November: Other NCAAB Games

[UCTitleTown]

Kentucky is largely a team of transfers. Their big recruiting class won't hit until next season. Pretty sad that Duke's 5* lineup lost to them. Especially blowing a good sized lead. Their tears taste glorious. Now that Cal is gone, Duke and Arkansas are the schools I hate.

 

[uh-no]

This Duke team will play a lot better as the season progresses.

still not sold scheyer has much of a system than throw talent on the floor and hope it works...but it did look like a team of freshmen trying to make it work and being, well, freshmen.

The end of the game was unconscionable. but agree 100% they will get better.r

 

[PlayItLeo]

Per KenPom, Kentucky is a top-5 team in terms of D1 experience: 3.23 years on average versus 1.89 for Duke (156th nationally). I'm not surprised an older team was able to grind out a tough win against a younger, albeit way more talented, group this early in the season.

(For reference, we have 1.72 avg. years of experience, which ranks 189. The D1 average 1.75.)

 

[jibsey]

Who guards him?

 

[gtcam]

With Sceyer at the helm, Duke will have a hard time winning the depleted ACC, never mind a NC.
This team has a 2nd weekend ceiling, if it gets a few cupcakes during the 1st rounds,
The coach is weak, the fans are idiots and the program is not what it used to be - my God, isn't life beautiful.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Flagg committed to a Duke team program that no longer exists.

Fixed it for you.

 

[RuffRuff]

I mean the kid is suppose to be generationally good. He’s suppose to be able to beat that guy 1 on 1 as a future franchise player.

Jayson Tatum could do that at Duke. Kyrie, Jabari Parker, Zion, hell Austin Rivers. It’s a skill he should have.

Duke tried to run clear out actions so that the help defense couldn’t just sit and watch either. He also got a screen the second possession.

You also have to read the floor a bit - kid was gassed. In both possessions it almost felt like fatigue lead to the turnovers. The first set was a steal by a help defender. It’s a lot easier to defend anyone in iso, you can clear the floor but if it’s evident an iso help comes. It’s early in the year and he’s 17 playing against men, give the kid some support vs just handing him the ball and expecting magic. Maybe it’s a learning moment for the kid but super lazy play design if you ask me.

Furthermore in big spots, you want the full team feeling like they’re involved for simple culture setting. Is this a Duke team or the Cooper Flagg show? Would Hurley ever run a set in a close game down the stretch where he just hands to the ball to someone and says score?

 

[UConnJim]

Per KenPom, Kentucky is a top-5 team in terms of D1 experience: 3.23 years on average versus 1.89 for Duke (156th nationally). I'm not surprised an older team was able to grind out a tough win against a younger, albeit way more talented, group this early in the season.

(For reference, we have 1.72 avg. years of experience, which ranks 189. The D1 average 1.75.)

The KenPom experience numbers can be deceiving. Duke started and most of the minutes were played by 3 Freshman, 1 Sophomore and 1 Junior, average ~0.6.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

You also have to read the floor a bit - kid was gassed. In both possessions it almost felt like fatigue lead to the turnovers. The first set was a steal by a help defender. It’s a lot easier to defend anyone in iso, you can clear the floor but if it’s evident an iso help comes. It’s early in the year and he’s 17 playing against men, give the kid some support vs just handing him the ball and expecting magic. Maybe it’s a learning moment for the kid but super lazy play design if you ask me.

Furthermore in big spots, you want the full team feeling like they’re involved for simple culture setting. Is this a Duke team or the Cooper Flagg show? Would Hurley ever run a set in a close game down the stretch where he just hands to the ball to someone and says score?

I could see it both ways. Flagg lost the ball before the help guy actually reached in. He kind of gave it to him. Two turnovers in a row is brutal.

It could be fatigue though for sure. Most coaches would live with having the ball in their players best hands though.

Wasn’t much of a playcall for this outside of a switch off a pick and roll. Great players make great plays.



Flagg will want to learn from this later on.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Kansas doesn’t look great, but they’re getting absolutely nothing from Griffen, Harris, Mayo, KJ, or Storr and they’re still winning 25 minutes into the game. They have SO many options

Did anybody shoot well in that building? Mayo put up 20 against UNC. I'm not sure what's going on in Atlanta but shooting was awful for everyone. I do think Michigan State played good defensively, tough, physical team. I think Kansas would look pretty good against Sacred Heart and UNH. Playing good teams this early is always going to produce somewhat ugly results.

 

[UConnRock]

Kneuppel and Proctor played 36+ minutes, and Flagg would have had similar minutes w/o 2 fouls in the 1st half. Maluach played 23 minutes but probably would have been near 30 if not for cramping issues. It makes me appreciate UConn's depth. Maybe Duke's (Flagg's) collapse in the 2nd half was due to fatigue. I see the lack of minutes for Duke's bench to be a coaching issue. Scheyer is too dependent on the top talent to compete vs having a system in place to maximize success.

