Michigan State vs Duke - Coach K Wins 903

• Azubuike24

  

  Game is at 7PM on Tuesday night on ESPN.
  
  Duke struggled with Belmont, rolled Presbyterian and have always played well at MSG. MSU has to recover from a decent showing against UNC to face another tough opponent. MSU did impress me with their toughness but it was clear from the tap they couldn't hang with the talent of UNC. We'll see what type of coaching Izzo can come up with this year but I did think MSU looked better than expected Friday.
  
  Thoughts?
• georgemc80

  Question at hand is how the Devil players will react to the added pressure of the the record win? It won't take many mistakes to leave MSG disappointed.
  
  I think Duke wins by 7 in a fairly boring possibly sloppy game.
• swamisez

  

  Duke has no real offensive punch, but then again neither does Michigan State.
  Figure Duke will win a close contest, with Rivers getting points at the line in the final minutes to seal it.
  
  Both teams are still very raw. Looking forward to seeing Adrian Payne and Miles Plumlee bang down low. Will be a physical game I imagine.
• sleeper

  

  I won't even watch this game. Both teams are terrible.
• Mulva

  

  I think Duke has a chance to be pretty solid if Andre Dawkins starts hitting shots. Rivers will get more and more comfortable as time goes on, and once he becomes "the guy" there are plenty of capable secondary scorers around him.
  
  Duke should beat MSU pretty easily.
• reclegend22

  

  I would tend to agree with Mulva. The Blue Devils have plenty of scoring weapons -- Rivers, Curry, Dawkins, Kelly and the emerging inside presence of Mason Plumlee -- at their disposal to really morph into a solid offensive unit as the season wears on. Curry is going to be asked to do a lot as Duke's lead man out top (although Duke's point guard position will often be a shared responsibility between Curry, Rivers and Tyler Thornton) but he's one of the best shooters in the country, a sound handler of the ball and has great vision of the floor. Kelly is the next-in-line in the long tradition of swing men in the mold of Mike Dunleavy and Kyle Singler at Duke. Though not as naturally talented as either of those two Duke greats, he is an efficient scorer both inside and out, and just incredibly savvy and smart. He does all the right things, and is a master of putting himself in the right positions to score.
  
  It is the play of Rivers and Dawkins, however, that I am watching closely.
  
  Newcomer Austin Rivers simply needs to play in some more games. Competition against Michigan State in MSG and at Ohio State will move his acclimation process along rapidly, I would think. But Doc's son is already proving he is primed for the challenge of big-time basketball. Against Belmont, a Sweet 16-caliber club and really one of the better teams in the country, and the admittedly less-than-stellar Presbyterian, Rivers displayed an exceptional ability to get to the rim and finish at the free throw stripe. He can catch fire from beyond the arc on any given night, but it is Rivers' skills as a penetrator that should really have Duke fans excited. I am pleased to see Austin has really focused on this aspect of his game early on, as he was criticized often in high school for being a so-called gunner from deep. His facility for getting to the basket will pay big dividends in the continued development of both Plumlees as well as Kelly, as it will create more scoring opportunities for Duke's bigs down low (much like Duke fans enjoyed last season in November under the direction of Kyrie Irving). In the limited time we've seen Rivers play thus far, he's also shown a lot of energy and tenacity on the defensive side of the ball, which Duke will need as the Blue Devils hope to extend the perimeter more this season, similarly to how Duke played in the early '00s, and really put pressure on opposing guard play and passing lanes 25 to 30 feet from the basket.
  
  As we move into the new year, this will be very much Austin Rivers' team. He has star written all over him, and I think he'll put up some particularly good, maybe great, numbers as winter moves in around us. People aren't talking a lot about him right now. That will change.
  
  Dawkins is genuinely cold-blooded from long distance, has shown development to his mid-range and driving games, and has all the confidence in the world in his abilities. He has demonstrated this time and again with his willingness to take the big shot -- whether that being making four consecutive threes off the bench late in the second half at Wisconsin as a freshman to nearly bring Duke back from a double-digit deficit; hitting a pair of crucial 25-foot three-pointers in the 2010 South Regional final against Baylor to prevent the Bears from breaking the game open late in the first half; or the ice-in-his-veins triple from NBA distance to cement Duke's win in the final seconds over Belmont this past Friday -- when Duke needs it most. This is the type of player every team needs, and Dawkins revels in being that guy. His downfall, however, has often been his emotions, which, on nights when he isn't putting up the numbers he believes he should or isn't playing defense to the standards that are viewed as acceptable to Coach K -- can really take hold of him and reduce his ability to play with a level head. These are the instances where he spends long spells on the bench, further adding to problem. If Dawkins can overcome these issues, he can emerge into a star.
  
