This Team is as Tough as Nails - Duke MBB vs. Maryland Post-Game Thread

[Jumbo]

Period. P-E-R-I-O-D.

[Indoor66]

Period. P-E-R-I-O-D.

You got that right.

[3rd Dukie]

Period. P-E-R-I-O-D.

Spot on. Exactly the right word.
These guys are quickly becoming one of my 2-3 all time favorites, out of about 45 years.

WOW! What a fabulous win.

[dukie8]

Period. P-E-R-I-O-D.

there are a lot of weapons in the arsenal.

[pamtar]

Amen brother! Best win of the year!

[dukelifer]

Teams often take on the personality of their seniors. Nelson is Tough!! That was a big time- put the team on your back performance. Probably his best at Duke.

[Taco]

Gutty win and I'm happy



..... buuuuuut no way should that Maryland team have put up 80+ on us. The help D seemed a full second behind tonight, especially in the first half.

[Lavabe]

... and I wonder what Sweaty Gary is saying in the post game press conference.

[godukerocks]

A fitting game for the 7 year anniversary of the Miracle Minute.

Duke was down by 9 at the half in both games.

This time it didn't take a ten point last minute comeback.
Great game for Duke.

[mgtr]

Nelson, Henderson, and Smith were great, but everybody contributed. I was particularly to see really useful activity from Thomas -- maybe I am late to the story, but the last few games he has really improved !

[gotoguy]

Nice comeback. Markie was huge. Osby was tired. The interior defense was much better. We made some free throws and Nolan stepped up for Scheyer and GP. Big road win.

[loran16]

Thoughts

The Refs- The refs were slightly home team-biased, but not too much. A VERY nice noncall all night was the fact that lance thomas was throwing moving picks and screens the entire freaking game, to not a single call. This was critical, as lance played an essential part of the final few minutes.

Once again, we needed turnovers, good shooting, and good D to beat a team with a bigger inside. We lacked the good shooting and D in the first half, but fixed that in the 2nd. We shouldnt be allowing 40 in a half to maryland, never the less 51.

All in all, an essential road game experience the team needed to get themselves ready for playing at carolina. Still we shouldnt look past the two games coming up, as any acc team can put this team down if we play badly.

[77devil]

Our guys simply would not lose with pure determination. What great energy coming out of the half. The first minute and a half completely changed the momentum. And when Singler and Paulas went to the bench with 4 fouls, Nolan and Demarc played huge.

A huge win and confidence builder on the road.

Only ? is Jon's shooting which has been poor lately. He was missing badly tonight.

[thomas]

What an impressive start to the second half!

The technical in the 1st half worried me; I thought #2 and a trip to the locker room was coming soon. But it's good to see that emotion erupt. GTHC.

[Madrasdukie]

Period. P-E-R-I-O-D.

Very tough, indeed.

[77devil]

I see flames rising from College Park.

[Billy Dat]

-Nelson's performance one of the finest by a Duke player in years. With Singler and Paulus sidelined with foul trouble, he puts us on his back. This was a career defining game for him. We're tough because he sets the example.

-How about Nolan Smith? The kid is coming on like gangbusters.

-G was $

-Lance Thomas, keep playing like this!

-Singler was saddled with fouls yet he still hits a huge 3 in the second half. Not enough is being said about how he has totally changed his normal game to give this team what it needs. What an unselfish player.

-For the most part, we hit the free throws we needed to.

-We gave up way too many lay-ups, but it was a strange kind of game that way. I think we should have thrown the zone at them a few times to mix it up.

This win should shoot our confidence into the stratosphere. This team means business!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Teton Jack]

Freaking awesome!!

[dw0827]

This team has that intangible quality . . . character . . . that can't be taught. They are soooo mentally tough.

Again, last year we lose. Down 9 at the half . . . crowd is going ape-s**t . . .

Not this year.

Jumbo, you can have your crush on Scheyer . . . I understand it now . . . cuz I have a serious man-crush on Markie. What a stud. Don't even bother with the poll. Man of the game. He willed us to that win.

I LOVE THIS TEAM!

[cajundevil74]

What a great win! Nolan Smith was superb, as was Gerald and Demarcus. Lance Thomas was HUGE too.

A couple of points ... what happened to Scheyer? He's had two bad games in a row.

[Indoor66]

Only ? is Jon's shooting which has been poor lately. He was missing badly tonight.

Remember, the sun don't shine on the same dog's butt every day. He will be fine.

[grossbus]

must have been some 2nd half. i hate my cable company.

[bbar7502]

I LOVE THIS TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
good thing demarkie has broad shoulders because he was every bit the senoir leader tonight. we are for real!

[duketaylor]

I told the wife I couldn't believe we gave up 51 in the 1st half. K was pissed; I told her they'd get an asswhoopin at half-time and play better D. Nolan Smith was studly in the 2nd as Greg sat. Plus Kyle sat some. I think Lance had a decent game and am surprised we didn't see more of TK. I thought TK could've separated Duke from UM in the second and made it a 20-point game. Hey, I'm not the coach, though.
Have I mentioned before that I think Nolan will play lots of PG? I still do.
Dude has lots of game, IMO.
Markie was just awesome. Go Senior!!

[Jumbo]

This team has that intangible quality . . . character . . . that can't be taught. They are soooo mentally tough.

Again, last year we lose. Down 9 at the half . . . crowd is going ape-s**t . . .

Not this year.

Jumbo, you can have your crush on Scheyer . . . I understand it now . . . cuz I have a serious man-crush on Markie. What a stud. Don't even bother with the poll. Man of the game. He willed us to that win.

I LOVE THIS TEAM!

Oh, I've got a huge one on Nelson right now too. Huge. It's amazing how he has transformed his game this year. Amazing.

[91devil]

A ball-sey week....two road wins in tough venues.

Way to finish a game strong, fellas!

[DukePA]

This team has that intangible quality . . . character . . . that can't be taught. They are soooo mentally tough.

Again, last year we lose. Down 9 at the half . . . crowd is going ape-s**t . . .

Not this year.

Jumbo, you can have your crush on Scheyer . . . I understand it now . . . cuz I have a serious man-crush on Markie. What a stud. Don't even bother with the poll. Man of the game. He willed us to that win.

I LOVE THIS TEAM!

Markie: MOTM, for sure.

I can't wait to hear my tarhole co-worker's comments tomorrow! I didn't say a word last week, but it was certainly tempting. GTHC!!! GO DUKE!!!

[banneheim]

The play where Nelson beat out Hayes for the loose ball, just exemplifies what this team is about! I love this team's toughness. We learned a lot from that Pitt game.

[mgtr]

Grossbus-
As the ad says, try Directv. At least 10 different Fox Sports channels carried the game.

[77devil]

Remember, the sun don't shine on the same dog's butt every day. He will be fine.

Agreed and the rest of the team compensated which is what makes this team so effective.

[devildeac]

I was going to the kitchen to prepare my crow-I like it grilled, but Lavabe reminded me it wasn't Kosher so I am going to grill some terrapin instead(and I'm not even Jewish!)

[Troublemaker]

Gutty win and I'm happy



..... buuuuuut no way should that Maryland team have put up 80+ on us. The help D seemed a full second behind tonight, especially in the first half.

True but without the bad defense this victory wouldn't have been as sweet. You want to be tested in different ways during the season and tonight Duke passed the "comeback after a poor half" and "surviving foul trouble" tests. With flying colors.

[gw67]

Terrific performances by Nelson, Henderson and Smith. The other keys were good deny defense which led to a bunch of turnovers and the Duke bench. The Devils had fresh bodies for the whole game. In the second half the Terps' starting five had heavy legs which hurt them on defense, the boards and some late free throws.

I thought the officiating was pretty much down the middle.

gw67

[77devil]

Oh, I've got a huge one on Nelson right now too.

Please. This is a family sight.

[JStuart]

"tough as nails" absolutely. This was an over-arching team win, from the coaches to the substitution patterns. Forget the details, the players listened to the coaches, and did what was needed to win the game, one I was prepared to write off, seeing the energy Maryland had.
This team is just plain wonderful, and I think they're discovering just how good they can be.
Super, super win.

[devildeac]

Grossbus-
As the ad says, try Directv. At least 10 different Fox Sports channels carried the game.

someone in chat said they had about 8 fox channels and NONE had the game-great network

[DukeBlood]

This is a game Duke loses last year.

On the ESPN box-score it said Duke only had 9 assists? Is that correct? Seems very low. Thought I remembered about that many in the first half, Guess not.

Nelson, Henderson, and, Smith what games. A combined 18 boards between the 3 of them. Thats HUGE! Not to mention 64 points between them.

For those of you who said When will Smith start? Smith logged 21 minutes and Paulus logged 20 minutes. Of course this is due to the fact that Paulus was in foul trouble.

Scheyer.. Im not sure what to say about him. A poor game tonight but needs to be more consistent. Like Jumbo ;) I believe hes very important to this team. Just needs to step it up.

* All stats of ESPN-- Sometimes they aren't very accurate.

[CameronBlue]

A few quick thoughts:

First to join with others who've remarked about this team's toughness. Singler and Paulus out with 4 fouls from about 7:30 on, and the team only seemed to get tougher. Incredible.

Subpar games from Paulus and Scheyer (who didn't get a shot past the rim all night, never seen him so flat.) King is like whoa, Nam-vet having a flashback cause he's spraying the ball all over the place. Needs to become a little more disciplined before he can be counted upon for consistent points. Lance Thomas, two games in a row with solid contributions. Smith and Singler are already playing like seniors. All around super effort.

[dukelifer]

What a great win by this team. First game all year they trailed at half and in a very difficult place to play. Maryland was playing out of their heads in the first half- but it was the last two minutes that produced the separation- mostly because Duke could not match the emotion of Maryland and deal with Osby. Osby is a really nice player. But that emotion wore the Terps out at halftime. At the 7 minute mark- they looked dead tired. Duke took advantage and played really strong down the stretch. Nelson was great- probably his best game at Duke. He did everything on the floor! Henderson showed his brilliant self again- it is so nice when the great Gerald comes to play. Smith was outstanding- at times the best player on the floor. He gives Duke such a different look when he is in there. Also huge props to Lance. Got some great putbacks and hit those throws at the end. Paulus played great early and hits his throws at the end. Yes he had that bad turnover or two – but he was rock solid on the line. This was a great team win again. These guys love winning and again somehow everyone contributes at different moments. Just a great comeback and great win. Duke did not play out of their heads to get there- they just wore Maryland out.

[Indoor66]

someone in chat said they had about 8 fox channels and NONE had the game-great network

I got it on 2 Fox channels.

[Saratoga2]

Tonight we faced a power inside game with both Gist and Osby as big, athletic players capable of making shots in close. In addition, Maryland was getting a lot of calls on our bigs, even when they threw themselves into our inside players.
I expect there will be a big deficiency in the rebounding, although we did much better in the second half. How did we win? We played good perimeter defense and turned Maryland over 22 times. We had a great games from Nelson and Henderson, who we nearly unstoppable. Nolan Smith stepped up to play an excellent game and Lance Thomas has really been coming along and none too soon.
This was an impressive come from behind win. We had to overcome a very difficult situation in an away game and did just that. I am more impressed with our team after this game than after any of our previous ones. We are tough minded and will never quit.

[bbar7502]

in years past if we have had that much foul trouble (singler, paulus, lance..etc) we wouldnt have pulled it out but there is something special about this team.... a serious threat to push play on one shining moment...:D

[dw0827]

Oh, I've got a huge one on Nelson right now too. Huge. It's amazing how he has transformed his game this year. Amazing.

