Okay, let's talk Maui .

[Showenuff]

I hate looking ahead but feel we get by San Diego State ok. Then, we are looking at Auburn. Anybody checked'em out yet ? I have. We BETTER not overlook this team. They are older than us. They play smart. They get out really fast and handle the ball well. Ranked #9 in the country right now, they really have no top scorer to try and shut down, they spread the scoring around very evenly. They don't look to be the team to wilt under the first signs of pressure. It's gonna be our first BIG test.

 

[jwill133]

Auburn will be our toughest test yet this year, they are better than UK. I also think they are better (because Tillie is out) than Gonzaga right now. Auburn is really the only game I'm worried about all the way until the @ FSU game.

A few things on Auburn...
-They won't be intimidated by our studs, they are tough and battle tested.
-Pearl's teams always apply HEAVY ball pressure, which I think actually will work in our favor. You do not wanna pressure this Duke team, gonna lead to a lot of easy baskets.
-Ken Pom ( I know..it's very early) has them as the 11th O efficiency and 15th D efficiency. For comparison, we are 1 in offense and 5 in defense.


All that said...watch Xavier go out there and beat Auburn lol. This is not a good Xavier team.

 

[Showenuff]

Nah, we’ll play Auburn, and truthfully, we need to.

 

[Showenuff]

They do press, ALOT . That might present some serious problems as you said, they don’t realize how high we fly.

 

[DukeRulesBasketball]

This will be a big challenge for our guys if everything pans out how it’s supposed to. We have potential matchups with Auburn and Gonzaga. Will be interesting to watch Duke go up against these teams. I’m looking forward to it! Auburn likes to get out and run like Duke does and I haven’t seen any of Gonzaga games yet to see how they play. Look for RJ to be much improved in the high five department. He had missed a few against army, and I noticed he was dishing much better high fives against Eastern Michigan. Hopefully this keeps up. Zion just needs to keep being Zion, and hopefully Reddish is ready to go. I didn’t see him at all in the second half and read that it was a rib issue.

 

[jwill133]

Nah, we’ll play Auburn, and truthfully, we need to.

Agreed. I wanna see us play Auburn, and our guys need this test.
UK was intimidated by our guys, it was obvious. Auburn won't be.

Looks like Syracuse is about to lose for the 2nd night in a row, nothing is shocking in college hoops this early in the season, that's why I give Xavier a punchers chance against Auburn.

 

[DukeRulesBasketball]

Agreed. I wanna see us play Auburn, and our guys need this test.
UK was intimidated by our guys, it was obvious. Auburn won't be.

Looks like Syracuse is about to lose for the 2nd night in a row, nothing is shocking in college hoops this early in the season, that's why I give Xavier a punchers chance against Auburn.

I don’t think Syracuse has Frank Howard at the moment though. Bol Bol is awesome also!

 

[springsportster]

My prediction is PAIN for anyone who faces us

 

[DukeDenver]

If we play with puffed out chests, we’ll be fine. We need to not worry about losing and stay loose. It won’t matter in March.

 

[Showenuff]

 

[crazyduke3]

Then there's of course the Zags another giant obstacle.

I know our season just started but between Auburn, Zags and Kentucky, these are wins useful for getting a 1 seed and hopefully an overall 1 seed.


Thankfully I like our combination of hustle and skill. Our boys dive for balls and fight for rebounds. Those are extra possessions and a team with our offense getting extra possessions is lethal.

 

[smashmouth5]

My prediction is PAIN for anyone who faces us

 

[dukehokie]

Gonzaga is lucky Iowa State has a couple of injuries, because they would have had all they could handle if they were at 100%.

Auburn is going to be an excellent matchup. At times a team that doesn’t have a #1 scorer has trouble scoring against a good defense. I think Duke can cause them to take bad shots early and get them out of rhythm.

 

[SoCal_Dukie3]

Duke is bigger than Auburn across the board, outside of Austin Wiley, who is similar to Bolden. They definitely are guard heavy and like to shoot 3's as well.

 

[dukehokie]

Duke is bigger than Auburn across the board, outside of Austin Wiley, who is similar to Bolden. They definitely are guard heavy and like to shoot 3's as well.

The more Wiley plays, the better for Duke, because that slows them down. He’s very efficient though. 11.5 and 4 in only 14 minutes a game.

They space well and they are just so together. Duke has to rebound like animals. Jack White is going to be incredibly vital this game. Javin too while we’re at it. Duke’s length can bother them if it’s used right.

 

[Showenuff]

In our first matchup, it won’t be a picnic. They are senior laden and fast. Their pg is gonna give Tre tons of trouble.

 

[pisgah101]

Why is the championship game at 5??

 

[SoCal_Dukie3]

Why is the championship game at 5??

5pm est? That would be 12pm in Hawaii. Brutal.

