MBB: Duke @ St. John's (Sat. 2/3, 12:00 p.m., FOX) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[DavidBenAkiva]

Meet the St. John’s Red Storm!

Duke takes a brief trip out of Atlantic Coast Conference play to face a local New York City team in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. It’s also an opportunity to continue practicing improved defense and allowing the guards to get into rhythm against a struggling team. St. John’s enters the game on 10-game losing streak that will likely grow to 11 when they face Xavier this evening. The Red Storm are without second-leading scorer, guard Marcus Lovett, lost to an injury in November. Without him, the team has really scuffled to a record of 10-12.

Where do the Red Storm struggles? When they have the ball. They are 309th in the nation in 3-point shooting at 32.2%. This is in large part due to leading scorer Sophomore guard Shamorie Ponds. While he has an impressive stat line of 19.1 pts/5.1 reb/4.7 ast per game, he shoots 6 3’s a game at a rate that would make Trevon Duval blush (20.3%). Overall, the Red Storm have an effective FG% of 47.6%, 296th in the nation. And when they miss, the undersized team doesn’t generate many additional looks. Their offensive rebounding rate is 24.9% (238th). In sum, they are a pretty bad rebounding team.

It’s a small team, lacking a wide-body in the starting lineup. They have length, but not a lot of heft. Starters include:

Sophomore G Shamorie Ponds (6’1”, 170 lbs.)
Sophomore G Justin Simon (6’5”, 185 lbs.)
Senior G Bashir Ahmed (6’7”, 210 lbs.)
Junior F Marvin Clark (6’6”, 225 lbs.)
Junior F Tariq Owens (6’10”, 205 lbs.)

Coming off the bench are freshman guard Bryan Trimble, Jr. (6’3”, 220 lbs.), Junior forward Kassoum Yakwe (6’7”, 200 lbs.) from Mali, and Senior forward Amar Alibeqovic (6’9”, 230 bls.) from Italy. The forwards are going to struggle to guard Duke’s duo of Marvin Bagley III, who has about 5” in height on Marvin Clark, and Wendell Carter, Jr., who has about 50 pounds on Tariq Owens.

On the defensive end, the Red Storm are pretty good. Let’s focus first on their weakest area. They allow 38.7% shooting for 3, which is 322nd in that nation. Once teams get inside the arc, things are a little different. St. Johns is surprisingly stout (15th) in 2-point defense. They are in the top 10 in the nation in block % (10.4%/7th), and steal % (10.7%). Their identity is clearly on the defensive end. Expect an ugly game.

In the end, I think Duke’s overwhelming size up front and the bright lights of Madison Square Garden will propel Duke to victory. I hope to see strong play from Grayson and Gary, building off of the game against Notre Dame. The ability to get easy baskets near the rim will negate the Red Storm advantages on defense. I am concerned about their ability to generate steals and blocks, getting easy brackets.

[Tripping William]

Best I can tell, on a quick perusal of the Interwebz, St. John's is to the Big East as Pitt is to the ACC.

[MChambers]

How ironic that a team coached by Chris Mullin can’t shoot from outside!

[freshmanjs]

Best I can tell, on a quick perusal of the Interwebz, St. John's is to the Big East as Pitt is to the ACC.

St. Johns is much better than Pitt (KenPom #90 vs #203).

Also, St. Johns is only the 3rd worst team in the Big East (Georgetown #109, DePaul #118).

[Reddevil]

Also, St. Johns is only the 3rd worst team in the Big East (Georgetown #109, DePaul #118).

This makes me feel old. Anyway, work on things, develop the bench, get the win, and get out of there without injury.

[duke74]

As some know, I am a prof at St. John's. So far, no buzz on campus about the matchup, other when folks see my Duke stuff in my office.

[dukelifer]

Best I can tell, on a quick perusal of the Interwebz, St. John's is to the Big East as Pitt is to the ACC.
They will be looking ahead. The have Nova next. Wow what a week for them.

[dukelifer]

This makes me feel old. Anyway, work on things, develop the bench, get the win, and get out of there without injury.

They lose a lot but their games are close

[Kedsy]

They will be looking ahead. The have Nova next.

Yeah, this is a trap game for St. John's. :p

[-jk]

Yeah, this is a trap game for St. John's. :p

With 8 minutes to go, St J is up on #6 Xavier...

-jk

[Duke79UNLV77]

St. john’s Now has lost 5 single-digit games to Nova, Xavier, and Creighton. We don’t need to overlook them.

[Owen Meany]

St. John's was within 1 point of Xavier with under a minute left (after missing 1 of 2 free throws).

[dukebballcamper90-91]

Let's hope a bootsy don't show up

[dukebballcamper90-91]

And hopefully we get to hear gus Johnson!

[devilsince1977]

Let's hope a bootsy don't show up

Dang it took 13 comments until bootsy showed up. You all seemed to kick that down the road a ways.

[ndkjr70]

There's obviously an important game next thursday. Hope the team isn't looking to that one yet -- though it's pretty hard to 'overlook' playing a game in Madison Square Garden.. a first, I assume, for many of these young kids but definitely not the last. Though I would be disappointed with anything less than a convincing win against a mediocre-at-best opponent, I will be watching two things: Grayson's shot and Duke's defense.

A strong showing from G, a strong showing from the D, and a comfortable win will make me feel pretty good going into the big week ahead.

[JasonEvans]

St. john’s Now has lost 5 single-digit games to Nova, Xavier, and Creighton. We don’t need to overlook them.

Yup, it is easy to look at 0-11 in the BEast and just assume they are trash. Doing that would be a big mistake. They are a pretty good team, just one that cannot seem to close out close games. As the Xavier coach said last night, "That's the best 0-11 team I have ever seen."

[budwom]

St. john’s Now has lost 5 single-digit games to Nova, Xavier, and Creighton. We don’t need to overlook them.

yeah, this is their modus operandi...they aren't as woeful as one might assume by looking at their losing streak

[Troublemaker]

Right, St. John's is ranked in the 75 to 100 range, just like BC and NCSU (before Markell Johnson returned) were when Duke lost on the road to those two teams.

Beating the Johnnies comfortably would further show that Duke is now a different team.

[Hingeknocker]

I watched the last 5 minutes of the St. John's/Xavier game last night, and SJU absolutely had a chance to win that game. As mentioned in this thread, they are pesky on defense, and have a great scorer in Ponds. That said, they only played 7 players and really faltered down the stretch. There was one atrocious foul call on SJU that led to free throws to Xavier, but aside from that, SJU displayed some horrible decision making in the final minute. What was a winnable game turned into one that they deserved to lose, just based on their late-game execution.

