Duke MBB vs. Davidson Pre-Game & In-Game Thread

[Bob Green]

Place your pre-game & in-game comments here.

[SilkyJ]

I think this team is a legit top 5 team. and I think this game is going to dispell the few critics left out there against that statement.

I'm expecting a blowout. I think we played great against wisconsin but we blow out teams we should often beat but shouldn't blow out at home all the time. that's cameron. i'd like to see us have and hold a 15-20 pt lead for half the game and that's what I'm expecting.

[dukepsy1963]

I think it will be closer than many might think. But holding Curry down will be the key...

Personal aside: I will be at this one. I am excited about this since I have not been able to attend a Duke game since I graduated during the Kennedy Administration...or was it the Punic Wars? I forget... Anyway, I am excited young man!!

---------
Trinity '63
High in the Mountains of N.C.

[mgtr]

Personal aside: I will be at this one. I am excited about this since I have not been able to attend a Duke game since I graduated during the Kennedy Administration...or was it the Punic Wars? I forget... Anyway, I am excited young man!

Consideriing the era, and our ages (I graduated from another school about the same time), I think you meant "Pubic Wars."

[dukestheheat]

Davidson is a very competitive team and they pushed Carolina HARD recently.

So, if we win by 10 and Carolina could only muster a 4 point win....let's see......10/4=2.5. So that means by MY MATH that Duke is right now 2.5 times BETTER than Carowhina. I will bet you a 10 stamp that the Hole faithful will watch our game this weekend and compare the Hole outcome with the Duke outcome.

Carolina delenda est.

dth.

[riverside6]

I'd agree that Davidson is a very good team, and their guards are good enough to handle the Duke pressure. For me, Curry is one of the most fun players to watch in college basketball right now. He has a great ability of getting himself scoring opportunities and will certainly be a real challenge for Demarcus Nelson (http://www.scacchoops.com/forms/players.asp?search=demarcus nelson) and other Duke defenders.

If Duke doesn't come out attacking, you can fully expect a back and forth game because Davidson will not fold easily.

[CMS2478]

That we are considering Davidson such a big game...but I guess that says a lot about the strides their program has made. I read numerous posts on IC from Carolina fans that said "Duke is not for real" or "Duke is overrated, wait til' they play Davidson." But the funniest of them all are the posts that say that they won't admit Duke is for real until we beat Davidson convincingly. First of all, when did Davidson become the measuring stick and secondly, does anyone else see the irony in this that Carolina couldn't beat them convincingly so does that make Carolina "not for real" or "overrated?" I hope we beat Davidson by 20+ so we can make those Carolina fans sweat a little bit. ;)

[riverside6]

For me it goes to show the perfect storm for a mid-major. Take a handful of experienced players and add in an NBA caliber player, and you have yourself a team that can make noise nationally.

[whereinthehellami]

Starters
Curry SO 6-0
Richards SR 6-2
Gosselin JR 6-6
Meno SR 6-8
Sander SR 6-8

Reserves, over 10 MPG
Barr SO 6-4
Archambault SO 6-6
Rossiter SO 6-7
Lovedale JR 6-8

Notes

Davidson as a team shoots 46% from FG, 68% FT, and 34% from 3.
Duke as a team shoots 50% FG, 73% FT, and 42% from 3.
Curry averages 26 PPG, 2.2 SPG, and shoots 50% FG, 93% FT, and 42% form 3 (making 23 already)!
Davidson has a better A/TO ratio (1.8/1 to Duke's 1.1/1), and more SPG (9.6 to Duke's 8.3), more RPG (41.2 to Duke's 38.3).
Duke and Davidson both average 87 PPG.
Against UNC Curry shot 8-22 from the field and 2-12 from 3.
In Davidson's other loss to Western Michigan, Curry fouled out, he also had 4 fouls against UNC and NC Central also.


Key to game
Curry is the X factor, he is capable of being close to unstoppable. All of his opponets have no known this, focused on him, and he as still shot 50% FG, 93% FT, and 42% from 3. But I think the key is to run at him on the offensive end. He is foul prone and has had foul trouble issues this year. Duke should attack him with the ball the whole game. This should be a good test for Duke's defense, especially the help defense.

[Indoor66]

I'd agree that Davidson is a very good team, and their guards are good enough to handle the Duke pressure. For me, Curry is one of the most fun players to watch in college basketball right now. He has a great ability of getting himself scoring opportunities and will certainly be a real challenge for Demarcus Nelson (http://www.scacchoops.com/forms/players.asp?search=demarcus nelson) and other Duke defenders.

