Someone send me one.
Rather than write a bunch of recaps, I thought I'd write a few sentences about each of the Division I teams that played in the Maui Invitational this week, and what they will take away from the island as they play the rest of their non-conference schedule.
Showing posts with label Duke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Duke. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Duke 82, Michigan 75
[recap] [box score]
Duke won this one because they shot well for two halves, and Michigan only shot well for one (the second). The Wolverines played all sorts of defenses, and played them well, but the Devils hit a bunch of pretty tough threes. All the junk defenses in the world won't matter if your opponent hits half its threes and better than 56 percent of its shots for the game.
Duke won this one because they shot well for two halves, and Michigan only shot well for one (the second). The Wolverines played all sorts of defenses, and played them well, but the Devils hit a bunch of pretty tough threes. All the junk defenses in the world won't matter if your opponent hits half its threes and better than 56 percent of its shots for the game.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Duke 77, Tennessee 67
[recap] [box score]
New Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin apparently has some of policy that if his guys play hard on defense and on the boards, they'll can more or less do what they want offensively. He might want to re-consider that policy; some of his guys -- most notably Cameron Tatum and Jordan McRae -- really take advantage of that long leash when it comes to shot selection.
Other than that, though, Martin is off to a good start in place of disgraced former coach Bruce Pearl. He's got a bunch of interchangeable parts -- ten Vols scored in the first half against Duke -- who play hard and don't back down. The Vols stuck with Duke for most of the game despite the fact that their best player, Trae Golden, played just a few minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, and the fact that they didn't make a three-pointer in a game for the first time since 1997. And the game would have been even closer had they converted some easy looks underneath. Jeronne Maymon had a particularly tough night in that regard; he led the team with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but made just five of 14 shots.
New Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin apparently has some of policy that if his guys play hard on defense and on the boards, they'll can more or less do what they want offensively. He might want to re-consider that policy; some of his guys -- most notably Cameron Tatum and Jordan McRae -- really take advantage of that long leash when it comes to shot selection.
Other than that, though, Martin is off to a good start in place of disgraced former coach Bruce Pearl. He's got a bunch of interchangeable parts -- ten Vols scored in the first half against Duke -- who play hard and don't back down. The Vols stuck with Duke for most of the game despite the fact that their best player, Trae Golden, played just a few minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, and the fact that they didn't make a three-pointer in a game for the first time since 1997. And the game would have been even closer had they converted some easy looks underneath. Jeronne Maymon had a particularly tough night in that regard; he led the team with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but made just five of 14 shots.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Duke 77, Belmont 76
[recap] [box score]
Give a lot of credit to Belmont. There aren't many teams who go into Cameron Indoor stadium, get down 16, and then nearly come back and win.
Duke has now won 87 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents, their last loss in such a game coming eleven years ago. College basketball scheduling being what it is, a large number of those wins have come against mid-majors like Belmont; teams who don't have a lot of blue-chip recruits and All-America candidates. Often those less talented teams lose more or less before they take the court, having psyched themselves out.
Duke, of course, helps that progress along, playing pressure man-to-man defense, pushing the tempo, looking for the three-point dagger. With their crowd and their style, things can get out of control quickly.
Give a lot of credit to Belmont. There aren't many teams who go into Cameron Indoor stadium, get down 16, and then nearly come back and win.
Duke has now won 87 consecutive home games against non-conference opponents, their last loss in such a game coming eleven years ago. College basketball scheduling being what it is, a large number of those wins have come against mid-majors like Belmont; teams who don't have a lot of blue-chip recruits and All-America candidates. Often those less talented teams lose more or less before they take the court, having psyched themselves out.
Duke, of course, helps that progress along, playing pressure man-to-man defense, pushing the tempo, looking for the three-point dagger. With their crowd and their style, things can get out of control quickly.
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