PDA

View Full Version : Duke MBB vs. Virginia Pre-Game and In-Game Thread



whereinthehellami
01-11-2008, 12:58 PM
Starters
Singletary 6-0, SR
Jones 6-4, FR
Diane 6-5, JR
Jospeh 6-7, SR
Scott 6-8, FR

Reserves, over 10 MPG
Baker 6-2, SO
Mikalauskas 6-8, JR
Tucker 6-8, SO
Tat 6-5, SO
Harris 6-6, SO
Meyinsse 6-8, SO
Pettinella 6-9, SR

Notes

Virginia is 10-3 and coming off a 38 point loss to Xavier
As a team UVA shoots 45% FG, 71% Ft, and 41% from 3.
As a team Duke shoots 49% FG, 69% FT, and 41% from 3.
For UVA 3 payers average double figures, Singletary (17.8), Joseph (12.6), and Diane (11.4).
For Duke 5 players average double figures, Nelson (13.7), Singler (13.0), Henderson (12.6), Scheyer (10.6), and King (10.2).
Singletary is shooting 39% FG, 84% FT, and 39% from 3.
UVA has 3 players shooting over 40% from 3, Diane (51), Baker (45), and Joseph (41).
Duke has 4 players shooting over 40% from 3, Paulus (46), King (46), Scheyer (44), and Nelson (42).
UVA is averaging more TO than Assists per game, 15.8:16.1.
As a team UVA averages 4 more RPG than Duke.
As a team Duke score more pts (+5), steals (+2), and blocks (+1.6) per gamethan UVA.


Thoughts
Duke and UVA match-up pretty well on paper. Small, athletic, scrappy, and good shooters. But in reality the two teams have taken two different approaches to playing the game. UVA relies on Singletary to carry them. When he struggles with the burden, they lose. Duke relies on a handful of players to win, though they struggle with their identity sometimes.

To me there are two keys to this game. First,this is an away game for a struggling UVA team. Has Singletary been overburdened? He should expect alot of pressure from alot of different Duke guys. Second, which team will be hotter from the outside? UVa has the shooters to be beat Duke if they get on a roll.

In the end, I think Duke wins a close game in which both teams shoot it pretty well from the outside. I think Duke has more talent than UVA and that carries the day when all things are said and done.

Bob Green
01-12-2008, 01:34 AM
There are a multitude of questions heading into our ACC opener. Will Lance Thomas play? Can Duke improve their performance from the free throw line? Can Kyle Singler avoid foul trouble against ACC competition? Will Jon Scheyer snap out of his shooting slump? How long before Brian Zoubek returns? Has Taylor King earned more playing time? Will Nolan Smith and Greg Paulus share the court? And the questions continue....

From my perspective, the Virginia game will be won by Duke playing Duke basketball. First and foremost, we must pressure the ball and convert turnovers into points. Second, we need to knock down open shots. Virginia has struggled with the transition game and they haven't been successful defending the 3-point line. If we play our game, we should run Virginia right out of the game.

Saratoga2
01-12-2008, 11:32 AM
There are a multitude of questions heading into our ACC opener. Will Lance Thomas play? Can Duke improve their performance from the free throw line? Can Kyle Singler avoid foul trouble against ACC competition? Will Jon Scheyer snap out of his shooting slump? How long before Brian Zoubek returns? Has Taylor King earned more playing time? Will Nolan Smith and Greg Paulus share the court? And the questions continue....

From my perspective, the Virginia game will be won by Duke playing Duke basketball. First and foremost, we must pressure the ball and convert turnovers into points. Second, we need to knock down open shots. Virginia has struggled with the transition game and they haven't been successful defending the 3-point line. If we play our game, we should run Virginia right out of the game.


Of the questions, I would think the ability of Lance Thomas to return in this game is probably the most important. I don't expect him to be 100% but it does reduce the concern relative to Singler's foul troubles.

I would add Singler's cold shooting from the 3 point line as another concern. He looks good shooting but they haven't been falling for him either. I thought King's play inside on defense is acceptable and he has the build of John Brockman, but not quite as strong. With his scoring ability, he can contribute when played more minutes. He does have to get back more quickly on defense. That is probably why he only played 12 minutes in the last game. Scheyer is good at so many things that he has contributed even though his shooting hasn't returned to his early form of last year. I have confidence that it will for him and that will make him even more valuable. Finally, I really like Nolan's contribution. He has the kind of ability, size and quickness that makes him very versitile. He can play sound defense, make plays and also finish very well. The more experience he gets this year, the more we will see him become a very solid player.

