What did I say in my preview? I didn't like the fact that the Crazies would be wearing green. No, not because I'm a staunch conservative who isn't sympathetic towards the environment but because I don't like messing with a good thing.
Down 9 at halftime, I felt much less confident that they would pull this game out than I did the Maryland game on Sunday night. For the first time since the Pittsburgh game, Duke allowed the opponent to dictate the pace of the game and to State's credit, they exploited their mismatches down low with Hickson and Costner.
The entire halftime consisted of me thinking of ways to blast the Crazies for going with the green and screwing with the tradition, mystique, and ora of Cameron. However, to my delight, most of the Crazies agreed with me and tossed away the green and sported either an under shirt or even no shirt for some. I'm not sure if the team noticed this or not but whatever it was, Duke came out like gangbusters in the 2nd Half.
Greg Paulus, the most maligned Duke player since Jeff Capel, has enjoyed a very good season to this point and saved his best performance of the year (and possibly his career) for tonight. Paulus was spectacular. He was sinking threes, running fast breaks, making no look passes, and yes, playing tremendous defense (no that isn't a misprint).
Paulus' energy spread like the black plague across the entire Blue Devil team in the 2nd Half. Couple that with State's inability to keep its composure and you have the recipe for a win. Even though the final score was 92-72, anyone who watched this game in its entirety knows that it was a tale of two halves but fortunately for Duke, they won the 2nd Half to the tune of 11 points better than NC State in the 1st Half.
A few miscellaneous things: 1) Who the hell was that guy in the DeMarcus Nelson/Dahntay Jones graphic at first? I don't even think that guy is a Duke student. 2) I know Courtney Fells had a rough game but how about that man block on Lance Thomas? I've never seen a block like that in my life.
Overall, a great come from behind win for the Dukies. They cannot keep making a habit of getting down big at the half or they will get burnt one of these days. Also, mark down March 1st down on your calendar. Duke will go to Raleigh to play NC State on what should be their Senior Day so watch out for a revenge game. Speaking of revenge games, Duke can cross off yet another off the list of teams they wanted to pay back for last year's futility.
Next up is Miami at Cameron on Saturday afternoon. Be careful about these games in the afternoon off of a short turnaround. I know it's good practice for the NCAA Tournament, especially since Duke usually plays that early 2nd Round game but if they aren't careful, Miami can come up and bite them. Jack McClinton, the Siena transfer, is a flat out stud who has a shot at being a 1st-team All-ACC player. Miami is coming off a loss to Wake Forest so you know they are going to come out and give a solid effort. With that said, I will make my prediction now because of the short turnaround.
Prediction: Duke 94 Miami 79
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Beastley
I had a feeling that either Memphis or Kansas had a chance to go down tonight and you know what, one did: Kansas. The Jayhawks, my pick to win the national championship, were completely outplayed and dominated at the hands of Michael Beasley, Bill Walker, and K-State.
What else can you say about Beasley? This guy is a man amongst boys and you want to know how good he is? It looks like the Miami Heat are intentionally trying to tank their season in order to get him in uniform to form a Wade-Beasley duo that could flourish for years to come.
Beasley had 25 points, yet he didn't have a field goal the first 11 minutes of the game and he went an outstanding 4-4 from 3-point range. This guy is hands down the best player in the country and if he takes this Kansas State team to the tournament, with absolutely no guard play whatsover, he must be the front runner for National POY. I don't want to hear about Kevin Love or Chris Douglas-Roberts or Eric Gordon, all of their teams are tournament teams with or without them. This Kansas State team is not even a postseason team without Beasley (no NCAA, no NIT, no 3rd tournament that they are introducing, nothing).
With Kansas falling from the ranks of the unbeaten, the mission is this for Duke: beat NC State and Miami at home this week (which they absolutely should even though I'm a little weary about the Crazies wearing all green tomorrow night) and they will be the AP/ESPN #2 going into Chapel Hill on Wednesday night.
What else can you say about Beasley? This guy is a man amongst boys and you want to know how good he is? It looks like the Miami Heat are intentionally trying to tank their season in order to get him in uniform to form a Wade-Beasley duo that could flourish for years to come.
Beasley had 25 points, yet he didn't have a field goal the first 11 minutes of the game and he went an outstanding 4-4 from 3-point range. This guy is hands down the best player in the country and if he takes this Kansas State team to the tournament, with absolutely no guard play whatsover, he must be the front runner for National POY. I don't want to hear about Kevin Love or Chris Douglas-Roberts or Eric Gordon, all of their teams are tournament teams with or without them. This Kansas State team is not even a postseason team without Beasley (no NCAA, no NIT, no 3rd tournament that they are introducing, nothing).
With Kansas falling from the ranks of the unbeaten, the mission is this for Duke: beat NC State and Miami at home this week (which they absolutely should even though I'm a little weary about the Crazies wearing all green tomorrow night) and they will be the AP/ESPN #2 going into Chapel Hill on Wednesday night.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
NC State Missing the Point
Going into the 2007-08 college basketball season, the question surrounding the ACC was: who would be the 2nd best team in the ACC? Obviously, North Carolina, returning Lawson and Ellington to go with Psycho T, were the odds on favorites to win the ACC.
However, the battle for preseason #2, seemed like a tough one, especially considering my choices seemed to be Duke or NC State. Duke was coming its worst season since the 1996 campaign, which coincidentally ended the same way, a first round exit at the hands of a mid-major with an undersized, speedy point guard (1996-Eastern Michigan-Earl Boykins, 2007-VCU-Eric Maynor). The Blue Devils finished a mediocre 8-8 in the ACC, earned a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and to boot, lost their best low-post presence, albeit the very underwhelming Josh McRoberts. In addition, Duke swung and missed in the Patrick Patterson sweepstakes, leaving Duke with a Kate Moss frontcourt - very thin with little muscle.
On the flipside, the Wolfpack were coming off a season that started off mediocre but ended with NC State playing great ball, making a last stitch effort in the ACC Tournament only to come up a few minutes short in the title game, and then a very productive NIT. Take that into consideration, along with JJ Hickson, a McDonald's All-American, coming to Raleigh and you had the recipe for a very good team. One problem? They lost Engin Atsur to graduation. Atsur missed a third of the season last year and the Wolfpack were pitiful and clueless without him. When he returned, he proved to be the perfect compliment to an incredible array of young post players, specifically Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner, who some believe may be in the witness protection program this year because he's been an absolute no-show.
The absence of Atsur left me skeptical on how good this team would really be. However, I never thought in a million years that they would've limped out to a 13-6 record with horrible losses to New Orleans (no, not the Chris Paul-led Hornets), Eastern Carolina, and at home to Georgia Tech, which was desperate for a win at that point in the season. I mean they do have good wins against Villanova (on a BS last second foul call), Davidson (an impressive mid-major squad led by Stephon "Don't call me Dell" Curry) and Big East up and comers Cincy and Seton Hall.
Many people believe Duke will dominate this game. I do not. I believe they will win because they can take advantage of State's lack of ball handling ability and do the usual, force turnovers and turn it into easy points. However, if State can consistently get the ball down low, watch out. They have a number of gifted post players including the freshman JJ Hickson who is a physical specimen that Duke could only dream of having in their front court this year. I think Duke's pressure defense, ability to play the passing lanes, and of course, the home crowd will get them a W but it should be hard fought and not decided until late in the game.
Prediction: Duke 80 NC State 76
However, the battle for preseason #2, seemed like a tough one, especially considering my choices seemed to be Duke or NC State. Duke was coming its worst season since the 1996 campaign, which coincidentally ended the same way, a first round exit at the hands of a mid-major with an undersized, speedy point guard (1996-Eastern Michigan-Earl Boykins, 2007-VCU-Eric Maynor). The Blue Devils finished a mediocre 8-8 in the ACC, earned a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and to boot, lost their best low-post presence, albeit the very underwhelming Josh McRoberts. In addition, Duke swung and missed in the Patrick Patterson sweepstakes, leaving Duke with a Kate Moss frontcourt - very thin with little muscle.
On the flipside, the Wolfpack were coming off a season that started off mediocre but ended with NC State playing great ball, making a last stitch effort in the ACC Tournament only to come up a few minutes short in the title game, and then a very productive NIT. Take that into consideration, along with JJ Hickson, a McDonald's All-American, coming to Raleigh and you had the recipe for a very good team. One problem? They lost Engin Atsur to graduation. Atsur missed a third of the season last year and the Wolfpack were pitiful and clueless without him. When he returned, he proved to be the perfect compliment to an incredible array of young post players, specifically Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner, who some believe may be in the witness protection program this year because he's been an absolute no-show.
The absence of Atsur left me skeptical on how good this team would really be. However, I never thought in a million years that they would've limped out to a 13-6 record with horrible losses to New Orleans (no, not the Chris Paul-led Hornets), Eastern Carolina, and at home to Georgia Tech, which was desperate for a win at that point in the season. I mean they do have good wins against Villanova (on a BS last second foul call), Davidson (an impressive mid-major squad led by Stephon "Don't call me Dell" Curry) and Big East up and comers Cincy and Seton Hall.
Many people believe Duke will dominate this game. I do not. I believe they will win because they can take advantage of State's lack of ball handling ability and do the usual, force turnovers and turn it into easy points. However, if State can consistently get the ball down low, watch out. They have a number of gifted post players including the freshman JJ Hickson who is a physical specimen that Duke could only dream of having in their front court this year. I think Duke's pressure defense, ability to play the passing lanes, and of course, the home crowd will get them a W but it should be hard fought and not decided until late in the game.
Prediction: Duke 80 NC State 76
BRB Breaking News...
Although it is still tentative in nature, it looks like BRB will be live blogging on WRAL.com for the Duke/North Carolina game on Wednesday, February 6th.
The details are still not perfected but I, along with a writer for a UNC blog, will collaborate to produce a live, confrontational blog to get the perspective of both the Blue Devil fan (BRB) and the Carolina fan (Mr. Tar Heel's Blog) while the action unfolds!
Details will come shortly but I hope all of you will tune in...
WRAL.com
Listen to the live Internet feed (good talk shows, just had DeMarcus Nelson on).
The details are still not perfected but I, along with a writer for a UNC blog, will collaborate to produce a live, confrontational blog to get the perspective of both the Blue Devil fan (BRB) and the Carolina fan (Mr. Tar Heel's Blog) while the action unfolds!
Details will come shortly but I hope all of you will tune in...
WRAL.com
Listen to the live Internet feed (good talk shows, just had DeMarcus Nelson on).
Monday, January 28, 2008
Duke a #1 Seed in Bracketology
After a year absence, Duke has earned its way back to a #1 seed in the latest version of bracketology.
