USA Today Basketball Roundtable

[mr. synellinden]

An interesting discussion here with a good section on Duke:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2007-11-29-roundtable_N.htm

[Indoor66]

An interesting discussion here with a good section on Duke:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2007-11-29-roundtable_N.htm

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[juise]

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Not for me (and I don't have a USA Today login).

[VaDukie]

Interesting discussion for sure. I don't think they're giving our defense enough credit and they're emphasizing too much our need to shoot the 3 - we were 2 for 9 in the second half against Wisconsin and still won the half by 1 point.

We certainly will need the 3 against top teams, but I have no doubt we can withstand bad shooting nights against lesser teams. Also, it's hard to imagine all of our guys going cold the same night/ any defense playing tough enough to deny all of them good shots.

Good point on Zoubek needing to score more. I think he can score some off putbacks after Nelson/Henderson drives. Also be nice if we can get Marquette Thomas to show up on a regular basis.

[EarlJam]

Interesting discussion for sure. I don't think they're giving our defense enough credit and they're emphasizing too much our need to shoot the 3 - we were 2 for 9 in the second half against Wisconsin and still won the half by 1 point.

We certainly will need the 3 against top teams, but I have no doubt we can withstand bad shooting nights against lesser teams. Also, it's hard to imagine all of our guys going cold the same night/ any defense playing tough enough to deny all of them good shots.

Good point on Zoubek needing to score more. I think he can score some off putbacks after Nelson/Henderson drives. Also be nice if we can get Marquette Thomas to show up on a regular basis.

"They live and die by the three" is a common (and often correct) criticism of past Duke teams but not this year. Yes, we do and should fire the ball up from Three land often during a game but we also have the ability to slash to the basket - something we've been doing a lot with success. Also, this team, like mega-successful Duke teams of the past should continue to score a ton of points in transistion.

I see this team as being very talented, balanced and deep, with the number one weapon being the team's B-Ball I.Q. They're a smart bunch.

-EarlJam

[astoria26]

It was an interesting discussion to see their view of our team, but once again we get the "not a Final Four team" rip:

"It's a nice team with nice pieces but not a championship-type team unless of course you're talking Maui Invitational"

So because we just won a preseason championship in Maui, means we're actually not a "championship-type team"? What exactly do you have to be these days to be considered FF material? Did they not see the Wisconsin game? I thought we handled that "can we handle bigs?" question pretty well. Whatever . . I just can't wait until the UNC game Feb 6 next year. That will finally put to rest, once and for all, all this second guessing about whether Duke belongs in the Top 5 or not.

[EarlJam]

It was an interesting discussion to see their view of our team, but once again we get the "not a Final Four team" rip:

"It's a nice team with nice pieces but not a championship-type team unless of course you're talking Maui Invitational"

So because we just won a preseason championship in Maui, means we're actually not a "championship-type team"? What exactly do you have to be these days to be considered FF material? Did they not see the Wisconsin game? I thought we handled that "can we handle bigs?" question pretty well. Whatever . . I just can't wait until the UNC game Feb 6 next year. That will finally put to rest, once and for all, all this second guessing about whether Duke belongs in the Top 5 or not.

They are simply dead wrong. True, this team may not make it to the Final Four. We all know how difficult that is for anyone. But this team has what it takes to get there and I believe they have potentially have what it takes to win the whole thing.

This is not a normal statement coming from me, Earljam. I usually find myself downplaying expectations. I'll toot just a little and say that I've only predicted a national championship in a handful of years (1992, 1999, 2001 and 2002). Okay, I was wrong for two of those but 50 percent isn't bad. I've seen a lot of hoops and I really like what I see in this team.

I'm not predicting a championship by any stretch but can we get to the Final Four? No doubt about it. Can we win it all? It's not out of the realm of possibility for these guys.

-EarlJam

[Bob Green]

Good article thanks for the link. A login wasn't required for me.

Illinois and Wisconsin are both big teams and we beat them solidly. We haven't faced a team with an All-America candidate big man yet, but so far the fears surrounding our lack of an inside presence seem unfounded.

As far as the comments about Duke living by the three and dying by the three if a cold shooting spell arrives...that has been true in years past as well. The difference this year is we have multiple players who can bury it from three point range: Paulus & Henderson of the starting five with Scheyer and King off the bench. Singler possesses 3-point range as well.

[SilkyJ]

Good article thanks for the link. A login wasn't required for me.

Illinois and Wisconsin are both big teams and we beat them solidly. We haven't faced a team with an All-America candidate big man yet, but so far the fears surrounding our lack of an inside presence seem unfounded.

