MBB: Duke at Pittsburgh (Tue, Jan 22, 9pm, ESPN) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Duke travels to Pitt on Tuesday night for their next game. The Panthers are having an up and down year under Coach Capel, including a recent win over #11 Florida State and a narrow victory over a decent Louisville team, but they also got shellacked by the Heels and lost to Niagara, of all teams. Duke will likely get their best shot, of course.

[UrinalCake]

If Pitt wins this game, does Capel pretty much have the Duke job locked up whenever K retires?

They’ve got some nice wins on the season, and Capel already looks like a home run of a hire. I never take any opponent for granted, especially on the road, but we should win this by 15 or so even assuming Tre doesn’t play.

[-jk]

And Capel is quite able to intuit what K will plan, with or without Tre...

-jk

[gofurman]

Duke travels to Pitt on Tuesday night for their next game. The Panthers are having an up and down year under Coach Capel, including a recent win over #11 Florida State and a narrow victory over a decent Louisville team, but they also got shellacked by the Heels and lost to Niagara, of all teams. Duke will likely get their best shot, of course.

This is huge.

Why? FSU coulda beat us. Then they lose to Pitt

Trappy game after Virginia. ! Each acc win or los counts the same in league standings

Have to hit this one hard ... A road victory is always a huge thing. Cmon out hard and put them down

Others know more but if I recall everyone left Pitt. I am shocked they beat FSU and Louisville with all their players having left! Kudos to Capel

I suspect them to be good in a year or two as their top two scorers are both freshman guards (numbers 1 and 2 by jersey). Top two rebounders are a freshman and a sophomore. Top two assist guys are both freshman ( same guys numbers 1 and 2 on jersey). And to lose all their guys to transfer and already beat FSU and Louisville ? I bet they go 5-13 ACC this year (maybe more?) and increase to a possible winning ACC record two years from now. You have to think they keep improving. I really expected them to be w Wake and BC this year. Or worse. Wake has upperclassmen. Pitt does not.

We need this as a road win. This is easier than many but still tough. Both Louisville and FSU were losers in Pittsburgh

[Pghdukie]

Pitt's student section were pretty harsh on Duke, most namely Bagley, last year. Duke up big last year when the students started their "OVER RATED" chant.

[jbay201]

Pitt's student section were pretty harsh on Duke, most namely Bagley, last year. Duke up big last year when the students started their "OVER RATED" chant.

wow what a classless fanbase...won 0 games last year and still talking trash. I'll take K versus Capel anytime (even without tre). He didn't coach well in K's 1 month absence a couple years ago.

is anyone capable of stopping Zion or Barrett, let alone both on that team?

[Steven43]

wow what a classless fanbase...won 0 games last year and still talking trash. I'll take K versus Capel anytime (even without tre). He didn't coach well in K's 1 month absence a couple years ago.

is anyone capable of stopping Zion or Barrett, let alone both on that team?
Bold words. Nice to see someone who hasn’t yet been beaten into submission by the DBR old guard. Rest assured, they will be coming for you with keyboards drawn. It’s only a matter of time. No one escapes unscathed.

[DUKEinFW]

Pitt's student section were pretty harsh on Duke, most namely Bagley, last year. Duke up big last year when the students started their "OVER RATED" chant.

Will be interesting to see if Capel reigns in such ridiculous chatter from the student section.

[Steven43]

Pitt's student section were pretty harsh on Duke, most namely Bagley, last year. Duke up big last year when the students started their "OVER RATED" chant.
They really did this? I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of a home crowd chanting “overrated” while their team was down big. It makes no sense. Sounds like something U of Maryland fans might do.

[OldPhiKap]

wow what a classless fanbase...won 0 games last year and still talking trash. I'll take K versus Capel anytime (even without tre). He didn't coach well in K's 1 month absence a couple years ago.

is anyone capable of stopping Zion or Barrett, let alone both on that team?

I thought Jeff did a good job when K was out. He is also a great recruiter, and it was his idea to go zone-first defense at Louisville a few years ago after two bad losses.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take K over everyone. But Jeff is more than capable and is probably behind only Tony Bennett as far as young ACC coaches are concerned. JMO, YMMV.

[uh_no]

I thought Jeff did a good job when K was out.

That was not the consensus here after his stint. I forget the exact timeframe, but didn't he oversee the 2017 run of 1-3?

[Troublemaker]

This should not be looked at as an easy game, and we are still vulnerable until Tre returns.

Just like how it's possible to lose at home to Syracuse and then beat UVA, it's possible to beat UVA and then lose at Pitt. Every game is its own entity, its own matchup. For example, we basically played 5 guys last game, but UVA is the type of opponent that can let you get away with that. And I don't mean just pace. UVA is 220th in the country (14th in the conference using ACC games) at offensive FT rate, which means they don't draw fouls. Pitt, on the other hand, is 10th in the country (2nd in the conference) at offensive FT rate; they attack the basket relentlessly and know how to get fouled.

Likewise, how relieved were you to see that UVA would allow RJ to just walk the ball up the court? The Hoos have a really good ball pressurer in Kihei Clark but they didn't end up testing our ball-handling without Tre. Coach Capel will probably approach it differently. Whereas UVA is 138th in the country (13th in the conference) at defensive turnover rate, Pitt is 25th in the country (6th in the conference) at defensive turnover rate. Pitt is going to get after us, and I could envision them just pressing us the entire game, too. Guard Trey McGowens has a fantastic steal rate at 4.4%.

And yes, the pace. UVA is of course one of the slowest teams in the country. Pitt is 104th in pace.

A one point win tomorrow, and I'm happy. Seriously.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

That was not the consensus here after his stint. I forget the exact timeframe, but didn't he oversee the 2017 run of 1-3?

Agree. I had high hopes for Capel, just as I did for Amaker / Gaudet years earlier. I wasn't impressed with any of that. (I can't remember the exact breakdown in the 90s of responsibilities...I'm sure many here know exactly). I think Gaudet was coach of record. Was Amaker part of that staff?

[Troublemaker]

Bold words. Nice to see someone who hasn’t yet been beaten into submission by the DBR old guard. Rest assured, they will be coming for you with keyboards drawn. It’s only a matter of time. No one escapes unscathed.

Well, you're part of the old guard now since you've been around for awhile. I'm not sure there are really consensus old guard opinions. For example, you and I are probably close to 100% agreement on the Isaiah Stewart recruitment, but I could envision you thinking that you're bucking the old guard and going at it alone with an unpopular opinion.


I thought Jeff did a good job when K was out. He is also a great recruiter, and it was his idea to go zone-first defense at Louisville a few years ago after two bad losses.

Actually, pretty sure I remember Jeff telling the story that Coach K walked into the coaches' meeting and surprised everyone by suggesting zone.

I'm sure Coach Capel's insights were valuable, though, as Coach K has praised him enthusiastically in the past.



Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take K over everyone. But Jeff is more than capable and is probably behind only Tony Bennett as far as young ACC coaches are concerned. JMO, YMMV.

He's doing an excellent job in this first season at Pitt, but I would give it a few seasons. Jeff is 43, and ACC coaches in his age range who could go for two more decades include Buzz Williams (46), Chris Mack (49), and Kevin Keatts (46).

[DavidBenAkiva]

Pitt's student section were pretty harsh on Duke, most namely Bagley, last year. Duke up big last year when the students started their "OVER RATED" chant.

I thought that was pretty funny, to be honest. Bagley was dominating, had 20-something points at that moment, and so they decide to chant overrated at the kid. Imagine what they will say to Zion this year.

