Atlantic Coast Conference Thread

• swamisez

  

  Since implementing the line change Duke's defense has went from 113th in the nation in defensive efficiency to 75th. Granted Miami plays at a painfully slow pace, but the change in the types of baskets teams are having to shoot against Duke is noticeable.
  
  K doesn't know how long this 5 in 5 out philosophy will work but needless to say it is working quite well. FSU comes to Cameron on Saturday. Should be a good day for a nice butt kicking of the Noles. They beat Notre Dame in Tallahassee yesterday and have won 4 of 6 (both losses to UVA) but I think the Devils will come out firing and the gym will be rocking with support.
• reclegend22

  

  Miami on top of No. 2 Syracuse in Coral Gables, 47 to 46, with 7 minutes to play. Game is on CBS.
• Ironman92

  

  Yeah....I killed the that on my treadmill. Miami could not crack that effing zone, and looked bad trying.
• reclegend22

  

  Miami is such a bad offensive team. The worst -- in scoring average and field goal percentage -- in the ACC. Fortunately for them, Jim Larranaga could coach five orange cones to a winning record. They're not going to make the NCAAs, but Miami still stands at 10-9 despite having not one effective scoring weapon. The man can coach.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  Virginia looking good again taking out VT.
• swamisez

  

  UVA is legit. They are a very tough team at JPJ and never break their gameplan on the road. Thank god the Devils don't play at UVA this year.
• wildcats20

  

  Clemson will never win in Chapel Hill. Never.
• reclegend22

  

  If they do, it certainly won't be when everyone expects it. As in this year. A thrashing by Carolina tonight was a given. I mean, Clemson lost by 18 in the Dean Dome during Carolina's 8 and 20 campaign, for crissakes.
  
  Saw a lot of action on the Tigers tonight, riding high on the belief that this was the year the "streak ends." I stayed away for that very reason.
• swamisez

  

  Dukies at the Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh tonight. KenPom says Pitt has a 70% chance of winning. Predicts a 77-71 final.
  
  Needless to say it would be a huge upset if the Devils can get a win tonight. Pitt hasn't played a great OOC schedule but winning on the road in another campout game for the visitors is a tough order.
  
  Gonna be a good one tonight I think.
• reclegend22

  

  Panthers favored by 4 tonight over Duke. Opening spread was as high as 5 or 6 according to some outlets. Can't remember the last time Duke was this big a dog in an ACC game.
  
  With as well as Duke has played in its last three games, outscoring ACC opponents by a margin of 26 points per, the smart play would probably be to take the points. As long as Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee continue to lend Jabari Parker the level of support they have the past several games defending and rebounding in the paint against the physical Pitt front-line, I think this game will go down to the wire. Duke has superior wing play. It's the bruising style of play and wear-you-down defense that Pitt employs that worries me. If Duke allows Pitt to score comfortably inside, it'll be a long night as the Oakland Zoo crowd will be relentless.
  
  Hoping to see more of the hockey-styled shift changes tonight. My fear, however, is that K will eventually revert to his old rotation and guys like Marshall Plumlee will return to being non-factors.
• swamisez

  

  If Duke can shut down Cameron Wright to the point he is a non factor offensively, and can force Talib Saana and Lamar Patterson to beat them I think the Devils can win.
  
  Patterson will probably be guarded by Jabari Parker and hopefully Parker goes at Patterson and doesn't settle for jump shots. Patterson is the second most efficient offensive player in the country for a reason. Against Maryland Patterson went to the line 14 times. He better not get there that much if Duke is going to win.
  
  I like the matchup of Suilamon on Chris Jones or James Artis. If Rasheed focuses on getting the ball to the rim and scoring from close range I think the Devils get a big win tonight.
• swamisez

  

  Also just saw the Duke hasn't played Pitt since 2007. I faintly remember that game. I remember Duke was in the throws of the Greg Paulus can still win games for us era. He got eaten alive by Lavance Fields of all people. DeJuan Blair also went Sean May and had something like 20 and 20. We lost by 1 in OT
• Ironman92

  

  Looks like a 6-8 point Pitt win
• reclegend22

  

  Huge game by Andre Dawkins. He thrives in road games. That's his bread and butter. Always has been, dating back to his freshman campaign in 2009-10, when he nailed 4 straight triples late in the second half to bring Duke back to the brink of victory at the Kohl Center in Wisconsin. Dawkins went for 20 points tonight, including nailing six three-pointers.
  
