MBB: Duke 88, Va Tech 64 Post-Game Thread

[Kedsy]

Nice bounce back. FWIW, our numbers were practically off the charts in the first half -- 1.41 oRating (1.46 adjusted) and 0.69 dRating (0.66 adjusted). Obviously we coasted a bit in the second half, but I suppose that's only natural.

OFFENSE

Possessions: 72.5 (against one of the slowest teams in the country (311th adjusted tempo), Duke won the battle of the pace)
oRtg: 1.21 (1.26 adjusted; very good, including an amazing first half)
eFG%: 52.4% (good, not spectacular)
3pt%: 42.3% (excellent)
2pt%: 44.4% (not so great)
%threes: 41.9% (probably too high in general, but on a night where we were so good from three and not so good from two, taking this many was probably the right decision)
FT rate: 50.0% (great; 3rd highest of the season)
OR%: 35.0% (good but not great)
TO%: 12.4% (outstanding; 4th lowest offensive turnover performance of the season)
a/to: 1.56:1 (good)
%assisted: 51.9%
fast break pts: 17 (19.3% of points; pretty good against a deliberate halfcourt team, especially since we forced so few turnovers)

DEFENSE

dRtg: 0.88 (0.85 adjusted; very good; believe it or not, our third adjusted dRating under 0.86 out of four games)
eFG%: 43.3% (good)
3pt%: 33.3% (acceptable)
2pt%: 39.5% (superb)
%threes: 35.8% (a bit high for Duke, but since VaTech generally takes almost 47% of their shots from three (18th most in the country), this is pretty good)
FT rate: 10.4% (excellent; 2nd lowest defensive FTR of the season; though since VaTech ranks #337 in the nation in this stat, it may not be as impressive as it appears)
DR%: 87.5% (amazing; 2nd best DR% of the season; though since VaTech ranks #321 in the country in offensive rebounding, it (again) may not be as impressive as it looks)
TO%: 11.0% (2nd worst defensive TO performance of the season, but since VaTech coughs up the 5th lowest percentage of turnovers per possession, this was maybe to be expected)
a/to: 1.63:1 (meh)
%assisted: 52.0%
stl%: 5.5% (blech; 7th disappointing steals performance in our last 9 games)
blk%: 13.4% (20.9% of 2pt shots) (outstanding)
fast break pts: 15 (23.4% of points; against a team that rarely runs, this is pretty bad)


Against State, our inability to force turnovers coupled with our opponent's hitting an inordinate percentage of their threes led to our worst defensive performance of the season. Interestingly, despite failing to turn over the Hokies in this game (even lower TO% than against NCSU), by dominating the defensive boards, keeping them off the free throw line, and stifling their two-point shooting, we turned in a stellar defensive performance. On offense, we were pretty good at all four factors, led by our own three-point shooting.

Especially considering how we blew the doors off in the first half, you can't help but give the team an "A" for its bounce back effort after one of our worst performances in years.

[budwom]

Nice catch. I am glad he is coming to games. He was at Duke so long ago, he was my PE coach for boxing and gymnastics sometime in the last millennium.

He seems to get on camera every single game, though his seats vary some...yes, he has rebounded very well from his ignominious tenure at Duke, had a good, long career at the hospital...some of his former players whom I've spoken with agree, say he's "been rehabilitated." Good for him.

[Nugget]

Anyone notice Bucky Waters having a nice snooze at 7:43pm? Crowd seemed pretty raucous otherwise...

I did - that was amusing.

[roywhite]

He seems to get on camera every single game, though his seats vary some...yes, he has rebounded very well from his ignominious tenure at Duke, had a good, long career at the hospital...some of his former players whom I've spoken with agree, say he's "been rehabilitated." Good for him.

Just looked it up; Bucky is 84.

Older than Dick Vitale, who turned 80 last year, but younger than Hubie Brown, who is still going strong at age 86.

[Bob Green]

Anyone notice Bucky Waters having a nice snooze at 7:43pm? Crowd seemed pretty raucous otherwise...

That’s appropriate seeing as he was asleep at the wheel ‘69 to ‘73.

[UrinalCake]

Really impressed with Hurt, it looked like he knew he needed to be more aggressive and play a bigger role in the offense. Early on he took the ball most of the length of the court through multiple defenders before finishing at the rim, which is not something I’ve ever seen him do before. Defensively he was equally engaged, really played a solid game which will be key for us moving forward if the team is to reach its ceiling.

