Duke Basketball: Why Mike Krzyzewski and Jabari Parker Are a Perfect Match
When you think of the storied Duke basketball program, one man stands above them all as the single, most important figure in school history. Without head coach Mike Krzyzewski at the forefront of this program, the aura that surrounds the Duke Blue Devils would be nonexistent.
Of course, Coach K will also be the first to tell you that without an assortment of outstanding student-athletes, Duke basketball would severely be lacking its superiority.
Names such as Gene Banks, Johnny Dawkins, Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, Shane Battier and J.J. Redick stand out most significantly in regards to what each one accomplished in their respective careers at Duke. In some form or another, each player became a program-changer. Exhibiting the qualities of being a winner, a leader and an ambassador of the school, this collection of talent, in their own way, became a perfect match with Coach K.
On December 20, 2012, one of the nation’s most highly sought-after recruits in recent memory, Jabari Parker, announced his intentions of playing college basketball at Duke. That decision was made official on May 2 of this year when the 6’8″ Chicago native signed his national letter of intent.
It was a decision that instantly became destined for greatness.
Duke. Highly regarded as one of the upper echelon programs in Division I college basketball.
Jabari Parker. Considered to be one of the best pure talents from the high school scene since LeBron James.
While Parker has yet to begin his first official season at Duke, he is already being tabbed with overwhelming expectations and pressure as a freshman.
Can he single-handedly replace the departing senior trio of Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee? Can he lead Duke back to the Final Four? Will he provide the expected contributions to give Coach K and the Blue Devils their fifth national championship?
All questions that fuel the desire to succeed that much more.
To his credit are four consecutive Illinois state basketball championships while playing at Simeon Career Academy. Additionally, he is a recipient of a collection of Player of the Year honors throughout his illustrious high school career. He is the centerpiece of Duke’s three-man 2013 recruiting class and will be the primary leader for the Blue Devils next season.
Like those names before him, he too possesses all of the tools to make his own mark for this program. With program-changing ability, it’s all a part of the mystique that Parker has carried with him throughout his playing career.
Jabari Parker needed Mike Krzyzewski; a coach and a leader, arguably considered as the greatest of all time, that brings out the very best in his players through unmatched guidance.
In turn, Mike Krzyzewski needed Jabari Parker. A player that exemplifies success on the basketball court through relentless work ethic and a determined mind.
Next season, they will come together as an incomparable coach-player tandem. An ideal match for one another.
Two men, together, that share the same common values towards one goal. That goal being championship glory in 2014.
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Can Kevin Durant’s Hero Ball Match Memphis Grizzlies’ Grit and Grind?
Kevin Durant couldn’t pull his Oklahoma City Thunder through to a Game 2 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, leading to a split of the first two games and Oklahoma City’s loss of home-court advantage. Memphis’ grit and grind won Game 2, Durant’s hero-ball won Game 1.
I guess the question we need to answer here is which team’s method of winning games is superior?
Kevin Durant is the best Western Conference hero-baller, while Memphis is the best unit the Western Conference (and maybe the NBA) has to offer in terms of gritty, grimy basketball.
Durant is averaging 35.5 points in two games against the Grizzlies so far, along with 13 rebounds and 7.5 assists.
In five of eight playoff games, KD has scored at least 30 points, but has shot above 50 percent from the floor just twice.
Nick Collison, asked if KD has to do too much in crunchtime: “I mean, what are we going to do?”
— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 8, 2013
Durant hasn’t been taking a huge percentage of his team’s shots down the stretch in the past two games, but the intent has been there. He attempted four of his team’s seven shots in the final five minutes of Game 1, and just 4-of-8 shots in Game 2.
That’s definitely an uptick in the number of shots he takes relative to the rest of his team when comparing the earlier stages of the game (he took 53 percent of Oklahoma City’s shots in the final five minutes in the past two games, compared to 22 percent of their shots throughout the season), but he is looking for his teammates.
Kevin Durant has averaged 264 dribbles per game since Russell Westbrook’s injury. His season average was 134 per game (per SportVu).
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 8, 2013
Looking across the aisle at Memphis’ grit-and-grime style of play, they’ve forced the Thunder to shoot just 42 percent in the first two games of the series (63-of-150) compared to a season average of 48 percent, while holding them to a three-point shooting percentage of 35.8 (14-of-39), compared to 37.7 percent on the season.
From that, it’s obvious that the Grizzlies’ rough defense is taking the Thunder down a peg in terms of efficiency, but they’re doing it without fouling at a high rate.
