Interesting Persepective from Maryland

[bluepenguin]

There was an interesting statement in the article about MD basketball linked on the front page, "It's a New Era, But Same Old Maryland."
The writer concluded with "The seniors want to go out the same way as their predecessors -- in the NCAA tournament."
Just shows the different expectations of the two programs. Duke players would never be satisfied with just getting to the NCAA tournament.
Much has been said about our expectations given all the success we have. Reading this article sort of put it in perspective a little. Most programs just want to make the tournament. Not Duke. They always try to win it.
Coach K has put together something really special here. We've always known it, but this sort of highlights it. Looking forward to another special year!

[SuperTurkey]

There was an interesting statement in the article about MD basketball linked on the front page, "It's a New Era, But Same Old Maryland."
The writer concluded with "The seniors want to go out the same way as their predecessors -- in the NCAA tournament."
Just shows the different expectations of the two programs. Duke players would never be satisfied with just getting to the NCAA tournament.
Much has been said about our expectations given all the success we have. Reading this article sort of put it in perspective a little. Most programs just want to make the tournament. Not Duke. They always try to win it.
Coach K has put together something really special here. We've always known it, but this sort of highlights it. Looking forward to another special year!

It's hard to credit a post with "Maryland" and "perspective" in the title, but I agree completely. I shared an office with a Cornell grad for a few years, and I was somewhat humbled by how excited he was when they got a (basketball) tourney bid.

The downside, of course, is that it's so much harder for us to leave a season satisfied.

[jimsumner]

It's hard to credit a post with "Maryland" and "perspective" in the title, but I agree completely. I shared an office with a Cornell grad for a few years, and I was somewhat humbled by how excited he was when they got a (basketball) tourney bid.

The downside, of course, is that it's so much harder for us to leave a season satisfied.

Big difference between Cornell and Maryland. Cornell plays in a one-bid league dominated for decades by two schools, Princeton and Penn. Maryland plays in a multi-league bid and has been making regular NCAA appearances since the 1970s. So Cornell should be giddy with an NCAA bid. Maryland has won an NCAA title in the last decade. They should aim higher. IMO.

[4decadedukie]

Big difference between Cornell and Maryland. Cornell plays in a one-bid league dominated for decades by two schools, Princeton and Penn. Maryland plays in a multi-league bid and has been making regular NCAA appearances since the 1970s. So Cornell should be giddy with an NCAA bid. Maryland has won an NCAA title in the last decade. They should aim higher. IMO.

Not to mention the FAR MORE SUBSTANTIAL academic and intellectual differences between these two institutions.

[SuperTurkey]

Not to mention the FAR MORE SUBSTANTIAL academic and intellectual differences between these two institutions.

Sure. I wasn't really trying to make a Maryland / Cornell comparison (because there aren't many to make). Just offering another datapoint as to why we should feel very grateful for our position, especially since we have comparable academics to Cornell and greater athletics than Maryland. :)

[DevilHorns]

Sure. I wasn't really trying to make a Maryland / Cornell comparison (because there aren't many to make). Just offering another datapoint as to why we should feel very grateful for our position, especially since we have comparable academics to Cornell and greater athletics than Maryland. :)

Comparable academics to Cornell? How about better academics than Cornell. Sorry Greybeard :p (and Andy Bernard)

[SuperTurkey]

Comparable academics to Cornell? How about better academics than Cornell. Sorry Greybeard :p (and Andy Bernard)

Oh, sure, Cornell's a glorified cow college of an Ivy, and their most notable alums are Coulter and Olbermann. :D

But the gap between Duke and Cornell is certainly smaller than the gap between Cornell and that safety school in Maryland.

[snowdenscold]

Oh, sure, Cornell's a glorified cow college of an Ivy, and their most notable alums are Coulter and Olbermann. :D


and Andy Bernard? :D

[slower]

Oh, sure, Cornell's a glorified cow college of an Ivy, and their most notable alums are Coulter and Olbermann. :D

Perhaps you should Wiki a list of prominent Cornell alumni. It's far more impressive than just Coulter and Olbermann, and may actually be more impressive than a list of Duke alumni. I have no particular love for Cornell, but you need to do some homework.

