MBB: Duke v Notre Dame (Sat 2/15 4:00 pm ESPN) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[DavidBenAkiva]

Duke's North Carolina residency continues on Saturday as the Blue Devils welcome former assistant coach (one of us!) Mike Brey and the Fightin' Irish of Notre Dame. ND is having a somewhat disappointing season given how well they have played of late. The team is 6-6 in conference and has very narrow losses to BC (73-72), NC State (73-68), Louisville (67-64), Syracuse (84-82), and Florida State (85-84). They are currently riding a 4-game winning streak over Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Pitt, and Clemson. The largest margin of victory in that stretch was a 10-point cushion against Wake, a game in which ND was less than stellar on the defensive end. So the Irish can play with anyone but are having trouble closing the deal.

This squad is a mix of seniors and sophomores. Of the 7 players that get regular minutes, all of them are either seniors or sophomores. And the 8th man, 6'7" F Nikola Djogo, is a senior, too. He only gets about 8-10 minutes a game. Let's start instead with SR F John Mooney. The 6'9" Floridian is doing it all for ND yet again this year. He leads the conference in rebounding and chips in a team-leading 16.5 points per game. Scoring comes from all over the court as Mooney can and will make a jump shot out from as far as the 3-point line (32.4% this season) and in. Mooney pairs with fellow SR C Juwan Durham (6'11") in the frontcourt. The slender UConn transfer is a bit of a specialist as a rim protector. He does chip in a few points and rebounds in his 18 minutes a game but is mostly there to block shots. Reserve SO F/C Nate Laszewski (6'10") is the heir apparent to Mooney and will stretch the court when he is in the game as well.

In the backcourt, ND employs SR G TJ Gibbs (6'3"), SO PG Prentiss Hubb (6'3"), and RS-SR Rex Pflueger (6'6") in the starting lineup. Pflueger missed most of his original SR season to a nasty injury and has been working his way back to health this year. He's primarily a jump shooter on offense but pretty nifty on defense where he leads the team in steals per game. Gibbs is the real shooter on the team, where he leads ND in 3-point shooting at 41.9% and at the free throw line at nearly 90%. He's a steady guard and plays well but is not an elite athlete or finisher. The point guard, Hubb, is also a pretty good shooter (34.6%) and has taken the most attempts from behind the arc. Hubb has been steady if not outstanding this year. SO G/F Dane Goodwin (6'6" sees the court more than some of the starters and will play a stretch-4 position. He's a deadly shooter (38.8% from 3) and can stretch the defense.

ND is a somewhat slow-paced jump-shooting team. They excel at playing a deliberate half-court offense with plenty of back cuts and the extra passes to find open shooters. Nearly half of their shot attempts come from behind the arc, so forcing them off the line without giving the backdoor cut will be key in this one. ND almost never turns the ball over, ranking second in the nation in TO% on offense. On the flip side, they also rarely force TOs on defense. Their defense is so-so at best. One of the key attributes to their success on D is forcing bad shots and relying on Durham, when he's in, to make opponents miss at the rim. While Mooney is an excellent rebounder as an individual, ND is not a good rebounding team overall. Their style of play is about discipline and staying in the half court. They lead the nation in FTR on defense, sending teams to the line on less than 20% of possessions.

Duke should have advantages by limited ND's frequently and often accurate 3-point shooting. Duke also has better athletes across the board and superior rebounders aside from John Mooney. Mooney struggled against the superior athletic team Duke took to South Bend last season, hitting just 4 of 15 field goal attempts and allowed Zion Williamson to put up one of his best performances: 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and a steal against no TO's while shooting 10-12 from the field. I expect that Mooney will struggle to keep Vernon Carey, Jr. in check as well. Mooney is big but not particularly quick on defense. Durham has the length to stop him but not the size and doesn't play much and is a bit foul prone. On the wings, Duke has clear advantages and depth on their side. Turning the game into a track meet would go a long way to securing the victory.

In the end, a tight game predicated on execution in the half court is probably the most likely outcome. ND plays a disciplined style of basketball and rarely turns the ball over. Duke needs to play with poise here. If they are able to force difficult shots and turn a few long rebounds into runouts, they could build a good lead.

