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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    About 150 feet in front of the Duke Chapel doors.

    MBB: Duke @ Wake Forest (Tue, Jan 8, 7pm ET, ESPN) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

    Duke travels to Wake Forest for their first conference road game this Tuesday. Early slot on Tuesday evening on ESPN at least means the start won't be lost to an earlier game running long, but it does make it harder on Duke fans on the west coast.

    Wake Forest has struggled so far this year, but with a really tough match up in Tallahassee next weekend, this smells a bit like a trap game. Wake could go a long way towards saving their season with a victory over Duke...
    Last edited by JBDuke; 01-06-2019 at 01:39 PM. Reason: day error
    JBDuke

    Andre Dawkins: “People ask me if I can still shoot, and I ask them if they can still breathe. That’s kind of the same thing.”

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    Wake opened in 1834 as the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute, and all students were required to spend half the day working on a plantation. The course of education was essentially Baptist ministry and theology. Notable alum include Carroll O’Connor, Arnold Palmer, David Chase (creator of The Sopranos), and Jesse Helms.

    It is a pretty campus.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Norfolk, VA
    I'm headed to San Diego tomorrow so I'll have to remember to adjust my schedule for a 4 pm tip-off.
    Bob Green

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Green View Post
    I'm headed to San Diego tomorrow so I'll have to remember to adjust my schedule for a 4 pm tip-off.
    Please say hello to Coronado.
       

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh
    Quote Originally Posted by OldPhiKap View Post
    Wake opened in 1834 as the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute, and all students were required to spend half the day working on a plantation. The course of education was essentially Baptist ministry and theology. Notable alum include Carroll O’Connor, Arnold Palmer, David Chase (creator of The Sopranos), and Jesse Helms.

    It is a pretty campus.
    Ha-rumph.

    Oh, wait a minute. You posted "notable."



    Carry on.
    [redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    Quote Originally Posted by devildeac View Post
    Ha-rumph.

    Oh, wait a minute. You posted "notable."



    Carry on.
    You went without saying. So I didn’t say it.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Norfolk, VA
    Quote Originally Posted by Indoor66 View Post
    Please say hello to Coronado.
    That will be easily accomplished as I will be on Coronado (North Island N.A.S.) each day.
    Bob Green

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Green View Post
    That will be easily accomplished as I will be on Coronado (North Island N.A.S.) each day.
    I figured you would. I always liked Coronado.
       

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC

    Wake Scouting Report

    This is not a very good Wake team. Attrition has caught up to them, and it is now a really young team. There is some talent, but it's far from a quality product being put on the floor so far. Overall, they are 7-6, with home losses to Gardner-Webb and Houston Baptist along with a neutral-site loss to St Joe's and road losses to Tennessee, Ga Tech, and Richmond. They don't even have a single Q2 win this year (yikes!).

    Wake doesn't play notably fast or slow, but right in the middle of the pack nationally in tempo. They are pretty blah offensively for a P5 school, and bad defensively regardless of conference (outside the top-200 nationally on D). The only thing they do well offensively is draw fouls and offensive rebound. Defensively, they patrol the defensive glass well and don't give up a high shooting percentage on 3s. But they are terrible at forcing turnovers and terrible at preventing two-point baskets. It's a bad combination for facing a team like Duke.

    Centers: The Deacs sport a two-headed "monster" at center. Ikenna Smart (6'10", 245lb grad transfer from Nigeria via Buffalo) starts, but plays very limited minutes because he fouls religiously (3.1 per 14.5 minutes played). Smart is a little like a poor man's Marques Bolden: big, underwhelming rebounder but a bit of a shotblocker, not much of a threat away from the rim. He's really raw and foul-prone, and I'd expect him to continue that Tuesday. Behind Smart is Olivier Sarr (7'0", 215lb soph from France). Sarr is a terrific shotblocker and a solid rebounder. He has a little bit of a jumper, but that's very much in development. He does draw fouls and shoots okay from the line. But he, too, has foul problems (3.4 per 20.5 minutes). Odds are that one of them will foul out, and I'd be surprised if they combine for 40 minutes. Sunday Okeke (6'8", 240lb soph from Nigeria) is the break in case of emergency big. He's athletic and rebounds and blocks shots, but brings little else to the table.

    Forwards: Jaylen Hoard (6'8", 205lb freshman from France) is the headliner at forward. Hoard is, if you squint REALLY hard, a little like a combo-forward version of RJ Barrett (don't get me wrong: he's not NEARLY as good as Barrett, just has some physical and stylistic similarities). He's a lanky but deceptively strong forward with good driving skills, long arms, and strong rebounding skills. On offense, he's a volume scorer, capable of making shots but not a high-percentage shooter. But he does most of his work going to the rim, and doesn't force many up from outside at all. Hoard is a pretty talented kid and one of Wake's better recruits in recent years. Hoard leads the team in rebounding and is second in scoring. Backing up (and sometimes alongside) Hoard is Isaiah Mucius (6'8", 190lb freshman). Mucius is a bouncy, lanky forward who has some potential. But he's super skinny and raw. Mucius can shoot it a little, but again that's not a strength by any means. He's very much a work in progress.

