MBB: Duke 96, Maine 62 Post Game Thread

Maine took advantage of all of its chances but we are a load. If you ignore the exhibitions, this game looks very solid.
 
Six players in double figures. Lots of weapons. Cooper with 18/7/5 debut. Very impressive.

Maine was a disciplined team just way overmatched. We didn't rebound well in the first half but seemed to clean it up.

Isaiah Evans gets minutes in the first half. That's a bit of a surprise but I like it.
 
A good start, plenty to work on. Thought CFOS got a bit shot happy in the first half, left a couple open shooters to take questionable shots.
A work in progress, need to work on rebounding also
K2 is impressive
 
Trying not to overreact, but based on 2 games against D-1 opponents so far, this looks like probably the deepest and most balanced (offense and defense) team we've had in several years.

It was very eyebrow-raising to hear Chris Spatola saying Coop and Kon are "by far" the best 2 players on the team. We already knew Cooper was going to be a game changer, but that statement to me says Chris has Kon maybe not on the same level as Cooper, but he's closer to Cooper than he is to the rest of the guys. That's less of an indictment on the rest of the team and more of a strong endorsement of Kon in my view. He's the real deal.

The fact that he started the year in the starting lineup and the pecking order is already established says everything. I don't think even the most optimistic Kon enthusiasts (such as me) had him as the clear 2nd best player on the team. He's already exceeded all expectations.

The team ran almost everything through those 2 guys on offense, and their usage dwarfed every other player, including Caleb and Tyrese, who looked pretty good as the 3rd and 4th options. This team REALLY has some offensive potential, and they are a joy to watch. If we clean up a few of those turnovers, this would have been a 3rd straight 100 point game.
 
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Even winning big and few things to really be worried about, Duke still lost focus for a good long chunk of the 1st half.
Woulda liked to have seen a few things done better, but we got well balanced scoring with 6 guys in double figures. Kaman had a couple of absolute destruction blocks, Kon only shot 3-8 from 3 but still showed lots of all-around game to lead the team with 22. Flagg didn't look good on his 3s but did everything else really well. All 3 of the transfers who played did really well. Tyrese shot great form 3 but came up goose egg on assists. Foster otoh had 3 assists, but 2 turns.
If that 5+ minute stretch of 1st half doldrums hadn't ocurred we mighta got to see ol' Stanley Hubbard and crew do their thang...
 
Even winning big and few things to really be worried about, Duke still lost focus for a good long chunk of the 1st half.
Woulda liked to have seen a few things done better, but we got well balanced scoring with 6 guys in double figures. Kaman had a couple of absolute destruction blocks, Kon only shot 3-8 from 3 but still showed lots of all-around game to lead the team with 22. Flagg didn't look good on his 3s but did everything else really well. All 3 of the transfers who played did really well. Tyrese shot great form 3 but came up goose egg on assists. Foster otoh had 3 assists, but 2 turns.
If that 5+ minute stretch of 1st half doldrums hadn't ocurred we mighta got to see ol' Stanley Hubbard and crew do their thang...

Going by what we've seen, it appears Tyrese Proctor is playing more of an off-ball role so far, so I would expect his assists to be down this year. He's still a good passer, but it seems like his job on offense involves less initiating offense and more catching and finishing now.
 
I thought Jon was doing a lot of juggling with the lineups and that resulted in some sloppiness and confusion. Still, there is so much talent, spread throughout the roster, that it will be hard for Jon to optimize. It probably will require making adjustments based on our opponents. Handling quick guards may prove difficult. Still, an easy win and a display of capability. Kentucky will tell us much more.
 
We covered. So effectively exceeded expectations.

The team is so deep. We weren't locked in but we're just too good for a team like Maine. Kon was again excellent. So was Cooper - he said "cramp" on camera at the end so I'm not concerned, he seemed in fine spirits on the bench. Cramping early in the season can happen as they figure out regimen. I love Tyrese in an offball roll - I hope to see him continue to grow in it and become a sniper with change of pace driving ability. Foster also looks like he's taken the next step - to what degree we will find out. And shout out to Mason Gillis who is quickly becoming one of my favorites - he's so under control but has great strength to rebound and finish at his height with shooting to boot - love his vibe out there.

Very exciting team.

- Chillin
 
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