Around the NCAA 2016-2017
- Thread starter dukehokie
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Watching UCLA/Michigan.
They are impressive and they play with a very dangerous swagger. That's may be the most valuable asset Ball has brought to this team. Bryce Alford had fire and swagger but it was misplaced on a below .500 team. They're different this year. They are not deep though. Funny saying that from a Duke perspective, but they lack depth and that will hurt them against disciplined offenses. And as much talk as there is about Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf is just as important and has a smooth, old-school game that is super efficient.
Michigan is a good team. Probably won't win the regular season, but they could win the B1G Tourney.
They are impressive and they play with a very dangerous swagger. That's may be the most valuable asset Ball has brought to this team. Bryce Alford had fire and swagger but it was misplaced on a below .500 team. They're different this year. They are not deep though. Funny saying that from a Duke perspective, but they lack depth and that will hurt them against disciplined offenses. And as much talk as there is about Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf is just as important and has a smooth, old-school game that is super efficient.
Michigan is a good team. Probably won't win the regular season, but they could win the B1G Tourney.
Big Luke Maye getting a lot of burn. Already has 2 points on 1 of 4 shooting.
Watching Roy give that kid extended minutes makes me less pizzed off with K for not utilizing his bench more.
Everyone talks about KU, Kentucky and even Duke when it comes to back courts, but FSU has some huge "guards". Johnathan Issac (6'10)PJ Savoy (6'4), Xavier Rathan-Mayes(6'4), and Dwayne Bacon (6'7) are a problem. Bacon is playing for the lottery spot he didn't get last season. Issac is what everyone thought DeAndre Daniels would be and never really was. And I heard Rathan-Mayes and Grayson had an exchange at ACC week pre-season based on the incident last season, so that will be an emotional game to say the least. FSU will be a problem.
Today was my first time watching them. They are HUGE but they can still play at a nice tempo. They're still prone to those long scoring droughts that Leonard Hamilton's teams seem to have, but the depth, the length, and the raw athleticism are definitely impressive.
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Leonard Hamilton is one hell of a defensive coach, but man he can't coach an offense to save his soul. Isn't it crazy to think he's the second most tenured coach in the ACC behind K?
Why doesn't Roy play Tony Bradley more? That kid is a beast. He should be playing 20 minutes a game at the very minimum. I guess he can "earn" more playing time by coming back for his sophomore year.
Big Luke Maye is going to break out any day now. Plus, if Roy plays Tony, he'll outshine Kennedy and Isaiah and head to the draft (because if you can outplay those two, you deserve a spot in Trump's cabinet).
That's nuts right? He's done maybe the best basketball job at a football school behind only Rick Barnes. He's earned his checks.
Would throw Billy Donovan atop that list but wholeheartedly agree
Hart scored more points than his entire team in the ND game. The problem is, they have Hart so you can't take him away. If you can marginally contain him, you can contain Nova. Don't let Jenkins pull up from 28 feet either.
Watching this Nova vs Temple game and the band is playing "Everytime we Touch." Just gave a Christmas Vacation cousin Eddie- "you serious Clark?" When I heard it.
Good article on hoops this year:
https://theringer.com/college-basketball-state-of-the-game-a2b610ddb80e#.ji9b7phgr
https://theringer.com/college-basketball-state-of-the-game-a2b610ddb80e#.ji9b7phgr
Really impressed with Oklahoma State's offense. 4th highest in the nation at 93 a game and there at 99 with 5 mins left. They are a really dangerous three point shooting team.
Brad Underwood has them playing great ball. He really set a tone at Stephen F. Austin and shouldn't be a flash in the pan. He's 96-18 as a head coach. That's really impressive no matter where you are. Great offensive and defensive mind. Add him to the list of guys I'd love to see at Duke if K left.
Brad Underwood has them playing great ball. He really set a tone at Stephen F. Austin and shouldn't be a flash in the pan. He's 96-18 as a head coach. That's really impressive no matter where you are. Great offensive and defensive mind. Add him to the list of guys I'd love to see at Duke if K left.
Talent matters. In years when talent is down people talk about how boring college basketball is or how hard it is to watch. When talent is up the games are more fun to watch and people love it. All the talk about various rules needing to be identical to the NBA in order to make a more watchable game ignores the fact that a big reason why the NBA is high scoring and fun to watch is the fact that all the players are bigger, stronger, more athletic, and more talented (and the fact that the game is 48 minutes as opposed to 40 minutes).
Also, people say they love the underdogs but the ratings show that is a lie, in every sport. America LOVES dominant teams and a good dynasty. It's why so many people don't want to see an expanded college football playoff. People want to watch Alabama vs. Ohio State, not Washington vs. Western Michigan. Bucs vs. Dolphins for the Super Bowl or Patriots vs. Cowboys? Hmm, let me think....
And people may hate the one and dones but there's no denying that the OADs are a major reason for a lot of the excitement, both this season and past season. Remember the Ohio State OAD's forming a superteam to try to take down Florida? Or Derrick Rose and Kevin Love making their respective teams Final Four caliber? Or 2015 UK and Duke? OADs are talented. People love being entertained by talented players. OADs are controversial. Every year various publications list a freshman in preseason All-American and NPOY lists and every year people complain about it. The perceived strength or weakness of college basketball these days typically coincides with the strength or weakness of the incoming freshman class. OADs are good for college basketball. The blue-bloods having elite teams is good for college basketball. Only way to make it better is for the NBA to enact a two and done rule.
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Fantastic post. There is a reason we were the highest rated basketball game in the last twenty years when we played in the national championship game in 2015.
I'm glad Alex is finally finding his stride in college. He's had an almost triple double and some nice scoring nights. Playing like he did for the Finnish national team.
This VT team is very much like a Buzz Williams Marquette team which gave Duke trouble in 2010-2011. They are versatile across the board, 9-10 deep and they press. They typically have about 5-6 guys in double figures so you can't key on one player, although they haven't shown that one player can just take over (except maybe Zach LeDay). Robinson is a steady PG, and they have shooters like VT has never had before.
Tech has given Duke umbrage in the past and if this team doesn't, I'd be super surprised. Cassel Colosseum is not a shooters gym either. The slant of the seats behind the baskets and the dim colors in the building make it a very difficult place to shoot, I know cause I've experienced it. In '04 when Tech joined the ACC, Duke rolled to campus on a bus 2 hours before game time thinking all would be good and with JJ Redick and Chris Duhon and Daniel Ewing they got beat. K even said they'd never make that mistake in Blacksburg again.
Anyway, it's a tough place to play, and even though the students won't be there in full, there will be a big crowd for this game. VT gave a game away against Texas A&M otherwise they'd be undefeated. They need a Duke win to be solid in the tournament discussion so they'll be fired up. Duke has to bring their UNLV game to just go in there and win. This one won't be won on talent alone.
