Denver@Duke 2/5@1500 hrs.

[DMac]

Here's something different, a game thread. Been awhile....a looooong while. Hallelujah!!!
Word on the street is Duke is unbeatable, gonna go undefeated and win it all. First game of the season for the Dookies, second for the Pioneers. Denver managed but 1 goal in the first half v the Utes but ended up winning it 9-8 while going 8-20 at the face off X and 1-8 on EMO. Haven't seen the Dookies play, but I'm not thinkin' the Pioneers will be able to pull this one out with those kind of numbers. What say ye?
Game is on the ACC Network.
A little pre game entertainment.......Geezuz H, watch your step Anrdrea!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFXdEQ4Yx2M

[molo]

The conventional wisdom favors the home team here. After all, they were only a goal short of the NC game in the last full season and added a few pieces, included the guy considered the best player in the land, this year. Moreover, the Pios eked out a one-goal win over a new team that lost most of its firepower from 2019 last weekend. The consensus number one hosts a team that might rank in the lower half if the top ten.
Picking Duke is a no braineright? Maybe so, but not so fast. I can’t imagine that Tierney has not analyzed and addressed the issues that were exposed in the Utah game. Moreover, as a fan of another ACC team that will have to face Duke more than once this year, I’m trying to look for vulnerabilities in what looks like an all star team. With the addition of Sowers and Robertson, Duke has features the following attackmen who have started DI games: Sowers, both Robertson’s, Williams, and Manown. They also picked up the number one recruit, who is like Williams, the best returning attackman, a lefty.If the best three all play attack, it will be Sowers and the two lefties. If one of them moves to midfield, it will be one of them and a Robertson. With a stable of accomplished middies returning, two or three of these guys will remain at attack aka the bench. Dino played just four attackmen when he coached Team USA, pushing his son and son in law out to midfield. With so much experience at attack and offensive midfield, some talent is going to sit.
If Denver regains the services of a couple of players who missed the Utah game, the could upset the team that Duke has on the field, not on the bench. I haven’t gotten into Duke’s d, which includes a DOY candidate and an excellent young LSM. Just as you can have too many attackmen, few teams have too many quality players at the position where depth really matters—ssdm. Barring injuries, you only need three attackmen, but unless you have a superstar at an unsung hero position, four or five ssdm s is a lot better than two or three.
I expect Duke to win but am hoping Denver can find some chinks in their armor. As you can see, by arguing that too much depth is not a good thing, I’m grabbing st straws.

[molo]

Preliminary forecast says 50s with rain.

[molo]

With Covid, you can’t have too
much depth as far as the season goes. On a given day you can.

[faircornell]

It's likely that Duke will prevail. However:

1) For several years, Duke has had early season losses while they get sorted out for the longer season and the playoffs. I've always wondered if Coach Danowski starts his squad off more slowly than some.

2) Sowers is a great player, no doubt. The defenses he'll face at Duke may be stronger than those in the Ivy League. Also, while Duke's offense is seriously impressive, one can't help but wonder if they've had time to gel.

So, I'm still guessing Duke, but I'd not be surprised if Denver won the day.

[HopFan16]

2) Sowers is a great player, no doubt. The defenses he'll face at Duke may be stronger than those in the Ivy League.

Sowers had 8, 6, and 5 pts in Princeton's three meetings with UVA for an average of 6.3, which is almost exactly his career average (6.4). On the whole, the average ACC defense is probably better than the average Ivy D but I don't think any of his opponents will have a defenseman who can really cover him. The best one in the conference is on his own team. And now he is surrounded by even more offensive talent than what he had at Princeton.

As far as this particular game is concerned, Princeton faced Denver in 2019, and Sowers also had 6 pts.

One argument for Denver this weekend is that they have a game under their belt, so perhaps they've gotten some of the sloppiness out of their system. On the other hand, Duke now has game footage of them to watch, while Denver along with the rest of us is mostly in the dark about what Duke's offense is going to look like.

[10stone5]

Michael Sowers is one of a kind.
He’s the best to ever come out of
SE Pennsylvania.

He’s been like this, the best player on the field, since
the SE PA community started noticing Sowers when
he was 12-13.
Sowers was All World 1st team on the under 19 team,
while suffering from mono.

Thing is, other great SE PA players have won titles,
and I’m pretty sure Sowers is self aware enough to
know this.

I think he’ll be even more motivated than he was
during that great start to the aborted 2020 Princeton
season.

[boredatwork]

Michael Sowers is one of a kind.
He’s the best to ever come out of
SE Pennsylvania.

A certain Whipsnakes attackman may have something to say about that...

[10stone5]

Michael Sowers is one of a kind.
He’s the best to ever come out of
SE Pennsylvania.

A certain Whipsnakes attackman may have something to say about that...

Rambo has the title, that’s what he was recruited for,
that was his mission, and he delivered, so much pressure
on that guy,
but, Sowers is seperate, at the top of that particular
list, can he win a title with Duke though,
that’s what the SE PA community is hoping for.

[Dunker]

I’m hoping DU has a new offensive strategy this season and didn’t want Danowski to view it last weekend.
I can feel the excitement in 10Stones posts.

