MBB: Duke vs. Carolina (ACCT), 3/10 7 pm ESPN Pre-Game & In-Game Thread

[Bob Green]

Rubber match in the ACC Semi-finals. We won at home, they won at home, let's settle this thing on a neutral court!

[utahdevil]

GTHC!!

[CDu]

I just hope we have the legs to get through tomorrow. Because I think that - with Allen finding himself again - we present serious matchup problems for UNC. Let's hope we can muster the energy to get the win!

[Olympic Fan]

Interesting note -- with Duke and UNC meeting in the semifinals, one or the other is guaranteed a spot in the championship game.

That will be the 21st straight ACC title game that features Duke or UNC. The last time neither one made the finals, it was Tim Duncan and Wake Forest beating Stephon Marbury and Georgia Tech in 1996!

Either Duke or North Carolina has reached the finals in 55 of 64 title games (counting this year).

No wonder the rest of the conference hates us.

[gofurman]

I just hope we have the legs to get through tomorrow. Because I think that - with Allen finding himself again - we present serious matchup problems for UNC. Let's hope we can muster the energy to get the win!

I know it's heresy but by winning today we achieved a lot and I could stomach a loss. Even to Unc. We probably solidified a 3/4 seed and, more importantly, Allen looked relatively healthy. If Allen is healthy we are dangerous as that gives 4 threats - Plus Amile..

If UVA loses today or tomorrow we are probably locked in Greenville now. Go Notre Dame.

Health. Health. Health. Grayson. Amile

From those that watched closely today did Allen appear pretty healthy? I saw a little on TV

[jmck214]

I bet the crowd will be at least 50/50 since we are in Brooklyn. Probably closer to 60/40 Duke. I remember when we used to meet in Charlotte or Greensboro it was closer to 75/25 UNC

[CDu]

Allen looked physically the best he has looked since early/mid-February. He was looking that way yesterday too, just was a little too sloppy to be effective. He doesn't appear to be 100%, but he is getting closer to 100%. I now no longer fear he will be very hindered in the tourney unless he suffers a setback.

[Olympic Fan]

Just for the record, Duke is 12-8 head- to-head vs. UNC in the ACC Tournament.

I agree -- a Virginia loss tonight or tomorrow locks Duke into Greenville (even with a loss to UNC Friday night ... a win and we can start thinking about a No. 2 seed).

[BandAlum83]

Go Duke!!!

[CDu]

Just for the record, Duke is 12-8 head- to-head vs. UNC in the ACC Tournament.

I agree -- a Virginia loss tonight or tomorrow locks Duke into Greenville (even with a loss to UNC Friday night ... a win and we can start thinking about a No. 2 seed).

One of the nice things about the win today is that it helps further strengthen the "we are a better team than our 3-4 start" argument. We beat FSU once roughly healthy (Allen banged up, but still). We now have avenged the Louisville loss. Those two losses (without Jefferson or Coach K) can now be fairly reasonably discounted.

[summerwind03]

Just for the record, Duke is 12-8 head- to-head vs. UNC in the ACC Tournament.

I agree -- a Virginia loss tonight or tomorrow locks Duke into Greenville (even with a loss to UNC Friday night ... a win and we can start thinking about a No. 2 seed).

Very interesting, thanks. Someone asked in the in game thread whether we had ever played Carolina in the ACC Tournament!?! Ha.

[duke4ever19]

I bet the crowd will be at least 50/50 since we are in Brooklyn. Probably closer to 60/40 Duke. I remember when we used to meet in Charlotte or Greensboro it was closer to 75/25 UNC

Hmmm. this might be a bit of a "hidden advantage" of not playing this game Greensboro.

I lived and practiced in the Flushing Meadows area of New York for several years and I can affirm how well the "Duke brand" travels. I would meet Duke grads and fans everywhere. In fact, isn't that a common complaint amongst the tar heels faithful, that Duke "might as well be in New Jersey"?

Obviously, UNC, especially the Jordan connection, has a huge fan base, but I wouldn't be surprised to see more Duke blue than baby blue tomorrow with this game being played in Brooklyn.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Something's wrong with the thread title. We're playing the Cheats, not the Gamecocks.

[ipatent]

Allen looked physically the best he has looked since early/mid-February. He was looking that way yesterday too, just was a little too sloppy to be effective. He doesn't appear to be 100%, but he is getting closer to 100%. I now no longer fear he will be very hindered in the tourney unless he suffers a setback.

He's still not the explosive driver and dunker that he was.

[Chard]

I like to think that this will be Allen's second game in a row. Basically, the Clemson game was a practice for him.

[moonpie23]

Something's wrong with the thread title. We're playing the Cheats, not the Gamecocks.

post of the month!!

[davekay1971]

Very interesting, thanks. Someone asked in the in game thread whether we had ever played Carolina in the ACC Tournament!?! Ha.

I was asked by a UNC graduate today if Duke and UNC had ever met in the ACC Tournament championship game. In her defense, she graduated from UNC in about 2014, so maybe a bunch of the history escapes her. But still...

Or maybe her brain was damaged by being in the Dean Dome when Austin Rivers hit The Shot :cool:

[CDu]

I was asked by a UNC graduate today if Duke and UNC had ever met in the ACC Tournament championship game. In her defense, she graduated from UNC in about 2014, so maybe a bunch of the history escapes her. But still...

Or maybe her brain was damaged by being in the Dean Dome when Austin Rivers hit The Shot :cool:

She is either not a big sports fan or she has a short memory. It happened while she was in school.

[Danke Shane]

While on the topic of Duke/UNC history, Friday's game will mark only the 5th time the two teams have played each other outside the state of NC. It will be the second time Duke/UNC have faced off in NYC (1971 NIT).

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Hmmm. this might be a bit of a "hidden advantage" of not playing this game Greensboro.

I lived and practiced in the Flushing Meadows area of New York for several years and I can affirm how well the "Duke brand" travels. I would meet Duke grads and fans everywhere. In fact, isn't that a common complaint amongst the tar heels faithful, that Duke "might as well be in New Jersey"?

Obviously, UNC, especially the Jordan connection, has a huge fan base, but I wouldn't be surprised to see more Duke blue than baby blue tomorrow with this game being played in Brooklyn.

I was at the last Duke vs CHeats game in the ACCT in 2011, played at Greensboro.

Being the championship game, no other fans were really present and I'd say it was roughly 60/40 CHeats over Duke.

Greensboro has always had a fairly large contingent of local Duke fans in the area...

Now Charlotte??? Yeah, that's Chapel Hill West.

[duketaylor]

Tomorrow night will be a special night, for sure. Playing the cheats in an environment that should, should, be more Duke-friendly than not in this tourney will be a welcome change. ESPN already pumping it on a commercial I just saw. They realize who butters their bread, read, not the cheats, but the rivalry helps a ton.
Plus 3 snowstorms on the way, very interesting beginning to Madness!!! 9F9F9F9F9F9F!!!!

[Billy Dat]

It was a heavy UNC crowd today. Maybe with the game being after regular work hours tomorrow, Duke will have more fans in the building.

[duketaylor]

It was a heavy UNC crowd today. Maybe with the game being after regular work hours tomorrow, Duke will have more fans in the building.

uncheat fans/alums should've been job-hunting.:cool:

[Furniture]

I was asked by a UNC graduate today if Duke and UNC had ever met in the ACC Tournament championship game. In her defense, she graduated from UNC in about 2014, so maybe a bunch of the history escapes her. But still...

Or maybe her brain was damaged by being in the Dean Dome when Austin Rivers hit The Shot :cool:

Neither myself or my daughter knew anything about BB until she got into Duke. That was November 2009. I have no clue about some of the discussions many of you get into about the team and results before that time.
I am dumb as well....But still.....it's no excuse.

[Furniture]

I bet the crowd will be at least 50/50 since we are in Brooklyn. Probably closer to 60/40 Duke. I remember when we used to meet in Charlotte or Greensboro it was closer to 75/25 UNC

Really? Every year there are four to five times the amount of under graduates going to UNC. I know Duke has a lot of fans in that area but I wouldn't underestimate the amount of UNC fans that will be there. At least that's what my logic tells me.

[ipatent]

Transition defense is already a problem against UNC, not going to be easier with tired legs. The threes need to fall. It would be nice to see Jones make a few.

[devildeac]

Transition defense is already a problem against UNC, not going to be easier with tired legs. The threes need to fall. It would be nice to see Jones make a few.

Be nice to see hicks called for several travels, too.

Oh, and berry can miss several 3s, too.

[Billy Dat]

I was very impressed with Carolina's defense against us on Saturday and today. It should be another example of their depth vs our grit. Who will get off for them and how will it hurt us? Kennard and Tatum have played huge minutes, but they'll continue to do so until we're done. As Shooter said in Hoosier's about the state title game, "Oh, how I wish I could be there...", but the cheap seats are going for $300.

[DukieInBrasil]

I was very impressed with Carolina's defense against us on Saturday and today. It should be another example of their depth vs our grit. Who will get off for them and how will it hurt us? Kennard and Tatum have played huge minutes, but they'll continue to do so until we're done. As Shooter said in Hoosier's about the state title game, "Oh, how I wish I could be there...", but the cheap seats are going for $300.

Hicks really tore us up last time out. He also just played really well vs Miami today. I trust Jones to make Jackson's POY award look, diminished.
Berry also tore us up, and he played well today too, from what i saw.

[jv001]

I hope we don't play zone against the cheats. Miami used zone today and the cheats killed them on offense. They got the ball down low with easel. Hicks with another good game. The cheat defense was good as well. Or it could have been Miami was just bad. It should be a great game. GoDuke!

[COYS]

She is either not a big sports fan or she has a short memory. It happened while she was in school.

If I were a UNC fan (perish the thought), I'd be sure to forget about that game, too :)

[rsvman]

uncheat fans/alums should've been job-hunting.:cool:

No, they already have their pizza delivery jobs. Most of their work is in the evenings.

