MBB: Duke at Wake Forest (Jan 30, 2013) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Duke travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Deacs this Wednesday, January 30th. The game is on the "ACC Network", which means the local affiliates that have signed up for it. Here's the page on the ACC's site with the info about the game and the list of stations carrying it. Looks like those of us in the DC area are out of luck.

Note that the game is scheduled to be carried by ESPN3 as well, for those that want to see it and don't have a local station to view it on.

Put your pre-game and in-game thoughts in this thread, please.

[Bob Green]

Looks like those of us in the DC area are out of luck.

You could always move to Norfolk.

This is an important game as the team needs to show it can win conference games on the road.

[CDu]

Wake is undefeated at home in the ACC with close wins over UVa, BC, and NC State. They have talented veterans in Harris and McKie, and promising-but-inconsistent freshmen in Miller-McIntyre, Thomas, Jones, Rountree, Cavanaugh, and Adala Moto.

We beat them by 18 at home earlier this year. We have to take them seriously, but we should be able to handle them again in Wake. It would be nice to get the 0 out of the road-game win column.

[davekay1971]

Agreed that this could be a tougher game than we all thought at the beginning of the season. The Joel is a nice home environment for the Deacs, the local Wake fans are avid in their desire to beat us every year, and we've had some tough losses on the road there. Despite our win against Maryland, Wake is not going to be remotely intimidated against us. They'll be encouraged by their home win over State, as well as our road losses.

As always on the road, starting out well and maintaining consistent focus on both ends of the court when the crowd picks up the volume will be crucial. We're starting to get our identity with Ryan on the sidelines, but, on the road, we're going to really need our two seniors to be at their best. Once again, I'd look to establish Mason early, establish defense, and look for an inside-out game to get open looks for Sulaimon and Curry.

[jv001]

We'll be missing our Wake Killer in this game. Ryan Kelly has averaged around 22 points against the Deacs in his career. Atleast that's what the tv announcers were saying in the first meeting. We'll have to come out with the same energy we displayed against the twerps. McKie hurt us in the last meeting and is a tough match up for us. Amile will probably get that assignment. GoDuke!

[COYS]

Agreed that this could be a tougher game than we all thought at the beginning of the season. The Joel is a nice home environment for the Deacs, the local Wake fans are avid in their desire to beat us every year, and we've had some tough losses on the road there. Despite our win against Maryland, Wake is not going to be remotely intimidated against us. They'll be encouraged by their home win over State, as well as our road losses.

As always on the road, starting out well and maintaining consistent focus on both ends of the court when the crowd picks up the volume will be crucial. We're starting to get our identity with Ryan on the sidelines, but, on the road, we're going to really need our two seniors to be at their best. Once again, I'd look to establish Mason early, establish defense, and look for an inside-out game to get open looks for Sulaimon and Curry.

We definitely need or seniors to lead, but I think we can also see Rasheed take more leadership on offense. There were a lot of encouraging signs on offense in the Maryland game. Our offense functioned at the highest level in a game without Ryan for the first time in the past two seasons. The defense wasn't as great as it could have been, but I have been far more concerned about our offense than our defense ever since Ryan went down. For a team with championship aspirations, it is difficult to go from having three seniors lead the way to losing our (arguably) best offensive player in Ryan and having Seth at far less than 100%. As good as Rasheed can be, he is still a freshman. The roles of Tyler and Josh are less well-defined when we don't have Ryan's scoring punch as another offensive weapons. Amile and Alex are now forced to play through their growing pains rather than grow into their roles at their own pace. As good as Amile has been (and as good as Alex was against Miami), there is a pretty big drop-off between Ryan and our two freshman. From this perspective, I was really happy to see Rasheed and Amile have strong games. I think we all viewed Rasheed's scoring ability as a nice bonus early in the season, but we really need him to be a consistent threat on offense from this point forward.

