2019 2K Sports Classic: Duke vs Cal, Texas vs Georgetown

[Troublemaker]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2K_Sports_Classic#2019

You know, this board could use a bit more basketball nerdery.

I unfortunately can't contribute many posts to this forum for the time being, but I was hoping that other DBR posters would be talking about Duke vs Cal, whether we want Texas or Gtown to win in the other game, etc etc.

Tomorrow they're playing the games. People know that right?

[SkyBrickey]

I'll jump in. 121 views and no posts? I hope this board picks up a little momentum this season for our #1 Blue Devils!

Cal's strength is 3-point shooting so far this year. 45.5%, 4th in the country. I like our ability to chase shooters off the line in the half court set. It will be key to find them on secondary breaks after turnovers or quick outlets off rebounds. I expect we'll sort it out on defense, but they could definitely hit a few early 3s and put us on our heels a bit.

Texas or Georgetown. I don't have a preference although I seem to remember that star guard Matt Coleman at Texas was a key Duke target a few years back. He had 22 points and 7 assists in a big win on the road against Purdue recently. Might be fun watching him and Tre do battle.

[jwillfan]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2K_Sports_Classic#2019

You know, this board could use a bit more basketball nerdery.

I unfortunately can't contribute many posts to this forum for the time being, but I was hoping that other DBR posters would be talking about Duke vs Cal, whether we want Texas or Gtown to win in the other game, etc etc.

Tomorrow they're playing the games. People know that right?

Saw this earlier when I was walking the dog but I don't post from my phone, well, rarely. Now post-dinner and nobody has responded and it's moved down the page?

Well, I for one am ready to move on from football entirely and don't really have much affinity for the NBA, nor very-short-time Duke players who were here for a year and I barely remember.

I know a lot of NY Duke fans attending tomorrow and Friday. I can't say I know bupkiss about Cal but as far as our guys go:

• Would like to see continued strong play from Tre and Vernon
• Better 3 pt shooting but especially from Matthew and Alex
• Continued leadership and strong rebounding and D from Jack and Javin - wouldn't mind seeing improved finishes from JD and at least a 30% night from 3 from Jack
• Stronger bench minutes from Wendell and Joey, especially Wendell's court vision/decision making and Joey's D. I take Jordan G's D and ball handling as a given - just don't want him to have to shoot

Those are my wishes along with of course a win for tomorrow. As for who we play on Friday, I think G'Town got blasted by Penn St in the B1G/BEast challenge and don't know what to think about Texas - so happy to take either on in the *late* game Friday which assumes a win tomorrow.

-JWF

[AGDukesky]

I think this will be a struggle and if we are able to win, I definitely want Georgetown because it has not been impressive while Texas has played well.

[SkyBrickey]

I think this will be a struggle and if we are able to win, I definitely want Georgetown because it has not been impressive while Texas has played well.

Let's play the better team! These seasons move fast and if want to be fully primed for ACC season, let's have a tougher test with Texas. We will grow from it. And if we lose and drop out of the top 5, who cares at this point?

But first, Cal...

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I’ll be there with some of my closest friends, rooting like hell!

I don’t care who we play on Friday as long as it’s the second game! LGD GTHc!

[Native]

Will also be in the house! Nothing like a good Garden party to kick off the holiday season.

[SF Dukie]

Cal has a couple of forwards from Australia and a 7' 250 lb center from Germany.

https://calbears.com/roster.aspx?ros...27&path=mbball

Preseason they were predicted to finish 12th in the Pac 12.

[Saratoga2]

Based on the team play so far, with a focus on defense and a relatively weak offense, we are in danger of upset by any team who can shoot well. Lets hope our defense can at least hold Cal's shooting down and that both Cassius and Matthew show more offense.

Javin looks like he has regressed despite his solid athletic ability he is very foul prone and doesn't seem to be able to finish arounnd the rim. I had hopes for a step up by Alex in his junior year, but so far a big if is attached to his play. Wendell is a strong kid but appears quite raw. Joey can shoot but is behind in defense. Jack is a very good defender and rebounder but has lost any semblence of offensive contribution. Jordan is mmore of a backup PG and ball handler without much offensive potential.

To date it looks like our best bet is to give Tre, Vernon, Cassius, Matthew and Jack the most minutes they can handle while subbing in the others. Hope the offensive light goes on for some of the guys soon.

[arnie]

Based on the team play so far, with a focus on defense and a relatively weak offense, we are in danger of upset by any team who can shoot well. Lets hope our defense can at least hold Cal's shooting down and that both Cassius and Matthew show more offense.