[PackMan97]

Duke currently stands at 1-1 vs Carolina...my ability to continue posting on this board really depends on you winning this game. :mad:

[Troublemaker]

Transition defense is already a problem against UNC, not going to be easier with tired legs. The threes need to fall. It would be nice to see Jones make a few.


Hicks really tore us up last time out. He also just played really well vs Miami today. I trust Jones to make Jackson's POY award look, diminished.
Berry also tore us up, and he played well today too, from what i saw.

Unless Matt starts making shots, he's going to see reduced minutes again, for the 3rd time in 4 games.

Against UNC, Matt actually doesn't match up with Jackson enough to make it worthwhile to play him (unless Matt is hitting shots). Part of that is because of our switching, and part of it because of UNC's emphasis on transition.

The big thing, though, is that Roy has Hicks guard Matt on defense. Which is very smart of Roy. That allows Pinson to cover Tatum. So unless Matt is hitting shots, we're not winning the PF matchup which is so key to our success. When we play the other three guards together, THEN Hicks has to guard Jayson.

Finally, UNC is so aggressively in your face on defense -- pressuring the ball far out, playing passing lanes -- that we really need to put guards on the floor who can break them down off the dribble.

[Olympic Fan]

One of the nice things about the win today is that it helps further strengthen the "we are a better team than our 3-4 start" argument. We beat FSU once roughly healthy (Allen banged up, but still). We now have avenged the Louisville loss. Those two losses (without Jefferson or Coach K) can now be fairly reasonably discounted.

The selection committee is supposed to take injuries (or any other reason for missing players) into account.

We are 1-2 without Grayson Allen (W-Maine, L-at Virginia Tech, L-at Miami)

We are 0-2 without Amile Jefferson (L- at FSU, L- at Louisville)

We are 7-1 without Jayson Tatum (L-Kansas)

That's five our eight losses in games where we were missing a key player. Not counting the games we played without Giles, Bolden, Jeter (and one game without Frank Jackson).

I don't know how the committee judges the seven games we played without Coach K (we were 4-3 in those games).

At any rate, we SHOULD be rated higher than our 25-8 record.

PS I just checked up on the ACC scoring race. Michael Young of Pitt finishes his season with 648 points in 33 games -- an average of 19.6 ppg. After today's game, Luke has 667 points in his 33 games -- 20.2 ppg. As long as he doesn't have a disastrous game going forward, he's going to be the ACC scoring leader (Duke's first since Nolan Smith in 2011)

Luke also needs just 37 more points to crack Duke's top 10 single-season scoring totals (Gman in 1980 is 20th at 704 points).

[Troublemaker]

I hope we don't play zone against the cheats. Miami used zone today and the cheats killed them on offense. They got the ball down low with easel. Hicks with another good game. The cheat defense was good as well. Or it could have been Miami was just bad. It should be a great game. GoDuke!

Yeah, UNC actually plays well against zone. They're able to find their big men along the baseline for layups and lob dunks. Plus, the offensive rebounding, and the fact that Berry and Jackson have very deep range and really stretch out the zone, making it difficult to play.

This isn't to say Duke shouldn't give it a shot if m2m isn't working, but thank you for not being knee-jerk about the zone. Duke will almost certainly start out playing m2m, and I hope we don't switch a guard onto Hicks as often as we did in Chapel Hill. I'm also not a big fan of doubling the post, which has burnt us too often in recent games. Front their big men, or play from behind and see if they can finish over the top enough to make us do something else, especially when the young bigs with size are in the game.

[BandAlum83]

While on the topic of Duke/UNC history, Friday's game will mark only the 5th time the two teams have played each other outside the state of NC. It will be the second time Duke/UNC have faced off in NYC (1971 NIT).

I know I was there for one of those games in Atlanta at an ACC tournament. What are the other 2, please?

[BandAlum83]

Unless Matt starts making shots, he's going to see reduced minutes again, for the 3rd time in 4 games.

Against UNC, Matt actually doesn't match up with Jackson enough to make it worthwhile to play him (unless Matt is hitting shots). Part of that is because of our switching, and part of it because of UNC's emphasis on transition.

The big thing, though, is that Roy has Hicks guard Matt on defense. Which is very smart of Roy. That allows Pinson to cover Tatum. So unless Matt is hitting shots, we're not winning the PF matchup which is so key to our success. When we play the other three guards together, THEN Hicks has to guard Jayson.

Finally, UNC is so aggressively in your face on defense -- pressuring the ball far out, playing passing lanes -- that we really need to put guards on the floor who can break them down off the dribble.


So do you think K will start Grayson, Frank, Luke, Jayson, and Amile?

[Troublemaker]

So do you think K will start Grayson, Frank, Luke, Jayson, and Amile?

No, but I think Matt will need to make shots to play more than ~20 minutes.

[gofurman]

I was very impressed with Carolina's defense against us on Saturday and today. It should be another example of their depth vs our grit. Who will get off for them and how will it hurt us? Kennard and Tatum have played huge minutes, but they'll continue to do so until we're done. As Shooter said in Hoosier's about the state title game, "Oh, how I wish I could be there...", but the cheap seats are going for $300.

I hope we win but three thing do favor UNC. Depth is a Big one. Now on game three this becomes an issue for Duke. Luke and Jayson have played high-30 minutes in every game in NY. Only Justin Jackson played 30 minutes for UNC today. That's big and tough to overcome. We did great today but now it gets even tougher. Three in a row is brutal. Good thing is having won two in a row shows we could be fine w NCAA tourney as you obviously do two in three days there

Hicks is coming around. That hurts. That's two big guys for UNC v Amile

Defense. Unc appears to be improving on D though maybe my eye test is wrong here ?

[Olympic Fan]

Just to delve further into the history of Duke vs. UNC in the ACC Tourney.

As I posted earlier, Duke is 12-8 against UNC in tourney play .... beyond that:

Duke and UNC have met for the title 11 times and UNC has a 6-5 edge

Duke and UNC have met in the semifinals eight previous times and Duke has a 6-2 edge

Duke and UNC have met in the quarterfinals once and Duke has a 1-0 edge

Duke has a five-game ACC Tourney win streak against UNC. Since losing the 1998 title game to the Cheats, Duke has won the 1999 title game, the 2001 title game, the 2002 quarterfinals, the 2003 semifinals and the 2011 title game.

Hoping for snow in the Big Apple tomorrow -- that would make us a lock!

[awhom111]

Here is the ACC Network information:

TV Stations:
http://www.theacc.com/news/2017-acctourney-on-the-acc-network-game-12

Official, free, unrestricted stream (also accesible from front page of ACC website at game time):
http://www.theacc.com/game-center/57f3d00de4b0dcabe018ef1c

[Steven43]

I know it's heresy but by winning today we achieved a lot and I could stomach a loss. Even to Unc.
Is there something worse than heresy? Whatever it is you deserve a dose of it for making that comment about UNC. Please don't ever do that again, thanks.

[Troublemaker]

Is there something worse than heresy? Whatever it is you deserve a dose of it for making that comment about UNC. Please don't ever do that again, thanks.

Agreed. Besides all the other important aspects and consequences of this rubber match, it's also a chance to slow your rival's momentum heading into the NCAAT. I don't know if the players and coaches would think about it in those terms, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. UNC may get a 1 seed but it really puts a damper on things if they're sitting there on Selection Sunday having lost the season series to Duke 2-1. Same thing for us, although I'd argue we might have a teensy bit less at stake because we haven't had that 1-seed type season (although I wish that we did). As one of the UNC guests on here wrote, they probably would've rather tanked to Miami than lose to Duke again. With us, I don't think we'd want to erase that win over Louisville for anything.

[jv001]

It looks like odds makers have uncheat favored by 3.5 to 4 points, based on which bookie you look at. I know someone will post the odds on the betting thread later today. If we're not worn down by the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half, we win. If we're worn down, then it could be a bad day. The losses to State and Cuse put us in this spot. So, Next Play. GoDuke!

[UNCfan]

I am not sure this game can live up to the first two, but maybe it can. Will Duke play with tired legs or will they play with momentum? Will UNC be able to use their fresh legs to execute against Duke's zone and keep Duke from getting open looks from three? I would love to win the rubber match and I think UNC will.

[dukelifer]

I hope we win but three thing do favor UNC. Depth is a Big one. Now on game three this becomes an issue for Duke. Luke and Jayson have played high-30 minutes in every game in NY. Only Justin Jackson played 30 minutes for UNC today. That's big and tough to overcome. We did great today but now it gets even tougher. Three in a row is brutal. Good thing is having won two in a row shows we could be fine w NCAA tourney as you obviously do two in three days there

Hicks is coming around. That hurts. That's two big guys for UNC v Amile

Defense. Unc appears to be improving on D though maybe my eye test is wrong here ?

I am hoping Duke plays loose and with some energy. K would do well to be creative today. If he could play some of the other guys (Vrank, White etc)- just to allow his starters to have something at the end- I think it would help the team. We will see- but expect a twist or two tonight.

[Troublemaker]

It looks like odds makers have uncheat favored by 3.5 to 4 points, based on which bookie you look at. I know someone will post the odds on the betting thread later today. If we're not worn down by the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half, we win. If we're worn down, then it could be a bad day. The losses to State and Cuse put us in this spot. So, Next Play. GoDuke!

If we find ourselves waning at any point in this game, THEN we should spring the zone against them. Maybe it'll catch them off guard and we can rest in the zone for a bit.

The zone probably works best as a curveball maneuver. As Coach K said, we didn't even play the zone all that well. I haven't rewatched the game yet like others, but I recall the corners being wide open. We don't have a strong curveball here. But if we lead up to it by throwing lots of fastball, THEN maybe the curveball will work.


I am hoping Duke plays loose and with some energy. K would do well to be creative today. If he could play some of the other guys (Vrank, White etc)- just to allow his starters to have something at the end- I think it would help the team. We will see- but expect a twist or two tonight.

We need to throw the kitchen sink at them to hopefully make up for the rest advantage. Not sure we're going to play Vrank or White, but I do think shifting defenses is possible.

[Saratoga2]

The selection committee is supposed to take injuries (or any other reason for missing players) into account.

