I'm thinking. 76-58 Duke

i think we loose by 14

A Dukie scratches Bradley's eyeball sometime in the first 5 minutes and we lose by 24 because our best shooter is incapacitated.

R90 said:

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A Dukie scratches Bradley's eyeball sometime in the first 5 minutes and we lose by 24 because our best shooter is incapacitated.

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That has upset me greatly.



In my Alternate Facts Universe I comfort myself with visions of Coach K's reaction to Lars going off for 50:

R90 said:

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A Dukie scratches Bradley's eyeball sometime in the first 5 minutes and we lose by 24 because our best shooter is incapacitated.

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+1000
That could actually happen.

Matt puts up 30 in the next game to the cheers of the New York crowd.

Duke 84
Cal 60

dear dimi...not that close....

This Duke team is far from a jaugernaut, but probably 10-15 pts better on a neutral floor.

tsubamoto2001 said:

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This Duke team is far from a jaugernaut, but probably 10-15 pts better on a neutral floor.

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30-35 points is more like it.

Post your predicted scores, people. You say 30-35 point differential. Okay, what will the score be? 100-65? 75-42? Let's see who gets closest. Let's see who correctly picks a Cal upset!

88-55. Closer if we had another days' rest.

We got a shot
3s gotta drop

84-47 Devils

helltopay1 said:

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88-55. Closer if we had another days' rest.

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Kids this age don't need that much rest. They have plenty of time in between games. They're already in NY, and don't play for another 36 hours. Please. Fox makes them run every drill and practice at full game speed everyday anyway.

I'm more concerned about their lack of experience and them being a "deer in the headlights" on the MSG stage against a team with the rep of Duke.

Torvik sees it as a closer game and around 13 points. It's a very solid defensive team that Duke has this year so scoring will be a challenge. Our offense has looked significantly better and more efficient under Fox, so it'll be a good measuring stick.

I'll go with 82-65 Duke.

82 - 65 Duke

Not sure who we have to guard Tre up top or Carey down low.

Duke's defense has been solid but their outside shooting has been less than average. Can't let them get in transition as all their wings are crazy athletic (especially Stanley from Sierra Canyon - kid can fly).

I actually think Duke is a decent matchup for us. They don't have a big-time scoring wing (Stanley is more of a slasher that plays off his teammates).

I feel like the Brown-Austin combo can compete with Tre Jones, who isn't tall or particularly explosive.

Carey isn't the mobile big that I feel would give us big issues. We'll see though.

bearfan93 said:

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82 - 65 Duke

Not sure who we have to guard Tre up top or Carey down low.

Duke's defense has been solid but their outside shooting has been less than average. Can't let them get in transition as all their wings are crazy athletic (especially Stanley from Sierra Canyon - kid can fly).

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34 all at the half.

Cal 70 81 Duke

Moral victory

philbert said:

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I couldn't do 5, so, I am not in!

Go Bears!

tsubamoto2001 said:

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I actually think Duke is a decent matchup for us. They don't have a big-time scoring wing (Stanley is more of a slasher that plays off his teammates).

I feel like the Brown-Austin combo can compete with Tre Jones, who isn't tall or particularly explosive.

Carey isn't the mobile big that I feel would give us big issues. We'll see though.

bearfan93 said:

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82 - 65 Duke

Not sure who we have to guard Tre up top or Carey down low.

Duke's defense has been solid but their outside shooting has been less than average. Can't let them get in transition as all their wings are crazy athletic (especially Stanley from Sierra Canyon - kid can fly).

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Welcome back. Glad to see you have returned.

You've mentioned 3 positions. Why is Duke ranked #1? Are the other big and the other wing really good, or what?

My handicapping: Duke -25

Duke's probably #1 by default right now. Still really early. So many teams lost guys to the pros and it'll be interesting to see how everything shakes out by the middle of December. Their PF Hurt is a freshman still feeling his way through. No one else on the roster is really worth mentioning, IMO.

SFCityBear said:

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tsubamoto2001 said:

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I actually think Duke is a decent matchup for us. They don't have a big-time scoring wing (Stanley is more of a slasher that plays off his teammates).

I feel like the Brown-Austin combo can compete with Tre Jones, who isn't tall or particularly explosive.

Carey isn't the mobile big that I feel would give us big issues. We'll see though.

bearfan93 said:

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82 - 65 Duke

Not sure who we have to guard Tre up top or Carey down low.

Duke's defense has been solid but their outside shooting has been less than average. Can't let them get in transition as all their wings are crazy athletic (especially Stanley from Sierra Canyon - kid can fly).

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Welcome back. Glad to see you have returned.

You've mentioned 3 positions. Why is Duke ranked #1? Are the other big and the other wing really good, or what?

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Duke 82-71

90-58 Duke

philbert said:

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Thanks.

IIRC, TB has been an all-in CAL fan since the age of 2.

tsubamoto2001 said:

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Welcome back. Glad to see you have returned.

Quote:

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You've mentioned 3 positions. Why is Duke ranked #1? Are the other big and the other wing really good, or what?

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I'm sure he will get back to you.

Most of the following is in reference.com. This is JMH-take.

Why is Duke ranked #1?

Because the all-knowing posters put them there.
They are young.


The other big is 6'9 215" super-freshman Matthew Hurt (essentially 11ppg, 4 rpg, 1 apg)

The other wing is a group effort of 3-4 guys.


(Thank goodness this is not Zion&Co )

Dukesters by about 20 or SCT's family might move out as I yell and cheer out loud and scare EVERYONE ;-)

I would agree that Duke is #1 by default at the moment. And would also agree that Tre Jones is not especially big or athletic. Nor is he a 3 point shooter. But there's a reason he's a 2nd or 3rd team pre-season AA and because he does everything else extremely well. I actually think Jones v Austin/Brown is the worst matchup on the floor for us. Coach K has called Jones the best on-ball defender he's every coached. Great handle, vision, passing, etc. Excellent floater and mid-range jumper, plus, he can finish. Biggest mismatch on the floor imo.

I'm guessing that the score will be 81-65. But what I'll really be looking for is how this team and coaching staff deals with:

The big stage: The Garden Baby! I want to see them focused on the basketball challenge as if it were a home game, but with a bigger, more enthusiastic crowd!

The big Dookie: Lots of new players on this team (probably none of whom were recruited by Duke). Can they stick together and do their best against probably their toughest opponent of this season? Do they crumble like giddy fanboyz? Do they step up and show coach K, who he missed out on?

Game situation: What happens to the game plan and player focus, when they get down double digits. So far, this group has done a good job in this regard, albeit against weaker competition. More worrisome, is what do they do if they get up early? This team has shown that they can get complacent, when things go well. Then when things turn, its hard to correct momentum. How they deal with this will be a good test of their early development, IMHO.

Some Duke perspective on the game.

https://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?44417-2019-2K-Sports-Classic-Duke-vs-Cal-Texas-vs-Georgetown

TheSouseFamily said:

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Some Duke perspective on the game.

https://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?44417-2019-2K-Sports-Classic-Duke-vs-Cal-Texas-vs-Georgetown

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Thanks.

Thread as a whole: fair and funny

Apparently more "afraid" of our two Aussie forwards and big German center than are of Matt B.

82-77

Duke 85
Cal 64

Good learning opportunity for the Bears.
Cal looks better at the end of the year.