2023 NCAAM East Regional Thread (ǝnpɹnԀ, ǝʇʇǝnbɹɐW, ʇS sɐsuɐʞ, ǝǝssǝuuǝ┴)

[Lurkingdukedog]

Don't assume Purdue gets out of Columbus. The Memphis-FAU 2nd round is tougher than it looks.

I don't have the time to look it up, but I would love to know our record in MSG v. Meadowlands v. Barclays outside the ACC. I'm totally guessing we win 85% of our P5 games in the Big Apple. I could do a BWI train trip to Philly in the AM to go to the noon lax game then to MSG for the nightcap in the E8 if we get there. It has the potential of being a great day.

I'm not sure but I suspect that some others have easy access to that sort of information. I recall Duke playing (and winning) quite a few games in the Meadowlands in the late '80s/early '90s but most all of the games after that seem to be at MSG.

[Bluedog]

I'm not sure but I suspect that some others have easy access to that sort of information. I recall Duke playing (and winning) quite a few games in the Meadowlands in the late '80s/early '90s but most all of the games after that seem to be at MSG.

"[Game earlier this season vs Iowa] mark[ed] Duke's 58th game at current MSG, and the Blue Devils [were] 39-18 (.684) in the venue all-time."
https://goduke.com/news/2022/12/5/me...he%20last%2025.

Not sure the other venues, but I certainly remember the demolition of Texas in the Meadowlands for the highly anticipated 1 vs 2 matchup where JJ went off.

[Buckeye Devil]

I don’t see us beating Purdue. They’ve proven themselves all year and won the very difficult BIG tourney.

All we did was win the very weak ACC tourney, a tournament the committee didn’t watch or even google the game scores.

The B1G was not very good this season.

[Lurkingdukedog]

I don’t see us beating Purdue. They’ve proven themselves all year and won the very difficult BIG tourney.

All we did was win the very weak ACC tourney, a tournament the committee didn’t watch or even google the game scores.

I think that winning any conference tournament is a big deal, but Purdue didn't really face the top seeds due to the number of upsets within the B1G tournament. At least we defeated the tops teams in the conference to win the ACC.

[Lurkingdukedog]

"[Game earlier this season vs Iowa] mark[ed] Duke's 58th game at current MSG, and the Blue Devils [were] 39-18 (.684) in the venue all-time."
https://goduke.com/news/2022/12/5/me...he%20last%2025.

Not sure the other venues, but I certainly remember the demolition of Texas in the Meadowlands for the highly anticipated 1 vs 2 matchup where JJ went off.

Wow! 58 games! That's a lot. And of course our present team has played there one more time than the other top seeds in the East have played there this year.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Don't assume Purdue gets out of Columbus. The Memphis-FAU 2nd round is tougher than it looks.

I don't have the time to look it up, but I would love to know our record in MSG v. Meadowlands v. Barclays outside the ACC. I'm totally guessing we win 85% of our P5 games in the Big Apple. I could do a BWI train trip to Philly in the AM to go to the noon lax game then to MSG for the nightcap in the E8 if we get there. It has the potential of being a great day.

I did some googling and as of 2008, Duke was 18-1 at the Meadowlands, with the sole loss being the 1989 loss to Arizona where Laettner missed a foul shot. I don't think there were many games there after that as it was being phased out, so that was likely our final record there or pretty close.

The other top teams in the East Regional do not have significant fan bases in the NY area, though there are some big schools that could potentially still travel well. I am usually in the office on Thursdays and go under Penn Station/MSG on the way home so I would be happy to break up my trip home with a stop at MSG to see Duke in the Sweet 16. I was at Duke in 1994 when we beat Purdue and Marquette and would love to see that again!

[Wander]

I am sure Purdue is better today than when we played them last year,

Don't worry – they aren't.

[duke2x]

"[Game earlier this season vs Iowa] mark[ed] Duke's 58th game at current MSG, and the Blue Devils [were] 39-18 (.684) in the venue all-time."
https://goduke.com/news/2022/12/5/me...he%20last%2025.

Not sure the other venues, but I certainly remember the demolition of Texas in the Meadowlands for the highly anticipated 1 vs 2 matchup where JJ went off.

Thanks for the answer. Spork upcoming if permitted. From the article and updated for Iowa:

Tuesday's game is head coach Jon Scheyer's 25th at MSG as both a Duke player and assistant coach (20-5).
Duke is 46-25 in all versions of MSG, dating back to a February 4, 1938, game versus St. John's.
Duke has played at least once at MSG in nine of the last 10 seasons, in 19 of the last 21, and 22 of the last 25.
Duke is 76-28 in 104 games all-time in the greater NYC area, including contests in Brooklyn (9-2) and East Rutherford, N.J. (21-1).

20-5 is closer to what I was thinking. I would not consider the 1938 trip to St. John's or 1960's NIT games to be reflective of my enthusiasm for the bracket. It's 4-5 points in Duke's favor, which is huge for an NCAAT game.

[tommy]

Yeah, everything besides our first round matchup is great… if we can get past Oral Robert’s we’ve got a lane. But man is that a tough first round matchup… Max Abmas plus a 7 foot 5 dude.

If Tyrese can continue his lockdown D, maybe we win this game easy. But I’m nervous, I have to say.

Many times the best thing to do against a ball dominant star player like Abmas is to make him work really hard at the other end. Go at him. Run him around. Maybe even pick up fouls. But if he has to use a lot of mental and physical energy at the defensive end, advantage Duke.

[rsvman]

Many times the best thing to do against a ball dominant star player like Abmas is to make him work really hard at the other end. Go at him. Run him around. Maybe even pick up fouls. But if he has to use a lot of mental and physical energy at the defensive end, advantage Duke.