[devildeac]

I thought that was pretty funny, to be honest. Bagley was dominating, had 20-something points at that moment, and so they decide to chant overrated at the kid. Imagine what they will say to Zion this year.

(In my best Elmer Fudd internet voice):

Overweighted?

(:rolleyes:)

[rolm]

(In my best Elmer Fudd internet voice):

Overweighted?

(:rolleyes:)

Hahaha. Thanks for the laugh. Nicely done!:D

[budwom]

If Pitt wins this game, does Capel pretty much have the Duke job locked up whenever K retires?

They’ve got some nice wins on the season, and Capel already looks like a home run of a hire. I never take any opponent for granted, especially on the road, but we should win this by 15 or so even assuming Tre doesn’t play.

I have no idea whom Duke will hire, but your post reminded me so much of what happened just about fifty years ago, if I may go Olde Farte on you...former Duke assistant coach and ace recruiter Bucky Waters went to West Virginia.
Shortly thereafter he beat Duke in Morgantown (I remember this vividly because I drove there in a friend's VW Beetle, in a snow storm, and I had never driven a stick shift before. Less than total fun)

Not long thereafter, Vic Bubas retired, Bucky got the job, recruiting initlally went well, then a whole bunch of players left. Turned into a train wreck.

Doesn't mean Capel couldn't return and do a bangup job, but the parallel seems at least worth noting for those of us who remember the Waters era. Succeeding a legend is always a tough thing.

[CameronDuke]

Any ACC win home or away is extremely difficult to attain. Especially on the road. Duke SHOULD win this one at Pitt but I have seen crazier things happen and Duke could easily get beaten. "The Pete" can be a tough place to play and seats about 12,500. I would think there will be close to a sellout there tomorrow. It would be nice to start 3-0 on the road in the ACC this season. Duke has had two highly emotional games in the past week and Zion, RJ, Jack, Cam, and Bolden all played a lot of minutes vs Virginia. Getting a comfortable lead and letting Alex, DeLaurier, and Goldwire (maybe Robinson and Antonio) soak up some minutes late in the 2nd half would be welcomed from our starters to help take some of the load off. I do not think Tre will play this week at Pitt and vs GT but hold out hope he may return at Notre Dame next Monday night.

The thought that we have an excellent shot to be 16-2, 5-1 after tomorrow and maybe 17-2, 6-1 after Saturday has me very excited about this team's trajectory after sustaining the injury to Tre and fending off Virginia. I still think if we take care of business this week and get Tre back we can have a pretty dominant season in the ACC, the ACC tournament, and the NCAAT.

Let's Go Duke!

[CDu]

As you all are undoubtedly aware, Pitt is coached by our own Jeff Capel. They are a team in transition, as this is Capel's first year and his approach is decidedly different from his predecessor Kevin Stallings. The Panthers are very young this year, playing a bunch of freshmen and sophomores in their main rotation. They are also somewhat shorthanded, missing their backup PG and having lost two midseason transfers off their bench (though the transfers were not primary rotation guys at least). It's a team with a bit of talent, but very much a work in progress has Capel tries to establish its identity.

Pitt runs a 4-guard/wing lineup pretty much exclusively. This is in part stylistic (Capel likes athleticism and versatility) and in part necessity (they only have two bigs on the roster at this point). The Panthers are a strong defensive team, ranking in the top-20 nationally on defense. They block shots, force turnovers, and contest both twos and threes really well. It's a defense Coach K would be proud of for sure. They are atrocious on the defensive glass (again a Coach K theme), but overall they defend REALLY well. What they don't do well is score. They are a bit below average on offense, and struggle at everything except offensive rebounding and drawing fouls. It's an athletic team that hasn't quite figured out how to take flight on offense. But they try hard.

Centers: The starting center is Terrell Brown (6'10", 230lb sophomore). Brown is a lanky, athletic, but not overly physical big. He's a solid rebounder and an elite shotblocker. He isn't bad on the offensive end, with nice touch around the basket. And he does draw a lot of fouls. He's really played well over his last 6 games, averaging 27.7 mpg, 7.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 4.5 blocks per game in that stretch. He's not a worldbeater, but he plays his position rather well. Behind Brown is Kene Chukwuka (6'9" 225lb junior from Sweden). Chukwuka fancies himself a stretch big on offense, though the results to this point haven't been good. He does have good touch for a big guy, but he's not been able to translate that against competition yet. He's not overly physical either, and not nearly the rebounder or shotblocker that Brown is. As Brown's role has risen, Chukwuka's time has fallen. In fact, the Panthers will sometimes play without a center at all. The third option at center (Peace Ilegomah, 6'9" 240lb sophomore from Nigeria) announced his decision to transfer in December and is no longer with the team.

Forwards: There isn't really a list here. As noted above, the Panthers start 4 guards/wings. The only option they have at forward is either to play one of their smallish centers or to play Samson George (6'7", 210lb sophomore from Nigeria). George is a high-energy, high-athleticism, low-skill player who basically can rebound and dunk but does nothing else. He is extremely unlikely to play in this one. The only other forward the Panthers had (Shamiel Stevenson, 6'6" 245lb sophomore) also transferred in December.

Wings: Well, the Panthers have a bunch of wings. Jared Wilson-Frame (6'5", 220lb senior JuCo transfer) is the veteran presence on the squad. He's a big, physical wing capable of defending a bunch of positions. If you squint, he reminds a little of Justise Winslow in that he can defend several positions and can do a little of everything. He's a nice solid producer for the Panthers and can score at all three levels. Alongside Wilson-Frame is Audiese Toney (6'6", 210lb freshman). Toney is a talented kid with good size, length, and athleticism for a wing. He's not a great shooter at this point, but he's a solid rebounder and positional defender. He's not afraid to shoot the three, though to date he has not been hitting it with any consistency (26.5%). That said, he does have six games with 2 made threes this season. So it's possible with him. The third starter on the wings is Trey McGowens (6'3", 185lb freshman), a former AAU teammate of Toney. McGowans is a terrific athlete who can score from anywhere on the court but is especially good going to the basket. He's a combo guard (sort of - more a SG than a PG, but he can dribble well) that will attack on offense and is extremely pesky in the passing lanes on defense. McGowens leads the team in steals and is elite nationally in that department. Malik Ellison (6'6", 215lb junior transfer from St Johns) is the first wing off the bench. Ellison is a big, physical wing who provides defensive energy and physically, but has very little polish on the offensive end. A true role player. Last but not least on the wings is Khameron Davis (6'4", 200lb sophomore). Davis was a major minutes guy last year who has found it harder to see the floor consistently this year. However, due to some injuries he's found a role off the bench, averaging 17mpg over his last 8 games. Davis is long and athletic and is a terrific shooter, but he doesn't get a lot of looks in his more limited role.

Guards: The Panthers pretty much have just one PG at the moment in Xavier Johnson (6'3", 190lb freshman). Johnson is more lead guard than a true PG, but unfortunately that's all Pitt has to work with. And admittedly, it's not that he's bad. Johnson is a pure scorer, able to score in the paint, from 3, and draw fouls. He leads the team in assists, but is very turnover prone (averaging 4 turnovers per game). It will be interesting to see if his sloppiness shows up against our defense, especially if Jones doesn't play again. Johnson is asked to play a LOT of minutes because the team's backup PG Sidy N'Dir (6'2", 180lb grad transfer from France via New Mexico St) is currently injured. It's possible that N'Dir returns, as he's been reportedly close to returning the last week or so from a 4-6 week injury. So, we'll see. If N'Dir can go, he's an athletic slasher who can distribute but is also more of a scoring guard than a PG.

