Duke at Florida State Slideshow

Here are some snapshots we took at last Wednesday's come-from-behind-victory over Florida State.

Cool moments in Cameron

There's a common, cheesy t-shirt saying that says, "I root for two teams: Duke and whoever is playing Carolina." Never was this more evident than during warmups for Saturday's game against Clemson.

Around 5:30, a half hour before tip-off in the Duke game, North Carolina was in a tight battle with Maryland. On a small monitor on the scorer's table, a group of about 10 students were lucky enough to be able to watch the conclusion to the game. For the final four minutes, students on the TV side of Cameron were watching the those watching the game and reacting themselves.

When Tyler Hansblow missed a shot at the buzzer (after UNC got some ridiculous breaks) the students watching the game erupted, and a second later, 1200 students across the court launched into raucous cheers. With no one on the court, chants of "Go to Hell, Carolina," filled a seemingly empty Cameron. It was one of the better Cameron moments in recent memory.

(Special thanks to Mister Irrelevant for the photo. And people say Duke girls are ugly. Yikes)

Disagreeing with the blogosphere

The last time we took on a mainstream sports blog, it was The Big Lead, which wrote this moronic post about Jon Scheyer and his performance in the Pitt game. That one looked real smart last night, when Scheyer dropped 21 on Florida State in Duke's 70-57 win, even though the rest of the Blue Devils seemed determined not to pass him the ball in the second half.

Today, Awful Announcing took on the so-called Duke bias with officials, mainly using a spliced-together YouTube clip of Greg Paulus as well as the foul differential as primary evidence. If you watch the clip, Paulus may have acted a bit on the first foul, but the second one he was legitimately punched in the face. He was hit in the face, then he kicked back, then he was punched in the face:



Also, with respect to the foul bias, TBZ has always felt this to be a weak argument. Just because Duke averages nine fewer fouls per game does not mean they are the beneficiary of referee bias. It is a complete myth that fouls should be equal at the end of the game. If one team fouls more, then they should have more fouls called on them. Better teams tend to be fouled more, as defenders are forced out of position and must foul to recover. Even if there is a small bias, this explains the vast majority of the differential.

Florida State Preview

Duke vs. FSU
7 p.m., ESPN (Mike Patrick, Jay Bilas, Stacey Dales)

Fresh off a dominant home win against Virginia Sunday night, the Blue Devils travel to Tallahassee for a tilt tonight against the Seminoles. On paper the game might appear like an easy win for Coach K and Co., but Florida State has typically played its best against Duke in recent years. The Seminoles have won the past two contests against the Blue Devils, including last year in Cameron Indoor Stadium and in 2006 in this memorable contest at FSU, when Coach K had to send several of his players off the floor before the end of regulation as the home fans acted like complete hooligans:



Florida State has been an extremely difficult place to play for Duke (in relative terms, at least) since it joined the ACC. Here's the end of another memorable game on the Seminoles home court from 2002:



FSU is hot right now too, having gone 9-3 in its last 12 games, including impressive wins over defending national champion Florida and ACC opponent Georgia Tech. They've lost some talent since last season, but Isaiah Swann and Uche Echefu headline a roster that is still dangerous. If Duke plays like it did Sunday, this game shouldn't be a problem. But any slip-up, and the Seminoles will be waiting to pounce like they have so many times in the past.

TBZ's call: Duke wins, 74-71.

Nifong reinvents rockbottom

2007 was a very, very bad year for former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, who was disbarred and spent time in prison. Like Britney Spears, 2008 isn't getting off to such a great start, either.

Nifong, with no source of income, no law license, no dignity, and a litany of lawsuits to combat, has filed for bankruptcy, according to Bloomberg.com.

According to the filing, Nifong has less than $300,000 in assets, mainly comprised of his house and his 2003 Honda Accord. In terms of his debts, Nifong listed a comically astounding $180 MILLION! thanks to outstanding lawsuits against him. Can't be a fun job balancing that checkbook.

Pomeroy: Duke to go 15-1 in the ACC

Take this with a grain of salt if you so choose, but well known college basketball statistics guru Ken Pomeroy has projected Duke to lose just one game the rest of the regular season—Feb. 6 at UNC 88-85. He gives the Blue Devils a 42% chance to win that game.

Interestingly, the next lowest predicted percentage of victory is March 8 against UNC in Cameron. In that game, Pomeroy estimates the Devils have a 73% chance of winning. In every other game, they're better than 80%.

Seems pretty Duke-friendly to TBZ. We're not sure the mechanical engineers in Tent 3 would even get to numbers these optimistic.

Let's see how Pomeroy predicts tomorrow night's game, where he estimates a Duke victory, 80-71.

Check back tomorrow for TBZ's preview of the game at FSU.

Duke-UVa Slideshow

As promised, some photos from Sunday's victory over UVa.

Crazy Towel Surf

School's back in session--for better or worse--so it's time to kick things back into gear here. Expect a full wrap-up and slideshow of last night's pasting of Virginia later today.