If Duke doesn't come out attacking, you can fully expect a back and forth game because Davidson will not fold easily.

All due respect, but IMO the issue is at the other end of the court. I think we can hold their guards to a reasonable level, can more than hold their front court; the question is how to they stop us? We will run them into the ground and win by 20 to 30 points. Take it to the bank! ;)

[mus074]

My predictions based on stats so far have been pretty far off. Nonetheless, a team's performance to this point is still relevant as key to the game. I'll just leave the educated guessing as to the outcomes to you folks.

Davidson is fairly easy to get a grasp of. They turn the ball over rarely. They shoot a lot of threes but not as well as they shoot their twos, compared to the rest of the country. They get lots of assists. They shoot FTs very well, but get to the line very, very little. They get very few offensive rebounds, which ends up being the the clearest indicator of offensive success: their offensive efficiency has a very high correlation to their offensive rebounding. If they're not getting the orebs, their offense suffers a great deal.

Their defense does a much better job of corralling the boards. The defense also creates a high level of turnovers. But that's where the positives end. They do a mediocre at best job of impacting shooting percentages, send the opposition to the FT way too much and are prone to giving looks at the three and assisted baskets. In sum, once the opponent gets past the pressure, there is a high probability of a made basket and/or a FT. Missed shots seem to find their way back to the defense, though.

Duke's offense is shooting lights out, getting a respectable amount of its misses back and getting to the FT line a good deal. Their TO %age has room for improvement. If Duke continues to shoot the ball well, get to the line and get a good amount of rebounds, their TOs shouldn't be too huge a factor.

Duke's defense turns over the offense at least as well as Davidson's and is the single biggest indicator of its defensive success. Duke's D also gets lots of rebounds, sends opponents to the line infrequently and allows few looks from beyond the arc. While funneling more shots inside the arc, Duke's defense against the two-point shot has been quite good. However, when 3FG's are attempted, teams fare better against the Devils. If Davidson gets streaky from 3-point land, they will keep feeding the shots outside and could make the game interesting. Duke's key to controlling that side of the floor will be to get rebounds. Davidson may well be able to weather the on-ball pressure and avoid the turnovers that Duke has created so far.

Davidson plays at medium pace, while Duke wants to run. Davidson's defense seems to fare better in the running game, creating turnovers, while their offense is less correlated to pace.

[FWIW, applying Pomeroy's predictive pythag formula, Duke wins 91-60 in a fast paced game.]

Interestingly, Davidson also blew out NC Central. Davidson's defense did a little bit better job that Duke's, but Duke's offense was far superior to Davidson's against Central. But then again, ND State, who is 2-3 with a horrible defense, played an almost identical game to Davidson's - so that comparison is nearly meaningless.

Of course, the comparisons to UNC's tight game against Davidson may also be meaningless, if not fun. Let's hope for a clear, statement win to put more fear into our conference foes. Everyone seems to be taking impressed notice of the Devils lately. Let's keep that up.

[riverside6]

All due respect, but IMO the issue is at the other end of the court. I think we can hold their guards to a reasonable level, can more than hold their front court; the question is how to they stop us? We will run them into the ground and win by 20 to 30 points. Take it to the bank! ;)

Agreed, I just don't think Davidson is going to fold like some are suggesting here. This is an experienced team that has some very good players on it. I don't think they have the athletic wing players to matchup with Nelson and Henderson though which is where Duke will have a big advantage.

[sandinmyshoes]

When I opened this thread I thought for sure I was opening a Duke vs. Davidson game thread. I had to recheck to make sure I had not opened a worry about what UNC fans think thread instead.

Davidson can make a game of this if they hit a high percentage of three point shots. Open and contested. Otherwise, they will be toasted.

[whereinthehellami]

Nice breakdown mus074, that was good reading.

[whereinthehellami]

This is an experienced team that has some very good players on it.

Very good point. I would be suprised with a blowout as well. If Duke is able to get a big lead early and extend it, I'll be very impressed.

[captmojo]

I think it will be closer than many might think. But holding Curry down will be the key...

Personal aside: I will be at this one. I am excited about this since I have not been able to attend a Duke game since I graduated during the Kennedy Administration...or was it the Punic Wars? I forget... Anyway, I am excited young man!!

---------
Trinity '63
High in the Mountains of N.C.

Good to know you're still a young man.;)

Yes. The holes are afearin' the sight of a Blue Devil blowout win against a common opponent. I'm not sure it will be a blowout, but it will be a win. McKillop is a fantastic coach and his team on offense can control the tempo with good ball handlers. Their biggest trouble is going to come from the difference of talent level in the frontcourt, and the speed that Duke will impose for their defense to keep up with.

