Man of the Match vs. UNC

[Jumbo]

Who was the Man of the Match against UNC?

[BD80]

Can't be Greg, he pulled a Steve Gray at the end. Lance played GREAT!

[mgtr]

Well, I voted for Paulus, in part because he has taken so much grief on this board. But I could have voted for Singler, Scheyer, or Thomas very easily. They all made great, timely plays. And Nelson wasn't too shabby.

[Karl Beem]

LT's best game by about a factor of 4.

[Abraxas]

Thomas was much better than average. Henderson and Scheyer play their average way, Singler played amazing defense on the H-guy. Paulus was the man! Truly a team-win.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I voted for Lance. He finally found is offense to go with the defense. Nice finishing around the basket and a couple of hook shots.

[MikeS]

Lance b/c know body saw that coming. I thought Z out would of really hurt but Lance stepped up. Greg was great, also Scheyer was as good as we could ask for to.

[loran16]

Lance thomas....jumbo can tell you how much i hate him, and think that he's a bad player, i even got infracted on my first post because of him.....

But he flat out played redonkulous tonight.

[greybeard]

Lance played GREAT!

He sure did! Has to get an honorary MOTG; it's tough for me not to say Singler in just about every game, but Paulus's shooting was essential to this win; then again Scheyer (who has got tostop bending his knees so much on his 3s; I think he does so because there is something going on in his back, lower back, if I have to guess some more).

And the winner is, DUKE!

[kcduke75]

Lance was great but the freshman was the man!

[Flyers52]

The TEAM today were the "Men" of the Match. Every player who stepped onto the court tonight played with a pair between their legs, and didn't take any B.S. GREAT team game was played tonight that we should ALL be happy for (besides the fact that we beat those second rate holes from down the road). Just amazing tonight watching the unselfishness, made me feel G-R-E-A-T to be a Duke lifer.

Also, I loved the fact that UNC didn't get any home cookin' from the Ref's. It seemed to go both ways throughout most of the contest.

I am so THRILLED!!!! And I don't want to hear any jibber jabber about Lawson not playing...Regardless of who played, we won, they lost.

GO DUKE

[Jumbo]

And, to answer my question...
We have to vote for one guy. Those are the rules. I see four candidates:
Paulus, Scheyer, Singler and Thomas.
So, I weighed them:
Paulus -- Positives: Three-point shooting. Really, really great three-point shooting. Negatives: Somehow allowed Quentin Thomas to beat him off the dribble a few times. Made some crazy passes on offense. Tried to save the ball under his own basket late, throwing it through the net and out of bounds. Yelled at his teammates for fouling with a minute left, then fouled Ellington off the ball with 30 seconds left.

Scheyer -- Positives: Played outstanding defense on Ellington; when JS was on him, Ellington rarely got an open look. (His open misses were largely off FTs). Constantly created good shots for himself and his teammates -- the fact that he only had two assists at the half was a joke; I remembered four right away. Grabbed a bunch of rebounds and loose balls. Had at least three steals in the first half; haven't seen final stats. Finallly attacked offensively and hit 7 of 8 FTs on a night where everyone was missing. Negatives: Only shot 4-for-11. Threw the ball away late, leading to a Danny Green 3 to cut it to 83-78.

Kyle Singler -- Positives: Was a total rock. Hit some threes, drove on Hansbroug, grabbed tough rebounds. Most importantly, he stayed on the floor by avoiding foul trouble. Negatives: Went too long without touching the ball in spurts. Didn't shoot especially well (5-for-12, I think). Hansbrough did score 28 points and Thompson was a force too.

Thomas -- Postives: Exceeded all expectations. Finished inside, scoring 10 points. Grabbed a few tough rebounds. Had one great block. Didn't foul out. Negatives: Hansbrough went off down low. His contributions were big for him, but not necessarily for other standards.

For me, the easiest one to cross off was Paulus. After that, it's a tossup. In the end, I picked Scheyer because he just brough a steadying influence into the game. K sent him to the scorer's table just two minutes into the game, and he didn't come out the rest of the first half. He played a ton in the second half. He has absolutely harrassed Wayne Ellington in three career matchups now, and with Nelson in foul trouble and Henderson missing FTs/launching some strange shots, he initiated much of the offense that led to threes for other guys. I think this is only the second or third time that I've voted for Jon this year, but he deserves it.

I can't wait to see what the official boxscore shows, as well as the plus/minus stats.

