players. But it's Luke's shot that needs to be considered). And I don't think anyone wants that to happen.

I'm starting to see value of Giles, and it definitely isn't as a scorer.

Oh, no. Scoring is definitely part of the package. Like I said, graceful but explosive post moves, and a nice touch and big hands to control the ball.

Eh, maybe 15ppg is optimistic. Let me bring it down a notch. I believe there will come a point this season when we can accurately say, "From this game on, Harry averaged 12 ppg." And maybe 15.

[left_hook_lacey]

I'd feel much better if K was on the bench.

Duke(and coach K) is 1-5 against ND(and Mike Brey) since ND joined the league.

[Troublemaker]

Bonzi Colson always seems to have career games against Duke.

Keeping him in Clark Kent instead of Superman mode is important.

We have the offense to hang with anybody.
Time to see if we can focus on defense.

Colson averages 15.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg. He spends most of his time in Superman mode these days. Do we have kryptonite? Hopefully Gile's athleticism or Bolden's length. We'll see what happens.

[AtlDuke72]

I'd feel much better if K was on the bench.

Is that really necessary?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Oh, no. Scoring is definitely part of the package. Like I said, graceful but explosive post moves, and a nice touch and big hands to control the ball.

Eh, maybe 15ppg is optimistic. Let me bring it down a notch. I believe there will come a point this season when we can accurately say, "From this game on, Harry averaged 12 ppg." And maybe 15.

If you want, happy it call it another devildeac beer bet. No way Giles averages more than 12 ppg starting with the ND game.

This would be, what, our second or third bet on the season?

[Troublemaker]

Defense has never been the strong suit of Mike Brey team's and I don't think his squad this season matches up well against us on that end either.



On defense, the Irish have historically stunk. Well, this year they are not awful there. They are #63 in defense, which is a big step up.

Yeah, Notre Dame's improved defense does concern me. Duke's been coughing up turnovers like crazy on the road recently. We need to take care of the ball tonight or else we have no chance to win. Vasturia, Farrell, Pfluegger, Gibbs, and even Colson have quick hands.

[Troublemaker]

If you want, happy it call it another devildeac beer bet. No way Giles averages more than 12 ppg starting with the ND game.

This would be, what, our second or third bet on the season?

No, I never said starting with ND. I don't think he's ready... yet.

[flyingdutchdevil]

No, I never said starting with ND. I don't think he's ready... yet.

Call the game. Happy to make the bet.

[NM Duke Fan]

Colson averages 15.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg. He spends most of his time in Superman mode these days. Do we have kryptonite? Hopefully Gile's athleticism or Bolden's length. We'll see what happens.

And a dose or two of Vrank Energy and Physicality.

[flyingdutchdevil]

And a dose or two of Vrank Energy and Physicality.

Interesting. Giles will get murdered by Colson's strength. I like Jefferson, as he's definitely smart enough to keep Colson in check. And Vrank? Love the tactic. But the question is whether Vrank will play at all. My guess? Nope.

[CDu]

Oh, no. Scoring is definitely part of the package. Like I said, graceful but explosive post moves, and a nice touch and big hands to control the ball.

Eh, maybe 15ppg is optimistic. Let me bring it down a notch. I believe there will come a point this season when we can accurately say, "From this game on, Harry averaged 12 ppg." And maybe 15.

I haven't seen many post moves yet. He's basically just shot turning, jump hooks when in the post to this point. Now, he elevates so well that he gets clean looks on those, but he hasn't shot them all that well.

I think 15 ppg is VERY optimistic. I could see 12 ppg at some point. But will depend on playing time.

I could see him as a 10 and 8-10 guy in 25 minutes relatively soon though.

[Troublemaker]

Call the game. Happy to make the bet.

No, there's too many variables, including his propensity to foul, for me to call an exact game. Don't worry, I will bring the bet up with you later on in the season, and you can accept or not at that point.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I haven't seen many post moves yet. He's basically just shot turning, jump hooks when in the post to this point. Now, he elevates so well that he gets clean looks on those, but he hasn't shot them all that well.

I think 15 ppg is VERY optimistic. I could see 12 ppg at some point. But will depend on playing time.

I could see him as a 10 and 8-10 guy in 25 minutes relatively soon though.

In addition to the lack of post moves, Giles is likely to get hammered more if he continues to improve and gain confidence. The downside? He's appalling at the line with 38.5% shooting. I assume part of this is confidence and unfamiliarity, but I don't think Giles is a natural born FT shooter. Could Giles get to 50%? Hopefully. More than that? Unlikely.

Hack-A-Giles could be a really thing. I can't remember a worse FT shooter in recent memory, and Duke has had some pretty terrible ones.

[devildeac]

If you want, happy it call it another devildeac beer bet. No way Giles averages more than 12 ppg starting with the ND game.

This would be, what, our second or third bet on the season?

Just finished a weekend on call with no adult beverages. Tasting resumes tonight for those DBR wagers on the table out there. I'm gonna start charging a consultation fee. :o;)

[flyingdutchdevil]

Just finished a weekend on call with no adult beverages. Tasting resumes tonight for those DBR wagers on the table out there. I'm gonna start charging a consultation fee. :o;)

Hahaha. Please do. The loser should buy a six pack for the winner AND devildeac.

Anywho, back to the game.
I've made this horrible analogy before: Duke needs three solid games in a row to get back on track: one to drop anchor, the next to right the ship, the third to raise the masts.

I don't really consider Wake to be dropping anchor because that game needed a Kennard miracle to win. But I'll say that a win is a win and we stopped the bleeding.

This game, for me, is critical. If Duke can pull out a win against a program that has our number with a proven coach and really good offense, then Duke is absolutely on the right track. If we win, we build momentum. And then we raise the masts and it's hopefully smooth sailing from there.

[Doria]

Colson averages 15.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg. He spends most of his time in Superman mode these days. Do we have kryptonite? Hopefully Gile's athleticism or Bolden's length. We'll see what happens.

I don't know what the stats are, but I, too, feel like he always kills us. Hope we find somebody who can check him, because it really seems like we haven't in the past. This will be a tough game. Just hoping for continued improvement for our team.

[NM Duke Fan]

Interesting. Giles will get murdered by Colson's strength. I like Jefferson, as he's definitely smart enough to keep Colson in check. And Vrank? Love the tactic. But the question is whether Vrank will play at all. My guess? Nope.

It is an interesting question to be sure. We will see. Capel, Allen, Luke were all highly complimentary about what Vrank brought to the Wake game, so it is a possibility to see him enter at some point. And then, if he makes a positive impact, he could see a few more minutes.

