Pre-Season NIT Final is set - #6 Duke vs #4 Arizona

[zonacats8]

Should be a great one, can't wait for Friday

[Kobe24>MJ23]

Those Bama comebacks had me nervous.

[yankeesfan24]

I'm very excited. Our team trip tomorrow is to go see both games

[clipperboy24]

NIT, are you joking? You must be trying to rip on the teams???...

[Nyfancam01]

I hope dook loses!!!

UNC fan :D

[nickha2]

NIT, are you joking? You must be trying to rip on the teams???...

Its a preseason tourny bro not the one at the end of march

[bballcollector]

Duke will lose. Duke can't rebound or shot block. If Parker or Hood have a bad game they'll lose. I see Arizona taking this.

[toppsfan]

Duke will lose. Duke can't rebound or shot block. If Parker or Hood have a bad game they'll lose. I see Arizona taking this.

Duke will win, they need to develop Marshall Plumlee fast but for now they can get around a lack of a presence down low. Sulaimon and Cook play brilliantly in this one and help account for the W.

[zonacats8]

Duke will win, they need to develop Marshall Plumlee fast but for now they can get around a lack of a presence down low. Sulaimon and Cook play brilliantly in this one and help account for the W.

If there was ever a team that you can't get away with a lack of presence down low, it's Arizona. We make out living in the paint and driving to the rim, if Duke can't defend the post, it's going to be a LONG night for them

[bballcollector]

If there was ever a team that you can't get away with a lack of presence down low, it's Arizona. We make out living in the paint and driving to the rim, if Duke can't defend the post, it's going to be a LONG night for them

Duke couldn't guard Ellis Perry to save their life. I completely agree with everything you just said. It's going to be tough for Duke. If Duke doesn't shoot well they'll lose.

[zonacats8]

wow

Just watched the quick video on ESPN of Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg previewing the game and Williams actually picked Arizona, absolutely shocked me that he went against his dukies (all thought he didn't sound happy making the pick)

Bottom line, it's a really bad matchup for Duke as they just won't have any way of defending our bigs in the paint

[bballcollector]

Duke couldn't guard Ellis Perry to save their life. I completely agree with everything you just said. It's going to be tough for Duke. If Duke doesn't shoot well they'll lose.

Perry Ellis*

[zonacats8]

Just over and hour till the tip, can't wait to watch my Wildcats take down those damn Dukies

[bballcollector]

Just over and hour till the tip, can't wait to watch my Wildcats take down those damn Dukies

I'm pumped to watch this game and it's not even my team. I expect Arizona to win this game. Putting money on the money line right now.

[zonacats8]

I'm pumped to watch this game and it's not even my team. I expect Arizona to win this game. Putting money on the money line right now.

we really should win this game, bad matchups for Duke

But it being Duke, NYC, and MSG, scare the crap out of me, I'm fully expecting to be pissed at the officiating tonight, just hoping it doesn't cost us the game

[bballcollector]

we really should win this game, bad matchups for Duke

But it being Duke, NYC, and MSG, scare the crap out of me, I'm fully expecting to be pissed at the officiating tonight, just hoping it doesn't cost us the game

How's Arizona FT shooting? It might come down to free throws.

[zonacats8]

How's Arizona FT shooting? It might come down to free throws.

Horrible to start the season, but has been getting much much better the last few games

This game better not go to triple OT, I'll lose my mind

[zonacats8]

Son of a..................

[shumpert2190]

This game is never going to start.

[zonacats8]

This game is never going to start.

Any idea how long they give them before starting the second game?

[JustinVerlander07]

Picking Duke to win, mainly because they have the best player on the court, should be a good one, and a close game.

[bballcollector]

Can anyone tell me why it hasn't started yet? Leaving work now.

[JustinVerlander07]

Can anyone tell me why it hasn't started yet? Leaving work now.

Game before it went into triple OT.

[zonacats8]

Can anyone tell me why is hasn't started yet? Leaving work now.

The Drexel-Alabama game went to triple OT

[AP4MVP]

Picking Duke to win, mainly because they have the best player on the court, should be a good one, and a close game.

Agreed......

[bballcollector]

Agreed......

AP I miss you!!!!

