Duke Blue Devils
NCAA One and Done Working?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When a team makes it to their first Final Four in school history, defeating the 2,3, and 4 seeds to get there, it seems pretty obvious that’s what you should write about.
South Carolina will have plenty of stories documenting their improbable run that will be much more succinct than anything I could say, so I’m going in a little different route today.
With both Duke and Kentucky missing the Final Four, the talk concerning them ultimately turns to one and done players. More specifically, is it working?
ACC March Madness
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With the regular season winding down and various conference tournaments beginning across the country, the NCAA Tournament is just on the horizon.
Originally, I was going to comment on what it would take for all the possibly eligible SEC teams to make it to Phoenix this year, but I would’ve finished almost as quickly as I started. So, since it seems the ACC will likely have a much larger number of participants, I’ll go with them.
These are all the ACC teams that are currently thought to be in the field of 68, or one of the first four out, according to SI.com.
Wake Forest: Hope they don’t play anyone ranked in the Top 50. The Demon Deacons are something like 1-348,962 against Top 50 opponents since the invention of the telephone. That request is probably a realistic expectation if they were to make the tournament, right?
Georgia Tech: Make sure they score over 65 points. Their winning percentage is .866 when they hit this benchmark. It’s .30 when they don’t.
Syracuse: Have John Gillon dedicate ‘Cuses entire tournament run to Rasheed Sulaimon. I have the upmost respect for Gillon trying to have his buddy’s back after hitting the game winning shot against Duke. The only problem is the ‘15 team that dismissed ‘Sheed won the title. When comparing anything Sulaimon accomplishes in his basketball life to that Duke team, he loses. End of story.
Virginia Tech: Ummm…..Huh??? I figured the Hokies just stopped playing basketball once they got rid of Seth Greenberg.
Miami: Show Bruce Brown tapes of Doug McDermott, similar to that of A Clockwork Orange. Brown has scored more than 20 points in only two games this season, against UNC and Duke. Those just happen to be the ‘Canes two most impressive wins of the year.
Virginia: Hold their opponents to under 40 points. I know I sound facetious, but Virginia has scored 55 or less in three of the last five games. In the two games they eclipsed that number, one was in double overtime and the other was against NC State, where they’re allergic to defense.
Notre Dame: Avoid teams that play any semblance of defense. Mike Brey’s team always seem to be near the top in offensive efficiency which helps negate other teams that like to get out and push the ball. Play someone where that efficiency takes a dip and they will struggle.
Florida State: Convince the NCAA committee to play the tournament in Tallahassee. FSU hasn’t lost on their home court since November, but has really struggled on the road. Next to North Carolina, Florida State is the second most complete team in the ACC.
Louisville: Hit outside shots. If they do this they have a chance. If not, they don’t. Pretty simple.
North Carolina: Don’t be in a bracket with a more talented team. I know it sounds obvious, but the tournament has made its name on upsets- unless you’re Carolina. Since 2006 the lowest seed UNC has lost to was a 4 seed Kentucky team. When it comes to the tournament, the Heels win the games they’re supposed to. Unfortunately for their fans, the same logic applies for the games they should lose.
Duke: Invent a time machine to travel back to October and undo whatever voodoo took place before the season started. On paper, this is the most talented team in the nation. On the court, it has been completely different. Plenty of legitimate excuses to go around, but bottom line is this sum is not equal to all of its parts.
Cameron Indoor Craziness
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On the outside it looks like something you would find in an episode of The Young Pope. The building looks like 16th century architecture, designed by someone whose last name has a vowel to consonant ratio of 2/1.
On certain days you’ll find its’ patrons standing in line, 3-4 hours before the doors open. And during the winter months, you’ll see those same people camp out on an adjacent square, as if they’re standing in St. Peter’s Square, waiting to see the white smoke billowing out into the sky.
