Duke really impressed me last night

[IthacaMatt]

Earlier in the season, I had seen them play other teams and start out with their 3 guard lineup, and then get killed inside on defense.

Against Pitt, the first thing I noticed is that Coach K started 3 forwards instead of 3 guards, and I think the impact was significant. They are much less reliant on the jump shot with that lineup, and they defended the interior better than I have seen them do this year.

Now with them on a 5 game winning streak, and with Jabari Parker playing more inside and not relying quite so much on his jump shot, they look like a much improved team over earlier in the year.

And then, once they got the lead on Pitt in the middle of the 2nd half, they went back to the 3 guard lineup, and suddenly had space all over the floor for their shooters, plus they had the ball handling to put Pitt away. Very impressive win for Duke.

They have turned Saturday's game into a must-win for us, if we are going to retain the #1 seed in the East for the NCAA tourney. So long as we get past them on Saturday, I think we can survive splits with Duke and Pitt and still come in at the top of the ACC and get that #1 seed.

 

[Coach Orange]

One thing that has impressed me in Duke's last several games is they are pressuring the ball and defending the rim much more effectively (as the OP points out) than earlier in the season. This allows their solid offense to have even more impact on the outcome of games.

By the way, Duke is a great example of why I think we'll be just fine come March--they have improved as the season has progressed. Shouldn't we assume that our bench and our team as a whole is capable of the same?

(Editorial: Please note that when I say "just fine," I don't mean that we are guaranteed to win a title. Rather, that we will be in the mix of the 6-8 teams that legitimately can win a championship.)

 

[Madbiker]

Impressive that they could beat Pitt on the boards 37-32. But really any team that has a night of shooting 13-25 from 3 pt land is going to look great. They're not shooting like that all the time.

 

[themorey]

they really were en fuego from 3 last night. But they live and die by the 3 and last night they feasted on it. But the OP makes a good point about their lineup and progression from earlier in the season. They are much better now than when they had their slump. The intensity is up and they are playing better D. I think part of that is the home cooking from the Refs and what they get away with, but they certainly have turned it up.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

Earlier in the season, I had seen them play other teams and start out with their 3 guard lineup, and then get killed inside on defense.

Against Pitt, the first thing I noticed is that Coach K started 3 forwards instead of 3 guards, and I think the impact was significant. They are much less reliant on the jump shot with that lineup, and they defended the interior better than I have seen them do this year.

Now with them on a 5 game winning streak, and with Jabari Parker playing more inside and not relying quite so much on his jump shot, they look like a much improved team over earlier in the year.

And then, once they got the lead on Pitt in the middle of the 2nd half, they went back to the 3 guard lineup, and suddenly had space all over the floor for their shooters, plus they had the ball handling to put Pitt away. Very impressive win for Duke.

They have turned Saturday's game into a must-win for us, if we are going to retain the #1 seed in the East for the NCAA tourney. So long as we get past them on Saturday, I think we can survive splits with Duke and Pitt and still come in at the top of the ACC and get that #1 seed.

They've got 4 shooters from 3 you have to worry about, and their bigs are really coming on. Very tough match up. This ain't no mid major with one sniper that can spoil the record crowd. This is a top recruting class of basketball studs ready to ruin the perfect season. Should be a great game, I was also impressed with them.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Do they now have as many wins at the Peterson Events Center as we do?

 

[orangefan13]

Pitt did a poor job staying in front of their shooters. They are a real good shooting team but still.

Duke has managed to get four three point shooters on the court together jbs dream. They have also managed to get forwards guarding the perimeter like guards jb's other dream.

calipari and his big arrogant and wrong mouth, coach K's chemistry is light years better this year.

You almost have to play tough for 40 minutes to beat pitt at pitt. On top of that K called timeout whenever pitt hit a big 3. Its top 5 of the toughest places in the country to win it. Maybe Duke understands how hard it is for opponents to win at home against them.