Depending on how Duke shoots the ball.........
a win is expected here of between 10 to 15 points.

Carolina's Duke anxiety persists through the next Duke victim.:D

[SilkyJ]

Davidson is a very competitive team and they pushed Carolina HARD recently.

So, if we win by 10 and Carolina could only muster a 4 point win....let's see......10/4=2.5. So that means by MY MATH that Duke is right now 2.5 times BETTER than Carowhina. I will bet you a 10 stamp that the Hole faithful will watch our game this weekend and compare the Hole outcome with the Duke outcome.

Carolina delenda est.

dth.

that math checks out according to my calculator.

Seriously though, I think this will be another great test for Greg on defense. I feel that his defense has really improved this year and chasing curry around will help with his on ball and off ball defense.

Maybe the way to say it is that is should be a solid barometer for what we can expect when he faces the tyrese rices, singletaries and lawsons of the world.

[Karl Beem]

The game isn't on ESPN but ESPNU(navailable), right?

[4decadedukie]

I think it will be closer than many might think. But holding Curry down will be the key...

Personal aside: I will be at this one. I am excited about this since I have not been able to attend a Duke game since I graduated during the Kennedy Administration...or was it the Punic Wars? I forget... Anyway, I am excited young man!!

---------
Trinity '63
High in the Mountains of N.C.

GREAT for you . . . enjoy every moment!

[4decadedukie]

TiVo for me; I'll be in Baltimore at Army - Navy (fifty yard line seats in the section immediately proximate to the field are too precious to turn down).

Duke defeats Davidson by 10 to 15, but Davidson again demonstrates that it is a first-rate club, highly disciplined, proficient and likely to enter March's "Big Dance" as a true spoiler.

Go Blue Devils!

Go Mids!

[Classof06]

I think it hurts Davidson that they played so well against Carolina in that Coach K won't have to do much to get our guys to focus. I think our players (rightfully) respect Davidson and will play accordingly. Not that Duke takes games off, anyway.

We beat virtually the same Davidson roster by 28 last year and though both teams are since vastly improved, I believe Duke has improved more. No, the game won't be in Cameron this time but I still think Duke is the substantially better team.

Don't forget, that was Carolina's first game and as well as they played Carolina, this same Davidson team lost to Western Michigan 9 days ago.

Duke by 15+

[365Duke]

Consideriing the era, and our ages (I graduated from another school about the same time), I think you meant "Pubic Wars."

Did I read this right?:o

[Saratoga2]

Good to know you're still a young man.;)

Yes. The holes are afearin' the sight of a Blue Devil blowout win against a common opponent. I'm not sure it will be a blowout, but it will be a win. McKillop is a fantastic coach and his team on offense can control the tempo with good ball handlers. Their biggest trouble is going to come from the difference of talent level in the frontcourt, and the speed that Duke will impose for their defense to keep up with.

Depending on how Duke shoots the ball.........
a win is expected here of between 10 to 15 points.

Carolina's Duke anxiety persists through the next Duke victim.:D

This game will be played in an NBA arena. There have been times when Duke hasn't shot well in a new place. I guess the same could be said of Davidson. I won't be able to get the game so will have to rely on the excellent commentary provided in this website.

[mgtr]

Did I read this right?:o

As a student(?) I was far more concerned with the Pubic Wars than I was with the Punic Wars. I had (I am old now, so the past tense) a well-developed appreciation of the fairer sex.

[DBFAN]

I am so mad that the game is on ESPNU, why would they do that? I do not get that channel so I will miss this game. I also had to go to my parents house last night so I could catch the Dallas football game which for some stupid reason was on the NFL network. I do not remember any games last year for Duke being solely on the ESPNU (ESPU) whatever they call it. I am so pissed.

[gep]

No, the game won't be in Cameron this time but I still think Duke is the substantially better team.

but... if I recall correctly, games in Charlotte are "essentially" home games for Duke... and especially a large arena, Davidson fans will have a hard time overcoming the Duke faithful... I just hope they WIN:cool:

[Troublemaker]

I think it hurts Davidson that they played so well against Carolina in that Coach K won't have to do much to get our guys to focus. I think our players (rightfully) respect Davidson and will play accordingly. Not that Duke takes games off, anyway.


I agree.

Line for this game is Duke -8 for those interested.

[Indoor66]

Line for this game is Duke -8 for those interested.

Any Over/Under? I'll estimate ±158.

[Edouble]

Davidson comes in thinking they can play with anybody b/c they held off UNC for 39 minutes. Duke comes in knowing that Davidson is thinking they can play with anybody, and also wanting to prove they are the best team on tobacco road.

