2010 ACC Tournament

• SportsAndLady

  

  Interesting note on Duke...
  
  As if it wasn't obvious that Duke is a 3 player team, this stat will most certainly solidify that:
  
  You have to go back 9 games until someone on Duke not named Singler, Smith, or Scheyer has scored over 10 points.
• ironman02

  sportsandlady,
  
  That's why I believe Duke could be vulnerable. If they face a very good team in the tournament, and that team is able to take away one of those guys, it will be very difficult for Duke to win. Singler, Scheyer, and Smith have been consistently good for most of the season, but off days do happen. I'm not sure if any of the supporting cast would be able to pick up the slack if one, or even two, of those guys have a bad game. I suppose the same can be said for a lot of teams, but it just seems to me that Duke may have become a little too reliant on those three. It hasn't hurt them much yet, though, since they're 28-5 and in position to finish off another ACCT title tomorrow. I'll be hoping for GT to meet them in the final because there's no way State will hang with them twice in one season. Favors and Lawal, if they stay out of foul trouble, could be a problem for Duke.
• SportsAndLady

  

  Normally, ironman, I would say a team can win the Tourney with 3 "stars" and a supporting cast. But Duke's supporting cast is non-existent. Not one player on that team other than the big 3 average more than 5 points a game...that is absolutely attrocious. Duke will make a run to the Sweet Sixteen at the very worst, simply because they'll have a good seed and play easy competition, but no way are they a threat to win the title.
• reclegend22

  

  Brian Zoubek and the Plumlee brothers and Lance Thomas aren't exactly non-existent, but whatever. PPG isn't the end all, be all.
  
  Thomas and Zoubek are tremendous assets to this team and extremely important to any success Duke might enjoy from here on out. The Plumlees provide these guys with excellent substitutions off the bench. Players that can clean the boards when needed, provide extra fouls on opponents' big men and score clean-up misses around the cylinder. The Blue Devils have a team that can challenge for a Final Four birth this season largely because of their improvement in rebounding, especially in terms of the offensive end, which Duke has taken great advantage of and become an efficient second chance scoring team. It was an inability to rebound and take advantage of second chance points that killed Duke in losses to VCU and West Virginia in the past few NCAAs. That won't be the case this year. Zoubek alone, is one of the best offensive rebounders in the country. And that's not hyperbole. He has become that type of force.
  
  Duke probably won't win the title this season, but they are a threat to do so. For the first time since '06, Duke has a team that is a serious contender. Duke's big three are the most lethal three-man combination in the nation, and it's hard to stop two of them, let alone all three. So the lack of a consistent double figure scorer outside the big three is not as big a problem as some make it out to be.
• ironman02

  Like I said, rec, the lack of a fourth double figure scorer hasn't had an adverse effect on Duke to this point in the season. Zoubek and Thomas have definitely done a nice job in the other facets of the game, and the Plumlees are solid bench players this season. It's very hard to handle the three-headed monster of Singler, Scheyer, and Smith, but if a good defensive team finds a way to slow them down, or take one of them out of the game completely, it could spell trouble for the Blue Devils. I'm not trying to criticize or nitpick...it's just something that I think could play a factor in a tough tournament game.
  
  For example, in the Wisky loss, Singler had an outstanding game, but Smith and Scheyer were very average. Duke lost a close game in a tough environment. At Georgia Tech, Scheyer was great, but Singler and Smith were in single digits. Again, Duke lost. In Duke's other three losses, the "Big Three" were all solid, but they got very little help. It's just something to think about when evaluating the teams that may have a chance at making a title run. It's very possible that Scheyer, Singler, and Smith will all be solid during the tournament, but then again, one or more of them might have an off game and someone will need to step up. That's all I'm saying.
• reclegend22

  

  I agree with most of that, iron. I'm the first to admit that the first time TWO of Duke's big three are being held considerably below their average output, Duke loses, and the season starts over in seven months.
  
  My only objection was the remark made about Duke's supporting cast being "non-existent." It's simply untrue.
• ironman02

  To take the example a little further, let's look at the last two national champions, Carolina and Kansas.
  
  Last season, Carolina had five guys who averaged double digits.
  
  Hansbrough - 20.7
  Lawson - 16.6
  Ellington - 15.8
  Green - 13.1
  Thompson - 10.6
  
  Kansas in 2008 had four and Collins was just under 10 PPG...7 players averaged more points than Duke's fourth leading scorer this year.
  
  Rush - 13.3
  Chalmers - 12.8
  Arthur - 12.8
  Jackson - 11.2
  Collins - 9.3
  
  I think you get the picture. Not saying Duke can't or won't win a title, but it will take amazing consistency from Singler, Scheyer, and Smith from the Sweet 16 and beyond to have a chance, and sometimes, that's hard to do in the NCAAs.
• ironman02

  reclegend22 wrote: I agree with most of that, iron. I'm the first to admit that the first time TWO of Duke's big three are being held considerably below their average output, Duke loses, and the season starts over in seven months.
  
