Duke Game thread

[Kevin Reilly]

If you are happy we didn't get blown out than you have low expectations. Most of us thought we could beat them this year. Duke shot 50% for the game. I doubt Miller thought they played good defense. Jones didn't start covering Filipowski till after he scored the first 7 points of the game. Jones did a great job on him. Somehow Xavier managed to stay close despite their defensive efforts. We have a lot of 4 and 5 year players yet we seemed timid to begin the game .Duke plays a lot of freshman. Miller is a great coach but we are not a good defensive team.

[2112]

Why didn’t Kunkel play the last ten minutes? His play was one of the big reasons we were able to come back from being down 13.

[skyhops]

He had a concussion, which is too bad because he and Boum were the only ones that were remotely effective in the second half on offense. Scoring two points the last 2 minutes is not going to get it done. Nunge has played like he is 5'8 the last two games and Freemantle was just as bad. Jones can't get shut out in the second half either. Winnable game, but not much Miller game do with this Steele team. Have to win these games to make the tourney.

[X-lucidity]

Well crap, if AK is out tonight injured we have ZERO chance to hang with the Zags and will lose by 12 or more. Oh, and by the way, Adam got hurt defending a breakaway on yet another careless turnover by a reckless teammate.

[pdxmuskie]

Kunkel and Boum were amazing. Losing Kunkel practically guaranteed X wasn't going to get the W.

Hunter gave X great minutes. He kept the ball alive about 5 times when Duke players were swarming all around him. He should have been in when Kunkel went down. His energy was huge and gave X extra possessions. He is certainly not an offensive force but getting the team extra/extended possessions is the next best thing.

Nunge was tired. I don't think contact is the issue but something to monitor. If he continues to struggle against other very good post players then we have an issue. He had to do too much against FL because Free was making too many mistakes. Extended minutes because the bench isn't able to play at a similar level is another issue. Constant contact for extended minutes 2 days in a row just might be an issue for Nunge. If Nunge had simply hit the 3 or 4 easy ones he missed, X could have gotten the win. Duke got away will some contact on 1 or 2 of those but Nunge should have made it anyway.

Free has to be better. Miles needs to step up. Miller needs to reward Hunter when he gives X good minutes.

Miller needs to cleanup the defense when team are taking it out under the hoop. It must be 6 times this year that we have given up a dunk or layup because he catches the ball at the rim. This should not have to be taught. Players should just know that you can't let a guy get the ball there. Unfortunately the team has proven that they do not understand this concept so Miller needs to put a stop to it.

I don't have a great feeling about playing the Zags. They are very beatable but no Kunkel is going to be an issue. Tandy needs to step up. He has had great games before so it is certainly possible but I haven't seen much life from him the past couple games. Nunge has to play at a high level. The zags don't play good defense so X will have plenty of opportunities to score but we know X is as bad or worse defensively. Let's hope a day of rest gets the team right. Zags will have home court advantage assuming their fans are not so upset with their loss that they go home. The arena was about 75% Gonzaga last night and significantly more full than any other session.

[Michigan Musketeer]

Lose by 7 or 20 still a L. Will be very hard to beat the Zags without Kunkel who brings it every game even when his shots aren’t falling. Don’t get it that Jones only put up 2 shots in the 2nd half. Agree that Souly is the real deal. Kept it close with his 12-12 FT shooting. May have a hard time beating good teams unless we get more from the bench. BE might be down a little this Yr but Connecticut looks tough

[Anti-Homer]

I watched the game in expected neutral territory in No. Ky, so it was interesting to hear a partisan X crowd, mainly because most of the patrons were UK fans. X should have won the game, but when you get a 3-19 performance from your Bigs, you can’t beat an inevitable Top Two seed. Nunge has struggled twice now about physical bigs, and that ain’t going to change. He missed more than a few point-blank shots and forced several shots from deep. He is a nice, finesse Big. I love Miller’s comment about him. He said Jack gave great effort, but you can’t beat a team like Duke with that kind of production from him.

Freemantle was his usual net, negative self. The best part of the game for me was seeing Free sit a lot of time in the 1st (though much was due to foul trouble), and being kept largely out of the game in the 2nd half by Miller. Have no fear. He’ll post a nice 22-12 double-double when X faces GTown or another bottom feeder. The positive for him is that his lack of playing time helped him bring his four-turnover average down. He only had three. I am still hopeful that X’s petition to allow him to tether the guy he guards to him with a 3-foot rope gets approved. Any team that plays X knows they can get 3-4 labs on under the bucket out of bounds plays if Free is in the game. I have an easier time playing Marco Polo in an Olympic-sized pool than Free does staying near his man. Not with him, just near him. My bar for him has gotten lower.

X played much better with the gutty Colby Jones at the 4 against a 6-10 veteran, and two lottery pick 7 footers, and also 6-7’, 6-8’ wings. This despite that he was clearly hobbled with a sprained ankle. They actually matched Duke in rebounding. Hunter in particular, and Miles also contributed quality minutes. Tandy didn’t play well, but he no longer plays matador defense and seems to force a couple of tipped balls or steals every game. Kunkel, Jones, and Boum are warriors. Kunkel’s injury under the ten-minute mark was a huge loss because of the swagger he gives the team. The same we get every four years with guys like JP, Tu, and Lavendar.

X is no longer and hasn’t been for a while, a school that takes consolation in very nearly beating a Top 2 seed Team, but they had several opportunities being down only three late in the game, and a couple of times, with the ball in the hands of the great Boum who had some careless turnovers. It happens. He was the star of the game. However, Duke is uber-talented, and their roster is considerably more talented than X’s. Just a fact. Roach is a very good PG, who made many shots, including 4 or 5 contested ones at the end of the shot clock. That’s what gets you 5 or weighted 4 stars (the only players Duke picks) versus the 3-4 which populate the rosters of most teams after the top 12 or so.

Miller’s coaching acumen swayed the advantage closer to X, but even he can’t overcome 3-19 from his Bigs. Now X plays another Top 2 seed tomorrow. I think the Zags are a more polished and better team than Duke, but I love X’s schedule. I’d rather lose to a KP Top 10 team, than beat a KP 150+ team. It actually helps your rating overall. Unfortunately, it isn’t like college football, when you can have one good win and then be gifted a Final Four because you play in a God-awful league. It would be like St. Joe beating Wisconsin, and then getting 10 League wins against juggernauts like St. Joe’s and Duquesne, then be gifted a Final Four in the Tourney. It cuts like a knife to admit that because since X has no football team, I’m referring to the team I root for. But I digress.

I fear without Kunkel, and the Zag’s Timme, who may send Freemantle to the corner of the locker room covered in a blanket and sucking his thumb by halftime, X will be hard-pressed to win this one. However, there is a different feel with this team. How many teams come back within 3 minutes to go after being down 13 to a team like Duke, even when their Bigs don’t show up? Again, losses suck but just wait until Miller gets his own recruits, starting next year. Being a Sweet Sixteen and occasional E-8 staple in the Tourney (as X was before the predecessor) and even greater, is just around the corner.

Dutifully submitted by Co-Moderator, AH.

[kyzrex]

You know AH, when you skip the “comedy” routine you can actually be fairly level headed and make some good points. Good (mostly) post! Sometimes less is more.