Game Thread [2019-20] #10 Duke at Virginia Tech

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

The Duke-in-Blacksburg 10-year review, season by season:

2011 - A very good Duke team that finished #2 on Kenpom LOST at Virginia Tech, who did not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2012 - A bad Duke team that finished #19 on Kenpom WON at Virginia Tech, who finished with a 16-17 record and failed to qualify for the NIT.

2013 - A good Duke team that finished #6 on Kenpom WON at Virginia Tech, who finished with a 13-19 record and failed to qualify for the NIT.

2014 - Duke did not play at Virginia Tech.

2015 - A national champion Duke team WON IN OVERTIME at Virginia Tech, who finished with an 11-22 record and failed to qualify for the NIT.

2016 - Duke did not play at Virginia Tech.

2017 - A disappointing Duke team that finished #17 on Kenpom LOST at Virginia Tech, who was a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

2018 - A very good Duke team that finished #3 on Kenpom LOST at Virginia Tech, who was an 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

2019 - A very good Duke team that finished #4 on Kenpom LOST at Virginia Tech, who was a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

2020 - A worse-than-Stephen F. Austin Duke team LOST at Virginia Tech, who did not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

 

[ZackM]

Kenpom #54, #35 Offense, #86 Defense

December 6, 2019
7:00pm EST on ACCN

 

[DurhamSon]

I remember Singler really gagging in that 2011 choke. Also cost us some recruit we were after at the time, who verbal'd to VT after seeing that game in person, even though I don't think he enrolled there. But they ended up being really good wherever they went. @rome8180 probably remembers.

Also, was that the win where Uncle Fester said it was one of the best moments in his life, only to get fired after the season?

Edit: It was Montrezl Harrell. Might have been useful to have him in 2013 instead of on the Louisville team that beat us...

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Duke has not beaten a top 70 (using Kenpom) Virginia Tech team in Blacksburg since 2008.

 

[Slap the Floor]

Sportsbook?

 

[Devilsforlife]

I also remember losing at that fucking medieval dungeon back in 2005, JJ and Shelden's junior year. That game made me incredibly angry at the time. I hate playing @ VT so goddamn much.

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

This new coach is the guy from Wofford. Toward the end of his run at Wofford, his M.O. on offense became love for 3s. His teams took a ton of them and were exceptionally great at making them. This has continued at VT in his first year. They are 12th in the country in 3pt attempt rate and 2nd in 3pt%. His offenses have not cared about getting the ball inside, leading to very low FT attempt rates and offensive rebounding %s.

Defensively, he has really shifted his focus in the past few years from one end of the 3pt attempt spectrum to the other. He used to deny 3pt attempts at a very high level, but now he seems to not care about giving up 3pt attempts. He might have been influenced by the surge in Virginia-style defenses. This should be a game for Baker to pour in points (maybe on both ends of the court), but Duke's non-stars have been totally inconsistent from game to game.

VT is Carey's first super-weird matchup test. Their starting center is a 6-7 freshman who takes 7 3s per game and hits 51% of them. Their starting PF is a 6-6 junior who is shooting 56% from 3. They are the epitome of a smallball team. Carey is going to need to be guarding at the perimeter a lot. Or he's going to need to murder these guys inside on offense to the point where VT has to go bigger. If ever there was going to be definitive proof that small ball beats big ball no matter how good the big guy is, or the opposite, this game would provide it.

 

[dukeboy911]

I'm sure this has already been discussed, but is this the earliest conference game Duke has had?

 

[JimboJones]

Also, when was the last Friday night conference game? (Non-ACC Tournament of course) Like the 80s?

 

[physicsfactor]

I'm sure this has already been discussed, but is this the earliest conference game Duke has had?

I was in the grad student section at the Dockery game on Dec 4, 2005.

*kenpom’s team pages only go back to 2002, and quickly looking through Duke’s schedules, I think the earliest ACC game was Dec 2, 2001. Also, I didn’t notice a single regular season ACC game on a Friday, but I could have missed one.

 

[Inveigle]

I'm sure this has already been discussed, but is this the earliest conference game Duke has had?

I think 2nd ever. Maybe someone can call up Bob Harris and ask him how he's doing? He may know. That man is a walking encyclopedia.

 

[CK86]

I think I'll skip tonight. I have no interest in another loss to VT

 

[rome8180]

I'm assuming it's too late to bother with the sportsbook, but for the record I'd put about $5000 on VT.

 

[ZackM]

I'm assuming it's too late to bother with the sportsbook, but for the record I'd put about $5000 on VT.

I was adding it to the sportsbook as you were posting this.

 

[rome8180]

Cassius back and starting. I may have picked VT to cover instead of win outright had I known that.

 

[ZackM]

What the fuck

 

[deepdarkblue]

He's going to steal Joey Baker's minutes.

 

[aiw]

yup

 

[rome8180]

Hopefully he gets Goldwire and AOC's minutes. I hate K as much as most of you, but I think that's just as likely.

 

[SeanMayTriedToEatMe]

Line didn’t move at all for Stanley, and it shouldn’t. Him taking anything away from Baker’s optimal 32-36 minutes is a net zero at best for Stanley.