Stanley drilling threes is obviously a great thing to see. Coming into the game I wanted to know how effective our post defense would be, when in the first matchup VT forced us to go small. We got that figured out which is another great sign.

[szstark]

Why do I think we're on thin ice?
Just uneasy.

Okay, I’ll bite - why do you think we are on thin ice?

[Saratoga2]

Having had some time to review the stats and think additionally about the VTech game, I believe the VTech set up their defense to stop Vernon by double teaming and even triple teaming him while daring us to beat them from outside. VTech doesn't have inside players that can match up with Vernon so it was a logical defensive approach, plus it worked to some degree in our game at Blacksburgh. The difference this time is that we were in a friendly and familiar environment and the team was rested. Probably also more than a little upset with getting blown out by NC State.

Turns out we had Cassius go off from long range and also Tre and Matthew and even Vernon were hitting from deep. Our defense was very active and we quickly built a huge lead.

We did expend a lot of energy getting that lead and somehow we got sloppy and careless toward the end of the first half and throughout the second half. I believe part of that was due to switching lineups often with guys that may not have worked as well together, but we never we threatened and starters got some rest and alternates got valuable PT.

We have a stonrg lineup with Tre, Vernon, Cassius, Matthew, Wendell and Jordan used in some combination depending on matchups. A lot of fine defensive players in the group and csollid scorers. I think we also have seen the emergence of Alex who has been flying around from rebounds, defensive plays and aggressive scoring attempts. Based on what I have seen as well as the minutes allocated, Alex seems to be just behind the others as a sub.

So were there some concerns? I would say the old cliche applies. We need to value each golden possession. Making difficult long passes down the court when your clearly beating a team with the half court offensive makes no sense. We had two of those in short order that provided two good scoring opportunities for VT.

Should we be using Javin to handle the ball in high screen situations? Clearly that is not what he does well and if he dribbles he can be enduced to turn the ball over. When Alex dribbles with his back to a defender, and tries to spin into the lane, he is fairly prone to turn the ball over. Wendell is also turnover prone and needs to pick his driving situations and passing situations more carefully.

We need Javin to spell Vernon so he should be used to defend, rebound and try to avoid careless fouls. He can and will help the team in that way. Joey tries very hard and is aggressive but is still raw and has seen his minutes drop as his shot is not as consistent as it may become. Jack really is puzzling. I really don't know what happened to him but he only got 3 minutes last night.

Those are not a large list of concerns so I am optimistic that the team is capable of competing with anyone. I would see 3 of the next 4 games as being significant tests. Is NC State a matchup problem for us? Will UVas defense give us fits? We know UNC will play their hearts out against us. Be fun to watch.

[dukelifer]

I only count two tough games, plus the ACC's last place team, at home.

Yes two tough games and one game that should not be tough on paper but will be tough on game day.

[hustleplays]

If you haven't watched K's presser yet, I recommend it. I particularly enjoyed his comments beginning around 9:40 mark regarding how they engaged the team after the loss to State. It seems even clearer to me now that Coach K saw the loss was inevitable and leveraged the heck out of it for the benefit of the team going forward.

I heartily 2nd the motion that K's presser is worth watching. [Dr R, I clocked the section you cite as beginning at around the 7:30 mark, but perhaps we have different feeds/versions.]

I think that this is Must See viewing to understand K's attitude toward lackadaisical effort and how he and his staff handle it. Several highlights: K said that he was angry at them [the players], but they need to be angry at themselves. He said that we don't put them through "animal, crazy I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this." drills, we just tell them and show them the truth: Here is who we are. I noted that he used the "we' word here. For example, the staff showed the players bench shots -- how they were comatose.

K said that the greatest gift God has given each of us is our attitude, and our attitude is something that we can totally control. The key elements that he and his staff inculcated were: Attitude, Belief, Preparation and Execution. K was really pleased that the players responded totally positively, and showed it by demonstrating positive Attitude, Belief, Preparation and Execution against VT.

I felt that K was, deep down, okay with the loss, given how important the teaching lesson was. He said he hoped that the team would not come out again, prior to the Tournament, the way they did against State. But if they do, the coaching staff will go through the same process.

