Where to go from here

[chov1125]

um to the NCAA tournament. I’m disapppinted your disappointed we are all disappointed. Let’s keep things in perspective we lost to a very good team, UNC is again going to be a handful in the tournament.

With that said we are still fine, we will get a 2 seed, give us our opponent roll the ball out and let’s go. I don’t in any way believe we got our best effort tonight. If we don’t start playing with a sense of urgency and it is now the tournament how can we not, we will be gone and the year will be over. Again disappointed but again we didn’t lose to some scrubs, we lost to a team playing with a lot right now and appear more urgent from the first whistle.

I hope we find ourselves in the next week and realize the opportunity we still have and yet how quickly it can disappear if we don’t seize it. We can X and O this thing to death, I don’t care to, it is on to the NCAA tournament. If we play with urgency we still have the talent if not the talent phrase will be written on our tombstone.

 

[Bod1ne]

Nothing is going to change in a week. They are who they are. They've had 33 games to grow into what we saw last night. GA isn't a natural leader. He's worked hard to become the leader he's become, but he's not Quinn Cook or Shane Battier or any of the other great leaders Duke has been blessed with over the years. That's not a flaw, just a reality

The freshmen are who they are as well. They don't, and won't, understand the desire and effort it takes to win big at this level. Whether it's because they'll be millionaires in a month or so or just their collective personalities, winning just doesn't matter enough to them. They've had 33 games of experience and yet they still get outworked, on the biggest stage, against Duke's most hated rival.

That was North Carolina, with a chance to go to the ACC title game and get redemption against the #1 team in the country. And they got outworked and outhustled..........again.

They are who they are.

 

[df64]

WTF does missing shots have to do with desire!? WTF does Duvall rolling his ankle have to do with desire!? We had a really bad night from 3 and our quickest guy playing on one leg and we had a chance to tie at the end. Do you have any idea how hard these one and done kids work to get where they are? Does losing raise their draft stock? Following your logic, the OAD guys would be the hardest working guys on the floor because they would be trying to raise their draft stock at this time of the year for more NBA dollars.

 

[Bod1ne]

WTF does missing shots have to do with desire!? WTF does Duvall rolling his ankle have to do with desire!? We had a really bad night from 3 and our quickest guy playing on one leg and we had a chance to tie at the end. Do you have any idea how hard these one and done kids work to get where they are? Does losing raise their draft stock? Following your logic, the OAD guys would be the hardest working guys on the floor because they would be trying to raise their draft stock at this time of the year for more NBA dollars.

You're clearly upset and clearly didn't watch the game. If you don't like my opinion, watch the game again and listen to Bilas explain it. I believe the word he used was "will". UNC has it, Duke not so much. Either way, chill the f&*k out.

 

[madrussian]

We got outplayed and out hustled for 35 minutes.

Yeah we missed our 3’s
Yeah we got some bad calls
Yeah we had a couple injuries

But if we would have brought that focus and energy - that sense of urgency the entire game —- we win by 20

.

 

[Laettner]

Our 2nd round game will be a dogfight and if it's against a physical team like USC last year it will mean big trouble.

Watching the guys get outfought against our rival in the ACCT in NYC was so disheartening.

 

[MikeD2891]

Guys, it's not the end of the world and that wasn't a devastating loss. Some of you guys make it seem like you ONLY watch Duke games. If you're paying attention to the rest of the field this year, EVERYONE is getting beat. Look at the stats on the national stage and at everyone's record.

Look even deeper at ACC's. We have 11 teams with a 20+ win season. How often does that happen? I'll tell you. I looked at the stats on ESPN.com which go back to 2001-2002 season. Only once has the ACC come even close to having this many teams with 20+ wins and that was in 2006-2007 season with 9 teams. Usually it's 2-5 teams per year with 20+ wins.

 

[HuffyJB]

It is still so surprising to me that this team can have such long stretches where they absolutely struggle offensively. The turnovers are clearly the biggest issue.

 

[Nolebra Kai]

It is still so surprising to me that this team can have such long stretches where they absolutely struggle offensively. The turnovers are clearly the biggest issue.

Duval is so careless with the ball. He killed you guys last night. Frustrating to watch.

 

[BM16]

I got tired of watching rebounds hit the floor because they don't box out in the zone defense.