As far as the comments about Duke living by the three and dying by the three if a cold shooting spell arrives...that has been true in years past as well. The difference this year is we have multiple players who can bury it from three point range: Paulus & Henderson of the starting five with Scheyer and King off the bench. Singler possesses 3-point range as well.

so does demarcus, although he's been focusing so much more on driving to the basket this year that he hasn't been shooting that much. I would like for him to find his stroke as I think he can avg 16+ppg if he shot it a little more.

[Saratoga2]

so does demarcus, although he's been focusing so much more on driving to the basket this year that he hasn't been shooting that much. I would like for him to find his stroke as I think he can avg 16+ppg if he shot it a little more.

I have been very happy with what DeMarcus has been doing to date. I think for him, less is more. Less forcing the ball inside and less outside shooting when he is cold. He seems to have recognized how and when to get to the basket and when to take the outside shot. Now he seems happy to draw the defense and dish to an open shooter. To me it is a sign of his maturity and trust in his teammates. His defense is also stellar and he is clearly one of the most valuable all around players on the team.

[dyedwab]

"They live and die by the three" is a common (and often correct) criticism of past Duke teams but not this year. Yes, we do and should fire the ball up from Three land often during a game but we also have the ability to slash to the basket - something we've been doing a lot with success.

-EarlJam

I agree completely with this. One of the things I had been noticing was that until the Wisconsin game, the three hadn't been the key component of our offensive arsenal that it had been in the past. Also, Scheyer, Henderson, and Nelson, have all taken and made nice mid-range jumpers that we haven't seen in a couple of years.

[Sir Stealth]

They are simply dead wrong. True, this team may not make it to the Final Four. We all know how difficult that is for anyone. But this team has what it takes to get there and I believe they have potentially have what it takes to win the whole thing.

I often fail to understand how people who closely follow college basketball could look at any team in the top 25 at the beginning of the season and say that they can't compete for a final four or championship. It is almost more the norm than the exception for teams to come out of nowhere when making deep runs into the tournament. The crazy format of college basketball's postseason means that while it's perfectly legitimate to argue who has the best shot, it is hard to say that a team has no shot. And we're talking about a team here that is currently ranked in the top 10 and is getting close to being in the top 5. So yes, this Duke team has what it takes to win championships besides the Maui Invitational, whether they ultimately do or not.

All that aside, I personally think that Duke actually is one of the best teams in the nation and wouldn't have to make a longshot run. There's still work to be done, but they certainly have as much talent as anyone, and I think that Coach K will be up to the task this year when it comes to maximizing that talent. Can't wait to see how it plays out.

[Sir Stealth]

So to be clear, I think that EarlJam is dead on.

[feldspar]

Jeff Zillgitt: While they shot well last night, the Blue Devils also strike me as a team that can also die by the outside shot.
Tim Gardner: I couldn't have put it better. We always talk about mid-majors living and dying by the three-point shot. I sometimes wonder if Duke can sustain a stretch where they go cold.
Tim Gardner: But do they have the interior defense to battle with the likes of UNC and other top teams?

This excerpt shows that the panel members clearly don't really understand how Duke has been successful this year.

We don't live by the outside shot, therefore we're not going to die by it. We live by our ability to pass the ball well and slash into the lane. You'll notice that D-Marc has gotten exceptionally well at it this year, Hendo is always a threat to do something in the paint. When the lane is closed on the slash, we're doing a good job of kicking it outside to King and Scheyer and Paulus for an easy three. This is fundamentally very different than running an offense around the 3-pt shot as we did when we had JJ.

As far as our interior defense, it's been really pretty good, and our overall defense is exceptional. We are closing down the passing lanes so that the ball has a difficult time even making it down to the low block. This is creating lots of turnovers, and since we're faster and more athletic this year with the addition of Singler, Hendo being even quicker than last year and Greg not having a bum foot, we're taking more advantage of the fastbreak opportunities.

It's unfortunate that these guys are opining on something which they don't really have a clue about, but I guess we shouldn't expect them to be paying that close of attention to every team.

[Bob Green]

so does demarcus, although he's been focusing so much more on driving to the basket this year that he hasn't been shooting that much. I would like for him to find his stroke as I think he can avg 16+ppg if he shot it a little more.

I am the biggest DeMarcus Nelson fan on the board, but his 3-point stroke isn't there so far this season. Through seven games, he is shooting 25% (4/16) from behing the arc. However:


King (19/37) 51.40%
Scheyer (11/22) 50%
Paulus (13/28) 46.40%
Hendo (5/12) 41.70%
Singler (7/18) 38.90%

When DeMarcus finds his stroke, six of the top seven in the rotation will be able to bury the deep ball. I'm not worried about one player having a bad shooting night.