This win means a lot to WVU

[rthomas]

I hope that you are impressed with WVU's team. This was a huge win for us here at WVU. But more than that this was a huge win for WVU's players. These kids played their heart out to beat Duke. This is a team that has great kids; a team that was on the upswing with Beilein, but poached by Michigan. And they want to prove themselves. I'm proud of them.

I'm sad for Duke; I'm proud for WVU. The seeding sucked for me. I think that WVU and Duke both belong in the next round. Quite frankly I'm bummed out. but I have a team in the next round and I hope you pull for WVU too in the next round.

But my bracket now sucks because I had Duke going to the final game. It's mixed bag for me but I will get over it.

[JBDuke]

I hope that you are impressed with WVU's team. This was a huge win for us here at WVU. But more than that this was a huge win for WVU's players. These kids played their heart out to beat Duke. This is a team that has great kids; a team that was on the upswing with Beilein, but poached by Michigan. And they want to prove themselves. I'm proud of them.

I'm sad for Duke; I'm proud for WVU. The seeding sucked for me. I think that WVU and Duke both belong in the next round. Quite frankly I'm bummed out. but I have a team in the next round and I hope you pull for WVU too in the next round.

But my bracket now sucks because I had Duke going to the final game. It's mixed bag for me but I will get over it.

Kudos to the whole 'Neer team, especially to Mazzulla. A bench player putting up a near-triple double is just amazing. I hope you guys don't pull a Clemson and flame out on us in your next game - make a good run at it.

[appzter]

Check out some of the comments from the WVU players after the game.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/sp...ll/23duke.html

(sorry, login required)

Cam Thoroughman asked whether Duke’s Greg Paulus was one of the eight McDonald’s all-Americans. When told yes, Thoroughman said, “Oh my God. Are you kidding?”

[weezie]

No, but we're probably the only ones who can lose with class and respect for those who beat us.

I guess we'll just have to fall back on being an elite academic institution.

[Coballs]

Anyone who feels good for WVU should read this article from the NY Times. The arrogant and derogatory comments made after the game by several of their players should quickly change your feelings. Here is the link http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/sp...hp&oref=slogin

[wiscodevil]

Check out some of the comments from the WVU players after the game.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/sp...ll/23duke.html

(sorry, login required)

agreed. and you can feel the glee with which the writer wrote the piece. he doesn't see the shame in a team playing a great game and then acting boorishly.

props to K and the fellas.

Mike Wise has a very good, more nuanced look at the game in the post. it's minus the lazy and trendy "Duke is now so-so" meme.

overall a very very good year. i like the team going into next year and I liked this team a lot.

[weezie]

NYTimes sports have been peeved at Duke since their writers were caught with their pants down on the lax sham. They itch to bash Duke at every opportunity. Heck, they might even have that blowhard Frank Rich weigh in on our struggles.
Bunch of short guy "writer-wannebees-neverwillbees."
They can go straight to Tarholia.

[freedevil]

This is a team that has great kids

From Joe Alexander:

“People are always hating on the Big East,” Alexander said. “I don’t understand why. We came in fifth in the Big East and we manhandled a good A.C.C. team.”

More from Joe:

In the first half, Alexander, who is 6 feet 8 inches, blocked a shot by Duke guard DeMarcus Nelson in the post, then let out a scream.

“I told him that he shouldn’t shoot anymore,” Alexander said. “He was actually very nice to me for the rest of the game.”

And lastly, from one of his teammates:

As a reporter was leaving, the reserve Cam Thoroughman asked if Duke point guard Greg Paulus was one of the eight McDonald’s all-Americans. When told yes, Thoroughman said: “Oh my God. Are you kidding?”

I'll leave you all to draw your own conclusions.

[Atlanta Duke]

The NYT writer who covered the games in DC had a theme for his articles this weekend - Duke is slipping. I doubt the writer would have written the same article if he had covered the UConn game or if UCLA had not pulled it out against A&M last night.

This post is not to debate the point of where the Duke program may be heading, but to note that a NYT article on a great win for WVU (and his post on the NYT Quad blog yesterday afternoon) is devoted to repeating post-game shots taken by the WVU players at Duke yesterday - certainly an intersting approach to take

With regard to focuing on Duke animus, the NYT blog by this same writer on Saturday stated that:

West Virginia forward Joe Alexander led the charge. He had the assembled news media cracking up when a reporter told him that Duke had eight McDonald’s all-Americans.

“Who?” he asked, very skeptically.