 

[RuffRuff]

I could see it both ways. Flagg lost the ball before the help guy actually reached in. He kind of gave it to him. Two turnovers in a row is brutal.

It could be fatigue though for sure. Most coaches would live with having the ball in their players best hands though.

Wasn’t much of a playcall for this outside of a switch off a pick and roll. Great players make great plays.



Flagg will want to learn from this later on.

True but Kemba was a junior PG, used to the ball in his hands. Flagg is a 17 yo PF. I find it weird to put the ball in his hands at the top when you have two older and capable guards that should run action. Do you recall any college game recently where the PF ran iso from top? I get it’s Flagg. Game has come a long way in last 15 years as well in terms of hoops play design. But I get what you’re saying.

Flagg is interesting in that what separates him is his size/length, vertical burst and very high release. If he gets a little space he just goes over you. You could see what UK was focusing on was getting to the ball in his hands before he went up, because once he does it’s over. Other teams will copy that so Scheyer should think about less dribbling and more action for the kid.

 

[JerseyAlum]

Two biggest possessions of the game and Scheyer runs iso-hero ball for Flagg.

Nice job, a true offensive genius.

Don't forget Scheyer leaned on "cramps" being the issue - why blame a player or a coach when you can blame cramps?!?!?

 

[Hungryhusky99]

They lost because Scheyer took everyone out of the offense and had Flagg and Knueppel in iso the whole second half. They actually played their best with Flagg on the bench with two fouls in the first half.

This is crazy, even for you. Flagg had a +14.1 BPM, highest on the team.

 

[Inyatkin]

Jim Nantz? He chose Duke based on a retired broadcaster? To each his own, I guess

 

[Iluvsuebird]

This Duke team will play a lot better as the season progresses.

bench scored 6 points. They have how many 5 star players? They played 8 guys. Pretty pathetic.

 

[connVA]

It’s going to get interesting if (when?) Scheyer drops a couple games to middle-of-the-pack (or worse) ACC teams with that load of talent

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

True but Kemba was a junior PG, used to the ball in his hands. Flagg is a 17 yo PF. I find it weird to put the ball in his hands at the top when you have two older and capable guards that should run action. Do you recall any college game recently where the PF ran iso from top? I get it’s Flagg. Game has come a long way in last 15 years as well in terms of hoops play design. But I get what you’re saying.

Flagg is interesting in that what separates him is his size/length, vertical burst and very high release. If he gets a little space he just goes over you. You could see what UK was focusing on was getting to the ball in his hands before he went up, because once he does it’s over. Other teams will copy that so Scheyer should think about less dribbling and more action for the kid.

I try not to look at recency when comparing players because the talent is just not as good as it used to be in general these days. Which makes me question if the game is actually going in a good direction.

The last great college (offensive) player I’ve personally seen was Cade Cunningham at OSU. That class in general was pretty solid overall. I haven’t seen the Rutgers kids yet (waiting for them to play a big game) but I’m hoping this class brings that feeling back.

I agree Duke may want to post up Flagg more in those kind of situations so he can get it and go instead of take someone from the top. But Tatum and Jabari Parker are comparable 4s who you could trust in an iso at the top (which still had some movement so the defense couldn’t stand still and just watch him ala that Kemba Walker play). Kentucky’s help defenders weren’t able to stand still and look until Flagg was already driving to the rim.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I thought it was a fun game. Great second half. I like Pope - turns out having a mix of guys who are being coached might be better than rolling out a discombobulated cast of 5-star freshmen.

Knuepel, Flagg and the African kid are obviously very good and only going to get better. Knuepel would be great in Storrs.

 

[UCONNOLOGIST]

Who guards him?

Good question.....Karaban maybe

 

[superjohn]

This is crazy, even for you. Flagg had a +14.1 BPM, highest on the team.

And they were -8 with him actually on the court.

 

[HooperScooper]

Kneuppel and Proctor played 36+ minutes, and Flagg would have had similar minutes w/o 2 fouls in the 1st half. Maluach played 23 minutes but probably would have been near 30 if not for cramping issues. It makes me appreciate UConn's depth. Maybe Duke's (Flagg's) collapse in the 2nd half was due to fatigue. I see the lack of minutes for Duke's bench to be a coaching issue. Scheyer is too dependent on the top talent to compete vs having a system in place to maximize success.

Flagg didn't come out at all in the 2nd half and probably wouldn't have in the 1st half without the foul trouble.

And the last 2 possessions? Yeah just give it to your star freshman who had 2 college games under his belt before last night and tell him to go make a play on his own.

Scheyer is a dope. Can't wait to see him fail as a head coach.

 

[ctchamps]

Who guards him?

Abraham handled him really well in the championship game against Monteverde.