Who will play Singletary? Nolan? DeMarcus? Scheyer? Maybe we will tag team him.

bluedevils2008
01-12-2008, 11:51 AM
Is either thomas or zoubek going to play vs UVA?

mapei
01-12-2008, 12:18 PM
Is this the latest start to begin ACC play in a long time? Ever? It sure seems like it to me. The combination of the interminable-seeming semester break and starting ACC play in mid-January has kind of put me in a funk. It seems that everybody's been playing but Duke.

OZZIE4DUKE
01-12-2008, 12:42 PM
Who will play Singletary? Nolan? DeMarcus? Scheyer? Maybe we will tag team him.

DeMarcus will start the game on Singletary, but it will have to be a team effort.

RelativeWays
01-12-2008, 12:45 PM
Contain Singletary and we win easily, let him get hot and this could be a tense affair. Duke needs to come up aggressive and but teams away. We had chances against Cornell and Temple but we let them come back. Singletary is the type of player we have the most problems with. I want revenge from last year, I want Virginia destroyed, no less.

grossbus
01-12-2008, 12:57 PM
i won't be getting this game, because my cable company is retarded, so in-game reports will be appreciated.

-jk
01-12-2008, 01:25 PM
i won't be getting this game, because my cable company is retarded, so in-game reports will be appreciated.

Visit the snrubchat.

-jk

bbar7502
01-12-2008, 01:41 PM
i am going to be super positive here and say that lance will play and that we will have a lot of the rust shaken off. our defense will be sharp which will lead to easy baskets and our guys will have a good shooting night. duke will win by 25. nobody bring me back to reality please......:)

CameronCrazie
01-12-2008, 05:10 PM
Who is going to start tomorrow night? Same as against Temple? Virginia gives us a pretty different look from Temple.

Fish80
01-12-2008, 05:15 PM
If LT is 100%, I think he will get the start. So it would be Paulus, Nelson, Henderson, Singler, and Thomas. If LT doesn't start, then probably McClure. But it's always possible K will mix it up, maybe start King or Smith. Not sure that it matters much, they'll all play big minutes.

dukestheheat
01-12-2008, 06:43 PM
Saratoga2-

You're asking who's going to guard Singletary; if he starts giving Duke the torch then here comes Mr. Smith!

Duke needs a Stun Gun game and this could be IT. I know our performance since the Pittsburgh second half isn't reflective of where this team is going this year. I liked our first set versus Temple (simultaneous, twin low to high push and good spacing) and soon it'll be like the old days all over again. Yep, dth=prescient.

I'm just sayin'.

dth.

Devil in the Blue Dress
01-13-2008, 12:21 AM
While you guys are consulting each other over who's going to start tomorrow night, I've begun my pre-game preparation by thinking about Virginia games from the past. The old ACC schedules were set up so that we played the same teams about the same time each year. That sort of repeated pattern would tend to overlap with whatever prevailing long range trends occurred in the weather... at least that's how I've tried to explain my association with playing Virginia while snow falls outside.

The best example I remember came in the late 70's. The game was in February, a 9P start at home in Cameron. I had arrived early when the crowd was just beginning to assemble. As the teams worked out and the crowd filed in there was talk of the possibility of snow. About the time the game was to start, the announcer told the several thousand seated that it had begun to snow outside. A festive cheer arose and the game began for earnest.

Earlier that season when we played in Charlottesville, Virginia had won handily. The home crowd wanted that reversed in this game, demanded that it be reversed. The game was hard fought and closely played. People returning from outside during the halftime talked about how the snow was coming down at a steady pace, but few left to head home. The game was too tight. The score was too close. The outcome too important. Finally sometime after 11P the game ended with Duke winning by the narrowest of margins. As we all headed out of the hothouse atmosphere into the cold, it became clear that more than a little snow had fallen. I don't remember seeing anyone directing traffic anywhere..... not out of the parking lots nor exiting the campus. We were on our own. There was no traffic other than those slipping and sliding their way off campus into the night. A 20 minute ride home turned into an hour.

