We love college basketball here at ASD. In fact, it was one of the bonding tenants of Catfish and my's friendship in the rolling plains of North Carolina. We enjoy discussing and debating everything and anything college basketball. Growing up in ACC country less than 100 miles (as the crow flies) from Tobacco Road, college basketball dominated the local sports landscape. It's a passion we still follow to this day.
Yesterday, the ACC held its basketball media day in Charlotte. Their location was the the Renaissance Suites Hotel, which means literally nothing to a lot of people. he hotel, however, sits across from the former site of the Charlotte Coliseum which has a special place in Charlotte sports and college basketball lore. Yet I digress.
A vote was held for the preseason poll by the ACC media as is tradition. Duke, which figures to be the prohibitive favorite in the conference and a contender to repeat for the title, received just about all of the first place votes. Now we certianly know preseason polls are rearely worth the brainpower it takes to tabulate the votes, but it is always a good piece of fodder for discussion. Here are how the votes turned out:
1. Duke (61) 743; 2. Virginia Tech 632; 3. North Carolina (1) 622; 4. N.C. State 526; 5. Florida State 496; 6. Maryland 432; 7. Clemson 335; 8. Miami 305; 9. Georgia Tech 274; 10. Boston College 173; 11. Virginia 164; 12. Wake Forest 134.
Now who could be that lone person who had Carolina finishing first in the ACC? I'm sure if I really strain my noodle I might be able to come up with a few possibilities. By the way, does anyone know where Catfish was yesterday? Hmmmm, curious. Curious indeed.
It's Duke, then everyone else [Charlotte Observer]
Thursday, October 21
The Un-Unanimous #1
Tuesday, April 6
Sometimes Life Isn't Fair
Aside from Duke fans, everyone was unhappy with last night's outcome. However, while I count myself as one who was pulling against the Devils, Duke earned this title. People can talk about how the heavyweights were down this year or how Duke had an easy run, the bottom line is that they are still standing after the smoke is clear. They earned the belt. I thought the game was surprisingly well officiated. Once again the production from CBS was horrid. Nantz and Kellog are all over the place. I enjoyed Clark behind the desk but not on game commentary. Replays were no where to be found on key fouls. We already knew Howard was going to get in foul trouble. Butler just did not knock down enough of those open shots. Their halfcourt defense was again spectacular. Even with their field goal troubles the Bulldogs had two shots to win, and came up painfully short. I commend Gordon Hayward and above all Brad Stevens for their accomplishment. I was off my couch jumping on that last Hayward halfcourt heave, it looked like it was good off the glass on my TV. But alas it was not to be, sometimes the underdog everyone is pulling for does not win. I half-expected David Anspaugh to run out onto the court and tell the players to run it again until Hayward made the shot. The Blue Devils are the champs, for better or worse, that is what makes this tournament great; you are not always expecting or happy of the result. There is much random chance, just like life. If life were like the BCS, we could manipulate all our circumstances to form our best outcomes. A pleasant notion but one that would ultimately fail like when the machines tried to make the Matrix a paradise where all their humans had their desires come true. Millions of crops were lost.
I still prefer the basketball side of things because sometimes there is no clear way to determine who is the best team. Football still has no set criteria. In the NCAA tournament, you have to play whoever is in your bracket and win. No polls, no margin of victory, no bias toward the big 6 conference (well, maybe just a little). It's a cruel reality for the anti-Duke segment, but it is reality. Coach K has one for the pinky, Zoubek was a difference maker, and Wojo finally has that elusive ring. Now to the harsh reality of my tournament picks and it is not pretty, "How Wrong Were We": 2010 NCAA Tournament edition.
Midwest Region: 9/15
South Region: 4/15 (I stand by my Robert Morris pick! They got hosed by the officiating.)
West Region: 7/15
East Region: 8/15
My Final Four: Kansas (uggg), Syracuse (oops), Duke (squirrel finds nut), New Mexico (why did I ever trust Alford?). I had Kansas beating Duke in the finals.
So out of a possible 63 games, excluding the opening round game (which I got wrong), I got 29 right. That is 46%. I also had Butler losing to UTEP in the first round. Overall a horrible state of affairs for my prediction skills.
pic via
Monday, April 5
Country Braces For Possible Duke Triumph
When the season began many thought Duke and Butler were going to be good, possibly Final Four good. Not many thought they would be playing for the title tonight. Conspiracy theorists have united against the hated program that is Duke. The same people who said their road was paved out for them also had them going out before Indianapolis. I am no Dukie and I loathe the flopping manequin defense and the moving screens of Thomas and Zoubek, but if the Blue Devils win tonight they win. I mean that the banner will go up in Cameron, Coach K will continue to be fellated by the media, and the record books will state 2010 belonged to Duke. Despite a Lance Thomas elbow to the face of Joe Mazzula in Saturday night's semifinal, Duke is viewed by its fans as a paragon of the seedy world of college basketball. Where fans say it was just an elbow, detractors can rewind the video and see Thomas measuring the blow and then nailing Mazzula in the face. A Duke win will not be easy for people to swallow (myself included), hell Catfish has lost enough hair over this, but a win is a win and a title is a title.
On the other side we see Butler as a longshot. This is the first game where I think Butler had little chance. First concern is Matt Howard, who is concussed but should play. Even if he does he will probably pick up 2 fouls faster than Jim Nantz can spin a witty anecdote or read a Masters promo. One certain thing is that Butler needs to hit their open shots to have any hope tonight. In the semifinal they were fortunate enough to have the Spartans also struggle from the field. Duke's scorers cannot be banked on to have all 3 be cold and in fact in their semifinal all 3 were on. If players like Veasley, Jukes , and Hahn can hit the open jumpers, the Bulldogs can stay close.