We are 1-2 without Grayson Allen (W-Maine, L-at Virginia Tech, L-at Miami)

We are 0-2 without Amile Jefferson (L- at FSU, L- at Louisville)

We are 7-1 without Jayson Tatum (L-Kansas)

That's five our eight losses in games where we were missing a key player. Not counting the games we played without Giles, Bolden, Jeter (and one game without Frank Jackson).

I don't know how the committee judges the seven games we played without Coach K (we were 4-3 in those games).

At any rate, we SHOULD be rated higher than our 25-8 record.

PS I just checked up on the ACC scoring race. Michael Young of Pitt finishes his season with 648 points in 33 games -- an average of 19.6 ppg. After today's game, Luke has 667 points in his 33 games -- 20.2 ppg. As long as he doesn't have a disastrous game going forward, he's going to be the ACC scoring leader (Duke's first since Nolan Smith in 2011)

Luke also needs just 37 more points to crack Duke's top 10 single-season scoring totals (Gman in 1980 is 20th at 704 points).

I expect Frank Jackson to have a big day against UNC. He is relatively fresh and is one of the few players we have that can break people down off the dribble. Reasonably good games by Luke and Jayson are likely and if Frank and Grayson can hit double figures we are very competitive here. Harry having a good game also would likely put us into the win column.

[CDu]

I know I was there for one of those games in Atlanta at an ACC tournament. What are the other 2, please?

It happened in Atlanta thrice: the 1989 and 2001 ACC tourney finals. And again in 1929.

[Matches]

I am not sure this game can live up to the first two, but maybe it can. Will Duke play with tired legs or will they play with momentum? Will UNC be able to use their fresh legs to execute against Duke's zone and keep Duke from getting open looks from three? I would love to win the rubber match and I think UNC will.

I may be in the minority but I think too much is made of "tired legs". These guys are all well-conditioned athletes who are used to playing basketball virtually every day. I doubt there has been an injury-free week in any of their lives where they didn't play basketball 3-4 days in a row since they were very young kids.

I do think emotional fatigue can set in and affect folks physically but I think that's different for every kid and isn't necessarily correlated to playing a certain number of games or minutes.

Look, I'm a creaky, unathletic 43 year old man and I can work out 3-4 days in a row without wearing out. I find it very hard to believe Jayson Tatum or Justin Jackson can't do likewise.

[bluenorth]

I may be in the minority but I think too much is made of "tired legs". These guys are all well-conditioned athletes who are used to playing basketball virtually every day. I doubt there has been an injury-free week in any of their lives where they didn't play basketball 3-4 days in a row since they were very young kids.

I do think emotional fatigue can set in and affect folks physically but I think that's different for every kid and isn't necessarily correlated to playing a certain number of games or minutes.

Look, I'm a creaky, unathletic 43 year old man and I can work out 3-4 days in a row without wearing out. I find it very hard to believe Jayson Tatum or Justin Jackson can't do likewise.

My feeling is that all the little bumps and bruises over the course of a season take their toll. The cumulative effect can be very hard on a player, so you can't over-estimate the advantage that UNC gets from an extra day's rest, and then a relatively easy game yesterday. I'd expect that the adrenaline early in the game will have both teams going full blast. After that the fatigue sets in. If we start missing free throws (assuming we get to the line - refs!) that'll be a bad sign. Coach K will need to manage the pace of the game so that we have something left for the end-game.

[DukieInBrasil]

Yeah, UNC actually plays well against zone. They're able to find their big men along the baseline for layups and lob dunks. Plus, the offensive rebounding, and the fact that Berry and Jackson have very deep range and really stretch out the zone, making it difficult to play.

This isn't to say Duke shouldn't give it a shot if m2m isn't working, but thank you for not being knee-jerk about the zone. Duke will almost certainly start out playing m2m, and I hope we don't switch a guard onto Hicks as often as we did in Chapel Hill. I'm also not a big fan of doubling the post, which has burnt us too often in recent games. Front their big men, or play from behind and see if they can finish over the top enough to make us do something else, especially when the young bigs with size are in the game.

Doubling UL's post was a disaster. When Jefferson fronts Meeks he can't get the ball or score. Hicks is more mobile, and Tatum had big problems with him. I wonder if, due to his improved performance yesterday, Giles is called on to defend Hicks. That would put Jackson on Tatum etc. However, when teams have gone small against us they have really torched us as our backcourt is just not that good defensively. Jones does a great job, but he's too big and slow to guard Berry 1on1. Jackson is really our only guard who can match up well with Berry and he's just not wiley enough to keep up with Joel.
Overall, though, i think our main strategy is going to be keeping the pace of the game slow A) to preserve our own legs, but also to B) prevent what Cheaterlina does best. I don't think zone is the answer as it allows for too many Oboards and that is where the Cheaters thrive. I don't see their 3pt shooting as a particular dagger, although Berry has been on fire lately from deep, but points in the paint is where they really win big.

[TKG]

I just hope we have the legs to get through tomorrow. Because I think that - with Allen finding himself again - we present serious matchup problems for UNC. Let's hope we can muster the energy to get the win!

I hate to write this but I think we come out on the wrong side of this one and by double digits. Had we not played two games in two days (Tatum played 39 minutes and 38 minutes; Luke played 38 and 39), I would like our chances in Brooklyn. The Holes will be just a bit fresher and Roy will throw a 9-10 players at us. I expect us to stay with them for the first 30 minutes but then fade in the final 10.

Let me know where I need to send my DBR membership card.

[DukieInBrasil]

If we find ourselves waning at any point in this game, THEN we should spring the zone against them. Maybe it'll catch them off guard and we can rest in the zone for a bit.

The zone probably works best as a curveball maneuver. As Coach K said, we didn't even play the zone all that well. I haven't rewatched the game yet like others, but I recall the corners being wide open. We don't have a strong curveball here. But if we lead up to it by throwing lots of fastball, THEN maybe the curveball will work.



We need to throw the kitchen sink at them to hopefully make up for the rest advantage. Not sure we're going to play Vrank or White, but I do think shifting defenses is possible.

they were wide open, but having Tatum close out on their much smaller shooters bothered them a lot, so maybe they weren't as open as they (and we) thought.
Putting Vrank or Jack or any of our other nearly endless unused depth to steal a few seconds of rest before mandated under-(insert time) tv timeouts might be a really good idea here. Of course the clock has to stop at the right times for that to work. K didn't really do that yesterday (manipulate substitutions to maximize tv to's) due to the tightness of the game, but the game situations today may make that a good move.

[Matches]

Doubling UL's post was a disaster. When Jefferson fronts Meeks he can't get the ball or score. Hicks is more mobile, and Tatum had big problems with him. I wonder if, due to his improved performance yesterday, Giles is called on to defend Hicks. That would put Jackson on Tatum etc. However, when teams have gone small against us they have really torched us as our backcourt is just not that good defensively. Jones does a great job, but he's too big and slow to guard Berry 1on1. Jackson is really our only guard who can match up well with Berry and he's just not wiley enough to keep up with Joel.


The best strategy against Hicks IMO is get him in foul trouble and get him out of the game. The problem is that Roy will hide Hicks on Matt Jones defensively, and we really need Matt in the game to guard Justin Jackson. It might be worth it to sit Matt some early, even if it means JJ gets going, in order to put pressure on Hicks defensively and get him out of the game.

[brevity]

I hate to write this but I think we come out on the wrong side of this one and by double digits. Had we not played two games in two days (Tatum played 39 minutes and 38 minutes; Luke played 38 and 39), I would like our chances in Brooklyn. The Holes will be just a bit fresher and Roy will throw a 9-10 players at us. I expect us to stay with them for the first 30 minutes but then fade in the final 10.

Let me know where I need to send my DBR membership card.

Relax, that's not how we do things around here anymore. Just run your DBR membership card through the shredder and post a picture of the remains.

[ChillinDuke]

It was a heavy UNC crowd today. Maybe with the game being after regular work hours tomorrow, Duke will have more fans in the building.

I think that's a very safe bet. I know 8 people personally that are going tonight that didn't go yesterday. And quite a few more that are actively shopping.

Every little bit helps.

- Chillin

[DukieInBrasil]

I hate to write this but I think we come out on the wrong side of this one and by double digits. Had we not played two games in two days (Tatum played 39 minutes and 38 minutes; Luke played 38 and 39), I would like our chances in Brooklyn. The Holes will be just a bit fresher and Roy will throw a 9-10 players at us. I expect us to stay with them for the first 30 minutes but then fade in the final 10.

Let me know where I need to send my DBR membership card.

UL played 11 in the first half, didn't help them. I was worried yesterday that the legs were going to give out in the last 10 minutes, instead that's precisely when we started winning the game. Hard to predict the future, but yesterday's play gives me hope. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

[bluenorth]

It would be interesting to know what kind of things the team does post-game to help their bodies to recover. The obvious ones are icing sore knees and ankles, and replacing liquids/electrolytes. But does the team have access to a massage therapist, a chiropractor, or any other wellness people? Hyperbaric chambers were big a couple of years ago for some pros. Knowing the depth of preparation that major programs go to now, I wonder what Duke does in this situation. Any insights out there?

[jv001]

The best strategy against Hicks IMO is get him in foul trouble and get him out of the game. The problem is that Roy will hide Hicks on Matt Jones defensively, and we really need Matt in the game to guard Justin Jackson. It might be worth it to sit Matt some early, even if it means JJ gets going, in order to put pressure on Hicks defensively and get him out of the game.

Coach K has not played Matt heavy minutes in the last few games and I believe it's for the very reason you mentioned. He's just a non-factor on offense and opponent's coaches have noticed it giving Matt an open shot. His defender can play help defense on one of our 4 scorers. Matt could well be a key to winning this game. He should be rested and he'll have some open looks. He needs to hit them early to get uncheat out of that ploy. That give our other guys a chance to drive the ball and hopefully get Hicks in foul trouble. It doesn't necessarily mean it will be Jayson that Hicks will be guarding because of the switches the cheats will be in. This should be a real good ballgame and we shouldn't think less because it's Duke vs. Uncheat. GoDuke!

