Hayward officially staying in draft

[DukieBoy]

Link

[Duvall]

Link

Is it too late to cancel the game, or did we put a non-refundable deposit down on the IZOD Center?

[Big Pappa]

Is it too late to cancel the game, or did we put a non-refundable deposit down on the IZOD Center?

Those Bulldog fans will be looking longingly at Kyle the whole game, wishing their big, white stud had decided to stay. But honestly I think they each made the best decision for their respective situations.

[MCFinARL]

Well, this sounds a little more certain than what we already knew, but it's still "according to sources," with a formal announcement to come Friday, so I'm not sure it counts as "official."

[camion]

I think they each made the best decision me.

I also hope they each made the best decision for their respective situations.

[Eckster]

Is it too late to cancel the game, or did we put a non-refundable deposit down on the IZOD Center?

It's gonna be a great game even without Hayward. They're a solid and scrappy team with a good coach. It'll be a great out of conference game for Duke.

[Big Pappa]

It's gonna be a great game even without Hayward. They're a solid and scrappy team with a good coach. It'll be a great out of conference game for Duke.

No doubt they are a solid team but Hayward is a game changer. They won't be nearly as good without him.

[SCMatt33]

No doubt they are a solid team but Hayward is a game changer. They won't be nearly as good without him.

They won't be as good. They could have been top 5 with him. But I still expect them to be in the 15-20 range without him, and possibly 10-15 if they're playing well to start the year.

[Jderf]

They won't be as good. They could have been top 5 with him. But I still expect them to be in the 15-20 range without him, and possibly 10-15 if they're playing well to start the year.

Yea, it should still be a tough game. Remember, Hayward didn't play all that well against us in the title game (which we won!!!!!!!!!). He got to the line a lot in the second half, but otherwise he was pretty ineffective from the field (see: Kyle's monstrous D). And in spite of that, they still gave us a seriously tough game. It should still be tight, though it's definitely not as hype-able as if he had stayed.

[Eckster]

Yea, it should still be a tough game. Remember, Hayward didn't play all that well against us in the title game (which we won!!!!!!!!!). He got to the line a lot in the second half, but otherwise he was pretty ineffective from the field (see: Kyle's monstrous D). And in spite of that, they still gave us a seriously tough game. It should still be tight, though it's definitely not as hype-able as if he had stayed.

All good points. They aren't the same without him but still a really good team. It's true that he didn't have a monster game in the title match (and thankfully missed his last two shots) but they most likely wouldn't have been there at all without him.

Still, these tough non-conference matchups have become a staple of scheduling for Duke and I think really help prepare the team for late season games, in addition to boosting the computer rankings for non-conf SOS (take notice VA Tech) and TV rankings! I like the "neutral" court too for this game

[David]

This news makes me all the more grateful to Kyle for deciding to spend one more year at Duke. Kyle outplayed Hayward in the championship game and he could have reached a similar decision regarding his pro prospects. Kyle is the man!

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

So Duke and MST, are the top tier teams and everyone else is behind them?

[houstondukie]

They had no significant contributions from their freshman last year, they are not bringing in any significant recruits, and they lose 2 starters (Hayward 6'9 210, Veasley 6'3 205) and another key bench player (Jukes, 6'8 215).

R. Nored - Junior - 6’0 175
Z. Hahn - Senior - 6’1 175
S. Mack - Junior - 6’3 215
S. Vanzant - Senior - 6’6 235
M. Howard - Senior - 6’8 230

They will be an even smaller team than last year, and they will have zero bench.

I think they will be top 15-25, but only because I think next year will be another relatively "down year" in college basketball.

[gumbomoop]

So Duke and MST, are the top tier teams and everyone else is behind them?

Absolutely yes, preseason and on paper. One might argue that Purdue could be the logical #3 if both Johnson and Moore withdraw from the draft.