One last note on Butler. The all-knowing Dick Vitale took a jab at Butler after Saturday's game by saying they were able to beat teams that were not at full strength, pointing to Syracuse's Onuaku and Michigan State's Kalin Lucas. Fair enough if Dickie V wants to play that game, but let's look at who he picked to win Saturday: the Spartans. So he wants to give an excuse to two teams he had beating Butler, yet he picked those teams to beat the Bulldogs despite the injuries. It is all part of the fun of his March picks. Vitale jumped the shark for me 11 years ago when he picked UConn in his preseason magazine number 1 and said they would cut the nets down. Then Duke had a seemingly unstoppable run in the tourney until they met UConn and lost the title and wouldn't you know Vitale flipped on his pick and chose Duke. And that is way too many words to waste on him.
We think Duke wins this game, and by double digits. Now would be as great a time as any for a pleasant surprise.
Tuesday, March 23
Dino Gaudio: Kentucky's the best (of this era?)
Following a 30-point drubbing at the hands of the Kentucky Wildcats, Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio proclaimed, “I’ve been in the ACC 10 years, that’s as good a basketball team as we’ve played against in the 10 years I’ve been here." That span of ten years includes four national title teams, one each for Maryland and Duke and two for North Carolina. If my team had been in a late season death sprial, I'd just barely beaten Texas and Rick Barnes in a battle of whose coach sucks less, and people were starting to talk about me being on the hot seat, I too would probably be eager to proclaim Kentucky the best. It makes explaining a 30-point loss a little easier. Gaudio's comments are actually not that unrealistic from a talent standpoint, but an aspect he didn't consider, it's a new era in college basketball.
While John Wall has been the showstopper (or starter depending on your perspective), being well-rounded makes this Kentucky team truly special. They've got NBA talent at virtually every position, something not available to most teams for the last decade. The addition of the 'one-and-done' rule by the NBA has made it so that talented big men are now forced to make a pit stop in college. There is little doubt that John Wall would have chosen to go directly to the L as well, but no one attracts attention from NBA teams like the 6'10" and over fellas. DeMarcus Cousins would have been a lottery pick this year and Daniel Orton could easily have been drafted instead of playing thirteen minutes off the bench for the Wildcats on the basis of size and potential alone. When three of the four ACC National Championships were being won earlier in the aughts, almost all potential NBA lottery picks with size were going directly to the NBA. In 2001, three high school big men, Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, and Eddy Curry were selected ahead of the undisputed leader of the National Champion Duke Blue Devils, Shane Battier. In 2002, following the Terrapins tournament championship two college big men, Drew Gooden and Terp Chris Wilcox, were taken before the first high schooler, Amare Stoudamire, but it's easy to judge who has had the most success at the next level. Players that would have made a huge impact in college, such as Josh Smith, Andrew Bynum, Al Jefferson, and Kendrick Perkins all made the leap. Today, they wouldn't be allowed.
Perhaps no team better illustrates how much of an impact the one-and-done rule has had than Kentucky, but one need only look back to the 2005 championship team of North Carolina to see just how different history could have been. The Heels were led by Sean May, Raymond Felton, and Rashad McCants. They were joined in the starting lineup by Jawad Williams and Jackie Manuel, with Melvin Scott and future number two pick in the draft, Marvin Williams coming off the bench. Had the one-and-done rule been in place, J.R. Smith (taken 18th directly out of HS) would also have been on the roster as well as Dwight Howard. That would have given the Heels potentially five lottery picks and six first rounders. People may still be able to argue that Kentucky would be better from a talent stand point, there is no disputing that being led by a core of upperclassmen would be a huge advantage for Carolina over the current Wildcats (and the same goes for the 2009 championship team). It's why Kansas was the prohibitive favorite to win the title this season and not the team with some many future lottery picks... wait, that doesn't prove my point at all. Oh well, screw the Jayhawks.
At this point, this Kentucky team may be the most talented college team assembled in the last decade, but they're not worthy of being considered the best. If they fail to close during the final two weekends of the tournament, they're little more than the Fab 5, and they don't have a nickname to make them immortal like CWebb and crew. Dino may be right but to compare them to teams that won titles as recently as just five years ago is difficult, because it was a different era, not separated by time, but by one rule.
Friday, March 5
Around the ASD Universe: UNC/Duke, Jake is No Longer Our Del-homey, and Chanticleer Fevor
After going without power last weekend and digging myself out from the snow, which still covers the ground and my walkway, we are looking forward to a weekend full of sports. I will be huddling inside this weekend to save a little no the budget. I basically had to spend a bit much on gas driving to my brothers to enjoy any form of modern technology and then on replacing the contents of my fridge. I thought I might salvage some of the food by putting it outside in my shed, but after further inspection I chucked it. Like my Dad always said "When in doubt, throw it out" but if there is one thing I loathe it is wasting food. Whenever I eat out, I always clear my plate, nothing wasted. When I cook (which is rare) I always eat it all or save what I can't finish (which is rare if ever). It is not from any form of self-righteousness, but just the fact that I love eating so much it irks me to see perfectly edible food tossed away.
That said, the weekend provides plenty in the sports world that should keep my time with Call of Duty to a minimum. We have to begin with Catfish's embattled North Carolina Tar Heels. The Heels are sitting at 16-14, 4-10 in the ACC so unless they string together a perfect ACC tournament the Dean Dome will be a raucus host to an NIT game in a few weeks. Many people (including me sometimes) tell Catfish that he should just be quiet and enjoy the title his team won a year ago. Any true fan of a successful team knows that is impossible; you always want your team to win every year, every season no matter what. Catfish will be the first to tell you the light blue fan base is quite unforgiving. Win is the only way to keep them satiated. Win now, win often, win all the time. The setback of this year's team has brought a lot of heat on Roy Williams, perhaps more than I have ever seen for a coach who cut the nets down the previous year.