Pitt has been somewhat tough at home this year, beating Louisville and FSU in their last two home games. So they won't be a total pushover. That said, I think the talent disparity should be such that we win this one. They don't have the experience to punish our youth, and their top-end talent just isn't close to our top-end talent. Still, you know Capel will have his team ready for his old coach. So hopefully our guys don't relax too much after the great win at home over the weekend.

[Bob Green]

Not long thereafter, Vic Bubas retired, Bucky got the job, recruiting initlally went well, then a whole bunch of players left. Turned into a train wreck.



You forgot to mention the undefeated freshman team in your list of events. I'll defer to Olympic Fan for the details:

https://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?27147-Heard-an-interesting-story-about-Duke-basketball-from-the-early-70s


As for Bucky ... he was just too intense for his own good. Not sure you can blame him for Fitzsimmons and maybe not May (neither actually ever played for him), but Evans, Backman, Dawson, O'Conner, Elmer, , Righter ... those are all on him. I'm not sure that with those guys Duke would have been able to compete with the great teams at State (David Thompson and company) or Maryland (Lucas, McMillen, Elmore, etc.), but they would have been an upper echelon ACC team. Without them, it was just about the worst era in Duke basketball history.

[MChambers]

And Capel is quite able to intuit what K will plan, with or without Tre...

-jk

That goes both ways, I think.

[devildeac]

You forgot to mention the undefeated freshman team in your list of events. I'll defer to Olympic Fan for the details:

https://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?27147-Heard-an-interesting-story-about-Duke-basketball-from-the-early-70s

I'll blame Ozzie as that's about the same time he arrived...


(:rolleyes:)

[budwom]

You forgot to mention the undefeated freshman team in your list of events. I'll defer to Olympic Fan for the details:

https://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?27147-Heard-an-interesting-story-about-Duke-basketball-from-the-early-70s

Not much need for me to defer to Al on that one, I wrote for the Chronicle then and knew a bunch of the players personally, had a very good idea of what was going on....unfortunately, Bucky was very much a 1950s style guy, and the world was changing rapidly in the 1960s. As for the freshman team, Hubie Brown was the coach, and I really enjoyed getting to know him personally...he was a young pup himself then. (Of the five highly rated recruits on that freshman team, three of them
transferred, and the remaining two were no particular fans of Bucky, but they liked the Duke experience).

[MChambers]

If Pitt wins this game, does Capel pretty much have the Duke job locked up whenever K retires?

They’ve got some nice wins on the season, and Capel already looks like a home run of a hire. I never take any opponent for granted, especially on the road, but we should win this by 15 or so even assuming Tre doesn’t play.

T-Rank only has Duke by 12, 82-70, and I'm pretty sure there's no adjustment for the loss of Tre (except to the extent our last two games reflect Duke's performance without Tre), so I'd be delighted with any result that isn't overly stressful. Capel has Pitt playing good defense, other than giving up a lot of offensive rebounds. Sound familiar?

On offense, Pitt is good at drawing fouls, but also gets blocked a lot, so let's hope for a Duke block party.

[MChambers]

Likewise, how relieved were you to see that UVA would allow RJ to just walk the ball up the court? The Hoos have a really good ball pressurer in Kihei Clark but they didn't end up testing our ball-handling without Tre. Coach Capel will probably approach it differently. Whereas UVA is 138th in the country (13th in the conference) at defensive turnover rate, Pitt is 25th in the country (6th in the conference) at defensive turnover rate. Pitt is going to get after us, and I could envision them just pressing us the entire game, too. Guard Trey McGowens has a fantastic steal rate at 4.4%.

And yes, the pace. UVA is of course one of the slowest teams in the country. Pitt is 104th in pace.

A one point win tomorrow, and I'm happy. Seriously.

I'll be happy with a win of any kind, like you, but I really don't see anyone pressing Duke successfully, even without Tre. Duke's got three wings who are very comfortable bringing the ball up. Does Capel really want to see Zion handling the ball at midcourt against a spread out defense?

[Troublemaker]

I'll be happy with a win of any kind, like you, but I really don't see anyone pressing Duke successfully, even without Tre. Duke's got three wings who are very comfortable bringing the ball up. Does Capel really want to see Zion handling the ball at midcourt against a spread out defense?

I agree in a vacuum but we could also wear down if the rotation is tight again. And if Cam or Zion gets into foul trouble against Pitt's foul-drawing offense, that's one fewer ballhandler. Overall, just saying Pitt could present some interesting challenges for a very shallow team like Duke's.

[SavDukeGrad]

Pitt's student section were pretty harsh on Duke, most namely Bagley, last year. Duke up big last year when the students started their "OVER RATED" chant.

I’ll never forget the 2016 game and how the students treated Grayson. IIRC, they were the first fan base to really harass him, and he seemed taken aback by it. I thought at the time that it really seemed to get in his head and affect his play. We rolled into town ranked and favored, but left with a loss in Jamie Dixon’s final season.

[robed deity]

Impressed with Pitt's recent results. The biggest thing in this game will be Zion and RJ staying out of foul trouble. Zion should have an O board field day if he can stay on the floor. On the road, this is easier said than done in what I'm sure will be a raucous setting. And as always, it's their super bowl.

[907bluedevils]

Trey McGowens has been hot and cold, but has put up 30 against Lousiville and FSU. Sounds like he is the engine that makes Pitt go.

[CameronDuke]

Just read Duke is -12 at Pitt tomorrow and Tre Jones will not be playing. The over under is 154. Vegas is thinking something along the lines of 83-71 Duke tomorrow at The Pete. Seems about right.

[Steven43]

As you all are undoubtedly aware, Pitt is coached by our own Jeff Capel. They are a team in transition, as this is Capel's first year and his approach is decidedly different from his predecessor Kevin Stallings. The Panthers are very young this year, playing a bunch of freshmen and sophomores in their main rotation. They are also somewhat shorthanded, missing their backup PG and having lost two midseason transfers off their bench (though the transfers were not primary rotation guys at least). It's a team with a bit of talent, but very much a work in progress has Capel tries to establish its identity.

Pitt runs a 4-guard/wing lineup pretty much exclusively. This is in part stylistic (Capel likes athleticism and versatility) and in part necessity (they only have two bigs on the roster at this point). The Panthers are a strong defensive team, ranking in the top-20 nationally on defense. They block shots, force turnovers, and contest both twos and threes really well. It's a defense Coach K would be proud of for sure. They are atrocious on the defensive glass (again a Coach K theme), but overall they defend REALLY well. What they don't do well is score. They are a bit below average on offense, and struggle at everything except offensive rebounding and drawing fouls. It's an athletic team that hasn't quite figured out how to take flight on offense. But they try hard.

Centers: The starting center is Terrell Brown (6'10", 230lb sophomore). Brown is a lanky, athletic, but not overly physical big. He's a solid rebounder and an elite shotblocker. He isn't bad on the offensive end, with nice touch around the basket. And he does draw a lot of fouls. He's really played well over his last 6 games, averaging 27.7 mpg, 7.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 4.5 blocks per game in that stretch. He's not a worldbeater, but he plays his position rather well. Behind Brown is Kene Chukwuka (6'9" 225lb junior from Sweden). Chukwuka fancies himself a stretch big on offense, though the results to this point haven't been good. He does have good touch for a big guy, but he's not been able to translate that against competition yet. He's not overly physical either, and not nearly the rebounder or shotblocker that Brown is. As Brown's role has risen, Chukwuka's time has fallen. In fact, the Panthers will sometimes play without a center at all. The third option at center (Peace Ilegomah, 6'9" 240lb sophomore from Nigeria) announced his decision to transfer in December and is no longer with the team.