 

[HeLooks2MuchLikeDave]

I knew it would be next to impossible for this team to be consistent enough to win 9 in a row. But it’s scary to think they can’t win 2 in a row. Need to find a way to get past the Sweet 16 and then I think anything can happen.

 

[christophero]

Perspective is important. I attended St. John's, who beat us as we all know. But after getting blown out by Xavier, they have a losing record and cannot even go to the NIT. And we will "only" be a 2 seed. That's pretty impressive. Now we do need to back that up by not going out early again. I think we get out of the first weekend, and who knows, we may get some luck along the way. Key is getting the team healthy. We all tend to overreact to losses. We lost to a good team last night, and before last night experts were talking about us being hot and possibly getting a one seed. So cheer up friends and lets see where this wild ride takes us.

 

[sheyduke]

WTF does missing shots have to do with desire!? WTF does Duvall rolling his ankle have to do with desire!? We had a really bad night from 3 and our quickest guy playing on one leg and we had a chance to tie at the end. Do you have any idea how hard these one and done kids work to get where they are? Does losing raise their draft stock? Following your logic, the OAD guys would be the hardest working guys on the floor because they would be trying to raise their draft stock at this time of the year for more NBA dollars.

Not for nothing but at this point of the year every lottery players and first rounders draft stock is pretty much where it’s at.

Duke lost because they simply got out played. I get Duke had a chance to win it in the end but if highsight is 20/20 Carolina had chances to run the score up higher.

Better play for forty minutes in the tourney our this Duke team is going home early to a physical team.

 

[K-oach Q]

We just are what we are....a team that turns the ball over a lot...lacks good PG play...and our best off the ball shooter has to be a defecto PG...we go long stretches without scoring which is pretty unbelievable given the firepower we have on the inside...our defense while improved is so so...and our rebounding can be really bad at times...another thing pretty unbelievable given our size...

We are good enough to win the entire thing...we are also very inconsistent in long stretches....

I expect that inconsistency to show somewhere and cost us...

I’d be happy just to watch Duke play on the second weekend at this point....I’m tired of it being over by the first Sunday mostly...would be nice to have a chance and cheer the team on for awhile....

 

[oldschooldevil53]

WTF does missing shots have to do with desire!? WTF does Duvall rolling his ankle have to do with desire!? We had a really bad night from 3 and our quickest guy playing on one leg and we had a chance to tie at the end. Do you have any idea how hard these one and done kids work to get where they are? Does losing raise their draft stock? Following your logic, the OAD guys would be the hardest working guys on the floor because they would be trying to raise their draft stock at this time of the year for more NBA dollars.

Great Post! Last year these guys were playing in High school tournaments. They never faced a rival in a tournament a week after beating them. These kids had no idea how to prepare for the intensity a game of this magnitude requires. On top of that Carter is hurt. I m thrilled they are good enough to adjust on the fly and not get blown out by a good mature team with lots ofLet's look at this teams ability to achieve growth in ridiculously short amounts of time. They almost came back and won the game in 5 minutes. The experience they gained last night was the first experience of this kind. They will put it to good use. Going forward our opponents have never seen us before .

 

[CRAZIE4LIFE]

It was a bad game, it happens. Was UNC suppose to play like they didn't want to win? No. It's not like UNC is a Middle Utah State University, they are a veteran group that is pretty dang good as well. You win some you lose some, oh well, life goes on and is to blessed to worry about a team we don't even play for losing, and I still love them regardless.

 

[ajmitch81]

Duval rolled his ankle early, and it threw the entire team off. It happens, the focus was clearly not there but I think there is something to being young and not really embracing the moment. Playing on consecutive days is NOT the same as next week when you have a day to rest between games.

Positives for me are that they've continued to improve with the zone defense. Remember guys they just played two very experienced, quality teams in Notre Dame and UNC. Duke had a terrible night and still had a great chance to tie. I hated the lousy ending decision by Grayson but it's done.

Trent is out of that slump, it would appear. That is a MAJOR positive.

Carter has time to get better, honestly that may be the key to this team in a week. He clearly hasn't been the same, at least on the offensive side.

Bagley couldn't get a call last night, they were very physical with him. And he still had a double double.

