I thought the game was an armchair coach's dream.
The win over Duke was quite a tonic for me personally and I was impressed with many things that made it possible:
1. I kept saying to family gathered around the big screen, we had to put pressure on them with time and score between the 12 and 8 minute media timeouts. I agree with Deener and Maybin, sometimes I think it's not so important for the other team to be fatigued as much as it is that OUR players believe they are better conditioned. The intensity level unquestionably went from high to nuclear event level high around the 12 plus minute mark...and when we are at home the energy level of the crowd feeding off the players and vice versa must make it seem to opposing teams like they are playing in a bee hive. It's loud, it's frenzied and it is really discombobulating. When you're shorthanded like Duke is--and their bench was shortened further with Kennard's fouls--you have a recipe for how we basically took command in what was the last quarter of the game. Duke's probably fortunate to have escaped with just a seven point loss.
The eight minute stretch where Duke didn't score a field goal was as intense a stretch of basketball that we have played with straight man-to-man in my estimation back to the Title team. When they went man against Duke in the Elite 8 it eradicated their perimeter game. I don't recall a time this year where we played it that hard; we had to play it in Cameron Indoor but we didn't as effectively as we did Saturday.
In zone we did a really lousy job of coming underneath the screen giving up multiple open threes.
2. I've always thought Duke was UK's Boogie Man while confessing that I deplore the carte blanche they have with the two primary networks for college basketball (it seems mandatory that there is a Dukie panelist virtually everywhere between ESPN with Bilas and Jay Williams and CBS with Seth Davis); but everything about Grayson Allen is what I deplore in them. He's one part Wojo and another part Kobe Bryant with the way he flails on his drives; when Coach K talks about physical play I understand it to an extent...he's protecting the Duke Way. But Allen not only initiates contact, he does things that get the dirty label applied (he pulls the Bryant trick of flailing so wildly when he's fouled on shooting fouls that he's trying to slap somebody). I've watched him off the ball multiple games now and he does some stuff that if scrutinized would really put him in an even worse light.
All of that said, we get a whistle generally at home that they aren't going to get at Cameron Indoor. Welcome to reality Coach. This won't come as welcome news to the officiating scrutinizers, but the foul on the inbounds play where Allen got his fourth was a bad call; Allen was pushed by Damion into Adel who incidentally was planted when Allen fell into him. From the baseline official's angle it looked like a charge...but it was a bad call. Ironically it was virtually identical to the situation surrounding Ray Spalding getting called for a foul when the Duke player pushed him through Onauku into the driver. His fourth was a clear hook and it's something that Ingram got away with a couple times.
3. ...and don't bother me again with the free throw disparity angle (it's the most UKish of arguments); I've figured out why Duke enjoys the big free throw disparity. They don't foul on the defensive end because they virtually concede anything that makes the post area. They flat lack either the athleticism (in Plumlee) or the power at the four position (in Ingram) to really do anything more than wall up. They are so thin that they have to avoid contact on the defensive end. They don't really challenge the rim in any way and they don't extend their defense. In some senses they are very similar to Wisconsin last year and given their perimeter aplomb are willing to concede twos on one end for threes or a driving foul on the other. Either way they get point disparities on free throws and volume of three points by comparison.
We couldn't possibly be more opposite in our approach when it's all said and done; there is no such thing as unchallenged anything when you play a Coach Pitino coached squad...subsequently when Duke gets a charge called on them on their end they go nuclear because on one end of the floor they initiate contact...on the other they avoid it like the plague.