Forwards: There isn't really a list here. As noted above, the Panthers start 4 guards/wings. The only option they have at forward is either to play one of their smallish centers or to play Samson George (6'7", 210lb sophomore from Nigeria). George is a high-energy, high-athleticism, low-skill player who basically can rebound and dunk but does nothing else. He is extremely unlikely to play in this one. The only other forward the Panthers had (Shamiel Stevenson, 6'6" 245lb sophomore) also transferred in December.

Wings: Well, the Panthers have a bunch of wings. Jared Wilson-Frame (6'5", 220lb senior JuCo transfer) is the veteran presence on the squad. He's a big, physical wing capable of defending a bunch of positions. If you squint, he reminds a little of Justise Winslow in that he can defend several positions and can do a little of everything. He's a nice solid producer for the Panthers and can score at all three levels. Alongside Wilson-Frame is Audiese Toney (6'6", 210lb freshman). Toney is a talented kid with good size, length, and athleticism for a wing. He's not a great shooter at this point, but he's a solid rebounder and positional defender. He's not afraid to shoot the three, though to date he has not been hitting it with any consistency (26.5%). That said, he does have six games with 2 made threes this season. So it's possible with him. The third starter on the wings is Trey McGowens (6'3", 185lb freshman), a former AAU teammate of Toney. McGowans is a terrific athlete who can score from anywhere on the court but is especially good going to the basket. He's a combo guard (sort of - more a SG than a PG, but he can dribble well) that will attack on offense and is extremely pesky in the passing lanes on defense. McGowens leads the team in steals and is elite nationally in that department. Malik Ellison (6'6", 215lb junior transfer from St Johns) is the first wing off the bench. Ellison is a big, physical wing who provides defensive energy and physically, but has very little polish on the offensive end. A true role player. Last but not least on the wings is Khameron Davis (6'4", 200lb sophomore). Davis was a major minutes guy last year who has found it harder to see the floor consistently this year. However, due to some injuries he's found a role off the bench, averaging 17mpg over his last 8 games. Davis is long and athletic and is a terrific shooter, but he doesn't get a lot of looks in his more limited role.

Guards: The Panthers pretty much have just one PG at the moment in Xavier Johnson (6'3", 190lb freshman). Johnson is more lead guard than a true PG, but unfortunately that's all Pitt has to work with. And admittedly, it's not that he's bad. Johnson is a pure scorer, able to score in the paint, from 3, and draw fouls. He leads the team in assists, but is very turnover prone (averaging 4 turnovers per game). It will be interesting to see if his sloppiness shows up against our defense, especially if Jones doesn't play again. Johnson is asked to play a LOT of minutes because the team's backup PG Sidy N'Dir (6'2", 180lb grad transfer from France via New Mexico St) is currently injured. It's possible that N'Dir returns, as he's been reportedly close to returning the last week or so from a 4-6 week injury. So, we'll see. If N'Dir can go, he's an athletic slasher who can distribute but is also more of a scoring guard than a PG.

Pitt has been somewhat tough at home this year, beating Louisville and FSU in their last two home games. So they won't be a total pushover. That said, I think the talent disparity should be such that we win this one. They don't have the experience to punish our youth, and their top-end talent just isn't close to our top-end talent. Still, you know Capel will have his team ready for his old coach. So hopefully our guys don't relax too much after the great win at home over the weekend.
Wow, CDu, thanks so much for such a well-researched analysis. Can’t wait until 9:00 tomorrow night! I think our young Duke men might start out tired and will maybe get knocked back a bit in the first half, but come winning time will be focused and energized. Duke by 8.

[3rd Dukie]

Not much need for me to defer to Al on that one, I wrote for the Chronicle then and knew a bunch of the players personally, had a very good idea of what was going on...unfortunately, Bucky was very much a 1950s style guy, and the world was changing rapidly in the 1960s. As for the freshman team, Hubie Brown was the coach, and I really enjoyed getting to know him personally...he was a young pup himself then. (Of the five highly rated recruits on that freshman team, three of them
transferred, and the remaining two were no particular fans of Bucky, but they liked the Duke experience).

Thanks for posting this, guys! Brings back memories and fills some holes in my foggy Olde Farte brain. I was at the '66 Final Four at Cole Fieldhouse
and shortly after that Uncle Sam intervened and I lost track of the Devils for a few years.

[kako]

Potential trap game. Going out on the road again after a big win 3 days before. I assume Pitt's staff has dissected the Duke/UVA game and will plan accordingly for the absence of Jones (perhaps variations of a press?). Only the 3rd true road game against a crowd that will be loud at first (though after getting their beat downs, they appear to head for the exits early). The bitter cold in PA might make the environment more foreign. Plus even though I think this board overstates Capel's abilities and insight advantage, he is doing a good job this year. I trust in K and his staff to keep the team focused, but the matchup has some trap game obstacles.

9F

[roywhite]

Not much need for me to defer to Al on that one, I wrote for the Chronicle then and knew a bunch of the players personally, had a very good idea of what was going on...unfortunately, Bucky was very much a 1950s style guy, and the world was changing rapidly in the 1960s. As for the freshman team, Hubie Brown was the coach, and I really enjoyed getting to know him personally...he was a young pup himself then. (Of the five highly rated recruits on that freshman team, three of them
transferred, and the remaining two were no particular fans of Bucky, but they liked the Duke experience).

Yeah, tough times for sure in the Bucky era. One correction -- the freshman coach was Jack Schalow and Hubie was an assistant to Bucky.

[lotusland]

I'll be happy with a win of any kind, like you, but I really don't see anyone pressing Duke successfully, even without Tre. Duke's got three wings who are very comfortable bringing the ball up. Does Capel really want to see Zion handling the ball at midcourt against a spread out defense?

I agree. Pressing with or without Tre allows Duke to get out and run which is our strength. The best bet is to get back and force Duke into half-court offense and dare our guys to shoot threes.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

and Hubie was an assistant to Bucky.

Think about THAT one for a second. And I think Chuck Daly was on the staff when Bucky was HC too. What is wrong with this picture?

[Bob Green]

Think about THAT one for a second. And I think Chuck Daly was on the staff when Bucky was HC too. What is wrong with this picture?

Chuck Daly moved on when Vic Bubas retired. He was not an assistant coach under Bucky Waters.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Chuck Daly moved on when Vic Bubas retired. He was not an assistant coach under Bucky Waters.

I couldn't tell what the overlap was exactly...according to Wikipedia, FWIW.....it looks like both were on the staff at Duke before Waters left for WVA. I guess he knew what he would've been getting into.

[roywhite]

I couldn't tell what the overlap was exactly...according to Wikipedia, FWIW....it looks like both were on the staff at Duke before Waters left for WVA. I guess he knew what he would've been getting into.

Hubie and Chuck Daly were assistants on Vic Bubas's last season 1968-69. Bucky took over for 1969-70 and Hubie remained on the Duke staff, while Daly moved on to be head coach at Boston College.

[Duke76]

You forgot to mention the undefeated freshman team in your list of events. I'll defer to Olympic Fan for the details:

https://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?27147-Heard-an-interesting-story-about-Duke-basketball-from-the-early-70s

There was only one good thing about being there at that time as a student...I and my buddies could always get a front row seat, even for the UNC and Maryland games by showing up only at most 2 or so hours before tip off. Back then the students had the whole downstairs plus the one end zone upstairs. Pretty cool in that regard.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Hubie and Chuck Daly were assistants on Vic Bubas's last season 1968-69. Bucky took over for 1969-70 and Hubie remained on the Duke staff, while Daly moved on to be head coach at Boston College.

I believe they also overlapped a couple of seasons before Bucky went to West Virginia....

