THE OFFICIAL DUKE/UNC B-BALL THREAD 2020/21 (WORSE, SLOWER, MORE MASKS, LESS FANS, LESS W’s)

#1

RDU VOL#14

I’m a Flawed Character
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#1
First of all I want to apologize for not getting on this earlier. It could be a combination of the lack of enthusiasm lingering due to this brutal year overall, with the football season being the cherry on top, or lots of life events happening at the same time. IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE THE WEIRDEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON EVER IS UPON US. Why should college basketball season be any different than anything else in this God Forsaken year?

So to keep the weird trend going Duke has now lost 2 straight games to OOC opponents in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since i was born in 1982. The loss last night was actually just the 4th since 2000. It just doesn’t happen all that often. However, it appears losing is something that won’t be that uncommon this year for both Duke and UNC. UNC coming off of last years debacle is still appearing to be in a rebuidling mode, but with some really solid pieces down low with Garrison Brooks being the preseason ACC POY. Dean Smith couldn’t have dreamed a better lineup with UNC’s best guys being 4 bigs and a PG. Judging how the ACC/B1G challenge is going the big boys in the ACC are down having gotten handled by the class of the B1G. UNC by Iowa and Duke getting outclassed first by Michigan State and last night versus Illinois.

Duke has problems everywhere, starting with the 1. Jordan Goldwire is good role player and gives more effort than any other player, but he’s not the floor general Duke fans are accustomed to seeing lead the Devils. The Jones Bros. , Jay Williams, Hurley he is not. We’ll see how the highly touted Roach emerges going forward, but he doesn’t seem to be a real scoring threat to me. So far this season Duke has 63 assist to 64 turnovers. That’s atrocious basketball, but it is also something that can be corrected over time. To be honest I’ve watched this Duke team play 3 times, 2 of them losses, and it’s hard to get a grasp of who is out there, and the problem is that the guys I do recognize who have returned have been the biggest disappointments, outside of Matthew Hurt. Hurt has been the only real scoring threat thus far against real competition, while returnees Wendell Moore and Joey Baker have failed to produce much of anything. Duke needs those 2 guys to be steady, not great, but not suck...cough JG, cough JG.... So far they have sucked. You UNC guys remember Wendell Moore right? Of course you do, why do I ask questions I already know the answers to? But I digress, the freshman Steward and Johnson have a lot of potential and will have to be the guys that balance the scoring with Hurt. I just do not have faith in Baker and Moore to fill the voids left from the guys last season.

It’s very difficult to make predictions based on a season that is being played under such different circumstances, where all the tournament teams play in Indy. If this were normal conditions I would say Duke and UNC both were looking at first weekend exits right now. I do think both have the chance to improve because they are coached by 2 of the best to ever do it. Can I get little love to Ole Huckleberry @Lawrence Wright ? It’s never a Duke/UNC thread until LDub chimes in.

I always enjoy the back and forth with you guys. Even some of the clowns that don’t have a dog in the fight, but just hate Duke because they think theyre supposed to. UK guy don’t hesitate to jump in either. I always enjoy the battles.
GO TO HELL CAROLINA! GO TO HELL
@volfanbill @Regulator @NashVol11 @AV_12 @Chuckie @Dudleys87 LET’S GET IT ON! Sorry if I forgot anyone.
@Lawrence Wright do your thing

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#5
#5
Of course Go VOLS. Always and forever. I’ve been a Duke fan for 36 years also.

I only watched Duke play once this year when they lost to MICH ST. I came away thinking that they don’t appear to have the athletes that coach K typically rolls out on the court but it is still early. The losses to MICH ST and Illinois are not bad at all both are good teams. I always enjoy the UNC & Duke rivalry.
 
#8
#8
We still can’t shoot, and we’ve struggled at the line too, BUT.... if we could just learn how to value the basketball, we’ll grab enough boards to somewhat offset the shooting issues.
 
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#9
#9
We still can’t shoot, and we’ve struggled at the line too, BUT.... if we could just learn how to value the basketball, we’ll grab enough boards to somewhat offset the shooting issues.
I think Love will get up to speed once he slows down some and I like Davis. Just pound it down low and play Sharpe a lot lol
 
#10
#10
K needs perfect execution for his desired style of play. He adjusts, no doubt, but go back to the 91 and 92 teams, or even the late nineties teams. Upperclassmen doing everything right. Tough to get that kind of play with one and dones regardless of their talent. Extremely difficult in 2020 where summer camps/practices were almost non existent. Lots to say on Goldwire and Roach (who I watched in HS up here). RDU likes Hurt a lot more than I do. Duke hasn’t had a consistent three point threat since Grayson Allen. That needs corrected. The guards clearly haven’t gotten to practice with each other. From what I’m told, Roach was here in the DMV a lot more than he was in the Triangle all summer due to protocols. I imagine most the other freshmen were in the same boat. Roach has the tools but the lights need to come on. He needs to realize he’s just playing basketball. Let his natural talent shine. Goldie is a defensive stud, but nothing else. His experience isn’t even helping. The other guards? Totally lost right now.

It all goes back to execution though. This team is unprepared. Just sloppy. Add to it there’s no overly aggressive scorer, things are going to be ugly. Make K can turn them into something by February, but I have my doubts.
 
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#11
#11
K needs perfect execution for his desired style of play. He adjusts, no doubt, but go back to the 91 and 92 teams, or even the late nineties teams. Upperclassmen doing everything right. Tough to get that kind of play with one and dones regardless of their talent. Extremely difficult in 2020 where summer camps/practices were almost non existent. Lots to say on Goldwire and Roach (who I watched in HS up here). RDU likes Hurt a lot more than I do. Duke hasn’t had a consistent three point threat since Grayson Allen. That needs corrected. The guards clearly haven’t gotten to practice with each other. From what I’m told, Roach was here in the DMV a lot more than he was in the Triangle all summer due to protocols. I imagine most the other freshmen were in the same boat. Roach has the tools but the lights need to come on. He needs to realize he’s just playing basketball. Let his natural talent shine. Goldie is a defensive stud, but nothing else. His experience isn’t even helping. The other guards? Totally lost right now.

It all goes back to execution though. This team is unprepared. Just sloppy. Add to it there’s no overly aggressive scorer, things are going to be ugly. Make K can turn them into something by February, but I have my doubts.
I’m not that high on Hurt. Just saying he’s been Duke’s best scoring option.
 
#13
#13
I only watched Duke play once this year when they lost to MICH ST. I came away thinking that they don’t appear to have the athletes that coach K typically rolls out on the court but it is still early. The losses to MICH ST and Illinois are not bad at all both are good teams. I always enjoy the UNC & Duke rivalry.
I agree the losses aren’t bad given the competition, but historically Duke has owned Izzo. The other night Duke wasn’t really competitive and you’re right, this Duke team isn’t typical of the recent teams. This team isn’t crazy talented and doesn’t have an identity. Sounds like another team we all know.
 
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#22
#22
#25
#25
He's 100% right. Everyone knows if they didn't have those 2 losses he wouldn't be saying this
I don’t think he’s exactly right, but the optics of it are horrible. I think he’d rather have his kids be able to go home for Christmas than worry about playing Gardner-Webb . I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he moved forward with this and it’s exactly 2 weeks before Christmas giving the players enough to quarantine. People like to manufacture stuff and say his back surgery was fake, it wasn’t and i know that for a fact. People are piggybacking off of that to continue a false narrative. Nate Oats talking about K like that is basically like a less successful P.J. Fleck calling out Nick Saban . Next time Duke plays a Nate Oats coaches team bet the farm on Duke.
 
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