4. As for player production...Deng Adel was magnificent. I honestly think the biggest shot of the game was less the consecutive threes by Lee to get the lead, it was the three by Adel when we were teetering on the edges down twelve to cut it to nine. If that misses Duke has the ball with a solid double digit lead. Either way Deng was magnificent, especially on the defensive end, where:
....clearly the way we played Ingram was bothersome; we were really physical with him away from the ball that escalated in a way that only we can escalate things under Rick. It reminded me of the Big East title game against Syracuse where a combination of defenders totally got into MCW's head; even when Ingram was fouled he was doing things because he was bothered by the pressure (on one foul by Lee at the top of the key Ingram whipped around with a hook very similar to the one delivered by Allen for his fourth foul). We play defense that is controversial but when you watch it we just get into people's personal space and it's really bothersome for that player that isn't strong in the lower body. Lee did a good job late because he had fouls to give; there's little doubt in my mind that Adel was put into the starting lineup exclusively because of Ingram. Deng lived up to the challenge and that is really promising moving ahead.
5. Jaylen Johnson delivered big after the flagrant 1 (which really was deserved; the way they tore him off of the pile up I thought we were looking at an ejection). He hit a big fifteen footer, he had big rebounds and perhaps just importantly he was another body with length that Dukies had trouble with just occupying in the lane. His two free throws coupled with the fifteen footer rightfully have anyone questioning how he can be mediocre from the line.
...and I'd say the same of Ray. When he hit the three he looked as natural as Kevin Durant doing it. His free throw stroke looks better than his production from the line and his presence on traps on Ingram coupled with either Lee or Adel had it to where Ingram couldn't beat the trap by throwing over it. He made a really good play on the play that Thornton got hurt on; the Dukies didn't like it but that was just a player trying to buy a foul and drove himself into Louisville's length of Spalding and Onuaku.
6. On a player combination level, we played an extensive amount of Onuaku, Ray/Jaylen, Adel with Lee and Lewis at the guards. Think back...but that was perceived to be our lineup coming out of Puerto Rico. It was weird not seeing Snyder or Mitchell down the stretch and I thought they were going to do it to put the two freshest perimeter players available on the floor. But Rick stuck with that rotation and at one point had that same group sans Onuaku on the floor for a defensive possession with Ray at center. For that crew that says Rick doesn't adjust, I'd submit that as counter evidence. He went off the traditional script and it worked.
The win over Duke was quite a tonic for me personally and I was impressed with many things that made it possible:
1. I kept saying to family gathered around the big screen, we had to put pressure on them with time and score between the 12 and 8 minute media timeouts. I agree with Deener and Maybin, sometimes I think it's not so important for the other team to be fatigued as much as it is that OUR players believe they are better conditioned. The intensity level unquestionably went from high to nuclear event level high around the 12 plus minute mark...and when we are at home the energy level of the crowd feeding off the players and vice versa must make it seem to opposing teams like they are playing in a bee hive. It's loud, it's frenzied and it is really discombobulating. When you're shorthanded like Duke is--and their bench was shortened further with Kennard's fouls--you have a recipe for how we basically took command in what was the last quarter of the game. Duke's probably fortunate to have escaped with just a seven point loss.
The eight minute stretch where Duke didn't score a field goal was as intense a stretch of basketball that we have played with straight man-to-man in my estimation back to the Title team. When they went man against Duke in the Elite 8 it eradicated their perimeter game. I don't recall a time this year where we played it that hard; we had to play it in Cameron Indoor but we didn't as effectively as we did Saturday.
In zone we did a really lousy job of coming underneath the screen giving up multiple open threes.
2. I've always thought Duke was UK's Boogie Man while confessing that I deplore the carte blanche they have with the two primary networks for college basketball (it seems mandatory that there is a Dukie panelist virtually everywhere between ESPN with Bilas and Jay Williams and CBS with Seth Davis); but everything about Grayson Allen is what I deplore in them. He's one part Wojo and another part Kobe Bryant with the way he flails on his drives; when Coach K talks about physical play I understand it to an extent...he's protecting the Duke Way. But Allen not only initiates contact, he does things that get the dirty label applied (he pulls the Bryant trick of flailing so wildly when he's fouled on shooting fouls that he's trying to slap somebody). I've watched him off the ball multiple games now and he does some stuff that if scrutinized would really put him in an even worse light.