[UrinalCake]

Would be a great time for Giles to have a breakout game. I don't think Bolden will play at all, because defensively against this small lineup he just can't match up with anybody. We need Harry to defend without fouling so he can stay on the court.

For some reason, against all logic I have a good feeling about this game. I think we pull off a big win and get the season back on track.

[Matches]

I'll be pleasantly surprised if we win this one but man it would be a really nice "get" for us. Hopefully we carry over some momentum from Saturday's finish. I don't expect a lot of lineup or scheme changes on the short turnaround but hopefully our bigs won't have the same types of foul problems they did Saturday.

[grad_devil]

I don't know what the stats are, but I, too, feel like he always kills us. Hope we find somebody who can check him, because it really seems like we haven't in the past. This will be a tough game. Just hoping for continued improvement for our team.

I only found five (5) games that Colson has played against us. Here are the per game averages:



+---------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+
| Minutes | FGM | FGA | FG PCT | 3P | 3PA | 3PCT | FT | FTA | FT PCT | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
+---------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+
| 25 | 5.8 | 9.2 | 63.04% | 0.4 | 0.6 | 66.67% | 3.2 | 4 | 80.00% | 3.6 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.2 | 1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 15.2 |
+---------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+


I think the outlier that may skew most of our memories is his 31 point/11 rebound game (http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/2016-01-16-duke.html) against us on 01/16/2016 in Cameron. He did that off the bench, too. Wowzers.

[Indoor66]

I'm gonna start charging a consultation fee.

Don't you always?

Also, based on that post, we will understand if you are a little testy right now!

:rolleyes::p:cool:

[Bob Green]

Oh, no. Scoring is definitely part of the package. Like I said, graceful but explosive post moves, and a nice touch and big hands to control the ball.

I'm with Troublemaker on this one. The team needs Giles to score in the low post. Giles has shown a nice touch when he gets the ball down low. Low post scoring and playing inside out can breakdown a defense.

[Spanarkel]

I haven't seen many post moves yet. He's basically just shot turning, jump hooks when in the post to this point. Now, he elevates so well that he gets clean looks on those, but he hasn't shot them all that well.

I think 15 ppg is VERY optimistic. I could see 12 ppg at some point. But will depend on playing time.

I could see him as a 10 and 8-10 guy in 25 minutes relatively soon though.

It seems that when Harry launches his jump hook, he really opens up his body to the defender, but I haven't seen one of his jump hooks get blocked yet. G-man and other Duke post players have effectively used the jump hook but seemed to keep their body and off elbow between them and the defender. I'm not criticizing Harry's technique, just commenting on his form. If anyone's really interested, there's a photo of Harry shooting his jump hook against Wake on the goduke.com site that seems to show this technique.

Let's go, Duke!

[FerryFor50]

I'm with Troublemaker on this one. The team needs Giles to score in the low post. Giles has shown a nice touch when he gets the ball down low. Low post scoring and playing inside out can breakdown a defense.

Ditto here. Giles offense can't be just on follow dunks. Nor can Duke's offense be so reliant on the three this year, considering how they're 108th in 3pt %. They got a little lucky at Wake with how many threes they hit. They need to get it inside more, and not just on Allen or Tatum drives. Pound the post and get the opposing bigs in foul trouble for once.

[kAzE]

I think Harry Averages 11 points, 8 rebounds the rest of the way. He might get 2-3 post up touches a game, but other than that, we are not going to be running offense for him. His points are going to come from dump offs and offensive putbacks. This team needs to be about our wings (Luke, Grayson, Jayson) making plays, and everyone else playing off them.

[MrPoon]

With GT beating ND by 2 and Duke beating GT by 53, should this game even be played?
(I looked into it and those are the only relevant games for this purpose :))

I wish I had a better feel for this game but Duke's inconsistency timeout to timeout let alone game to game, makes this a very hard game to predict. I feel better about it with ND having lost 3 of the last 4. But, despite the WF win, Luke going 10-10 in a half seems like fools gold. This offense needs more clearity on what it is trying to do and running through Luke and GA seems increasingly obvious. Tatum will be better, he's too good and the officiating really got in his head. I suspect Amil covers Colston for ND. Jones plays their best perimeter player.

I would love to have a mismatch go in our favor. Tatum or Giles seems like the most obvious place but the lack of consistency makes it hard to be sure. Frank has a game, when its working that may really help us against ND. Maybe he's the X factor with ND going small. I'd still love to see some designed clear outs/ lobs for our much taller centers but that hasn't been in the offense either and may require more play making than we are getting right now.

Bray's history against Duke, our lack of sustained D, and our propensity for having a roll player become an all start (Ferrel? Vasturia?) and the short turn around road game to road game .... It will be close and I hope we swipe it at the end.

[Doria]

I only found five (5) games that Colson has played against us. Here are the per game averages:



+---------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+
| Minutes | FGM | FGA | FG PCT | 3P | 3PA | 3PCT | FT | FTA | FT PCT | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
+---------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+
| 25 | 5.8 | 9.2 | 63.04% | 0.4 | 0.6 | 66.67% | 3.2 | 4 | 80.00% | 3.6 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.2 | 1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 15.2 |
+---------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+--------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+------+


I think the outlier that may skew most of our memories is his 31 point/11 rebound game (http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/2016-01-16-duke.html) against us on 01/16/2016 in Cameron. He did that off the bench, too. Wowzers.

Thanks! Yeah, you're right that that performance last year skews things, but those percentages aren't really bad. At the least, he can certainly hurt us, with the array of good perimeter players they have.

[CDu]

I think Harry Averages 11 points, 8 rebounds the rest of the way. He might get 2-3 post up touches a game, but other than that, we are not going to be running offense for him. His points are going to come from dump offs and offensive putbacks. This team needs to be about our wings (Luke, Grayson, Jayson) making plays, and everyone else playing off them.

Yeah, I agree with this. I mean, he COULD get 15 ppg, if we suddenly decided to change from an outside-in offense to an offense that repeatedly dumps it into the post. But we have so many other weapons - especially perimeter weapons - that he just isn't going to get enough looks to come close to averaging 15 mpg. And that's not to mention that his minutes are going to be limited somewhat by the presence of Jefferson.

[jbay201]

hopefully amile gets some chances. I know his injury is affecting him but he did score on his 2 attempts early against WF. He should also have a size advantage most of the game based on how ND likes to go small.

[devildeac]

Don't you always?

Also, based on that post, we will understand if you are a little thirsty right now!


:rolleyes::p:cool:

For beer, I don't, but I'm willing to re-consider. :o


Correction is bolded.

