Elite 8 Pre-game Thread Bama vs Duke

[CajunCrimson]

The stage Nate’s been wanting. Don’t know if it will be too big. This game is as big as the FF last year. Because it’s Duke.

 

[Cruloc]

Duke favored by 6.5

ESPN matchup predictor has Duke at 72.4% chance of winning.

Duke hasn't lost since February 8 at Clemson. They've lost 3 games all year.

They've got a 6'9 freshman that's one of the best players in the tournament.

This one is going to be tough, but if we can shoot like we did vs BYU, we've got a shot. Sears needs to be on fire like he was last night.

 

[Bama Shoals]

Yep, this is one of the most important games in Alabama basketball history because it's the Elite Eight and it's Duke. They will not defend us like BYU did at all, you can count on that. We will not have the air space we did against BYU. Duke is the biggest team in the country. We will have to get good movement on offense to create good, open shots.

On D, we do have several people who can take a crack at Flagg. He is a generational talent. He will be the #1 pick in the draft; he worked out with the US Olympic team last year and impressed all of those guys by schooling some of them at times. But we can throw Mo D, Reid, Nelson, and Stevenson at him. You have to have size since he is 6'9", but he handles and moves like a guard. So, the defender has to be quick as well. That's why Stevenson may be out. But they have a lot of other good shooters too so we can't help off of them too much.

I so hope we beat them. I hate Duke!

 

[BamaMoon]

Just finding this.

I posted in the othe thread that this game will probably be won by which coach/team comes up with the best defensive plan to slow down the other.

 

[Crimson1967]

Their losses were to Kentucky, Kansas, and Clemson. All by single digits. Looking back at the play by play the games were all close and were ahead or tied late in the game. So they could easily be undefeated.

I don’t see us winning unless Cooper wakes up with COVID tomorrow. But I didn’t see us losing to Vandy and that’s why they play the games.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

This one is going to be tough, but if we can shoot like we did vs BYU, we've got a shot. Sears needs to be on fire like he was last night.

So, are you saying it will take another record setting night to beat Duke? If so, then we probably lose because 2 record setting games within 2 nights of each other has never happened. That's a scary outlook IMO.

I know it will be a very tough game, just like the UF games were. I hope we don't need to set records to have a chance but I do think we need to be close to 50% on our 3s.

 

[Bama Shoals]

There losses were to Kentucky, Kansas, and Clemson. All by single digits. Looking back at the play by play the games were all close and were ahead or tied late in the game. So they could easily be undefeated.

I don’t see us winning unless Cooper wakes up with COVID tomorrow. But I didn’t see us losing to Vandy and that’s why they play the games.

Yep, and Arizona's coach noted after the game last night how much Duke has improved over the course of the season. Arizona played them early in the year and lost to them by 14. He said all of Duke's players had improved. So, this will be an extremely tough matchup. There's a reason they are the betting favorite to win the whole thing.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

Let's just break our own record Saturday for 3s made. 30 is a nice round number.


Duke is going to be a tough game. I don't feel great about this game at all. Really wish Zona had pulled it off last night and hot them out of our way. I would feel better if the game were against Arizona.

 

[Cruloc]

Let's try this.......since it worked so well for BYU.

Duke will destroy Alabama. Bama doesn't know what's coming. Bama has no chance.

 

[TideEngineer08]

Bigger upsets have happened. But this is where we want Alabama basketball to be.

 

[Bama Addiction]

It's a tall order, but I feel we have a much better chance Saturday than we did against UCONN last year.

 

[Coach D]

I didn’t pay attention to Duke during the year. Looking now they absolutely dominated the ACC and won games routinely by about 30. How they aren’t the 1 over all idk even with SEC as is. They seem like they kind of flew under radar even though ranked high all year.

Going to take a big combination from best defensive effort in maybe two years and being hot again. No lead is safe.

 

[bamadwain]

This will be tough, Flagg is probably best player in the country, overall Duke is very good but they really haven't been challenged like Bama has with their schedule, but they are still good, what worries me is all their starters are 6'5 or better, that's a tall task

 

[bamamc1]

Bigger upsets have happened. But this is where we want Alabama basketball to be.

I remember that not so long ago, just making the tournament was a "big deal."

 

[Bazza]

Duke is going down!

 

[CoolBreeze]

So the thought is, I might as well watch the game since we are expected to lose. Then, if we win, the jinx will have been permanently broken (though i am not stupersticious at all). It is either that or not watch the game and probably win. Talked myself out of it. NOT WATCHING!

 

[tusks_n_raider]

Everything after last night is gravy.

When you are a 2 seed the Elite 8 is where you are supposed to get.

We have completely got the Sweet 16 trip up monkey off our backs as a program.

The Pressure is on a Freshman Duke team expected to make a NCG if not win it.

I think we play loose with nothing to lose and as somewhat heavy underdogs that is to our advantage.

We can beat them.

 

[Cruiser]

So, are you saying it will take another record setting night to beat Duke? If so, then we probably lose because 2 record setting games within 2 nights of each other has never happened. That's a scary outlook IMO.

I know it will be a very tough game, just like the UF games were. I hope we don't need to set records to have a chance but I do think we need to be close to 50% on our 3s.

I would be very happy with 40%; we were below 50% last night, slightly. They have 4 starters that shoot 37-42% from 3 line. It will be a challenge; I expect us to play well, though.

 

[CrimsonTitles]

So, are you saying it will take another record setting night to beat Duke? If so, then we probably lose because 2 record setting games within 2 nights of each other has never happened. That's a scary outlook IMO.

I know it will be a very tough game, just like the UF games were. I hope we don't need to set records to have a chance but I do think we need to be close to 50% on our 3s.

I don't think it's gonna take that. Duke is 1-1 against the SEC, and the loss is against Kentucky, who is a little closer to the way we play. I do think Duke is a little overvalued by the metrics, having played in the ACC. They're good, but to me they just don't seem like the best team ever, as KenPom would suggest. If they were so unbeatable, they would've destroyed Arizona. They get a lot of credit for destroying all those midtier ACC teams, but Bama had been doing the same thing to midtier SEC teams, and I never heard many folks talk about how good we were after. They all wanna focus on the losses to top teams. For whatever reason, Bama and Duke have been judged differently all season long, so I'm not ready to buy into all that yet.

Maybe we win, maybe we lose, but I'm not buying this notion that we have to play this perfect game just to have a shot. As highly valued as Duke is by the metrics, I think we're also a little undervalued by them, due to the style we play, and the gauntlet we had to run though. I think if we hit 9-10 3s, we will have a very good shot at winning.

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

We need the chance to play fast and loose, and not have the zebras’ hooves on our necks. The more chaotic the better. I also think playing the tournament winner last year as well as we did taught us some things about our own capabilities and rising to the moment.

To quote a great line from “Rocky:”

‘We are a very dangerous person!!!

Let’s do this.