[OldPhiKap]

ND is playing well right now, and I am sure the crowd will be fired up in South Bend. They are fighting for a spot in the tourney and that always makes for a dangerous opponent.

No rest for the weary.

[wilson]

...I am sure the crowd will be fired up in South Bend. They are fighting for a spot in the tourney and that always makes for a dangerous opponent.

No rest for the weary....good thing they'll be like 700 miles away from the game. :rolleyes:

[jv001]

ND is playing well right now, and I am sure the crowd will be fired up in South Bend. They are fighting for a spot in the tourney and that always makes for a dangerous opponent.

No rest for the weary.

The game is in Cameron. :cool: GoDuke!

[TruBlu]

If we can hold 7th year senior Bonzi Colson (even though he is overseas) under 30 points😡, and can keep 25 year old Mooney from matching his age in rebounds, we have a chance to extend our winning streak to 7.

[devildeac]

If we can hold 7th year senior Bonzi Colson (even though he is overseas) under 30 points😡, and can keep 25 year old Mooney from matching his age in rebounds, we have a chance to extend our winning streak to 7.

ND and Bonzi received a 1 game waiver and he will be in the starting line-up against us Saturday, all set to glower, preen and strut after committing multiple uncalled fouls.:rolleyes::o

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

If we can hold 7th year senior Bonzi Colson (even though he is overseas) under 30 points😡, and can keep 25 year old Mooney from matching his age in rebounds, we have a chance to extend our winning streak to 7.

This post is the best non-UNC related post of the week. Sprkz!

[Truth&Justise]

Thanks for getting this thread started with an the excellent scouting report.

What a contrast to the FSU game, where FSU's depth and athleticism (and the short turnaround) had us all worried about toughness, heart, and physicality. Now comes a veteran Notre Dame team that is deliberate and skilled, but less physically imposing, and the keys to the game will be whether Duke can be poised, steady, and sharp.

We passed the first test, hope we can pass the second. And it's always a good sign if a team can win a game in multiple ways.

[OldPhiKap]

...good thing they'll be like 700 miles away from the game. :rolleyes:


The game is in Cameron. :cool: GoDuke!

Well . . . still.

{OPK closes account, slinks away . . . .}

[wsb3]

Stay right here OPK...😄😄😄😄

[CDu]

Notre Dame is very well-coached, that's for sure. Mike Brey gets more out of less reasonably consistently (which is good, because he doesn't tend to land top recruits anymore).

Offensively, they don't play as slow as they have in previous years, but they still play a reasonably slow pace. They also don't do very many things well offensively, yet manage a pretty good offense in spite of that. Basically, they are extremely good at avoiding turnovers and extremely good at assisting made baskets (top-5 in the nation in both, for what has to be one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in college bball). They don't rebound offensively, and they don't draw fouls. They have a quartet of guards who can handle the ball, but they generally work it around looking for 3s (45% of their shots are 3s).

Defensively, they mix up man-to-man and zone defense. The result is a team that rebounds very poorly, doesn't force turnovers, but doesn't foul at all. They allow a lot of 3s and a reasonable percentage on those 3s, but are reasonably tough on 2pt shots (in part due to the zone). Pflueger, Gibbs, and Hubb are all quite capable defenders in both man and zone.

Mooney is a a blue-collar guy. He's pretty unathletic, but he's smart and tough and works his butt off. The result is a terrific defensive rebounder and quite capable spot shooter from all over the court, and a crafty post scorer. He will need help to guard Carey, but he'll make us pay if we lose track of him. The Irish will also set up some down screens to allow him to get looks from 3, so whomever has that assignment needs to be ready.

Juwan Durham is the lone shotblocking presence on the Irish. He's super skinny with long arms, and a real threat to block from a help position. He's also developing a sneaky post-up game offensively. He is the only even slightly foul-prone guy among the regulars.

The three starters on the perimeter are all very solid ballhandlers and decisionmakers, which helps them against pressure. Pflueger is a rugged defender and really smart player who came in with a rep as a shooter/scorer, but whose shooting touch has come and gone throughout his career. He mostly defers to Hubb and Gibbs, but is not shy about shooting when necessary. He's a fiery competitor, and the bulldog of the team.