A lot of ills can be cured if UNC wins their 5th straight at Cameron on Saturday night. Duke is favored to win, should win, will most likely win. However, it is not like Carolina will not be pumped up and does not contain the talent to spark the upset. I do think Duke wins this game in a crazy scene reminiscent of the '98 senior day Wojo game.
In NFL news, the Carolina Panthers cut Jake Delhomme last night. Jake came a long way from his World Bowl Dance(see below) to leading the Panthers to Super Bowl 38. He leaves the Panthers with virtually all their passing records but after his 18 INT performance last year (and that's with missing 5 games!) it was clear the magic had left the Cajun's right arm. Delhomme was a great leader for the team and ambassador for the franchise while he was productive. It is a shame the horrible decision by the front office to give him an extension to try and clear cap space last spring. The Matt Moore era will continue in Charlotte next year. Don't expect the Panthers to go after Vick, GM Marty Hurney and coach John Fox are on the chopping block for their jobs and they are not going to risk next year on the flappy arm and shotty legs Vick displayed last year. Don't feel too bad for Jake, the Panthers still owe him about $13 million.
Championship week is upon is in college basketball. The mid-major conferences are first into the fray in determining who gets their league's invite to the tourney. One of the first tickets will be punched tomorrow when Coastal Carolina hosts Winthrop in the Big South Championship. Never hiding our love for the Big South, Coastal Carolina is a team that could spark an upset come tourney time if they win tomorrow's championship game at 4 on ESPN2. The Chanticleers (a nickname everyone will be talking about if they make it) are the 1 seed and hosting on their tiny on-campus gym which I believe is smaller than my high school gym. Still, the Chants are led by coach Cliff Ellis who has lead teams to the tourney before, including sweet 16 trips with Clemson and Auburn (yes the Auburn with Chris Porter). Their opponent is Palmetto in-state rival Winthrop. The Eagles are the most recognized Big South team in basketball due to their upset of Notre Dame in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. They are coached by Randy Peele who was an assistant under Greg Marshall who led those Winthrop teams. This is what (the current) Tournament is all about, mid-majors playing one game, with one shot at the ultimate prize of playing on a national stage in the dance.
Sadly, there will be no tale of the country's leading rebounder and Drago alter ego Artsiom Parakhouski of Radford. The Highlanders fell to Winthrop in the semifinals. Dreams are not true this year.
Wednesday, February 17
Duke Does Not Respect The "Littleuns"
During the Blue Devils 81-74 victory over Miami tonight, dissension occured in the new Castle Rock, also known as the Bank United Center. While Jon Scheyer was attempting free-throws Coach K alerted the refs to a noise in the stands. It turns out it was a student blowing into a conch shell. The refs, ever eager to please the Rat King, removed the conch from the student's possession. It is this kind of blatant disregard for the order of the tribe that led to Piggy's downfall. Respect the conch people!
[UPDATE: Video of the incident!!!]
Wednesday, April 8
Mahktar and Peppers = Magic
I was so wondering what ever happened to everyone's favorite Tar Heel, Mahktar Ndiaye. Old friends Vincanity, Julius Peppers, Mahktar, and Antawn Jamison gathered together in Detroit to watch their alma mater win it all. My first thought is excluding Antawn (pronounced Antwan), the other three are probably a psychiatrists’ wet dream...or nightmare. Luckily Vince did not have to jet off to any playoff games after UNC took care of business (the Nets are officially eliminated from the playoffs). Peppers is sporting a lovely light blue blazer and I'm sure has his mind on lining up for the Panthers this year. It seems only fitting that Mahktar chose a piece of cardboard as his medium for mocking the Blue Devils. Antawn certainly is not bothered by the Wizards .231 winning percentage.
All kidding aside this is a great shot of alumni coming back and cheering on their team while at the same time mocking their rival. Although, there was no word on whether Mahktar accused Goran Suton of dropping an racial epithet at any point in time.
Even in victory, the UNC hatred still abounds for Duke [statesman.com via TBL]
Monday, March 23
Bigotry is a Far Cry from Immaturity
No line can better sum up an article written on Thursday for The New Republic. A Duke graduate, Seyward Darby, asserts that "there is a nasty strain of bigotry emanating" from anti-Duke fans because of the repeated references to their players being gay. Ms. Darby adds a few concessions, but with all the conviction of someone who begins a sentence with, "No offense, but..."
To help make Ms. Darby's case, the famous picture of a sign reading, "JJ is Redickulous" next to a Maryland fan holding a smaller sign that read, "-ly gay" is used, but she brackets her arguments with passages from Will Blythe's book about the Carolina-Duke rivalry, which suggests that she's aiming full on at Tar Heel fans for gay bashing.
To strengthen her case she points to Wikipedia entries being tweaked to suggest homosexuality and YouTube comments. Carolina fans are routinely criticized for being the "old, wine and cheese" crowd, and yet now we're launching a massive online movement to promote the homosexuality of Duke players? As for using YouTube comments as a barometer of a fan base, that's no different than judging everyone on Wall Street by the actions of Bernie Madoff, or judging young African-American entertainers on the actions of Chris Brown. It's not accurate and borderline irresponsible.
Ms. Darby identifies several usernames that have ties to Carolina, but neglects to do so when pointing out that there's a YouTube video called "Tyler Hansbrough is Faggy". Nor does she point out that Roy Williams, Dean Smith's, and Tyler Hansbrough's Wikipedia entries are also the focus of frequent vandalism. Recently, Coach Williams's entry was asserting, "He is a gay man who has sexual relations with his players."
Much of what is going on is juvenile, crude and unfortunate, but that's a far cry from bigotry. Duke fans themselves are not immune to throwing the gay barb. When referee Dick Paparo would officiate games in Cameron Indoor, if he made a call the fans didn't agree with, he would be hit with chants of "You Suck, Dick!" Is this just clever word play or homophobic? I would argue it's immature, clever wordplay. When former NBA player John Amaechi announced he was gay, it was a Duke player, Shavlik Randolph, who had this to say, "As long as you don't bring your gayness on me I'm fine. As far as business-wise, I'm sure I could play with him. But I think it would create a little awkwardness in the locker room." Which is more damning, YouTube comments or your student body and a player making these remarks?
