MBB: Duke 69, NCSU 53 Post Game Thread

[CDu]

Yeah, I would theorize that the more talented the team is, the more K relies on the top guys and the less talented, the more he has to mix and match. In other words, it may be the result of how good the team is or isn't, rather than the cause.

This is almost certainly true. And to some extent, there is also the "less talented big guys are more likely to get in foul trouble and play less, meaning more guys have to do it" aspect too. In both of these examples, the # of players seeing 10+ minutes would be more of an effect than a cause.

[hustleplays]

Amazing hot contrarian this is to the general consensus on the board that K needs to go deeper. Myself included.

Kedsy, I greatly appreciate your work here. Intriguing results. I know that my eyeballs/feelings are by no means infallible. Sometimes they show stuff that stats don't reveal, other times they are just wrong.

I am wondering whether the great variety of starting lineups [oh no, I realize that this is a subjective impression as well, and may not be borne out statistically! Kedsy, did you pick up the implied request? Thank you!] contributes to a sense of greater player usage when in fact it is just greater variety at the start of the games.

Given the premise that Coach K is pretty good at assessing talent and likely contribution to the game, perhaps my historical wish that K would play his bench more boils down to I wish we had a better bench.

[Kedsy]

I am wondering whether the great variety of starting lineups [oh no, I realize that this is a subjective impression as well, and may not be borne out statistically! Kedsy, did you pick up the implied request? Thank you!] contributes to a sense of greater player usage when in fact it is just greater variety at the start of the games.

We have used 9 different starting lineups in 16 games (no lineup more than 3 times). Every recruited scholarship player on the team except Coleman has started at least one game. The only player who has started but not won at least once while starting is Brakefield (two starts, both losses). Baker and Tapé are both undefeated as starters (one game each) but haven't started since.

Two starting lineups have been used three times (Roach, Steward, Hurt, Moore, Johnson; and Roach, Steward, Hurt, Moore, Williams). Both lineups are 1-2. Three starting lineups have been used twice.

Only one starting lineup has won more than one game (Roach, Steward, Hurt, Goldwire, Williams is 2-0). We have used the same starting lineup in the last three games (Roach, Steward, Hurt, Moore, Williams; record of 1-2), so maybe we're finally settling down in this regard.