Lance Thomas Goes Down

Lance Thomas, who recently landed himself in Coach K's doghouse, went down in practice with a sprained ankle. Although he was originally listed as day to day, he has been ruled out for tomorrow's game against San Jose State. Don't look for the Blue Devils to miss a beat without Thomas against a terrible San Jose State team but hopefully he can get back sooner rather than later. Let's keep an eye on him for the Temple game on January 2nd.

Coming Out Party

Greg Paulus and the Blue Devils beat Gonzaga in a sold out Madison Square Garden last night 61-54 in front of yours truly. What can I say? The atmosphere was tremendous. I've been to 9 Duke games in my life (8-1 lifetime), either at MSG or Continental Airlines Arena (1 at Duke), and that was the most electric atmosphere of them all. The crowd was pretty much divided with about 60% Duke fans and about 40% Gonzaga, UNC, Va Tech fans. It even got a little heated up in the nosebleeds where my brother and I almost got into a fist fight with a fat, obnoxious UNC Fan who had consumed one too many alcoholic beverages.

As for the game, Duke has never played such a poor offensive half in the Coach K Era. With 5:43 left in the 1st Half, the Blue Devils only had 10 points, yes 10 points. Then, in typical Duke fashion, they went on a 10-0 run and only went into halftime down 1 point. Pretty amazing considering they shot 22% from the field in the 1st Half. At halftime, I turned to my brother and said that they were in good shape considering they made Gonzaga play their style, couldn't throw the ball into the ocean, and were still only down 1 point.

As for the 2nd Half, it was a much different story. The Blue Devils came out inspired and they went on a 14-9 run to go up 34-30. Then, at 36-32, one of the biggest plays of the game occured. Duke missed a shot but Gonzaga failed to hold onto the rebound and the ball went out of bounds. Then, like so many before him, Jon Sheyer hit a backbreaking 3-pointer from the top to make it 39-32 and the Devils would never relinquish the lead after that.

Obviously, the star of the game was Greg Paulus, who in hindsight should have went to St. John's, because he plays his best at MSG. He was great against Memphis last year and last night, he had the best game of his young career. He clearly was the best player on the floor last night and who would've thought I'd be saying that after the way he started the season? Paulus had 20 points, 4 assists, and only 1 turnover, which was early in the 1st Half. All Blue Devil fans got a huge scare when Paulus laid on the floor after crashing into the scores table. Eventually, he got up to a "Let's go Paulus" chant, came back into the game, and executed on three crucial plays in the game with Josh McRoberts. First, he hit a 3 off a McRoberts kick out. Second, off an inbounds pass, he threw a beautiful pass to McRoberts for an emphatic slam. Third, in the play that clinched the game, McRoberts threw one of the nicest passes you'll ever see from someone his size to Paulus who finished with a tough, left-handed layup to make it 56-50.

One of the biggest stories of the game was the collective defense against Ravio. Ravio, came into the game averaging 20 points per game, he was held scoreless through 36 minutes and finished 1 for 4 from the field with 4 points. Also, McRoberts showed why he is the most versatile big man in the country by shutting down Heytfelt. He had 10 points but he really didn't have much of an impact besides that one monster dunk he had.

Overall, this was the best win of the season by far. Sure, the Georgetown game was huge but I really feel the crazies willed them to victory in that game. In this game, they withstood an early 9 point deficit and won a game that had an NCAA Tournament atmosphere. You can't help but love this team.

Next up for Duke is San Jose State (1-9). At the risk of sounding like a jinx, this will be the easiest game of the year. This team is flat out awful with double-digit losses to the likes of Stanford, Long Beach State, Arizona State, Santa Clara, St. Mary's, and BYU. Their lone win this year is against Cal Poly, who may only have a wheelchair basketball team. BUT, who knows, anything is possible especially after another 10 day layoff and each player adding a couple of extra holiday pounds.

Prediction: Duke 90 San Jose State 45

An Offer He Can't Refuse?

Reported by both Slim Tim and Devils Den, Duke has made an offer to #1 prospect Greg Monroe, the best player in the Class of 2008. Even though about 10 teams appear to have a shot at him, it looks initially like it will come down to either Duke, LSU, or Kansas. Let's hope the chance at playing for a national title every year and being on television 98% of the time is enough incentive to get this kid to Durham, even if he's a one and done.

Good Fit

Numerous reports have Jamal Boykin, who announced he was transferring from Duke two weeks ago, going to Cal. That seems like a good fit, especially with All-American Leon Powe leaving after this season. Again, we here at BRB wish him well in all future endeavors.

