MBB: Duke 78 Baylor 71 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[GoingFor#5]

I just wish we could get some separation just a tad bit earlier in these games.

[Wildling]

woooohoooooooooooo!

[CameronDuke]

Final Four Baby!

Hands down the best coaching job Coack K has ever done by taking this team to the Final Four!

So proud of Duke!

[LSanders]

Not too shabby for an alarmingly unathletic team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[Bo_Spice]

Yes!! Nolan Smith came to play today baby! Lets Go Duke! Now WVU!!

[borodevil16]

So have we beaten anyone yet or was Baylor overrated too? I am sure there will be some reason we beat them. But it doesnt matter. FINAAAAAALLLL FFFFFFFFOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUURRRRRRRRR

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Nolan smith!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lord Ash]

WOOOOOOOOO!!!!


Awesome! Feels AWESOME to be back!

Cannot BELIEVE that Kyle goes WITHOUT A BASKET, and win we still win. I suppose that proves that...

THREE WEAPONS > TWO WEAPONS

[SoCalDukeFan]

Tough team to play. Duke was tough also.

This really is a great team to support.

You gotta love Coach K.

SoCal

[wandalee]

This is so much sweeter since the CBS announcers were so pro Baylor.

This team is so tough! I love them.

[Les Grossman]

Dang, the offensive rebounding was impressive, the D was solid and Nolan, the game of his carreer. I will remember this game for a while. Made my week!

[34dukegal]

Yes!! Nolan Smith came to play today baby! Lets Go Duke! Now WVU!!

How amazing is it that he dedicated this game to his dad beforehand and had a career high?

I love this team!!!

[Devil Lab]

Gotta love this team!

[Kfan4Life]

Way to go boys!!! Way to crash those boards and keep fighting. Final Four again.

[Huh?]

Tough, tough win. Showed so much heart......I feel like only the people on this board thought we would see this at the beginning of the year. Senior leadership, Nolan stepping up, I couldn't be happier. The Plumlees played well, I am REALLY stoked about this TEAM win. We are back where we belong.

[WordLife565]

I just wish we could get some separation just a tad bit earlier in these games.

that doesn't happen often against quality teams.

[Les Grossman]

The arena, and the network, were all about Baylor, but it didn't matter. Wow, Nolan just blew me away. Very strong supporting job by Jon S, too. And the Plumlees helped hold the fort in the first half.

[60's Devil]

Lance Thomas, called the worst offensive starter in the ACC scores the pivotal basket!!!!!

[Relics]

Fo-ur, fo-ur, fo-ur, fo-ur!

[devildownunder]

Final Four Baby!

Hands down the best coaching job Coack K has ever done by taking this team to the Final Four!

So proud of Duke!

I think getting the 88 and 94 squads to the championship game (and nearly winning it all in '94) deserves some consideration as well but, yeah, this one is right up there. That said, K didn't step up and knock down all those big shots at the end. He also didn't come up with all those offensive rebounds to set up those shots. These guys have a real will and inner toughness about them that just hasn't been there in the very recent past. This is a group to be exceedingly proud of.

[Greg_Newton]

I dunno... we pulled through today, but this team just isn't built for March.

OH, WAIT!!!!!

:D:D:D

[DukeGirl4ever]

Dear Lance Thomas,
I LOVE YOU AND YOUR OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING! YOU PUT US IN A POSITION TO WIN!

Dear Jon Scheyer,
SO NICE TO SEE YOUR SHOT BACK!

Dear Nolan Smith,
THANK YOU FOR BREAKING DOWN THE DEFENSE TODAY!

Dear Kyle Singler,
YOUR DEFENSE AND HUSTLE DESPITE A POOR SHOOTING NIGHT NEVER SUFFER. YOU ARE THE ULTIMATE TEAM PLAYER!

Dear Brian Zoubek,
THE CHARGE YOU TOOK WAS HUGE, JUST LIKE YOUR PLAY THE LAST TWO MONTHS!

Dear Reserves,
YOU DON'T MISS A BEAT WHEN YOU GET IN THE GAME!

SOOOO PROUD TO BE A DUKE GIRL!

[DevilHorns]

offensive rebounds.

[GoingFor#5]

This game was a matchup nightmare for us and yet we still survive! It won't be easy from here on, but we have been tested and I am confident.

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Two more WINS!!!!

[Neals384]

The arena, and the network, were all about Baylor, but it didn't matter. Wow, Nolan just blew me away. Very strong supporting job by Jon S, too. And the Plumlees helped hold the fort in the first half.

Andre with two 3-point swishes!

[hotbutteredseoul]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh wooooooooooooo

[dukelifer]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

Great, hard fought game. It comes down to making shots at critical moments and Nolan and Jon were clutch. For Duke to win this game with Singler having arguably his worse game as a Devil- make this win even more impressive. Duke can win ugly and win pretty. This is a tough team. It was great the young guys made a contribution as well as this will build for the future. Just amazing to get back to a FF- and Duke will still not be favored.

[mph]

Just an awesome team win. I don't remember the last time we had so many big plays from so many different guys in the last 5 minutes. What a great ride this season has been! Can't wait till we get to Indy!

[OldSchool]

Nolan Nolan Nolan!!!

He is light years from where he was last year. He appears to be so much tougher mentally and physically as well.

His on-ball defense was fantastic. That alone would wear out an ordinary player.

He slew the Bears like a savvy hunter tracking his prey and coolly firing the kill shot time and again.

And on the line in pressure situations, Nolan has become money.

[34dukegal]

Steve Lavin saying that Duke had the easiest bracket in 25 plus years. Also sounds like he was just saying that the only reason they got to this point was because of the draw they got.

[rthomas]

Awesome game. I call that a grinder. and we ground it out.

[Atlanta Duke]

Steve Lavin still running with the "most favorable bracket in 25 years" claim and now adds maybe Duke can "sneak" into the national championship

[hotbutteredseoul]

Man, Lance, what can you say? 8 offensive boards? That putback? The D? Wow. Amazing.

[Les Grossman]

Has there been a better rebounding team in the K era?
The Boozer teams and Brand teams rebounded well. But this well?

[ChrisP]

Steve Lavin can suck it!!! According to him, Duke had the easiest path to the FF. Whatever, punk!

Every single TV "expert" I saw today from ESPN to CBS, picked Baylor so you can ALL suck it!!!

Way to go Devils!!!

[CLW]

Wow what HEART crashing the boards was HUGE in the second half. Singler had the worst shooting game of his career and they still pulled it out late.

[DevilHorns]

"Duke may sneak a championship since all the heavyweights are out" --- Steve Lavin

Let send him some emails

[devildownunder]

This team doesn't have to rely on variables like hot shooting to win. The rebounding, especially the offensive rebounding, and defense never slump. That makes all the difference.

Think about it, Singler DID NOT SCORE A FIELD GOAL and we not only won but we pulled away down the stretch.

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

LT's soaring board for a (sort of) stuff and 3pt play was the turning point of the game. He took Baylor's heart with that one and they were never the same.

[LSanders]

Final Four Baby!

Hands down the best coaching job Coack K has ever done by taking this team to the Final Four!

So proud of Duke!

Even with the easiest path to the FF in 25 years?! :eek:

Screw you, Lavin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those that can are coaching in the FF ... Those that can't pour grease on their hair and sit at a desk at ESPN!!!!!!!!!

[strawbs]

so proud of this team, get it done in indy boys!!!

[Huh?]

Lance Thomas, called the worst offensive starter in the ACC scores the pivotal basket!!!!!

hahahha, my GF died laughing when he had that putback and and claimed I knew he would pull something like that after screaming at him all game.

[Les Grossman]

Steve Lavin saying that Duke had the easiest bracket in 25 plus years. Also sounds like he was just saying that the only reason they got to this point was because of the draw they got.

All that hair gel destroys brain cells.

[devildownunder]

Has there been a better rebounding team in the K era?
The Boozer teams and Brand teams rebounded well. But this well?

Boozer and Brand teams rebounded adequately but, thanks to style of play, were not great rebounding teams. I recall the laettner/T.Hill/Antonio Lang teams being strong rebounders. The Hills, Davises and Lang could all really hit the boards hard, to my recollection. I don't have the numbers in front of me to back it up, though. Too busy celebrating to go get them!

[OldSchool]

Lavin just compared K to the Great Santini. What a tool Lavin is.

[northernduke]

It's wonderful to have so many weapons and win in so many different ways. The Plumlees played great in the first half to help keep us in it. Andre with ice water stepping up and knocking down 2 BIG threes. Jon finding his stroke and not being shy about it. Kyle and Zoubs really hustling on the boards and on D. And Nolan. What a clutch performance. Kid played out of his mind. He has so much confidence right now and is just having so much fun out there. It is unbelievable to watch! Great defense on a team that spread the floor and isolated the ball. Singler never got burned at the top of the key when he was out being isolated by their point.

[BlueandWhite]

BACK IN THE FINAL FOUR!!!
Great win against an excellent & very well-coached team...

Thoughts on the game:

1. Nolan Smith!!!
2. Play of the game: Nolan missing 2nd of 2 free throws & after clutch rebound (Lance) & Nolan then burying the 3.
3. Solid play inside by both Zoubek and Thomas.
4. Hard to beat a team that can shoot 11 of 23, 48.7% from 3
5. Baylor - only 5 of 18, 27.8% from 3
6. 23 of 29 from the line

And, we played like the veteran team down the stretch.

I love this team!! GO DEVILS, let's take it to WVU!!

[GODUKEGO]

Kyle goes 0-10 from the field and we still win. Not alot of conversation between coaches after the game. Final 4!!!!!!!!!

[CDu]

Whew! Great win. In spite of a tough night for Singler and some foul trouble, the team gutted it out. Huge game from Smith, huge effort on the offensive boards by Thomas late in the second half. And not the least important, it looks like Scheyer might be back!

I'm glad that we finally figured out not to have our bigs force up shots on offensive rebounds. Once we figured out to get it to the guards, things turned around for us. It only took 8 blocks to figure it out, but we figured it out.

I'm so proud of the team for showing the fight in what amounted to a road game (to those who said the stadium wouldn't allow for the fans to make this a road game, ha!) against a very talented team. The seniors really stepped up down the stretch on the boards, and Smith and Scheyer just kept hitting shots.

Also, I have to give credit to the Plumlees. When Thomas was struggling early and Zoubek was in foul trouble, they were able to keep it close. Our bigs combined for 20 points and 30 rebounds!

On to the Final Four. It's good to be back. Big game against a gutsy WVU team. It should be a good challenge. Go Duke!

