Effort is there but it has to be accompanied by smart play too - the breakdowns on D just seem to be fundamental mistakes and the poor shot selection at times is the same - a little more smart play and focus and we'd be in all these games and maybe win the close ones. The Freshman have never seen this type of intense play for so long so they may be getting mentally fatigued - they didnt expect this rotation situation either so that makes it even more difficult
***DUKE VS MIAMI OFFICIAL GAMEDAY THREAD***
- Thread starter krzyzewskiville
- Start date
Let's see what this team looks like once we get Amile back. I think he will do a lot to clean up the backline of our defense in both the zone and defending the pick and roll, and I think we have more than enough offense to beat a team like Miami. Unfortunately, I think we just spotted them too big of a lead playing that soft zone that was designed to keep us out of foul trouble and conserve our energy (which it did); but just doesn't work well b/c of Plumlee's limited agility and our relative lack of size on the wings.
All in all, I actually thought we played alright today. IMO, what really cost us today is that Grayson didn't seem confident in his jumper for most of the game (until right at the end) and we didn't get much production from Marshall until the final minutes.
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We're better than top 50. But I kind of get what you're saying about Amile's return. I'm not sure he's the kind of difference-maker some are making him out to be, but at the very least it expands our rotation by almost 20%....so I'll take it. Plus, I think we really miss his leadership. Matt is the closest thing we have to that right now.
I am afraid it is going to be to late when Amile comes back. Everyone thinks once he steps foot on the court it will back to us winning games, I just don't see it.
If you look at the schedule I just don't see a win coming for the next couple of weeks.
If you look at the schedule I just don't see a win coming for the next couple of weeks.
The perception is that we aren't trying hard on defense but IMO the reality is we don't know how to properly play zone. Just because it is a zone doesn't mean we can't move around and create energy. Our zone is timid and it makes it too easy to scheme against.
The perception is that we didn't rebound tonight but IMO it was the types of rebounds that frustrated the hell out of us as fans. When the ball goes up we should be finding bodies not turning and looking at the hoop. It was the no excuse poor block out offensive rebounds and easy put backs that were back breakers tonight
The perception is that we didn't rebound tonight but IMO it was the types of rebounds that frustrated the hell out of us as fans. When the ball goes up we should be finding bodies not turning and looking at the hoop. It was the no excuse poor block out offensive rebounds and easy put backs that were back breakers tonight
At a minimum, getting Amile back gets us out of this aweful zone defense b/c it gives us 5 extra fouls on the frontline and gives BI a few minutes of rest. IMO, foul trouble and fatigue -- more than anything -- caused that 3 game losing streak. While I don't think we suddenly become a juggernaut overnight, Amile fixes a lot of our most fundamental problems. I wouldn't use this game as much of a measuring stick -- as I think most of the top 25 in the country would struggle to win in Coral Gables this season.
I've been thinking the same thing all night. Grayson was playing better defense early in the year but Matt gets beat all the time
Amile coming back changes things a lot. Amile is an inside presence that we need. As soon as he went out we lost that man down low we needed.
And it seems like every game I watch I hear a commentator say "Matt Jones is Duke's best defender", and while he may be, that just shows how bad the rest are, because Matt isn't that great of a defender, at all.
Meanwhile, Tatum, Giles, Delaurier and Jackson rip off another page from the calendar. We're coming Miami. Enjoy it. Next play. This is Duke.
Ga Tech. is a huge game for us. But, with a week to prepare, that is a game we can and should win. The next game is home against NC State. Another game we can and should win. Win those, and we're 6-4 heading into Louisville & UVA at home. Those two games really will define the season IMO. If we win those, we'll be 8-4 and well-positioned for the NCAAs. If we lose both, then I'll start to worry -- as we'll start running out of opportunities to rack up quality wins. And I'd add that both Louisville and UVA are not the Louisville and UVA of a couple seasons ago, let alone last year. Louisville's been pretty shaky in its road games (pretty similar to us frankly) and UVA is 0-3 in its ACC road games.
Who knows where Amile is exactly in his recovery -- but we've got two weeks until the Louisville game. That's a full 2 months for his foot to heal. Considering that he only suffered a non-surgical fracture, I think the hope has to be that Amile will be ready for Feb. 8th or Feb. 13th.
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Look back to last year - Matt got 21 mins a game - not bad...Grayson and Marshall got 9...they are all playing way more than they did last year and we expect them to be the leaders - just doesnt work that way....the inconsistency is due to the new players adapting to college ball, existing players getting new roles and injuries/transfers causing havoc on the roster + unexpected failure of some players to contribute...hardly a recipe for success. We'll see how it plays out but expectations need to be set accordingly....mine included...it happens..we still are reigning National Champs!
