Virginia Cavaliers’ head coach Pete Gillen once complained that they were on T.V. more than Leave It To Beaver reruns. Classless Maryland Terapin fans unanimously chant, “F-you, J.J.!” as the clean-cut sophomore ices a road victory at the free-throw line. Every road loss of the last three seasons has been followed by a court storming. Our very own B.C. calls them the good-looking, skirt-chasing “Evil Empire” of college basketball, or something like that. While it may seem otherwise, they’ve only been college basketball’s last team standing once in the last eleven years. So, why is it that seemingly everyone hates Duke? And even before they cover the 7.5 point spread against the beloved Illini’…
In three of the last four seasons the Blue Devils have played no further than they already have this year, dropping in the Sweet 16 to Florida, Indiana and Kansas respectively, with a National Championship mixed in to help ease the pain of poor shooting performances that prevented Duke from surviving the second weekend of the tournament (see: 2003: J.J.’s ice cold, 2002: J-Will’s free-throw woes, 2000: J-Will’s 6 of 20 from the field). But those blemishes are still apparently not fresh enough in the minds of college basketball hoopheads to erase the last two decades of dominance.
Since 1985, the Duke Blue Devils’ three National Championships are paralleled only by Kentucky’s two. During that time they’ve played in a total of seven championship games, four more than other name schools like Kentucky, Michigan, Syracuse and Kansas. In Johnny Dawkins, Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, and Shane Battier, they not only boast a revolving door of All-American candidates—-but character guys, you know scholar-athletes, that actually stay in college (and out of trouble) for all four years of eligibility. Hell, Nick Horvath would celebrate his 30th birthday in a Duke uniform if the NCAA would allow him. ESPN would probably televise the festivities, with Dickie V. as emcee, and Doris Burke jumping out of a cake.
I normally enjoy rooting for the underdog, so I can certainly understand why a Duke loss is to be celebrated and embraced by the majority of college basketball fans. The same way I cheer when the Yankees are knocked out of the MLB playoffs. And not only losses on the court but early defections in the form of Elton Brand, Will Avery and Corey Maggette; the NBA failures of Hurley, Hill and Jason Williams; even hip replacements for Coach K are probably met with excited cheers from the most vitriolic of Duke-haters. I wouldn’t go so far as B.C. to call their recent dominance “Evil” though. Maybe more like Outkast’s Hey Ya. You know the song is good, but after awhile you get tired of it and are ready to hear something else. But, search as you might—you have a hell of a time finding something as cool.
If there’s not anything you can find to like, there’s at least a lot to respect about the way Coach K runs his program. And once you scrape below the surface of the unnecessary and grating Vitale propaganda machine (No, Derek Jeter does not play the point for the Blue Devils), you can appreciate that the success of the program is no accident. According to reports, in the Raleigh pod of this tournament which included Alabama State, Arizona, Florida, Manhattan, Seton Hall, VCU, Wake Forest and Duke—-the Blue Devils were the only team that bothered scouting everyone’s practices. No doubt these practices are open to the media and public and are more vanilla run-throughs than anything else. Yet you’ll find that attention to detail and preparation at every level of the Duke program.
Michigan State and Mizzou struggled mightily this season without a capable point guard on their rosters. Before leaving for Carolina, Roy left virtually no seniors on a Kansas roster to help replace the leadership void after Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich graduated. St. John’s players celebrate a loss at the strip club, while Arizona raids vending machines after hours. You don’t hear about those situations at Duke. There is no “down” or “rebuilding” year, no visible, insubordinate malcontents, not even a headband or braid. It’s not a stepping stone to a more lucrative higher-paying job, and there’s no such thing as “bubble talk.”
Unlike many programs, Coach K fills out his assistant coaching staff with former players. Guys that have not only played for him, but for the university they’re currently employed by. Who better to instill the Duke way on the bench, and on the recruiting trail than guys who’ve worn the jersey themselves? Why more programs don’t do this I’m not sure, as it’s proven effective time and time again in not only landing “blue-chip” recruits, but also in landing players willing to sign a national letter of intent without any guarantee of playing time or pre-defined role.
And let’s not get too crazy in comparing the Cameron Crazies to the Orange Crush. The last time I checked the Illini’ campus wasn’t littered with kids living in tents two months prior to the Indiana game. They also didn’t make enough of an impression in attempting to retain Coach Self’s services last year. If B.C. paints himself entirely orange, than maybe I’ll give a little credence to this argument.
