MBB: Duke 68, Kansas 66 Post-Game Thread

[crf30]

Late in the game, Duke took a three point shot early in the shot clock. It missed, and Duke got the offensive rebound. The commentators noted that the new rule reset the shot clock to 20 seconds for offensive rebounds.

Does this always apply? I ask because it appeared to me that in the play I described there were 23 seconds left on the shot clock when the shot was missed. So time was actually taken off the shot clock when it was reset. It would make sense for it to not reset in such cases, but I suppose that makes it a little more complicated for the person operating the shot clock.

[Acymetric]

Most wins at any level* for Coach K. Take a bow. Just don't do it here because you didn't play Joey Baker. Duke would have easily won by at least 30 had he put in JBizzle. They would have probably renamed it Baker Square Garden as well. I recant the take a bow. Duke needs a new coach. Stat. Preferably one with way less than 1133 wins.

*Any collegiate level. There are high coaches and NBA coaches with more wins .

[SkyBrickey]

Like others on here, Cassius Stanley was the big positive surprise for me last night.

His super athleticism translated on both the offensive and defensive ends. For a few possessions on defense, I found myself just watching Stanley play on the ball and off the ball - he seems to just float effortlessly around the court like he's playing in lower gravity than everyone else. Same thing on some of his offensive drives, a smooth lightning-quick first two steps.

And if you have the game recorded, watch the second fast break dunk where Tre makes the long bounce pass. As soon as we secure the rebound, it's like Stanley was shot out of a gun. I don't think there's anyone else on the court for either team who could have created that angle for the long pass and dunk.

And the 3-pointer looked like a beautiful stroke - much better form than Tre or Wendell or Jack - so I'm hopeful to see more of that.

I knew Stanley was going to be a freak run and jump athlete, but his game appears to be a lot more developed than I expected. I think he'll be in the starting line-up next game and going forward unless he regresses... Hoping last night was just an off-night for Wendell. I think he's a lot better than what he showed.

[budwom]

Watching pal posed a PTI like question before the game: which is more likely, Joey B making two threes, or not getting in the game at all (the box score lists him with zero minutes, did he make a brief appearance at the end)?

Obviously for the time being at least, defense is required.

[TKG]

Sort of has some Cory Magette in his game.

I will be a believer when he does a chin-up on the rim and slaps the backboard 😀

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I will be a believer when he does a chin-up on the rim and slaps the backboard 😀

Uh oh...

[uh_no]

When Tre got that shooter’s bounce with a minute left after the shot hit every part of the rim, was I the only one thinking how much I would have liked to have that happen two seasons ago?

tre on that team would have made the difference.

[Bluedog]

When Tre got that shooter’s bounce with a minute left after the shot hit every part of the rim, was I the only one thinking how much I would have liked to have that happen two seasons ago?

I was thinking the same thing...gah! Honestly, Grayson's shot looked more on point and going in than Tre's did. Grayson's basically went around the entirety of the rim and spun out. Tre's shot was off the mark, and got a couple of high bounces to drop in. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. So close...(two years ago.)

[duke96]

The highlight of the game has to be this KU possession for me.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBask...in_a_nutshell/

That was an exciting sequence. Not loving Carey’s play in that exchange though. As our key big, strong guy he needs to be in the mix around the rim.

[Devilwin]

Very pleased with the defensive effort. Offense needs lots of work. And put me in the "Where is Baker" crowd. He is obviously our top three point threat, and God knows we need scoring. But until I win 1134 games...I won't tell K how to coach. That being said it puzzles me.
Javin gives the effort, but shows no improvement on offense, missing layups like he has done from day one. Tre still can't make threes. Was pleased with Stanley and Hurt. Karey and AOC played well. Jack was the MOTM for me with his defensive effort.
After one game though, we'll take the win. Improvement will certainly come..

[Indoor66]

Why is he out obvious 3 point threat?

[DukieInKansas]

The highlight of the game has to be this KU possession for me.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBask...in_a_nutshell/

Jay kept going on about how a player doesn't go down like that without a foul happening. Watching the play, it appears that the Duke player lets go of the ball and the KU player's momentum took him down. Still makes me chuckle.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Jay kept going on about how a player doesn't go down like that without a foul happening. Watching the play, it appears that the Duke player lets go of the ball and the KU player's momentum took him down. Still makes me chuckle.

How dare you! Jay is never wrong.

[Edouble]

To me, I think the (early) comp is Josh McRoberts. Both left-handed, both with a fluid outside shot. Vernon looks to have a stronger post game and Josh had better passing skills. Of course this comp is based on one game.

But the left-handed thing is what stood out to me.