[dukeblue225]

Great physical game. Back to the final four! We have our work cut out for us but I am confident that we can do it. I like our matchup against WVU much more than I would have against UK. If you told me that Kyle would have his first career game without a field goal and win I never would've believed it.

[Huh?]

Even with the easiest path to the FF in 25 years?! :eek:

Screw you, Lavin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those that can are coaching in the FF ... Those that can't pour grease on their hair and sit at a desk at ESPN!!!!!!!!!

May have been the easiest bracket but by far the hardest path to Indy. Lavin, just keep not being asked to interview for coaching positions and keep hair gel companies in business.

We played all the highest seeds we could have played other than Baylor, who played like a one seed tonight. What a win.

[devildownunder]

Lavin just compared K to the Great Santini. What a tool Lavin is.

Huh????? What the heck does that even mean?

[Duke76]

Steve Lavin saying that Duke had the easiest bracket in 25 plus years. Also sounds like he was just saying that the only reason they got to this point was because of the draw they got.


Lavin, is gonna beat this to death,,,he's nuts..

[Saratoga2]

That was a very good Baylor team that we found a way to beat tonight. I think the strategy was to shoot over the zone and to put a good passing big into the top of the key and find open men.

I thought the keys to the game were for us to win the rebounding battle, to keep the TO's down, to win from the free throw line, to play solid defense and to keep our offense efficient. With the exception of a stretch in the fiirst half, TOs were reasonable. I ahven't seen stats, but I think we accomplished the rest.

Nolan and Jon were excellent tonight on offense and very good on defense. The rest of the guys can each find a lot to be proud of in their play. For instance, Zoubek rebounded and was tough inside. He passed well and scored a few. Dawkins hit a couple of threes that were important. Thomas did come through in the end with good rebounds and a nice putback. Singler may have had his worst game, but with the game handing in the balance, he made critical free throws. The Plumees did well in some ways. All in all, everyone has something to be proud of.

Bayor is a very good and athletic team with excellent guards, two good 6'10" forwards and a 7' center who had a very good game on Friday. They played well and are no doubt dejected, but are a class team and may well make it to the tourney finals next year.

On to the final four, and now we face a good chance of winning every game we play.

[Lulu]

The media folk are really rearing their ugly heads now...

[devildownunder]

Hedder on front page, under a picture of Lance Thomas making a battle cry:

The only one


Loving it!

[gumbomoop]

This game surely demonstrated a [not necessarily the] key strength of the Devils, as noted by several posters [yes, including but by no means limited to me] through the season: as long as any two of 3-S have very good games, Duke's gonna be tough to beat. Those 2 early fouls seemed to mess with KS all game long, but, geez, NS and JS......

[LSanders]

Huh????? What the heck does that even mean?


All that hair gel destroys brain cells.


'nuff said!!!!!!!!

[Dev11]

2. Play of the game: Nolan missing 2nd of 2 free throws & after clutch rebound (Lance) & Nolan then burying the 3.

No way, the play of the game was Lance's REBOUND AND JAM. You could see the fire in his eyes as he slammed it home.

[InSpades]

Just want to say what a tough team Baylor was today... Udoh is an absolute handful. How many 6-10 guys get the ball on the perimeter with 10 seconds left in the half? He was ridiculous. Dunn was incredibly tough. Carter was money from the 3-point line and great w/ the ball. The rest of the team all seemed to know their roles and play them well. Great team.

Couldn't be more proud of our guys for getting the win today. What fight this team has in it. So proud of Scheyer for finding his shot when we needed him most. Nolan Smith... I knew it was in there but that was something else. Andre w/ those 2 big 3s off the bench. All the big men fighting underneath for those offensive rebounds. Proud to be a Duke fan today (and every other day)!

[dukieinhebron]

ahh how sweet it is to get back in the final four.

[CampbellBlueDevil]

So proud of our team! Scheyer returned to form, Smith played like a champion, and Thomas played with such great intensity. The Plumless gave VALUABLE minutes and Andre came through with his 3 pointers. I am still pleased with Singler's performance, although he didn't have a field goal he didn't let it bother the other aspects of his game.

I don't think people realize how talented Baylor is... they are a great team and had a significant chance at the championship if they had gotten by Duke. I certainly don't mind if the media considers Duke as the underdog in the W.Va game because I know that we can beat anyone after a performance like tonight!

[micah75]

Long time lurker, first-time poster,

Hey!!! GREAT WIN guys.

Oh wait... I've posted here before...

never mind.

[OldSchool]

Huh????? What the heck does that even mean?

a book made into a movie about a martinet marine officer who abuses and alienates his family with his tough military ways.

[Atlanta Duke]

Props to the Baylor player in the post-game presser who is asked about the charge involving Zoubek - he simply said the ref made the call and then we did not get a stop - these post-game conferences with the losing team are tough to watch

[Channing]

what are they saying (i cant watch right now)? are we getting the duke gets all the calls spiel?

[RoyalBlue08]

Even with the easiest path to the FF in 25 years?! :eek:

Screw you, Lavin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those that can are coaching in the FF ... Those that can't pour grease on their hair and sit at a desk at ESPN!!!!!!!!!

I hope Lavin takes that St. John's job and keeps Duke on the schedule. What a joke he is. I'd love to beat that guy's team year after year.

[34dukegal]

The media folk are really rearing their ugly heads now...

Give credit to the Baylor players for not taking the bait in the presser though, the leading question about the charge could have easily been answered differently.

[nmduke2001]

If you would have told me before the game that Kyle would go 0-10 from the field, I would have thought that we would lose by 15+. Great job picking up the offensive slack by Nolan. Great job by Kyle staying in the game defensively.

[basket1544]

I think that was the national championship game. West Virginia couldn't rebound against Kentucky, but they found a way to win. I'm definitely scared of Coach Izzo's kids and Butler will be at home... no matter who we play it will be scary. But this was the most competitive game Duke has faced and Baylor has faced. Wow I was scared we were going to relive the 18 year old shot there for awhile and Kyle was 0-10.

[IBleedBlue]

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Baylor's basketball team members for playing like they have all year and bringing this program back from ashes. They have contributed a lot and deserve to be congratulated on their achievements. I wouldn't have wanted the win any other way.
Good luck to Baylor in future !!

[Les Grossman]

Too much woofin in the first half, but that team can play. Udoh looks like NBA caliber. Ditto Dunn.

[OldSchool]

All of the Bear players are openly weeping in their press conference as they try to answer questions. Almost makes you feel sorry for them. ALMOST but not!

[LSanders]

ESPN News just showed K cutting the last twine on the net ... That was one great smile!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[Andre Buckner Fan]

I love my devils!

But Tweety in his press conference is breaking my heart. :(

A really classy athlete, all the best to him. (But Acy is a f'ing jerk.)

[devildownunder]

And not the least important, it looks like Scheyer might be back!



During that scrap at the end, and then when he went to shoot the technical FTs after it, Jon had a real confident look on his face. It was edgy, a little cocky even. I haven't seen that look from him before, and his game hasn't really had that kind of inner confidence lately either. The look and the game had plenty of edge and confidence tonight. Let's hope it's here to stay.

This team has now exceeded my expectations. I hope the guys can keep it going for two more wins!

And once again, FINAL FOUR! FINAL FOUR! FINAL FOUR! FINAL FOUR!

[BobbyFan]

I loved the way we played. Credit to Coach K and Scheyer/Smith for attacking the zone perfectly. I know we went through a mini-drought in the 2nd half, but we were getting good looks throughout the game.

And our defense, aside from a few lapses, really forced them into tough shots in the 2nd half.

I think we outplayed Baylor more than the final margin would indicate, and it would have been a travesty if we didn't get a win out of this.

[Delaware]

Really good humble kids giving credit to Duke. Drew must be a good coach and leader.

[Relics]

Give credit to the Baylor players for not taking the bait in the presser though, the leading question about the charge could have easily been answered differently.

This.

These guys obviously played their hearts out and have unquestionably earned my respect. Very classy presser to boot. I will keep an eye on Baylor hoops in the future.

[indakut]

Great job, Duke!! If one more person asked me a question during the game....I DEEEEEECLARE!!! lol :-D

[Andre Buckner Fan]

what are they saying (i cant watch right now)? Are we getting the duke gets all the calls spiel?

espn news

[towerview road]

I am currently watching the post-game press conference with the Baylor coach and players (available streaming live here: http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ncaa&media=175780) - and you can hear the cheering for Duke in the background.

That said, the players were VERY highly complimentary of the Duke players. One of the players (I don't remember which one) was asked about Singler's performance (couched in a way that was meant to illicit a poor answer, IMHO) and the player was VERY, VERY kind and said he thought Singler made some very big plays and was a big contributor and he's lucky he gets to play another game (something to that effect) and he wishes him well.

Perhaps it is to be expected, but I was impressed by the three senior Baylor players responses to the questions.

[LSanders]

All of the Bear players are openly weeping in their press conference as they try to answer questions. Almost makes you feel sorry for them. ALMOST but not!


Obviously, I'm glad we won, but it would have been no shame to lose to them. They played their bu$@s off!!

Great game, Bears!!!!!!!

[Delaware]

I hope Lavin takes that St. John's job and keeps Duke on the schedule. What a joke he is. I'd love to beat that guy's team year after year.

He was awful again tonight after the game.... he really hates Duke.. it comes through with every word.

[mgtr]

Baylor is a very, very good team, and I was happy to get the win. I think it shows that our guys are just tough, and that we a wonderful coach.
I think Lavin might get a job coaching a junior high team.

[JaMarcus Russell]

Steve Lavin still running with the "most favorable bracket in 25 years" claim and now adds maybe Duke can "sneak" into the national championship

That guy still doesn't understand that the NCAA is not a 15-team round robin tournament.

Duke played a tougher stretch of games than any team besides Butler, which obviously would, considering they are a 5 seed.

Great game for Duke. Even though Singler had an off night, especially on offense, Nolan and Jon really stepped it up.

[Les Grossman]

ESPN News just showed K cutting the last twine on the net ... That was one great smile!!!!!!!!!!! :D
I so wanted to see some celebratin' after that great win.

[Andre Buckner Fan]

These guys obviously played their hearts out and have unquestionably earned my respect. Very classy presser to boot. I will keep an eye on Baylor hoops in the future.

Ditto. Lamers and Acy A-hole got under my skin, but Tweety and Ekpe and LaceDarius are earning my respect.

[towerview road]

This.

These guys obviously played their hearts out and have unquestionably earned my respect. Very classy presser to boot. I will keep an eye on Baylor hoops in the future.

Absolutely. This presser with Tweety crying is making me sad - its clearly not in a "woe is me" overdramatic type deal, you can tell they are just genuinely sad but also highly complimentary of Duke.