TAKE A LOOK
Don't look now but if the Devils and Tar Heels continue their success this season, they will share the Raleigh 1st & 2nd Round region. Why should you care? Well, if 2005 is any indication, the crowd tends to be very hostile towards Duke because the majority of fans are Carolina fans and root heavily against Duke.
In 2005, after UNC breezed through their first two opponents, Carolina fans stuck around and almost single-handedly willed Lawrence Roberts and an inferior Mississippi State team to victory. You thought last night's Maryland crowd was hostile, go back to the tape and watch that game...
TAKE A LOOK
Don't look now but if the Devils and Tar Heels continue their success this season, they will share the Raleigh 1st & 2nd Round region. Why should you care? Well, if 2005 is any indication, the crowd tends to be very hostile towards Duke because the majority of fans are Carolina fans and root heavily against Duke.
In 2005, after UNC breezed through their first two opponents, Carolina fans stuck around and almost single-handedly willed Lawrence Roberts and an inferior Mississippi State team to victory. You thought last night's Maryland crowd was hostile, go back to the tape and watch that game...
Hostile Crowds
As the great Stewie Griffin once proclaimed after making a girl cry "See, this is why no one respects the WNBA"
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS...
This is why Pat Summitt shouldn't be considered the NCAA All-Time leader in wins. There should be an NCAA Men's record and an NCAA Women's record because it's apples and oranges. In the women's game, since there is very little television exposure except for the big-time programs, all of the good recruits go to Tennessee, UCONN, UNC, Duke, LSU etc...In the women's game, you can keep a star like Candace Parker four years and win championships. In the men's game, players equivalent to Candace Parker are the LeBron James' and Dwight Howard's of the world who never step foot on campus or Greg Oden's and Kevin Durant's who only come to college because of the one year rule and then bolt...To me, Bobby Knight is the all-time wins leader.
As for the article, you have to be kidding me. Summitt is considering ending the Duke series because the fans are mean to the players. Have you ever heard Coach K say something like that when the Maryland crowds chanted "JJ drinks his own pee", "JJ, I f***** your sister" (who happened to be 12 at the time" or "No Means No" when Shelden Williams shot free throws (referring to the allegation that Williams might have been involved in a gang rape, which eventually was found to be highly inaccurate). Did Jim Calhoun go crazy when the Villanova fans in the Wachovia Center collectively chanted "Where's my laptop?" when Marcus Williams touched the ball? No, because it's part of the road atmosphere. If Summitt doesn't want to hear those chants then she shouldn't recruit a player who plead guilty to shoplifting from a Walmart. I mean it's absolutely disgraceful to complain about this...Stop acting like a mother and see it for what it is, a hostile road atmosphere. That's not disgraceful, it's a clever student body trying to give their team every edge to win the game.
You want disgraceful? How about at last year's Duke-Tenn game in Knoxville, Men's bball coach Bruce Pearl jumping up and down topless, painted orange only to place attention on himself, which he so desperately craves. That's why he did that, not for Summitt and the Women's program, and that's why he wears that crazy Orange blazer because with bums like Pearl or Bruce Weber, it's all about them and not about the kids and that's the true disgrace in college basketball.
There's no one that hates Maryland and their fans more than me but some of the things they do are funny and clever and even the Duke players have a chuckle or two about some of the things they do (see flyers of Jon Sheyer's weird faces) or see on College Humor, a Duke fan holding up a "Redickulous" sign only for a Maryland fan to cleverly innovate and hold up a sign next to it that says "...ly GAY" spelling out "Redickulous-ly GAY." That's clever stuff and that is one of the things that makes me love college basketball more than any other sport.
Suck it up Pat...it's part of the game
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS...
This is why Pat Summitt shouldn't be considered the NCAA All-Time leader in wins. There should be an NCAA Men's record and an NCAA Women's record because it's apples and oranges. In the women's game, since there is very little television exposure except for the big-time programs, all of the good recruits go to Tennessee, UCONN, UNC, Duke, LSU etc...In the women's game, you can keep a star like Candace Parker four years and win championships. In the men's game, players equivalent to Candace Parker are the LeBron James' and Dwight Howard's of the world who never step foot on campus or Greg Oden's and Kevin Durant's who only come to college because of the one year rule and then bolt...To me, Bobby Knight is the all-time wins leader.
As for the article, you have to be kidding me. Summitt is considering ending the Duke series because the fans are mean to the players. Have you ever heard Coach K say something like that when the Maryland crowds chanted "JJ drinks his own pee", "JJ, I f***** your sister" (who happened to be 12 at the time" or "No Means No" when Shelden Williams shot free throws (referring to the allegation that Williams might have been involved in a gang rape, which eventually was found to be highly inaccurate). Did Jim Calhoun go crazy when the Villanova fans in the Wachovia Center collectively chanted "Where's my laptop?" when Marcus Williams touched the ball? No, because it's part of the road atmosphere. If Summitt doesn't want to hear those chants then she shouldn't recruit a player who plead guilty to shoplifting from a Walmart. I mean it's absolutely disgraceful to complain about this...Stop acting like a mother and see it for what it is, a hostile road atmosphere. That's not disgraceful, it's a clever student body trying to give their team every edge to win the game.
You want disgraceful? How about at last year's Duke-Tenn game in Knoxville, Men's bball coach Bruce Pearl jumping up and down topless, painted orange only to place attention on himself, which he so desperately craves. That's why he did that, not for Summitt and the Women's program, and that's why he wears that crazy Orange blazer because with bums like Pearl or Bruce Weber, it's all about them and not about the kids and that's the true disgrace in college basketball.
There's no one that hates Maryland and their fans more than me but some of the things they do are funny and clever and even the Duke players have a chuckle or two about some of the things they do (see flyers of Jon Sheyer's weird faces) or see on College Humor, a Duke fan holding up a "Redickulous" sign only for a Maryland fan to cleverly innovate and hold up a sign next to it that says "...ly GAY" spelling out "Redickulous-ly GAY." That's clever stuff and that is one of the things that makes me love college basketball more than any other sport.
Suck it up Pat...it's part of the game
Duke #3 in AP & ESPN Poll
Road wins against VA Tech & Maryland coupled with a Tennessee loss to Kentucky allowed Duke to move up one spot in the AP poll. Since Memphis and Kansas continued to roll, Duke could not move up in the ESPN.
RANKINGS
RANKINGS
Nelson, Devils Cancel The Osby Show
20 minutes finished, Duke down by 9 at halftime (1st time they trailed at the half and also the largest deficit of the season), hostile crowd, yet I've never been so confident that Duke would be there at the end.
Maryland, especially against Duke, is very well-coached and always have a game plan that exposes the biggest Devil weakness. In most of the 1st Half, the Terps executed brilliantly when Duke doubled one big man, that big guy passed out of it to a wide open big underneath basket. Last year in College Park, Duke trailed 29-9 early on and it was a Mount Everest uphill battle after that. This year, I felt that if they could withstand that big first punch from Maryland, they could win the game. They did and they won because of it. I've always looked at a Duke game on the road as a heavyweight bout. If the Devils can withstand the big uppercut or take one and get up off the mat, they should prevail because their skill level and effort is always sustained over a full 40 minutes.
The biggest sequence of the game, to me, involved Lance Thomas in the beginning of the 2nd Half. The Terps got the ball first and immediately called Osby's number again but a combo of Kyle Singler and Lance Thomas forced a travelling violation. Then, on the other end, Duke went into Lance Thomas and got a tough basket in the lane, which seemed like a temporary halt of the Maryland momentum. At that point, the DeMarcus Nelson show began and it was a pleasure to watch. For the first time in his Duke career, he took over a game and refused to let the Blue Devils lose. Whether it was steals, drives to the basket, hitting free throws and even a late 3 pointer that extended a Duke lead, Nelson was fantastic. He finished with a career high 27 points but his point total was immensely dwarfed in comparison to his defense and leadership on the court last night.
The other story in this game was Gerald Henderson. He makes that medium-range jumper look so easy that it hurts every time I see him bury another one. With Eliot Williams coming to Duke next year, Henderson may jump to the NBA and almost certainly be a Top 20 pick. If that happens, Duke will take another step back because they are winning because their wings, Nelson and Henderson, are athletic enough to somewhat make up for a lack of size down low. Nelson, unfortunately, is done after this year no matter what but hopefully Henderson values a chance at a Duke degree and he really doesn't need the money with his father being a former NBA player.
Anyway, this was a tremendous win for the Dukies and they on rolling along with this revenge tour. Can they keep it going against a struggling NC State team on Thursday? I hope so. I will have a prediction later on in the week...
BTW, in case you're wondering, Cliff Tucker wanted to back up his words so much, he raised his level of play to the tune of 4 points and 3 rebounds. Good job Cliff!!!!!!!!!Keep it up...
Maryland, especially against Duke, is very well-coached and always have a game plan that exposes the biggest Devil weakness. In most of the 1st Half, the Terps executed brilliantly when Duke doubled one big man, that big guy passed out of it to a wide open big underneath basket. Last year in College Park, Duke trailed 29-9 early on and it was a Mount Everest uphill battle after that. This year, I felt that if they could withstand that big first punch from Maryland, they could win the game. They did and they won because of it. I've always looked at a Duke game on the road as a heavyweight bout. If the Devils can withstand the big uppercut or take one and get up off the mat, they should prevail because their skill level and effort is always sustained over a full 40 minutes.
The biggest sequence of the game, to me, involved Lance Thomas in the beginning of the 2nd Half. The Terps got the ball first and immediately called Osby's number again but a combo of Kyle Singler and Lance Thomas forced a travelling violation. Then, on the other end, Duke went into Lance Thomas and got a tough basket in the lane, which seemed like a temporary halt of the Maryland momentum. At that point, the DeMarcus Nelson show began and it was a pleasure to watch. For the first time in his Duke career, he took over a game and refused to let the Blue Devils lose. Whether it was steals, drives to the basket, hitting free throws and even a late 3 pointer that extended a Duke lead, Nelson was fantastic. He finished with a career high 27 points but his point total was immensely dwarfed in comparison to his defense and leadership on the court last night.
The other story in this game was Gerald Henderson. He makes that medium-range jumper look so easy that it hurts every time I see him bury another one. With Eliot Williams coming to Duke next year, Henderson may jump to the NBA and almost certainly be a Top 20 pick. If that happens, Duke will take another step back because they are winning because their wings, Nelson and Henderson, are athletic enough to somewhat make up for a lack of size down low. Nelson, unfortunately, is done after this year no matter what but hopefully Henderson values a chance at a Duke degree and he really doesn't need the money with his father being a former NBA player.