[Dukebacker]

Greg kept us up tonight, but Lance was on tonight. Let's hope he can keep that up all year. That would be a huge boost.


What a game!

[happydays1949]

I voted for Jon, but it I could have voted for any of them.

[mgtr]

Well, the net, net is in -- the winner is TEAM. Hard to think of who you would bench without making our team a lot worse. I believe I heard that we had six players in double figures. I think we have also had six different MOTMs this year. That is really phenomenal balance.

[mr. synellinden]

Some of those shots were off balance or off the dribble.

With Paulus playing the way he has the last few games, we rise to being a great team, not just a very good team.

Singler is a close second - played great on both ends of the court, great rebounding in the second half and avoided foul trouble.

Henderson had some freakish athletic plays including the monster block on Hanslkjflksjf just before Singler hit the 3 to put us up 71-62.

Thomas had his best game at Duke and had a great block or two.

What a great team effort - 6 players in double figures. And we survived a second half where our best player picked up his 4th foul with 16 minutes to go.

Awesome.

[dukelifer]

Scheyer was everywhere - particularly in crunch time. He did everything you can ask of a player and was in such control throughout. With Nelson hampered with fouls- Scheyer took out the lunch pail and had a great game.

[mehmattski]

Scheyer was the glue tonight. Greg's 3s were big and Lance's contribution was certainly unexpected, but Scheyer's overall game rose to the occasion tonight.

[ArkieDukie]

I can't vote for a single player in this poll. Too many people were too solid. Can I vote for the whole team?

[Duvall]

Scheyer probably had the best game, but I can't pass on a legit chance to vote Lance as MOTM.

[Chicago 1995]

Hansbrough went off, but we slowed him for a stretch there in the second half, and when it counted, they were only getting one shot.

Big rebounds down the stretch were really important, I thought, and why I voted for Kyle.

I didn't vote for Lance, but I thought his contributions tonight were huge. He did what we could defensively, and he played with great energy and helped our defense substantially. The 10 points were the cherry on top. Really big one this time.

Jon was huge too. Jumbo's right about his D on Ellington. Jon's height and positioning seemed to bother Wayne. Jon had a good offensive game too. Close call, but I thought Singler just a touch more important, and gave him the vote.

[tpcello7]

It's gotta be Singler, with some very key rebounds at the end.

[dyedwab]

I voted for Lance, but GH's defense was something tonight. He was less of a factor on the offensive end, but he was part of the key to holding down Ellington and a couple of his blocks were just sick

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

What a great problem to have!!!! The embarrassment of riches and talent! How many games is this now that selecting only one player of the year is so hard?

[captmojo]

Had to vote for Kyle. He filled his role just right. He will improve his role against Beaker with each time they play.

[jipops]

This one was tough but I actually have to go with Singler. Not only does he have to square off against Tyler but he still manages to stay out of foul trouble, plays 37 minutes, and posts a double-double. Every facet of his game tonight was beautiful, he blocked shots, got his hands on passes, drew defenders out, had some beautiful pro-type moves. I thought his play was phenomenal and boosted us in the 2nd half.

[OrangeDevil]

Okay. Greg had an absolutely incredible game. Jon too. But my vote, as it often has this season, goes to Kyle. Where would we be without him? While his stats don't necessarily compare favorably to opposing post players, he's often battling a bigger player who's being rotated with another big. And Kyle is often battling two of them at the same time. At the other end, how often has he delivered the dagger offensively?

While Kyle is rarely at the top of the stat column, but he is consistent and reliable. He is critical for our chances in March.

[Devilsfan]

TEAM DUKE. Great effort!

[camion]

I wanted to vote for EVERYBODY, but decided to give Lance some love.

Really, this was a team win like many of the games this year. I just love to watch these guys play together.

[mph]

Close between GP and LT, but I had to go with Lance

[weezie]

TEAM DUKE. Great effort!

Team DEFENSE!

Yowsa!

[91devil]

Lance Thomas playing with CONFIDENCE gets my vote. Did you see those low-post finishes on Psycho-Travel?

LT = MotM

[juise]

I went with Kyle because he was able to log so any minutes and make plays throughout the game. Obviously, there are cases to be made for Greg, John, and Lance. However, I think that Gerald deserves a little more love and consideration as well. He made some big plays around the basket and I thought his help defense was important down the stretch. The blocks and the dunk off the rebound were great. The foul shooting on the other hand...

In any case, it's good to be Duke, is it not?

