How much weight did Okafor lose?

I was never THAT impressed with the games I saw of him from HS; but I watched for a while tonight and he looked really good. He's gonna be a beast for 1 year.

He definitely looked more fluid tonight than he did in HS.

As I said, it was Presbyterian. So I am tempering expectations before I start talking national championship, or even the second round. I mean, if we are being honest here, Duke has lost to a 15 seed twice in the past three years. But, I can confidently say that this team is not going to skip a beat without Parker or Hood. Why? Because this team can flat out defend. It's night and day.

I'm not exactly sure how much weight Oakafor has lost since enrolling at Duke, but he definitely looked much more fluid -- even graceful -- out there than he did during his schoolboy days. Some of his spin moves around the basket were Dream-like. I said like. Not sure they would work on David Robinson, but they should serve him just fine in college. Oakfor has tremendous hands and footwork for someone his size.

reclegend22;1674292 wrote:Oakfor has tremendous hands and footwork for someone his size.

This was always my favorite part about watching Demarcus Cousins.

ccrunner609;1674288 wrote:Lets see MSU Tuesday before we get excited

MSU in name only. Very devoid in talent, especially that can challenge Okafor. They really shouldn't even be in the top 25.

Heading out to Indianapolis in the morning. Hoping for a happier ride home from the Champions Classic this year.

Duke's first two opponents of the season were hardly barometers of success, but if what we saw even remotely foreshadows what might be to come, the Blue Devils could be primed for a historic season. Led by arguably the best big man at Duke since Elton Brand, Duke has dropped 222 points in two contests, disposing its fellow contestants by an average of 60 points. Most impressive is Duke's passing game, which has generated 52 assists in two games. This team is especially adept at finding the open man and it has translated to a much more free-flowing attack than a season ago, highlighted by the inside-out attack facilitated by Jahlil Oakafor. Right now, the offense -- initiated on the other end of the floor by a suffocating pressure defense -- is a thing of beauty.

Michigan State will obviously provide a much greater challenge. I am a bit concerned with Duke playing its third game in five days, especially with how young these kids are, but I like K's odds against the Spartans. Head to head, K is 8-1 against Tom Izzo.

MSU has a severe lack of talent. I think they get blown out.

Big game for Duke tonight in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Brooklyn. Hoping the early momentum continues for the Blue Devils, but won't be surprised if Temple comes out playing like '99 UConn.

I had big expectations for Jah Okafor entering the season, but he's surpassed them. He's converting 83 percent of his attempts from the field on 25-of-30 shooting through three contests. Even for a traditional big who operates almost entirely in the paint, those are impressive numbers, especially considering the attention Okafor receives. I absolutely love the fact that he is a true center and doesn't pretend to be something he's not, in a day and age where seemingly every center thinks he's Peja Stojakovic.

Go Devils.

Tonight K faces pupil Johnny Dawkins for the first time. Emotions will be high. Couple that with freshmen-laden Duke playing for the fifth time in nine days and there is definitely cause for concern.

Outside of Wisconsin and perhaps UConn, Jah Okafor may not encounter a better big man all season. Stefan Nastic is as good as it gets at center. The Cardinal senior will officially welcome the Blue Devil freshman to big-time college basketball. If Duke shoots as poorly as it did from beyond the arc against Temple, the Devils are in deep trouble. Duke needs Okafor and Justise Winslow to once again carry the Blue Devils defensively and set the tone from the start.

Should be fun.

The thing that has been the demise of the Devils since 2006 basically is how poor they have been defensively. Last year they were one of the worst defensive teams in the country statistically. The aberration was 2010 where Zoubek served as rim protector and Kyle Singler played defensive dynamo guarding every teams' best player. This season the Devils are defending at a far better rate and are cutting off interior production thanks to some size and capable wing defense. Teams are shooting absurdly low percentages from three against Duke, and while not Kentucky-esque in terms of defensive efficiency, the Devils are vastly improved. This fact alone give me some hope that a final four is possible this season.

Just wanted to post here, because when I try to go to the last page in the thread my browser stays on page 44 and I can't see what anyone else has posted on here.

Go Duke

Duke looked fucking great on Wednesday. This is the kind of team that even the most dominant of programs only sees once in a decade, if they're fortunate. Tyus Jones was brilliant. That Duke held the lead at the half in the Kohl Center despite Jahlil Okafor resting on the bench much of the first period was impressive. Frank Kaminsky may have outscored Okafor individually, but as a team the Blue Devils outscored the Badgers' formidable front court 32 to 22 in the paint. Last year Duke would've been eaten alive inside the arc by this Wisconsin team.

Not surprising that few in the national media are really talking about Duke. It's like the game never happened. That's fine. Many of Duke's more memorable teams were considered to have had no chance (1991 and 2010 in particular). This Duke team is a legit contender to win 38 games and a fifth national championship.

