MBB: Duke 99, Ga Southern 65 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game comments here.

[CDu]

Well... we went small. And it worked against Ga Southern. Not really a whole lot more to say. We destroyed a team we were expected to destroy. Glad to see the team shake off the rust. Hope we are ready Saturday.

[Saratoga2]

Duke's defense had trouble containing dribble penetration, gave up open 3's and were beaten along the back line repeatedly. That may be an ongoing theme with Amile out indefinitely as his individual defensive skills are so good and his communication skills and rebounding are really something that is not a strength with our other inside players. In the upcoming game against Utah, we will need MP3 at his best defensively as Utah has a very skilled big man.

We do have a lot of strength on our team with Brandon, Matt and Grayson all major offensive threats and good defensively. Both Derryck and Luke are quality players who need to gain experience but they give us a lot of flexibility at the guard and small forward positions. Luke's shot needs to come along soon as we can't have him taking as many if he is inefficient. Derryck could well be our starting PG based on his play tonight. Coach K just needs to figure how to keep Matt on the floor if he doesn't wind up at point.

MP3 seems to have problems with coordination and feel on offense. Nothing smooth at all about his game but he does work very hard. It's not going to change at this stage in his career, but he can give occasional dunks and put backs. Chase really has much to learn on both sides of the ball but tonight I was pleased to see he made one drop step move that showed he has much more body control than Marshall.

[CameronDuke]

Brandon Ingram is so smooth. He can really finish at the rim and his shot is super soft fur a big man. Looking forward to watching him continue to improve. The sky is the limit for his upside.

Grayson, Thornton and Matt continue to be a formidable backcourt. Would like to see Luke find his shot again. MP3 player extremely aggressively but looked to almost try too hard at times and force his moves in the post. We dominated the glass though.

Jeter looked timid but we need him to continue to get experience while Amile is out. Was good to see Obi a bucket.

I can't wait to see how we come out vs Utah at the Garden Saturday!

[uh_no]

Offense was consistently pretty good throughout.

Defense was shaky at times, especially in the first half...but buckled down and had a great second half, at least until garbage time.

Ingram continuing the upward trend, really good game from him.

decent game for derryck. the guards seem to get along very well on the floor.

Chase was ugly to watch at times. He fell 2 or 3 times, and appears to be a bit butter fingered at times. Unfortunately, he looks very lost on the defensive end...at times even losing his man without being screened. He became lost on at least one inbounds play...which does not bode well for not getting lost when the ball IS in play. He has clearly fallen behind the other freshman in terms of on the court awareness. I'm worried for ACC season if he plays like this as it seems we'll have to get some minutes for him...and if he plays like that, ACC offenses will eat him alive.

Free throws AARRRGGGHHHHHH. only luke shot as well as he probably should have. With 5 guys who can shoot the three at a good clip, we gotta be making better than 60%.

Overall, good performance, especially given the circumstances team is clearly getting better. It's a shame amile got hurt.

Should be an awesome game saturday.

[devildeac]

Luuuukke had 3 of his quality/open shots IIRC that went in and out. So damn close to a really, really good game.

[English]

Luuuukke had 3 of his quality/open shots IIRC that went in and out. So damn close to a really, really good game.

It could just be that I really want to see him find a rhythm, but Kennard seems to rim out on quality shots more than anyone else in recent memory. Hopefully he's close.

Coach K, in his presser, did mention that Luke is really performing in practice and it's just not translating to games yet. He likened Luke to last year's Grayson. Encouraging, I guess?

[Furniture]

I felt só sorry for Amile today. He was really trying to be a cheer leader for the team but the sadness on his face was impossible to hide. This team is really going to miss him for all the qualities many have already said. One thing might be underrated and I think we will miss is his crafty scoring skills under the basket. This team is severely weakened without him...

[DukieInBrasil]

It could just be that I really want to see him find a rhythm, but Kennard seems to rim out on quality shots more than anyone else in recent memory. Hopefully he's close.

Coach K, in his presser, did mention that Luke is really performing in practice and it's just not translating to games yet. He likened Luke to last year's Grayson. Encouraging, I guess?

Kennard may be practicing well, but he has shown it in a game only once. Duke needs what Thornton does more. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see Thornton get the start next time out.
Encouraging game from Ingram. Nice to see Obi have a shot go down. I guess i expected both Chase and Sean to get more run today, but experimenting with Ingram at the 4 paid off well. I expect we'll see more of that in the future.
It'd be great if Amile comes back as quickly as Boozer or Brand did, although the nature of the break hasn't been disclosed.
not much to take away from the game itself, other than we didn't get anybody injured in the game and the team found a good rhythm.

[DukeDevil]

FWIW, Brandon Ingram had both the number 2 (steal and breakaway dunk) and number 1 (dunk and 1) plays on the sportscenter top 10. Not sure I've seen one person get the top 2 plays before...

[Olympic Fan]

Breaking it down, I saw the game as a mix of good and bad. Just a note about Georgia Southern. They are very small and very young -- the youngest team in Division 1. But they do have some talent. This group will be a decent mid-major in a couple of years.

