MBB: Duke 85, NDSU 62 Post-Game Thread (Rd of 64)

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[fuse]

Thoroughly enjoyed the second half.
Let’s Go Duke!!!

[curtis325]

One down.

Just win baby.

[proelitedota]

Not gonna lie, they almost had us in the first half. :rolleyes:

[OldPhiKap]

Done. Next.

Congrats.

[Native]

Really nice to get AOC and Joey some minutes in the second half. Getting them comfortable just being on the floor could pay dividends down the line.

Man, this team can just flip a switch sometimes. I think we definitely came out with some jitters. Raftery had the stat of the night: we scored 31 points in the first half, and 32 points in the first 8 minutes of the second.

[jipops]

Survive and advance.

Looked loose in the 2nd half while also picking up the tempo.

[rsvman]

The team showed both how good they can be and how bad they can be.
Shooting in the half court was pretty bad, especially in the first half.
I was happy to see the bench guys getting some court time. Also allows the starters to get a little rest, and cuts down on the rush of injury.
I hope it was just cramping for Reddish tonight. We certainly don't need any more injuries.
Defense was solid all night long against a good shooting team.

[terrih]

Anyone have the link to the press conference? Thanks!

[Acymetric]

That second half was fun. Hopefully we got that first half out of our system and come out hitting on all cylinders on Sunday.

[Les Grossman]

The second half Defense was terrific.
As were RJ and Z
but mostly the D

[BisonFan]

Good game guys congrats on the win and good luck the rest of the way! Our guys gave it their all, just couldn't hit enough shots tonight to keep it a better game longer. Your boys looked a little rusty in that first half but total domination in the second. And Zion, what can you say the guy is a stud, at least you guys got to watch him for a year. Should have number 6 when it's over. Enjoy the ride!

[proelitedota]

Anywhere to catch the replay? My stream crapped out majority of the time.

[-jk]

Good game guys congrats on the win and good luck the rest of the way! Our guys gave it their all, just couldn't hit enough shots tonight to keep it a better game longer. Your boys looked a little rusty in that first half but total domination in the second. And Zion, what can you say the guy is a stud, at least you guys got to watch him for a year. Should have number 6 when it's over. Enjoy the ride!

Thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to hang around - we try to have reasonable discussions here...

-jk

[scottdude8]

No major conclusions need be drawn here. This was the first game in the tourney for four starters, the first major minutes in the tourney for Goldwire, and Marques’ first game back. A win is a win is a win.

Minor conclusions though:
-Marques looked healthy, but rusty. That’s good news. We’re gonna need him going forward as his superior ability to finish when compared to Javin is going to be needed at some point.

-JG’s development makes Jack’s absence much easier to swallow. Wouldn’t surprise me given how he played if we keep Jack our on Sunday too to be safe.

-Good to see AOC make some shots in garbage time. There’s gonna be a game in this run where we’ll need a boost from him.

[fan345678]

Did Goldwire unlock the outside scoring badge?

Also, I think RJ helped take over that game with his rebounding. He really goes up strong and gets it at its high point. 14 total-- how many did he have at halftime?

[bbosbbos]

I think the D became very good after 10 mins mark. That's the turning point.

Cross my fingers, no injury to our team.

[ns7]

Did Goldwire unlock the outside scoring badge?

I hope so. He's a great rotation option if he can regularly hit 3s.

[brevity]

Anyone have the link to the press conference? Thanks!

Live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4lFGsXaGZ4

[terrih]

Live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4lFGsXaGZ4


Thank you!

[rocketeli]

We only tried hard/played the starters for about 10 minutes, but it was enough.

[OldPhiKap]

Good game guys congrats on the win and good luck the rest of the way! Our guys gave it their all, just couldn't hit enough shots tonight to keep it a better game longer. Your boys looked a little rusty in that first half but total domination in the second. And Zion, what can you say the guy is a stud, at least you guys got to watch him for a year. Should have number 6 when it's over. Enjoy the ride!


Thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to hang around - we try to have reasonable discussions here...