The Cameron Crazies are not above treading on the line of decency. When a former Maryland player was alleged to have sexually abused a fellow student, fans threw panties and jeered him. Is making a mockery of sexual assault acceptable and observing that Greg Paulus has been dunked on repeatedly in his career, resulting in several crotches in his face, so far removed?
When fellow TNR writer, Jason Zengerle, responded to Ms. Darby's article he points to the bigger issue:
The homophobic Duke haters aren't necessarily taunting Duke players as whiny wimps; they're just taunting them just as they would their friends. Let me explain: the presence of so many white players on Duke's team creates the somewhat unusual dynamic of white fans taunting white athletes. As a result, this white-on-white shit-talking frequently takes the form of the shit-talking that goes on between the white taunters and their white friends--which, if you've recently spent much time with a certain class of white guys between the ages of 15 and 40, you know is a pretty homophobic form of shit-talking.
While it may seem that Duke is the target, it has nothing to do with the name on the chest, it's the color of the skin. These insults were not hurled at Grant Hill or Gerald Henderson, just as Kyle Singler would never be forced to endure monkey noises as some African-American high school players recently did in California. Christian Laettner never had bananas hurled at him like Patrick Ewing. Greg Paulus's intelligence has never been questioned, unlike JR Reid, who was the focus of "JR can't read" chants, by the Cameron Crazies. These are examples of true bigotry amongst basketball fans, a category which the majority of the remarks Ms. Darby references do not.
I'm not defending these "homophobic" remarks, but rather suggesting they're a cultural problem, not a problem in a rival fan base. In the vernaculars of many young men, "gay" is used as a synonym for lame for example, "Man, he's so gay when he flops." and "fag" often gets used in place of other crude words such as bitch or pussy. Their usage is immature and may not be socially acceptable in most circles, but rarely are tied to hatred or dislike of homosexuals. As it relates to Ms. Darby's point, Duke players and fans are just as guilty and to refuse to acknowledge that while using such a powerful word as bigotry (particularly in the South)is inexcusable by both Ms. Darby and The New Republic. Continue reading...
Wednesday, March 4
Duke's Recipe For Home Success
Our Tarheel followers may be upset at a second Duke post in a row, but after watching the Blue Devils' 84-81 victory over Florida State last night despite another big scoring night from Toney Douglas, I feel compelled to share my dismay at the familiarity of what I witnessed last night. Only North Carolina has downed Duke at Cameron Indoor this season and after watching last night's game it is easy to see why. Some of it is Duke's doing and the advantage of playing in the gym they play in.
Keys to a Duke home victory against a tough ACC opponent:
Take at least 25 3-pointers (30 taken last night)
Go into halftime trailing or barely ahead (trailed by 6)
Coach K takes suit jacket off
Second half run made with pressure defense and turnovers forced
Shoot a lot more free-throws than the opponent (31 to 20)
Greg Paulus make ridiculous flop (Well that's really every game)
Opposing team get called for a questionable technical (Alabi at 6 and a half minutes[his second of the season] and another one was called as well)
Opposing star player scores in abundance (Douglas had 27)
EDIT: Can't believe I forgot this one but there was a clock malfunction in the final two minutes.
FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said after the game, "Now, I've got a whole lot I could say. That play was a big play. There's no doubt about that. I saw it differently. ... That was a key play during that particular time. I wish we could have avoided it, and maybe the outcome would have been a little different. But that's college basketball."
It sure is coach, it sure is.
Post-game thoughts: Duke 84, Florida State 81 [The Chopping Block]
Tuesday, March 3
Tale of the Tube: Gerald Henderson vs. Grant Hill
There is a debate going on about just how good the Duke Blue Devils are this year. The certainty is that if they are going to make it to the Final Four in Detroit Gerald Henderson will have to lead them there. There have been comparisons made between Henderson and another athletic Duke great, Grant Hill. This got me thinking of the 1993-1994 season where Hill led a Duke team that was not a heavy favorite in the tournament to the Championship game in Charlotte where they fell to Scotty Thurman and Arkansas. So how do these two match up for this season, which may be Henderson's last at Duke? Since Henderson has yet to play at the next level, Hill's stats are taken from when he was at Duke.
The vitals:
Gerald----------------------------------------------------------------Grant
15---------------------------Jersey Number------------------------------33
Caldwell, NJ-----------------Birthplace----------------------------------Dallas
6'4"-------------------------------Height----------------------------------6'7"
215--------------------------------Weight-----------------------------------210
13 year NBA guard------------Father's Pro career-------12 year NFL RB
2nd round--------Furthest Tournament Progression------Champions in '91,'92
Kyle Singler------------Big White Scoring Teammate---------Cherokee Parks
Brian Zoubek--------Big White Non-Scoring Teammate---------Eric Meek
Greg Paulus-----------Annoying Punk Teammate---------------Christian Laettner
11.9--------------------------------Career PPG-------------------------------------14.9
Tyler Hansbrough elbow to face-----Famous Arm Motion--------Pass to Laettner in '92
Mini-Fro---------------------Haircut of choice before shaving it------------Box
Now we get to the Tube. First we have Grant Hill at Duke. This video is from the "Beyond the Glory" series on FSN. It is complete with Chris Collins and Christian Laettner commentary! Sweet headband dude! I chose this one because it has footage of the dunk Hill had against Kansas(and Roy Williams) in the 1991 National Championship game (:53 seconds in, yes Jim I can believe he got that high). For some reason that dunk is hard to find on YouTube. There is also footage from the 1994 tournament and I had forgotten on that run Duke took out one-seeded Purdue Boilermakers which featured Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson.
