More sympathy for the Devils

[mus074]

John Gasaway, formerly of Big Ten Wonk hoops blog and now of Basketball Prospectus with Ken Pomeroy, has an article of Duke's drubbing of Wisconsin that gives the Devils their due. And he know Wisconsin basketball. The tide is turning folks. You win credit on the floor. Let's keep this machine rolling.

http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=55

[Patrick Yates]

First, your last statement was the best. We will keep earning respect on the court.

That said, I expect some writers, particularly those in big 10 country, to be on this bandwagon in the near future. It is self preservation, so take it with a grain of salt. The Big 10 is bad. Really bad. Talent wise, there are 3-4 NCAA teams, at most. MSU, IU, Wisc, Ill. and OSU are the only teams with a chance. All 5 of those teams will win a lot of games, since they are the only squads capable of beating the other squads. Within that top group, MSU really looks like the dominant team. So that leaves the other 4 teams bucking for NCAA slots. The pantsing that a "down" acc just delivered destroyed their collective RPI. What will salvage that RPI, or, perhaps compensate for it, is to talk up the Devils, and the other ACC squads, in an effort to make the Big-10's losses pale. Cause there is nothing wrong with losing to good teams. Or getting Destroyed (see: Wisconsin) by a great (not yeat, but maybe) Duke squad. No Shame at All in that. At least, that is what the midwest media will want the NCAA selection and seeding committee to believe.

Also, talking up Duke will lesson the negative light that the ACC as a whole will be viewed in should Duke and UNC dominate the league. By dominate, I do not mean, being at the top of the standings. I am talking about each squad losing only a few games, perhaps even only to each other. With that kind of possible dominance, it is hard to argue that the ACC is a "strong" conference, because such conferences are not dominated by a few teams. If the ACC is not strong, or worse yet, is regarded as weak, then the Big 10 got crushed by a weak conference. That might reduce their NCAA invites from 4-5 down to 3-4, and it will mean lower seeds for all.

I like that some are willing to say that Duke is better. I beleive/hope that is the case. But I will always take with a grain of salt what the media says, especially when self-interest is involved.

Patrick Yates

ps. There is a very cynical side to me that beleives some of these columnists continue to hate Duke, but will talk us up. Duke has the look of a team that could make real noise come March. And the last thing that columnists, especially national ones, need during the FF is restricted access. K won't restrict all journalists, just a select few. This could also come into play during the Olypmics, when ALL b-ball fans will be following Team USA. They may decide to play nice now, so that they aren't cut out later.

[mus074]

ps. There is a very cynical side to me that beleives some of these columnists continue to hate Duke, but will talk us up. Duke has the look of a team that could make real noise come March. .... They may decide to play nice now, so that they aren't cut out later.

I don't care what they feel in their hearts. If Duke earns it on the floor and they recognize it, what more could we ask for? I personally don't want unconditional love from the media. That's the same pendulum that has now swung wide in both directions. I just want Duke to be a top 5 team and be treated accordingly.

[Indoor66]

John Gasaway, formerly of Big Ten Wonk hoops blog and now of Basketball Prospectus with Ken Pomeroy, has an article of Duke's drubbing of Wisconsin that gives the Devils their due. And he know Wisconsin basketball. The tide is turning folks. You win credit on the floor. Let's keep this machine rolling.

http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=55

Kinda like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0lMYS_7cI

[sagegrouse]

F
ps. There is a very cynical side to me that believes some of these columnists continue to hate Duke, but will talk us up. Duke has the look of a team that could make real noise come March. And the last thing that columnists, especially national ones, need during the FF is restricted access. K won't restrict all journalists, just a select few. This could also come into play during the Olypmics, when ALL b-ball fans will be following Team USA. They may decide to play nice now, so that they aren't cut out later.

If you have the strongest program over the past 25 years and then have one mediocre season, it is inevitable that at least one-third of all sports columnists will write a speculative column about the potential "decline and fall of the Duke empire." My goodness, look at how every aspect of the truly awful 1995 season was dissected and mounted on a display board: awful team and season, Coach K health, who gets credit for the wins and losses, how to blow a 20 point lead (twice), is this the end of the dynasty, will K ever coach again, poor Pete Gaudet, yadda, yadda, yadda. They have a lot of columns to write, and since they and their readers know a lot about Duke, it is easy to assembly facts and evidence to buttress any view on a familiar subject for the readership.

Comes with the territory: if you're the top dog and stumble, everyone seems to pounce --- ask the Yankees. Also -- don't confuse pressure to fill the news and opinion "hole" in the papers and on the Web with a bias against Duke.

sagegrouse

[A-Tex Devil]

Something not mentioned in that Pomeroy article -- the last few paragraphs was one of the most thought out, articulate rips on Dick Vitale that I've read.

Say what you want about his positive attitude, love of Duke, all he's done for college basketball, etc. Put Dick in the studio. He is incapable of doing even a subpar job calling games anymore.