Anyway, this was a tremendous win for the Dukies and they on rolling along with this revenge tour. Can they keep it going against a struggling NC State team on Thursday? I hope so. I will have a prediction later on in the week...
BTW, in case you're wondering, Cliff Tucker wanted to back up his words so much, he raised his level of play to the tune of 4 points and 3 rebounds. Good job Cliff!!!!!!!!!Keep it up...
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Cliffhanger
The following are statements by Maryland's Cliff Tucker...
“I can’t stand Duke. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here so I can beat Duke, I already got North Carolina. Duke is next. I cannot stand Duke. I tell people all the time, if they gave me a scholarship and that was my only Division I scholarship, I’d go Division II or something like that. I would never, ever go there. I don’t know what it is, I can’t stand Duke.”
Harsh words from someone who is averaging 17 minutes a game, 4 points per game, and only 2 rebounds...
Will he elevate his game to back up his words? We will know in a few hours...
Duke: Your mission is clear, keep the revenge tour going...
“I can’t stand Duke. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here so I can beat Duke, I already got North Carolina. Duke is next. I cannot stand Duke. I tell people all the time, if they gave me a scholarship and that was my only Division I scholarship, I’d go Division II or something like that. I would never, ever go there. I don’t know what it is, I can’t stand Duke.”
Harsh words from someone who is averaging 17 minutes a game, 4 points per game, and only 2 rebounds...
Will he elevate his game to back up his words? We will know in a few hours...
Duke: Your mission is clear, keep the revenge tour going...
Friday, January 25, 2008
Are You Kidding?
Seth Greenberg on Duke's play...
"They were a little frisky," Greenberg said.
Though the Hokies didn't back down from Duke's hands-on play, they did let it affect their play, and "that's the difference between playing hard and competing,"
Seth, give me a break. Your program is an absolute disgrace and you need to deal with it. Developing a culture of punks is no way to build a program, especially in the ACC. You can say whatever you want about Carolina but I do respect their program because they do it most of the time with class.
SETH, THIS IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PROGRAM YOU'VE BUILT
"They were a little frisky," Greenberg said.
Though the Hokies didn't back down from Duke's hands-on play, they did let it affect their play, and "that's the difference between playing hard and competing,"
Seth, give me a break. Your program is an absolute disgrace and you need to deal with it. Developing a culture of punks is no way to build a program, especially in the ACC. You can say whatever you want about Carolina but I do respect their program because they do it most of the time with class.
SETH, THIS IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PROGRAM YOU'VE BUILT
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Hokie Dokie
A very solid win overall for the Dukies tonight. I was in and out during the first half tonight but I loved the balance and up until the end of the game, the poise they showed when it was completely obvious that Seth Greenberg's game plan was to play dirty and out of control.
Deron Washington, as indicated in the previous post during the game, is lucky he wasn't arrested for his behavior tonight. He continues to disgrace this Virginia Tech program and instead of leaving his mark on the program like Zabien Dowdell, he will be nothing more than a black mark on this schools reputation up there with the Vick brothers. The funny thing is that Washington isn't even the biggest punk on this team? Jeff Allen, their second leading scorer, is currently serving a two-game suspension for bumping an official.
Enough with the negatives and focusing on a disgraceful human being like Deron Washington. I thought Duke played very well tonight and to me, this was the most balanced effort offensively all year long.
BOX SCORE
Nine players played 6+ minutes, eight players played 14+
4 players scored in double figures
No player scored more than 16 (Singler) and no player scored less than 4 (McClure)
To me, there were two stories in this game for Duke:
1) Kyle Singler: How freakin' good is this guy? I will go as far as to say if he stays four years, I will have a full blown man crush on him, even more so than I had for JJ because remember, JJ was a good shooter in his frosh year but he was repulsive with all of the back-ne and he didn't have a very good overall game. Singler played 30 minutes, had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks and yet it felt as if his impact was even greater than that. He is so versatile and when he pops out and hits the 3, he is virtually unstoppable.
2) The 5 Spot: I said in a post earlier this week that Duke needed to get more point production from their 5 spot even if it were only 10 points combined. Tonight, they went for 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 blocks. I will take that contribution every single night.
Side note: The last two games, Lance Thomas has looked pretty good. Hopefully, he can keep it up.
Next up is Maryland in College Park on Sunday night. I must be honest with you, I don't have a good feeling for this game. Sure, you can say how can you fear a team that's lost to Ohio and American AT HOME?? You want to know how? Maryland gets up to play highly ranked teams, especially Duke. Take a look at what they did to UNC last weekend...
No prediction until later in the weekend...
Deron Washington, as indicated in the previous post during the game, is lucky he wasn't arrested for his behavior tonight. He continues to disgrace this Virginia Tech program and instead of leaving his mark on the program like Zabien Dowdell, he will be nothing more than a black mark on this schools reputation up there with the Vick brothers. The funny thing is that Washington isn't even the biggest punk on this team? Jeff Allen, their second leading scorer, is currently serving a two-game suspension for bumping an official.
Enough with the negatives and focusing on a disgraceful human being like Deron Washington. I thought Duke played very well tonight and to me, this was the most balanced effort offensively all year long.
BOX SCORE
Nine players played 6+ minutes, eight players played 14+
4 players scored in double figures
No player scored more than 16 (Singler) and no player scored less than 4 (McClure)
To me, there were two stories in this game for Duke:
1) Kyle Singler: How freakin' good is this guy? I will go as far as to say if he stays four years, I will have a full blown man crush on him, even more so than I had for JJ because remember, JJ was a good shooter in his frosh year but he was repulsive with all of the back-ne and he didn't have a very good overall game. Singler played 30 minutes, had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks and yet it felt as if his impact was even greater than that. He is so versatile and when he pops out and hits the 3, he is virtually unstoppable.
2) The 5 Spot: I said in a post earlier this week that Duke needed to get more point production from their 5 spot even if it were only 10 points combined. Tonight, they went for 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 blocks. I will take that contribution every single night.
Side note: The last two games, Lance Thomas has looked pretty good. Hopefully, he can keep it up.
Next up is Maryland in College Park on Sunday night. I must be honest with you, I don't have a good feeling for this game. Sure, you can say how can you fear a team that's lost to Ohio and American AT HOME?? You want to know how? Maryland gets up to play highly ranked teams, especially Duke. Take a look at what they did to UNC last weekend...
No prediction until later in the weekend...
Put Deron Washington in Prison
My first ever mid-game post...Deron Washington is completely out of control. After he kicked Lee Melchionni in the face two years ago, I thought he was a punk. After tonight, I think he's just plain crazy and Seth Greenberg needs to get him together before he hurts someone out there...
7 minutes left in the game. Kyle Singler, each and every second that passes by, makes me believe that he is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Much more after the game...
7 minutes left in the game. Kyle Singler, each and every second that passes by, makes me believe that he is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Much more after the game...
VA Tech Tonight (7PM, ESPN)
Road wins in the ACC are usually scarce, the Hokies will not be afraid of the Devils one bit, and Seth Greenberg always has a great gameplan against the Dukies...With that said, a Hokie win should be tough to come by.
The Hokies beat Duke at Duke last year but let's face it, Duke wasn't Duke last year. In fact, their greatest weakness was defending athletic guards off the dribble last year. The problem for the Hokies this year is that they don't have Zabien Dowdell, a 1st-Team All-ACC performer and Jamont Gordon. This is a team that plays 7 freshmen and only has four upperclassmen to lean on. Even though if you think about it, Duke only has 3 upperclassmen that play minutes in Paulus, Nelson, and McClure.
The inexperienced Hokies should surcome to Duke's pressure and I see the Devils pulling away late.
Let's hope a 'W' in Blacksburg will be easier than this one...
I CAN WATCH THIS ALL DAY LONG!!!!
The Hokies beat Duke at Duke last year but let's face it, Duke wasn't Duke last year. In fact, their greatest weakness was defending athletic guards off the dribble last year. The problem for the Hokies this year is that they don't have Zabien Dowdell, a 1st-Team All-ACC performer and Jamont Gordon. This is a team that plays 7 freshmen and only has four upperclassmen to lean on. Even though if you think about it, Duke only has 3 upperclassmen that play minutes in Paulus, Nelson, and McClure.
The inexperienced Hokies should surcome to Duke's pressure and I see the Devils pulling away late.
Let's hope a 'W' in Blacksburg will be easier than this one...
I CAN WATCH THIS ALL DAY LONG!!!!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Duke #3 in ESPN Poll
Overrated? Yes, I believe so but they have taken care of business and won the games they were supposed to win in order to get this lofty ranking. Can they keep it going this week with road games at VA Tech and Maryland?
ESPN POLL
ESPN POLL
Eye of the Tiger
Sorry for the delayed post but I had to TiVo the game and I didn't get a chance to watch it until yesterday. What can you say? This was a very important win for the Dukies especially with North Carolina going down earlier in the day, which I will certainly touch on a little bit later. I know you're supposed to win at home and Duke has absolutely owned Clemson over the past 13 years but this is a very important win. After the heartbreaking loss to Pitt before Christmas, it meant a ton for Duke to go out and beat a team that is much more physical than they are.
Duke got absolutely man handled on the boards but their defense more than made up for it by creating 21 turnovers and converting a number of those into easy baskets on the offensive end. DeMarcus Nelson was fabulous and led the team with 24 points and let's hope his back is alright after it appeared that he tweaked it at the end of the game.
Gerald Henderson continues to amaze me with his athleticism and NBA ready medium range jump shot. As a Duke fan, that jumper has to scare you to death because that is already NBA ready. Let's hope he realizes that there will be an abundance of talent in this years draft and he comes back for another season. I didn't comment on this when the news broke a few weeks ago but I love the fact that Singler has already said he will be back next year at Duke. Singler and Henderson are in an arduous battle to win over my heart as my favorite Dukie. I am leaning towards Singler because he is much more like me in terms of diving on the floor and not being afraid of getting hurt.
I can't end this without mentioning Nolan Smith. He played tremendous, especially in the 1st Half. The drive he had coast to coast that ended in a monster dunk is something that he brings to the table that Paulus cannot.
Also, even though the numbers don't show it, I thought Lance Thomas played a pretty solid game. He only had 2 points but he was much more active down low than he has been. Still, Duke desperately needs more than 2 points from their 5 spot if they are going to compete at the highest level. If Duke can get 8 points and 10 rebounds a game out of Thomas, McClure, and Zoubek on a consistent basis, this team would be very tough to beat.