I saw UNC play the Wildcats, and while they have very good guards, I don't see how Davidson can put up the 80 points they would need to beat us.

Duke wins in a rout: 88-64.

[mcdukefan]

Did I read this right?:o

Long time no chat . . .

[throatybeard]

There's Charlotte and then there's Charlotte. UNC fans aren't going to turn out to cheer for Davidson over us. But they will turn out to cheer against us at an NCAAT game in Charlotte.

[vango]

I am so mad that the game is on ESPNU, why would they do that? I do not get that channel so I will miss this game. I also had to go to my parents house last night so I could catch the Dallas football game which for some stupid reason was on the NFL network. I do not remember any games last year for Duke being solely on the ESPNU (ESPU) whatever they call it. I am so pissed.

Try having that channel but your cable is out. Have every channel but that one and a few others. Can't get a technician to my home until Monday. I can watch Nickelodeon - but not ESPNU. Being denied by the basketball gods I guess..... :(

[vango]

Just under 8 min. left in the half and 3 Wildcat starters with 2 fouls each.

DU 22
Dav 17

Hopefully, the beginning of the end....I feel a run comin' on....

[Lord Ash]

Half time.

We look... well... our offense was very smooth for a spell there, lots of silky jumpshots. I feel like Lance and Brian look a little weak on D, but part of that is their PG being a fantastic passer. Curry (their leading scorer) sat a while with two fouls and we jumped on them, but he is back now. Defense was a bit ehhh to start, but picked up (especially when Curry sat.) Scheyer as usual looks sharp as heck, Greg looks fine. Demarcus hasn't done a ton and has two fouls; maybe a little too much head down stuff? Good rebounding tho overall. King does shoot from anywhere; he has hit one, but has missed a few (including one after a pair of missed free throws that I was sure was going in.) Gerald looks better than he did the last few games, hitting a few more. This will not be a blowout, they are really pretty good.

[DukieInBrasil]

It´s only half-time but we´re up by 9 which (according to previously accepted mathematical calculations) that we are 2.25x better than UNC. If we continue to win at this rate and win by 18, then we will be 4.5x better than UNC. Suh-weeeeet!!!!
Notice the 10 pts by Scheyer on 3 shots, almost unreal!!!!!

[grossbus]

"It´s only half-time but we´re up by 9 which (according to previously accepted mathematical calculations"

your math needs some work, we are up 11 at the half.:)

[Karl Beem]

Up by 11.

[DukieInBrasil]

yup, even better, that we´re up by 11, that means we´re just short of 3x better than the tools.
i forgot to mention a couple of things. Nice balance in the first half, scoring wise at least.
Unfortunately we did NOT close out the first half on an upswing, rather we let Davidson come just a bit closer than they were with about a minute left.
I´m not surprised that we´re playing well against Davidson, we´ve played them every year for a while now (someone got that info???) and kinda have them scouted out.

[devildeac]

no chat?

43-32 at the half, 43-40 now after a 4 minute non-slaught for us with poor D, bricks and a nice run by D'son. It's a ball game again.

[tbyers11]

Chat is not working for me either

[Papa Moon]

We look a lot like we did last year right now. We are not playing with that chip on our shoulders and all the players are just kinda standing around waiting for something to happen. Davidson is an extremely good team and i would not be surprised at all if we lose this one.

[DukieInBrasil]

terrible start to the 2nd half. Did we just forget how to play D altogether? We´ve finally started scoring again, but still haven´t igured out how to shut down the juggernaut of Davidson on O...

[devildeac]

lots of standing around watching on D, a 13 point lead is now 7 after a couple misses, a FT miss by TK(o-3 now?) and lots of hustle by D'son.

[DukieInBrasil]

what is up with TKs FTs? He is now shooting worse from the stripe, undefended, than he is from 3pt range. Must be mental. Maybe we should ask someone from Davidson to defend him while shooting FTs...

[Dukebacker]

Gerald is a stud.


Thats all there is to it.

[mcdukefan]

Need to put this one away . . . SOON!

[devildeac]

lead was 13, now 5 with 2 1/2 to go-stall ball ain't workin'-nor is the d

[mcdukefan]

Gp3!!!

[DukieInBrasil]

what is up withe nearly constant stat line for Davidson that reads ...made 2pt layup? Is anyone playing Defense?

[mcdukefan]

GP score

[mcdukefan]

75-68

[mcdukefan]

another Dav lay up 75-70

[mcdukefan]

14.6 sec

[mcdukefan]

77-70

[mcdukefan]

Close but it's a W . . . final 79-73 Duke