Duke Game
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I can’t lie this is probably the least excited I’ve been for a Duke Matchup in my life.
No Darryn (unless some hamstring miracle happens). That means we are short our best player and best offensive weapon. Why does it matter? Well, for one, the supporting cast looks offensively challenged without him. Currently Kenpom/Torvik have this as somewhere near #50th best offense. If that trend continues this will mark the 3rd consecutive season finishing outside the Top 50 on offense which is very alarming. Scoring the ball has been the main issue in my eyes the past few seasons and so far it doesn’t look like we’ll break that trend with or without Peterson.
Duke is rated #2 on both sites mentioned above and Top 10 in both Offense/Defense. Vegas has Duke as a 10pt favorite (maybe more by tip) and that kind of feels low considering KU is down a 20+ pt scorer and its most important player. This a bad matchup for KU in just about every way possible. Boozer & Ngongba will really test the front court in similar ways UNC did, maybe more. We have undersized Tre White and a freshman Tiller to guard Boozer and that shouldn’t excite anyone.
It is an opportunity for the team to step up on a neutral court with all the eyes on them and being the underdog. KU has a 5-game win streak in this classic (9-5 overall record) so Self tends to have a prepared bunch so we’ll see if they can hang tonight. It seems unlikely but all we can do is hope for the team to come together and prove a point.
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@BeddieKU23 predictions: Flory will find himself in early foul trouble if he forces it, and we will get beaten on the boards. More importantly we need his rebounding. I believe this is a large task for Flory and I dont think he will be able to stay out of foul trouble without looking passive. We will struggle to get shots off inside the arc in sets. They will dare us to shoot initially. Hopefully Kohl comes out hot, and an unconscious Tiller from 3 could mitigate the lack of his big body in the paint. Maybe White and Kohl grab a few long boards and keeps our rebounding respectable.
If we can lock down the defensive end and get out on the break, we can get some transition buckets. I dont see us getting to “the third side” on offensive sets. This would be a nice game for Elmarko to show off his athleticism and strength in transition.
This would also be a nice game to fight through ball screens on the perimeter, dare some of their guys to shoot. Mbiya cant play in this game if we switch everything.
