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1 of 1- Styles1229
- Baron
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- Registered: 2/14/2021
- Posts: 590
State of the union
It seems I and many others jumped the gun on this team and especially this coach. I will say I remained optimistic that Dru would eventually get it but certainly believed he was too inexperienced to begin his HC career at Duquesne and in the A-10. The wins against Rhody and St Joes show he at least belongs and has some chops. Whether he will be an upper echelon coach remains to be seen but I am optimistic. I did not expect to be 2-1 in the A-10 after that start and feared we might not win a game - so happy with this turn around. The team has really taken form and players have found their roles. I’m a little concerned about how Jake rotates in but that’s a good problem to have. Kareem has done a fine job taking care of the ball and providing stability when the opponent presses and blitzes the guard. His inability to score off the drive or get to the line is worrisome if he’s going to continue to play these minutes though. think that is what Jake will provide when he comes back and we’ll see Kareem’s minutes reduced. And that’s a good thing. But in a close game late I want Kareem out there to take care of the ball. Dixon took a giant step forward against some formidable competition. I hope this leads to increased confidence. He could be first team A-10 if he keeps this up. Corbett does a lot of things right most notably rebounding. He’s probably the most important player on the team as his size, energy, and scoring check a lot of boxes. He seems to always be complaining, pouting, or getting angry at the other guys though. Not sure if that causes chemistry issues or not but they need him going forward so hopefully it works itself out. Matus continues to impress, his horrible shooting night notwithstanding. Always in the right place, always making the right play, and when his shot is falling he needs to be out there all the time. Dinkins is the X factor. He’s had as many bad games as good. When he’s good, this team is hard to beat. He just needs to bring it every night. I love Cam’s steady presence in the backcourt and he’s turning into one of the most reliable 3 point shooters on this team. Things really started to turn around when he started getting minutes. Necas has slowly improved and has a ton of potential. These injuries have been irritating as his defense and size is sorely missed. I like that Max has been able to provide 5-8 quality minutes a game lately. We saw what happened when he played more. Maybe this is the right formula. Chabi has been nice and steady and Wilborn seems to be an untapped resource. I’ll trust Dru knows what he’s doing there. I know he collects fouls at an alarming rate but man he looks like he could take over a game if he was given the minutes.
- NapaDuke
- Comte
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- From: McMurray, Pa.
- Registered: 11/23/2012
- Posts: 1,496
Re: State of the union
Good take. No one expected the rough start to the non-conf. But Coach Dru and the players seems to have sorted things out and these past 5 wins are against good teams. They are playing up to their potential now. Get Jake and Necas back and the tool box is full. Wilborn has a lot of upside too..His rebound at the end of OT was crucial in icing that victory. His hitting two FT's at the end of the game was great too.
- MikeR
- Citizen
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- Registered: 8/24/2016
- Posts: 426
Re: State of the union
I wouldn't mind seeing Wilborn get a few more minutes even with the fouls.
- PhoenixRising2
- Moderator
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- Registered: 11/13/2012
- Posts: 3,085
Re: State of the union
MikeR wrote:
I wouldn't mind seeing Wilborn get a few more minutes even with the fouls.
I also wouldn't mind seeing Dixon out there for a few minutes at the same time as Chabi or Eli. He can be dynamic on offense when he is facing the basket.
- CityDuke
- Citizen
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- Registered: 1/06/2019
- Posts: 360
Re: State of the union
Great post Styles! This team has been fun to watch play and fun to watch grow into a team. Can we also take a second to give Rozier some love? He has been outstanding and has taken a beating on this board at times. He has been invaluable.
- BluffHunter
- Moderator
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- Registered: 6/20/2019
- Posts: 1,387
Re: State of the union
Great post Styles! This team has been fun to watch play and fun to watch grow into a team. Can we also take a second to give Rozier some love? He has been outstanding and has taken a beating on this board at times. He has been invaluable.
Kareem is #1 in A10 at assist/turnover ratio and #9 in the nation!!!
- NapaDuke
- Comte
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- From: McMurray, Pa.
- Registered: 11/23/2012
- Posts: 1,496
Re: State of the union
Great post Styles! This team has been fun to watch play and fun to watch grow into a team. Can we also take a second to give Rozier some love? He has been outstanding and has taken a beating on this board at times. He has been invaluable.
Kareem is #1 in A10 at assist/turnover ratio and #9 in the nation!!!
Rozier has been great off the bench like Dixon. He seems to have more room to operate and at times is in there with Dinkins and that confuses opposing defenses, since either can run a play. Late in the game, he's one of our most reliable ball handlers, and he's been aggressive late in the game with great defense and gets steal. He looks stronger and more confident now. These past five wins, it's like it's a done deal in the closing seconds that Rozier has the ball.
- PhoenixRising2
- Moderator
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- Registered: 11/13/2012
- Posts: 3,085
Re: State of the union
During games, I like to break down the Dukes performance into roughly 4 minute segments measured by the media timeouts. Those bite sized pieces help me digest what has occurred and establish what needs to be done in the next 4 minute stretch.