    Wings: Chaudee Brown (6'5", 215lb soph) is the headliner on the wing. Brown can play. He's strong and athletic, and has a pretty decent shooting touch. However, he's pretty limited off the dribble, which is a problem since the Deacs don't pass well/much. But off-ball he can be a dangerous player if ignored, so keeping track of him would be wise. Sharone Wright Jr (6'5", 180lb frosh) is the other wing of note. Wright is the son of former Clemson and NBA player Sharone Wright. In short, he's nothing like his dad on the court. Wright is a solid ballhandler and decent athlete, though he lacks a bit in terms of shooting touch. He's a pretty decent finisher inside the arc, but struggles from 3 and from the FT line. A promising young player, but a year or two away. Still, good lineage. Last among the regular wings is Torry Johnson (6'3", 165lb grad transfer from Northern Arizona). Johnson is athletic with long arms, and excels and drawing fouls. He's a good free throw shooter too, but he's pretty mediocre shooting from the field.

    Guards: The PG is a name familiar to Duke fans, Brandon Childress (6'0", 190lb junior). Coming into this year, Childress was probably best known for being Randolph's son and for picking a fight on the Duke bench at Wake. Other than that, he wasn't a terribly productive player his first two years. But this year, he's really found his game. He is a score-first lead guard who shoots over 50% from the field, over 40% from 3, and over 75% from the FT line. He is fearless attacking the rim, and has finally seemed to figure out how to make that work. And he's improved dramatically from 3pt range as well, though not nearly to the degree he's improved inside the arc. Childress leads the team in scoring (17.3 ppg) and assists (4.2 apg), steals (1.6 spg), and assist/turnover ratio (nearly 2:1). If he can keep up his play in ACC play, he'll be a contender for an All-ACC mention (3rd team or honorable). Nominally, Torry Johnson backs Childress up. But they don't really have a backup PG as Johnson is more wing than PG.

    This is a VERY friendly first road game for us. Wake is bad AND inexperienced. They basically have 3 ACC level starters and 2-3 ACC level backups. It's a bad situation for them and they have a good chance of finishing last in the ACC this year. We need to win this game.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Green View Post
    I'm headed to San Diego tomorrow so I'll have to remember to adjust my schedule for a 4 pm tip-off.
    Please let us know if you see any Aztecs.

  11. #11
    Are you going to visit the Fountain of Youth while there ??
    😆😆😆😆😆

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Undisclosed
    Quote Originally Posted by tteettimes View Post
    Are you going to visit the Fountain of Youth while there ??
    😆😆😆😆😆
    St. Augustine, Florida claims it I believe.

    (No Aztecs. At least, living.)

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Atlanta
    Quote Originally Posted by OldPhiKap View Post
    St. Augustine, Florida claims it I believe.

    (No Aztecs. At least, living.)
    Well that proves it. There would be plenty of vintage Aztecs around if it were located there.

    Personally, I think it must be hidden somewhere in the highlands of Scotland.

  14. #14
    Recently (the last 10 years or so), Wake always seems to field a team of chippy, borderline dirty players. What's their a-hole rating this year (on a scale from Tim Duncan to Bryant Crawford)?

  15. #15
    This will at least put the tired "Duke doesn't play road games" narrative to bed for this season. Seth Davis was going on about it today (while failing to note Tennessee has played all of one road game and Michigan all of two).

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Cary, NC
    I know Wake isn’t any good, but I’m not going to take any game for granted, especially our first true road test. Last year we lost to BC in a similar spot. The season before we needed a monster game from Luke to escape with a one possession win in Winston Salem. Wake knows that a win over us would make their season and possibly save Manning’s job. We’ll have to bring it for the full 40 to notch the win.
       

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Atlanta 'burbs
    Quote Originally Posted by Natty_B View Post
    This will at least put the tired "Duke doesn't play road games" narrative to bed for this season. Seth Davis was going on about it today (while failing to note Tennessee has played all of one road game and Michigan all of two).
    It will merely change to "Duke doesn't play road games unless it is mandated by the ACC schedule". And they have a point.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Winston’Salem
    Quote Originally Posted by slower View Post
    Recently (the last 10 years or so), Wake always seems to field a team of chippy, borderline dirty players. What's their a-hole rating this year (on a scale from Tim Duncan to Bryant Crawford)?
    Brandon Childress remains on the roster. So, on the high side.
    "Amazing what a minute can do."

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by UrinalCake View Post
    Wake knows that a win over us would make their season and possibly save Manning’s job. We’ll have to bring it for the full 40 to notch the win.
    Long term, probably better for Wake to lose big time, otherwise Manning may stay longer.
    Kind of like Roof beating GaT and Cheats as interim coach. Those wins just extended the misery for 4-5 years.
       

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by UrinalCake View Post
    I know Wake isn’t any good, but I’m not going to take any game for granted, especially our first true road test. Last year we lost to BC in a similar spot. The season before we needed a monster game from Luke to escape with a one possession win in Winston Salem. Wake knows that a win over us would make their season and possibly save Manning’s job. We’ll have to bring it for the full 40 to notch the win.
    The Wake team two seasons was an NCAA tournament team while this Wake team is shaping up to be the worst of Manning's tenure. BC last season had a lottery pick at guard in Jerome Robinson and possibly another pro in Ky Bowman. Usually when Duke faceplants as a favorite, it involves tremendous guard play on the other team, e.g. Dennis Smith Jr, Shamorie Ponds, particularly off the dribble drive. I'm just not seeing the guard talent on this Wake team, although maybe I'll be surprised. Childress is good but more dangerous as a shooter than driver.

    Also, needless to say, by many measures, this is shaping up to be a very different Duke team than previous versions.

    Nobody bangs the "watch out for opponents early in the ACC schedule" drum around here more than me, but I just can't see it in this particular game.

    I very well may end up taking Wake against the spread in the Degenerates Contest, but as for just getting a win, we're going to have such a wiiiiide margin of error. Duke is going to be ~23-pt favorites. Lose here, and it'd immediately be one of the worst losses of Coach K's career. (Very possibly THE worst, by point spread.)

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