There have been other times we've played Virginia with snow falling outside while the game played out inside. Duke seems to play well when it snows, including during the conference tournaments. I've been watching the developing forecast for tomorrow night. There is a possibility of rain late accompanied by a few flurries.

ugadevil
01-13-2008, 12:42 AM
I really hope Gerald Henderson can come out and have a strong game and put together a consistent performance in the 1st and 2nd half. He seemed to struggle against Temple and disappears at times on the offensive end. If he can have a strong all-around game, I hope that will help his confidence heading into conference play.

speedevil
01-13-2008, 04:56 AM
im excited to see nolan smith guard singletary. singletary is a possible 1st team all acc guard and for smith to defend singletary its gonna be a great challenge.

gw67
01-13-2008, 09:03 AM
Singletary is the 2nd best player in the ACC. He is quick, but more importantly, he is very aggressive offensively. IMO, there may be individual players on UCLA and Kansas who could guard him one-on-one but the Devils will need to rely on a series of different players (Nelson, Paulus, Smith) and good team defense to harass him. I expect him to get his 20 points, regardless, but the defensive keys will be to make him work without fouling him and to keep close to Joseph, Diane and Baker who love to sit outside the three point line and shoot open threes.

If, in addition,the Devils take care of the ball, shoot well and keep the Cavs off their offensive boards (statistically, they are the best offensive rebounding team in the league), then I expect a 10-20 point win by the Devils.

gw67

merry
01-13-2008, 09:37 AM
.. Finally sometime after 11P the game ended with Duke winning by the narrowest of margins. As we all headed out of the hothouse atmosphere into the cold, it became clear that more than a little snow had fallen. I don't remember seeing anyone directing traffic anywhere..... not out of the parking lots nor exiting the campus. We were on our own...

For those of us able to walk back to our on-campus or near off-campus residences, it was a giddy end to a wonderful evening. I remember it well.

DukePA
01-13-2008, 10:20 AM
For those of us able to walk back to our on-campus or near off-campus residences, it was a giddy end to a wonderful evening. I remember it well.

I remember that evening. I was in high school at the time. When my parents returned home from the game that evening, I was celebrating the win by making snow angels. They thought I was nuts and of course I failed to tell them (at least until 20 years later) that I had consumed an entire bottle Taylor Lake Country Red while listening to the game on the radio.

We also associate snow with Duke Basketball success.

GO DUKE!!

Ignatius07
01-13-2008, 12:15 PM
Adam Kilgore wrote a fairly interesting piece (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/12/AR2008011202540.html?sub=AR) on Singletary in the Washington Post today.

pete
01-13-2008, 12:46 PM
For us to win this game we need:

Greg- To continue to play like the veteran he is and get everybody involved. He should continue to start until Nolan proves otherwise.

Demarcus - To keep doing what he's been doing all year being a leader by either attacking the basket and scoring, kicking out to our sharpshooters except Gerald 30% 3ptr's, or dishing underneath to Kyle for an easy two, and finally make his free throws.

Jon - To take more shots and create contact so he can get to the line. Jon continues to get everybody involved and is a true team player.

Gerald - To dish to his teamates on let's say a 3 on 2 if he doesn't have a shot. On numerous occasions Jon, Demarcus, Greg, Kyle, etc. have been open while Gerald is doing his best Kobe Bryant Whirlybird impression. Some go in quite a few lately have not been. Pass! Pass! Pass! and much like Demarcus make your free throws! Gerald is scary good just needs to dish it sometimes

Kyle- To avoid unecessary fouls and play within the offense. Sometime soon Kyle will have a breakout game and score 30. GO DUKE!

Classof06
01-13-2008, 06:19 PM
Adam Kilgore wrote a fairly interesting piece (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/12/AR2008011202540.html?sub=AR) on Singletary in the Washington Post today.

Adam Kilgore's twin brother is actually a Duke grad, Class of '06 as well. Adam went to Syracuse.

pbc2
01-13-2008, 08:01 PM
ESPN.com's "Preview" of tonight's game says that Zoubek is out with a broken foot; I had read on here a few days ago that it was simply "re-injured." Does anyone have any additional info on the extent of his injury and expected return?

dukestheheat
01-13-2008, 09:11 PM
half-time:

coming out, we need to bring that intensity and daggers!

also, jon scheyer needs to keep shooting that long-range jumper. he's a great shooter and we desperately need his leadership in scoring points on offense, not just passing. he's passed up three wide open jumpers for passes this first half already, and i am 100% certain that K is going to 'chat' with him at the half about TAKING those wide-open looks.

LOOKING GOOD!

THROTTLE UP DUKE!

dth.