A big step for the team will be for Rasheed to lead the way (or co-lead, I should say) on offense from the get-go against Wake. Obviously, he shouldn't force things at the expense of getting Mason the ball and getting Seth open looks, but he needs to keep that extra level of concentration so that he can continue his strong shooting and improved finishing. He is one of our top three scoring threats, now, and needs to put the ball in the basket every game. I'm hoping the Maryland game was the start of a nice little hot streak for Rasheed.

[roywhite]

Duke travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Deacs this Wednesday, January 30th. The game is on the "ACC Network", which means the local affiliates that have signed up for it. Here's the page on the ACC's site with the info about the game and the list of stations carrying it. Looks like those of us in the DC area are out of luck.

FWIW, my DirecTV guide for the Greensboro/Winston-Salem area does not show the game on the schedule for Weds. 1/30; however, the local channel guide for channel 48 does show the game on, and the Raycom games are generally broadcast here.

Some local Wake fans think they've got a shot. The young Deacs have played well at home.

[UrinalCake]

I don't think there are any opponents who we should assume we'll "handle easily." Our formula for winning at home has been creating turnovers to offset poor defensive rebounding, hanging around with the score close for a half until our threes start falling, and giving Mason plenty of touches hoping to get some points and also open things up for the shooters. But our play on the road has been awful, so hopefully the freshmen can start to play like not-freshmen now that they've got a couple road games under their belts. Getting a solid win in the road would be a huge confidence boost to this team.

[jcastranio]

Factors:

1. We haven't won a road game yet. (And WF did beat NC State at home).

2. Missing Ryan. He has been particularly good against WF.

3. Rasheed and Amile had very good games this weekend. Freshmen can be inconsistent - there is no reliability that they will play at such a high level again against WF.


The game:

We will struggle with the offense for the first four minutes. Wake will hit several threes and the place will be rocking. 16:00 mark - we trail 11-4.

Tyler, after some recent struggles, will hit a key 3 to get us going. A fast break dunk, a put-back - we close the margin. The game is settling in. 12:00 mark - we still trail 16-13.

Seth comes alive for five points. Mason continues to soldier on with points and rebounds - no big numbers, but he keeps the attention of the Wake defense. We tie it and go ahead, but WF gets a second wind. 8:00 mark - we still trail 22-21.

Key segment of the 1st half. Rasheed - scoreless to this point - gets a three, a lay-up, and two free throws. Seth hits another 3. WF contributes several turnovers. A crowd-quieting mini-run. Amile is on the bench with 2 fouls. We get a little breathing space. 4:00 mark - we lead 34-26.

Last part of the half is hard-fought and tactical. Mason playing with two fouls - is cautious, Amile still on the bench. Marshall comes in and provides no points, but lots of energy. Seth, crafty as ever, leads the way with 2 more three-pointers and a layup. Duke leads at the half - 42-36.

Wake is pushing hard to start the half. That plays to their disadvantage, with a few rushed shots and a turnover. Mason and Amile score down low. 16:00 mark - Duke still leads 50-44.

Key segment of the 2nd half. Tyler, Seth, and Rasheed benefit from Mason/Amile scoring inside. Two WF turnovers lead directly to layups/dunks. At the end of the segment, Duke goes into the bonus. 12:00 mark - Duke leads 62-50.

Game management time. Mason and Amile both with three fouls, Josh with four. Quinn Cook, steady and quiet up to this point, controls the pace and ends up with six points and 2 assists during this key time. Wake battles on the boards and scores some threes. Duke maintains. 8:00 mark - Duke 72 -64.

Both teams tired and cold from the floor. Free throws play a key role here. 4:00 mark - Duke 77-70.

Quinn takes total control. He scores just two points, but finds shooters for three assists while milking the shot clock. Mason gets a dunk. Tyler hits two key free throws. WF just cannot bridge the gap. Final - 87 - 79.

Offensive rebounding and an unexpected 9 three pointers keep WF in it at home. Duke is tested but maintains. No one Duke player dominates for the entire game, but each of the four key players have their moments.