It's just a bad season. Duke won the championship last year and next year looks very promising. Let's be thankful we dont have to deal with this kind of season like most fan bases. Even as successful as kentucky and unc are, they ventured down the NIT road in recent years. Enjoy the year, bright times are ahead.
Jefferson will make a huge impact when he comes back because we are too small on the front line. We have to go thru Ingram more because teams can not match up with him. He doesn't have the experience but he is just going to have to be the go to man for the next few weeks.
I know how this is going to sound and its no excuse, Duke's performance wasn't a winning one, but I thought Miami was able to get away with a lot of physical on-ball defense. With the new rules, and the way all the other games this season have been officiated, it stood out to me tonight. I thought they bumped Duke on drives way, way more than any team this season. It looked like a game you might see a few years ago, before the freedom of movement rules. The implementation of those rules had been pretty consistent this season, but I didn't see that tonight. Maybe I'm wrong.
Again, not an excuse. Anyway, Miami can now return to their regularly scheduled 1/3 full arena.
Again, not an excuse. Anyway, Miami can now return to their regularly scheduled 1/3 full arena.
I didn't see them implement a lot of rules, like a technical foul. As a player, you have to adjust with how each game is being officiated.
There was one foul on Jeter i thought was a little unlucky in the first half - to your point...the contact was called but then not called on the other end...it happens...but would be nice to actually get the calls we are famous for this year!!
I've been saying Matt is an average defender at best for 2 years. Many of the know it all on here hammered me for it and said Matt was a great defender. I wish those posters would come out now and tell me how great of a defender he is. He's beat off the dribble night after night. Non athletes wouldn't be able to rocognize it I guess.
i think matt is pretty good defensively....he hounds guys and has size, he is gonna get beat eventually by guys, but he does many things that are helpful defensively and fouls loom over all their heads and stymies some aggressiveness imo
Agreed. Not surprisingly, I think it also depends a lot on who he's being asked to defend. Matt is excellent against bigger bodied guards who like to use their size and strength to make plays, but does have some issues with quicker guards. Miami is just a tough team to play press-man against b/c they have a lot guys who are very ball friendly. IMO, part of the reason we've had more problems with Miami than other teams is that our style of man is just not going to do well against teams that have a lot of good ball handlers who can beat their men off the bounce and can make good decisions when the help comes over. ND presents a lot of the same problems. In the end of the day, I think that's more of a problem with the strategy than Matt. When a 30% 3 pt. shooter is 23 feet away, I'd rather take a step back and live with the consequences of a contested 3 than allow dribble penetration by crowding him.
May need a larger sample size before drawing definitive conclusions. On a related note, I saw no NCAA championship banners hanging from the rafters of Miami's gym.
Agreed. Last I checked Miami's made 2 NCAA tournaments in the past 13 years. Get a grip people. Miami's played us tough the past couple seasons and pulled a semi-shocking upset at Cameron last year. But these are not remotely comparable basketball programs. Here's some real perspective: Duke won as many NCAA tournament games last season as Miami's won since returning to D1 in the mid 1980s.
I am speaking of recent years not comparing programs or even suggesting that Miami is better. But for whatever reason, they have had our number in recent years. It's not the end of the world. It is what it is.
I think most of us knew it was going to be a wild ride especially after Amile went down. I was proud last night that we didn't quit. When we shaved the lead to 5 with a couple minutes left I thought we had a shot. Miami was the better team last night.
You know, the only thing that bothers me is that our guys aren't having any fun. They aren't enjoying the experience. I know that's really hard when going 1 and 4 over a couple week stretch, but it just hurts to see other teams whooping it up, laughing, and smiling while we have our heads down. Even in the losses where we fought so hard to stay in the game we have not showed passion. I miss that.
Go Duke!!
Alan
You know, the only thing that bothers me is that our guys aren't having any fun. They aren't enjoying the experience. I know that's really hard when going 1 and 4 over a couple week stretch, but it just hurts to see other teams whooping it up, laughing, and smiling while we have our heads down. Even in the losses where we fought so hard to stay in the game we have not showed passion. I miss that.
Go Duke!!
Alan
I don't think there's any consolation in fighting hard only to come up short. I hope all of the players are hurt and angry. I think that's why Duke is one of the elite college basketball programs in the nation. Coach K hates losing and he looks for players that want to compete. Did you see any players on the team last year that were happy after a loss. I'll quit watching Duke when I see players tha
What the ????
My point did not come across well, and it's because I didn't explain myself well. I don't expect the team to be happy and cheery when losing. And yes, playing angry after tough losses is a good thing.
