Duke Basketball Roundup

#488 - Hoo hired these officials?

You saw it, you know what we're going to say. The officiating in the Duke-UVA game in Charlottesville left something to be desired for your Duke Basketball Report Podcast hosts, to say the least. Duke fought through Kyle Filipowski's worst performance of the season to be tied with the Hoos with 1.2 seconds left and the ball out of bounds, leaving Flip a clear lane to the basket for a lay-up at the buzzer, when he was apparently fouled but not really by multiple UVA defenders. The headlines from this game are seemingless endless, but in addition to the officiating, we have to highlight some of Duke's successes in this game, hanging tough with a UVA team that has been the best in the conference this season, even though UVA forced a season-high 22 turnovers from the Blue Devils. We're excited to see how Duke uses its good from this game down the stretch in the ACC. As for the bad, the podcast team are collectively hoping that this is a blip for Flip, as Duke will need him to be successful in the postseason. We have a unanimous and unlikely player of the week selection, and we will be back soon to preview the Notre Dame game on Tuesday. Until then, keep the emails coming to dbrpodcast at gmail.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DBR Bites #10 - Trade Show

The NBA trade deadline came and went on Thursday... and speaking of comings and goings, several Dukies in the NBA found themselves in a different uniform once the deadline had passed. In the latest edition of DBR Bites, Jason and Donald break down what happened as Mason Plumlee, Luke Kennard, and Cam Reddish each got dealt to a new club and what their prospects for playing time are in their new homes. Plus, we look at what the deadline deals mean for the future of rookie Mark Williams, who may suddenly find himself in the starting lineup for the Charlotte Hornets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DBR Bites #9 - Time to meet the Wahoos

The Duke Blue Devils head to Charlottesville on Saturday to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. It’s a huge game against one of the best teams in the country, and we preview the contest on DBR Bites 9. Virginia has a ton of seniors and juniors that Duke fans should already be familiar with, and this preview shows that UVA continues to do what they normally do successfully: slow down the tempo while remaining incredible efficiency on offense and defense. Their Pack Line defense causes a lot of turnovers and frustration, so Duke has their work cut out for them. Experience will be a factor, and Duke will need to try and speed up the tempo to get more possessions. Sam and Donald break it all down and give fans the scoop on what Duke needs to get back on track Saturday afternoon. We will be back this weekend to recap the game, and let’s hope Duke comes out with fire and desire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DBR Bites #8 - Grant Hill & 9th Wonder discuss Duke and Black culture

The other day, a fascinating interview between Grant Hill and legendary hip hop producer (and Duke professor) 9th Wonder came out in Slam Magazine that discussed the intersection of Duke Basketball and Black culture. Sam and Donald jump on to discuss it all on DBR Bites Episode 8. Grant Hill, interviewed by 9th Wonder, details what it was like for him when he was recruited by teams like the Georgetown Hoyas that had way more cred in the Black community than the Duke Blue Devils. However, Hill describes how Black culture intersected with Duke Basketball and how some of the players on the team embraced the culture and hip hop music to bring the team together. Sam and Donald break down the interview and key elements of Hill and 9th’s discussion, with Donald including some of his experiences that don’t make the interview’s final cut. It’s a great discussion to carry through the middle of the week! We will be back tomorrow to preview the big game on Saturday against the Virginia Cavaliers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#487 - Hurricanes humble hungover Blue Devils

Well, that one wasn’t fun. What went wrong down in Coral Gables last night for the Duke Blue Devils? We discuss it all on Episode 487. Duke got humbled by the Miami Hurricanes, and it was clear from the very beginning that the energy wasn’t there. Sam Klein was in the building for the game, so we open with his observations and headlines before we get to the good. Despite the blowout loss, there was some good things to come out of last night. Sam specifically has some positive thoughts about how Jon Scheyer did his rotations last night, and we had a 10-5-5 performance from Dereck Lively that needs to be talked about. We also get into the NET rankings and how this loss actually might have helped Duke in that all-important metric. After the break, we get into the bad, and there’s a lot to be discussed. Donald starts with the lack of energy in the Duke uniforms on the floor and how his prediction about the game ended up becoming a harsh reality. There are several points to be made about how the team played as well as the details being largely missing on the night. We end with more talk about the NET and what Duke has to look forward to over the final 7 games of the regular season, and we actually have a couple favorite plays. We will have a couple of DBR Bites very soon, so check your feed over the next couple of days for more Duke discussions as we get ready for UVA this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#486 - Deep dive into thrashing UNC

With a full night's sleep under their belt, the Duke Basketball Report podcast crew is back at it with more on the victory over UNC. As you already know, the guys were wowed with the play of Derek Lively and they have the stats and anecdotes to back it up today. Plus, they go even deeper on the stellar play of Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor, who seemed to be in control on both ends of the floor. As always, it isn't all dessert, the podcast delivers some vegetables in the form of things Duke still needs to work on, such as bench production and more of an offensive game from Mark Mitchell. And, before they go, the podcast crew looks ahead to another big, big game -- Monday night in Miami. The ACC standings are very bunched at the top and a win in this contest would put Duke right in the heart of the race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#485 - Carolina has gone to Hell!!

Instant reaction, that is what you all want at this moment, right? The DBR podcast hosts hop on to give their first thoughts just moments after Duke's thrilling victory over the hated Carolina Tarheels. Sam and Jason are in their home bases, but Donald was at the game and gives us a report from the center of West Campus, where the bonfire is burning in all its glory. The guys quickly talk about the revelation that was Derek Lively and cannot stop praising the phenomenal Duke defense in this game. We also love the fact that Duke put the ball in the hands of its most experienced player, Jeremy Roach, down the stretch while Carolina turned to Leaky Black and Pete Nance for their big shots... score one for Jon Scheyer over Hubert Davis. The DBR Podcast will have much more on Sunday on this big game, but for now, it is enough to enjoy the guys chanting GTHC over and over again! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#484 - GTHC: The Preview!

You know what time it is. The Duke Blue Devils take on the North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and on Episode 484, you will get the biggest and best preview that you will find anywhere! Duke comes in fresh off a win against Wake Forest, but UNC enter fresh off a home loss last night to Pitt. Still, it won’t matter in the biggest rivalry in college basketball, as both these teams look to hit the ground running with a lot of energy. The preview starts with how UNC has done over the course of the season as well as the ACC. We discuss where they were at the start of the season - at the top - and how they crashed out of the top 25 to where they are now. We get into some of the key things that UNC shows on the eye test before we discuss some of the players that Duke fans should already know. Finally, we get into the metrics and some of the intangibles that Duke will need to bring to the table to win on Saturday. Donald will be in the building with 9,314 others, and Cameron will be in top form. Can Duke ride that intensity to a win over their archrivals? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices