Duke Basketball 2014-2015 Discussion thread

[Slap the Floor]

I like that the Saint John's game is on the schedule. It's at MSG and Saint John's is a good team and this will be their biggest game on the schedule. The crowd will probably be split between SJU and Duke fans, or maybe a little favored someone's way.

I like it. Just like last night, that game will be almost a replica of an NCAA Tournament game. Big building, pretty even crowd, high intensity, and against a good opponent. I love the scheduling of SJU and UCONN, they are both athletic teams and SJU has a couple of really damn good players in D'Angelo Harrison (20ppg) and Rysheed Jordan (16ppg).

Win or lose it's going to be a really good experience for the team. SJU is 8-1 with a win @ Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, a win over 8-1 Minnesota, and lost to Gonzaga by 6, but were down three with under a minute left.

Before we play them, SJU still has to @ 9-1 Seton Hall, and home against Butler and Villanova, so we should get even more of a feel for Saint John's.

 

[Slap the Floor]

Also, in 2010 we beat UCONN and got killed by Saint John's at the Garden. We also lost @ NC State.

so basically what I'm saying is, if we lose @ State and to Saint John's we are going to win the National Championship.

 

[rome8180]

Does this also require beating Georgia Tech in the ACC tournament final due to a clutch three coming off a curl by a slumping Tyus?

 

[Slap the Floor]

A slumping Grayson Allen.

 

[rome8180]

I guess he is more Scheyer-like. I picked Tyus because he's the PG and because he has Scheyer-level efficiency and IQ.

 

[rome8180]

I do actually think we'll sweep UNC, to continue the 2010 parallels.

 

[Slap the Floor]

Anyone else think that the summer K spent with Thibs helped out our defense? The defense is so improved, and I heard some people mention that our defense has NBA like similarities in how it's being run, especially in regards to how we were forcing Boatright to the corners.

 

[rome8180]

K has specifically mentioned Thibodeau when it comes to how we're defending the ball screen.

It's kind of a hybrid of Thib's conservative defense and our aggressive one, with Jahlil almost playing a one-man zone in the paint but the guards still pressuring on the wings. I know K is never going to give up pressure entirely, so I like this adjustment as a nice compromise.

 

[rhfarmer]

Anyone else think that the summer K spent with Thibs helped out our defense? The defense is so improved, and I heard some people mention that our defense has NBA like similarities in how it's being run, especially in regards to how we were forcing Boatright to the corners.

Slap, what I see is Okafor and Plumlee not out hedging screens 30 feet from the hoop. To me, that is the most important indication that K is changing.

 

[torontoduke]

MP3 is probably the best Duke big man at hedging screens in recent memory, but yes - that is a welcome adjstment

 

[Slap the Floor]

Our next stretch of games after BC is absolutely brutal.

It wouldn't surprise me if we go 5-3.

It may sound silly but I think that 8 game stretch will define our season. The start to this year has been really nice don't get me wrong but we have really only played one road game in that stretch. Playing three ranked teams in six days on the road is going to really be something.

and just because we do this all of the time, I think that we will lose a game in that stretch that no one thinks we will. My guess will be @ NC State or home against Miami.

if we could split @ Louisville, @SJU, @ND, @UVA I would be content with that.

 

[rome8180]

You have to be a gigantic homer to watch UVA and think we'll beat them on the road after having to play Saint John's and ND also on the road within the same six day period.

The only reason I won't predict a blowout loss is that UVA plays at one of the slowest paces in basketball.

 

[Slap the Floor]

You have to be a gigantic homer to watch UVA and think we'll beat them on the road after having to play Saint John's and ND also on the road within the same six day period.

The only reason I won't predict a blowout loss is that UVA plays at one of the slowest paces in basketball.

While Saint John's is a road game, it won't really be numbers wise. The game is at MSG so we should have our fair share of fans. SJU is good this year so they should bring more fans than usual but we should at the very least have 35-40% of the crowd.

With that said, it is a home game for SJU and we all know they are going give their best, effort wise, on the season when they play us.

 

[rome8180]

Yeah, I know we'll be all right crowd-wise there. And I expect to win that one and ND. Notre Dame's offense worries me (#3 in the country). However, they won't be able to defend us. We'll probably win 90-80 or something.

 

[DurhamSon]

Really dumb to schedule SJU this year

 

[rhfarmer]

Really dumb to schedule SJU this year

Not dumb to schedule them, just why not schedule them in November instead of some cupcake?

 

[Slap the Floor]

Really dumb to schedule SJU this year

Not dumb to schedule them, just why not schedule them in November instead of some cupcake?

I personally don't mind it, it will create for a good NCAA Tournament like experience. Getting the absolute best shot of good teams, not great, in the span of a couple of days.

Michigan State, Stanford, UCONN and the Saint John's games are all similar NCAA Tournament experiences.

 

[rome8180]

The more I look at it, I don't see how we get a 1-seed. Pretty much have to only lose four games and win the ACCT, which will probably require beating two ranked teams in itself.

Now I know how teams in the heydey of the Big East used to feel. Or why Duke would have something like 7 conference losses entering the tournament in the late '80s and early '90s but still make a deep run.

 

[DrKlahn]

People here are not going to like it when teams like Villanova and Gonzaga are casually thrown around as 1-seeds over Duke, oh around mid-February.

 

[DrKlahn]

oh yeah and Texas