Blue Devils excited about what the future holds

[pap49cba]

LINK

 

[alexrgct]

To me, talent isn't the problem, and hasn't been the problem, at Duke. It's been competing with the same level of intensity, precision, and fluidity, as the teams that are regularly going to Final Fours. Given that, adding more talent probably doesn't solve the problem, failing their getting an absolutely transcendent talent of the "six star" variety (Candace Parker, Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart).

 

[Wonkster]

.
Or a new coach with transcendent leadership abilities.

 

[dtbtbtb]

On paper Duke looks every bit as impressive as UConn. Luckily, the games are decided on the court

 

[Wbbfan1]

Realistically Rebecca Greenwell will end up as a Red Shirt and not play next year. If she does play have to question how effective she will be. With a roster as deep as Duke, IMHO it would be best if she sits out the year to get completely healthy and learn their system.

Duke has got to find a way to develop and offense that enables them to score in the 70's against Elite Teams. Too much talent to only score 45 points against UConn & 54 points against Notre Dame

 

[Wonkster]

On paper Duke looks every bit as impressive as UConn. Luckily, the games are decided on the court

Give Auriemma the Duke team and McCallie the UConn team, and I'd bet Duke wins.

 

[diggerfoot]

During the JPM era how many years has Duke underachieved? In each of the last four years they were in a bad regional to make it to the Final Four and were not upset. This year they were touted as one of the top four at the start, and they probably were, with Notre Dame replacing Stanford in regards to preseason expectations. They beat California, the team that did come out of that particular regional, the regional they should have been place in for either the front side or the back side of an S curve.

JPM herself took a Michigan State team farther than what the high school rated talent would suggest to the Final Four. Since joining Duke her team has dominated a tough conference. In many ways she reminds me of Calhoun's UConn teams in the nineties, dominating a good basketball conference with defense and hustle yet getting screwed by where we were placed in the NCAA tournament.

Actually, when you think about it there's a bit of delicious irony here, because no team has benefited more on the men's side from where they were placed and seeded in the NCAAs than the Duke men. Maybe the women's team is suffering the sins of the men's program, while our women enjoy the advantages deprived of our men's program in the nineties.

I will be very surprised if Duke does not make the Final Four next year, unless the NCAA finds some reason to put them in the same regional as UConn, in keeping with their past misfortunes.

Adding on to this: I don't think the Duke roster is as impressive as ours for a five person sport. Our number one in Stewart blows Williams out by a country mile, while we have another one in KML as "backup." In a five-man game I would fully expect our roster to beat theirs, even if our coach was not superior.

 

[pap49cba]

She cannot coach half-court offense. Duke lives off of turnovers.... When Duke doesn't get turnovers they lose.

 

[MilfordHusky]

She cannot coach half-court offense. Duke lives off of turnovers.... When Duke doesn't get turnovers they lose.

I agree, though they do have some 3-point shooters. Kentucky, Rutgers, and Tennessee also struggle in the half court, maybe more than Duke.

 

[alexrgct]

It's not really that Duke hasn't made a Final Four so much as they've looked like crap not getting there. It's one thing to lose to Uconn, but when was the last time they even seriously challenged Uconn? They looked woefully unprepared against Stanford last year, totally listless against Notre Dame in the second half this year (a game that was there for the taking), lost to Brittney Griner and a bunch of scrubs in 2010, in the second round (as a #1 seed) in 2009, and easily defeated by a good but not great Texas A&M team in the S16 in 2008. In short, they've advanced to their seed every season other than 2009, but that's been as far as it's ever gone. They've lost by double digits every time they've been eliminated except 2010, when they were the higher seed standing. They've taken half a step back since Coach G left. Next year is put up or shut up time.

 

[pap49cba]

I agree, though they do have some 3-point shooters. Kentucky, Rutgers, and Tennessee also struggle in the half court, maybe more than Duke.

But that is precisely what separates Uconn. They can play up-tempo run and gun or they can beat your brains out playing half-court. Pick your poison.

 

[alexrgct]

I agree, though they do have some 3-point shooters. Kentucky, Rutgers, and Tennessee also struggle in the half court, maybe more than Duke.

They do have some shooters, but when they go up against a team with perimeter defense, they are reduced to chucking bad shots and running ill-advised individual offense.

 

[pap49cba]

And as to "40 Minutes Of Dread"? Slick slogans don't win championships.

 

[ASweet3781]

On paper Duke looks every bit as impressive as UConn. Luckily, the games are decided on the court

Other than the fact that UConn has beaten them by an average of 30 points the last few years they have played and if you lined up all the UConn and Duke players and picked teams, atleast 3 UConn players (KML, Stewie, Dolson) would likely be selected before any Duke players, your right, they are every bit as impressive as us.

 

[Kibitzer]

Give Auriemma the Duke team and McCallie the UConn team, and I'd bet Duke wins.

Reminds me of what Bum Phillips once said while praising another coach (Don Shula?):

"He can beat your'n with his'n, and he can beat his'n with your'n."​

Sounds like this evaluation would fit Geno perfectly.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

If you have more talent and depth due to several top ranked recruiting classes, but always have excuses, you just have talent and excuses, with no accountability for repeated coaching failures and failure to make adjustments.

 

[triaddukefan]

On paper Duke looks every bit as impressive as UConn.

Luckily, the games are decided on the court

 

[stwainfan]

Tennessee averaged 77.6 points per game with a young team and injuries. With class coming in it can even be better. Both Tennessee and Duke have final four talent.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Here is the article after the 2011-12 season tournament loss to Stanford
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.d...846&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205405205

Here is an article with quotes after the 2010-11 season final game(loss to UConn)
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.d...846&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205126179

Same stuff different date.
Paper Tigers

 

[doggydaddy]

Tennessee averaged 77.6 points per game with a young team and injuries. With class coming in it can even be better. Both Tennessee and Duke have final four talent.

Can you explain to me what Tennessee has to do with a Duke discussion?

 

[stwainfan]

Can you explain to me what Tennessee has to do with a Duke discussion?

Tennessee was already brought up.

 

[doggydaddy]

Tennessee was already brought up.

Come on. It was an obscure comment about half court offense. No need to do your usual Tennessee stuff.

But since you brought it up, Tennessee has one of the worst half court offenses and only score as much as you mentioned by out running and out rebounding their opponents.

 

[triaddukefan]

Here is the article after the 2011-12 season tournament loss to Stanford
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.d...846&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205405205

Here is an article with quotes after the 2010-11 season final game(loss to UConn)
http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.d...846&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205126179

Same stuff different date.
Paper Tigers

You again

Your interest in the Duke program is greatly appreciated

 

[DobbsRover2]

Tennessee averaged 77.6 points per game with a young team and injuries. With class coming in it can even be better. Both Tennessee and Duke have final four talent.

Still don't get that "young Tennessee" attribution, and apparently neither do many of the Vol fans from what I read elsewhere. A team with one freshman among its top seven scorers along with two seniors, a junior, and three sophomores seems more middle-aged than young. Maybe a tad younger than Duke overall, but still pretty squarely in the middle and certainly not like a 2003 UConn team that had a frosh leading the team in minutes and two others in the top 7. I guess youth is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[ochoopsfan]

You again

Your interest in the Duke program is greatly appreciated

I do like your avatar.
Stop taking California girls to Duke.
You dont see USC or UCLA going after NC girls.