-jk

I second -jk. Enjoyed your input, and we talk lots of hoops (with growing football). Please come by any time, you obviously know game.

Best of luck going forward, BF

[JBDuke]

Good game guys congrats on the win and good luck the rest of the way! Our guys gave it their all, just couldn't hit enough shots tonight to keep it a better game longer. Your boys looked a little rusty in that first half but total domination in the second. And Zion, what can you say the guy is a stud, at least you guys got to watch him for a year. Should have number 6 when it's over. Enjoy the ride!

What a solid team you guys have! Shahid is a serious player. With no seniors, you guys are gonna be the mid-major no one is gonna want to play next year.

[Saratoga2]

The only constant for the team tonight was defense, which seemed excellent while we had the regular rotation in.

I was surprised to see Bolden back for this one, but he played well and didn't seem to be limping. He got enough time to improve his conditioning without overstressing.

The team looked generally flat in the first half with only Zion looking like himself. RJ seemed very lackadaisical on offense and we did the usual poor 3 point shooting and Reddish tried to go into the rim for his out of control self. we had a lead at the half due to defense.

The second half was totally different with us scoring in every way. RJ get iinlooked energized, Zion was incredible and Cam got it going. We extended the lead so quickly ad coach K did the right thing by resting his starters and going with a full team of second stringers. Interesting to see that AOC became more aggressive with the starters out, taking more of the lead offensive option role. Too bad he missed the dunk but he did get 7 pretty efficiently.

Hope Cam's leg didn't get injured as he appeared to step on someone's foot.

Onward with a solid win and another lesson in starting the game with more energy.

[El_Diablo]

Hope Cam's leg didn't get injured as he appeared to step on someone's foot.

I thought it was a calf cramp? Apparently the trainer was using a roller on it.

[Steven43]

Thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to hang around - we try to have reasonable discussions here...

-jk

Speak for yourself, pal. By the way, UNC down by 2.

[Furniture]

Enjoyed the game. It was good to listen to the talking heads discussing Zion afterwards. Barkley is seriously impressed and Kenny is Fakeimpressed.

[CDu]

I thought it was a calf cramp? Apparently the trainer was using a roller on it.

Cramps is correct. He came back in the game a few minutes later shaking his legs out.

[weezie]

Watching the Duke presser, hits me again how young these men are. They admit to excitement and disbelief that they are finally there, at games they have thought about their whole lives.
They remember watching in middle school, just a few years ago.

Wow...just wow. They are all so dear! Stone cold dear sweet destroyers.

[bbosbbos]

Couch coaches, please watch vcu vs ucf game and bring us a scouting report. Thanks

[AGDukesky]

As bad as our 1st half was, it was still much better than both UVA and UNC...

[InSpades]

As bad as our 1st half was, it was still much better than both UVA and UNC...

8 points better than UVA. 9 points better than UNC.

The trio of ACC #1 seeds were a combined -5 in the 1st halves today. 2 of them came out in the 2nd half and played much much better... hopefully it stays at 2.

[weezie]

Couch coaches, please watch vcu vs ucf game and bring us a scouting report. Thanks

Pretty lame all around.

You're welcome.

[BandAlum83]

42% from 3

That’s a trend I would like to see continue for 5 more games.

[Furniture]

Capel is on TV. Half time discussion of the UNC game.

[Neals384]

Congratulations to Joey on his first 3 Duke points!

[devildeac]

8 points better than UVA. 9 points better than UNC.

The trio of ACC #1 seeds were a combined -5 in the 1st halves today. 2 of them came out in the 2nd half and played much much better... hopefully it stays at 2.

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad...

[dukelifer]

Cramps is correct. He came back in the game a few minutes later shaking his legs out.

Odd- I just got a calf cramp taking off my shoe tonight.

[UrinalCake]

Great to see Bolden back and moving well. He had a couple hook shots go in and out but played well overall. It can be tough for a big man to go against a smaller team but he held his own even defending on the perimeter.

Not much more to take from this one. ND State played hard and kept it close for a half. Our guys pretty much did what they do. Jordan was getting a lot of fun even in the first half, he seems to have taken the role of first guard off the bench.