The coach is now praising K, saying Duke really earned the win and K did good coaching.

[MChambers]

Give credit to the Baylor players for not taking the bait in the presser though, the leading question about the charge could have easily been answered differently.

Did anyone else think the block on Zoubek's hook, right before the charge, was a goaltend?

[LSanders]

I think Lavin might get a job coaching a junior high team.


Not a winning team!!!!!!!!!

[LSanders]

Scott Drew's an impressive coach ... What an amazing turnaround for that program and that school!!!!!!

[towerview road]

Watching the press conference - blown away by Scott Drew and how eloquent and level-headed and just plain kind he seems. What a nice guy. To consider what he started with at the program. . .CLASS ACT. I didn't know anything about him really before tonight. Praised K & Duke players repeatedly AND supported his own players.

[towerview road]

Nolan and Jon are doing the press conference right now FYI. They and K just joined the press conference.

[Relics]

From twitter (http://twitter.com/rickbozich/status/11218460214):

Nolan Smith going to Indy to do what his Pops did -- win a title. Congrats to Nolan, his Mom, Monica, and sister, Sydney. Derek is proud.

-Rick Bozich

[OldSchool]

K saying the offensive rebounds late in the game that led to two consecutive kick-outs for threes by Nolan and Jon was key to the game.

Praised Nolan for his on-ball defense.

[FerryFor50]

Did anyone else think the block on Zoubek's hook, right before the charge, was a goaltend?

Yep. Just like the one they got on Miles.

[devildownunder]

a book made into a movie about a martinet marine officer who abuses and alienates his family with his tough military ways.

yeah, I'm familiar with the movie. I guess what I should've said was "that's a ridiculous stretch and doesn't really fit K."

I haven't seen lavin saying any of this stuff because I just haven't been seeing espn's studio work this season. from what you guys are saying, it sounds like he's really off the deep end. Goodness.

[BleedsP287]

Congrats to a great Baylor team. What a great win.

I think a lot of credit goes to coach K and the assistants who figured out exactly how to attack this team- right in the middle of the zone, which had to extend a step because of our threes- leaving the middle open for our bigs to catch and shoot or kick out. And it was executed perfectly most of the game.

Our D was also huge.

Say what you will, I think Nolan is the best player on this team. He sure looked it tonight.

And the reserves- Andre- what a couple of huge 3s to keep us in it early. Way to step up and fill in as we worked through the foul trouble.

The bigs all played well, MPs really contributed tonight with very few mistakes. Nice nice.

I think we have as good or better chance to win it all as anyone else. All the haters can piss off.

Duke toughness from K on down. Makes me proud.

[FerryFor50]

As humble as Baylor was in the presser, they sure were the opposite during the game.

Good team, but way too much showboating.

[moonpie23]

my hands are sore from clapping and my voice is shot....the neighbors hate me and my wife has forgiven me for totally ignoring the family for 2 1/2 hours...

thanks to the players, staff and everyone.....props to baylor...


i can only imagine what's going on over on IC..... wait....i can go look :eek:

[Neals384]

Props to the Baylor player in the post-game presser who is asked about the charge involving Zoubek - he simply said the ref made the call and then we did not get a stop - these post-game conferences with the losing team are tough to watch

Just poked my head into baylorfans.com and they are streamed about the charging call on Acy. Would have been Zoub's 5th, completely changed the games, blah, blah, blah. Props to the players for showing class, but not to the folks at baylorfans.com

[FerryFor50]

Just poked my head into baylorfans.com and they are streamed about the charging call on Acy. Would have been Zoub's 5th, completely changed the games, blah, blah, blah. Props to the players for showing class, but not to the folks at baylorfans.com

It was definitely close. But I don't care. It went our way. :D

[mph]

Add me to the list of people impressed with the Baylor program. Scott Drew is a very impressive coach and the way his players responded during the post-game press conference speaks volumes about their character and his.

[mph]

Just poked my head into baylorfans.com and they are streamed about the charging call on Acy. Would have been Zoub's 5th, completely changed the games, blah, blah, blah. Props to the players for showing class, but not to the folks at baylorfans.com

If people judged Duke fans by internet fan forums after a tough loss, I doubt we'd look much better.

[devildownunder]

Yep. Just like the one they got on Miles.

I did but we never got a chance to get another look at it. I've read a lot of complaints about the officiating on this one but I think this game could've been called in a whole lot of ways that were less favorable than what we got.

Particularly in the 2nd half, they started calling it tight on the perimeter. That is an important thing for us. Purdue was able to cause us a lot more problems with their grabbing, bumpy defense. Baylor doesn't appear to play as physical anyway but in this one, they couldn't. Handchecks, etc, were being called and we got into the double bonus because of it. We also had much better looks at the basket.

Also, on the charge Z took, I don't think I would've been able to complain too loudly had he been called for the block. Zoub was still sliding a bit and also thrust his hip out to get into the path of the Baylor player. We were very fortunate on that play. It didn't decide the game but that's one that went in our favor that easily could not have.

[FerryFor50]

I did but we never got a chance to get another look at it. I've read a lot of complaints about the officiating on this one but I think this game could've been called in a whole lot of ways that were less favorable than what we got.

Particularly in the 2nd half, they started calling it tight on the perimeter. That is an important thing for us. Purdue was able to cause us a lot more problems with their grabbing, bumpy defense. Baylor doesn't appear to play as physical anyway but in this one, they couldn't. Handchecks, etc, were being called and we got into the double bonus because of it. We also had much better looks at the basket.

Also, on the charge Z took, I don't think I would've been able to complain too loudly had he been called for the block. Zoub was still sliding a bit and also thrust his hip out to get into the path of the Baylor player. We were very fortunate on that play. It didn't decide the game but that's one that went in our favor that easily could not have.

They didn't start calling the handchecks until the 2nd half. I think most of the complaints have been for the overly physical nature underneath the basket and on drives.

Oh and I'll let you infer why I think we didn't get a 2nd look at the Z hook shot. ;)

[4decadedukie]

Beverly and my cardiac stress tests were passed -- just barely -- and we are immensely proud of our team and its character, especially during a game with substantial adversity created by Baylor's excellence.

[Saratoga2]

I did but we never got a chance to get another look at it. I've read a lot of complaints about the officiating on this one but I think this game could've been called in a whole lot of ways that were less favorable than what we got.

Particularly in the 2nd half, they started calling it tight on the perimeter. That is an important thing for us. Purdue was able to cause us a lot more problems with their grabbing, bumpy defense. Baylor doesn't appear to play as physical anyway but in this one, they couldn't. Handchecks, etc, were being called and we got into the double bonus because of it. We also had much better looks at the basket.

Also, on the charge Z took, I don't think I would've been able to complain too loudly had he been called for the block. Zoub was still sliding a bit and also thrust his hip out to get into the path of the Baylor player. We were very fortunate on that play. It didn't decide the game but that's one that went in our favor that easily could not have.

I watched that play with Zoubek drawing the charge. He seemed to me to get there in time and was away from the basket. I believe it was the correct call.

[jipops]

Duke hasn't made the Final Four since this coming Saturday.

To all you media blowhards, sip on that suckas!!!!

[hq2]

This definitely goes up as one of my favorite final four teams. I rank it with the '78 and '94 teams that really caught our imagination and played well down the stretch. A great bunch of fellas who played tough D, hit the boards, and even when their shots weren't falling, stuck with it. We earned it against a quality opponent on their (nearly) home floor by playing clutch. Hats off to Nolan and Scheyer for keeping confidence in their shooting and hitting them when it mattered.

[dukepsy1963]

I am just unbelievablly happy and proud!!! But I aged considerably this afernoon. My wife too!

Her hair is white now!

[DukeGirl4ever]

Just poked my head into baylorfans.com and they are streamed about the charging call on Acy. Would have been Zoub's 5th, completely changed the games, blah, blah, blah. Props to the players for showing class, but not to the folks at baylorfans.com

Trying to look at that objectively, I really think Zoubs got his feet set.

Yes, it could have gone either way.
I'm so thankful we got the call (but then again, don't we get all the calls?)
I prayed to the Dear Lord right before that and I asked my friend who is watching over us from heaven (and former Duke fan) to help us....I'm thinking we had a little divine intervention.

[devildownunder]

They didn't start calling the handchecks until the 2nd half. I think most of the complaints have been for the overly physical nature underneath the basket and on drives.

Oh and I'll let you infer why I think we didn't get a 2nd look at the Z hook shot. ;)

Baylor didn't start doing it until the last few minutes of the first half. At first, they were much more passive in the zone, which led to some open looks and early threes from us. When we got up 25-15, that's when they extended their defense and they went on a run. So I don't have any issues with the way the game was called.

The way the handchecks are officiated is a huge factor for our team.


And, no offense, but I'm done talking about the bias thing.

[cspan37421]

there were a lot of plays I wanted to get a 2nd look at, but didn't; such as Kyle getting hammered down the lane, resulting in a turnover; such as Zoubs getting tackled down the lane (well attempted - he got an OR and a 2nd shot!); various & sundry other muggings (didn't need a 2nd look that one time the Baylor guard just ran hard into Nolan on the change of possession in the backcourt - no call). Etc. Sure, the refs missed calls both ways - I saw some that I felt we got lucky on. But I'd also say it was 2 or 3 to 1 in favor of Baylor. Seriously.

I'm tempted to say "put that in your pipe and smoke it, Clark Kellogg!" But really, announcers intentionally whoop it up with the home crowd - they do it on a Duke home game too. It simply makes for more exciting TV.

But, sorry that Duke bust your bracket, Clark. Well, not really. Don't count out K! He WANTS this one!

BTW - you'll find that the same people who now feel Duke had an easy road to the FF (was it 16, 8, 4, 3?) of course the first number is high b/c we're a #1 - well, they picked Baylor over Duke in MANY brackets. So do they now think Baylor wasn't so good? IMO, they were a VERY worthy opponent. Very, very good team.

[devildownunder]

I watched that play with Zoubek drawing the charge. He seemed to me to get there in time and was away from the basket. I believe it was the correct call.

he was still moving laterally with his body -- though not his feet -- and his body was not square to the attacking player. We caught a break.

Big deal. They caught breaks, too. I think they got away with a goaltend the play before. But that's the way it is in every game.

[Andre Buckner Fan]

It was definitely close. But I don't care. It went our way. :D

That was the only close call we got. I'm sick of the whining by opposing teams.

[FerryFor50]

That was the only close call we got. I'm sick of the whining by opposing teams.

Listening to some of the internet moron chatter out there, apparently Duke got EVERY call, including the T on Acy. :rolleyes:

[CDu]

he was still moving laterally with his body -- though not his feet -- and his body was not square to the attacking player. We caught a break.