[77devil]

I can't vote for a single player in this poll. Too many people were too solid. Can I vote for the whole team?

Exactly. Look at the stats.

[Taco]

I'm pleasantly surprised I'm not the only one carring the Lance Thomas flag, and quite the contrary. I thought GP's shooting performance would overwhelm the vote. Go Lance!

[dukepsy1963]

LT..........he was super! But so were the other guys...........sob, wish I could give it to all of them.... drats!!!

[EarlJam]

Can't be Greg, he pulled a Steve Gray at the end. Lance played GREAT!

Aw come on! Yes, Lance DID play great and I can't argue with a vote for him (so cool he's coming around), but Greg has been astronomically improved over the last couple of weeks. Dude was phenomenal tonight. Led the team well. One late-game mistake doesn't "cast him out."

Great game Greg!

-EJ

P.S. I'm TOTALLY cool with Lance getting MOTM though. Very deserving.

[gep]

The BEST thing about this team, and the last few games, is that there is NOT one player who almost everyone agrees on. I think that speaks volumes to the TEAM effort, ahd the TEAM game that Duke plays. I can't vote for only one for this very reason. GO DUKE!!!!!:)

[Heelkiller1]

i VOTED FOR GREG BUT ONLY BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ONE FOR TEAM BECAUSE THIS WAS BY FAR A TEAM EFFORT THE WHOLE TEAM REALLY STEPPED UP AND SHOWED THOSE TARPUNKS AND THE WORLD THAT DUKE IS FOR REAL. GO DUKE.GREG HAD A GREAT GAME AND OTHER THAN AT THE END HE PLAYED REAL SMART AND TOUGH .LANCE HAD A GREAT GAME POSSIBLY HIS BEST AT DUKE AND AS ALWAYS SINGLER WAS MONEY .G HAD A BIT OF A OFF NIGHT BUT THAT DUNK REALLY GOT ME OUT MY SEAT.MARKIE PLAY WELL DESPITE FOUL TROUBLE ,AND JOHN CAME OFF THE BENCH AND DID HIS THING AND DID IT WELL.COACH K JUST FLAT OUT ,OUT COACH O ROY BOY,AND THE REST OF THE GUYS ALL CAME TOGETHER FOR ONE HELL OF A WIN.GO DUKE 9F9F9F

[Classof06]

What a game by Lance!!!! He played absolutely magnificent, what a phenomenal performance. Easily the best Duke game of his career, IMO.

Like I said after the Maryland game, I am SO proud of this team. I'm telling you guys, Lawson or not, this was a statement game IMO.

GTHC

[wisteria]

I picked Thomas. But really, there should be a "TEAM" option!

I am surprised and very happy that so many people voted Lance!!!

[Lulu]

I voted for lance, because, well he deserves it after playing so far above the potential we've seen. If this was some kind of break-out and confidence building game for his then I'm incredibly happy.

Still, I thought Singler would be winning, and certainly #2, what's up?

[Bob Green]

I voted for Lance Thomas. Hopefully he can build off of this performance and be a legitimate inside presence. His offense was a great addition to our game.

[Jim3k]

I voted for Scheyer for the reasons Jumbo cited. But...

I don't see much love for Nelson. He went 6-7 at the line and became someone that other teams do not want to foul at the end of a close game. His 13 points were hard fought as his FG's were down a bit. But look at the assists -- 5, which led the team. Plus his defense was really consistent. Plus, at the end his ball handling was very good; I also liked that moment in the first half where he was dribbling straight up the middle, ran into two defenders trying to steal, but changed direstions to regain the ball. He was a stud out there. The Captain deserves some love here.

[gep]

After getting to watch the game (recorded), I voted for Lance Thomas. I think the entire TEAM was great, but I think that maybe the MOTM should go to a player that either carries the team on his back and leads, or plays beyond his expectation. I think every player played to what we had hoped for and maybe even expected, except for Lance. I think he played well beyond what anyone expected or even hoped for, especially against UNC. In fact, there were comments hoping that Brian could come in for a few minutes just to disrupt HansB. But, I think Lance and the team did OK. As others have said, I hope Lance builds on this game, and we can look forward to more Lance MOTM.

[dukemomLA]

As usual, this was another GREAT team effort. Congrats to all! I voted for Lance, since he did an AWESOME job against all odds....or at least against all PsychoT-Rexs.

It's continually obvious how much these guys love to play together, and how much chemistry and fun there is. Sorry.....no 'true' post player....who gives a crap. Defy the odds, boys! Love every game you play.