[flyingdutchdevil]

A little surprised by the Giles optimism in this thread. Don't get me wrong; I would love to see it happen. I just don't think it will. I haven't seen anything that screams, "Giles will be an impact scorer this year". Defender? After Wake, possibly. Rebounder? Most certainly. But scorer? I just don't see it.

Thus far this season, Giles gets his points through the following:
-Offensive put-backs (pretty effective)
-Drop offs (pretty effective)
-Post feeds and one-on-one (not that effective)
-Fast breaks (very effective)

Giles has not scored through the following:
-FTs (38.5% shooter)
-Short jumpers
-Long jumpers

The thing is that Amile hits the exact same offensive description. And I'd rather have Amile do damage down-low. Hence, unless Giles changes his offensive game, I'm not sure I see a jump to 10+ points per game.

[53n206]

Defense has never been the strong suit of Mike Brey team's and I don't think his squad this season matches up well against us on that end either. Luke and Grayson (and Frank) can put a lot of penetration pressure on ND...and this should lead to some open 3s as well as offensive rebounding opportunities. I think Capel will piggyback off the momentum those 2 players had on Saturday, and will really focus on moving the offense to get those guys the chances to create. Jayson should take the opportunity to crash the boards or run the p&r and go strong to the basket. ND does not have the presence to put a lot of fight up.

On defense...well, that gameplan is about as simple as it comes. Talk, talk, talk...be aware, be aware, be aware...HUSTLE, HUSTLE, HUSTLE.

I actually feel pretty good about this game.

But what can break down our game plan is WHISTLE, WHISTLE, WHISTLE..........

[53n206]

[QUOTE=flyingdutchdevil;946487]Hahaha. Please do. The loser should buy a six pack for the winner AND devildeac.

A Duke needs three solid games in a row to get back on track: one to drop anchor, the next to right the ship, the third to raise the masts.

If these three points come to pass I believe we can stop calling you the phantom ship and enlist you in the US Navy.

[Troublemaker]

Where Bonzi really killed us last year was offensive rebounding, which mostly came when the big guarding Bonzi had to help on drives. Bonzi had 6 ORebs in the ACC tournament game and 8(!) ORebs in the game at Duke.

I'm hoping Gile's athleticism can counteract that somewhat. How? Take a look at one of my favorite defensive possessions by Duke against Wake:

High-resolution version (https://gfycat.com/OilySlightGalapagossealion)

This possession begins in transition, as Amile chases a great shooter Arians off the 3-pt line. But it's a little bit of a poor closeout, so that opens up a drive for Arians. Harry rim-protects and then makes a quick second-effort leap to prevent the offensive rebound by his man. Unfortunately, Wake gets the ball back anyway before Matt ends the possession by forcing a turnover with his patented swipe (uncredited in the box score). Still, I'm very impressed with Harry's second-jump ability, which will help prevent ORebs when he helps on drives.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/OilySlightGalapagossealion-size_restricted.gif

[kAzE]

The thing is that Amile hits the exact same offensive description. And I'd rather have Amile do damage down-low. Hence, unless Giles changes his offensive game, I'm not sure I see a jump to 10+ points per game.

Right now, Amile is a much more effective player with the ball in the post. If any big man is going to be getting post touches, it should be Amile first. Harry has not shown that he's anywhere near Amile's level of skill down low to this point.

Obviously, that's not a knock on Harry. Amile has been really good. He was leading the league in FG% before he got hurt. It's kind of the same idea that Jayson shouldn't be shooting more than Luke or Grayson. These OAD guys are going to get better and better, but this year, on this team, roles need to be defined based on current levels of ability and current levels of efficiency.

Harry's role on this team is defending, rebounding, and providing energy. Even he said so himself after the Wake game. Things could change 2 months from now, but it's really hard to see a huge shift towards giving Harry more offensive touches in the immediate future.

[53n206]

A good thing about Giles is that he does not pull the ball down to his waist after an offensive rebound before he puts up his shot

[NM Duke Fan]

Right now, Amile is a much more effective player with the ball in the post. If any big man is going to be getting post touches, it should be Amile first. Harry has not shown that he's anywhere near Amile's level of skill down low to this point.

Obviously, that's not a knock on Harry. Amile has been really good. He was leading the league in FG% before he got hurt. It's kind of the same idea that Jayson shouldn't be shooting more than Luke or Grayson. These OAD guys are going to get better and better, but this year, on this team, roles need to be defined based on current levels of ability and current levels of efficiency.

Harry's role on this team is defending, rebounding, and providing energy. Even he said so himself after the Wake game. Things could change 2 months from now, but it's really hard to see a huge shift towards giving Harry more offensive touches in the immediate future.

Amile is also a vastly better FT shooter and has much more experience in general. If Giles starts to get fed in the post, teams may just put him on the line and dare him to make free throws. For now defense, rebounding, energy, and points here and there. His game will expand in due course, but not sure how much his FT percentage can increase in the next several weeks!

[CDu]

A little surprised by the Giles optimism in this thread. Don't get me wrong; I would love to see it happen. I just don't think it will. I haven't seen anything that screams, "Giles will be an impact scorer this year". Defender? After Wake, possibly. Rebounder? Most certainly. But scorer? I just don't see it.

Thus far this season, Giles gets his points through the following:
-Offensive put-backs (pretty effective)
-Drop offs (pretty effective)
-Post feeds and one-on-one (not that effective)
-Fast breaks (very effective)

Giles has not scored through the following:
-FTs (38.5% shooter)
-Short jumpers
-Long jumpers

The thing is that Amile hits the exact same offensive description. And I'd rather have Amile do damage down-low. Hence, unless Giles changes his offensive game, I'm not sure I see a jump to 10+ points per game.

I think this is a little bit of a disservice to Jefferson. I think he's actually pretty darn effective as a post scorer. He's less effective in transition due to athleticism. But we can actually dump the ball into Jefferson and expect a reasonably good outcome. We aren't there with Giles. Jefferson is also a better free throw shooter.

But, essentially, aside from being less proficient in the post, Giles is a more athletic, less polished, less experienced (and thus less effective) defensive version of Jefferson.

[gam7]

If Coach K's original recovery timeline holds, this should be Capel's last game at the helm.

[azzefkram]

-FTs (38.5% shooter)

He's only had 13 attempts. I'm not sure we can glean a whole lot from 13 attempts. I'm not as optimistic as TM about Harry's offense since I don't think he'll get the number of shots needed to average 15ppg. I do think his offense is trending in the right direction.

[freshmanjs]

He's only had 13 attempts. I'm not sure we can glean a whole lot from 13 attempts. I'm not as optimistic as TM about Harry's offense since I don't think he'll get the number of shots needed to average 15ppg. I do think his offense is trending in the right direction.