On the inside, you’ll find a cult like atmosphere- people covered in paint, worshipping idols, mocking anyone whose opinions differ from their own. Like any religious gathering there are sermons to be taught, although don’t expect to hear anything about “loving thy neighbor.” This is more of an “eye for an eye” type crowd. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There is a reason why the national media swarms to Durham, NC, like Donald Trump to a 2 A.M. Twitter rant, for the UNC/Duke game. History of the rivalry? Yes. The number of great collegiate players and coaches to have participated in the game? Sure. Where both these teams rank in the pantheon of great college basketball teams? Absolutely.
But, why do fans pay close to Super Bowl prices just to get tickets to a regular season game? It’s the atmosphere Cameron Indoor Stadium provides.
With all due respect to places like Lambeau Field, Phog Allen Fieldhouse, and The Pit, experiencing a game in Cameron Indoor Stadium is a must for any sports fan, even if you don’t like Duke.
If Cameron were a 12 year old boy it’d have an inferiority complex over the number of times an analyst has talked about how small it is in comparison to other basketball ball venues.
With a seating capacity of just over 9,300 those analysts aren’t wrong. I imagine if Gene Hackman ever visited he would measure the height of the basket and distance to the free throw line, just to make sure he wasn’t on a playground with 9 foot rims.
The intimate venue is great, but it’s how the seating is laid out that make the entire thing a perfect marriage. Most schools have rowdy students. Most schools do not allow those students to take up an entire side of the gymnasium, and give them arguably the best seats in the entire place.
What allows the Cameron Crazies to have the kind of notoriety they do is the fact they are allowed to sit (or their case, stand) so close to the action on the court. If they were forced to sit in the upper sections, the atmosphere would be completely different.
To watch those things meld together on tv doesn’t always do it justice. Two seasons ago my daughter and I went to a game over Christmas break, against Wofford.
By the time we left our ears were ringing and I felt like I had just sat through a Metallica concert. That was for a game with no students and inferior competition. I can only imagine what that place would be like against Carolina.
There are tons of great places to watch sports, but for my money there is no place better atmosphere than Cameron Indoor Stadium. If you don’t believe me I highly recommend you check it out. You may just leave as one of the converted.
Georgia Teams’ Road To March Madness
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are well into the college basketball conference schedule and that is when teams play their way into or out of March Madness.
At this point in time, there are a few schools who are virtually guaranteed a spot, but the interesting teams are the ones who are on the proverbial bubble.
The conferences of most interest in our area, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference have multiple teams involved in the tournament. Plus, the Sun Belt Conference will have at least one team with a chance to be the “Cinderella” of March.
There are a handful of teams in those conferences that are true blue bloods of the sport of college basketball, and several have played up to that reputation this season. Those would be North Carolina, Duke, and Kentucky. Plus, we have schools in the state of Georgia vying for a spot among the field of 68.
The Tar Heels of North Carolina came up ever so close to a national championship last season, as they suffered a heartbreaker at the buzzer against the Villanova Wildcats.
North Carolina is positioning itself for yet another run to the Final Four. The Tar Heels may well have the deepest roster in the country, and legendary coach Roy Williams will rely on his team’s experience from last season to try and finish the deal this year.
A team that no one is really sure what kind of team they are right now, is the Duke Blue Devils. While there is no coach better, possibly ever, than Coach Mike Krzyzewski, his squad this season has appeared distracted, may be the best word to use.
This is a team that was predicted to win the ACC in the preseason, but has not been able to live up to such lofty expectations. Whether it is injuries, not only to players, but even to Coach Krzyzewski as he will be sidelined with back surgery; or the antics of hot tempered guard Grayson Allen, this season has been different for the Blue Devils.
Duke will be in the tournament, and have the talent as well as the pedigree to get things turned around. However, if they do not, it will be a quick out for them come March.
With Kentucky, the stalwart of the SEC, Coach John Calipari will yet again rely on a bevy of freshmen All-Americans to lead his Wildcats to a title. Kentucky likely has the highest ceiling of any team in the country, but when it comes to crunch time, can the freshmen handle that pressure? That has been the Cats downfall in previous years, great regular seasons, but fall short in the tournament.
In state, Georgia Southern may be the best shot for a tournament team from the Peach state. The Eagles of Coach Mark Byington have a great shot to win the Sun Belt. The difficulty comes in the conference tournament, it is an absolute must win situation. If the Eagles falter, then there will be no Cinderella opportunity.