Sure, 26 free-throw attempts per game is incredibly high, but for the Thunder and their foul magnets, that’s right on par with what Oklahoma City has averaged throughout the season (26.7 attempts per game).
Memphis’ defense has been rowdy and effective so far, but they’ve only out-rebounded Oklahoma City by a total of six boards in two games (the Thunder won the battle by two in Game 1, Memphis had an eight-board advantage in Game 2). In the turnover battle, however, Memphis is winning by a total of eight over two games.
So which is more powerful? The will of one, or the effort of five?
It seems that we’ve actually already found our answer after the first two games of this series.
Kevin Durant is 4-for-4 attempting go-ahead field goals in the final 24 seconds of 4th quarter in last 2 playoffs; rest of NBA is 2-for-23.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 6, 2013
In order to win Game 1, Oklahoma City used a go-ahead jumper from Durant following a steal by Derek Fisher to eventually win the game.
Game 2 wasn’t the same back-and-forth that Game 1 was. Memphis was up by four with more than a minute left, allowing them to cover Durant tight while leaving plenty of room for error.
At that point, Memphis knew that Durant was the main option, and were able to snuff him out on at least one or two possessions with excessive pressure to maintain their lead.
In other words, they either force Durant to take a bad shot or pass it off to a teammate rather than having to protect everything as they would in a single-possession game.
While it’s an incredibly small sample size, it seems to make sense to trust Memphis to keep any lead more than four or five points with a minute or less left in the game.
However, given a one-possession game, or even a slight lead for the Thunder, the safe bet has to be on the Thunder.
Either way, the rest of this series is sure to be an interesting back-and-forth between basketball theories. We’ll learn over the course of the next week whether hero-ball or grit-and-grime comes out on top.
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Duke Basketball: How Blue Devils Match Up with Every ACC Team
The 2013-14 season marks the dawn of a new era for the ACC.
The conference welcomes three schools with some fantastic basketball tradition in Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. Then, the Louisville Cardinals are scheduled to join the ACC prior to the 2014-15 season as Maryland departs to the Big Ten.
Yet, even as the conference undergoes a makeover, Duke is expected to maintain its status as one of the ACC‘s best.
Here’s how Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils match up with every ACC team next season.
(Preliminary schedule information via Laura Keeley of NewsObserver.com)
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Indiana Basketball: How Hoosiers Match Up with Every B1G Team Right Now
The Indiana basketball team finished the season on top of the Big Ten standings. It barely edged out Michigan State and Ohio State for its first outright regular-season title since 1993.
Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, they are losing seven players from their championship team. Winning back-to-back regular-season championships will be a tough task.
This slideshow will discuss how Indiana stacks up right now against every Big Ten opponent. Each matchup will be described as favorable towards Indiana, even, or the Hoosiers are outmatched.
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Wrestling match breaks out during Clippers-Grizzlies game
Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph got on the floor during a playoff game.
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Michigan Basketball: How Wolverines Match Up with Every B1G Team Right Now
The deadline for underclassmen to enter the NBA draft has come and gone, which means the Michigan basketball program, as well as the rest of the Big Ten Conference, knows exactly who will be on its 2013-14 roster.
Let the preseason chatter begin! Up first, a breakdown of how the Wolverines match up against every team in the Big Ten heading into next season.
Count Michigan among the league teams that are trending upward following the NBA declarations. Despite losing All-American point guard Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the professional ranks, having Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary back for another year softens the blow for Michigan. Both could have left and likely been first-round draft picks, so getting them to return is a huge offseason victory.
Robinson and McGary are both primed for breakout seasons and will be the primary sources of offense for Michigan.
Other teams were not as fortunate, though. The Indiana Hoosiers will be without their top four scorers from the 2012-13 campaign. Scoring will be more difficult for the Ohio State Buckeyes as a result of Deshaun Thomas’ decision to declare.
How well do the Wolverines match up with the aforementioned teams? What about the rest of the Big Ten?
In order to keep things simple, there will be three different categories opposing teams will be lumped into. A matchup will be considered favorable if Michigan appears to be the better squad on paper. Conversely, mismatches are teams the Wolverines could be beaten by, whether it be for a disparity in talent or style of play. An even matchup is one that could go either way.
Favorable
Seven Big Ten foes do not appear to have the necessary traits to defeat Michigan next season. Nebraska, Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana will all have a tough time taking down the Wolverines.
Nebraska finished near the bottom of the conference standings last year. With Brandon Ubel, Andre Almeida and leading scorer Dylan Talley all graduating, the Cornhuskers simply do not stack up with Michigan. Do not expect to see a whole lot of differences from the Wolverines’ 62-47 victory over Nebraska on Jan. 9.