One Year Too Late

Tomorrow night at MSG, Duke will play Gonzaga in their first ever meeting. In the Coach K Era, Duke is 5-0 against the West Coast Conference. Although it's a very tough game on paper, I love the matchups for Duke. One of the things that has plagued Duke, especially since Paulus arrived on campus, is dribble penetration by the opposing point guard. Luckily for Paulus, Ravio is not that type of point guard. He's not going to dazzle you with his quickness and even if he does penetrate, he is a shoot first, pass second point guard, which bodes well for the shot blockers in the paint. Heytfelt killed UNC and the vastly overrated Hansborough because he stepped him away from the basket most of the game. McRoberts, unlike Hansborough, not only can play away from the basket but he prefers it.

Gonzaga has been a jekyl and hyde team most of the season. They have notched some really impressive wins against North Carolina, Texas, and Washington, all ranked opponents and they beat all of them pretty badly despite what the scoring margin claims. They have, however, lost 3 games, all to lesser opponents: Butler at the Garden (Butler is good but Gonzaga should've beaten them after a big win against UNC), Washington State, where they collapsed in the final 2 minutes, and most recently, Georgia on the road.

So, basically the question is: Which Gonzaga team will show up? They don't have that go-to guy, like Duke this year, to stop the bleeding. Last year, they had that in Morrison and if he missed, he would cry. After last night's defensive debacle, I can't imagine that Duke will be giving up open looks from 3-point range again, which is a good thing for Duke and could mean a long night for Ravio. Even though I've mentioned Heytfelt and Ravio, the guy who will win or lose the game for them will be Sean Mallon. He's the type of guy Duke has struggled with in the past. If they don't keep him off the glass and they need to because he's the windex man, then those 2nd and 3rd opportunities will doom Duke. Also, Duke must execute their half court offense against the 2-3 zone much better than they have because they will see it a lot tomorrow night. Few is an excellent coach and he knows there is a lack of perimeter shooting on this team and there isn't a guard who can consistently penetrate that zone and get to the basket.

Sidenote: Coach K, in his press conference, announced that Pocius got hurt during the Kent State game and his status for tomorrow is in question. Even though he hasn't logged a lot of meaningful minutes this year, it's important to have some sort of depth playing two games in two nights. Again, my prediction is that Duke will pull it out because Coach K will place extra emphasis on the defense that abandoned them against Kent State.

Duke 66 Gonzaga 63

Devils Close "Gates" On An Upset

Only up 1 at halftime, trailing by as many as 3 with 10 minutes left, Duke survived a serious upset bid tonight against Kent State 79-72. All year, the Blue Devils have won on their staple defense. Tonight, they out slugged Kent State and were lackadaisical on the defensive end. I can't remember a Duke team giving up so many open looks from the perimeter before. Fortunately, for the Devils, their offensive was finally in sync after about a month absence. In the preview, I looked for Kent State to get most of their points from their star guard Gates but it was the omnipresent Omni Smith, who tallied 33 points and almost gave the Golden Flash the upset.

Tonight, the defense was very poor but let's look at the uniqueness of the Kent State team. They basically played 5 guards the whole game considering their center had 10 assists tonight. It's very tough the deny passing lanes and pressure the ball when such speed is on the floor. This game reminded me of the 1st Round NCAA Tournament game against Deleware State two years ago. Deleware State started 5 guards, spread the floor, used the clock, and then dribble penetrated. For about 35 minutes, they stayed even with Duke. I believe the final score was 57-46 or something like that but it was much closer and a game they could've easily lost to a #16 seed.

Josh McRoberts had a historic night tallying 19 points, 6 blocks, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. He became the first player in Duke's rich history to have at least 4 in each of those five categories, which is an astounding feat. Jon Sheyer, especially early on, was spectacular. He hit 3 consecutive 3 pointers that turned a 4-2 defecit into a 16-4 lead. He was a little shaky with the ball at the end of the game though. DeMarcus Nelson had 18 points and 6 rebounds as well and hit a huge three that essentially sealed the game making it 65-57 after a brilliant feed by Greg Paulus.

Now, to Paulus. I've been scratching my head all year at Paulus. He reminds me of Chris Duhon when he was a Junior. So many expectations and pressure on his shoulders and it really got to him. In New York, the front page of the paper consists of something about the War in Iraq but when I was in North Carolina, the front page consisted of an article on why Paulus has been struggling. The kid is under a great deal of scrutiny and many people fail to realize that he is only a month into his sophomore season. I'll admit he's been shaky but his assists numbers are down because JJ and Shelden are gone. They made everybody better. The problem with Paulus is that I've seen the potential in him to be a dominate PG at this level but he has yet to fulfill it with any type of consistency. Again, I will hark back to a game last year against Memphis when he made those athletic guards look silly on the defensive end, constantly penetrating and kicking to an open guy. He was sensational and I don't know if it's the foot, the pressure or a lack of confidence but he doesn't dribble penetrate anymore. Despite turning the ball over, he really played his butt off tonight. He may have made the two biggest plays of the game: 1) the steal with 1 minute left up 5 after the turnover when Kent State had a 2 on 1 and 2) the 3 pointer he hit from the corner when Duke was reeling and losing by 1 with about 10 minutes left in the game.

