MD - Duke Notes

NCAA Likelihood: 95%
Projected Seed: 7
Projected Record prior to NCAA: 21 - 12
2008 NBA Draft: Gist (mid second round)
2009 NBA Draft: Vasquez (mid first round)

There had to be a better way for ESPN to start the game than showing us a close-up of Mike Patrick's nostrils for close to a minute.

Gary Williams looks more and more like Dennis Hopper in Hoosiers each game. Watch the movie, listen to the "We are going to run the Picket Fence" line, turn on a MD game, look at GW's profile. . . case closed.

Osby is becoming skilled in walking on a drop step move (spinning towards the lane when he gets the ball on the right block) and getting away with it; did it twice last night.

MD goes to Osby on the right block for a hook shot to start almost every game. Osby makes that shot almost every game.

Duke's defensive intensity was the story of the game.

Vasquez picked up his dribble too often in our half-court set.

MD had four possessions down 54 - 51 and couldn't take advantage.

Hayes had a very bad night.

Vasquez had a very solid game overall; except for 3 WTFs and a very bad haircut. It was funny when Vitale and Patrick went off on his hot-dogging when they didn't realize that he was stripped of the freakin' ball; not showboating with a no-look pass. Vasquez's feed to Gist on the long bounce pass on the break was one of his best passes of the year. He is a first team All ACC player if the season ended today. Gist is borderline first-team.

I don't care what Vitale thinks of Andy Pettitte.

MD will not win games when they give up so many open looks from 3 point range (Duke was 12 for 25).

I have never seen someone miss back-to-back dunks and get both rebounds before Gist did it last night.

Neal should not be shooting the ball. Period. One good discovery last night; Zoubek is clearly the slowest man in the ACC (maybe the entire East Coast); not Neal. Braxton DuPree has to be sitting on the bench wondering why his PT has been taken by Neal. Makes no sense.

There has to be a way to run our offense and go inside out to get Hayes open spot up looks.

Tucker has developed into a solid contributor - couldn't believe he didn't get the call when he was fouled by Nelson on that drive.