Big deal. They caught breaks, too. I think they got away with a goaltend the play before. But that's the way it is in every game.

Agreed. His feet were set, but his body was not. We caught a break. But there were lots of missed calls in either direction. I can never understand why people can focus on one play in a 40-minute game.

[Virginian]

Lance Thomas -- gets his shot blocked about a dozen times (okay it just seemed that way) but dogs his guy all night long up and down the court, grabs a bunch of offensive boards and flies into the lane to get that put-back plus one when the game is on the line.

Not to forget Kyle struggling the whole game but running his butt all around the floor on defense and nailing his free throws when they really count.

You just can't beat that kind of effort.

But more importantly, all the instant post-game analysis is talking about how far Baylor came and what a great game Dunn had, etc., etc. All true, but Nolan's game was one for the ages -- one of the great performance in recent NCAA history. If he isn't the headline tomorrow, there's no justice.

Just keep it up, guys. And thanks.

[devildownunder]

Agreed. His feet were set, but his body was not. We caught a break. But there were lots of missed calls in either direction. I can never understand why people can focus on one play in a 40-minute game.

Because apparently anything, and I mean ANYTHING AT ALL, is better than stepping up with some class and saying "they were the better team and they beat us."

[dukepsy1963]

My wife and I set a new household swearing and screaming record this afternoon. Thank god there are no kids around!

[devildownunder]

Lance Thomas -- gets his shot blocked about a dozen times (okay it just seemed that way) but dogs his guy all night long up and down the court, grabs a bunch of offensive boards and flies into the lane to get that put-back plus one when the game is on the line.

Not to forget Kyle struggling the whole game but running his butt all around the floor on defense and nailing his free throws when they really count.

You just can't beat that kind of effort.

But more importantly, all the instant post-game analysis is talking about how far Baylor came and what a great game Dunn had, etc., etc. All true, but Nolan's game was one for the ages -- one of the great performance in recent NCAA history. If he isn't the headline tomorrow, there's no justice.

Just keep it up, guys. And thanks.

Nolan was the best player on the floor tonight. He was the biggest individual reason we were able to absorb Singler's offensive struggles.

[mickeysgotagun]

Nolan was the best player on the floor tonight. He was the biggest individual reason we were able to absorb Singler's offensive struggles.

Just read the yahoo story
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201003280173&prov=ap

You'd think with Nolan being so big they'd get the picture right...:D

[Atlanta Duke]

ESPN News now explicitly raises the "Duke gets these calls all the time" allegation on the charge call involving Zoubek

[BobbyFan]

Agreed. His feet were set, but his body was not. We caught a break. But there were lots of missed calls in either direction. I can never understand why people can focus on one play in a 40-minute game.

Agreed. The refs were inconsistent throughout.

The idea of how the "refs are calling the game" really gets me annoyed. Refs shouldn't dictate the game nor should the style of the teams involved dictate how they call the game. Decide what a foul is and call them across all games. It's unfair to teams to have to adjust on a game to game basis.

[indakut]

Lavin is toooooo funny!! LOL

How OBVIOUS can this 'joker' be??

[FerryFor50]

Agreed. The refs were inconsistent throughout.

The idea of how the "refs are calling the game" really gets me annoyed. Refs shouldn't dictate the game nor should the style of the teams involved dictate how they call the game. Decide what a foul is and call them across all games. It's unfair to teams to have to adjust on a game to game basis.

Totally agree. The rules are pretty explicit and not open to interpretation. That's why I don't get how some conferences call the game differently than others. I mean, really... how is it that the Big East and Big 10 are more "physical" conferences? That just means the refs aren't doing their jobs.

[Matches]

Absolutely LOVED Lance's final six minutes or so. He wanted it more than anyone on the court and it showed.

Great performance by the team as a whole - IMO this ranks as one of K's coaching jobs.

[dukelifer]

Absolutely LOVED Lance's final six minutes or so. He wanted it more than anyone on the court and it showed.

Great performance by the team as a whole - IMO this ranks as one of K's coaching jobs.

8 Offensive boards. That says it all.

[devildownunder]

ESPN News now explicitly raises the "Duke gets these calls all the time" on the charge call involving Zoubek

Now that is truly pathetic. Like I said, though, I'm glad. The haters can now stew in that for a whole week.

Just for fun, I hope we not only win it all, but also beat Butler in the final game and pose for the team picture wearing black hats, 5 o'clock shadow and long moustaches, too.

[theAlaskanBear]

Lavin is toooooo funny!! LOL

How OBVIOUS can this 'joker' be??

Lavin is downright unprofessional, and everytime he opens his mouth I want to punch him in his face. Sour grapes he's not a coach anymore??!

[dukelifer]

Nolan was the best player on the floor tonight. He was the biggest individual reason we were able to absorb Singler's offensive struggles.
In all the pre-game discussion- it was all about Jon and Kyle. Nolan will start getting love now.

[striker219]

Talking to a Kerlina friend after the game, I really enjoyed being able to say, "How about that, we're both in the Final Four."

:D

[davidrosenhp]

After the Scheyer TO and technical on the Baylor player, Nolan jumped into the guy's face with a look I won't forget. He was in another zone the whole game. Scheyer walked away smiling and Nolan looked ready to throw down - which of course he is too well coached and intelligent to do so. But that look...

[jipops]

Espn news just spent 1 minute on the highlights and about 5 minutes on the charging call at then end. Can the animosity towards Duke be anymore obvious? They even brought up ref conspiracy theories. It's hilarious and childish. No wonder everyone hates Duke. This network wants so badly to paint a picture of a team that gets all the breaks.

If the shoe had been on the other foot, we would probably be pissed at closeness of the call. But you could be sure espn would not be talking about it.

[devildownunder]

Totally agree. The rules are pretty explicit and not open to interpretation. That's why I don't get how some conferences call the game differently than others. I mean, really... how is it that the Big East and Big 10 are more "physical" conferences? That just means the refs aren't doing their jobs.

Agree but that's the way it is.

[indakut]

Lavin is downright unprofessional, and everytime he opens his mouth I want to punch him in his face. Sour grapes he's not a coach anymore??!

...very unprofessional and pathetic.

[Atlanta Duke]

Lavin

"I'm not even sure there is a Quin Snyder out there" for this year's Duke team

No disrespect to Quin Snyder, but WTF is Lavin talking about?

[arnie]

8 Offensive boards. That says it all.

The best half Lance has ever played after a real bad 1st half - think he understood the defense was too strong down low - so he rebounded like a demon and did'nt look for his shot. That's what won the game.

[Papa John]

After the Scheyer TO and technical on the Baylor player, Nolan jumped into the guy's face with a look I won't forget. He was in another zone the whole game. Scheyer walked away smiling and Nolan looked ready to throw down - which of course he is too well coached and intelligent to do so. But that look...

That was my absolute favorite moment of the game!

[_Gary]

Lavin is toooooo funny!! LOL

How OBVIOUS can this 'joker' be??


He is really, really biased against Duke isn't he. I mean it's just a joke how bad he's wants us to lose.

Oh, and for everyone that's always getting on Dick Vitale... Please don't do it any more. This guy stood up for us on ESPN right after the game and really called out all the Duke haters. There's no doubt in my mind he was thinking about guys in the studio like Lavin when he said it's all about being jealous. It was hilarious because he really issued a strong rebuke and after he got done the studio guys literally had nothing to say. There was a second or two of dead silence. Hubert didn't know what to say and neither did the other guys. It was great and it was completely appropriate.

Thank you Dick Vitale for being one of the very few guys who will speak the absolute truth on national TV and call out all the haters at ESPN.

Thank you Coach K for this incredible ride.

Thank you seniors.

Thank you juniors.

Thank you sophomores.

Thank you freshmen.

Thank you Duke!!!!

[arnie]

Watching the press conference - blown away by Scott Drew and how eloquent and level-headed and just plain kind he seems. What a nice guy. To consider what he started with at the program. . .CLASS ACT. I didn't know anything about him really before tonight. Praised K & Duke players repeatedly AND supported his own players.

Very classy players also - don't think Ole Roy would have said those things. Really glad going to the Final 4; otherwise the Heels and the N&O would be gloating that the Heels advanced further than us this year.

[Virginian]

It doesn't matter if his feet were set or not. The important point was that you can't slide under someone who's up in the air. Once the offensive player is airborne on a shot you can't undercut him. The replay made me think our guy got there late, but it was clearly a split-second decision that could have gone either way in any game for any team.

That call was NOT the reason Baylor lost. It was one call of dozens. And there were plenty of iffy calls against Zoubek in the first half and a couple of obvious missed calls under boards on Baylor's part.

Enough with the whining. If it was a bad call, it was a bad call. You have to win no matter what the refs do or don't do. That technical call was just as much a game-killer and it was VERY well deserved.

I don't think the Baylor players or coaches are blaming the refs for their loss tonight, so why should the fans or the media?

[Udaman]

What a great game. Tied down the stretch, both teams battling out. Our offensive boards and great shooting was the difference.

And yes, the block/charge was a close call....but so tired of the Duke haters harping on that. To give the Baylor players credit, they were asked about it and one of them basically brushed it off saying, "It was nothing. If we go down and make a stop on the defensive end, it doesn't even matter." He's dead on.

Also, there was one HUGE no call on Baylor's part, when their player did a dunk and slapped the backboard. It was obvious (and it might have happened earlier as well), and there was no T called. Coach K blew up. There were several calls (and no-calls) that didn't go our way...and only one really big one that didn't go theirs.

Last I'm talking about the officials. They are not the reason we won. We won because our players fought like mad, because we were massive on the offensive boards, because we had 15 assists, and because Nolan Smith and Scheyer played like the team leaders they have been all year.

Final Four!!!!

[lotusland]

Really lame. That's for Carolina fans.

The idea that the NCAA, Officials or announcers are out to get Duke is almost as tedious as UK and Carolina fans claiming that Duke gets preferential treatment. Grow up.

[Faison1]

Great win, Guys!! Gutty, Gutty performance. I gotta say, my stomach was in knots the entire game, until Scheyer and Nolan hit those big shots.

Baylor looked like a Final Four caliber team. For Duke to win without many points from Singler, and a rough patch from Zoubs....I'm just really impressed with these guys.

More importantly, I am really happy for the Seniors....to think where they've come from....I can remember their Freshman year, when they were playing away @ Maryland, I openly wondered who was going to score a point.

Hats off, Guys......I am thrilled for you!!

[_Gary]

Oh, I'm glad some folks mentioned this: Baylor's coach and players in the post game presser. They were total class and my hat's off to all of them! Very solid base they have there and I wish we could have met them in the Final game instead of the Regional final. Great, great bunch of kids!