[devildeac]

Yeah, tough times for sure in the Bucky era. One correction -- the freshman coach was Jack Schalow and Hubie was an assistant to Bucky.

Long time, no post.

Welcome back!

[richardjackson199]

Line is Duke -12.5

Win, get better, and no injuries. Expect a better Pitt than the one that beat Louisville and Florida State. Go Duke!

[buddy]

Daly was freshman coach for 1963-1964 and 1964-1965. Bucky was the assistant to Bubas during that period. Bucky went to West Virginia for the 1965-1966 season and Daly moved up to assistant coach.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Pitt's student section were pretty harsh on Duke, most namely Bagley, last year. Duke up big last year when the students started their "OVER RATED" chant.

You mean like what the Crazies did to Romeo earlier this season?

It’s a dumb chant whoever does it.

[Billy Dat]

Aside from the Gonzaga game where we were really smacked backwards, this year's team seems a lot more consistent and mature at this time of year than other squads in the Duke one-and-done era. As a result, I think we'll be ready tonight. That doesn't mean we'll necessarily start well, but I feel like we are less susceptible to the "trap game" phenomenon. Here's what I am looking for:

-With UVA in the rearview, what does a "Tre-less" Duke team look like? The "switch 1-5" defense seemed tailor made for Virginia, did it work so well that we'll continue it? Pitt plays relatively fast and, like Wake, they get to the line a lot. They don't shoot it very well. If the UVA defensive plan was to limit clean looks at 3, I'd think we'd be more willing to concede 3s to Pitt and prevent drives that might result in fouls and free throws. I'll be interested to see how the D differs.

-On offense, the iso Z and RJ off of that weave action obviously worked really well against UVA. But, I think we all agree that we'd like some more balance to our offense. I think we'd all like to see if we can continue to try and develop more of a consistent and permanent role for Cam on that offensive end. Considering Pitt's lack of size, do we try and deliberately go to Bolden a few times to see if he can get some easy buckets? I'd love to see a little more high/low action with he and Z, I think this is a perfect opportunity to get Z some post-ups.

-As for 3 point shooting, how will we continue to try and improve on that end? One has to assume that teams will continue to play is to shoot from outside. Can Jack get his stroke back? Can Cam? Can RJ? Can AOC come in the game and not look like a chicken with its head cut off?

-Can Javin be on the court for more than 10 minutes without fouling someone?

-Will K be "tight" because he's playing against one of his former players? He's gotten used to battling Brey at this point, but it's been a long time since he had to go hand-to-hand against one of his "sons". It won't be easy for him, it never is.

[devildeac]

Aside from the Gonzaga game where we were really smacked backwards, this year's team seems a lot more consistent and mature at this time of year than other squads in the Duke one-and-done era. As a result, I think we'll be ready tonight. That doesn't mean we'll necessarily start well, but I feel like we are less susceptible to the "trap game" phenomenon. Here's what I am looking for:

-With UVA in the rearview, what does a "Tre-less" Duke team look like? The "switch 1-5" defense seemed tailor made for Virginia, did it work so well that we'll continue it? Pitt plays relatively fast and, like Wake, they get to the line a lot. They don't shoot it very well. If the UVA defensive plan was to limit clean looks at 3, I'd think we'd be more willing to concede 3s to Pitt and prevent drives that might result in fouls and free throws. I'll be interested to see how the D differs.

-On offense, the iso Z and RJ off of that weave action obviously worked really well against UVA. But, I think we all agree that we'd like some more balance to our offense. I think we'd all like to see if we can continue to try and develop more of a consistent and permanent role for Cam on that offensive end. Considering Pitt's lack of size, do we try and deliberately go to Bolden a few times to see if he can get some easy buckets? I'd love to see a little more high/low action with he and Z, I think this is a perfect opportunity to get Z some post-ups.

-As for 3 point shooting, how will we continue to try and improve on that end? One has to assume that teams will continue to play is to shoot from outside. Can Jack get his stroke back? Can Cam? Can RJ? Can AOC come in the game and not look like a chicken with its head cut off?

-Can Javin be on the court for more than 10 minutes without fouling someone?

-Will K be "tight" because he's playing against one of his former players? He's gotten used to battling Brey at this point, but it's been a long time since he had to go hand-to-hand against one of his "sons". It won't be easy for him, it never is.

Good questions.

Speaking of "sons," Steve Wiseman has another good article in the Raleigh News and Observer this AM:

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article224859755.html


“What I try not to do when we are playing against a friend or someone from our family,” Krzyzewski said, “You don’t pay attention to the coach and you compete against the team. I’ve known Jeff since was 18 years old. He’s part of our family and I’m part of his. I love him and he’s doing a great job there which is not unexpected. He did a great job for us for a number of years.”

And, regarding Javin, did you mean "seconds?" :rolleyes::o

[gotoguy]

I have no idea whom Duke will hire, but your post reminded me so much of what happened just about fifty years ago, if I may go Olde Farte on you...former Duke assistant coach and ace recruiter Bucky Waters went to West Virginia.
Shortly thereafter he beat Duke in Morgantown (I remember this vividly because I drove there in a friend's VW Beetle, in a snow storm, and I had never driven a stick shift before. Less than total fun)

Not long thereafter, Vic Bubas retired, Bucky got the job, recruiting initlally went well, then a whole bunch of players left. Turned into a train wreck.

Doesn't mean Capel couldn't return and do a bangup job, but the parallel seems at least worth noting for those of us who remember the Waters era. Succeeding a legend is always a tough thing.

Carl James was the AD then. He wanted to hire someone with head coaching experience and Bucky was the logical choice. When he retired two of Bubas's assistant coaches, Chuck Daly and Hubie Brown, did not even merit an interview.

[budwom]

Carl James was the AD then. He wanted to hire someone with head coaching experience and Bucky was the logical choice. When he retired two of Bubas's assistant coaches, Chuck Daly and Hubie Brown, did not even merit an interview.

Yeah, the general feeling was that Bucky was an ace recruiter....which he was initially, until so many guys transferred...I mean MANY guys (off the top of my head the number would be roughly ten or so, over several years)

In fairness, Hubie was but a few years removed from being coach at Fair Lawn NJ High School...he didn't have much experience...but Daly did.

[Saratoga2]

-On offense, the iso Z and RJ off of that weave action obviously worked really well against UVA. But, I think we all agree that we'd like some more balance to our offense. I think we'd all like to see if we can continue to try and develop more of a consistent and permanent role for Cam on that offensive end. Considering Pitt's lack of size, do we try and deliberately go to Bolden a few times to see if he can get some easy buckets? I'd love to see a little more high/low action with he and Z, I think this is a perfect opportunity to get Z some post-ups.

.

I agree that we will need to explore ways to find more balance on offense. An injury to either RJ or Zion will throw us off our game, especially against a team that can score against us. Having Tre back should help us get transition baskets. Cam simply must play better on offense. Jack had shown more before going into a slump. Is he showing signs of fatigue? AOC hasn't shown the aggressiveness to help much except in ocassional flashes. Tre has also been off, maybe due to trying to make shots against bigger and more athletic defenders. Same with Javin. Bolden is limited to near the basket and can hit on lobs of immediate putbacks and is decent from the line. Both Javin and Marques take the ball back down and lose chances in that way.

Our best hope is for Cam to play more to his potential and Tre to hit the mid range more frequently.

[sagegrouse]

Yeah, the general feeling was that Bucky was an ace recruiter...which he was initially, until so many guys transferred...I mean MANY guys (off the top of my head the number would be roughly ten or so, over several years)

In fairness, Hubie was but a few years removed from being coach at Fair Lawn NJ High School...he didn't have much experience...but Daly did.