With that said, I wouldn't mind seeing Taylor King playing a few minutes down low. Let me explain. I know he can't handle the traditional post presence down low but if you played him at that spot for a few minutes a game, I think it would help. On the offensive end, King could keep the opponents center on the perimeter and open up the lanes even more for dribble penetration.
One final note: What is Oliver Purnell doing? He burnt his 2nd to last timeout with 12 minutes left in the game and the game was tied! By the time Duke started to pull away, he couldn't stop the momentum.
Next up is Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Thursday night. The Hokies will be without Jeff Allen who bumped an official and is serving a two-game suspension. VA Tech always plays Duke very well at home and like my brother said "they will have the kid responsible for that massacre on the campus last year in a Duke uniform to pump them up" Now, I seriously doubt that considering how horrific that event truly was but you know that place will be packed and ready to go. If Duke keeps Washington in check and limit Vasiello's 3-point attempts, they should be able to win this conference road game with relative ease.
Prediction: Duke 87 VA Tech 73
Duke got absolutely man handled on the boards but their defense more than made up for it by creating 21 turnovers and converting a number of those into easy baskets on the offensive end. DeMarcus Nelson was fabulous and led the team with 24 points and let's hope his back is alright after it appeared that he tweaked it at the end of the game.
Gerald Henderson continues to amaze me with his athleticism and NBA ready medium range jump shot. As a Duke fan, that jumper has to scare you to death because that is already NBA ready. Let's hope he realizes that there will be an abundance of talent in this years draft and he comes back for another season. I didn't comment on this when the news broke a few weeks ago but I love the fact that Singler has already said he will be back next year at Duke. Singler and Henderson are in an arduous battle to win over my heart as my favorite Dukie. I am leaning towards Singler because he is much more like me in terms of diving on the floor and not being afraid of getting hurt.
I can't end this without mentioning Nolan Smith. He played tremendous, especially in the 1st Half. The drive he had coast to coast that ended in a monster dunk is something that he brings to the table that Paulus cannot.
Also, even though the numbers don't show it, I thought Lance Thomas played a pretty solid game. He only had 2 points but he was much more active down low than he has been. Still, Duke desperately needs more than 2 points from their 5 spot if they are going to compete at the highest level. If Duke can get 8 points and 10 rebounds a game out of Thomas, McClure, and Zoubek on a consistent basis, this team would be very tough to beat.
With that said, I wouldn't mind seeing Taylor King playing a few minutes down low. Let me explain. I know he can't handle the traditional post presence down low but if you played him at that spot for a few minutes a game, I think it would help. On the offensive end, King could keep the opponents center on the perimeter and open up the lanes even more for dribble penetration.
One final note: What is Oliver Purnell doing? He burnt his 2nd to last timeout with 12 minutes left in the game and the game was tied! By the time Duke started to pull away, he couldn't stop the momentum.
Next up is Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Thursday night. The Hokies will be without Jeff Allen who bumped an official and is serving a two-game suspension. VA Tech always plays Duke very well at home and like my brother said "they will have the kid responsible for that massacre on the campus last year in a Duke uniform to pump them up" Now, I seriously doubt that considering how horrific that event truly was but you know that place will be packed and ready to go. If Duke keeps Washington in check and limit Vasiello's 3-point attempts, they should be able to win this conference road game with relative ease.
Prediction: Duke 87 VA Tech 73
Saturday, January 19, 2008
McRoberts Stock
In the immortal words of CNBC's Jim Cramer, Josh McRoberts stock right now is "the house of pain" and you should "SELL, SELL, SELL!!!"
Take a look at this excerpt below and you'll realize just how bad it's gotten for one of the biggest busts in Duke history...
NBA teams studying the event, perhaps no one did as much damage to his reputation as Josh McRoberts.
His body language blurted, "Why do I have to be here?" on Tuesday and Thursday night, one more in a string of performances that have left people in the NBA and D-League asking: Does the rookie out of Duke want to play basketball anymore?
McRoberts, a 6-foot-10 forward with impressive passing skills, needs to get over where he thought his basketball career would be and make the best of where it is. He was one of the top-five high school players in the nation, a freshman at Duke whom some executives believed would've been a first-round pick had he left school after one season. After a disappointing sophomore season, McRoberts turned pro and dropped to Portland with the 37th pick of the second round.
McRoberts, a cheerleader for the Northwest Division's first-place Portland Trail Blazers, treated his assignment to Idaho like a deployment to Baghdad. Despite playing just three games this season, McRoberts resisted the chance to work on his game in Idaho. To go scoreless Tuesday night in 31 minutes and come back with 2 of 10 shooting that included more airballs and mindless basketball insulted his teammates, coaches and a slew of scouts.
Most believe his two-year guaranteed contract was more a product of his childhood friendship with Greg Oden, than a testament of his talent.
"He'd better figure out fast that Oden will make some new friends," one D-League coach said.
When a player with a guaranteed contract comes down, he's an immediate target for players trying to make a name for themselves. They'll challenge him. On a nightly basis, McRoberts is getting humiliated in the D-League. "If you take away the name, the contract, the school, and just judge him on what you're seeing: He looked like the worst player in the building," one Western Conference personnel director said.
Said an Eastern Conference scout, who had watched him regularly at Duke, "If he keeps this up, he will be out of the league in two years. (McRoberts) better wake up before it's too late for him. It's a shame because he has some talent."
Wowwww...No one was more excited about McRoberts coming to Duke than I was but let's face it, even though Duke needs his size, I am so glad he's not on this team anymore. His body language was always terrible and he constantly was yelling at his teammates. He's the type of guy that I usually characterize as a guy who's standing on 3rd base but for some reason thinks he got there by hitting a triple.
McRoberts needs to get it together or one of two things will happen: (1) He'll be a college dropout with no future in basketball or (2) if he's lucky, he'll need to get a passport to go play overseas...
Get it together Josh...
Take a look at this excerpt below and you'll realize just how bad it's gotten for one of the biggest busts in Duke history...
NBA teams studying the event, perhaps no one did as much damage to his reputation as Josh McRoberts.
His body language blurted, "Why do I have to be here?" on Tuesday and Thursday night, one more in a string of performances that have left people in the NBA and D-League asking: Does the rookie out of Duke want to play basketball anymore?
McRoberts, a 6-foot-10 forward with impressive passing skills, needs to get over where he thought his basketball career would be and make the best of where it is. He was one of the top-five high school players in the nation, a freshman at Duke whom some executives believed would've been a first-round pick had he left school after one season. After a disappointing sophomore season, McRoberts turned pro and dropped to Portland with the 37th pick of the second round.
McRoberts, a cheerleader for the Northwest Division's first-place Portland Trail Blazers, treated his assignment to Idaho like a deployment to Baghdad. Despite playing just three games this season, McRoberts resisted the chance to work on his game in Idaho. To go scoreless Tuesday night in 31 minutes and come back with 2 of 10 shooting that included more airballs and mindless basketball insulted his teammates, coaches and a slew of scouts.
Most believe his two-year guaranteed contract was more a product of his childhood friendship with Greg Oden, than a testament of his talent.
"He'd better figure out fast that Oden will make some new friends," one D-League coach said.
When a player with a guaranteed contract comes down, he's an immediate target for players trying to make a name for themselves. They'll challenge him. On a nightly basis, McRoberts is getting humiliated in the D-League. "If you take away the name, the contract, the school, and just judge him on what you're seeing: He looked like the worst player in the building," one Western Conference personnel director said.
Said an Eastern Conference scout, who had watched him regularly at Duke, "If he keeps this up, he will be out of the league in two years. (McRoberts) better wake up before it's too late for him. It's a shame because he has some talent."
Wowwww...No one was more excited about McRoberts coming to Duke than I was but let's face it, even though Duke needs his size, I am so glad he's not on this team anymore. His body language was always terrible and he constantly was yelling at his teammates. He's the type of guy that I usually characterize as a guy who's standing on 3rd base but for some reason thinks he got there by hitting a triple.
McRoberts needs to get it together or one of two things will happen: (1) He'll be a college dropout with no future in basketball or (2) if he's lucky, he'll need to get a passport to go play overseas...
Get it together Josh...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Clemson Preview
Saturday, January 19
6:00PM
ESPN
Clemson Tigers (14-3) v. Duke (14-1)
Clemson (ranked #23 in the latest ESPN poll) will be one of Duke's toughest tests to date. Last year, Clemson lost to Duke in heartbreaking, controversial fashion in one of the most bizarre sequences I've ever seen. Up 66-61 with 10 seconds left, Duke had the game locked up. They let up what seemed to be a meaningless layup to make it 66-63. Then, the McRoberts factor kicked in. He threw the ball away, right to Vernon Hamilton, and he sunk a cold-blooded 3-pointer to tie the game and stun the Cameron faithful.
Since the clock operator was as stunned as we were that McRoberts threw the ball away recklessly, he was slow to start the clock. Then, inexplicably, the officials put 4.4 seconds back on the clock even though when Hamilton caught the pass there was 5.0 seconds left. The rest is history...Inbounds to Sheyer, Sheyer hits McClure in stride and McClure lays it in at the buzzer.
Clemson missed the tournament last year after starting 17-0. That game may have kept the Tigers out of the NCAA Tournament. So, Clemson will be ready to go to exact some revenge on the Dukies for a loss that shouldn't have been a loss.
Like Pittsburgh, Clemson has a strength that is Duke's biggest weakness: the low post. Trevor Booker and James Mays are as good as it gets down in the low post and you can bet that Clemson's game plan will be to expose Duke's lack of size and rebounding down low.
Duke has outrebounded its first two ACC opponents, Virginia and FSU, but they were both teams that were also undersized. Clemson should have the rebounding edge so it will be imperative for the Duke guards to crash the boards. The good thing about Clemson is that although their greatest strength is in the post, they have a good trio of guards: KC Rivers, freshman Terrence Oglesby, and Cliff Hammonds, all of which can hit the 3 if you pack in the defense down low.
Clemson comes into the game 14-3 with two of the losses to North Carolina (at the buzzer in OT) and previously unbeaten Ole Miss by 3 points. The Charlotte loss after the UNC game is quite troubling since it was at home but overall this has a number of good wins: @Miss St, @Depaul, a 30 point blowout @ Alabama, and two straight ACC wins against FSU (in a 2OT thriller) and a blowout at the hands of the listless Wolfpack of NC State.
Duke is coming off a tremendous, gut-check win against Florida State but even in the win, there were a number of disturbing trends that need to be halted before Saturday. 20 Turnovers in comparison to only 10 assists as a team, in 20 combined minutes, David McClure and Lance Thomas accounted for 0 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 Turnovers, and 7-27 from 3-point range.