Two negatives: Lance Thomas was out of control tonight and picked up 3 quick and stupid fouls and that landed him on the bench and Brian Zoubek cannot for his life play man-to-man defense and until he learns how to, his minutes will keep diminishing. Let's give him some time though considering he played nothing but zone in high school. Overall, I liked the effort but not the execution especially defensively.

Next up for Duke is Gonzaga, one year too late at MSG. I will be there so they better not lose. In my own little fantasy world, I want to believe that they will beat Gonzaga but in the real world, it will be really tough and they would have to play an outstanding game. Don't look for Gonzaga to get overwhelmed by the mystique of MSG either since they just played 2 games there a month ago, beating UNC and losing to Butler. But, since Duke played so poorly tonight, especially defensively, I expect them to put out a much better effort defensively and I don't know, maybe I am trying to make this team better than they are, but I feel like they will pull it out using their staple defense.

Prediction Duke 66 Gonzaga 63 (Ravio missed 3 at the buzzer)

Here We Go Again...

After a ten day layoff where exams dominated both my life and the Dukies life, it's time to get going yet again and I'll tell ya, Coach K didn't make it easy on his team. When other teams in the ACC are scheduling Coastal Carolina and High Point, Duke schedules Kent State and Gonzaga within 2 days of each other.

Coach K loves to do this: schedule a mid-major and then a very good team two days later to simulate what the beginning of the NCAA Tournament will be. Now, I think they will beat Kent State tonight but again, you can't take this opponent lightly. They played undefeated Butler, winner of the Preseason NIT, and took them to double-overtime on the road before they lost and they played a Greg Oden-less Ohio State team on the road even until about the 6:00 minute mark in the 2nd Half where Ohio State went on a vintage spurt.

Their top player is the younger brother of Antonio Gates, who screwed me royally this week in FF, and is supposed to be an absolute stud. They don't have a guy over 6'7'' so Duke will need to take advantage of their size. According to Coach K, on his daily radio spot, he has introduced some new things into the offense, which he feels confident will propel his team forward offensively. We'll see.

As for Gonzaga on Thursday night, I will be there so they better not lose! Granted though, I need to bring some tissues because I'm in the nosebleeds. This will be a tough game for a number of reasons: 1) Gonzaga is a very good team this year, they have beaten North Carolina already and should be ready to go after a bad loss against Georgia 2) it will be Duke's 2nd game in 2 days and 3) they will not a have a practice day before Gonzaga because they will lose Wednesday as a travel day. Basically, with Gonzaga, it boils down to two guys: Heyfelt, who will present matchup problems and Ravio, who when he's on, they are unbeatable. If he's off, he can shoot them out of a game so fast. It should be a tough game but hopefully they will pull it out. I will preview the Gonzaga game tomorrow after I get a feel for how they play against Kent State.

Impressions of Cameron

As most of you know, me and my beautiful girlfriend went down to Durham over Thanksgiving Break to see Duke v. Davidson at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Obviously, it was a dream come true and it was made true because of my amazing girlfriend. She practically spent her life savings on me for my birthday just so I could fulfill a dream of mine.

First, the campus was absolutely breathtaking. In fact, you wouldn't think it was a college campus at all. In all honesty, Duke's campus made Cornell's campus, an Ivy League and where my bro went, look like a freakin slum village.

Second, the student center is something out of MTV Cribs. There are plasmas and paintings all over the place for the students to lounge around in. If I had all the money in the world, I probably would've spent in the bookstore. One of the bad things about the trip, the bookstore closed early and we couldn't buy any gifts but oh well.

Now, for Cameron Indoor itself. Since we went on Thanksgiving Break, no one was really camped out in K-Ville. The building is very similar to the other buildings and doesn't stand out in the least. However, once I went in, I almost started to tear up. Seeing the crazies up close was a huge thrill. We got there about an hour before tip and we witnessed one of the greatest shooting displays I have ever seen by Marty Pocius. If he took 100 3-pointers, he hit 85 of them. He was unconscious and K needs to find him some more P.T.

As for the game, the result was expected but they really didn't play well. BUT, like most of the time this year, they used their suffocating defense to get a 28-point victory. We saw crazy towel guy do his crazy towel guy dance as well. The whole game my girlfriend was getting into the chants more than I was simply because the whole game I was in awe that I was there. I've watched about 200 Duke games when they played at Cameron always wishing and hoping I could be in the stands for just one game, to be in that kind of atmosphere and because of my girl, I was. Some people say Cameron is a dump but it actually really isn't. It's very well kept and beautiful, it's just very, very small, which contributes to the atmosphere. In the hallways, the stadium is like a museum. You can't go more than 5 feet without seeing another lifesize picture of a big-time Duke moment. Finally, as you walk out, there is actually a museum containing all of the prominent trophies captured by Duke including the 6 POY Awards and the 3 National Championships.

