MBB: Duke v Wofford (Thu, 12/19, 7:00 pm, ESPN2) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[DavidBenAkiva]

After a nearly 2-week final exam break and prior to another 9-day Christmas break, the winter Duke basketball drought takes a brief respite against the Wofford Terriers. When we last saw Wofford, they were upsetting UNC in Chapel Hill for the 2nd time in 3 years. Heroes become villains on Thursday night.

Like most teams that shoot the ball well, Wofford plays at a deliberate pace. They play at the 298th fastest tempo in the nation. They do not take many free throws nor do they collect many offensive rebounds. They do take a make a bunch of jumpers. Leading the charge are two guards, 6'0" JR Storm Muprhy (53.8% 3P%) and 6'5" SR Trevor Stumpe (45.9%). Mired in a bad shooting slump to start his senior season, 6'4" SR Nathan Hoover is taking the most 3's on the season, 77 so far, but connecting on just 24.7% of his attempts thus far. Frequent flyers 6'2" JR Tray Hollowell and 6'7" SO reserve Isaiah Bigelow also throw up a bunch of 3-point attempts with moderate success.

Not everyone is jacking up jumpers. 6'1" SO PG Ryan Larson has not found his range from 3. He's been so-so as a lead ball handler and is more prone to cough it up than dish it out so far this season. Up front, the Terriers start 6'9" JR Chevez Goodwin. Whereas Duke's previous opponent, Virginia Tech, spread it out without any traditional bigs, Goodwin fits the mold of a college center. He's the leading rebounder and shot blocker for Wofford and offers limited offense outside of about 12 feet. Vernon Carey's Jr. will have the primary assignment of guarding Goodwin. The only other size that the Terriers can throw out there is 6'6" FR F Messiah Jones. Jones played well against the much bigger frontcourt of UNC over the weekend, but Vernon Carey, Jr. is a tough matchup for nearly every post player in the nation.

The Blue Devils will have to run Wofford off the line. Nearly half of the Terriers's shots come from deep. There are some back-court cuts and off-ball action, but the ball rarely finds its way inside the arc on offense. On defense, there is not much resistance to be found. Wofford does not block many shots, generate many steals, or do much at all to disrupt the opposing team. Getting the ball inside early and often should be part of the game plan. And when the defensive attention goes inside, the superior height and shooting of Matthew Hurt, Joey Baker, and (hopefully) Cassius Stanley should be available.

This could be a game where disrupting passing lanes is key to turning it into an up-and-down affair. I would like to see Wendell Moore, Alex O'Connell, and the guards Tre Jones and Jordan Goldwire disrupt the ball movement and screen action. Wofford may be playing with a ton of confidence after defeating a depleted and down-and-out Carolina team. It would be wise to send a message that Duke is on a different tier early in this one.

[BD80]

Which team has the higher level of confidence entering the game?

[devildeac]

Beware the Terriers...

[TKG]

Wonder if the Devils will take Wofford as lightly as they did SFA?

[JasonEvans]

Wonder if the Devils will take Wofford as lightly as they did SFA?

I would hope the team has learned their lesson from the SFA game. I mean, fool me once, shame on — shame on you... You can't get fooled again.

[OldPhiKap]

I would hope the team has learned their lesson from the SFA game. I mean, fool me once, shame on — shame on you... You can't get fooled again.

No eating peanuts during the game, Jason.

[MChambers]

The Blue Devils will have to run Wofford off the line. Nearly half of the Terriers's shots come from deep.

According to T-Rank, Duke is #5 in the country at limiting the three point shot, with opponents only taking 25% of their shots from deep. Also, opponents are only making 29% of their threes against Duke.

[weezie]

I'm smacking myself in the head for giving our tickets to a relative and his 9 year old son. But, then again, the boy is beyond thrilled.

It's not easy having a heart of gold... :cool:

[Indoor66]

I'm smacking myself in the head for giving our tickets to a relative and his 9 year old son. But, then again, the boy is beyond thrilled.

It's not easy having a heart of gold... :cool:

But your obvious humility will carry you through....:cool:

[TKG]

The Blue Devils will have to run Wofford off the line. Nearly half of the Terriers's shots come from deep. There are some back-court cuts and off-ball action, but the ball rarely finds its way inside the arc on offense. On defense, there is not much resistance to be found. Wofford does not block many shots, generate many steals, or do much at all to disrupt the opposing team. Getting the ball inside early and often should be part of the game plan. And when the defensive attention goes inside, the superior height and shooting of Matthew Hurt, Joey Baker, and (hopefully) Cassius Stanley should be available.

