What a first round. The leader in our family bracket only picked 23/32 games.
More than half of the family picked Duke to win it all though.
Tag: Duke
Nike: Just Blew It
Crazy start to the Duke vs. UNC game, with a knee injury to the player of the year on their first possession. I’ve never seen a shoe blow out like that.
A Single Shade of Blue
Duke and North Carolina meet again tonight, which is arguably the greatest rivalry in sports.
I became a Duke fan somewhere around the Fab Five of Michigan years and I’ve been a fan of the program ever since. Fitting that this year’s Duke team is led by four fabulous freshman, three of which are projected as top five picks in the NBA draft. We’ve never seen a talent like Zion Williamson.
There have been a lot of great Duke teams over the years, but this 2018-2019 version is becoming one of my favorites. They don’t shoot the three as well as previous teams, but defense is back in Durham. According to ESPN stats, they are 2nd in rebounds (to North Carolina), 1st in steals per turnover, 1st in steals per personal foul, and 1st in blocks. Last week I wrote about their epic 23 point comeback win, which was sparked by dominating defense. We haven’t seen any floor slaps yet this season, but tonight is the type of game where it could happen.
GO DUKE!
Duke Comeback
What an incredible comeback last night. Louisville was outplaying Duke in every aspect of the game when they went up by 23 points with less than 10 minutes to go.
The effort by Duke was terrible. Here are some of the texts my brother and I were exchanging.
Coach K switched to a zone and then added a full court press, which changed the game. Check out that 0.1% chance of winning!
This ranks up there with the Miracle Minute against Maryland as one of the best comebacks I’ve watched. Duke was also ranked #2 in that game.
Duke Game Flow
The game flow graph on ESPN.com is always fun to look at. I don’t know if I’ve ever watched a more dominating half of basketball than Duke just played.
Here Comes Duke
It’s been an up-and-down year for the Duke Blue Devils. With Coach K back on the bench, Grayson Allen finding his game again, and a win over rival North Carolina last night they’re starting to look like the team we expected to see this year. These rivalry games with UNC are always the best games […]
5th National Championship for Duke
Play for a legend. Win for the legacy.
via Nike Basketball
You Wish Your Team Had Cameron Crazies
…it’s hard not to envy how passionate and in-your-face Duke’s student section is. If everybody cared about world peace as much as the Crazies care about Duke basketball, the Israelis and Palestinians would get together every Wednesday night to play kickball and grab beers afterward. There’s a reason they’re the most famous student section in college basketball.
via Mark Titus Top 12 NCAA Power Rankings, featuring Duke's Cameron Crazies – Grantland
Five Fingers Form a Fist
Last night, Coach K broke Bob Knight’s Division I men’s basketball win record by notching number 903. I’m a Duke fan, so I might be a bit biased, but I believe Coach K is the greatest coach in the history of college basketball. I often remember the following quote from his book Five-Point Play: Duke’s Journey to the 2001 National Championship.
There are five fundamental points that can help make a team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring, and pride. I like to think of each as a separate finger on THE FIST. Any one individually is important. But all of them together are formidable.
If you strike someone with an open hand, it may sting. Combine all five fingers to make a fist and you can do some damage.
Former Duke Players Recognized As Good Sports
Luol Deng, who played a year of college basketball for Duke University, was awarded the NBA sportsmanship award. Of the 5 other divisional winners for the award, Shane Battier and Elton Brand also played for Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils. Three out of six isn’t too bad!
Nick Momrik 