Hubb is the primary PG, although he and Gibbs share the duties. Hubb is a lefty, and just a really crafty PG. He is more quick than explosive, and really likes to use ball screens to facilitate. Hubb can shoot it too, but when he attacks off the dribble it is primarily to pass.

Gibbs is sort of a right handed, older, stronger version of Hubb, but he's a terrific shooter. Gibbs is also a bit more willing to shoot off the dribble, but again that's not a major part of Notre Dame's diet. He will take and make 3s at a high rate. He's strong, experienced, and more athletic than Hubb, but his primary value is his shooting touch.

The Irish don't play much of a bench. It's basically guys: Laszewski and Goodwin. Goodwin is the fourth guard/wing, Laszewski is the third big. Laszewski is basically a poor man's Mooney. Decent shooter, not much athleticism. Goodwin can really shoot, and like the other wings is a strong ballhandler. He's sort of similar Gibbs both in performance and style of play.

It seems like a good matchup for Jones and Goldwire in that the Irish don't have uber-athletic guards or dynamic bigs. The key will be not selling out for steals though and creating open shooters if they miss on the steal. But those two could really cause headaches for their perimeter guys if they stay disciplined.

It's also a potentially good matchup for Hurt, as they don't have the athletes to punish him off the dribble. So hopefully Hurt can build off his terrific game against FSU. And if he can stay out of foul trouble, there is a really good opportunity for Carey inside.

The key will be limiting Notre Dame's open looks from 3. If Mooney and Pflueger get going, it can be a tough game because Gibbs/Goodwin are so dangerous. Hopefully we stay disciplined and get good looks on our end, and take advantage of their poor rebounding team. I do like having Moore at the PF spot in this game as well.

Basically, there is no individual matchup that is overly concerning. The big key will be communication on screens and not losing track of shooters. They stay in games by not making mistakes and by hitting 3s. Their best results are close losses to Louisville and at FSU, along with a close win at Syracuse. It's a team that punches above its weight class thanks to great discipline, smarts, toughness, and taking a lot of 3s. So you can't assume a game is over, even if you get a comfy lead. Hopefully we can match their discipline and get the W.

[Edouble]

Mooney is a a blue-collar guy. He's pretty unathletic, but he's smart and tough and works his butt off. The result is a terrific defensive rebounder and quite capable spot shooter from all over the court, and a crafty post scorer. He will need help to guard Carey, but he'll make us pay if we lose track of him. The Irish will also set up some down screens to allow him to get looks from 3, so whomever has that assignment needs to be ready.

Mooney is one of those guys that comes around every so often (once in a blue moon?) that I just can't help but really appreciate. It's hard for me to cheer against him (individually).

Hopefully he shows VCII a few wrinkles he can work on and Duke comes away with a big win.

[jv001]

Well . . . still.

{OPK closes account, slinks away . . . .}

I did the same thing for the Pitt game. Getting old...:cool:

GoDuke!

[OldPhiKap]

So . . . what the hell am I supposed to do in South Bend this weekend then?

[tbyers11]

So . . . what the hell am I supposed to do in South Bend this weekend then?

Tattoo of Touchdown Jesus?

[uh_no]

So . . . what the hell am I supposed to do in South Bend this weekend then?

beer thread is ---> that way

[devildeac]

beer thread is ---> that way

Expect admonishment in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

;)

[OldPhiKap]

beer thread is ---> that way


Expect admonishment in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

;)

I just don't have a lot to say on the topic. Most beers are pretty good, some are great, some kinda suck. Sort of like Grateful Dead shows in the 1980's.

[fidel]

I just don't have a lot to say on the topic. Most beers are pretty good, some are great, some kinda suck. Sort of like Grateful Dead shows in the 1980's.


https://youtu.be/z5BeptSdH7M

[devildeac]

I just don't have a lot to say on the topic. Most beers are pretty good, some are great, some kinda suck. Sort of like Grateful Dead shows in the 1980's.

Wait, I thought you gave up beers.:confused:

I know you didn't give up Duke MBB, however, even if you can only watch about 1/2 the games.

[OldPhiKap]

Wait, I thought you gave up beers.:confused:

I know you didn't give up Duke MBB, however, even if you can only watch about 1/2 the games.