This could be a game where disrupting passing lanes is key to turning it into an up-and-down affair. I would like to see Wendell Moore, Alex O'Connell, and the guards Tre Jones and Jordan Goldwire disrupt the ball movement and screen action. Wofford may be playing with a ton of confidence after defeating a depleted and down-and-out Carolina team. It would be wise to send a message that Duke is on a different tier early in this one.


Perhaps apply lessons learned against VPI.....

[devildeac]

I'm smacking myself in the head for giving our tickets to a relative and his 9 year old son. But, then again, the boy is beyond thrilled.

It's not easy having a heart of gold... :cool:

Neil, is that you?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V51Itpvc1Pw

;)

[DavidBenAkiva]

Perhaps apply lessons learned against VPI....

Wofford employs a traditional big, Chevez Goodwin, whereas VTEch does not. The 5-out offense made it difficult for Vernon Carey, Jr. to defend someone. Wofford presents a more traditional matchup. There are 4 guards, but Carey can still check Goodwin and I would not be surprised to see the strategy of dumping the ball down low to get Goodwin and Messiah Jones into foul trouble.

Of course, the common denominator is Mike Young, the current VTech coach spent the previous 2 decades at Wofford. There are some similarities, to be sure.

[PackMan97]

From a State fans perspective, how awesome would it be if Wofford knocked off both UNC and Duke in the same season? Something tells me Devils by 20 and it won't be that close.

[UrinalCake]

Wofford employs a traditional big, Chevez Goodwin, whereas VTEch does not. The 5-out offense made it difficult for Vernon Carey, Jr. to defend someone. Wofford presents a more traditional matchup.

I’ll be interested to see whether we can keep Carey in the game or whether we’ll be forced to go small like we did against VT. Even though Wofford’s center doesn’t shoot threes, I expect them to target Carey in pnr’s and try to force switches. Should be a good test for him.

[TKG]

From a State fans perspective, how awesome would it be if Wofford knocked off both UNC and Duke in the same season? Something tells me Devils by 20 and it won't be that close.

The mods really need to step in, here. This is offensive and came with no trigger warning!

[BLPOG]

No eating peanuts during the game, Jason.

Wasn't it a pretzel?

[Neals384]

The mods really need to step in, here. This is offensive and came with no trigger warning!

Yes, using "UNC" rather than "UNCheat" is pretty bad, but using UNC and Duke in the same sentence implies some sort of equivalence that makes me want to ralph.

[sagegrouse]

I am sure Coach K has a terrific game plan for the Terriers and will have the team fired up.

I think all our team needed as motivation was to see Wofford beat the Heels.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I am sure Coach K has a terrific game plan for the Terriers and will have the team fired up.

I think all our team needed as motivation was to see Wofford beat the Heels.

I'd argue showing the team the SFA loss should be all the motivation they need...

I think there is a very, very small chance SFA wins. Duke is gonna be pissed off the rest of the season. And that's a great thing...

[NSDukeFan]

I'd argue showing the team the SFA loss should be all the motivation they need...

I think there is a very, very small chance SFA wins. Duke is gonna be pissed off the rest of the season. And that's a great thing...

Unfortunately, I would give SFA a good chance of beating Duke this year.

[wilson]

Unfortunately, I would give SFA a good chance of beating Duke this year.I'll do you one better and guarantee it.
I'll even wager a Lumberjack Pie (https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/lumberjack-pie/107863) on it.

[PackMan97]

Yes, using "UNC" rather than "UNCheat" is pretty bad, but using UNC and Duke in the same sentence implies some sort of equivalence that makes me want to ralph.

Dang...im off my game. I'll now self impose a ban from the boards for the next four hours.

[Music man55]

I would be really surprised if we took Wofford lightly at all. Yes, it's possible they could upset us, anything is. But it won't be because we're not ready to play. Go Duke!

[Natty_B]

I feel like this thread should try to stay above the one celebrating Wofford.

[kmspeaks]

I'll be there celebrating my birthday. The last time I got to watch the devils on my birthday Kyle Kuzma and Jakob Poeltl spoiled the party in MSG. Fingers crossed for a better result this time.

