MBB: Duke 80, Florida St. 78 Post-Game Thread

[Indoor66]

gofurman has an excellent explanation in the Syracuse pregame thread. Usually it's not a big deal, but this one is.

Respect them all and fear none.

[Chard]

Coach K really got after him when the team came to the sideline at one point in the game. He had just made a bullet pass to a team mate from about 2 feet. The pass looked like it was aimed at the other player's knees. Alex over thinks things and it get's him into trouble. Outside of spot up 3s, he brings little to the table at this point in the season. Too bad because he seems to have the talent to be a good player. GoDuke!

I thought Coach said something along the lines of "You should have shot it."

[arnie]

Coach K really got after him when the team came to the sideline at one point in the game. He had just made a bullet pass to a team mate from about 2 feet. The pass looked like it was aimed at the other player's knees. Alex over thinks things and it get's him into trouble. Outside of spot up 3s, he brings little to the table at this point in the season. Too bad because he seems to have the talent to be a good player. GoDuke!

I recall AOC threw the pass to Javin near his knees. Always important to know who you’re throwing to what can happen next. Clearly AOC made a poor pass with no clear upside.

Think he needs another year of development before he makes significant contributions.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I recall AOC threw the pass to Javin near his knees. Always important to know who you’re throwing to what can happen next. Clearly AOC made a poor pass with no clear upside. .

AGREED..."who" is important when trying a difficult pass. Javin is not the guy to try that with. Zion probably catches and scores. Jack probably at least catches it. Not much chance with Javin or Marques in that situation.

[UrinalCake]

Now that the should Jack start over Cam thread has become obsolete, is it time to start the “Alex should never play because he turned it over and didn’t score against FSU” thread?

I’m still waiting for the “Can Cam and Zion Coexist?” Thread

[lotusland]

I recall AOC threw the pass to Javin near his knees. Always important to know who you’re throwing to what can happen next. Clearly AOC made a poor pass with no clear upside.

Think he needs another year of development before he makes significant contributions.

I’d be the first one to want more PT for Alex if he was playing well. Before knee-capping Jav instead of shooting a wide open shot, he got moved out of defensive position by minimal contact on a drive. Then he capped off the night by fouling a 3-point shooter on a play where he arrived too late to affect the shot. He may be overthinking or pressing but he’s not making good decisions on offense or defense. I hope he gets his mojo back soon.

[Nugget]

I thought Coach said something along the lines of "You should have shot it."

That's what it looked like to me also.

[szstark]

So long as they're advancing the ball and the player is not in danger (pain doesn't really count), they get to finish their play. The ref decides whether an injury is sufficiently bad to stop play immediately (such as a leg bone sticking out). Almost always if the injured defender is in the back court, they'll let the offense finish the 5 on 4 play. From this year's rule book...

Didn’t this exact situation occur later in the game when two FSU players collided with one going down. Duke got the ball and headed up court when the refs stopped the game to check on the injured player. Shouldn’t Duke have been allowed to complete the 5 on 3 before time was called? Not arguing here, just asking.

[TruBlu]

Didn’t this exact situation occur later in the game when two FSU players collided with one going down. Duke got the ball and headed up court when the refs stopped the game to check on the injured player. Shouldn’t Duke have been allowed to complete the 5 on 3 before time was called? Not arguing here, just asking.

I think that in the sequence you are referencing, play wasn’t stopped due to the collision, but rather because Duke unfortunately called a time out. At least that’s what the announcers mentioned in passing, while discussing something totally irrelevant to the game.

[DBGoins]

That's what it looked like to me also.

And he should have shot it...I'm sure it is tough coming off the bench and trying to get in the flow of the game. He is still young and will continue to improve as a player.

For the overall game, it was great to see the young guys handle a true road atmosphere. Its going to be a fight every night in the ACC this year, every win is big.

Stay healthy and keep improving...


March is going to be fun!

[jv001]

And he should have shot it...I'm sure it is tough coming off the bench and trying to get in the flow of the game. He is still young and will continue to improve as a player.

For the overall game, it was great to see the young guys handle a true road atmosphere. Its going to be a fight every night in the ACC this year, every win is big.

Stay healthy and keep improving...


March is going to be fun!

If I was a betting man, I would say that Coach K was telling Alex he should have shot the ball instead of passing it. I think that goes back to what I said before. Alex is thinking too much. I want to see him play using his natural abilities and basketball instincts. However that might not come as fast as fans would like but he's getting minutes. Maybe not as many as some fans would like but the coaches know more about this than we do. GoDuke!

[Jeffrey]

I think that goes back to what I said before. Alex is thinking too much. I want to see him play using his natural abilities and basketball instincts. However that might not come as fast as fans would like but he's getting minutes. Maybe not as many as some fans would like but the coaches know more about this than we do. GoDuke!

What a difference a week makes. It's really nice this conversation is now about our 7th or 8th best player instead of our 3rd or 4th best.

[kAzE]

What a difference a week makes. It's really nice this conversation is now about our 7th or 8th best player instead of our 3rd or 4th best.

Yep, I think this is obviously an improvement. Alex is a key cog as a backup wing, but if he struggles, I don't think it will hurt the team too much unless there is massive foul trouble or an unfortunate injury. For this season, he's most likely out of the rotation (or playing fewer than 5 minutes) in postseason win-or-go-home games. Coach K typically shaves the rotation down to 6.5 guys (6 players playing starter's minutes, and one guy playing between 10-15 minutes) when the games are critical. Alex is basically entrenched as the 8th man.

[budwom]

Respect them all and fear none.

My wife ignores sports in general, but even she has memorized Sports Cliche' Number One, "we respect their ballclub but we don't fear their ballclub."