[COYS]

Perhaps you should Wiki a list of prominent Cornell alumni. It's far more impressive than just Coulter and Olbermann, and may actually be more impressive than a list of Duke alumni. I have no particular love for Cornell, but you need to do some homework.

I'm almost certain SuperTurkey was just kidding, hence the smiley.

[slower]

I'm almost certain SuperTurkey was just kidding, hence the smiley.

I think you're right. I have a hard time differentiating the winks from the grins on those icons;). Oh well - bygones!

[sandinmyshoes]

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why fans of other schools think we are arrogant. :confused:

[1991 duke law]

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why fans of other schools think we are arrogant. :confused:

We are no more arrogant than any other top rated school. No, I am wrong. The folks at the top rated school (Harvard) are wayyyyyyyyyy more arrrogant. But then again, it is Harvard.

[bluepenguin]

We are no more arrogant than any other top rated school. No, I am wrong. The folks at the top rated school (Harvard) are wayyyyyyyyyy more arrrogant. But then again, it is Harvard.
Don't you mean the Duke of the North?;)

[1991 duke law]

Don't you mean the Duke of the North?;)

Yes, correct. Sorry, I was focusing on work at the time.

[greybeard]

The truth is that most Cornell grads were indifferent when Cornell made the NCAAs and that would include yours truly. We had some great, and I do mean great, basketball teams when I was at Cornell, two of the four years beat the no. 3 ranked team in the country, and I loved going to games when I was there.

Since I graduated, I have "cared" about Cornell sports, thought about them for a second, during very short periods for a very, very few years when something really caught my imagination. Sad to say none of them had anything to do with basketball. the first, when Ed Marinaro, better known for his role in Hill Street Blues, lead the nation in rushing; the last two recent national championship runs in LAX were the longest periods of a rooting interest, and one other LAX championship run which ended in a victory in Charlosville when we won it (if the championship game had not been in Charlosville I doubt that I would have known about the championship at all).

Now, a few of my brothers went up to the Dome when we took on Kentucky, but the rest of the guys, guys I went to games with year in and year out, well, some of us watched, at least for a little while on TV. I even watched with my old high school teammate and college roommate, for half the first half.

See, sports when I was at school were to be played. We we had wild fun watching guys do that, but when a game was done, it was done, and no one paid any great attention what place we were in, well maybe a little, it seemed every year I was there it was Cornell, Princeton and Penn going into the last weekend, when we'd go to Princeton and Penn to decide things and always came up a little short. The only people who were different were hockey fans like my good friend Art, who'd grab some guys from the House and drive to Boston to catch a mini tourneyment, and who probably went to all the NCAA games we played in then and afterwards (Art made a whole lot of money being a hockey fan, which is a terrific story and I hope he writes a book about it (see Art in Miracle on Ice).

We all watched the NCAAs to the extent they were televised but I don't know anyone who gave any thought to whether we might make it. It wasn't something on the radar. Like I said, watching guys perform, rooting like madmen, and then back to life. Just different than being at Duke. I kind of like it that way, but remain grateful for the Duke's of the world, just wouldn't want to be one.

So what if Princeton won the league my freshman year? We beat Princeton in our place on a last second shot. So what if Princeton won the next year (or was it the year after) with Petre, we beat Pat Riley et al in their house. And the first two years we took down Bing and what's his name who is still at Syracuse; we beat McMillian and Heyward Dotson (I think he had a cup of coffee) and Shorty Newmark (two cups) whose Columbia team came in below us in the league my junior or senior year, even though they had three pros, one a bona fide quasi star.

We enjoyed them and left them, the sports that is.

We remember other stuff, great professors (no really) and great parties with some great, great bands. You want to listen to a great Syracuse tune from 67, Youtube, "Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket" by Otis and the Allnightworkers (I always wondered if that wasn't the band in Animal House, but I'm pretty certain it wasn't).

Nope, for us, sports were to be played, watched, and then, well most of us, left behind as far as our school was concerned. Sports were for students, and we were not that any longer. Some, a lot of us, found other teams to root for. I have a few; K's guys have long been among them. Great tradition; great to root for them; great not to live and die by them, however--sort of like what my friends tell me about being grandparents, the best of all worlds.

Should be a great season. I hope we win it all again! Later, Grey