MOTM: Duke v Virginia (Jan 19, 2019)

[JBDuke]

Who was Duke's Man of the Match tonight in their win over Virginia tonight?

[Phredd3]

RJ's best game in a Duke uniform. I love Zion, but RJ was the key to this game, especially down the stretch.

[curtis325]

I'm a well-known Zionist, but too many bricks from the line today--and RJ was fabulous.

[Saratoga2]

Both RJ and Zion were great tonight. I voted for RJ since he had the added responsibility of running the offense.

[kAzE]

Went with Zion for his defensive contributions and typical Zion-esque efficiency from everywhere other than the foul line, but RJ was equally impressive, and did a fantastic job closing the game. Can't go wrong with either guy.

[Troublemaker]

Remember, Tre was out and RJ had to do a lot more ball-handling.

RJ ended up with only 1 turnover, 3 assists, 5 rebounds to go along with his 30 points and clutch FTs down the stretch.

This decision should've been easy.

[ncexnyc]

RJ over Zion by a free throw or two, or three.

[Devilwin]

Voted RJ. Zion was awesome but his four straight free throw misses at crunch time for me gave the edge to RJ.

Oh..Told ya were gonna beat them!

[weezie]

RJ is a baaaaaad man. A naughty, so good, so silky smooth baaaaaad man.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I love when the choice could go either way, but went with Barrett over a tad too often turnover prone Zion.

(Speaking of...only 8 per team, that's crazy with two impressive defenses.)

[CDu]

I went with Barrett in his best game in a Duke uniform. He came up big when we needed it tonight.

[JetpackJesus]

I came very close to voting for Bolden because of the huge rebound and FT that helped secure the win. But I am not the one Bolden vote.

I went with RJ.

[JNort]

I came very close to voting for Bolden because of the huge rebound and FT that helped secure the win. But I am not the one Bolden vote.

I went with RJ.
I chose Bolden because I thought he stepped up huuuge tonight. We switched all 5 spots and he held his own

[Wahoo2000]

I pretty much never vote in these, but since it was a UVA game, I decided to partake. I see Barrett's line, I saw the clutch FTs, I saw the multiple tough finishes. He was amazing. That said, I can't NOT vote for Williamson. He's the ONLY player on Duke's roster I just felt like would score EVERY SINGLE TIME he put his head down and drove to the rim. We excel... EXCEL at denying penetration. Zion not only got to the rim at will, he drew a TON of fouls and almost always finished through contact. Just so in awe of his ability to do pretty much whatever he wants in the half-court off the bounce. RJ was CLOSE to that level but not quite there. For some, they'll nudge RJ over the top based on volume and FT shooting. I have no issue with that. For me though, if you're talking about the one dude that over the course of the whole game I just felt like we had NO CHANCE of stopping...... it's Williamson.

RJ - better closer.
Zion - better player.

Just my opinion, and if you feel differently, I wouldn't call you wrong. 2 future all-stars there most likely. (And I can't believe I'm saying that given the way the NBA is all about the 3ball now. I just think those 2 are THAT special going to the rim.)

[Wahoo2000]

I chose Bolden because I thought he stepped up huuuge tonight. We switched all 5 spots and he held his own

I respect every poster, but not every post. IMO - Bolden got abused on D tonight. I haven't looked up stats, but our (UVA) efficiency on driving buckets in iso- plays vs Bolden must have been off the charts.

Still, he played the roll of "sacrificial lamb" and it kept us from getting into any kind of rhythm from 3 so that when Duke went zone late, we missed a couple of EASY looks from deep (by great shooters, too). So Bolden's "sacrifice" actually did play a big role in the win.

I just wouldn't say "he held his own". ;-)

[mgtr]

I had to pick only one, and the two possibilities seem obvious, and I did vote for RJ. But we are giving short shrift to Bolden, who played well, even though some UVa players drove on him. "Croc" White set the tone with his two-handed stuff back.
I think this game sort of sets the tone for the rest of the season. I expect the balance of the year through the tournaments will be very exciting. To quote an early vaudevillean "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

[Devilwin]

I respect every poster, but not every post. IMO - Bolden got abused on D tonight. I haven't looked up stats, but our (UVA) efficiency on driving buckets in iso- plays vs Bolden must have been off the charts.

Still, he played the roll of "sacrificial lamb" and it kept us from getting into any kind of rhythm from 3 so that when Duke went zone late, we missed a couple of EASY looks from deep (by great shooters, too). So Bolden's "sacrifice" actually did play a big role in the win.

I just wouldn't say "he held his own". ;-)

Agree. He was invisible on offense, and was getting blown by a bunch.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I respect every poster, but not every post. IMO - Bolden got abused on D tonight. I haven't looked up stats, but our (UVA) efficiency on driving buckets in iso- plays vs Bolden must have been off the charts.

Still, he played the roll of "sacrificial lamb" and it kept us from getting into any kind of rhythm from 3 so that when Duke went zone late, we missed a couple of EASY looks from deep (by great shooters, too). So Bolden's "sacrifice" actually did play a big role in the win.