For Gerald, the dunk he had on Maryland may not be his most impressive dunk, but it is up there and is his most recent:
Here is another video stating his case for this year's ACC POY:
Obviously Grant has the advantage from having won two national championships and almost single-handedly capturing a third, but if Henderson can take over when the tournament comes, he could lead a charge reminiscent of 1994.
Tuesday, February 17
NCAA, Your Attention Please...
In the past ten days, there have been (at least) three costly elbows thrown in ACC games. Two players, Miami's DeQuan Jones (video here) and Florida State's Solomon Alabi (video) were ejected from the game for the transgression. Duke's Kyle Singler, who threw his at the reigning National Player of the Year, was not. While, at first glance, this may appear as bias against teams from Florida, or simply the lower profile schools in the ACC, the actual problem lies in the NCAA rule book (big shock, there).
Singler's elbow came after the play and the officials saw the play and called it without a review. In the other two cases, it took a video review to determine what had transpired. Under the current NCAA rules, the officials must call either invoke the fighting penalty, resulting in a flagrant foul (with ejection) or nothing at all. Both players clearly were outside the rules of the game, therefore ejected. With no leeway to operate, refs are being forced to either lie (by saying nothing happened) or throw a player out when it's not necessary. In both cases, the opposing player was actively trying to bait the player and succeeded, but in neither case (despite Greg Paulus's and Chas McFarland's heroic flops) was the elbow nearly as brutal as the one Gerald Henderson threw at Tyler Hansbrough, but all received the same penalty and in the two most recent cases it hurt their team's chances to win far more than Henderson's did.
The NCAA should address this immediately or run the risk of forcing refs to eject a player during the NCAA tournament, potentially ending a team's season. If the referees were allowed to assess a technical foul (as they did against Singler) after video review, it would be better for all parties involved. In the event you think the NCAA is too busy, you should be reminded that just over a month ago they found time to issue a memo about tights extending below game shorts.
Wednesday, February 11
Top Ten: Individual Tarheel Performances Against Duke
No game inspires more cliches than the Carolina Duke rivalry. Tonight, when Soulja Roy leads his troops into battle, you're guaranteed to hear how far apart the two shools are, see the Jason Capel shot (isn't it funnt how so many Duke fans love this moment, and it was a loss and Coach K wasn't a part of it), and about how Larry Brown and Art Heyman took the rivalry to a new level. Many Duke fans... correction, some older Duke fans that realize that the program existed before Coach K and the '91 season will tell you that fight cost Duke the championship. I'm not above saying anything nice about Duke, but it generally involves their women and birthing hips, which in certain company isn't considered complimentary. With any further ado, here's the top ten individual performances by Carolina players in the rivalry.
10. Al Wood - Carolina's first win over a Duke team ranked #1 in the country (they 
weren't ranked that high very often back in the day). The Heels were previously 0-2 when Duke was ranked in the top spot, Al Wood led all scorers with 20 points en route to ruining Mike Gminski's final game in Cameron against the Tarheels. Wood also scored 14 in a 25 drubbing of the Devils in the final game of the regular season. Wood's best performance, however, came in the ACC tournament game in which Duke prevailed. Wood had 32 points, the only Tarheel with more than seven in the game, but Duke prevailed behind the G-man's 24 points and 19 rebounds.
9. George Karl - In the only time the two teams have met in postseason play (beyong 
the ACC tournament), George Karl led the Heels with 21 points in the semifinal round of the NIT. Carolina would go on to win the NIT, and Duke would lose the third place game to St. Bonaventure. More known for his defense, Karl's offensive outburst was key following a knee injury to leading scorer Dennis Wuycik. Forward Bill Chamberlain would win the MVP for the tournament, but it wouldn't have been possible with out Karl's performance against the Blue Devils.
8. Steve Hale - In January of 1986, the Dean Dome opened its doors for the 
first time, and rather than playing a patsy to insure an easy first victory, the Heels invited Duke to be their first victim opponent. A tightly contested game, saw the Heels emerge victorious 95-92, behind excellent performances by two Heels: Brad Daugherty and Steve Hale. Daugherty posted a double-double (23-11), but Hale had 28 points on 10 of 12 from the field and 8 of 9 from the charity stripe. Hale would later suffer a collapsed lung against Maryland, and while on the bench at Cameron, was chided with chants of "In-Hale, Ex-Hale," a chant that is credited with the start of the national recognition of the Crazies as Dickie V's favorites.
7. J.R. Reid - The most controversial period of the Dean Smith/Coach K rivalry 
centered around J.R., in 1989 Duke fans had signs that stated, "J.R. can't Reid." For Duke fans, it was little more than (semi)clever word play, but for Dean Smith, a man that had been a part of the civil rights movement, the sign crossed a line. Reid always played well against the Devils, putting the team on his back in a 1988 game, where the team fell short, leading the team to a 20-point beatdown of a top ranked and undefeated Duke team in the first meeting in 1989, but his best performance was in the '89 ACC tournament championship game. Reid led the team in scoring, but with only 14 points it was his defense that contributed most to the victory. Danny Ferry was the National Player of the Year, but struggled mightily against Reid, matching Reid's fourteen points, but on 20 shots and was held to only three rebounds.
6. Raymond Felton - With Duke riding a six game series winning streak, and having won 
eleven of the last twelve, an unranked Carolina needed a spectacular effort to knock off tenth ranked Duke in March of 2003. Duke was led by JJ Redick, Shelden Williams, Chris Duhon, and Dahntay Jones and had been ranked in the single digits all season, until a one point loss to St. John's (led by Marcus Hatten's 29). One week later, the strode into the Dean Dome to face a Carolina team searching for it's identity with young coach Matt Doherty at the helm. Spurned on by two of their freshmen, Rashad McCants and Raymond Felton Carolina would snap the losing streak. McCants was the top scorer in the game with 26, but Raymond Felton had 18 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds (nearly a crappy triple double) to lead the Tarheels.
