Duke vs UNC

[Menotti80]

I'm watching this game right now and so far it's a great game. For those who are college bball fans, Who ya got?

 

Duke for me, no doubt

[Menotti80]

yay!

 

also, good to see Dickie V back in action!

[pitchleague]

couldn't watch this one this year (thank you, Big Ten Network for intervening!). But I flipped over during commercial breaks and it looked good, until the end. Really, when #2 plays #3 does it matter who wins? The loser is going to drop, what, 2 spots in the rankings at most? Now, put them together in March? THAT would be good to see.

[AmyintheSouth]

As a UNC alumna, it was my duty to try to introduce my friend to the rivalry tonight. Mostly people are the bar were just confused.

 

I think we'll get them at Cameron with Ty Lawson back. Kind of hard to win without actual point guards.

[bthurley19]

Yeah not having the true point guard killed UNC all night and the terrible shooting from Ellington and Green also hurt. I respect both coaches and enjoy watching both teams play. Duke plays very good fundamental basketball and watching Hansbourgh (sp?) is tons of fun. Decent game but UNC wasn't really close in the second half. Should be a good one when Lawson is back.

[Oldcity]

Since I root against both teams, I'm disappointed to see Greg Paulus having a good season for a change.

[brewcrewreview]

To comment on what pitch league said, during the telecast, the announcers mentioned that Duke and NC never have met in the NCAA tourney which I found to be pretty incredible. However, they always seem to meet in March in the finals of the ACC Tournament.

[heresrobin]

I think what last night's game did was just about guarantee that Duke will be a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That's assuming that Duke beats North Carolina at Cameron - yeah, I know that's not exactly an automatic victory for Duke, but they are now in the "driver's seat" because even if North Carolina beats them at Cameron, that would probably be Duke's only ACC loss compared to North Carolina's at least two losses. North Carolina now has a more uphill battle for a #1 - although I would hope that the seeding commission takes into account the fact that they played without Lawson.

 

Stevo, I am also disappointed that Paulus is having a good year - he's made great strides since his freshman year. But I'm sure it helps to be surrounded by incredible talent. He's the one Duke player this year that I don't like. Which is odd, because I usually can't stand Duke.

 

And wow, that is amazing that they've never met in the NCAA tournament.

[chuckiehacks]

I think they'll both still be 1 seeds, the difference is that Duke is now in the driver's seat for the 1 seed in the Charlotte region. This means Duke could make the final four without leaving the state of NC (1st two rounds in Raleigh, rounds 3 & 4 in Charlotte).

[Glennron]

I think they'll both still be 1 seeds, the difference is that Duke is now in the driver's seat for the 1 seed in the Charlotte region. This means Duke could make the final four without leaving the state of NC (1st two rounds in Raleigh, rounds 3 & 4 in Charlotte).

I think UNC will have a tough time getting a #1. UCLA's been hot, and if they win the Pac 10 regular season, a really good conference where only OSU is a guaranteed win, I think they should get a 1. If Kansas wins the B12, which they probably should, they'll likely get a 1. Duke will get a 1 if they win the ACC, and there's no way Memphis doesn't win the regular season and C-USA tournament title. Even if one or more of those teams slips, I think G'Town might pass them in the pecking order, of course after seeing how they do at 'Ville.

[Menotti80]

Amy/Hurley-

 

Here's my take on the rematch in March @ Cameron. Having Lawson Back will improve UNC in many ways. Not only is he better than Thomas when it comes to the actual stats, but he also makes their whole offense go and will give a huge boost to ellington and green.

 

That said, UNC should get better production from Ellington, Green and the PG spot; but this wont mean UNC will necessarily score enough points to win. Getting better production from these players will most likely take away some production from "Psycho-T", and they wont have guys like Ginyard and Thompson taking all those shots and having career games.

 

That said, having Lawson back will make the rematch a much better game, but taking away the UNC homecourt advantage from last night and giving Duke its homecourt advantage will even out the addition of Lawson, IMO.

 

If Duke won last night against a Lawson-less UNC team at Cameron, then I think UNC would handle Duke no problem at the Dean Dome. But that was not the case. I obviously hope Duke wins in the first rematch game, but I always love seeing DUKE/UNC games that become "instant classics"

[TooLiveBrew]

Stevo, I am also disappointed that Paulus is having a good year - he's made great strides since his freshman year.

Maybe I'm incorrect, but I get the impression he's a streaky shooter. He's a solid offensive PG from what I can tell, but I have to say I don't think his footwork on D (or any Duke backcourt player aside from DeMarcus Nelson, for that matter - unless you count Henderson as a backcourt player) is very good - he gets beat off the dribble seemingly routinely. Sure, he'll do the Duke thing and flop/take a charge, but that alone isn't good defense. That said, as always, Duke plays very strong team defense.

[Tailgat0r76]

toolivebrew, you are correct with Paulus' D. Being a big duke fan I am constantly frustrated on how he'll get beat one-on-one. Usually he can overcome his footwork though with sheer hustle. You didn't mention Nolan Smith though. He could be one of their best defenders along with McClure.

 

Everyone is complaining that Lawson was out, but we can't forget Duke was without Brian Zoubek. Now, obviously Zoub's doesn't have as big an impact as Lawson, but Zoubek was really starting to play well, and he would have helped immensely in covering Hansbrough.

[TooLiveBrew]

TailgatOr, thanks for the input. I'm admittedly not familiar enough with Duke to know any of the other three names you mentioned. I'll keep my eyes out for McClure & Smith - are they backcourt guys, too?

 

Henderson was the Duke player who impressed me most during the most recent Duke-UNC showdown. Nelson overall has probably impressed me the most... mostly because he's got those sticky feet that defenders need, but also his offensive game is dynamic (aside from the fact that his shooting mechanics are downright ugly - is there a slower release/shot than his?). His finishing ability at & around the rim is incredible.

[AmyintheSouth]

Anyone watching the rematch?

[TooLiveBrew]

I am, and want to revisit something you posted:

I think we'll get them at Cameron with Ty Lawson back. Kind of hard to win without actual point guards.

 

Agreed, especially since Duke's perimeter D can be horrid. I think UW would have a much better shot at beating Duke than UNC.

 

Just tuned in, so nothing to add about tonight's game yet.

 

 

EDIT: Ok, so Gerald Henderson is one of my favorite non-Badgers.

[trwi7]

Wow that was totally cool how ESPN focused in on that one guys junk for about 10 seconds in slow motion. Exactly what I wanted to see.

[AmyintheSouth]

Heh, now I'm hoping I didn't jinx them with that.

 

Apparently the Mannings are at the game, and really, no one needs to see that juxtaposed with Krzyzewski's rat face. But I am biased. The D has impressed me so far.

[burniebrewer]

You just know Duke's gonna win this one.

[burniebrewer]

Glad I was wrong!

 

Too bad, Duke! Way to close on an 0-10 shooting run at home!

[AmyintheSouth]

Love ruining senior night once again!

 

I will say, on a much more serious note, it was extremely classy of the Duke fans to sport the Carolina blue ribbons.

[burniebrewer]

The only thing that makes me happier than a Cubs loss is a Duke loss.