I’ve only known the Coach K era of Duke basketball. I understand there were capable coaches like Vic Bubas and Bill Foster who preceded him, and that Dick Groat and Art Heyman were All-Americans before Johnny Dawkins and Tommy Amaker were even born. In Coach K, I see a self-deprecating, detail-oriented, fiery, classy, premature Hall-of-Famer with an eyechart for a last name. I realize others see a sanctimonious, above-the-law, foul-mouthed dictator. But if you’ve taken the time to flip on ESPN-News after a Duke game, you’ll find a gracious coach win or loss, who goes out of his way to offer praise to his opponent, and one who as negative towards the referees as he may be during a game, never refers to a questionable call during the post-game press conference. He was a vocal minority against the ACC’s money-driven raiding of the Big East, that led to the Big East’s pillaging of Conference-USA.
I’d go on and talk about his humanitarian efforts raising millions of dollars for the Jimmy V. Foundation, Coaches vs. Cancer, the Duke Children’s Hospital, but now I realize if you didn’t already hate Duke—-than you certainly do by now. So, let’s just get to the game and the match-ups already…
Unlike Sunday, Deron Williams will not be the prettiest player on the floor when the Illini’ and Blue Devils take the court on Friday night. And unlike Cincy, Duke doesn’t have a problem sharing the floor with other pretty people—-so Deron and Co. will need to look for a different type of motivation that played a role in his career high of 31 points against the Bearcats.
I view the perimeter battle as a wash. Illinois features the athletic type of personnel that have been successful in harassing J.J. Redick of late, and Duke has depth in Redick, Duhon, and especially Ewing and Dockery to keep fresh defenders on Deron and Dee Brown.
During the first two rounds at least, Coach K has gone big. More specifically putting Luol Deng, Shelden Williams and Shavlik Randolph on the floor simultaneously. In these sets Shavlik sets up on the perimeter and takes one big man away from the basket. Whether K only trusts Shavlik against mediocre opponents, or if he’s healthier and therefore more effective than he’s been all season remains to be seen. What doesn’t remain to be seen is that Deng is capable of putting 20 on the board no matter how he’s guarded. Shelden will do the same, but only if he stays out of foul trouble, which has been a problem of late. It seems as if Coach Weber is a little indecisive in determining whether James Augustine will guard Deng and Roger Powell will guard Shelden, or vice versa. He’s currently going with the previously stated match-up, which I think would favor Duke in both regards. Although he’s only 6’9,” Shelden would be too much to handle for the smaller Powell down-low in my opinion. Powell is at least quick enough to stay with Deng, while Augustine’s size would make much more sense defending solely in the paint.
Which brings us to the biggest X-factor—-coaching. I was among those surprised as to how seamlessly Weber facilitated the post-Self transition. But, this is still a guy that lost in last year’s NCAAs to Quin Snyder. With a week to prepare, I have no doubt that Coach K already has a gameplan in place taking away either Brown or Williams in much the same way he removed Andre Barrett’s offense from the Seton Hall game. All while Coach Weber is flipping coins and eating sandwiches.
Of course Illinois has a chance, as they’re playing their best basketball at the right time of year. Redick and Ewing have both been inconsistent from long-range down the stretch. If Duhon’s bruised ribs worsen or he’s put on the bench for any more than 10 minutes, then the Illini’ could cakewalk to the Elite 8. And then be getting ready for the Next Biggest Game of B.C.’s young life.
I agree with Andy, you all need to get off B.C.’s back. And more importantly, Jay Bilas’. Yes, he’s a Duke grad, but you’re not paying attention if you don’t recognize his talents as an objective, intelligent and humorous college analyst. Besides, I’m pretty sure he’s got Texas picked over Duke—and do you really prefer Steve Lavin?
Regarding the rest of the tourney, like some of you I bought in to the Gonzaga-hype. They’re my only Final Four team knocked out, as I correctly thought Stanford and Kentucky were both overrated. Pitt’s underseeding remains in my mind as the biggest injustice to this bracket (with Kansas playing in Kansas City and St. Louis as a #4 seed a close second). One that could negatively affect their next round opponent, Oklahoma State, in East Rutherford. Some outstanding Sweet 16 games to look forward to:
Oklahoma State/Pitt- Championship-quality game and proof of how badly the committee seeded the East (Ok State)
Wake/St. Joseph’s- Chris Paul makes himself a household name and sends Jameer Nelson to the 2nd round of the NBA Draft (Wake)
UConn/Vandy- An even luckier draw than the J-Hawks, Calhoun could afford to keep Okafor on the bench for this mismatch (Uconn)
Alabama/Syracuse- Bama doesn’t see much zone in the SEC—but it should still be close (Bama)
Texas/Xavier- Texas normally has the depth, but not on the perimeter (Xavier)
Nevada/Georgia Tech- Nevada’s proven they belong, but Georgia Tech won’t give Okeson open looks like the Zags did (G-Tech)
UAB/Kansas- 10 vs. 5.5, 4.5 if/when Graves gets in foul trouble (UAB)
Duke/Illinois- The winner is going to have a quick turnaround, and may be at a disadvantage to either Texas or Xavier… (Duke)
Somebody obviously watched the O.C. last night… But I’m all about CBS til Monday…
Illinois people can at least post a spirited defense of their school just once.