You're right. Its really fun to watch him grow before our very eyes. Easily his best game of the year.

And how about Nolan. No freshman mistakes that I recall . . . just very mature decision-making. And, of course, a modicum of talent. Played like he belonged out there.

[mapei]

in the first half we allowed their bigs to do pretty much whatever they wanted, while we took and missed a bunch of 3s. In the second, everything changed; it was like watching a completely different team. Great win.

I watched Gary's press conference. He was warm and charming, as always, and mentioned that MD beat UNC about 14 times.

[Indoor66]

I watched Gary's press conference. He was warm and charming, as always, and mentioned that MD beat UNC about 14 times.

... as a NC coach of a NC program should.

[Jumbo]

More to love about this team:

Two of Duke's four best offensive players -- Singler and Scheyer -- were really off. Singler missed a ton of easy shots inside and open looks outside. Scheyer couldn't seem to figure out where to get shots, and when he did shoot, he was consistently short. And, guess what? Duke scored 93 points.

93!!! That felt like two games' worth last season. Nelson, Henderson and Smith took turns carrying the offensive load. It started with a little too much iso-ball for my liking, but Gerald was on. And from there, the drive-and-kick game really picked up. It was beautiful to watch.

This team has options, and plays together. And even when Kyle and Jon were struggling, they found ways to contribute. Kyle helped force a couple of key turnovers in the second half and hit that big three. And Scheyer kept a pair of possessions alive with tap-outs off missed shots.

Great team effort.

[Johnny B]

...Alamodome, here we come!
:D

[yancem]

The play where Nelson beat out Hayes for the loose ball, just exemplifies what this team is about! I love this team's toughness. We learned a lot from that Pitt game.

Anyone still doubt that the Pitt games was a "good loss"? We really learned to closes out games and I credit most of our toughness to that game!

[Troublemaker]

Oh, I've got a huge one on Nelson right now too. Huge. It's amazing how he has transformed his game this year. Amazing.

The latest in the long line of Duke seniors who stepped up their games dramatically in their final year and made us proud.

Duhon, Dahntay, Cwell, Roshown, Capel, Collins, Meek, GHill, Lang, Phil, Alaa, Strick.

And now Markie.

[DukeUsul]

Two things I loved about this game

1) Besides the basketball moves LT showed, I loved his attitude. Some guys might whine, moan, b***h and cry if MD's bigs had such a big game inside, but every time Osby or Gist got an easy layup, you could see LT clap his hands, nod the head.... looked to me he was saying "next play." I love it.

2) Second great execution of stall ball in the last few minutes this week.

[Fish80]

Sweet! Awesome Baby! I love this team!

[DukeBlood]

You're right. Its really fun to watch him grow before our very eyes. Easily his best game of the year.

And how about Nolan. No freshman mistakes that I recall . . . just very mature decision-making. And, of course, a modicum of talent. Played like he belonged out there.

Not sure if to call it a "Freshman mistake" but he drove jumped up in the air and tried to force a pass to a open Nelson(I think). Vasquez picked the pass and threw a outlet pass to Gist(I think??) Then Nolan Fouled at the other end.

Really a quite minor thing as he was just trying to make a great pass. Didn't work out. Still had one of his best games. 14 points and 6 boards.

[dw0827]

I just absolutely love Henderson's pull-up jumper. It is so smooth. Seems like he can get off a good shot whenever he wants.

By the way, Jumbo, I'm still watching him . . . and he's doing much better about the "head down" thing. He isn't the best passer I've ever seen but at least he's looking now.

And that makes him so incredibly dangerous . . . because he can really collapse a defense with his penetration . . .

Yes, Scheyer and Singler didn't have great games. But they played and played hard. Singler did just fine, actually. How would you like to battle that front line? He did fine.

Scheyer. Seems like his legs weren't there. Whenever I used to tattoo the front of the rim, it was because my legs were gone . . . for whatever reason. Makes me wonder if Jon was slightly under the weather.

[dukestheheat]

WOW on that win for the team tonight! WOW, WOW! All that foul trouble, their crowd, down a sizable margin, and HERE COMES DUKE!

BIG win for our guys and this should help build the team's confidence; to come back 9 down in that arena is great news; Maryland hit a crazy % of shots in the first-half and we were well below our average, but the guys probably got a load of the Boogey Man at halftime in there with K, and they came out like a TOTALLY different team to start that second half.

They'll keep that tape and use that for motivation going forward this year. GREAT win for Duke and on we go!

dth.

PS And I am so thrilled to see my favorite Nolan Smith really coming on and helping this team. He is so much fun to watch out there and when he gets going in that open court, I just anticipate what he is going to do and guys, this one player helps Duke so much! We are so fortunate to have him on Duke.

[feldspar]

Man, I feel good tonight. Duke has shown so much toughness this week and the confidence is growing as a result. These guys never EVER doubted themselves. They may have gotten frustrated at times, but NEVER did they doubt.

I love this team. My favorite since '05-'06.

[blueprofessor]

:) http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=1376558

[wilson]

You know something is going on when Jumbo is straight giddy.
Everyone's already said it, but this team is nails...they have got the balls that last year's squad didn't quite develop. The 9-point deficit at the half was daunting...last year, I would have expected us to lose by 20. To battle the way the guys did all night says a lot about this team. I am beginning to slowly but surely really believe that this squad deserves mention among the nation's elite. To have this team playing this well with such challenges against certain teams is yet more confirmation of the obvious. Coach K is a flippin' genius.

[dukelifer]

Subpar games from Paulus and Scheyer (who didn't get a shot past the rim all night, never seen him so flat.)

Scheyer was off but Paulus played well early and late. He ended up with 12 points. That ain't bad.

[dw0827]

Not sure if to call it a "Freshman mistake" but he drove jumped up in the air and tried to force a pass to a open Nelson(I think). Vasquez picked the pass and threw a outlet pass to Gist(I think??) Then Nolan Fouled at the other end.

Really a quite minor thing as he was just trying to make a great pass. Didn't work out. Still had one of his best games. 14 points and 6 boards.

I saw Paulus do something like that. Nolan did too?

Even if so, he played a whale of a game.

[yancem]

... as a NC coach of a NC program should.

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

[dw0827]

:) http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=1376558

What leaps out at me is the rebounding. They outrebounded us . . . by one. Just one.

Amazing.

[billybreen]

This team rocks. That's all I have.

[Joehurley1]

Missed 2 fts but sure hit 2 big ones at the end. He really battled when he was in there as well.

[mapei]

Amazing that the rebound stats were even overall, with Duke actually better off the offensive glass. Maybe that's because MD wasn't missing much in the first half, ergo fewer opportunities on the offensive end?

[dw0827]

On a slightly different note . . . . I wish, oh I wish, McClure would get a little more aggressive on offense. The guy has got talent . . . how do we light a fire under his butt and get him more agressive?

[Jumbo]

I just absolutely love Henderson's pull-up jumper. It is so smooth. Seems like he can get off a good shot whenever he wants.

Ditto. And it's somewhat unusual these days at the college level. It's a great weapon that diversifies the offense.


By the way, Jumbo, I'm still watching him . . . and he's doing much better about the "head down" thing. He isn't the best passer I've ever seen but at least he's looking now.

I'm watching as well, and I'm torn. I think he's trying to make more of an effort in this regard. Make no mistake, though, when Gerald gets the ball, he's looking to score. That, for the most part, is a very good thing. A pass generally comes as a result of his getting bottled up/not being able to get off a good shot. He's still missing open guys off his initial penetration, and his head is still down. But I think his shot selection has been much better and -- as I said -- he really is trying to see the floor a bit better. It's not something that will improve overnight, and I appreciate the effort. The dish to a cutting Markie was really nice.


Yes, Scheyer and Singler didn't have great games. But they played and played hard. Singler did just fine, actually. How would you like to battle that front line? He did fine.

I think Kyle would be the first guy to tell you that he could've played much better. He missed a number of wide-open threes. He missed some chippies around the hoop. He can play better D in the post than he did tonight -- he was giving up some weight, but not much height. He's a smart defender and he'll do a much better job guarding the post when we play them in Cameron.

Also, you might remember I started a thread pretty early in the season worrying about foul trouble with him. He commits too many silly fouls, and that concern remains valid. Kyle has to use his fouls judiciously, because we'll need him on the floor against top teams.


Scheyer. Seems like his legs weren't there. Whenever I used to tattoo the front of the rim, it was because my legs were gone . . . for whatever reason. Makes me wonder if Jon was slightly under the weather.

Seems like a good hypothesis to me. We all missed a good portion of the first half, so it's hard to know how he started (I know he hit a jumper). He was definitely short on his shots, although I feel like he has been missing arc on his jumper for a while now. In the second half, he went a long time without touching the ball because the other guys were playing so well. So, when he got the ball, he didn't seem like he was in much of a rhythm. He wasn't sure whether to drive, shoot or pass. But, to his credit, he battled on the boards and played some solid D.

[yancem]

:) http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=1376558

They only out rebounded us by 1! and we got 4 more offensive rebounds then them! Wow, that's amazing!

[DevilHorse]

This is the first game where I've seen a team consistently challenge the long outlet "saver" pass, that is thrown when a team can't throw it in under their own basket, and not in the last minute of a game. I think we challenged and got it twice. With our quickness, and the usual haphazard way that pass is usually thrown (usually in the fifth of a 5 second count) you've got a real chance at getting what is essentially a jump ball. If you don't get the ball, there is plenty of time to recover. It's a great opportunity for a turnover if you don't mind a bit of unexpected hustle.

Larry

[Duvall]

Amazing that the rebound stats were even overall, with Duke actually better off the offensive glass. Maybe that's because MD wasn't missing much in the first half, ergo fewer opportunities on the offensive end?

Maryland had a ~8 rebound edge at the half, I think. Duke just got after it late in the second half.

[heath_harshman4]

Amen brother! Best win of the year!


While I agree this was a HUGE win on the road against a team I hate a lot, I still think the Marquette win in Maui was huge at the time. We were ranked slightly ahead of Marquette and took the Maui crown by 4 in a very hard fought tough game, that I think was Singler's coming out party. That showed this team that they were as good as we, and coach K thought and could be, and taught this team that they could win big games.

Don't get me wrong, this was a big win, but I don't think it was the best of the year.

[DukeBlood]

I saw Paulus do something like that. Nolan did too?

Even if so, he played a whale of a game.

I do remember that. That was when Paulus drove to the hoop and got caught in mid-air and tried hitting Nelson at the 3-point line.

This one by Nolan was when he was driving and was at the top of the key and Nelson was open under-neath the basket. Someone correct me if im wrong

[mapei]

btw, feldspar . . . your favorite team since . . . the one before last year? Going out on a limb there? ;)

[3rd Dukie]

What a great win! Nolan Smith was superb, as was Gerald and Demarcus. Lance Thomas was HUGE too.

A couple of points ... what happened to Scheyer? He's had two bad games in a row.

I know he has. It's almost as though he has had the flu. His shots were almost always short, as if he were exhausted.

[77devil]

:) http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=1376558

Can't believe our guys had only 9 assists. Belies the offensive system, but even if it's low by a couple it is still a surprise.

[beltwayBD]

in the first half we allowed their bigs to do pretty much whatever they wanted, while we took and missed a bunch of 3s. In the second, everything changed; it was like watching a completely different team. Great win.

I watched Gary's press conference. He was warm and charming, as always, and mentioned that MD beat UNC about 14 times.