Javin looks like he has regressed despite his solid athletic ability he is very foul prone and doesn't seem to be able to finish arounnd the rim. I had hopes for a step up by Alex in his junior year, but so far a big if is attached to his play. Wendell is a strong kid but appears quite raw. Joey can shoot but is behind in defense. Jack is a very good defender and rebounder but has lost any semblence of offensive contribution. Jordan is mmore of a backup PG and ball handler without much offensive potential.

To date it looks like our best bet is to give Tre, Vernon, Cassius, Matthew and Jack the most minutes they can handle while subbing in the others. Hope the offensive light goes on for some of the guys soon.

Line opened at Duke -19, up to -20 at one casino.

[SkyBrickey]

I would venture a guess that this board has never been this negative on a #1 Duke team.

[jv001]

I would venture a guess that this board has never been this negative on a #1 Duke team.

I think it's called, "spoiled" from all the highly rated players who picked Duke coming out of high school over the last several years. This year Carey was the only top ten recruit who chose Duke. The others are top 20-30s, but I'm actually excited with the possibility of guys staying around for 2 or 3 years. Maybe even staying for their 4 year degree. I'll be watching tonight's game, Lord willing. And I'm hoping to see our players improve on the offensive end of the court.
GoDuke!

[Saratoga2]

I would venture a guess that this board has never been this negative on a #1 Duke team.

Maybe a more appropriate word would be realistic. The young guys, especially Hurt and Stanley are most likely to show early improvement. I am hoping they can do that tonight

[53n206]

I would venture a guess that this board has never been this negative on a #1 Duke team.

Long time since we've been not great on offense. Tough to come around to appreciating a defense orientated team. But-- Go Duke!

[DavidBenAkiva]

The nightcap at the 2K Empire Classic is going to be a contrast of styles. Cal is playing a deliberate pace and is one of the slowest teams in the nation (adjusted tempo of 68.5 on BartTorvik.com / 296/353 in the nation). The Golden Bears make up for this slow pace by shooting the ball very well. connecting on 45.5% from 3. That caveat to that is that they have one of the lower 3-point shooting rates in the nation with just 31.3% of possessions ending in a 3-pointer. So they are not looking to take many 3's but the certainly hit them when they do. Cal does turn the ball over a bit much and they don't force many TOs so far on the young season. Neither do they excel in rebounding, blocking, or many other stats. They have shot the ball very well and have forced very few free-throw attempts.

Duke, as we well know, are polar opposites. The Blue Devils have forced the pace and are the 17th fastest paced team in the nation. Where the team has excelled, relative to others, is in forcing poor shots, forcing turnovers, and rebounding the basketball - both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Duke wants the game to be up and down and get ugly. Duke is also allowing just 26.4% of opponent possessions to end in a 3-pointer. Part of that could be the opponents so far. Kansas, for example, only took 9 attempts. But Central Arkansas only took 15 while Georgia State took 12. Duke is running teams off the line and grabbing the rebounds when teams miss closer to the rim.

Where the shooting prowess of the Bears could be a problematic for Duke is the frontcourt. The two primary big men for Cal - 6'8" forwards JR Grant Anticevich and SO Andre Kelly - both shoot the ball well from 3 and have each taken a good share of mid-range jumpers. Kelly has been more of an inside threat than Anticevich, taking most of his shots at the rim. Neither is a rim protector or does much to poke the ball away when the ball goes inside. Look for Vernon Carey to establish himself often inside given his height and weight advantage. Cal also has a 7-footer, freshman Lars Thiemann. Thiemann has started all 4 games for Cal but is playing about 15 minutes a game and has taken all of 6 shots from the field on the season.

In the backcourt, Cal relies heavily on SO Matt Bradley, a 6'4" guard. Bradley has a pretty high usage rate of 27.7 while the next-closest of the starters is 6'3" SR Kareem South. Bradley is nominally a point guard, although he has more turnovers than assists on the season. Look for Duke's relentless press to force Cal into bad passes and fast-break opportunities. Where Bradley excels is in shooting the ball. He's 11-21 from 3 on the season (52.4%). Bradley is more than a shooter as he's split his field goal attempts between 2 and 3. He also excels at getting to the free-throw line, taking an absurd 26 attempts on the year so far. The next most attempts on the team is FR Center Thiemann with 7. Bradley is hitting 88.5% from the charity stripe. Containing Bradley will be a key to the game and I expect that Tre Jones will get the primary assignment to start the game.

