Duke fans concerned at all?

[ThePhog08]

Call me crazy, I would be more concerned as a Duke fan than a UK fan and here is why. UK is essentially needing 2 things. 1 will happen soon, getting CJ Frederick back and take scoring stress off of the guards. And they need a second post presence, most likely they won't find it.

Yes duke won, UK turned it over way too much and tyty shot awful.

What concerns me about duke, Roach is not a good PG and they have no back up PG. Duke isn't a great shooting team with no real PG presence. Duke will beat teams that beat themselves like tonight. So many pundits thinks this game makes Duke a top 5 team, I think the opposite, I think the top 10 teams with great guards should beat Duke whether now or in march...


Thoughts?

 

[GE Nole]

I’d be concerned with relying so much on Paulo and Keels. Perhaps they could be the exception to the rule, but nets aren’t usually cut down by teams with a freshman guard and freshman forward leading the way.

Also, what was with the cramping? That was weird.

 

[CUJO_1970]

Duke is going to be in serious trouble against any team that can neutralize their two big guys. They are strong where Kentucky is weak (other than Oscar)

Banchero is easily the best big man playing college basketball today, he is NBA ready right now.

 

[dukedevilz]

Yeah, four guys cramping from one team is really weird. Honestly, don't ever recall seeing that many from the same team in one game.

Wendell Moore can score just fine. He should be a reliable 3rd scorer.

Mark Williams / Theo John can post up reasonably well.

AJ Griffin has been injured for a long time. Who knows what he might look like in February or March? I think he'll improve quite a bit over the season.

This team does kind of have 2019 vibes, where Zion/RJ are now essentially Banchero and Keels. So, maybe Wendell Moore plays the Cam Reddish role. Keels and Banchero are both better shooters at the same stage, however. And I think this team is mentally tougher. Keels and John bring much needed toughness.

I'm not wild about Jeremy Roach. How was he ever a 5-star recruit? Fortunately, any of the guys 1-4 can bring the ball up court. Banchero will initiate many of the sets, as will Keels and Moore. Honestly, I don't think Roach was bringing the ball up court even 50% of the time. And that's not a bad thing, because he's clearly not an elite player.

 

[Perpetual Burn555]

It seemed to me they kinda played PG by committee... bunch of different dudes bringing the ball down.

Their biggest problem last night was they don't seem to be able to shoot 3s...

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

All these teams have flaws or kryptonite not just Duke and/or UK.

It's hard to dive too deep into this because in March some teams won't look anything like what they looked like in November, for better or worse due to development/regression/newly eligible/ineligibility/injuries/etc.

March comes down to matchups and guard play IMO.

 

[della]

I think if I were a Duke fan I'd be pleased.

 

[dukedevilz]

Former Clemson sharp-shooting guard, Terrence Oglesby, believes that Banchero is the best NBA prospect Coach K has ever had. That's some serious high praise.

 

[bignish]

Duke is going to be in serious trouble against any team that can neutralize their two big guys. They are strong where Kentucky is weak (other than Oscar)

Banchero is easily the best big man playing college basketball today, he is NBA ready right now.

LMAO!!

What team will be able to neutralize Banchero? Did you not see Keels and Moore create their own shot at will vs UK.

You basically just contradicted yourself.

If the entire team doesn't start cramping in that 2nd half, Duke likely wins by 15+.

 

[bignish]

I’d be concerned with relying so much on Paulo and Keels. Perhaps they could be the exception to the rule, but nets aren’t usually cut down by teams with a freshman guard and freshman forward leading the way.

Also, what was with the cramping? That was weird.

Moore was fantastic too. We have 3 guys that can create their own shot, a monster defensive presence down low to provide rim protection, a solid backup big and another potentially lottery pick in AJ Griffin who has the upside to be a versatile wing.

PG play certainly could be an issue if Roach doesn't make a leap but Moore and Keels are solid to good secondary ball handlers as well.

 

[bignish]

It seemed to me they kinda played PG by committee... bunch of different dudes bringing the ball down.

Their biggest problem last night was they don't seem to be able to shoot 3s...

I think we need to see a larger sample size here. Duke shot 11/27 from 3 vs Winston Salem State.

 

[bignish]

What concerns me about duke, Roach is not a good PG and they have no back up PG. Duke isn't a great shooting team with no real PG presence. Duke will beat teams that beat themselves like tonight. So many pundits thinks this game makes Duke a top 5 team, I think the opposite, I think the top 10 teams with great guards should beat Duke whether now or in march...