Overall, it was a dream come true and I urge any true Duke fan to make the trip there. It is so worth it but make sure you do what my girl did and get tix to a game where you know for sure they will win. Who wants to go all the way over there and have them lose? Talk about a long drive home. I remember how hard it was for me and brother just to take the train home from a crushing Duke loss to St. John's in 2003 when Marcus "Man" Hatten hit a free throw with no time left to beat Duke. So, check out the pictures and hopefully everyone can get down there at least once in their life.

Mr. Versatility

Here's an interesting look on McRoberts and maybe Doyel is right, let's start adapting to the way he feels comfortable playing not pressure him into playing the way we want him to play. For the record, I hate Doyel. This guy hates K. I hate him. If he knew me, he'd probably hate me. This is the same guy who openly criticized Coach K for pushing for Josh to stay another year. I believe the quote was "How did this fraud persuade a sure lottery pick and instant millionaire that another year with an underachieving team at Duke would be helpful?" K never begs his kids to stay for his benefit. If you don't believe me, the proof is in the pudding. He openly endorsed Elton Brand, as a sophomore, entering the NBA Draft saying he had nothing left to prove in college. He openly endorsed both Jason Williams and Carlos Boozer to leave early. The only person I ever heard Coach K criticize for entering the NBA Draft was William Avery. AND, I remember Avery's mom and Doyel in particular who accused K of hypocrisy and being selfish. All K wanted to convey was that young William was not ready for the NBA and he needed another year. Was he wrong? He's in Europe playing pickup games with 17 year old Russians. Sorry about the rant. Good article, read it.

The Slipper Doesn't Fit Anymore

Duke defeated George Mason yesterday afternoon 69-53 in their most impressive 40 minute performance of the year since the Air Force game back on November 20th. One of the problems coming into the game was the turnovers. The Blue Devils only committed 11 turnovers yesterday as opposed to 20 turnovers in the Holy Cross game. Even though DeMarcus Nelson led the team with a career high 24 points, the man of the match to me was Jon Sheyer, who netted 18 points on 4 3-pointers. The great thing about Sheyer this game is that he not only hit 3's but he hit JJ 3's. What do I mean? For 4 years, JJ made a habit of hitting 3's to either stop big runs by the other team or hit 3's that would essentially kill the other teams spirit. Sheyer did that yesterday. When George Mason cut the score to 57-47 on an alley-oop dunk, Uncle Mo seemed to be turning toward the Patriots, they were pumped up and you could even hear their small section of fans in the building and then Sheyer hit a 3 that ended the run and essentially killed GMU spirit.

Even though he is taking some abuse from the announcers, Josh McRoberts continues to be the most versatile big man in the country by dishing out 9 assists and grabbing 9 rebounds to go along with his 7 points. But those stats don't portray how important he was to this game. I can remember countless times that he passed out of the double team to hit an open shooter or got the "hockey" assist yesterday. He was all over the place and although he's no Shelden, he has been terrific on the defensive end this year. I think all Blue Devil fans hope that with Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Brandon Wright, Darrell Arthur, Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes probably only being "one and done" players that McRoberts will choose to stay for his Junior year because he is truly special.

One crucial point Rick Majerus made yesterday is that there is something still physically wrong with Greg Paulus. He is clearly dragging that foot and that is hurting his explosiveness to the basket. Without that ability to penetrate and kick, he is a very modest player. I remember being at the Memphis/Duke game in the Preseason NIT last year and Paulus was amazing, in fact, in hindsight that was probably his best game at Duke and that was only his 4th or 5th game as a collegiate. He repeatedly penetrated the zone and created easy layups and dunks for McRoberts and Shelden. Ever since that game, it seems like Coach K is micromanaging him a little too much. A lot of NBA scouts have claimed that Duke players haven't succeeded at the next level because they are almost programmed like robots with the motion offense and it actually hurts their growth come time to make the next step to the NBA. Listen, no one is getting on my man K, he is the closest thing to Jesus this generation has ever seen but maybe he has the rope a little too tight around Paulus' neck.

Finally, my man SlimTim over at the Duke Blue Devil Blog posed an interesting question: Is Jon Sheyer, the freshman better than JJ the freshman? I would say yes and no. Yes, Sheyer is a much better ball handler than JJ was as a freshman or even for his entire career for that matter. He has a much higher point guard acumen than JJ had. No, JJ was a much better shooter as a freshman. I remember the ACC Championship when JJ was a freshman when NC State was up 15 points in the 2nd Half and JJ took the game over with his outside shooting. I will say this, Sheyer will have to be a star right away for this team to succeed not only in conference play but in March. Like I said earlier in the season and Majerus agrees with me, this guy has All-American written all over him when he becomes an upperclassman.