  The MVP of the game, though, goes to Rod Hood. He came alive defensively tonight. He made Lamar Patterson a non-factor and came up with some huge shots in the second half. He wasn't fucking around tonight.
• Ironman92

  

  Hood has been awesome every time I have tuned in.
• reclegend22

  

  If Jabari leaves and Hood returns, he'll have a realistic chance of putting together one of the greatest offensive seasons in Duke history next year. Hood would be the focal point of a team loaded at every position -- Tyus Jones/Quinn Cook at point, Rasheed Sulaimon at shooting guard, Amile Jefferson at power forward and Jahlil Okafor at center -- and with that kind of talent surrounding him, could easily put up 22 to 25 a game on a club built to score in bunches.
  
  The downer to that scenario is that Hood is going to be in the NBA. But it's nice dream. Kid is a beast. Most talented small forward to play at Duke since Grant Hill, and that's not hyperbole. Singler, Dunleavy and Maggette were great, but Hood is offensively in a different league.
• swamisez

  

  You talk about Hood offensively, but last night he was the star of the game defensively. Held Patterson to 4-14 shooting. Only let him get to the line a couple times. Was a complete non-factor. For a NPOY candidate to disappear at home like that is a testament to the work Rodney Hood did last night.
  
  Hats off to the young man.
• reclegend22

  

  Agreed. I named Rodney my MVP of the game a couple of posts ago because of that lock-down effort. That was a spectacular defensive performance. The problem with Rodney is that he doesn't always seem to play with that fire on that end of the floor. We've seen a big improvement in that area from him in recent games, though, and I don't think it's a coincidence that it has coincided with K's lengthened rotation. We've got the horses now to give Rodney and Jabari help in the front-court and that in turn allows those guys to play all out on both sides of the ball without the worry of wearing down.
  
  I just hope K continues to play his bench. Marshall Plumlee could be a major factor by the end of the year.
• reclegend22

  

  The No. 8 Duke Blue Devils will make the eight-mile trek through the pine forests of Tobacco Road tonight to take on the Tar Heels of North Carolina in the Dean E. Smith Center. Over the past 15 years, the Blue Devils are 24-11 against the Tar Heels overall and 10-5 in the Dean Dome.
  
  Historically, Duke has shot the ball very well in Chapel Hill, so hopefully that trend continues tonight. Duke currently ranks number one in the country in three-point field goal percentage (42%) and fifth in threes made per game (9.7). Here's to hoping that Roy is still bad at math and does not adjust his pre-1987 defense to thwart Duke's extra-point shots. (To be fair, UNC is actually leading the ACC this season in 3-PT defense at around 30%. Although, they've yet to face a team as potent from three as Duke is at so many positions on the floor.) If the Devils hit 10+ triples, Duke wins, because UNC will probably hit 3 or fewer as they focus on attacking Duke inside.
  
  UNC is a great offensive rebounding team, so it's imperative Duke works to stop second-chance points inside and avoid foul trouble in the process by limiting UNC's overall touches in the paint. If Duke doesn't shoot well and Carolina hits the glass offensively while getting to the free-throw line consistently, then the Heels will win.
  
  Go to hell, Carolina, go to hell.
• reclegend22

  

  According to Vegas, Duke is a 3-point road favorite tonight. I think that's a decent bet for those who lean Duke.
  
  It's interesting to point out, though, that Duke and Carolina have each covered the spread in their past 7 games and 5 games, respectively. So both teams are playing extremely well of late. Also, the Blue Devils only two losses to unranked teams this season came at hands of ACC opponents on the road...
• swamisez

  

  This game is going to get cancelled. Its pretty awful on the roads.
• wildcats20

  

  swamisez;1579889 wrote:This game is going to get cancelled. Its pretty awful on the roads.

  No it's not.
  
  The game officials, game operations people, and ticket people are all already at the Dean Dome. Dookies leaving at 6 from Durham. They won't cancel or postpone it if both teams and the aforementioned people are at the venue.
• queencitybuckeye

  wildcats20;1579898 wrote:No it's not.
  
  The game officials, game operations people, and ticket people are all already at the Dean Dome. Dookies leaving at 6 from Durham. They won't cancel or postpone it if both teams and the aforementioned people are at the venue.

  Many of the ticket holders drive an hour or more to these games. Should they say tough shit to them, or reschedule?
• wildcats20

  

  queencitybuckeye;1579902 wrote:Many of the ticket holders drive an hour or more to these games. Should they say tough shit to them, or reschedule?

  I'm just saying what was said earlier in the week.
  
  It would not surprise me if they postpone it. Especially given the pull that K and Roy both have within the league. But I also expect them to play at 9 tonight.
• wildcats20

  

  Carolina just released a statement saying the game is still on.