UK didn't beat themselves. Duke suffocated them defensively and our 3 best players tonight were able to get to their spots at will to score.

The only reason UK stayed in it is because Tshiebwe had an otherworldly rebounding game and Duke shot 1/13 from 3.

Keels locked up TyTy's ass and abused Wheeler on the offensive end with his size and girth.

You say guard play wins in March but you'd rather have Remy Martin or Joseph Yesufu over Trevor Keels?

 

[coryfly]

Duke's key is always the same IMO. Can they get away with playing a smothering, physical defense? That is what the best Duke teams do. They generally don't have a lot of issues scoring.

 

[KUhawks34]

I wasn’t impressed with either team to be honest.

 

[duckboy33]

I wasn’t impressed with either team to be honest.

I didn't leave the game very impressed with Kentucky. Duke didn't shoot well from the perimeter and had a weird cramping issue and still won the game. In my mind, Kentucky was lucky to have a chance. I'm guessing Duke will have better shooting nights and I'm also choosing to believe the cramping issues were a fluke.

 

[coryfly]

I think overall both teams are going to end up being pretty good.

 

[Perpetual Burn555]

I didn't leave the game very impressed with Kentucky. Duke didn't shoot well from the perimeter and had a weird cramping issue and still won the game. In my mind, Kentucky was lucky to have a chance. I'm guessing Duke will have better shooting nights and I'm also choosing to believe the cramping issues were a fluke.

The cramping has to be a fluke... first big game of the season. The game was very fast paced and athletic.

I wonder how much nerves can play in cramping... it was a huge stage in a tough game... wonder if you can make yourself cramp psychologically hah!

Even Willie Taggart got FSU over the cramping hump, I'm sure Coach K & Co. will get the Dukies their Firewater.

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

LMAO!!

What team will be able to neutralize Banchero?

40-0

?

 

[Perpetual Burn555]

Can Banchero shoot 3s? He seemed hesitant to take them IMO...

But he's got a beautiful smooth pull-up jumper.

 

[IUfanBorden]

I wouldnt be concerned if I were a fan of either team. Both are gonna end up being pretty damn good.

 

[I am stupid]

I would definitely be concerned. UK missed 8 dunks, 14 uncontested layups, only took 3 free-throws compared to 37 for Duke, played better when their players were out for cramps, and they only won by 8. They K should cancel the rest of the season and blame covid again.

 

[GE Nole]

Moore was fantastic too. We have 3 guys that can create their own shot, a monster defensive presence down low to provide rim protection, a solid backup big and another potentially lottery pick in AJ Griffin who has the upside to be a versatile wing.

PG play certainly could be an issue if Roach doesn't make a leap but Moore and Keels are solid to good secondary ball handlers as well.

They are fantastic players, you’re right. But the season is a long grind. 20 ACC games, then the ACCT, then March. That’s tough on guys and freshmen just typically haven’t been able to carry a team all the way to early April.

 

[AWilli6995]

UK didn't beat themselves. Duke suffocated them defensively and our 3 best players tonight were able to get to their spots at will to score.

The only reason UK stayed in it is because Tshiebwe had an otherworldly rebounding game and Duke shot 1/13 from 3.

Keels locked up TyTy's ass and abused Wheeler on the offensive end with his size and girth.

You say guard play wins in March but you'd rather have Remy Martin or Joseph Yesufu over Trevor Keels?

It's to early to draw conclusions but we shall see once ACC play starts. We all seen this before and honestly I'm not worried. Your PG has to show a lot of improvement and Moore needs to be consistent.

 

[jhmossy]

@bignish on his usual dumb shit

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

Banchero > Chuck Norris

 

[Noahtogo24]

Just my opinion , but if Duke fans should be worried about their team, then the rest of us should be worried about our teams as well...

 

[Afamu]

Yeah. One game tells the whole story. If Duke shoots better than 1-13 from there they win even easier.

can an analysis be more wrong?

 

[RR30]

I was going into the game expecting Mark Williams to live up the billing as a member of one of the best frontcourts in recent memory. But he got wrecked by an undersized center. Pretty disappointing really.

 

[TheDude1]

PLENTY of room for growth. Plennnty. Not great three point shooting, I am not convinced about Keels, etc etc.