They are absolutely not a pushover. In fact, they are the second best team with a losing record in KenPom's rankings, just one spot behind Vanderbilt. They are also 328th in KenPom's luck metric, another indication that they are much better than their 0-11 conference record would suggest.

From my limited scouting report, our bigs should be able to dominate the paint. The question will be if we can keep our turnovers to a minimum and not let Ponds abuse us on the other end of the floor. He's a good test for our recently improved defense.

[Truth&Justise]

Yup, it is easy to look at 0-11 in the BEast and just assume they are trash. Doing that would be a big mistake. They are a pretty good team, just one that cannot seem to close out close games. As the Xavier coach said last night, "That's the best 0-11 team I have ever seen."


Right, St. John's is ranked in the 75 to 100 range, just like BC and NCSU (before Markell Johnson returned) were when Duke lost on the road to those two teams.

And this is a good illustration of the value of KenPom's rankings. By record, St. John's looks atrocious, but they have generally played as the 88th best team in the country. Admittedly that might be evidence that they fail to close out games, but if a team is in position to win often enough, they will eventually do so. Let's not give them that opportunity.

[Neals384]

Hoping this is the game where K finally throws in the towel and goes all zone.

[MChambers]

Hoping this is the game where K finally throws in the towel and goes all zone.

I strongly doubt it. Not K's style, and I think he's right. The man to man needs to improve.

[Truth&Justise]

I strongly doubt it. Not K's style, and I think he's right. The man to man needs to improve.

Agree. It's a long term journey with this team, building to March. Better to keep taking lumps with our man-to-man defense and allowing it to improve over the next month.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I strongly doubt it. Not K's style, and I think he's right. The man to man needs to improve.

Yeah, this seems to be the bargain that K has made the last few seasons - since he so recently started embracing the zone. Best I can tell, these young teams embrace the zone quickly. The zone, at its core, is a simple defense. You know where you are supposed to be and what your assignment is. So, naturally, our freshman-heavy squads look much better when we are in zone.

The M2M however, is a much more complex defense. It's easy to play, but next to impossible, because it relies so heavily on communication between defenders on switches, screens, lapses and adjustments. It's also infinitely customizeable to key on particular players or positions. It is, by most accounts, the "better" defense.

Therefore, early in the season, our defense looks crappy in the man to man. And we play a few possessions at zone, and our fans (myself included) go "see! Let's do more of that!"

But the goal for K is never to win the next possession, but rather to build the team towards winning championships. So, sacrifices are made with in-game decisions in order to continue to improve the defense.

I still think that if K had his druthers, he would run zone maybe a total of five minutes a season. Just enough to rattle a team that knows Duke "never plays zone." But, reality dictates otherwise.

#mytwocents

[kAzE]

. . . is how many minutes will Jack White play? :D

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

. . . is how many minutes will Jack White play? :D

I think we can all agree, Jack White getting big minutes would indicate a good day for Duke.

[CDu]

Building on what DavidBenAkiva said, St Johns is not a bad team at all. On defense, they are quick and aggressive, and force a lot of turnovers. On offense, they don't shoot terribly well though, but they don't turn the ball over much. They rebound very poorly on both ends. As a result, their offense is mediocre but the defense is quite solid. They've played a tough schedule to this point, and have been really unfortunate not to win a few more games. They are not nearly as bad as their record suggests. They were hurt by the injury to combo guard Marcus Lovett, which really changed their season.

That being said, they are a pretty mediocre/bad offensive team, which plays into our strengths.

Centers: Tariq Owens (6'11", 205lb junior transfer from Tennessee) is a long, lanky, and athletic center. He's an okay rebounder on the defensive end, which is impressive because he's also an elite shotblocker. As in, one of the absolute best in the country at it. He's super-skinny though, and can be foul-prone. It will be fun to watch our bigs go at him inside. I can't imagine him guarding Carter, so I wonder if they'll put him on Bagley instead. Owens isn't a terrible shooter for a big, at almost 75% from the line and with a decent enough jumper even out to 3pt range). But what he does best is block shots. Behind (and sometimes beside) Owens is Amar Alibegovic (6'9", 240lb senior from Italy). Alibegovic is a rugged, underathletic big who can shoot from the perimeter. He's not unlike John Mooney in stature and style of play, though he hasn't been as proficient from 3. Not a threat if covered, but could make shots if forgotten about.

Forwards: Marvin Clark (6'7", 230lb junior transfer from Michigan State) is the PF, and offers solid strength and athleticism. Clark isn't a great rebounder, but gets a decent amount of steals isn't a bad positional defender. Clark also provides a nice dynamic as a stretch 4, and leads the team in 3pt shots made and 3pt %. My gut says he'll get the misfortune of having to guard Carter, as he's a bit more stout than Owens. But we'll see. He's a guy we can't forget about on the perimeter, and with St John's slashing guards that's a real possibility. Beside Clark is Bashir Ahmed (6'7", 210lb senior JuCo transfer). Ahmed brings athleticism and versatility defensively, and also a decent 3pt shot. He can switch on most perimeter players, and won't look completely lost against Bagley (at least not moreso than anyone else does I guess). Behind those two is Kassoum Yakwe (6'7", 210lb junior from Mali. Yakwe is a decent rebounder and terrific shotblocker for his size. He is a terrific athlete, though not terribly polished on the other end of the floor. Basically an undersized PF.

Wings: Technically one of Shamorie Ponds (6'1", 180lb sophomore) and Justin Simon (6'5", 215lb sophomore transfer from Arizona) plays the wing, but see below. The team really liked having Lovett in this role. His season-ending MCL injury really hurts their depth. Behind Ponds and Simon is Bryan Trimble (6'3", 220lb freshman). Trimble is a terrific athlete who is learning to make the change to the college level. He's been mostly a catch-and-shoot guy due to limited ballhandling skills, and his shot hasn't fallen much yet. But he's another guy who may be a better shooter than his current numbers suggest.