A shocking loss to Penn State last season cost Michigan a second consecutive Big Ten title. Revenge will be on the mind of the Wolverines when they face the Nittany Lions this winter.
Coming away with wins against a scrappy Penn State group will not be easy, though. Rising junior guard D.J. Newbill has blossomed into an All-Big Ten caliber player. Add in Tim Frazier’s extra year of eligibility, and the result is a dynamic backcourt.
Michigan’s guards will have a hard time keeping the duo of Nittany Lions guards out of the lane, but McGary should be able to dominate the paint. McGary will stymie Sasa Borovnjak and grab an abundance of rebounds.
As long as Derrick Walton and the rest of the Wolverines avoid carless turnovers, they will fend off Penn State.
Northwestern’s inept offense renders it unable to keep up with Michigan in a head-to-head battle. Not only did the Wildcats rank worse than No. 300 in field goal percentage and points per game last season, they will lose three of their best offensive players. The departures of Drew Crawford, Jared Swopshire and Reggie Hearn will be too much for Northwestern to overcome.
None of the Wildcats will be able to stop Robinson and McGary, which will open things up on the perimeter for Nik Stauskas and Walton. These games will be tune-ups for Michigan next season.
Both Minnesota and Indiana have lost far too many playmakers to remain on the same level as the Wolverines.
McGary and Jordan Morgan should have no problem keeping the Golden Gophers off the glass, without Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams combining for 13.7 rebounds per game. High-scoring guards Andre and Austin Hollins will give Michigan fits, but there are not enough other pieces around them for Minnesota to pull out a win.
As for the Hoosiers, it is tough to envision them beating the Wolverines without Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller. Incoming big man Noah Vonleh will have plenty of great performances, though McGary‘s experience should be too much for the 5-star prospect to handle.
Rising sophomore point guard Yogi Ferrell is going to shine for Indiana, however. Walton and Spike Albrecht will have a tough time dealing with Ferrell’s drives and passes along the baseline, which will give Indiana a chance to win.
In the end, though, Michigan’s advantage inside should be enough to escape what is expected to be a pair of up-tempo games.
Staying in the state of Indiana, Purdue is also ill-equipped to contain the Wolverines. Seven-footer A.J. Hammons will make life difficult in the post for McGary. Meanwhile, Terone and Ronnie Johnson will carve up Michigan’s defense at times.
Despite all of that, the Wolverines’ ability to push the basketball and turn this game into a shootout is what will keep the Boilermakers from coming away victorious. Look for Stauskas‘ three-point shooting to play a vital role in this matchup.
Finally, Illinois will struggle to contain Michigan’s guards without Brandon Paul or D.J. Richardson in the lineup. Keeping the Wolverines out of transition is also important. Being battered on the glass by McGary, Robinson and Jordan Morgan does not bode well for the Fighting Illini in this regard.
Unless incoming freshmen Malcom Hill and Kendrick Nunn play like savvy veterans in league play, Illinois will not have enough firepower to keep up with Michigan.
Even
One of the most interesting teams heading into next season is the Iowa Hawkeyes. A deep NIT run after posting a 9-9 record in Big Ten play has given fans some belief Iowa can finish in the top half of the league once again.
In terms of overall talent, Michigan has the edge in this matchup. Two other factors should have the Wolverines wary, though. Experience and home-court advantage will have a hand in deciding the outcome of the meetings between Michigan and Iowa.
The Hawkeyes only dropped a pair of decisions at Carver-Hawkeye Arena last season. Those losses came against Indiana and Michigan State by an average of 3.5 points.
Since Michigan hosted Iowa during the 2012-13 campaign, it is assured a trip to Iowa City. Coming away with a win will not be an easy task.
Small forward Eric May is the only contributor departing from last year’s bunch, which means Roy Devyn Marble and Aaron White will have high expectations for this season. Most of the Wolverines’ top players have a year of experience under their belts, but Iowa is by far the more veteran team.
This has the makings of a split series or one-game sweep if the only contest between the two is played at Carver-Hawkeye.
Mismatches
Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State all match up well with the Wolverines and are more than capable of beating them.
Replacing Deshaun Thomas will not be easy for the Buckeyes. However, their defense gives them an edge over Michigan. Both times these two met last season, Ohio State completely took away the Wolverines’ transition offense. Operating out of the half court will likely be a weakness once again for Michigan.