[Bob Green]

And, to answer my question...

Scheyer -- Negatives: ....Threw the ball away late, leading to a Danny Green 3 to cut it to 83-78.



It was Greg Paulus who threw the ball away late, leading to a Danny Green 3 pointer. I just finished watching the game for the second time.

[Heelkiller1]

It's continually obvious how much these guys love to play together, and how much chemistry and fun there is. Sorry.....no 'true' post player....who gives a crap. Defy the odds, boys! Love every game you play.

who needs Mcroberts!

[CDu]

It was Greg Paulus who threw the ball away late, leading to a Danny Green 3 pointer. I just finished watching the game for the second time.

Paulus' bad pass went out of bounds, I believe. Scheyer had his turnover in the final minutes as well. Don't remember if it led to the Green three or not. We had 3 or 4 turnovers in the final minutes that made me cringe. Glad we survived.

I voted for Scheyer, but I would be accepting of a vote for any of several players:

Scheyer: great defense, strong performance offensively
Paulus: PHENOMENAL display from 3-point range
Singler: strong effort on the boards in the second half, and solid scoring effort in his first UNC game
Thomas: maybe his best game at Duke. not on par with the other performances, but people on this board tend to try to recognize performance relative to ability in this award.

Ultimately, I felt Scheyer made a positive impact on both ends of the floor and deserves the award most from last night. But it was a gutty effort by everyone, and I wish I could give portions of the award to different players.

[jjasper0729]

Paulus' bad pass went out of bounds, I believe.

the paulus pass from the corner in front of the 'hole bench went across court. ellington saved it on one foot, did a spin with a pass to green and green hit the 3

[Dukerati]

Singler was the man for me. Outside of his other contributions, Singler grabbed 10 tough tough boards. We needed every one of them.

[CDu]

the paulus pass from the corner in front of the 'hole bench went across court. ellington saved it on one foot, did a spin with a pass to green and green hit the 3

That's right - I forgot Ellington saved it. I remembered it going right under the rim and heading out of bounds. In any case, Scheyer's turnover was on a separate play late in the game.

[OldPhiKap]

In a truly great TEAM effort, the biggest difference IMO was the fact that UNC only outrebounded Duke by 4. Singler got the biggest rebounds when needed in the second half, and kept UNC at one-and-done.

Singler really came of age last night (as did Lance). Greg and Jon showed why they are lethal. Nelson and McClure showed great leadership.

[greybeard]

I too wouldn't want to chose one, but sometimes you have no choice. That being the case, Kyle, and here's why, it is summed up in one play:

Last minute, last key possession, he is imbounding on the sideline near the endline in the backcourt. Everybody is covered, but Kyle knows that that really is not possible. Sees someone, I forget who, at midcourt whose defender is fronting him. Kyle throws a pass that requires his guy to make a play, make a real athletic catch. Is was the play to make and in the moment before the ball was released, Kyle let the receiver know it was coming, and the guy made a very impressive athletic catch seem routine.

The most under appreciated part of the game, in writing that is. If memory serves, and it often does not these days (I only kid about this), passing and receiving are the most fun things in ball sports.

If that play occurs on a football field, every body raves about it. Kyle makes them look routine, and, at a key moment, he made that one look routine too. He and his teammate hooked up to occupy the ball and keep it away from the Heels who could do nothing at all about it. Man of the game!

[mr. synellinden]

I too wouldn't want to chose one, but sometimes you have no choice. That being the case, Kyle, and here's why, it is summed up in one play:

Last minute, last key possession, he is imbounding on the sideline near the endline in the backcourt. Everybody is covered, but Kyle knows that that really is not possible. Sees someone, I forget who, at midcourt whose defender is fronting him. Kyle throws a pass that requires his guy to make a play, make a real athletic catch. Is was the play to make and in the moment before the ball was released, Kyle let the receiver know it was coming, and the guy made a very impressive athletic catch seem routine.

The most under appreciated part of the game, in writing that is. If memory serves, and it often does not these days (I only kid about this), passing and receiving are the most fun things in ball sports.

If that play occurs on a football field, every body raves about it. Kyle makes them look routine, and, at a key moment, he made that one look routine too. He and his teammate hooked up to occupy the ball and keep it away from the Heels who could do nothing at all about it. Man of the game!