Guards: Ponds and Simon share the PG job. Ponds is the team's star. He's a score-first lefty PG who is having an atrocious year from the field after a really great year last year. This year he is shooting 21.5% from 3, whereas last year he shot 37.5% (both on about 6 attempts per game). His non-3pt shooting is largely the same as last year, with really good FT shooting (84%) and close to 50% on 2pt shots. So I wouldn't completely trust his 3pt stats this season - he's a dangerous scorer from anywhere. He also gets a lot of steals with his quickness and tenacity, and isn't a bad rebounder for his size. He's a top-40 recruit, and plays like it. Simon is another top-40 recruit with terrific athleticism. He's a bit of an all-purpose guy, who rebounds extremely well and gets a ton of steals, while also leading the team in assists. Simon has a bit of a Justise Winslow feel to his game, with a little more ballhandling polish and a similar odd discrepancy between his theoretical poor shooting and his 3pt results so far (41% but on just 22 attempts; 63% from the FT line). These two guys are a handful.

[budwom]

Agree. It's a long term journey with this team, building to March. Better to keep taking lumps with our man-to-man defense and allowing it to improve over the next month.

Yeah, I like our zone and hope we continue to use it (and improve it). We could use some adjustment guarding the guy in the middle, though...UVA helped us out by missing a bunch of those easy 12 foot shots, some teams won't be so generous.

[Lar77]

St. Johns always plays us tough. Haven't watched them this year, but in the past they have been physical (which we are still adjusting to). I expect we will win, but not without some struggle (and hope there is no Bootsy II).

[uh_no]

I think we can all agree, Jack White getting big minutes would indicate a good day for Duke.

I saw this comment and wondered exactly how good a day duke would have, would Jack White play major minutes. So I plugged the numbers into excel, and it turns out that the more that jack white plays, the better duke does...to the tune of nearly 3 additional points in final margin for every minute jack plays!

8054

The extensive and highly scientific analysis has determined that as Jack White goes, so goes Duke. The extremely high correlation of minutes to final margin indicates that not only should jack be getting more minutes, but he should be getting ALL the minutes. By extrapolating this trend, I have concluded that were jack to play 40 minutes every game, duke would win every game by an average margin of 115 points.

I simply don't understand why coach K has not made this change and points to an over-the-hill coach who doesn't put enough weight in what statistical analysis has determined is undoubtedly the best course of action!

Jack White is the key to this team. We could either languish playing close games against the best teams in the country, or win by triple digits with regularity. The choice is K's.

[thedukelamere]

though...UVA helped us out by missing a bunch of those easy 12 foot shots

I've made shots from that spot a hundred times, but if I had the ball, in Cameron, with Bags and/or WCJr within 10 feet of me...

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/NiceActualAztecant-small.gif

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I saw this comment and wondered exactly how good a day duke would have, would Jack White play major minutes. So I plugged the numbers into excel, and it turns out that the more that jack white plays, the better duke does...to the tune of nearly 3 additional points in final margin for every minute jack plays!

8054

The extensive and highly scientific analysis has determined that as Jack White goes, so goes Duke. The extremely high correlation of minutes to final margin indicates that not only should jack be getting more minutes, but he should be getting ALL the minutes. By extrapolating this trend, I have concluded that were jack to play 40 minutes every game, duke would win every game by an average margin of 115 points.

I simply don't understand why coach K has not made this change and points to an over-the-hill coach who doesn't put enough weight in what statistical analysis has determined is undoubtedly the best course of action!

Jack White is the key to this team. We could either languish playing close games against the best teams in the country, or win by triple digits with regularity. The choice is K's.

Thank you for taking my simplistic analysis to the next level.

[JasonEvans]

Jack White is the key to this team. We could either languish playing close games against the best teams in the country, or win by triple digits with regularity. The choice is K's.

Someone needs to spork uh_no for me!!

[MChambers]

Someone needs to spork uh_no for me!!

Covered for you.

[mgtr]

I saw this comment and wondered exactly how good a day duke would have, would Jack White play major minutes. So I plugged the numbers into excel, and it turns out that the more that jack white plays, the better duke does...to the tune of nearly 3 additional points in final margin for every minute jack plays!

8054

The extensive and highly scientific analysis has determined that as Jack White goes, so goes Duke. The extremely high correlation of minutes to final margin indicates that not only should jack be getting more minutes, but he should be getting ALL the minutes. By extrapolating this trend, I have concluded that were jack to play 40 minutes every game, duke would win every game by an average margin of 115 points.

I simply don't understand why coach K has not made this change and points to an over-the-hill coach who doesn't put enough weight in what statistical analysis has determined is undoubtedly the best course of action!

Jack White is the key to this team. We could either languish playing close games against the best teams in the country, or win by triple digits with regularity. The choice is K's.

Nicely done! The sad part is how many people jump on such pseudo-science on all manner of topics as holy gospel. I guess that is why there are so many "experts" on the internet with products to address every problem in life!

[Sir Stealth]

I think we can all agree, Jack White getting big minutes would indicate a good day for Duke.

Unless it's because someone gets hurt, of course. Just feel like I have to say it to try to ward off the injury bug. Here's hoping that Jack's minutes are 100% merit and gameflow based for as long as he's a Blue Devil.

[English]

Yeah, I like our zone and hope we continue to use it (and improve it). We could use some adjustment guarding the guy in the middle, though...UVA helped us out by missing a bunch of those easy 12 foot shots, some teams won't be so generous.

If all StJ's is putting up are inefficient long 2pts by their PF, like UVa (I'd suggest they were more like 15-footers), I'd wager that we win going away. Like, to the tune of Jack White getting starter's minutes.

[CDu]

Nicely done! The sad part is how many people jump on such pseudo-science on all manner of topics as holy gospel. I guess that is why there are so many "experts" on the internet with products to address every problem in life!

Yes. To wit: how often do you hear "so-and-so is 10-0 when they rush for X yards in a game (or when they run more than pass). They should run the ball more." You hear this all the time in sports media. And it's flawed logic. Teams with leads tend to run the ball more than teams trailing. And teams also tend to be more successful on offense in games they win than in games they lose. So of course you are going to have more rushes (and thus more rushing yards) in games you win than in games you lose.

[MChambers]

I want to point that UNC hasn’t won since Jalek Felton was suspended. Just sayin’.

[Bob Green]

So of course you are going to have more rushes (and thus more rushing yards) in games you win than in games you lose.

If I understand you correctly, your logic would indicate Duke won the game where they rushed 44 times for 327 yards and the opponent rushed 40 times for 167 yards.

November 7, 2015: North Carolina 66, Duke 31

The 327 rushing yards gained in the loss against Carolina was more yards rushing than Duke achieved in seven of their eight wins that season. The exception was 373 yards rushing in the victory over Indiana in the Pinstripe Bowl.