 

[pisgah101]

5pm est? That would be 11am in Hawaii. Brutal.

Yep that’s what the bracket says. Crazy it’s not prime time

 

[jwill133]

5 pm EST title game is dumb. Unfortunately it’s because of the ESPN-NBA contract that ensures an 8 and 10:30 game every Wednesday night.

I guess they could have just put us on ESPN 2, but Duke in a title game would never get that demotion.
The 3rd place game is Wednesday night 11:30 pm EST.

 

[jcdevilfan]

You never know what can happen in the first game of a Tournament, especially with a young team, but I don't think this is a "normal" young team, and I believe that Duke will not have a case of the nerves in the 1st game and handle SD State.
However, it will be a test if we make it to the second day and face Auburn. They are a favorite to win the SEC, they are a veteran team, and they have won by 43 and 51 pts. in 2 of their wins, and they beat Washington (ranked #25) by 20. I did see some highlights of that game, and they are very good. They turned Washington over 18 times, with the press and tight man-man defense. It seemed like Auburn scored the majority of their points in transition. They are running off the rebounds, so we will not be afforded much rest in this game, and our transition "D" will really be tested.
Looking forward to this game, and I really think it will happen.
As for the Championship game, no matter what time it is, this will probably come down to which team has the most gas left in their tank! Going to be fun!
Go Duke!
OFC

 

[dachampishere2]

In our first matchup, it won’t be a picnic. They are senior laden and fast. Their pg is gonna give Tre tons of trouble.

Come on now. Tre is already a seasoned vet. He won't get rattled and he will play defense

 

[Showenuff]

Come on now? Do a little research on the pg he’ll be facing.

 

[hart2chesson]

I know like mentioned earlier we'll be playing our share of teams that are "veteran laden" and "battle tested" and this is an advantage to those squads, no doubt. Obviously several are in Maui. In addition, we'll face teams in the ACC (Syracuse, UNC, UVA to name a few) who have plenty of returning and experienced talent.

However one excuse I wish we could bypass is the "they're old" comments when we are about to play those teams. We have CHOSEN to go after primarily THE BEST YOUNGSTERS to play college hoops for only one year generally instead of developing players over a 3-4 year experience, and thats simply the price you pay.

All that being said, I am more excited about THIS GROUP of Duke youngsters than any squad since '15.

OFC

 

[OldasdirtDevil]

Experience is a great equalizer, but so is talent. The only thing I haven't seen out of Duke so far is how they will handle adversity when it presents itself. Winning big is easy when everything is clicking, but grinding out wins (when chit is going wrong) is the mark of a champion. I'm feeling very optimistic.

OFC

 

[hart2chesson]

Experience is a great equalizer, but so is talent. The only thing I haven't seen out of Duke so far is how they will handle adversity when it presents itself. Winning big is easy when everything is clicking, but grinding out wins (when chit is going wrong) is the mark of a champion. I'm feeling very optimistic.

OFC

Good post Dirt and I think we may face some adversity in Maui. That doesnt mean a loss neccessarily, but what Coach K likes to call "game pressure" or an extended run of points by the opposition (K might say "they knocked us back"), and our resilience will be tested. I am optimistic like yourself.

OFC

 

[OldasdirtDevil]

Good post Dirt and I think we may face some adversity in Maui. That doesnt mean a loss neccessarily, but what Coach K likes to call "game pressure" or an extended run of points by the opposition (K might say "they knocked us back"), and our resilience will be tested. I am optimistic like yourself.

OFC

I agree, Hart. It's good to be tested, and preferably still win. It's great fun to win big, but if you're not battle tested, then doubts can seep in during crunch time. I still think about the Duke/UNLV rematch in '91. I remember telling all my friends (and Heel fans) that if Duke could keep within striking distance that they would win if it got tight at the end 'cause the Rebels pretty much destroyed teams and weren't used to playing with the game on the line at the end. It worked out pretty well for us back then!

OFC

 

[QC Dukie]

Come on now? Do a little research on the pg he’ll be facing.

Wasting your time Show......

 

[dukiejay]

I know like mentioned earlier we'll be playing our share of teams that are "veteran laden" and "battle tested" and this is an advantage to those squads, no doubt. Obviously several are in Maui. In addition, we'll face teams in the ACC (Syracuse, UNC, UVA to name a few) who have plenty of returning and experienced talent.

However one excuse I wish we could bypass is the "they're old" comments when we are about to play those teams. We have CHOSEN to go after primarily THE BEST YOUNGSTERS to play college hoops for only one year generally instead of developing players over a 3-4 year experience, and thats simply the price you pay.

All that being said, I am more excited about THIS GROUP of Duke youngsters than any squad since '15.

OFC

While this is mostly true and I agree with you, it should be pointed out that Duke has chosen to go after the best youngsters for a long time now.....way before the most recent five or six recruiting cycles. The landscape has just changed in college basketball.