Gave up on beers until I hit my target weight, which is about five pounds to go. But may give it up for Lent too since I’m on a roll.

As for ACCN, thankfully I think most or all remaining games are on real tv.

Oh, and post on the ymm, bourbon thread when you do your tour!

[devildeac]

Gave up on beers until I hit my target weight, which is about five pounds to go. But may give it up for Lent too since I’m on a roll.

As for ACCN, thankfully I think most or all remaining games are on real tv.

Oh, and post on the ymm, bourbon thread when you do your tour!

Absolutely will. Of course, an Against the Grain ale might sneak onto another thread.

Hmm, what to taste while watching Duke-ND this weekend...

[OldPhiKap]

Absolutely will. Of course, an Against the Grain ale might sneak onto another thread.

Hmm, what to taste while watching Duke-ND this weekend...

Water with lemon here, maybe my go-to San Pellegrino.

[Pghdukie]

Anyone try bud light seltzer yet ?

[devildeac]

Anyone try bud light seltzer yet ?

What timing. I sent a picture tonight of the budlight seltzer display in a local grocery store to our son and fuse and got the following replies respectively:

1. 10244

2. "Blocked and reported"

And, no, I don't plan on my first tasting during the Duke-ND game this weekend, either (as he tried to return to on-topic :o).

[DavidBenAkiva]

In an astonishing display of defense, UVA edged Notre Dame 50-49 in overtime last night. The teams combined to score 5 points in the 5-minute overtime. The condensed game highlights were probably 45 seconds.

[devildeac]

In an astonishing display of defense, UVA edged Notre Dame 50-49 in overtime last night. The teams combined to score 5 points in the 5-minute overtime. The condensed game highlights were probably 45 seconds.

With or without commercial interruption? :rolleyes:

[OldPhiKap]

Bump

[HereBeforeCoachK]

In an astonishing display of defense, UVA edged Notre Dame 50-49 in overtime last night. The teams combined to score 5 points in the 5-minute overtime. The condensed game highlights were probably 45 seconds.

That'll drive Mike Brey to drink.......;)

[Music man55]

Irish will play us tough. Glad we'll be well rested. If we can keep their 3pt.shooting at a minimum, we should win.

[Truth&Justise]

Notre Dame is not really in the NCAAT bubble discussion right now, but a win at Duke would change that in a hurry. This is a team with tournament-level talent, and it must be smarting at missed opportunities: a 1-point loss to FSU, a 1-point OT loss to UVA, a 3-point loss to Louisville. They're on an upward trend (4-1 in their last 5), looking for that one statement win to catapult them to tournament discussion. They will fight hard.

This isn't going to be easy for Duke.

[rsvman]

Notre Dame is not really in the NCAAT bubble discussion right now, but a win at Duke would change that in a hurry. This is a team with tournament-level talent, and it must be smarting at missed opportunities: a 1-point loss to FSU, a 1-point OT loss to UVA, a 3-point loss to Louisville. They're on an upward trend (4-1 in their last 5), looking for that one statement win to catapult them to tournament discussion. They will fight hard.

This isn't going to be easy for Duke.

Agreed. I don't take any of our opponents lightly, but certainly not this ND team.

[House P]

Notre Dame is not really in the NCAAT bubble discussion right now, but a win at Duke would change that in a hurry. This is a team with tournament-level talent, and it must be smarting at missed opportunities: a 1-point loss to FSU, a 1-point OT loss to UVA, a 3-point loss to Louisville. They're on an upward trend (4-1 in their last 5), looking for that one statement win to catapult them to tournament discussion. They will fight hard.

This isn't going to be easy for Duke.

Excellent point about how important a win vs Duke could be for Notre Dame's tourney chances. T-Rank's "Tourney Cast" feature currently predicts that Notre Dame has an 11% chance of making the tourney. A win vs Duke would raise that to 50%.

Meanwhile, T-Rank doesn't attempt to quantify such things, but you gotta think that a win vs UVA on Saturday would greatly increase UNC's chances of getting a bid to the CBI tourney!