[ChillinDuke]

For those of you that are more experienced in ACCT mechanics, what is the best way to strategize on tickets? (I posted a similar post in the Ticket Exchange forum)

I'm watching Stubhub more or less in real-time. Prices have fallen since immediately after our win yesterday. Some tell me that prices fall off a cliff just before game time. Similarly, work colleagues tell me that the Old Big East Tournament (~5 years ago) they used to walk straight up to the door and buy them at the ticket office. Not sure how much to believe either of these tales.

The dynamic of multiple fanbases buying and selling after each win/loss makes for quite a bit of noise. And now Duke-UNC has probably amplified that. Any ideas from you veterans on how people tend to transact in this environment? Or it's stubhub and then luck of the draw?

[Happy to take this back to the Ticket Exchange forum, but there's minimal activity there so wanted to heighten the importance in order to maximize Duke turnout.]

- Chillin

[Matches]

Coach K has not played Matt heavy minutes in the last few games and I believe it's for the very reason you mentioned. He's just a non-factor on offense and opponent's coaches have noticed it giving Matt an open shot. His defender can play help defense on one of our 4 scorers. Matt could well be a key to winning this game. He should be rested and he'll have some open looks. He needs to hit them early to get uncheat out of that ploy. That give our other guys a chance to drive the ball and hopefully get Hicks in foul trouble. It doesn't necessarily mean it will be Jayson that Hicks will be guarding because of the switches the cheats will be in. This should be a real good ballgame and we shouldn't think less because it's Duke vs. Uncheat. GoDuke!

I think the book has gotten out on Matt to some extent - make him drive. Even with pretty good spacing, he's not getting the open looks he used to from distance. Matt is a very good catch and shoot 3pt shooter but not so much if he's on the move.

But yea, him knocking down a couple early would be huge. His defense against JJ in both games was superb so it would be nice to have him out there a lot tonight.

[TKG]

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

Thanks, Andy.

Red.

[budwom]

Yeah, UNC actually plays well against zone. They're able to find their big men along the baseline for layups and lob dunks. Plus, the offensive rebounding, and the fact that Berry and Jackson have very deep range and really stretch out the zone, making it difficult to play.

This isn't to say Duke shouldn't give it a shot if m2m isn't working, but thank you for not being knee-jerk about the zone. Duke will almost certainly start out playing m2m, and I hope we don't switch a guard onto Hicks as often as we did in Chapel Hill. I'm also not a big fan of doubling the post, which has burnt us too often in recent games. Front their big men, or play from behind and see if they can finish over the top enough to make us do something else, especially when the young bigs with size are in the game.

Yup, using a zone at times could be fruitful, as good as unc generally plays against one...

[rsvman]

I'm not the coach but if I were, my strategy would be to slow the game down as much as humanly possible. I would make the cheaters play a minimum of 25 seconds of D on our every possession unless I had a slam or a layup.
This accomplishes two things. First, it allows our guys to stay fresher.second, it frustrates the heck out of them, because it takes then out of their game. Remember what UVa did to them last week?

That's what I would try to do.

Barring that, I, too, expect a hard fought, back and forth game until about the last 7 or 8 minutes, at which time the cheaters pull away and we lose by double digits. Fatigue from consecutive games catches up to young people, too. There are some physiologic realities in play, like limited glycogen stores, for example. Even if you are young and athletic, you still need to make ATP.

[BandAlum83]

It looks like odds makers have uncheat favored by 3.5 to 4 points, based on which bookie you look at. I know someone will post the odds on the betting thread later today. If we're not worn down by the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half, we win. If we're worn down, then it could be a bad day. The losses to State and Cuse put us in this spot. So, Next Play. GoDuke!

Not sure I follow. The losses to state and cuse put us in what spot?

[OldPhiKap]

Not sure I follow. The losses to state and cuse put us in what spot?

I assume (s)he means that we would have gotten a double-bye but for those losses.

Given the year, I'm frankly glad we did as well as we did. And even happier that the team seems to be coming together in March.

Let's Go Duke!!! 9F!!

[jv001]

I'm not the coach but if I were, my strategy would be to slow the game down as much as humanly possible. I would make the cheaters play a minimum of 25 seconds of D on our every possession unless I had a slam or a layup.
This accomplishes two things. First, it allows our guys to stay fresher.second, it frustrates the heck out of them, because it takes then out of their game. Remember what UVa did to them last week?

That's what I would try to do.

Barring that, I, too, expect a hard fought, back and forth game until about the last 7 or 8 minutes, at which time the cheaters pull away and we lose by double digits. Fatigue from consecutive games catches up to young people, too. There are some physiologic realities in play, like limited glycogen stores, for example. Even if you are young and athletic, you still need to make ATP.

Good points. There are so many ways to try and negate what other teams do well. The only bad thing about running the clock down is that we haven't been really successful at creating offense with only 5-10 seconds on the shot clock. We have turned the ball over or have been forced to take a bad shot. The results many times have been face break baskets going the other way. I think using most of the shot clock can be useful at the end of the half or end of game situations. Maybe use 15 to 20 seconds might be better but I want the ball in Luke's or Jayson's hands when we use this strategy. That leaves Frank and Grayson open for kick out 3s. GoDuke!

[jv001]

Not sure I follow. The losses to state and cuse put us in what spot?

Playing an extra game that the cheats didn't have to play. GoDuke!

[BandAlum83]

It happened in Atlanta thrice: the 1989 and 2001 ACC tourney finals. And again in 1929.

1929? How could I not know that?


Why were these two teams playing in Atlanta in 1929?

[coldriver10]

I was at the last Duke vs CHeats game in the ACCT in 2011, played at Greensboro.

Being the championship game, no other fans were really present and I'd say it was roughly 60/40 CHeats over Duke.

Greensboro has always had a fairly large contingent of local Duke fans in the area...

Now Charlotte??? Yeah, that's Chapel Hill West.
I remember that 2011 game feeling closer to 70/30 or 75/25 UNC/Duke. Which made a great game and result even more satisfying :)

[ChrisDevil]

For those of you that are more experienced in ACCT mechanics, what is the best way to strategize on tickets? (I posted a similar post in the Ticket Exchange forum)

I'm watching Stubhub more or less in real-time. Prices have fallen since immediately after our win yesterday. Some tell me that prices fall off a cliff just before game time. Similarly, work colleagues tell me that the Old Big East Tournament (~5 years ago) they used to walk straight up to the door and buy them at the ticket office. Not sure how much to believe either of these tales.

The dynamic of multiple fanbases buying and selling after each win/loss makes for quite a bit of noise. And now Duke-UNC has probably amplified that. Any ideas from you veterans on how people tend to transact in this environment? Or it's stubhub and then luck of the draw?

[Happy to take this back to the Ticket Exchange forum, but there's minimal activity there so wanted to heighten the importance in order to maximize Duke turnout.]

- Chillin

FYI, traditionally in NYC as soon as the banking/ wall st day ends, prime tickets tend to fall off of a cliff because the ticket brokers that sell to corporate clients have lost their audience. They control a huge % of the prime inventory. It is expense account buyers that drive the prices to these crazy levels. Have seen it for almost every pro playoff game in the NY area for years. That being said, this is DUKE/UNC and demand will be crazy.

[BandAlum83]

Good points. There are so many ways to try and negate what other teams do well. The only bad thing about running the clock down is that we haven't been really successful at creating offense with only 5-10 seconds on the shot clock. We have turned the ball over or have been forced to take a bad shot. The results many times have been face break baskets going the other way. I think using most of the shot clock can be useful at the end of the half or end of game situations. Maybe use 15 to 20 seconds might be better but I want the ball in Luke's or Jayson's hands when we use this strategy. That leaves Frank and Grayson open for kick out 3s. GoDuke!

I thought the last face break we'd given up was Marshall Plumlee.

But I guess maybe you're right, and this year's kids just won't play with masks.

[MrPoon]

I think the most interesting decision K will have in this game is Matt Jones (short of unexpected foul trouble or something of the sort). Jones has made Jackson look like a nice ACC player but not the POY and everything he has gotten has taken effort. It seems to me Jackson is an emotional player who can get frustrated by bad calls or a poor game, which Jones can cause.

However, I felt the best line up yesterday was with Frank, Grayson, Luke and Tatum. Some of that had to do with the unique flow of the game, some of that had to do with the effectiveness of the surprise zone. I don't expect a lot of zone today. Louisville couldn't miss inside but wasn't hitting the outside shot well at all. The zone wasn't very good and Justin Jackson and Berry (maybe even Pinson) are good enough to hit the outside shot when open. Our version of the zone seems to just give away the corners and I don't have the stats for it but my memory of Pison is he likes the corner three.

Lastly, GA's ankle is an interesting story. That was all the talk against Clemson and then it was all healed in the next game. That doesn't make sense to me. My guess is that it still is an issue but maybe not to the extent believed by his poor play against Clemson. K said he needed to find a rhythm to his game while missing practice. That makes sense but if the ankle is still sore, I wonder if it will tighten up after playing so hard yesterday.

[jv001]

I thought the last face break we'd given up was Marshall Plumlee.

But I guess maybe you're right, and this year's kids just won't play with masks.

Good catch but not quite spork worthy. I've done worse, just ask my wife. :cool: GoDuke!

[BandAlum83]

Good catch but not quite spork worthy. I've done worse, just ask my wife. :cool: GoDuke!

Not spork worthy, indeed.

This one was T-Ball. ;)

[jv001]

I think the most interesting decision K will have in this game is Matt Jones (short of unexpected foul trouble or something of the sort). Jones has made Jackson look like a nice ACC player but not the POY and everything he has gotten has taken effort. It seems to me Jackson is an emotional player who can get frustrated by bad calls or a poor game, which Jones can cause.

However, I felt the best line up yesterday was with Frank, Grayson, Luke and Tatum. Some of that had to do with the unique flow of the game, some of that had to do with the effectiveness of the surprise zone. I don't expect a lot of zone today. Louisville couldn't miss inside but wasn't hitting the outside shot well at all. The zone wasn't very good and Justin Jackson and Berry (maybe even Pinson) are good enough to hit the outside shot when open. Our version of the zone seems to just give away the corners and I don't have the stats for it but my memory of Pison is he likes the corner three.