As for Duke, the good --

-- Brandon Ingram continued his breakout explosion. His third straight 20-plus point scoring effort and he raised his season high on rebounds from eight to 14. I know the competition was outmatched, but he wasn't doing this earlier against Siena or Utah State. THIS was the projected top five NBA draft pick we were hoping to see -- 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, no turnovers, two blocks and a steal.

-- Grayson Allen continues to play at a very high level. 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Okay, he did miss two free throws. He hasn't had a poor game since Kentucky. He's not only leading Duke (and the ACC) in scoring, he's leading Duke in assists -- 32 (with 17 turnovers, close to a 2-to-1 ratio). And he's had 18 rebounds total in the last two games (and seven straight with at least five rebounds). I thought one of the great moments of the game was when Obi ripped down a tough offensive rebound and whipped it out to Grayson for an open 3 ... but instead of taking the shot, Allen drove and set up Obi for the easy basket -- Allen's joyful reaction was a sight to see.

-- Matt Jones continues to be a steady force.

-- I think Derryck Thornton continues to mature. Yeah, he hit 3-of-3 threes, but more importantly, I thought he made good decisions with the ball and he was trying to be more of a playmaker. He had four assists and two turnovers, but those numbers were the result of some sloppy play from our post players -- if Plumlee and Jeter had been able to handle the ball inside, Thornton could have had eight assists and no turnovers.

Which leads to the bad:

-- Marshall Plumlee was not very good. I know he had nine points and 11 rebounds, but that was against a team that played a 6-8 center and a 6-4 power forward. You had to watch the game to understand how many chances he botched inside. He had four missed shots and four turnovers, but the number of weak and awkward shots he put up was painful to watch. His awful free throw shooting from two years ago returned -- he was 1-of-5 and two of those were the first shot of a one-and-one. The only thing worse than watching Marshall in the post was --

-- Chase Jeter was TERRIBLE inside. He gets in the game early and twice in a row Thornton feeds him the ball and both times he's not alert and not ready and botches both chances. He was beaten by small players for rebounds and twice fell down on the floor. He didn't defend the baskets on drives. He got 17 minutes of action, but until the very end, when he finally made a nice move to score, he was totally ineffective. He's got a long way to go to contribute in a big time game.

-- Luke Kennard is STILL struggling with his shot. He missed his first six 3-pointers before he finally hit one with about a minute to go. He was 4-of-13 from the floor. He got the start because K said he was sharp and the team's best scorer in practice this week. But he still can't translate that into games. K compared him to Grayson early last year ... I'm sure he expects that the light will come on at some point as it did for Grayson.

-- FT shooting was bad. 19-of-32 -- 59 percent. Grayson, a 90.6 percent shooter, missed 2-of-6, Brandon was just 6-of-9. Derryck was 2 of 4. Matt was 4-of-6. Only Luke (2-of-2) didn't miss at least two free throws.

-- The 2-3 zone Duke played late (from the 11:57 TO in the second half to the end of the game) was totally ineffective. I charted it and GSU shot 11-of-21 against the zone, including 5-of-10 from 3. They had four offensive rebounds on their 10 missed shots. Maybe because the game was decided at that point, the Duke kids didn't work at it, but it was still painful to watch. Against the man, they got some easy layups, but overall, they shot 17-of-51 against the man and 4 of 12 on 3-pointers.

Overall, not sure what conclusions we can draw -- the post play was bad, but we know Marshall can play a lot better. He'll have to Saturday against the best big man in college basketball.

[dukelifer]

Kennard may be practicing well, but he has shown it in a game only once. Duke needs what Thornton does more. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see Thornton get the start next time out.
Encouraging game from Ingram. Nice to see Obi have a shot go down. I guess i expected both Chase and Sean to get more run today, but experimenting with Ingram at the 4 paid off well. I expect we'll see more of that in the future.
It'd be great if Amile comes back as quickly as Boozer or Brand did, although the nature of the break hasn't been disclosed.
not much to take away from the game itself, other than we didn't get anybody injured in the game and the team found a good rhythm.

You can see that Kennard has a great feel for the game but he is pressing and the game speed may be affecting him. It will click at some point, but not sure when. Ingram appears to have turned s corner - perhaps it will happen to Kennard in a few more games.

[MChambers]

FWIW, Brandon Ingram had both the number 2 (steal and breakaway dunk) and number 1 (dunk and 1) plays on the sportscenter top 10. Not sure I've seen one person get the top 2 plays before...

Those were awesome plays. The steal and dunk (and 1) had me yelling out loud.

[MChambers]

Matt, Grayson, and Brandon all played very well. On the other hand, the guys trying to replace Amile's minutes were disappointing. Marshall was okay, but didn't really step up. Kennard still is not hitting, although I think that will change at some point this season, and had a terrible turnover in the first half, and then didn't seem to hustle back to defend the resulting fast break. Thornton struggled to finish at the rim in the first half, but was better in the second. Jeter had a bad first half, dropping passes, missing layups, and falling down on defense. He really looks a year away, but he's going to get more time backing up Marshall. And when Brandon rests, Matt will be defending the 4, at least against smaller teams.

