Buckeye Blogger Network
Slam, Bam, Thank You Ma’am!
Another amazing week of college basketball is in the books and the season just keeps getting crazier. There were a total of 18 losses among the Top 25 teams. Some teams lost multiple times this week and there were some stunning upsets. The Miami Hurricanes absolutely embarrassed top ranked Duke 90-63, VCU spent a couple of weeks in the rankings only to lose both of their games week, and Syracuse and Louisville both lost to unranked opponents. All of this and we haven’t even talked about Louisville losing three in a row and Minnesota losing 4 consecutive games. Although nothing is certain in college basketball this year, one thing is for certain…….if it’s this crazy now, just wait to see what March Madness brings. Let’s breakdown this past week and look ahead to the future.
Here’s a look at the Top 25 Week Ahead and Week in Review
1. Duke (17-2, 4-2) Previous Rank: 3
Past Week: 1/23 @ (25) Miami (FL), L 63-90 & 1/26 Maryland, W 84-64
Upcoming: 1/30 @ Wake Forest & 2/2 @ Florida State
Duke was handed one of its worst losses in many years by Miami (FL). It doesn’t get easier for the Blue Devils as they face two road games this in Wake Forest and Florida State. Read More
Please Don't Let Us Lose!
When it comes to the rankings this year I am reminded of a famous Beatles song. That song…..”Hello, Goodbye”. Teams that gain a specific ranking or jump into the Top 25 say “hello” to it just as quickly as they say “goodbye” to it. This week was no exception as I am still trying to catch my breath after it was all over. The remaining three undefeateds are no longer undefeated. North Carolina State picked up their signature win in handing Duke their first loss and should move up pretty nicely in the polls. Arizona lost their second……oops……their first game in a close game at Oregon. And, last but not least, the Buckeyes took care of business against Michigan at home. All in all, 9 of the Top 25 teams lost games this week, with a certain Big Ten Team (see below) not winning all week! When it’s all said and done there should be changes a plenty in the rankings but for now let’s see what happened with all the teams.
Here’s a look at the Top 25 Week Ahead and Week in Review
1. Duke (15-1, 2-1) Previous Rank: 1
Past Week: 1/8 Clemson, W 68-40 & 1/12 @ (20) N.C. State, L 76-84
Upcoming: 1/17 Georgia Tech
Duke received its first ACC test and failed in losing to a good North Carolina State. Depending on how the injury to Curry is, this could only be the beginning. The Blue Devils hope to bounce back in hosting Georgia Tech this week. Read More
Please Don't Let the Basket Count!
Here’s a look at the Top 25 Week Ahead and Week in Review
1. Duke (14-0, 1-0) Previous Rank: 1
Past Week: 1/2 @ Davidson, W 67-50 & 1/5 Wake Forest, W 80-62
Upcoming: 1/8 Clemson & 1/12 @ (23) N.C. State
After being tied at halftime with Davidson, Duke pulled away to stay unbeaten. This week a trip to N.C. State will prove to be their first test in the ACC. Read More
Let's Get This Party Started
Here’s a look at the Top 25 Week Ahead and Week in Review.
1. Duke (12-0) Previous Rank: 1
Past Week: 12/29 Santa Clara, W 90-77
Upcoming: 1/2 @ Davidson & 1/5 Wake Forest
The Blue Devils pulled away from Santa Clara late and will open up ACC play this week against Wake Forest. Read More
Participating in the ACC/B1G Challenge, the Buckeyes traveled for their first ever game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Duke Blue Devils. The result was the ultimate game of runs as Duke put together a long come-back in the second half to pick up the 73-68 win. DeShaun Thomas finished with only 16 points, his lowest scoring output of the season so far. He was joined in double digits by Lenzelle Smith and Aaron Craft with 11 a piece. Duke’s Mason Plumlee lead all scorers with 20 points and a ludicrous 17 rebounds, and was joined in the double digit club by Rasheed Sulaimon with 17, and Ryan Kelly with 15.
