Devils Illustrated,
We are 50% through the season. The Blue Devils are 19-1, their best start to the season since the 2010-2011 season. At this point in the season, I have 3 questions for all of you, they are the following:
1) What grade would you give the Blue Devils?
2) What are your Positives of the team?
3) What Improvements would you like to see the Blue Devils make?
I'll start
A
Positives:
- Plays Elite Defense without Fouling
- Unselfishness
- Ball Movement
- Cohesiveness
- Mentally Strong
- Multi-Dimensional in Scoring
- Physical & Hard Nosed
- Strong Top 6 in the Rotation
- Strong Rebounding Team
- Coach Scheyer's Coaching & In Game Adjustments
Needs Improvement:
- Establish the Inside Game Early with Cameron & Ngongba (play inside-out)
- Defense against the 3-Point Shot
- Minimize the scoring droughts Duke sometimes experiences
- Free Throw Shooting
- 3 Point Shooting
- Confidence from Khamenia, Cayden, and Harris
Duke Leads the country with the Most Quad 1 Wins. They've cleaned up the poor defensive rebounding, slow starts, and poor transition defensive habits Duke was exhibiting in the first 10 games of the season. Evans is now a Reliable Robin to Cameron's Batman. Evans and Sarr have Both Improved since the 2nd Half of the Game in Louisville. Brown and Sarr are the Secretaries of Defense for Duke. Ngongba has also Elevated his game since the Win @ Stanford. Since the game in Stanford, Duke has Learned to Keep their Foot on the throttle (this is A Great Sign).
Duke will face 6 Tests in these next 10 games beginning with the road game on Saturday in Blacksburg. Duke will welcome 2 of the best teams in the ACC to CIS in Clemson & Virginia. Duke will travel to Chapel Hill to take on the tar holes. Duke will also travel to Raleigh to take on the Wolfpack. On February 21st, Duke has the Showdown with Michigan and Sideshow Cadeu (if he's not leading the band out of the Mariott) in Washington DC (where the East Region will be held in March). Imo Duke will finish 9-1 or 10-0 during these next 10 games.
Duke still has its flaws. The 3-Point Defense HAS to be better, a Talented and Disciplined Opponent will make Duke pay in the NCAA Tournament if this weakness does not improve. The Free Throw Shooting also HAS to improve Primarily by Ngongba, Foster, Khamenia, Sarr, and Brown. Duke also has to shoot the 3 point shot Better, currently only Harris, Cameron, and Foster are shooting the 3-Pointer above 35% for the season although Evans (34.5%) and Khamenia (34.4%) are knocking on the door. Also, would like to see Duke establish Cameron and Ngongba Early in the games (playing inside-out). Duke is the 2nd Tallest Team in the Country only Illinois is Taller (Duke Needs to be Punishing Teams on the inside). Improvement from 2-3 of Khamenia, Cayden, and Harris will Elevate Duke to Another Level along with correcting the previously mentioned flaws. If Harris can be depended on to knock down some open 3s in the NCAA Tournament just like Andre Dawkins did in 2010 and Matt Jones did in 2015 then look out!
Right now I have Arizona, Duke, and Michigan as the 3 Best Teams in the country. 4 of these teams will make the Final 4 in Indianapolis: Arizona, Duke, Michigan, Texas Tech, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, Florida, UConn, Iowa State, Houston, Gonzaga. This is a Really Strong Season for Men's College Basketball with many of these teams only having 1 loss halfway through the season.
If the NCAA Tournament started today, I would say Duke's floor is the Elite 8 and their ceiling is National Champions. Hopefully, after these next 10 games, Duke's floor will rise to the Final 4 with their ceiling remaining National Champions.
Devils Illustrated, please let me know your answers to the 3 questions posed in this thread.
We are 50% through the season. The Blue Devils are 19-1, their best start to the season since the 2010-2011 season. At this point in the season, I have 3 questions for all of you, they are the following:
1) What grade would you give the Blue Devils?
2) What are your Positives of the team?
3) What Improvements would you like to see the Blue Devils make?
I'll start
A
Positives:
- Plays Elite Defense without Fouling
- Unselfishness
- Ball Movement
- Cohesiveness
- Mentally Strong
- Multi-Dimensional in Scoring
- Physical & Hard Nosed
- Strong Top 6 in the Rotation
- Strong Rebounding Team
- Coach Scheyer's Coaching & In Game Adjustments
Needs Improvement:
- Establish the Inside Game Early with Cameron & Ngongba (play inside-out)
- Defense against the 3-Point Shot
- Minimize the scoring droughts Duke sometimes experiences
- Free Throw Shooting
- 3 Point Shooting
- Confidence from Khamenia, Cayden, and Harris
Duke Leads the country with the Most Quad 1 Wins. They've cleaned up the poor defensive rebounding, slow starts, and poor transition defensive habits Duke was exhibiting in the first 10 games of the season. Evans is now a Reliable Robin to Cameron's Batman. Evans and Sarr have Both Improved since the 2nd Half of the Game in Louisville. Brown and Sarr are the Secretaries of Defense for Duke. Ngongba has also Elevated his game since the Win @ Stanford. Since the game in Stanford, Duke has Learned to Keep their Foot on the throttle (this is A Great Sign).
Duke will face 6 Tests in these next 10 games beginning with the road game on Saturday in Blacksburg. Duke will welcome 2 of the best teams in the ACC to CIS in Clemson & Virginia. Duke will travel to Chapel Hill to take on the tar holes. Duke will also travel to Raleigh to take on the Wolfpack. On February 21st, Duke has the Showdown with Michigan and Sideshow Cadeu (if he's not leading the band out of the Mariott) in Washington DC (where the East Region will be held in March). Imo Duke will finish 9-1 or 10-0 during these next 10 games.
Duke still has its flaws. The 3-Point Defense HAS to be better, a Talented and Disciplined Opponent will make Duke pay in the NCAA Tournament if this weakness does not improve. The Free Throw Shooting also HAS to improve Primarily by Ngongba, Foster, Khamenia, Sarr, and Brown. Duke also has to shoot the 3 point shot Better, currently only Harris, Cameron, and Foster are shooting the 3-Pointer above 35% for the season although Evans (34.5%) and Khamenia (34.4%) are knocking on the door. Also, would like to see Duke establish Cameron and Ngongba Early in the games (playing inside-out). Duke is the 2nd Tallest Team in the Country only Illinois is Taller (Duke Needs to be Punishing Teams on the inside). Improvement from 2-3 of Khamenia, Cayden, and Harris will Elevate Duke to Another Level along with correcting the previously mentioned flaws. If Harris can be depended on to knock down some open 3s in the NCAA Tournament just like Andre Dawkins did in 2010 and Matt Jones did in 2015 then look out!
Right now I have Arizona, Duke, and Michigan as the 3 Best Teams in the country. 4 of these teams will make the Final 4 in Indianapolis: Arizona, Duke, Michigan, Texas Tech, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, Florida, UConn, Iowa State, Houston, Gonzaga. This is a Really Strong Season for Men's College Basketball with many of these teams only having 1 loss halfway through the season.
If the NCAA Tournament started today, I would say Duke's floor is the Elite 8 and their ceiling is National Champions. Hopefully, after these next 10 games, Duke's floor will rise to the Final 4 with their ceiling remaining National Champions.
Devils Illustrated, please let me know your answers to the 3 questions posed in this thread.
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