Sometimes, it's just not your night.

[tw3301]

I'm willing to excuse the performance last night if we never see anything like that ever again. Road games in February can be tough, we all know that.

Remember the 2015 team had to survive in OT against a TERRIBLE (2-16 ACC record) Virginia Tech team in late February. The energy that Duke team played with was very similar to last nights Duke team, NC state is just much much better than the 2015 VT team, hence the blow out.

That was a 1-time thing in 2015, after that game we went right back to dominating teams again. I hope I can say the same for 2020, if VT plays us tight at home on Sat, or if we go down to the wire at Wake, I'll then be very worried.

that 2015 team played with no energy in the ACC tournament against Notre Dame for 3/4 of the game then turned it on late to make it a close one but still lost. Obviously in the NCAA tournament that changed... and that team was quite a bit better than this one.

 

[jwill133]

that 2015 team played with no energy in the ACC tournament against Notre Dame for 3/4 of the game then turned it on late to make it a close one but still lost. Obviously in the NCAA tournament that changed... and that team was quite a bit better than this one.

True. We blew out NC State the night before by 30. That game felt like K knew we already had the 1 seed locked up and wasn't showing anything else. We had no answer for how they defended us, take away all 3-pointers and let Okafor go for 30+. K never even tried to change up the game-plan.

I'm just trying to make the best of the situation. I don't think this team is nearly as good as the 2015 team, but I also don't think the competition is nearly as good as it was in 2015.

 

[Quavarius]

We’re going to look back on this game and laugh when we win the Natty!

We played against a team that’s fighting for its NCAA Tournament life. They wanted it more. They hit shots they normally don’t hit. It happens!

 

[duhondukie]

We’re going to look back on this game and laugh when we win the Natty!

We played against a team that’s fighting for its NCAA Tournament life. They wanted it more. They hit shots they normally don’t hit. It happens!

I love the optimism but what happens in the tournament when we forget to show up and the other team wants it more?

 

[LetsGoDuke301]

If we're being real, last night doesn't really change much from what we already knew. This team can beat anyone, but can also lose to about anyone.

So inconsistent, both offensively and defensively. I came into the season with no expectations for a real chance at the title. I won't lie, though I don't feel good about it, I feel better today than I did going into the year. Regroup, learn from it and move on. It's a strange year in college basketball, we'll be alright.

 

[Quavarius]

I love the optimism but what happens in the tournament when we forget to show up and the other team wants it more?

We’re not going to be in an environment like this in the NCAA Tournament. Again, this was a desperate team who lost a controversial game to BC the previous game. I seriously doubt anyone is going to shoot like this against us in the NCAA Tournament. Let’s say we blow them out by 30 in a few weeks, are we still going to be worried about the NCAA Tournament? Yes, anything can happen, but I love our chances.

 

[jwill133]

We’re not going to be in an environment like this in the NCAA Tournament. Again, this was a desperate team who lost a controversial game to BC the previous game. I seriously doubt anyone is going to shoot like this against us in the NCAA Tournament. Let’s say we blow them out by 30 in a few weeks, are we still going to be worried about the NCAA Tournament? Yes, anything can happen, but I love our chances.

The 2015 team lost in Raleigh 87-75 in January, and then blew them out by 30 in the ACC quarters.

And I'm with ya. It would have been nice to battle on the boards more, we had a chance to get back in the game a lot in the first half, but we could never get a key defensive rebound, and then they always scored. Regardless...with the way they shot, I'm not sure rebounding better would have made a difference.

 

[LetsGoDuke301]

Rebounding would have made a huge difference in the second half when Duke got to within 11. It was only one of many areas that Duke failed in last night. But there was a sequence where State finally looked like the shit team they are and Duke couldn't capitalize on their misses and after Duke fumbled the defensive rebound twice in a row, State hit a 3 putting Duke back down 14. No such thing as what might have been, but Duke secures the rebound, maybe scores on the other end and it's a 8/9 point game instead of 14. Plays like that kill your confidence, especially when having the kind of game they had.

 

[Mac9192]

We have 2 issues that we have to address. One is our defense. Just need to figure out a way to shore that up a little. The second is more of a concern to me, and that’s Cassius, Wendell, Matthew, Alex, and maybe Joey.
I’m more confident in our defense getting a little better than getting solid contributions out of 2 of the above mentioned every game from here on out. Vernon and Tre need help. Tre is our leader, and he has to be better.
We saw what we did with Zion and RJ. No disrespect to Tre and Vernon, but they aren’t as good. Several others have to man up.