[Kedsy]

ADVANCED STATS

Possessions: 71.4 (exactly one possession less than Duke's adjusted season average)

OFFENSE

oRtg: 1.19 (adjusted, that's 1.13, which is adequate but not good)
eFG%: 56.9% (good, not great)
3pt%: 42.1% (for this team, really good)
2pt%: 54.3% (okay)
%threes: 29.2% (third straight game at a low-ish percentage, which I think is good for this team)
FT rate: 26.1% (meh)
OR%: 22.2% (fairly dreadful)
TO%: 8.4% (absolutely fabulous)
a/to: 2.33:1 (ditto)
%assisted: 42.4%
fast break pts: 4 (4.7% of our points; also dreadful)


DEFENSE

dRtg: 0.87 (adjusted that's 0.84, our 5th sub-0.90 defensive performance in our last seven games)
eFG%: 43.1% (can't complain)
3pt%: 27.6% (good)
2pt%: 44.8% (also good)
%threes: 50.0% (I'm cool with this if they're shooting 28%)
FT rate: 24.1% (decent)
DR%: 83.3% (outstanding)
TO%: 18.2% (not bad)
a/to: 0.54:1
%assisted: 33.3%
fast break pts: 0 (0% of their points; literally can't get better than this)
block%: 12.1%; 24.1% of 2-point shots (big numbers against a small team)
steal%: 8.4% (not especially good)


Offense showed a lot of room for improvement, though we were fabulous at avoiding turnovers. Defense was outstanding in almost every area, after a slow start (we gave up 12 points in the first 10 possessions)

[Steven43]

Did Goldwire unlock the outside scoring badge?

Also, I think RJ helped take over that game with his rebounding. He really goes up strong and gets it at its high point. 14 total-- how many did he have at halftime?

I concur. RJ’s rebounding was crucial in keeping the game close in the first half. He really showed me something tonight. He started out poorly but he just kept plugging away, kept his wits about him, and pretty soon some shots started to fall. And all along he was playing pretty good defense and rebounding very well.

He is not a one-trick pony (just drive to the basket); his game is fairly well-rounded. I think he’s reaching a new level. It seems to be happening right in front of our eyes. It could not have come at a better time. I think playing alongside Zion just gives him so much confidence and joy. It’s tangible. They feed off of each other. This has the makings of something special. If Duke can just shoot three-pointers like they did in the second half tonight everything is going to fall nicely into place.

[84Duke]

I hope K makes it clear to the team that when you make the round of 32, the "flip the switch" business is over. Everyone left can beat you. I will say after that 5-12 mini-hole, the man-on-man defense had a tremendous stretch. Every NDSU man that touched the ball had one or two Duke defenders on top of him - right away. That was pretty impressive.

[J4Kop99]

The game completely changed once Goldwire was inserted in the 1st half. He is such a cerebral presence. He takes our defense to another level. If he can hit a few threes that's just the cherry on top.

[SavDukeGrad]

I did not realize, until listening to the NDSU press conference, that Tre played AAU ball with 2 of their players, and that he has known and played with Shahid for a long time. Their players and coach were both asked about that connection in their press conference. They all wished Tre good luck going forward, and their coach mentioned Tre’s mom and her cancer battle and wished her well. Classy group.

[84Duke]

I did not realize, until listening to the NDSU press conference, that Tre played AAU ball with 2 of their players, and that he has known and played with Shahid for a long time. Their players and coach were both asked about that connection in their press conference. They all wished Tre good luck going forward, and their coach mentioned Tre’s mom and her cancer battle and wished her well. Classy group.

I have driven from Minneapolis to Fargo, and I don't wish that upon anyone. But that is the closest large city to our nation's wood-chipper capital. So not a surprise that Tre would know players from the region. That kid has probably been playing on all-star teams since he was 5. NDSU played well, played hard, but ran out of talent.

