Quote :

"From the NYTimes: Sick of being an underdog despite their the spate of recent success (three appearances in the Round of 16 in four years), West Virginia players lit into Duke. West Virginia forward Joe Alexander led the charge. He had the assembled news media cracking up when a reporter told him that Duke had eight McDonald’s all-Americans. “Who?” he asked, very skeptically. He wasn’t done. Nor were his teammates. Alexander on breaking down Duke on film: “We knew that coming in that they were just going to stand around and not rebound. So we were ready to exploit that.” Alexander on the Duke mystique: ““We don’t care that they’re Duke. That doesn’t mean anything to us. People look at West Virginia like we’re this mid-major school playing all these big schools and upsetting them. That’s not the case at all.” West Virginia center Jamie Smalligan: “We don’t have any McDonald’s All-Americans and we don’t have any guys who were the No. 1 player in their state. But I think that Coach K would love to have Joe Alexander on his team right now.” West Virginia guard Joe Mazzulla: “Duke is a great team with a great tradition and they have a great coach. But when you have the media coming up to you and constantly asking you about Duke’s tradition and we’re getting overlooked. We’re a good team, and we’re a great team when we play the way we did in the second half. I think Coach Huggins as well as the rest of the teams want to get to a point where teams have to worry about playing us and not us have to worry about playing other teams.” Alexander on the Big East vs. the A.C.C.: “People are always hating on the Big East. I don’t understand why. We came in the fifth in the Big East and we manhandled a good A.C.C. team.” Cam Thoroughman asked whether Duke’s Greg Paulus was one of the eight McDonald’s all-Americans. When told yes, Thoroughman said, “Oh my God. Are you kidding?”"

3/22/2008 11:46:25 PM

ahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahaha

3/22/2008 11:56:23 PM

^^they should have asked him about Lance Thomas too, he'll be more shocked for sure.

3/23/2008 12:01:28 AM

Big East > ACC

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 12:14 AM. Reason : This season at least]

3/23/2008 12:13:50 AM

Quote :

"People look at West Virginia like we’re this mid-major school playing all these big schools and upsetting them. of inbred mother...er sister fuckers."

3/23/2008 12:17:00 AM

3/23/2008 12:18:28 AM

it looks like someone has pissed SPK off again, she is back to troll TWW

Duke did better than i thought they would, which means "not bad"

they were a few moments going different away from having a much better year
which is why i say it could have been better

do i really need to spell it out any more, or do you just need a reason to talk shit?


i mean it could be worse, Duke could have been predicted to finish 3rd in the ACC and then came up last

im done with this topic once again, until next year.....

3/23/2008 12:26:12 AM

Eh, they did what I thought they'd do, all in all.

At one point in the season though, I thought they were going to be badass. Then they just fell off.

As for the Big Least, God. They're pretty classless and have a lot of balls trying to talk about the ACC they way they do. It sucks for Duke, but they were in no way "manhandled" by WV; a team who will make a nice exit next week with basically nothing to show for this season. If you think State has an inferiority complex look at the Big East as a whole. They don't even know where they belong because they're so mediocre at everything they play...

At least their coach will have an excuse to drink for 6 more days (if he needs one)...

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 12:32 AM. Reason : k]

3/23/2008 12:30:57 AM

act like you've been there before...god i hope wv gets put in their place by X

3/23/2008 12:34:13 AM

Quote :

"Cam Thoroughman asked whether Duke’s Greg Paulus was one of the eight McDonald’s all-Americans. When told yes, Thoroughman said, “Oh my God. Are you kidding?”""

wow! i don't know if i should applaud the hilarity or shun the lack of class.

3/23/2008 12:55:16 AM

^^^^Dude, I'm not trolling, and I'm not pissed off.

Duke has been pretty suspect for a while now. I don't think K can keep up anymore.

It's time for Dawkins to take over.