I knew and liked Bucky back in the day, even though he forced me to box and do gymnastics. :D I still chat with him from time to time -- he is definitely around.

The "Yes, sir! No, sir!" tradition at Duke under Bubas , as Sports Illustrated once described it. didn't work in the later Vietnam era, 1968-1973. Nothing much on campus worked in that era. As you may recall, a number of universities just threw in the towel and canceled classes in 1969. Only a couple of major university presidents survived that period.

It is quite possible that Bucky could have been successful in another era and even in the 1970's had he been sensitive and flexible to the changing times.

[Billy Dat]

I agree that we will need to explore ways to find more balance on offense. An injury to either RJ or Zion will throw us off our game, especially against a team that can score against us. Having Tre back should help us get transition baskets. Cam simply must play better on offense. Jack had shown more before going into a slump. Is he showing signs of fatigue? AOC hasn't shown the aggressiveness to help much except in ocassional flashes. Tre has also been off, maybe due to trying to make shots against bigger and more athletic defenders. Same with Javin. Bolden is limited to near the basket and can hit on lobs of immediate putbacks and is decent from the line. Both Javin and Marques take the ball back down and lose chances in that way. Our best hope is for Cam to play more to his potential and Tre to hit the mid range more frequently.

-Looking at Cam's stats, there's some obvious things and maybe some not so obvious assumptions. The obvious stuff is that his minutes get limited by foul trouble and he's got one of the highest turnover percentages on the team. His usage percentage is also pretty high which means he's getting the ball. All of his shooting %s are worse than Zion and RJ (save for FT %) but he doesn't get to the line nearly as much as those two. So, he's just not as efficient as they are, despite the widely held ideas about RJ's supposed inefficiencies (the entire world looks inefficient next to Zion). What's tough to know is whether or not he's comfortable with where he gets the ball and what he can do? He obviously looked great against FSU with Zion out. Maybe it's just too crowded with RJ and Zion and someone has to take an offensive back seat...but that doesn't gibe with his high usage. Maybe he just needs to shoot better, stop turning the ball over and stop fouling. This is nit picking considering, objectively, the guy is giving us great minutes and is one of the keys to our team on both ends.

-As for Jack White, I loved the play against UVA when he attacked the 3-point closeout slammed it home. I think that's a play both he and AOC can make with more regularity (not to mention Cam). Of course, I don't suspect a lot of teams will be flying out at our shooters - but maybe that's just defense 101 these days and they have to. AOC needs to slooooow down. The dude plays hot potato and seems like he's constantly worried about getting pulled...and he should be...because he will be. I know that's another DBR point of debate - let AOC screw up and learn or pull him. All I know is that for a guy who is down the option chart for scoring when he is on the floor, he rarely gets clean looks from 3. I have to imagine some of that is him not smartly relocating when his man is distracted by help assignments on the primary ballhandlers (RJ, Z, etc.) and partly because he's not ready to shoot. I want to see him catching and ready to fire or attack the closeout and not make a spazzy pass at someone's ankles when he does.

[Kedsy]

Jack had shown more before going into a slump. Is he showing signs of fatigue?

Why is this always the stock answer when a player goes into a slump?

Although, having said that, Jack has had to play 42 and 40 minutes the last two games, which is way more game minutes than he's ever had to play in his life, so it is possible he was tired at the end of both games. I wouldn't expect him to have been fatigued at the beginning or middle of the games, however.

But alternative explanations might make more sense. For example, it may not be coincidence that Jack is 0 for 10 from three without Tre Jones in the lineup. Maybe when Tre is running the show, Jack gets just a teensy bit more time to set his feet and that's all the difference. Or maybe, the Syracuse game was just one bad game for him, shooting-wise (everybody has them). If you take that game away, his "slump" (1 for 7, not including the Syracuse game) is not that different from other mini-slumps he's had (e.g., he was an aggregate 1 for 9 from three vs. Stetson and Hartford). Or, he could simply be reverting to the mean; his first two seasons he shot a combined 21% from three (on not very many attempts).

Or it may just be a shooting slump with no explanation necessary; it's not like the other facets of his game have suffered during his shooting slump.

[DU82]

I knew and liked Bucky back in the day, even though he forced me to box and do gymnastics. :D I still chat with him from time to time -- he is definitely around.



Bucky was at both the last men's and women's games last week (UVa and Miami.)

[AZLA]

Why is this always the stock answer when a player goes into a slump?

Although, having said that, Jack has had to play 42 and 40 minutes the last two games, which is way more game minutes than he's ever had to play in his life, so it is possible he was tired at the end of both games. I wouldn't expect him to have been fatigued at the beginning or middle of the games, however.

But alternative explanations might make more sense. For example, it may not be coincidence that Jack is 0 for 10 from three without Tre Jones in the lineup. Maybe when Tre is running the show, Jack gets just a teensy bit more time to set his feet and that's all the difference. Or maybe, the Syracuse game was just one bad game for him, shooting-wise (everybody has them). If you take that game away, his "slump" (1 for 7, not including the Syracuse game) is not that different from other mini-slumps he's had (e.g., he was an aggregate 1 for 9 from three vs. Stetson and Hartford). Or, he could simply be reverting to the mean; his first two seasons he shot a combined 21% from three (on not very many attempts).

Or it may just be a shooting slump with no explanation necessary; it's not like the other facets of his game have suffered during his shooting slump.

Jack had a good game against UVA. 2 for 3 shooting, no turnovers, and a steal. What I liked about that game, is though maybe it went a little unnoticed, was we got to see more versatility to his game. I think he was falling into just a setup 3-point shooter. Granted his shot was way off against Syracuse. But against UVA his alley-oop dunk and also his fake 3 to baseline drive and dunk were things of beauty. He's honestly a little underrated for his athleticism, both on offense and defense. Yes he did get taken off the dribble a lot against 'Cuse, but to have that rough of a game, and then comeback as well as he did against UVA was impressive. Definitely a confidence restoration performance.

[Troublemaker]

Aside from the Gonzaga game where we were really smacked backwards, this year's team seems a lot more consistent and mature at this time of year than other squads in the Duke one-and-done era. As a result, I think we'll be ready tonight. That doesn't mean we'll necessarily start well, but I feel like we are less susceptible to the "trap game" phenomenon.

While I agree with your assessment of this team's maturity, I don't think we need a lack of focus to lose to Pitt here. As mentioned before, we are extremely shallow and they are a team that draws fouls in what will be a zoo of an environment. Their best player is their PG, and Tre is still missing.


-Looking at Cam's stats, there's some obvious things and maybe some not so obvious assumptions. The obvious stuff is that his minutes get limited by foul trouble and he's got one of the highest turnover percentages on the team. His usage percentage is also pretty high which means he's getting the ball. All of his shooting %s are worse than Zion and RJ (save for FT %) but he doesn't get to the line nearly as much as those two. So, he's just not as efficient as they are, despite the widely held ideas about RJ's supposed inefficiencies (the entire world looks inefficient next to Zion). What's tough to know is whether or not he's comfortable with where he gets the ball and what he can do? He obviously looked great against FSU with Zion out. Maybe it's just too crowded with RJ and Zion and someone has to take an offensive back seat...but that doesn't gibe with his high usage. Maybe he just needs to shoot better, stop turning the ball over and stop fouling. This is nit picking considering, objectively, the guy is giving us great minutes and is one of the keys to our team on both ends.

Pretty much.

To put this into context, Cam's (a) usage rate [26.8%] and (b) share of the team's shots [28%] when he's on the floor are both higher than Marvin's last season. It's not a lack of opportunity.