5. Bob Lewis - Fresh off the Art Heyman era, Duke had captured seven straight against 
the Heels (their longest streak in the rivalry, Carolina has twice won eight straight). In January of 1965, Duke was ranked in the top ten and Dean Smith was being hung in effigy. Billy Cunningham famously tore down that effigy and was a big player against Duke in Durham, but it was Bob Lewis who shone through. Lewis's 21 points trailed Cunningham by only one, but his 12 rebounds were instrumental in securing a 65-62 victory over the favored Devils. This was only Dean's second win against Duke in his fifth season at Chapel Hill. Smith would recover to go 59-35 against Duke, and 24-14 against Coach K.
4. Joseph Forte - Perhaps the most forgotten Tarheel of the last twenty years (mostly 
because fans of other teams won't let us forget Makhtar), Forte was a one man wrecking crew against the Devils. In 2000, he forced overtime with a dramatic three, but his best show came in Cameron in February of 2001. The game was the first against Duke for rookie head coach Matt Doherty and his team faced an uphill climb against the number 2 ranked Devils led by Jason (now Jay) Williams, Mike Dunleavy, and Carlos Boozer. Forte stole the show, scoring 24 and grabbing 16 rebounds. At 6' 3" he outrebounded everyone, including his teammate, 7-footer Brendan Haywood. Forte won ACC rookie of the year in 2000, and this game helped earn him 2001 ACC POY honors, and also insured that every Duke team that has won a national championship, has also lost that same year to UNC.
3. Jerry Stackhouse and Danny Green - Need you ask why?
2. Tyler Hansbrough - Few games have been as satisfying in for Tarheel 
fans, than senior night in Cameron 2006. In both JJ Redick's and Shelden Williams's final games in the building, it was a freshman that stole the show, outplaying both of them. Hansbrough had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and even a three pointer to clinch the 83-76 final. Tonight Hansbrough (and Danny Green) will attempt to go 4 for 4 in games at Cameron, something no player has ever done at Carolina (The Heels did win five straight from '73 to '77).
1. Walter Davis - Eight points in seventeen seconds. Along with senior Bobby Jones, 
who scored 24, it was again a freshman, Walter Davis, whose 31 points paced the team to a 96-92 overtime win against the Devils. Coach Smith famously predicted, "We can win this game. Bobby is going to make these free throws, we're going to put a trap on them and get a steal and score quickly." Jones did, the tem did get the steal, and then a long pass after a missed free throw by Mitch Kupchak to Davis set up a 30-foot bank shot at the buzzer to tie the game in arguably the greatest comeback in college basketball history.
The ASD Universe Explodes Tonight
The slate is extremely busy for ASD and friends this evening.
First off, we have our weekly trivia contest a the local pub. After winning 4 weeks in a row we hit a 3 week losing streak but got back on track last week. Luckily, I will not be alone this week as Catfish and Xtra Medium will run the Triangle Offense of useless knowledge. A win means 25 bucks off our tab, a loss means humiliation and degredation in the form of free pizza or a bucket.
The Buffalo Sabres are 8 games over .500 and in 7th place in the Eastern Conference but just 3 points out of 4th. They square off against the Senators at the HSBC tonight.
In the NBA, Catfish is riding high after the Bobcats snapped their 5 game losing streak Monday. Their last game before the all-star break is tonight at home against Washington. The days off will certainly help get everyone healthy, especially Gerald Wallace. The Wizards have lost 8 of their last 10 and the Cats can not afford to drop this one going into the break because with the Bucks most likely out of the playoff picture now with their injuries, Charlotte is very much in the playoff race.
Before the main course of UNC-Duke, my favorite (tied with the CANES) team UCONN hosts Syracuse (ESPN 7 PM) which is the alma mater of our friend the Concierge. Going back to our high school days games between these two have been heated and wagers were made and hillarity ensued. The Orange need to get back on track but will have a tough test tonight in Gampel.
Then of course we have the game of the night and I'm willing to bet Catfish will be lacing the air with some profanities. I cannot see Carolina losing this game but if Duke is going to stay in this they have to shoot more than 34 percent from three and get one or more of the key Tar Heel players in foul trouble. Oh my the officiating should be fun in this one.
The countdown on the clock at the office has already begun...almost gametime.
North Carolina and Duke: A Time to Hate
Tonight North Carolina travels 8 miles down the streets of Tobacco Road to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face their arch rivals on the hardwood. The Tarheels are the favored team and overall the more talented, but that is only a slight advantage when it comes to these two teams. I am not a proponent of trying to determine what is the "best rivalry" in sports. It is an argument that cannot be settled by any statistical figure and what one rivalry means to one fan could mean the opposite to any other. Having grown up in North Carolina however, I can say that this game is always a special event in the state and like most intense athletic contests that are special, the key component is hatred. Both teams and their fans hate each other, some people watching the game hate both teams, some people hate Dick Vitale who is calling the game, some hate the coaches, some hate the officiating but the bottom line is there is so much hate and so much to hate that the game is a release for that emotion.
As once joked on the Chapelle Show, "You got hate in your heart let it out." Sometimes there is a time to throw away the constrictive social morays of self-control and tactful objectivity. It is natural to have hate built up inside you from time to time. Mostly it is not directed personally at others, but rather a discontent with our own selves that breeds the wrath thrown on others. The UNC-Duke game is a perfect chance to project our own feelings of insecurity, anger at things out of our control, and the injustices of the world and manifest them into a 40 minute basketball game. This is easier for the fans of the teams, but it is not hard for people who have no dog in this fight to generate their own because like I stated, the hate comes from within.
