Does Roy have a deal with Satan?

[UrinalCake]

How else to explain his incredible injury luck in our recent matchups:

3/9/19 Duke 70 UNC 79 - Zion out, Bolden injures knee in opening minutes
2/20/19 Duke 72 UNC 88 - Zion hurts knee when shoe explodes in opening minute
3/9/18 Duke 69 UNC 74 - Tre Duval hurts ankle in first half. Plays through it, basically on one foot
3/3/18 Duke 74 UNC 64 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
2/8/18 Duke 78 UNC 82 - Bagley hurts knee, continues to play but misses the next four games so probably was affected by it
3/10/17 Duke 93 UNC 83 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
3/4/17 Duke 83 UNC 90 - Everybody healthy, no excuses
2/9/17 Duke 86 UNC 78 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
3/5/16 Duke 72 UNC 76 - Amile Jefferson lost for season with knee injury
2/17/16 Duke 74 UNC 73 - No Amile, Matt Jones injured in first half, Duke plays iron man and still wins

So basically we are 3-1 against them over the past three seasons when our team is healthy. This doesn't even include Harry Giles being a shell of himself, Grayson having various knee, leg and wrist issues for his junior and senior years, or them never having to face Kyrie. They lost Kendall Marshall in 2012, and that sucked for them. But that's one major injury in a decade. We seem to have one every year.

[richardjackson199]

How else to explain his incredible injury luck in our recent matchups:

3/9/19 Duke 70 UNC 79 - Zion out, Bolden injures knee in opening minutes
2/20/19 Duke 72 UNC 88 - Zion hurts knee when shoe explodes in opening minute
3/9/18 Duke 69 UNC 74 - Tre Duval hurts ankle in first half. Plays through it, basically on one foot
3/3/18 Duke 74 UNC 64 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
2/8/18 Duke 78 UNC 82 - Bagley hurts knee, continues to play but misses the next four games so probably was affected by it
3/10/17 Duke 93 UNC 83 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
3/4/17 Duke 83 UNC 90 - Everybody healthy, no excuses
2/9/17 Duke 86 UNC 78 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
3/5/16 Duke 72 UNC 76 - Amile Jefferson lost for season with knee injury
2/17/16 Duke 74 UNC 73 - No Amile, Matt Jones injured in first half, Duke plays iron man and still wins

So basically we are 3-1 against them over the past three seasons when our team is healthy. This doesn't even include Harry Giles being a shell of himself, Grayson having various knee, leg and wrist issues for his junior and senior years, or them never having to face Kyrie. They lost Kendall Marshall in 2012, and that sucked for them. But that's one major injury in a decade. We seem to have one every year.

Also, if you keep going back, don't forget the 2015 Duke/UNC game where Okafor landed on Joel James foot and Big Jah sprained his ankle pretty bad and left the game. Jah then also had to miss the next game vs Clemson with that sprained ankle which Duke still won. Duke still beat UNC that game without Jah thanks to heroics from Tyus Stones IIRC.

[richardjackson199]

I mean maybe God's favorite color really is Carolina blue. Sorry too soon.

Or maybe the man upstairs doesn't like us using the devil as a mascot.

Duke Divinity needs to look into all this for a group thesis. The exploding shoe feels biblical.

Sacrificing Ramesses V definitely couldn't hurt.

[UrinalCake]

Also, if you keep going back, don't forget the 2015 Duke/UNC game where Okafor landed on Joel James foot and Big Jah sprained his ankle pretty bad and left the game. Jah then also had to miss the next game vs Clemson with that sprained ankle which Duke still won. Duke still beat UNC that game without Jah thanks to heroics from Tyus Stones IIRC.

My memory of that sequence of events is completely different. I recall Jah continued to play the whole game including overtime on that ankle. But then he missed the Clemson game that followed, but the team blew them out without him, leading to the birth of The Okafor Theory.

[richardjackson199]

My memory of that sequence of events is completely different. I recall Jah continued to play the whole game including overtime on that ankle. But then he missed the Clemson game that followed, but the team blew them out without him, leading to the birth of The Okafor Theory.

You're right. But it was another significant injury to a Duke starter vs UNC where our player missed game time. Like with the Bagley injury, Duke did fine in that case without him. But it's a LOT of injuries to Duke players that happen in the UNC games. It's gotten unbelievable.

2 MCL sprains to a starter in the games opening minutes. smh

[richardjackson199]

And if we're going to bring Zion back for the ACC Tourney, Zion could play UNCheat on Friday. Should Duke call an emergency meeting tomorrow to change the Duke mascot just in case?

Syracuse changed theirs to a fruit.

The Duke Blue Berries?



Too soft? The Duke Black Hearses?

[richardjackson199]

Still too dark? The Duke White Angels? That could do it!

[CoachJ10]

I thought this was about the maddening tournament success the Tar Heels have had since the Uncheat scandal erupted. But yes...this too...