  Despite all this talk of offense, Duke and MSU will likely be a lower-scoring, grind-it-out type affair, as is often the case when Tom Izzo and Coach K teams square off. I like Duke's superior guard play and improved interior game to be just enough to escape a gritty Spartan club by seven or eight in the Garden.
• ironman02

  Fortunately, I will miss Coach K breaking Knight's record tomorrow night since I will be in Columbus to watch the Buckeyes and Gators.
• Laley23

  

  ironman02;973097 wrote:Fortunately, I will miss Coach K breaking Knight's record tomorrow night since I will be in Columbus to watch the Buckeyes and Gators.

  I see what you did there.
• Hb31187

  

  Who was it on here that tried to convince everyone that one of the Plumlee brothers was one of the top 2 or 3 athletes in college basketball?
• reclegend22

  

  ironman02 wrote:Fortunately, I will miss Coach K breaking Knight's record tomorrow night since I will be in Columbus to watch the Buckeyes and Gators.

  Thank you for updating us on your geographical location for the Duke game Tuesday night, ironman. We were all wondering what your coordinates would be.
  
  Lol. Nice try. I'm glad I caught this in enough time.
• Laley23

  

  Hb31187;973115 wrote:Who was it on here that tried to convince everyone that one of the Plumlee brothers was one of the top 2 or 3 athletes in college basketball?

  Probably CCRunner. The most ridiculous Duke fan on the site.
• Red Rider Nation

  sleeper;972794 wrote:I won't even watch this game. Both teams are terrible.

  We will find out how terrible Duke is in 2 weeks when we come to Columbus and kick that @ss!
• LJ

  

  Red Rider Nation;973192 wrote:We will find out how terrible Duke is in 2 weeks when we come to Columbus and kick that @ss!

  
  We?
• centralbucksfan

  I think this game will be much closer than people think. If MSU rebounds as well as they did vs UNC (+15), they can play, or even beat Duke. Not saying they will. But I do expect them to hang in this game.
• swamisez

  

  I think Duke will fall in Columbus on Dec 3, but if Ohio State fans think for one second that makes them an elite college basketball team they are sorely mistaken. Relevance isn't achieved in a game or even a season.
  
  There is a reason Michigan State is playing in this Champions classic and not the scarlet clad brethren are not.
• swamisez

  

  centralbucksfan;973589 wrote:I think this game will be much closer than people think. If MSU rebounds as well as they did vs UNC (+15), they can play, or even beat Duke. Not saying they will. But I do expect them to hang in this game.

  Don't know who think this game won't be close. I wouldn't be surprised to see it end first team to 60.
• SportsAndLady

  

  swamisez;973592 wrote:and not the scarlet clad brethren are not.

  ¿Que?
• chicago510

  

  Hb31187;973115 wrote:Who was it on here that tried to convince everyone that one of the Plumlee brothers was one of the top 2 or 3 athletes in college basketball?

  Well there are 3 of them and they have been around forever. But all they do is dunk. Not like any of them are John Henson though
• Red Rider Nation

  LJ;973230 wrote:We?

  Yep im coming with them and sitting right behind Duke bench. Look for me with my Duke hoodie on right behind Coach K. Duke will win that game!
• wildcats20

  

  That's a shitty call, but the correct one.
• wildcats20

  

  So we're gonna act like that ball didn't go straight off Rivers' thigh? Cool.
• chicago510

  

  Duke is always pretty soft, but they are so soft this year. Not one guy out there that physically intimidates anyone.
• karen lotz

  

  One thing that jumps out at me is how athletic Mason Plumlee is. Maybe the most athletic college player ever.
• chicago510

  

  karen lotz;974446 wrote:One thing that jumps out at me is how athletic Mason Plumlee is. Maybe the most athletic college player ever.

  Lol, after the first two Plumlees why the hell would you recruit another one?
• karen lotz

  

  chicago510;974448 wrote:Lol, after the first two Plumlees why the hell would you recruit another one?

  
  Can never be too athletic.