  My only objection was the remark made about Duke's supporting cast being "non-existent." It's simply untrue.

  Was typing up my last post before you responded, just to let you know where I was coming from. Anyway, I agree. The supporting cast is definitely not "non-existent". They don't score much, but they do the other things to help the team win.
• ironman02

  After dominating most of the first half, and leading by 10 at the half, GT has let NC State back into it. The Wolfpack lead 40-38 with 9:46 to go.
• reclegend22

  

  NC State has just played incredibly stupid, especially that throw-down by Gonzales. What was he thinking grabbing the guy's jersey like that? Unbelievable.
  
  Tech missing its free throws, though.
• SportsAndLady

  

  reclegend22 wrote:My only objection was the remark made about Duke's supporting cast being "non-existent." It's simply untrue.

  I think they are non-existent, simply because the "other things" they do will help you win a terrible conference, but it won't help them win the title. You need scoring to win the title (look at ironman's post of the last 2 championship teams), just becuase their other guys can do "other things", doesn't make them relevant.
• reclegend22

  

  NC State led for about 10 straight minutes in the second half (from about the 12 minute mark until about the 2 minute mark or so), and then just stopped playing.
  
  Typical Lowe coached team. Why he keeps getting second chances because of that "amazing recruiting class on the way" is beyond me. That class has been on its way for seemingly four years. He always seems to do a nice job with State in big games against Duke or in other highly touted contests, and has played well enough to win two games in the ACC tourney this year, but he blows every single other game. He needs out if NC State is going to be relevant again.
  
  He couldn't win with Atsur, Costner, Hickson, Smith and on and on and on. These guys were good, some great, talents.
  
  Things are interesting here at the end, however.
• SportsAndLady

  

  rec i do agree with you on Lowe though he's a terrible coach.
• reclegend22

  

  Duke and Tech.
  
  Should be a very similar finish to last season's ACC final, I would think. Very similar matchup.
• reclegend22

  

  Haha, yeah. We'll have to agree to disagree on the other.
• SportsAndLady

  

  reclegend22 wrote: Haha, yeah. We'll have to agree to disagree on the other.

  I hope Duke can prove me wrong, I'd like to see them do well this tourney.
• ironman02

  SportsAndLady wrote: I hope Duke can prove me wrong, I'd like to see them do well this tourney.

  Why in the world would you want that? Are you becoming a closet Dukie?
• swamisez

  

  I think the impending Duke championship has cast a pall over the coliseum. Crowds just haven't been into it. Duke fans are never really that loud at the ACC, they are kind of intimidated by the Carolina fans and State fans mostly. I think there will be a large GT contingent tomorrow, but I don't expect it to be that raucous of an atmosphere.
  
  Of course, I think I may be a bit jaded. Having gone to virtually every Duke home game this year my barometer for crowd enthusiasm is a bit off. MattinCtown tell me if I am wrong.
  
  Duke needs to weather the storm early, they will outlast Tech. Favors was dragging at the end of the state game today. Freshman legs.
• mattinctown

  Totally agree with you swami, crowds aren't anywhere near as lively as they can be at the tournament. I would expect some good deals on tickets tomorrow, just doesn't seem to be the interest level this year. I'm not complaining though, get to see Duke three times and possibly win the title, can't argue with that! Might try and sell my ticket tomorrow and get one a bit closer. Nary a Carolina fan in the place, I heard rumors there is a tent city outside the Dean Dome waiting for NIT tickets Sorry, had to be said.
• reclegend22

  

  All Day Dre Dawkins scores Duke last seven, including a drive and thundering dunk on his last possession. The Blue Devils open a 26-15 lead in the Coliseum.
  
  I don't usually post in-game, but Dawkins' re-coming out party today in the ACC finals has me fired up. Love this kid and glad he's back to his old self.
  
  This is far from over, however. Tech's athleticism is enough in itself to keep this close.
• reclegend22

  

  As for the crowd in the Coliseum today, it is loud and it is full of blue. I'm not there, but it has to be 90 percent Duke.
• wildcats20

  

  Holy shit Singler lol
• reclegend22

  

  That was pretty damn funny. Vitale: "My buddy took the charge. Get him on the line."
  
  Sometimes Vitale's old self shines through.
• wildcats20

  

  He was good, but he said he took the charge about 6 times lol
• reclegend22

  

  Haha.
  
  By the end, though, I was also getting pretty sick of seeing the camera shot. They showed it 17 times. I was counting near the end. Lol.