Okay, so maybe that is not it exactly - but something like that.

[jipops]

Lucky for us Wake plays poor perimeter defense. So even with Kelly out our shooters should get some decent open looks. The biggest key will be how well our guys defend. I'd like to see Thornton get some time on CJ Harris. If we can disrupt his offense then the team should be able to take care of business.

[mgtr]

Factors:

1. We haven't won a road game yet. (And WF did beat NC State at home).

2. Missing Ryan. He has been particularly good against WF.

3. Rasheed and Amile had very good games this weekend. Freshmen can be inconsistent - there is no reliability that they will play at such a high level again against WF.


The game:

We will struggle with the offense for the first four minutes. Wake will hit several threes and the place will be rocking. 16:00 mark - we trail 11-4.

Tyler, after some recent struggles, will hit a key 3 to get us going. A fast break dunk, a put-back - we close the margin. The game is settling in. 12:00 mark - we still trail 16-13.

Seth comes alive for five points. Mason continues to soldier on with points and rebounds - no big numbers, but he keeps the attention of the Wake defense. We tie it and go ahead, but WF gets a second wind. 8:00 mark - we still trail 22-21.

Key segment of the 1st half. Rasheed - scoreless to this point - gets a three, a lay-up, and two free throws. Seth hits another 3. WF contributes several turnovers. A crowd-quieting mini-run. Amile is on the bench with 2 fouls. We get a little breathing space. 4:00 mark - we lead 34-26.

Last part of the half is hard-fought and tactical. Mason playing with two fouls - is cautious, Amile still on the bench. Marshall comes in and provides no points, but lots of energy. Seth, crafty as ever, leads the way with 2 more three-pointers and a layup. Duke leads at the half - 42-36.

Wake is pushing hard to start the half. That plays to their disadvantage, with a few rushed shots and a turnover. Mason and Amile score down low. 16:00 mark - Duke still leads 50-44.

Key segment of the 2nd half. Tyler, Seth, and Rasheed benefit from Mason/Amile scoring inside. Two WF turnovers lead directly to layups/dunks. At the end of the segment, Duke goes into the bonus. 12:00 mark - Duke leads 62-50.

Game management time. Mason and Amile both with three fouls, Josh with four. Quinn Cook, steady and quiet up to this point, controls the pace and ends up with six points and 2 assists during this key time. Wake battles on the boards and scores some threes. Duke maintains. 8:00 mark - Duke 72 -64.

Both teams tired and cold from the floor. Free throws play a key role here. 4:00 mark - Duke 77-70.

Quinn takes total control. He scores just two points, but finds shooters for three assists while milking the shot clock. Mason gets a dunk. Tyler hits two key free throws. WF just cannot bridge the gap. Final - 87 - 79.

Offensive rebounding and an unexpected 9 three pointers keep WF in it at home. Duke is tested but maintains. No one Duke player dominates for the entire game, but each of the four key players have their moments.

Okay, so maybe that is not it exactly - but something like that.

You do realize that if the game plays out as you structured it, you will be inundated with requests for fortune telling!

[TruBlu]

As recently as about a month ago, there were radio advertisements for Wake Basketball individual game tickets. The ad said there were home tickets still available "even" for Duke.

I haven't called to see if tickets are still available, but for those of you in the area who are tempted, it might be worth a call to the Wake Athletic Department. Never hurts to have a few more Duke fans in the hostile (obnoxious) arenas.

[jcastranio]

You do realize that if the game plays out as you structured it, you will be inundated with requests for fortune telling!

Of course, I thought Miami would be a tight game, with Duke overcoming a small halftime lead to win. I was right for 10 minutes.

[awhom111]

Duke travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Deacs this Wednesday, January 30th. The game is on the "ACC Network", which means the local affiliates that have signed up for it. Here's the page on the ACC's site with the info about the game and the list of stations carrying it. Looks like those of us in the DC area are out of luck.

