Coach Dambrot has to be very frustrated based upon turnovers, WVU points in the paint & second chance buckets based upon the box score statistics.
Positive TDM is in jeopardy of losing his 6th man crown as a starter. Evan Buckley very poised as a freshman good stroke. This team needs work if they are going to compete top third A-10

OK, CLK.  I will react.  This was an exhibition charity game against a team that is Power 5 and by many accounts potential top 25.  Tschwiebe is a monster who may be a one year guy.  I know we did not have a lights out shooting night - nor did they.  I was very pleased overall and with that said, I see many improvements needed.  Despite some low moments I am very encouraged by the overall picture.  I think Ellis is a project to work on.  Have not heard any injury news.  Concerned about Miller as he was hurt and did not play even far back in the Bahamas.  Cannot wait for Tuesday night and going to Pittsburgh for the opener!

Was afraid early that we wouldn't be able to score 40 points. We sorta figured out they were trying to trap Carry and were able to do some things. I like Tavian and Carry playing together as well as Hughes and Steele. Steele looks to be a good rebounder and has decent hands. Weathers never got into the flow with the foul troubles. Buckley didn't look in over his head. The thing that most impressed me was they got us out of the lot in 20 minutes. I was in last row and at first look I was expecting a good 45 minute to hour wait

Looked like no one got better or more wise.   Same mistakes.   No Ellis, at all?    Disappointed in that.  Buckley did look good, made FTs too!    I dont have much hope for this year.   Tuesday might be the highlight of the season.

phil95 wrote:

-Steele is a major improvement over sophomore season Rotroff & Kelly. He & Hughes represent the first time since ???? that DU has sported 2 bigs that are big enough, strong enough, & talented enough to be respected by every conference program.
-Rotroff fully healthy before 12/1 is very encouraging.
-These first 2 observations should go most of the way to improving defensive & overall rebounding numbers significantly.
-Sin's mobility looked fantastic. I would say the same for Hughes. Is it my imagination or are the both quite trim?
-If Sin can shoot 47% from the field, 75% from the line, & 37% from 3 he will be the second-best PG in the league
-2+ seasons & 3 recruiting classes into it & this is a very undisciplined/mildly clueless defensive unit for a coach with such a solid reputation on that side of the ball. I really believe the length, athleticism, & effort are there to be a very good defensive team. The intellectual strength & laser focus that it takes to be successful at this seems lacking.
-As advertised, Maceo has a serious amount of "it" factor. I doubt he ever averages 18-7-6 but he is going to be a solid contributor this year with the chance to have a noteworthy career on the bluff.
-Buckley inspired more confidence in long-time lead guard depth in 12 minutes than BWade did in a whole season. I realize that is a very limited sample & that his first shot fell but that was precisely the performance needed from a back-up at that position. No first game, athletic opponent, large, hostile crowd jitters & he didn't try to do too much. This was the most encouraging sign of the evening for me.
-Tshiebwe is a man.
-Huggins & staff are still very good.
-I am now convinced that there is no effort underway to improve TDM's shot selection or hide him in the half-court defense. It doesn't matter to me that he heated up during pseudo-garbage time to post solid percentages & game high scoring honors. He has a lot to offer but he was much more of a hindrance in the first 13 minutes when the game was lost than he was a help in the remaining 27 minutes.
-No matter what the reason, not seeing Ellis in an exhibition game does not bode well for his future here. A season of being fully eligible & glued to the bench significantly reduces the odds against him ever making a meaningful contribution or at least doing so as a Duke. Today's kids just won't hang around for the developmental process; they don't have to.
-Barring catastrophic injuries, this team will be a minimum of 10% better than last year's. Finishing in the top 4-5 in the A-10 & winning 22+ games is doable. Reaching those goals is almost entirely dependent on the quality of shooting & defense provided by the wing players. Maceo, Lamar, Weathers, & Miller have to be better than solid for the team to get to that level. I say it is a 60/40 proposition in favor of a positive outcome.

 

This is a very realistic analysis of this one game. But, just one game, but, if I were the coaching staff, I'd be taking a real close look at this one game,with a very honest view.  Being too close to the program isn't always the best view. You are, for one game, just spot on. If they are not looking for a critical view, then they will be just 10 percent better then last year. Good post.

The game was encouraging since in my opinion no one in the A-10 has a inside duo to dominate like Culver & Tshiebwe.  Tshiebwe is a real 5 star player. Hilltopper I have to take some exception of your view. Huggie would take Carry and Maceo in a heartbeat. Being a exhibition I would have liked to have seen some zone. I just can’t see the absolute rejection of the concept and I know for a fact it is worked on in practice. Buckley has been a revelation to everyone since he presents as an undersized guy that can be had. Has surprised his teammates at practice. My main concern is where is the scoring coming from.