He also seemed to blame it on "Duke got a couple possessions they shouldn't have" in one clip that I saw. Whatever. The calls are always a wash by the end. We got a charge at one point that should have been a block. That's just how it goes. We capitalized on every possession (by the end), and one by a margin more important than any particular call.

[Jumbo]

You know something is going on when Jumbo is straight giddy.

What's that supposed to mean? :confused: :confused: :confused:

[IStillHateJimBain]

Got to give some credit to the old Army captain for this one too. Maryland was scoring on baseline drives and dishes but there was no sign of the zone defense. K knew Maryland was gassed and about to collapse. This was a major move by K in terms of telling his guys he had the confidence that they could ignore the crowd and take the energy away from the home team and run out of there with a win. How many missed shots did we get back in a row? We were the aggressor. No surprise thanks to the greatest coach in college basketball.

[mapei]

as for G's shot selection, he was 9 for 12. I'll take that. :)

[Jumbo]

On a slightly different note . . . . I wish, oh I wish, McClure would get a little more aggressive on offense. The guy has got talent . . . how do we light a fire under his butt and get him more agressive?

I think Dave just doesn't have any confidence in his shot. He was never a shooter to begin with, and he has really struggled this year. He's also clearly not 100% healthy.

[freedevil]

Gosh I love when Gary Williams loses.

Go Duke!

[heath_harshman4]

No, not a dunk by Markie, or a clutch 3 by Singler, or even SILKY SMOOTH pull up jumper by Gerald.

No not those, but with under two minutes left, getting BACK-TO-BACK offensive rebounds that pulled about a minute and a half off of the clock. That's what this years team has that last years team doesnt.

This year, we know how to win, and can do it in tough environments against good teams...

I just got the goosebumps...:D

[mapei]

He also seemed to blame it on "Duke got a couple possessions they shouldn't have" in one clip that I saw. Whatever.

I perked up when he said that, but a couple of questions later, he said it a different way that made it clear he was talking about possessions that MD let get away - presumably referring either to missing the front end of 1-and-1s or to steals.

[pamtar]

This team has options...

That pretty much sums it up!

[dw0827]

I'm watching as well, and I'm torn. I think he's trying to make more of an effort in this regard. Make no mistake, though, when Gerald gets the ball, he's looking to score. That, for the most part, is a very good thing. A pass generally comes as a result of his getting bottled up/not being able to get off a good shot. He's still missing open guys off his initial penetration, and his head is still down. But I think his shot selection has been much better and -- as I said -- he really is trying to see the floor a bit better. It's not something that will improve overnight, and I appreciate the effort. The dish to a cutting Markie was really nice. D.

I understand what you're saying. Gerald does not have a point guard's mentality. No question. He's going for the score and he passes when . . . and only when . . . his move is stopped. But its encouraging that he is improving . . .

[dyedwab]

Once again Markie was our leading rebounder with 7 - that's not a surprise.

But our second leading rebounder was Nolan Smith with 6 - this the second time in the last couple weeks that has happened.

Nolan's game has been a revelation.

[captmojo]

Markie: MOTM, for sure.

I can't wait to hear my tarhole co-worker's comments tomorrow! I didn't say a word last week, but it was certainly tempting. GTHC!!! GO DUKE!!!

The quiet satisfaction of confidence in your team. It's always the best type. Also, it usually flies right over the head of your average tarhole, doesn't it?

The toughness is best shown in the fact that the Devils beat this Maryland bunch on their floor, on a night when they were lighting it up at a rate of 54% for the game. That's what being tough is all about. If this team can do that to them, the way they were playing, then I have no fear from the rest of the conference.

I'm going to admit it, and ask all of you this. Did you think that the air was let out of the ball a bit early tonight? With 5 minutes left to play, were you thinking, "No. Not yet!" :D Then I realized why. Too much foul trouble. The game needed to be shortened.

[Bob Green]

I've been a huge DeMarcus Nelson fan since he arrived at Duke. This season, and especially in this game, he is showing everyone how much talent he possesses. The injuries during his first two seasons really held him back. DN is the man!

Foul trouble will be Singler's nemesis this season. Nolan Smith keeps getting better and better every game. It appears Taylor King isn't going to see significant minutes against opponents with athletic frontlines.

Gerald Henderson, Greg Paulus, and Lance Thomas all looked good. I was extremely relaxed with Paulus on the free throw line late in the game.

[blueprofessor]

What leaps out at me is the rebounding. They outrebounded us . . . by one. Just one.

Amazing.



Duke's interior players (Singler: 7 pts,3 rebounds; Thomas: 6 pts, 2 rebounds ; McClure: 0 pts,2 rebounds): 13 points,7 rebounds
Maryland's interior players (Gist: 26 pts,5 rebounds ; Osby:20 pts, 15 rebounds):46 points, 20 rebounds
:(

[mapei]

I'm going to admit it, and ask all of you this. Did you think that the air was let out of the ball a bit early tonight? With 5 minutes left to play, were you thinking, "No. Not yet!" :D Then I realized why. Too much foul trouble. The game needed to be shortened.

I thought they slowed down at just the right moment, up 6 as I recall. I was applauding it. And, then, as someone else mentioned, those offensive rebounds at around the 2-minute mark were just huge, coupled with the stallball.

[heath_harshman4]

Earlier: well, i was more afraid of James Mays and Trevor Booker in the post for Clemson and KC Rivers at point for clemson than I am now of Maryland's guys. Still I don't expect a blowout, but with how we have been playing against maryland the last few years I expect Coach K to get the guys pumped and a double digit win for Duke...I'll say 87-75. With Henderson gettin 22...I expect a big game from him.



I wasn't too terribly far off. I went with the wild-card Hendo and he came through...but I didn't expect Scheyer to dissapear and Singler to only have 7 pts. OH WELL. GO DUKE!

[jzp5079]

Jumbo, you can have your crush on Scheyer . . . I understand it now . . . cuz I have a serious man-crush on Markie. What a stud. Don't even bother with the poll. Man of the game. He willed us to that win.

I LOVE THIS TEAM!

When describing a 'serious' man crush, I believe it is a man law that you must mention the mans full name. But it is understandable. Demarcus was a sexy beast of a man tonight. There is no denying that.

[heath_harshman4]

Duke's interior players (Singler: 7 pts,3 rebounds; Thomas: 6 pts, 2 rebounds ; McClure: 0 pts,2 rebounds): 13 points,7 rebounds
Maryland's interior players (Gist: 26 pts,5 rebounds ; Osby:20 pts, 15 rebounds):46 points, 20 rebounds
:(

The interior players can get all the rebounds they want, but if in the end were only a (-1) rebounding and have more offensive rebs, ill take it.

[calltheobvious]

...any idea what he might have yelled to DeMarcus in the second half?

[Jumbo]

Duke's interior players (Singler: 7 pts,3 rebounds; Thomas: 6 pts, 2 rebounds ; McClure: 0 pts,2 rebounds): 13 points,7 rebounds
Maryland's interior players (Gist: 26 pts,5 rebounds ; Osby:20 pts, 15 rebounds):46 points, 20 rebounds
:(


And yet Duke won ...
It just goes to show that there are many ways to skin a cat. Guards can rebound. Threes are worth more than two. Big men who can shoot (like Singler) can pull guys like Osby and Gist away from the hoop and open up opportunities for others. This is a good thing.

[dw0827]

Duke's interior players (Singler: 7 pts,3 rebounds; Thomas: 6 pts, 2 rebounds ; McClure: 0 pts,2 rebounds): 13 points,7 rebounds
Maryland's interior players (Gist: 26 pts,5 rebounds ; Osby:20 pts, 15 rebounds):46 points, 20 rebounds
:(

Ok. So what's your point?

It's a team game . . .

Do understand that we are a height-challenged team . . . and what will partially determine how deep we go in post-season play will be how we are able to counter that inherent weakness.

There are ways . . . we've done well so far. Remember Rupp's Runts?

It can be done.

[Duke76]

but G.H. is the "spittin" image of G.H. when he rises to shoot through the release.....beautiful to watch. i think the ball spins the same way, as well.

[dw0827]

And yet Duke won ...
It just goes to show that there are many ways to skin a cat. Guards can rebound. Threes are worth more than two. Big men who can shoot (like Singler) can pull guys like Osby and Gist away from the hoop and open up opportunities for others. This is a good thing.

You're just a faster typer than me. You da man.

[Karl Beem]

And yet Duke won ...
It just goes to show that there are many ways to skin a cat. Guards can rebound. Threes are worth more than two. Big men who can shoot (like Singler) can pull guys like Osby and Gist away from the hoop and open up opportunities for others. This is a good thing.

Back in the old days, the guards got most of the rebounds. They picked them up off the floor - the big guys blocked their men out.

[mapei]

The interior players can get all the rebounds they want, but if in the end were only a (-1) rebounding and have more offensive rebs, ill take it.

I just checked the box score. MD had 26 chances at offensive boards, Duke had 36. That explains the disparity in that column. Still, to get as many as we did was really impressive.

[mgtr]

Very, very good point. We want Paulus in at the end for free throw shooting. And, I happily thumb my nose at those who claimed that this years team would be as bad or worse than last years team. I never understood that thinking -- we have proven that we are much much better and much much tougher. I think (and this borders on heresy) that we are better than any Redick/Williams team, because we are more balanced. We give up a lot inside, but we have a multitude of weapons. Time will tell, as it always does. I expect us to be, at worst, an elite eight team. I would be concerned about us playing Kansas or Memphis (1 & 2 in my book), but everybody else is beatable, at least on a good night. UNC is a different story. In all honesty, I would be delighted to split with them at this point. We wiill just have to see.

[mapei]

Remember Rupp's Runts?

No. How many years ago? ;)

[watzone]

So are we giddy happy or happy giddy?

[wilson]

What's that supposed to mean? :confused: :confused: :confused:

Just that your palpable...dare I say...exuberance is really showing through, and that it's fun to see everyone around here enjoying this team so much.

[CatfiveCane]

What I liked from this game:

1) Duke's Toughness. They just didn't give up. Perfectly led by Demarcus Nelson. He was a man among boys out there. Didn't make any costly TOs during the second half. Played under control.

2) Nolan Smith. I personally think he's already better than Paulus. Notice how our lead mushroomed to 9 when Paulus was out. Smith is a better defender, scorer, and more athletic. Paulus is probably a better shooter, but Nolan Smith ain't too bad himself.

3) Lance Thomas. Continues to improve. Still needs to be more tough and aggressive. I'm not too sure what his natural position is. He's defin not a center, and he's too thin to be a PF. As a SF he lacks the ability to face up his opponent and drive (i.e. always seems to TO the ball over). Over the summer he probably needs to add 10-15 pounds. Also increase his shooting range.

4) Our defense in the second half. Some here have complained about the easy lay-ups during the second half for Maryland. Well, IMO, that's just a small price to play when you play an over aggressive, denying the lanes, defense. Since we lack the height, we need to deny the entry pass. We need to apply perimeter pressure 5 feet from the 3-point line.

What I didn't like

1) I'm kinda disappointed with David McClure. Besides being athletic and a heady player he doesn't really add much offensively. He's not a great rebounder. He is a decent defender, but if you watch the tape, he "lost" his player twice during the second half that led to easy scores for Maryland. IMO, he either needs to become a defensive hawk or develop a 18" shot to keep the defense honest.

2) Paulus. Sorry, but he's just not that good. Yes, he did make some nice FTs at the end, but Smith has surpassed Paulus in my opinion. He made that terrible TO when he got caught in the air. He's also a poor perimeter defender, leading to Duke interior players constantly having to help... leading to easy dunks for Maryland.