Georgia and Georgia Tech may play in post season, but without SEC and ACC conference tournament wins it may prove a difficult task.
The Bulldogs have positioned themselves with the best chance for an at large bid with a solid resume, but they must keep winning. The Bulldogs do not really have a strong win, but the strength of their schedule is that they have “quality losses”, and that won’t get it done for March.
The Yellow Jackets, under first year coach Josh Pastner, need some big wins down the stretch to fortify their record. The Jackets most likely will receive an NIT bid to extend their season. However, that should be considered a solid season for what the Jackets had coming into the season.
As we just now are hitting the stretch run, college basketball will hold its share of upsets and buzzer beaters. The fun part is, we get to sit back and watch it all unfold!
Grayson Allen Overblown?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In all your years of following sports, however long that may be, can you recall a time where a coach announced during the postgame press conference that he or she was voluntarily suspending a player based upon their actions during the game?
I’ve been watching for 30+ years and I can’t remember a single time that has happened. And neither can anyone else I’ve talked to.
Yet here we are, in our age of social media and need for instant gratification, bashing Mike Krzyzewski for not immediately disciplining Grayson Allen mere minutes after their game against Elon concluded.
Where has this national outrage been towards Steve Kerr and his lack of discipline towards Draymond Green’s complete disregard for a man’s groin? I don’t remember there being articles on Skip Prosser’s decision to wait and suspend Chris Paul for one game the day after he used Julius Hodge’s nether region as a punching bag, although it was not Paul’s first altercation.
Instead, we criticize Coach K for not handing out discipline on a timeline we deem worthy, when we find later on that his choice to listen without prejudice was the right decision.
Look, even though I’m a Duke fan I am not a Duke apologist. Not only do I believe Allen deserved to be suspended for this most recent transgression, but he should’ve sat a game last year, after the second tripping incident.
So, if you want to condemn Coach K and how he has handled Allen’s past discrepancies up to this point, you won’t get much of an argument from me. Let’s be honest though, if you’re not satisfied with how he’s handling things now, you’re not going to be satisfied no matter how he handles it.
As for all the vitriol that has been directed towards Allen, let’s just put things into perspective a little bit. If you don’t like him because you think he’s a dirty player, that’s fine. If you can’t root for him because he plays for Duke and you despise everyone and everything associated with that shade of blue, that’s cool. However, some of the things I’ve read, from the media in particular, has been astonishing.
Since all this happened I’ve seen respected members of the media say everything from Allen should be kicked off the team, all the way to Grayson should be arrested because if you trip someone in public they can charge you with assault.
If that’s the case then the entire NFL would be behind bars since last I checked I can’t legally tackle a lady in supermarket because she grabbed the last box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
I understand the yearning to see some sort of punishment handed down, but make sure it fits the crime. Allen wasn’t caught driving with a blood alcohol content of .247, and there isn’t video of him knocking out a girl unconscious in bar- all things that have happened around the same time, yet haven’t received nearly the same amount of publicity.
The most disturbing part of the whole thing was Allen’s reaction to the event on the bench afterwards. It is obvious that there are some issues he needs to work out and I trust Krzyzewski to not only be a father figure in helping him out, but to keep him off the court until those troubles are addressed- no matter how many games Allen misses.
Whatever that number of games actually becomes Allen has to realize that’s it….he isn’t going to get one more try.
Duke Preview
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are right smack in the middle of football season. We’re about to head into the final month of the college season when teams will be scratching and clawing their way to see who will lose to Alabama in the playoffs.
The NFL season is almost halfway finished and the only thing I’ve learned is that if I write about a team or player one week, their fortune seems to change to very next. (Question whether or not Matt Ryan was worth the number 3 pick; he puts up MVP numbers including over 500 yards against my Panthers. Mention how awful the Dolphins have been for the past decade or so; Miami hasn’t lost since).
So, it would make complete sense for me to spend this time writing about, college basketball? And to make matters worse, not only am I planning on talking about college basketball, but the subject is Duke basketball.