[Saratoga2]

ADVANCED STATS

Possessions: 71.4 (exactly one possession less than Duke's adjusted season average)

OFFENSE

oRtg: 1.19 (adjusted, that's 1.13, which is adequate but not good)
eFG%: 56.9% (good, not great)
3pt%: 42.1% (for this team, really good)
2pt%: 54.3% (okay)
%threes: 29.2% (third straight game at a low-ish percentage, which I think is good for this team)
FT rate: 26.1% (meh)
OR%: 22.2% (fairly dreadful)
TO%: 8.4% (absolutely fabulous)
a/to: 2.33:1 (ditto)
%assisted: 42.4%
fast break pts: 4 (4.7% of our points; also dreadful)


DEFENSE

dRtg: 0.87 (adjusted that's 0.84, our 5th sub-0.90 defensive performance in our last seven games)
eFG%: 43.1% (can't complain)
3pt%: 27.6% (good)
2pt%: 44.8% (also good)
%threes: 50.0% (I'm cool with this if they're shooting 28%)
FT rate: 24.1% (decent)
DR%: 83.3% (outstanding)
TO%: 18.2% (not bad)
a/to: 0.54:1
%assisted: 33.3%
fast break pts: 0 (0% of their points; literally can't get better than this)
block%: 12.1%; 24.1% of 2-point shots (big numbers against a small team)
steal%: 8.4% (not especially good)


Offense showed a lot of room for improvement, though we were fabulous at avoiding turnovers. Defense was outstanding in almost every area, after a slow start (we gave up 12 points in the first 10 possessions)

We had subs in for a significant %tage of the game.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

-Good to see AOC make some shots in garbage time. There’s gonna be a game in this run where we’ll need a boost from him.

THIS^^^^ - at some point, to win six straight, most teams need something like this off the bench.

[Rmarkste]

Very encouraged by good shooting, consistent defense with new wrinkle of two guys trapping player, and lastly stellar assist to turnover ratio. My heat sank reading yesterday’s Ringer article on RJ and Cam. I hope the article about them is dead wrong and they contunue to grow their respective games and most importantly defer to Zion in the big moments. Please!!!

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Very encouraged by good shooting, consistent defense with new wrinkle of two guys trapping player, and lastly stellar assist to turnover ratio. My heat sank reading yesterday’s Ringer article on RJ and Cam. I hope the article about them is dead wrong and they contunue to grow their respective games and most importantly defer to Zion in the big moments. Please!!!

I missed that article...link maybe?
EDIT never mind...I found it...weak piece....I wouldn't let your heart sink because of The Ringer...

[TeacherTom]

Sitting fifth row center court allowed me to witness Tre’s tenacious engagement on defense. It is extremely impressive.

[cspan37421]

I missed that article...link maybe?
EDIT never mind...I found it...weak piece...I wouldn't let your heart sink because of The Ringer...

https://www.theringer.com/march-madness/2019/3/22/18276270/rj-barrett-cam-reddish-duke-ncaa-tournament

Why is it weak? Because it is critical? I am reminded of flyingdutchdevil's signature line:


Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

[which appears to be a genuine Churchill quote - Churchill is one of those to whom many a fake quote is attributed]

Anyway, the article does not say things are hopeless for Duke. It calls out things that people here bring up all the time anyway - esp. in the game threads - and mixes in several relevant stats. Is this one of those sentiments that "only we can criticize our guys?"

My heart is far from sunk, but clearly we need to be able to hit open shots and avoid charges. It is quite surprising to me that the team is as dominant as it is, and as favored as it is, given our 3-point prowess, or lack thereof. The 3-pointer is a major part of the modern game, and living on 2s alone hardly seems possible, but we're doing it. It's a strange thing to behold for a long-time follower of DBB.

But our defense is quite good - unusually good for a young bunch. Our one-and-done-ers have tended to excel at offense, but not defense. So it is heartening that we play defense so well. DReb and steals can lead to fast breaks, which can lead to high percentage shots - which can help offset jump-shooting deficiencies. But it would be nice to have the kind of squad that can make an opponent "pay" for leaving a shooter open.

It is not going to be easy. But we're not done improving as a team.