[godins]

I saw this comment and wondered exactly how good a day duke would have, would Jack White play major minutes. So I plugged the numbers into excel, and it turns out that the more that jack white plays, the better duke does...to the tune of nearly 3 additional points in final margin for every minute jack plays!

8054

The extensive and highly scientific analysis has determined that as Jack White goes, so goes Duke. The extremely high correlation of minutes to final margin indicates that not only should jack be getting more minutes, but he should be getting ALL the minutes. By extrapolating this trend, I have concluded that were jack to play 40 minutes every game, duke would win every game by an average margin of 115 points.

I simply don't understand why coach K has not made this change and points to an over-the-hill coach who doesn't put enough weight in what statistical analysis has determined is undoubtedly the best course of action!

Jack White is the key to this team. We could either languish playing close games against the best teams in the country, or win by triple digits with regularity. The choice is K's.

Why stop at 40 minutes? If we cloned Jack White four times, 200 beautiful Jack White minutes of basketball a game would have us win by 575 points. An NBA team of Jack Whites would beat the Warriors by 690 points. Not only is K out of touch with analytics -- he's also anti-science.

[DukieInBrasil]

Why stop at 40 minutes? If we cloned Jack White four times, 200 beautiful Jack White minutes of basketball a game would have us win by 575 points. An NBA team of Jack Whites would beat the Warriors by 690 points. Not only is K out of touch with analytics -- he's also anti-science.

The only conclusion to draw from this rigorous statistical analysis is that it's time for him to retire, the game has passed him by.

[CDu]

If I understand you correctly, your logic would indicate Duke won the game where they rushed 44 times for 327 yards and the opponent rushed 40 times for 167 yards.

November 7, 2015: North Carolina 66, Duke 31

The 327 rushing yards gained in the loss against Carolina was more yards rushing than Duke achieved in seven of their eight wins that season. The exception was 373 yards rushing in the victory over Indiana in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Hence the repeated use of the term "tend to" in my statement. It's not a 100% correlation.

[gofurman]

Yup, it is easy to look at 0-11 in the BEast and just assume they are trash. Doing that would be a big mistake. They are a pretty good team, just one that cannot seem to close out close games. As the Xavier coach said last night, "That's the best 0-11 team I have ever seen."

Good quote. I have seen v good 0-10 teams that really are scary . You get railed for losing to them and if you win "well, of course you won, they are 0-10". Kinda like when we lost to State - they had been drubbed by Notre Dame, only now do we see they can play w anyone

[Bob Green]

Hence the repeated use of the term "tend to" in my statement. It's not a 100% correlation.

I'm just having fun with you. My example game is an outlier.

[uh_no]

Why stop at 40 minutes? If we cloned Jack White four times, 200 beautiful Jack White minutes of basketball a game would have us win by 575 points. An NBA team of Jack Whites would beat the Warriors by 690 points. Not only is K out of touch with analytics -- he's also anti-science.

that's PhD material right there.

[jv001]

Beat St. Johns. Thread dropped to 2nd page. Don't take this game for granted. :cool:GoDuke!

[duke4ever19]

Beat St. Johns. Thread dropped to 2nd page. Don't take this game for granted. :cool:GoDuke!

Bumped it again.

Hopefully the team is locked-in on this one more than we are!

I don't know a darn thing about St. John's other than they've been losing to good teams, but not by much. I need to find one of their games on espn3 and check them out.

[Sir Stealth]

Tickets on Stubhub surprisingly (to me) expensive for this one. Comparable to K's 1000th win or last season's game against Kansas, even the ACC Tourney game against UNC. Not sure if it's hype from the St. John's end about facing Duke or Duke alumni hungry to see the team after uncharacteristic absence of a pre-conference New York game, but I find it interesting given that the game seems to be generating relatively little buzz from fans (e.g. thread keeps falling off first page).

[budwom]

I think ticket availability will be excellent, can't imagine they'll come anywhere close to selling out...Stubhub et al zeroing in on the affluent Duke NYC crowd.
I'd personally check out the scalpers on this one...

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I think ticket availability will be excellent, can't imagine they'll come anywhere close to selling out...Stubhub et al zeroing in on the affluent Duke NYC crowd.
I'd personally check out the scalpers on this one...

The game is theoretically sold out. St. John's gave Duke a very small allocation - I have gotten tickets through Iron Dukes to all St. John's-Duke games here over the past 20 years with no problem, but Iron Dukes did not get enough tickets to take care of lower tier donors like myself, and many others. Meanwhile, while we were waiting to hear from Iron Dukes, tickets sold out in the public sale. As you noted, I think many of these were sold to speculators hoping to profit off of affluent Duke alums. A few weeks ago the cheapest seats were in the mid-60s. Earlier this week they were up to the 90s. They seem to be coming down a bit but still nothing in the building for under $80 (plus fees), which is absolutely ridiculous. We'll see what the market is like outside - MSG is very centrally located so it is easy to just show up and look around.

[English]

Question for some potential discussion: Who guards Ponds tomorrow? In the past, Matt Jones would've assumed the responsibility as a no-brainer, but this season, who is our best on-ball defender? Duval? Trent Jr.?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Question for some potential discussion: Who guards Ponds tomorrow? In the past, Matt Jones would've assumed the responsibility as a no-brainer, but this season, who is our best on-ball defender? Duval? Trent Jr.?

Grayson Allen. He's been our best perimeter defender in ACC play.

[thedukelamere]

Question for some potential discussion: Who guards Ponds tomorrow? In the past, Matt Jones would've assumed the responsibility as a no-brainer, but this season, who is our best on-ball defender? Duval? Trent Jr.?

Option 1: Play zone all game
Option 2: JACK WHITE
Option 3: Gary Trent Jr.

I'd wager K goes with Option 3.

[Troublemaker]

Question for some potential discussion: Who guards Ponds tomorrow? In the past, Matt Jones would've assumed the responsibility as a no-brainer, but this season, who is our best on-ball defender? Duval? Trent Jr.?

I think we'll go with standard matchups to start with, so Trevon gets first crack at Ponds, their PG. But if Trevon struggles / gets into foul trouble, we'll switch Grayson or Gary on him or go zone.

When Duke scores, we'll also probably do the soft zone press to get the ball out of Ponds' hands and make him work to get it back.