3) Lack of post-man. When day its going to kill us not having a "center". I afraid that might be against UNC. Lawson is going to be able to dribble circles around our perimeter defense. Who defends Pyscho-T or Thompson? I'm not too sure.


Eitherway, a great win for Duke. Man if only we had Patterson (UK player) we would be an awesome team.

[dw0827]

No. How many years ago? ;)

Mid-sixties . . . Pat Riley was one of them.

http://www.wildcatworld.com/stats/runts.htm

They lost the famous game against Texas Western.

[Virginian]

First, ditto to all of the above. Very satisfying comeback victory for sure.

Best of all, for me, is that I don't have to get a bunch of grief from all my DUKE fans in the D.C. area, who call and email me after every Duke loss at Comcast Center to whine: "All I ask is that you guys beat Maryland when you come to town. How am I supposed to go to work tomorrow with all those *&(%!! Maryland fans in my office?!"

Tonight I'm telling them all to take the high road. Don't return their moronic post-victory vitriol with the same thing, I tell them. Here's your line for every unhappy Maryland fan you meet: "Tough, tough game last night, fella. Turns out Maryland has a pretty good team this year. I think THIS year they may do really well in the NIT." Then walk away.

Sweet.

[DukeBlood]

Eitherway, a great win for Duke. Man if only we had Patterson (UK player) we would be an awesome team.

Yeah, If we had him we would be like the #3 ranked team in the country, Undefeated in ACC and scoring like 85 PPG.. If only... :)

[77devil]

What I liked from this game:

Man if only we had Patterson (UK player) we would be an awesome team.

We don't. Why dwell on what might have been? What's the point?

[dw0827]

Eitherway, a great win for Duke. Man if only we had Patterson (UK player) we would be an awesome team.

Oh please.

We ARE an awesome team.

If only I had won the lottery last week. If only Nicole Kidman would have my babies. If only . . . jeez, enough of the Patterson crap. Its over. Done. Get past it.

[CAT Blue Devil]

Anybody catch the classic shot of Gary Williams with about 1:30 to go? It looked like he was almost admiring how Duke played the second half.

No more antics with scared bench players and bewildered assistant coaches.

No more waving his arms and yelling at nobody in particular.

It was just a slight grin and slow shaking of the head. 51-33 surge in the second half on the road in the ACC to stay unbeaten in conference play. Classic.

[captmojo]

...and if it weren't for UNLV....there could have been a three-peat.

[dukestheheat]

The interior players can get all the rebounds they want, but if in the end were only a (-1) rebounding and have more offensive rebs, ill take it.

50 boards, so long as we can score one more point than our opponent. Seriously, it looked lopsided in the first half, as they got carom after carom and put them back, but IF we're hitting our shots like we do and running it, we're equal or slightly ahead in that first half.

Whatever any team is going to get versus Duke this year in the rebound department is going to not matter unless we are also shooting poorly (ie, the first half).

Second half, it's a different novella.

dth.

[shadowfax336]

2) Paulus. Sorry, but he's just not that good. Yes, he did make some nice FTs at the end, but Smith has surpassed Paulus in my opinion. He made that terrible TO when he got caught in the air. He's also a poor perimeter defender, leading to Duke interior players constantly having to help... leading to easy dunks for Maryland.

And it just keeps going and going and going and never ends does it...

[3rd Dukie]

No. How many years ago? ;)

1966.

[BigTedder]

Period. P-E-R-I-O-D.

hmmm....Im not too good at math but....

Maryland beats UNC @ UNC....Duke beats Maryland @ Maryland....ipso facto....DUKE > UNC!!!!!
GTHC GTH!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahah, I hate Maryland too, but whos countin?

[Lavabe]

When describing a 'serious' man crush, I believe it is a man law that you must mention the mans full name. But it is understandable. Demarcus was a sexy beast of a man tonight. There is no denying that.

And what happened with Miss Maryland 2006 USA?:confused:

Cheers,
Lavabe

[BigTedder]

Yeah, If we had him we would be like the #3 ranked team in the country, Undefeated in ACC and scoring like 85 PPG.. If only... :)

and we wouldnt have a booger problem! haha

[buddy]

was that our leading rebounder was someone named TEAM with 8. All those tips showed how much we hustled. I was surprised we had only 9 assists, but we had several fast break baskets, and both Markie and G were successful at breaking down the defense one on one. Not our usual game, but very effective. This team has shown a lot of heart, especially Markie, whose game has grown as the season has advanced. I have been down on his foul shooting in the past, but he seemed like he willed this team to victory. Smith had an excellent game. He clearly is more athletic than Paulus, but so far the two headed point guard is working very well, keeping both fresh, and giving opposing teams different looks. And GP has been money in late game foul shooting, which is usually where close games are won or lost. Very impressive effort tonight.

[Jumbo]

Just that your palpable...dare I say...exuberance is really showing through, and that it's fun to see everyone around here enjoying this team so much.

I guess my point was that I've never thought of myself as someone who doesn't get psyched about Duke basketball.

[CAT Blue Devil]

was that our leading rebounder was someone named TEAM with 8. All those tips showed how much we hustled. I was surprised we had only 9 assists, but we had several fast break baskets, and both Markie and G were successful at breaking down the defense one on one. Not our usual game, but very effective. This team has shown a lot of heart, especially Markie, whose game has grown as the season has advanced. I have been down on his foul shooting in the past, but he seemed like he willed this team to victory. Smith had an excellent game. He clearly is more athletic than Paulus, but so far the two headed point guard is working very well, keeping both fresh, and giving opposing teams different looks. And GP has been money in late game foul shooting, which is usually where close games are won or lost. Very impressive effort tonight.

13 steals is something to note too. Not to mention out-rebounding the Twerps 22-15 in the second half.

[CatfiveCane]

Oh please.

We ARE an awesome team.

If only I had won the lottery last week. If only Nicole Kidman would have my babies. If only . . . jeez, enough of the Patterson crap. Its over. Done. Get past it.

I guess it depends on how you define an "awesome" team. I'm not too sure there is an awesome team out there this year. But yes, we are good.

[dukestheheat]

hmmm....Im not too good at math but....

Maryland beats UNC @ UNC....Duke beats Maryland @ Maryland....ipso facto....DUKE > UNC!!!!!
GTHC GTH!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahah, I hate Maryland too, but whos countin?

designated Math Boy (in my own mind, I know it, haha) on the DBR. And, well, and, ok, so I need to say it,.......what YOU said!

And, throw out UNC's loss to Maryland; the twerps just caught the Holes on their bad day, and come Feb 6th, we are going into a very tough game. The Holes are for real and they're feeling down right now, but they'll be back and though they lost to Maryland, that game was an anomaly, imo.

GO DUKE and this was a great win for the guys tonight!

dth.

'channeling Nolan Smiiiiith, channeling Nolan Smiiiiiith'.

[doorsmats]

Great game, VERY loud crowd for the first half. Amazing how many of the upper deckers (non-students) headed for the exits when it was a 4 or 6 point game w/ a coupla minutes left. Osby (sp?) was a BEAST in the 1st half. When he got the ball down low, it was curtains. Haven't seen the stat sheet yet but we shot pretty well from the charity stripe. Ditto to the kudos for Henderson (his pull-up jumper is a thing of beauty), Markie-Mark, and Smith. Very few Duke fans in attendance but those of us that were there were pretty vocal. Great arena, btw!

Go Devils!

[3rd Dukie]

I guess it depends on how you define an "awesome" team. I'm not too sure there is an awesome team out there this year. But yes, we are good.

It took 103 posts before this guy showed up. There's one in every punch bowl. Other than that, this is the most enjoyable and positive thread in quite some time!

LGD

[calltheobvious]

My hypothesis may represent little more than data-snooping, but...

Since K has been K, he's gotten very few uncalculated T's, and tonight's was again one he went out of his way for. He clearly wasn't happy with the crew, but I think he was far more unhappy with the fact that his team was getting its collective butt kicked on the defensive end and on the glass. In the moment, I thought that he was looking at it as a once-a-season motivational tactic, called on because of the long-term importance of the game. I was discouraged, though, when the team only fell farther behind before half than they were when the T was called.

What was far more interesting was what happened to Gary Williams after the T: he seemed to lose his identity. For the most part he stopped yelling at the officials, at his assistants, and at his bench players who do such a notoriously bad job of sitting there. I've thought for ten years now that if Gary couldn't gripe and wallow in self-pity and paranoia about the attention that Duke and Carolina get in the media, he'd shrivel up and die. He's convinced himself that the world is for Duke and UNC and out to get Maryland, and his players clearly feed off of that emotion when playing the big boys in blue(s). When K got whacked tonight, Williams's team was handling Duke, and he couldn't cry about the officiating; and he seemed to lose his spirit. Not until Duke finally established some semblance of control in the game did the old Gary reappear.

Good times.

[gofurman]

is Nolan Smith OK? I assume he is since he came in again>?

- Is Taylor King OK, I think I saw him once tonight?

Maybe someone with radio broadcast or better memory can help me here - Thanks!

[wilson]

I guess my point was that I've never thought of myself as someone who doesn't get psyched about Duke basketball.

Point taken. But "Jumbo" and "giddiness" aren't words that rub up against each other in my head very often. No offense whatsoever intended.

[CatfiveCane]

It took 103 posts before this guy showed up. There's one in every punch bowl. Other than that, this is the most enjoyable and positive thread in quite some time!

LGD


I'm sorry if I don't drink the kool-aid and I don't wear Royal Blue tinted sunglasses.

I see what I see.

Duke is a very good team. Far better than what most expected. Not 100% sure why (add Singler/Smith, subtract McRoberts??). But we are not a "perfect" team.

[CDu]

This was the first time this season that I was physically shaking during the game (due to nerves). That probably says a lot about my sanity, but it was just such a tense game. What a second half. The defense was phenomenal, and Nelson made a bunch of huge baskets.

I was really impressed and pleased with how well the team fought through a really bad first half defensively to turn it on in the second half. We overcame poor games from Scheyer and Singler, foul trouble on Singler and Paulus, pretty poor 3-point shooting, and an out of this world performance by Osby to get the win.

How about the 79.3% free throw shooting? How about Henderson bouncing back from some subpar games recently? How about Thomas providing a spark early in the second half? How about Nelson absolutely dominating in the second half? How about Smith playing great when Paulus had foul trouble?

Just a great, great comeback win. The first half was some pretty poor basketball by Duke and some great play by Maryland. The second half was just a great show of will by the Devils to completely dominate their opponent. I'm so happy with this win that I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight!

[dw0827]

Point taken. But "Jumbo" and "giddiness" aren't words that rub up against each other in my head very often. No offense whatsoever intended.

I'm sorry but the idea of Jumbo rubbing up against anything . . . well, its just not right having such thoughts.

[CatfiveCane]

is Nolan Smith OK? I assume he is since he came in again>?

- Is Taylor King OK, I think I saw him once tonight?

Maybe someone with radio broadcast or better memory can help me here - Thanks!

I think both are OK. Smith came back... So I assume he's good. King didn't play, likely due to his defense. He too big/slow to guard the perimeter, but too small to guard the post.

[grossbus]

"13 steals is something to note too"

four of them by that no good, no account paulus (who had only the one turnover if you believe box scores).

the guy has been making big plays when it counts. and we are winning. rejoice.

[VaDukie]

...any idea what he might have yelled to DeMarcus in the second half?

Maybe my favorite moment of that game!

[Carlos]

Oh, I've got a huge one on Nelson right now too. Huge. It's amazing how he has transformed his game this year. Amazing.