I also like to break down the conference schedule into bit sized pieces, using bye weeks or extra days off as the break point. This year, this is how I broke down the conference schedule.
3 Conference Games --> bye week
3 Conference Games --> 5 days between games
5 Conference Games --> bye week
7 Conference Games --> A10 Tourney
Going into the first group of 3 games, I thought that the Dukes had to win at least 1 of these games to keep hopes of finishing in the top half of the conference alive. Getting 2 wins at home certainly put the Dukes in a good spot to start the year.
Based on that initial run, I felt that the Dukes needed to go 2-1 in the next 3, which they accomplished. No one was happy with the performance against Dayton, but they are still sitting in very good position in the A10 standings.
Now we are approaching the next 5 games with 3 of them on the road. This is a critical stretch where I believe that the Dukes need to win at least 3 games. That would put them at 7-4 in the conference heading into the final brutal 7 game stretch. The interesting part is that the Dukes may be favored in 4 of the next five games,.with the road game at Saint Joseph's being the outlier. Let's see if the Dukes can get it done vs. Fordham, shutting down their scoring guards, Medor and former Duke Jackie Johnson.
- luckymcd
- Vicomté
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- Registered: 12/01/2018
- Posts: 838
Re: State of the union
I love the detailed breakdown Phoenix. As bad as the Dayton game was, it only goes down as one loss in the standings and we’re still in position to get a double bye. We need to beat Fordham. A bounce back opportunity against the last place team is a gift.
- NapaDuke
- Comte
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- From: McMurray, Pa.
- Registered: 11/23/2012
- Posts: 1,496
Re: State of the union
I love the detailed breakdown Phoenix. As bad as the Dayton game was, it only goes down as one loss in the standings and we’re still in position to get a double bye. We need to beat Fordham. A bounce back opportunity against the last place team is a gift.
I agree. The Dukes are in a great position to get a bye. Everyone in the A-10 is beating up on each other. Every team can win on a good day or lose on a bad day,
- FAM
- Administrator
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- Registered: 11/12/2012
- Posts: 2,045
Re: State of the union
After watching what Dru said on the video yesterday and regarding how he made practice more focused and difficult I think we will win tomorrow. Go Dukes
- PhoenixRising2
- Moderator
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- Registered: 11/13/2012
- Posts: 3,085
Re: State of the union
Will the Dukes win more than 7 games in conference?
Last edited by PhoenixRising2 (2/01/2025 9:52 pm)
- PhoenixRising2
- Moderator
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- Registered: 11/13/2012
- Posts: 3,085
Re: State of the union
Currently, the Dukes are in 12th place in the conference. The likelihood of missing out of the single bye looms large with 6 games remaining.
In conference play, the Dukes are 5th in offensive efficiency and 7th in defensive efficiency; these numbers should translate to a better conference record than 5-7. Holding the Dukes back revolves around fouls. They are worst in the league (15th) in sending the opponent to the line, worst in getting to the line and when they do get there, worst in FT shooting percentage.
Lose the next two against teams in the bottom half of the league (Fordham and Bonnies), then the Dukes will likely playing in the first round/day of the A10 tourney. Time is running out to turn this around.
- BluffHunter
- Moderator
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- Registered: 6/20/2019
- Posts: 1,387
Re: State of the union
Currently, the Dukes are in 12th place in the conference. The likelihood of missing out of the single bye looms large with 6 games remaining.
In conference play, the Dukes are 5th in offensive efficiency and 7th in defensive efficiency; these numbers should translate to a better conference record than 5-7. Holding the Dukes back revolves around fouls. They are worst in the league (15th) in sending the opponent to the line, worst in getting to the line and when they do get there, worst in FT shooting percentage.
Lose the next two against teams in the bottom half of the league (Fordham and Bonnies), then the Dukes will likely playing in the first round/day of the A10 tourney. Time is running out to turn this around.
According to this post from yesterday, Dukes have a 70% chance of playing on the first day of the tournament as a bottom 6 seed. The bye would be huge.
- PhoenixRising2
- Moderator
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- Registered: 11/13/2012
- Posts: 3,085
Re: State of the union
Currently, the Dukes are in 12th place in the conference. The likelihood of missing out of the single bye looms large with 6 games remaining.
In conference play, the Dukes are 5th in offensive efficiency and 7th in defensive efficiency; these numbers should translate to a better conference record than 5-7. Holding the Dukes back revolves around fouls. They are worst in the league (15th) in sending the opponent to the line, worst in getting to the line and when they do get there, worst in FT shooting percentage.
Lose the next two against teams in the bottom half of the league (Fordham and Bonnies), then the Dukes will likely playing in the first round/day of the A10 tourney. Time is running out to turn this around.According to this post from yesterday, Dukes have a 70% chance of playing on the first day of the tournament as a bottom 6 seed. The bye would be huge.
Thanks, BluffHunter. The odds sound about right. I think the Dukes need to get to 8 conference wins in order to secure the 1st round bye. With George Mason, VCU and Saint Louis to finish the season, the Dukes need to get back to winning starting tomorrow.
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