lucky to escape with a home win over lowly Miami. Never thought they'd be 9-1 after getting their asses handed to them by Louisville a month ago though.
shot much better than expected, especially from three point range. Barrett started five for five. With Williamson, it's difficult to beat Duke when they shoot that well.
had to watch with a bunch of Duke fans which was tough, but Duke was unbeatable Saturday night.
As a Virginia fan, I was encouraged by the loss. Duke was one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in all of college basketball going into the game (under 31% as a team); and going into the game, Virginia ranked #1 in the country in lowest 3-point % allowed.
Yet, Duke hit their first 5, were 8/11 at half, and 13/21 for the game. This is the same team that shot 9/43 from 3 against Syracuse.
If Duke is going to shoot from 3 the way they did against Virginia, no one in the country is beating them. And if all of a sudden they are now an excellent 3-point shooting team, then I'm glad there's no way they would be in Virginia's region.
On top of that, Ty Jerome had to get a shot in his back before the game and Virginia lost Diakite with 5 mins left in the 1st despite him being our best player at that point in the game and being the most productive man-to-man defender in the ACC thus far (in terms of points-per-possession allowed).
Duke was unstoppable Saturday night had a complete outlier game from 3. That they didn't win the game by 20-30 given how they shot the ball speaks to how tough I think this Virginia team is.
We didn't play badly at all. We just were beaten by a better, more talented team that shot the lights out. No one is beating Duke when they shoot like that. Being banged up didn't help either. Hope Diakite can go against Carolina or else we'll be in trouble in that one.
could be really fun. UNC is flying under the radar and they play as such a ridiculous pace, too. I just hope Virginia is at full strength and not down two starters.
Britt, that block was insane. It was a low pass that Hunter bobbled, and then he took his time setting up the shot because no one was near him. What Zion did to time that jump was just ridiculous athleticism. It didn't even cross Hunter's mind to pump fake because he was so far away.
Look where Zion is when Hunter receives the pass. He's on the other side of the paint!
How he closed that much ground that quickly is nuts.... Link - ( New Window )
I was thinking that Zion is essentially the college equivalent of LT being put in a basketball uniform. Just physically superior - will have to see if it translates to the NBA.
all due respect to Louisville who they split with. 6 of the last 8 against teams .500 or better in conference play, though most at home.
Probably destined for a solid #2 seed regardless given how poor they looked in non-conference, but tonight would go a long way towards putting them in the national conversation.
Mamadi did travel with the team down to Chapel Hill today Â
Look where Zion is when Hunter receives the pass. He's on the other side of the paint!
How he closed that much ground that quickly is nuts.... Link - ( New Window )
That is unbelievable, especially the shot from the far baseline where you see how high Zion jumps. Now, I think Hunter took forever to get set and shoot, but hat may be the defensive play of the year so far...
Tough team on the road, just win. Style points mean nothing. Gotta figure out this sloppiness though - uncharacteristically bad FT shooting, too many turnovers, got killed on the boards.
Greg, if UNC ain't winning it all this year & an ACC Â
but to call it one of the more inoressive bouncebacks is a bit much.
UVA’s big run coincided with Cam going out. That helped a significant amount.
Kyle Guy realized he plays for Virginia not duke right? The kicking out the leg on threes and leaning into defenders to get a whistle should be saved for those fucks from Durham.
That was an up and down game, UNC never got back into gear offensively when Cam got hurt.
I dont think UNC loses if Cam doesnt get hurt. Which is what makes saying one of the best bouncebacks you have seen in a while is odd.
I think UVA is a second weekend team this year, dont think they will lose until sweet 16 but I dont see a final four team there. UVA has a lot of issues come tournament time, I think non ACC officials who dont see them as much and call all the hand checking and ticky tack fouls hurts them.
Tennessee and Gonzaga still two best teams in my opinion
I guess it's only human nature, since that's the fourth straight win over the Heels.