Overall, a very good win. The offense, although 69 points isn't exactly Loyola Marymount's offense of the early 90's, was much more efficient. And, let's not forget, since Duke had a working man's margin the whole game, K implored his team to take the air out of the ball, spread the floor, and kill clock so 69 could've been more like 80. Also, I won't go crazy over a win against George Mason because let's face it, without Jai Lewis in the middle and Tony "I punched Loren Stokes in the groin and essentially punched Hofstra's chances of getting into the NCAA Tourney in the groin as well" Skinn, this Patriot team is not the same. Still, I am very pleased with the effort and execution following a very sluggish effort against Holy Cross.

Next up is Kent State, another solid mid-major program from the MAC, 10 days from now (finals week). I haven't scouted them yet this season or looked at who they've beaten but I expect the same kind of effort against Kent State that I saw against Mason. Unless Antonio Gates puts that Kent State uniform back on, I see Duke winning with relative ease.

Prediction: Duke 67 Kent State 50

Boykin Skips Town

Just as I say someone will transfer from Duke, Jamal Boykin is the latest kid to leave with concerns of playing time. Boykin, who went home a few weeks ago because he got mono from that same Duke cheerleader that infected Dunleavy and Shav, hasn't announced what school yet but I would think it would be something closer to the West Coast where he's from. Let's be honest, this is the right choice for this kid. He was never going to be any more than an energy guy off the bench and with Duke having incredible inside depth this year, he had no chance of making a significant contribution. Maybe, he'll go to Arizona State, join up with Eric Boateng and form a super team against K and Duke. With that said, we here at BRB wish him good luck in all future endeavors.

Bright Future

My brother and I sat and watched Oak Hill Academy play last night and by the night's end, we were giddy about Duke's future. Why? Because Blue Devil commit Nolan Smith was absolutely amazing last night. He showed off his beautiful shooting stroke and coupled that with outstanding explosiveness to the basket. Smith clearly fits that Duke mold of being a guard who can either play the 1 or the 2. So, take Smith along with fellow commits Kyle Singler and Taylor King and possibly Patrick Patterson and Duke fans will be going crazy next year. I've said it all along, I just want this Duke team to keep getting better each day they play together and if McRoberts stays in Durham, they wouldn't lose anyone off this year's team. I hate to say it but I see someone prominent on this year's team transferring at year end because of concerns for playing time.

Holy Crap

Duke defeated Holy Cross last night 57-45 in a less than stellar performance. Luckily for them, their defense is still lights out and that's good considering they couldn't throw the ball into the Atlantic Ocean. In the 1st Half, the Blue Devils played uninspired and frankly stupid basketball, committing 12 turnovers. The 2nd Half was a much different story. The Blue Devils came out inspired, dove for loose balls, hit some big shots, and grabbed a number of key rebounds. It also helped that they got into the bonus with 12 minutes to go in the game. Also, they had a putrid night from the free-throw line. With all that said, they won and that's the most important thing.

Listen, they are coming off two good home wins against Indiana and Georgetown and they came out flat tonight and it cost them in the 1st Half. Also, this is their week before finals where projects, homework, and last minute tests are given so maybe, they were mentally out of it. Anyone who has went to college, knows that the week before finals week may actually be tougher than the finals week itself. Also, although Holy Cross isn't in the ilk of a North Carolina or a UCLA, they are a consistent, well-coached program which has enjoyed a great deal of success over the last decade. Remember, the Crusaders only lost to Syracuse by 8 in the Carrier Dome earlier in the year so this team does have some talent.

After a great 2nd Half against Georgetown, Greg Paulus had another tough game and when Duke went on a 20-4 run in the 2nd Half last night, he was on the bench. Even though Dickie V is grossly annoying, he's right about Paulus. The success of this team this year depends on how well Paulus plays. Josh McRoberts, although he had 13 points, was a virtual non-factor on the offensive end and he couldn't buy a free-throw in this game, shooting 3 for 10. However, the great thing about Josh is that he can impact a game in so many different ways when it's not there offensively and he did last night, playing great defense and distributing the ball nicely. To me, the MVP of the game was Gerald Henderson. Henderson hit two big-time 3-pointers during that 20-4 run and he sparked the biggest play of the game when he grabbed an offensive rebound off a Zoubek miss from the free-throw line and kicked it out to DeMarcus Nelson for a 3-pointer that made it 38-34.

I feel like I've been saying this an awful lot this year but a win is a win. People are going crazy down in Durham, reporters are questioning whether Coach K should be taking more timeouts and the team is 8-1! They've beaten two Top 25 teams, Air Force and Georgetown and they are playing the best defense in the nation right now, outside of Pasadena, but still this young team has come under scrutiny. Get over it! Like Coach K said, this will not be a smooth car ride this year, it will be a roller coaster, lots of peaks and valleys. This team is going to lose 8-10 games this year but they will make the tournament.