Did anyone hear LaPhonso Ellis say Obi's been struggling with cranky knees? I don't remember hearing that before. It could explain a lot.

[jv001]

[QUOTE=MChambers;845409]Matt, Grayson, and Brandon all played very well. On the other hand, the guys trying to replace Amile's minutes were disappointing. Marshall was okay, but didn't really step up. Kennard still is not hitting, although I think that will change at some point this season, and had a terrible turnover in the first half, and then didn't seem to hustle back to defend the resulting fast break. Thornton struggled to finish at the rim in the first half, but was better in the second. Jeter had a bad first half, dropping passes, missing layups, and falling down on defense. He really looks a year away, but he's going to get more time backing up Marshall. And when Brandon rests, Matt will be defending the 4, at least against smaller teams.

Did anyone hear LaPhonso Ellis say Obi's been struggling with cranky knees? I don't remember hearing that before. It could explain a lot.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I heard Ellis comments on Obi having cranky knees. This could be the reason he's been labeled as not able to contribute. If Sean does have knee problems that would be reason for not performing well enough in practice to get minutes in games. GoDuke!

[DavidBenAkiva]

It could just be that I really want to see him find a rhythm, but Kennard seems to rim out on quality shots more than anyone else in recent memory. Hopefully he's close.

Coach K, in his presser, did mention that Luke is really performing in practice and it's just not translating to games yet. He likened Luke to last year's Grayson. Encouraging, I guess?

Luke never pressed or forced his shots. A lot of his looks were wide open and in the rhythm of the offense. They were often the right shots to take at the right time. They just didn't fall. With the amount of playing time he is getting and the flashes he has shown this season so far, I think the shots are going to start falling. That will be very fun.

[DavidBenAkiva]

[QUOTE=jv001;845415]

Matt, Grayson, and Brandon all played very well. On the other hand, the guys trying to replace Amile's minutes were disappointing. Marshall was okay, but didn't really step up. Kennard still is not hitting, although I think that will change at some point this season, and had a terrible turnover in the first half, and then didn't seem to hustle back to defend the resulting fast break. Thornton struggled to finish at the rim in the first half, but was better in the second. Jeter had a bad first half, dropping passes, missing layups, and falling down on defense. He really looks a year away, but he's going to get more time backing up Marshall. And when Brandon rests, Matt will be defending the 4, at least against smaller teams.

Did anyone hear LaPhonso Ellis say Obi's been struggling with cranky knees? I don't remember hearing that before. It could explain a lot.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I heard Ellis comments on Obi having cranky knees. This could be the reason he's been labeled as not able to contribute. If Sean does have knee problems that would be reason for not performing well enough in practice to get minutes in games. GoDuke!

That was the first time I had heard of it and it explains a lot. He wears leggings, has seemingly been an active and engaged member of the team since he showed up on campus, and hasn't generated much buzz as being a difficult kid or one not willing to work. Here's hoping that he gets healthy!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

[QUOTE=jv001;845415]

Matt, Grayson, and Brandon all played very well. On the other hand, the guys trying to replace Amile's minutes were disappointing. Marshall was okay, but didn't really step up. Kennard still is not hitting, although I think that will change at some point this season, and had a terrible turnover in the first half, and then didn't seem to hustle back to defend the resulting fast break. Thornton struggled to finish at the rim in the first half, but was better in the second. Jeter had a bad first half, dropping passes, missing layups, and falling down on defense. He really looks a year away, but he's going to get more time backing up Marshall. And when Brandon rests, Matt will be defending the 4, at least against smaller teams.

Did anyone hear LaPhonso Ellis say Obi's been struggling with cranky knees? I don't remember hearing that before. It could explain a lot.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I heard Ellis comments on Obi having cranky knees. This could be the reason he's been labeled as not able to contribute. If Sean does have knee problems that would be reason for not performing well enough in practice to get minutes in games. GoDuke!

That would also explain the amazing lack of vertical on Obi's dunk. I was watching Obi carefully - hoping for signs of potential. He was all alone under the hoop, and I was so excited to see him rock the rim with that heavy frame of his... let's just say it wasn't quite that.

He's got an amazing physicality though. I can see how he's constantly moving on offense and defense and working on positioning. He may yet surprise us all. I mean, as long as his knees aren't shot.

citation: I have crappy knees, really takes the fun out of lots of things.

[Mike Corey]

The proverbial light has gone on for Mr. Ingram. Playing unlike a freshman at the moment.

His teammates and friends aren't there yet.

The season's young, and so are they.

Hard not to be excited about the direction of this group, and here's hoping healing elixir gets sprinkled on Captain Amile 24/7.

Any word on what Seth Davis is hearing, by the way? We'll know Amile is coming back soon once Mr. Davis tells us that Amile's out for the year.

[WillJ]

Always interesting to see how kids develop as the season goes on. I'm not worried at all about our guards/wings...they're really good. Without Amile, who was developing so well on offense, I was hoping to see what Jeter and Plumlee could do on offense. The jury's out on Jeter, IMO, but as for Marshall - some guys have a sense on how to score when they've got great position, and Marshall is just not one of those guys. He does a lot of things really well, but efficient scoring around the hoop is not going to be one of them.