If Duke can run Cal off the 3-point line, force turnovers, and grab the rebounds, I expect it will be a relatively relaxing affair. Hitting a few 3's here and there should help. Duke will have an advantage in being familiar with the environment at MSG. They also have talent and athleticism on their side. If Duke also hits a few 3's of their own, the score could balloon. Conversely, if the game is more of a halfcourt affair, things could get ugly. I expect that Duke will be able to assert their pressure on Cal as they lack a true point guard. The full court pressure should create the kind of easy looks that Duke needs to build a lead.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Logistically speaking, is this one of those 9pm starts that won't start til 9:40?

[summerwind03]

Logistically speaking, is this one of those 9pm starts that won't start til 9:40?

Yes.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Yes.

*Smacks his forehead*

Why do they bother with the lie?

[DukieInKansas]

Logistically speaking, is this one of those 9pm starts that won't start til 9:40?

That might make watching it live easier for me - going out for a birthday celebration and then back to my house for cake & ice cream & presents. If it was my birthday, I'd make them watch the Duke game but, since it isn't, the DVR is set. Set it for an extra hour so hope to get the whole game if it doesn't start on time.

Should I make a friendly wager with a high school friend that is a Cal Bear?

[Billy Dat]

I'll be at the game tonight, too. After market tickets are pretty cheap, not a lot of interest in the opening night of this event.

I would venture a guess that this board has never been this negative on a #1 Duke team.

Long time since we've been not great on offense. Tough to come around to appreciating a defense orientated team. But-- Go Duke!

There does seem to have been a recent drop off in posting activity on DBR. Have those tired of one-and-done roster turnover thrown in the towel? Is message board culture a big fat "Ok Boomer" to the reddit loving youth?

I think the lack of enthusiasm might be because folks have seen our team, don't see a well oiled machine, and write off our chances at a Final Four. But, they are missing the fact that the entire country is down this year. We may be a weak #1 based on historical standards, but we are firmly in the mix as of this writing. Our relatively weak offense is still, currently, a top 10 Ken Pom offense, with all caveats about early season Ken Pom ratings.

Let's play the better team! These seasons move fast and if want to be fully primed for ACC season, let's have a tougher test with Texas. We will grow from it. And if we lose and drop out of the top 5, who cares at this point? But first, Cal...

I think this will be a struggle and if we are able to win, I definitely want Georgetown because it has not been impressive while Texas has played well.

Line opened at Duke -19, up to -20 at one casino.

I, too, would like to win tonight and play Texas in the title game. Texas is solid, and we have some decent history with them over the past 15 years, including that NCAA game. I am sure they hate us after we stormed back in the PK80 two years ago and would like some payback.

It doesn't project as a struggle as arnie's post indicates, but DavidBenAkiva's excellent preview extoles their shooting as does...

Based on the team play so far, with a focus on defense and a relatively weak offense, we are in danger of upset by any team who can shoot well. Lets hope our defense can at least hold Cal's shooting down and that both Cassius and Matthewlast show more offense. Javin looks like he has regressed despite his solid athletic ability he is very foul prone and doesn't seem to be able to finish arounnd the rim. I had hopes for a step up by Alex in his junior year, but so far a big if is attached to his play. Wendell is a strong kid but appears quite raw. Joey can shoot but is behind in defense. Jack is a very good defender and rebounder but has lost any semblence of offensive contribution. Jordan is mmore of a backup PG and ball handler without much offensive potential. To date it looks like our best bet is to give Tre, Vernon, Cassius, Matthew and Jack the most minutes they can handle while subbing in the others. Hope the offensive light goes on for some of the guys soon.

So where is the rotation right now? I think Tre, Vernon and Cassius have shown the most consistency, even with Cassius coming off a sub par offensive game. Jack is coming on. I am guessing those 4 will start along with...

I'd say Hurt gets the start to see if he can effectively chase their bigs around the perimeter while also adding some scoring punch.

After that, it's a crap shoot. So, I am curious to see:

-Will Cassius maintain his current status as a starter and key cog with a solid showing in NY?
-Will Jack continue solid play and make a case as a consistent starter?
-Will Matthew Hurt play well enough on both ends to be a guy who can provide massive line-up flexibility?
-Who else wants to step up and start squeezing the other guys out for minutes...Javin, AOC, Baker
-I am with those who think Jordan will settle in as a situational specialist
-Depending on all of the above, will we see the emergence of Offense Lineups vs Defense Lineups depending on how the game is going, or will enough guys emerge as two way players that we settle on a consistent rotation?


...I had to go back and edit this because I forgot Wendell...and that is saying something, isn't it? I meant to have him in the list with Javin, AOC and Baker, but I think we all expected better. In so many ways, Cassius is what I expected of Wendell and vice versa. So..come on down Wendell. My money would be on you to emerge from the AOC/Baker pile but you have to make it happen.