3/23/2008 1:21:19 AM

K isnt going to stop until he passes Knight

and we all know it

i just hope he doesnt pull a Phelan(sp) and avg 5 wins his last few years

3/23/2008 2:00:13 AM

I can't wait for the day K passes Dean Smith on wins... just watching the aggrivation that causes so many tarholes will be great.. they all hate K and... oh it will just be fantastic

3/23/2008 2:13:52 AM

k just better be focused on bay jing and not thinking about Duke this year. If you hate coach K then you hate America, since he is, of course, AMERICAS COACH.

usa #1!

3/23/2008 3:42:22 AM

Quote :

"WV; a team who will make a nice exit next week with basically nothing to show for this season. If you think State has an inferiority complex look at the Big East as a whole. They don't even know where they belong because they're so mediocre at everything they play"

WVU is a good football school, even though they have a tough time recruiting in such a small state - they've been contenders for a national title at least 5 times in the last 20 years (1988, 1993, 2005-2007), and while their basketball team has historically been spotty - the last time they won a title was with Jerry West - the Big East is a decent basketball conference - UConn, Georgetown, Pitt, & Seton Hall are good teams.

3/23/2008 8:57:11 AM

I don't think K's necessarily declining...I just think he needs to reevaluate his methods as far as it goes to recruiting, scheduling, etc.

He's still a good coach, but with the way Duke can select players, they shouldn't glaring deficiencies in any area of the game (like rebounding and inside game). As long as he's not too stubborn, Coach K should have no problem Duke getting back on track.

3/23/2008 9:22:41 AM

the whole humphries(sp) situation shows he wont recruit players that are one and done if he can help it

i think that has hurt the quality of his players as of late

but who knows what next year holds

3/23/2008 12:26:37 PM

let the countdown to football season begin

3/23/2008 12:31:06 PM

^^next year brings Olek Czyz and Elliot Williams. Still no inside help.

3/23/2008 12:37:08 PM

Quote :

"the Big East is a decent basketball conference - UConn, Georgetown, Pitt, & Seton Hall are good teams."

It's a pretty good conference for a glorified mid-major.. and how can you leave out teams like Louisville, Syracuse, Villanova, Notre Dame, etc...

Quote :

"If you think State has an inferiority complex look at the Big East as a whole. "

I assume that is a joke, right?

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 12:40 PM. Reason : x]

3/23/2008 12:38:59 PM

The ACC has always been and will always be a better basketball conference.

3/23/2008 1:11:33 PM

That's stupid. The ACC has certainly been around longer and has more tradition and consistency over the years but the Big East has been far superior over certain time period. Mid-80s, Mid-90s, early '00s and right now... At least TRY and be objective.

3/23/2008 1:16:41 PM

utilities are included in my HOA dues for my condo, so I keep it cold as fuck in here year round... its currently 62.

3/23/2008 1:18:07 PM

sigh.

i'm done.

believe what you want.

for everything you say i'm going to say I agree.

3/23/2008 1:22:48 PM

^^ whoops hahah, wrong thread, but its staying

3/23/2008 1:25:48 PM

I agree.

3/23/2008 1:28:22 PM

Score another one for the most superior conference in basketball with Georgetown. Oh wait...

3/23/2008 4:29:18 PM

Am I wrong in remembering that Elton Brand (and the guys in that class) were the first players that K had ever had to leave early? It's no wonder he was able to have so many good teams. When you can keep players of the caliber he was recruiting for that long it can only make you better. Now, like was said, he avoids recruiting those guys.

3/23/2008 8:45:22 PM

and from what i remember he basically guilted jason (jay) williams into staying for his junior year

3/23/2008 8:52:38 PM

I remember he was really pissed about William Avery leaving. Pretty much cut him off from Duke. Jerk.

3/23/2008 8:59:55 PM

yeah that was the infamous "your son is fucking my program!"

3/23/2008 9:03:01 PM

doesnt look good that all but one ACC team remains after the first weekend but yea the Big East has a huge inferiority complex....

and some of the WV commentary from that article was downright laughable, not to mention DUMB. Duke played it's absolute worst game of the season and WV deserved the win but come on. WV's flash in the pan will be brief. They're not a perennial power and they're not Gtown or UConn. Savor the win but be classy.... this was just gay.