I felt good about our team after watching the presser. Yes, they came out flat against State, but, boy, did K and his staff go after root motivational cause, with skill and care. K seems to be a pretty gifted team motivator. [ironic humor] As someone who also does motivational leadership for a living [in industry], my hat is off, and not for the first time.

I digress, but how many coaches can an ACC team have? Can we just call J Rob something else? How cool would that be to have him on our coaching staff!

Go Duke!

[kshepinthehouse]

Having had some time to review the stats and think additionally about the VTech game, I believe the VTech set up their defense to stop Vernon by double teaming and even triple teaming him while daring us to beat them from outside. VTech doesn't have inside players that can match up with Vernon so it was a logical defensive approach, plus it worked to some degree in our game at Blacksburgh. The difference this time is that we were in a friendly and familiar environment and the team was rested. Probably also more than a little upset with getting blown out by NC State.

Turns out we had Cassius go off from long range and also Tre and Matthew and even Vernon were hitting from deep. Our defense was very active and we quickly built a huge lead.

We did expend a lot of energy getting that lead and somehow we got sloppy and careless toward the end of the first half and throughout the second half. I believe part of that was due to switching lineups often with guys that may not have worked as well together, but we never we threatened and starters got some rest and alternates got valuable PT.

We have a stonrg lineup with Tre, Vernon, Cassius, Matthew, Wendell and Jordan used in some combination depending on matchups. A lot of fine defensive players in the group and csollid scorers. I think we also have seen the emergence of Alex who has been flying around from rebounds, defensive plays and aggressive scoring attempts. Based on what I have seen as well as the minutes allocated, Alex seems to be just behind the others as a sub.

So were there some concerns? I would say the old cliche applies. We need to value each golden possession. Making difficult long passes down the court when your clearly beating a team with the half court offensive makes no sense. We had two of those in short order that provided two good scoring opportunities for VT.

Should we be using Javin to handle the ball in high screen situations? Clearly that is not what he does well and if he dribbles he can be enduced to turn the ball over. When Alex dribbles with his back to a defender, and tries to spin into the lane, he is fairly prone to turn the ball over. Wendell is also turnover prone and needs to pick his driving situations and passing situations more carefully.

We need Javin to spell Vernon so he should be used to defend, rebound and try to avoid careless fouls. He can and will help the team in that way. Joey tries very hard and is aggressive but is still raw and has seen his minutes drop as his shot is not as consistent as it may become. Jack really is puzzling. I really don't know what happened to him but he only got 3 minutes last night.

Those are not a large list of concerns so I am optimistic that the team is capable of competing with anyone. I would see 3 of the next 4 games as being significant tests. Is NC State a matchup problem for us? Will UVas defense give us fits? We know UNC will play their hearts out against us. Be fun to watch.

Also thought Vernon did a good job of passing out of those double teams instead of charging ahead against them. This is a key to our season in my opinion as it can really open up the offense and give our 3 point shooters some good looks from 3.

[dukelifer]

I heartily 2nd the motion that K's presser is worth watching. [Dr R, I clocked the section you cite as beginning at around the 7:30 mark, but perhaps we have different feeds/versions.]

I think that this is Must See viewing to understand K's attitude toward lackadaisical effort and how he and his staff handle it. Several highlights: K said that he was angry at them [the players], but they need to be angry at themselves. He said that we don't put them through "animal, crazy I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this." drills, we just tell them and show them the truth: Here is who we are. I noted that he used the "we' word here. For example, the staff showed the players bench shots -- how they were comatose.

K said that the greatest gift God has given each of us is our attitude, and our attitude is something that we can totally control. The key elements that he and his staff inculcated were: Attitude, Belief, Preparation and Execution. K was really pleased that the players responded totally positively, and showed it by demonstrating positive Attitude, Belief, Preparation and Execution against VT.

I felt that K was, deep down, okay with the loss, given how important the teaching lesson was. He said he hoped that the team would not come out again, prior to the Tournament, the way they did against State. But if they do, the coaching staff will go through the same process.

I felt good about our team after watching the presser. Yes, they came out flat against State, but, boy, did K and his staff go after root motivational cause, with skill and care. K seems to be a pretty gifted team motivator. [ironic humor] As someone who also does motivational leadership for a living [in industry], my hat is off, and not for the first time.