Lastly, GA's ankle is an interesting story. That was all the talk against Clemson and then it was all healed in the next game. That doesn't make sense to me. My guess is that it still is an issue but maybe not to the extent believed by his poor play against Clemson. K said he needed to find a rhythm to his game while missing practice. That makes sense but if the ankle is still sore, I wonder if it will tighten up after playing so hard yesterday.

Those 4 plus Amile give us offense from all 5 players that are in the game. I thought Harry played pretty well yesterday and gave Amile some needed rest. GoDuke!

[Indoor66]

1929? How could I not know that?


Why were these two teams playing in Atlanta in 1929?

It must have been that Helm's Bread Tournament we forgot about.

[CDu]

Not sure I follow. The losses to state and cuse put us in what spot?


I assume (s)he means that we would have gotten a double-bye but for those losses.

Given the year, I'm frankly glad we did as well as we did. And even happier that the team seems to be coming together in March.

Let's Go Duke!!! 9F!!

On top of that, had we not lost those games, we wouldn't be facing UNC on Friday as we'd be the 2 seed.

[BandAlum83]

On top of that, had we not lost those games, we wouldn't be facing UNC on Friday as we'd be the 2 seed.

I really don't care when we face them, but I will concede the 3 days vs 2 days point.

[BluDvlsN1]

I'm not too much on historical data relative to
approaching a new game, only if the makeup
of the team/'s is consistent.

But, based on this year's games.
I thinks we need Matt defending Jackson, he has
to be limited in looks and touches. Matt is more than capable.
We have the offense to compensate if Matt is not scoring.

We have to move the ball on the perimiter
quickly, to overload their defense and find the
open look and or penetrate and score and get fouled
to get their bigs in foul trouble.

We must have a srong post presence on both ends,
We need all hands have to be on the boards and loose balls,
in particular the long rebounds that initiate their fast break.

The cheats are playing well and their defense
has improved of late. But we have the tools
break that down.

Berry went off in ch, and the game was closer
at the end, but for the late foul sequences.

So for them, that was their ceiling or the roof,
IDK, I'm so confused.:rolleyes:

Neutral court, we should have crowd support balance.
We have responded with team toughness in recent games
when we got behind and showed that Duke game mentality.

We got good minutes out of Harry against L'ville,
we'll need that and with Amile being Amile in the post.
When we get balanced scoring from Frank, Jayson, Luke and Grayson..
that presents an adjustment nightmare for any team.

We may be playing on adrenalin at the end, but this is
what these guys signed on for when they came to Duke,
this game, this stage, these stakes.

I like US!!!

GTHC, GTH, let us point you to the path!

[duketaylor]

It would be interesting to know what kind of things the team does post-game to help their bodies to recover. The obvious ones are icing sore knees and ankles, and replacing liquids/electrolytes. But does the team have access to a massage therapist, a chiropractor, or any other wellness people? Hyperbaric chambers were big a couple of years ago for some pros. Knowing the depth of preparation that major programs go to now, I wonder what Duke does in this situation. Any insights out there?

I think the staff brought a hyperbollic chamber with them. Maybe some skittles, too.:)

[Henderson]

I sense just a tiny bit of fear among a small minority of the faithful here. We're 1-1 and even beat them by more than they beat us. Wouldn't it be better if we just took our bragging rights, such as they are, to the NCAAT and hope for better?

No. No. No.

This is the matchup we want. We want the Cheats. Tonight. Game on.

Going 1-1 against them this year isn't enough. A tie? A tie? Screw that.

In amateur chess, the person who suggests a draw first goes on to lose 68% of the time. Why? Because losers want a draw. Winners play to win.

We are winners.

Return with your shields or on them boys. This is war, and we give no quarter.

We are Duke.

9F.

[BandAlum83]

We may be playing on adrenalin at the end, but this is what these guys signed on for when they came to Duke, this game, this stage, these stakes.



I like this!

[Troublemaker]

I hate to write this but I think we come out on the wrong side of this one and by double digits. Had we not played two games in two days (Tatum played 39 minutes and 38 minutes; Luke played 38 and 39), I would like our chances in Brooklyn. The Holes will be just a bit fresher and Roy will throw a 9-10 players at us. I expect us to stay with them for the first 30 minutes but then fade in the final 10.

Let me know where I need to send my DBR membership card.

That's one of the possibilities for tonight for sure. Can't give you hard time for that.

Big thing for us is that the bench needs to follow up the Lville win with another good game tonight. If the bench plays well, that can provide needed energy.

[CDu]

I'm liking the fact that Jones, Jefferson, Allen, and Jackson all played less than 30 minutes yesterday. And that Giles played fairly well in his 15 minutes. That gives me hope. Hopefully Kennard and Tatum (the two guys who DID play heavy minutes) can muster the energy again today.

If we can keep our energy up, I like our chances. We match up well with UNC. Just need to hope that foul trouble and fatigue don't do us in. If they don't, I think we will be happy with today's result.

[jv001]

That's one of the possibilities for tonight for sure. Can't give you hard time for that.

Big thing for us is that the bench needs to follow up the Lville win with another good game tonight. If the bench plays well, that can provide needed energy.

I agree 100% about our bench play. This brings up a question for you, TM. Do you think the starting lineup will be: Frank, Luke, Jayson Amile and Matt? I think it remains the same but Coach K has been known to pull a rabbit out of the hat. GoDuke!

[kAzE]

I'm not as optimistic about this game as our last game. UNC is a easier match up than Louisville for us, but we had to use every ounce of energy in the tank to beat Louisville. Our best 2 players, Luke and Jayson, have played nearly 80 minutes a piece in the past 48 hours, and I think those guys will have a hard time shooting the ball as well as they normally would with dead legs in the 2nd half of this one. Foul trouble is also a concern, since fatigue causes players to play defense with their hands more than their feet.

We may need Grayson to carry us offensively (since he's play far fewer minutes) if Luke and Jayson are too worn out. I think it will be close, but I'd give us a 30% chance to win. Maybe the UNC rivalry will summon some hidden reserves of adrenaline. I believe we have a better team than UNC, but that extra game really hurts.

[Matches]

I agree 100% about our bench play. This brings up a question for you, TM. Do you think the starting lineup will be: Frank, Luke, Jayson Amile and Matt? I think it remains the same but Coach K has been known to pull a rabbit out of the hat. GoDuke!

Barring injury I think we're rolling with Jackson, Kennard, Jones, Tatum & Jefferson for the rest of the season. Allen & Giles 1st two off the bench.

[drummerdevil]

9F. :cool:

[Troublemaker]

I agree 100% about our bench play. This brings up a question for you, TM. Do you think the starting lineup will be: Frank, Luke, Jayson Amile and Matt? I think it remains the same but Coach K has been known to pull a rabbit out of the hat. GoDuke!

I think so, but I think Coach will be quick to pull Matt if his offense is hurting us more than his defense his helping. We can't have UNC guarding him successfully with Hicks. Hopefully he can make some threes tonight.

[CDu]

We need to take as much advantage of Kennedy Meeks' lead feet as possible. The guy simple cannot defend. That means lots of ball screens involving Meeks. It means a fair share of midrange/perimeter isos for Jefferson on Meeks. Anything we can do to take advantage of UNC's biggest defensive liability the better.

On defense, we need to HUSTLE back to prevent easy transition buckets. And we have to battle on the boards like we did in Durham. If we can do that, we stand a good chance. UNC's halfcourt offense largely relies on rebounding their misses.

That means we need to overcome fatigue to win this one. It isn't going to be easy, for sure. But it is a very winnable game.

Go Duke!

[flyingdutchdevil]

I think so, but I think Coach will be quick to pull Matt if his offense is hurting us more than his defense his helping. We can't have UNC guarding him successfully with Hicks. Hopefully he can make some threes tonight.

Yeah...but Matt Jones is due. He's shooting 2-18 from three over the last 6 games. I'm expecting a breakout, especially if Grayson is near 100% and the defense needs to keep him in-check (along with Kennard and Tatum).

If Jones is open, he better shoot. I want him shooting until Coach K pulls him. Cus I believe Jones's slump is all mental. He needs one okay-to-great game offensively to get back.

[flyingdutchdevil]

We need to take as much advantage of Kennedy Meeks' lead feet as possible. The guy simple cannot defend. That means lots of ball screens involving Meeks. It means a fair share of midrange/perimeter isos for Jefferson on Meeks. Anything we can do to take advantage of UNC's biggest defensive liability the better.

On defense, we need to HUSTLE back to prevent easy transition buckets. And we have to battle on the boards like we did in Durham. If we can do that, we stand a good chance. UNC's halfcourt offense largely relies on rebounding their misses.

That means we need to overcome fatigue to win this one. It isn't going to be easy, for sure. But it is a very winnable game.

Go Duke!

100% agree. But this will prove very challenging. UNC is excellent at the fast break and Duke is terrible at a) transition D and b) stopping penetration. And there is only 1 Matt Jones. As good as Jones is, there is only one of him. That means someone needs to guard Berry, who is okay at penetrating but that means he is excellent at penetrating against Duke.

And for how great Kennard is and how good Jackson has become, they are still both terrible at stopping penetration.

[gocanes0506]

I would love to see Giles throw that overrated chant back in their faces with 15-20 points today. Tackling fuel!

Also matt getting 10+ points with 3 threes will be vital for a victory with tired legs.

[Atlanta Duke]

It looks like odds makers have uncheat favored by 3.5 to 4 points, based on which bookie you look at. I know someone will post the odds on the betting thread later today. If we're not worn down by the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half, we win. If we're worn down, then it could be a bad day. The losses to State and Cuse put us in this spot. So, Next Play. GoDuke!