[uh_no]

Excellent point about how important a win vs Duke could be for Notre Dame's tourney chances. T-Rank's "Tourney Cast" feature currently predicts that Notre Dame has an 11% chance of making the tourney. A win vs Duke would raise that to 50%.

Meanwhile, T-Rank doesn't attempt to quantify such things, but you gotta think that a win vs UVA on Saturday would greatly increase UNC's chances of getting a bid to the CBI tourney!

Seth greenberg believes UNC has what it takes to miss the tourney this year. He's the expert!

[Troublemaker]

Irish will play us tough. Glad we'll be well rested. If we can keep their 3pt.shooting at a minimum, we should win.


Notre Dame is not really in the NCAAT bubble discussion right now, but a win at Duke would change that in a hurry. This is a team with tournament-level talent, and it must be smarting at missed opportunities: a 1-point loss to FSU, a 1-point OT loss to UVA, a 3-point loss to Louisville. They're on an upward trend (4-1 in their last 5), looking for that one statement win to catapult them to tournament discussion. They will fight hard.

This isn't going to be easy for Duke.

I'm somewhat conflicted. Since the ACC season started in earnest in January, Notre Dame hasn't lost a game by more than 5 points. Still, I expect us to be 12-13 point favorites and I kind of expect us to win by 20+ against the Irish, i.e. we perform well above expectations. I have a theory that by the end of this season*, we'll look back and see a loose pattern that we perform above expectations against good O / bad D teams (like Notre Dame) and perform below expectations against good D / bad O teams.

(* I say by the end of the season because hopefully we'll have enough data points then. Some of the current data is muddled because several teams have changed profiles as the season progressed. For example, at the time we played VaTech earlier this season, they were definitely a good O / bad D team but now their D ranks higher than their O. I don't know what to do with that.)

Anyway, the upcoming Notre Dame and @NCSU games (both are good O / bad D teams) will be good tests for my theory.

[rocketeli]

As others have posted, it wouldn't do to overlook this ND team. They are 6-7, 15-9, but lost to BC by 1, Louisville by 3, Syracuse by 2, at FSU by 1 and at VA by 1. Touchdown Jesus must have been preoccupied with spring training. They have won a few close ones too, but they conceivably could be considered only 8 points away from being 11-2 20-4 and in top ACC ranks.

[MarkD83]

Back to the top. There is a game today. Perhaps coach Brey can sit with the students

[arnie]

Back to the top. There is a game today. Perhaps coach Brey can sit with the students

Good point, hope K turns on his hearing aid.

[Rickshaw]

Think there is a game coming on. Pay attention .

[SCMatt33]

I think there’s a couple of keys for Duke today. First, what lineup does Duke play when both Durham and Mooney are on the floor together? Duke has struggled finding lineups that don’t have a clear weak link on either offense or defense. I think we’ve started to see some more 4 guard lineups, with Jones, Goldwire, Stanley and Moore on the floor together, but that won’t be feasible with both of those guys on the floor for ND. Will Coach K trust either Hurt or White to bang around with Mooney, or will we see some lineups with Javin and Vern together? If it’s the latter, staying out of foul trouble will be vital. When Durham is out of the game, can Vern produce enough offensively to offset some likely struggles on defense. Vern has struggled a lot defending the perimeter, especially ball screen action. He lost track of a lot of FSU players on pick and pops early in the game Monday, and got lucky that the Noles were bricking open looks.

On the offensive end, I would expect that ND will double him as many have done recently. Duke has had the nasty habit in conference play of trying to force deep post possessions for Vern and not finding other ways to get him involved. I think letting him catch the ball a bit farther out, and letting him pass back out and reposting would help a ton. Also getting guys to reposition and cut when the double team comes is vital. I think one of the most beautiful plays I saw all year was Stanley cutting right to the rim on a give and go for an easy lay-in after his man turned to double Carey. The key was that they let Carey catch it a good 12-15 feet from the rim, where FSU wasn’t going to contest the catch, made it a much easier play. Contrast that to a play later in the half, where Carey is trying to establish on the block and FSU fronts him. Jack White tries to lob it over the top, and while it wasn’t a terrible pass (Carey was able to reach out and get a hand on it), that play needed a perfect pass to work. Without one, FSU’s help was able to get there at the same time as the pass and knock it loose for a fast break opportunity. Passing it short there is just as bad. We saw that happen once against UNC and lead to a foul by Carey trying to get the ball.