[Scorp4me]

I would hope the team has learned their lesson from the SFA game. I mean, fool me once, shame on — shame on you... You can't get fooled again.


"You know what they say? Fool me once, strike one. But fool me twice... strike three." - Michael Scott

Words of wisdom right there :)

[Natty_B]

I feel like this thread should try to stay above the one celebrating Wofford.

Wofford is 124 in Kenpom.

[robed deity]

Not sure if it's always true, but it certainly SEEMS Duke always struggles out of the gate after the exam break. Let's come out strong and not let them get confidence. They are good enough where that could be a problem.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Not sure if it's always true, but it certainly SEEMS Duke always struggles out of the gate after the exam break. Let's come out strong and not let them get confidence. They are good enough where that could be a problem.

This made me curious, so I looked up results from the past couple of years.

12/18/2018: Duke vs Princeton, (W) 101-50
12/20/2017: Duke vs Evansville, (W) 104-40
12/19/2016: Duke vs Tennessee St., (W) 65-55
12/15/2015: Duke vs Georgia Southern, (W) 99-65
12/15/2014: Duke vs Elon, (W) 75-62
12/16/2013: Duke vs Gardner-Webb, (W) 85-66
12/19/2012: Duke vs Cornell, (W) 88-47
12/19/2011: Duke vs UNC-Greensboro, (W) 90-63
12/20/2010: Duke vs Elon, (W) 98-72

So Duke has won all these games and most often by a wide margin.

[robed deity]

This made me curious, so I looked up results from the past couple of years.

12/18/2018: Duke vs Princeton, (W) 101-50
12/20/2017: Duke vs Evansville, (W) 104-40
12/19/2016: Duke vs Tennessee St., (W) 65-55
12/15/2015: Duke vs Georgia Southern, (W) 99-65
12/15/2014: Duke vs Elon, (W) 75-62
12/16/2013: Duke vs Gardner-Webb, (W) 85-66
12/19/2012: Duke vs Cornell, (W) 88-47
12/19/2011: Duke vs UNC-Greensboro, (W) 90-63
12/20/2010: Duke vs Elon, (W) 98-72

So Duke has won all these games and most often by a wide margin.

I stand corrected. Maybe Tennessee St was in my head? Or I'm just a paranoid fan.

[Fred G. Unn]

I stand corrected. Maybe Tennessee St was in my head? Or I'm just a paranoid fan.

I'll have to look at other years, but I think you had a point with "out of the gate." Duke blew out Princeton by 51 last year, but started the game down 8-0 and didn't take the first lead until 6 minutes to go in the half. I seem to remember quite a few other slow starts after the exam break, even if the games weren't really close in the 2nd half.

[TJ99]

Per Jeff Goodman on twitter :

Duke’s Tre Jones will not play tonight against Wofford, source told @Stadium
Minor foot injury. Jordan Goldwire expected to get the start and the minutes in his place.

[dukebluesincebirth]

Per Jeff Goodman on twitter :

Duke’s Tre Jones will not play tonight against Wofford, source told @Stadium
Minor foot injury. Jordan Goldwire expected to get the start and the minutes in his place.

Bummer. But at least it's minor, hopefully very minor. Tre is our leader and we need him badly. This game just got much tougher.

[Tripping William]

Bummer. But at least it's minor, hopefully very minor. Tre is our leader and we need him badly. This game just got much tougher.

Well, rats. I hate when it's vigil time . . . .

[Fish80]

Bleacher reporting Tre Jones out tonight, minor foot injury. Hope he recovers fully and quickly. Jordan might get the start.

[follyblue]

I have faith in Goldwire stepping up with energy and defense. This is a big moment for him.

[Devilwin]

Saw that, Very minor injury, but still. Geez:mad:

[TKG]

Bummer. But at least it's minor, hopefully very minor. Tre is our leader and we need him badly. This game just got much tougher.

It will be interesting to see how this impacts our defense. JGold is a good defender but will he need to pace himself knowing that Tre will not be around to share the burden? Can he handle PG responsibilities for heavy minutes? WM has played PG a bit this year, but is he ready if called upon?

[arnie]

Saw that, Very minor injury, but still. Geez:mad:

Roy asked K to hold Tre out since Cole couldn’t play against Wofford. Seems fair.

[Billy Dat]

Tre being out is HUGE. We have zero experience this season, one where he is averaging 35 minutes per game, trying to manage a game with him off the floor.

