MBB: Duke v. UCF (3/24, 5:15 CBS) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[pfrduke]

Zion. Tacko. Discuss.

[ndkjr70]

I wanted to avoid a P5 team in the second round so I’m glad about that. But UCF can be a handful. Not worried about Zion getting his, especially in transition, but if they get hot from the arc they’re a tough draw.

I’ve got Duke cruising, still. 8 point lead at half turns into 15 early on and the game isn’t very nerve wracking from there.

[Reilly]

Duke is 15 points better in the SRS.

UCF has played three games against AP-ranked teams: 9-point loss to #12 Houston ... 5-point win @ #8 Houston ... 3-point win over #20 Cincinnati

[84Duke]

I will hate to have to beat Johnny Dawkins and his son, but I hope they will understand it has to be done.

[AustinDevil]

Zion. Tacko. Discuss.

Tacko is certainly willing to discuss.

“‘It’s very hard [to dunk on me],’ Fall told NCAA.com on Friday night. ‘I mean, I won't allow it. I won’t allow it. I won’t allow him putting me on one of his highlight tapes.’”

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...n-posterize-me

[Skitzle]

Wait... Did Hurley just lose to Dawkins in the first round

(Edit:NM that was the women's game where AzSt played UCF)

[UrinalCake]

Pretty much mandatory that Zion dunks on Taco Man.

[gocanes0506]

I would try to play as many guys as I could this game and up the tempo. Make the big man get up and down the floor. Once he gets tired he’ll do a lot more reaching than moving those feet.

From what I saw last night, as long as the defender is stays goal side of him then Taco doesn’t have much. His points were from dunks on lob passes when the defender was on the high side.

Dawkins knows we switch everything. Do we see a ton of high ball screens hoping Tre switches on Taco?

[AGDukesky]

The biggest guys VCU played were 6”8” 210-215. Fall basically doesn’t jump and he doesn’t keep his hands straight up. We should be able to draw fouls and Bolden has enough size to keep Tacko more honest. He’s a unique player but we simply better across the board. I just hope his size doesn’t get into players” heads and we settle for 3s all game- unless we shoot 41% again of course...

Edit: I forgot VCU had Santos-Silva who is 6’7” 250, but he had that hard fall and wasn’t effective the second half missing much of it

[devildeac]

K played 8 guys >10 minutes with RJ playing the most as he totaled 34 minutes. This, combined with the ~710 PM/early start time last evening, hopefully allows a nice rest/recovery period before Sunday tip-off.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I would try to play as many guys as I could this game and up the tempo. Make the big man get up and down the floor. Once he gets tired he’ll do a lot more reaching than moving those feet.

From what I saw last night, as long as the defender is stays goal side of him then Taco doesn’t have much. His points were from dunks on lob passes when the defender was on the high side.

Dawkins knows we switch everything. Do we see a ton of high ball screens hoping Tre switches on Taco?

RUN RUN RUN....Falls doesn't play that many minutes anyway...it would be helpful to have him gassed early....

[arnie]

Duke has never lost to the 8/9 seed and think we’ve been in this position 12 times if I heard correctly. I recall a couple of tight games, including Kansas many years ago. I don’t see UCF as strong competition, but we have to be willing to push the ball as noted above.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Duke has never lost to the 8/9 seed and think we’ve been in this position 12 times if I heard correctly. I recall a couple of tight games, including Kansas many years ago. I don’t see UCF as strong competition, but we have to be willing to push the ball as noted above.

I never like the second round and the 8/9 winner...because 8s and 9s are usually really good teams. Often they're middle of the conference Power 5 teams...who are used to very good competition. That's not the case with UCF or VCU...but while all the top seeds are guaranteed a good second round opponent, some teams get lucky and get to play 12s 13s 14s in the second round. I mean VT versus Liberty? Sheesh.

[cspan37421]

I will hate to have to beat Johnny Dawkins and his son, but I hope they will understand it has to be done.

Agreed. Someone has to be the Fall guy.

I'll see myself out ...

[CDu]

UCF is coached by our old friend and Duke legend Johnny Dawkins. They are a solid defensive team (#35 nationally) and a solid offensive team (#58), although their profile is somewhat interesting. They are really big inside, which is what differentiates them.

Defensively, UCF is extremely good at defending both 3s and 2s, and also fantastic at defending free throws (#4 nationally) . They block a lot of shots (#36) and alter a lot of others (#12 in eFG%). What they don't do well defensively is force turnovers (#184) or rebound (#237). Offensively, they are largely a two-man show with balance thereafter. They don't shoot great away from the rim, but excel at drawing fouls (#2). They try to make the game as slow as feasible (#312 in tempo) as their primary big man is glacially slow.