3/23/2008 9:04:30 PM

ha hahahaha


duke fans crying never gets old

3/23/2008 9:06:49 PM

If I'm not mistaken WVU's "flash in the pan" has 3 Sweet 16s, an Elite 8 and a NIT title the last 4 years.

** Didn't K all but shove McSoberts out the door after convincing him to stay when his stock what at his highest after his frosh year? That worked out well... the guy is being outplayed by Kris Fucking Lang in the NBDL..

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 9:08 PM. Reason : x]

3/23/2008 9:07:13 PM

I agree.

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 9:21 PM. Reason : k]

3/23/2008 9:20:40 PM

thought i remember avery had all but stopped going to class and probably wasn't gonna be eligible the next year.

anyway, agreed that coach k needs to re-evaluate his recruiting methods. theres a big difference between getting a lot of all amercians and getting quality players. duke recruits mcd's guys like thomas, paulus, and king and unc gets lawson, hansbrough, and ellington.

3/23/2008 9:25:21 PM

^^^ how many national titles? what about final 4s? Were you just trying to tell me they've had mild success in the big dance recently?

That NIT title sounded impressive though.......an elite eight. Who the fuck outside of West VA is gonna remember that 2 years from now? People remember final 4's. That's solid for West Virginia basketball but not the bluedevils. Duke expects to contend for the national title every year & anything less than a final 4 appearance is considered a letdown, esp the last 2 seasons. that's comparing apples to oranges.


[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 9:48 PM. Reason : .]

3/23/2008 9:40:05 PM

Quote :

"anyway, agreed that coach k needs to re-evaluate his recruiting methods."

Let's make this a racial issue shall we?

Some of Duke's players from the past 4 or 5 years that actually got minutes (off the top of my head):

JJ Redick
Lee Melchioni
Shavlik Randolph
Nick Horvath
Greg Paulus
Martynas Pocius
Josh McRoberts
Jon Scheyer
Kyle Singler
Taylor King
Brian Zoubek

And here's a list for UNC:

Tyler Hansbrough
Wes Miller
Bobby Frasor


Now I only list those two teams because they recruit on the same level. Yet Duke brings in a lot more caucasian players than UNC (at least in the past 5 years or so) and haven't done as well as UNC and the only player that left early in that span was Luol Deng for Duke so you can't say it's from players leaving early. Maybe he does need to revamp his recruiting efforts, recruit players instead of future assistants.

3/23/2008 9:47:45 PM

^ David McClure is half-white too, if we wanna get technical about it

and yes, K needs to seriously take a look at the players he is recruiting. the Zoubek's and Taylor King's of the world just aren't gonna cut it in today's game

3/23/2008 9:51:33 PM

^^ you forgot

Sheldon Williams
Sean Dockery
Reggie Love
Demarcus Nelson
Gerald Henderson
Luol Deng
Lance Thomas
Nolan Smith

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 9:52 PM. Reason : .]

3/23/2008 9:51:48 PM

coach k has been very outspoken about saying that he doesn't want to recruit players that don't have a four year plan and honestly, i can see why he says that. duke was destroyed by players leaving early in the late 90s.

notable players include:
elton brand
mike dunleavy
jason williams
corey maggette
william avery
luol deng

all of those guys left within a short period of time and there isn't ANY school in the country that has been hit that heavy. factor in the intense level of recruiting and investment of time and money (legal money albeit) to land these players and the fact that most players are recruited with the expectation of being there for multiple years...and that hurts.

now with that being said, it is what is is. there are tons of great basketball players in the world and i think that any team will gradually move towards the cellar if they don't land big name players that may or may not stay for a while.

what hurt duke the most this year was how they utilized zoubek. by playing zoubek, duke botched their style of play that had only lost one game for the majority of the year to opt for a "typical" lineup with a lackluster center. i think that it was a pretty major mistake and contradicted coach k's statements from early in the year of "they have to guard us too" when replying to the lack of size. duke just doesn't have the same caliber guys that they did between '99 and '02 and there haven't really been any clear leaders come tournament time since carrawell and battier. everyone forgets that carrawell was a self proclaimed "street baller" that gave duke some grit and he actually led most of their huddles...the closest duke has to a "street baller" now is gerald henderson who is a spoon fed, nba son, scratch golfer. there isn't a ton of balance for duke although there is a ton of talent.

with all this said, if duke would have landed patrick patterson over kentucky, i think they'd be the favorite to win it all. duke needs athletic big men, not brian zoubek, chris burgess, etc.

