Dooooook Loooooses

[Sports Guy]

No one has implied that. We might imply that they don't play as hard a non-conference schedule as UNC. Or that the ranking of their non-conference schedule is skewed because none of their tough games are on the road. But we aren't suggesting that they play Clemson's non-conference schedule either.

All Seth was saying, and I agree, is that it's annoying for dook to play all theit best opponents on neutral courts, when it's likely they'd get a couple more losses each year if they ever played tough road games.

And let me tell you, it has really hurt them come tourney time!

They are probably the most tourney tested team(or at least one of them) in the country every year.

[BigSteve]

Actually, they were in Temple last year, at their home gym.

Actually, no, it wasn't. They played Temple at the Wachovia Center last year, which isn't Temple's home gym. Oddly enough the last time Temple played a game there before last year was in 2000, against none other than Duke. Duke doesn't play road games by and large.

You can claim it's because Coach K wants his team to play neutral site games to prepare for the tourney, or because he wants them to play in big arenas to prepare for the tourney, or because the visiting school or ESPN demands these neutral site games for whatever reason (lol), or because Duke is so much bigger of a draw than UNC (lol), or for whatever reason, but the bottom line is Duke doesn't go on the road and therefore it's really disingenuous for people to claim Duke has the toughest schedule in the land. Lots of teams don't go on the road that much, I don't see why its a subject to get so defensive about. But anyway.

Paulus is still not good, this team still is not athletic, they're still not more talented than last years team with two All-Americans/lottery picks, and they're still not going to get a two seed.

VT is a mediocre team and Duke lost to them at home. Marquette hasn't done anything outside of their win over Duke. Duke will not be a team that challenges UNC for the regular season title this year. They'll be a team that will challenge Maryland, BC, Clemson, GT, and FSU in the upper division, likely finishing with a 10-6 record if they improve. They're not athletic, they aren't good offensively, they're not a veteran team, and beyond Paulus, who stinks, they have no point guard. They'd better get some wins over this next stretch of games because their last ten or eleven games will include a number of losses.

[Flosman]

Sg does not want to see it but this team IMO is on par with the Terps of the past few years. Bad guard play and really iffy inside play. This team is not a sure bet to be much better than .500 in the ACC. With an injury to Roberts or Nelson and they are in deep trouble.

[Flosman]

BTW SG you refered to lock down defense earlier and that is not what they showed in either of there losses. They will have trouble with teams that have good atheletic guards all season.

[ejf1025]

Sg does not want to see it but this team IMO is on par with the Terps of the past few years. Bad guard play and really iffy inside play. This team is not a sure bet to be much better than .500 in the ACC. With an injury to Roberts or Nelson and they are in deep trouble.

This team is much better than the past Maryland teams.

Nelson and McRoberts are better than anyone we had on the floor in the last 4 years.

And these freshman match just as well if not better than our diaper dandies this year.

Their issue is simply Paulus and the lack of a 2nd option.

But they don't have lock down D, I really don't know where he is getting that from.

[Sports Guy]

This team is much better than the past Maryland teams.

Nelson and McRoberts are better than anyone we had on the floor in the last 4 years.

And these freshman match just as well if not better than our diaper dandies this year.

Their issue is simply Paulus and the lack of a 2nd option.

But they don't have lock down D, I really don't know where he is getting that from.

Perhaps that they have the 3rd best scoring defens ein the country at around 54 points a game.

And to say this Duke team is not atheletic is a joke. However, some of their top athletes, Henderson and Thomas, need to get more consistent playing time. They are much more athletic than last years team.

[Sports Guy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1966924&type=story

[beaner]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1966924&type=story

Rob, that was my point all along, the first line of the article, Duke played their FIRST true road game in Raleigh, during the ACC season. You're absolutely right about them being a great draw, I never disputed that. It's just a shame they dont play true road games during "pre" season. That article basically confirms my original point.

[Sports Guy]

Rob, that was my point all along, the first line of the article, Duke played their FIRST true road game in Raleigh, during the ACC season. You're absolutely right about them being a great draw, I never disputed that. It's just a shame they dont play true road games during "pre" season. That article basically confirms my original point.

They do play on the road but they also are in alot of the preseason tourneys as well.