Centers: Tacko Fall (7'6", 310lb senior from Senegal) is the man in the middle. Fall is incredibly tall and long, as evidenced by his 7'6" height. He's a terrific rebounder and an elite shotblocker, and UCF's defense is substantially better with him on the floor. Fall is very limited offensively, basically only scoring at the rim (83% of his shots are at the rim, hitting 80% of them). The problem for Fall is that he is EXTREMELY slow. To be fair, he's very nimble for a man his size. But it's just really hard to get a body that big moving and changing directions. So he tries to camp out in the lane as much as he can. If you are in his area, he will affect the shot. But he isn't going to track anyone very well other than straight-line drives. He also fatigues somewhat, and as such plays just 25 mpg. Fall's backup is Chad Brown (6'9", 245lb senior). Brown is a rugged, athletic role player. He rebounds really well, blocks shots, and can score around the rim, but his skill set is mainly as a screen and roll player and dirty-work guy. Like Fall, he has absolutely no range.

Forwards: Collin Smith (6'11", 240lb sophomore transfer from George Washington) is the starter at forward. Smith is a baseline lurker on offense who isn't afraid to shoot a 3 if left open. He's not as physical as Brown, not as tall as Fall. And he just isn't as impactful as either guy on the boards or blocking shots. But he's a much more capable offensive player, and as such provides a nice pairing with either of those two bigs. The Knights don't really play another big.

Wings: Aubrey Dawkins (6'6", 205lb fifth-year junior transfer from Michigan) is one of the stars on the wing for the Knights, the son of Johnny, and a Durham native. Aubrey is nothing like his dad as a player, but he's still a solid college player. Aubrey can shoot (42% from 3, 81% form the line for his career). But he's pure wing, and more of a wing forward than a wing guard. Occasionally, Dawkins plays a de facto PF when two of their three bigs are out. He's largely a catch and shoot guy, and doesn't do a lot of ballhandling for the Knights. He's not nearly the athlete or playmaker that his dad was. The first backup on the wing is Dayon Griffin (6'4", 210lb senior transfer from La Tech). Griffin is a springy, strong kid who doesn't mind shooting. But he's not a great shooter (34%). He's streaky and can get hot from 3, but mainly After Griffin is Frank Bertz (6'5", 180lb junior JuCo transfer). Bertz is a long, athletic, role player for the Knights. He's a solid shooter and pretty much only shoots as a catch-and-shoot guy. Defensively, he's disruptive and gets some steals. But otherwise, he's very much a role player. The last option is Ceasar DeJesus (6'2", 190lb sophomore). DeJesus is more of a slasher offensively, but he's fairly turnover prone. He's a defensive fill-in more than anything, and just minutes-eater as needed.

Guards: The Knights run a two-guard offense most of the game, with BJ Taylor (6'2", 195lb fifth-year senior) and Terrell Allen (6'3", 185lb junior transfer from Drexel). At least one of them is on the floor at all times, and frequently they share the floor. Taylor is probably better described as a combo guard, a score-first PG type. But he does a lot of the ballhandling for the Knights. He's not explosive or athletic, but he's really strong and smart. He knows how to score, and is a big-time shotmaker for the Knights. He doesn't shoot at a high percentage, but he hits the big shots for them. A tough, tough kid who knows how to get and make his shot, and has some playmaking skills for others too. And he's very solid with the ball. Allen is more of a caretaker on offense, serving primarily as a distributor/facilitator for the Knights. He's athletic and a willing defender, and not a liability as a shooter if left alone. But he's a bit like Tyler Thornton in that regard in that he won't put it up unless he's wide open.

[dukelifer]

UCF is coached by our old friend and Duke legend Johnny Dawkins. They are a solid defensive team (#35 nationally) and a solid offensive team (#58), although their profile is somewhat interesting. They are really big inside, which is what differentiates them.

Defensively, UCF is extremely good at defending both 3s and 2s, and also fantastic at defending free throws (#4 nationally) . They block a lot of shots (#36) and alter a lot of others (#12 in eFG%). What they don't do well defensively is force turnovers (#184) or rebound (#237). Offensively, they are largely a two-man show with balance thereafter. They don't shoot great away from the rim, but excel at drawing fouls (#2). They try to make the game as slow as feasible (#312 in tempo) as their primary big man is glacially slow.