Careful, Jumbo, Scheyer may be the jealous type.

[DukeBlood]

Careful, Jumbo, Scheyer may be the jealous type.

How does Jumbo do it? And not get caught??

Jealous..

[ugadevil]

This really was a fun game to watch. There was a 5 or 6 minute period in the 2nd half where both teams were executing very well on the offensive end. Just from the perspective of a basketball fan, it was really fun to see both teams work together to share the ball, set screens, move without the ball, and use the glass to finish. I'm glad Duke pulled away, but I liked how they were going back and forth and were taking each other's best shot. Sure, they were shredding each other's defense...but from an offensive standpoint, that was fun!

[3rd Dukie]

I'm sorry if I don't drink the kool-aid and I don't wear Royal Blue tinted sunglasses.

I see what I see.

Duke is a very good team. Far better than what most expected. Not 100% sure why (add Singler/Smith, subtract McRoberts??). But we are not a "perfect" team.

I'm not quite sure where I said they were "perfect." Just referring to the mood. Keep that wet blanket handy, but it will NOT do you any good this fine evening. Who cares why, tonight?

Still happy it took 103 posts before you chimed in.
Be careful drinking the punch, as opposed to the Kool-aid.

[3rd Dukie]

This really was a fun game to watch. There was a 5 or 6 minute period in the 2nd half where both teams were executing very well on the offensive end. Just from the perspective of a basketball fan, it was really fun to see both teams work together to share the ball, set screens, move without the ball, and use the glass to finish. I'm glad Duke pulled away, but I liked how they were going back and forth and were taking each other's best shot. Sure, they were shredding each other's defense...but from an offensive standpoint, that was fun!

Agreed! I doubt I would say that if we had lost however. Good call. It was very good basketball all around.

[feldspar]

I'm sorry if I don't drink the kool-aid and I don't wear Royal Blue tinted sunglasses.

I see what I see.

Duke is a very good team. Far better than what most expected. Not 100% sure why (add Singler/Smith, subtract McRoberts??). But we are not a "perfect" team.

You're the guy who farts in the middle of a beautiful wedding then says "What? It's a natural bodily function!"

[dukie8]

designated Math Boy (in my own mind, I know it, haha) on the DBR. And, well, and, ok, so I need to say it,.......what YOU said!

And, throw out UNC's loss to Maryland; the twerps just caught the Holes on their bad day, and come Feb 6th, we are going into a very tough game. The Holes are for real and they're feeling down right now, but they'll be back and though they lost to Maryland, that game was an anomaly, imo.

GO DUKE and this was a great win for the guys tonight!

dth.

'channeling Nolan Smiiiiith, channeling Nolan Smiiiiiith'.

did you watch the unc/clemson game? if you did, how can you call the maryland game an anomaly?

[heath_harshman4]

did you watch the unc/clemson game? if you did, how can you call the maryland game an anomaly?

or how bout UNC @ GT?

[Carlos]

1 - The rebounding totals are misleading as Duke out rebounded the Terps 12-4 over the last 5 minutes of the game when Maryland was trying to play catch up basketball. For the majority of the game the Terps owned the inside.

2 - Osby is a really solid college basketball player. At 6-8 he's likely not going to have an NBA career, but he'll play international ball for a long time. He rebounded the ball well against Duke last year in Cameron and is another in the Jamar Smith / Ryan Randle type of JC players that Maryland has used over the last few years.

3 - Demarcus Nelson has been through a lot as a Duke player. He's been asked to defend everything from point guards to power forwards and always taken on every role the coaching staff has asked of him. Seeing it all come together for him as a senior is a great story.

4 - As a Duke fan, there's no team I like to see Duke beat more than the Heels. That said, as a Duke fan, there's no better crowd to see silenced and leaving the arena early as the Maryland fan base.

[Carlos]

Duke is a very good team. Far better than what most expected. Not 100% sure why (add Singler/Smith, subtract McRoberts??). But we are not a "perfect" team.

Who is the "perfect team" out there?

[devildeac]

What leaps out at me is the rebounding. They outrebounded us . . . by one. Just one.

Amazing.

Look at the stats by 1st/2nd half. We did a far, far better job in the 2nd half(-9/+8, I think by halves).

[Duke09]

I guess it depends on how you define an "awesome" team. I'm not too sure there is an awesome team out there this year. But yes, we are good.

Duke '99 and Duke '02 were pretty close to perfect, and neither won. In a one and done tourney, a little luck can go a long way.

[devildeac]

Careful, Jumbo, Scheyer may be the jealous type.

Now, now 'los, I caught Jumbo on that last game:D

[ugadevil]

Who is the "perfect team" out there?


The team with Patrick Patterson of course! Duh....;)

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Who is the "perfect team" out there?
That's easy! It's Duke ....... every time we win!

[Bob Green]

Tonight's victory over Maryland could be a watershed event for the 07-08 Blue Devils. Down nine points at the half, Duke responds and outscores Maryland by 18 in the second half. The biggest takeaway from this victory might be a tremendous increase in confidence. The ghost of 06-07 has been put to rest. This team is deep, talented and for real.

[dukemsu]

Not trying to overdo it here, but this was the biggest win for Duke in a long, long time.

-Go-to-guys (Markie, then G) established.

-Overcame a first half deficit in the nastiest environment they'll face

-Overcame sub-par offensive performances by two key cogs (Jon and Kyle)

-Key performances from unexpected contributors (Smith and Thomas. Okay, we're starting to expect it from Nolan, but for him to be this nails in a frenetic environment is impressive)

Wow. Fantastic win. Everything was set up for a loss here, and this is a strong statement.

LGD.

[edensquad]

And yet Duke won ...
It just goes to show that there are many ways to skin a cat. Guards can rebound. Threes are worth more than two. Big men who can shoot (like Singler) can pull guys like Osby and Gist away from the hoop and open up opportunities for others. This is a good thing.

Amen!! And we can have "points in the paint" from Henderson, Nelson, Smith, etc. by penetration instead of a monster post presence like Osby. Great, tough win. Consider this: if Duke makes its 3's near its season average, it's not even close; that's how good a win it was.

[Jumbo]

Now, now 'los, I caught Jumbo on that last game:D

It's a good thing Dave McClure isn't 100% this year, because his help D does things to me ... oh, never mind. This isn't going well...

[pratt '04]

If Casey Sanders had been on the bench tonight...any idea what he might have yelled to DeMarcus in the second half?

Is this a reference to the '01 National Championship game? If my lip-reading (and memory) is correct, I believe he would have yelled "You're my M!#@$%&*!#$"

[calltheobvious]

yahtzee

p.s. To the mod mucking around with my title, well played.

[micah75]

1) Love Lance's attitude out there. He's only going to get better.

2) As Jumbo mentioned, Kyle and Jon have off-nights and we still somehow score 93. Amazing.

3) Markie is good. Real good. He's looking like a 1st-team All-ACC type of player.

4) Nolan Smith's development. He sure doesn't play like a frosh. He and Greg make a pretty formidable 1-2 punch at PG.

5) Hendo's "quiet" 23 points. Love his mid-range game.

6) Only 10 turnovers as a team.

7) Great road win vs a team that always seems to play its best against us.

[dukestheheat]

did you watch the unc/clemson game? if you did, how can you call the maryland game an anomaly?

I say it's an anomaly in that UNC actually lost that Maryland game and I don't think that they played near to their average par; versus Clemson, I thought that both teams were playing very well and UNC, at least, was playing to their par and so was Clemson.

dth.

[tommy]

My hypothesis may represent little more than data-snooping, but...

Since K has been K, he's gotten very few uncalculated T's, and tonight's was again one he went out of his way for. He clearly wasn't happy with the crew, but I think he was far more unhappy with the fact that his team was getting its collective butt kicked on the defensive end and on the glass. In the moment, I thought that he was looking at it as a once-a-season motivational tactic, called on because of the long-term importance of the game. I was discouraged, though, when the team only fell farther behind before half than they were when the T was called.

What was far more interesting was what happened to Gary Williams after the T: he seemed to lose his identity. For the most part he stopped yelling at the officials, at his assistants, and at his bench players who do such a notoriously bad job of sitting there. I've thought for ten years now that if Gary couldn't gripe and wallow in self-pity and paranoia about the attention that Duke and Carolina get in the media, he'd shrivel up and die. He's convinced himself that the world is for Duke and UNC and out to get Maryland, and his players clearly feed off of that emotion when playing the big boys in blue(s). When K got whacked tonight, Williams's team was handling Duke, and he couldn't cry about the officiating; and he seemed to lose his spirit. Not until Duke finally established some semblance of control in the game did the old Gary reappear.

Good times.

What interested me about K's T was the on-the-court reason he got upset. Seemed to me the announcing crew missed it - they were focused on whether it was an offensive goaltend, which it clearly wasn't. What I think got K PO'd was the fact that the crew totally missed Giss' major shove to Scheyer's back to move him out of the way that cleared the space for Giss to get to the rim in the first place. It was an obvious missed call, and I do think when you get an obvious miss and the result is a big momentum play for the opponent, it tends to P-off the coach.

[Mudge]

What I didn't like

1) I'm kinda disappointed with David McClure. Besides being athletic and a heady player he doesn't really add much offensively. He's not a great rebounder. He is a decent defender, but if you watch the tape, he "lost" his player twice during the second half that led to easy scores for Maryland. IMO, he either needs to become a defensive hawk or develop a 18" shot to keep the defense honest.


Eitherway, a great win for Duke. Man if only we had Patterson (UK player) we would be an awesome team.

I think McClure could be a better offensive player, having attended games which he dominated offensively in HS, but whether he does improve offensively or not, the reason he gets a lot of playing time right now is that he does an excellent job of staying in front of his man (even against quicker players) and then does a pretty good job (better than most Duke players) at boxing out under the defensive boards...

In any case, I'm not sure how much developing an "18-inch shot" is going to help McClure, as he doesn't exactly have Shaq's irresistible force offensive power-- I'd prefer that he developed something more of a mid-range jumper.

[Nugget]

Ditto to all the praise for the effort, the comeback and, especially, the stones of DeMarcus and Nolan Smith What a fantastic all-around effort from the team.

Whoever made the point about the technical got it right, I believe (and G-Man got it wrong). I too don't think K was complaining about a goal-tend, but about Gist shoving Scheyer 5 feet under the basket to get the rebound and tip-in.

[JBDuke]

I'm sorry but the idea of Jumbo rubbing up against anything . . . well, its just not right having such thoughts.

Kinda looks like this (http://youtube.com/watch?v=JDzZmx-PFeo), I expect...

;)

(Just kidding, big guy!)

[mpj96]

Man I love reading threads like these after a big win against a good team like the one last night.

Markie played better in the second half than I've ever seen him play. His determination and confidence were tremendous. I love how at the end he huddled up the team on the floor after the huddle with Coach K and was exhorting the rest of the team. Among many great decisions this year by K one of the best was to go back to a one captain structure. Markie is proving to be a very worthy captain.

Gerald Henderson was the most talented player on the floor last night. In the first half he was really unstoppable. I loved what I saw of his game. I think it is improving as well and as good as he is he may have more potential to improve than anyone else on our team.

Nolan Smith is just phenomenal. This is also a guy that seems to get better every game. He and Markie are so quick it gives most other teams fits. He and Paulus give us a rare depth at the point.

92 against the best defensive team in the ACC. Limiting Maryland to 30 odd points in the second half. Just tremendous.

In some ways we resemble the Ok St. team from 2000 or a FL team from that era except that we have so many young players. Our ability to rotate and keep fresh players on the floor is amazing.