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 10:00 PM. Reason : /]

3/23/2008 10:00:12 PM

I've never seen a "big man" as inept at center like Brian Zoubek. I used to think Luke Schensher for GT kinda sucked until i watched Zoubek in action. Duke was fortunate that Sheldon Williams stayed 4 years & gave a nice post presence. Coach K has to learn that he can't just recruit skinny swingmen. Just about EVERYBODY has a dominant big man these days, even the really bad teams

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 10:18 PM. Reason : .]

3/23/2008 10:12:44 PM

^ it hurts when you talk about state like that

3/23/2008 10:13:40 PM

Luke Schensher got to the championship game.

3/23/2008 10:17:13 PM

Jarett Jack and BJ Elder had more to do with that. All i can remember about him was catching passes near the basket, turning around while jumping about 5 inches off the ground and missing those 5 footers.

3/23/2008 10:22:11 PM

^5 Saying that Duke was hurt by people leaving early is a crock. Most of the big time college programs have lost kids early. Jesus, use UNC as a reference, they have lost players early just about every year and with the exception of the doh years they have stayed consistent. The problem that I have with K is that he is more concerned with his record than he is with the futures of his players. (mcroberts, williams, etc. as examples). I understand wanting a player to graduate and be a student, but it is selfish to deny a player when they have that type of opportunity. That's one thing that other coaches in the ACC have been a lot better about doing. They are willing to let a player go if the time is right.

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 10:27 PM. Reason : .]

3/23/2008 10:27:18 PM

^you're basing it on misinformation. coach k has recommended that some players go pro and opposed others. avery was driving a brand new escalade before he left and had made his decision despite coach k's advice to stay (which was obviously the better option). mcroberts had a chance to be drafted and judging by his decline in desirability and play from freshman to soph. year, i think that was the right thing to do. jay williams wanted to graduate so he took summer classes and has a close relationship with k, so how did he receive bad advice?

also, find another team that lost a comparable number of talented players in the same time span. unc lost carter, wallace, and mcinnis around the same time, but that still didn't hurt them as much thanks to the number of players.

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 10:37 PM. Reason : /]

3/23/2008 10:36:21 PM

Sweet 16s mean a lot. Not just for West Virginia!

Villanova was the Old Spice runner-up and they're there.

Badass.

3/23/2008 10:38:07 PM

Quote :

"coach k has been very outspoken about saying that he doesn't want to recruit players that don't have a four year plan and honestly, i can see why he says that. duke was destroyed by players leaving early in the late 90s. notable players include: elton brand mike dunleavy jason williams corey maggette william avery luol deng all of those guys left within a short period of time and there isn't ANY school in the country that has been hit that heavy. factor in the intense level of recruiting and investment of time and money (legal money albeit) to land these players and the fact that most players are recruited with the expectation of being there for multiple years...and that hurts."

Quite a few of the major programs have been dealing with this for years. Carolina has had about a dozen players leave early since '95, including 4 in '05 alone. We're still doing alright.

Quote :

"unc lost carter, wallace, and mcinnis around the same time"

Just to clarify....

Stackhouse, Wallace, and McInnis all left after the '94-95 season.
Jamison and Carter left after the '97-98 season.

[Edited on March 23, 2008 at 10:48 PM. Reason : ]

3/23/2008 10:43:26 PM

McRoberts leaving early did hurt leaving only Zoubek. McRoberts was supposed to be Duke's answer to Tyler Hansbrough and it ended up being a bust. Hansbrough will most likely return to chapel hill for his senior year & rub it in for one more season

3/23/2008 10:51:30 PM