[indakut]

He is really, really biased against Duke isn't he. I mean it's just a joke how bad he's wants us to lose.

Oh, and for everyone that's always getting on Dick Vitale... Please don't do it any more. This guy stood up for us on ESPN right after the game and really called out all the Duke haters. There's no doubt in my mind he was thinking about guys in the studio like Lavin when he said it's all about being jealous. It was hilarious because he really issued a strong rebuke and after he got done the studio guys literally had nothing to say. There was a second or two of dead silence. Hubert didn't know what to say and neither did the other guys. It was great and it was completely appropriate.

Thank you Dick Vitale for being one of the very few guys who will speak the absolute truth on national TV and call out all the haters at ESPN.

Thank you Coach K for this incredible ride.

Thank you seniors.

Thank you juniors.

Thank you sophomores.

Thank you freshmen.

Thank you Duke!!!!

I can't believe I missed that, Gary!! Maybe someone 'youtubed' it. I'd love to see it. http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

[_Gary]

I can't believe I missed that, Gary!! Maybe someone 'youtubed' it. I'd love to see it. http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

I hope someone did. It was powerful and it was timely. He didn't mention anyone by name, but he said it perfectly and it really did cause the studio guys to go dead silent.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

Baylor is a really good team, we fought hard just like we did all year. I am so happy and proud of these guys to get back to where they should've been 3-4years back :D

This is for all the haters out there. All the arrogant, biased, know it all "experts" at ESPN who all picked Villanova AGAIN and ignroed what Duke does on the court because of...whatever reason they thought of after EVERY win. This is for the people that thought these guys weren't ATHLETIC enough, black enough (seriously), quick enough or deep enough in the backcourt.

Let's get it done in Indy boys!!! Aaaaahhh!!!!!!!!!!!! Final Four!!!!!!!!

[devildownunder]

How could we possibly lose on the anniversary of ...

The Perfect Game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-iq58_oz4&feature=fvw)

:)

[DevilHorns]

I forgot who said this, but it was someone's birthday on here that had used his/her birthday wish in the past and it worked. Seriously pre-game when I read that post my confidence did boost up. ;)

[burnspbesq]

Good luck to Baylor in future !!

Beginning Tuesday. We have unfinished business with Baylor.

[devildownunder]

I can't believe I missed that, Gary!! Maybe someone 'youtubed' it. I'd love to see it. http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif

So would I.

[TNDukeFan]

Good, fair blog by Dana O'Neil, with one funny line written at halftime:

"Duke isn't going to win with Kyle Singler going scoreless."

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/tag/_/name/032810-baylor-duke

[DevilHorns]

How could we possibly lose on the anniversary of ...

The Perfect Game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-iq58_oz4&feature=fvw)

:)

for those who havent seen it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFNSl4IFRfg

[Genedoc]

Favorite part of the post-game conference - "Coach, how does it feel to have gotten these Seniors to a Final Four?"

K - "Let's be clear - THEY got ME to a Final Four".

[_Gary]

Good, fair blog by Dana O'Neil, with one funny line written at halftime:

"Duke isn't going to win with Kyle Singler going scoreless."

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/tag/_/name/032810-baylor-duke

I can't blame her (it is a her, isn't it?) because I said the same thing as we approached the half. What a testament to this entire team for them to win a game like this with Kyle not hitting a field goal.

Gary

[Exiled_Devil]

Even with the easiest path to the FF in 25 years?! :eek:

Screw you, Lavin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those that can are coaching in the FF ... Those that can't pour grease on their hair and sit at a desk at ESPN!!!!!!!!!

But JWill has greasy hair and sits at a desk now...

[NashvilleDevil]

Great gutty win. Man I love this team they rank up there with 86, 92, and 94 as my favorite Duke team.

Lavin is a moron. I have no clue how he has a job with espn. Like many have said if Duke's region was so easy how come a lot of experts had Baylor or Villanova beating them?

As for the charge/block, I'm afraid this is all that espn will talk about for the next for the next 24-48 hours. Dickie V's defense of Duke will be erased and now we are back to what happened after the whining from Gary and Lute after the 2001 Final Four.

On to Indy and WVU!

GO DUKE!

[devildownunder]

I can't blame her (it is a her, isn't it?) because I said the same thing as we approached the half. What a testament to this entire team for them to win a game like this with Kyle not hitting a field goal.

Gary

Yes, Dana O'Neil is a woman -- or the prettiest man I've ever seen.

[somf4eva]

Agree with the Vitale comment. I was watching and yes. He went off on all the Duke haters and called them jealous. The only thing that the ESPN crew was make jokes, which shows how clueless they really are.

Also, while Kyle didn't do anything offensively, he deserves credit on the defensive end of the floor. Even with his fouls, he stayed in there and didnt make any stupid plays in the 2nd half. Also, near the end, either him or another player caused a turnover, but he ended up with it. That really spoke to me. "I may not be doing well down there, but I can still beat you down here."

[_Gary]

Agree with the Vitale comment. I was watching and yes. He went off on all the Duke haters and called them jealous. The only thing that the ESPN crew was make jokes, which shows how clueless they really are.

Right. After a second or two of dead silence the lead anchor did make some kind of joke and then Hubert Davis joined in and tried to yuck it up a bit as well.

[SMO]

Agree with the Vitale comment. I was watching and yes. He went off on all the Duke haters and called them jealous. The only thing that the ESPN crew was make jokes, which shows how clueless they really are.


Would love to see the video if anyone has a link.

[watzone]

Hear a happy Chris Collins as Duke cuts down the nets in the background -
http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/a-joyous-chris-collins-talks-the-win-and-final-4-with-bdn/

[Duke84]

I think this Quin Snyder fellow Lavin speaks of was the actor that played Robert Duvall's son in "The Great Santini". That is why Coach K needs him, because K is, after all, the real "Great Santini".

Maybe Lavin meant "The Great Houdini" but got it wrong because he is, well, brain dead (no offense intended to the actual brain dead).

[Welcome2DaSlopes]

Hear a happy Chris Collins as Duke cuts down the nets in the background -
http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/a-joyous-chris-collins-talks-the-win-and-final-4-with-bdn/

Thanks very much for the updates, especially so soon after the game.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

F*** Steve Lavin and Hubert Davis. They can both eat sh##.

I hope they both end up sitting behind a desk on the Northeast Conference network.

[jipops]

Right. After a second or two of dead silence the lead anchor did make some kind of joke and then Hubert Davis joined in and tried to yuck it up a bit as well.

I didn't see it, but it's hard not to imagine Vitale making a ridiculous spectacle of himself. Why not just concentrate on the actual play of the game, the game plan that was employed, what worked, what didn't? How many people that cover college basketball actually know anything about college basketball?

[BlueintheFace]

So happy for this team. They deserve every win.

It's all icing on the cake now.

[60's Devil]

Even with the easiest path to the FF in 25 years?! :eek:

Screw you, Lavin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those that can are coaching in the FF ... Those that can't pour grease on their hair and sit at a desk at ESPN!!!!!!!!!

Lavin uses Crisco for hair tonic. Get a life!!

[theAlaskanBear]

As bad as some of the media coverage is....watching the meltdown at IC makes it worth it!

[_Gary]

I didn't see it, but it's hard not to imagine Vitale making a ridiculous spectacle of himself.

He absolutely did NOT make a spectacle of himself. He spoke, as we say here in the south, the "God's honest truth" and it was very timely. The only people at ESPN making spectacles of themselves are the haters who's irrational basketball bigotry is nothing short of idiotic.

[watzone]

Thanks very much for the updates, especially so soon after the game.


DBR'ers are always welcome. Got my start here. Check out Nate "Dogg" James jubilation - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/check-out-the-audio-clip-from-a-fired-up-nate-james/

[Boston Dukie]

I have not posted in a while, but all the talk about the calls is silly. Every call is a big call, every thing that happens in a game impacts everything that happens in the game from that point forward. Refs miss dozens of calls a game (for both teams) and they all impact the game in a big way. No human being has any way of analyzing a call and figuring out what the impact is/was on a particular game. It is such a waste of time. Do you think the 2 ticky tacky fouls Kyle got early had an impact on the game? Of course it did, who cares, move on. I just only hope the chip on this teams shoulder gets even bigger as a result of this bullI'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.. The game was over when the T was called, Duke does not play D the same if their lead is 8 instead of 10, etc.

A few other things:

1) I have to apologize to Zoubek. I have been his biggest detractor, and after 4 years, he has proven me wrong. He is really a factor now

2) One thing I loved about this game is we got a glimpse of how good the plumlees will be. They played very well. All they need is reps to build skill and confidence and once they get them (which they will next year) those guys are going to be very, very good. Not to mention Mason's injury messed up his whole year (same with Dawkins who had the toughest 1st year anyone could have). I think the imrovement we see from Mason (and Miles) and Dawkins is going to stunning next year

3) Singler making no shots, but the team still winning has got to help him next game to stay lose. I think it takes the pressure off to know you couldn't possibly have a worse shooting game, yet your team won

4) Nolan was the man in this game. Even when he missed he got great shots off, and some shots roll in and out. He was sick.

5) Lance really has trouble going up strong in general, and tonight it was a disaster. I think he did a great job of realizing this, and then focusing on other parts of the game

On to West Virginia who will never shoot 3s vs. Duke (or anyone) the way they did against Kentucky). I hate to say it, but West V. won on a fluke (their ridiculous 3 pt. shooting vs. Kentucky's horrible) and I am glad they did. I do not think Kentucky was a good match up for Duke

[Mike Corey]

Really terrific interviews, Mr. Watson, with Coach Collins and Coach James. Thanks so much for your work and for sharing them here.

[ncexnyc]

What a great, gut wrenching win this was.

Jon picked a great game to find his shooting stroke. His ball handling was excellent and he kept the tempo of the game under control.

Nolan was the man tonight. His 29 points speaks for itself. His defense on Carter was outstanding. I really can't recall any instances of Carter blowing by Nolan and that says a lot.

Kyle fought through early foul trouble, but kept doing the little things, which help a team win.

Was very disappointed with the play of Brian and Lance for most of the game. I kept thinking to myself, "These seniors have come so far and have really picked up their game, but today they're laying an egg." However they both came up with some big plays down the stretch and that relentlessness has been a staple of both of these fine young men throughout their career here at Duke.

Miles had a very solid game on both ends of the floor. His play was a major part of why we were able to weather the problems both Brian and Lance had early in the game.

Mason continues to tease us with flashes of his potential, but on defense he did get beat numerous times.

Dre hit some monster 3's. His contributions were big as it helped keep Baylor at bay.

