[jaysmith1987Participant]

This is a really deep team I see a possible 8 future nba players.  As good as they have been though I have seen some chinks in there armor.  They sometimes get a little sloppy with the ball and there big men play soft at times.  Mason Plumlee still plays mostly off his athleticism and Singler is having trouble finding his shot.  I think in the Acc North Carolina has a real shot of beating them if they start to jell a little bit more during the season because I think right now Zeller and Henson have an advantage down low over Plumlee and Singler.  As far as teams in the tournment knocking off Duke I have to go with Ohio State they have good perimiter defenders Sullinger is a beast down low and Ohio State is also a deep team.  So its very possible Duke repeats but I don’t think the undefeated talk is warranted.

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I don’t think any reasonable fan is saying that they will go undefeated. That is almost impossible in this day and age. On the other hand, as a Duke fan, UNC is not a team that scares me at all this year. Singler always struggles to find his shot at the start of the year and heats up as it goes on. There is absolutely no way that Henson is a better player than he is. Zeller is better than Mason Plumlee, but he’s not exactly a dominating presence either. If UNC’s front court is better, it is only by a little bit. But, Duke’s backcourt and UNC’s back courts aren’t even in the same ball park. Irving and Smith are exponentially better than Drew and Strickland and and Dawkins and Curry are too. 

Just out of curiosity, who do you think Duke’s 8 NBA players are?

Irving

Singler

Mason 

Smith

Dawkins 

Curry

Miles?

Ryan Kelly?

[jaysmith1987Participant]

The eight possible nba players wich i repeat possible meaning players who might not get drafted but can one day play in nba or be second round picks to make the team are.

Irving

Smith

Singler

Mason

Miles

Curry

Ryan Kelly

Dawkins.

I know it sounds crazy putting Kelly and Miles as Nba prospects but think of what they could be if they weren’t on such a stacked team.  Kelly is a stretch four with two years left in college by his senior year his numbers will look alot better Miles is a Junior but with Singler graduating next year he will be taking over his spot and he is very athletic so he might be able to have a Zoubek type senior year and get second round looks.  As far as North Carolina John Henson is not better than Singler but down low he is a match up problem he is agile to guard on perimeter and hes long to block shots and he rebounds like no other.  Of course duke has better guards but if north carolina starts to gel more then they can be just as good as anyone on height alone their small forward is 6’8 there power forward is 6’10 and there center is 6’11 not many college teams have that height to go with the athleticism of the players.  Just wait for the second meeting between Duke and Carolina and I’m sure it will be a really close game right now Carolina is just tryna find there grove and get over last year.

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I see what your saying, but actually in terms of starting lineups, duke matches up with UNC pretty well on defense. 

Irving on Drew

Smith on Strickland

Singler on Barnes

Mason on Henson

Kelly on Zeller

Now kelly is not a great defender and Zeller will get his points for sure. Henson just isn’t all that much of an offensive threat at all. He is quicker than Mason, but Mason is pretty quick and much stronger. As I said, Henson isn’t really all that much of an offensive threat anyway. Singler is also a 6’8 small forward too and is actually pretty underrated on defense, he doesn’t lock people down, but he can certainly stay with Barnes.  I am not at all worried about any of UNC’s guards.

If we look at Duke’s lineup once Dawkins comes in the game. 

That means Dawkins on Barnes and Singler on Henson, with Mason on Zeller. Barnes is bigger than Dawkins, but Dawkins’s defense is much improved and I don’t think he’d be overmatched at all. Singler is perfectly capable of guarding Henson and I actually think Mason matches up well with Zeller. 

Keep in mind that meanwhile Duke’s guards will be absolutely lighting UNC’s up. 

I think Duke will lose 1-2 games in the ACC this year, maybe even 3-4,  but I think they blow out Carolina twice. Maryland, Virginia Tech, NC State and Florida State are the teams I think they might lose to, although probably not all of them.

[Ghost01Participant]

Duke is really really really good. I dont know if there has been a team with this mix of experience and raw talent in awhile. I know UNC looked good in 1 game, but who has Kentucky beat? how do we even know Kentucky is any good? Illinois just smashed the Heels a week ago. They will lose 2-3 random games, but they have a heck of a shot at winning the title.

[QUINCEY HODGES1]

you can say the same thing about UNC as far as 8 possible NBA prospects

Barnes

Henson

zeller

Bullock

Marsheall

Strickland

Mcdonald

Knox

I dont believe most will make the NBA just like i dont believe Kelly,miles will make the NBA but we are talking about possible

[delfamParticipant]

the could go undefeated, no one on there schedule really could challenge them, obviously North Carolina but other than that maybe Temple, but I don’t see them losing many games.

[QUINCEY HODGES1]

I think they will lose about 3 games this year. There will be a off night where they aren’t hitting there threes or a team just out plays them that might not be as talented ( happened last year and every year duke has had a great team). It possible they could go undefeated along with the other teams that haven’t lost but chances are very low

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I think what will make Duke lose, is that they will blow out so many teams that they will get a little complacent. Mike Krzyzewski is one of the best ever at keeping his teams focused and intense, but that can still happen and that is a recipe for a loss against a team like NC State, or Maryland who always seems to find a way to beat us one time.

But I don’t think UNC will beat them, because I’m pretty sure no matter what UNC’s record is, Duke will come out guns a blazing against them, because it is such a rivalry and they want to blow them out like they did last year.

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[HandDownManDown13Participant]

I think its obvious that Duke is the best team in the country right now from top to bottom. Seeing them go undefeated would really suprise me, but there’s no team that i think has an edge over them.

 Going through the ACC schedule untouched is nearly impossible, and i agree that Florida State seems like a team that would give duke trouble.

That being said, i dont really see many teams in the ACC that can give duke issues. The ACC is weak top to bottom this year, with the exception of duke.

Duke will have its off shooting nights, and without a dominant offensive rebounder like Zoubek, it will be hard to mask those performances..

 

 

[HandDownManDown13Participant]

As for matching up with UNC, i see really not validity behind your point. UNC doesn’t have any matchups that are undesirable to me.

 

Zeller does have a bit of an edge offensively over whoever is guarding him, but i believe Mason makes up ground there as a much better athlete and is a better shotblocker and rebounder.

I pretty much agree with what Im your father said about the matchups but i’ve got a couple things to add.

Duke has the best backcourt in the country in regards to depth, and probably in skill as well. With Irving and Smith in the game, Duke has a huge advantage over UNC.

All 4 of dukes guards (Irving, Smith, Dawkins, and Curry) are better than every guard on UNC’s team, and UNC has some of the worst point guard play relative to team talent.

Zeller is the real problem for duke, but i dont think he can carry UNC the way he would have to for UNC to win.

 

The depth and Talent disparity is just too much to make a claim for UNC having an edge over Duke. While its completely within the realm of possibility for UNC to win, as it is in most games, I dont think they matchup with Duke favorably at all.

 

FSU is a much scarier matchup with all that length and athleticism

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