But no, I am not *particularly* worried. Lots of room to grow may be a GOOD thing?

And Williams didn't have a great game, but to be fair, he is a sophomore big guy who played the most inconsistent freshmen year in the history of college basketball, in the first game of the year, going up against a phenomenal rebounder who was having a great game. It happens.

 

[bignish]

I was going into the game expecting Mark Williams to live up the billing as a member of one of the best frontcourts in recent memory. But he got wrecked by an undersized center. Pretty disappointing really.

Eh a little disappointing but he had 2 huge blocks on Wheeler late in the game to crush the UK comeback. He needs to work on securing rebounds and defensive positioning at times.

Mark's got great offensive touch if you look at the buckets he scored in the 1st half. He just won't be featured on this team.

Tshiebwe is a beast on the boards, he's back to being who we thought he was a few years back before slumping last year.

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood]

Bigs that don't have the offense designed to go through them are gonna be up and down.

 

[lurkeraspect84]

I’d be concerned with relying so much on Paulo and Keels. Perhaps they could be the exception to the rule, but nets aren’t usually cut down by teams with a freshman guard and freshman forward leading the way.

Also, what was with the cramping? That was weird.

Again I'm late, but cramping was weird. Especially it happened so early in the game.

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

I would definitely be concerned. UK missed 8 dunks, 14 uncontested layups, only took 3 free-throws compared to 37 for Duke, played better when their players were out for cramps, and they only won by 8. They K should cancel the rest of the season and blame covid again.

Did you pull those free throw numbers out of your @$$ or are you just living up to your handle? Because Kentucky shot 7 free throws not 3 free throws and Duke shot 23 free throws not 37 free throws.

 

[ravenman10]

UK didn't beat themselves. Duke suffocated them defensively and our 3 best players tonight were able to get to their spots at will to score.

The only reason UK stayed in it is because Tshiebwe had an otherworldly rebounding game and Duke shot 1/13 from 3.

Keels locked up TyTy's ass and abused Wheeler on the offensive end with his size and girth.

You say guard play wins in March but you'd rather have Remy Martin or Joseph Yesufu over Trevor Keels?

You can’t be serious with this question.
Absolutely yes.

Let me ask you. Would you rather have a freshman who’s played one game or a four year player who’s averaged 19+ points a game and been a first team all conference player multiple years?
come March when teams are packing it in against Duke we’ll revisit this comment.

remember when Quinton Grimes scored 21 points his first game as a highly ranked McDonalds American? Yeah he went on to average 9 points a game

Over react much?

 

[WojoRising]

A couple thoughts that are probably way too early, since game two isn’t even over -

• It’s definitely looking like while Mark Williams cos improved, it’s not a case where he’s what he was to end the season.

• Bench scoring is going to be an issue

• Moore has really taken a step forward

 

[RR30]

A couple thoughts that are probably way too early, since game two isn’t even over -

• It’s definitely looking like while Mark Williams cos improved, it’s not a case where he’s what he was to end the season.

• Bench scoring is going to be an issue

• Moore has really taken a step forward

Ya'll were bad last year. Somebody had to score points. Ended up being him towards the end of the year. He'll be fine, just gonna have to learn how to be the second fiddle in the front court. Was just funny how much Nish gassed him up.

Long term one of my concerns with Duke still is three point shooting. I don't see any real knockdown guys. Paolo is better than I thought but having him on the perimeter does him a disservice imo.

 

[ThePhog08]

Wendall Moore is their 2nd best player. Williams have been mediocre. Keels came back to earth. AJ Griffin will take time. Still not impressed with guards.

 

[tw3301]

Ohio State should be concerned, they're not good.

 

[BasketBallJunkie-UK]

The cramping was caused by Wheeler lol. UK Plays a very fast tempo. Duke wasn't prepared in conditioning and hydration. Our guys didn't cramp but Wheeler was exhausted. Played 38 minutes. Oscar wasn't a fluke, he set out to average 20 rebounds a game. He's going to be close to it. 255 lbs with 7% body fat and a great motor.

I'm not all worried about the loss. The shooting just stunk lol. That won't happen often. We have too much balance offensively. We have 2 talented players that didn't play much, but will be integral parts as the season goes on. Collins coming out party came tonight against Robert Morris. Showed just how athletic and talented he is.

 

[coryfly]

I don't even know who Collins is tbh but there was some image of him dunking last night and he can definitely get up, lol.