Duke absolutely dismantled St. John's earlier today 67-50 with myself in attendance. How refreshing was it to see Duke win with such ease considering even their non-conference games against mid-majors were a little too close for comfort? The Blue Devils "stormed" out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back. They were efficient on offense and their defense, which has been tremendous all year, was even more suffocating today holding the Red Storm to 10, count them, 10 1st Half Points.
Up 34-10 at the break, I knew the game was over even if DeMarcus, Greg, and Josh all got hit my elephants on the way to the locker room. And, for anyone who knows me, they know how pessimistic I am. My girlfriend wondered why I wasn't happy when Duke was up 21 at Clemson earlier in the week. I told her "I've seen them blow leads just like this" And guess what? They almost did. But, almost doesn't count. If my grandma had wheels, she'd be a car but she doesn't have wheels. My point, after that long digression, is that I am so confident in this team right now. They have showed their grit time and time again this season and now they are playing Top 10 basketball, not Top 25. Are they better than UNC, Florida, Ohio State, Wisconsin? No, I don't think so. Those teams, even though three of them went down this weekend, seem to be more of a finished product than Duke but can't you see them getting there?
I've been saying all week that I wasn't so much upset about the 4-game losing streak but I was upset that they were losing these games despite exerting tremendous effort and playing winning basketball. Outside of the first few minutes at Maryland, they played winning basketball and hurt that they couldn't reap the benefits. Is this team winning the championship? Odds say they will not and unfortunately, I will concur with the odds but I'm telling you something now that I didn't believe earlier in the year, I wouldn't be surprised if this team made a run and when I say run, I mean straight to Atlanta for the Final 4 (given the right matchups). Now, with that said, this team could get bounced in the 1st Round as well and to be honest, this team has the look of the 1996 team that was upset by Earl Boykins and Eastern Michigan in the 1st Round. But, given the way this team competes and plays defense, this team could certainly make a run and upset one of these giants atop the nation to go to Atlanta.
As for the game, someone forgot to tell Josh that block parties are usually in the summer because he blocked 6 shots and it seemed like 12. Lamont Hamilton looked like a little girl out there against Josh and he's a big guy, I've seen him doing his homework (talking to some ladies on MySpace) in the computer lab. Even though Josh and DeMarcus were great, the MVP was Greg Paulus. He had a game high 19 points but again, he hit big shots and I will reiterate, he is their money guy.
On a sad note, you may never see Marty Pocius play again after his negligent behind the back bounce pass. If you've watched Duke basketball over the years, the one thing K will not tolerate is unnecessary fanciness. Note to Marty, you play about 5 minutes a game, save the behind the back bounce pass for the Lithuanian National Team. Also, I feel bad for Brian Zoubek. I really hope he stays with Duke after this year even if they get Patrick Patterson because despite what we've seen, I think he could be good. But, he's having a hard time adjusting to Coach K's man-to-man principles since he admittedly has played zone his whole basketball life. Hang in there Zoub, your time will come especially if Josh bolts after this year, which I still go on record as saying that it would be an immense mistake. He belongs in the college game right now, nowhere else.
Next up for Duke is Maryland on Senior Night on Wednesday. The emotion, however, won't be as high in previous Senior Nights because there are no scholarship Seniors on the team. I believe only Jordan Davidson, a walk-on, is a Senior. This will be a tough game considering Maryland could be one of the hottest teams in the country over the past few weeks, seemingly after they beat Duke. DJ Strawberry, at 3-6 in conference, guaranteed they would win the next 7 games and at 8-6 now, he has made good on that promise. If he stays away from the nose candy, that his father obviously couldn't, he could be a pro. Watching Maryland upset UNC tonight though, I realized that this guy Vasquez is the straw that stirs the drink for this team and he gave Paulus some fits in their first meeting. I expect Duke to use the crowd to their advantage and win this game. I also think the Terps may have a letdown, even though they are playing hated Duke, because the UNC win made them a lock in the NCAA's. I am so proud of this team.
Prediction: Duke 75 Maryland 71
1 comment:
A few notes from the TV broadcast since I know you didn't see it -
1) They mentioned a stat that was pretty incredible - I beleive it was in 7 of their last 8 (which might be 8 of their last 9 now), Duke has had a 10 point lead in the game (the only exception - Maryland). That should be confidence enough that this team can play with anyone in the country and they can beat almost anyone if they play for 40 minutes.
2) When Pocius made that play, he also missed a defensive assignment and K went crazy. You might not see Marty for a few games - if ever. He might be on a plane to the home land as we speak.
3) Zoubek has to be the player who gets the least respect from the officials in the NCAA. He gets more calls against him in the shortest timeframe maybe ever. The traveling calls, the fouls - he doesn't get more playing time because if he did he'd foul out in under 20 minutes.
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