MBB: Miami 90, Duke 63 Post-Game Thread

[PSurprise]

Man, this one's difficult to swallow. I missed the 1st half (thankfully), but I thought it would've done well just to sit all the starters at once and see what all the reserves might do. It really could not have gotten much worse.

Mason's finding it tough to be the only consistent presence inside the 3-point line as well as the only one on the boards. I'm not sure why K didn't try to put MP3 in along with Mason. Once this game got out of hand, I think this game could've been used as a little experimentation for rotations to try. That's one thing that kind of gets to me with K on occassion, he tends to stick to his guns, even in the face of an overwhelming defeat like this one. As other posters have stated, it was very difficult to watch.

I hope the guys can get it together for the near future. I think they'll have to go back to the drawing board somewhat and figure out what to do without a mobile, 6-10 3-point shooter. Do we go small and fast? Do we go "big" with Mason and Marshall? Tough game.
I was impressed with Murphy for what I saw of him in the second half. I think he may deserve some more time if he continues to play aggressively within the flow (for what that's worth this game) of the offense.

I'm looking forward to a better performance from EVERYONE next game.

[hillsborodevil]

Could Randolph Childress father the entire Miami team?

With or without Ryan Kelly the free throw percentage of MP2 is a HUGE liability going forward.

Tomorrow is another day. Go Tech!!!!!!

[freshmanjs]

I disagree. If the issue was effort, then there is a problem. If the issue is missed shots and running into a hot team while you are missing a key player, then next play. Curry will never again go 0-10+ in his duke career.

i don't know if there is an effort issue or not. but i do know that this wasn't just bad luck. we got our butts kicked. definitely important to learn from that and improve. not wise to just ignore it and say oh well, bad luck.

[rthomas]

Hats off to Lehigh, they played a great game.

[dcar1985]

That had zero to do with missing Ryan, we just got flat out beatdown. Gotta learn from it and move on...it's hard to match teams intensity when it seems like they're playing in the National Championship when they see Duke.

[FerryFor50]

i don't know if there is an effort issue or not. but i do know that this wasn't just bad luck. we got our butts kicked. definitely important to learn from that and improve. not wise to just ignore it and say oh well, bad luck.

They will learn from it. Next play doesn't mean "forget that game." It means "it's a long season" and one loss is simply that - one loss.

[moonpie23]

it's not the end of the world (or the season)....we took a lickin from G'town in much the same way and recovered. Use it...


it's hard when the game is going down like that to NOT think how discombobulated they seemed to be.... bummer....



I still love my team, and i'm sure you guys do too....just an ugly night...

[Kjeffrey]

There were some signs of trouble with this team even before Ryan got hurt. Since the Christmas break it seems like they have not played with the same intensity. They have had many sluggish starts and maybe it is finally catching up to them. Tonight there were lots of wide open missed shots in the early going which unfortunately seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game. it is hard to tell which was worse tonight - the offense or the defense.

[jkidd31]

I was at work late and forgot the game was on. Checked the score and I'm glad I forgot.

[throatybeard]

Man, Schlafly's got this scotch ale...

...what were we talking about?

I guess at the end of the ESPN timeslot, you have to talk about whether this exposes fatal flaws or is a statistical anomaly. The statistics hurt me pretty bad and I won't be offering a formal opinion on such.

[grossbus]

we peaked in nov???

is there enough time to peak again?


more minutes for murphy!

fewer for thornton.

[jipops]

I don't think this was "one of those games" or flukish in any way. We had a ton of time to prepare for this. This was a huge, huge ACC game on the road. Unfortunately I think this may actually be who we are now. It's so easy to dismiss this as part of missing Kelly, but there a few truths to this that seem cumulative. Before the season I didn't think we would be a very good outside shooting team. With Kelly floating on the perimeter he not only opened up the lane for Mason he also kept the ball moving around the perimeter so guys like Thornton, Cook, and Sheed got open stand-still shots. Those guys don't get those shots anymore. Now it is apparent that we really only have one perimeter threat who is playing on a bum leg. When he is cold, we really have nothing on the perimeter. Mason is also clearly struggling. He has never been effective outside of 8 feet from the hoop and now he rarely gets himself in position closer than that.

Defensively is where the mask truly has been lifted. We couldn't guard anyone tonight. Miami was at another level and we just don't have the guards to stay in front. Miami was bigger, quicker, more physical, more experienced and really just have more talent on the floor.

