Last night Duke hammered Kentucky in Atlanta. That wasn't the real story though. The real story was John Calipari saying Duke flops during the halftime interview. "They're flopping all over the place. In the NBA, they'd all be suspended," said Calipari who of course said he was just joking after the game ended.
That's no joke Cal, Duke flops. Hell everyone has known this for 15-20 years now. It's their Modus operandi. Kinda like your modus operandi is paying players recruiting one year players. So don't say Duke flops and then backtrack because you're already stated the obvious.
With all that being said I was actually happy to see Kentucky lose last night. Even if it was to Duke. And I was happy to see Calipari look disoriented on the sideline while his team was being hammered. I've always been under the impression that Calipari is not a good basketball coach. He's an excellent recruiter who just happens to coach. Last year's championship was mainly won because Cal had a once in a generation player surrounded by teammates who played well together. When they won people lost their shit and thought this team would win multiple championships. I'm hear to tell ya I believe Calipari has won his only championship at Kentucky. So last night was good to see him lose to a coach who can actually coach and recruit. Whether your feelings on Coach K are positive or negative, you have to give him credit in this regard in that the man can coach a team during a game. I've never had this feeling with Calipari unless he has a once in a generation player on his team.
Some Marisa Miller to start the mourning.... A panel recommends a ban on Percocet and Vicodin painkillers.... Governor Mark Sanford is quite the player.... Do you want to see the new Johnny Depp movie 'Public Enemies'?.... Could Avery Johnson be the next Pistons coach?.... Michael Jackson's life becomes more stranger....How did Billy Mays become famous?..... The Henry Bros. make a mockery of the NBA age limit and college
The BCS vs. a Republican Senator from Utah (Dr. Saturday)
Not only was Donte Stallworth drunk when he killed a pedestrian, he was also stoned (Deadspin)
How come hockey players don't like to play in Edmonton? (The Copper & Blue)
Jamie Hammer to start the mourning... Miguel Tejada gets a year probation for lieing to congress... B.J. Mullens is leaving Ohio St. after one year... Villanova kicked Duke's ass last night... The Oakland A's want to move to San Jose.... And Marissa Miller
Well with Villanova's ass-kicking of Duke tonight that means only one thing. O.K. that means multiple things, but those are too many to list here. No with Duke's loss, that means Greg Paulus has played the last game in Durham, North Carolina.
Little Greg, grew up in Syracuse, New York. He is only one of two players to be named National High School Football Player of the Year, and not go on to play football.
He was heavily recruited by Syracuse, Norte Dame, and Duke. He choose Duke and began his career in 2005.
His freshman year was the best year Duke has had with him on their team. They won the ACC title, while Paulus had 187 assists for the year.
His sophomore season he struggled with an injured foot. Sadly, he recovered. Also that was the year he famously flopped in their tournament game against VCU which they would go on to lose.
His Junior season was his best statistical season. But Duke still lost in the 2nd round to West Virginia.
His Senior season was his worst. He was demoted in favor of Nolan Smith. They promptly got their ass handed to them by Villanova in the Sweet 16.
I am personally going to miss what Greg Paulus has given us. So this is my personal tribute to Greg Paulus.
Bye, Greg. It's been fun as it lasted.
One more time folks, "Tea Bag Paulus" "Tea Bag Paulus".
Well we started with 64 teams, and now we are down to just 16 teams. By the end of the weekend we will be down to just 4 teams. Enjoy the games and the Live Blog and please leave comments.
Here is your announcing schedule for tonight, courtesy of Awful Announing:
Connecticut vs. Purdue (Glendale, 7pm)- Dick Enberg, Jay Bilas Pittsburgh vs. Xavier (Boston, 7:30pm)- Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery Memphis vs. Missouri (Glendale, 9:30pm)- Dick Enberg, Jay Bilas Duke vs. Villanova (Boston, 9:30pm)- Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery
My local affiliate is giving me the UConn, Purdue game and the Duke, Nova game. It should be fun.
This year's Sweet 16 match ups are some of the most intriguing match ups in a long time. So let's breakdown today's games.
Duke vs. Villanova Where/Time: Boston/9:30 EST Announcers: Lundquist, Raftery Match up to watch: Reggie Redding will have the tough task of defending Duke's best player Gerald Henderson. Battle of Big Men: Donte Cunningham and Kyle "Sweating Man" Singler will have to battle each other for every rebound. Villanova is at their best when Cunningham gets a double-double. No foul trouble: Cunningham is also Villanova's most skilled big man. There isn't much depth behind him, so it is key for him to stay out of foul trouble. Battle of the Guards: Dwayne Anderson and Scottie Reynolds versus Duke's Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith. Nova has the advantage in the backcourt but they can't let Scheyer or Smith get hot at the 3-point line. My pick: If Villanova plays to their potential, then they are pretty much un-stoppable. Just ask UCLA? But they can not get into a 3-point shooting contest with Duke. Duke will beat them in that catorgory. I still like Villanova in this game.