This team came up against a very, very good Baylor team and they won. Their determination is a wonder to behold.

[superdave]

Nolan was quite simply the man. He really attacked the zone tonight and showed Jon had to shoot the gaps. Between the two of them, that was a fistful of clutch shots.

I thought Zoubek was fantastic for sitting so much and being able to turn it right back on when he got in. He had some great defensive boards that sucked the life out of Baylor's offense.

Baylor was the best team we've played all year. They reminded me a little of GT with that NBA caliber front line. I thought they were better off going smaller and utilizing their frontline athleticism. A worthy opponent - they have a great deal to be proud of. I'm guessing Udoh is a pro soon.

Scheyer's shot is back! I hope Singler can get his going too.

[BobbyFan]

For all the big bodies Baylor has, the zone defense combined with our penetration left them vulnerable to offensive boards. And that's where we crushed them tonight.

[Mcluhan]

I hate to extend the conversation about calls, but I thought we, and Lance in particular, were mauled repeatedly in the second half and often didn't get the whistle.

I also want to echo the shout-out to the Plumlees: it seems like a long time ago that we weren't sure, game-to-game, whether they'd be productive at all.

Mason's bounce pass through three Baylor players to Nolan(?) for the layup was not something many players in college today can do.

[TheDuckStore]

Watching the game again... didn't notice where Dawkins attempted his first three from... beyond NBA range. Kid has guts.

[dukestheheat]

Wow, we just saw something truly amazing from this team!

Not only did we win a really physical game that went all the way to the wire, but we did this without one of our big 3 scorers, scoring. Certainly, Iron Man brought the rebounds, the intensity, leadership and the defensive moxie to greatly lessen Dunn's three-point percentage (he shot 2/8 if I recall it correctly), but in the end he scored a total of three points.

For Duke to overcome that is an amazing feat and speaks volumes about the strength of this team from top to bottom. I won't forget the inner strength and character it took for Duke to weather this adversity tonight, and I do believe that this one instance bodes very well for our very near future. Coach K has done a masterful job preparing this team for this tournament, and we are so fortunate to have SUPERMAN as our coach!

On to Indy!

dukestheheat.

[DukeUsul]

If anyone wants to claim that we had the easiest path to the Final Four, just ask them: What other final four team had to play the #4 most efficient offense, the #6 most efficient defense, and the #3 most efficient offense to get there?

[pfrduke]

I forgot who said this, but it was someone's birthday on here that had used his/her birthday wish in the past and it worked. Seriously pre-game when I read that post my confidence did boost up. ;)

It was roywhite. And happy, happy birthday Roy. :D

[diveonthefloor]

Couple of thoughts which haven't been mentioned yet:

Regarding broadcast analysts....If you have a chance to watch Steve Lappas on the CBS College Sports channel (Directv channel 613), he is a bit goofy in his mannerisms, but is spot-on with his analysis and gives Duke some high praise....can't stop gooshing about the offensive rebounding---> kickouts.
Too bad he isn't on ESPNews since he is quite a bit more knowledgeable than Lavin.

Regarding Mason: He sure did help with his rebounding (three offensive I think), had one fantastic pass, but his defensive lapses (he got picked off several times allowing easy baskets) and his turnovers need to improve. I know this will come with time but it sure would be nice if the epiphany would occur this week during practice and then on Saturday.

Was anyone surprised at the lack of reach-in fouls called on Baylor during the first half? Seems like they were reaching all the time....many resulting in steals.

[JohnGalt]

If guys named LaceDarius and Tweety can't stop Nolan, who can?

[FerryFor50]

If anyone wants to claim that we had the easiest path to the Final Four, just ask them: What other final four team had to play the #4 most efficient offense, the #6 most efficient defense, and the #3 most efficient offense to get there?

It's funny how the experts say how easy the bracket was when none of them picked the correct final 4 teams. If they knew so much about the difficulty of the brackets, maybe they would have known who was going to emerge from each round...

[YourLandlord]

Dang, the offensive rebounding was impressive, the D was solid and Nolan, the game of his carreer. I will remember this game for a while. Made my week!
Outstanding message board name.

[bluepenguin]

Kyle goes 0-10 from the field and we still win.

Haven't seen this discussed anywhere. Is it possible his wrist was bothering him from the fall in the Purdue game?

[dukebluelemur]

But JWill has greasy hair and sits at a desk now...


JWill does not look like he fell asleep in a tanning salon.

http://notsuchayummymummy.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/oompa_loompa_fake_tan_400x300.jpg
(Here, Steve Lavin Discusses ball handling...)

[Greg_Newton]

This is where legends are made, fellas. Can our upperclassmen come up big for us in the second half and send us to the final four?

They've already done Duke proud this season in my book, but they've got 20 minutes to become one of the all-time special teams. Here's hoping they rise to the challenge.

So proud of our juniors and seniors for rising to the challenge and elevating this team to a level not many reach. It couldn't happen to a better group of guys, and they deserve it.

And +1 to everything Miramar posted here (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showpost.php?p=386881&postcount=8). As an aside, it's funny how short-term the media's memory is - I just heard Steve Lavin himself calling K the Wooden of his time in that he is the best in the business in March.

I love how for all of our worrying about what kind of team we need, what savior we need, what type of athletes we need to be a true contender, this limited but workmanlike team has quietly fought their way to the final four. I just can't say enough good things about these guys.

[chattpanther]

Just heard Lavin pick WV over Duke and then WV to win the whole thing. He couldn't name the player who is now out for WV (which was suppose to make WV lose two games ago). It is amazing, no one wants to be seen as picking Duke. Will be interesting to see who Bilas picks.

[BlueintheFace]

Do Baylor fans realize how lucky they are that Wojo ran out to break up the altercation and not Nate James? I mean, seriously.... do they understand?

[BigZ]

Is it a coinsidence that JJ and Shelden have been playing out of their minds tonight?

[cspan37421]

It's funny how the experts say how easy the bracket was when none of them picked the correct final 4 teams. If they knew so much about the difficulty of the brackets, maybe they would have known who was going to emerge from each round...

No kidding. Most of them who thought our bracket was "easy" thought Baylor would come out of it. Maybe it wasn't so easy - because WE were in it!

But that's part of the rub. See, when you're a 1 seed, you face a 16 in the first round, not a 12 like MSU and Butler. So right there, you say, aha! Duke had an easier first round game! Duh! So did Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse! That's how the tournament is designed - 1 seeds get 16 seeds!

[Exiled_Devil]

I hate to extend the conversation about calls, but I thought we, and Lance in particular, were mauled repeatedly in the second half and often didn't get the whistle.

I also want to echo the shout-out to the Plumlees: it seems like a long time ago that we weren't sure, game-to-game, whether they'd be productive at all.

Mason's bounce pass through three Baylor players to Nolan(?) for the layup was not something many players in college today can do.

I noticed Lance's forehead scratch and Mason's neck scratches during a time out. We did get mauled.

[jipops]

Miles deserves a ton of props for his defense tonight. He was rotating over to position beautifully. On a few possessions I actually thought he defended Udoh better than Lance did. Miles has come a long way as a player, he really has become aware of where he is out there and where the help D needs to come.

[marinbobbyduhon]

Haven't seen this discussed anywhere. Is it possible his wrist was bothering him from the fall in the Purdue game?

I kept asking myself the same question throughout the game. I am concerned about his wrist affecting his shooting touch. I hope it heals this week, if that was the problem.

[Exiled_Devil]

So, you are a hypothetical NBA GM. Do you pick Johnson or Udo as a draft pick?

I think I pick Johnson, because he brings a solid outside shot as well as a strong inside presence.

My bottom line - they are both GOOOD. We had serious backcourt challengeson the way to the Final Four.

[Duke Parent 06]

Trying to look at that objectively, I really think Zoubs got his feet set.

Yes, it could have gone either way.
I'm so thankful we got the call (but then again, don't we get all the calls?)
I prayed to the Dear Lord right before that and I asked my friend who is watching over us from heaven (and former Duke fan) to help us....I'm thinking we had a little divine intervention.

And for an ecumenical celebration:

Our after-game, Chinese dinner fortune cookie message:

"This is really a lovely day. Congratulations!"

[jipops]

So, you are a hypothetical NBA GM. Do you pick Johnson or Udo as a draft pick?

I think I pick Johnson, because he brings a solid outside shot as well as a strong inside presence.

My bottom line - they are both GOOOD. We had serious backcourt challengeson the way to the Final Four.

I assume you mean Wesley Johnson. It's a tough call really. But if you look at the fact that Udoh is 3 inches taller with guard and passing skills and is listed at 6-10 240, I think a few more GM's eyebrows may have been raised after this performance. He's a monster small forward. I think he just played himself into the lottery.

[Kedsy]

So, you are a hypothetical NBA GM. Do you pick Johnson or Udo as a draft pick?

I think I pick Johnson, because he brings a solid outside shot as well as a strong inside presence.

My bottom line - they are both GOOOD. We had serious backcourt challengeson the way to the Final Four.

Udoh looked more NBA ready now, at least to me. Johnson is too skinny to play in the league anytime soon, plus Udoh appeared to have a better handle.

[basket1544]

Watching the game again... didn't notice where Dawkins attempted his first three from... beyond NBA range. Kid has guts.

When he took the shot I was thinking, "This is either going to be a great shot (if it goes in) or a horrible decision."

[FerryFor50]

I assume you mean Wesley Johnson. It's a tough call really. But if you look at the fact that Udoh is 3 inches taller with guard and passing skills and is listed at 6-10 240, I think a few more GM's eyebrows may have been raised after this performance. He's a monster small forward. I think he just played himself into the lottery.

I think he meant Jajaun, since Duke's played both this weekend.

[GLTBD]

All this time I worried for no reason. See you guys in Indy!!! Go DUKE

[jkidd31]

Steve Lavin can suck it!!! According to him, Duke had the easiest path to the FF. Whatever, punk!

Every single TV "expert" I saw today from ESPN to CBS, picked Baylor so you can ALL suck it!!!

Way to go Devils!!!

Only person I heard openly pick Duke to win was Vitale.

[texasdevil06]

Haven't seen this discussed anywhere. Is it possible his wrist was bothering him from the fall in the Purdue game?
I was at the games. When Kyle went down Friday night, he was in major pain. During the timeout he was actually doubled over in his seat in pain. He hasn't made a shot from the field since.

Before the game today in warmups, he was missing more shots than he made. Friday night in warmups he was making everything. No doubt in my mind his wrist is bothering him.

[FerryFor50]

I was at the games. When Kyle went down Friday night, he was in major pain. During the timeout he was actually doubled over in his seat in pain. He hasn't made a shot from the field since.