[Wahoo2000]

How else to explain his incredible injury luck in our recent matchups:

3/9/19 Duke 70 UNC 79 - Zion out, Bolden injures knee in opening minutes
2/20/19 Duke 72 UNC 88 - Zion hurts knee when shoe explodes in opening minute
3/9/18 Duke 69 UNC 74 - Tre Duval hurts ankle in first half. Plays through it, basically on one foot
3/3/18 Duke 74 UNC 64 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
2/8/18 Duke 78 UNC 82 - Bagley hurts knee, continues to play but misses the next four games so probably was affected by it
3/10/17 Duke 93 UNC 83 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
3/4/17 Duke 83 UNC 90 - Everybody healthy, no excuses
2/9/17 Duke 86 UNC 78 - Everybody healthy, hooray!
3/5/16 Duke 72 UNC 76 - Amile Jefferson lost for season with knee injury
2/17/16 Duke 74 UNC 73 - No Amile, Matt Jones injured in first half, Duke plays iron man and still wins

So basically we are 3-1 against them over the past three seasons when our team is healthy. This doesn't even include Harry Giles being a shell of himself, Grayson having various knee, leg and wrist issues for his junior and senior years, or them never having to face Kyrie. They lost Kendall Marshall in 2012, and that sucked for them. But that's one major injury in a decade. We seem to have one every year.

Maybe the difference is playing, on average, more veteran player who have additional years of S&C development, as well as playing guys much lower minutes-loads than Duke seems to on average? This is ONLY a hypothesis.

I will say that I don't care HOW elite an athlete is (not speaking to Zion specifically, as his knee thing was more "freak" than any other injury I've seen), 18/19 y.o. guys that haven't had time to develop and are additionally under a large minutes burden seem MUCH more likely to suffer injuries than upperclassmen playing 25ish mpg.

Edited to add - I'm well aware that Jefferson and Bolden aren't in that "young buck" category as much. Like I said, just a theory.

[PackMan97]

No, Roy Williams did not make a deal with Satan. Satan made a deal with Roy.

[Duke79UNLV77]

Maybe the difference is playing, on average, more veteran player who have additional years of S&C development, as well as playing guys much lower minutes-loads than Duke seems to on average? This is ONLY a hypothesis.

I will say that I don't care HOW elite an athlete is (not speaking to Zion specifically, as his knee thing was more "freak" than any other injury I've seen), 18/19 y.o. guys that haven't had time to develop and are additionally under a large minutes burden seem MUCH more likely to suffer injuries than upperclassmen playing 25ish mpg.

Edited to add - I'm well aware that Jefferson and Bolden aren't in that "young buck" category as much. Like I said, just a theory.

So, did Zion get hurt because he averages 1 more mpg than Coby White, or did Bolden get hurt because he averages 11 mpg less than Maye? Did Zion, Bolden, and Jones all get hurt very early in games because they were fatigued?

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I will say that I don't care HOW elite an athlete is (not speaking to Zion specifically, as his knee thing was more "freak" than any other injury I've seen), 18/19 y.o. guys that haven't had time to develop and are additionally under a large minutes burden seem MUCH more likely to suffer injuries than upperclassmen playing 25ish mpg..

I don't know that your theory is valid...18-19 versus 20-21...regarding injuries...perhaps Kedsy has some figures on it. Of course, Zion's was the result of an equipment malfunction....

[MarkD83]

No, Roy Williams did not make a deal with Satan. Satan made a deal with Roy.

I think you mean Swofford made a deal with Roy or is that the same as what you said

[UrinalCake]

Ryan Kelly, Seth Curry, Amile Jefferson, Grayson Allen all suffered injuries while juniors and/or seniors. Going back further you have Carlos Boozer, Nate James, Elton Brand (sophomore), etc.

EDIT: got my years wrong. Elton did miss time as a sophomore, but his freshman year was when he broke his foot

[dukelifer]

So, did Zion get hurt because he averages 1 more mpg than Coby White, or did Bolden get hurt because he averages 11 mpg less than Maye? Did Zion, Bolden, and Jones all get hurt very early in games because they were fatigued?

Clearly Baker’s chance of getting injured in a game is very low. So there is that.

[OldPhiKap]

I don’t know if he has a deal with Satan, but Roy can sure go to Hell.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Clearly Baker’s chance of getting injured in a game is very low. So there is that.

Yes, but should we have waited and let him get injured in his 5th year? Discuss.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Maybe the difference is playing, on average, more veteran player who have additional years of S&C development, as well as playing guys much lower minutes-loads than Duke seems to on average? This is ONLY a hypothesis.

I will say that I don't care HOW elite an athlete is (not speaking to Zion specifically, as his knee thing was more "freak" than any other injury I've seen), 18/19 y.o. guys that haven't had time to develop and are additionally under a large minutes burden seem MUCH more likely to suffer injuries than upperclassmen playing 25ish mpg.

Edited to add - I'm well aware that Jefferson and Bolden aren't in that "young buck" category as much. Like I said, just a theory.

Coach K has a deserved wrap as a coach that plays a short rotation, but it is Roy Williams that is the outlier. Within the ACC, It's just Ol' Roy and Leonard Hamilton that will regularly play 10 or more players in a conference game. Coach K is more like Tony Bennett in that he plays 7-8 guys most years.

My hypothesis is that injuries are about luck. For whatever reason, Duke has had more than its share of significant injuries over the past 20 or so years. It's frustrating, to say the least.

[devildeac]

No, Roy Williams did not make a deal with Satan. Satan made a deal with Roy.

dean knew, too.

[wsb3]

No. Roy is the Devil..