Let's not forget this team has made great strides the last 10 games, and the last 2 losses are by a combined 6 points!

Perhaps losing to UNC like this is the last motivator they need to refocus and engage for one more run. We beat UNC very similarly last year and look at how it turned out for them.

The pieces are all there, I still have a good feeling about the tournament. Being negative accomplishes nothing. Every single team in this thing has flaws, every one. Duke has a great shot at this thing.

To me, get out of the first weekend and then things will get really good.

I can't wait.

 

[dukesince91]

Great Post! Last year these guys were playing in High school tournaments. They never faced a rival in a tournament a week after beating them. These kids had no idea how to prepare for the intensity a game of this magnitude requires. On top of that Carter is hurt. I m thrilled they are good enough to adjust on the fly and not get blown out by a good mature team with lots ofLet's look at this teams ability to achieve growth in ridiculously short amounts of time. They almost came back and won the game in 5 minutes. The experience they gained last night was the first experience of this kind. They will put it to good use. Going forward our opponents have never seen us before .

I think you're last sentence is very important. Duke playing teams that haven't seen us live will be huge for this young team. My biggest concern and has been all season is our turnovers. We will make it to the Elite 8, mark it down.

 

[duke0527]

This team has obvious flaws, but one thing I will say is they never get blown out and are always there at the end. We’ve seen past Duke teams that would have gone on to get throttled last night mid second half. They are still their own worst enemy with the damn careless turnovers.

 

[germantondevil]

It’s hard to believe that Duke can be the best team in the country when they aren’t even the best team in the ACC. It’s all about matchups though and if we can get a favorable matchup they could make it to the FF. Then anything can happen. Gut feeling right now is UNCheat and UVA are the better teams and could easily represent the ACC in the end.

 

[Swervin_Irvin_Duke]

All you can ask is that they keep fighting and they did that being down the whole game, no one had their heads down everyone was in tune with the game. We lost get over it, UNC are not a bullsh*t team. Defending champs for a reason.

 

[duke0527]

It’s hard to believe that Duke can be the best team in the country when they aren’t even the best team in the ACC. It’s all about matchups though and if we can get a favorable matchup they could make it to the FF. Then anything can happen. Gut feeling right now is UNCheat and UVA are the better teams and could easily represent the ACC in the end.

Who the hell knows. In 15 they didn’t win the reg or tourney title but won the natty. Last year they run the gauntlet in the tourney and then go out 2nd round. 2000, 2002, 05 and 06 they rack up a ton of reg wins and acc titles and go out in the sweet 16. Last night has no impact on next week other than a lingering ankle for Duval

 

[DukeCorey21]

UNC is just better team plain simple. On to the next game.

 

[CRAZIE4LIFE]

UNC is good and did beat them twice but I don't think they are necessarily a better team, they did lose two in a row before the tourney so I can't say they are really a "peaking" team

 

[Redickulous4]

We only had 4 players score. Stand in front of a mirror and say that out loud. Thats absurd.
The zone is leaps and bounds better than the man-man earlier. With that said, Bagley is so far out of position on essentially every defensive position we have. That leaves Carter in a 2 vs 1 situation so many times I quit counting last night.
2 bone headed from Grayson last night (the inexplicable charge and the last 3 he took) Is what’s stuck in my mind for whatever reason.
Like a poster said above, we are who we are at this point, nothing is going to change in a week. Get Duval and carter healthy and focus. Grayson has tried to drill into these freshman’s heads that the next game you play is one closer to the last one you’ll ever play in college. Hopefully, hopefully, they can fully understand what that means in the next coming days.
GO DUKE!!

 

[germantondevil]

UNC is good and did beat them twice but I don't think they are necessarily a better team, they did lose two in a row before the tourney so I can't say they are really a "peaking" team

they are better than Duke because of their experience. They know what level they have to compete at to win. They have seniors playing for their 3rd straight FF. We have high OADs

 

[denverexpat]

we havent learned from game to game that much...and those that dont learn are doomed to repeat mistakes as the saying goes..I dont see them stringing 6 cohesive games together. Maybe 2-4 at the most. We will run into a true team with senior experience at some point and that does not bode well

 

[Mac9192]