[budwom]

The game is theoretically sold out. St. John's gave Duke a very small allocation - I have gotten tickets through Iron Dukes to all St. John's-Duke games here over the past 20 years with no problem, but Iron Dukes did not get enough tickets to take care of lower tier donors like myself, and many others. Meanwhile, while we were waiting to hear from Iron Dukes, tickets sold out in the public sale. As you noted, I think many of these were sold to speculators hoping to profit off of affluent Duke alums. A few weeks ago the cheapest seats were in the mid-60s. Earlier this week they were up to the 90s. They seem to be coming down a bit but still nothing in the building for under $80 (plus fees), which is absolutely ridiculous. We'll see what the market is like outside - MSG is very centrally located so it is easy to just show up and look around.

Agreed. I have a pal who lives ten blocks away, easy to show up and check out the market...I would guess that prices will fall as noon approaches...

[Fish80]

Question for some potential discussion: Who guards Ponds tomorrow? In the past, Matt Jones would've assumed the responsibility as a no-brainer, but this season, who is our best on-ball defender? Duval? Trent Jr.?

Jack White.

[MrPoon]

I think we'll go with standard matchups to start with, so Trevon gets first crack at Ponds, their PG. But if Trevon struggles / gets into foul trouble, we'll switch Grayson or Gary on him or go zone.

When Duke scores, we'll also probably do the soft zone press to get the ball out of Ponds' hands and make him work to get it back.

I agree. I think K gives the assignment to Trevon. He’s quick and can defend... he also likes to take ill timed fouls (although its often on help D where he pick up bad fouls) which is what will lead K to switch if he needs to (and maybe zone in the second half, but not before). One of my favorite aspects of K’s coaching is that he flat out takes the best player from the opposition and erases him. You may beat K, but it won’t be your best player, he is almost always going to struggle. Someone else who will have to step up. It happens sometimes but usually it works. K is prepping this team to take out Ponds. That is the film study. Duval will get a lot of the work the last few days. Which side is Ponds’ favorite, where does he take shots, what is their preferred plays to get him open.

Duval will be ready and so will the team. Ponds may still have a good game, but he’ll earn it. My guess is this game starts closer than it should (cause that is what we do!) and Ponds gets frustrated, Duke pulls away around the 12m mark second half. The in-game feed freaks out (maybe even me) about the poor D and wonders why someone we never heard of is hitting 3s and then Trent hits a three, Bagley dunks on a kid in a way his mom crys because its on national TV and Carter gets a put back and suddenly Duke is up 12. (And my daughter comes in and say “why are you making so much noise?!” But that won’t impact you)

This K/Mullin is the biggest mismatch of the game. Just don’t look ahead.

[WiJoe]

VERY scared of Shamorie Ponds

[heyman25]

Just noticed not on FOX West anyone have a link to game. May just have to listen on IMG Radio.
Think I can get Fox GoTV Yea!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Good morning from midtown Manhattan! The feel like temperature is 9F! Game day! Beat St. John’s! http://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifhttp://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

[jwillfan]

Good morning from midtown Manhattan! The feel like temperature is 9F! Game day! Beat St. John’s! http://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifhttp://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif
Hello from downtown there my weather app says if feels like 8 - damn close to 9F
8057

[duke74]

Good morning from midtown Manhattan! The feel like temperature is 9F! Game day! Beat St. John’s! http://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gifhttp://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

Welcome all to my home field. Wish I could be at the game.

Nice crisp day - just got back from a long walk with the dog.

Go Devils!

[superdave]

Yeah, this seems to be the bargain that K has made the last few seasons - since he so recently started embracing the zone. Best I can tell, these young teams embrace the zone quickly. The zone, at its core, is a simple defense. You know where you are supposed to be and what your assignment is. So, naturally, our freshman-heavy squads look much better when we are in zone.

The M2M however, is a much more complex defense. It's easy to play, but next to impossible, because it relies so heavily on communication between defenders on switches, screens, lapses and adjustments. It's also infinitely customizeable to key on particular players or positions. It is, by most accounts, the "better" defense.

Therefore, early in the season, our defense looks crappy in the man to man. And we play a few possessions at zone, and our fans (myself included) go "see! Let's do more of that!"

But the goal for K is never to win the next possession, but rather to build the team towards winning championships. So, sacrifices are made with in-game decisions in order to continue to improve the defense.

I still think that if K had his druthers, he would run zone maybe a total of five minutes a season. Just enough to rattle a team that knows Duke "never plays zone." But, reality dictates otherwise.

#mytwocents

I agree with this - particularly about sacrificing in game to help build the man to man over the course of the season. However, if this is true, why does Coach K not sacrifice in game to get the bench more minutes so they are more seasoned over the course of the season?

Asking for a friend.......<ducks after igniting a bench minutes conversation>

[MPandolfi]

SJU class of ‘03 here. With that said...Go Duke!

[WVDUKEFAN]

Let's play good defense today! Go Duke!

[budwom]

I agree with this - particularly about sacrificing in game to help build the man to man over the course of the season. However, if this is true, why does Coach K not sacrifice in game to get the bench more minutes so they are more seasoned over the course of the season?

Asking for a friend....<ducks after igniting a bench minutes conversation>

I may be that friend. Good luck getting an answer.

[duke74]

SJU class of ‘03 here. With that said...Go Duke!

Well done! Tobin?

[camion]

I agree with this - particularly about sacrificing in game to help build the man to man over the course of the season. However, if this is true, why does Coach K not sacrifice in game to get the bench more minutes so they are more seasoned over the course of the season?

Asking for a friend....<ducks after igniting a bench minutes conversation>

One reason could be that the aim of the coaching staff is to have the man to man improve enough to be dependable as the primary defense by the end of the season while the aim is not to have DeLaurier, Bolden, O'Connell, Robinson, White, etc. be dependable as the primary players by the end of the season.

Answering for the coaches...<not that they asked me to>

[MPandolfi]

Well done! Tobin?

CPS. B.S. in Advertising Communications.

[sagegrouse]

Just noticed not on FOX West anyone have a link to game. May just have to listen on IMG Radio.
Think I can get Fox GoTV Yea!

It's on Fox-TV 31 in Denver. I think it's an over-the-air broadcast.

[Troublemaker]

I agree with this - particularly about sacrificing in game to help build the man to man over the course of the season. However, if this is true, why does Coach K not sacrifice in game to get the bench more minutes so they are more seasoned over the course of the season?