Tennesse? Sure. Know the last ranked team Tennessee played? Gonzaga on December 9. They had to have the refs bail them out in an overtime game against putrid Vanderbilt. They have two games against Kentucky to play, we'll see how good they really are then.
Tony Bennett is 3-3 in Chapel Hill. The rest of Virginia's coaches in its history are 5-63.
Little and Johnson twisting their ankles definitely made things harder for UNC and perhaps UNC wins otherwise. Jerome and Diakite are also not at full strength, either (Jerome with a heating bad on his back and getting pain shots, and Diakite coming off a head injury).
Was a good clean game. I hope we meet again in the ACC Tournament.
will likely finish with 7 or 8 losses and will probably find a way to be a 2 or 3 seed, even though they will likely deserve a 4.
The hate is strong with you.
Even if they were to lose 2-3 more games (likely all against Duke) -- why should that bump them to a 4? Who are the better teams - Va Tech? Unc beat them by 30. Kansas? Villanova? Texas tech? All these teams will have 8-9 losses too and Villanova lost to fucking Penn.
Senseless, bitter comment.
Shame UNC lost two of their best players last night... tainted an otherwise premier matchup
But espn just apologized for Dukes 2 hour travel delay tonight as an excuse to why they are down 17.
Last night by the way. I would have thought a 'top 5' national school would have had Tuesday class but apparently the team leaves the day before for road games only 1 hour fight away.
Like I've said for a while... this is so much worse than other schools. Regardless, that espn consistently makes excuses for them is so sickening
To do that on the road with such a young team, wow.
23pt comeback over the last 9 mins. Zion is a monster and Reddish hit some huge shots at the end. Barrett also made some tough finishes look easy to keep the momentum going. Story of the game was Coach K going with that zone at the end. Louisville could not stop turning it over after that.
Duke is young so of course they will drop of few but can anyone really beat them in the tourny with the talent they have?
Duke will and should be favored in every game they play in the tournament because of their loaded roster, athleticism, and coach. But they can certainly lose in the tournament and it wouldn't be shocking. There is a lot of randomness that happens over a single game.
Duke is a bad three-point shooting team (295th out of 353 teams). The key is to pack the paint and make them beat you from 3. If they shoot to their averages, then another good team can hang with them. If they have an off-night even from their average, then they can be beaten by a team that plays well. Easier said than done, but it's doable.
When they lost at home to Syracuse in OT (albeit without Tre Jones and Cam Reddish), they shot 9-43 from 3. Reddish is their best 3-point shooter, and they win at full strength, but their two biggest stars, Barrett and Zion, were 5/22 against them from 3. That it went to OT shows how talented Duke is-- I'm just pointing out how bad Duke can be from 3.
This was the strategy Virginia employed Saturday night and it should have worked. In the two games against Virginia, it came down to 3's.
In the first Duke game, both Virginia and Duke shot miserably from 3 and Duke won by 2 in Cameron (Virginia is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, though).
In the game on Saturday, Virginia shot about their average from 3. The problem was that Duke shot 61.9% from 3 on high volume against the best 3-point defense in the country, when they've shot 30.5% from 3 in every other game combined. They hit their first 5 threes of the game and jumped out to a quick 10-point lead. They end up winning by 10. If Duke merely shot to their typical percentage from 3, not even a bad night, Virginia probably wins the game.
Hats off to Duke. They won both games against us by playing better than us in those games. My point is that sometimes teams just get super hot from 3 and that's also what leads to such an exciting tournament.
Remember when Middle Tennessee State knocked off Michigan State?
Michigan State was much better than Middle Tennessee State. But MTSU went nuts from 3. They got off to a really hot start and were able to keep pace the rest of the way.
Again, I think Duke should be the favorite especially as they continue to improve their defensive communication. But I think there are a number of teams that are suited to beat Duke in a knock-out game-- Gonzaga has a better offense, Tennessee can play physically with them, and Virginia has shown they match up with them. Villanova had a very rocky start, but they are really well-coached and over 53% of their shots are from 3. If they have a hot night, they can trade buckets with anyone. Izzo has a terrible track record against Coach K, but they are really good at all the things that bode well in March (though I think Duke would feast on their turnover rate in that match-up).