The game plan for Duke is simple: Rebound, Rebound, Rebound and Push, Push, Push...If they do that effectively, they can spread the floor and shoot a ton of three pointers. Why? Let's face it: Duke's half-court offense is absolutely dreadful. They don't have any guys that can create their own shots with the exception of Gerald Henderson. I think Henderson realizes this and he tends to force too many shots because of this. I would like to see Duke use a few more pick and pops using Singler because Kyle has shown the ability to hit the big 3.
Quick Sidebar: Duke is starting to remind me of the Villanova team from a few years ago. Go with 4 guards, crash the boards, spread the floor, and allow your perimeter to dictate the course of the game. Now, Villanova's 4 guards were excellent, with 3 of them: Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry, and Allen "Carl Krauser permanently blinded me" Ray being able to get their own shot at will. Still, the mentality looks to be the same. Anything you get out of the 5-spot is gravy and hope that your perimeter can go crazy and rebound just enough to win...
To me, this is the toughest game Duke has played this year. I know it's at home but this is against an experienced team, with a short memory from last year, and a very mature front court. Pitt was relatively inexperienced in the front court and they ate Duke up in the 2nd Half so Duke will need to channel some toughness...
Prediction: Duke 81 Clemson 79
6:00PM
ESPN
Clemson Tigers (14-3) v. Duke (14-1)
Clemson (ranked #23 in the latest ESPN poll) will be one of Duke's toughest tests to date. Last year, Clemson lost to Duke in heartbreaking, controversial fashion in one of the most bizarre sequences I've ever seen. Up 66-61 with 10 seconds left, Duke had the game locked up. They let up what seemed to be a meaningless layup to make it 66-63. Then, the McRoberts factor kicked in. He threw the ball away, right to Vernon Hamilton, and he sunk a cold-blooded 3-pointer to tie the game and stun the Cameron faithful.
Since the clock operator was as stunned as we were that McRoberts threw the ball away recklessly, he was slow to start the clock. Then, inexplicably, the officials put 4.4 seconds back on the clock even though when Hamilton caught the pass there was 5.0 seconds left. The rest is history...Inbounds to Sheyer, Sheyer hits McClure in stride and McClure lays it in at the buzzer.
Clemson missed the tournament last year after starting 17-0. That game may have kept the Tigers out of the NCAA Tournament. So, Clemson will be ready to go to exact some revenge on the Dukies for a loss that shouldn't have been a loss.
Like Pittsburgh, Clemson has a strength that is Duke's biggest weakness: the low post. Trevor Booker and James Mays are as good as it gets down in the low post and you can bet that Clemson's game plan will be to expose Duke's lack of size and rebounding down low.
Duke has outrebounded its first two ACC opponents, Virginia and FSU, but they were both teams that were also undersized. Clemson should have the rebounding edge so it will be imperative for the Duke guards to crash the boards. The good thing about Clemson is that although their greatest strength is in the post, they have a good trio of guards: KC Rivers, freshman Terrence Oglesby, and Cliff Hammonds, all of which can hit the 3 if you pack in the defense down low.
Clemson comes into the game 14-3 with two of the losses to North Carolina (at the buzzer in OT) and previously unbeaten Ole Miss by 3 points. The Charlotte loss after the UNC game is quite troubling since it was at home but overall this has a number of good wins: @Miss St, @Depaul, a 30 point blowout @ Alabama, and two straight ACC wins against FSU (in a 2OT thriller) and a blowout at the hands of the listless Wolfpack of NC State.
Duke is coming off a tremendous, gut-check win against Florida State but even in the win, there were a number of disturbing trends that need to be halted before Saturday. 20 Turnovers in comparison to only 10 assists as a team, in 20 combined minutes, David McClure and Lance Thomas accounted for 0 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 Turnovers, and 7-27 from 3-point range.
The game plan for Duke is simple: Rebound, Rebound, Rebound and Push, Push, Push...If they do that effectively, they can spread the floor and shoot a ton of three pointers. Why? Let's face it: Duke's half-court offense is absolutely dreadful. They don't have any guys that can create their own shots with the exception of Gerald Henderson. I think Henderson realizes this and he tends to force too many shots because of this. I would like to see Duke use a few more pick and pops using Singler because Kyle has shown the ability to hit the big 3.
Quick Sidebar: Duke is starting to remind me of the Villanova team from a few years ago. Go with 4 guards, crash the boards, spread the floor, and allow your perimeter to dictate the course of the game. Now, Villanova's 4 guards were excellent, with 3 of them: Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry, and Allen "Carl Krauser permanently blinded me" Ray being able to get their own shot at will. Still, the mentality looks to be the same. Anything you get out of the 5-spot is gravy and hope that your perimeter can go crazy and rebound just enough to win...
To me, this is the toughest game Duke has played this year. I know it's at home but this is against an experienced team, with a short memory from last year, and a very mature front court. Pitt was relatively inexperienced in the front court and they ate Duke up in the 2nd Half so Duke will need to channel some toughness...
Prediction: Duke 81 Clemson 79
Good Recruiting Read
I have had a number of posts indicating that Duke will not be able to compete with UNC for the foreseeable future because the Devils have missed out on Greg Monroe and Patrick Patterson in back-to-back years.
Al Featherstone is telling me and everyone else that echoes my tone to shut up in this article
Let's hope he is right...
Al Featherstone is telling me and everyone else that echoes my tone to shut up in this article
Let's hope he is right...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
STATE-ment Win
Simply put, this was a great win for Duke tonight. Last year, this team would've folded like bad hand in poker but this year, I am seeing an increased level of toughness both mentally and physically.
Box Score
First Half: The Jon Sheyer show. Sheyer was a man child over a 5 minute stretch that allowed Duke to make a 16-0 run. He hit everything: 3's in transition, 3's from the corner, inside and a foul, and a brilliant fade away and a foul at the end of the 1st Half. It was clearly his greatest performance as a Blue Devil, even better than the performance last year against Miami. He, along with Taylor King, are instant offense off the bench and really add another dimension to Duke's half court and full court offense.
Second Half: Last year, FSU rawed back from 17 down to upset the Blue Devils at Cameron. With about 7 minutes left in this game, it looked like deja vu. The Seminoles, led by Jason "Richie" Rich, started spreading the floor and attacking off the dribble at will and Duke had absolutely no answer. This run culminated with a lay-in by Rich making it 55-54 and it appeared as if Duke's problems on the road from a year ago were not behind them in the least. However, down 55-54, and having absolutely no continuity whatsoever in the half court, Sheyer and Singler worked a pick and pop and Kyle Singler hit the biggest shot of the game to make it 57-55.
Quick sidebar: I personally love Singler. He had the courage to take the big 3 to force OT against Pitt, he single-handedly won the Marquette game for them in Maui and when Duke needed him the most tonight, he had the courage to hit the big shot. Also, can we call Rip Hamilton and ask him where he gets his masks? Let's get Singler one of those before he becomes completely undatable. The season is only 15 games old and he now has 3 large gashes on his face that will certainly scar as well as a yellowish left side of his face. Singler really gives them that toughness mentally and physically that McRoberts could never muster in his two meager seasons as a Dukie.
After the Singler huge shot, it was the Greg Paulus show. Amazing, considering Paulus was so unbelievably dreadful up until this point that the FSU fans frequently chanted "We want Paulus" while he was on the bench. Well, BRB has one thing to say to those fans: be careful what you wish for. Paulus had a series of winning plays in the final minutes of this game. First, he came up with a steal and a layup. Then, as the shot clock was winding down, he penetrated to the hoop and hit a big layup and then on the defensive again, he stripped the masked man on FSU and then literally took two punches to the head (one intentional) to preserve the win.
I can't stress this enough but this was a gut check for Duke and they answered the bell. I know FSU is severely undermanned in the front court right now but to win in that setting, a place where even the most dominant Duke teams of old have failed, is a huge accomplishment and really sends this team back home on a high note to play a very strong Clemson squad.
Player of the Game: Jon Sheyer, although he wasn't a really big factor in the 2nd Half, he earned his stripes with an amazing 1st Half off the bench.
Play of the Game: Kyle Singler's 3 after Duke went down 55-54.
Bonehead Coaching Move of the Day: Clearly, when Leonard Hamilton called a timeout after Singler hit that 3 point shot. It made absolutely no sense, it killed the FSU momentum, and left them with only one timeout.
Next up is Clemson at Cameron Indoor on Saturday. I will post a preview later in the week with a prediction...
Box Score
First Half: The Jon Sheyer show. Sheyer was a man child over a 5 minute stretch that allowed Duke to make a 16-0 run. He hit everything: 3's in transition, 3's from the corner, inside and a foul, and a brilliant fade away and a foul at the end of the 1st Half. It was clearly his greatest performance as a Blue Devil, even better than the performance last year against Miami. He, along with Taylor King, are instant offense off the bench and really add another dimension to Duke's half court and full court offense.
Second Half: Last year, FSU rawed back from 17 down to upset the Blue Devils at Cameron. With about 7 minutes left in this game, it looked like deja vu. The Seminoles, led by Jason "Richie" Rich, started spreading the floor and attacking off the dribble at will and Duke had absolutely no answer. This run culminated with a lay-in by Rich making it 55-54 and it appeared as if Duke's problems on the road from a year ago were not behind them in the least. However, down 55-54, and having absolutely no continuity whatsoever in the half court, Sheyer and Singler worked a pick and pop and Kyle Singler hit the biggest shot of the game to make it 57-55.
Quick sidebar: I personally love Singler. He had the courage to take the big 3 to force OT against Pitt, he single-handedly won the Marquette game for them in Maui and when Duke needed him the most tonight, he had the courage to hit the big shot. Also, can we call Rip Hamilton and ask him where he gets his masks? Let's get Singler one of those before he becomes completely undatable. The season is only 15 games old and he now has 3 large gashes on his face that will certainly scar as well as a yellowish left side of his face. Singler really gives them that toughness mentally and physically that McRoberts could never muster in his two meager seasons as a Dukie.
After the Singler huge shot, it was the Greg Paulus show. Amazing, considering Paulus was so unbelievably dreadful up until this point that the FSU fans frequently chanted "We want Paulus" while he was on the bench. Well, BRB has one thing to say to those fans: be careful what you wish for. Paulus had a series of winning plays in the final minutes of this game. First, he came up with a steal and a layup. Then, as the shot clock was winding down, he penetrated to the hoop and hit a big layup and then on the defensive again, he stripped the masked man on FSU and then literally took two punches to the head (one intentional) to preserve the win.
