MBB: Duke 83, BC 82 Post Game Thread

[jv001]

I was amazed at the incredibly poor play to start the game, and almost equally amazed at the resounding barbaric yawp that Wendell Moore put all over this game. Welcome back Wendell!
Despite poor starts from most of them individually, Duke had 5 guys score in double figures and ended up showing a lot of heart to claw back from 16 down and maintain control in a back and forth end of game situation.
Hurt put up very impressive numbers, but i can see why he's not being projected as a draft prospect. For example: he got stuffed in the lane by a guy a full 2 or 3 inches shorter than him.
Roach ended up with a pretty efficient shooting night, but some of those early turnovers were just head scratchers. Like most guys in this game, his 2nd half was much better.
Steward's shot selection was pretty poor throughout. I like the aggressive attitude, but it needs to be paired with better decision-making. He's doing an excellent job rebounding from the 2 spot.
J-Gold ended the game with a very solid line, at least a little of everything. However, that also included trying to do some things on offense he should not be doing. Still, who woulda thought that 12-6-3-3 from J-Gold would have been considered merely an above-average game from him after his Fr. year?!?!?!
Now to Wendell, it seems like g-o-d itself wanted to see Wendell play with some joy again, guiding that 1st 3 pt attempt off the glass and thru the net. After that, Wendell played an exceptional game, and looked happy doing it. His teammates were getting him the ball while he was cutting to the basket and he was very effective doing that. That fadeaway jumper withe shot clock running down was gorgeous and a total shocker. His defense was very effective as well. Now, if Duke can get Wendell to do only what he excels at, he might end up looking like a draftable player. That means never letting him dribble drive the ball from beyond the 3pt line towards the rim ever again. Regardless, even if Wendell never gets drafted, the type of player that he showed he can be last night bodes well for Duke for as long as Wendell suits up in Duke-blue.
Also, Joey Baker hit a 3, which was nice to see and hopefully a good omen.

I believe DJ is playing the 3 spot. In the 3 guard lineup, Goldy and Roach are the main ball handlers with DJ looking for his shot. I agree his shot selection was not good last night but he had a good all around game. He had 3 steals, 2 blocks and 8 rebound(4 Offensive). He and Goldwire are two really good defenders.

GoDuke!

[CDu]

If Wendell can play to his potential as he did last night, the lineup of the 3 guards, Moore(PF), and Hurt at the 5 will probably be the go-to-lineup. I know that against some teams(Cheats) we may have to go bigger but as bad as our defense was, it was better with those 5 players. That leaves Williams, Baker, Tapé off the bench. But we should have JJ coming back soon and it's going to be interesting to see how Coach K puts the lineup together. So far from what I've seen it looks like JJ might best suited for the PF position and if that happens it puts Wendell back at SF. I don't like that look at all. I guess if JJ(SF) can hit the outside shot, all should be well. Like some posters have said, the team is weirdly constructed.

GoDuke!

If Moore continues to not dribble when guarded by guards/wings, I'm okay with him at the 3 as needed. Because frankly we don't have a choice: somebody is going to have to play the 3 whenever one of our 3 guards is out of the game.

The biggest problem for Moore was that he was trying to be aggressive off the dribble against players well suited to limit his effectiveness. If he goes to a one-dribble-or-less strategy whenever he is at the 3, that should make a big difference moving forward.

Let him attack when he's a PF guarded by bigs. Then he has an advantage. Hopefully today's game is a sign of his restrained ballhandling moving forward.

[rocketeli]

Thank you for not writing "Moore Jr." This false nomenclature is driving me crazy. If you are a "junior," it's your "first name, junior," not your "last name, junior." But I love me some Wendell Jr.

Also, what a lot of people don't know is that, at least when this nomenclature was set up, you are only a "jr" while "sr" is alive. That is if your dad is named John Smith, and he names you John Smith when you are born, then he is John Smith Sr and and you are John Smith Jr. But when your dad dies then you are supposed to be just John Smith. And if you had had a kid and named him John Smith while both you and your dad are alive he can be John Smith III, but when grandpa dies then you are now John Smith Sr, and your kid is no long III but John Smith Jr. But basically no one follows the rules, and you can kind of see why.

[BlueDevilStop]

Game recap.

Three observations.

Player of the game.

https://bluedevilstop.com/wendell-mo...oston-college/

[uh_no]

Also, what a lot of people don't know is that, at least when this nomenclature was set up, you are only a "jr" while "sr" is alive. That is if your dad is named John Smith, and he names you John Smith when you are born, then he is John Smith Sr and and you are John Smith Jr. But when your dad dies then you are supposed to be just John Smith. And if you had had a kid and named him John Smith while both you and your dad are alive he can be John Smith III, but when grandpa dies then you are now John Smith Sr, and your kid is no long III but John Smith Jr. But basically no one follows the rules, and you can kind of see why.

I don't go by any of it. I'm definitely the second in line with a same name, but don't go by Jr. in any context. It never appealed to me.

[Kedsy]

I don't go by any of it. I'm definitely the second in line with a same name, but don't go by Jr. in any context. It never appealed to me.

How's uh_no, sr. feel about that?

[CameronBornAndBred]

Wendell for unanimous POG!

And yet, there's no MOTM poll.

