everything that's on my mind
(as if there's not already enough people doing this)Saturday, December 10, 2005
Texas-sized blowout
They say things are bigger in Texas. So I guess it was fitting that when #2 Texas lost to #1 Duke today, it was a BIG loss - to the tune of 97-66. I was just hoping for a Duke win. I've admitted they ha
ven't looked great in their last couple of games. But I thought they would definitely come to play today, and had a good chance to win. However, a 31-point win was not in my wildest dreams.
A lot of people seemed to start doubting Duke a couple of weeks ago when they had a close game with unranked Drexel in the NIT semifinals. However, I thought Drexel showed they were a pretty good team in that game and in nearly beating a ranked UCLA team in the consolation game. The questions continued after Indiana's Marco Killingsworth had a monster game against Duke (although he failed to score in last 7:30 of the game). Duke still won the game in a hostile environment. Then came Virginia Tech this past Sunday. Unranked, they basically beat Duke, but Sean Dockery's miracle at the buzzer saved the day. And then a less-than-stellar offensive performance against Penn on Wednesday had nearly everyone outside the Duke camp expecting a Texas win this afternoon.
Including John Frascella. In his article "Duke No. 1? Not For Long", written for the UConn Daily Campus, he attempts to break down Duke and implies they're not worthy of being at the top right now (hmm... I wonder who he'd vote #1?). In his comments on the Indiana game, he points out that Shelden Williams was outplayed by Killingsworth and fouled out late in the game, but neglected to mention Williams' big plays down the stretch that helped win that game. He closes his article with the following:
I was thinking this morning about how this Duke team is quite a bit different than the Duke teams of years past. How they aren't going to be the type of team that blows everyone away like teams in years past, especially the teams from 1998-2001, who regularly ended games by halftime. And I think that's still true, despite the fact that they DID hammer a very good team today.
A lot of people have doubted them. A lot of people questioned their #1 ranking. And they will lose games - the ACC will be as tough as usual, and they still have a few non-conference games with some good teams as well. But I think they came out today to make a statement, that despite the doubt and the questions, they are a good team worthy of being ranked where they are.
And by the way, do not expect a changing of the guard at the top of the college basketball rankings just yet.
ven't looked great in their last couple of games. But I thought they would definitely come to play today, and had a good chance to win. However, a 31-point win was not in my wildest dreams.A lot of people seemed to start doubting Duke a couple of weeks ago when they had a close game with unranked Drexel in the NIT semifinals. However, I thought Drexel showed they were a pretty good team in that game and in nearly beating a ranked UCLA team in the consolation game. The questions continued after Indiana's Marco Killingsworth had a monster game against Duke (although he failed to score in last 7:30 of the game). Duke still won the game in a hostile environment. Then came Virginia Tech this past Sunday. Unranked, they basically beat Duke, but Sean Dockery's miracle at the buzzer saved the day. And then a less-than-stellar offensive performance against Penn on Wednesday had nearly everyone outside the Duke camp expecting a Texas win this afternoon.
Including John Frascella. In his article "Duke No. 1? Not For Long", written for the UConn Daily Campus, he attempts to break down Duke and implies they're not worthy of being at the top right now (hmm... I wonder who he'd vote #1?). In his comments on the Indiana game, he points out that Shelden Williams was outplayed by Killingsworth and fouled out late in the game, but neglected to mention Williams' big plays down the stretch that helped win that game. He closes his article with the following:
"Duke will need other players to step up offensively to take the pressure off Redick and Williams. Duke plays No. 2 Texas this weekend - expect a changing of the guard at the top of the college basketball rankings."Let's see... Redick had 41 today, and Williams added 23. That's 64 points. Texas scored 66. I guess they only needed the rest of the team to step up with 3 today (but they ended up with 33 instead). I do see his point, though, and would agree they need the other guys to step up, but they are and will continue to do more so as the year goes on. Plus, they've been without DeMarcus Nelson - they're #3 scorer - since the first half of the Drexel game. In time, they'll be okay.
I was thinking this morning about how this Duke team is quite a bit different than the Duke teams of years past. How they aren't going to be the type of team that blows everyone away like teams in years past, especially the teams from 1998-2001, who regularly ended games by halftime. And I think that's still true, despite the fact that they DID hammer a very good team today.
A lot of people have doubted them. A lot of people questioned their #1 ranking. And they will lose games - the ACC will be as tough as usual, and they still have a few non-conference games with some good teams as well. But I think they came out today to make a statement, that despite the doubt and the questions, they are a good team worthy of being ranked where they are.
And by the way, do not expect a changing of the guard at the top of the college basketball rankings just yet.
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