MBB: Duke vs UNC (Sat, 2/6 6:00pm ESPN) Pre-game and In-game Thread

[duketaylor]

Found this instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa0UkMdigmc

Perfect for this week, at least in my mind!!

Was bummed Monday!!

GTHC, GTH!!! 9F!9F!9F!9F!

One of my fave songs!!!

GO DUKE!!!!
GO DUKE!!!!

[jv001]

Some interesting Cheat stats: FG%= 43.4% Opponents= 42.5%, Three pointers= .302%, Opponents= .358%, rebs. per game= 42.8 Opponents per game=31.6.
Rebounding is their biggest strength while 3 point shooting is their biggest weakness followed by their turnover per game= 14.8, They shoot FTs at 66.2% while Duke has improved their FT% to 71.4%.
The cheats average 73.1 ppg and Opponents average 69.5 ppg. Duke averages 74.1 ppg.

Bacot is averaging 12ppg, 7.5 rpg, Brooks is averaging 10.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, Love is averaging 10.ppg, 3.1apg, Sharpe is averaging 9.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, Davis is averaging 8.6ppg, 3.2 apg, Walton is averaging 6.6ppg, 1.9apg, Black is averaging 6.5 ppg, 2.6apg. Kessler and Harris are not getting many minutes but do play.

The players that I think could hurt Duke the most are: 1) Sharpe; he's a big dude who can hurt us with his offensive rebounding. 2) Bacot who may be their best player. He can hurt us on the boards as well and he can make shots. 3) Walton can shoot the basketball and if left alone he could be the difference in the game. In his last 5 games he's averaged 9.6ppg on 11-30 of his threes. The only game he shot less than 40% on 3s was against Wake when he went 1-4. But in those 5 games he's only shot 40% of all his shots, so we best make him put in on the floor.

I think Duke wins if they come out strong and take the lead. To do this Duke will have to make the Cheats turn the ball over but I don't want to see Duke extend it's defense at the expense of giving up easy passes to their big men. Pressure passes into the post and passes down low and our bigs deny entry passes to Bacot, Brooks and Sharpe. I'm sure that's easier said than done.

I figure this will be a very close game as most Duke vs. cheat games are.

GoDuke!
GTHC!!

[Ggallagher]

I'm not sure how many are aware of this, but Henry Coleman and Bacot are former teammates. They both attended the same school in Richmond where my brother in law was headmaster.

He worked REALLY hard to get Henry to go to UNC (my brother in law's alma mater)... but he lost. Too bad.

[BlueDevilStop]

A key game for the development of Mark Williams. Curious to see how he looks against UNC's front court.

[miramar]

A key game for the development of Mark Williams. Curious to see how he looks against UNC's front court.

Since Carolina is +11 rebounds per game and Duke is only +4, I would love to see him make a statement on Saturday.

[arnie]

Some interesting Cheat stats: FG%= 43.4% Opponents= 42.5%, Three pointers= .302%, Opponents= .358%, rebs. per game= 42.8 Opponents per game=31.6.
Rebounding is their biggest strength while 3 point shooting is their biggest weakness followed by their turnover per game= 14.8, They shoot FTs at 66.2% while Duke has improved their FT% to 71.4%.
The cheats average 73.1 ppg and Opponents average 69.5 ppg. Duke averages 74.1 ppg.

Bacot is averaging 12ppg, 7.5 rpg, Brooks is averaging 10.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, Love is averaging 10.ppg, 3.1apg, Sharpe is averaging 9.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, Davis is averaging 8.6ppg, 3.2 apg, Walton is averaging 6.6ppg, 1.9apg, Black is averaging 6.5 ppg, 2.6apg. Kessler and Harris are not getting many minutes but do play.

The players that I think could hurt Duke the most are: 1) Sharpe; he's a big dude who can hurt us with his offensive rebounding. 2) Bacot who may be their best player. He can hurt us on the boards as well and he can make shots. 3) Walton can shoot the basketball and if left alone he could be the difference in the game. In his last 5 games he's averaged 9.6ppg on 11-30 of his threes. The only game he shot less than 40% on 3s was against Wake when he went 1-4. But in those 5 games he's only shot 40% of all his shots, so we best make him put in on the floor.