But don’t worry, Jake. Your loss will be "double-posted" as well. It should appear Saturday night on ESPN Classic!
It’s not fair. Our guy’s only 20!
Illini Fan, you’re right. I guess our guy probably posts his articles one too many times as well!
Bruce, I was thinking you, in particular, would have to read through the material at least twice before you were able to successfully sound out all the big words… And since your complaint you’ve now got only two photos of milfy-Melinda Clarke instead of four.
Way to ruin it for everyone!!!..
That’s right, Jake, you tell em’! Of course I can cover the college team I played for, the program that was the defining moment of my life, without a shred of bias. My undying love for Coach K will never taint my analysis! I mean, hey, George Stephanopolous covers politics with such a clear eye; it’s obvious I cover hoops with the same amount of objectivity.
Oh, and I’m a professional, paid to analyze college hoops for an international network. B.C. is a local writer who also happens to still be a student. Obviously both of us are equally entitled to be fan boys. Right?
Dookie V is a huge part of the hatred of Duke. It’s total overkill and annoys everyone. Plus he compares them to the Yankees, so right there you lose most of the civilized world.
Also, why are Duke-Valpo games on ESPN? We’re sick of them, already.
Hey yo…you stole my schtick, Potter.
Dammit, Webbs, Melinda Clarke is Sssssmokin! The more, the merrier, and you had to go and cut my fix in half.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot.
I still hate Duke.
I-L-L…
And people wonder why I fled Champaign? Your fan boy has not yet posted a picture to pepper any of his stories. If he did, I can only imagine who his first would be. Lowell Hamilton? Lou Henson? Matt Heldman? Sandwich Boy?
Oh well. The chicks are so much hotter at KU, just like Eustachy said!
Hey Sloth, most people who didn’t go to Duke feel that way. Just like most people outside New York City pray daily for the Yankees to lose, often, just to shut up those annoying "fan boys," as it has so eloquently been put on this site.
…I-N-I!!!!
blah blah blah…duke sucks…no cherokee parks references?
Jake,
You are not fair. I’m telling my mommy!
Some people like being an imposter, like the 1:20 PM CST "B.C."
The way the Yankees have run their organization in the last ten or so years makes them baseball’s "Evil Empire", as the Red Sox head honchos like to say. Not only are they good and can get practically anybody they want, but you know they aren’t stupid or egotistical enough to throw it away on stupid signings or firing a good manager. Knowing the organization you hate isn’t likely to screw up to help you out just makes it all worse for the fans that hate the Yankees.
It’s similiar with Duke. They look good, and you know they don’t screw up. Other than the one year (1995?) where Coach K’s back supposedly went out on him in the middle of the season, Duke has been at the top EVERY single season for the last, what, 15 years?
And, on the pictures, I have had some trouble figuring out how to get those up. Personally, I don’t think I need that many pictures in my articles but if you want them I’ll figure out how to pull them up in my articles.
Until tomorrow…
Yeeeaaahh!!!!
B.C. is going to post tomorrow!
Yeeeaaahh!!!!
We can’t wait!
Yeeeaaahh!!!!
Wait, I leave the room for one morning, Jake props himself up on a Duke soapbox and nobody takes him to task? Nobody? Sigh.
All in all, he’s right. But…you knew there’d be a but…
Maybe more like Outkast’s Hey Ya. You know the song is good, but after awhile you get tired of it and are ready to hear something else. But, search as you might—you have a hell of a time finding something as cool.
Quick, somebody buy Jake a radio with a dial on it.
"What cooler than cool?"
"Ice cold!"
Excuse me while I beat myself in the head with a pool cue.
And let’s not get too crazy in comparing the Cameron Crazies to the Orange Crush. The last time I checked the Illini’ campus wasn’t littered with kids living in tents two months prior to the Indiana game. They also didn’t make enough of an impression in attempting to retain Coach Self’s services last year.
The Illini faithful don’t need to build a tent city to get tickets because Urbana has a TicketMaster in every trailerpark in town.