Line opened at Carolina by 3 with consensus movement to 4, with some Vegas books posting Carolina by 4&1/2 as of this morning.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-basketball/odds/las-vegas/line-movement/duke-@-north-carolina.cfm/date/3-10-17/time/1900#BT

No surprise Carolina is favored based on recent play along with Duke playing for a third day after two tight games

“The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet.”- Damon Runyon

[Rickshaw]

Got a nice compliment (is there any other kind) this morning. I was doing some shopping (laying in some provisions for the game tonight) and the cashier said "Duke or Carolina". I said 'Duke'. She said (with a bit of distain) "I could just feel it"......................must be living right.

[COYS]

Yeah...but Matt Jones is due. He's shooting 2-18 from three over the last 6 games. I'm expecting a breakout, especially if Grayson is near 100% and the defense needs to keep him in-check (along with Kennard and Tatum).

If Jones is open, he better shoot. I want him shooting until Coach K pulls him. Cus I believe Jones's slump is all mental. He needs one okay-to-great game offensively to get back.

I certainly hope so. One of the positives I took away from the win yesterday was that we beat a really good Louisville team, but did it without playing at our highest level. There's only one ball, so I don't necessarily expect all of Luke, Jayson, Grayson, Frank, and Amile to all get 15+ on the same night. Still, it COULD happen. Similarly, Harry is perfectly capable of sneaking his way to 8-10 points. And, perhaps most likely of all, Matt is seriously due for a good shooting night. I still remember his amazing performance on both ends of the court against Gonzaga in 2015 (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400787701). Matt doesn't need to score 16, but if he can just nail a couple open threes, it gives us a much bigger margin for error. Matt is the perfect three and D guy . . . except the three part hasn't been working for him of late. We're a much more dangerous team when Matt is hitting open threes.

[Eakane]

I may be in the minority but I think too much is made of "tired legs". These guys are all well-conditioned athletes who are used to playing basketball virtually every day. I doubt there has been an injury-free week in any of their lives where they didn't play basketball 3-4 days in a row since they were very young kids.

I do think emotional fatigue can set in and affect folks physically but I think that's different for every kid and isn't necessarily correlated to playing a certain number of games or minutes.

Look, I'm a creaky, unathletic 43 year old man and I can work out 3-4 days in a row without wearing out. I find it very hard to believe Jayson Tatum or Justin Jackson can't do likewise.

I'm with you. The pundits (most of whom did not play Division I ball) tend to place way too much emphasis on this. However, you are also right that there is something to be said for emotional fatigue. That will kick in if we're playing tomorrow. K will have them mentally ready tonight. Count on it.

Last week I thought we got back on D to a fault. It seemed that as soon as a shot was launched, everyone raced to get back, which led to few secondary breaks, yes, but we also got killed on the boards. Good shooting solves this, but you can't count on shooting 60%.

We did a great job of limiting turnovers yesterday, but we fouled too much. L'ville let us off the hook by stinking up the joint at the line. Carolina won't do that, but Berry isn't going to start 6-6 from 3 either.

The beauty of our team is that if you try to take out our best players (Tatum/Kennard), GA or Jackson can kill you (the advent of Jackson is just huhe for us), not to mention opening things up a bit for Amile. Jones too, has to pick his spots and bury them.

The Cheaters can be had, but it will take a supreme effort. If we play solid fundamental ball, lmiting turnovers and fouls, crashing the boards, making the extra pass, and if we have a reasonably good shooting night, ... ... ...

We're playing with house money fellas. We've already done what we had to do in Brooklyn. The rest is icing.

[weezie]

I'm with you. The pundits (most of whom did not play Division I ball)...

And who spend vast amounts of time sitting on their derrieres gasping about certain targeted players!

[devildeac]

Yeah...but Matt Jones is due. He's shooting 2-18 from three over the last 6 games. I'm expecting a breakout, especially if Grayson is near 100% and the defense needs to keep him in-check (along with Kennard and Tatum).

If Jones is open, he better shoot. I want him shooting until Coach K pulls him. Cus I believe Jones's slump is all mental. He needs one okay-to-great game offensively to get back.

What'd make me happy:

1. Matt shooting 2/5 3s, making a couple floaters (:eek:) and holding jj to 3-12 shooting and 9 points.
2. Limited # of poor transition D plays by the good guys.
3. Refs being able to count to 3 as in 3 seconds and/or 3 meeks/hicks steps=traveling.
4. A 1/5 3pt showing from berry, 4/14 overall and 11 points total.
5. Refs also being able to count to 5 on our inbounds plays.
6. A ball on the rim/still in cylinder is goal-tending. Every time.
7. 40% or better Duke 3s.
8. An even more healthy, confident GA.
9. Harry with a 5pt/5 board/3 blocks/3 PF game in 15 minutes of PT.
9F. Enough said.

Not asking much? Right? ;)

[BluDvlsN1]

What'd make me happy:

1. Matt shooting 2/5 3s, making a couple floaters (:eek:) and holding jj to 3-12 shooting and 9 points.
2. Limited # of poor transition D plays by the good guys.
3. Refs being able to count to 3 as in 3 seconds and/or 3 meeks/hicks steps=traveling.
4. A 1/5 3pt showing from berry, 4/14 overall and 11 points total.
5. Refs also being able to count to 5 on our inbounds plays.
6. A ball on the rim/still in cylinder is goal-tending. Every time.
7. 40% or better Duke 3s.
8. An even more healthy, confident GA.
9. Harry with a 5pt/5 board/3 blocks/3 PF game in 15 minutes of PT.
9F. Enough said.

Not asking much? Right? ;)

So can you let us know how you got invited
to the team pregame meeting? ;)

[devildeac]

So can you let us know how you got invited
to the team pregame meeting? ;)

PM me. :rolleyes:

[Rich]

I can't believe we have ANOTHER ACC game to play after we win tonight!

[BandAlum83]

I can't believe we have ANOTHER ACC game to play after we win tonight!

And I cant believe we have only 8 games left with this very special team.

[TKG]

I was on campus this morning showing an out-of-town friend the school. We got onto the floor at Cameron and sat on the Duke bench. I looked up in the rafters, saw all the banners and retired numbers and then looked at the NCAAT banners. Thinking with my heart, let's kick their cotton-candy blue arses tonight and win the whole damn thing. WE ARE DUKE. Let's play like it!!!

[BluDvlsN1]

I can't believe we have ANOTHER ACC game to play after we win tonight!

(You must spread some Comments around before commenting on Rich again.)

You get the idea..:cool:

Agreed!

[UNCfan]

We wait all year for these matchups! Currently, I am in the camp of hating to lose to Duke more than loving a win against Duke. I guess this comes with losing 12 of the last 17? While I am confident for tonights game, I am quite nervous. Both teams will treat this like a championship game. Will either team have enough left in the tank for the Championship game?

[flyingdutchdevil]

We wait all year for these matchups! Currently, I am in the camp of hating to lose to Duke more than loving a win against Duke. I guess this comes with losing 12 of the last 17? While I am confident for tonights game, I am quite nervous. Both teams will treat this like a championship game. Will either team have enough left in the tank for the Championship game?

Normally, Duke has a lot on the line. Tonight, they don't. This is all upside, little downside. We lose, we're a 3 seed. We win, we're a 3 seed (we win tomorrow, we're a 2 seed. But we'll be so emotionally spent if we win tonight). Also, we're still trying to figure things out. UNC is a great test for that.

For UNC, I can't really comment on how badly they want this win. They are a 1-seed regardless or win or lose. But I think they are sick of losing to Duke. They want this win because it's Duke moreso that Duke wants to win because it's UNC. But I think Duke wants to win more (regardless of opponent) to prove that we are a top 5 team.

So, my take? Duke will come out guns blazing. We may lose the game, but I'd be surprised to see us coast in the first half / not fight for every possession. We'll come out fighting, and I wouldn't want to be the opponent facing Duke.

[BluDvlsN1]

And I cant believe we have only 8 games left with this very special team.

(You must spread some Comments around before commenting on BandAlum83 again.)

And your spot on comments in chat yesterday,
Agreed :cool:

A self fulfilling prophecy!!

[UNCfan]

I hope the crowd is as even and electric as it was last year in DC for the UVA/UNC championship game. That was fun. I expect it will.
Who do you think the FSU/ND fans will pull for? They could tilt the balance heavily.

[davekay1971]

So can you let us know how you got invited
to the team pregame meeting? ;)

He knows which craft beers Coach K favors

[CDu]

I hope the crowd is as even and electric as it was last year in DC for the UVA/UNC championship game. That was fun. I expect it will.
Who do you think the FSU/ND fans will pull for? They could tilt the balance heavily.

I would expect Notre Dame to have a big edge in fan support over FSU in NYC.

[rsvman]

I hope the crowd is as even and electric as it was last year in DC for the UVA/UNC championship game. That was fun. I expect it will.
Who do you think the FSU/ND fans will pull for? They could tilt the balance heavily.

They may cheer for Duke because they may perceive that UNC would be the harder team to beat for the championship. Not sure if they'd be correct in that presumption, though.

[devildeac]

He knows which craft beers Coach K favors

Well, actually, IIRC, Coach K is a wine man.

And that's in addition to ol roy who is also a w(h)ine man.

I'll be around all weekend.

;):o

[devildeac]

They may cheer for Duke because they may perceive that UNC would be the harder team to beat for the championship. Not sure if they'd be correct in that presumption, though.

They may root for the meteor...

:rolleyes:

[BandAlum83]

Earlier in the season I predicted that Matt would have a game in which the opposition would cheat off of him on offense, and go off for 4 or 5 3 pointers in the game.

Tonight would be a great time for that to happen! :)

[flyingdutchdevil]

What'd make me happy:

1. Matt shooting 2/5 3s, making a couple floaters (:eek:) and holding jj to 3-12 shooting and 9 points.
2. Limited # of poor transition D plays by the good guys.
3. Refs being able to count to 3 as in 3 seconds and/or 3 meeks/hicks steps=traveling.
4. A 1/5 3pt showing from berry, 4/14 overall and 11 points total.
5. Refs also being able to count to 5 on our inbounds plays.
6. A ball on the rim/still in cylinder is goal-tending. Every time.
7. 40% or better Duke 3s.
8. An even more healthy, confident GA.
9. Harry with a 5pt/5 board/3 blocks/3 PF game in 15 minutes of PT.
9F. Enough said.