[CDu]

While I agree with your assessment of this team's maturity, I don't think we need a lack of focus to lose to Pitt here. As mentioned before, we are extremely shallow and they are a team that draws fouls in what will be a zoo of an environment. Their best player is their PG, and Tre is still missing.

Yeah, we have been fortunate that neither Williamson nor Barrett (though Barrett rarely gets in foul trouble) have been in foul trouble in either of the Syracuse or UVa games. If that continues to be the case, we should be okay. But that's a big IF. As you note, Pitt does draw fouls, and they play at a faster pace than Cuse or UVa which means more chances to draw fouls. And if either Williamson or Barrett has to sit for extended minutes, this team gets a lot shakier without Jones.

[budwom]

Yeah, tough times for sure in the Bucky era. One correction -- the freshman coach was Jack Schalow and Hubie was an assistant to Bucky.

are you sure? Schalow (whom I don't remember at all) was, according to his bio, at Pacific for two years beginning in 1968...i'm talking about the undefeated freshman team in 1969-70 (Dawson, O'Connor, Fitzimmons et al)...thereafter he was at Duke I believe..

[Turk]

I’ll never forget the 2016 game and how the students treated Grayson. IIRC, they were the first fan base to really harass him, and he seemed taken aback by it. I thought at the time that it really seemed to get in his head and affect his play. We rolled into town ranked and favored, but left with a loss in Jamie Dixon’s final season.

I was there. It was Pitt's Senior Day, and their whole team came out on fire and never looked back, in a wire-to-wire beatdown. It was right after the Florida State incident, and while the Oakland Zoo did give Grayson a hard time, it didn't matter since the entire team was flat, and "only" ranked #15 at the time. From a player's perspective, it probably doesn't matter now, since no one from either team is still on the roster from that game (although Chase Jeter, Ryan Luther, and Cam Johnson are all playing elsewhere).

The Zoo is getting a little frisky with their unexpected success this year, and proud of themselves for not rushing the court after they beat Louisville and FSU. Even Seth Davis is getting on the bandwagon: https://pittnews.com/article/139512/sports/oakland-zoo-remains-caged-in/

Also, the Chancellor and the AD stopped by earlier this morning to hang out with the kids already in line at the Pete. (Perhaps they also offered an "avuncular reminder" during their visit...)

Anyway, Pitt will play hard, X and McGowens will make some plays, the Zoo will rock, and maybe they hang around for the first half. But Duke has more talent and size, and I have been been impressed with the effort and togetherness I've seen so far this season, even without Tre.

[SavDukeGrad]

I was there. It was Pitt's Senior Day, and their whole team came out on fire and never looked back, in a wire-to-wire beatdown. It was right after the Florida State incident, and while the Oakland Zoo did give Grayson a hard time, it didn't matter since the entire team was flat, and "only" ranked #15 at the time. From a player's perspective, it probably doesn't matter now, since no one from either team is still on the roster from that game (although Chase Jeter, Ryan Luther, and Cam Johnson are all playing elsewhere).

The Zoo is getting a little frisky with their unexpected success this year, and proud of themselves for not rushing the court after they beat Louisville and FSU. Even Seth Davis is getting on the bandwagon: https://pittnews.com/article/139512/sports/oakland-zoo-remains-caged-in/

Also, the Chancellor and the AD stopped by earlier this morning to hang out with the kids already in line at the Pete. (Perhaps they also offered an "avuncular reminder" during their visit...)

Anyway, Pitt will play hard, X and McGowens will make some plays, the Zoo will rock, and maybe they hang around for the first half. But Duke has more talent and size, and I have been been impressed with the effort and togetherness I've seen so far this season, even without Tre.


I hope our guys are prepared for what will probably be the most raucous and hostile environment they have faced yet.

I have read that the game was a sell-out in December; I believe their first sell-out since 2016. The students were allowed to start lining up at 10am this morning and encouraged to get there early. They also added 200 standing room only tickets for this game (I assume to accommodate more students).

Hope we’re ready. Go Duke!

[roywhite]

are you sure? Schalow (whom I don't remember at all) was, according to his bio, at Pacific for two years beginning in 1968...i'm talking about the undefeated freshman team in 1969-70 (Dawson, O'Connor, Fitzimmons et al)...thereafter he was at Duke I believe..

Yeah, two good friends were non-scholarship players on the undefeated freshman team of 1969-70. They had plenty of stories about what a taskmaster Jack Schalow was.

[Pghdukie]

Yeah, two good friends were non-scholarship players on the undefeated freshman team of 1969-70. They had plenty of stories about what a taskmaster Jack Schalow was.

Maybe a DBR member will have a chance to have a nice conversation with Dick Groat. He does commentary for Pitt BB. I would imagine he could tell a tale or two about his time at Duke ! Regardless of him being there in the early to mid 50's.

[MChambers]

I loath 9 pm starts. That is all.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I loath 9 pm starts. That is all.

Get off my lawn?

[tteettimes]

Yellow snow

[devildeac]

I loath 9 pm starts. That is all.


Get off my lawn?

I don't have season tix and I don't have any work responsibilities until late AM tomorrow so I can watch the game, sip a pint, walk upstairs or down the hall and be happily (hopefully) in bed by 1130 PM.

[MChambers]

Get off my lawn?

Definitely.

[MarkD83]

I loath 9 pm starts. That is all.

Especially if I have to watch Kentucky play to see when the duke game will start. They could st least have the decency of not fouling and winning big so that there is no ot.

[-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

[Faison1]

Awesome atmosphere!!

I wish Zion could hit free throws a little better

[Mak P]

Things just hasn't gone smooth with Cam

RJ 1-5 already, looking to be a long game if others don't step up scoring and clamp down defensive

[ChrisP]

Pitt definitely getting the home court treatment from the refs thus far. Lots of slapping & swiping at the ball by them but touch (at best) calls on us. However, glad to see the energy from the crowd. Clearly, Capel has already re-energized that program.

[Dukehk]

Ques is growing up right before our eyes.

We got to get some stops.

[Dukehk]

Zion is just ridiculous on the boards.

We are having a hard time stopping dribble penetration

[Faison1]

I continue to be impressed by our team's toughness.

For freshman, I'm not sure we've had a more mature group.

[Dukehk]

Jordan Goldwire!!!

Stepping up and proving the haters wrong!

What a great cameo.

[Dukehk]

Zion is just ridiculous. Honestly.

[pfrduke]

Zion is just ridiculous on the boards.

We are having a hard time stopping dribble penetration

Watching Zion play is such a treat.

[pfrduke]

Sad that Jav missed #20

[Steven43]

Is there any doubt that Zion is the best player in the nation?

[slower]

Delaurier. Sigh. He's Hairston 2.0.

Zion is a god.

[scottdude8]

Man I wanted Javin to get that record! He deserved some recognition for all the hard work he puts in.

[Dukehk]

If only Zanos could hit his free throws!

Cam and Ques are playing great defence. Ques has been a beast on the boards as well. Really impressed. Channeling Zoubek out there.

[Faison1]

Sad that Jav missed #20

Bummer!! Missed a lay up!!!

[Steven43]

I wish RJ would stop trying to play like James Harden. Harden can get away with playing that way because he is so uniquely skilled. RJ might one day approach that level, but he’s nowhere near it at the present time. He needs to recognize his limitations and play accordingly.

Beyond that I really like how Cam has been rebounding lately. I didn’t know he had it in him. This is a surprising and potentially important development for Cam and the team.

[Dukehk]

RJ got to learn how to pass the ball and stop running into multiple defenders.

That fastbreak was wasted.