[uh_no]

How's uh_no, sr. feel about that?

he couldn't care less

The one that irks me more, however, is being referred to as first name-middle name to distinguish. That lasts exactly until I start referring back in kind. Perhaps it's petty...but such is life

[flyingdutchdevil]

I don't like sports during COVID; it just feels wrong. With the rioters and thugs from yesterday, sports actually felt like a great distraction. This wasn't the best game, but it didn't really matter as I wasn't screaming at the TV (a norm for me these days), even when Duke wasn't playing well.

The Good:
-Wendell. Wow. I have been one of Wendell's biggest critics during his season. He showed all the good Wendell (defense, FT shooting, toughness) without any of the bad Wendell (turnovers, driving, bad shots...okay, his first 3pt attempt was a bad shot) and added some nice, calculated drives. I'm not expecting this every game, but I do hope we see more of this Moore than early season Wendell
-Hurt may not have had the best game, but he saw his 3pt shots fall and gave 17 and 11. That's really good. If that's a mediocre/okay Hurt game, we're in for a treat
-I really like Roach's game. He's a menace on D, he takes smart shots, and he really involves his teammates. Athletically, I don't think he's 100%. This is one of two players I'd love to
-I'm not sure I recall a player at Duke as quick as DJ. Not fast, but quick. My goodness. His first step is incredible. If he can work on shot selection and passing at the right time, he'll be a nightmare. I haven't wanted a player to come back more than DJ. This kid could be really special in college basketball.

The Bad:
-Williams isn't ready for ACC play. He's too slow to guard 4s masking as 5s and he's too skinny to guard bruising 5s. He needs to workout and focus on easy shots and rebounding.
-Goldwire was his disruptive self, but I thought he took a lot of bad shots and somehow still has issues with the easiest shots. Still, I want this kid on my team
-Brakefield had his first "poor" game. Didn't contribute much on O, turned the ball over, and looked a little lost on D.
-Roach and DJ are often careless with the ball. I'd love to see them both try to take care of the ball better and make smarter passes


The Ugly:
-What happened at the Capitol. Despicable

[roywhite]

If Moore continues to not dribble when guarded by guards/wings, I'm okay with him at the 3 as needed. Because frankly we don't have a choice: somebody is going to have to play the 3 whenever one of our 3 guards is out of the game.

The biggest problem for Moore was that he was trying to be aggressive off the dribble against players well suited to limit his effectiveness. If he goes to a one-dribble-or-less strategy whenever he is at the 3, that should make a big difference moving forward.

Let him attack when he's a PF guarded by bigs. Then he has an advantage. Hopefully today's game is a sign of his restrained ballhandling moving forward.

A healthy Jalen Johnson can help this team considerably.

[superdave]

In any case, I'm pleased with the win. It wasn't a great showing (especially on defense), but for a young team and a team shaking off rust I'll take it. Sitting at 2-0 in conference, and hopefully with some nice things to build off is a decent spot to be!

I will take 2-0 in conference. I have no idea what our goals are this year - to be better than 2007 season? - but conference wins are important.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

okay, his first 3pt attempt was a bad shot

What? You didn't hear him call "glass!" Hey, it went in and when it did it opened everything up for him to have his great game.

[wsb3]

I will take 2-0 in conference. I have no idea what our goals are this year - to be better than 2007 season? - but conference wins are important.

My hopes are better than 500 in the conference & a bid to the NCAAT. Of course, having lived through the post-Bubas years until the magical ride in 78 I may tend to be a tad pessimistic.

[jv001]

What? You didn't hear him call "glass!" Hey, it went in and when it did it opened everything up for him to have his great game.

After he made that shot, you could tell how much pressure he'd been putting on himself. The look on his face and the gestures he made told the story. It looked like he had just got the big old monkey off his back. I can't imagine what he'd been going through. I hope he get's an early basket against Wake and plays the same way.

GoDuke!

[jv001]

My hopes are better than 500 in the conference & a bid to the NCAAT. Of course, having lived through the post-Bubas years until the magical ride in 78 I may tend to be a tad pessimistic.

I hope you were blessed to have experienced those Bubas years. Those were some good times.

GoDuke!

[flyingdutchdevil]

After he made that shot, you could tell how much pressure he'd been putting on himself. The look on his face and the gestures he made told the story. It looked like he had just got the big old monkey off his back. I can't imagine what he'd been going through. I hope he get's an early basket against Wake and plays the same way.

GoDuke!

This. And it's moments like this that I really miss from non-OAD players. It's the emotional attachment you form with them and the highs and lows that you experience with them.

I was bummed during the game (due to obvious non-basketball reasons) but that moment made me really happy.

I was expecting an 8 point game from Wendell after that shot went in. What followed was magnificent.

[chrishoke]

I just re-watched the game. When we had the ball under the BC basket up one with one second left, on the in-bounds play Goldwire clearly shuffles his feet and travels prior to passing the ball in. It could have been a disastrous play giving BC a chance to win.

[szstark]

I just re-watched the game. When we had the ball under the BC basket up one with one second left, on the in-bounds play Goldwire clearly shuffles his feet and travels prior to passing the ball in. It could have been a disastrous play giving BC a chance to win.

You can move on the inbounds pass after a made basket.

[chrishoke]

You can move on the inbounds pass after a made basket.

LOL, of course you can. Tx. I'm such an idiot.

[wsb3]

I hope you were blessed to have experienced those Bubas years. Those were some good times.

GoDuke!

My earliest memories are Jeff Mullins, Jack Marin.etc. The team that lost to UCLA. Broke my little heart.