Not asking much? Right? ;)

I bolded those that I really think will happen tonight. I really believe our 3pt shooting will be on fire tonight. No reason why. I just think that. Also, I believe Matt Jones will be MOTM.

I italicized the second to last point because this really reflects how we view Giles now. devildeac - you are extremely optimistic when it comes to Duke basketball. Yet, a 5pt/5 board/3 block/3 PF boxscore for Giles would have been laughably pessimistic a month ago (minus the blocks. 3 is really good). I think DBR has really come down on Giles so much that anything positive he provides is considered gravy.

[OldPhiKap]

He knows which craft beers Coach K favors

K is a red wine guy. There was a nice write-up in Wine Spectator a number of years ago.

[Hauerwas]

In past, we've used Amile and whoever guards UNC's point, to basically play a two-man mini-press to simply slow down UNC after a made basket. I'd love to see us utilize that slight defensive adjustment to keep Berry from running down hill after a made basket. It forces them to slow down, make a pass to another person and basically it just takes the ball out of his hands if at least for 10 seconds. We did it last year with Cat Barber in the ACCT and it was effective.

Sometimes it's just small adjustments that can make a huge difference.

[MrPoon]

I bolded those that I really think will happen tonight. I really believe our 3pt shooting will be on fire tonight. No reason why. I just think that. Also, I believe Matt Jones will be MOTM.


It will be interesting to see how they try and get Justin Jackson away from Matt.
Berry III will be interesting. Does he have the over confidence from the last game and take several 3s and statistically revert to the mean or is he more cautious acknowledging that this is a different game at a different location. Here is hoping the first.

[devildeac]

I bolded those that I really think will happen tonight. I really believe our 3pt shooting will be on fire tonight. No reason why. I just think that. Also, I believe Matt Jones will be MOTM.

I italicized the second to last point because this really reflects how we view Giles now. devildeac - you are extremely optimistic when it comes to Duke basketball. Yet, a 5pt/5 board/3 block/3 PF boxscore for Giles would have been laughably pessimistic a month ago (minus the blocks. 3 is really good). I think DBR has really come down on Giles so much that anything positive he provides is considered gravy.

A mixture of expectations and hopes in my post. If Amile has a good game, oh, let's say 8 points/8 boards/3 blocks/3 fouls, gets meeks in foul trouble and Harry can complement that with a stat line like I hope, then you're right. Gravy.

[79-77]

Tickets in hand!

We can beat them.

[BandAlum83]

Tickets in hand!

We can beat them.

Represent!! Cheer like a crazy!!

Go Duke!!!

[BluDvlsN1]

What'd make me happy:

8. An even more healthy, confident GA.


I agree with #8
On the limited data of the last few games, I just get the gut feeling
Grayson comes alive tonight.

If their emphasis is to key on Luke and Jayson, which they must, and lose, Grayson, Frank, Amile, Harry, Matt
even momentarily it's danger zone time, for them.

We have so many weapons that can go off, I believe our guys step up and find the open man, play the good
D they have shown they can, and hit the boards..they can be knocked back, even in ch, towards the end of the game,
when things were tight, you could see the expressions of, oh, crap, not again on their faces.

I'm not saying it will be easy by any stretch, but most certainly, not for them either.
We have a lot of options to explore.

If anyone can prepare a team for this game, we have the guy that can do it.

GTHC, GTH

[kAzE]

I bolded those that I really think will happen tonight. I really believe our 3pt shooting will be on fire tonight. No reason why. I just think that. Also, I believe Matt Jones will be MOTM.

I think it would be difficult for both of these things to happen. If our 3 point shooting is on fire, I expect Grayson or Luke will be MOTM, just from sheer numbers. If we shoot the lights out as you predict, Matt would have to completely shut down Justin Jackson (totally possible), but also put up something like 10-15 points I think to be MOTM. So basically, you are predicting that Matt Jones is going to have a really good game shooting the ball, in addition to his always stifling D.

Not to say that he's not capable. Matt has had plenty of double digit scoring games over his career. I just don't think Matt Jones should be taking more than 5 or 6 shots (unless he's just on fire), because we have efficient scorers on this team who should be taking more of our shots. But hey, I'd love for Uncle Matty to go off in what should be his final game against the Cheaters. That would be really fun.

[Steven43]

The best strategy against Hicks IMO is get him in foul trouble and get him out of the game. The problem is that Roy will hide Hicks on Matt Jones defensively, and we really need Matt in the game to guard Justin Jackson. It might be worth it to sit Matt some early, even if it means JJ gets going, in order to put pressure on Hicks defensively and get him out of the game.

I'm sorry for the confusion, but when did Hicks become this apparent world-beater? Brice Johnson he ain't. He's okay, but nothing to get all worried about. Duke is going to win this game.

[WVDUKEFAN]

We got this.

[MCFinARL]

We wait all year for these matchups! Currently, I am in the camp of hating to lose to Duke more than loving a win against Duke. I guess this comes with losing 12 of the last 17? While I am confident for tonights game, I am quite nervous. Both teams will treat this like a championship game. Will either team have enough left in the tank for the Championship game?

Good question. This is likely to be a very draining game for both teams, both physically and emotionally.

[kAzE]

Good question. This is likely to be a very draining game for both teams, both physically and emotionally.

If we win, I'm rooting for 7 overtimes in the Florida State/Notre Dame game.

[Channing]

REBOUND!

REBOUND9FREBOUND9FREBOUND9FREBOUND!

If we stay even with them on the boards again, and limit Hicks/Meeks/Bradley on the offensive glass we will make life much easier on ourselves.

[duke4ever19]

If we win, I'm rooting for 7 overtimes in the Florida State/Notre Dame game.

Tell me about it. I keep having to remind myself that this is a semi-final.

That championship game is going to be a huge gut-check for the winner of tonight's first game. I sure hope it's Duke. All the "tired legs" theorists are getting me nervous.

[BluDvlsN1]

I'm sorry for the confusion, but when did Hicks become this apparent world-beater? Brice Johnson he ain't. He's okay, but nothing to get all worried about. Duke is going to win this game.


If Hicks stays out of foul trouble that's a real problem for us.
He is solid inside and more difficult to answer than Meeks in the post.
He is mobile, long, and he makes his free throws.

We need him in foul trouble.

[oldnavy]

The tired legs argument could be solved by science. My guess is that it is way overblown... by why guess??

I would love to see a study that looks at the time to full "performance" recovery (jump, cardio, etc.. any BB type activities) in 18-25 year old top conditioned athletes.

Measure vertical, HR, hand speed, foot speed, whatever before a game(s)... and then take serial measurement after to determine when the results return to baseline or better... or something close to this. Do it over the course of a season to see if it changes the later in the year you get to see the cumulative effect...

My son, who has a degree in Exercise Physiology and is basically as fit as one can be, laughs at the idea that Duke will be tired tonight... and he of course is a UNC fan... but he is a 24 year old physical trainer and plays hours and hours of pick up basketball... so he is qualified enough to have an educated opinion.

He knows that 48 hours is the optimal time for HEAVY weight training recovery within a particular muscle group (chest for example... you don't want to work chest every day), so I don't think that the cardio and leg work out of a 40 minute BB game could be anywhere near that...

Bottom line for me is... We may very well lose, but I doubt it will be due to fatigue from playing 3 games in 3 days compared to playing 2 games in 2 days.

[-jk]

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

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

As always - please follow the DBR Posting Guidelines.

Let's Go Duke!

-jk

[gam7]

Last week, I I tried my hand at putting together a short Duke basketball montage to Devil with the Blue Dress (which I posted in a different thread last week). Lots of UNC clips in here, so you might enjoy seeing it in the lead-up to this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4J_tyrykSc&t=1s

[dukelifer]

Last week, I I tried my hand at putting together a short Duke basketball montage to Devil with the Blue Dress (which I posted in a different thread last week). Lots of UNC clips in here, so you might enjoy seeing it in the lead-up to this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4J_tyrykSc&t=1s

Nice Job. Duhon's coast to coast layup - one of my favorites.

[wilson]

Nice Job. Duhon's coast to coast layup - one of my favorites.I just watched that via ESPN Classic on demand. My wife chided me for the enthusiasm of my cheering.

[riverside6]

Live tempo-based stats for Duke/UNC...

http://www.scacchoops.com/duke-at-unc-basketball-live-stats-3102017-7-pm

[rsvman]

Off to a poor defensive start, for sure.

[BigZ]

Terrible defense

[Kjeffrey]

Off to a poor defensive start, for sure.

I just don't understand all the standing around on defense. Are the Carolina players just that much faster than Duke's players? It is one layup after another...ugh!

[ncexnyc]

Terrible defense
I'm not sure what we're seeing qualifies as defense.

[rsvman]

Something is going to have to change. We look a little sluggish.

[Tripping William]

Something is going to have to change. We look a little sluggish.

Quarter-step slow. Maybe three-eighths.

[rsvman]

At least Grayson had his shot working. Nobody else shooting well at all.

[eddiehaskell]

There's Tatum who scares me...

[Kjeffrey]

Drive to the basket, get contact = play on one end

Drive to the basket, get contact = whistle on the other end

[eddiehaskell]

Bolden just doesn't have the experience to play D in a game like this.

[BigZ]

Bolden needs to just come in and throw his muscles around.

[Utley]

Luke needs to take half the shots from here

[rsvman]

Is Luke playing? They've completely neutralized him.

[rsvman]

How was Tatum not fouled?

[Eternal Outlaw]

Is Luke playing? They've completely neutralized him.

Every time I look at him off the ball trying to move he's getting a New York mugging.

[Kjeffrey]

How was Tatum not fouled?

Because the refs won't blow the whistle on anything other than moving screens on Carolina.

[rsvman]

These guys are just better than we are. I hate to say it.

[Kjeffrey]

These guys are just better than we are. I hate to say it.

They certainly make it look easier.