I think Duke wins if they come out strong and take the lead. To do this Duke will have to make the Cheats turn the ball over but I don't want to see Duke extend it's defense at the expense of giving up easy passes to their big men. Pressure passes into the post and passes down low and our bigs deny entry passes to Bacot, Brooks and Sharpe. I'm sure that's easier said than done.

I figure this will be a very close game as most Duke vs. cheat games are.

GoDuke!
GTHC!!

Not sure I agree on Walton. If he’s “hot” over the last 5 games shooting 36% on 3s, think we can play him straight up and agree, make him put it on the floor. Am concerned with Bacot, Brooks and Sharpe as we’ve not played a team like this.

[DavidBenAkiva]

It turns out that Coach K has been on the sidelines against Roy Williams and Dean Smith 38 times each in the Duke-UNC rivalry.

Against Roy Williams as HC, Coach K is 22-16
against Dean Smith as HC, Coach K was 14-24

[Billy Dat]

@BlueDevilNation
Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski addresses the media today ahead of the UNC game and we will bring you the notes on what is said around 1:30 or so.

We have to continue to learn about one another, why you win and why you lose. I was told we are the 5th youngest team in the NCAA. He goes on to say he has to coach this team differently.

Coach K in his pre-UNC media - On his team - It has nothing to do with attitudes but the absorption of the message. When you have a younger group they are in the process of becoming an older group.

Coach K said he got his second COVID shot and said he got knocked back. He goes on to say he evaluated himself and how he communicates with the team. He hints there is more learning going on from, the nature of the year and the youth of the team and lack of experience.

Coach K said it is important for him not to act out of frustration and instead how he needs to in order to communicate what needs to be learned with his team.

Krzyzewski said it is going to be weird not to have fans and such. He mentions walking out of his locker room and then "Boom," the noise of the Crazies hits you. He said he has been fortunate to have coached in that atmosphere.

Mike Krzyzewski said that it is tough for his kids not to see the tenters, Crazies and such for his games. "It is our little Woodstock, so to speak."

Coach K did not buy into the rivalry being diminished. He told it like it is in that for the fanbases invested in this game, the teams, and team staffs, this game is still huge.

[SlapTheFloor]

@BlueDevilNation
Coach K said he got his second COVID shot ...

That's great news.

[BlueDevilStop]

Game preview:


https://bluedevilstop.com/duke-vs-unc-game-preview/

[sagegrouse]

Jim Sumner's article on the Front Page is worth reading for itself and for the quotes from K, Matt, and DJ.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

Found this instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa0UkMdigmc

Perfect for this week, at least in my mind!!

Was bummed Monday!!

GTHC, GTH!!! 9F!9F!9F!9F!

One of my fave songs!!!

GO DUKE!!!!
GO DUKE!!!!

We want the W. We need the W.

[bbfan]

We want the W. We need the W.

best way to predict who will win is a pregame coin toss

F Gump "s*it happens"

[Troublemaker]

It turns out that Coach K has been on the sidelines against Roy Williams and Dean Smith 38 times each in the Duke-UNC rivalry.

Against Roy Williams as HC, Coach K is 22-16
against Dean Smith as HC, Coach K was 14-24

Yeah, this is one of the reasons why Duke should be considered the favorite in this game. Except for when the talent differential is too great (some of the Ty Lawson teams vs Duke), Coach K has generally done a good job handling Carolina's post play, transition game, and offensive rebounding against Roy. It's a coach and program that Coach K is very familiar with and generally coaches well against.

I am a *little* worried that UNC's loss at Clemson (very soon after Duke's destruction of Clemson, which I'm sure Roy saw on tape) might have Roy in more of an experimental mode than usual. If I were him, why not start the game setting ball screens 30-ft from the basket and see how Duke responds? Do we bring our bigs out to 30-ft? Or do we back our ball-pressure to about 25-ft instead and keep our bigs home in drop coverage?

