Bob Green
Jim’s Tuesday article is posted on the front page:
https://www.dukebasketballreport.com...mpression=true
Lots of comments on accountability, execution, trust...other than the Wohlabaugh news no injury updates. I’m certain Kraeling is out (based on what I saw Saturday night) and I am concerned about Josh Blackwell.
Bob Green
Excluding games against recent FBS addition Liberty and FCS Holy Cross, Cuse has given up an average of 39 ppg. So if we can't get our offense going this week, we surely won't for the rest of this season.
High temp of 46 now is the forecast for Saturday, so for the hundreds who show up, wear your woollies...gonna be nippy when the sun departs...
Cut's Tuesday press conference is up on GoDuke.com: https://goduke.com/sports/football (I had not seen it last night when I looked -- usually up same day).
He's unshaven -- first time I recall seeing that in many years of watching his press conferences. Hope that's a sign of spending every available minute getting things back on track. He seems very focused.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
Having been a ugrad, grad, and now usher, there are a few factors that affect the appearance of fullness.
the undergrad allotment is max 1200-1600. the grad allotment is about half that, with I think ~800 season ticket cards sold, and maybe a hundred more able to squeeze in.
The grad student sections have extremely wide steps, as opposed to the narrow steps in section 17. This makes gives far more range to make the grad section appear full. On the most crowded days, 18 and 20 are standing 2 deep on each step, with barely a place to stand (and no chance to see much if you're short and behind someone taller on the same step). On less crowded days, it's quite roomy with the ability to move around and get out as necessary. In either case, it appears "full" despite the 2x+ difference in attendance. 17, for the ugrads, on the other hand, only ever has exactly 1 student per row, and thus the appearance of fullness scales far closer to the number of people who show up.
Another factor is the opportunity. Duke has gone whole hog in on 1 and 2 year revenue grad programs (and I don't mean that derogatorially...I have one for god sakes). This means that a significant amount of the grad student population has a very small time frame to see games. This, coupled with the higher overall population trying to see games increases the demand. If you're only there for 1 year, of course you'll go to see duke beat down cupcake U. In many cases, you are part of a ticket pool whereby you only can see so many games a year, so you'll take what you can get. This helps keep grad attendance more consistent throughout the year.
A third factor is enthusiasm. The ugrads, overall, are more enthusiastic and wild than the grads. This is no necessarily true on any individual basis, but on the whole. The ugrad are younger, often well lubricated and less able to handle the lubrication, and have no attachements to other universities where they may have done their ugrad. So as the season ticks on, the ugrad section slowly becomes better and better.
So what's my point? There are a lot of factors that go into the apparent and actual fullness of the sections allotted to the classes of students. Looking back on it now, I to some degree question why I made it a point to get to every game I could as a ugrad (though I suppose at the time, I had no way of knowing I'd still be around 10 years later going to games). I think, yes, it's possible that some grad students could fill out section 17, but I also think that the grad student sections are not so full as to turn people away who would otherwise come for these cupcakes, and thus giving the grads MORE seats would be meaningless...in which case, selling 17 to the general public is a reasonable solution.
I'll do some snooping on friday to see if I can get some more anecdotal data, especially on grad student demand, as I know the ugrad demand for these type of games...and it's not high. They only allotted 400 or so for the last exhibition, and not even that many showed up. I can't blame them, though, given the upstairs was empty as well...perhaps the least attended game I've seen, even including some of the snow games the past couple years.
April 1
Saturday unis. https://www.facebook.com/DukeFOOTBAL...8557926537609/
White (with script Duke) helmet, black top, white pants and shoes.
"This is the best of all possible worlds."
Dr. Pangloss - Candide
Since it's gonna be chilly, we're doing chili. And stew.
As always, any game goers are welcome to swing by and join us at tailgate on Blue Devil Alley.
http://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5977
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."