To tie you over, here is a video of the highlight of tonight's game: Crazy Towel Guy riding the "Wipe Out" surfboard during the first TV timeout. Alltel sponsored some Duke handrags that were given out to all the fans in attendance, which explains the unusual towel waving in the student section. Major props to the person who decided to complete the tie-in by putting Crazy Towel Guy on the board; you can tell from the clip that the building went nuts. Hopefully this will inspire the Blue Devil to work on his/her balance.

Do coaches even watch the games?

Early last week, No. 2 Memphis played then-No. 4 Georgetown in what was supposed to be a clash of the titans. Instead, Memphis dismantled the Hoyas, 85-71, in a game that wasn't nearly that close. The Tigers' Joey Dorsey crippled Roy Hibbert, holding him in single digits in points and rebounds.

To anyone who saw the game, Memphis certainly looked like the best team in the country. Somehow, though, 23 of the 31 coaches in this week's poll still rank North Carolina, whose best win is eking out a victory over an unranked BYU squad, ahead of the Tigers.

This isn't to say Carolina isn't the best team in the country, but during the heart of bowl season, it continues to prove how damn useless polls are. Thankfully, they don't matter nearly as much in basketball.

At least VCU was left off...

Time, the venerable newsmagazine, named Duke's 53-52 upset loss to Rutgers the eighth best sports match of the year. From their website:

Duke dominated women's college basketball, compiling a 32-1 record entering a Sweet 16 game against a young Rutgers team. With her team trailing 53-52 with 5.6 seconds left, Duke's Lindsey Harding, the ACC Player of the Year, stole a pass, drove to the basket and was fouled with .1 second left. Two foul shots followed: She needed to make one to tie, two to win. Harding missed them both, and lay distraught on the floor. Rutgers went all the way to the national championship game and was dragged into a national scandal after Don Imus made racist and sexists remarks about the team's players.

The wild Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma came in at number one, although I thought Anthony Atkinson's/Barton College's miracle comeback over Winona State deserved the top spot.

End of the line for Big Joe?

The Miami Herald is reporting today that Joe Alleva may be under consideration for Miami's AD job. While the report is unsubstantiated, unconfirmed and unexplained, it's food for thought. Miami AD Paul Dee announced in May that he would only serve in that capacity for one more year. In August, Duke announced that it had re-appointed Alleva for a third five-year term after an extensive review was conducted. The contract extension befuddled nearly everyone around Duke athletics, including yours truly in this column that I wrote in the fall. There's been no sign that the Miami Herald report is anything more than a rumor, but Alleva's departure for another job might actually help explain his reappointment. Duke could have encouraged him to search for another job--especially knowing Miami's to be open by the time Alleva's review was launched--while allowing a long-time but embattled employee to leave with some dignity. Alleva's three children have all now graduated from Duke, and it's possible he'd be looking for a new challenge and to distance himself from the still-ongoing lacrosse mess. Plus, TBZ imagines there's plenty of good boating territory in Coral Gables.

Big Lead rips on Scheyer

In general, TBZ is a pretty big fan of The Big Lead. We appreciate their journalistic background and what it brings to their blog.

But one thing is strikingly obvious from reading it: those guys don't know a while lot about college basketball. This became obvious yet again today when TBL posted a moronic diatribe against Jon Scheyer.

The reason these guys get analysis like this wrong so often is that they'll watch one game and make ridiculous extrapolations from it. Had they watched the Albany game, in which Scheyer dropped 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, they would be singing a different tune.

Did Scheyer struggle Thursday? Sure. But it was against one of the nation's best defensive teams, and it wasn't nearly as bad as the numbers said. He also scrapped out 12 rebounds in a game where Duke desperately needed them. There's plenty of area for complaint about Duke's performance Thursday, such as energy, rebounding, foul-shooting, etc., but saying Scheyer is an "awful" college basketball player from one game is just plain stupid.

Note: Their work on Paige Greenberg, a long-time TBZ favorite, is fantastic.

Pitt Preview

No. 6 Duke vs. No. 11 Pitt
Thursday, 7:00 P.M., ESPN HD, Madison Square Garden
Dan Shulman (play-by-play) Dick Vitale Jay Bilas (color) Doris Burke (Doris!) (sideline)

For the first time in more than three seasons, two ranked, undefeated teams with at least 10 wins will face off Thursday night.

Duke enters the game off a 41-point thrashing of Albany, a game in which the Devils shot a mind-boggling 15-of-26 from beyond the arc.

The Panthers are coming off a modest 17-point victory over a mediocre Oklahoma State squad. Thus far this season, Pitt hasn't posted an impressive win yet. A one-point overtime win against 4-4 Washington—thanks to a questionable call at the end of regulation—is the best notch on Pitt's belt.

Most of the talk about this matchup has centered on Duke's small interior and Pitt's supposed power inside. But the numbers don't tell the same story. Pitt's starting lineup features three guards, 6-foot-6 Sam Young and freshman DeJuan Blair.