But typically, Roy just plays his post-oriented and transition-game system, and if so, they will need one of their guards to have his best game of the season to win. I'm guessing if it happens, it'd be Kerwin Walton because we don't have an amazing chase-you-thru-off-ball-screens defender (like Matt Jones was). Perhaps Walton, if he's hot, can score enough running off pindowns to swing the game.

But overall, I think Duke wins this game about 75% of the time.

[CDu]

Yeah, this is one of the reasons why Duke should be considered the favorite in this game. Except for when the talent differential is too great (some of the Ty Lawson teams vs Duke), Coach K has generally done a good job handling Carolina's post play, transition game, and offensive rebounding against Roy. It's a coach and program that Coach K is very familiar with and generally coaches well against.

I am a *little* worried that UNC's loss at Clemson (very soon after Duke's destruction of Clemson, which I'm sure Roy saw on tape) might have Roy in more of an experimental mode than usual. If I were him, why not start the game setting ball screens 30-ft from the basket and see how Duke responds? Do we bring our bigs out to 30-ft? Or do we back our ball-pressure to about 25-ft instead and keep our bigs home in drop coverage?

But typically, Roy just plays his post-oriented and transition-game system, and if so, they will need one of their guards to have his best game of the season to win. I'm guessing if it happens, it'd be Kerwin Walton because we don't have an amazing chase-you-thru-off-ball-screens defender (like Matt Jones was). Perhaps Walton, if he's hot, can score enough running off pindowns to swing the game.

But overall, I think Duke wins this game about 75% of the time.

My concern with this game lies entirely with foul trouble. If Johnson and/or Hurt get into foul trouble, we have issues. I'm a bit concerned that the "we have to show them how tough we are" mentality could lead to those guys getting unnecessary fouls.

If they can stay on the floor, I think we stand a good chance. If one gets in foul trouble, maybe we can survive that. If both get in foul trouble, the going gets really tough.

Hopefully the team (especially the bigs) can play hard but with poise. If they do and don't get completely blitzed by UNC's pace, I think we stand a good shot at winning. I think we have better guard play and potentially the two best players on the court, which is always a good place to start.

[Bob Green]

My concern with this game lies entirely with foul trouble. If Johnson and/or Hurt get into foul trouble, we have issues. I'm a bit concerned that the "we have to show them how tough we are" mentality could lead to those guys getting unnecessary fouls.

I agree with you staying out of foul trouble is key which is why I believe our guards must relentlessly pressure the ball. Carolina is turnover prone so we need to exploit this weakness to limit touches by Carolina’s Big 3: Bacot, Brooks and Sharpe.

Offensive rebounds converted into points in the paint is what Carolina will be looking to achieve.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

My concern with this game lies entirely with foul trouble. If Johnson and/or Hurt get into foul trouble, we have issues. I'm a bit concerned that the "we have to show them how tough we are" mentality could lead to those guys getting unnecessary fouls.

If they can stay on the floor, I think we stand a good chance. If one gets in foul trouble, maybe we can survive that. If both get in foul trouble, the going gets really tough.

Hopefully the team (especially the bigs) can play hard but with poise. If they do and don't get completely blitzed by UNC's pace, I think we stand a good shot at winning. I think we have better guard play and potentially the two best players on the court, which is always a good place to start.

Hurt seems to have a tendency to end up in foul trouble. I agree that if he gets fouls early tonight, we're probably sunk.

[Saratoga2]

I agree with you staying out of foul trouble is key which is why I believe our guards must relentlessly pressure the ball. Carolina is turnover prone so we need to exploit this weakness to limit touches by Carolina’s Big 3: Bacot, Brooks and Sharpe.

Offensive rebounds converted into points in the paint is what Carolina will be looking to achieve.

Maybe we can put one or more of the Carolina big men into foul trouble. If JJ goes at them, he is a lot quicker and he may draw fouls. I just hope the size of Carolina doesn't intimidate our players and leave them timid around the basket.