[Steven43]

Delaurier. Sigh. He's Hairston 2.0.

Zion is a god.
Yep and yep

[Steven43]

Did you see Zion knock down two Pitt players like bowling pins?! Wow.

[Dukehk]

Coach capel gets a tech for his potty mouth. Hehe

[Dukehk]

I wish RJ would stop trying to play like James Harden. Harden can get away with playing that way because he is so uniquely skilled. RJ might one day approach that level, but he’s nowhere near it at the present time. He needs to recognize his limitations and play accordingly.

Beyond that I really like how Cam has been rebounding lately. I didn’t know he had it in him. This is a surprising and potentially important development for Cam and the team.

Cam gets so many deflections on defence and he really bothers shooters with his length.

Something that doesnt come up in the box score. Thats why he plays regardless of how he is shooting.

If he can start knock 3's down more efficiently..wow. We will be flying.

[Steven43]

RJ got bailed out by a foul call on an ill-conceived hero ball play.

[rsvman]

Coach capel gets a tech for his potty mouth. Hehe

He was very riled up, sheesh.

[Dub]

RJ got bailed out by a foul call on an ill-conceived hero ball play.

We get it bro. You don’t like RJ’s game. Mix it up and highlight some of the things he does well for a change. We’re up 19 against an overmatched opponent. RJ’s game is RJ’s game. He’s a volume shooter with an alpha mentality. His pros outweigh his cons x100 if you ask me.

[kako]

Happy to see Goldwire in. It seems he's getting a chance in ACC comp against Pitt, so he really would do well to impress... as I watch him NOT box out on a rebound :( Still rooting for him, though.

9F

[Steven43]

Anyone know who is the barber for Reddish and Bolden? Interesting look. I’m going to suggest my son pay him a visit.

[Mak P]

Zion perfect FG

[Steven43]

We get it bro. You don’t like RJ’s game. Mix it up and highlight some of the things he does well for a change. We’re up 19 against an overmatched opponent. RJ’s game is RJ’s game. He’s a volume shooter with an alpha mentality. His pros outweigh his cons x100 if you ask me.

Not true. Yes, I’ve mostly been mentioning the particular couple of things about his game I don’t care for. But there are many other things I DO like about his game — his ability to score from seemingly awkward positions around the basket, his aggressive dunks, his toughness, his confidence, his passing (when he does it). But plenty of other posters on DBR talk about those things. I don’t feel compelled to join that chorus. But yes, overall he is a good college player, particularly for a freshman.

[Dukehk]

Happy to see Goldwire in. It seems he's getting a chance in ACC comp against Pitt, so he really would do well to impress... as I watch him NOT box out on a rebound :( Still rooting for him, though.

9F

Seems like AOC is in the doghouse and Goldwire has jumped him in the rotation.

Jordan is playing aggressive defence and has sparked our run in the first half. Thats exactly what we need in the absence of Tre. A tough nosed guard who takes care of the ball and can push the pace and find our best players.

[Dukehk]

Also pretty impressed with xavier johnson. Only a freshman and he is showing he is the real deal against some of our trees.

Almost had a poster dunk on Javin.

[arnie]

Delaurier. Sigh. He's Hairston 2.0.

Zion is a god.

Javin’s struggling, but IMO much better defender and rebounder than Hairston. Offensively, he’s never going to do much and Hairston was probably better.

[UrinalCake]

Zion making a run at the record Javin missed... except he’s going to get it all in one game!

[devildeac]

Coach capel gets a tech for his potty mouth. Hehe

I *think* it took at least 6 BS and a couple MF to finally get the T.

[slower]

Javin’s struggling, but IMO much better defender and rebounder than Hairston. Offensively, he’s never going to do much and Hairston was probably better.
I meant that comment more in the sense of the fans with the never-ending "Okay, THIS year, he's going to make the jump" mentality.

He is who he is. I just cringe when he gets the ball. Very good defender, when he's not fouling. He's a net positive, to be sure - just not the guy lots of people keep wishing/hoping/believing he's going to be.

[Dukehk]

Really rooting for Cam to find his shot again.

We need Tre back so he can get some easy fastbreak points.

Having said that, Cam's defence is ridiculous. His arms are go go gadget arms, and just seem to get pass deflections all the time.

[Dukehk]

Ques is playing great today. Getting alot of blocks and steals/deflections.

Zoubek 2.0.

[jipops]

It wouldn’t shock me if Javin misses his next 18 shots

[Mak P]

That's the cam I'm looking for

[Dukehk]

Camfam!!!

pitt freshmen hitting some tough tough shots against us. Coach Capel has the makings of a good team for the next few years.

[robed deity]

It wouldn’t shock me if Javin misses his next 18 shots

Haha I love Javin but that's hilarious.

[ChrisP]

That 3rd on Zion looked like a good block to me but they didn't show a replay so maybe I am wrong

[Mak P]

RJ pass the ball dude damn

[Steven43]

Holy schnikees! Cam is really looking good on offense. I am impressed by how well he’s moving and how his jumpshot is starting to seem more fluid. He’s jumping very effortlessly, too. It looks like he’s starting to hit his stride. If this ascendance in Cam’s game continues, look out.

[fathippo]

It is amazing how we struggle on fast breaks now without Tre.

[devildeac]

That 3rd on Zion looked like a good block to me but they didn't show a replay so maybe I am wrong

espn-whaddaya expect?

[slower]

This is WAY uglier than it needs to be. Definite momentum swing.

No more threes, Zion. Okay?

[ChrisP]

Ugh, get this game over with already! I don't think we're in any real danger but...we're disjointed on offense and Pitt is making some ridiculous shots.

[devildeac]

Pretty garbage reffing this half. One team allowed to play D, the other, not so much.

[jipops]

Pretty garbage reffing this half. One team allowed to play D, the other, not so much.

Garbage offense for Duke too. 5 points in the last 7 minutes

[arnie]

Garbage offense for Duke too. 5 points in the last 7 minutes

Guess we’re like most teams when up by 20 - not much focus and weak with the ball. Maybe Javin can hit a FT or two coming up?

[Steven43]

Guess we’re like most teams when up by 20 - not much focus and weak with the ball. Maybe Javin can hit a FT or two coming up?
He hit them both!

[slower]

Get the starters out before these Pitt guys hurt somebody!!

[DukeWarhead]

Pathetic way to close out the game. Should have won this by 30.

[Dukehk]

Really love the way this team plays defence. So aggressive and long. Trying to block everything.

What a refreshing change from last years style.

I think our defence takes us far in the tournament. Thats one of the things that has surprised me this year, how quickly all the Freshmen have excelled defensively. Not a single one is a liability

[weezie]

Pathetic way to close out the game. Should have won this by 30.

Very much doubt K would have sanctioned that.

[dukelifer]

Pathetic way to close out the game. Should have won this by 30.

Unless you were betting- this was a get out of Dodge game. Nothing to be learned.

[Stray Gator]

Pathetic way to close out the game. Should have won this by 30.

A 15-point win on the road in the ACC -- especially when missing your starting point guard who spearheads the attack at both ends -- is never "pathetic." Duke built a comfortable lead at the half, maintained and even managed to extend it through most of the second half, then ratcheted down the intensity of the attack and managed the game through the finish. In my experience, most college basketball teams, including those with veteran players, is prone to lose some focus and play more loosely once it's clear that the lead is insurmountable. In my opinion, the fact that Pitt continued to scrap and play hard to the buzzer should be viewed a tribute to their coaches and players, not as a basis for denigrating Duke's players and coaches by characterizing their efforts as "pathetic." I don't believe this team deserves such disparagement and lack of appreciation.