I can't stress this enough but this was a gut check for Duke and they answered the bell. I know FSU is severely undermanned in the front court right now but to win in that setting, a place where even the most dominant Duke teams of old have failed, is a huge accomplishment and really sends this team back home on a high note to play a very strong Clemson squad.
Player of the Game: Jon Sheyer, although he wasn't a really big factor in the 2nd Half, he earned his stripes with an amazing 1st Half off the bench.
Play of the Game: Kyle Singler's 3 after Duke went down 55-54.
Bonehead Coaching Move of the Day: Clearly, when Leonard Hamilton called a timeout after Singler hit that 3 point shot. It made absolutely no sense, it killed the FSU momentum, and left them with only one timeout.
Next up is Clemson at Cameron Indoor on Saturday. I will post a preview later in the week with a prediction...
Feel Good Nolan Smith Read
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=3196773&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1
ESPN has a great article up about Nolan Smith, Johnny Dawkins, and Nolan's late father
ESPN has a great article up about Nolan Smith, Johnny Dawkins, and Nolan's late father
Capel-ble?
Since the college basketball season started way back in November, we've constantly heard about the impact freshmen. All of the attention has been placed on Michael Beasley of K-State, OJ Mayo at USC, and Eric Gordon at Indiana. You've also heard muh ado about Donte Green, Kyle Singler, Kevin Love, Jerryd Bayless, and even Patrick Patterson.
However, after watching all of these freshmen, I believe the freshman who has had the biggest impact on his team has been Blake Griffin of Oklahoma. I know, I know...Michael Beasley and Eric Gordon have been spectacular but Beasley won't be enough to overcome suspect guard play to get his team into the NCAA Tournament and Gordon has made Indiana a really good team but without him, they are still a tournament team. Without Blake Griffin, this Oklahoma team is not a tournament team.
He averages 15 points, 9 rebounds for former Dukie Jeff Capel but his contribution in terms of intangibles that don't show up on the stat line are immeasurable. That's why Oklahoma's blowout loss at Kansas on Monday night was not the worst loss of the night. Early on in that game, Griffin went up for a rebound and came down on his knee and did not return. It has since been revealed that Griffin has a sprained MCL and will be out a month. This is a tremendous blow to a team that I believe would've made the NCAA Tournament despite a bad loss to Stephen F. Austin.
Can Capel and Oklahoma weather the storm before he comes back? I don't think so because their other star, Longar Longar, will now be double and triple teamed in Griffin's absence and in what should be a one and done year for Griffin, his talents will not be displayed on the collegiate's grandest of stages, the NCAA Tournament.
As for Capel, just a quick sidebar, but he is turning out to be a pretty successful young coach. He comes from a pedigree of coaches. Remember, his dad was the long-time successful coach at Old Dominion. Capel built VCU into a successful program and recruited Eric Maynor (remember him?) and now he looks like he's rebuilding the OU program, one that needed to be rebuilt from the bottom up when Kelvin Sampson left it in shambels. However, this Griffin injury is a major setback to his team this year...
We, as Duke fans, all remember Capel for his 45 foot prayer against UNC at the buzzer in 1995 but I think we need to start recognizing him as a pretty decent up and coming coach...
However, after watching all of these freshmen, I believe the freshman who has had the biggest impact on his team has been Blake Griffin of Oklahoma. I know, I know...Michael Beasley and Eric Gordon have been spectacular but Beasley won't be enough to overcome suspect guard play to get his team into the NCAA Tournament and Gordon has made Indiana a really good team but without him, they are still a tournament team. Without Blake Griffin, this Oklahoma team is not a tournament team.
He averages 15 points, 9 rebounds for former Dukie Jeff Capel but his contribution in terms of intangibles that don't show up on the stat line are immeasurable. That's why Oklahoma's blowout loss at Kansas on Monday night was not the worst loss of the night. Early on in that game, Griffin went up for a rebound and came down on his knee and did not return. It has since been revealed that Griffin has a sprained MCL and will be out a month. This is a tremendous blow to a team that I believe would've made the NCAA Tournament despite a bad loss to Stephen F. Austin.
Can Capel and Oklahoma weather the storm before he comes back? I don't think so because their other star, Longar Longar, will now be double and triple teamed in Griffin's absence and in what should be a one and done year for Griffin, his talents will not be displayed on the collegiate's grandest of stages, the NCAA Tournament.
As for Capel, just a quick sidebar, but he is turning out to be a pretty successful young coach. He comes from a pedigree of coaches. Remember, his dad was the long-time successful coach at Old Dominion. Capel built VCU into a successful program and recruited Eric Maynor (remember him?) and now he looks like he's rebuilding the OU program, one that needed to be rebuilt from the bottom up when Kelvin Sampson left it in shambels. However, this Griffin injury is a major setback to his team this year...
We, as Duke fans, all remember Capel for his 45 foot prayer against UNC at the buzzer in 1995 but I think we need to start recognizing him as a pretty decent up and coming coach...
Revenge Game
Remember this?
I know we all do...
Before the game, you figured there was no way Florida State would beat Duke that day. Too much was working against them. Duke was coming off of a loss and traditionally, they bounce back quite well, FSU had never beaten Duke at Cameron in their history, and oh yeah, Duke was retiring JJ Redick's jersey that day. All of which, apparently didn't rattle the Seminoles and they came in and beat Duke. Afterwards, they celebrated like classless individuals and were taunting the crazies.
The questions arises 11 months later: Can Duke exact some revenge from last year? I think they have a really good shot. A few things have changed since last year's game. First, the poster boy for Dukes mediocrity last year, Josh McRoberts, is long gone and is currently in Potatoe country playing in the D-league. Second, the Duke killer, Al Thorton, is currently on the LA Clippers. I held off my prediction for this game because I didn't know enough about FSU but here is what I know...
FSU is 12-5 and their biggest wins are: Florida at home, Minnesota at home, and G Tech at home, all of which, aren't exactly resume builders for March so this Duke game is very important for them. They have some terrible losses as well: Cleveland State at home and South Florida at home. The other losses were at Butler (good loss), at Providence, which isn't terrible, and a 2OT loss to Clemson on the road a few nights ago. In fact, they had that Clemson game won until Trevor Booker hit a bank 3 at the buzzer to force OT.
They have very balanced scoring with 5 guys averaging in double figures. They, like Duke, have strong guard play with Rich, Swann, and leading scorer, Toney Douglas. They, like Duke, don't seem to have much size. The tallest guy in their rotation is 6'9'', which is a good thing for Duke.
Duke has lost 2 of the last 3 to FSU and the only win was a controversial 97-96 OT thriller when Alexander Johnson fouled out with 10 minutes left even though he really shouldn't have. FSU's athleticism has always given Duke problems, even when Duke was the much superior team. In 2002, FSU absolutely stunned an undefeated, defending national champion team at home. This was a landmark win for the FSU program and really foreshadowed the eventual demise of Duke that year, exposing Jason Williams' free throw shooting. The following year, they upset a less talented Duke team (JJ frosh year) and in 2006, they upset #1 Duke and National POY JJ Redick, a game that ended with Coach K pulling his starters off the court prior to the buzzer due to safety concerns.
So, although I think Duke is better than they were last year and FSU is weaker (how can you not be without Thorton?) than they were last year, Leonard Hamilton always has them ready to play Duke and they are never intimidated by the tradition and ora of the program. Also, even though it's two months into the year already, this is duke's first real road game. How will they respond? I think Duke pulls it out in the final minutes and gets a measure of revenge in a place they never seem to win at anymore...
Prediction: Duke 84 FSU 81
I know we all do...
Before the game, you figured there was no way Florida State would beat Duke that day. Too much was working against them. Duke was coming off of a loss and traditionally, they bounce back quite well, FSU had never beaten Duke at Cameron in their history, and oh yeah, Duke was retiring JJ Redick's jersey that day. All of which, apparently didn't rattle the Seminoles and they came in and beat Duke. Afterwards, they celebrated like classless individuals and were taunting the crazies.
The questions arises 11 months later: Can Duke exact some revenge from last year? I think they have a really good shot. A few things have changed since last year's game. First, the poster boy for Dukes mediocrity last year, Josh McRoberts, is long gone and is currently in Potatoe country playing in the D-league. Second, the Duke killer, Al Thorton, is currently on the LA Clippers. I held off my prediction for this game because I didn't know enough about FSU but here is what I know...
FSU is 12-5 and their biggest wins are: Florida at home, Minnesota at home, and G Tech at home, all of which, aren't exactly resume builders for March so this Duke game is very important for them. They have some terrible losses as well: Cleveland State at home and South Florida at home. The other losses were at Butler (good loss), at Providence, which isn't terrible, and a 2OT loss to Clemson on the road a few nights ago. In fact, they had that Clemson game won until Trevor Booker hit a bank 3 at the buzzer to force OT.
They have very balanced scoring with 5 guys averaging in double figures. They, like Duke, have strong guard play with Rich, Swann, and leading scorer, Toney Douglas. They, like Duke, don't seem to have much size. The tallest guy in their rotation is 6'9'', which is a good thing for Duke.
Duke has lost 2 of the last 3 to FSU and the only win was a controversial 97-96 OT thriller when Alexander Johnson fouled out with 10 minutes left even though he really shouldn't have. FSU's athleticism has always given Duke problems, even when Duke was the much superior team. In 2002, FSU absolutely stunned an undefeated, defending national champion team at home. This was a landmark win for the FSU program and really foreshadowed the eventual demise of Duke that year, exposing Jason Williams' free throw shooting. The following year, they upset a less talented Duke team (JJ frosh year) and in 2006, they upset #1 Duke and National POY JJ Redick, a game that ended with Coach K pulling his starters off the court prior to the buzzer due to safety concerns.
So, although I think Duke is better than they were last year and FSU is weaker (how can you not be without Thorton?) than they were last year, Leonard Hamilton always has them ready to play Duke and they are never intimidated by the tradition and ora of the program. Also, even though it's two months into the year already, this is duke's first real road game. How will they respond? I think Duke pulls it out in the final minutes and gets a measure of revenge in a place they never seem to win at anymore...