Cam's injury had an impact on the UNC-UVA game last week, I don't know what to tell you.
And Little has settled into his role very nicely recently. He's not the star people thought he would be, but he's been a good ball player for them the last month+
Cam went out around the 8 minute mark and came back around the 2 minute mark, so you might want to fact check some things there Greg. Virginia's big run coincided with Johnson being out for those 5-6 minutes. And if Little didn't get hurt, Little steps in there and UVA can't employ the game plan of overpowering Brandon Robinson to the basket on every possession.
UVA is better equipped to win in the tournament this year than they have been in maybe every year except for 2016. Maybe the numbers say otherwise, but just on eyeball test alone it doesn't seem like they're nearly as good defensively as they have been. Duke at them for breakfast and UNC had 55 points against them at the 8 minute mark when Cam went out. They were on pace for close to 70 before Cam got hurt.
UNC can't afford to lose Cam Johnson. He's their best player. And they especially can't afford to lose him when Little is already down.
team in the country, well they are the most talented team in the country.
But can we please stop this narrative that they are unbeatable. It's not going to take an extraordinary effort to beat them. They have zero depth, get Zion in foul trouble which can be done and they're a totally different team.
If you're picking one team to win it all, sure I would have no issue with anyone taking Duke. But to say it would take an extraordinary effort to beat them is total fucking garbage. There are a number of teams that can beat them without standing on their heads to do so.
Duke doesn't hit threes and they aren't particularly good at the free throw line either. They're the most talented and deserve their #1 ranking right now, but there are probably 10 teams in the country that would not need an extraordinary effort to beat them.
The last team that it would have taken an extraordinary effort to beat was UNC of 2009. And the florida teams before that.
This Duke team would need to stand on their head to beat any of those teams.
The last time we heard a team talked about like this was Kentucky with Towns and all of those guys and they barely made the final four and shoudl have lost in the elite eight to an ND team that did not stand on its head by any stretch. If ND shot to its averages from the 3 point line, they win that game easily. It was a 2 point game despite ND going 4-14 from the 3 point line.
This narrative needs to stop. They are the most talented and deserve the #1 ranking, but you would think these guys would learn from past examples. Acting like it will take an extraordinary effort to beat a team with no depth and basically all freshman in march is one of the more ridiculous things ive ever heard.
That being said, I think Marquette bounces back off their loss to St. John’s and wins.
That being said, I think Marquette bounces back off their loss to St. John’s and wins.
We had them too. Lost by 1. Showed guts from down 15 in the 2nd half.
As a Virginia fan, I was encouraged by the loss. Duke was one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in all of college basketball going into the game (under 31% as a team); and going into the game, Virginia ranked #1 in the country in lowest 3-point % allowed.
Yet, Duke hit their first 5, were 8/11 at half, and 13/21 for the game. This is the same team that shot 9/43 from 3 against Syracuse.
If Duke is going to shoot from 3 the way they did against Virginia, no one in the country is beating them. And if all of a sudden they are now an excellent 3-point shooting team, then I'm glad there's no way they would be in Virginia's region.
On top of that, Ty Jerome had to get a shot in his back before the game and Virginia lost Diakite with 5 mins left in the 1st despite him being our best player at that point in the game and being the most productive man-to-man defender in the ACC thus far (in terms of points-per-possession allowed).
Duke was unstoppable Saturday night had a complete outlier game from 3. That they didn't win the game by 20-30 given how they shot the ball speaks to how tough I think this Virginia team is.
Zion - ( New Window )
Britt, that block was insane. It was a low pass that Hunter bobbled, and then he took his time setting up the shot because no one was near him. What Zion did to time that jump was just ridiculous athleticism. It didn't even cross Hunter's mind to pump fake because he was so far away.
How he closed that much ground that quickly is nuts....