Who the hell knows. In 15 they didn’t win the reg or tourney title but won the natty. Last year they run the gauntlet in the tourney and then go out 2nd round. 2002, 05 and 06 they rack up a ton of reg wins and acc titles and go out in the sweet 16. Last night has no impact on next week other than a lingering ankle for Duval

Agree with everything you said.
The frustrating part to me with watching this team is it looks like this group of freshmen have a mindset of "I haven't taken a shot in a while, I need to get mine." We watched a starting 5 that will be multi millionaires in a few months get beat by a TEAM last night. One that may have 2 nba players. You can't tell if Pinson has 0 points or 15, but he plays hard and is having fun.
We have the talent to win it all, but I would be lying if I said this season has been enjoyable up to now. Especially given the preseason hype.

 

[Geoff4jc]

Only 2 times since 2000 has the ACC tourney winner gone on to win Natty. 2001 Duke team and 2010 Duke team. History shows that ACC winner usually doesn’t win Natty. I’m good with team getting extra day or so to get healed up.

 

[crazyduke3]

Boys better learn to value possessions or the season will end.

 

[Duke1783]

So the latest brackets have us a 2 seed in Nashville. Amazing how people gush over the Cheaters everytime they win

 

[ajmitch81]

There's some major revisionist history here too. Most people didn't think Cook was a great leader, they didn't praise him for his leadership any more than people have Grayson this season.

The 15 team wasn't a team according to everyone and they were just bailed out by Tyus Jones a few times.

That all changed in six games, following a lackluster effort in the ACC tournament semifinal.

 

[DFerryFan]

So the latest brackets have us a 2 seed in Nashville. Amazing how people gush over the Cheaters everytime they win

I'm curious, does any have a prediction for what UNCheat will be seeded in the tournament?

Last year, we beat the Cheats 2 out of 3 times. Won a record-breaking 5 games in 5 days to win the ACC tournament, and only had 1 more lose than UNCheat going into the tournament. But we STILL got a 2 seed and they got a 1 seed. Is anyone thinking the Cheaters get a 1 seed?

 

[sheyduke]

I think you're last sentence is very important. Duke playing teams that haven't seen us live will be huge for this young team. My biggest concern and has been all season is our turnovers. We will make it to the Elite 8, mark it down.

Don’t teams have access to game tape? Duke is always on tv so every team in the country has atleast seen them once or atleast the coaches for a team one of them have.
Duke is Duke. They don’t play physical and can’t handle physical play.

You only have to scout Duke for five players( Bagley, Carter, Trent, Grayson and Duval)

Duke’s most workable offense is throw the ball in the post. The best defense is speed Duke up and make them rush and commit turnovers and play physical.

 

[BM16]

Not for nothing but at this point of the year every lottery players and first rounders draft stock is pretty much where it’s at.

Duke lost because they simply got out played. I get Duke had a chance to win it in the end but if highsight is 20/20 Carolina had chances to run the score up higher.

Better play for forty minutes in the tourney our this Duke team is going home early to a physical team.

I have doubts about making it out of opening weekend, and they just lost their chance to play in Charlotte.

 

[BlueDaveil]

There's some major revisionist history here too. Most people didn't think Cook was a great leader, they didn't praise him for his leadership any more than people have Grayson this season.

The 15 team wasn't a team according to everyone and they were just bailed out by Tyus Jones a few times.

That all changed in six games, following a lackluster effort in the ACC tournament semifinal.

Agreed. If Grayson makes that 3 at the end of the game last night he is suddenly the leader we have been waiting for him to be. Instead he takes a bad shot and we lack leadership and no one has a sense of urgency. Let’s see what happens in the tourney!

 

[ajmitch81]

For me I just see so many parallels between not only 2015 but also UNC last year. Which is why I predict Duke gets the 1 with Xavier as their 2, and UNC the 2 with Nova as their 1.

I may be wrong, but the scenario is almost the exact same as last year with Duke and UNC flipping roles.

 

[timo0402]

If you think duke gets a 1 you’re certifiably insane. Comparing them to 2015 and to unc last year is equally delusional.

 

[nets on nets on nets]

We’re still gonna win the championship.

 

[Jake1985]

Duke is not getting a 1 seed. VA, Nova, Kansas and ?
2's could be Duke, UNC, Mich st,