Prediction: Duke 84 FSU 81
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Duke #5 ESPN, #7 AP
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings
Is Duke really a Top 5 team? Watching the Cornell and Temple games would indicate no but pinpoint a team that is better outside the Top 4. I know Pitt beat Duke at the buzzer but they are a much different team now then they were on December 20th without Levance Fields of Dreams and Mike Cook. G'Town just got spanked by Pitt and Roy Hibbert is vastly overrated, Washington State looked unimpressive against UCLA, Tennessee plays an exciting brand of basketball but are they ready to be a consistent Top 10 program yet, A&M has played a Cupcake schedule, Indiana has a great player in Eric Gordon but they got spanked by Xavier in their only real test, Michigan State is solid but can I really take a team seriously that lost to Grand Valley State in the preseason, Butler is a solid mid-major but they can't even beat Wright State let alone anyone in the ACC (excluding Maryland last year), etc...I know it's still early but there isn't a team that has a better resume than Duke outside of the Top 4 in terms on big wins (Illinois, Marquette, Wisconsin) in addition to terrific talent on the perimeter.
Is Duke really a Top 5 team? Watching the Cornell and Temple games would indicate no but pinpoint a team that is better outside the Top 4. I know Pitt beat Duke at the buzzer but they are a much different team now then they were on December 20th without Levance Fields of Dreams and Mike Cook. G'Town just got spanked by Pitt and Roy Hibbert is vastly overrated, Washington State looked unimpressive against UCLA, Tennessee plays an exciting brand of basketball but are they ready to be a consistent Top 10 program yet, A&M has played a Cupcake schedule, Indiana has a great player in Eric Gordon but they got spanked by Xavier in their only real test, Michigan State is solid but can I really take a team seriously that lost to Grand Valley State in the preseason, Butler is a solid mid-major but they can't even beat Wright State let alone anyone in the ACC (excluding Maryland last year), etc...I know it's still early but there isn't a team that has a better resume than Duke outside of the Top 4 in terms on big wins (Illinois, Marquette, Wisconsin) in addition to terrific talent on the perimeter.
Monday, January 14, 2008
A Cut Above The Rest
We are now two months into the college basketball season. Although we just started conference play, it's become clear to me that there are only four teams who can legitimately cut down the nets come March. This is not to say all of these teams will be in the Final 4 on the first weekend of April but I would be surprised if one of these four are NOT cutting down the nets this year.
1. North Carolina: As much as it pains me to say this, North Carolina has all of the ingredients to win a championship. They have a PG who can penetrate at will, good outside shooting with Ellington and Green and a dominate low-post presence who refuses to lose in Tyler Hansbrough. This team still has questions about their consistency on defense but their defense against NC State was flawless. I think this team is a lock to make it to the final weekend but I do believe the absence of Bobby Frasor, a consistent backup PG, will hurt them and keep them from winning it all.
2. Memphis: I know you can be a plant and get into Memphis and the Tigers aren't the smartest team in the nation but they are certainly the most athletic. Derrick Rose is a one and done PG who is supremely talented and will be a Top 3 pick this year in the NBA Draft. Chris Douglas Roberts is an excellent scorer and a combination of athletes on the wing and in the post will make Memphis virtually impossible to beat. Although Houston is much improved, there will be an investigation if Memphis doesn't run through the weak CUSA perfect. The only shot at a blemish before the NCAA Tournament is a late February meeting with Tennessee, who I believe has the chops, defensive intensity, and the scoring to beat the Tigers. However, the game is in Memphis so it will be a tall order for the Volunteers. With all that said, I think they will get picked off in the tournament if they go into it undefeated for two reasons: pressure and untested late in the year.
3. Kansas: To me, there isn't a weakness on this team. They don't shoot it from the outside as well as you would like so a good team could zone them and give them trouble. However, their inside game with Arthur and Jackson is supreme and their guard play is tremendous. Brandon Rush will only get better as well when he continues to recover from a knee injury. I don't like Bill Self in a big spot but as of today, January 14th, I believe the Jayhawks will cut down the nets in April because of their superior depth, experience, and inside play.
4. UCLA: UCLA sort of dropped out of the national spotlight when Texas went into Cali and shocked the Bruins. But, let's face it, the Bruins weren't healthy then and they still aren't at 100% but make no mistake, they have the defense and experience to finally cut down the nets this year. I love Howland as a coach, he's a flat out winner and he gets maximum effort from his team year in and year out. The two-headed monster of Collison and Westbrook is as good as it gets at the point, Josh Shipp has replaced Aaron Affalo seemlessly as the go-to guy and the X-factor this year will be Kevin Love, who has shown the ability to hit the 3. If Love can bring the big guys of UNC, Memphis, and Kansas out to the top consistently, UCLA can definitely get penetration and score. One question will need to be answered come tournament time: Do the Bruins have enough scoring to win? They didn't the past two years but Corey Brewer is in the NBA though...
1. North Carolina: As much as it pains me to say this, North Carolina has all of the ingredients to win a championship. They have a PG who can penetrate at will, good outside shooting with Ellington and Green and a dominate low-post presence who refuses to lose in Tyler Hansbrough. This team still has questions about their consistency on defense but their defense against NC State was flawless. I think this team is a lock to make it to the final weekend but I do believe the absence of Bobby Frasor, a consistent backup PG, will hurt them and keep them from winning it all.
2. Memphis: I know you can be a plant and get into Memphis and the Tigers aren't the smartest team in the nation but they are certainly the most athletic. Derrick Rose is a one and done PG who is supremely talented and will be a Top 3 pick this year in the NBA Draft. Chris Douglas Roberts is an excellent scorer and a combination of athletes on the wing and in the post will make Memphis virtually impossible to beat. Although Houston is much improved, there will be an investigation if Memphis doesn't run through the weak CUSA perfect. The only shot at a blemish before the NCAA Tournament is a late February meeting with Tennessee, who I believe has the chops, defensive intensity, and the scoring to beat the Tigers. However, the game is in Memphis so it will be a tall order for the Volunteers. With all that said, I think they will get picked off in the tournament if they go into it undefeated for two reasons: pressure and untested late in the year.
3. Kansas: To me, there isn't a weakness on this team. They don't shoot it from the outside as well as you would like so a good team could zone them and give them trouble. However, their inside game with Arthur and Jackson is supreme and their guard play is tremendous. Brandon Rush will only get better as well when he continues to recover from a knee injury. I don't like Bill Self in a big spot but as of today, January 14th, I believe the Jayhawks will cut down the nets in April because of their superior depth, experience, and inside play.
4. UCLA: UCLA sort of dropped out of the national spotlight when Texas went into Cali and shocked the Bruins. But, let's face it, the Bruins weren't healthy then and they still aren't at 100% but make no mistake, they have the defense and experience to finally cut down the nets this year. I love Howland as a coach, he's a flat out winner and he gets maximum effort from his team year in and year out. The two-headed monster of Collison and Westbrook is as good as it gets at the point, Josh Shipp has replaced Aaron Affalo seemlessly as the go-to guy and the X-factor this year will be Kevin Love, who has shown the ability to hit the 3. If Love can bring the big guys of UNC, Memphis, and Kansas out to the top consistently, UCLA can definitely get penetration and score. One question will need to be answered come tournament time: Do the Bruins have enough scoring to win? They didn't the past two years but Corey Brewer is in the NBA though...
I Hate Hockey Even More Now...
What a day for me yesterday. First, I see the Colts go down to the undermanned Chargers, which i was rooting for heavily after the Colts disgraced not only football but sports in general in the regular season finale when they literally handed the Titans a playoff spot.
Then, my G-Men, go into Big D and beat the arrogance right out of the Cowboys and sent Tony Romo back to Cabo with Jessica Simpson. At this point, I am Cloud 9 as a sports fan. My Giants, who I practically wrote off after Week 2 admittedly, pulled off the impossible. So, what can possibly top off my night? Seeing the Dukies play their ACC opener at Cameron.
Change of plans. I go to throw FSN on to watch the game with my girl and I what do I get? Freakin' NHL Hockey, Islanders v. Who Cares and of course, I don't have these 10 FSN pay-per-view channels and in turn, I can't watch the game to top off my great sports day. That was the bad news. The good news is that Duke handled UVA from the opening tip and according to the press conferences and the articles, it looks like Duke played one of their most complete games all year. Good thing because watching the last two games, I felt as if I was going to slip into a coma watching this team. So, I can't comment on the game with my usual twist today but head over to dukereport.com or DBR to get extensive coverage. Also, check out this Duke Blue Planet site, it's pretty cool.
Next up is FSU in Tallahassee, which is always a tough game and a place Duke usually falls. Al Thorton has moved onto bigger and better things but Toney Douglas and company will be tough, especially after losing a buzzer beater, 2OT game to Clemson last night. No prediction because I don't know enough about FSU this year. If they have added adequate help down low to replace Thorton, they have a good chance to win. If not, Duke should win the game based on better perimeter play.
Then, my G-Men, go into Big D and beat the arrogance right out of the Cowboys and sent Tony Romo back to Cabo with Jessica Simpson. At this point, I am Cloud 9 as a sports fan. My Giants, who I practically wrote off after Week 2 admittedly, pulled off the impossible. So, what can possibly top off my night? Seeing the Dukies play their ACC opener at Cameron.
Change of plans. I go to throw FSN on to watch the game with my girl and I what do I get? Freakin' NHL Hockey, Islanders v. Who Cares and of course, I don't have these 10 FSN pay-per-view channels and in turn, I can't watch the game to top off my great sports day. That was the bad news. The good news is that Duke handled UVA from the opening tip and according to the press conferences and the articles, it looks like Duke played one of their most complete games all year. Good thing because watching the last two games, I felt as if I was going to slip into a coma watching this team. So, I can't comment on the game with my usual twist today but head over to dukereport.com or DBR to get extensive coverage. Also, check out this Duke Blue Planet site, it's pretty cool.
Next up is FSU in Tallahassee, which is always a tough game and a place Duke usually falls. Al Thorton has moved onto bigger and better things but Toney Douglas and company will be tough, especially after losing a buzzer beater, 2OT game to Clemson last night. No prediction because I don't know enough about FSU this year. If they have added adequate help down low to replace Thorton, they have a good chance to win. If not, Duke should win the game based on better perimeter play.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Size DOES Matter
I will certainly take it but Duke is looking more vulnerable each and every game. With both Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek out, Duke looked like a talented high school team playing a group of grown men. AND, let's not kid ourselves about this win, this isn't exactly the Temple of old with Cheney at the helm and players like Eddie Jones, Marty Collins, and Pepe Sanchez at their disposal. Temple came into this game at 6-6 from a lousy conference, albeit an up and coming conference with the emergence of Dayton, Rhode Island, and Xavier (all in the Top 25). Pretty amazing since the ACC has only 3 teams in the Top 25 (UNC, Duke, Clemson) and Clemson has lost two consecutive games including a stunner at home against Charlotte.