I honestly thought the wheels were getting a little loose in December already. We really never looked sharp that whole month, sure the holiday always has something to do with that but we really didn't look impressive. Once Kelly went down a couple of wheels came off. No clue what the answers are right now.

[Chicago 1995]

We didn't get waxed tonight just because Kelly wasn't there.

Miami was better prepared. Miami played harder. Miami played better. We basically had no business being on that court. Whatever we did for the last six days, it was wrong. Every bit of it wrong.

That was really disheartening. Really, really disheartening.

[Kjeffrey]

Man, this one's difficult to swallow. I missed the 1st half (thankfully), but I thought it would've done well just to sit all the starters at once and see what all the reserves might do. It really could not have gotten much worse.

Mason's finding it tough to be the only consistent presence inside the 3-point line as well as the only one on the boards. I'm not sure why K didn't try to put MP3 in along with Mason. Once this game got out of hand, I think this game could've been used as a little experimentation for rotations to try. That's one thing that kind of gets to me with K on occassion, he tends to stick to his guns, even in the face of an overwhelming defeat like this one. As other posters have stated, it was very difficult to watch.

I hope the guys can get it together for the near future. I think they'll have to go back to the drawing board somewhat and figure out what to do without a mobile, 6-10 3-point shooter. Do we go small and fast? Do we go "big" with Mason and Marshall? Tough game.
I was impressed with Murphy for what I saw of him in the second half. I think he may deserve some more time if he continues to play aggressively within the flow (for what that's worth this game) of the offense.

I'm looking forward to a better performance from EVERYONE next game.

I too wonder why Marshall has not gotten more PT especially tonight. How much worse could he have done?

[throatybeard]

we took a lickin from G'town in much the same way

That was by like a dozen or 14. Not like this.

[jipops]

we peaked in nov???

is there enough time to peak again?


more minutes for murphy!

fewer for thornton.

I disagree with this. Murphy put up some nice offensive numbers but he couldn't guard you or me out there tonight.

[dukelifer]

The loss was bad as Duke was never in this game- but a few bright spots, nevertheless. First Alex Murphy had a good game. He did it when Duke was down but still he rose above the ashes and that may bode well moving forward. Jefferson also played well and we saw the angry Sulaimon come back- angry Sulaimon is good for the team. On any given night we do not know how Curry will play. Tonight he was not himself- perhaps his leg- perhaps the guards of Miami- but he was absent and Duke cannot win without Curry and Kelly hitting from deep. Duke is a flawed and fragile team. The margin for error is razor thin. This team has time to get better but expect some very rocky games on the road until Kelly is fully back- which may not be for a while. Bottom line is that Duke needs to win all the games at home and all against the lower half of the league (can't do what State is doing) and hope they can eek out one or two tough road games. They need to manage the season and hope that Kelly has enough time to get back into the mix. This is mostly mental folks and confidence comes with winning. Hopefully that will start with the next game.

[FanFair]

Before anyone bashes me for being a first time poster, I have been a DBR follower since the "Christmas Tree" days [for those of you who remember]. I graduated with Jim Sumner, lived with him in Windsor (and had to put up with Bobby Heller and Roy Towlen [personal aside]). I have been a Duke fan since 1961. Tonight was an absolute aberration in Duke basketball, in that a very talented team simply got outplayed. Teams in the past have been outplayed, but not with this talent. Our seniors have gotten lazy. I fully believe that these young men began to believe their own hype, which is not winning-healthy [see Loiusville]. But this is a team that had improved until Ryan went out. It has not improved since, but it has had no time. I thought after a week that they would step it up. Alas, not. They will improve, in time. But it will take time. I do know that the staff will not ask Ryan to play until he is ready. But in the meantime, the season will be a growing and learning time. An "L" is an "L". It will get better.

[Kjeffrey]

more minutes for murphy!

fewer for thornton.

I have been saying that all year!

[Duke76]

Hats off to Lehigh, they played a great game.

saying "next play"...he's saying "i won't forget this game for a season and you guys better not either."..they looked like they all had mono,
absolutely no energy...like they didn't want to be there...my goodness...Plumlee has got to learn how to move back to the right when he's making that move to the center from the left side...just plant your left foot and move back to the right to the basket