Note that the game is scheduled to be carried by ESPN3 as well, for those that want to see it and don't have a local station to view it on.

Put your pre-game and in-game thoughts in this thread, please.

You can blame the University of Maryland for your lack of coverage.

ESPN3 will not be available to the people who are here:

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/blackout?id=745824

I actually suggest the feed direct from the ACC website for everyone. It always seems to work better for me on my slow connection.

[-jk]

You can blame the University of Maryland for your lack of coverage.

ESPN3 will not be available to the people who are here:

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/blackout?id=745824

I actually suggest the feed direct from the ACC website for everyone. It always seems to work better for me on my slow connection.

From that map, it looks like DC (and it's immediate surrounds) aren't blacked out. I certainly hope that's the case, anyway! Lord knows, there's no reason to black it out when the local affiliate isn't carrying the game.

MD is playing FSU at the same time, and doesn't have the decency to use the Bigger Network. You'd think the ACC network might demote 'em... Alas.

-jk

[Fish80]

In Connecticut, I can get the game on ESPN Full Court. I think ESPN Full Court will carry a couple more games that are listed as ACC network.

[dcar1985]

Anybody struggling finding a way to catch the game can always watch it online at firstrowsports.eu

[Saratoga2]

It remains to be seen whether our outside shooting can do well on the road. We need both Seth and Rasheed to produce. The Wake defense on the backcourt isn't that strong but the hostile crowd also has to be dealt with.

As far as defense is concerned, we played well in our last game. Quinn was very effective and Amile is quickly becoming one of our top rebounders. He is a little light to handle the bangers at this point. One area that concerns me is Mason's defense. Early in the Maryland game, they were scoring against him at will and he was offering little resistance. In the second half he picked it up and was much more effective. Has the coaching staff told him to avoid picking up first half fouls?

It will be interesting to see if Alex gets any burn in this one. Was it injury or lack of defense that really got him back to the bench so quickly against Maryland?

[MCFinARL]

It remains to be seen whether our outside shooting can do well on the road. We need both Seth and Rasheed to produce. The Wake defense on the backcourt isn't that strong but the hostile crowd also has to be dealt with.

As far as defense is concerned, we played well in our last game. Quinn was very effective and Amile is quickly becoming one of our top rebounders. He is a little light to handle the bangers at this point. One area that concerns me is Mason's defense. Early in the Maryland game, they were scoring against him at will and he was offering little resistance. In the second half he picked it up and was much more effective. Has the coaching staff told him to avoid picking up first half fouls?

It will be interesting to see if Alex gets any burn in this one. Was it injury or lack of defense that really got him back to the bench so quickly against Maryland?

Can't find the post now, but according to the Maryland post-game thread, it was injury--he had tweaked his knee in warmups and when the staff saw him grimacing they pulled him (he later, apparently, reported that the grimace was more about his anger with himself for failing to take a charge than about his knee).

[Newton_14]

It remains to be seen whether our outside shooting can do well on the road. We need both Seth and Rasheed to produce. The Wake defense on the backcourt isn't that strong but the hostile crowd also has to be dealt with.

As far as defense is concerned, we played well in our last game. Quinn was very effective and Amile is quickly becoming one of our top rebounders. He is a little light to handle the bangers at this point. One area that concerns me is Mason's defense. Early in the Maryland game, they were scoring against him at will and he was offering little resistance. In the second half he picked it up and was much more effective. Has the coaching staff told him to avoid picking up first half fouls?

It will be interesting to see if Alex gets any burn in this one. Was it injury or lack of defense that really got him back to the bench so quickly against Maryland?

It was definitely injury. After Kelly this year and last, and Kyrie the year before, can't really blame K for being overly cautious. As well as Alex played in the Miami debacle there is no way K would have pulled him that quick for missing one defensive assignment.

DU82 was at the game and stated that Murphy went directly to the trainer to get evaluated.