The Buckeyes dominated the first half, finishing with a 31-23 lead to go into intermission. That was made primarily possible by the total lack of scoring from Duke, caused at least in part by the excellent Buckeye defense in their half-court man-to-man set. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes couldn’t connect on a number of open looks, and their shooting percentages were unfortunately low despite a rather poor defensive effort from the Blue Devils throughout the early going.
Everything changed in the second half. Mike Krzyzewski must have gotten into the Blue Devil’s ears in the half as they came out highly motivated on both ends of the court. It took some time, but they slowly chipped away at the Buckeye lead until they eventually claimed it with only 5 minutes left in the game. Duke’s rebounding on the defensive end improved, but most importantly they began to hit their outside looks when it mattered most.
Regardless of the outcome, this is a positive result for the Buckeyes. There’s no such thing as a moral victory, but there definitely are positives you can take away from a loss. The Bucks learned a number of things they have to start doing better. However, they also learned that they’re in a very good position already this season. Duke is a fantastic basketball team this year, and both teams put together a great game for us tonight.
The B1G went 4-2 in the B1G/ACC Challenge last night, and the B1G needs only to go 3-3 tonight for a win. Hopefully one of those wins comes for the Buckeyes as they take on the Duke Blue Devils
Joining us as usual – and special thanks to all of them for making these such a great success – are the other members of the Buckeye Blogger Network. Make sure to stop by their place and say, “hey”: Buckeye Ninja, Our Honor Defend, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, Buckeye Empire, Silver Bullet, The Buckeye Blog, Unscripted Ohio, and Fox Sports Ohio.
The Liveblog will tip around 9:00 PM EST, with the Basketball game starting at 9:30PM on ESPN.
Go Bucks!
That favorite time of the year has returned, the annual duel known as the B1G/ACC challenge is upon us! As one of the top teams from last year’s Big Ten season, the Buckeyes redrew the Duke Blue Devils for their matchup. This time, though, the game will be played in the cozy*, friendly*, confines of Cameron Indoor. The rematch is on!
Da Dookies!
| School: | Duke University |
| Location: | Durham, North Carolina |
| Founded: | 1838 |
| Student Population: | 14,591 |
| School Type: | Private |
| Division: | NCAA Division 1 |
| Conference: | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Stadium: | Cameron Indoor Stadium |
| Seating: | 9,314 |
| Opened: | 1940 |
| Head Coach: | Mike Krzyzewski |
| Experience | 33rd Year |
*Your actual experience as an opposing team may vary. Drastically.
Read More
Mike Krzyzewski signals his team against the Buckeyes.
After the November 29th game against the Buckeyes, Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski discussed the reasons he believed lead to his team losing the game.
“I thought Ohio State played a great game against us. They were a fresher team; I thought our team played tired. They are very athletic, together and they played with a great verve. Obviously they are deserving of the win, but they were a lot fresher than we were. We could never get into the ballgame.”
So Krzyzewski believes that his team was tired after their three games in as many days against Tennessee, Michigan, and Kansas last week in the Maui Invitational. That’s certainly possible considering the quality of the teams, the rate they played the games, and the chance of jet lag.
But is there any way we could tell for certain if they actually were suffering from exhaustion? You’re probably thinking I wouldn’t write this article unless there was, and you would be entirely correct.
There are three types of exhaustion that are common in college athletics: Physical, Mental, and Emotional. Physical is obvious – the sheer muscular failure that comes from overexertion. Mental and emotional are more of an enigma, but are just as easily seen in the results on the court. Overcoming these are one of the big tasks for any team trying to make a deep tournament run in March.
There are several different places to look for signs of exhaustion in a team. In some cases, a look at the stats can get the job done. One must keep in mind while analyzing stats for signs of wear that strong defensive play makes a difference as well. I will do the best I can to point out how to tell if the issue is with a strong defense as opposed to a tired team.
Read More