Asking for a friend...<ducks after igniting a bench minutes conversation>

He's always said that it's much more important to him to develop the starters than the bench players. Now, obviously, people will ask why can't he do both, and I believe Coach K thinks he IS doing both. (Just like how most detractors of his bench usage would agree that developing the starters is more important than developing the bench.) The REAL difference, therefore, is just how the two sides conceive of the "sweet spot" in using the 200 available minutes, 40 per position, to develop both. Most fans conceive of the sweet spot as roughly 30 starter's minutes / 10 bench player's minutes. Coach K conceives of the sweet spot as 35+ starter's minutes / 5- bench player's minutes.

[Furniture]

What a day. Freezing cold outside and inside we have Manchester City first now Man U with Alexis Sanchez. Right after that Duke. What the hell will I do after 2pm?

[Pghdukie]

What a day. Freezing cold outside and inside we have Manchester City first now Man U with Alexis Sanchez. Right after that Duke. What the hell will I do after 2pm?

A couple of cold ones sounds good to me

[duke74]

What a day. Freezing cold outside and inside we have Manchester City first now Man U with Alexis Sanchez. Right after that Duke. What the hell will I do after 2pm?

They can have him...self-centered primadonna. As we say around here, "next play."

[riverside6]

Live tempo-based stats for Duke/St. John's, starters posted...
https://www.scacchoops.com/duke-at-st-johns-basketball-live-stats-02032018

[arnie]

It's on Fox-TV 31 in Denver. I think it's an over-the-air broadcast.

Yes, it’s on poor man TV.

[whereinthehellami]

Got my IPA and have a pulled pork sandwich on the way. Let's go Duke, I'm hoping to see Duke come out of the gates strong.

[-jk]

A little late - sorry!

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

[Hauerwas]

Duval with back to back turnovers after missing the entire basket on a 3. It's hard for me to understand how we still over dribbles and dribbles into turnovers and then seems to just be so lackadaisical with the ball. It's February. St. John's is not a good team on any level and if you let them think they can win, they will. This is a bury a team kinda game... But.

[BigZ]

Duval needs to comeback for a sophomore year

[TheOldBattleship]

Man, after we'd done such a good job limiting transition opportunities over the past few games (partly through effort getting back, partly through running smarter offense and not turning the ball over, and partly because we played teams that don't push the ball that much), we've looked like a complete mess in defensive transition today. Not much you can do defensively when you give the ball away above the elbow and let multiple guys sprint to the other end, but we aren't even doing that little in trying to stop the ball and maintain defensive spacing so far. Yeesh.

Luckily, the way that they are forcing these turnovers is by doubling in a very high-risk way. They're TRYING to only double off Duval, but keep ending up too stretched so that we get open shots for Trent, which, forget about it. He's going to make those right now. If we can handle the traps and doubles and keep them out of transition, we'll be in good shape. If we can't...

[TheOldBattleship]

Ugh, the other part of our defense that has looked REALLY grim so far: the pick and roll coverage. They've got us covering it with just two (ballhandler's man and screener's man) by confusing the potential help with off-ball movement (Bagley's guy in particular has been distracting him with quick cuts out to the three point line, sometimes around a screen). Then Carter has been dropping into the paint to try to play the screener and ballhandler as our guard defender trails over the screen, but they're just lobbing over the top to the rolling screener EVERY TIME. Gotta get some help to either tag the screener on his roll or pressure the ballhandler a bit more. Guys have to keep their focus on the play and not get distracted by the off-ball nonsense. Good gameplan from St. Johns. Be interesting to see how/if they adjust when K fixes our coverage.

[whereinthehellami]

Defense is giving up way too many easy looks around the basket.

Duvall has settled down. Can't blame him for being overly amped for the garden.

[TheOldBattleship]

Ugh, the other part of our defense that has looked REALLY grim so far: the pick and roll coverage. They've got us covering it with just two (ballhandler's man and screener's man) by confusing the potential help with off-ball movement (Bagley's guy in particular has been distracting him with quick cuts out to the three point line, sometimes around a screen). Then Carter has been dropping into the paint to try to play the screener and ballhandler as our guard defender trails over the screen, but they're just lobbing over the top to the rolling screener EVERY TIME. Gotta get some help to either tag the screener on his roll or pressure the ballhandler a bit more. Guys have to keep their focus on the play and not get distracted by the off-ball nonsense. Good gameplan from St. Johns. Be interesting to see how/if they adjust when K fixes our coverage.

Let it be said in tones of excitement: the guy who switched this up a little bit and showed some savvy in how he defended the pick and roll he saw was Bolden! Get it Ques! And the putback on offense? Good to see him back and looking frisky.

[duke4ever19]

Duval with back to back turnovers after missing the entire basket on a 3. It's hard for me to understand how we still over dribbles and dribbles into turnovers and then seems to just be so lackadaisical with the ball. It's February. St. John's is not a good team on any level and if you let them think they can win, they will. This is a bury a team kinda game... But.

Very much disagree with this, despite the win/loss record.

[TheOldBattleship]

let it be said in tones of excitement: The guy who switched this up a little bit and showed some savvy in how he defended the pick and roll he saw was bolden! Get it ques! And the putback on offense? Good to see him back and looking frisky.

And then the hard trap off the pick to completely blow up the play! Marques is balling on defense right now!

[TheOldBattleship]

Not to go on and on about the defense, but it's interesting to see what K has done with how we're defending them now. White is in, and either he or Bagley is basically parked under the basket 100% of the time. That'll cut off the pick and roll issue, but if they move the ball well, they'll get open threes (like that one from the corner). K's basically made the bet that they can't do that consistently enough to beat us. Seems a fair bet. Fingers crossed they don't get irritatingly hot from the outside.

[whereinthehellami]

White getting some run. Decent defense, missed a wide open 3 though.

[whereinthehellami]

Side bar. I used to love watching Mullins back in the 80s. Many hours in the driveway after watching him play on TV.

[TheOldBattleship]

Not to go on and on about the defense, but it's interesting to see what K has done with how we're defending them now. White is in, and either he or Bagley is basically parked under the basket 100% of the time. That'll cut off the pick and roll issue, but if they move the ball well, they'll get open threes (like that one from the corner). K's basically made the bet that they can't do that consistently enough to beat us. Seems a fair bet. Fingers crossed they don't get irritatingly hot from the outside.

But when White comes out, we go away from that model (to be fair, not as much use in having a guard like Allen underneath) and they get a layup off the pick and roll lob. I guess you take that trade in order to have the three guards running offense to get Duval with a lane to the hoop and Trent with a wide-open three on the other end, though. Still, wouldn't mind seeing Trent get the duty of sticking around underneath, just to make their bigs have to think and playmake when they catch the ball off that P&R they keep running.