Before the game today in warmups, he was missing more shots than he made. Friday night in warmups he was making everything. No doubt in my mind his wrist is bothering him.

Good thing he has a week to heal.

[_Gary]

I was at the games. When Kyle went down Friday night, he was in major pain. During the timeout he was actually doubled over in his seat in pain. He hasn't made a shot from the field since.

Before the game today in warmups, he was missing more shots than he made. Friday night in warmups he was making everything. No doubt in my mind his wrist is bothering him.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Even on TV it was clear he was really hurting after that fall. And I too took note of the fact that he hasn't made a bucket since the spill. No way is his wrist 100% OK after that. Neither he nor anyone at Duke will mention it because they are not about "excuses", but it's clear to me the wrist is bothering his shooting touch. I pray it heals up in 6 days because we really will be tough to beat if he can regain that touch he had prior to the fall on Friday night.

[watzone]

These Blue Devils are one tight knit group - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/this-duke-team-is-one-tight-knit-group/

Which Duke team as tighter? They love playing together as you will see if you choose to read their quotes. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

[dukelifer]

I was at the games. When Kyle went down Friday night, he was in major pain. During the timeout he was actually doubled over in his seat in pain. He hasn't made a shot from the field since.

Before the game today in warmups, he was missing more shots than he made. Friday night in warmups he was making everything. No doubt in my mind his wrist is bothering him.
I have to believe it is sore. He missed badly right after the injury and his shot was pure before it. Whether it will heal in time remains to be seen. Could we possibly have all three S's on in one game? We shall see. Rest the wrist- rest the wrist.

[Kfanarmy]

Particularly in the 2nd half, they started calling it tight on the perimeter. That is an important thing for us. Purdue was able to cause us a lot more problems with their grabbing, bumpy defense. Baylor doesn't appear to play as physical anyway but in this one, they couldn't. Handchecks, etc, were being called and we got into the double bonus because of it. We also had much better looks at the basket. Duke was being much more agressive driving the ball into the zone, that is where the fouls were being called, not on the perimeter. Coach K got them driving to get points on the interior, either through made baskets or fouls...and it worked.

[Mcluhan]

I kept asking myself the same question throughout the game. I am concerned about his wrist affecting his shooting touch. I hope it heals this week, if that was the problem.

Seems odd to say, but I think Kyle looked good driving the lane in the second half. The shots just didn't fall.

I'm not worried.

The Baylor zone dictated certain things-- our little wrinkle of throwing it into a big man on the high post worked pretty well, and the zone left open a huge hole in the middle of the lane. This was good for Nolan (his stop-and-pop 7 footer has never been a better fit) and the Plumlees (Mason's nice pump and drive), but not so much for Lance or Zoubs. Still, we all know that Lance and Zoubs are in the game to do other things.

[MB in MD]

has some amazing stats from this game. Our offensive efficiency was 125, our highest since the Carolina beatdown. And we didn't shoot all that well so this largely comes fromsecond chance points from our offensive reboundin, which was insane--you have to go back to the Penn game to find a game to match it.

What a great effort! congratulations to everyone in Duke Blue

Oh and Pomeroy us at 70%-30% over WVU.

[greybeard]

I thought that Jon and Nolan represented themselves and their teammates extremely well in the post-game interview session. I am sure someone else was invited to attend, and I'm beating it was Lance.

Jon was asked a question about the team, his answer focused just on the seniors. He said it was remarkable how far the seniors had come, how much all three had developed. Indeed. "And he that fought with me on that day shall be my brother." Well put Jon, simple, understated, and oh so apt, from an amazing leader on a team filed with them, on a team on which everyone takes responsibility and seems to have grown.

BTW, with all this talk about media people underrating Duke, it bears repeating that bracket week Tony Kornheiser had a lot of newspaper people and other talking heads pick their brackets on his radio show. None had Duke going vey deep, none had them beating Baylor. Need I remind you guys that there was only one "expert" dissenting voice who had it right. Don't mention it. ;)

And, one last thing for now. While we all feel for Kyle's scoring woes in this game, am I the only one, now that we know the outcome was good, who on one level couldn't be more pleased. As an outlander, it pleases me to be able to continue to intone, Go Duke.

[jkidd31]

Espn news just spent 1 minute on the highlights and about 5 minutes on the charging call at then end. Can the animosity towards Duke be anymore obvious? They even brought up ref conspiracy theories. It's hilarious and childish. No wonder everyone hates Duke. This network wants so badly to paint a picture of a team that gets all the breaks.

If the shoe had been on the other foot, we would probably be pissed at closeness of the call. But you could be sure espn would not be talking about it.

They are more then happy to show almost all ours games though. Personally I thought Zoubs was established

[Lord Ash]

These Blue Devils are one tight knit group - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/this-duke-team-is-one-tight-knit-group/

Which Duke team as tighter? They love playing together as you will see if you choose to read their quotes. Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Thanks for the article, really great to hear... they have seemed to really enjoy each other this year, and it is paying off in spades.

Just one note; it is "cliques," not "clicks."

[The_Greater_Blue]

After the highlights on sportscenter....Stuart Scott had to take a jab at Duke and the Zoubek charge/block call.

[prefan21]

After the highlights on sportscenter....Stuart Scott had to take a jab at Duke and the Zoubek charge/block call.

There's no other team in the country he'd cheap shot like that. It's unprofessional amateur hour and felt out of place.

[tbyers11]

Matt Norlander has a nice article entitled Duke won because of its terrific play, not bad officiating (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Duke-won-because-of-its-terrific-play-not-bad-o?urn=ncaab,230681#remaining-content) over at the Dagger. Read it and send it to all the whiners and conspiracy theorists.

As for the game itself, Baylor played quite well for most of the game. Dunn and Udoh were particularly impressive. For Duke, Nolan was great and Jon hit some big shots. I was really impressed that every player 1-8 made significant contributions for us.

The difference was that Duke made all the big plays on both ends in the last 4 minutes. Clutch performances all around. On to Indy!

[Newton_14]

Way to go Duke Blue Devils!!

This team is special folks. They just have that something special it takes to do great things. That game today was so "lose-able". Really. All the size, length and athletic ability Baylor had on that back line combined with two incredible guards was built to give a team like ours fits. Baylor was really hard for us to defend. I felt bad for Mason when he got burned because it was just a tough thing to ask of a freshman big to defend against the schemes Baylor through at us.

But somehow, someway our guys sucked it up and refused to give in. The crowd was a huge factor and it felt like a true road game. We had foul trouble, an injured Kyle who would not make a shot, and it seemed nothing was in our favor.

But in the last 4 minutes of the game, Nolan, Jon, and Lance were deadly and our bigs stepped it up on defense and rebounding and darn if we did not overcome all of that and win a tough ball game!!

Just a special team. Screw ESPN and Lavin. As K says "We will define our own success" and this team is darn successful.

A shout out to Baylor. I have great respect for their team, their coach, and their program. Congrats to them on coming back from a near NCAA Death Penalty and becoming a power. They should be proud.

Go Duke!!

[Duke79UNLV77]

After the highlights on sportscenter....Stuart Scott had to take a jab at Duke and the Zoubek charge/block call.

Did he also note that his sorry team amazingly led the ACC in foul and free throw differential despite sucking this year? Boo-no!

[jkidd31]

Do Baylor fans realize how lucky they are that Wojo ran out to break up the altercation and not Nate James? I mean, seriously.... do they understand?

LMAO Those guys from Baylor were beasts....but they aren't BADASSES like Mr. James. Nate looks like he could be one of the dudes on the old American Gladiator show.

[BDevilU]

Regarding broadcast analysts....If you have a chance to watch Steve Lappas on the CBS College Sports channel (Directv channel 613), he is a bit goofy in his mannerisms, but is spot-on with his analysis and gives Duke some high praise....can't stop gooshing about the offensive rebounding---> kickouts.
Too bad he isn't on ESPNews since he is quite a bit more knowledgeable than Lavin.

He may be gushing about Duke now, but Lappas has been just as bad as Lavin over the past few days when talking about Duke and our easiest draw ever. His whining made me change the channel in disgust last night. Anti-Duke contempt is at an all-time high. I hope we win it all... and can celebrate while watching these "experts" eat their own livers in postgame.

[Exiled_Devil]

I think he meant Jajaun, since Duke's played both this weekend.

I did mean Jajuan. He was monster agianst us as well as Udoh.

Physical stats;

J Johnson, Purdue
6-10 215
JR

E. Udoh
6-10 240
JR

Line against us:
Johnson 23 pt 5 Rb 4 block
Udoh 18 pt 10 Rb, 6 asts, 5 block

Actually, looking at that - maybe Udoh is a better choice, all around.

[jkidd31]

Couple of things then I'm off to bed:

-Dawkins 3 right before half was huge. Kind of muted that great run Balor had.
-LT & Z came up big down the stretch. They both had moments in the game where they could have lost their focus, but the continued to battle. The match ups in this game did not favor them.
-Nolan-WOW
-Jon's shot looked mutch better this game. Even his misses looked good compared to the first half of the Ourdue game.
-Both these games this w/e were games teams from the previous few seasons probably came up short on.

[burnspbesq]

It was eighteen years ago today,
Christian Laettner taught the Cats to play,
You’ve been hatin’ on us all the while,
And so all we do is win and smile,
So let me introduce to you,
The act you’ve known for all these years,
Mike Krzyzewski’s Final Four Club Band!

[Relics]

If anyone wants to claim that we had the easiest path to the Final Four, just ask them: What other final four team had to play the #4 most efficient offense, the #6 most efficient defense, and the #3 most efficient offense to get there?

I have been looking for something similar to a kenpom SOS for the NCAA tournament. I haven't found one, so I gave it a try myself.

Using his stats and methodology (http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/ratings_explanation/), I ran an SOS for the Final Four teams and No. 1 seeds based on the 4 (or 3 or 2) teams they have played thus far:

Butler .6115
WVU .5914
MSU .5889
Duke .5862
UK .5781
SU .5720
KU .5499

Read into that what you will, but I haven't believed our road was any easier than any other top-seeded team and this hasn't changed my mind.

[devildownunder]

Duke was being much more agressive driving the ball into the zone, that is where the fouls were being called, not on the perimeter. Coach K got them driving to get points on the interior, either through made baskets or fouls...and it worked.

Both are true. I'm not trying to say the refs gave us the game but the officials def. called handchecks and little bumps when Baylor extended its defense. Those are legitimate fouls that aren't always called. They should be. If they had been against Purdue, we would've won that game easily.

[FerryFor50]

I have been looking for something similar to a kenpom SOS for the NCAA tournament. I haven't found one, so I gave it a try myself.

