[2018-19] Boston College, at Virginia, at Louisville, NC State

[aiw]

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article226261505.html#navlink=SecList

DJ Funderburk (RS Soph, Forward):

“I’m ready for anybody on Duke’s team,” Funderburk told the Raleigh News & Observer. “No offense to them or anything, they have a great basketball team, but we have have a great basketball team, too, and they have to lace up their shoes just like us.”

And on Williamson specifically?

“Athletic ability ... but he’s really a regular player to me. I’m not really in awe about basketball players, especially not in the same conference or younger than me or the same age as me. I’m just going to go out there and play as hard as I can. I’m known for playing in big games, I love to to play in big games, I love playing away.”

So good. I like how a guy I've never heard of is known for playing in big games.

Also, good job today.

 

[aiw]

This team and home games, wtf.

Luckily, there are only three home games left: UNC, Miami, and Wake. Miami and Wake should be easy wins even with Duke not trying, and UNC is the only home game Duke cares about besides UVA. Maybe we’ll get real effort and adjustments in that UNC game. Probably be down double digits at some point like they always are at home vs UNC.

It really is amazing. The last time we weren't down by double digits against UNC at home was 2015, but we did get down by 8 late 2nd half. Never trailed 2nd half.

 

[Devilsforlife]

Keatts is 1-2 against K, right? I'm counting his UNCW record.

Feel like he's out coached him in all three meetings, though.

 

[DrKlahn]

I don’t understand how State always bothers Duke in a running game, UNC always kills State in a running game, and Duke generally beats UNC in a running game.

 

[dukeboy911]

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article226261505.html#navlink=SecList

DJ Funderburk (RS Soph, Forward):

“I’m ready for anybody on Duke’s team,” Funderburk told the Raleigh News & Observer. “No offense to them or anything, they have a great basketball team, but we have have a great basketball team, too, and they have to lace up their shoes just like us.”

And on Williamson specifically?

“Athletic ability ... but he’s really a regular player to me. I’m not really in awe about basketball players, especially not in the same conference or younger than me or the same age as me. I’m just going to go out there and play as hard as I can. I’m known for playing in big games, I love to to play in big games, I love playing away.”

So good. I like how a guy I've never heard of is known for playing in big games.

Also, good job today.

And Zion proceeds to score 32. Ya he's just a regular guy out there.

 

[StopThePumpFakesShav]

Keatts is 1-2 against K, right? I'm counting his UNCW record.

Feel like he's out coached him in all three meetings, though.

Yeah. Looked bad on defense all three times. He probably covered all three spreads.

 

[StopThePumpFakesShav]

Our coach refused to adjust our defense against a team clearly poised to attack it. Zion got in foul trouble. Cam was actively negative. Still win by 16. I guess I should be positive. But all those layups left awful taste in my mouth.

Yeah came away not feeling good about that game at all. Our defense has not looked good the last two games excluding the press against Louisville. For what it’s worth I thought the second half d at least seemed much improved. Stopped getting beat for open layups, etc. Their threes just started to fall in bunches in the second whereas they couldn’t hit anything in the first, which felt random in this case.

I did rage on that play in the second when Bolden came out to 40 feet some reason and got burned for a layup.

 

[rome8180]

Bolden did a nice job in the 2nd half besides that play. He was still coming out too far, but for a long stretch it was actually paying off.

 

[rome8180]

I think a sneaky reason for our defense being less effective is Tre not being quite as good. I don't know if he's less effective because he's playing 40 minutes or if he's still in pain or if it's just been a matchup thing.

 

[dukeboy911]

Ya Tre hasn't seemed like himself lately. Not sure why.

 

[rome8180]

He had a nice game shooting the ball.

 

[StopThePumpFakesShav]

Re: the Cameron issues, it’s notable at least that Duke probably played its best full 40 min in Cameron this calendar year against UVA without Tre. So maybe they’ll show up against UNC given the importance of the game.

 

[dukeboy911]

There hasn't been one big game yet that they haven't show up for, so I guess that bodes well for Wednesday.

 

[dukeboy911]

There hasn't been one big game yet that they haven't show up for, so I guess that bodes well for Wednesday.

Gonzaga says hi.

I'd argue we "showed" up for it, even though our offense played like shit for most of the game. That game was a less extreme version of @Louisville.

 

[Devilsforlife]

We scored 87 points against Gonzaga. The defense was far more problematic. Bolden got abused.

 

[dukeboy911]

Somewhat reasonable though given how elite their offense is this year. Their defense on the other hand, we didn't take nearly as much advantage of.

 

[DurhamSon]

Keatts is 1-2 against K, right? I'm counting his UNCW record.

Feel like he's out coached him in all three meetings, though.

You can classify any other coach into 4 categories:

- As good or better strategist than Coach K, talent close to equal: Calhoun? Self maybe? A win or two against them but otherwise outfoxed in the big games.

- Worse strategist than Coach K, talent close to equal: Calipari is probably the poster boy in this category. Izzo seems to get owned the same way the last 10 meetings. Gottfried with his CJ leslie class, Paul Hewitt era at Gtech, etc.

- As good or better strategist than K, clearly inferior talent: The Breys, Larranagas, Keatts of the world. Gary Williams for a long time. Probably running out a team of mostly 3* and a few 4*, but tactically out-do coach K most every contest so that most times we're always sweating out a win on the backs of superior talent or being embarrassed.

- Worse strategist than K, clearly inferior talent: These coaches serve as free wins as Duke uses their teams as outhouse toilets. Danny Manning is the current shining example. Whosever running things at Georgia Tech right now. A countless list of ACC gutter trash that don't last long at their institutions, basically.

 

[TS9]

Where does Roy fit in the above classification system?

 

[DurhamSon]

That's a good question, I was just thinking that. Maybe there should be a 5th category "close to or equal strategist, just as good talent" in between the first two where I think he and Boeheim would belong. Guys that K seems to get the best of more often than not, but who are otherwise really good coaches in their own right.

 

[rome8180]

Roy's weird. I don't know that I'd think of him as a good strategist. To me, Roy's strengths are:

1) Recruiting to his system
2) Teaching his system well
3) Player development (particularly in the post)
4) Recruiting

Recruiting has slipped off a little bit, but because of #1-#3 he can plug and play some lesser players and have it work. But of course, like Tony Bennett, having a great system comes with its own drawbacks. There's a certain inflexibility. K has shown that he'll make major changes in the middle of a game. Roy has too, but those changes are just randomly substituting out good players for bad ones.