2025 NCAA Tourney Thread

[HutchwasClutch]

Bench?? lol

Sarcasm. This is about a recent exchange.

[tower912]

Sarcasm fly by.

[Pakuni]

Bench?? lol

Shaka doesn't recruit over his guys, so Kon would have had to come off the bench.

[MuggsyB]

Duke played their C game offensively tonight. 

[wadesworld]

Duke played their C game offensively tonight. 

They shoe 54% overall, 42% from 3. Flagg played a C game offensively. Everyone else was very good.

[MuggsyB]

They shoe 54% overall, 42% from 3. Flagg played a C game offensively. Everyone else was very good.

They also had 13 turnovers. I don't see them losing. 

[Zog from Margo]

Shaka doesn't recruit over his guys, so Kon would have had to come off the bench.

MU wasn't good enough for him or the family.

[HutchwasClutch]

Well one good game tonight.  A little better than par this tournament

[MUEng92]

Kon's face has a little Larry Bird look to it during that interview

[MU82]

I think the Duke/Bama game could be an all-timer.  Obviously Bama isn't gonna make 25 threes, but they're extremely dangerous.  If Sears has a big gane, I think Duke could be in trouble.  The fact that they haven't played a team close to this caliber since December is also a concern.  Duke is a good defensive team, but Alabama has absurd weapons and speed/quickness.  We know Duke likes to run and push it but I'm wondering if they slow down a bit to control the tempo?  They also can't pick up the fouls we saw vs Zona.

Duke was the best team in the country a month ago, and two weeks ago, and they're still the best team in the country. They are excellent on both offense and defense, they have height, and they are smart players.

They also might even be well-coached, though I know many don't want to admit that.

[Uncle Rico]

Tough night for the Scheyer can't coach crowd

[Nukem2]

Tough night for the Scheyer can't coach crowd

Though, it does help to have those players. Would be interesting to see what he could do with a different level of talent. He is up to the challenge in any event with this group. Kudos.

[Zog from Margo]

Tough night for the Scheyer can't coach crowd

My view was never that Scheyer couldn't coach. I just couldn't see why people assumed he could. Coach K's assistants have been a fairly poor lot as HCs. This team is well coached. It also has the most talent in D-1. If you flipped rosters, would he have beaten Oats?

[Uncle Rico]

My view was never that Scheyer couldn't coach. I just couldn't see why people assumed he could. Coach K's assistants have been a fairly poor lot as HCs. This team is well coached. It also has the most talent in D-1. If you flipped rosters, would he have beaten Oats?

Coaches assemble the rosters

[MuggsyB]

Duke was the best team in the country a month ago, and two weeks ago, and they're still the best team in the country. They are excellent on both offense and defense, they have height, and they are smart players.

They also might even be well-coached, though I know many don't want to admit that.

We really haven't seen anything quite like this.  There have been great freshmen, but it's their defense and coachability which blows me away over everything. And Flagg and Maluach are 18.  You have to give Scheyer a ton of credit for sure.  Truthfully, if I was Maluach, I'd take out the people grabbing and pushing me on  a lot of possessions.   That's a disciplined young man. 

[Uncle Rico]

We really haven't seen anything quite like this.  There have been great freshmen, but it's their defense and coachability which blows me away over everything. And Flagg and Maluach are 18.  You have to give Scheyer a ton of credit for sure.  Truthfully, if I was Maluach, I'd take out the people grabbing and pushing me on  a lot of possessions.   That's a disciplined young man. 

Yup.  Maluach is such a good, smart player.  Almost always in the right position on both sides of the court.

Best Duke team since 2002 and 2003.  Better than their last two title teams, imo.

[JWags85]

My view was never that Scheyer couldn't coach. I just couldn't see why people assumed he could. Coach K's assistants have been a fairly poor lot as HCs. This team is well coached. It also has the most talent in D-1. If you flipped rosters, would he have beaten Oats?

I think its pretty tough to judge his Xs and Os abilities with this much talent.  There are probably 20+ high major coaches who could have this roster in the same place.  I don't think he did an especially good job the last 2 years with very talented rosters.  But who knows, he very well could win a title this year and not be the Duke coach in 5 years.  He's got another 4 top 25 guys next year, can he keep getting them to gel like this where Cal at UK didn't after 2012?

[Uncle Rico]

I think its pretty tough to judge his Xs and Os abilities with this much talent.  There are probably 20+ high major coaches who could have this roster in the same place.  I don't think he did an especially good job the last 2 years with very talented rosters.  But who knows, he very well could win a title this year and not be the Duke coach in 5 years.  He's got another 4 top 25 guys next year, can he keep getting them to gel like this where Cal at UK didn't after 2012?

He has 89 wins in 3 years.  No coach has matched that.

[MuggsyB]

Yup.  Maluach is such a good, smart player.  Almost always in the right position on both sides of the court.

Best Duke team since 2002 and 2003.  Better than their last two title teams, imo.

Let me tell you something:  I would take Maluach 2nd in this draft.  People say he's super raw but as you said, he plays within himself and is a total team guy.  He's not even close to scratching the surface.  And he has good touch and excellent hands.  I could easily see him adding about 25 pounds of muscle and improving in all areas over the next 5 years.  He's quick enough to guard all  positions.

[JWags85]

He has 89 wins in 3 years.  No coach has matched that.

What other coach took over a 32 win Final Four team with five 5 star recruits coming in and another four 5 star recruits.  All in a mediocre ACC. You could have gotten Duke to 25 wins a year in those conditions.

Hell, it's looking like Hubert Davis isn't a very good HC and he had 80 wins his first 3 years and he didn't have the incoming arsenal that Scheyer has had.

I'm not trying to crap on him and say he's a bum, but I'm in no hurry to deify him as the next great thing.  He's waltzed into probably the best situation in the last 30-40 years, outside of maybe Roy and Self in 2003, but obviously they weren't first time HCs

[MarquetteMike1977]

Someone whispered in my ear that Sears asked why he's laying everything on the line for Alabama at halftime. Felt like Bama might fold when I heard that.

Lol the only 2 times I remember  people whispered in my ear were During the Press Conference announcing Marquette was joining the Big East. Mr Cords put his hand to my ear and whispered We are going to be very good for a very long time. And During the press conference announcing Wojo as head coach Mr. Lovell put his hand to my ear and whispered Do not worry about it. It is only basketball.

[JWags85]

Nm

[Uncle Rico]

What other coach took over a 32 win Final Four team with five 5 star recruits coming in and another four 5 star recruits.  All in a mediocre ACC. You could have gotten Duke to 25 wins a year in those conditions.

Hell, it's looking like Hubert Davis isn't a very good HC and he had 80 wins his first 3 years and he didn't have the incoming arsenal that Scheyer has had.

Do you watch Duke and see a team that doesn't look well coached?

[JWags85]

Do you watch Duke and see a team that doesn't look well coached?

I think they are well disciplined. But I don't know if I've watched them and been like "awesome game plan/scheme" as much as "this team is absurdly talented"

[Zog from Margo]

Coaches assemble the rosters

Duke assembles rosters. Would Scheyer assemble the same roster at Bradley?

The question is whether Scheyer would have beaten Oats if Oats had Duke's roster and Scheyer had Alabama's roster. I doubt it. That said, Duke is well coached. They were under Coach K as well. I'd still rate Brad Stevens a better coach than K. K never would have gotten Butler that far, IMO.