It looks like Jordan will get the first shot at running the team, but I also expect we'll see Wendell initiating offense, and I also wonder if we'll try and run more action through Hurt because of his passing ability.

Due to the fact that we are in completely uncharted territory without our best player and unquestioned leader, I feel like this game just became a toss up.

[UrinalCake]

We have zero experience this season, one where he is averaging 35 minutes per game, trying to manage a game with him off the floor.

We do have the Central Arkansas game as a point of reference (in which he played only 9 minutes), though it may not be a particularly meaningful one. In that game Moore did run the offense for much of the game. He’s very turnover prone but K has faith in him handling the ball. I agree with Goodman’s expectation that Goldwire will start, but disagree that he will get all of Tre’s minutes.

Silver lining is that having a bigger guy defending the point means we can switch everything on the perimeter and better take away Wofford’s open threes. But obviously our defense as a whole takes a major hit without Tre.

[Billy Dat]

We do have the Central Arkansas game as a point of reference (in which he played only 9 minutes), though it may not be a particularly meaningful one. In that game Moore did run the offense for much of the game. He’s very turnover prone but K has faith in him handling the ball. I agree with Goodman’s expectation that Goldwire will start, but disagree that he will get all of Tre’s minutes.

Silver lining is that having a bigger guy defending the point means we can switch everything on the perimeter and better take away Wofford’s open threes. But obviously our defense as a whole takes a major hit without Tre.

Good call about the Central Arkansas game...I forgot that happened and actually think that having that one experience is a huge advantage over not having had it. I feel a little better now. Granted, Wofford is more than 100 spots up the KenPom ladder from Central Arkansas, and plays a much slower/deliberate pace, but at least there is some precedent.

[Saratoga2]

Another foot injury. Change sneaker brands

[lotusland]

We do have the Central Arkansas game as a point of reference (in which he played only 9 minutes), though it may not be a particularly meaningful one. In that game Moore did run the offense for much of the game. He’s very turnover prone but K has faith in him handling the ball. I agree with Goodman’s expectation that Goldwire will start, but disagree that he will get all of Tre’s minutes.

Silver lining is that having a bigger guy defending the point means we can switch everything on the perimeter and better take away Wofford’s open threes. But obviously our defense as a whole takes a major hit without Tre.

Is Goldwire bigger than Tre?

[devildeac]

Because somebody *has* to post it: It's over.

:o

[cato]

If I posted my feelings about Tre having a foot injury, I would be banned for life.

[Natty_B]

If I posted my feelings about Tre having a foot injury, I would be banned for life.

Aren't we all pretty fluent in the Duke injury Kremlin speak by this point? Goodman wouldn't report "minor" unless it was minor.

[chrishoke]

We need to recruit better feet.

[UrinalCake]

Is Goldwire bigger than Tre?

No but I think Goldwire is only going to play 20-ish minutes. The rest of the time we’ll have a big backcourt of Moore, Stanley, O’Connell, Baker.

[TKG]

Does Wofford press or trap much?

[WiJoe]

Another foot injury. Change sneaker brands

watch your back. can't diss almighty nike.

[MChambers]

Does Wofford press or trap much?

Haven't seen them play, but T-Rank shows a slow tempo and not forcing many turnovers, so I doubt it.

[Devil2]

Does Wofford press or trap much?

From what I saw vs UNC and the fact that they play at a very slow pace (very high 200's per KenPom), I doubt they press or trap

[TKG]

Haven't seen them play, but T-Rank shows a slow tempo and not forcing many turnovers, so I doubt it.


That might help JG and WM.... thanks, MChambers.

[sagegrouse]

I stand corrected. Maybe Tennessee St was in my head? Or I'm just a paranoid fan.

Well, the Elon game in 2014 marked the Grayson Allen meltdown. Hard to have a good feeling about that one.

[sagegrouse]

Per Jeff Goodman on twitter :

Duke’s Tre Jones will not play tonight against Wofford, source told @Stadium
Minor foot injury. Jordan Goldwire expected to get the start and the minutes in his place.


Bummer. But at least it's minor, hopefully very minor. Tre is our leader and we need him badly. This game just got much tougher.

Ugh. IMHO (where the H got captured by the adhesive tape), "minor" surgery is surgery performed on someone else. A "minor" foot injury occurs on another team. This is not minor....

[MChambers]

Well, the Elon game in 2014 marked the Grayson Allen meltdown. Hard to have a good feeling about that one.