All of that said, we get a whistle generally at home that they aren't going to get at Cameron Indoor. Welcome to reality Coach. This won't come as welcome news to the officiating scrutinizers, but the foul on the inbounds play where Allen got his fourth was a bad call; Allen was pushed by Damion into Adel who incidentally was planted when Allen fell into him. From the baseline official's angle it looked like a charge...but it was a bad call. Ironically it was virtually identical to the situation surrounding Ray Spalding getting called for a foul when the Duke player pushed him through Onauku into the driver. His fourth was a clear hook and it's something that Ingram got away with a couple times.
3. ...and don't bother me again with the free throw disparity angle (it's the most UKish of arguments); I've figured out why Duke enjoys the big free throw disparity. They don't foul on the defensive end because they virtually concede anything that makes the post area. They flat lack either the athleticism (in Plumlee) or the power at the four position (in Ingram) to really do anything more than wall up. They are so thin that they have to avoid contact on the defensive end. They don't really challenge the rim in any way and they don't extend their defense. In some senses they are very similar to Wisconsin last year and given their perimeter aplomb are willing to concede twos on one end for threes or a driving foul on the other. Either way they get point disparities on free throws and volume of three points by comparison.
We couldn't possibly be more opposite in our approach when it's all said and done; there is no such thing as unchallenged anything when you play a Coach Pitino coached squad...subsequently when Duke gets a charge called on them on their end they go nuclear because on one end of the floor they initiate contact...on the other they avoid it like the plague.
4. As for player production...Deng Adel was magnificent. I honestly think the biggest shot of the game was less the consecutive threes by Lee to get the lead, it was the three by Adel when we were teetering on the edges down twelve to cut it to nine. If that misses Duke has the ball with a solid double digit lead. Either way Deng was magnificent, especially on the defensive end, where:
....clearly the way we played Ingram was bothersome; we were really physical with him away from the ball that escalated in a way that only we can escalate things under Rick. It reminded me of the Big East title game against Syracuse where a combination of defenders totally got into MCW's head; even when Ingram was fouled he was doing things because he was bothered by the pressure (on one foul by Lee at the top of the key Ingram whipped around with a hook very similar to the one delivered by Allen for his fourth foul). We play defense that is controversial but when you watch it we just get into people's personal space and it's really bothersome for that player that isn't strong in the lower body. Lee did a good job late because he had fouls to give; there's little doubt in my mind that Adel was put into the starting lineup exclusively because of Ingram. Deng lived up to the challenge and that is really promising moving ahead.
5. Jaylen Johnson delivered big after the flagrant 1 (which really was deserved; the way they tore him off of the pile up I thought we were looking at an ejection). He hit a big fifteen footer, he had big rebounds and perhaps just importantly he was another body with length that Dukies had trouble with just occupying in the lane. His two free throws coupled with the fifteen footer rightfully have anyone questioning how he can be mediocre from the line.
...and I'd say the same of Ray. When he hit the three he looked as natural as Kevin Durant doing it. His free throw stroke looks better than his production from the line and his presence on traps on Ingram coupled with either Lee or Adel had it to where Ingram couldn't beat the trap by throwing over it. He made a really good play on the play that Thornton got hurt on; the Dukies didn't like it but that was just a player trying to buy a foul and drove himself into Louisville's length of Spalding and Onuaku.
6. On a player combination level, we played an extensive amount of Onuaku, Ray/Jaylen, Adel with Lee and Lewis at the guards. Think back...but that was perceived to be our lineup coming out of Puerto Rico. It was weird not seeing Snyder or Mitchell down the stretch and I thought they were going to do it to put the two freshest perimeter players available on the floor. But Rick stuck with that rotation and at one point had that same group sans Onuaku on the floor for a defensive possession with Ray at center. For that crew that says Rick doesn't adjust, I'd submit that as counter evidence. He went off the traditional script and it worked.
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