MBB: Duke 84, Auburn 78 Postgame Thread

Before the Kon hand wringing gets too crazy, it’s important to note that Auburn was scheming its D to take him away. It’s a testament to the Duke team that we can take advantage of that with other guys rather than needing Kon to force it. A lot of our other easy buckets don’t happen if Auburn isn’t paying so much attention to Kon.

Also, it speaks to Kon’s resilience that he had a tough game but still made an important 2 in the final minutes.
Thank you scottdude for some sanity. If you watch Kon, all he does is make good plays.
 
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To paraphrase the great Chumbawumba, we got knocked down, but we got up again, you're never gonna keep us down

Tough, gutty win against a grown man team. This win and the win at Arizona will go a long way. And we activated Evans so he can now be a contributor. Sure, there were things to improve on (such as another slow start), but there are so many positives to take away from it.
 
Really, really good win at home against an outstanding team.

Interesting that Jon chose to stick with two freshmen, two transfers and Tyrese as our best lineup to close the last 6 to 8 minutes of the game. (Evans did sneak in for a little bit but it's rare to see 29 points from two bench players who didn't see the floor for most of the second half)

Obviously some stuff to clean up, making more free throws alone would have made this a more comfortable win. Halfcourt offense when things got tight again got pretty ugly, but I loved seeing Proctor and Sion take over for a few possessions to create some breathing room when Auburn was draped all over Cooper and KK. (Bruce Pearl pretty clearly determined that Kon wasn't going to touch the ball let alone get a good look at a shot all game)

Our rebounding, transition offense, getting to the FT line, defense (apart from the middle pick and roll defense in the second half which allowed Auburn back into it) were all excellent. Cooper had a ridiculous sequence where he missed a shot at the end of the first half, then sprinted all the way back to try to contest an Auburn transition jumper and then grab the long rebound on the other end of the court. Just crazy athleticism.

Auburn's guards, like Kansas' guards, still picked us apart at various points throughout the game, but I thought we did a much better job of riding the storm when the game got tight.

Looking forward to seeing Maluach, Evans and Foster be better integrated into some of our lineups. but that's something that will likely take place over the course of the season. Everyone will talk about Evans' massive first half, but I thought Caleb's increased verve and scoring punch was just as big for us in the big picture.
 
Auburn seemed like the best team we've played. I still think we gave Kentucky and Kansas nowhere near our best. Big win tonight. Hopefully get some momentum with Evans. Difference maker and absolutely love Brown's defensive ability. Coop hit the free throws when they mattered. Was a great win! Would not want to see Auburn again...or maybe I would. Would suspect it would be a Final 4 matchup.
 
Huge win. A lot of players with breakout performances in their roles.

I will say, though, and others will dislike it, that the offense was relatively stagnant for much of the 2nd half. We won despite it with some really gritty individual plays but a lot of one on one. How many assists did we have in the 1st half vs 2nd half, I wonder? It does feel like Pearl adjusted at half time and we didn't quite match that. Some will claim that's growth - maybe, to some extent.

But huge, huge win. A big statement game.

- Chillin

ETA: nevermind, I found it. We had 11 assists in the game, 7 in the 1st half and 4 in the 2nd half. Two of those four were in the first 2 mins, another at the 6 min mark, and our final in the 11th minute. We played the last 9 mins of the game with zero assists.
That’s Auburn’s defense. They don’t help and make you beat them one on one. And we did.
 
Fantastic win. Isaiah Evans was massive. Cooper was clutch at the end of the game. Maliq is a great disrupter. Tyrese clutch 3 was critical. Auburn is a difficult team to put away.
Everyone needs to practice free throws
17-27 could have cost Duke the game.
 
5 thoughts...

1. This team is mentally tough. To get hit in the mouth early, then turn things around and keep the lead vs. Auburn in the 2nd half was beautiful to watch. Great win. Seems like the Crazies helped out keeping the intensity high?

2. Flagg is just so very good. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time. I continue to marvel at his all-around game at such a young age. If I can nitpick, his 3's and FTs could be better, and he had no business defending that last shot by Auburn where he got the goal tending call (it was fine if they took a 2, why even try to defend?).

3. I've seen this board push for Evans. Well, they were right tonight. Pearl obviously had no game plan around him, and he goes off for the six 3's in the first half. The guy is instant offense (Vinnie Microwave Johnson, anyone?). He still needs work on D, and his play in the 2nd was a bit suspect. But he turned the game on its head in the first. Now just learn where to be defensively and make wiser choices on when to drive.

4. He won't get a lot of pub from this game, but I thought Proctor's 2nd half was great. His pair of 3's came at key times (and that last one with the clock running out was so huge). James also played strong and was key in the win (but I still get a bit queasy when he or Foster go to the line - our PGs need to hit FTs better). Brown's D on Broome was so solid. I keep waiting for Gillis to show up strong for a whole game - I guess I'll keep waiting (I really think it will come).

5. That Auburn kid Pettiford impressed me. He and Kelly were so tough from the 3-point line. That being said, Duke's 3-point defense could use some tightening up, but I also realize Duke was very concerned about Broome down low. But in the end, Duke wins and goes 2-2 against the UK, AZ, KU and AUB. I'm good with that, it's only December 4th and this team should just keep getting better.

9F
 
Auburn seemed like the best team we've played. I still think we gave Kentucky and Kansas nowhere near our best. Big win tonight. Hopefully get some momentum with Evans. Difference maker and absolutely love Brown's defensive ability. Coop hit the free throws when they mattered. Was a great win! Would not want to see Auburn again...or maybe I would. Would suspect it would be a Final 4 matchup.
From what I have seen, Auburn is a clear 1 and I think Tennessee/Gonzaga are the other 2. The East should be ours.
 
Another slow start

Evans instant offense helped turn things around coupled with our intense defense

Brown's defense and maturity is a tremendous plus for the team

James also is a mature and physical player and got a lot of minutes

Proctor made some great plays and was very solid defensively

Obviously Cooper is a star and kept Auburn from getting runs on us in the second half in particular

It's clear who Jon trusts to finish the game. They were there at the end and came through

Please practice free throw shooting

Kneuppel makes good decisions and is trusted enough to be in at the end of the game

Great night for being secure with the ball. Very low turnovers.
 
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