Next up is Cindarella, George Mason on Saturday. Listen, they shouldn't be taken lightly because Campbell and Thomas, both intricate parts of their Final 4 team last year, are back scoring 17 and 14 points a game respectively. Also, Jim Larranega established himself as a great motivator last year (just ask MSU, UNC, Wichita State, and UCONN). He convinced his players that the CAA stood for the "Connecticut Assassin Association" last year and it worked so this is not a lock by any means. In addition, this game is at noon on Saturday and any Blue Devil fan knows that they never play well at noon for whatever reason. Last year, they needed OT to beat Florida State 97-96 in a noon game after they played that gut-wrenching thriller against BC at BC when every Boston celebrity in history showed up. BUT, since Duke very rarely follows up an uninspired performance with another one, I look for the Blue Devils to win comfortably.

Prediction: Duke 62 George Mason 49

Contenders

This blog so far has been dedicated to the ups and downs Duke has endured over the first eight games of the season. However, believe it or not, there is college basketball being played outside of Durham these days. So, with that, let's break down my so-called "contenders" to not only go dancing in March but end up in Atlanta for the Final 4. Here is the Top 25 as of today.

Contenders to cut down the nets in Atlanta: UCLA, UNC, Ohio State, Florida

Okay, now I'm not saying some other team in the country cannot win the National Title but these four teams, to me, are the odds on favorites to cut down the nets. UCLA, the current #1 team in the nation, gets the nod for a few reasons. First, they can flat out defend better than any other team in the country (even Duke). Second, they have a good inside-outside game. Finally, they have a tremendous coach and they have Final 4 experience from last year. UNC, my pick to win the National Title this year (even though I'd rather get an STD than them actually win it), gets the nod from me because they are clearly the most talented and deepest team in the country. Tyler Hansborough is vastly overrated but Brandon Wright will hide Hansborough's weaknesses playing next to him all year. Also, say whatever you want, but Roy Williams is one of the best coaches in the nation and has shown that he can get over the hump (see 2005). Ohio State is the most intriguing team in the nation with the arrival of Greg Oden, clearly a man amongst boys. I had my doubts about Ohio State earlier in the year but seeing them play so well without Oden in the Dean Dome last week makes me think they could win it this year especially if Oden is as good as advertised. Finally, Florida is an obvious team on this list because they are the defending champions and return all five starters from their National Championship team of a year ago. Joakim Noah is nasty, both in the good basketball way and in the bad physical way, and Corey Brewer is the best defender in the nation. I stand by my prediction at the beginning of the year that Florida would not win the National Title because I don't trust Billy the Kid in a big spot when there are expectations for his team. In the past, whenever Florida had high expectations, they fell apart like a cheap suit.

Contenders to make a run to Atlanta: Pittsburgh, Marquette, Kansas, LSU, Gonzaga, Duke, Arizona

Outside of the Big 4 above, I like these teams, if everything breaks right, to make a run to Atlanta. Pittsburgh, even without the ultimate criminal, Carl Krauser, who may be playing in Reikart's Island right now, always has a chance to get to the Final 4 because of their defensive prowess. They play great defense, they return Aaron Gray, who is soft but still is 7 foot, and I think they may have a little destiny on their side because of what happened to Coach Dixon's sister over the summer. Marquette, even though they had a brutal loss to ND State last weekend, is a team that I really like because of their tremendous guard play especially from the collegiate King James, Dominic James. I saw how he dissected Duke at the end of that game and he has the ability to get to the rim at will. That, coupled with an athletic team and one of the best young coaches in the sport, Tom Crean, could surprise people come March and end up in Atlanta. Kansas, even though they have lost to Oral Roberts and DePaul this year, showed they have the potential to make a deep run in the tournament with their win over Florida in Vegas a few weeks ago. They are loaded with talent at every position but one may question if they could rebound after two consecutive first round exits in the NCAA Tournament under Bill Self to Bucknell and Bradley. LSU, even though they will miss Darrell Mitchell's leadership and Tyrus Thomas' defense, could go deep with their athleticism and "Big Baby" Davis. They, like Marquette, have the ability to lose in the 1st Round or go to the Final 4. Gonzaga, even though some idiot always picks them every year to win it (Seth Davis), has a legitimate shot to make a run this year. I actually like their balance this year more than last year with Josh Heytfelt emerging as a star. Duke, even though they are extremely young and inexperienced and couldn't throw the ball in the ocean, should have a chance to make a run come tournament time if 1) they continue to play lights-out defense and 2) Josh McRoberts steps up and asserts himself on the offensive end. Also, don't ever count out the all-time leader in NCAA Tournament victories, Coach K, because the last time I checked, he's a pretty decent coach. Finally, Arizona has impressed me this season. They took Illinois best shot and withstood that and they beat a very talented team in Louisville last night in the Jimmy V Classic. Lute Olsen is one of the best coaches in the nation, Marcus Williams and Radenovic is a great inside-outside duo, and if Mustafa Shakur, who gave Arizona less production than Tupac would've over the last 3 years, plays under control and with maturity, I like this team to do some special things come tourney time.