I had the EXACT same reaction to that play because Singler made a very difficult pass look easy. It was like hitting a receiver perfectly in stride with a 30 yard touch pass when the defender was only behind by half a step. Then I remembered his dad was QB at Oregon St. Unbelievable athletic genes in that kid and they are on display in so many ways.

It was right after Paulus called timeout after being double teamed in the backcourt and Singler had to inbound the ball from an awkward spot on the court. Terrific play.

[greybeard]

Man, did he play as if he were 6'8" last night or what. Some of those blocks were insane. His timing, and, could you believe he was coming down to get Hansbrough's inside releases. Down.

I thought that the refs bailed Carolina out on several of Gerald's defensive plays, called em because they expected that a foul would have to happen but none did.

Gerald's playing as big as he did last night was big. He was big inside all night, and hurt Carolina with his play. Provided needed push-back to their inside game and that was very important.

I also liked his pull-up J's, one in particular. Second half, going from the right wing slightly away from the basket and towards the circle. David-Thompson like. When he begins to utilize and perfect that part of his game more and more, "Who's gonna stop me. They'll have to call McKee the cop." Steve Frohman circa 1963, Hewlett, L.I.

It is a nice day, ain't it.

[Madrasdukie]

Thomas for the emotion he brought. That block of Green's shot, the way he dove to tip the ball to a teammate, and even the way he dunked the ball after a foul was called...I think it all set the tone.
Ofcourse, we couldn't have done it without the rest of the team.

[TNTDevil]

I voted for Scheyer, based on his overall contributions to last nights efforts. The kid just has that... "something". I feel comfortable with the ball in his hands, when he drives, when he shoots a jumper and at the free-throw line.

However, that being said, last night's win was an overall team win. One component without the others and we don't get the win, just a nice looking stat sheet.

The thing I was most impressed with was how, for the first time in a number of games against the Tarsqueals, we matched their emotion and energy. UNC started hot but, we didn't get rattled and, as said by Roy, imposed our will on the game.

Oh, and one last point, that block by G on Hansbrough (towards the end of the game) completely validated last years mistake, IMHO. It was the same type of play, and in watching the replay, the same arm motion he used when he accidentally smacked Hanstravel.

[Kilby]

Man, did he play as if he were 6'8" last night or what. Some of those blocks were insane. His timing, and, could you believe he was coming down to get Hansbrough's inside releases. Down.

I thought that the refs bailed Carolina out on several of Gerald's defensive plays, called em because they expected that a foul would have to happen but none did.

When you ask who makes Duke tough I feel that Gerald's defensive presence is key. He gets a lot of the tough rebounds and he doesn't get enough credit for his help defense on the other teams big men.

[AtlBluRew]

I want to write in a vote for Danny Green, for the ridiculous dance he does before home games.

[Travis]

I have never before thought, "They should pass Lance the ball more" but last night I was yelling that Lance was being missed when he slipped screens and they should get him the ball!.

As great team win, but my vote went to Lance.

[socaldukie]

I chose Lance as well. Although, Scheyer could have easily been the choice.

[stickdog]

Singler was Duke's best player overall in the second half of the game.

Paulus' clutch shooting was amazing. He also had 4 steals.

Thomas had his best game of the season.

Scheyer's steadiness, headiness, steals, assists and free throw shooting were key.

Henderson's blocks and smooth, timely second half offense were great.

Nelson's ability to stay in game with 4 fouls was huge.

This is a tough one.

[SilkyJ]

real busy at work, no chance to read others' comments so I apologize. Singler's double double sealed it for me. He is AMAZING. scored in every facet: 3 pointers, 2 point jumpers, driving to the basket, back to the basket. He's unreal. Not to mention, he was a force down low competing against bigger and stronger guys. This guys is already good, and is going to be very, very special.

Lance played a great game as well, and so did paulus. and while I love the way paulus is playing, all he is doing is making 3s. and their huge, but if he goes cold one night, then he becomes significantly more ineffective b/c and is reduced to basically a ball-handler. his leadership and intangibles are great, but i'd just like to see him do some other things on offense so that he can still be effective if he goes cold one night.

(please note I am not trying to paulus bash. i like the kid a lot, and while I have clammored for nolan to get more PT, I do think greg is a good player and a good leader.)

[gw67]

One of the best things about this team is that every player brings more than one thing to the table. If Paulus has an off day shooting from the outside, he values the ball (low TO average), he leads team in assists and steals, and he is an outstanding shooter from the free throw line. This is in addition to his toughness and leadership.

gw67