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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Duke MBB @ Miami (Mon, 2/1 7:00pm ESPN) Pre-game and In-game Thread

    I hate writing this so soon on the heels of such an awesome win, but the turnaround time is unfortunately short. We play Miami in Coral Gables Monday night.

    Scouting Report:

    The Canes are reeling. Various injuries have gutted the roster, at one point leaving them with just 5 scholarship players available. It is unclear exactly what team will be on the floor, but it will be far from full strength. Rodney Miller and Sam Waardenburg are out for the year, Earl Timberlake is out indefinitely, Chris Lykes has missed almost the entire season and is probably out, and Elijah Olaniyi is questionable. To make matters worse, Matt Cross left the program this week. So Coach Larranaga has been scrambling to keep the team afloat.

    The results have been interesting. No, a 2-8 ACC mark doesn’t sound good. And it is not. But three of those losses were by a combined 5 points against Clemson, UNC, and @Va Tech, and they beat Louisville. Conversely, they lost by 22 to BC and 26 to Cuse, and even by double digits to Wake and ND. It has just been a rough, rough year.

    Miami really struggles offensively in the absence of Lykes and their veteran frontcourt starters. They are weak pretty much across the board on that side of the ball. On defense, they contest inside shots really well and don’t foul much, but force no turnovers and rebound poorly, and are AWFUL defending the 3. Torvik and KenPom both have the Canes as a sub-175 ranked offense and fringe 75-100 defense. Not a good combination.

    Hopefully our passing from yesterday continues to negate their shot blocking, and hopefully Chris Lykes remains out to sink their offense.

    Centers: The absence of Miller and Waardenburg leaves just Nysier Brooks (7’0”, 240lb senior transfer from Cindy). Brooks is exactly what you might expect from a Cincy product: long, strong, and physical, but light on polish. He blocks shots and dunks, and not much else. Deng Gak (6’11”, 220lb 4th year soph from Australia) is the other option. GSK is long and very lean. He is a mobile athlete who blocks shots and has a developing offensive game. But he is still skinny and his shooting touch is very much a work in progress, and he has no post game at all. Gak will also play PF as needed.

    Forwards: Anthony Walker (6’9”, 210lb soph) is the starter. He is by far the most polished of the bigs, but that isn’t saying much. Like Gak and Brooks, he can block some shots. His shooting is a bit better than his colleagues, but still not good. The frontcourt mainly screens for the guards/wings and looks to score off assists.

    Wings: Kameron McGusty (6’5”, 190lb senior transfer from Oklahoma) is the best wing, and potentially the only wing still standing. McGusty reminds a bit of Sheldon McClellan: a long, rangy, athletic wing with solid shooting and ability to attack the rim. McGusty’s 3pt shot isn’t quite strong enough to be a star, but he can make them. McGusty is tough defensively and will get some steals. Ideally he is a team’s 4th/5th best player, but right now he is their #2 unless/until Lykes returns. After McGusty, the Canes have just walk-on Willie Herenton (6’2”, 180lb senior). Herenton isn’t an ACC level player, and if any of their guards/wings return he likely won’t see the floor. In terms of possibilities, Timberlake (6’6”, 215lb frosh) and Olaniyi (6’5”, 205lb senior transfer from Stony Brook) have been out with shoulder injuries. Timberlake is a Wendell Moore type, highly-rated recruit, but he is out indefinitely. Olaniyi is more like McGusty, but is questionable. Of the two, he seems more likely to return if any.