 

[HuffyJB]

Rebounding would have made a huge difference in the second half when Duke got to within 11. It was only one of many areas that Duke failed in last night. But there was a sequence where State finally looked like the shit team they are and Duke couldn't capitalize on their misses and after Duke fumbled the defensive rebound twice in a row, State hit a 3 putting Duke back down 14. No such thing as what might have been, but Duke secures the rebound, maybe scores on the other end and it's a 8/9 point game instead of 14. Plays like that kill your confidence, especially when having the kind of game they had.

I don't have Gary-7 notes or anything, but I remember that sequence and it was huge. If I remember correctly, Duke had three chances to cut it to single digits when they had it to 11 around the 10-minute mark, and failed to convert each time. Then came the fumbled ball sequence, and the ensuing three. That about did her.

 

[Grizbanker]

Momma said there'd be days like this! Yep...That was a tough loss. But I am not losing hope and faith at all. I still believe Duke is one of the best teams if not THE best team in the country. NC State shot great. Duke struggled to get the ball in the hole; even on some decent looks the ball just bounced out. One of those frustrating nights and it just snow balled. 50-50 balls didn't go our way. Some due to being out-hustled and some just took bad bounces. And sometimes we had two players with a lock on the ball and it would end up out of bounds. For sure a frustrating loss when it seemed like we were rolling but I still have confidence and optimism for this group and I am looking forward to the rest of the year. Go Duke!

 

[dachampishere2]

Momma said there'd be days like this! Yep...That was a tough loss. But I am not losing hope and faith at all. I still believe Duke is one of the best teams if not THE best team in the country. NC State shot great. Duke struggled to get the ball in the hole; even on some decent looks the ball just bounced out. One of those frustrating nights and it just snow balled. 50-50 balls didn't go our way. Some due to being out-hustled and some just took bad bounces. And sometimes we had two players with a lock on the ball and it would end up out of bounds. For sure a frustrating loss when it seemed like we were rolling but I still have confidence and optimism for this group and I am looking forward to the rest of the year. Go Duke!

We did more than struggle to put the ball in the hole. It’s like we had grease on our hands. Idk how they came up with us only having 11 turnovers. It seemed like much more. Maybe it was just the timing

 

[BlueDaveil]

The good news is that we are probably just as likely to shoot like we did against ND than to shoot as badly as we did against NCS. Both are outliers and we should hopefully play around our average most nights. If we are hitting shots we are able to set our defense and are much more effective, and in turn, when they miss shots we tend to score much more easily. Hopefully we can get back to holding teams to under 70 points like we were consistently early on and we have as good a shot as anyone else to win the whole thing.

 

[jwill133]

As far as the really good teams go, our half-court offense is average at best. Our transition offense is elite. The problem is when teams are making ridiculous shots, we have to score mainly in the half-court.

Our defense has been trending in the wrong direction for the last month or so. Why is that? A couple assumptions...
-Tre is our leader, Tre is tired. It was so obvious in the 2nd half last night how fatigued Tre was.
-Vernon, who was a much better defender than anyone could have imagined at the beginning of the season, hasn't made any strides. Teams are seeking him in the pick-n-roll and are abusing him. He needs to get better. We must have his offense.
-Joey and Matthew are defensive liabilities and were just gonna have to live with that, hopefully they provide good enough offense to offset their limitations. Alex has been much better defensively than last year. He's not great, but being average works.
-We have made zero changes to our defense. Not sure why we don't occasionally throw out a zone or maybe limit the intense ball pressure if we aren't forcing turnovers.

 

[denverexpat]

Per Coach K's comments - we didnt commit to winning last night. I find that baffling as each player has a competitive spirit or would not be at this level. Personally, I think it takes a leader, someone who gets annoyed, angry and motivated to stop a downhill performance from happening or continuing. Add a Battier, Hurley, JWill or even a Scheyer or Singler to that line up last night and the 22pt blow out wouldnt happen. They would have been all over the team. Someone has to take it personally and voice that opinion to the other players - leadership is missing. It seems timid vs vocal in these games where we struggle. We have seen glimpses, the UNC comeback, other games..FSU/KS etc....but its not present every night so these games can happen. We need that vocal, motivating floor leader. Anyway, my 0.02c ramble.