[jipops]

This team consistently doesn't close out halves well. Turnovers can be the cause

[whereinthehellami]

Duke with a 7 point lead at the half.

Not that impressed with SJ. Duke's matador interior defense keeping the Johnies in this one. Duke should be up by a lot more.

That said Duke played together and showed a lot of good energy.

Hopefully the trend continues and they have a better second half and increase the lead.

[TheOldBattleship]

Looking again like we're not having a good close to the first half. I have to admit, I don't really understand why we've been so good in late-game situations and so bad in late-first-half situations. Maybe this is just my confirmation bias speaking, but I feel like teams are usually good at both or bad at both. Don't often see a team that's good at one and not the other.

[subzero02]

Bolden with the Bagleyesque follow...a nice ending to a poorly played half.

[arnie]

This team consistently doesn't close out halves well. Turnovers can be the cause

At least it’s a total team effort committing turnovers.

[curtis325]

Defense looked bad at times, but only gave up 32 pts so must have done something right.

Ponds has some nice moves.

[ncexnyc]

Some really ugly turnovers and horrid interior defense. Hopefully both of these items get addressed at the half.

[SCMatt33]

Very listless half. With any effort, Duke would be up 20, but they let SJ make all the effort plays and handed them 7-8 free possessions on lazy turnovers that SJ had nothing to do with forcing. For the first ten minutes especially, there was zero effort to recover off a screen leading to wide open shots. The good news is you can really see the talent gap on the boards, and while the offense was stagnant and very little went on off the ball, a lot of guys were able to use SJ's aggression against them to get to the line. That plus the hot shooting of Trent are the only reasons Duke is up. Against a good team, Duke would be down double digits or worse with that effort.

[sagegrouse]

At the half: four assists and twelve turnovers?!?! Let's hope for the reverse in the second half.

Nice to see White and Bolden on the floor.

[nmduke2001]

Is Javin hurt?

[jipops]

If we can cut our turnovers in half in the 2nd this game *should* be a blowout. Should

[jipops]

Is Javin hurt?

No. I think Marques is just earning all the time off the bench with his really good D.

[jipops]

Welp. So much for pulling away from a bad team. I hate these msg games. We never play well.

[Hauerwas]

How many turnovers does Duval already have? At least four right? Put Grayson at the point. The ball at least moves.

[uh_no]

Welp. So much for pulling away from a bad team. I hate these msg games. We never play well.

we played pretty well there in 2009...

[gep]

10-2 in first 3 minutes. Gotta wake up... again

[rsvman]

I thought Ponds was supposed to be a horrible shooter. He looks like Steph curry out there

[TheOldBattleship]

Yeesh, what a terrible start to the half. Our offense is just so stagnant right now; we're taking so long to get into anything, and when that first option is delayed, everyone is just sort of standing and pushing to make it work rather than switching quickly to the second set. The inbounds plays where we're just consistently pushing up on 5 seconds are a pretty good encapsulation of everything we're doing wrong right now. And now Ponds has heated up and is hitting tough shots, and we're in a dogfight. Blah.

[duke4ever19]

Welp. So much for pulling away from a bad team. I hate these msg games. We never play well.

Several good teams have had a tough time putting St. John's away. We've certainly helped them by all the silly turnovers, but St. John's record doesn't speak to the way they can play teams tough to the end.

[drummerdevil]

Hey, anyone who’s at the game...
If you hear duke cheers, join them!
Let’s get the place hopping with duke! Bring the energy!

[DukeWarhead]

Wake the heck up. Wake up. Do not give this away to a 10-13 team.

[whereinthehellami]

The defense is....I don't want to be a wanker so, nevermind.

I need another drink.

[jipops]

we played pretty well there in 2009...

Even the vaunted '99 team struggled. Sure the Storm was pretty good with Artest. But still...

[rsvman]

Game not over but we need to shake it up somehow.

[Hauerwas]

St a Johns is a 13 loss team and it’s only February 3. Our ability to play down to horrendous competition is maddening. It’s inexcusable to not show up at this stage in the season. I am baffled by the ying yang of a team that cannot put a terrible team away.

[karmacoma]

The defense is...

Non-existent. Not improving. Terrible.

[jipops]

166th ranked offense lighting us up.

[subzero02]

That object getting smaller and smaller on the horizon is our 1 seed... I'm looking at Grayson, Carter, Trent and Bagley to toughen up in a hurry.

[jjredickrules]

Wake the heck up. Wake up. Do not give this away to a 10-13 team.

Did we party in NYC last night? I've only seen the 2nd half and we honestly look asleep.

[DukeWarhead]

Stop chucking 3s. Play D and get good inside chances

[BigZ]

At least Carter is making foul shots

[whereinthehellami]

Bags with 4 fouls.

[jipops]

I was hoping NC State game was rock bottom.

[Hauerwas]

This is rock bottom. This is the one and done era on display fully.

[arnie]

Did we party in NYC last night? I've only seen the 2nd half and we honestly look asleep.

St. John’s hustling and on fire. We’re doing a good job watching.

[SCMatt33]

This game is. Such an abomination. Some games Duke has played were played at an extremely high level. Even in our losses, there were a lot of mistakes, but a ton of great plays by the opposition as well. St. John's hasn't even played a good game to beat us. Any decent effort by a top 50 team would be winning this game against either side by 20.

[rsvman]

Ponds and Ahmed are solid players, but neither one of them generally shoots as well as they are right now. That last shot, very late in the clock, hurt a lot.
They need to revert to the mean, and sooner would be better than later.

[jipops]

This is rock bottom. This is the one and done era on display fully.

Yea let's remember this too before getting way over confident about next season.

[whereinthehellami]

Duke just does not look poised, very frazzled. SJ playing a lot tougher.

The lack of effective adjustments on defese really kept SJ in the game and let them get confidence.

[BigZ]

This is 2012 and 2014 all over again

[subzero02]

If we make our foul shots... we should be fine

[jwillfan]

Just a poor showing. I'm at the game and I'm embarrassed...

[WHOneedsSOX]

St John's looks like they just want it more. They're making plays. Duke is reacting to plays.

[MarkD83]

Yea let's remember this too before getting way over confident about next season.

I'll second that thought.

[jipops]

The D has actually stepped up but the offense is just gone.

[DukeWarhead]

No effin excuse, really. Maddening. 10 minutes to pull a rabbit out of the hat

[CMARTZ]

Remember 2015. We'll be ok.