Mid-Majors who can make a run in the tournament: Butler, Wichita State, Air Force, Winthrop, Oral Roberts

This list could actually go on much further but these are teams are really like out of the mid-major conferences. Because of last year, every year from now on, people will ask who is this year's George Mason? Well, I don't think any mid-major will make it to the Final 4 this year. Butler, by virtue of their surprising Preseason NIT Championship, is already in the NCAA Tournament. The problem with Butler is that they won't surprise anybody come March and since they have so many marquee wins already, they will probably get a #8 or #9 seed, which means they would have to beat a #1 to get to the Sweet 16. Good Luck! Wichita State, like 4 or 5 other teams in the MVC, could go deep this year. Remember, last year the Shockers "shocked" the world and went to the Sweet 16 only to fall to George Mason. Air Force, to me, is the one mid-major team that could go to the Final 4 if everything broke right for them. They start 4 Seniors and a Junior, which is usually a recipe for success in the tourney, they play the "Princeton" offense that always gives opponents headaches, and they have an NBA Coach. The Falcons have beaten Stanford, Miami, Texas Tech, and Colorado (all on the road) by 25 points or more. The only loss they have this year is to Duke, which isn't embarassing at all. As for both Winthrop and Oral Roberts, I believe they are #14 or #15 seeds in the Tournament who can win a game, that's it but considering they come from small conferences like the Big South and the Mid-Continent, that would be impressive. Winthrop has taken UNC and Wisconsin down to the wire and Oral Roberts, of course, had that amazing win over Kansas on the road.

So, it's still early on and big-named teams are still playing cupcakes before conference play so names on this list will inevitably change but as of now, this is what I think. Hopefully, I am right about Duke though =)

One Year Ago Today...

December 4, 2005: I'm sick as a dog, I have the GMAT the next day, I'm nervous and I'm watching Duke cruise, in unspectacular fashion, to a victory over Virginia Tech. With 1:40 left, the Blue Devils were up 74-63 and I actually got ready to turn the television off and go to bed since I had an early day ahead of me. Good thing I didn't. After a series of turnovers by JJ and missed free throws by Shelden, VA Tech was only down 74-73, with the ball and they tipped in a missed shot with 1 second left to make it 75-74. My heart immediately went into my throat, I basically stamped my feet like a little kid and kept repeating "How do you lose to VA Tech at home?" During the timeout, the officials put .6 back on the clock, which at the time seemed inconsequential. The official handed the ball to Josh McRoberts, he faked the pass to the left and then fired a bullet to Sean Dockery, a few feet inside half court and the rest is history. That moment will forever be known as "The Shot Heard 'Round Garden City South"

Revenge Baby With a Capital 'A'

January 21, 2006: With Duke trailing by 3 and All-American and National Player of the Year JJ Redick already having 41 points, Greg Paulus dribbled the ball off of his leg and the game was over without JJ touching the ball, Georgetown 87 Duke 84.

December 2, 2006: A little less than eleven months later, Greg Paulus avenged his mistake by scoring 13 points (all in the 2nd Half) to lead the Blue Devils to a come from behind 61-52 win over Georgetown at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Paulus, who has been in the doghouse with most Blue Devil fans, including myself, came out in the 2nd Half inspired and it really showed in his play whether it was diving after loose balls, draining perimeter jumpers, and even fronting Roy Hibbert on defense at one point. Throughout the infantile stages of this season, one thing about Paulus is that he has been vocal and has tried to lead this team in the absence of any Senior leadership. However, last night, he led by example and that's the best way to lead.

After DeMarcus Nelson hit two quick 3-pointers to give Duke an early 6-2 lead, they went ice cold from the field with one of their seemingly vintage scoring droughts. This allowed Georgetown to not only come back but build a comfortable 9 point lead for most of the 1st Half. When the Blue Devils looked over matched, it was their All-American candidate Josh McRoberts who stepped up to keep them in it and Martynas Pocius, who has made a career of keeping his seat warm, gave the Blue Devils an offensive jolt with 2 big 3-pointers. In fact, Pocius played so well that he cracked the starting lineup at the beginning of the 2nd Half only to pick up two of the quickest fouls in the history of college basketball. To me, the biggest play of the game was at 49-49 when Paulus tipped a loose ball to himself and took it down the court for a layup to make it 51-49 and gave the Blue Devils the lead to stay.

After a quiet 1st Half, Jon Sheyer contributed 9 big points including a great drive and fake on Roy Hibbert. DeMarcus Nelson had 12 points but it seemed like Dan Shulman and Dickie V didn't mention his name once after the first few minutes unless it was for a turnover or an errand pass. So far this season, defense has been the name of the game and last night was no different. After Georgetown scored 34 points in the 1st Half, backdooring them to death, Duke really stepped it up defensively, holding the Hoyas to only 18 2nd Half points, and that ultimately led them to a victory.