Fun game. young team. Great passion and cohesiveness. It won't all be roses for this squad this year, but that game was a beauty.

PS. LT continues to impress.

[blueprofessor]

Originally Posted by blueprofessor :
Duke's interior players (Singler: 7 pts,3 rebounds; Thomas: 6 pts, 2 rebounds ; McClure: 0 pts,2 rebounds): 13 points,7 rebounds
Maryland's interior players (Gist: 26 pts,5 rebounds ; Osby:20 pts, 15 rebounds):46 points, 20 rebounds
dw0827: "Ok. So what's your point?"

dw0827---Sorry I missed your post in the euphoria of our team's important victory.:D
Other posters have deduced the point from this potentially game losing statistic: Despite this significant interior-play deficiency(which might have suggested a loss),our team is remarkably resilient and adaptable. Duke compensated in other areas to win a very tough game.There are teams we will play that have strong interior players and better guards and wings than Maryland--the highly entrepreneurial Duke team no doubt will compensate in those games as well.Go Duke! Best regards--Professor of ethics:)

[gw67]

I posted last night (about 160 posts ago). I just read this thread and have a couple more points to make:
• I thought Paulus played a tough, gritty game.
• Henderson has a ways to go to be a complete player but I loved his shuffle pass to Nelson when he was stopped on the baseline. I also loved him going to his left a couple of times on his drives. He hasn’t shown that ability much this year.
• The last five minutes were as good as it gets for the Devils. They made shots and got the rebounds of the ones they missed. They made foul shots when fouled and they continued to play tough defense. Contributing to this was the fact that the Terps were gassed.
• The Devils perimeter defense was good but the help defense on the Terps’ frontcourt players was better. The Terps’ frontcourt players had 14 of the 22 turnovers, including the 3 right out of the box in the 2nd half. Vasquez and Hayes had 16 assists to 6 turnovers. Most coaches would take that from their guards.
• I thought that Maryland played tough defense as well, particularly on outside shots, but Nelson, Henderson and Smith had extraordinary games.
• On the play where Coach K got his technical some have suggested that he was upset that Gist pushed Scheyer aside to get the putback. That seems logical to me but there was pushing and shoving on nearly every play under the basket and, to the credit of the players on both teams, it never got out of hand and most of it was not called. Personally, it looked to me that Hayes got tripped by Smith going in for the layup but I could be wrong.
• I thought G-man pointed out a fundamental weakness with the Terps that Williams seems unable or unwilling to fix. They don’t have many players who can make threes and they don’t shoot many so a team like Duke has a built-in advantage.
• By the way, I predicted an 8-10 point victory by the Devils.

gw67

[dw0827]

Originally Posted by blueprofessor :
Duke's interior players (Singler: 7 pts,3 rebounds; Thomas: 6 pts, 2 rebounds ; McClure: 0 pts,2 rebounds): 13 points,7 rebounds
Maryland's interior players (Gist: 26 pts,5 rebounds ; Osby:20 pts, 15 rebounds):46 points, 20 rebounds
dw0827: "Ok. So what's your point?"

dw0827---Sorry I missed your post in the euphoria of our team's important victory.:D
Other posters have deduced the point from this potentially game losing statistic: Despite this significant interior-play deficiency(which might have suggested a loss),our team is remarkably resilient and adaptable. Duke compensated in other areas to win a very tough game.There are teams we will play that have strong interior players and better guards and wings than Maryland--the highly entrepreneurial Duke team no doubt will compensate in those games as well.Go Duke! Best regards--Professor of ethics:)

Ok, I understand now. And I agree wholeheartedly. To me, your post was somewhat unclear . . . I wasn't sure what you were driving at.

[dukeENG2003]

Great win, great toughness.

Can someone explain to me what K got the T for? He was in the coaches box, and it clearly wasn't something he said, as it was the official on the far side of the court who T'd him up (not the one standing right next to him). Sure he looked upset by the call, but this seemed VERY inconsistent.

I also find it funny that K got a T, yet somehow Gary did not. Coaches box? Whats that? I think he spent more time OUTSIDE of it than in it, not to mention several occasions standing fully on the other side of it YELLING in the refs ear. He almost made it to midcourt a couple times, I thought he was checking in as a sub. I thought this was a point of emphasis?

[gw67]

The following are some quotes from the coaches and players:

http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012708aac.html

[Matches]

Terrific win. Last year's team would have lost this game. I think that brings the total of "games this year's team won that last year's wouldn't have" to at least 3-4.

Particularly loved watching Nelson put the team on his back in the 2nd half. It was clear immediately after intermission that he was going to step up huge. Great to see our captain respond that way to an adverse situation.

[DukeDevil]

I mentioned this in the in game thread but did anyone notice when Lance (I think) reached out to help a MD player up and the MD player pushed his hand aside? I just remember a big discussion about this whole thing...

I'm not going to repeat everyone's favorite things in the game, I'll just say I agree and, being in Baltimore this year, it's going to be sweet at work this morning. Duke shirt anyone? Also, an observation that I don't think I've seen anyone make yet, I love that Singler is ALWAYS smiling. Good play, bad call by the refs, gets fouled, gets called on a foul, he is always smiling. I think I love it because it makes me feel like this team really is just enjoying themselves and also, it's got to annoy the hell out of other players and fans to see that all the time.

GTHC GTH!

-DukeDevil (glad he didn't get shot on his balcony last night as he cheered Duke chants into the street)

[jjasper0729]

Can't believe our guys had only 9 assists. Belies the offensive system, but even if it's low by a couple it is still a surprise.

the thing you have to remember about assists is that they are subjectively given by the stats crew. While they may be more or less balanced out nowadays, I've talked with Al Featherston at length prior to home games about how different schools gave assists back when it was first put in as an official stat. Some would give none while others gave soccer assists practically (or blue line pass assists). Looking at THAT box score though, i can see maryland's total where it was because there were so many post feeds (though with a few of those, i wouldn't have given an assist with the moves gist/osby were making after receiving the ball, but that's just me).

Perhaps Al can give some insight into that a little bit too as far as the historical portion of it.

--------------------------------

i was really impressed with the defensive adjustment in the second half on the bigs. yes, there were a few slips on screens that led to back doors, but for the most part, we went from playing behind gist/osby, letting them get it low and get that high percentage shot to fronting more and having the back side defender slip over and cover the back if the entry pass was good. that caused quite a few turnovers from out of the doubleteam effectively. some times it worked that they were able to pass out and get the lay up, but it cut down on the high percentage in the second half.

[CDu]

the thing you have to remember about assists is that they are subjectively given by the stats crew. While they may be more or less balanced out nowadays, I've talked with Al Featherston at length prior to home games about how different schools gave assists back when it was first put in as an official stat. Some would give none while others gave soccer assists practically (or blue line pass assists). Looking at THAT box score though, i can see maryland's total where it was because there were so many post feeds (though with a few of those, i wouldn't have given an assist with the moves gist/osby were making after receiving the ball, but that's just me).



I'm not really surprised by our low assist total, as many of our baskets in the second half were on individual efforts. We certainly moved the ball around a lot, but most of our scoring seemed to be done on one-on-one drives from the perimeter (Nelson, Henderson, Smith).

[Highlander]

someone in chat said they had about 8 fox channels and NONE had the game-great network

That was me. What I meant was that I had about 8 fox channels and they were all showing the GT/UVA OT instead of Duke/MD. I thought maybe one of them would cut over before that game finished, but they didn't.

However, after they finished they did cut over to the Duke game when it was about 21-21.

[jjasper0729]

I'm not really surprised by our low assist total, as many of our baskets in the second half were on individual efforts. We certainly moved the ball around a lot, but most of our scoring seemed to be done on one-on-one drives from the perimeter (Nelson, Henderson, Smith).

I agree with you on that. I'm not a big fan of the ISO game personally. Last night, it worked (as did the spread in the last couple of minutes, again). That has a lot to do with the defense they were playing and not allowing us to get the passes that we were looking for. Also though, it could come down to what I would call an assist and what their crew would call an assist. I don't know how many times the team has been on the road and get jobbed on different subjective stats when you compare how we do it in CIS and it's done away from the friendly confines. It's just a subjective thing to have to deal with.

I might have to start charting the games myself as I watch road games to see how my stats would differ from the "official" crew.

[Troublemaker]

One thing I'm pretty pumped about is that in the past couple of games, I feel the team has taken the drive-and-kick (d-n-k) game up a slight notch. They've improved at stringing together d-n-k sequences on the same possession, where one kickout will lead to the start of another drive with the new driver having gained an advantage on the defender due to the previous d-n-k. They're finishing a little bit better in the paint, looking for teammates better, zipping passes around better, and overall, they're settling less and probing the defense more. It's a very delicate balance to play d-n-k effectively. Sometimes you drive too much into turnovers and without finding teammates, sometimes you kick too much and settle for long-range shots that aren't wide-open, sometimes you don't look to score enough once you've brought the ball into the paint, and sometimes you miss getting the ball to teammates that have maneuvered into better scoring position than you. I feel like the team is getting better at finding the right balance, and it sometimes looks very pretty watching them play.

[greybeard]

I just absolutely love Henderson's pull-up jumper. It is so smooth. Seems like he can get off a good shot whenever he wants.

By the way, Jumbo, I'm still watching him . . . and he's doing much better about the "head down" thing. He isn't the best passer I've ever seen but at least he's looking now.

And that makes him so incredibly dangerous . . . because he can really collapse a defense with his penetration . . .

Yes, Scheyer and Singler didn't have great games. But they played and played hard. Singler did just fine, actually. How would you like to battle that front line? He did fine.

Scheyer. Seems like his legs weren't there. Whenever I used to tattoo the front of the rim, it was because my legs were gone . . . for whatever reason. Makes me wonder if Jon was slightly under the weather.

Great post! I don't want to sound too voo doo or nothing, but I have a feeling, sense, that what we see as tired legs, and I see that too, is really some stuckness in the upper back, between the shoulder blades, maybe down the spine some too.

Well, okay, it is voo doo, but it seems, feels, to me, that instead of responding to the push of his legs, Jon's torso is somehow stuck and causes a push back and the legs don't fully extend. Or, his legs might just be tired. One thing is for sure about Jon, his heart ain't. Man is that kid laying it all out; actually, they all are, and as a team. Wow!

[gw67]

jjasper - If it would make you feel any better, I followed Steve Blake's totals through the ACC season during his senior season because I concluded early in the season that he was not getting his due in the other arenas. To my surprise, Jumbo's favorite player was treated fairly by everyone, including the home folks. The game totals based on my inexperienced eye and from the TV screen came out very close to the game totals (as I recall, they were a couple low both at home and on the road by the end of the season).

I think yesterday's totals looked to me to be in the ballpark. The Devils were doing a lot of one on one action after the player got the ball and the Terps guards were making a bunch of passes that led directly to baskets.

gw67

[bjornolf]

Did anybody stay up to watch College Game Night last night? When they were talking about the game, they showed a short key stat graphic, and it said that Duke had 24 assists, and Maryland had 9. However, every boxscore I saw, including ESPN's, had the opposite. I just thought that was funny.

[wilko]

I missed the 1st half but caught the 2nd.

Nolan - Wow! We have a bunch of cutters in Schyer, Paulus, Singler.
Markie and G are really at a different level in doing "power drives" I think Nolan's 3 point play is going to be the foundation for adding a 3rd power driver. This adds to our wealth of options. Glad to see him developing so nicely.
**Note - Some folks really like to compare Smith and Paulus and say ones better at this or that and should be starting... blah blah.. We have a really good changeup working in the alternating PG duties. Like how UNC lost Frazior (sp?) and it changed the complexion of their team... I dont see why we are really getting bogged down with it. We should enjoy both. They have different skillsets and depending on the opponent its just one more way to kill them.