Centers: Tacko Fall (7'6", 310lb senior from Senegal) is the man in the middle. Fall is incredibly tall and long, as evidenced by his 7'6" height. He's a terrific rebounder and an elite shotblocker, and UCF's defense is substantially better with him on the floor. Fall is very limited offensively, basically only scoring at the rim (83% of his shots are at the rim, hitting 80% of them). The problem for Fall is that he is EXTREMELY slow. To be fair, he's very nimble for a man his size. But it's just really hard to get a body that big moving and changing directions. So he tries to camp out in the lane as much as he can. If you are in his area, he will affect the shot. But he isn't going to track anyone very well other than straight-line drives. He also fatigues somewhat, and as such plays just 25 mpg. Fall's backup is Chad Brown (6'9", 245lb senior). Brown is a rugged, athletic role player. He rebounds really well, blocks shots, and can score around the rim, but his skill set is mainly as a screen and roll player and dirty-work guy. Like Fall, he has absolutely no range.

Forwards: Collin Smith (6'11", 240lb sophomore transfer from George Washington) is the starter at forward. Smith is a baseline lurker on offense who isn't afraid to shoot a 3 if left open. He's not as physical as Brown, not as tall as Fall. And he just isn't as impactful as either guy on the boards or blocking shots. But he's a much more capable offensive player, and as such provides a nice pairing with either of those two bigs. The Knights don't really play another big.

Wings: Aubrey Dawkins (6'6", 205lb fifth-year junior transfer from Michigan) is one of the stars on the wing for the Knights, the son of Johnny, and a Durham native. Aubrey is nothing like his dad as a player, but he's still a solid college player. Aubrey can shoot (42% from 3, 81% form the line for his career). But he's pure wing, and more of a wing forward than a wing guard. Occasionally, Dawkins plays a de facto PF when two of their three bigs are out. He's largely a catch and shoot guy, and doesn't do a lot of ballhandling for the Knights. He's not nearly the athlete or playmaker that his dad was. The first backup on the wing is Dayon Griffin (6'4", 210lb senior transfer from La Tech). Griffin is a springy, strong kid who doesn't mind shooting. But he's not a great shooter (34%). He's streaky and can get hot from 3, but mainly After Griffin is Frank Bertz (6'5", 180lb junior JuCo transfer). Bertz is a long, athletic, role player for the Knights. He's a solid shooter and pretty much only shoots as a catch-and-shoot guy. Defensively, he's disruptive and gets some steals. But otherwise, he's very much a role player. The last option is Ceasar DeJesus (6'2", 190lb sophomore). DeJesus is more of a slasher offensively, but he's fairly turnover prone. He's a defensive fill-in more than anything, and just minutes-eater as needed.

Guards: The Knights run a two-guard offense most of the game, with BJ Taylor (6'2", 195lb fifth-year senior) and Terrell Allen (6'3", 185lb junior transfer from Drexel). At least one of them is on the floor at all times, and frequently they share the floor. Taylor is probably better described as a combo guard, a score-first PG type. But he does a lot of the ballhandling for the Knights. He's not explosive or athletic, but he's really strong and smart. He knows how to score, and is a big-time shotmaker for the Knights. He doesn't shoot at a high percentage, but he hits the big shots for them. A tough, tough kid who knows how to get and make his shot, and has some playmaking skills for others too. And he's very solid with the ball. Allen is more of a caretaker on offense, serving primarily as a distributor/facilitator for the Knights. He's athletic and a willing defender, and not a liability as a shooter if left alone. But he's a bit like Tyler Thornton in that regard in that he won't put it up unless he's wide open.

In my watching the game yesterday- it is clear that Fall is important to their D. He is slow but takes up space. It will take Duke a while to figure out how to attack him- maybe RJ floaters. Whatever Duke can do to get him off the floor - particularly with foul trouble- will help a lot. They are very active on D and like to push the ball on O. This is not a bad team. Duke will need to wear them down as they are not very deep.

[GTHroy!]

Tacko is certainly willing to discuss.

“‘It’s very hard [to dunk on me],’ Fall told NCAA.com on Friday night. ‘I mean, I won't allow it. I won’t allow it. I won’t allow him putting me on one of his highlight tapes.’”

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...n-posterize-me

Zion is going to ring Tacko’s Bell!

[budwom]

a bit of interior passing would seem to be in order...his lateral movement is minimal...

[DukeDevil]

Zion is going to ring Tacko’s Bell!

I'd love to see Zion dunk all over Fall, but honestly I don't want it to be a situation where Tacko decides he's going to do everything to prevent it and we get one of those bad, high in the air fouls that can really hurt someone as a result. Also, as much as the front page made of his saying he won't allow Zion to put him on a highlight tape as trash talk, when you listen to the whole thing is was far less cocky and far more respectful...like Zion is an amazing talent but I'm not going to roll over and let him do whatever he wants. I'll take any bulletin board material for the team to be incentivized to play hard from minute 1 though.

[OldPhiKap]

Zion is going to ring Tacko’s Bell!

GTHroy wins the Internet for the day — both for the post, and the name.