Also, I think what we saw from K following the 2016-17 debacle, has been a concerted effort to find the kind of guys who will develop over the three- to four-year window. Guys like AOC, Jack, Marques, Goldwire and Javin, while not currently all-conference players, are veterans who continue to see their experience and confidence grow.

 

[jwill133]

Duke has always recruited the best players. The only difference now is the best players only stay around for a year. Like DukieJay said, it's obvious K has made a strong effort to bring in 4 year guys.

What makes this team special IMO is the older guys know their role and also know they are not the best players on the team. They understand they are role players and the freshman are gonna get most of the shots.
The 2017 team seemed to be a constant battle between Kennard/Grayson/Tatum as to who the go-to-guy was. Once February hit, it was obvious it needed to be Tatum but that didn't happen.
Last year also had Grayson, who was great, and did make an effort to defer to the younger guys, but that wasn't Grayson's game. Grayson wasn't Quinn Cook, Quinn didn't have a problem defering and becoming a spot up shooter. Grayson was best when he was in full-blown attack mode. And it culminated with the Kansas game, we should have gone inside to a big.

Regardless....guys like Jack, Javin, Ques, AOC, and Goldwire are the PERFECT blend of veterans for our 4 young studs. Everyone wins.

 

[dachampishere2]

Come on now? Do a little research on the pg he’ll be facing.

No thanks. It’s not that serious to me. I believe in my point guard and I know he’s going to come to play. Plenty people did research on Kentucky team before the season and thought their guards were good. Look what happened.

 

[Mac9192]

We have our hands full this week. I love it. We need to be tested, and I think we will. The key is to spread the ball around. It is good that our upperclassmen know they are not the superstar, but it's equally as important that our freshmen continue to play the way they are. This style of play that K has gone to is so fun to watch.

We shouldn't have any one guy that thinks "I need to get mine" like years past. That's what kept those teams from being better.

 

[dukehokie]

We have our hands full this week. I love it. We need to be tested, and I think we will. The key is to spread the ball around. It is good that our upperclassmen know they are not the superstar, but it's equally as important that our freshmen continue to play the way they are. This style of play that K has gone to is so fun to watch.

We shouldn't have any one guy that thinks "I need to get mine" like years past. That's what kept those teams from being better.

The other great thing about our upperclassmen, is that they fit their roles so well. They don’t hurt us in doing what they do (except Javin who looked like he may have turned a corner last game). In the past, our upperclassmen didn’t always live up to their role (shooting, rebounding, etc). This year, they’re fitting their roles just fine.

 

[Mac9192]

The other great thing about our upperclassmen, is that they fit their roles so well. They don’t hurt us in doing what they do (except Javin who looked like he may have turned a corner last game). In the past, our upperclassmen didn’t always live up to their role (shooting, rebounding, etc). This year, they’re fitting their roles just fine.

Completely agree about our upperclassmen fitting their roles. I think what's as important than that is how, so far, our young studs are playing. When I watch Zion, a kid who will be making millions next year at this time, diving after a loose ball, that tells me how much winning means to him, or when Barrett is chest bumping him after he throws another one down.

That kind of effort is, for the most part, all most people who've complained about the one and done, have wanted to see.

 

[jcdevilfan]

If things go as planned on this first day, and there are no upsets, Duke will see two styles of BB that "K" likes to see early in the season.
1. San Diego State is a very good defensive team and will try to slow the pace as much as possible, limiting the Duke possessions.
2. Auburn will welcome a fast pace and will look to pressure the ball and run, and they are very good at it. Plus they are shooting over 40% from the 3.
No matter how this Tournament plays out, "K" will have some great film for teaching purposes long before the ACC regular season begins.
This is going to be exciting folks, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Go Duke!
OFC

 

[DukeRulesBasketball]

While this is mostly true and I agree with you, it should be pointed out that Duke has chosen to go after the best youngsters for a long time now.....way before the most recent five or six recruiting cycles. The landscape has just changed in college basketball.

Also, I think what we saw from K following the 2016-17 debacle, has been a concerted effort to find the kind of guys who will develop over the three- to four-year window. Guys like AOC, Jack, Marques, Goldwire and Javin, while not currently all-conference players, are veterans who continue to see their experience and confidence grow.

I agree with this except Marques was never a three to four year guy. It just happened to be that way.

 

[dachampishere2]

@Showenuff and @QC Dukie guess i was right about the point guard battle. Tre was CLEARLY better than that guy you tried to get me to waste time doing research on hahahaha. so once again COME ON NOW. Tre had no trouble. He had his season high in points. Once again Tre is a seasoned vet and those Jones boys bring it in big games

 

[skysdad]

I'm happy Tre decided to show us more of his complete game. OFC

 

[Jnood]

What time do they play tomorrow?

 

[skysdad]

I wonder if Jay Bilas caught any fish , OFC