For all of those people who ignored the Zoubek injury and pretty much laughed at me when I said it would cost this team games won't be laughing when Duke falls to mediocre ACC competition in the next few weeks. Lance Thomas, who missed the game with a resp infection, has been battling a variety of injuries all year and who knows what Duke will get from him for the remainder of the year. David McClure, who was a nice player and for most of last year, was Duke's most consistent performer just isn't the same player after yet another off-season knee injury. Even if he didnt have the surgery, he is still only listed at 6'8'' and provides absolutely no offense. After that, where do you go? Duke's front court is thinner than Ally McBeal and no one seems to get it. Duke has one plan and one plan only: jack up threes, run and spread the floor, and overplay passing lanes. If that plan works, they can take down just about anybody in the country (with the exception of Memphis and Kansas). I leave out UNC, only for the reason, that even when one program is up and the other is down, the games are usually competitive because the juices are flowing at even the lesser of the teams seems to play outside of their bodies. However, when Plan 1 or Plan A or Plan Alpha fails, then it inevitably means Duke fails because they have no way else to beat you, even if you are a mediocre team. You can get by the Albanys and Cornells of the world not hitting on your Plan A but if you think you're beating Virginia and FSU let alone UNC and Clemson without Plan A, you have another thing coming.
This only leads me into a topic that pretty much only I continually touch on and is pretty much ignored across the board in Duke Nation: transfers. How is Eric Boateng on Duke looking right now? He's a productive player on ASU who is only getting better. I watched ASU v. OSU the other day and he showed some really nice moves. How is Jamal Boykin doing right now? He went for 16 and 10 in his 2nd game at Cal. Now, I know there were some family issues there but if he was playing minutes prior to that, you have to think he would've stuck around. Coach K going to an unusally short bench each and every year seems to be biting Duke in the ass. We're not talking about projects either. Boykin is a former California POY and Boateng, even though he hadn't started playing bball until he was 15, was a McDonald's All-American. Just think about that "incredible" class Duke had coming in for JJ and Shelden's Senior season that was supposed to lead to championship after championship. Only one player exists on the team right now! Paulus. McRoberts bounced to the NBA after an unspectacular two year stint, Boateng transferred, Boykin transferred, and Pocius, who never plays anyways, is out for the season.
This isn't the first time transfers have hurt Duke: Michael Thompson ring a bell? I still stand by the notion that Duke would've won the 2004 National Championship if Thompson didn't transfer because he would've been more than adequate enough big man to play Okafur for 2 minutes up 8 points.
As you can see, I am very down as a Duke fan right now because I want the ability to win championships. I am not stubborn enough nor stupid enough to believe they should win it each and every year because that's impossible but let's be honest, it's nice to go into the season knowing you have a chance. That's all you can ask for. I don't like that everything needs to break right just for Duke to be a second weekend team. I want Duke to be a final weekend team and that will not be the case this year nor will it be next year either. Missing out on Greg Monroe and just adding guards won't solve any problems at Duke and unless Lance Thomas or Brian Zoubek transform their games, it will be another quick exit for Duke next year. Instead of extending scholarships to Marty Pocius who will never ever play, lets extend one to a 4 star big guy. You don't need to always have 5 star big guys you know. Look at Dejuan Blair for example. He wasn't heralded as the best player at his position but take a shot on size, please. Without it, you can have all the amazing guard play you want, you will always hit a ceiling and that ceiling is nowhere near a championship.
Next up is Virginia on Sunday, at home. I think Duke is better than Virginia and I think Virginia is clearly a shell of the team they were last year. However, they have the chops to go into Cameron and beat Duke like they did earlier this year when they beat Arizona at Arizona. If Thomas comes back and plays substantial minutes, I like Duke to pull it out. If they have to play small like they did last night, Virginia and Sean Singletary has a 50/50 shot of coming out of their with a big road ACC victory.
Prediction: Duke 85 UVA 79 (You didn't think I was going to predict Duke losing did you?)
For all of those people who ignored the Zoubek injury and pretty much laughed at me when I said it would cost this team games won't be laughing when Duke falls to mediocre ACC competition in the next few weeks. Lance Thomas, who missed the game with a resp infection, has been battling a variety of injuries all year and who knows what Duke will get from him for the remainder of the year. David McClure, who was a nice player and for most of last year, was Duke's most consistent performer just isn't the same player after yet another off-season knee injury. Even if he didnt have the surgery, he is still only listed at 6'8'' and provides absolutely no offense. After that, where do you go? Duke's front court is thinner than Ally McBeal and no one seems to get it. Duke has one plan and one plan only: jack up threes, run and spread the floor, and overplay passing lanes. If that plan works, they can take down just about anybody in the country (with the exception of Memphis and Kansas). I leave out UNC, only for the reason, that even when one program is up and the other is down, the games are usually competitive because the juices are flowing at even the lesser of the teams seems to play outside of their bodies. However, when Plan 1 or Plan A or Plan Alpha fails, then it inevitably means Duke fails because they have no way else to beat you, even if you are a mediocre team. You can get by the Albanys and Cornells of the world not hitting on your Plan A but if you think you're beating Virginia and FSU let alone UNC and Clemson without Plan A, you have another thing coming.
This only leads me into a topic that pretty much only I continually touch on and is pretty much ignored across the board in Duke Nation: transfers. How is Eric Boateng on Duke looking right now? He's a productive player on ASU who is only getting better. I watched ASU v. OSU the other day and he showed some really nice moves. How is Jamal Boykin doing right now? He went for 16 and 10 in his 2nd game at Cal. Now, I know there were some family issues there but if he was playing minutes prior to that, you have to think he would've stuck around. Coach K going to an unusally short bench each and every year seems to be biting Duke in the ass. We're not talking about projects either. Boykin is a former California POY and Boateng, even though he hadn't started playing bball until he was 15, was a McDonald's All-American. Just think about that "incredible" class Duke had coming in for JJ and Shelden's Senior season that was supposed to lead to championship after championship. Only one player exists on the team right now! Paulus. McRoberts bounced to the NBA after an unspectacular two year stint, Boateng transferred, Boykin transferred, and Pocius, who never plays anyways, is out for the season.
This isn't the first time transfers have hurt Duke: Michael Thompson ring a bell? I still stand by the notion that Duke would've won the 2004 National Championship if Thompson didn't transfer because he would've been more than adequate enough big man to play Okafur for 2 minutes up 8 points.
As you can see, I am very down as a Duke fan right now because I want the ability to win championships. I am not stubborn enough nor stupid enough to believe they should win it each and every year because that's impossible but let's be honest, it's nice to go into the season knowing you have a chance. That's all you can ask for. I don't like that everything needs to break right just for Duke to be a second weekend team. I want Duke to be a final weekend team and that will not be the case this year nor will it be next year either. Missing out on Greg Monroe and just adding guards won't solve any problems at Duke and unless Lance Thomas or Brian Zoubek transform their games, it will be another quick exit for Duke next year. Instead of extending scholarships to Marty Pocius who will never ever play, lets extend one to a 4 star big guy. You don't need to always have 5 star big guys you know. Look at Dejuan Blair for example. He wasn't heralded as the best player at his position but take a shot on size, please. Without it, you can have all the amazing guard play you want, you will always hit a ceiling and that ceiling is nowhere near a championship.
Next up is Virginia on Sunday, at home. I think Duke is better than Virginia and I think Virginia is clearly a shell of the team they were last year. However, they have the chops to go into Cameron and beat Duke like they did earlier this year when they beat Arizona at Arizona. If Thomas comes back and plays substantial minutes, I like Duke to pull it out. If they have to play small like they did last night, Virginia and Sean Singletary has a 50/50 shot of coming out of their with a big road ACC victory.
Prediction: Duke 85 UVA 79 (You didn't think I was going to predict Duke losing did you?)
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Specification
Let me clear some things up. I, by NO means, consider Brian Zoubek the next Lou Alcindor but I really do think this injury will affect Duke negatively. Although he has a reputation as a stiff, he's a live body off the bench and without Josh and losing out on Patterson, Duke needs as many of those as possible. I mean Duke doesn't even have that walk-on they usually have like Patrick Johnson who can spell a big man for a few minutes. They are much too small and the only team that had the personnel to expose this problem, Pittsburgh, beat them.
Duke has a number of nice wins under their belt but they haven't faced the likes of the BIG teams that can abuse them down low and get whatever big guys they have in foul trouble. Not to mention, this injury will force Singler to play a lot more down low than all Duke fans would like and this could cause him to break down by the end of the year.
Losing Zoubek doesn't hurt Duke production wise and if their jump shots aren't falling, you could have 10 Zoubeks and they still wouldn't win, I agree. However, if Thomas and McClure, who still can't jump, get in foul trouble, than the rest of the team will have to compensate and play out of position.
We will see...
Duke has a number of nice wins under their belt but they haven't faced the likes of the BIG teams that can abuse them down low and get whatever big guys they have in foul trouble. Not to mention, this injury will force Singler to play a lot more down low than all Duke fans would like and this could cause him to break down by the end of the year.
Losing Zoubek doesn't hurt Duke production wise and if their jump shots aren't falling, you could have 10 Zoubeks and they still wouldn't win, I agree. However, if Thomas and McClure, who still can't jump, get in foul trouble, than the rest of the team will have to compensate and play out of position.
We will see...
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Big Trouble
DBR is reporting that Brian Zoubek has broken his foot again. According to what you hear, it looks like the same injury and it took him 2 months to return from the first injury. I think the NCAA Tournament is the next time you will see him or possibly next year. That's a huge break, pardon the pun, for Duke and for a team that is already thin in the post, it could really affect their seeding in the tournament because beating the likes of UNC or Clemson will be tough...
Losing Marty Pocius didn't hurt as much because of Duke's depth at the guard slot but although he's not a huge contributor, this will cost Duke some games this year...
Very tough...BTW, I didn't see the Cornell game because I went out to watch the Giant game and didn't get home in time and my TIVO is broken. Even though I don't like what I read, I'm not going to go crazy because they had a 17 day layoff.
Next up is Temple on Wednesday in Philly. The game should be a little closer than last year but Duke's athleticism and depth at the guard should be too much but hey, I was the guy that predicted a 45 point victory over Cornell
Losing Marty Pocius didn't hurt as much because of Duke's depth at the guard slot but although he's not a huge contributor, this will cost Duke some games this year...
Very tough...BTW, I didn't see the Cornell game because I went out to watch the Giant game and didn't get home in time and my TIVO is broken. Even though I don't like what I read, I'm not going to go crazy because they had a 17 day layoff.
Next up is Temple on Wednesday in Philly. The game should be a little closer than last year but Duke's athleticism and depth at the guard should be too much but hey, I was the guy that predicted a 45 point victory over Cornell
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