I just wouldn't say "he held his own". ;-)

In the last minute of the game, Bolden had one of the best D plays and it was very subtle. He simply stood his ground, literally. I don't think he even lifted a foot. But he was exactly where he needed to be, and with just his arms raised, made the shooter miss a layup, no foul, Duke rebound. That was a great stop, and he keyed it.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Great win, tremendous games by RJ and Zion, clutch end game by Marques! RJ gets my vote tonight for his scoring, ball handling and leadership!

[azzefkram]

I was hoping there would be an option for Zion Barrett or RJ Williamson but no such luck. I went with RJ on a coin flip.

[budwom]

I respect every poster, but not every post. IMO - Bolden got abused on D tonight. I haven't looked up stats, but our (UVA) efficiency on driving buckets in iso- plays vs Bolden must have been off the charts.

Still, he played the roll of "sacrificial lamb" and it kept us from getting into any kind of rhythm from 3 so that when Duke went zone late, we missed a couple of EASY looks from deep (by great shooters, too). So Bolden's "sacrifice" actually did play a big role in the win.

I just wouldn't say "he held his own". ;-)

Can't blame Bolden in the least on this, seriously. K made it clear that the strategy was to switch on every screen...this left Bolden guarding a lot of quicker players. Overall the strategy worked, despite the fact
that Bolden couldn't guard some people.

[WillJ]

Can't blame Bolden in the least on this, seriously. K made it clear that the strategy was to switch on every screen...this left Bolden guarding a lot of quicker players. Overall the strategy worked, despite the fact
that Bolden couldn't guard some people.

I agree with this. Bolden got abused some but he a) didn't foul much (unlike, ahem, poor Javin) and b) didn't give up any threes that I can think of. I wonder if K gave him the game ball....seriously.

[camion]

I agree with this. Bolden got abused some but he a) didn't foul much (unlike, ahem, poor Javin) and b) didn't give up any threes that I can think of. I wonder if K gave him the game ball...seriously.

I agree with your agreement. The K contingent settled on a strategy of switching everything to minimize 3 point shots. It put Bolden in a bad position individually, but overall it worked as a team strategy. Kudos to K, the coaches, Bolden and the rest of the team.

[dukebluesincebirth]

RJ gets my vote, but Zion showed even more of his game with the ballhandling tonight. A freight train jet with a crossover? Please.

[budwom]

Marvelous team effort, especially to the Iron Five, though I admit I threw in a vote for Jack for being the only guy among 9,314 to be unaware of the shot clock. That couldn't have been easy.
Hopefully he and Javin regroup for Pitt.

[ncexnyc]

Coach K was definitely the chess master yesterday and Bolden was the pawn. I'm pretty sure Coach K is quite pleased with how the sacrifice of his pawn turned out.

[DukeDevilDeb]

Marvelous team effort, especially to the Iron Five, though I admit I threw in a vote for Jack for being the only guy among 9,314 to be unaware of the shot clock. That couldn't have been easy.
Hopefully he and Javin regroup for Pitt.

I thought Alex was the only guy... so, I think, did Coach K since he pulled Alex within seconds of that mistake and put Jack back in.

[budwom]

Coach K was definitely the chess master yesterday and Bolden was the pawn. I'm pretty sure Coach K is quite pleased with how the sacrifice of his pawn turned out.

Has Bolden ever played 33 minutes in a Duke game before? Not that I can think of, though my memory only goes back a few weeks.

[MChambers]

Has Bolden ever played 33 minutes in a Duke game before? Not that I can think of, though my memory only goes back a few weeks.

I can't remember that he's ever played anything close to it. Last year, his high was 25, against Georgia Tech: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/2018-02-11-18-georgia-tech.html

[mapei]

I voted for RJ because he was so clutch in the critical closing moments of the game, in contrast to Zion's could-have-been-costly missed free throws. But the case for Zion is strong: not only was his scoring emphatic, but his amazing ball handling and well-rounded stat sheet (9 rebounds, 3 offensive; 2 steals; an assist and a block) were extraordinary. This is such a special team.

[kako]

I could see why folks might vote for Zion. But to me Barrett was clearly MOTM. Ran the offense, kept TOs down, hit the key shots down the stretch and led the team in scoring.

Loved the Maple Mamba sign. It pretty much describes Barrett.

9F

[devildeac]

We already have 4 outliers so why no vote for Javin?

:rolleyes:

[timmy c]

We already have 4 outliers so why no vote for Javin?

:rolleyes:

In hind sight, I wish I had voted for Javin. Instead I got swept up in the way RJ got the offense going, attacked the basket, and hit needed freethrows in the end. Somebody should acknowledge the 5 trillion Javin put on the stat sheet-- in seven minutes of action!

[BandAlum83]

In hind sight, I wish I had voted for Javin. Instead I got swept up in the way RJ got the offense going, attacked the basket, and hit needed freethrows in the end. Somebody should acknowledge the 5 trillion Javin put on the stat sheet-- in seven minutes of action!

Javin had an un-credited rebound that I pointed out in the post game thread. (Cam got credit for the rebound)

Do boxscores get audited and corrected?

[budwom]

I thought Alex was the only guy... so, I think, did Coach K since he pulled Alex within seconds of that mistake and put Jack back in.

absolutely, I meant to write Alex...he definitely spaced out on the play (just as I spaced out on my comment)...not sure how he could be so unaware of the shot clock...