I'm very sorry to see Hayward leave early. Butler is losing a fine, fine player. Can't blame him, and I can certainly see why he's likely lottery, but neither his game nor his body is quite NBA-ready. He's gonna get beat up some. But as many posters have said, it's all potential, he's got it, and he's gettin' his while he can.

NBA sucks [except for Grant, JJ, Boozer, etc.].

[Duvall]

Absolutely yes, preseason and on paper. One might argue that Purdue could be the logical #3 if both Johnson and Moore withdraw from the draft.

If Johnson and Moore both withdraw and Hummel recovers fully from his injury, I have a hard time seeing how Purdue can be rated behind Michigan State. They were certainly better than MSU last year while they still had Hummel.

[gumbomoop]

If Johnson and Moore both withdraw and Hummel recovers fully from his injury, I have a hard time seeing how Purdue can be rated behind Michigan State. They were certainly better than MSU last year while they still had Hummel.

I'd have no major argument with you here. I'd give edge to Purdue, if based on each team's best 3 players, but an edge to MichSt on depth, overall experience, and better incoming frosh. Maybe OhioSt needs to be in this picture, too; top 3 in Big 10 [if Purdue returns....] look easily top 5 nationally.

Although I can [almost] imagine someone "cleverly" picking one of those 3 as #1, maybe even more "cleverly" sliding Duke down to #3-4, that'd be nuts. On paper, it's Duke, straight up.

[SCMatt33]

If Johnson and Moore both withdraw and Hummel recovers fully from his injury, I have a hard time seeing how Purdue can be rated behind Michigan State. They were certainly better than MSU last year while they still had Hummel.

I think you nailed the key word there in fully. When the preseason rankings come out and the season starts, it will be just about 8 months since Hummel's injury. This is usually the minimum amount of time that an athlete takes to get back to playing after an acl tear, and it sometimes takes longer. Usually it takes time playing again for the player to be fully healed. I would expect Hummel to reach or at least nearly reach full strength as the season goes on, but I suspect that he will be limited during preseason practice and at the start of the year. While this shouldn't affect how far they can go, it will affect how they're rated in the preseason.

[greybeard]

I think that the guy who stirred the drink for them was their center. Their center was key to their entire offense. His ability to score the ball inside almost at will against bigger/stronger defenders put tremendous pressure on the exterior defenders to help. His ability to distribute it inside out was perhaps the best in the college game. If he is back, so are they.

Points on the exterior and in transition can and will be replaced. They have a great pivot to play around which, in my opinion, was what made their offense so potent. Sure they will miss H but the center makes them the team that they are, in my view.

We'll see.

[pfrduke]

I think that the guy who stirred the drink for them was their center. Their center was key to their entire offense. His ability to score the ball inside almost at will against bigger/stronger defenders put tremendous pressure on the exterior defenders to help. His ability to distribute it inside out was perhaps the best in the college game. If he is back, so are they.

Points on the exterior and in transition can and will be replaced. They have a great pivot to play around which, in my opinion, was what made their offense so potent. Sure they will miss H but the center makes them the team that they are, in my view.

We'll see.

Howard is back, but the one thing that will now be even more crucial for him is avoiding fouls. I don't know what their recruiting class looks like, but the one guy who backed him up (Jukes) graduated, and the other biggest player (Hayward) is leaving. Matt Howard spent almost every NCAA tournament game in foul trouble, and on the season he committed 3.5 fouls a game, fouling out of 9 games. If he keeps himself off the floor again this year, Butler will struggle.

[MChambers]

Howard is back, but the one thing that will now be even more crucial for him is avoiding fouls. I don't know what their recruiting class looks like, but the one guy who backed him up (Jukes) graduated, and the other biggest player (Hayward) is leaving. Matt Howard spent almost every NCAA tournament game in foul trouble, and on the season he committed 3.5 fouls a game, fouling out of 9 games. If he keeps himself off the floor again this year, Butler will struggle.

And Howard should have fouled out of the title game, as I saw it. He's got a very aggressive style of play, to say the least.