To get back to McRoberts, I urge all five of you that read this to find me another big man in the country that is more versatile. The knock on McRoberts is that he's not aggressive enough but look at all of things he does for this team: he's probably their best ball handler outside of Paulus, they use him to break the press, he's definitely their best passer, he can shoot (even though his shot is a work-in-progress), he can flat out defend, and he's shooting 90% from the free-throw line through 8 games.

Overall, this was without a doubt the best win of the young season so far. This young team didn't fall apart, regrouped at halftime, and came out firing in the 2nd Half. Sure, the crowd certainly helped them out big time tonight but they held their composure and that is a good sign when they go on the road during their tough ACC Schedule. To stay on the crowd, how about Coach K at the end of the game basically imploring the crowd to get on their feet for this team? Personally, I love it. Some Duke-haters will say that K was showing up Georgetown but you could tell he was extremely proud of his young Blue Devils.

Next up for Duke is Holy Cross on Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Ohh and sure Duke plays most of their early season games at home but I don't want to hear it when I see Top 25 teams playing the likes of LA Monroe, Nicholls State, and Sacramento State. At least, Duke schedules tough teams (as evidenced in my post about a week ago). Even when they play a mid-major, it's not cupcake city. Holy Cross went into Syracuse at the Carrier Dome and only lost by 8 so the Blue Devils cannot let up after two very good wins this week. I look for Holy Cross to push Duke but in the end, the Blue Devils should prevail.

Prediction: Duke 74 Holy Cross 56

Tough "Break"

Just as I write something nice about Shav, I read this. According to some sources, this is so bad that it could be career threatening.

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure

2004-2005 Duke Blue Devils Starting Lineup: Daniel Ewing, JJ Redick, Sean Dockery, Shavlik Randolph, Shelden Williams. Out of all of those people, who would you think would be playing the largest role on his NBA team right now? JJ Redick? Nope, he only has 2 points in his career and has been inactive most of the year. Shelden? Well, he is starting every game but he hasn't made his impact felt just yet. Daniel Ewing? Nope, he's averaging 2 points per game, mostly in garbage time for the Clippers. Sean Dockery? Nope, he's somewhere over in Europe hopefully polishing up his shot so he can make an NBA team in the years to come. That leaves Shavlik Randolph.

All five of you that read BRB know my absolute disdain for Shavlik during his years at Duke. Out of a class that included JJ Redick, a 2-time National Player of the Year, Shelden Williams, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Michael Thompson, a promising big man that transferred due to a severe lack of playing time, Sean Dockery, a guard who put up 62 in his last High School game against Dee Brown and Lee Melchionni (no career highlights to account for except for when he told AROD to shut up at the Duke/Miami game after he drained a 3 pointer), PF/C Shavlik Randolph came in as the stud of his class. Many scouts considered him a Top 5 pick in the NBA Draft coming out of high school. Believe it or not but there were actually comparisons out there between him and Larry Bird.

Shav then scored 20 points in his Duke debut and people like Dickie V were putting him on star watch. For three years, we looked and looked for him to become a star but it just never happened. Despite his shortcomings, I stayed loyal to Shav because after all, this is a collegiate program and the pressure to perform at Duke is so enormous but when he decided to abandon ship and leave his teammates behind after his Junior Year, he was no longer a Blue Devil to me.

Listen, since 1999, I've seen my share of early departures: Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, William Avery (is he dead?), Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Shaun Livingston and I haven't disowned any of them (well, maybe Avery because his mom openly criticized Coach K when K said young William wasn't ready for the NBA...Hey, Mrs. Avery, the last time I checked your son is playing in Russia and barely cracking the starting lineup so enough of thissssss!!!). Why? Brand had nothing left to prove, he was the National Player of the Year that year, Maggette was furious at K for only playing 5 minutes in the championship and really, who could blame him?, Williams, Dunleavy and Boozer all get passes because they won a title, Deng leaving was a product of a weak draft and Livingston, well, I didn't get to know him so I can't get down on him.

But Shavlik leaving early? First, what was he smoking thinking he would be drafted? Second, way to quit on your team right before a year they had a legitimate chance to win a title. By the way Shav, we could've used your weakside defense last season against LSU. I don't like people who quit on their team and the fact that Coach K came out and said he was 100% in agreement with his decision to leave means Coach K was fed up with Shav. So, obviously Shav's name isn't called on Draft Night and you just wonder why he would leave (unless he thought he would lose P.T because of McRoberts coming in that year). Somehow, he lands in an NBA Training Camp and makes the team! So, I sit back and say, you know what, good for him. Then, months later I read that K used to berate him during practice to the point where he would go home and cry. Then, I read an article that says his father forced him to leave Duke and enter the Draft because he had lost his job and the Randolph family needed money. All of a sudden, this villain to me became a hero. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love people who step up and try to help their family life.

Now, Shavlik is in the STARTING LINEUP for the 76ers and whenever I see him on TV, he looks great and very happy. Just the other night, he scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds against LeBron and the Cavs. Kudos Shav, you are a Blue Devil to me again!