Either that or have a single player face-guard him like a hound all night. The main idea being to keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible. Even good scorers can't score if they don't get the ball. Proctor has proven to be very good at this several times over the course of the latter part of the season. Not only does he deny the ball well, but he also seems to get into their heads and get them frustrated, which can also lead to sub-par performances.

I trust the coaching staff to scout them well and come up with a plan that will work.

[KandG]

This will be one of the few years when I will considering Duke for a deep run. I rarely pick Duke beyond the 2nd or 3rd game, but this is the softest bracket Duke has had in maybe 15 years on the 1-4 lines.

I’m fascinated by this take — is this because the level of talent among teams overall is lower than it has been in a while, with no prohibitive favorites, or did we get an unusually favorable allocation of soft teams in the region?

Because while this Duke team is on a really nice run in Jon’s first year (and I personally love the growth the team has shown), it isn’t as talented as the 2015, 17, 18, 19, or 22 teams.

[kako]

I don’t see us beating Purdue. They’ve proven themselves all year and won the very difficult BIG tourney.

All we did was win the very weak ACC tourney, a tournament the committee didn’t watch or even google the game scores.

I have a lot of confidence about the Big 10's lack of success in the tournament. They come out strong, beat each other up a lot in conference play with their style of play, then often fizzle in March. Not to say that Purdue will definitely do that, because not all of their teams do, but I think history has its eyes on the Big 10.

Duke is a very different team than the one that lost to Purdue earlier. And Purdue was rolling earlier in the season, but they have hit roadbumps of late. I am biased, sure, but I think Duke's road to meeting Purdue is less difficult than Purdue's road to meet Duke. Memphis or FAU could take out Purdue. I would be more worried about UT, but their starting PG is out. As for ORU, if Duke limits turnovers, controls the boards, focuses on defense and limits turnovers (for emphasis), they should get by ORU.

9F

[kako]

As I said above, this is a good draw for us - We'll handle Oral Roberts - beat nobody - our spread has already moved from -5.5 to -7. Then we'll handle Tennessee if they even win their first round game. Purdue is the best #1 for us to see. Second weekend is in NYC where we'll pack the Garden. We have a real path to FF.

The spread has nothing to do with who will actually win. It's just the lines moving to make sure the books don't lose money.

And people on this board don't seem to know that Marquette just won the Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden. There will be a lot of Duke fans there, certainly. But it won't be like we are playing Houston there or something. I think Marquette is the real deal.

9F

[kako]

We have no answer for Edey if Derek gets in foul trouble.

But the first things first. Smother Abmas the way we smothered Smith and we win the first round. Tennessee without their point guard is doable. After that, who knows?

I've watched Edey a lot. He always bring the ball down before any shot. You just have to be ready for it. Of course, he's so wide sometimes it doesn't matter, and he's a pretty good passer. But he can get contained. And though he's not awful from the line, he's not great, either. Anyway, I think wise double teams will help contain him. Then it's up to quick help D to contain the outlets. Easier said than done. But if Duke's D is truly elite, it will show.

9F

[kako]

And Reece, too. Kinda worries me that everyone on ESPN picked us to go to FF.

If it makes you feel better, CBS Sports did not.

IMO ESPN is very East Coast biased. Probably because they are in Conn. CBS gives you a different perspective, IMO more Midwest/east-ish. Not the best perspective (what is?), but different.

9F

[duke2x]

I’m fascinated by this take — is this because the level of talent among teams overall is lower than it has been in a while, with no prohibitive favorites, or did we get an unusually favorable allocation of soft teams in the region?

Because while this Duke team is on a really nice run in Jon’s first year (and I personally love the growth the team has shown), it isn’t as talented as the 2015, 17, 18, 19, or 22 teams.

Both, but it's more the latter. You are correct that 2023 Duke isn't a great team, and there are 3 teams that would beat Duke by 10 points in other regions. This draw is like 2017 without the road game 30 minutes from Columbia that gave SC an easy trip to the Final 4. Just survive Orlando against ORU and ULM.

Also, our friend Lee Cassell probably won't officiate the next Purdue game.

[AGDukesky]

The spread has nothing to do with who will actually win. It's just the lines moving to make sure the books don't lose money.

And people on this board don't seem to know that Marquette just won the Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden. There will be a lot of Duke fans there, certainly. But it won't be like we are playing Houston there or something. I think Marquette is the real deal.

9F

I agree about Marquette- that team has played like #1 down the stretch and is also on a 9-game winning streak that included some really good wins. I will likely have it to at least the Elite Eight.

[DavidBenAkiva]

An interesting statistical note from Ken Pomeroy. Just because something has never happened doesn't mean that it never will in the future. On the other hand, history is a good guide to the present and possibly future.

In the 64-team era, there have been 36 teams to enter the tournament as a 1 or 2 seed that weren't ranked in the preseason AP poll. They have combined for zero Final Fours, averaging fewer than 2 wins per tournament.
Good luck to Purdue and Marquette.

https://twitter.com/kenpomeroy/statu...39KN_vP4g&s=19

[sagegrouse]

Joe Lunardi picks Duke for the Final Four!!! No, I am not making this up. It's in his comments on every team that is published on ESPN+. He ranks Duke #3 overall, vs. #18 in the NCAA brackets.

Does this mean (a) he doesn't believe what he's been publishing; (b) he believes Duke has had a record-breaking late-season surge; or (c) he thinks the NCAA TSC are a bunch of bozos and his brackets are just trying to imitate their asinine picks and seeds?

I pick (c).

[DavidBenAkiva]

I don't think it is crazy to say that Duke deserved a 5-seed based on its record for the season. Lunardi is free to say what he thinks about the quality of the team as of today. It's nice compliment and I take it in that vein. The only thing that matters now is winning the next game.