Memphis vs. Missouri Where/Time: Glendale, AZ/9:30 EST Announcers: Enberg/Bilas The bench is key: When Memphis struggled against CS Northridge, they unleashed Roburt Sallie off the bench. He hit multiple 3-point shots. He will be the key for the Tigers. If Missouri plays a pack-in-zone, his shot could be the answer. 40 Minutes of Hell: Mike Anderson is a protege of Nolan Richardson. Richardson was the coach who made 40 minutes of Hell popular. His teams would play full-court presser, try for the steal, and then run away from you. Missouri plays the same type of game. If they can do this the entire game, they can win. My pick: I like Memphis in this game. If Missouri doesn't keep up with their own high-tempo game, they will lose. They built a nice lead against Marquette, but had to sink 2-free throws at the end of the game to win. Memphis though is just too tough of a team to let Missouri run away from them.
Pittsburgh vs. Xavier Where/Time: Boston/7:30 EST Announcers: Lundquist/Raftery Have to be aggressive: B.J. Raymond is Xavier's best scoring threat. He has to stay aggressive all game long. You have to be Young: Even when Oklahoma St. was shooting lights out, Pittsburgh was still able to beat them. That's because Sam Young was shooting lights out himself behind the 3-point line. If he keeps this up, Xavier won't have a chance. The Battle of the bigs: The key match up will between Xavier's C.J. Anderson and Pitt's DeJuan Blair. Both guys are studs in the frontcourt. Xavier will need Anderson to clean up the glass. Pitt will need Blair to keep up with Anderson for Pitt to have a chance. My pick: I like Pittsburgh in this game. They have been the most tested #1 seed in the whole tournament. This will help them tonight against Xavier. I expect Young to have a big game tonight for Pitt.
UConn vs. Purdue Where/Time: Glendale, AZ/7:00 EST Announcers: Enberg/Bilas Will UConn be distracted: With the recent report coming out against UConn, the big question is, will they be distracted? No they won't. UConn players will not be distracted tonight. They are too tough mentally for that. The Battle of the Bigs: Hasheem Thabett and Robbie Hummel will battle tonight. Thabett is is a shot-blocking machine. But he has to stay out of foul trouble. Hummel has to attack Thabett for Purdue to have a chance. My pick: I like UConn in this game. The Huskies have been through a lot this season and Purdue is just another challenge. This will be a low-scoring game, but it should be a close game.
Updated: Yes, after I just posted this article I realized I did the games backwards. It happens, move on.
Update: If this post is filled with too many puns, I was channeling my inner Tim Brando why writing it.
Round 2 finally gave us some excitement. Sure there was really no upsets, and no I won't call Arizona a Cinderella, but there were some edge of your seat finishes.
Like the ending of the Marquette, Missouri game. In the final seconds of the game a Missouri player was fouled which lead to an injury. Missouri used a "pinch" free throw shooter to take the lead.
Then Lazar Hayward became infamous. Down by two with 5.5 seconds left Hayward was in charge of inbounding the ball. Missouri went with their usual full-court press and Hayward hesitated and stepped on the line. He turned the ball over to Missouri erasing Marquette's shot at a last-second shot.
Hayward I am sure is taking a beating from the entire state of Wisconsin right now. But it wasn't all his fault. Missouri was using a stingy full-court defense that wasn't going to allow anything by. Also making a shot in 5.5 seconds is tougher than it looks. For every Christian Laettner and Bryce Drew there is one guy who takes a last-second shot and either airball's it or the ball clanks off the rim. Just ask VCU's Eric Maynor about it.
Hayward did make a crucial mistake, but the odd were against Marquette from even tieing that game.
Here are some more observations:
- Here's an interesting fact. Xavier, who is coached by Sean Miller, will face Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16. Why is this important? Because Miller was the person who passed the ball to Jerome Lane who promptly slammed the ball and broke the backboard. Bill Raftery then unleashed the famous "Send it in, Jerome!"
- The referee's screwed up by not recognizing Western Kentucky coach trying to call a timeout during their game with Gonzaga. The Zags took the lead with 0.9 seconds left, giving the Hilltoppers a chance. W. Kentucky coach Ken McDonald was calling for the timeout but the refs didn't recognize it, and W. Kentucky lost the game. Granted they probably wouldn't have scored 0.9 seconds you have to give them a chance.
- Siena probably put up the toughest fight of the weekend. After beating Ohio St. in two overtimes, they took Louisville down to the wire. If it wasn't for Terrance Williams, Louisville would have lost that game.
- Ty Lawson wins the toughest player of the NCAA tournament so far. Lawson, who is fighting a painful toe injury, was the key reason why the Tar Heels beat LSU on Saturday.
- Why does Oklahoma allow their star player Blake Griffin to get beat up in their games? They allowed Texas to knock him out silly. They allowed a Morgan St. player to give him an armbar. They allowed Michigan players to play Hack-a-Shaq on him. They do nothing about it. I am not saying Griffin needs to respond, because he doesn't. But someone else on that team needs to get some payback for all the cheap shots Griffin has had to take.
