LaxPower Back-Up Stick

After a shaky start, Duke has started to look better, routing UNC and coming back (as Dylan says, “You can always come back, but you can’t come back all the way”) against ND. After a clunker at Richmond, UVA took care of business against Carolina. Toss up or a close win for the visitors?

This is a hard one to handicap. Duke seems to have UVA's number, the Blue Devils are improving, and the Hoos are banged up.

A match-up of what I consider the two best coaches in the game right now (w/ all due respect to the challenges faced by coaches of the Ivy league teams).

HooDat wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 2:04 pm This is a hard one to handicap. Duke seems to have UVA's number, the Blue Devils are improving, and the Hoos are banged up.

A match-up of what I consider the two best coaches in the game right now (w/ all due respect to the challenges faced by coaches of the Ivy league teams).

Maybe one of the best, I would take Maryland and Yale Coach over Duke.

HooDat wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 2:04 pm This is a hard one to handicap. Duke seems to have UVA's number, the Blue Devils are improving, and the Hoos are banged up.

A match-up of what I consider the two best coaches in the game right now (w/ all due respect to the challenges faced by coaches of the Ivy league teams).

Lars is. Dano was.

The long term record is what it is but not sure how Dino can lay claim to that as for the second straight year he has one of the most talented rosters in the sport and is underachieving with it

I tend to agree but don’t want to jinx UVA by criticizing what may be a sleeping giant.

keno in reno wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 3:59 pm

HooDat wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 2:04 pm This is a hard one to handicap. Duke seems to have UVA's number, the Blue Devils are improving, and the Hoos are banged up.

A match-up of what I consider the two best coaches in the game right now (w/ all due respect to the challenges faced by coaches of the Ivy league teams).

Lars is. Dano was.

I wouldn't write Dano off quite yet. I think he would have been better served to find his son a job with another program. The nepotism has stink to it, and I think it has impacted the program.

One of the problems with successful long tenured coaches, is that they can start to see the program as "theirs" rather than their role being to serve the program. Nepotism is the classic sign of that kind of rot, and it begins to permeate the program....

That said, in all other facets of the game, the elder Danowski is a top-notch analyst of the game and motivator of talent. At 2-12 since 2007, UVA has a lot of wins to go to even up the series during the memory of any of the players who will take the field this week.

Didn’t Duke make the Final Four last year ?
And so then, they were the 4th or 5th best team last year
depending on your point of view.
No chance they were getting past either UVA or the Terps.

Just think Duke is poised to have a good game in every facet & their backs are against the wall at this point...I say Duke 16 UVA 9, but I wouldn't bet a dollar!

10stone5 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:16 pm Didn’t Duke make the Final Four last year ?
And so then, they were the 4th or 5th best team last year
depending on your point of view.
No chance they were getting past either UVA or the Terps.

Before the season everyone was claiming there was no chance UVA or the Terps could get past them. They've had arguably the most talented roster in the country two years in a row.

Tomorrow's game at Duke has been moved to 1 p.m. due forecasted thunderstorms in the Durham area.

The game is still slated to air on ACC Network.

https://twitter.com/uvamenslax/status/1 ... 7VM98QG8zQ

Thanks, looks like rain here tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks, looks like rain here tomorrow afternoon.

10stone5 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:16 pm Didn’t Duke make the Final Four last year ?
And so then, they were the 4th or 5th best team last year
depending on your point of view.

They beat the 10th and 15th seeded teams to get to the FF (and Loyola just barely). And of course got crushed in the semis.

They were probably the 7th best team last year (behind UVa, Terps, ND, UNC, Rutgers, GTown).

jrn19 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:44 pm

10stone5 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:16 pm Didn’t Duke make the Final Four last year ?
And so then, they were the 4th or 5th best team last year
depending on your point of view.
No chance they were getting past either UVA or the Terps.

Before the season everyone was claiming there was no chance UVA or the Terps could get past them. They've had arguably the most talented roster in the country two years in a row.

Doesn’t Tillman do far more with far *advertised* less?

Top of my head #1 recruits:

Duke: O’Neill (#1 recruit), McAdory (#1 recruit),

UVA: Moore (#1 recruit), Shellenberger (#1 recruit)

UMD: ummmmmm?

Peter Brown wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:05 pm

jrn19 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:44 pm

10stone5 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:16 pm Didn’t Duke make the Final Four last year ?
And so then, they were the 4th or 5th best team last year
depending on your point of view.
No chance they were getting past either UVA or the Terps.

Before the season everyone was claiming there was no chance UVA or the Terps could get past them. They've had arguably the most talented roster in the country two years in a row.

Doesn’t Tillman do far more with far *advertised* less?

Top of my head #1 recruits:

Duke: O’Neill (#1 recruit), McAdory (#1 recruit),

UVA: Moore (#1 recruit), Shellenberger (#1 recruit)

UMD: ummmmmm?

I don’t believe Tillman has ever brought in a #1-ranked IL recruit. That being said, he regularly gets top 5 IL recruiting classes, and has gotten the #1 class a couple of times (i.e. #2 in 2022, #1 in 2020).

Duke has also secured transfers like Michael Sowers, whereas the Terps go for the next tier of transfers (Holden, Brown, Murphy, Khan, and Donville). Though it appears that the Terps are trending upwards in both recruits and transfers.

As the expression goes "it's getting late early" for Duke. I don't think 10-7 is going to get them into the Big Dance. Duke certainly has a ton of talent, but they surprisingly have sputtered at the start of a number of games. They better not do so against the Cavs who, despite being a little banged up have plenty of firepower to make it a long afternoon for the Devils in Durham.

Game is at 1 PM, not 6 PM. Correct?

AreaLax wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 3:58 pm Tomorrow's game at Duke has been moved to 1 p.m. due forecasted thunderstorms in the Durham area.

The game is still slated to air on ACC Network.

https://twitter.com/uvamenslax/status/1 ... 7VM98QG8zQ

Thanks

Live Stats: https://goduke.com/sidearmstats/mlax/summary