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Official game day thread- Duke vs UNC II

A tough year to measure the strength of each conference...SEC has the pole position but not sure they have the depth that the rankings say...ACC is pretty top 1-3 heavy...B12...the same....its going to be a very unpredictable NCAAT i think...outside of Auburn and Duke....the #1 seeds are still a toss up....
 
What is the hand on head gesture that Cooper's parents were doing to the crowd? I've seen players doing it after a dunk so I guess it means good play.
 
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I am in the minority here, but I don't think that the committee can leave out a 22 win UNC team that went out and played the schedule that they did. It's basically the same argument that they are trying to make to get a bunch of 8-11 SEC teams in, how hard the schedule was. My guess is they Play in the first four and maybe get a couple of W's.
 
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I think they need to win a few games this week. But they are playing well and I think they could reach the sweet 16 with the right matchups. But I'd rather see them in the NIT.
 
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I am in the minority here, but I don't think that the committee can leave out a 22 win UNC team that went out and played the schedule that they did. It's basically the same argument that they are trying to make to get a bunch of 8-11 SEC teams in, how hard the schedule was. My guess is they Play in the first four and maybe get a couple of W's.

20 win unc team.
 
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If you look at the team statistics and take a sharpie and redact the turnover column, Duke played a great game. Doesn’t feel that way because of the Carolina run which in totality went from a first half 15 point deficit to a second half 7 point lead before Duke restored order but the turnovers are part of that story along with Jon’s decision to put Flagg back in with 2 fouls. Big mistake as the Heels got two baskets because he had to back off being aggressive on the play trying to avoid the 3rd foul which he got anyway.

Call it “The Shelden Williams rule” (see 2004 Final Four) when a key player gets 2 fouls in the first you park them. Fortunately Flagg’s third didn’t come back to haunt Duke like Shelden’s did. Each team’s biggest lead was 15 for Duke and 7 for Unc and neither lead held.

RJ also pulled shots out of his arse during that run, give him credit and they played more physical than they did in Durham. Maliq on those switches is so damn good defensively and he really clamped RJ down. When RJ went out for a breather, they took bad shots and weren’t passing It. That first three Maliq nailed was a dagger and he threw in another for good measure. A 22-6 heels run over two halves was followed by a 33-13 Duke run to close out the game in the last 15:44, Wow!

It’s bizarre given the uber dominant year this Duke team has had that if they had lost last night they’d have been the 3rd seed in the ACC Tournament. The stars sure were out over there, Larry, Roy, Mitch, Bill, Lawrence, Tyler, etc. and to think their night was ruined. 😜 Congrats to Duke on the Regular Season Title 🏆 and a sweep of the arch rivals! They may play again in six days!
 
...Jon’s decision to put Flagg back in with 2 fouls. Big mistake as the Heels got two baskets because he had to back off being aggressive on the play trying to avoid the 3rd foul which he got anyway.

Call it “The Shelden Williams rule” (see 2004 Final Four) when a key player gets 2 fouls in the first you park them. Fortunately Flagg’s third didn’t come back to haunt Duke like Shelden’s did. Each team’s biggest lead was 15 for Duke and 7 for Unc and neither lead held.

RJ also pulled shots out of his arse during that run, give him credit and they played more physical than they did in Durham. Maliq on those switches is so damn good defensively and he really clamped RJ down. When RJ went out for a breather, they took bad shots and weren’t passing It. That first three Maliq nailed was a dagger and he threw in another for good measure. A 22-6 heels run over two halves was followed by a 33-13 Duke run to close out the game in the last 15:44, Wow!
There are also 100s of more examples of trusting a guy to play with 2 first half fouls where it works out. It's a gamble, not a mistake. Good point about how Coop played turnstile D trying to avoid his 3rd. I remember an NCAAT game vs UCLA where JWill scored 20 consecutive points and their star, Jason Kapono, picked up 4 first half fouls. I remember being impatient wanting him to foul out and wondering why we weren't going at him more aggressively, then I realized his defense made it good for us to have him on the floor.

RJ was ridiculous. Maliq back was huge.
 
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Had we stopped a meaningless Lubin dunk and Caleb hit a meaningless layup in the last minute, our margin of victory would have been exactly the same as the first match-up, despite how very different each game was.

Malik averaged 9.5 ppg at Syracuse last season. He just tied his season high for us with 8. Like our other 2 rotation transfers, he's really set an example for younger teammates how to put aside selfishness or personal ambition for the good of the team.

Very impressed with some rotation decisions Jon has made this year. Evans' emergence against Auburn was probably the first such example. How Maliq was used last night and playing Caleb in crunchtime are a couple more. He's still a young coach and is learning, but the future looks bright.

I was skeptical about UNC's winning streak because it happened against no one higher than 9th in the ACC during a down year, but the way they played us tough last night makes me think they're likely an NCAAT team. The Selection Committee looks at what you've done lately. They have some work to do in Charlotte, for sure, and I'd rather be wrong. Go Pitt-ND winner!

The biggest downside from last night that casts a cloud over the win is that, according to my sources, Jai Lucas is out for the rest of the season.
 
Who woulda thought Foster and Maliq woulda turned the game around! Hell yeah

drunk the rock GIF by ALL SEEING EYES
I knew Maliq would play a role if he returned. I never thought his shooting would be the answer. Grateful for Caleb.
 
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Maliq Brown subbed out with 07:31 in the first half, score 36-21 Duke.

Brown comes back in at the 15:59 mark in the second half, score 49-54 UNC.

Brown subs out at the 8:13 mark in the second half, score 68-61 Duke.

MVP
 
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The guys stepped up last night. Maliq was great, Kon (7-10) was great, Cooper the last part of the 2nd half was great, Proctor and Sion were very solid.
The guy I was most impressed with was Caleb though. He didn’t play the previous game, has had a disappointing season so far, but as he was waiting to enter the game, was banging the floor. And he gave great energy once he got in.

So far, this has been the type of Duke team we’ve all been pleading for.
 
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