Ironman92;1328511 wrote:Tough schedule early on! UK, Louisville and OSU. I'm already feeling more comfortable about their advancing well through the tournament.

Me too-definitely better defensively this year. Also a more balanced team offensively with no selfish players

Devils playing Delaware today. They beat UVA in a preseason tournament so that is an indication of the ability the Blue Hens have. Duke needs to bring that fire show up and assert dominance. No lull after the OSU victory. These games typically worry me because the tenacity lags after emotional wins. I know Coach K will make intensity a point today and they are going to put the Blue Hens on notice.

Duke hosting Delaware on NESN (Dish 434 sports package). Blue Devils up 19 to 7 early. Rasheed Sulaimon and Mason Plumlee looking nice early. Sulaimon is such a complete player. He's so much more than a scorer. He can defend, handle and pass expertly for a kid his age. The next special player in Durham.

Didn't realize Delaware knocked off Virginia. Good "early round NCAA game" type of competition, then, today. K usually does an excellent job of bringing these type of solid, underrated teams to Durham each year for an early December challenge.

They beat UVA 59-53 in Charlottesville and lost to KState by just 3 at the Garden.

Duke on top at the half, 42 to 19. Ryan Kelly is just torching the Delaware zone in the middle from either elbow. He's got at least 10 points from there. Kelly has 15 on the afternoon. When he is feeling it, there isn't a prettier shot from a big man anywhere in America.

Senior walk-on Todd Zafirovski scores for the first time as a Duke Blue Devil. Goosbumps. Love when walk-ons get their one moment to shine. Duke up 88, 48 on Delaware.

Duke hammered Delaware. That was a shocking win to be honest. Delaware wasn't prepared for the intensity the Devils brought. A full week off. Time to get healthy. Temple looming. I think Duke owes them one.

ccrunner609;1334137 wrote:Looks like Dukes win over UK isnt that impressive. Baylor beat them today. UK barely a top 25 team at this point

They shouldn't be. The only thing even keeping them in games is their athleticism. You wouldn't know it watching ESPN, but UK was only up one on Morehead State with 12 minutes to go at home, and it was a one point game through the first 18 minutes against Long Island-Brooklyn at home. Plus the struggle with Duke and the awful games against the Domers and today against Baylor. The only effortless win so far was against Lafayette. I expect them to be a top ten team in March, but they aren't even close right now.

Duke was awesome today, and against a Delaware team that, as swami pointed out above, already had couple of impressive performances against ACC and Big 12 teams this year, including a victory over Virginia.

While Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly led the way for the Devils in the scoring column, Rasheed Sulaimon dominated this game offensively. He posted 14 points and six assists, controlling the game with a dazzling handle that led to a number of highlight reel passes for Duke scores. He has the quickest handle of any Duke player since Kyrie Irving and Jason Williams. There hasn't been a single player this year from any of the three top five teams Duke has faced that has been able to contain Sulaimon's dribble. When he gets into an iso situation where it is just him against his man, he's untouchable. And the best part is, more times than not, he uses that fleeting ability to evade his defender to create for his teammates by finding openings in the offense resulting from the defensive breakdown. He is so special.

By the end of the year, Sulaimon will be recognized as one of the top three freshmen in the country. I just hope he sticks around. He could easily elevate to a first round draft pick.

How many years do you guys see Suliamon at Duke? He isnt the prototypical 1 and done, but at the same time I dont see him there as an upper classman. I feel 2 years is a safe bet and 3 is more likely than 1.

Laley23;1334311 wrote:How many years do you guys see Suliamon at Duke? He isnt the prototypical 1 and done, but at the same time I dont see him there as an upper classman. I feel 2 years is a safe bet and 3 is more likely than 1.

To be honest, while I fully expected the kid to be good right away, never in my wildest imagination did I think Sulaimon would play so well so early that early entry would even be a possibility after one year in Durham. Originally, I would have guessed three years. Now, I am thinking two. As you say, Sulaimon isn't the prototypical one and done type player, and because of that, I think he comes back next season, if for no other reason than that's probably what he had planned on doing anyhow. Again, he just doesn't seem like the kind of kid who came in with much focus, if any, on the 2013 NBA Draft. That could change, but that's just my opinion.

reclegend22;1334324 wrote:To be honest, while I fully expected the kid to be good right away, never in my wildest imagination did I think Sulaimon would play so well so early that early entry would even be a possibility after one year in Durham. Originally, I would have guessed three years. Now, I am thinking two. As you say, Sulaimon isn't the prototypical one and done type player, and because of that, I think he comes back next season, if for no other reason than that's probably what he had planned on doing anyhow. Again, he just doesn't seem like the kind of kid who came in with much focus, if any, on the 2013 NBA Draft. That could change, but that's just my opinion.