[Mr3Putt]

Michael Sowers is one of a kind.
He’s the best to ever come out of
SE Pennsylvania.

He’s been like this, the best player on the field, since
the SE PA community started noticing Sowers when
he was 12-13.
Sowers was All World 1st team on the under 19 team,
while suffering from mono.

Thing is, other great SE PA players have won titles,
and I’m pretty sure Sowers is self aware enough to
know this.

I think he’ll be even more motivated than he was
during that great start to the aborted 2020 Princeton
season.

So far Sowers has been excellent in a fluffy numbers Ivy League. He’s not Rambo - yet. Acc has better athletes then the Ivy League across the board. When you watch teams defend him, why run w him at point behind to goal line extended ? Play a triangle & 2, or a box & 1 . His bag is 1-1 is getting you crossed up behind , why put yourself thru it ? Drop back and take that away from him !

[TAV]

The conventional wisdom favors the home team here. After all, they were only a goal short of the NC game in the last full season and added a few pieces, included the guy considered the best player in the land, this year. Moreover, the Pios eked out a one-goal win over a new team that lost most of its firepower from 2019 last weekend. The consensus number one hosts a team that might rank in the lower half if the top ten.
Picking Duke is a no braineright? Maybe so, but not so fast. I can’t imagine that Tierney has not analyzed and addressed the issues that were exposed in the Utah game. Moreover, as a fan of another ACC team that will have to face Duke more than once this year, I’m trying to look for vulnerabilities in what looks like an all star team. With the addition of Sowers and Robertson, Duke has features the following attackmen who have started DI games: Sowers, both Robertson’s, Williams, and Manown. They also picked up the number one recruit, who is like Williams, the best returning attackman, a lefty.If the best three all play attack, it will be Sowers and the two lefties. If one of them moves to midfield, it will be one of them and a Robertson. With a stable of accomplished middies returning, two or three of these guys will remain at attack aka the bench. Dino played just four attackmen when he coached Team USA, pushing his son and son in law out to midfield. With so much experience at attack and offensive midfield, some talent is going to sit.
If Denver regains the services of a couple of players who missed the Utah game, the could upset the team that Duke has on the field, not on the bench. I haven’t gotten into Duke’s d, which includes a DOY candidate and an excellent young LSM. Just as you can have too many attackmen, few teams have too many quality players at the position where depth really matters—ssdm. Barring injuries, you only need three attackmen, but unless you have a superstar at an unsung hero position, four or five ssdm s is a lot better than two or three.
I expect Duke to win but am hoping Denver can find some chinks in their armor. As you can see, by arguing that too much depth is not a good thing, I’m grabbing st straws.

Denver’s a Paper Tiger. They are going to get blown out by Duke and lose to UNC. They can’t compete with the ACC. They’ll return home to their cake walk schedule and make the NCAA’s, only too lose in the early rounds. And don’t talk about TD and all that. The last time I checked it’s a team sport and besides a few years back they had THE ALL WORLD FO for 4 years and won 1 NC.

[Badlands]

So when is TD going to be wearing a Denver uniform? This weekend or next spring?

[DMac]

Pretty tough to argue that, TAV, especially when considering Denver had all they could handle beating a team made up of almost all freshmen and sophomores. Granted it's a January game and the first one played in a long time but that's pretty hard to get by....they played Utah, a team that's been around since the '18-'19 season. Yes on the inbound transfer, if it weren't a team game those two would have seven titles between them, but it is and they don't.
molo says he was grasping at straws and I would guess most of that is more to generate some discussion than anything.

[molo]

You’re right. I’m trying to play devil’s advocate in a game in which the home team is justifiably favored.

[Badlands]

To answer my own question, the folks on the DU thread are saying that TD may join the team as early as mid-February, which means he won't be playing tis weekend against Duke.

[TAV]

You’re right. I’m trying to play devil’s advocate in a game in which the home team is justifiably favored.

I figured as much. It doesn’t seem like you’ve drunk the Coach T and TD Koolaid. I have strong opinions about that coach and will keep it too myself so I don’t get de-platformed.

I also am tired of hearing “it’s early in the season” from anyone when the game is close or a loss - Newsflash! It’s “early” for the other team as well.

The fact is this...for the top 20-25 teams - there’s more and more parity and “on any given day...” the key really is not loosing 2+ of those games, but more importantly doing well in a Conference.

That being said, year in and year out, the ACC is a little bit better than Denver’s Conference. Now that I think about it, back in the day with all those NC’s @ Princeton, the same held true for the Ivy League.

That coach specializes in doing well in a weak conference and then make it to NCAAs a lot, sooner or later, if you have a sideline fit enough, you’re bound to win a few games in May.

Obviously, I’m tired of hearing about “genius” coaches in Denver....as a Carolina fan, I’d take Coach B all day long, every day; speaking of coaching...Duke’s Coach D has actually PRODUCED over the past decade or so. SU, UVA, and even ND ain’t so bad either.

[10stone5]

bump

[PizzaSnake]

Duke by 5.

[DMac]

Is that a 6-1 game or an 18-13 game?
Duke 16, Denver 8.