Found some stats on EYBL and another league. Looks like Harry was right around 60% on FT. Hopefully, he can get back to that level.

[NM Duke Fan]

He's only had 13 attempts. I'm not sure we can glean a whole lot from 13 attempts. I'm not as optimistic as TM about Harry's offense since I don't think he'll get the number of shots needed to average 15ppg. I do think his offense is trending in the right direction.

Good point, I was wondering what his FT percentage was like in high school and other competition on the circuit!

[flyingdutchdevil]

I think this is a little bit of a disservice to Jefferson. I think he's actually pretty darn effective as a post scorer. He's less effective in transition due to athleticism. But we can actually dump the ball into Jefferson and expect a reasonably good outcome. We aren't there with Giles. Jefferson is also a better free throw shooter.

But, essentially, aside from being less proficient in the post, Giles is a more athletic, less polished, less experienced (and thus less effective) defensive version of Jefferson.

I should have been more specific. Amile scores through the same channels as Giles. I am not suggesting that Amile is as ineffective a scorer as Giles in post feeds/one-on-one play. But Amile doesn't score well via FTs and doesn't shoot middies or long 2s.

IMO, Giles's and Jefferson's offense look similar, with Amile being significantly more effective. That's why I think Giles's scoring potential is limited UNLESS he can find other ways to score (FTs, middies, long 2s, 3pt, etc).

[CDu]

I should have been more specific. Amile scores through the same channels as Giles. I am not suggesting that Amile is as ineffective a scorer as Giles in post feeds/one-on-one play. But Amile doesn't score well via FTs and doesn't shoot middies or long 2s.

IMO, Giles's and Jefferson's offense look similar, with Amile being significantly more effective. That's why I think Giles's scoring potential is limited UNLESS he can find other ways to score (FTs, middies, long 2s, 3pt, etc).

I don't think he's limited to finding other ways to score. If he can become more efficient and trustworthy in the post, he could see his opportunities increase substantially. And if he can avoid foul trouble better, he'll get more opportunities just by his athleticism and offensive rebounds.

I think there is still a ceiling (probably 12 ppg is that ceiling) given our perimeter weapons. But I don't think he has to figure out a different way to score that involves being a better shooter away from the basket in order to become a double-digit scorer. Which is good for him, because I don't see any reason to assume he will be able to develop a jumper from 15+ feet from the basket this year.

[kAzE]

I don't think he's limited to finding other ways to score. If he can become more efficient and trustworthy in the post, he could see his opportunities increase substantially. And if he can avoid foul trouble better, he'll get more opportunities just by his athleticism and offensive rebounds.

I think there is still a ceiling (probably 12 ppg is that ceiling) given our perimeter weapons. But I don't think he has to figure out a different way to score that involves being a better shooter away from the basket in order to become a double-digit scorer. Which is good for him, because I don't see any reason to assume he will be able to develop a jumper from 15+ feet from the basket this year.

Yeah, I think part of his problem is that he shies away from contact way too much. Amile invites and creates contact, and routinely gets himself to the foul line. Use your athleticism and punish those interior defenders, Harry! Don't fall in love with the jump hook or fade away. Get to the rim and finish or get fouled trying!

[CDu]

Yeah, I think part of his problem is that he shies away from contact way too much. Amile invites and creates contact, and routinely gets himself to the foul line. Use your athleticism and punish those interior defenders, Harry! Don't fall in love with the jump hook or fade away. Get to the rim and finish or get fouled trying!

Yeah, on the one hand, he's not a good free throw shooter. So getting fouled isn't necessarily going to result in points for him. But there are ancillary benefits in that it gets your opponent in foul trouble and gets your team closer to the bonus sooner. So from that perspective, I agree.

But mainly, I think the point needs to be to utilize his athleticism around the basket more and not settle for jump hooks. He can get a jump hook at any point in the possession. Try to be creative first, then go to the hook.

Sort of the same thing for Tatum. He too quickly settles for the turn fadeaway.

[kAzE]

Yeah, on the one hand, he's not a good free throw shooter. So getting fouled isn't necessarily going to result in points for him. .

Well, he was closer to a 60% free throw shooter in his high school career than a 38% shooter, so at some point, it's going to come back to the mean. 13 foul shots on his injury shortened season comes out to 1.3 attempts per game. It's hard to get into a rhythm when you basically get 1 attempt per game. Think about going into an open gym and shooting 1 shot. Even if you're a great shooter, you often have no touch on your first shot. That's why he's gotta try to get to the charity stripe with more regularity.

[Billy Dat]

As crazy as this season has been, it would almost make sense for Duke to win tonight simply because it seems like an unlikely outcome. Vasturia, Beachem and Colson have been rotation guys for the past 3 years, with steadily increasing roles. They are a huge pain in the neck and I'd love to send them off into post collegiate obscurity with some payback this year. But, with their team needing a big win, it seems a big ask. Still, I can't predict anything about our group so I'm prepared for anything.

It felt great to win the Wake game, but we played so inconsistently for so much of it, and it was so jumbled by the foul trouble, that it's hard to take anything away.

While our offense is rated higher than our defense, the truth is that our once #1 ranked KenPom offense has dropped to 15th and our defense has somehow steadied at 39th. Our offense looked horrible for most of the Wake game.

If anything came from Wake, I hope it is, as others have said here and in the media, an acknowledgement that Luke is our best offensive player and needs lots of touches. Grayson and Luke play well off each other, Matt knows how to play off them too (hopefully he can knock down open 3s, if he starts to drive you know something bad is about to happen), and then there's this...


Right now, Amile is a much more effective player with the ball in the post. If any big man is going to be getting post touches, it should be Amile first. Harry has not shown that he's anywhere near Amile's level of skill down low to this point.

I agree BUT Amile has not been the pre-injury post threat that he was. He is a step slow and not getting that push off to give him those angles to his patented bank shot. As a result, we kind of have ZERO post scoring right now which makes us easier to defend.


Is Tatum the 5th man? Someone else posted that Tatum needs to play more in the blocks than from the perimeter. Tatum needs to find his role. As much as we need offense, the defense need was what won the game against Wake Forest.

Jayson is such a sleeping offensive giant, and what we are getting is not bad, but he has not figured out, nor have the coaches, how to best leverage him. Right now, we get perimeter catches, ball pounds, dead offense and the like. When he first came back, we were doing a better job featuring him in the post (mismatch!) and at the elbow. I think K's being out has hurt the offense as I think he has a better feel for when to call certain actions to get guys going.