    Guards: Lykes (5’7”, 160lb senior) is their superstar. He is a fearless player with unlimited range, tremendous quickness, and impeccable court savvy. A 1st Team All-ACC talent and the guy with the gravity to make their offense mediocre rather than abysmal. Unfortunately he hurt his ankle in December. It is unclear when he will return, but obviously he would be a game changer for them. In his stead, Isaiah Wong (6’3”, 180lb soph) has taken over as the leading scorer. Wong is a smooth athlet more than explosive, and is quite capable off the dribble. He is not a great shooter from 3, but he makes up for quality with quantity. More of a SG than a PG, he doesn’t really create for others. But he is a very good rebounder for a guard, and can get some steals. Harland Beverly (6’5”, 185 lb soph) is the other combo guard. Beverly is the more unselfish of the two, leading the team in assists. He is also a pesky defender, leading the regulars in steals. And like Wong, he is very willing to grab rebounds, actually leading the team in defensive boards. Beverly is turnover prone, and is a poor shooter from the perimeter.

    If Lykes remains out, this is an absolute must-win, as Miami is probably the worst team in the conference without him. If Lykes returns... well it is still pretty much a must win. But with Lykes, they stand a puncher’s chance. Hopefully the confidence gained from the past two games makes this a comfortable win.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.

    Wong

    Wong left yesterday's game late with an ankle injury. Unclear whether he will play Monday.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by MChambers View Post
    Wong left yesterday's game late with an ankle injury. Unclear whether he will play Monday.
    Yep, I meant to add that, but even more fuel on the dumpster fire of a season for them. Any of Wong, Olaniyi, or Lykes could conceivably return, but it very much remains to be seen. If Wong AND Lykes are out, the team will be really brutal.

  4. #4
    I hate Saturday/Monday turnaround games. Even worse if you have to travel.
       

  5. #5
    What a disaster of a year for Jim Larranaga and Miami. The Hurricanes were supposed to have a ton of seniors this year, including Lykes, McGusty, Olaniyi, Waardenburg, and others to pair with a couple of promising young players like Wong, Timberlake, and Cross. That would have been a strong roster, capable of competing in ACC. Instead, they are just decimated by injuries. Reading through postgame comments from Larrannaga and he didn't sound optimistic that Lykes, Oliyani, or Timberlake would be available Monday night and was concerned that getting on a plane would be problematic for Wong's sprained ankle. We'll see how many scholarship players show up.

    The box score for the Miami-Wake Forest game was crazy. The Hurricanes shot 9-16 from 3 but just 13-35 (37.1%) from 2. They were 1-8 from the FT line. They are playing at least one walk-on significant minutes.

    The UNC game is looming on Saturday night. This is a must-win game for Duke.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Winston Salem, NC
    The Miami coach said Cross didn't take to his coaching and the best thing for him would be to play for another team. He had been getting good minutes but the coach didn't play him last game. The next day he was done.

    GoDuke!

  7. #7
    Miami is really struggling right now and their injury situation puts them in an even worse position. If Duke focuses on the task at hand and does not look ahead to the UNC game, they have a good shot at coming away with the win.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by BlueDevilStop View Post
    Miami is really struggling right now and their injury situation puts them in an even worse position. If Duke focuses on the task at hand and does not look ahead to the UNC game, they have a good shot at coming away with the win.
    7-5 teams like Duke don't have trap games or lookahead games, imo. They just want to keep the good times rolling. Miami is in big trouble in this game, methinks.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    I hate writing this so soon on the heels of such an awesome win, but the turnaround time is unfortunately short. We play Miami in Coral Gables Monday night.

    Scouting Report:

    The Canes are reeling. Various injuries have gutted the roster, at one point leaving them with just 5 scholarship players available. It is unclear exactly what team will be on the floor, but it will be far from full strength. Rodney Miller and Sam Waardenburg are out for the year, Earl Timberlake is out indefinitely, Chris Lykes has missed almost the entire season and is probably out, and Elijah Olaniyi is questionable. To make matters worse, Matt Cross left the program this week. So Coach Larranaga has been scrambling to keep the team afloat.

    The results have been interesting. No, a 2-8 ACC mark doesn’t sound good. And it is not. But three of those losses were by a combined 5 points against Clemson, UNC, and @Va Tech, and they beat Louisville. Conversely, they lost by 22 to BC and 26 to Cuse, and even by double digits to Wake and ND. It has just been a rough, rough year.