 

[Grizbanker]

Speaking of Scheyer and leaders; I don't know what everyone else thinks, but I love watching Jon Scheyer on the bench. He always looks so calm and confident. I loved watching him play. I could just envision him last night with imaginary thought bubbles thinking, Man...put me in coach. I could take care of this deficit and turn this thing around. While he never changes facial expressions. Reminds me of an old story I heard from a relative. Sitting the varsity bench as a freshman and rarely seeing the floor except mop up minutes. Team is down 20 and Coach beckons for him to go in with a minute left in the game. As player is walking past Coach to check in he says, "Want me to tie it up or win it?" Classic

 

[Mpm277]

As far as the really good teams go, our half-court offense is average at best. Our transition offense is elite. The problem is when teams are making ridiculous shots, we have to score mainly in the half-court.

I really feel that this has been a big problem of ours ever since we really utilized the OAD method of team building. I think it's actually better this year and we play more as a team this year than the last couple at least.

And good God those free throws.

 

[FireBugOBJC]

I know he hates the court storming and wants to get out quick, but at the handshake, When Duke smacks another team, K likes to give the opposing coach a little tap on the chest and a couple words and a smile, but Duke loses and he barely looks Keatts in the eye. Does it all the time

 

[skysdad]

I know he hates the court storming and wants to get out quick, but at the handshake, When Duke smacks another team, K likes to give the opposing coach a little tap on the chest and a couple words and a smile, but Duke loses and he barely looks Keatts in the eye. Does it all the time

hmmmm. I see you are a fairly new poster. Welcome to the board. Have fun. I think all of us would like to know you a little better. Where did your nickname from? It's interesting. When did you becomeva Duke fan and why. Whose your favorite all time Dukie? We love adding new Duke fans to the board. OFC

 

[skysdad]

Momma said there'd be days like this! Yep...That was a tough loss. But I am not losing hope and faith at all. I still believe Duke is one of the best teams if not THE best team in the country. NC State shot great. Duke struggled to get the ball in the hole; even on some decent looks the ball just bounced out. One of those frustrating nights and it just snow balled. 50-50 balls didn't go our way. Some due to being out-hustled and some just took bad bounces. And sometimes we had two players with a lock on the ball and it would end up out of bounds. For sure a frustrating loss when it seemed like we were rolling but I still have confidence and optimism for this group and I am looking forward to the rest of the year. Go Duke!

Welcome to the board. Have fun. How long you been a Duke fan. Always welcome new Duke fans here. Looking forward to more post from you. OFC

 

[FireBugOBJC]

I'm a firefighter from Jersey City. Know the whole Hurley family so been a duke fan since Bobby was there (I was probably around 12). I also know the Spanarkels, my father was a cop w Jim's brother Ray. I've posted a few times, found this board when Lance Thomas was being recruited. Not trying to come off like a jerk, it's just something that's always bugged me. K's emotional, just think it's a bad look sometimes. Oh, and the OB are the initials of a fellow Duke fan who passed when we were kids.

 

[Showenuff]

Welcome to the board Grizbanker.

 

[Showenuff]

Welcome FireBug.

 

[skysdad]

What I hate is we held our ACC regular season championship fate in our hands with the relatively easier part of our ACC schedule ahead of us and let it slip through our fingers.

Good to hear from you Phil. I get where you are coming from. I like to determine our on destiny without hoping some other team helps us but
I'm not so prideful that we get a little help from along the way. It's that way in life too. OFC

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

I'm a firefighter from Jersey City. Know the whole Hurley family so been a duke fan since Bobby was there (I was probably around 12). I also know the Spanarkels, my father was a cop w Jim's brother Ray. I've posted a few times, found this board when Lance Thomas was being recruited. Not trying to come off like a jerk, it's just something that's always bugged me. K's emotional, just think it's a bad look sometimes. Oh, and the OB are the initials of a fellow Duke fan who passed when we were kids.

All coaches are emotional. If they don’t get emotional then it’s probably time for them to quit coaching.

 

[Grizbanker]

Welcome to the board. Have fun. How long you been a Duke fan. Always welcome new Duke fans here. Looking forward to more post from you. OFC

Thanks. Duke fan from Montana. I have been a Duke fan since I really became a college basketball fan. Late '80's I would say. I can't even tell you how I first became a Duke fan but I love it. My wife is a Duke fan too (probably because of me). And my kids are big Duke fans too. It's so funny because if we can't watch a game live we always record and watch later. Just the other night after a high school game some of my friends were talking to my son about the Duke game and they laughed because we didn't know and don't usually hear about the game until after we get to watch it. We do our best to ignore messages about games anyways.