Agreed with what you wrote minus this. I'd be SHOCKED if Giles averages more than 10ppg for the remainder of the season. IMO, he played his best game against Wake. He was soooo much better than anything that we've seen. And it came because Giles wasn't hunting his shot in the second half. He was screening for Luke. He was rebounding well. He was playing solid help defense without leaving that stunning hole in the middle that is often a byproduct of poor team defense. He stopped making dumb fouls in the second half.

Harry does seem like a light is turning on, but is he ready to be consistent?

I don't want to forget about Frank who also seems to have shaken off his injury and is playing with more confidence.

A 17th ranked ND offense is lower than it has been recently, but their defense is ranked higher. My rational side says that a quick turnaround with travel for our squad, plus our youth and inconsistency, may play right into the Irish's hands for a solid beating. But, again, this year is anything but rational so maybe we catch a little of that home-game-against-Tech magic and play a full 40 minute beauty. Who knows, about 3 hours to find out.

[MrPoon]

Bill_Dat "Jayson is such a sleeping offensive giant, and what we are getting is not bad, but he has not figured out, nor have the coaches, how to best leverage him. Right now, we get perimeter catches, ball pounds, dead offense and the like. When he first came back, we were doing a better job featuring him in the post (mismatch!) and at the elbow. I think K's being out has hurt the offense as I think he has a better feel for when to call certain actions to get guys going."

* Lots of great comments here but this has been my point about Jayson for awhile. Just a beast on O when he is playing fluidly and not thinking too much. The long contested three early in the shot clock is the flashing FRESHMAN sign. I'd love to use his size as a mismatch inside more. He missed a bunch of gimme's at the rim against NC State but he got there and no one could stop him. Then in the Wake game foul trouble was an issue but he wasn't making the same play. Get him off the three point line (we have plenty of shooters there). Plus he is a solid rebounder, getting him inside helps on offensive rebounds.

I still say with all these weapons, playing fast is key so that we aren't facing a set D. That will help for everyone but Giles and Tatum especially.

[hsheffield]

Would be a great time for Giles to have a breakout game. I don't think Bolden will play at all, because defensively against this small lineup he just can't match up with anybody. We need Harry to defend without fouling so he can stay on the court.

For some reason, against all logic I have a good feeling about this game. I think we pull off a big win and get the season back on track.

me too.

it's time for us to get it together and dominate on the road.

It might as well be against Notre Dame.

[Ballboy1998]

I don't feel great about this one for many reasons already mentioned above. I just think the offense that some teams temporarily adopt to exploit the weaknesses of Duke's primary defensive system - to totally clear out the middle to limit help and then aggressively use drives and back cuts - is Brey's standard offense, so Notre Dame will continue to be a bad systemic matchup for us.

That said, I'm not ready to assume anything one way or the other with this Duke team. Hopefully the coaches will have some wrinkles and hopefully we can exploit some mismatches on the offensive end and on the boards.

Also interested to see if our starting line-up changes again... It has been such an odd year.

[WHOneedsSOX]

Wow ESPN sure has a lot of idiots working for them. Bomani Jones said Duke's biggest issue is why Tatum is playing point guard. Huh?? Has Tatum played point at all this season?? And Woody Paige said Grayson Allen needs to stop walking through opposing team's huddles, running into coaches on the sidelines, and bumping into opposing players.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Wow ESPN sure has a lot of idiots working for them. Bomani Jones said Duke's biggest issue is why Tatum is playing point guard. Huh?? Has Tatum played point at all this season?? And Woody Paige said Grayson Allen needs to stop walking through opposing team's huddles, running into coaches on the sidelines, and bumping into opposing players.

Well, given how much Tatum shoots, maybe Jones thought Tatum was a PG in the mold of Kyrie Irving...

[kAzE]

Wow ESPN sure has a lot of idiots working for them. Bomani Jones said Duke's biggest issue is why Tatum is playing point guard. Huh?? Has Tatum played point at all this season?? And Woody Paige said Grayson Allen needs to stop walking through opposing team's huddles, running into coaches on the sidelines, and bumping into opposing players.

ESPN has some pretty awful talking heads, but Around the Horn is about as low as it gets, especially when they can't get actually decent columnists to participate. I would not take anything on that show seriously . . . Woody Paige is practically as senile as Dick Vitale at this point, and when you have 4 people trying to argue over each other, it just becomes a contest of who has the hottest take. Truly worthless television.

[TKG]

when you have 4 people trying to argue over each other, it just becomes a contest of who has the hottest take. Truly worthless television.

This describes all of ESPN's non-game programming.

[flyingdutchdevil]

This describes all of ESPN's non-game programming.

I don't know what you're talking about. Stephen A Smith is one of the most insightful, down-to-earth, calm, and unbiased talking heads I've ever seen.

#sarcasm #ashamedtoliveinthesamestateasespn

[Spanarkel]

NOT trying to flame here as I was a student during two of the worst seasons in modern Duke b-ball history('81-'82 and '82-'83), and I see Matt as a key contributor to the team in several ways, but what is up with his astonishingly low free throws per minute average of 0.0169, or a free throw about every 60 minutes of playing time? I know he is primarily a 3-and-D player, and 62% of his FG attempts are threes, so I tried to find some comparable players on other successful teams that take well over 50% of their shots as 3 pointers. I came up with IU's Robert Johnson(52% of his shots are treys), who has a free throw per minute average of 0.06, and Kentucky's Derek Willis(6'9'' but still primarily a three-and-D type player with 56% of his total shots being 3s), whose free throws per minute average is 0.053.
I am not sure that there is another key player in Power 5 D-1 ball with anywhere close to his rare trips to the line per minute. I know that Matt contributes to the team in many other ways so I really don't know how critical this stat(which I couldn't find on Pomeroy but I don't subscribe)is to Duke's success. Last year on a team with different needs his free throws per minute average was almost 3 times higher at 0.0476.
Can someone with more basketball acumen than I please explain this? I know that his "typical" shot is indeed an open 3 pointer on which a foul is not that likely, but he does drive to the basket on occasion and have other opportunities to be fouled while shooting or handling the ball at the end of the game with Duke in the bonus. Thanks! Let's go, Duke!

