DukeDallas9192011015 said:

Watched their whole game against Alabama last night and they just aren't very good right now. Gotta love it.

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I was on a plane and didn’t get to see. But I sure saw the score during our game once I got to my destination. Was Bama nailing the long ball as usual?

The_Only_Blue said:

What a difference not having Bacot in there rebounding all the misses.

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Yep!!, we’ve seen this before. Kudos to RJ for a fabulous season last year. But often times when you lose that one key guy as part of your core group(Bacot) it can change the entire dynamic. There is no Bacot to draw attention and suddenly Davis’s small stature along with their small backcourt overall is becoming exposed.

LetsGoDuke83 said:

Home run transfers, not seeing it from Gillis tho. Rather have evans get those minutes

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Big time win last night over #2 Auburn, a tough team. They’re gonna have a great year and both teams may see each other again.

I’ve brought up in passing the Evans/Harris thing, but for those of you who have consistently hammered the Evans/playing time thing. Tip of the hat to you! What a performance in that first half! And that was all in one half but absolutely critical.

Duke missed ten (10) free throws, the game would have been a little less dramatic had they hit a few more. They must get better at that! A very fun game overall last night!

A word of caution to our SEC friends, remember how it has turned out in March so often regarding conference performance in the NCAA Tournament? How many times have we seen the so called best leagues all go down in the first weekend?

ACC’s history in the NCAA’s speaks for itself..

Note* Proctor’s “top of the key 3” last night, killer shot!

DukeDallas9192011015 said:

Jon tried this in the Seattle game. We had 3 offensive possessions and scored 0. Maliq missed an open 3, we had a turnover, and Flagg missed a contested jumper. Defenses aren't guarding Mal/Brown away from the basket. So our only hope is for one of them to make an open 3. Not ideal.

Defensively the lineup would be insane, but our defense is fine, we need more offense, and this lineup is our worst possible offensive lineup.

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I don't think that was a 'for real' moment. It might've been, 'let me see what it looks like'.

We want Hubert to continue reeling in Withers, Washingtons, and Tysons

We really need them to get some w’s lol, I don’t want Hubert getting fired

Will do DukeDallas

bullcity gamer said:

Same! Want to meet up somewhere to do some pregaming before the game?

I’ll more than likely arrive around 2 or 3pm on Sunday.

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YES. Send me a PM sometime.

Mr.Scary13 said:

Many on this board has stated that Evans needs playing time instead of rotting on the bench because his shooting would make a difference. Jon finally stopped being a bone head about it last night and look at the results. Duke was +16 with Evans on the floor last night, by the way.

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Ah, the hit dog yelps.

I think that's a really stupid take. Jon sees him practice every day. He knows he has great upside. That's why he recruited him. There is a reason he hasn't played much and we're unlikely to know it any time soon.

He played great last night and I hope it's a sign that he is ready for more consistent minutes.

DukeDallas9192011015 said:

Maluach wasn't great last night but he was also going against the possible National POY. Most believe we win the Kentucky game if Maluach doesn't get cramps, there is an important role for him still on this team. I think it's more matchup dependant but overall I see Mal/Brown getting about a 20/20 minute split. And no, they can't be on the court together, Jon tried this in the Seattle game and the best shots we could get were Mal/Brown open 3's because they weren't being guarded. Maybe they could for a defensive possesion or 2.

Regardless......HUGE WIN!!! EVANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be in the building Sunday.

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Same! Want to meet up somewhere to do some pregaming before the game?

I’ll more than likely arrive around 2 or 3pm on Sunday.

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I definitely have always been a fan that can be critical of the coach. But I also think sometimes the coach gets too much of the blame, and can also get too much of the credit. Having said that, I think Jon might lack in being a motivator, but is extremely smart.
With this team, he has a lot of guys to choose from. One of my main concerns though is playing Cooper too much, and the fear that we get too reliant on him on offense. On Kon, I get the fans thinking he plays too much. But he's so smart.

Both he and Cooper demand so much attention that it should open up scoring opportunities for the others, which I think Evans took full advantage of in the first half last night.

pisgah101 said:

Well coached game. Coming out flat and calling the TO and getting that fire going was impressive

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Defensive intensity really picked up after that TO. He got them going and that was a good move.

DukeDallas9192011015 said:

Jon tried this in the Seattle game. We had 3 offensive possessions and scored 0. Maliq missed an open 3, we had a turnover, and Flagg missed a contested jumper. Defenses aren't guarding Mal/Brown away from the basket. So our only hope is for one of them to make an open 3. Not ideal.

Defensively the lineup would be insane, but our defense is fine, we need more offense, and this lineup is our worst possible offensive lineup.