If Duke can’t improve on how they get Carey involved on offense, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him only play 20 minutes against an ND team that will be a matchup problem for him defensively with 5 capable shooters on the floor half the time

[-jk]

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[yootheman]

I don't see cassius in warmups.

[Pghdukie]

Ouch. That could not be good news. Hopefully just equipment issue

[brevity]

I don't see cassius in warmups.

Jules Feingold (https://twitter.com/FeingoldJules/status/1228778864295411712) @FeingoldJules

Cassius Stanley took some incidental contact to the face from one of the Duke Basketball Managers during the pre game shootaround. Was visually seen shaken up and headed straight to the locker room. Has not yet joined the team for warmups.
#DukeBasketball #Cassius

2:31 PM · Feb 15, 2020

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Jules Feingold (https://twitter.com/FeingoldJules/status/1228778864295411712) @FeingoldJules

Cassius Stanley took some incidental contact to the face from one of the Duke Basketball Managers during the pre game shootaround. Was visually seen shaken up and headed straight to the locker room. Has not yet joined the team for warmups.
#DukeBasketball #Cassius

2:31 PM · Feb 15, 2020
Are they sure it wasn’t Javin who did it to him? Sheesh

[Furniture]

Zion Williamson, Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones are all on campus today.

[devildeac]

Jules Feingold (https://twitter.com/FeingoldJules/status/1228778864295411712) @FeingoldJules

Cassius Stanley took some incidental contact to the face from one of the Duke Basketball Managers during the pre game shootaround. Was visually seen shaken up and headed straight to the locker room. Has not yet joined the team for warmups.
#DukeBasketball #Cassius

2:31 PM · Feb 15, 2020


Are they sure it wasn’t Javin who did it to him? Sheesh

Maybe Hurt did it to him, ya know, swinging elbows and all that stuff and *not* hitting people :rolleyes:.

:(

[Acymetric]

Well that was a rockin' national anthem.

[DU82]

Jordan for Cassius in starting lineup

Correction Matt

[hallcity]

Well that was a rockin' national anthem.

Hendrix did it way better at Woodstock

[Acymetric]

Hendrix did it way better at Woodstock

I mean every time since then has just been a poor imitation, certainly.

[rsvman]

Jules Feingold (https://twitter.com/FeingoldJules/status/1228778864295411712) @FeingoldJules

Cassius Stanley took some incidental contact to the face from one of the Duke Basketball Managers during the pre game shootaround. Was visually seen shaken up and headed straight to the locker room. Has not yet joined the team for warmups.
#DukeBasketball #Cassius

2:31 PM · Feb 15, 2020

How does a manager injure a starting player in warmups? Wow. I thought I'd heard it all, but this is a new one on me.

[Acymetric]

How does a manager injure a starting player in warmups? Wow. I thought I'd heard it all, but this is a new one on me.

Yeah, what?

[uh_no]

Yeah, what?

running to the locker room to fast? :p

[Acymetric]

running to the locker room to fast? :p

Oh boy, let's not get THAT started again!

Tre really deserved an assist on that no look pass to Jack.

Incredible play from Goldwire!

[rsvman]

Jack's shot looking like crap today.

[proelitedota]

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1228784501574123520?s=20

[Acymetric]

I'm ready to sub out AOC now, anyone else?

[AtlBluRew]

I don’t believe that Vitale did not know the Jones recruiting trip story.

[rsvman]

ND on a 7-0 run.

[Green Wave Dukie]

I don’t believe that Vitale did not know the Jones recruiting trip story.

Yeah, told Mrs. Green Wave that that is UN BEEE LEAVE ABLE

[DU82]

Cassius to the bench but sitting on the end, so probably not playing

[kAzE]

I don’t believe that Vitale did not know the Jones recruiting trip story.

I believe it. He probably doesn’t even remember what he had for breakfast this morning.

[Acymetric]

Can we go start the MOTM poll now? I'd like to go ahead and lock in my vote.

[whereinthehellami]

Carey with 16 already.

Tre for 3.

TO ND, Duke by 12.