[CDu]

NOT trying to flame here as I was a student during two of the worst seasons in modern Duke b-ball history('81-'82 and '82-'83), and I see Matt as a key contributor to the team in several ways, but what is up with his astonishingly low free throws per minute average of 0.0169, or a free throw about every 60 minutes of playing time? I know he is primarily a 3-and-D player, and 62% of his FG attempts are threes, so I tried to find some comparable players on other successful teams that take well over 50% of their shots as 3 pointers. I came up with IU's Robert Johnson(52% of his shots are treys), who has a free throw per minute average of 0.06, and Kentucky's Derek Willis(6'9'' but still primarily a three-and-D type player with 56% of his total shots being 3s), whose free throws per minute average is 0.053.
I am not sure that there is another key player in Power 5 D-1 ball with anywhere close to his rare trips to the line per minute. I know that Matt contributes to the team in many other ways so I really don't know how critical this stat(which I couldn't find on Pomeroy but I don't subscribe)is to Duke's success. Last year on a team with different needs his free throws per minute average was almost 3 times higher at 0.0476.
Can someone with more basketball acumen than I please explain this? I know that his "typical" shot is indeed an open 3 pointer on which a foul is not that likely, but he does drive to the basket on occasion and have other opportunities to be fouled while shooting or handling the ball at the end of the game with Duke in the bonus. Thanks! Let's go, Duke!

Jones rarely drives, doesn't shoot inside, rarely handles in crunch time, and is almost exclusively a spot-up shooter. That type of player simply doesn't draw fouls. His foul rate is lower than normal for him, mainly because he is handling the ball less than in years passed. But he is almost entirely a 3-and-D player.

[JNort]

Can I watch this game on my cpu? I have a goduke subscription but on my phone and ipad it only let's me watch on the app.

[Utley]

Any twitter starting line-up release? I am not in the twitterverse.

[Bob Green]

Starting Five: Matt Jones, Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard, Jayson Tatum, Amile Jefferson.

[Troublemaker]

Can I watch this game on my cpu? I have a goduke subscription but on my phone and laptop it only let's me watch on the app.

This link (http://www.espn.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2924463/7-duke-vs-20-notre-dame) should work to watch on your computer when it's gametime. But you might be in a blackout area, so maybe not.

[devildeac]

Any twitter starting line-up release? I am not in the twitterverse.

Stephen Wiseman ‏@stevewisemanNC · 2m2 minutes ago


Duke starters: Jones, Allen, Kennard, Tatum, Jefferson.

Bob Green beat me by 1-2 minutes. Oh. So. Slow.

[Troublemaker]

Any twitter starting line-up release? I am not in the twitterverse.


Starting Five: Matt Jones, Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard, Jayson Tatum, Amile Jefferson.

Same as last time. I was hoping for Harry, but all good.

If ND starts big, that means Tatum on Colson maybe to start. Interesting.

[duke4ever19]

Can I watch this game on my cpu? I have a goduke subscription but on my phone and laptop it only let's me watch on the app.

Yes, it's on watchespn. I do not know about blackout areas, though.

Edit: Troublemaker provided the link above.

[Bob Green]

If ND starts big, that means Tatum on Colson maybe to start. Interesting.

Tatum has the length and quickness to bother Colson, but Colson has the strength to overpower Tatum. It could indeed be interesting.

[riverside6]

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

http://www.scacchoops.com/duke-at-notre-dame-basketball-live-stats-01302017

[JNort]

Yes, it's on watchespn. I do not know about blackout areas, though.

Edit: Troublemaker provided the link above.

I should have specified. Am I doing something wrong? If I'm paying for a goduke subscription then shouldn't I be able to watch games via the internet from a ps4/laptop/desktop
Well then what's the point in paying for goduke if you can't watch the games on anything other than your phone or ipad?

[dukefan_828]

Really wanted to see Jayson come of the bench, i think a reduced role would do wonders to humble him and also get a chance to see how the offense flows when he's not on the floor. he's going to have to buy into the team effort and be willing to get less shot attemps. i want to see him drive can live with out the isolation fade away jumpshots 8 seconds into a positon. maybe a 10 shot limit? just my 2 cents, hopefully we can get on a role tonight! Want to see amille look healthy, split minutes w bolden/Vrank see who wants it more and give them the call. I think Harry's going to have a good game. Hope to see GA play like last game and ATTACK, if he can start shooting like last year watch out! And ofcourse Luke will drop 20-25 pts in silky smooth fashion. Lets see if FJ cant continue to make strides @ PG love when he slashes just wish his 3 would fall a bit more but thats something that can be fixed, he will be a great 4yr guy.

Does Chase Jeter transfer? Does Sean Obi ever suit up in a 4 year career?

LETS GO DUKE!!!!

[slower]

Where's chat?

[Troublemaker]

Where's chat?

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

[Indoor66]

The dann fade away by Tatum.

[dukefan_828]

terrible shot tatum!

[BigZ]

Tatum may look smooth but he can't make a layup or a jumper

[El_Diablo]

Terrible stretch by Tatum.

[BigZ]

Look good w exception of Tatum

[arnie]

Tatum has the length and quickness to bother Colson, but Colson has the strength to overpower Tatum. It could indeed be interesting.

How poorly does he need to play to sit the bench for the remainder of game?

[BigZ]

I don't care about what the matchup is, if a guy can handle the ball or make a layup he shouldn't be playing

[ncexnyc]

How poorly does he need to play to sit the bench for the remainder of game?

He's definitely frustrating to watch at times.

[Indoor66]

Thank God for mute.

[ncexnyc]

Nice D, but lousy rebounding.

[BlueandWhite]

Thank God for mute.

Yes....ugh.

[dukefan_828]

not a complete jayson hater but as dan who i've actually been proud of for actually siding on duke saga a bit him bringing up the ball spells for complete disaster! Want him to pick up 2 quickies so he can watch how the offense runs w/o him! AJ looks healthy!! Cant believe that one rolled out, lets see HJ get bigger minutes. Want bolden or Vrank to get a 5 min stretch.. I think Allen is on the verge of channeling last year level performances.. look out! Luke reminds me so much of Manu Ginobli

[El_Diablo]

Now 8 to 3 in fouls.

[dukefan_828]

Now 8 to 3 in fouls.

this seems to be a recurring theme lately:mad::mad: sit TATUM for 5 min HE HAS TO BE CONSEQUENCED 2 TERRIBLE SHOTS already

[JNort]

not a complete jayson hater but as dan who i've actually been proud of for actually siding on duke saga a bit him bringing up the ball spells for complete disaster! Want him to pick up 2 quickies so he can watch how the offense runs w/o him! AJ looks healthy!! Cant believe that one rolled out, lets see HJ get bigger minutes. Want bolden or Vrank to get a 5 min stretch.. I think Allen is on the verge of channeling last year level performances.. look out! Luke reminds me so much of Manu Ginobli

Um Luke plays nothing like Manu. I've always thought Graysons play is similar to Manus though.

3 point shooter, slasher, euro stepper, good at drawing fouls and while not a big time dunker he dunks with authority when given the lane.

I think I've said before on here if am NBA team drafts Grayson it's in the hope of a Manu type ceiling.