For Carolina fans the hate is one that is shared with most of the nation. Duke is seen as a snobby private school for smart unattractive pricks who mostly hale from New Jersey. The school has a sense of entitlement about itself and it has become an easy target for dislike around the nation. Just ask the lacrosse team. On the court, the team is led by Coach K whom supporters believe is a bastion of leading young men to live better lives. The dissenters argue the Rat King has become a bully to officials and do not see the humble nature his admires talk about when he is pocketing huge checks from endorsement deals and speaking appearances. The Duke players receive similar venom from detractors. "Hustlers" like Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Trajan Langdon, Shane Battier, Wojo, and now Greg Paulus are easy targets for hate. Players like this are easily polarizing and it is no surprise why a Duke fan why you love these guys and why as a anti-Duke fan you cannot stand them.
North Carolina may be nationally the more popular team of these two, but there is plenty of room for haters. Similarly to Duke, UNC fans are sometimes seen as haughty self-righteous douches. Sam Cassell once labled them as "a wine and cheese" crowd which is a moniker that has followed them ever since. The perception is that Carolina fans think they are the best, without question and that is a trait that is an easy target for hatred. Roy Williams would seem to be a guy who is hard to hate, but the beauty of hating is that you can always find something you do not like about someone. In Roy's case the weak argument about the 2005 national championship being won with Matt Doherty's players is a popular one. There are also shots taken against Roy for his "aww shucks" persona which has led to comparisons to Huckleberry Hound. Tar Heel players usually are the top prospects coming in so they are usually hated for how good they are, but that cannot stop the hate parade for players like Eric Montross, Rasheed, Stackhouse, and most notably Tyler Hansbrough. Like some of the most infamous Duke hate targets, Tyler draws the ire of ABCers (Anybody But Carolina for the lay people) for the admiration of his hustle and grit. The notion that Hansbrough gets special treatment from the officials adds fuel to the fire as well.
I cannot wait for tonight's contest even though I root for neither team and never have and certainly never will. I could reel off a bunch of numbers, statistics and facts about the history of the games between these two but HBO has a special coming out later this month on it and if it was anything like their show on Michigan-Ohio State they can say it better than I. The hate is what makes it compelling, think about any rivalry in sports; Yankees-Sox, Cubs-Cardinals, Lakers-Celtics, Steelers-Ravens, etc. When something happens between the teams to spark more hatred, the more compelling it is to watch. The characters on both sides that are either adored or hated increases the desire to see that which you hate destroyed. So if you have some anger welling inside you, find something about tonight's game, anything and let that hate out.
Gratuitous videos from the rivlary:
Defense anyone?
Catfish would like to point out Duke still lost this game:
Joe Forte sighting!
Tyler goes boom (Still think Pyscho T is a lame nickname):
Chris Collins and Matt Doherty not playing nice-nice:
Marvin Williams puts the biscuit in the basket:
Monday, February 9
Greg Paulus Gets Another Taste
Miami's basketball team comes up with some impressive dunks in losing efforts. First, it was DeQuan Jones insane dunk against North Carolina and now we have Dwayne Collins giving the facial to Greg Paulus in the Canes 78-75 overtime loss to Duke on Saturday. Jones got thrown out of this game for "throwing" an elbow on Paulus after Duke scored a basket. Jones did deserve to get at the very least a technical foul for the play, but Paulus was grabbing the ball as it came through the basket after his team scored and Jones was trying to get the ball to inbound it. Paulus dry humped Jones and when Jones moved his arm to get Paulus out of the way Greg fell to the ground like a Eurpoean soccer player. This reaction is what got Jones ejected, not the actual contact.
It may be my bias on the situation but it seems to me that Paulus is a punk. Wasn't this guy a football player at one time? He seems to flop at ever chance he gets yet he plays defense exclusively with his hands while flailing to fake contact the whole time. It makes it more amazing that he tried to actually block this dunk versus his usual try to draw charge but get teabagged. Anyway, below is Dwayne Collins giving Paulus the business, and an overall tribute to Paulus getting dunked on here at Awful Announcing.
Thursday, January 29
Two Case Studies in ACC End-of-Game Management
Unless you had other things going on last night or do not enjoy college basketball, you missed some great finishes in ACC country. The games of Duke-Wake and UNC-Florida St. came down to the wire after all four teams battled hard, but as is seen so often come tournament time, a team has to be solid during crunch time if they want to win and advance. Although these games were not elimination games and merely affected conference standings and nonessential national rankings, it is a good reflection of how calling the right play, execution, and knowing your opponents strengths and weaknesses can win the game...or lose it.
Case in point, let us look at the final plays in both games. First we have the Carolina-FSU match-up. Florida State has been known to knock off highly ranked teams at home before. The Seminoles trailed in the game by 13 but battled back and had the ball with the game tied at 77 and 16.3 seconds left. There was a shot clock issue so they could not hold for the final shot. But they ended up having Tony Douglas launch a 3 trying to lean into Tyler Hansbrough for a foul as their final shot. Douglas is a guy whom you want taking that final shot, but no penetration and leaning into Tyler, you really think the refs are going to give you that call? The far worse error committed by the Noles came on the subsequent play in my opinion. Watch the video and look how far back the defense is off Ty Lawson. The FSU guards are practically at halfcourt. They allow Lawson to catch the ball and turn with no resistance and then do nothing to slow him down has he gets from one end of the court to their three-point line in 3.2 seconds. The shot was not a high percentage floater but there was no valid challange on Lawson or the shot. Tyus Edney had more defense played on him than Lawson did on the final drive. It should be no surprise that Ty Lawson is one of the fastest player if not the fastest with the ball. Bad execution at both ends by Florida State, and they lose their chance at an upset.
Next we have Duke and Wake Forest. The video provided via TBL shows the final two minutes but let's focus on the final inbounds play (3:26 on the video). Wake head coach Dino Gaudio drew up an amazing final play. Gaudio went the best match-up, his big players against Duke's inferior big men. With Duke playing man to man, Wake emptied out the middle of the floor and had James Johnson roll of his screen to the basket. The Duke defender was playing on the opposite side of the basket from Johnson because most likely he was going to try to help on Jeff Teague, who everyone thought surely would get the ball. Johnson ended up being wide open for the winning lay-up. Duke battled back from being down 13 but 4-24 from behind the arc is not going to get it done.