That series late in the 2nd where is seemed like we got 3 offensive rebounds in a row.. at "winning time'. That was key.

Having Paulus and Singler on the bench in foul trouble and we increased the lead. Stunning. simply stunning. I think this speaks volumes about the waves of quality players we have and wearing them down.

The start to the 2nd half Markies steal. Duke taking the lead really really quashed their emotion and they could never rekindle the playing edge they had once that happened. They were beaten then... effectively.

[Indoor66]

One thing I'm pretty pumped about is that in the past couple of games, I feel the team has taken the drive-and-kick (d-n-k) game up a slight notch. They've improved at stringing together d-n-k sequences on the same possession, where one kickout will lead to the start of another drive with the new driver having gained an advantage on the defender due to the previous d-n-k. They're finishing a little bit better in the paint, looking for teammates better, zipping passes around better, and overall, they're settling less and probing the defense more. It's a very delicate balance to play d-n-k effectively. Sometimes you drive too much into turnovers and without finding teammates, sometimes you kick too much and settle for long-range shots that aren't wide-open, sometimes you don't look to score enough once you've brought the ball into the paint, and sometimes you miss getting the ball to teammates that have maneuvered into better scoring position than you. I feel like the team is getting better at finding the right balance, and it sometimes looks very pretty watching them play.

Thanks for defining your abbreviation (D-N-K).

[4decadedukie]

Tenacity, talent and character; who knows how far this combination will take us this year? A wonderful win, a team victory, with emphasis on defense and on clutch play. I could not be happier or more proud.

PS: While I have no affection for Maryland and its long-term "chip on the shoulder" attitude, I must compliment Coach Williams and the Terp's players -- this is EXTREMELY difficult for me -- who played with determination and comported themselves with a modicum of class in post-game interviews (etc.). Obviously, this welcome change is most un-Maryland-like.

[jjasper0729]

gw67 -

that is my thinking now. Like I had said in an earlier post, in the early part of assists being an official stat, the numbers were all over the place from place to place. they have more or less evened out now I think. there's still potential for discrepancy, but it's not like it used to be (per my take from Al Featherston, Barry Jacobs, Bill Brill, etc)

[DevilCastDownfromDurham]

First off, let me be the 1,000th poster to note that last night's game was an amazing effort and showed grit, tenacity, and great big cojones. Tough environment, 3's not falling, foul trouble, atrocious games by two of our best players, and Maryland played outstanding for 3/4 of the game. Not only would we have lost this game last season, we'd have been blown out. Needless to say, I'm still giddy.

I do think that Nelson's heroics masked some important issues we still have. First and foremost, we just got killed in the post. Follow shots, blocks/altered shots, and especially interior passing made us look really deficient in the first half. Maryland crumbled in the latter stages as guys got tired, missed a lot of front-ends, etc. Nonetheless, our post guys were out of position and overmatched way more than I'm comfortable with. Major kudos to Lance for keeping a great attitude, to several guys for forcing TO's, and to Kyle for playing with foul trouble. I also hope that Brian will help once he gets back.

Also, Greg and Dave both seem to have some real problems with their confidence. I'm actually happy with what they bring to the team, but my sense is that they are not and it's hurting their game. Contrast that with Jon, who is in a mini-slump but still finding other ways to help the team and keep his head up. Greg and Dave are both upperclassmen and need to be team leaders, so I look forward to seeing them find their mojo and help the team on to great success.

Kyle has also wilted a bit, especially last night, but he's a frosh playing with guys who are much stronger than him. He does, however, need to locate his outside shot ASAP. He's only a major matchup advantage if he's a credible threat from outside. Also, as others have noted, lots of foul trouble has hurt him. He's still learning how and when to be aggressive; that charge last night was REALLY ugly. Still, halfway into his freshman season I'm very happy with the player he is and excited about what he can become.

Overall, I'm very happy with the team. We're not where we can be, and strong frontcourts are still our kryptonite. But we're finding ways to win with an at-times amazing defense and an offense that is fun for us fans and must be a nightmare to defend against. I'm really enjoying the opportunity to watch this team develop.

[Jumbo]

Ditto to all the praise for the effort, the comeback and, especially, the stones of DeMarcus and Nolan Smith What a fantastic all-around effort from the team.

Whoever made the point about the technical got it right, I believe (and G-Man got it wrong). I too don't think K was complaining about a goal-tend, but about Gist shoving Scheyer 5 feet under the basket to get the rebound and tip-in.

Where have you been since the new board started? Miss your posts...

[Jumbo]

Kinda looks like this (http://youtube.com/watch?v=JDzZmx-PFeo), I expect...

;)

(Just kidding, big guy!)

That was an intimate moment and the tree asked me to keep it private...

[jjasper0729]

Interesting take (http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/SPORTS08/665004021/1005/SPORTS) on Maryland after the game and all the "hating" that tends to go on. From a local writer for the Terps

[billybreen]

Interesting take (http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/SPORTS08/665004021/1005/SPORTS) on Maryland after the game and all the "hating" that tends to go on. From a local writer for the Terps

Wow, hopefully this doesn't send the thread to the PPB, but this shocked me:



"It costs $45,000 a year to go there, and they think they're better than everybody else," suggested Robert Novak, the renowned political columnist and a certified Terps groupie.

I didn't think there was any way for Novak to be a worse human being, yet here we are.

[mayrer]

Great to see this team develop. Thomas added some offense in the post and made free throws, Nolan Smith adds speed and quickness and has great instincts, Gerald has great tools and DeMarcus is playing like a real man. Maryland's post offense still gave us problems, but Duke's perimeter defense was enough, last night, to offset it and then some.

Hope they continue to improve.

[Jumbo]

Interesting take (http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/SPORTS08/665004021/1005/SPORTS) on Maryland after the game and all the "hating" that tends to go on. From a local writer for the Terps

I'm pretty sure Heller went to Duke. Is my memory off?

[jjasper0729]

I dunno about that. Writing for the Times in DC, presuming he covers UM for them to a degree (a-la Dascenzo for the Herald-Sun where Strickland is the beat guy)

[heath_harshman4]

I say it's an anomaly in that UNC actually lost that Maryland game and I don't think that they played near to their average par; versus Clemson, I thought that both teams were playing very well and UNC, at least, was playing to their par and so was Clemson.

dth.

I think the point Dukie8, and me partially, are trying to make is that how can you call a HOME loss versus Maryland an anomaly after watching them almost lose a game they lucked out @ Clemson, then just a 2 point win @ GT? This loss was coming soon, it was just a matter of when.

[Nugget]

Just been busy with work and family.

[Jumbo]

Just been busy with work and family.

Work? Family? Pffft. No excuse!
(Don't be a stranger.)

[DangerDevil]

Interesting take (http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/SPORTS08/665004021/1005/SPORTS) on Maryland after the game and all the "hating" that tends to go on. From a local writer for the Terps

Nice job by Tucker of backing up his pregame rant.

Board material from Maryland’s Cliff Tucker!

“I can’t stand Duke. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here so I can beat Duke, I already got North Carolina. Duke is next. I cannot stand Duke. I tell people all the time, if they gave me a scholarship and that was my only Division I scholarship, I’d go Division II or something like that. I would never, ever go there. I don’t know what it is, I can’t stand Duke.”


HOME TEAM: Maryland (12-8, 2-3 ACC)
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN

24 Cliff Tucker........ 2-3 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 1 4 3 2 0 0 18

[heath_harshman4]

Nice job by Tucker of backing up his pregame rant.

Board material from Maryland’s Cliff Tucker!

“I can’t stand Duke. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here so I can beat Duke, I already got North Carolina. Duke is next. I cannot stand Duke. I tell people all the time, if they gave me a scholarship and that was my only Division I scholarship, I’d go Division II or something like that. I would never, ever go there. I don’t know what it is, I can’t stand Duke.”


HOME TEAM: Maryland (12-8, 2-3 ACC)
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN

24 Cliff Tucker........ 2-3 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 1 4 3 2 0 0 18



I am 17 years old and do not come from the wealthiest of families. I live in Washington State and I am a big Huskie fan in "Coug Country"... ANYWAYS when I was young, haha, like 11 I used to say that about going to WSU, I would never. But, as College creeps closer, they actually have the programs that would more fit the career path I would like...So pretty much what I am trying to say is...

CLIFF TUCKER, GROW UP!!!

[yancem]

You're the guy who farts in the middle of a beautiful wedding then says "What? It's a natural bodily function!"

I like that analogy!

[yancem]

did you watch the unc/clemson game? if you did, how can you call the maryland game an anomaly?

Or the GaTech game!

[DomerDevil]

but G.H. is the "spittin" image of G.H. when he rises to shoot through the release.....beautiful to watch. i think the ball spins the same way, as well.

IMO the midrange jumper is the most beautiful shot in basketball--the athleticism to rise above a defender or two and the skill of the shot itself. Both GH's execute it wonderfully.

[DukieInBrasil]

Whooohooooo!!!! 5-0 in the ACC with strong road wins at FSU, VT and MD!!!! I'm not sure what I imagined our record would be at this point prior to the season, but after the pre-ACC schedule I guess the 5-0 start does not surprise me, tho it does please me immensely. The nice thing is that each win has revealed a different aspect about the depth of this team's character. The game at MD saw us turn a 9 pt halftime deficit into a 9 pt win, or an 18 pt swing in one half; we were able to reverse the emotions that MD took into the locker room and immediately after the half began to surge.
DeMarcus continued his streak of on-again off-again performances, this time he was on to the tune of a career-high in scoring and is once again averaging 18+ppg in ACC play. When both the Captain and the Gerald are on at the same time, this team is extremely difficult to defend, even with quiet games from Scheyer, Singler and King. Paulus stepped in to nail some clutch time FTs near the end and Nolan Smith continues to announce to the league that he has come to play for real. I like that LT continues his mini-streak of modest yet efficient production on O.

The Good
•The Captain - Nelson had a terrific game, maybe not his best, but certainly among the best, considering that he took it to a big-time rival on the road. The only reason I say it may not be his BEST game is the 9-17 FG (he has shot better), although the 5-6 FT is superb. Throw in 6 rebs just for kicks and ya gotta say, kudos DeMarcus.
• Slashing guards - MD basically had no answer for our slashing combo of Nelson, Henderson and Smith; that trio took them to school for 65pts AND 18 rebs and shot 3-6 3pt shooting. The Gerald's efficiency was a bit better than DeMarcus even tho' his pt total was lower and the 6 rebs equaled the Captain's output. Perhaps the Gerald's best game as a Devil. Nolan had quite possibly his best game as a Devil and I hope he can take the confidence he built in this game as the season goes forward.
• Clutch-time FT shooting - Withe game still very much winnable for either team, we stepped to the FT line and made clutch FT after clutch FT, I think we only missed one FT in clutch time. Special mention goes to Paulus who drilled all 4 FTs at the end of the game to seal the deal. Tho' not all at clutch time, I think both DN and GH deserve recognition for fine FT shooting throughout the game, something I hope they repeat more often. For the game we shot over 75% from the stripe, which is my threshold for good FT shooting.
• 3pt shooting - We finished at 37.5%, which is above the threshold for efficient shooting from 3. DN, GH, NS (all 1-2) and GP (2-3) all shot very well from deep. King and Scheyer were both off (0-2) while Singler was unspectacular from downtown.