I digress, but how many coaches can an ACC team have? Can we just call J Rob something else? How cool would that be to have him on our coaching staff!

Go Duke!

Give K a few more years and he may develop into a decent coach

[richardjackson199]

Okay, I’ll bite - why do you think we are on thin ice?

I won't say thin ice, but our game AT Wake Forest Tuesday will be very difficult to win I believe. Do not underestimate just how hostile the Winston-Salem Wake fans are toward Duke. I don't understand it. But I've seen it, and seen it recently. We need to bring our A+ game and expect an all-out War. If not we could be looking at another NC State level beat-down on the road. Louisville and FSU have an obvious tough next test. But so do we. Expect nothing like the game in Cameron when they played without Brown.

Let's Go Duke! Get that Dub

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Also thought Vernon did a good job of passing out of those double teams instead of charging ahead against them. This is a key to our season in my opinion as it can really open up the offense and give our 3 point shooters some good looks from 3.

Coach K also commented on this during his presser. Said this year Vernon first learned to play post. Then teams started doubling him because he was so good and so he had to learn how to handle it. Which he has done nicely. And now Duke is running sets to allow the ball to be entered into him from the top instead of the wing since they feel it counters the effort by opponents to double team him. It gives him more space to operate. Really an interesting set of thoughts K shared on Vernon’s learning this year. And pretty amazing that he’s been able to make so much progress in 3/4 of one season. And K gave props to Nate for his great work with Vernon.

[kshepinthehouse]

I won't say thin ice, but our game AT Wake Forest Tuesday will be very difficult to win I believe. Do not underestimate just how hostile the Winston-Salem Wake fans are toward Duke. I don't understand it. But I've seen it, and seen it recently. We need to bring our A+ game and expect an all-out War. If not we could be looking at another NC State level beat-down on the road. Louisville and FSU have an obvious tough next test. But so do we. Expect nothing like the game in Cameron when they played without Brown.

Let's Go Duke! Get that Dub

I wholehearted agree. Just like many other teams, these fans will gear up for Duke. Really hoping we don’t start out slow in this one.

[budwom]

as others have noted, VT tried to surround Carey, leaving our shooters open. State (and other quick teams) do a better job of not letting our shooters get much space. Hurt, for example, needs some time to unwind that large body...State didn't give it to him, VT did.

[Kedsy]

I won't say thin ice, but our game AT Wake Forest Tuesday will be very difficult to win I believe. Do not underestimate just how hostile the Winston-Salem Wake fans are toward Duke. I don't understand it. But I've seen it, and seen it recently. We need to bring our A+ game and expect an all-out War. If not we could be looking at another NC State level beat-down on the road. Louisville and FSU have an obvious tough next test. But so do we. Expect nothing like the game in Cameron when they played without Brown.

Let's Go Duke! Get that Dub

While I don't wish to anger the weauf gods, and I agree we can't overlook any opponent, a road game at State and a road game at Wake are not nearly the same thing. For example, since (and including) 2010, our record @NCSU is 2-5 and our record @Wake is 8-1. For another thing, NCSU is rated #51 by Pomeroy and Wake is rated #104. In fact, Pomeroy currently ranks Wake Forest as the 14th best team in the ACC. Even if we only bring our C+ game, I'd be shocked if we were looking at anything close to "another NC State level beat-down."

[HereBeforeCoachK]

While I don't wish to anger the weauf gods, and I agree we can't overlook any opponent, a road game at State and a road game at Wake are not nearly the same thing. For example, since (and including) 2010, our record @NCSU is 2-5 and our record @Wake is 8-1. For another thing, NCSU is rated #51 by Pomeroy and Wake is rated #104. In fact, Pomeroy currently ranks Wake Forest as the 14th best team in the ACC. Even if we only bring our C+ game, I'd be shocked if we were looking at anything close to "another NC State level beat-down."

And with that 2-5 record, I'm thinking Duke was favored in every game, and sometimes by a lot...to go 2-5 as an underdog is one thing...to go 2-5 as a fave is another. I think K all time is 8-7 in that arena, favored in every single game.

[Indoor66]

No Man of the Match poll?

[devildeac]

No Man of the Match poll?

Our 26 point halftime lead was too much for the board bandwith to handle...