Very different players. McRoberts had insane handles for a big and could go coast to coast in three dribbles. Vernon is huge compared to Josh (+30 lbs).

I'd say Carey is much more like Carter, a more traditional big with an outside shot, than McRoberts, more of a position-less big with an all around stat-sheet-stuffer kind of game. But I don't think that Carey's game is much like Carter's either.

The only thing they have in common, IMHO, is that they both shoot threes.

How dare you! Jay is never wrong.

Yes, Jay was his usual self last night, but where was other Jay? Has he been replaced by LaPhonso?

I see that Jay now works on NBA Countdown, The Jump and Get Up. Doe that mean he is done with NCAA/Gameday stuff?

[flyingdutchdevil]

Really happy for the win. And really happy this team has found their identity. My observations:

Players
Tre #1: He is the unquestionable leader. He is a fantastic player with 7 assists. He can drive. He can defend at an elite level. And, most importantly, we can lead. Believe it!

Tre #2: He cannot shot 3s to save his life. Across 2 exhibition games and 1 real game, he is 0-10. Will he be better than last year? Maybe. Will he be a reliable shooter? Nope. Believe it!

Carey: 75% of his points came from 3pt land. He wasn't a solid post player but didn't really force it either. And needs a tooooon of help on understanding help D. Don't believe it. Dok is a load

Moore: Probably the most "disappointing" game of the freshman. Looked like he was trying to rely on his physical tools to get by opponents. Works in HS. Does not work in college. Don't believe it. He'll get a lot better as the season progresses

Hurt: Love his game. He is the stretch 4 Duke hasn't had since Tatum. He will definitely be our best shooter who gets plenty of minutes. He will have our highest scoring game this year, but he'll also frustrate the hell out of fans with games where he's 1-9 and 2-15. That said, he'll be our most important scorer this year. Believe it!

Stanley: My new love. He's the type of Duke player Duke hasn't had since...Amile? Essentially a true role player who is a very good opportunistic scorer and tough as nails. Unfortunately, our friends down the road have had a few of these players (Tokoto, Pinson, etc): defensive-minded, always hustling, hyper-athletic, listens to the coach, etc. These are the best kind of role players. Believe it!

Goldwire: Not a very good game. Got burned a few times defensively and was a non-factor on offense. We will be there when we need him, but I think he'll be 8th/9th in the pecking order and fall out of the starting line-up. Don't believe it. Goldwire had a bad game, but he'll be there when we need to pressure the hell out of the ball. Tre, Goldwire, and Stanley can on of the best defensive backcourts in the country

DeLaurier: Was vintage DeLaurier - can't shoot, terrible at FTs, fouled a lot, solid rebounding, good defense, and probably some strong leadership. This is DeLaurier. Believe it!

White: Vintage White in Nov/Dec 2018 - solid rebounding, streaky shooting (I mean, he basically air-balled a wide open 3), team plays, and always in the right place at the right time. He's never going to be a star. I hope he never starts (as that would be a sign the rest of the team is slipping). But you know what you're going to get from White. And that's okay. Believe it!

AOC: Where the hell did this come from? He showed by far the most improvement. No silly AOC turnovers. No silly AOC defensive mistakes. Great shot selection. Underrated athleticism. If his defense is as good moving forward as it was yesterday, then Duke has options! His shooting is incredible, especially compared to everyone not named Hurt. I wanna believe it, but the improvement was just so drastic. Maybe the lack of improvement from DeLaurier and White is made up for by AOC's improvement?

Baker: 9 players played double digits. Baker didn't enter the game. Baker may be the odd man out, especially if Hurt and AOC are reliable from 3 and play solid minutes. Burning that red shirt is looking dumber and dumber. Believe it!

[TKG]

Uh oh...

Maggette O!

[Steven43]

This is true but it did feel like the first 20 min were literally a commentary about what we don’t have this year to the point it should be a motivational video for this team.

Truth be told, Bilas is very much in the Brotherhood fold. I think he over compensates but if/when something hits the fan on the compliance or whatever side - real or not - he’s also well positioned to give air time to the programs point of view.

And while now this is becoming a different topic all together as many said before, notable that Bilas is one of the most vocal advocates of player compensation and while many coaches obfuscated during media days, K purposefully helped shove the NCAA to over a ledge on this issue they were never willing to consider.

I’m short, they be tight. Hold our fire on him and play the long game.

Hey, I’m not saying Jay Bilas is a bad guy or I don’t like him. I know he loves Duke University, Coach K, the basketball program, and all that. It’s just, like you said, whenever he is commentating on a Duke game or the Duke team in general he goes out of his way to find faults. And the most galling thing of all is that he does the exact opposite for UNC. It’s absolutely maddening.