Oh, and I’m sure the Polish Johnny Cash stays in Durham because the fans know how to jump up and down in unison and paint themselves blue. It has nothing to do with making millions of dollars and living in state where you can still get a Coke for 15 cents.
view the perimeter battle as a wash. Illinois features the athletic type of personnel that have been successful in harassing J.J. Redick of late, and Duke has depth in Redick, Duhon, and especially Ewing and Dockery to keep fresh defenders on Deron and Dee Brown.
Yeah, only here’s the thing. If Duke plays either Ewing or Dockery, one of them might have to make a shot. We know that won’t happen.
During the first two rounds at least, Coach K has gone big. More specifically putting Luol Deng, Shelden Williams and Shavlik Randolph on the floor simultaneously. In these sets Shavlik sets up on the perimeter and takes one big man away from the basket.
That’s an ingenious alignment! That’s like playing a small forward, a power forward and a center at the same time! Quick, somebody alert the guys in Springfield! We’ve got more fodder for the Hall of Fame!
Which brings us to the biggest X-factor—-coaching. I was among those surprised as to how seamlessly Weber facilitated the post-Self transition. But, this is still a guy that lost in last year’s NCAAs to Quin Snyder. With a week to prepare, I have no doubt that Coach K already has a gameplan in place taking away either Brown or Williams in much the same way he removed Andre Barrett’s offense from the Seton Hall game. All while Coach Weber is flipping coins and eating sandwiches.
Wow, there’s just so much here. First off, since Jake was so happy that Coach K hires former players to be assistants, shouldn’t he believe that Polish Johnny is molding guys like Quinn into coaching marvels? If you remember that SIU-Mizzou game, Mizzou, despite being ubertalented and having a convicted felon running the point, got outplayed by the Salukis, only to have one of the worst calls in tourney history give them the game.
As for Coach K outthinking the befuddled Sandwich Man, anybody who could get out stratgerized by Mike Davis in an NCAA tourney can’t be infallible.
You don’t know how to get ’em up, squirt? C’mon, gang! In life, you can always do what I did: Talk to your doctor about Levitra!
By the way, stop your pissing match between Duke and Illinois. Neither can stand next to Pitt.
Damn Jake! What did the five fingers say to the face? *SLAP*
I would hate to disagree with "Da Coach", but Oklahoma State is going to get rid of Pitt for everybody else in this tournament… Now I’m just going to avoid that lightning bolt that got sent my way for disagreeing with Ditka.
Did I really say Duke was "skirt-chasing"? I mean, all I did say was that, if we compared them to a structure of student life in high school or in college, Duke is like the the guy who gets the $50,000 car and the hottest girl in school. I don’t know, maybe my subconscious was getting into my writing on that comparision… ;)
B.C.- Duke lost it’s first round game in 1996 to Earl Boykins and Eastern Michigan…
Andy- Over the last 10 years, anything besides a 3-guard lineup at Duke is absolutely an oddity to behold.
Daniel Ewing can make a shot. And Sean Dock—-errrr, Daniel Ewing can make a shot.
I don’t get your Quin Snyder reference. Was he a Dukie? You must be confused, I’m fairly certain he played/coached for the University of Washington or somewhere out west. Duke? Really???
I’ll give you Mike Davis and the oversized chip that sits upon his shoulder. Anyone that could take the perceived slight of a program preparing for the inconceivable possibility of playing in the next round, and combine it with a free-throw contaminating hex on the opponent is truly a master strategist. The next thing you’ll tell me is he had a red-headed, undersized point guard on the team… By the way, how did Indiana do in the tournament this year?
I do recall a vicious assault on Carlos Boozer in the last seconds of that one too, it’s a modern day medical miracle he was able to resume a normal, productive life afterwards.
If only we didn’t have to wait til Friday for Duke vs. Illinois…
BTW, if Coach K is the Polish Johnny Cash, can we agree that Weber is Conway Twitty?
And Juan Cruz is now a Brave. Cubs get a lefty to led the AAA International League in Ks along with a middle infield prospect.
uncle, i can’t take it anymore…is friday’s dose up yet?
CBS is going to hate the market share when three teams from the Big 12 are in the final four. They really want the power schools and the big markets. Too bad, CBS. Welcome to the dominance of the BIG 12.
If Coach K is the Polish Johnny Cash and Bruce Weber is the German Conway Twitty, what am I?
By the way, I’ll sure enjoy coaching Auburn next year. Indiana might enjoy the idea of getting a real coach on its sidelines again.
Mike—–Charley Pride of course….
B.C., correct. Coach, siddown. Pitt loses.
A slight perusal of the laws by which the measures of vindictive and coercive justice are established will discover so many disproportions between crimes and punishments, such capricious distinctions of guilt, and such confusion of remissness and severity as can scarcely be believed to have been produced by public wisdom, sincerely and calmly studious of public happiness. by texas holdem