    Miami really struggles offensively in the absence of Lykes and their veteran frontcourt starters. They are weak pretty much across the board on that side of the ball. On defense, they contest inside shots really well and don’t foul much, but force no turnovers and rebound poorly, and are AWFUL defending the 3. Torvik and KenPom both have the Canes as a sub-175 ranked offense and fringe 75-100 defense. Not a good combination.

    Hopefully our passing from yesterday continues to negate their shot blocking, and hopefully Chris Lykes remains out to sink their offense.

    Centers: The absence of Miller and Waardenburg leaves just Nysier Brooks (7’0”, 240lb senior transfer from Cindy). Brooks is exactly what you might expect from a Cincy product: long, strong, and physical, but light on polish. He blocks shots and dunks, and not much else. Deng Gak (6’11”, 220lb 4th year soph from Australia) is the other option. GSK is long and very lean. He is a mobile athlete who blocks shots and has a developing offensive game. But he is still skinny and his shooting touch is very much a work in progress, and he has no post game at all. Gak will also play PF as needed.

    Forwards: Anthony Walker (6’9”, 210lb soph) is the starter. He is by far the most polished of the bigs, but that isn’t saying much. Like Gak and Brooks, he can block some shots. His shooting is a bit better than his colleagues, but still not good. The frontcourt mainly screens for the guards/wings and looks to score off assists.

    Wings: Kameron McGusty (6’5”, 190lb senior transfer from Oklahoma) is the best wing, and potentially the only wing still standing. McGusty reminds a bit of Sheldon McClellan: a long, rangy, athletic wing with solid shooting and ability to attack the rim. McGusty’s 3pt shot isn’t quite strong enough to be a star, but he can make them. McGusty is tough defensively and will get some steals. Ideally he is a team’s 4th/5th best player, but right now he is their #2 unless/until Lykes returns. After McGusty, the Canes have just walk-on Willie Herenton (6’2”, 180lb senior). Herenton isn’t an ACC level player, and if any of their guards/wings return he likely won’t see the floor. In terms of possibilities, Timberlake (6’6”, 215lb frosh) and Olaniyi (6’5”, 205lb senior transfer from Stony Brook) have been out with shoulder injuries. Timberlake is a Wendell Moore type, highly-rated recruit, but he is out indefinitely. Olaniyi is more like McGusty, but is questionable. Of the two, he seems more likely to return if any.

    Guards: Lykes (5’7”, 160lb senior) is their superstar. He is a fearless player with unlimited range, tremendous quickness, and impeccable court savvy. A 1st Team All-ACC talent and the guy with the gravity to make their offense mediocre rather than abysmal. Unfortunately he hurt his ankle in December. It is unclear when he will return, but obviously he would be a game changer for them. In his stead, Isaiah Wong (6’3”, 180lb soph) has taken over as the leading scorer. Wong is a smooth athlet more than explosive, and is quite capable off the dribble. He is not a great shooter from 3, but he makes up for quality with quantity. More of a SG than a PG, he doesn’t really create for others. But he is a very good rebounder for a guard, and can get some steals. Harland Beverly (6’5”, 185 lb soph) is the other combo guard. Beverly is the more unselfish of the two, leading the team in assists. He is also a pesky defender, leading the regulars in steals. And like Wong, he is very willing to grab rebounds, actually leading the team in defensive boards. Beverly is turnover prone, and is a poor shooter from the perimeter.

    If Lykes remains out, this is an absolute must-win, as Miami is probably the worst team in the conference without him. If Lykes returns... well it is still pretty much a must win. But with Lykes, they stand a puncher’s chance. Hopefully the confidence gained from the past two games makes this a comfortable win.