[devildeac]

Can we go start the MOTM poll now? I'd like to go ahead and lock in my vote.

Nah, even if this holds up, *someone* will vote for player X because he had a rebound and a steal...

:rolleyes:

[Acymetric]

Nah, even if this holds up, *someone* will vote for player X because he had a rebound and a steal...

:rolleyes:

Goldwire's steal and score WAS pretty nice earlier...

Hurt and AOC are bringing less than nothing to the table today.

[devildeac]

Goldwire's steal and score WAS pretty nice earlier...

Hurt and AOC are bringing less than nothing to the table today.

Hurt does have 6 points, 2 boards and 3 A. ;)

[dukelifer]

Duke taking away the three but getting burned inside

[rsvman]

Baker needs more time on the court.

[Acymetric]

Hurt does have 6 points, 2 boards and 3 A. ;)

Easily the worst 6 point, 2 board, 3 assist performance I've ever seen.

;)

[dukelifer]

Baker needs more time on the court.

Team not as stout without Stanley

[rsvman]

Duke taking away the three but getting burned inside

Game plan. Seems to be working.

[sagegrouse]

Team not as stout without Stanley

Can we get some 90-pound weaklings as managers?

[devildeac]

Easily the worst 6 point, 2 board, 3 assist performance I've ever seen.

;)

I can buy that. :(

[sagegrouse]

Looking for some burn for Joey Baker in the second half.

[Sixthman]

Looking for some burn for Joey Baker in the second half.

You must not believe having Vernon and Jordan as our prime three point threats is a viable strategy. Oh ye of little faith.

[sagegrouse]

Looking for some burn for Joey Baker in the second half.

[Acymetric]

You must not believe having Vernon and Jordan as our prime three point threats is a viable strategy. Oh ye of little faith.

I would want him to take Alex and Hurt's 2nd half minutes, ideally.

Did that collision look as violent on TV as it did in person?

[jjredickrules]

I would want him to take Alex and Hurt's 2nd half minutes, ideally.

Did that collision look as violent on TV as it did in person?

Yes. Glad both players seem ok.

[whereinthehellami]

Does Carey not like the Irish?

[sagegrouse]

You must not believe having Vernon and Jordan as our prime three point threats is a viable strategy. Oh ye of little faith.

I am pleased that Jordan Goldwire has learned how to make lay-ups.

[Acymetric]

I am pleased that Jordan Goldwire has learned how to make lay-ups.

This probably belongs in the "not going to jinx it" thread.

[robed deity]

This escalated quickly.

[dukelifer]

Zion walks in and Duke goes on a huge run!

[whereinthehellami]

Does Carey not like the Irish?

Does Duke not like the Irish?

OMG!

[wsb3]

Wow! What a run. Beautiful basketball.

[Acymetric]

Good grief. Poor ND.

[BigZ]

Javin even hitting 3s

[4Gen]

If there's ever been a time to cheer, come sit with us.

Crazies probably afraid to do it.

[sagegrouse]

Javin even hitting 3s

He now appears to be 2-13 for his career.

[dukelifer]

Does Duke not like the Irish?

OMG!

Last time there was this kind of beat down - ND later beat Duke in the ACC tourney- but then Duke won the NC- so maybe a harbinger of things to come

[whereinthehellami]

Javin for 3!

[Acymetric]

No Savarino sighting?

[ndkjr70]

I’ll get yelled at but I’m not trying to jinx things. Shades of 2015. Drop a couple of games in January, everyone (including a dummy like ndkjr70) says “maybe this just isn’t a good team.”

And then they win a couple of big games in a row, beat a pretty good ND team by a thousand points, and.... who knows.

[Steven43]

Nah, even if this holds up, *someone* will vote for player X because he had a rebound and a steal...

:rolleyes:

Hilarious 😂 comment. I’ve often noticed the same thing on the MOTM poll.

[Native]

I’ll get yelled at but I’m not trying to jinx things. Shades of 2015. Drop a couple of games in January, everyone (including a dummy like ndkjr70) says “maybe this just isn’t a good team.”

And then they win a couple of big games in a row, beat a pretty good ND team by a thousand points, and... who knows.

As a 2015 alum... I agree.