[bballcollector]

The Drexel-Alabama game went to triple OT

I'm glad It did. I'll catch the game just in time.

[zonacats8]

This is going to be an exciting game, great start to it

[Nyfancam01]

As long as dook loses... I will be happy :D

[zonacats8]

As long as dook loses... I will be happy :D

Me too :rolleyes:

[Junior Griffey]

I like this game...a matchup of the next 2 teams Michigan is going to beat this year. :)

[JustinVerlander07]

I hate this game...a matchup of the next 2 teams Michigan is going to lose to this year. :(

Fixed it ;)

[Junior Griffey]

You wait your turn! Sparty is going down too! Everyone should be worried after today's destruction of the great Coppin St!

[zonacats8]

Great first half, should be an exciting finish for sure

[bballcollector]

I'm confident Zona will play better defensively in the 2nd half.

[JohnRyno]

Coach K is playing a homosexual vampire in the next season of True Blood.

[zonacats8]

I'm confident Zona will play better defensively in the 2nd half.

So am I considering how long Miller kept our guys with 2 fouls on the bench in the first half

Johnson and Gordon are going to be well rested and ready to go in the second half

[bballcollector]

So am I considering how long Miller kept our guys with 2 fouls on the bench in the first half

Johnson and Gordon are going to be well rested and ready to go in the second half

Defense is playing good. Offense is playing poorly with bad turnovers.

[zonacats8]

Heating up...........

[bballcollector]

That's what I'm talking about. Thank god I took the Zona ML. Still time left but I like how Zona is playing. Parker and Hood can't carry the team. Duke is getting exposed against teams with height. IE Kansas and Arizona.

[Kobe24>MJ23]

What a beautiful play.

[JustinVerlander07]

That was a sick play.

[JustinVerlander07]

Always nice to see Duke lose and not get ridiculous charge calls.

[zonacats8]

Great win, held that vaunted Duke offense to just 64 points

Two more weeks till the Michigan game, got my tickets with some fellow Arizona alumni, can't wait

Bear Down Arizona

[Fraser9698]

Haven't had a chance to watch much AZ being on the east coast, zonacats ---> how has Tarczewski looked this year? Followed his recruitment a bit but not at all since then.

I think the new emphasis on calling defensive fouls is going to hurt Duke with the constant flopping.

[zonacats8]

Haven't had a chance to watch much AZ being on the east coast, zonacats ---> how has Tarczewski looked this year? Followed his recruitment a bit but not at all since then.

I think the new emphasis on calling defensive fouls is going to hurt Duke with the constant flopping.

He's improving, his last few games may have been the best of his career.

Still doesn't have the best hands in the world, but they are slowly getting better, and for a guy with great footwork down low, he seems to get a lot of travel calls against him, although some have been really bad calls.

He still struggles against teams that don't play a true center at times, which can be expected of a true 7 footer who is at his best both offensively and defensively in the paint.

But when he is on, man the kid is just a load to deal with

Defensively, you aren't going to move him if he doesn't want to move and he is great at protecting the rim, he only has 2 blocks per game, but he affects a whole lot more. And when he is aggressive going after rebounds, he's almost unstoppable at the college level because of his size and athletic ability with for someone that size.

Offensively, if he catches the ball in the paint, it's going to be either two points or two free throws 9 out of every 10 times. He has great footwork, great back to the basket moves, and he's just bigger than everyone guarding him.

The other time though, he's probably going to get stripped because he brought it down too low and for some reason takes it up really soft way too often for a guy who actually has a bit of a mean streak in him.

But if he gets it out beyond that, it's a 50/50 chance he's going to turn it over, or he's going to make an excellent cross court pass to the open man. He is very good at passing out of the double teams, uses an over the head pass as nobody is going to block that, and he throws it on a line and accurate.

Arizona needs McConnell to run the team, it needs Johnson to be this teams leader, it needs Gordon and Hollis-Jefferson to be the do it all guys with unlimited energy.

But if Tarczewski gets it all together this season, which is a legit possibility, he is what could make this team a final four contender, to potentially the favorites to win it all, in my HONEST opinion.

There are very few teams who can put someone on him that's his size and he's learning to play against smaller players also. He can just take over the game in the paint and single-handedly put other teams in foul trouble trying to stop him.