Link - ( New Window )
How he closed that much ground that quickly is nuts.... Link - ( New Window )
I was thinking that Zion is essentially the college equivalent of LT being put in a basketball uniform. Just physically superior - will have to see if it translates to the NBA.
Probably destined for a solid #2 seed regardless given how poor they looked in non-conference, but tonight would go a long way towards putting them in the national conversation.
How he closed that much ground that quickly is nuts.... Link - ( New Window )
That is unbelievable, especially the shot from the far baseline where you see how high Zion jumps. Now, I think Hunter took forever to get set and shoot, but hat may be the defensive play of the year so far...
UVA’s big run coincided with Cam going out. That helped a significant amount.
Kyle Guy realized he plays for Virginia not duke right? The kicking out the leg on threes and leaning into defenders to get a whistle should be saved for those fucks from Durham.
That was an up and down game, UNC never got back into gear offensively when Cam got hurt.
I dont think UNC loses if Cam doesnt get hurt. Which is what makes saying one of the best bouncebacks you have seen in a while is odd.
I think UVA is a second weekend team this year, dont think they will lose until sweet 16 but I dont see a final four team there. UVA has a lot of issues come tournament time, I think non ACC officials who dont see them as much and call all the hand checking and ticky tack fouls hurts them.
Tennessee and Gonzaga still two best teams in my opinion
Now they go on the road to Carolina and beat take a potential one seed.
Sorry, but that’s a very impressive bounce back win...
Tennesse? Sure. Know the last ranked team Tennessee played? Gonzaga on December 9. They had to have the refs bail them out in an overtime game against putrid Vanderbilt. They have two games against Kentucky to play, we'll see how good they really are then.
Little and Johnson twisting their ankles definitely made things harder for UNC and perhaps UNC wins otherwise. Jerome and Diakite are also not at full strength, either (Jerome with a heating bad on his back and getting pain shots, and Diakite coming off a head injury).
Was a good clean game. I hope we meet again in the ACC Tournament.
The hate is strong with you.
Even if they were to lose 2-3 more games (likely all against Duke) -- why should that bump them to a 4? Who are the better teams - Va Tech? Unc beat them by 30. Kansas? Villanova? Texas tech? All these teams will have 8-9 losses too and Villanova lost to fucking Penn.
Senseless, bitter comment.
Shame UNC lost two of their best players last night... tainted an otherwise premier matchup
1: Duke, UVA, Tenn, Gonzaga
2: Michigan, Kentucky, Mich St.
I don't think there are 5 other teams right now that have a better claim than UNC.
Last night by the way. I would have thought a 'top 5' national school would have had Tuesday class but apparently the team leaves the day before for road games only 1 hour fight away.
Like I've said for a while... this is so much worse than other schools. Regardless, that espn consistently makes excuses for them is so sickening
Ok
23pt comeback over the last 9 mins. Zion is a monster and Reddish hit some huge shots at the end. Barrett also made some tough finishes look easy to keep the momentum going. Story of the game was Coach K going with that zone at the end. Louisville could not stop turning it over after that.
Always a sad thing when evil triumphs.
Duke is young so of course they will drop of few but can anyone really beat them in the tourny with the talent they have?
Not sure what's up with Little and Ole Roy, but the latest ESPN mock draft has Little going #3.
How Hunter isn't in the top 5 astounds me. Best two way player in America.
Duke is young so of course they will drop of few but can anyone really beat them in the tourny with the talent they have?
Duke will and should be favored in every game they play in the tournament because of their loaded roster, athleticism, and coach. But they can certainly lose in the tournament and it wouldn't be shocking. There is a lot of randomness that happens over a single game.
Duke is a bad three-point shooting team (295th out of 353 teams). The key is to pack the paint and make them beat you from 3. If they shoot to their averages, then another good team can hang with them. If they have an off-night even from their average, then they can be beaten by a team that plays well. Easier said than done, but it's doable.
