THIS TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter krzyzewskiville
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STILL THE #1 TEAM IN THE LAND, YO!
To be this young and to be challenged and answering the bell on the standing 8 count, digging down and finding a way to pull it out. Damn, so proud.
That Coach K dude is pretty good too
To be this young and to be challenged and answering the bell on the standing 8 count, digging down and finding a way to pull it out. Damn, so proud.
That Coach K dude is pretty good too
Outscored Florida 15-2 over the final 4 minutes. This team can makeup a deficit in hurry. Our starting 5 is scary good. I think all 5 of these guys will be 1st round picks... Looking at the box score, I can't help noticing we went 19 for 20 from the free throw line. And we made 10 threes last night. The fact that we made our free throws and threes and barely won tells me that Florida is really, really good.
Our defense really picked it up in the late stages of the game; Florida went 4 for 15 from the field in the final 10 minutes (26.7%). Currently our defense is ranked 36th in the kenpom rankings, but I think we have the potential to be a top-10 defensive team. The talent is certainly there! Fun team to watch. I don't get nervous or super stressed when they're down double digits with under 10 minutes to play. Go Duke!
Our defense really picked it up in the late stages of the game; Florida went 4 for 15 from the field in the final 10 minutes (26.7%). Currently our defense is ranked 36th in the kenpom rankings, but I think we have the potential to be a top-10 defensive team. The talent is certainly there! Fun team to watch. I don't get nervous or super stressed when they're down double digits with under 10 minutes to play. Go Duke!
If things progress, we could really have a special team. I'm cautiously optimistic. The NCAA title isn't given out in November, but this freaking team is some kind of talented.
Marvin Bagley is the best player in the country, and even though I don't follow the NBA that close, he would start for any team right now. Carter is so skilled, he just needs some more maturity, as does Duval. Carter needs to accept that he's option 3, and Duval needs to tighten his game some. That should come, unless he likes getting benched and watching Grayson run point. Trent, Delaurier, Bolden and O'Connell need to continue doing what they're doing, they are getting better. Allen isn't shooting or looking for his shot quite enough. I think he needs to take at least 15 shots, he is so unselfish.
Coach K knows he has a dangerous team, and like what's been said by most everyone, we are scary good right now. I think on a scale of 1-10, we are at a 6-7 right now.
Marvin Bagley is the best player in the country, and even though I don't follow the NBA that close, he would start for any team right now. Carter is so skilled, he just needs some more maturity, as does Duval. Carter needs to accept that he's option 3, and Duval needs to tighten his game some. That should come, unless he likes getting benched and watching Grayson run point. Trent, Delaurier, Bolden and O'Connell need to continue doing what they're doing, they are getting better. Allen isn't shooting or looking for his shot quite enough. I think he needs to take at least 15 shots, he is so unselfish.
Coach K knows he has a dangerous team, and like what's been said by most everyone, we are scary good right now. I think on a scale of 1-10, we are at a 6-7 right now.
I think we're a little hard on Trevon. Yes he makes mistakes but he's still an asset to this team and he makes some HUGE plays, did in this one. I think he's fighting off his reluctance to take the 3 now. He starts hitting a few of them and it's on. We've all been tough on gary lately as well but look at him last night, WOW!
You sum it all up very well. Let me add that Duval also rewarded his team by having the guts to take that corner three when he'd missed several miserably already, which put us down 14, and followed that up with at least one 2-2 from the FT line...so much to like from that comeback but just wanted to build on what you said about Duval. He's already finding out how challenging the college game is but I think he's ahead of the curve for the most part.
Not to mention he is EVERYWHERE, how much energy does it take to pressure the inbounds pass every time Duke scores, he glides around the court prowling for a chance to strike..........I know he makes mistakes, but boy is he going to be key, that layup he made was insane by the way.
Absolutely, Duval deserves a ton of credit for his ability to forget about the last play and focus on next play. I posted the below on premium as well:
In regards to Duval, he is so good and so fast. You want him to slow it down but at the same time don’t want to take away what makes him so hard to guard. Luckily we have a coach who knows how to push the right buttons- kid is a warrior, as he learns to play more in control, the better we will be. Kid wants to win so bad. Really fun to watch (albeit nerve wracking at the same time).