[rsvman]

Tatum fouled again without a call. It grows tiresome.

Giving up that offensive regions with nine seconds left in the half was sad, too.

This could easily have been a 3- or 4-point game at halftime.

[ChrisP]

Defense not great but UNC has just shot it really well, too. Of course, on tge rare occasion they do miss, we are unable to corral the rebound :(

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

These guys are just better than we are. I hate to say it.

How can they be better? We have more first round draftees.

[BluePanda]

Well, we're going to single-handedly, magically get Kennedy Meeks drafted, so at least we can write that off as charity...

[eddiehaskell]

These guys are just better than we are. I hate to say it.7 point game and you've already conceded that we aren't as good? I wonder if K is telling the guys that in the locker room?

[kAzE]

These guys are just better than we are. I hate to say it.

I vehemently disagree. We are a better team, and we can still win this game. If Grayson is healthy, we have the 3 of the 4 most talented players on the floor. We just need to change up the gameplan to get Luke more involved, and do anything to even slow them down a little bit on defense. They shot like 80% and we're still within 7.

[jipops]

They are most definitely better. But we still have a shot

[eddiehaskell]

They are most definitely better. But we still have a shotSo if Duke goes on to win this and 2 of 3 on the season...is UNC still "most definitely better"?

[Coballs]

We're lucky that this is only a 7 point game. If Carolina didn't take that ill-advised 3 towards the end of the half that led to the Tatum layup-and-one it would be a bigger deficit. Carolina is doing everything they want and are beating us in every single aspect of the game with the exception of 3-point shooting. At no point in the five halves of basketball we've played against them have we done anything that would suggest that we are capable of stopping their offense. It looks like we're going to have to live or die by the 3 in the second half and hopefully Kennard gets it going.

[Steven43]

These guys are just better than we are. I hate to say it.

And you don't think Duke playing their third game in three days vs. UNC playing only their second in two days as well as Duke having to play a stronger opponent (Louisville) later in the day after UNC had already finished their game is not a HUGE factor in how this is going? Really? You think this is a fair way to compare the two teams?

[arnie]

They are most definitely better. But we still have a shot

Interesting that only Allen and Tatum have more than 1 field goal. Kennard has only taken 2 shots, if he can take off we can pull it out. But agree, they are imposing their will inside.

[BigZ]

Carter needs to be a star next year

[jv001]

I usually don't complain about the refs, but this crew is really bad. Most of the time when refs are this bad, it's usually goes against both teams, but not tonight. I'm surprised that Coach K has not gone ballistic on them. Maybe he's waiting to see if the tide turns in the 2nd half and we get more calls. When we touch a cheat player, we get whistled for a foul. They mug Tatum and it's play on. Plus they have missed at least 2 over the back calls against the cheats. No matter the outcome, we play by the rules and the cheats never have. GoDuke!

[Billy Dat]

We got 'em right where we want 'em!

[CarmenWallaceWade]

Won't get back in this unless we retract the "free buckets for all in the paint" pass. No Jeter still baffling me. Could spell Amile. Better defender than Giles and Bolden. But what do I know.

[duketaylor]

Down 7? Feels like 30!! K will coach them back.

[rsvman]

And you don't think Duke playing their third game in three days vs. UNC playing only their second in two days as well as Duke having to play a stronger opponent (Louisville) later in the day after UNC had already finished their game is not a HUGE factor in how this is going? Really? You think this is a fair way to compare the two teams?

They are better than we are right now. The extra game plays into it, too.

We could come back and win this game, but something's his give.

My post was a frustration post when we were down 13 and they were making layup after layup.

I'm not conceding the game just yet.

[ncexnyc]

And you don't think Duke playing their third game in three days vs. UNC playing only their second in two days as well as Duke having to play a stronger opponent (Louisville) later in the day after UNC had already finished their game is not a HUGE factor in how this is going? Really? You think this is a fair way to compare the two teams?

Maybe if we had played more of our players the past two days our kids wouldn't be so tired. If you're going to go with a short bench you'd better be willing to accept the consequences.

[Kjeffrey]

I usually don't complain about the refs, but this crew is really bad. Most of the time when refs are this bad, it's usually goes against both teams, but not tonight. I'm surprised that Coach K has not gone ballistic on them. Maybe he's waiting to see if the tide turns in the 2nd half and we get more calls. When we touch a cheat player, we get whistled for a foul. They mug Tatum and it's play on. Plus they have missed at least 2 over the back calls against the cheats. No matter the outcome, we play by the rules and the cheats never have. GoDuke!

I think they actually called more fouls on Carolina but they were away from the basket. It seemed like lots of no calls in the paint.

[Skydog]

It looked to me like we played 3 or 4 min of zone the 1st half and they got no bunnies during that time except one offensive put back. We need to try zone again in 2nd half - can't be worse than our mtm def.

[jv001]

Won't get back in this unless we retract the "free buckets for all in the paint" pass. No Jeter still baffling me. Could spell Amile. Better defender than Giles and Bolden. But what do I know.

I've liked what I've seen out of Vrank when he's gotten minutes. He looks like he knows where to be on defense. He can't be worse than Marques. But I'm just a fan and that's the eye test. GoDuke!

[IBleedBlue]

Won't get back in this unless we retract the "free buckets for all in the paint" pass. No Jeter still baffling me. Could spell Amile. Better defender than Giles and Bolden. But what do I know.

This one still is a question mark. Why isn't chase getting any burn at all when our guys are picking up fouls left and right and are getting beat in the paint by Meeks?

Unless we stop their paint scoring or score more from outside, we have little chance. UNC playing like anyone should against us...

[ncexnyc]

Well hopefully with all the scoring Meeks has done he'll be worn out for the second half.

[jipops]

So if Duke goes on to win this and 2 of 3 on the season...is UNC still "most definitely better"?

That argument is predicated on a big IF.

[Kjeffrey]

Two straight empty possessions. Duke needs to make better decisions on offense.

[monkey]

Man ... we are not passing at all ... one pass or a handoff and and that's it ... what happened to passing it around? Not much movement on offense either - folks just standing around watching. Maybe everyone is just tired.

[brickey]

That argument is predicated on a big IF.

Sheep in Devil's clothing, take it elsewhere.

[rsvman]

I want Kennard to get involved, but that right wing long two was a poor decision.

Still, looking a little better so far this half. We need to keep getting stops and defensive rebounds.

[jipops]

Man ... we are not passing at all ... one pass or a handoff and and that's it ... what happened to passing it around? Not much movement on offense either. Maybe everyone is just tired.

That's been our offense all year. We're a team without distributors. I'm more concerned about having absolutely no ability to defend around the paint. This game could get away at any moment. The bigger concern is will we be able to defend next week?

[rsvman]

Four fouls on Berry is a big plus!

[brickey]

Tatum's head is part of the ball against the heels. That's three times now?

[rsvman]

Tatum's head is part of the ball against the heels. That's three times now?

At least.

[brickey]

I'd love to see more drive and kick on whoever Britt's guarding or one of our guards taking it on him if the double doesn't come quickly.

[ncexnyc]

GA can't contain JJ.

[eddiehaskell]

Good lord we rebound and get stops but foul foul foul. Can't touch UNC bigs.

[monkey]

Some passing the past few minutes ... hooray!

[eddiehaskell]

Damn baby!!!!! Let's go. Heart!!!!

[monkey]

Let's go Duke!

[jipops]

I'd like to personally thank Roy for allowing us to get back in this one.

[rsvman]

Grayson really playing well.
The foul situation may really turn out to be a huge boon.

[brickey]

I'd like to personally thank Roy for allowing us to get back in this one.

We've earned every bit of this comeback.

[eddiehaskell]

That argument is predicated on a big IF.Not really.

[ncexnyc]

Things have gotten very interesting. Does Roy keep Berry on the bench or does he elect to stop the bleeding?

[monkey]

Garbage foul call on Jefferson

[eddiehaskell]

Good grief these refs suck.

[kako]

I could really do without seeing Rick Barry in shorts anymore.

[monkey]

Cheap call on Tatum too

[ncexnyc]

I guess Luke just fell out of bounds all by himself.

[monkey]

These refs are horrible both ways

[DangerDevil]

These refs are horrible both ways

I think we all can agree on that, horrible!

[rsvman]

Let's go, duke. Let's hang on for the next few minutes.

[eddiehaskell]

I think we all can agree on that, horrible!i guess they think basketball is a no contact sport. UNC is bigger and we aren't allowed to put a body on them.

[DangerDevil]

I guess Luke just fell out of bounds all by himself.

It's easy to do when you are tackled and loose your balance a few steps before.

[brickey]

Let's crush them these last few. Love our coach. Great time out.

[kako]

Have Jackson drive on Berry.

[eddiehaskell]

Where are the doubters now?

[monkey]

Let's hit some FT boys!

[arnie]

I luv Luke Maye- what an air ball

[kako]

Let's hit some FT boys!

Run out of bounds plays, too.

[UNCfan]

Great win guys. Unbelievably painful. I wanted this win more than any other. Looked good for 17 minutes in the first half. Congrats!

[MarkD83]

It looks like the tired legs belonged to the heels tonight. Their 2nd half shooting was miserable.

[Kjeffrey]

Great win guys. Unbelievably painful. I wanted this win more than any other. Looked good for 17 minutes in the first half. Congrats!

As always, classy post on your part. The Heels are a very scary team and I hope they don't end up in Duke's part of the bracket.

[brickey]

Thanks, UNCfan. Far more class than I'd be able to muster. Y'all are a hell of a team. By far our best game this year.

[eddiehaskell]

Let's go, duke. Let's hang on for the next few minutes.Let's just face it man...UNC is undeniably better despite losing 2 of 3 (one of which with Duke on tired legs).

[MarkD83]

I think I am doing the math correctly. Is Duke on a 43-19 run since about 13 mins left?

[arnie]

Didn't think we could do this!!!

[monkey]

Yes, yes, yes!

[kako]

Great comeback. Best *team* effort by Duke this season over the last 10 minutes. Unlike Kennard or Tatum pulling Duke's butt out of the fire, this was a team effort.