Thats my thought process as well. I knew he was good, but he has taken over stretches of big games already for Duke.

Zeller was like that last year, and I think his initial plan of 3 years (graduating and going pro) is what kept him around this season. Like Zeller though, I dont think Sulaimon will be around for that 3rd year like so many assumed when they were in HS.

I think Suilamon is a three year player at Duke. That could morph into two years if the pace of his development continues at this rate. I do not think that will continue to be honest. The longer the season goes the more he will come back down to earth. He has some size limitations for his position and he is still learning to play basketball at the highest level.

That being said a team with Suilamon, Marshall Plumlee, Quinn Cook, Jahill Okafor, and Matt Jones/Alex Murphy on the floor is one that I wouldn't want any part of.

swamisez;1334513 wrote:I think Suilamon is a three year player at Duke. That could morph into two years if the pace of his development continues at this rate. I do not think that will continue to be honest. The longer the season goes the more he will come back down to earth. He has some size limitations for his position and he is still learning to play basketball at the highest level.

That being said a team with Suilamon, Marshall Plumlee, Quinn Cook, Jahill Okafor, and Matt Jones/Alex Murphy on the floor is one that I wouldn't want any part of.

Do not forget Rodney Hood, Andre Dawkins and very likely Jabari Parker. Parker is expected to make a choice in December and all signs right now are pointing to Duke. I honestly would be crushed if he didn't pick Durham, that's how hopeful I am.

If all of these guys are in the mix next season, the Blue Devils will have their best team since the Battier and Williams years. Unquestionably.

Jabari Parker has the LDS church hot on the trail. Apparently BYU spent a few hundred K making some kind of newspaper inserts imploring he come to BYU.

They haven't forgotten Chris Burgess apparently.

Also, yeah, forgive my neglect of Rodney Hood. Excited to see that kid play. In the Blue White game he was very impressive.

Swami, I also added Andre Dawkins because I fully expect him to return -- not only has his family stated that that's the plan, but Andre has also been sitting behind the bench at home games in Cameron, which has to be a sign that he wants to remain intact with the program. Do you think he'll come back? Interested to see what you think, since Duke fans seems to wildly vary on their opinions of the matter.

Yes, I think Andre Dawkins will be back but will he be a valuable contributor? Unless there is some serious improvement in his ball handling skills and ability to move with the ball in his hand I would peg him as a 12-18 minute player next year. It is a harsh reality but he would have to earn minutes over Tyler Thornton (not happening given the defense tyler plays) Alex Murphy and Amile Jefferson.

There will certainly be major competition facing Dawkins next year, and it is very unlikely that he'll ever again be a starter. As you say, at the shooting guard/wing spot he'll be battling Sulaimon, Jones, Thornton, Murphy and Hood. But what that does leave an opportunity for is for Dawkins to play a role as one of the most deadly spot shooters off the bench in the country. He can light a gym up like a switch, and there is always room for a player like that in Coach K's offense. As we've seen from Dawkins in the past, he doesn't need big minutes to put big minutes on the board. He can score 12 points off threes in a matter of a handful of minutes.

It will be interesting to see how Dawkins would accept such a role, though. I always got the feeling that he played better in the starting lineup versus outside of it. Some kids operate better that way. He's a player who can go for 25, 30 points with relative ease when in a good rhythm. He's a starter at this level, and that's probably his mindset. Unfortunately for him, Duke will just have such an abundance of talent on the wing next year that Dawkins will have to likely play primarily a supporting role: quick-hitter off the bench.

Dawkins won't transfer as a senior. The possibility of him graduating early and playing at another school is a possibility. I tend to think he is at Ike to stay. He will get nba looks because of how well he shoots it. Defensively he can improve with effort.

I keep going back and forth as to which team team I think is the best in the country between Indiana and Duke, but Duke certainly looked like it today against Temple. The Blue Devils rolled over an undefeated Owls team, 90 to 67, in the Meadowlands this afternoon. Seth Curry proved why he's one of the smoothest shooters in the country with 23 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three, including a 30-foot capper from straight away to put an exclamation point on Duke's dominating performance.

Duke is performing on all cylinders right now, and with the way they are playing defense, especially on the perimeter by creating points in transition off of relentless pressure all over the floor, the Blue Devils are a very serious team.

Duke-Indiana would be an excellent game.

Dynamite drop in.

Duke just picked up a commitment from Sami Ojeleye, a 6'6" swingman from Kansas by way of Nigeria. With Matt Jones in fold, and Ojeleye they have a swing man an shooting guard, and hopefully Jabari Parker a PF to follow later this week.

Too bad we don't have a Duke/Michigan matchup looming this year...

I was just looking at old pictures today and saw one of me wearing my Louis Bullock jersey from way back in the day. Loved those Duke/UM games...