Maybe its the passion that I am not seeing right now. I see guys playing hard, no question, but I don't see anyone getting excited about momentum changes or big shots/plays. Last night, we pulled within 5 and still heads hung, there was no support of each other on the court. Maybe we are just tired.
Last year we were down 10 in the second half of the championship game and Allen goes off, gets fired up, dives on a ball going out of bounds, takes a foul, the team feeds off it, and the rest is history. I think its one of the reasons we haven't seen the typical Duke runs in games that we have seen in the past.
Just my observations.
Alan
Maybe its the passion that I am not seeing right now. I see guys playing hard, no question, but I don't see anyone getting excited about momentum changes or big shots/plays. Last night, we pulled within 5 and still heads hung, there was no support of each other on the court. Maybe we are just tired.
Last year we were down 10 in the second half of the championship game and Allen goes off, gets fired up, dives on a ball going out of bounds, takes a foul, the team feeds off it, and the rest is history. I think its one of the reasons we haven't seen the typical Duke runs in games that we have seen in the past.
Just my observations.
Alan
I've enjoyed reading the thread. Duke fans have great basketball knowledge and I have always pulled for the Carolina teams from the time I was a kid. My opinion is that you just won the championship. And next year you will reload. Most teams that win natty's suffer significant talent/experience loss the following year. Duke will be back.
What's interesting to me in this thread is that listening to you talk about basketball vs Miami is similar to long-time Miami fans talking football vs Duke. Someone made the comment that Miami should enjoy it while they can because Duke is having a down year after winning the championship. Miami football fans think the same. We have been off our game in football with terrible coaching for the past 12 years and other teams have made a living because of it.
The difference being, Duke is just in a reloading year, where Miami football has been down for over a decade.
Final comment regarding basketball - there were some comments about Miami thuggery. I don't think that is a fair statement of Miami today. It has been years since that image could be backed up with facts. It's just not true anymore. I wish people would look at things for what they are and not use that as a way to blow off steam.
Secondly, I also read comments that Miami averages 1500 in attendance or only gets up for the Duke game. That's not true anymore either. Coach L has sold the BUC out for the entire season. He has really taken this program to a new level.
As programs go, we don't compare to Duke. But we're closing the gap just a little. And, as of late, we have proven to be a formidable foe. Coach L is not 4-2 vs Coach K. We know who has the legendary history but it makes you wonder what Coach L would have done had he been with a major conference team for most of his career. He's a good coach!
What's interesting to me in this thread is that listening to you talk about basketball vs Miami is similar to long-time Miami fans talking football vs Duke. Someone made the comment that Miami should enjoy it while they can because Duke is having a down year after winning the championship. Miami football fans think the same. We have been off our game in football with terrible coaching for the past 12 years and other teams have made a living because of it.
The difference being, Duke is just in a reloading year, where Miami football has been down for over a decade.
Final comment regarding basketball - there were some comments about Miami thuggery. I don't think that is a fair statement of Miami today. It has been years since that image could be backed up with facts. It's just not true anymore. I wish people would look at things for what they are and not use that as a way to blow off steam.
Secondly, I also read comments that Miami averages 1500 in attendance or only gets up for the Duke game. That's not true anymore either. Coach L has sold the BUC out for the entire season. He has really taken this program to a new level.
As programs go, we don't compare to Duke. But we're closing the gap just a little. And, as of late, we have proven to be a formidable foe. Coach L is not 4-2 vs Coach K. We know who has the legendary history but it makes you wonder what Coach L would have done had he been with a major conference team for most of his career. He's a good coach!
My take is Matt is just being put in a position that is not suited for his game. It's not his fault, but it it's the place we are at. He's playing some PG and he's far from that, he's having to guard quicker players and has no business doing so (same with grayson), and he's being asked to take more contested shots. As i've stated in another thread, his form and athleticism aren't conducive to those types of shots. Matt on a great team is a perfect role player (like last year), as he make the small smart winning plays time and time again over the course of a game. Little things that don't show up in the stats. This year's team needs so much more from the position though, and he's struggling at times to perform at that level. We don't have any other options. Duke players and coaches just need to come up with better game plans, and play better as players.
I agree about the playing better, slightly. I think the game plans have been fine. We've made a number of adjustments, but right now this team just kind of is what it is. I'm not sure there's a master ingredient.
In four of our five losses since Amile's injury, we've had an opportunity to win in the final minute. That tells me that late game execution is an area where we need to be better. The only constant in all of those losses is playing primarily six guys....sometimes it's been rebounding, defense, making a shot or big play that has kept us down. As K has said in the past, every team takes their own journey. It's a bumpy ride right now for the current crop.