    Say what you will as a big fan I fear/ respect E V E R Y. Opponent. How bout these scores ? Miami beat Louisville. That’s a lot. Lost to the great Clemson (early yr Clemson) by 1. Lost to UNC by 2 - w no Cameron McGusty - who is playing now - and UNC hit way more threes than usual to escape Miami. and it was an escape

    And if Lykes returns they are a completely different team. Completely. Like GT Alvarado though different - smaller quicker - but the straw that stirs the drink. What’s impressive is they did beat Louisville. Scared Clemson and shoulda beat unc without Lykes !!!
    Last edited by gofurman; 01-31-2021 at 01:13 PM.
       

  10. #10
    Say what you will as a big fan I fear/ respect E V E R Y. Opponent. How bout these scores ? Miami beat Louisville. That’s a lot. Lost to the great Clemson (early yr Clemson) by 1. Lost to UNC by 2 - w no Cameron McGusty - who is playing now and is top three player on team - and UNC hit way more threes (9/20 ,!,). than usual to escape Miami. and it was an escape when unc shot 9/20 for three and Miami only went 3/16 from three. And unc went 16-22 FT (better than avg for unc) to win in a last second shot. Just saying unc had everything go their way to escape. 9/20 from three for UNC? They go 7/20 from three Miami beats them without McGusty playing who we will face

    And if Lykes returns they are a completely different team. Completely. Like GT Alvarado though different - smaller quicker - but the straw that stirs the drink. What’s impressive is they did beat Louisville. They beat NC State on the road. Scared Clemson and shoulda beat unc without Lykes !!

    Or put another way who saw ND beating Pitt by 26! ANYTHING can happen.

    Trying to figure who’s probably in and out. -
    Lykes THE KEY probably out. Wong key numbr two maybe in?? Miller and Waardenburg - esp Wardenburg out for yr up front. McGusty key should be in and was out a few games ago.
    Last edited by gofurman; 01-31-2021 at 01:54 PM.

  11. #11
    An injured dog is a dangerous dog!
       

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by gofurman View Post
    Say what you will as a big fan I fear/ respect E V E R Y. Opponent. How bout these scores ? Miami beat Louisville. That’s a lot. Lost to the great Clemson (early yr Clemson) by 1. Lost to UNC by 2 - w no Cameron McGusty - who is playing now and is top three player on team - and UNC hit way more threes (9/20 ,!,). than usual to escape Miami. and it was an escape when unc shot 9/20 for three and Miami only went 3/16 from three. And unc went 16-22 FT (better than avg for unc) to win in a last second shot. Just saying unc had everything go their way to escape. 9/20 from three for UNC? They go 7/20 from three Miami beats them without McGusty playing who we will face

    And if Lykes returns they are a completely different team. Completely. Like GT Alvarado though different - smaller quicker - but the straw that stirs the drink. What’s impressive is they did beat Louisville. They beat NC State on the road. Scared Clemson and shoulda beat unc without Lykes !!

    Or put another way who saw ND beating Pitt by 26! ANYTHING can happen.


    ——. Trying to figure their roster
    Trying to figure who’s probably in and out. -
    Lykes THE KEY probably out.
    Wong key numbr two maybe in??
    Miller and Waardenburg - esp Wardenburg out for yr up front.
    McGusty key should be in and was out a few games ago.
    Timberlake and Olaniyi wings - out? Leaving McGusty.
    Hope to see Herenton the walk-on on wing
    Last edited by gofurman; 01-31-2021 at 02:05 PM.

  13. #13

  14. #14
    And as I type, our guys are on their way to Miami, according to the bball social media accounts. Man, these Saturday/Monday turnarounds are tough.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by SavDukeGrad View Post
    And as I type, our guys are on their way to Miami, according to the bball social media accounts. Man, these Saturday/Monday turnarounds are tough.
    Preparation is tough. With so little time to prepare, you kind of don't want to dedicate three hours to "what happens if Chris Lykes plays" but you ultimately have to, don't you? Unless we completely luck out, some combination of Miami's injured players will play, and we can't get caught flat-footed for any of the combinations.