[jv001]

Really happy for the win. And really happy this team has found their identity. My observations:

Players
Tre #1: He is the unquestionable leader. He is a fantastic player with 7 assists. He can drive. He can defend at an elite level. And, most importantly, we can lead. Believe it!

Tre #2: He cannot shot 3s to save his life. Across 2 exhibition games and 1 real game, he is 0-10. Will he be better than last year? Maybe. Will he be a reliable shooter? Nope. Believe it!

Carey: 75% of his points came from 3pt land. He wasn't a solid post player but didn't really force it either. And needs a tooooon of help on understanding help D. Don't believe it. Dok is a load

Moore: Probably the most "disappointing" game of the freshman. Looked like he was trying to rely on his physical tools to get by opponents. Works in HS. Does not work in college. Don't believe it. He'll get a lot better as the season progresses

Hurt: Love his game. He is the stretch 4 Duke hasn't had since Tatum. He will definitely be our best shooter who gets plenty of minutes. He will have our highest scoring game this year, but he'll also frustrate the hell out of fans with games where he's 1-9 and 2-15. That said, he'll be our most important scorer this year. Believe it!

Stanley: My new love. He's the type of Duke player Duke hasn't had since...Amile? Essentially a true role player who is a very good opportunistic scorer and tough as nails. Unfortunately, our friends down the road have had a few of these players (Tokoto, Pinson, etc): defensive-minded, always hustling, hyper-athletic, listens to the coach, etc. These are the best kind of role players. Believe it!

Goldwire: Not a very good game. Got burned a few times defensively and was a non-factor on offense. We will be there when we need him, but I think he'll be 8th/9th in the pecking order and fall out of the starting line-up. Don't believe it. Goldwire had a bad game, but he'll be there when we need to pressure the hell out of the ball. Tre, Goldwire, and Stanley can on of the best defensive backcourts in the country

DeLaurier: Was vintage DeLaurier - can't shoot, terrible at FTs, fouled a lot, solid rebounding, good defense, and probably some strong leadership. This is DeLaurier. Believe it!

White: Vintage White in Nov/Dec 2018 - solid rebounding, streaky shooting (I mean, he basically air-balled a wide open 3), team plays, and always in the right place at the right time. He's never going to be a star. I hope he never starts (as that would be a sign the rest of the team is slipping). But you know what you're going to get from White. And that's okay. Believe it!

AOC: Where the hell did this come from? He showed by far the most improvement. No silly AOC turnovers. No silly AOC defensive mistakes. Great shot selection. Underrated athleticism. If his defense is as good moving forward as it was yesterday, then Duke has options! His shooting is incredible, especially compared to everyone not named Hurt. I wanna believe it, but the improvement was just so drastic. Maybe the lack of improvement from DeLaurier and White is made up for by AOC's improvement?

Baker: 9 players played double digits. Baker didn't enter the game. Baker may be the odd man out, especially if Hurt and AOC are reliable from 3 and play solid minutes. Burning that red shirt is looking dumber and dumber. Believe it!

Some good stuff FDD. The only quibble is on White. I thought Jack played an outstanding game. Yes, he air balled one three but made one and had another go all the way down in the basket to be puked back up. It looks like he's not going to let his missed threes affect the other parts of his game. His defense was outstanding last night. I think he did many positive things. Where as, Javin didn't. I'm pretty sure there are going to be games that Javin steps up and makes some big plays. He just needs to work on finishing strong at the basket and don't foul so much. Love the defense this team displayed on a very big stage last night. It would have been easy for this young group to have failed. Having an excellent point guard that has played on the big stage surely helped the freshman. GoDuke!

[FerryFor50]

Last year's Duke team won the ACC tournament, was the #1 overall seed in the NCAAT, and came within one basket of the Final Four. What kind of predictor were you looking for?

Not losing to Michigan St in the Elite 8? Not losing to UNC at all?

When you completely decimate a top team like Kentucky, it sets up the mindset that you're going to run the table - fair or not.

I'm not saying last season wasn't a good year - it was. But given the lofty expectations from that Kentucky shellacking, it fell short of where it could have/should have been.

[FerryFor50]

Jay kept going on about how a player doesn't go down like that without a foul happening. Watching the play, it appears that the Duke player lets go of the ball and the KU player's momentum took him down. Still makes me chuckle.

And that KU player was being overly aggressive trying to wrestle the ball out, which is why he lost his balance.

I'd also like to know why the forearm to the face of Tre Jones didn't qualify for "contact above the shoulders" and was a simple offensive foul.