[whereinthehellami]

Down 10 with 9 min to go.

[jwillfan]

Remember 2015. We'll be ok.

This is not that team

[WHOneedsSOX]

Remember 2015. We'll be ok.

That team had loads of leadership. This team, I don't see much.

[DukeWarhead]

Yea let's remember this too before getting way over confident about next season.

Exactly. Just saw some news about E.J. Montgomery maybe committing to Duke and my that’s are “I don’t care if they can’t play consistent on D.” Games like this kill any recruiting giddiness

[BlueandWhite]

St. John’s hustling and on fire. We’re doing a good job watching.

Agree - slow motion going after loose balls, when rebounding missed shots by St Johns.

What on earth is wrong with Grayson Allen??

Would someone please like to step up and defend Shamorie Ponds?

Hey - this game is St John’s season and Duke hasn’t been ready.

[jwillfan]

Which one is Bootsie-ing us? Ponds or Ahmed?

[whereinthehellami]

At least Bags is getting some rest.

[rsvman]

Which one is Bootsie-ing us? Ponds or Ahmed?

Both.

[DukeWarhead]

Make them do push ups in the timeout. Sad

[WHOneedsSOX]

Would someone please like to step up and defend Shamorie Ponds?


Nope. Duke has no good 1 on 1 defenders. Matt Jones gave us nothing offensively but at least he could shut down an opponent by himself.

[MarkD83]

This of course is the bad loss in Feb that prevents teams from getting a #1 seed in the NCAAs.

The good news is that Coach K will be all over these guys and they will come out for blood against unc.

[SCMatt33]

Agree - slow motion going after loose balls, when rebounding missed shots by St Johns.

What on earth is wrong with Grayson Allen??

Would someone please like to step up and defend Shamorie Ponds?

Hey - this game is St John’s season and Duke hasn’t been ready.

I mean, this team is 0-11 in the Big East. They've played plenty of top teams including Villanova. I don't think that's fair to St. John's or the Big East to say this game is they're season. This isn't some low major, who's games are normally not broadcast beyond local radio and maybe streaming coverage.

[subzero02]

Which one is Bootsie-ing us? Ponds or Ahmed?

Shamore...

I really think Allen is hurt.

[jipops]

Remember 2015. We'll be ok.

Ofcourse we'll be ok. We'll make the tournament.

However, I think we need to stop using that team as a crutch. That was a highly unusual team with a lot of maturity despite its collective age. It is extremely remote we ever see something like that again. As we have seen repeatedly these past 3 seasons, what we're seeing now is the norm. Defense and poise is going to be a constant struggle in this era.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

This of course is the bad loss in Feb that prevents teams from getting a #1 seed in the NCAAs.

The good news is that Coach K will be all over these guys and they will come out for blood against unc.

I thought it was last weekend's loss that knocked us out of contention for the one seed.

If you think this game is over, I am not sure what Duke team you have been watching this season.

[jjredickrules]

Whoever has access to that switch that makes us play well, you're running out of time. I know it's out there.

[subzero02]

The number of second chances that we're giving up is killing us.

[WHOneedsSOX]

That was some beautiful defense, Allen. Didn't even bother trying.

[slower]

This is rock bottom.

Today's game is brought to you by the letters WTF.

Kudos to all the experts who predicted an easy/blowout victory.

[jipops]

On the bright side. Wendell Carter is awesome. He's been our best player for almost the past month

[DRC]

Hard to watch. No fire, no spark, no cohesiveness, poor body language, turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. Where's Grayson. It's like the whole team has the flu. 4:30 to go and looks like they've woken up and pulled it to within 4. Come on guys...St. John's has lost 11 in a row...which is hard to believe after seeing them today against the #4 team. Duval is really stepping up here near the end, but will it be enough.

[dragoneye776]

Whoever has access to that switch that makes us play well, you're running out of time. I know it's out there.

And thank you for flipping it!

[Duke95]

Duke seems about as interested in playing defense as I am in shoveling snow.

[subzero02]

Carter needed that ball

[jipops]

That last possession was just awful. Nobody moved except Carter who had position and Bagley threw up a 3. Losing confidence in our offense now.

[WHOneedsSOX]

Duke seems about as interested in playing defense as I am in shoveling snow.

Their initial defense isn't bad but they don't feel like hustling after rebounds. I would bet none of the guards have 3 rebounds. It's Bagley or Carter otherwise St. John's gets it back.

[BigZ]

What happened to Grayson?

[BlueandWhite]

I mean, this team is 0-11 in the Big East. They've played plenty of top teams including Villanova. I don't think that's fair to St. John's or the Big East to say this game is they're season. This isn't some low major, who's games are normally not broadcast beyond local radio and maybe streaming coverage.

Fair enough...and we aren’t the ones out there playing. However it is likely (?) their only nationally televised game. So, they were pumped for this one. Evidence - consistently outhustling Duke for rebounds and loose balls.

Maybe they will pull this out of the hat. Biggest issue for me is that Grayson Allen needs to be the leader on the court and right now he is a non-factor. The team lacks a vocal leader.

[rsvman]

That last possession was just awful. Nobody moved except Carter who had position and Bagley threw up a 3. Losing confidence in our offense now.

Agree. And there is no stopping Ahmed or Ponds.
Can't come up with rebounds or loose balls.
We'll need some luck to pull this out.

[jwillfan]

I think Ponds solidifies the Bootsie award. I attended the Bootsie game too so maybe it's my fault?

[whereinthehellami]

Duke has had a lot of opportunities in the last few minutes in which they have not been able to take advantage of.

Duvall has had some nice possesions.

[jipops]

Trent!!

[subzero02]

God's Child with the 3!!!

[whereinthehellami]

Finish this!

[jipops]

Need another Johnnies brain cramp

[WHOneedsSOX]

Slap the floor on defense and then give up an uncontested lay up.

[jipops]

High pick is automatic 2 for them

[jwillfan]

SMDH

[Hauerwas]

Trevon Duval.

[whereinthehellami]

Guy called TO way too quick. SJ trying to give the game away.

[rsvman]

Their 58% ft shooter made both free throws like he was JJ.
Need a stop here

[whereinthehellami]

I'm too old for this!

[WHOneedsSOX]

Missed free throws killing Duke. Allen missed front end of 1-1. Duval misses 2. Bagley misses 1. St. John's making all theirs.

[whereinthehellami]

Next play, haha. Have a good Saturday guys!