Luke? I haven't got anyone on my mind atm but I'll think on it now.

[Indoor66]

Brey seriously needs a shave.

[Stray Gator]

Now 8 to 3 in fouls.

They've taken 12 free throws, and Duke has taken 1. The difference in what's being whistled at opposite ends is laughable. This is a worse hose job by the officials than we got at Wake.

[TKG]

FTS are ND 10 and the Good Guys 1?

[dukefan_828]

Um Luke plays nothing like Manu. I've always thought Graysons play is similar to Manus though.

3 point shooter, slasher, euro stepper, good at drawing fouls and while not a big time dunker he dunks with authority when given the lane

how is the latter in ANY SHAPE OR FORM more like G than Luke??

[NM Duke Fan]

Can't watch the game but I see zero bench points and Vrank in before Bolden, interesting. Hope Giles and Jackson can get in some scoring. Sounds like a lot of you are frustrated with Tatum tonight once again.

[El_Diablo]

ND's missed some shots, but a great half overall by Duke.

[gep]

Can't watch the game but I see zero bench points and Vrank in before Bolden, interesting. Hope Giles and Jackson can get in some scoring. Sounds like a lot of you are frustrated with Tatum tonight once again.

Looks like ND also has zero bench points... :cool:

[arnie]

Very positive half- but gotta believe ND heats up in 2nd half. Must keep our O moving.

[Doria]

Not a perfect half by any means, but the most complete offensive and defensive effort I've seen for a half. Also, we closed it out without collapsing.

[ncexnyc]

Excellent half. The defense seems to play better when we pick-up the defense in the backcourt.

[SlapTheFloor]

I'm confused. ESPN says we're up 12, but the comments on the board say everyone is terrible and the referees are completely hosing us.

[Karl Beem]

Why are they booing Jackson and Jones?

[DukeFanSince1990]

Brey seriously needs a shave.

Looking like an AA counselor.

I like what I see from the guys so far. Focused, involved. Good stuff.

[-bdbd]

Wow! Knock me over with a feather! Seth G. just something nice about Duke! Now I know I am dreaming!!!

About as good a half as we've seen all season. But beware - ND can score in bunches... So it's not over by any means!

[-bdbd]

I'm confused. ESPN says we're up 12, but the comments on the board say everyone is terrible and the referees are completely hosing us.

You new around here?


;)

[TKG]

We need to play like we did in the second half of the Miami game.

[NM Duke Fan]

Looking at the stats since I can't see the game, 53.9 percent shooting to 26.9 percent, that tells me a lot, with Matt two for two, and Tatum 3 for 6. And from the comments here decent D, how much of that bad ND shooting is from Duke's D?

[pfrduke]

Looking at the stats since I can't see the game, 53.9 percent shooting to 26.9 percent, that tells me a lot, with Matt two for two, and Tatum 3 for 6. And from the comments here decent D, how much of that bad ND shooting is from Duke's D?

A lot but not all. Definite risk of the Irish heating up in the second half.

The play where Luke saved the ball behind his back and between Vasturia's legs to Allen for a 3 felt like a big spur.

[JNort]

Um Luke plays nothing like Manu. I've always thought Graysons play is similar to Manus though.

3 point shooter, slasher, euro stepper, good at drawing fouls and while not a big time dunker he dunks with authority when given the lane.

I think I've said before on here if am NBA team drafts Grayson it's in the hope of a Manu type ceiling.

Luke? I haven't got anyone on my mind atm but I'll think on it now.
I've got it! Luke reminds me of Kevin Martin. Sneakily good handles, great 3 point/ mid range/ free throw shooter, decent rebounder, quick release but low. Has all the tools to be a great NBA player except he isn't an elite athlete and size is average

[InSpades]

Looking at the stats since I can't see the game, 53.9 percent shooting to 26.9 percent, that tells me a lot, with Matt two for two, and Tatum 3 for 6. And from the comments here decent D, how much of that bad ND shooting is from Duke's D?

We have contested a vast majority of their shots. Obviously you are never going to limit a good offensive team like ND to 27% shooting on your own... but we are playing far better D than we have for most of the season. Let's keep it up in the 2nd half!

[SkyBrickey]

We match up a lot better against these guys than other teams. No lightning quick guards to break us down off the dribble.

Would be great to see us keep up this defensive intensity for the rest of the game.

[El_Diablo]

Here we go...

Good timeout. Need to refocus and buckle down.

[ncexnyc]

That didn't take long.

[rsvman]

They are catching fire. I feel like the defense is still pretty good, but they're just hitting their shots. Reverting to the mean.
We might need to go to the bench a little to keep our starters legs fresh.

[WHOneedsSOX]

Damn looks like he's flexing his right wrist.

[ncexnyc]

Sadly no replays on the ESPN3 feed.

[pfrduke]

Why was Amile taking that free throw? Does Brey get to choose from among the other players on the floor?

[El_Diablo]

Landed hard, elbow looked pretty red so possibly just a bruise.

[WHOneedsSOX]

These refs are pretty bad. Definitely should've been a charge on Tatum and definitely an and-1 for Notre Dame on the next play that was waived off.

[subzero02]

Why did Amile shoot for tatum? Why not anyone else?

[DU82]

Why was Amile taking that free throw? Does Brey get to choose from among the other players on the floor?

Yes. Call it the Ron Curry rule (even though it took a few years.)

[BigZ]

iOS Tatum out of the game by rule?

[rsvman]

Why was Amile taking that free throw? Does Brey get to choose from among the other players on the floor?

Dang good question.

Now a bit more fuel on the "Duke gets all the calls" fire. Sheesh. These refs are pretty bad, too.

[WHOneedsSOX]

iOS Tatum out of the game by rule?

Good question. NBA that would be the case. I'm guessing college it's not otherwise he should've just shot it left handed or something just so he's not disqualified.

[DU82]

iOS Tatum out of the game by rule?

If the trainer or coach come over to check on a player, he must leave the game unless the team calls a timeout.

[BigZ]

Yes. Call it the Ron Curry rule (even though it took a few years.)

Except in this case Duke had a worse foul shooter

[jjredickrules]

Everyone is gonna be talking about those 2 (admittedly) terrible calls tomorrow, but the refs have been favoring ND all game (e.g. Tatum whacked in the forehead). Those two calls evened it up real quick.

[El_Diablo]

These refs are pretty bad. Definitely should've been a charge on Tatum and definitely an and-1 for Notre Dame on the next play that was waived off.

Definitely a charge, but the foul on the other end was probably on the initial grab, notwithstanding the bloviating by the announcers.

[WHOneedsSOX]

Tatum checking back in.