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

Good to hear from you Phil. I get where you are coming from. I like to determine our on destiny without hoping some other team helps us but
I'm not so prideful that we get a little help from along the way. It's that way in life too. OFC

In a way we still control our own destiny because as long as we win the rest of our regular season games and either Louisville or FSU wins the rest of their regular season games then we’ll at least get a share of the regular season title. Only one of them can win the rest of their regular season games because they play each other Monday night. If Louisville beats FSU and doesn’t lose again and we don’t lose again then we’ll share the regular season title with them and get the 2 seed in the ACC Tournament but if FSU beats Louisville and doesn’t lose again and we don’t lose again then we’ll share the regular season title with them but we’ll get the 1 seed in the ACC Tournament because we have the tiebreaker over them.

 

[Quavarius]

 

[Quavarius]

But but Coach K is a meanie

 

[Showenuff]

And then there's this for you "worry warts"....

 

[FireBugOBJC]

Now I'm a worry wart..thanks for the heads up

 

[FireBugOBJC]

I never said hes mean or that I'm worried. I just dont like him pretty much cornering coaches after he mops the floor w them but then not doing the same when hes not so fortunate. Keatts was trying to talk to him and he blew him off. I know K can do no wrong to a lot of you but, hey..what do I know, I only have a few posts

 

[dukesince91]

I never said hes mean or that I'm worried. I just dont like him pretty much cornering coaches after he mops the floor w them but then not doing the same when hes not so fortunate. Keatts was trying to talk to him and he blew him off. I know K can do no wrong to a lot of you but, hey..what do I know, I only have a few posts

You must come in peace when you post here.

 

[PixelDevil]

Hmm, with these new posters, I just remembered I never made my own introduction. It’s coming, trust me

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

Everyone that I’ve sewn comment on Coach K supposedly blowing by Keatts seem to be forgetting one key factor. The fans stormed the court the second the game ended, so Coach K was probably trying to avoid the fans storming the court. It’s not like he took himself and his starters to the locker room before the game ended and left his end of the bench players in the game and assistant coaches on the bench to stay with the bench players that were still on the court so he could avoid the fans storming the court.

 

[skysdad]

I never said hes mean or that I'm worried. I just dont like him pretty much cornering coaches after he mops the floor w them but then not doing the same when hes not so fortunate. Keatts was trying to talk to him and he blew him off. I know K can do no wrong to a lot of you but, hey..what do I know, I only have a few posts

Maybe, just maybe he was making sure his players were alright. There were a lot of fans out there and anything could hsppen but you are probably right. I just thought I saw Coach K shake his hand. Now Coach K did not grab and hug him snd embrace him for 5 minutes. Maybe he should have done that. By the way sincevyou are so observant did you see the picture where Coach K stopped and spoke to Johnson about what a great game he had. Guess not because being I know would have mentioned it.Just in cased you missed that go up about 5 post and tske a look. By the way thanks for your service to your comminity. Loved Hurley. Wish we could have cloned him. Spanarkel is one of my top three favorite Dukies. Sincerly I'm looking forward to what you have to post. OFC

 

[retiredsoldier]

Man, I swear, Duke lose and we get all kinds of drive by bs. Drives me crazy how people seem to have so much free time on their hands only when Duke struggles. But as long as they are winning/playing great, it's our normal crew here on the threads. Why is that? Some of you guys that's been here longer than me, has it always been this way?

 

[LONMUNU]

When we mop the floor against other teams, they don’t have to worry about fans storming the court.

 

[jwill133]

I never said hes mean or that I'm worried. I just dont like him pretty much cornering coaches after he mops the floor w them but then not doing the same when hes not so fortunate. Keatts was trying to talk to him and he blew him off. I know K can do no wrong to a lot of you but, hey..what do I know, I only have a few posts

K is the GOAT, the GOAT gets to do whatever the GOAT wants to do.

Personally I wish he took a big dump right on that stupid logo on their center court.

 

[tw3301]

I don't have Gary-7 notes or anything, but I remember that sequence and it was huge. If I remember correctly, Duke had three chances to cut it to single digits when they had it to 11 around the 10-minute mark, and failed to convert each time. Then came the fumbled ball sequence, and the ensuing three. That about did her.

We had a season high in blown rebounds and loose balls. It was like the guys were eating greasy fried chicken on the bench and forgot to wipe off their hands. Couldn't secure anything.