[dukelifer]

https://www.theringer.com/march-madness/2019/3/22/18276270/rj-barrett-cam-reddish-duke-ncaa-tournament

Why is it weak? Because it is critical? I am reminded of flyingdutchdevil's signature line:



[which appears to be a genuine Churchill quote - Churchill is one of those to whom many a fake quote is attributed]

Anyway, the article does not say things are hopeless for Duke. It calls out things that people here bring up all the time anyway - esp. in the game threads - and mixes in several relevant stats. Is this one of those sentiments that "only we can criticize our guys?"

My heart is far from sunk, but clearly we need to be able to hit open shots and avoid charges. It is quite surprising to me that the team is as dominant as it is, and as favored as it is, given our 3-point prowess, or lack thereof. The 3-pointer is a major part of the modern game, and living on 2s alone hardly seems possible, but we're doing it. It's a strange thing to behold for a long-time follower of DBB.

But our defense is quite good - unusually good for a young bunch. Our one-and-done-ers have tended to excel at offense, but not defense. So it is heartening that we play defense so well. DReb and steals can lead to fast breaks, which can lead to high percentage shots - which can help offset jump-shooting deficiencies. But it would be nice to have the kind of squad that can make an opponent "pay" for leaving a shooter open.

It is not going to be easy. But we're not done improving as a team.

Most of what is said is true. One can be equally critical of any team. UVA lacks elite athleticism - UNC has a limited inside game etc. But one thing that has been consistent is that the team tends to play better in the second half and they do have fight. Duke needs to avoid big deficits and then exert their will- or Zion’s or RJ’s will- at the right moment. If Cam can hit shots but more importantly- avoid dumb fouls or turnovers- this team becomes that much better.

[DukeDevil]

Great to see Bolden back and moving well. He had a couple hook shots go in and out but played well overall. It can be tough for a big man to go against a smaller team but he held his own even defending on the perimeter.

Not much more to take from this one. ND State played hard and kept it close for a half. Our guys pretty much did what they do. Jordan was getting a lot of fun even in the first half, he seems to have taken the role of first guard off the bench.

I was so impressed with how well Bolden hedged out on the pick and roll attempts (icing screens? I don't know what it's actually called). It's so impressive to see the big man do so well disrupting the other team's guard play.

[DukeDevil]

Sitting fifth row center court allowed me to witness Tre’s tenacious engagement on defense. It is extremely impressive.

nice humblebrag

(just kidding...so jealous)

[CDu]

We stunk the first 4 minutes of the game. Took bad shots, let NDSU get good looks. The score at the under-16 break reflected that. Afterwards, our defense became stifling until the regulars began filtering out midway through the second half. The offense remained shaky for the rest of the first half, though, and we had only a small lead at the half. And then the second half started, and Zion took over. His play in the first several possessions of the second half sent a message that we were not going to lose this game. And the team followed suit thereafter.

The play where he tipped a pass away from Shahid, then outraced Shahid to the ball, then gathered it, then changed directions and went behind his back at nearly full speed (resulting in a slip), then recovered for a layup was unreal. That cemented things in my mind. The rest was a formality. He had broken them, and the flood gates opened. And boy did they open.

Hopefully this game shook off any nerves for the team so that we can push past UCF and head to the second weekend.

[OldPhiKap]

nice humblebrag

(just kidding...so jealous)

As Bob De Niro once told me, name-dropping is only good if done casually.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I have driven from Minneapolis to Fargo, and I don't wish that upon anyone. But that is the closest large city to our nation's wood-chipper capital. So not a surprise that Tre would know players from the region. That kid has probably been playing on all-star teams since he was 5. NDSU played well, played hard, but ran out of talent.

I have done the drive several times (admittedly in warm weather) and enjoyed it. Wide open highways with high speed limits, the occasional smell of cows, and a pit stop near Lake Wobegon.

Back to the game, I was also particularly impressed by Marques. He was really moving his feet well on D, particularly coming off an injury. He had two baby hooks that went in and out - I’m sure those will start falling. And he does a good job of playing inside but also not clogging things up for RJ and Zion.

[jv001]

I have done the drive several times (admittedly in warm weather) and enjoyed it. Wide open highways with high speed limits, the occasional smell of cows, and a pit stop near Lake Wobegon.