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There are some limitations offensively, no doubt. But 3 possessions is not a useful sampling. Cooper and the other guards have to drive and dish down low. And they can still go two post low and play inside out. Malik can hit the 3 on occasion (36% last year at cuse). His 3 he hit this year looks like good form and touch. Still work to do on that shot. In fact, he needs to develop that if he wants to prolong his post college career.

It’s not a 25 minute lineup (which I pointed out in other posts) but for 1 or 2 5-7 minute stretches in a game could be very useful.

The_Only_Blue said:

What a difference not having Bacot in there rebounding all the misses.

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Yes. Glad he finally matriculated after his near 10 year stretch at UNC.

He’s so old now he should be close to retiring from the G-league.


😂 😉

youngman42 said:

I’ve been making that point re Malik at the 4 in nearly every game thread. The defense would be so strong with Cooper-Maluach-Brown on the front line. So much more versatility. Even without using Pat that could be useful here and there. Flagg can play just about anyone from the 1-4 and Brown from the 1-5 on switches. But I have my doubts Jon will do that as I think has that coach K stubbornness to stay with one rotation and not deviate. But I would be glad to be wrong. 😊

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Jon tried this in the Seattle game. We had 3 offensive possessions and scored 0. Maliq missed an open 3, we had a turnover, and Flagg missed a contested jumper. Defenses aren't guarding Mal/Brown away from the basket. So our only hope is for one of them to make an open 3. Not ideal.

Defensively the lineup would be insane, but our defense is fine, we need more offense, and this lineup is our worst possible offensive lineup.

Dattier said:

If Pat can get healthy and earn some PT at the 5, I'd like to see Malik at the 4. It would give us an option for matching up with a team with 2 good bigs.

Hard to imagine Evans going back to barely playing. In the postgame, Jon said he's been working hard on defense in practice. I thought he worked hard and was scrappy on D last night.

Proctor was so clutch. Caleb played really well off the bench. Sion and Malik don't stand out in the box score, but wow! Do they do the little things and help us stay calm.

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I’ve been making that point re Malik at the 4 in nearly every game thread. The defense would be so strong with Cooper-Maluach-Brown on the front line. So much more versatility. Even without using Pat that could be useful here and there. Flagg can play just about anyone from the 1-4 and Brown from the 1-5 on switches. But I have my doubts Jon will do that as I think has that coach K stubbornness to stay with one rotation and not deviate. But I would be glad to be wrong. 😊

absolutely amazing. Really enjoyed the fans we sat next to. We play Alabama in sports all the time so we are used to the whistles. Really enjoyed our time here.

Accidentally posted this in the Seattle thread. Intended for here …

Well, I’ve never been so happy to be wrong about a game. We played really tough down the stretch. But thanks be to the basketball gods for Isaiah Evans. What a half!

Flagg is just a force to be reckoned with. And Malik Brown. What a player. He reminds me of Dennis Rodman. Always pesky and difficult to deal with.

Good grief, though, the rest of our 3 point shooting—until Proctor came through late—and our FT shooting was atrocious.

Evans is the real deal as a shooter. We need to give him more minutes. He is too pure and we are on the whole a team that often shoots terribly from 3. Gotta create shots for him. And Proctor and Foster. They are all better 3 point shooters than Flagg is at the moment.

Still, a huge win.

WarDoubleEagle said:

Auburn alum here! Traveling to Durham for the game next week - I’ve never been to the area. Any recs for restaurants or attractions to hit in the short time period we are there?

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I know you didn't like the outcome but how was the experience?

Thought Proctor hit the 2 biggest shots of the game. The long 3 at the shot clock buzzer and then the dagger in the lane with about 2 minutes left.

That long 3 was HUGE! We were reeling, that absolutely saved us. Some Cameron magic never hurts.

Dattier said:

This board is undefeated when it comes to breakout individual performances resulting in someone posting about how he could have done that in every game if only the coach was as smart as us.

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Many on this board has stated that Evans needs playing time instead of rotting on the bench because his shooting would make a difference. Jon finally stopped being a bone head about it last night and look at the results. Duke was +16 with Evans on the floor last night, by the way.

If Pat can get healthy and earn some PT at the 5, I'd like to see Malik at the 4. It would give us an option for matching up with a team with 2 good bigs.

Hard to imagine Evans going back to barely playing. In the postgame, Jon said he's been working hard on defense in practice. I thought he worked hard and was scrappy on D last night.

Proctor was so clutch. Caleb played really well off the bench. Sion and Malik don't stand out in the box score, but wow! Do they do the little things and help us stay calm.

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