When they lost at home to Syracuse in OT (albeit without Tre Jones and Cam Reddish), they shot 9-43 from 3. Reddish is their best 3-point shooter, and they win at full strength, but their two biggest stars, Barrett and Zion, were 5/22 against them from 3. That it went to OT shows how talented Duke is-- I'm just pointing out how bad Duke can be from 3.
This was the strategy Virginia employed Saturday night and it should have worked. In the two games against Virginia, it came down to 3's.
In the first Duke game, both Virginia and Duke shot miserably from 3 and Duke won by 2 in Cameron (Virginia is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country, though).
In the game on Saturday, Virginia shot about their average from 3. The problem was that Duke shot 61.9% from 3 on high volume against the best 3-point defense in the country, when they've shot 30.5% from 3 in every other game combined. They hit their first 5 threes of the game and jumped out to a quick 10-point lead. They end up winning by 10. If Duke merely shot to their typical percentage from 3, not even a bad night, Virginia probably wins the game.
Hats off to Duke. They won both games against us by playing better than us in those games. My point is that sometimes teams just get super hot from 3 and that's also what leads to such an exciting tournament.
Remember when Middle Tennessee State knocked off Michigan State?
Michigan State was much better than Middle Tennessee State. But MTSU went nuts from 3. They got off to a really hot start and were able to keep pace the rest of the way.
Again, I think Duke should be the favorite especially as they continue to improve their defensive communication. But I think there are a number of teams that are suited to beat Duke in a knock-out game-- Gonzaga has a better offense, Tennessee can play physically with them, and Virginia has shown they match up with them. Villanova had a very rocky start, but they are really well-coached and over 53% of their shots are from 3. If they have a hot night, they can trade buckets with anyone. Izzo has a terrible track record against Coach K, but they are really good at all the things that bode well in March (though I think Duke would feast on their turnover rate in that match-up).
And Little has settled into his role very nicely recently. He's not the star people thought he would be, but he's been a good ball player for them the last month+
Cam went out around the 8 minute mark and came back around the 2 minute mark, so you might want to fact check some things there Greg. Virginia's big run coincided with Johnson being out for those 5-6 minutes. And if Little didn't get hurt, Little steps in there and UVA can't employ the game plan of overpowering Brandon Robinson to the basket on every possession.
UVA is better equipped to win in the tournament this year than they have been in maybe every year except for 2016. Maybe the numbers say otherwise, but just on eyeball test alone it doesn't seem like they're nearly as good defensively as they have been. Duke at them for breakfast and UNC had 55 points against them at the 8 minute mark when Cam went out. They were on pace for close to 70 before Cam got hurt.
UNC can't afford to lose Cam Johnson. He's their best player. And they especially can't afford to lose him when Little is already down.
But can we please stop this narrative that they are unbeatable. It's not going to take an extraordinary effort to beat them. They have zero depth, get Zion in foul trouble which can be done and they're a totally different team.
If you're picking one team to win it all, sure I would have no issue with anyone taking Duke. But to say it would take an extraordinary effort to beat them is total fucking garbage. There are a number of teams that can beat them without standing on their heads to do so.
Duke doesn't hit threes and they aren't particularly good at the free throw line either. They're the most talented and deserve their #1 ranking right now, but there are probably 10 teams in the country that would not need an extraordinary effort to beat them.
The last team that it would have taken an extraordinary effort to beat was UNC of 2009. And the florida teams before that.
This Duke team would need to stand on their head to beat any of those teams.
The last time we heard a team talked about like this was Kentucky with Towns and all of those guys and they barely made the final four and shoudl have lost in the elite eight to an ND team that did not stand on its head by any stretch. If ND shot to its averages from the 3 point line, they win that game easily. It was a 2 point game despite ND going 4-14 from the 3 point line.
This narrative needs to stop. They are the most talented and deserve the #1 ranking, but you would think these guys would learn from past examples. Acting like it will take an extraordinary effort to beat a team with no depth and basically all freshman in march is one of the more ridiculous things ive ever heard.