- It took almost two games, but Eric Devendorf of Syracuse finally profiled a shot. After Arizona St. was getting closer to Syracuse in the game, Devendorf hit a three to extend the lead. Then Devendorf hit another three to basically put the game out of reach. For his last three Devendorf went all douche with it, and profiled the shot. He can't go the entire tournament without profiling a shot. Wait until he has to face Blake Griffin in the Sweet 16.
- Have to love Duke going crazy after their win over Texas. They realize they play for Duke right? They have been to the Sweet 16 before. But I'd guess I would go crazy too if I haven't been to the Sweet 16 since 2006.
While there really isn't any Cinderella teams in the Sweet 16, and no Arizona doesn't count, there are some great match ups. We should have another fun weekend, with the action kicking off on Thursday.
Every year in the NCAA tournament, there is the hated player. The one player that most of America can agree with they just don't like.
Joakim Noah of Florida was that player for two years. Christian Leattner was that player in the early 90's. And who can forget about Adam Morrison and J.J. Reddick. Well this year's tournament is no different.
1. Greg Paulus, Duke- Dickie V. hyped this kid so much coming out of high school, you thought he was the second coming of Michael Jordan. Then you find out that he really wasn't that good. He has had two dubious honors. He was voted the most hated player in college basketball and he has this little video that made the rounds on YouTube:
2. Eric Devendorf, Syracuse- He allegedly hit a girl last year, and almost got suspended for the entire year for it. Him being an overall douche though, is why he is so hated. His tattoos don't help. But really gets me, is that he profiles every shot he makes. Also there isn't a bigger trash talker than this guy. Also his act after this shot never helped his reputation.
3. Hasheem Thabeet, UConn- He talked a lot of junk and never produced. Then this year he was looking like the player of the year. Then DeJuan Blair took his manhood. Which still makes a lot of college basketball fans chuckle.
4. B.J. Mullens, Ohio St.- B.J. is suppose to be the white version of Greg Oden coming out of high school. The 7'1" center had a pretty good year for Ohio St. He is a wild card for the list, but I guarantee he will be among the hated players in college basketball next year.
5. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina- I have never gotten the hatred of Hansbrough. He doesn't appear to me to be as a big of tool as Devendorf or Paulus. But he is hated because the media fawns over him, like the media fawns over Tim Tebow. At least he provided us with these two memorable moments.
Honorable Mentions- You can't forget about Duke players Jon Scheyer or Kyle "Sweating Man" Singler. Scheyer can travel and get away with it. And the "Sweating Man" can elbow anyone he wants.
You have to love Dickie V. saying, "That's a no-no" then moving on. And they wonder whey they call him Dukie V.
And Duke fans wonder why other fans complain about Duke getting all of the calls.
At least we know a Duke player can't take a screen
Who: North Carolina vs. Duke When: 3PM Eastern, Sunday, 3-8-09 Where: Chapel Hill, North Carolina Why: This game is always about respect and the ACC championship.
So I hope you can join me today. You can go to the live blog by clicking here.
In the meantime, enjoy the greatest YouTube video of all-time:
I caught the HBO documentary "Battle for Tobacco Road: Duke vs. North Carolina" last night and I was impressed.
While I have no interest in either school, the movie itself dug into why both schools hate each other and how the rivalry started.
Both Duke and North Carolina basketball programs were irrelevant in the first part of the last century. Football ruled the land in North Carolina and especially Duke football. We would have never had the rivalry if it weren't for North Carolina St. NC St. was tired of getting beat up in football so they put a huge emphasis on basketball. Both Duke and North Carolina took notice.
North Carolina struck first when they hired Frank McGuire. He brought in New York basketball players and the program won the National Championship in 1957 when they beat Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain. Recruiting violations forced McGuire out and his assistant Dean Smith took over.
The rivalry took off when both teams started competing against recruits and the rivalry was started. Duke struggled against UNC during the 70's and the focus on Smith was why he hasn't won a National Championship yet.
The movie delves into how Smith desegregated North Carolina, by bringing in Charlie Scott into the program. It also goes into how Smith created the famous "four corners" offense.
It also goes into how Smith brought in Michael Jordan and then he finally won his coveted National Championship in 1982.
The movie also goes into how Duke counterattacked by bringing in an unknown coach name Mike Krzyzewski in 1980. His career didn't start out that well and there were rumors that Duke was going to fire Coach K.
But by the middle of the 80's he turned around Duke and even lead them to the national championship in 86, losing to Louisville.
Coach K had his greatest success in the late 80's and into the early 90's when he lead Duke to five straight final four's and back-to-back National Championships. The movie also delves into how Coach K was tired of seeing UNC get all the calls by the refs and seeing Coach Smith getting away with technical fouls.
While I liked the movie, Duke homers will complain it is too slanted towards North Carolina. Which it is. It delves into how the entire state loves UNC and you have to be a current student or a former student of Duke, to love Duke. It also goes into how K-Ville was started and the creativity of the Cameron Crazies.
It also goes into why so many people either love or hate Duke. It's a great documentary and would recommend it to anyone.