Back to the game, I was also particularly impressed by Marques. He was really moving his feet well on D, particularly coming off an injury. He had two baby hooks that went in and out - I’m sure those will start falling. And he does a good job of playing inside but also not clogging things up for RJ and Zion.

I thought Marques and Javin played well last night. We'll need both to play well against Johnny D's team on Sunday. Those baby hooks have been unkind to Marques this season. I can't remember a player having as much bad luck as Marques. GoDuke!

[duke96]

Sometime posted a similar pic earlier in the season in a similar situation but Zion’s enthusiasm for his teammates is a real joy to watch. Not sure who is having more fun in this picture. Team chemistry seems special this year.

9219

[duke74]

Sometime posted a similar pic earlier in the season in a similar situation but Zion’s enthusiasm for his teammates is a real joy to watch. Not sure who is having more fun in this picture. Team chemistry seems special this year.

9219

This picture has gone viral. Just look at the pure joy for one’s teammate - let alone the appearance of Z walking on air (and the beauty of the picture itself - the symmetry).

Love it.

[Indoor66]

Sometime posted a similar pic earlier in the season in a similar situation but Zion’s enthusiasm for his teammates is a real joy to watch. Not sure who is having more fun in this picture. Team chemistry seems special this year.

9219

An incredible picture. Thanks for sharing.

[budwom]

apropos of not much, I think I have discerned that the farther Javin gets from the basket, the more apt he is to foul...interesting for a big man. (he's been playing well I should add).

[DukeBlueHeart4]

I followed the game as well as I could but wasn't able to actually watch it live (tickets for Trevor Noah purchased months ago created a little conflict). Does anyone know where I can watch a replay of the game?

[devildeac]

Sometime posted a similar pic earlier in the season in a similar situation but Zion’s enthusiasm for his teammates is a real joy to watch. Not sure who is having more fun in this picture. Team chemistry seems special this year.

9219


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glsmLGpqMzA

[WVDUKEFAN]

Defense was stifling the 1st 10 minutes of the second half. Loved it.

[DukieInBrasil]

I really hope that the game plan for the next game explicitly excludes all 3pt shots until after scoring at least 5 buckets from 2. This team needs to stop looking to "get things going" by shooting the 3. They need to do the opposite, and get things going before looking to shoot the 3. Last night, after stopping themselves from jacking up 3s early, let it simmer, and then in the 2nd half, after having put quite a few 2pt shots down, began sinking their 3s. Ended the game shooting 42%, which is fabulous for this team. Also, let's congratulate Joey Baker for his 1st collegiate points, aptly enough on a 3pt shot. Fwiw (which may not be much) i think that vindicates "burning" his red-shirt. I also hope that it opens the lid on the rim for him and that he makes another shot or 2 this year.
I know others have pointed it out (including the podcasters), but that poke away steal, behind the back dribble, slip and prop himself up by one hand and continue on for a smooth layup was an amazing play.
If Zion and RJ keep up their tandem work (efficiency + versatility) with adequate contributions from the rest of the team (such as Cam's effort last night), this team can win the whole thing.
Also, i haven't been the biggest Cam Reddish fan lately, but his line from last night was decent, although against an opponent he should have absolutely overwhelmed. 12 pts on 3-9 FGs, 2-6 from 3, 4-3-2-1 r-a-s-b. That's a solid line, particularly only having 1 turnover. We'll need more like that going forward, but against increasingly better teams.