But again, so what? Do you think they are afraid to? LOL

And the idea that they always play alot of late road games doesn't help either(play 5 of last 7 on the road this year) but is good for the tourney.

There is the other side to this...How many of the big schools are willing to go into Cameron?

Duke(or any other big school) are not going to play on the road(in a true road game) unless they can get it in some kind of home and home series.

So, is Kentucky or Kansas or Arizona or whoever knocking down the door to play in Durham?

BTW, don't take this as I think these teams won't do this...I don't know. But i don't think you can condemn Duke for this without knowing the other side of the story.

[beaner]

They do play on the road but they also are in alot of the preseason tourneys as well.

But again, so what? Do you think they are afraid to? LOL

And the idea that they always play alot of late road games doesn't help either(play 5 of last 7 on the road this year) but is good for the tourney.

There is the other side to this...How many of the big schools are willing to go into Cameron?

Duke(or any other big school) are not going to play on the road(in a true road game) unless they can get it in some kind of home and home series.

So, is Kentucky or Kansas or Arizona or whoever knocking down the door to play in Durham?

BTW, don't take this as I think these teams won't do this...I don't know. But i don't think you can condemn Duke for this without knowing the other side of the story.

Teams do come to Cameron, UCLA, Michigan, George Mason just to name a few. Those Three have all been final four teams in recent memory. Duke doesn't play many tournaments either, they'll do the Jimmy v Classic and things like that on Neutral sites, which is fine, but considering 75% of Duke students are from the Jersey area, playing at MSG against Gonzaga doesnt include many people from Spokane stopping by.

But you're right about the fact that I'm going to pick on some of the stuff I dont respect about the way Coach K goes about things. Calling a game "at" Valpo in 2004 which was played at the RCA Dome is just one of the many things on a long list, believe me. All I want is to see Duke go to Arizona, Oklahoma State, Texas...etc once in a while instead of playing them at MSG or the Meadowlands. That's all I ask.

As for the ACC schedule, Duke and Carolina are the marquee programs and I have no problem with that game being the last game of both "halves", it should be. That being said, we'll see you on Febraury 7!

[ejf1025]

Perhaps that they have the 3rd best scoring defens ein the country at around 54 points a game.

And to say this Duke team is not atheletic is a joke. However, some of their top athletes, Henderson and Thomas, need to get more consistent playing time. They are much more athletic than last years team.

That will change.

I never said they weren't athletic.

EDIT:

Actually, I won't be so flippant. I just looked at the stats and they are playing good D. I think they will drop when they get into ACC play but they held down some decent offenses (altho no particularly spectacular teams).

[Sports Guy]

I never said they weren't athletic.

Yea i know..Didn't mean to direct that at you.

EDIT:

Actually, I won't be so flippant. I just looked at the stats and they are playing good D. I think they will drop when they get into ACC play but they held down some decent offenses (altho no particularly spectacular teams).

Sure it will go up some. Only natural but they haven't played some cupcake schedule full of bad teams either. They have won because of their defense this year, much like UCLA last year.

[Flosman]

SG I did not say they were not athletic either. I did say that they would have trouble with teams with athletic gaurds and I stand by that. The kid from Va tech was blowing by the Duke guards, even to the point that duke started playing some zone. The kid from Marquette did the same thing at times. That being 100% of there games that I have seen it is what I make that judgement on. BTW if they continue to lose all the games I watch I might have to get a dish.

[Fairfax Bird]

When i was watching the game the other day, the announcers said they had statisically the hardest schedule in the nation.

Was that Dukie V ... are you kidding me, the hardest schedule in the nation baby.

I seriously doubt that Sagarin has them rated as the hardest schedule. Kentucky's schedule has been pretty hard to this point, so has Gonzaga's.

The Dukies are WAY overrated this year. Of course, their home court advantage is good for 2-3 games they should have lost but don't.

[Fairfax Bird]

So, is Kentucky or Kansas or Arizona or whoever knocking down the door to play in Durham?

Generally have to do home and homes to do this and I don't think either schools want to do that. Georgetown is about the closest thing I have seen to a prestige match-up home and home for Duke.

Then again, not too many programs do these types of match-ups anymore. Maryland used to do more of this, but they have lightened up their schedule more this year than in past years.