Using his stats and methodology (http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/ratings_explanation/), I ran an SOS for the Final Four teams and No. 1 seeds based on the 4 (or 3 or 2) teams they have played thus far:

Butler .6115
WVU .5914
MSU .5889
Duke .5862
UK .5781
SU .5720
KU .5499

Read into that what you will, but I haven't believed our road was any easier than any other top-seeded team and this hasn't changed my mind.

You and your blasted numbers! Don't you know Texas, a 9 seed, was ranked #1 in November??? My gosh! If Kentucky had to play them, they might have lost!

Oh wait. Texas finished the season on a slide and ended up unranked. And lost to a mediocre Wake Forest team.

But wait! Kansas would have had to potentially play Ohio State, Georgetown.... but Georgetown lived up to their "play to the level of the competition" and lost to an Ohio team that only got in by getting hot in their conference tourny. And OSU lost to a Tennessee team that lost one of their best players to suspension. And Kansas.... well, we all know what happened to them.

And Syracuse! Despite losing in the 2nd round of the Big East tourny they still got a #1 seed, but might have had to play Kansas St! But Syracuse couldn't get past Butler. Go figure....

All these hypotheticals, and nothing ended up like the experts thought.

[devildeac]

If anyone wants to claim that we had the easiest path to the Final Four, just ask them: What other final four team had to play the #4 most efficient offense, the #6 most efficient defense, and the #3 most efficient offense to get there?

The wankers don't want to be confused with facts.:rolleyes:

[gumbomoop]

Wow, we just saw something truly amazing from this team!

Not only did we win a really physical game that went all the way to the wire, but we did this without one of our big 3 scorers, scoring. Certainly, Iron Man brought the rebounds, the intensity, leadership and the defensive moxie to greatly lessen Dunn's three-point percentage (he shot 2/8 if I recall it correctly), but in the end he scored a total of three points.

For Duke to overcome that is an amazing feat and speaks volumes about the strength of this team from top to bottom

So help me, I'm not trying to pick a fight here, for like every poster, I'm deliriously happy.

Here's my disagreement, or maybe better seen as a different take on what happened v. Baylor. It's my firm view, stated in an earlier post in this thread, and far too numerous times during the season as we all debated the team's strengths and weaknesses, that it's not amazing that we could win with no contribution from KS on O.

My view is that not only is it not amazing, but it's mostly to be expected, so long as only one of 3-S has an off night. It's precisely because we have 3-S, not just 2-S, that we're tough to throttle. As long as any 2 of 3-S play really well, we're probably - not certainly, but probably, and therefore not "amazingly" - gonna win.

Admittedly, this does assume that our guys keep doing the other very,very important stuff: D, rebounding, low TOs.

I'm perfectly aware that, if 2 or 3 plays had gone differently, if, for obvious example, NS and JS hadn't hit those big 3s, we might well have lost. But those 2 shots were pretty essential to why 2 of 3-S had very, very good games, close to brilliant in NS's case. So, had NS and JS missed those shots, and had we lost by a bucket, well, NS and JS still would have played very well; and that means what, exactly, for my hypothesis? It means when 2 of 3-S play well, we're gonna be tough - though not impossible - to beat. But real tough.

I absolutely agree with you, DTH, that tonight's win "speaks volumes about the strength of this team." But again, precisely because this team has multiple strengths - if irritatingly unnoticed and unacknowledged by The Stoopids - that tonight's win was more "routine" than "amazing."

I know it didn't "feel" routine. It felt gut-wrenching-nerve-wracking [possibly a "redundundancy"]. But if you had told me before the game what NS's and JS's stats were to be, and what our rebounding stats were to be, and what our 2d-chance points were to be - and then you added that KS would have a bad, bad shooting night and few points - I'm claiming I'd have said Duke probably wins a tight one. Probably.

[gumbomoop]

Good thing he has a week to heal.

A week to heal is quaintly reminiscent of Heels too weak. Both are good things.

[Neals384]

It was eighteen years ago today,
Christian Laettner taught the Cats to play,
You’ve been hatin’ on us all the while,
And so all we do is win and smile,
So let me introduce to you,
The act you’ve known for all these years,
Mike Krzyzewski’s Final Four Club Band!

LOL, very cool!

[Relics]

A week to heal is quaintly reminiscent of Heels too weak. Both are good things.

Devils Cut The Nets = Heels Vets Duct NIT

[BD80]

Yes, Dana O'Neil is a woman -- or the prettiest man I've ever seen.

Nope. Lane Kiffin is beating Natalie Gulbis in the first round of Esquire's Sexiest Woman Contest. www.Esquire.com



Watching the game again... didn't notice where Dawkins attempted his first three from... beyond NBA range. Kid has guts.

And shot without hesitation


When he took the shot I was thinking, "This is either going to be a great shot (if it goes in) or a horrible decision."

NNOOOOoooo ... yyeeeEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! I love those shots when they go in.

I thought Coach K made a great decision putting Z back in the game with 4 fouls with 11 minutes left. I thought he would shuffle Z and Mles in and out, keeping them both fresh and trying to stretch Z's time for as long as possible and to avoid Miles having to play 8 or 9 minutes without a break if Z picked up his fifth foul.

Nope, K left Z in continuously from the 11 minute mark and Z was a force down low, either rebounding or clearing space for Lance. Z went almost NINE minutes without fouling.

Great job by K and Z.

[Devil07]

Well I was at the game and all I can say is wow...I'm just so proud of this team. I think the Baylor fan behind me said it best as time was winding down, we just took over the game at the end. Baylor didn't lose the game, Duke won it. After the game Coach K was walking over to do a tv interview and as he did he looked at all of us fans that had rushed down to the side of the court and had the biggest smile on his face. Honestly, the scene after the game was just pure joy (not to sound too cheesy). It was a great scene and one that these guys, especially the seniors, truly deserved. In some ways the Duke legacy has been a burden to these guys because so much of their success has been derided because it didn't match the all-time great teams. But they've persevered and built their own tradition here and their own legacy. I know there are still games to be played but what a season and what a team! I'll say it again, I just couldn't be prouder.

[DurhamMatt]

Wow, what hasn't been said. Baylor was an extremely tough team, the worst matchup I can imagine and we toughed it out. Nolan was not going to lose tonight, I can't tell you how much I love that. Kyle will be back huge, what a luxury to have 3 of the best players in college bball. On to the final four and I like our chances

[watzone]

Wojo and Dawkins react just minutes after the win while the Blue Devils removed the nets in Reliant Stadium. http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/duke-defeats-baylor-more-reaction-from-andre-dawkins-and-steve-wojciechowski/

[watzone]

Really terrific interviews, Mr. Watson, with Coach Collins and Coach James. Thanks so much for your work and for sharing them here.

Greatly appreciated Mike, greatly appreciated. It's all about Duke.

[UrinalCake]

I ran an SOS for the Final Four teams and No. 1 seeds based on the 4 (or 3 or 2) teams they have played thus far:

Well it makes sense that we would have a harder SOS than Kansas or Syracuse since we advanced farther and opponents get tougher with each round.

Also makes sense that we had an easier SOS than the other final four teams since we started out as a higher seed.

I'm surprised (though not really) that more was not made of how easy Kentucky's path was. After the first round they played a Wake Forest team that I didn't think should even be in the tournament, and Cornell who only got so far because they had faced two ideal matchups for them. WVU was their first legitimate opponent.

[watzone]

Watzone is one very sleepy man, 3 hours of sleep and headed back to Durham. That said here is a link to Sir Nolan Smith's comments - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/03/nolan-smith-chats-up-the-blue-devil-nation-after-leading-duke-to-the-final-four/

Also posted is the same from Jon Scheyer and Lance Thomas. Hope you enjoy hearing fom them as much as I did. Amazing win, Final 4, Go DUke!

[oldnavy]

I wonder if Lavin and the other "haters" out there stop and think for a moment how their comments reflect on the very good teams that we played to get to the FF?

To say we had a "cake walk", is to say that California, Purdue, and Baylor are all weak teams. Any one who actually watched those teams play at the end of the season knows that they are certainly not weak teams. Especially Baylor. Scott Drew has done an amazing job at Baylor and he and his team should not be subjected to such inane analysis as that provided by Steve "yaba daba do" Lavin.

[devildownunder]

Well it makes sense that we would have a harder SOS than Kansas or Syracuse since we advanced farther and opponents get tougher with each round.

Also makes sense that we had an easier SOS than the other final four teams since we started out as a higher seed.

I'm surprised (though not really) that more was not made of how easy Kentucky's path was. After the first round they played a Wake Forest team that I didn't think should even be in the tournament, and Cornell who only got so far because they had faced two ideal matchups for them. WVU was their first legitimate opponent.

But remember, to the hater way of thinking, Kentucky and all the other top seeds EARNED their paths to the FF while Duke was handed its seeding on GP -- and it was oh so much easier.

It's hilarious that the top seeds in the other brackets were supposed to be so amazingly tough but almost none of them even made the sweet 16.

[soccerstud2210]

it's just unreal to me that the only #1 seed to make it to the final four is the one in the final four that is hated on the most.

two number 5 seeds can make it and thats fine, and a number 2 seed can as well, but heaven forbid we make it as a number 1 seed and hold the seed that we are.

i can't believe the hateorade that is out and present right now.

[mgtr]

it's just unreal to me that the only #1 seed to make it to the final four is the one in the final four that is hated on the most.

two number 5 seeds can make it and thats fine, and a number 2 seed can as well, but heaven forbid we make it as a number 1 seed and hold the seed that we are.

i can't believe the hateorade that is out and present right now.

Envy is a terrible, terrible thing.

[DukieInBrasil]

to turn this thread back to the game itself and the great win over a good team, what I found most admirable in our team in the 2nd weekend games was our ability to take another team's best punches and then in the 2nd part of the 2nd half step on their throats and rip the game away from them with a barrage of punches that just leaves them knowing they can't win the game anymore. LT's follow dunk-and-one was that moment vs. Baylor. We did the same to Purdue, who was close or tied with us in the 2nd half and then we went on a run that gave us the final separation. That sort of grit is certainly a key component to championship teams, and hopefully our boys still have two cans of whoop-a55 left in their travel bags to open up on WVU and then Butler/MSU. On to the Final 4 and GO DUKE!!!!!!!!!

[Tjenkins]

Originally Posted by soccerstud2210 View Post
"it's just unreal to me that the only #1 seed to make it to the final four is the one in the final four that is hated on the most."

It's funny, when I started rooting for Duke,they were usually describe as "over-acheivers","scrappy", "heartbreak kids"(getting to the Final Four often but never winning), I don't even think it's a stretch to say Duke were media darlings. It's funny to watch the perception of the team come full circle.