[Steven43]

I really hope that the game plan for the next game explicitly excludes all 3pt shots until after scoring at least 5 buckets from 2. This team needs to stop looking to "get things going" by shooting the 3. They need to do the opposite, and get things going before looking to shoot the 3. Last night, after stopping themselves from jacking up 3s early, let it simmer, and then in the 2nd half, after having put quite a few 2pt shots down, began sinking their 3s. Ended the game shooting 42%, which is fabulous for this team. Also, let's congratulate Joey Baker for his 1st collegiate points, aptly enough on a 3pt shot. Fwiw (which may not be much) i think that vindicates "burning" his red-shirt. I also hope that it opens the lid on the rim for him and that he makes another shot or 2 this year.
I know others have pointed it out (including the podcasters), but that poke away steal, behind the back dribble, slip and prop himself up by one hand and continue on for a smooth layup was an amazing play.
If Zion and RJ keep up their tandem work (efficiency + versatility) with adequate contributions from the rest of the team (such as Cam's effort last night), this team can win the whole thing.
Also, i haven't been the biggest Cam Reddish fan lately, but his line from last night was decent, although against an opponent he should have absolutely overwhelmed. 12 pts on 3-9 FGs, 2-6 from 3, 4-3-2-1 r-a-s-b. That's a solid line, particularly only having 1 turnover. We'll need more like that going forward, but against increasingly better teams.
Great post. Love your idea of going inside repeatedly to start the game. You get some points on the board, loosen up, and get into the flow of the game. Can’t afford to get in a hole like last night because of missed 3’s — and we all know this team almost never starts off a game shooting well from Three.

Duke has the nation’s greatest inside-scoring weapon with Zion. USE HIM. Set the tone of physicality and inside dominance right from the start. And then take the luxury of trying some 3’s. This team just seems to shoot better from outside when they are ahead and feeling loose.

[TKG]

Cam’s mid range game seems to be strong. Maybe it’s my lying eyes but given his size and athleticism he can get that 15 - 18 foot jumper almost at will. I wish he would rely on it a bit more.

[DU82]

This picture has gone viral. Just look at the pure joy for one’s teammate - let alone the appearance of Z walking on air (and the beauty of the picture itself - the symmetry).

Love it.

The new Nike shoes are working.

[proelitedota]

Even if the mid-range is supposedly the most inefficient shot in basketball, in our case it has to be better than our 3s. Tre, Cam, RJ are all money from the mid range.

But I wouldn't mind shooting 42% from 3 this game again.

[devildeac]

The new Nike shoes are working.

Air Zions? ;)

[niveklaen]

Even if the mid-range is supposedly the most inefficient shot in basketball, in our case it has to be better than our 3s. Tre, Cam, RJ are all money from the mid range.

But I wouldn't mind shooting 42% from 3 this game again.


maybe they are Venezuelan Bolivar's fro mid range ;)

according to Hoop-math, our mid range shooting is:
Tre 36% (24% from 3)
Cam 28% (32% from 3)
RJ 38% (30% from 3)

http://www.hoop-math.com/Duke2019.php

Looks like Tre would benefit from taking more mid range shots (24% from 3), but
Cam actually shoots better from 3 than the mid-range and given his proclivity for turnovers, the 3 is definitely a better shot for him.
For RJ it looks like a wash - maybe drawn fouls and offensive rebounds make mid range shots more effective for him...

[Kedsy]

maybe they are Venezuelan Bolivar's fro mid range ;)

according to Hoop-math, our mid range shooting is:
Tre 36% (24% from 3)
Cam 28% (32% from 3)
RJ 38% (30% from 3)

http://www.hoop-math.com/Duke2019.php

Looks like Tre would benefit from taking more mid range shots (24% from 3), but
Cam actually shoots better from 3 than the mid-range and given his proclivity for turnovers, the 3 is definitely a better shot for him.
For RJ it looks like a wash - maybe drawn fouls and offensive rebounds make mid range shots more effective for him...

Since you get three points from threes and only two points from twos, even Tre is just a wash with those numbers.

[subzero02]

This picture has gone viral. Just look at the pure joy for one’s teammate - let alone the appearance of Z walking on air (and the beauty of the picture itself - the symmetry).

Love it.