[Sixthman]

I agree with you staying out of foul trouble is key which is why I believe our guards must relentlessly pressure the ball. Carolina is turnover prone so we need to exploit this weakness to limit touches by Carolina’s Big 3: Bacot, Brooks and Sharpe.

Offensive rebounds converted into points in the paint is what Carolina will be looking to achieve.

I'd like to see two things from our team: (1) Eliminate stupid turnovers. This group feels like it has more bad turnovers than any Duke team I can remember. Lazy perimeter passes that weren't going anywhere anyway, people losing the ball while dribbling too much, and ill considered entry passes. Just stop it. This is completely within our control; (2) I'd like to see Johnson play at a reasonably high level for him on a consistent basis, which is to say both from game to game and for the full 40 minutes of the game. I think this is partly a matter of what the defense is doing and partly a function of his continued development, but it seems he is always better in transition or pushing the ball up court after a rebound. I don't know if he can rebound against UNC, but I don't think the UNC bigs match up very well with him as he pushes the ball up court after the rebound. Your idea of relentless ball pressure by our guards would also create more transition opportunities.

Purely from the perspective of someone who loves Duke and Duke basketball, I'd just like to see us show up today with a lot of fight. There have been a lot comments on this board and other places suggesting K and the Duke bench in general have been too passive during games. That has been my sense. I hear in the pregame comments the suggestion that maybe this is intentional, and that Coach K thinks that is what this young group needs. I'd love to know if there is progress in practice that isn't showing up in the games, because while on the whole the team seems to be playing a little better, it doesn't seem to be improving in the areas of mental or physical toughness. What I'll be watching for tonight -- more than the scoreboard -- is for every Duke player to leave everything he has on the court.

[Troublemaker]

My concern with this game lies entirely with foul trouble. If Johnson and/or Hurt get into foul trouble, we have issues. I'm a bit concerned that the "we have to show them how tough we are" mentality could lead to those guys getting unnecessary fouls.

If they can stay on the floor, I think we stand a good chance. If one gets in foul trouble, maybe we can survive that. If both get in foul trouble, the going gets really tough.

Yeah, when we front the post, we have to do it cleanly. I would hate for our bigs to get called for any cheap ones such as holding an arm as we're coming around to front.

I think we have better guard play and potentially the two best players on the court, which is always a good place to start.

An interesting sentence because, assuming those two players are Hurt and Johnson, you're essentially saying Duke has the better backcourt *and* the better frontcourt. (Which, if true, puts into perspective all the concerns about losing this game and also Duke's underachievement this season).

Hey, I tend to agree with you, my friend. I've read a lot on here about UNC's guard play supposedly improving (which I'm not sure bears out statistically in the case of Caleb Love), but there's still no way I would take their starting backcourt over JGold and DJ. And if we extend to include the entire perimeter (so SF and the bench), I would take our quartet of perimeter players -- JGold, DJ, Wendell, and Jeremy -- over their sextet (or whatever) of perimeter players.

As for the frontcourt, with Mark's emergence as quality depth, yeah, I would take our three guys over their four guys, too.

I agree with you staying out of foul trouble is key which is why I believe our guards must relentlessly pressure the ball. Carolina is turnover prone so we need to exploit this weakness to limit touches by Carolina’s Big 3: Bacot, Brooks and Sharpe.

Yeah, ball pressure + front the post has been the answer in the past. Unless Roy comes out with a completely different offensive gameplan (e.g. a focus on pick-n-rolls that start 30 ft from the basket), Duke should be fine guarding UNC. (And even if Roy tosses curveballs, they don't necessarily have to work given UNC's unfamiliarity with the new tactics, e.g. Duke's 3-2 zone is 0-3 this season.).

In general, we've probably focused too much on their offense when their defense is the much better side of the ball.

Maybe we can put one or more of the Carolina big men into foul trouble. If JJ goes at them, he is a lot quicker and he may draw fouls. I just hope the size of Carolina doesn't intimidate our players and leave them timid around the basket.

UNC has 4 quality big men, and many think their best big comes off the bench. Getting one or two of them into foul trouble probably wouldn't be that impactful beyond hopefully getting Duke into the bonus.