I am really hoping Duke makes it to another FF- but I am not sure I can handle another loss. '86 was very sad- I thought Duke was the best team - but getting there and losing in the semis was tough enough but then getting crushed by UNLV last year was almost too much. UNLV is a crazy good team- it will take a monumental effort to beat them and if it gets to that- Duke will have to do it in the semis. That said- that may be the best chance to beat them as K has a week to prepare- perhaps they will take Duke a bit lightly given their dominance- one can only hope.
Just to clarify. I have no idea how the 1991 tournament is going to work out for Duke. When I said that it would end well I was referring to the fact that, regardless of the outcome, folks at DBR will react well - because nobody here ever reacts by poorly by spouting emotion nonsense following an unexpected loss.
(Is that in keeping with the spirit of this thread?)
No chance. We'd better hope UNLV just has a terrible night at some point along the way and someone else can take them out. It's possible--New Mexico State played them close twice, in a pair of 12-point losses. Arizona has the size we lack (Bison Dele and Sean Rooks) to keep UNLV off the boards and has some good scoring guards. And we all know how good of a program PJ Carlesimo has at Seton Hall--they've got a talented inside-out combo with Terry Dehere and Anthony Avent.
So maybe one of those squads has a chance if UNLV has a really bad night. But--IF we make it to the Final Four again--another big loss to UNLV would really cement our rep as a little brother in college hoops that just can't win the big one.
I really, really worry about Hurley. Aside from the abuse he's endured about his digestive health during last year's Final Four, he just has this propensity to take really dumb, high-risk shots (usually from long-range) when he doesn't need to. I mean, I can totally see us being down, like, five points as one of these games winds down, and him jacking up some three early in the shot clock that clanks off the rim and kills any comeback. K needs to address that problem, and soon.
"Amazing what a minute can do."
ooh I really love this thread -- thanks for the welcome distraction and nostalgia-trip back to my Senior year. I'll have to dig out my "What is it like NOT to go to the Final Four? Class of '91" t-shirt -- if we make the FF, of course.
The horrible (and I mean horrible) loss to UNC in the ACC tourney really put a damper on expectations going into the tournament, but Laettner and Hurley have such a will to win.
UNLV has been amazing to watch - - both their man-to-man and amoeba defenses have swallowed up the opposition. Their beatdown of #2 Arkansas at Barnhill was especially impressive and prompted a great Tarkanian quote: "They said it would be 40 minutes of hell; instead, it was 40 minutes of layups."
Duke did play well against AZ in Tuscon earlier this year even though we lost in 2OT. Here is a video of the game in case you don't remember.
96-103 2OT loss at Arizona (the second link is the end of regulation and the overtimes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4tLqlhd2Xs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8GWK-C68vU
Of course if you can't recall Duke did beat unc right after that so maybe there is hope for us in the tournament.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/searc...00&action=view
Hey guys--all this talk of UNLV is making me nervous. We can't afford to look past Louisiana-Monroe, even though we are probably going to be a 30+ point favorite.
I know a 15-seed has never won in the tournament before, but it's only a matter of time before someone like a Richmond, Lehigh, or some random-school in Florida that no one has ever heard of pulls a big upset. I'm sure there will never be a 16-1 upset in our lifetime, but a 15-2 upset seems pretty likely sooner rather than later. Let's make sure it's not us.
Good people drink good beer. -Hunter S. Thompson
I'm not worried about the team being focused for Louisiana-Monroe--not only has a 15-seed never won a game, but Duke has never lost in the first round since the field expanded to 64. Coach K will have them prepared.
But it's hard not to talk about UNLV when really there are two tiers of teams in this tournament: UNLV, and everyone else.
Hey wait...did someone start a bracket competition??? Did I miss it?