MOTM: Duke vs. Utah Valley (Nov 11, 2017)

[JBDuke]

Who was Man of the Match in Duke's win over Utah Valley tonight?

[proelitedota]

Gary Trent Jr for keeping us in the game in the 1st half.

[kAzE]

Duval was lights out. If he could develop a jump shot, he'd be unstoppable.

[dalmatians98]

Hard to argue with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Marvin Bagley.

[ipatent]

12 assists and one turnover convinces me...

[MrPoon]

12 assists and one turnover convinces me...

I think that is 20 in two games with one TO against decent competition. So much for freshman jitters. The long pass from just inside the half line to GA (I think) was a pass we hadn’t seen all of last year.

Kid is special on a team of really special players. Plus I think Carter has more to give as the completion focuses more on BagIII as the season goes on. Wow.

[jv001]

I have a feeling it's going to be tough voting this season. We have 5 players that could easily win the award on a given night. I went with Duval for his 15 points, 12 assists and only one turnover. He shot 7-10 from the floor. I hope he can continue this type play as the games get tougher. I do hope Bags can improve his free throw shooting(1-5). We will face some teams that will put him on the line late in the game. He will need to step up and hit those. GoDuke!

[JasonEvans]

I came here expecting it to be a Bagley runaway. I'm quite pleased to see folks admiring Duvall's game. We have a truly special freshman class, that's for sure!

[Kedsy]

Marvin and Trevon were amazing. And Gary and Grayson scored 17 and 18 points.

But while the game was competitive, it was Wendell who stood out. Overall, he had 12 points, 7 boards, four assists (against two turnovers), four blocks, and three steals. Nobody else had that sort of production all across the board.

[superdave]

I voted Wendell for the 4 blocks and 3 steals. More please!

[flyingdutchdevil]

For the second game in a row, I went with Duval. I love having a true PG.

[kAzE]

For the second game in a row, I went with Duval. I love having a true PG.

I'm somewhat surprise Duval isn't the leading vote-getter here. Kid scored or assisted on 44 points. He single-handedly accounted for almost half our offense, turned it over just once, had 3 steals, 3 rebounds, shot 7/10, the highest percentage on the team, and made a number of excellent passes to set up guys in transition. Not to mention 12 assists is nearly unheard of for a freshman. It's a LOT harder to get double digit assists than rebounds.

He is the single biggest reason we are dominating in transition this season. His speed, decision making, and finishing ability in the open court are all awesome. The scoop pass to Grayson for the dunk of the game in the 2nd half, the long lob to Grayson for his first dunk in the first half, and then the 3/4 court pass to Alex for the lay in near the end of the game were all fantastic examples of how he's a huge difference maker for this team. Duval is the best passer Duke has had in a long time. Remember how most of our recent teams have had a really low percentage of field goals off of an assist? That's not going to be the case this year.

He's going to be involved in most of our highlight plays this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF8WVkaEpAw

[flyingdutchdevil]

I'm somewhat surprise Duval isn't the leading vote-getter here. Kid scored or assisted on 44 points. He single-handedly accounted for almost half our offense, turned it over just once, had 3 steals, 3 rebounds, shot 7/10, the highest percentage on the team, and made a number of excellent passes to set up guys in transition. Not to mention 12 assists is nearly unheard of for a freshman. It's a LOT harder to get double digit assists than rebounds.

He is the single biggest reason we are dominating in transition this season. His speed, decision making, and finishing ability in the open court are all awesome. The scoop pass to Grayson for the dunk of the game in the 2nd half, the long lob to Grayson for his first dunk in the first half, and then the 3/4 court pass to Alex for the lay in near the end of the game were all fantastic examples of how he's a huge difference maker for this team. Duval is the best passer Duke has had in a long time. Remember how most of our recent teams have had a really low percentage of field goals off of an assist? That's not going to be the case this year.

He's going to be involved in most of our highlight plays this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF8WVkaEpAw

Yes, yes, and more yes. Not-so-bold prediction: Duke is the scariest team in the open floor this year. We are unstoppable. Duval is the best finisher on the team and has the best handle. And he is surprisingly unselfish. He understands where his teammates are. There are obviously questions about his scoring outside of 8 feet (and likely will never be solved) and some questions surrounding his defense against tougher opponents (he's been great against cupcakes).

He is my new Winslow/Ingram/Tatum, ie OAD who I unequivocally love and support despite no real reason. Hey - in the Duke OAD era, you gotta set your emotional attachments early!

[drummerdevil]

Wendell for the well-rounded statline

[curtis325]

12 assists and one turnover convinces me...

Was his one turn over the pass to the corner that should have been caught?

[kAzE]

Duval is the best finisher on the team and has the best handle. And he is surprisingly unselfish.

I’ll agree with everything you said except this. Wendell is an automatic 2 points in the paint. The ease and power with which he dunks from a standstill jump is elite, and he is one of, if not the strongest guy on the team, so he can also finish through contact. The great hands to make almost any catch helps put him comfortably above our back up big men as an offensive option.

I think Wendell is the 2nd coming of Al Horford. The passing ability, defensive timing and instincts, and elite post offense are all reminiscent of the former Gator. He’s going to be he 2nd best pro on this team IMO.

[wavedukefan70s]

I must admit i havent watched us.but frim what i have read we have looked good.i will see us tuesday.football is over for my boy.now i can shift gears. Go Duke.