Thanks for sharing that! I agree 100%. A more docile player probably wouldn't have had the guts to whip that one-handed pass to Grayson for the three. So far, it feels like K has pushed the buttons expertly with Duval. He gives him short rests when things get a little funky but shows faith by getting him back in there and allowing him to play instinctively and with tempo. It doesn't work 100% but the kid is a few games into his freshman year and has already dazzled us numerous times.
I also like that he, and this team in general, seem okay with constructive feedback from teammates and coaches. You can see conversations happening on the court and they don't appear to lead to sulking by anyone. There is also constant encouragement out there and lots of shared successes.
Let's hope all this amounts to a banner, but regardless, as many have said, this has been a heckuva ride so far.
This statement is so true and one of the things I really love watching this team play. The bench is always in it and I never see anyone in the game sulking after they make a mistake or the other team scores.
I've really been impressed by Duval. I didn't know he was such a good defender. I'd heard stuff about him having an attitude in high school but I haven't seen that once this season.
A lot of things not to like the first 30 minutes of the game (again), but then we put our foot on the gas and play remarkable defense the last 10 minutes. It's odd to see a freshmen-dominated team play with such poise while a veteran Florida bunch started to panic and rush.
My takeaways from the weekend, as a whole....
1 - The freshmen play like men at winning time.
2 - Last year when the going got tough, we played too much hero ball. This is just a closer group, who is constantly trying to pick one another up off the mat.
3 - When Gary got that steal at the end of the game, please tell me I wasn't the only one who was screaming at the TV for him to hold the ball and not pass it off? Gary is one of those guys who even when his shot isn't falling and you don't see the immediate results of his play, is still making winning plays.
4 - I'll be the first to admit I was a little hard on Trevon last night. I thought our best chance of making a run was with him on the bench. I'm glad I was wrong and I'm glad K put him back out there to succeed.
5 - Another poster said something like, and I'm paraphrasing, 'we're still only a six or seven on the 10-scale'....I kind of feel the same way. We're not likely to shoot FTs or the deep ball at that clip, but we don't need to in order to be successful. Some nights, yes, but most we don't.
My advice is go win on Wednesday at Indiana then sleep for a couple days.
My takeaways from the weekend, as a whole....
1 - The freshmen play like men at winning time.
2 - Last year when the going got tough, we played too much hero ball. This is just a closer group, who is constantly trying to pick one another up off the mat.
3 - When Gary got that steal at the end of the game, please tell me I wasn't the only one who was screaming at the TV for him to hold the ball and not pass it off? Gary is one of those guys who even when his shot isn't falling and you don't see the immediate results of his play, is still making winning plays.
4 - I'll be the first to admit I was a little hard on Trevon last night. I thought our best chance of making a run was with him on the bench. I'm glad I was wrong and I'm glad K put him back out there to succeed.
5 - Another poster said something like, and I'm paraphrasing, 'we're still only a six or seven on the 10-scale'....I kind of feel the same way. We're not likely to shoot FTs or the deep ball at that clip, but we don't need to in order to be successful. Some nights, yes, but most we don't.
My advice is go win on Wednesday at Indiana then sleep for a couple days.
Agree and I said we are a 6 or 7 right now, and we are still better than most everyone. I'll say we are a 9-9.5 if the defense shores up a little, and Allen and Duval are a little better. I'm not being critical of either of them, but Allen is a little off with his shooting, and needs to assert himself a little more. Duval is phenomenal, but his decision making needs tightening up a little as well. Nothing that can't be made better. Plus K is the coach, and he has that look about him, the one where he knows he has some serious players, and the ones he has are better than yours. He has something he hasn't coached in a long time as well, maybe ever, and that's two dominant big men.
I think Grayson is pulling a little mad genius on us, though, too. And what I mean by that is I think all of the young guys know this is his team, we as fans know it and Grayson is rowing that boat, if you will. I agree he needs to be more assertive, but I also think he's showing great leadership in not making this 'my' team. His comments after MSU were telling to me. Grayson isn't trying to be an all-time great just with his numbers, and that's what I love about the kid. I ain't trippin', either.