The bottom line is, coaches need their players prepared for these situations and make sure they know all possible scenarios in practice and after they come out of timeouts. Coaches only get 20 hours of actual court practice time during the week so it has to be maximized and end of game situations needs to be part of that preparation.
Recap of last night's action. [Deadspin]
Wednesday, January 21
Duke Rediscovering the Recipe for Success
Sorry Duke haters, but this isn't the same Duke that has flamed out in March in recent years. This team is much more similar to the Battier-era teams. Incredibly balanced, with depth, and an emphasis on defense. It seems like ages, but it's only eight years since Duke's last title and really only the second incarnation of a team since that championship. Whether Coach K learned from his experiences in Beijing or from the failures of his previous teams is debatable, but this team is a far cry from the J.J. Redick-led teams that always fell short.
All three of Duke's championship teams have been headed by three well-rounded players. The '91 and '92 teams were led by Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley. The 2001 championship team was led by the triumvirate of Shane Battier, Jason Williams, and Mike Dunleavy. This year's trio of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson display many of the same characteristics. Balanced scoring, capable of setting up their teammates, and active defense were trademarks of the championship teams and this group as well. If anything, the Redick era (so often tied to Coach K's March failings) was the anomaly.
The 2005-06 season was Redick's last in Durham and most prolific, but by the end of the season he was worn out. At this point in that season, he was in the midst of playing 40 minutes per in three straight games. In the last three games for this year's team, they've had three different leaders in minutes and no player has played more than 38 minutes. While Redick's minutes would peak in the month of February at 39.13, the effects weren't felt until March when his scoring plummeted to 22 ppg despite a season high 19 shots per game. With Redick assuming so much of the scoring responsibility and the offense being set up to create shots primarily for him, it led to their eventual eventual sweet 16 dispatch at the hands of LSU, when Redick shot only 3-18 from the field and tied a season low with only 11 points. JJ was the team's leading scorer in all but six games, with Shelden Williams as the leader in the other six (as well as a couple games where the two tied). This year's team has already had five different Blue Devils top the scoring column, much more similar to the 2001 team.
All of this does not mean Duke will be cutting down the nets in April, but they are better suited for a long stay come tournament time. Currently, Kyle Singler leads the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals but with the emergence of Gerald Henderson and Nolan Smith, the team's attack has become far more balanced. One area of concern heading forward has been the team's assist to turnover ratio, at just over 1/1 (259/252). Reserve David McClure is the only player with a ratio above 2/1 at 2.3/1. This year's team is not as good as the previous championship teams, but they are cut from the same cloth.
Tuesday, January 20
Hear Ye, Hear Ye!
Allow me to formally apologize in getting caught up with the changing of the guard in Washington and losing track of what's really important in life. Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils are number two in the most recent college basketball rankings. They play number one Wake a week from tomorrow. Set your sun dials.
Friday, January 9
Coach K Needs Love
The Duke Blue Devils are number 2 in the country. It's January and unlike the FBS college basketball has a playoff, so a ranking just a week into conference play might seem insignificant, but apparently not to Coach K.
"I don't even think it was mentioned in the newspapers here, that we were No. 2 in the polls," Coach K said after Duke's 79-67 win over Davidson on Wednesday. "Fact, I know it wasn't mentioned, so I guess nobody really cares."
"It's interesting, always interesting to me in 29 years here, the subtleties of the local press is funny in some respects."
"I know it's not that big here, but it's pretty damn good. So when this group makes No. 2, it's a new group, they should be celebrated for doing something good." (GN&O)
We here at ASD would never shirk our duties, so we'd like to apologize for failing to recognize Duke's accomplishment. We'd also be admonished if we didn't point out the last time Duke was ranked number 2 (way back in last season) they lost two road games in succession (Wake Forest and Miami). Duke's next two games are on the road at Florida State and Georgia Tech.
Tuesday, January 6
Ahh, Editors!
Hving a editor would bee a tremindous luxry to we here,, at ASD. Unfortunately, our budget prevents us from having a grammar and spelling nazi to overlook our work. Newspapers, allegedly, do still employ them, which is why I bring up this little nugget. Just after Christmas, Duke assistant basketball coach Chris Collins just so happened to show up at a high school game featuring the top point guard recruit, who just so happens to be undecided as to his future. The game was held the day after Christmas, which is a recruiting dead period and therefore a violation by Coach Collins. The significance of the violation is not why I brought you here, but because of the editing of the local paper and the headlines that were used. Two local papers, the Charlotte Observer, and the Greensboro News and Observer share writers, but each handles their own editing and headlines. Let's take a quick gander at the differences in the exact same article written by Ken Tysiac.
Charlotte Observer- Headline: "Duke says Collins broke NCAA rule"
and an important quote, "Friday was the final day of the recruiting period when NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from attending high school games."
Greensboro News & Observer- Headline: "Duke to self-report violation"
and the same quote, "Friday was the final day of the Dec. 24-26 recruiting “dead period,” during which NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from attending high school games."
Not only is the Charlotte papers headline more inflammatory, but they edited out a crucial piece of information, "Dec. 24-26", why is it so important? Because UNC head coach had been in Florida to watch three of his prized recruits on Dec. 23. Obviously, they weren't considering that when they edited it out, but in doing so they cut out a piece that makes the writing much less informative. Anyone who reads the Observer knows their headline writers are also severely lacking, but that is more stylistic than anything. Papers wonder why their relevance is decreasing, but after reading their article any curious sort would turn to the internet to find the answer, and to find that they edited out the piece of info sought, is laughable.
