Man, if your Mom made you wear that color when you were a baby, and you're still wearing it, it's time to grow up!
I went to Blacksburg the year before last during our Christmas break. The gym is extremely loud as the Hokie fans are really into the game. I was surrounded by them in the stands. It was a bit weird but they were really nice.
I think MSU is still among the top teams as well. They were #1 before our game even though they already had two losses at that point. I like having metrics like KenPom but this early in the season I don’t find them to be all that useful. They are still heavily affected by preseason rankings.
Also given that SFA was like #280 before they played us, that’s a pretty significant jump to improve by 80 spots. But I agree they should be in the top 100 at least.
It's not surprising. The average of a bunch of computer rankings also has Duke at #3 as of this past Sunday, and I suspect we go up after the MSU win gets counted: https://www.masseyratings.com/cb/compare.htm
Currently, Sagarin has Duke #1, T-rank has Duke #6, BPI has Duke #1. Those are some notable computer rankings in addition to kenpom's #3 for us.
I think all the low self-esteem Duke fans (not you BandAlum83) are just going to have to deal with the fact that we have another very good team this season and all the high expectations that come with that.
That gets stated a lot around here and elsewhere, but is it really true? For example, I went back 1 year, and here are the top 10 in kenpom's rankings on December 5, 2018. (Link for subscribers is here: https://kenpom.com/archive.php?d=2018-12-05 )
1. Duke
2. Kansas
3. UVA
4. Gonzaga
5. Michigan
6. Nevada
7. UNC
8. Auburn
9. Michigan St
10. Texas Tech
So the three teams that many considered to be a cut above -- Duke, UVA, Gonzaga -- were already three of the top 4 teams in kenpom. And, as for tournament success, the top 10 captures all 4 Final Four teams and two additional Elite 8 teams. Not too shabby.
I think it's a little bit low self-esteem and a little bit "I don't see Zion out there".
I tend to also believe that the real Duke team is the one that showed up against Kansas, Georgetown, MSU - not the one that showed up against SFA. I expect SFA was an extremely valuable teaching tool for this young team. Not that Coach would ever not try to win a game, but...
VPI will get a lot of lay ups tonight. Vernon needs to dominate. Go Devils. Run em off that three point line.
"This is the best of all possible worlds."
Dr. Pangloss - Candide
Just realized we are playing tonight. Friday night game? We live in strange times.
Anyone know if Cassius Stanley will play tonight?
"This is the best of all possible worlds."
Dr. Pangloss - Candide
If anyone knows of a free & safe link for watching the game, those of us who are caught in Comcast hell would be extremely grateful.
https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1...002391042?s=19
Official! Cassius is STARTING!