Aaron Craft, LaQuinton Ross and Lenzelle Smith Jr. are all excellent defenders. Ross and Robinson will go head-to-head on several occasions. Point guard play often determines games between top teams, though, and Craft has the ability to shut down both Walton and Albrecht.
This is one matchup the Wolverines will not be able to win solely based on their potent offense.
Another team with a similar approach is Wisconsin. Head coach Bo Ryan constantly loses key players and still finds a way to keep the Badgers in the Big Ten title hunt. Things will be no different this season.
Much like Ohio State, Wisconsin’s primary goal is to eliminate Michigan’s transition game. Traevon Jackson has come into his own as a point guard for the Badgers. Rising junior Ben Brust and small forward Sam Dekker are going to be tough matchups as well.
The Wolverines may have more talent than Wisconsin, but as they learned twice last season, that does not guarantee victory. Expect Michigan to struggle against the Badgers.
The biggest mismatch of all, though, is Michigan State. Had it not been for a miraculous steal by Trey Burke, Michigan likely would have been swept by its in-state rival last season. There is no reason why the Spartans could not beat Michigan twice this year.
Adreian Payne can wreak havoc on the interior or on the perimeter. Guards Keith Appling, Gary Harris and Denzel Valentine will all be better than their counterparts.
Keeping the Spartans off the glass will be crucial in order for the Wolverines to score a win in this series. This is far easier said than done, however, even with the improvements McGary has made in his game.
Clearly, Michigan has enough favorable matchups to contend for a Big Ten title once again. Stealing some of the games they do not have the advantage in will determine whether or not the Wolverines capture their second league championship in three seasons.
Follow me on Twitter: @Zach_Dirlam.
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Randolph, Griffin get into wrestling match
It’s not often that we get to talk about wrestling and the NBA playoffs at the same time but thanks to Zach Randolph and Blake Griffin, we do. At about the 7:15 mark of the third quarter of Clippers/Grizzlies game six, Michael Conley hit a three-pointer that gave Memphis a fifteen point lead. While the shot was going in, Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph were battling for position and both players hit the ground as they wrestled each other for a good minute or two: The damage when all was said and done: a double foul and a technical foul on Mr. Randolph. *** Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph wrestle [Eye on Basketball]
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Ohio State Basketball: How Buckeyes Match Up with Every B1G Team Right Now
The Ohio State basketball program has won at least a share of five of the past eight Big Ten regular-season crowns and has taken home three of the last four Big Ten tournament titles.
In fact, since the 2004-05 season, no other conference team has won more than one Big Ten tournament, while the Buckeyes have won four. Even without that elusive national title, Thad Matta has turned a football powerhouse into a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court.
Matta should have his group ready to compete for more Big Ten crowns in the 2013-14 season. Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith Jr., Sam Thompson, LaQuinton Ross, Amir Williams and Shannon Scott all return to headline a roster that will also feature incoming freshmen Marc Loving and Kameron Williams.
Read on to see how that collection of talent stacks up against the rest of the Big Ten competition right now.
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Michigan State Basketball: How Spartans Match Up with Every B1G Team Right Now
Derrick Nix is the Michigan State Spartans’ only heavy loss.
His presence in the paint will be missed, but thanks to the return of Adreian Payne, the Spartans will have muscle and finesse under the basket to alleviate pressure and compensate for Nix’s departure.
Gary Harris decided not to enter the 2013 NBA draft. The will-be sophomore was projected to be a lottery pick by ESPN’s Chad Ford. Spartans coach Tom Izzo can now rest assured that his team will have a steady scorer in 2013-14 in Harris, who will likely declare for the 2014 draft.
Brandon Dawson will be around for at least another season, and forwards like Matt Costello and Alex Gauna took a few steps in the right direction in 2012-13.
Not every team in the Big Ten can report such positive news, though.
In this slideshow, we’ll examine how the Spartans stack up against the rest of their conference foes.
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North Carolina Basketball: How Tar Heels Match Up with Every ACC Team Right Now
Is it too early to match up the North Carolina Tar Heels with every ACC team?
Probably. But that’s what we’re doing anyway.
At this time, we still don’t know if top recruit Andrew Wiggins will decide to take his talents to Chapel Hill or somewhere else. That makes it kind of difficult to break down positional matchups, as Wiggins would likely take the 3 spot.
On top of that, we have no clue which of the five possible centers will be starting.
With all the questions floating around Chapel Hill, most of the focus will be on the challenges each of these programs bring and how good they will be next year. They are also ranked from the least competitive programs to the ones that will present the most problems for the Tar Heels.
Consider this my super-early ACC preview.
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