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/200...duke/#more-744

Nothing like the media expressing its approval for such conduct, but then again we are dealing with a press corps that supposedly cheered when VA Commonwealth won last year.

Duke is going to be hated win or lose; the only way to respond is with class off the court and winning on it.

[DevilAlumna]

I'm sad for Duke; I'm proud for WVU. The seeding sucked for me. I think that WVU and Duke both belong in the next round. Quite frankly I'm bummed out. but I have a team in the next round and I hope you pull for WVU too in the next round.

But my bracket now sucks because I had Duke going to the final game. It's mixed bag for me but I will get over it.

RThomas, glad to hear you made it out of your house relatively unscathed! BB & I were commenting in chat that we hoped you hadn't permanently locked yourself in the bedroom.

A tough situation indeed, conflicting dual loyalties. WVU played very well, and I'll likely cheer for them against Xavier. They should be proud of their accomplishments.

[coastal1]

Why is K such good friends with Huggins? Huggins is widely recognized as a scumbag. These comments by their players should come as no surprise when you consider the leader of these young men

But again, why does K like this guy?

[greybeard]

NYTimes sports have been peeved at Duke since their writers were caught with their pants down on the lax sham. They itch to bash Duke at every opportunity. Heck, they might even have that blowhard Frank Rich weigh in on our struggles.
Bunch of short guy "writer-wannebees-neverwillbees."
They can go straight to Tarholia.

The Times does not have a single sports writer of note. Vessay is a hack, who has access but nothing else. When Zeke pulled the rug out from LB and sided with Starburry, be trashed LB for the Knick's failure. Go back and read it. What's he saying now? Nobody knows or cares. Hammel knows baseball, perhaps. The other writers nobody ever heard of or will. Classless bunch.

There is a reason that Huggins was busted out of Cinncinnati. That he would allow his players to speak their "minds" in the fashion that they did, makes one wonder what the big deal is about their victory. I mean they beat an overrated (by whom, did the Duke kids vote themselves high-school All-Americans or rate them as high as they were rated) middle of the road team; why all the woofing? We'll have to see if WVa beats a team that is other than middle of the road before we find out if they are any good. We know about the quality of their thinking and that little thing called class.

[Bluedog]

Wow, that NY Times article is pathetic, in my opinion. I especially like the ending: "And for the rest of the college basketball off-season, no-names like Thoroughman have made once-mighty Duke a punch line."

"once-mighty"? Duke is a now a punch line? sheesh. At least our guys continue to display class in their post-game interviews. I'm proud of this team and really like these guys - and already itching for next year!

[greybeard]

this was a huge win for WVU's players. These kids played their heart out to beat Duke.

How can you say that. Huggins told his players and they told the world, well at least the NY Times writers who in lock step repeated it as if it were fact, that Duke was wildly overrated and beating them was no big deal. They did say that, right? So how is this a big win for them, or their school?

When they beat some team that is an elite one, then they will have done something. According to them, and the NY Times, that ain't happened yet. I can live with that. They have no choice.

[dyedwab]

...and they proved it by acting boorishly...

...no shock considering who coaches them...

...that being said, I tend to root for the team that beat Duke in the NCAA's...it usually means they are a hard nosed team that played really well...

...not this time. I hope Xavier beats 'em by 50.

[Edouble]

Why is K such good friends with Huggins? Huggins is widely recognized as a scumbag. These comments by their players should come as no surprise when you consider the leader of these young men

But again, why does K like this guy?

The question on everyone's tongue this weekend around my house.

[rthomas]

...and they proved it by acting boorishly...

In reality they were no more boorish than what you jsut said. And otehrs, especially last night. Talk about boorish. Glass houses and all?

Maybe the WVU players talked too much, maybe the coach has a history, maybe maybe... but they still played their a**es off and beat Duke. Whatever... it doesn't change that.

[rthomas]

RThomas, glad to hear you made it out of your house relatively unscathed! BB & I were commenting in chat that we hoped you hadn't permanently locked yourself in the bedroom.

A tough situation indeed, conflicting dual loyalties. WVU played very well, and I'll likely cheer for them against Xavier. They should be proud of their accomplishments.

yes, I survived. By drinking a whold lot in the second half and after the game. I'll still take Duke anyday. Thanks, DA!

[freedevil]

Um, rthomas, we're FANS posting on a message board. West Virginia's STUDENT ATHLETES were speaking to the national media.

[rthomas]

Um, rthomas, we're FANS posting on a message board. West Virginia's STUDENT ATHLETES were speaking to the national media.

I'm not taking up for them. You know the sayin "Act like you've been there before". That really applies at all levels.