[ncexnyc]

An you actually thought the refs were bad on Saturday. This crew isn't much better.

[WHOneedsSOX]

An you actually thought the refs were bad on Saturday. This crew isn't much better.

First half wasn't terrible but this half they seem to be back to calling every single little contact a foul.

[FerryFor50]

Cue the 180 on Duke fan opinions on Tatum in 3...2...1....

[ncexnyc]

Impressive half from Tatum.

[MartyClark]

Impressive half from Tatum.

Yes, very encouraging.

[FerryFor50]

Pretty weak call on Giles there. He had his arms up the entire time while the ND player initiated the contact.

[rsvman]

Pretty weak call on Giles there. He had his arms up the entire time while the ND player initiated the contact.

Yep. Yet another poor call.

[fuse]

I owe Tatum an apology.
His best game of the season so far?

[El_Diablo]

ND shooting 75% this half. Ouch.

[WHOneedsSOX]

Pretty weak call on Giles there. He had his arms up the entire time while the ND player initiated the contact.

Seems like it's just a coin flip as to whether a foul is called or not. As soon as there's any little contact the ref flips a coin and decides whether he wants to call it or not.

[DukeFanSince1990]

I owe Tatum an apology.
His best game of the season so far?

Under the circumstances I would say so. Ranked ACC opponent on the road. He is solid so far.

[Wahoo2000]

Yep. Yet another poor call.

Impartial observer here - these refs have sucked @zz. Unbelievable the easy calls they miss, and the calls they make that were basically nothing. On both teams. Just disgusting. All players from both teams deserve better.

[FerryFor50]

Yep. Yet another poor call.

And then the poor call on the Tatum charge.

[pfrduke]

ND shooting 75% this half. Ouch.

And yet they've cut all of two points into the lead in 9 minutes. We've done a nice job keeping things up on offense.

[FerryFor50]

And then the poor call on the Tatum charge.

And then the call on Giles for a "push" in the back. From the ref BEHIND the play.

[Stray Gator]

And then the call on Giles for a "push" in the back. From the ref BEHIND the play.

Fouls called against Duke on 6 straight offensive possessions now . . .

[FerryFor50]

Impartial observer here - these refs have sucked @zz. Unbelievable the easy calls they miss, and the calls they make that were basically nothing. On both teams. Just disgusting. All players from both teams deserve better.

I just tuned in for the most part and all I've seen are bad calls. Must be recency bias. :rolleyes:

[FerryFor50]

Then I watch Kennard get impeded several times on a drive with no call. If Duke wasn't up 13, I'd be pretty livid right now.

[plimnko]

playing 8 on 5 is tough!

[El_Diablo]

Wheels falling off. A stop at some point would be nice.

[rsvman]

We're in a tough position because everybody is in foul trouble. They've made some tough shots, though, so some credit for the comeback should go to the Notre Dame players, too.

[davekay1971]

This is some of the most ridiculous officiating I have seen in a long time. Hate it for our guys. They are playing hard, beating a good team on the road, and the zebras are absolutely giving it to ND. Pretty tough to watch.

[FerryFor50]

I think Tatum gets called for more offensive fouls than anyone I've ever seen. And usually it's because the opposing players flop.

[plimnko]

We're in a tough position because everybody is in foul trouble. They've made some tough shots, though, so some credit for the comeback should go to the Notre Dame players, too.

the ones in white or the ones in stripes? lol

[FerryFor50]

What's up with no Bolden at all? Even with players in foul trouble?

[FerryFor50]

Oh goodie. Jefferson fouls out on a play where Ferrell loses the ball on his own while trying to split a double team.

[rsvman]

If we can escape with a win here, it will be a near miracle.
Grayson really stepping it up in the last couple of minutes.
Let's see how long Harry can stay in the game.

[FerryFor50]

If we can escape with a win here, it will be a near miracle.
Grayson really stepping it up in the last couple of minutes.
Let's see how long Harry can stay in the game.

Considering he hasn't been really allowed to jump without getting called for a foul the last two games, it doesn't look promising.

[davekay1971]

Oh goodie. Jefferson fouls out on a play where Ferrell loses the ball on his own while trying to split a double team.

It's unreal. Reminds me of the Wake game at Wake about 10 years ago where just about the entire starting lineup fouled out on crap calls. However...Duke still gets all the calls.

Kills me for these guys. This is the most fight I've seen them show in a while. On the road. They're playing deserving of a win. If they hold out for the win in this situation, it'll be great for them. But they're fighting horrible officiating as well as a tough opponent right now. They need to keep making shots, because Lord knows they're not allowed to defend.

[FerryFor50]

Twice now I've seen Duke players get hit on layup attempts with no call.

Also saw Harry Giles just throw a little elbow at Colson's leg a second ago after he got knocked down.

[NM Duke Fan]

Giles shooting one hundred percent from the FT line!

[FerryFor50]

Giles is looking much bouncier these days. Looking more comfortable out there.

[plimnko]

the SAME play and it was a foul on duke....WTF

[davekay1971]

26 fouls on Duke to 16 on ND.

[NM Duke Fan]

93.8 percent Team free throw shooting, not bad ....

[YmoBeThere]

For all the Sturm und Drang, we've got this.

[FerryFor50]

93.8 percent Team free throw shooting, not bad ...

Could be better! :D

[53n206]

Whistle, whistle, whistle. I've said before

[davekay1971]

Fun "relax Dad" moment. In the midst of all this angst I hear a crash from my 4 year old's bedroom. Sounds of many things hitting the floor. I go upstairs to find her on her floor weeping and picking up all the stuff that had apparently just been knocked off her nightstand.

Me: "Sophia, what happened?"

Sophia, weeping: "I was trying to do a cartwheel and my foot hit the dresser and..."

Me: "Wait, why are you trying to do a cartwheel, you're supposed to be in bed!"

Sophia, still weeping: "Because I wanted to try to do a cartwheel!"

Okay, perfect explanation. Got it. Go to bed, kid.

Note: the end of this game should even up the foul disparity nicely...

[FerryFor50]

If there's one thing to be learned from the recent Duke road games, it's that college kids are not terribly original.

We get it; Grayson tripped someone.

[NM Duke Fan]

Could be better! :D

They heard you, and so it is up to 95.5!

[FerryFor50]

Gibbs just ran over Allen. No charge call.

I'm beginning to question my sanity.

[davekay1971]

If there's one thing to be learned from the recent Duke road games, it's that college kids are not terribly original.

We get it; Grayson tripped someone.

I just hope they don't start making signs about him tripping someone. And ESPN showing every one of them that they can find...

[arnie]

Great wn!