    Look, I expect to win and probably easily, but this is a frustrating couple of days for the coaches.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by Troublemaker View Post
    Preparation is tough. With so little time to prepare, you kind of don't want to dedicate three hours to "what happens if Chris Lykes plays" but you ultimately have to, don't you? Unless we completely luck out, some combination of Miami's injured players will play, and we can't get caught flat-footed for any of the combinations.

    Look, I expect to win and probably easily, but this is a frustrating couple of days for the coaches.
    Yeah, if I had to guess, Olaniyi and Wong will play while Timberlake and Lykes won’t. If that is the case, game planning is somewhat straightforward.

    If Lykes is available, he is a game-changing talent and completely redefines their offense. At the same time, it seems like a low likelihood that he returns for this game. Obviously his availability would change the optimal gameplan. But can you really create a contingency plan on short notice?

    If Wong and Lykes are both out, it almost doesn’t matter though as the shot creation goes completely out the window. So that scenario probably doesn’t need to be game planned.

    Agreed that it has to be frustrating to have to guess at what team will face us, especially with so little time and such a big discrepancy in style/quality that they could employ.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, DC area
    Quote Originally Posted by Troublemaker View Post
    Preparation is tough. With so little time to prepare, you kind of don't want to dedicate three hours to "what happens if Chris Lykes plays" but you ultimately have to, don't you? Unless we completely luck out, some combination of Miami's injured players will play, and we can't get caught flat-footed for any of the combinations.

    Look, I expect to win and probably easily, but this is a frustrating couple of days for the coaches.
    Hence K's Cone of Silence around injuries!

    -jk

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Larranaga's run feels kinda similar to David Cutcliffe's here at Duke. Took over a program in trouble (thanks to cheater Frank Haith -- that part isn't similar to Duke) and got things turned around rather quickly and the program was on a great trajectory, making the Sweet 16 his second year and then another one a few years later. But since then it was two 1st round exits and then the last two years the team was under .500, and now they may be the worst team in the league. I know injuries etc. but still. With a 71 year old coach who is a beloved figure and who has undoubtedly had some real success, but who seems to have reached a plateau and then regressed some, maybe the administration is thinking about a quiet and respectful nudge towards retirement, and bringing in some fresh blood? I have no information on that so could be completely wrong but it has that feel to me.

    I do know that a win over Duke would be huge for the UM program right now, and we certainly are in no position to think this will be any kind of easy game. Better come focused. We aren't good enough not to.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by tommy View Post
    Larranaga's run feels kinda similar to David Cutcliffe's here at Duke. Took over a program in trouble (thanks to cheater Frank Haith -- that part isn't similar to Duke) and got things turned around rather quickly and the program was on a great trajectory, making the Sweet 16 his second year and then another one a few years later. But since then it was two 1st round exits and then the last two years the team was under .500, and now they may be the worst team in the league. I know injuries etc. but still. With a 71 year old coach who is a beloved figure and who has undoubtedly had some real success, but who seems to have reached a plateau and then regressed some, maybe the administration is thinking about a quiet and respectful nudge towards retirement, and bringing in some fresh blood? I have no information on that so could be completely wrong but it has that feel to me.
    Miami was ravaged last year by injuries, too. So, I think the administration -- to whatever extent they think about basketball instead of football -- probably won't be firing Larranaga until he fails with healthy teams. Looking on VerbalCommits, he has three 4-stars committed for next season, so he's still recruiting well despite the lack of success recently.

    Also, another difference between him and Cutcliffe is that Miami did have a season where they won the ACC (both regular season and tournament). In Miami's history, Larranaga still represent 2/3rds of their Sweet 16s, all of their ACC Championships (tourney), and 1/2 of their regular season titles.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    BTW, unless Miami gets most of their injured players back for this game, I'd expect to see a lot of 2-3 zone from them to keep a short rotation fresher and out of foul trouble.

    The other thing is that Duke played fairly poorly against Clemson's 2-3 zone in the second half of that game. It was garbage time, of course, so you never know how seriously to treat those data points. But still, hopefully we perform better against Miami's 2-3.

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