The Mediocre
• The Frontcourt - Gist and Oglesby went to town and nearly matched the phenomenal output of Nelson and Henderson. Duke appears to have decided that, just like in the IU game where Killingsworth went off, other teams can have what they want on the inside but we will not let them win with outside shooting. Admittedly, Duke doesn't have the height or depth in the post to make it worthwhile to try to take the inside away from teams with superior frontcourts. It would be nice to see our frontcourt offer a bit more of a challenge than we did against MD. We got outscored by the duo of Gist and Oglesby 56-13 in the frontcourt and they pulled in XX boards to our yy. This would be in The Bad if it were not nominally part of the strategy, or if said strategy were unable to contain the perimeter game the way it did.

The Bad

•

[ugadevil]

IMO the midrange jumper is the most beautiful shot in basketball--the athleticism to rise above a defender or two and the skill of the shot itself. Both GH's execute it wonderfully.

One thing I noticed about Henderson yesterday was how he used the screen to set up his jump shot. He and Lance played very well together as far as using the screen. Lance would set the screen up top and Gerald would come off it and create enough room for the jump shot. The timing and location of the movement was executed by both players. It was a great example of everyone doing the little things to win.

[dukestheheat]

I think the point Dukie8, and me partially, are trying to make is that how can you call a HOME loss versus Maryland an anomaly after watching them almost lose a game they lucked out @ Clemson, then just a 2 point win @ GT? This loss was coming soon, it was just a matter of when.


When Carolina is playing at home, they, like Duke usually win out; Maryland coming in wasn't playing very well and in fact their record was bad. So, realizing that an anomaly is some deviation outside of the commonplace, I'd say combining the two items, Carolina usually winning out and Maryland playing poorly and with a poor record, that that is at least some type of anomalous situation.

Maybe not deeply anomalous, but at least in the corner of the ballpark. Is all.

Soon, Carolina is going to be back to beating people like crazy and I just hope we get them before they wake back up.

dth.

[The1Bluedevil]

As great as Duke is defensively, Maryland always seems to have their way offensively with Duke. Boston College runs the flex as well but nearly as spread out. I would think with Duke switching every screen the flex would fit right into their hands.

Of course having great personal makes any offense tough to guard but Maryland always seems to score easily against Duke.

[greybeard]

This was the first time this season that I was physically shaking during the game (due to nerves). That probably says a lot about my sanity, but it was just such a tense game. What a second half. The defense was phenomenal, and Nelson made a bunch of huge baskets.


Sliding off the couch or chair and pounding fists on floor usually helps. If you don't have well padded carpeting, couch bolster or thick pillow strongly recommended. Do after all big plays, whether turn out good or bad, or every five minutes, whichever comes first. :eek:

[dukie8]

this team is starting to remind me of a hot knuckleball pitcher. i can just imagine the opposing teams salivating at duke during warm-ups because duke is so small and the other teams must be thinking that they are going to have their way with duke -- much like a slugger often salivates at seeing a knuckleball pitcher throwing 60mph. we all know what then happens...

[Jumbo]

this team is starting to remind me of a hot knuckleball pitcher. i can just imagine the opposing teams salivating at duke during warm-ups because duke is so small and the other teams must be thinking that they are going to have their way with duke -- much like a slugger often salivates at seeing a knuckleball pitcher throwing 60mph. we all know what then happens...

I'm feelin' a little Joba Chamberlain -- everyone gets ready to connect on Duke's fastball (guards, threes, etc.) and then we mix in a nasty slider (the fact that we'll fight and claw against anyone's bigs) for the strikeout. Hey, they don't call him Coach "K" just because of his name! ;)

[CDu]

The Good
•The Captain - Nelson had a terrific game, maybe not his best, but certainly among the best, considering that he took it to a big-time rival on the road. The only reason I say it may not be his BEST game is the 9-17 FG (he has shot better), although the 5-6 FT is superb. Throw in 6 rebs just for kicks and ya gotta say, kudos DeMarcus.
• Slashing guards - MD basically had no answer for our slashing combo of Nelson, Henderson and Smith; that trio took them to school for 65pts AND 18 rebs and shot 3-6 3pt shooting. The Gerald's efficiency was a bit better than DeMarcus even tho' his pt total was lower and the 6 rebs equaled the Captain's output. Perhaps the Gerald's best game as a Devil. Nolan had quite possibly his best game as a Devil and I hope he can take the confidence he built in this game as the season goes forward.
• Clutch-time FT shooting - Withe game still very much winnable for either team, we stepped to the FT line and made clutch FT after clutch FT, I think we only missed one FT in clutch time. Special mention goes to Paulus who drilled all 4 FTs at the end of the game to seal the deal. Tho' not all at clutch time, I think both DN and GH deserve recognition for fine FT shooting throughout the game, something I hope they repeat more often. For the game we shot over 75% from the stripe, which is my threshold for good FT shooting.
• 3pt shooting - We finished at 37.5%, which is above the threshold for efficient shooting from 3. DN, GH, NS (all 1-2) and GP (2-3) all shot very well from deep. King and Scheyer were both off (0-2) while Singler was unspectacular from downtown.

The Mediocre
• The Frontcourt - Gist and Oglesby went to town and nearly matched the phenomenal output of Nelson and Henderson. Duke appears to have decided that, just like in the IU game where Killingsworth went off, other teams can have what they want on the inside but we will not let them win with outside shooting. Admittedly, Duke doesn't have the height or depth in the post to make it worthwhile to try to take the inside away from teams with superior frontcourts. It would be nice to see our frontcourt offer a bit more of a challenge than we did against MD. We got outscored by the duo of Gist and Oglesby 56-13 in the frontcourt and they pulled in XX boards to our yy. This would be in The Bad if it were not nominally part of the strategy, or if said strategy were unable to contain the perimeter game the way it did.

The Bad

•

I only have a couple of minor quibbles.

First, The ESPN box score says we were 6-18 from 3-pt range (.333). I'd move that to the mediocre.

Also, I'd say we actually tried pretty hard to take away the inside game for Maryland. We seemed double/triple team in the post nearly every time they threw it in there. It was a very different strategy than the IU game, in which Williams was on an island. Despite the efforts, Maryland's bigs had great games. The results for post play were similar, but the means were very different. Therefore, I'd put post play in the "bad" category.

Fortunately for us, we forced so many turnovers that it didn't matter. And, Maryland seemed to wear down in the second half (which probably helped the turnovers, too). And we happened to have fantastic games from Nelson and Henderson, and very solid games from Paulus and Smith.

[bjornolf]

I only have a couple of minor quibbles.

First, The ESPN box score says we were 6-18 from 3-pt range (.333). I'd move that to the mediocre.



early in the second half, the commentators said that Duke had shot 3-12 from behind the arc up to that point. Assuming they were correct, finishing 6-18 meant they went 3-6 in the second half, so I'd say that was a pretty good improvement, especially in crunch time. The funny thing is that if the guys had shot closer to their normal 3 point pace, say 5-12 in the first half, it's only a three point game at halftime. Gary must have been thanking his lucky stars our outside game was off in the first half, and pretty worried about it coming back in the second.

It's one of those games where yeah, we were down by 9, but we'd had just about everything go wrong that could go wrong in the first half and Maryland had done everything right (didn't they shoot over 70% in the first half?), so Gary had to be worried that they hadn't buried us at the half, cause he knew that couldn't happen the whole game. It's kind of like what happened to us in the Pitt game.

[CDu]

early in the second half, the commentators said that Duke had shot 3-12 from behind the arc up to that point. Assuming they were correct, finishing 6-18 meant they went 3-6 in the second half, so I'd say that was a pretty good improvement, especially in crunch time. The funny thing is that if the guys had shot closer to their normal 3 point pace, say 5-12 in the first half, it's only a three point game at halftime. Gary must have been thanking his lucky stars our outside game was off in the first half, and pretty worried about it coming back in the second.

It's one of those games where yeah, we were down by 9, but we'd had just about everything go wrong that could go wrong in the first half and Maryland had done everything right (didn't they shoot over 70% in the first half?), so Gary had to be worried that they hadn't buried us at the half, cause he knew that couldn't happen the whole game. It's kind of like what happened to us in the Pitt game.

Oh I agree - we definitely shot better in the second half. I think part of that was probably that Coach K told us to focus on attacking the basket more, so the shots that were taken from out there were better shots. And part of it may simply have been random variation. Going 3-12 is only two misses away from being a pretty solid percentage. Definitely an improvement in the second half, but bad in the first half and good in the second half equals mediocre for the game.

As for the shooting 70%, I don't think that was so much Maryland shooting out of their minds as much as Maryland having success getting the ball in the post, where they were making layups or drawing fouls. Looking at the box score, there are a TON of layups and dunks filling Maryland's stat sheet in the first half. I agree that Williams had reason to be worried, though. We hadn't played great defensively and yet were only down by 9.

[greybeard]

Oh I agree - we definitely shot better in the second half. I think part of that was probably that Coach K told us to focus on attacking the basket more, so the shots that were taken from out there were better shots. And part of it may simply have been random variation. Going 3-12 is only two misses away from being a pretty solid percentage. Definitely an improvement in the second half, but bad in the first half and good in the second half equals mediocre for the game.

As for the shooting 70%, I don't think that was so much Maryland shooting out of their minds as much as Maryland having success getting the ball in the post, where they were making layups or drawing fouls. Looking at the box score, there are a TON of layups and dunks filling Maryland's stat sheet in the first half. I agree that Williams had reason to be worried, though. We hadn't played great defensively and yet were only down by 9.

CDu, like I said in pre season post, I saw Osby up close in summer league play and thought he had the potential to dominate inside aka Adrian Dantley. He is so strong and moves to good position with great timing and is a great receiver of the ball. If you got to see him in person, you'd see how diffiicult it is to stop him from catching it in great position from which he can really hurt you. Very, very, very few inside players are near his equal in that regard.

[dball]

I only have a couple of minor quibbles.

First, The ESPN box score says we were 6-18 from 3-pt range (.333). I'd move that to the mediocre.



Just curious, do you consider 50% shooting from 2 pt range mediocre?

[CDu]

Just curious, do you consider 50% shooting from 2 pt range mediocre?

No, but that's a different question, really. For example, a 19-foot attempt is negligibly easier than a 20-feet attempt, but a 20-foot shot is worth 1.5 times as much as a 19-foot shot. So the argument that 50% shooting on 2-pt attempts is better than mediocre doesn't really relate to the discussion about 33% 3-pt shooting. Shooting percentages don't translate equivalently in difficulty as they do in value. Partly because the 2-pt shot is generally defended more tightly. Partly because people have practiced the 3-pt shot so much that it's not as difficult, meaning that the 3-pt shot is probably overweighted at the college level compared to the 2-pt shot.

That 33% 3-pt shooting is equal in VALUE to 50% shooting on 2-pt attempts doesn't mean that 33% shooting is good shooting. 33% is pretty mediocre shooting from out there in this day and age. It's certainly not "good," which is what it's being classified as.

[gw67]

Eight of twelve ACC teams are shooting better than 33% from three-point land and one team is at 33%. The leader is Miami at 39% and the anchor is Wake at 28.5%.

gw67

[Travis]

My favorite part was the next day.

Me: Good Morning J---

Assistant Director, Maryland Alum big time fan in the next office: I don't want to [bleeping] talk about it.

Door Slams!

And there was no call from my brother-in-law: another Maryland alum who always called last year.

A good day to be a Dukie in DC. Thanks to the team for playing their guts out.

Travis