2014? Or did you mean 2015 or 2016? Grayson was a seldom used freshman in December 2014, right?

[Devilwin]

Saw this afternoon we are 17 point faves.

[Neals384]

Well, rats. I hate when it's vigil time . . . .

Especially foot vigils. Most especially foot vigils involving point guards.

[arnie]

Especially foot vigils. Most especially foot vigils involving point guards.

And centers. I’m expert in pronouncing 5th metatarsal.

[cato]

Ugh. IMHO (where the H got captured by the adhesive tape), "minor" surgery is surgery performed on someone else. A "minor" foot injury occurs on another team. This is not minor...

Exactly. The only minor foot injury is the foot injury that someone who isn’t playing ACC ball suffers.

Hey Tyus, make sure your little brother stays off his feet over the holidays!

[dukelifer]

Ugh. IMHO (where the H got captured by the adhesive tape), "minor" surgery is surgery performed on someone else. A "minor" foot injury occurs on another team. This is not minor...

No foot injury is minor- basketball players need their feet. Big opportunity for Goldwire who has been playing well. Wofford is getting a bit lucky on this 15-501 game schedule.

[Natty_B]

No foot injury is minor- basketball players need their feet. Big opportunity for Goldwire who has been playing well. Wofford is getting a bit lucky on this 15-501 game schedule.

Wow you guys should tell Coach K it isn’t minor since he just said it was.

“It is out of an abundance of caution that we’re holding Tre out tonight,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “We are confident this is minor and we expect him back very soon.”

[weezie]

Where's chat?

[brevity]

Where's chat?

Right here: https://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/misc.php?do=cchatbox

[Fish80]

I’m liking our player rotation, good depth so far.

[60sDukie]

Cute kid but enough!

[Fish80]

AOC is having some good minutes. A couple times beat off the dribble, but still hustling and making good passes. Nice pull up jumper.

[Steven43]

Cute kid but enough!

To what is this in reference?

[60sDukie]

In reference to the kid in the stands they were interviewing in split screen (no game audio) for way too long. .

[whereinthehellami]

Duke is looking pretty good, everyone contributing, 7 different players have scored.

Duke playing hard, focused, and tough. A lot different than the UNC-Wofford game.

Impressed with Goldwire. He set the tone early and even had a confident drive to the hoop.

Looking forward to the 2nd half and seeing who steps up their contributions.

[Steven43]

Joey!!

[arnie]

Duke is looking pretty good, everyone contributing, 7 different players have scored.

Duke playing hard, focused, and tough. A lot different than the UNC-Wofford game.

Impressed with Goldwire. He set the tone early and even had a confident drive to the hoop.

Looking forward to the 2nd half and seeing who steps up their contributions.

Goldwire continues to amaze. Can’t recall a player improving that much each year.

And Baker should be benching O’Connell soon.

[Fish80]

Goldwire continues to amaze. Can’t recall a player improving that much each year.

And Baker should be benching O’Connell soon.

Not benching. That’s harsh. Playing time for both.

[jwillfan]

Debate in my house: Joey B vs Luke K, who is better?

[slower]

Debate in my house: Joey B vs Luke K, who is better?

That's a joke, right?

[Fish80]

Debate in my house: Joey B vs Luke K, who is better?

Joey will be better.

[slower]

And Baker should be benching O’Connell soon.

Agreed. AOC is just lost out there, on both ends.

[jwillfan]

That's a joke, right?not a joke, an honest question. Think about where Luke was at the same stage in his development

[jwillfan]

As I was saying

[slower]

not a joke, an honest question. Think about where Luke was at the same stage in his development

Baker is a great shooter, but Luke was an offensive savant. Too soon to put Baker at that level.

[jwillfan]

Fuggedabout Luke, those last 2 shots were JJ like

[arnie]

Should we be worried about Joey going pro early? Like tonite. 😀😀

[whereinthehellami]

Joey's shots have been pure, confident.

[Steven43]

Baker is a great shooter, but Luke was an offensive savant. Too soon to put Baker at that level.

I agree with you 100%. Joey is a very good outside shooter, but overall offensively Luke was on a significantly higher level. I can only imagine how good he would have been as a junior and senior at Duke.,

[MChambers]

Should we be worried about Joey going pro early? Like tonite. 😀😀

You mean it wasn’t a mistake to burn his redshirt? [Ducks and scurries away.]