Two big wins that show a lot of fight.
There are still weaknesses. 3 point shooting is a real concern. Trent hitting those three first half threes were a key to the game, imo, as it put us back in it and gave the team confidence they could come back.
The D down the stretch was good - but UF also missed some open shots they were hitting earlier.
We rely too much on Bagley. Looks again like K is going to a 7 player lineup in the 2nd half of big games. That's what it's going to look like - 8 players in 1st half; 7 in second.
I actually think some of our best D was when DeLaurier was accidentally out at the top of the key when we were in the 2-3 zone. He has the length to pressure the 3 point shot and the length and quickness to hinder a guard on a drive. I would like to see K occasionally put him there every so often just to throw off the other team's offense a bit.
We'll need Trent and or O'Connell to hit threes.
Another thing that I think is needed is for the big men (Carter / Bagley) to learn to kick the ball out when in the blocks. They both have great confidence in their low post game and are good down there. But, being able to see the open 3 is important. I hope that happens.
There's good promise here but also a number of concerns. If they grow in those weak areas they could be special. Or, if they play like they did for long stretches against UF and Texas, they could see another sweet 16 exit.
There are still weaknesses. 3 point shooting is a real concern. Trent hitting those three first half threes were a key to the game, imo, as it put us back in it and gave the team confidence they could come back.
The D down the stretch was good - but UF also missed some open shots they were hitting earlier.
We rely too much on Bagley. Looks again like K is going to a 7 player lineup in the 2nd half of big games. That's what it's going to look like - 8 players in 1st half; 7 in second.
I actually think some of our best D was when DeLaurier was accidentally out at the top of the key when we were in the 2-3 zone. He has the length to pressure the 3 point shot and the length and quickness to hinder a guard on a drive. I would like to see K occasionally put him there every so often just to throw off the other team's offense a bit.
We'll need Trent and or O'Connell to hit threes.
Another thing that I think is needed is for the big men (Carter / Bagley) to learn to kick the ball out when in the blocks. They both have great confidence in their low post game and are good down there. But, being able to see the open 3 is important. I hope that happens.
There's good promise here but also a number of concerns. If they grow in those weak areas they could be special. Or, if they play like they did for long stretches against UF and Texas, they could see another sweet 16 exit.
Duval was incredible down the stretch, no way around that. My biggest fear going into the second half was how we were going to slow Chiozza down and keep him out of the paint. He is obviously the gasoline that fuels their offense. When you have a 4 out offense you need someone to break the interior in order to get the defense to react and open up perimeter. Florida is a run and gun offense, they capitalize on mistakes, they push the tempo and they are fearless with shooters. Slowing down their offense and forcing them into half court sets led to a lot more stops and IMO the key to all of that was Duval. I think we are a deep team this year, but I think we only had 1 person on our roster capable of slowing down Chiozza and I am thankful we trusted him enough to keep him in there.
When you think about it, Duval is playing against the grain with our roster. What I mean by that is I don't think our personnel best suits Tre's game. He is a slasher and slashers do their best work with space to create. He would have been a perfect match for previous teams that had a plethora of shooters and plenty of room to break down the defense. This year we have an incredible front court with big bodies clogging the paint and very little room to negotiate most times. Duval is not a shooter that much is crystal clear, but I applaud him for being as productive as he has been this year given the makeup of our team. A lot of top recruits would sulk and force a lot more than Tre has this year. IMO he has accepted his role as the facilitator, he has bought in so far defensively and seems to be a great teammate overall.
When you think about it, Duval is playing against the grain with our roster. What I mean by that is I don't think our personnel best suits Tre's game. He is a slasher and slashers do their best work with space to create. He would have been a perfect match for previous teams that had a plethora of shooters and plenty of room to break down the defense. This year we have an incredible front court with big bodies clogging the paint and very little room to negotiate most times. Duval is not a shooter that much is crystal clear, but I applaud him for being as productive as he has been this year given the makeup of our team. A lot of top recruits would sulk and force a lot more than Tre has this year. IMO he has accepted his role as the facilitator, he has bought in so far defensively and seems to be a great teammate overall.
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