Duke is back.

reclegend22;1682772 wrote: Tyus Jones was brilliant. That Duke held the lead at the half in the Kohl Center despite Jahlil Okafor resting on the bench much of the first period was impressive. Frank Kaminsky may have outscored Okafor individually, but as a team the Blue Devils outscored the Badgers' formidable front court 32 to 22 in the paint.
Duke is back.

I think everyone who knows the game sees that Kentucky, Duke, and Arizona are 1+2 in the race for a title. Wisconsin is a great team and will be there as well. It all comes down to injuries, because they happen. This Duke team though has great potential. If they continue to progress offensively and defensively the sky is the limit.

Hats off to Quinn Cook. He is the captain and has the group playing as a true team. I love how they exit the huddle as well, 1-2-3-Family. That says a great deal. Nolan Smith-esque. We all know how that went down the stretch his junior year.

Swami you will probably know this, or you may too Rec.

Looking to scoop up two tickets over the winter break and try to go to a Duke game. I've heard this is the best time to get a student ticket(since they're gone on break) and get into the game that way.

Best way to go about it? I've looked on Stubhub but seeing if there is another way to go about it.

Student tickets require a student id to get your wristband. You need to know a student basically and use their ID. This is possible if you show up and ask to borrow an ID of someone you look like.

Otherwise, yes you can go on the GoDuke website and see if there are some standing room tickets in sec 17 avail for games during break. I think the Elon game has a few left. Scalping for games is always an option. Getting a seat will cost you a 100 most likely, maybe 75 if you can nego a bit.

the Jan 3 game vs. BC is typically a no student game, but because its an ACC game the prices for this game are still really high. 200 is the lowest I am seeing for an actual seat. Saw a grad student selling off the standing room ticket for 120.

Hope that helps.

swamisez;1685494 wrote:Student tickets require a student id to get your wristband. You need to know a student basically and use their ID. This is possible if you show up and ask to borrow an ID of someone you look like.

Otherwise, yes you can go on the GoDuke website and see if there are some standing room tickets in sec 17 avail for games during break. I think the Elon game has a few left. Scalping for games is always an option. Getting a seat will cost you a 100 most likely, maybe 75 if you can nego a bit.

the Jan 3 game vs. BC is typically a no student game, but because its an ACC game the prices for this game are still really high. 200 is the lowest I am seeing for an actual seat. Saw a grad student selling off the standing room ticket for 120.

Hope that helps.

Stubhub has some available in "Upper Level 10" for $130 for the New Years Eve game vs Wofford. Seems decent to me. Only worry is none of the tickets are electronic download. All are delivered by UPS.

I've never have had any issues with delivery time when purchasing tickets on Stubhub via UPS. It's always been very quick in my experience.

As swami said, you may be able score cheaper tickets at the door if you wait and scalp for tickets when you get to the game, but if I'm traveling that far of a distance I personally would want my seats secured ahead of time.

Semi Ojeleye is transferring

Nothing but the best for this kid, want him to go somewhere and play. He should transfer to NC State.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/12/14/4402988_duke-forward-ojelye-to-transfer.html?sp=/99/103/119/269/&rh=1

I'm hoping IU. Had him on campus during his recruitment for an official, and lord knows Indiana could use someone taller than 6-3.

Would love to see him go to IU. He is a scorer not much of a rebounder yet, but with experience I think he could develop. He certainly has the physical tools to do that.

Duke hosts my hometown team tonight, the Toledo Rockets. The Blue Devils are in pursuit of their 39th consecutive victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium and 115th straight win over non-conference opponents at home. They haven't fallen to a team outside of the ACC in Cameron since February of 2000. A pretty remarkable feat.

It's been almost a two-week layoff for Duke, so hopefully this serves as a proper tune up for ACC play.

Did you end up making the game, Birddog?

In setting his season-high mark of 28 points in Duke's decisive defeat of Boston College on Saturday, Jahlil Okafor went 14 of 17 from the free-throw stripe, including hitting all nine of his attempts in the first half. He was shooting just 50 percent from the line on the season prior to that performance.

If he continues to improve in this area and prevent defenses from employing the Hack-a-Shaq strategy, Okafor will be virtually unstoppable. He leads the nation in field goal shooting at a 68 percent clip and is averaging 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

Duke's comeback last night in Charlottesville to knock Virginia from the ranks of the unbeaten was one for the ages. The Blue Devils began the game 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, trailing by double digits midway through the second half, before hitting five threes on six attempts in the last five minutes to stun the Cavaliers. Virginia did not score a single point in the last two-and-a-half minutes.

It was one of the most startling turnarounds I can remember as a Duke fan. Duke has had a rocky road of late, but the St. John's and Virginia games have proven their resolve. This is a team that is prepared to go the distance in each and every fight.

hate to say it but kicking Rasheed off the team probably created a hyperfocus in the locker room that will make this team better

Surprised you feel that way. He is gonna be an all American!!