Blair, a 6-foot-7, 265-pound behemoth (pictured above), will be the key to this game. He seems pretty keyed up the game, too.

"I think it's the only (college) game (on TV) that night,'' Blair said. "Seven o'clock at the Garden? Duke? I can't wait, thinking about it. It's going to be crazy.''

Blair is not a standard back-to-the-basket scorer. He says he models his game after Charles Barkley, and stylistically it shows. He's a scrappy, fierce rebounder with long arms and gets a lot of points on the offensive glass. This has been an area of weakness for Duke all season and should continue to be in this game. Pitt will likely will not be shy putting up shots, hoping Blair can clean up from the weakside.

Especially with Lance Thomas doubtful with a sprained ankle, the Blue Devils will have to work to keep Blair off the boards. Look for Dave McClure, the team's best boxer-outter, to get a good bit of playing time. He matches up with both Blair and wingman and leading scorer Sam Young.


At each of the guard positions, Duke will be able to neutralize any Pitt threats. Levance Fields is a gritty point guard who doesn't turn the ball over very much, notching an impressive 3.6/1 A/TO. But he's not exceptionally quick off the dribble, and his 27% 3-point shooting isn't all that impressive.

DeMarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer on the wings create mismatches against nearly every team in the country, and Pitt will be no exception. Look for DeMarc and G to consistently get to the rim, and Scheyer, off his high-scoring outing Monday, to be more aggressive with his shot. Pitt is known for hard rebounding and hard man-to-man defense, so don't expect a zone to compensate for these mismatches.

Duke's fast pace will also exploit a Pitt team that tends to go just 8 deep and has limited depth inside. If the Blue Devils can tire out DeJuan Blair, look for them to extend a small lead to double digits midway through the second half and win by a decent margin.

TBZ's take:
Duke 84, Pitt 70

Albany Preview

Duke vs. Albany
7 p.m., ESPN2 (Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)



After taking a week off for final exams, the Blue Devils are back at it tonight against SUNY-Albany in Cameron Indoor Stadium before heading off to New York City for a top-10 battle against Pitt in Cameron North/Madison Square Garden. Playing without sophomore Thomas, sidelined with an ankle injury sustained during practice last week, the Albany game should serve as a a solid tuneup for a rusty Duke squad. Monday night's matchup is the first ever ever between the two schools, pitting a 5-4 Great Danes squad against the undefeated Blue Devils. In their last game, a 66-53 win over St. Francis, Albany was led by 6-foot freshman guard Tim Ambrose, who scored a career-high 17 points on his way to winning America East Player of the Week honors.

The biggest storyline for tonight surrounding the Great Danes--besides their ridiculous mascot name, of course--should be head coach Will Brown's "official" website. On it, he shares his philosophies on offense, defense, individual workouts and strength and conditioning training, in addition to shilling for his own camp and advertising for potential recruits. Some highlights:

Albany's recruiting pitch:

At Albany we try to recruit the total package! We want a quality individual, a good student, and obviously a talented basketball player! We want student-athletes that are "WINNERS" on and off the floor!

Recruiting Philosophy

1. We want student-athletes of high character, not a bunch of characters!
2. We recruit young men who are looking to be challenged on a daily basis!
3. We recruit student-athletes that are self motivated in all areas of life!
4. It is important to have young men in our program that are unselfish and willing to sacrifice for the benefit of the team!
5. We don't always look for the best player but rather the perfect fit!
6. I really like guys that understand how to play the game! Many talented players do not understand the game and how it is suppose to be played.
7. I don't get caught up in positions! I get caught up on whether or not a kid can play!
8. We want a young man that wants a degree!
9. We want guys that can score the ball! A guy that cannot score does not have to be guarded which gives the defense an advantage.
10. We like tough kids!

And Coach Brown's "daily" philosophy:

1. We are going to compete at a high level every day
2. We are going to challenge each other every day
3. We want to be the best practice team in the America East Conference
4. What are we doing on a daily basis to separate ourselves from our opponents?
5. We will work every day on forming good habits
6. Are we getting better each day?
7. Be focused for the entire length of workouts, practice, and games
8. Have fun on the court, basketball is a game!
9. You are what you practice!
10. Mental toughness will take us a long way!

Allen Iverson might take issue with philosophy No. 9, but TBZ is happy to know that Coach Brown has learned to utilize the exclamation point so judiciously in emphasizing his message. These are just a couple thoughts to help keep tonight's game interesting in what should be a blowout, despite Duke's layoff.

TBZ's call: Duke 80, Albany 54

What about the Creedence?

The Landlord, Shelden Williams, was carjacked yesterday afternoon in front of a barbershop in Atlanta. Being the astute Duke grad that he is, Shelden managed to remember the perpetrators' license plate, allowing the Atlanta police department to recover his vehicle and sick attack dogs on the carjackers two hours later. Thankfully Williams was unhurt, although his reputation is sure to take a hit now that everyone knows he drives a Chrysler.