I know that he wasn't but it looks like Zion was cut and pasted into that photo

[construe]

(TL;DR: love it when Zion gets a back-screen or does a “flex cut” (maybe?) to iso on the low-post…this is Duke’s most unstoppable offense and, should we get past the big fella at UCF, I hope to see it early and often going forward…)

Most folks have noted that our offense started off poor against NDSU. Coach often seems to let his starters play and figure things out, and will only call sets once things get rocky (or we put in bench players). I personally find this frustrating, as I’d like to see more discipline in our offense, but K’s won 1000+ games more than I have, so…

K correctly identified the biggest issue in the 1st half: settling for jump shots or 3-ptrs (esp as we’re not a good 3pt shooting team). I know that Zion will need to play all over the court at the next level, but for now, he is most dominant on the low block. He’s almost as quick as Antawn Jamison getting off his shot (different players really, as Jamison waited for entry passes, the immediately spun to the basket, while Zion often dribbles more…) Anyway, it was -very- frustrating to see Zion drifting on the perimeter and the overall poor 1-on-1 play from Duke.

The obvious solution in the 2nd half, which Duke immediately went to, was to get Zion the ball on the low block. I was very curious to see the sets they ran to get him the ball. It seems like the one they used in the NDSU game was to have whoever’s bringing up the ball pass to a wing, while Ques or Javin backscreen Zion’s man at the high-block area. Zion then goes low and receives a pass from the wing, and the lane is cleared out a little for him to do his magic.

Not sure if that set will work against UCF and Tacko Grande, but I -love- it when Zion gets the ball in the low-post…he really is unstoppable there at the college level (either spins & scores with his amazing soft finger-roll lay-ups or gets fouled).

During the ACC tourney, I saw what I think was a “flex cut” by Zion to get him a isolated on the low-block (or maybe they were just low-block backscreens?). Maryland used to run that play during the Williams’ era. Again, if we get past UCF, I hope to see a lot more of these types of plays for Zion.

As for later in the 2nd half, once the bench came in, Duke ran “floppy” a number of times to get AOC or Joey open for a jumper. This makes sense for those players, but man, they’re just not the high percentage shots that Zion creates. (btw, I almost typed in “Luke” for AOC there…floppy was factory-designed for Luke’s diverse skills…)

If I was any good like Troublemaker, I’d make gifs of some of these plays to identify what I’m talking about. Curious to see what we’ll do against UCF this evening!

[BandAlum83]

We stunk the first 4 minutes of the game. Took bad shots, let NDSU get good looks. The score at the under-16 break reflected that. Afterwards, our defense became stifling until the regulars began filtering out midway through the second half. The offense remained shaky for the rest of the first half, though, and we had only a small lead at the half. And then the second half started, and Zion took over. His play in the first several possessions of the second half sent a message that we were not going to lose this game. And the team followed suit thereafter.

The play where he tipped a pass away from Shahid, then outraced Shahid to the ball, then gathered it, then changed directions and went behind his back at nearly full speed (resulting in a slip), then recovered for a layup was unreal. That cemented things in my mind. The rest was a formality. He had broken them, and the flood gates opened. And boy did they open.

Hopefully this game shook off any nerves for the team so that we can push past UCF and head to the second weekend.

I’m not so sure we took bad shots in the first four minutes. It’s true, we took a bunch of threes, but they were open looks.

Is it just me, or do others think that maybe it is a specific game plan of ours to take a bunch of early threes to soften up their defense? When we hit, the route is I. (Like against Ky) when they don’t, we grind to take control over time.

It seems to be pretty common for us to take those early 3s, but don’t have specific data.

[AZLA]

Cam’s mid range game seems to be strong. Maybe it’s my lying eyes but given his size and athleticism he can get that 15 - 18 foot jumper almost at will. I wish he would rely on it a bit more.

Agreed. More mid range. Same for Tre and RJ.

[brevity]

9219

NCAA.com: Meet the photographer who took that Barrett-Zion photo. He’s a UNC grad. (https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2019-03-23/meet-photographer-who-took-barrett-zion-photo-hes-unc-grad)


“And all of sudden I notice Zion in the background and he literally looks like he’s levitating like 20 feet off the floor. It looks absolutely unreal. I knew immediately that was going to be a great frame, but I didn’t realize it was going to be this big.”

He played in Carolina’s marching band when Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison played. He’s based in Atlanta and still sees Carter, a Hawks veteran, at work. This was his first Duke game because they did not play at Georgia Tech.