Game Thread [2019-20] #1 Duke vs Georgetown (New York) (2K Empire Classic)

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

 

[Slap the Floor]

iirc Georgetown was considered as a likely NCAA Tournament team prior to the season starting. They have decent talent and this is a Superbowl game for them and MSG will be rocking, so I am expecting a very close and entertaining game.

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

The most distinctive feature of Georgetown's offense is getting to the line and hitting free throws. #12 in FT rate, #35 in FT%, #13 in % of points from FT. This isn't concentrated in one or a few players who get to the line a ton; Georgetown has 9 rotation players with close to 40% FT rate or better. Unsurprisingly for anyone who watched Ewing's Knicks teams (or any Eastern Conference basketball at all in the 90s), this hard-to-watch bully-ball style is probably going to be Ewing's hallmark as an offensive coach--Georgetown's FT rate has gone from #52 to #43 to #12 in his three seasons. Javin DeLaurier will most likely foul out of this game within 2-3 minutes of playing time.

Georgetown is also outstanding at offensive rebounding, but this is mostly concentrated in one player. Omer Yurtseven, the pride of NC State athletics, is #1 in the country with 27% OReb. Big Yurt should be as good a test of Vernon Carey's 28% DReb as any player Duke will see this year. He was developing scary 3-point range two years ago when he went 22-44 3pt (50%) at NC State, but for whatever reason (moving back the arc?), he has only attempted one 3-pointer this season and he missed it. Hopefully, he takes at least one more game to find his range so Carey doesn't have to do too much on defense.

Tre Jones' defense will be tested by James Akinjo, who has shown signs of potentially being a great college point guard, the kind that normally feasts on Duke when Tre Jones isn't on Duke. As a freshman last season, Akinjo got to the line a lot, made 81% of his FTs, made 39% of his 3s and had the #64 assist rate in the country. He has significantly improved his two major flaws this season--2pt shooting and turnover rate. He's only shooting 25% on 3s this year, which is probably due for upward regression soon, and once that number climbs close to 40%, he's going to have numbers as good as any point guard in the major conferences.

Georgetown's defense doesn't look great on paper, and it might be something Ewing will struggle with throughout his coaching career. His defenses at Georgetown have significantly underperformed his offenses. This year, they're terrible at defending 3s and merely mediocre at defending 2s and creating turnovers. That said, Duke will likely need to be better than atrocious at hitting 3s against a defense like this to win comfortably.

 

[Inveigle]

 

[torontoduke]

Why no photos of Ewing walking out of the Gold Club in Atlanta (circa 1998)?

 

[Devilsforlife]

Tip at 7:20

 

[aiw]

Loss

 

[deepdarkblue]

I hope we lose with poise and grace and strong faces all around

 

[aiw]

Little white is about to kill us

 

[aiw]

Big Yurt will foul out Big Hoss

 

[aiw]

Apparently a 50/50 crowd

 

[Devilsforlife]

Not surprising

 

[aiw]

that pic of Carey, he has deodorant in his pit hair

 

[torontoduke]

I thought he'd be an axe body spray dude

 

[Slap the Floor]

Yurtseven

 

[aiw]

He's gonna kill us

 

[Slap the Floor]

our uniforms are nice

 

[DrKlahn]

Is one NC State player all it takes to turn Duke into mush

 

[Slap the Floor]

Georgetown won't miss tonight.

 

[aiw]

Why did Tre allow him the open shot>