Duke, North Carolina, Washington and Illinois

[joeybee12]

Any questions?

Any comments?

[Catholic Sensation]

1. UNC should have gotten three #1 seeds they kick so much ass

:D

And DUCK FUKE!

(I go to NC State by the way)

[joeybee12]

2. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I never would have known!

[Catholic Sensation]

3. NC State != UNC

NC State is the school for farmers and engineers, UNC is the school for Leninists and Trostkyites.

[kick-ass-bob]

19. the Marxists go to Duke.

At least in Econ.

[Leilani]

32. Yeah, they kicked so much ass

in the ACC tournament!

LOL!

Go Duke!

[JohnKleeb]

42. Yeah man!

Go Heels!

[XNASA]

4. The Albuquerque Bracket seems very weak.

Washington? And the second seed, Wake Forest, is a team that the Illini beat by 30. Look for Gonzaga, Pitt and TTU for be a factor out west.

UNC is going to have a tough time in their bracket. Florida is probably playing the best ball in the country right now, and UCONN and Kansas are also in that bracket.

Oklahoma and Michigan State will make a lot of noise in the Austin bracket, though I expect that Duke will prevail.

In Chicago......The Illini will need to play well if they hope to match up with Oklahoma State, who are probably the best 2nd seed in the tournament.

My prediction.....It's Illinois' year. I don't think that anyone will beat them if they play well.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. re: Washington

#3 RPI.

[ThorsHammer]

7. Just curious, who did they play OOC?

Not trying to flame, as I like Romar and their style of play, but I was very surprised to see them all the way at 3. Other than UW and AZ at the top, and UCLA/Stanford right below, I was very unimpressed with the Pac-10 compared to past years (where other teams like Cal and Oregon were good, and Stanford was a top team). They do have some good teams at the top, but it was very surprising to see them with the top conference RPI over the ACC, BE, and Big 12. I was also a bit surprised to see Stanford as a lock with essentially the same record as ND. I do think there is some East Coast subconscious bias, as we don't get to see them as much, but still don't buy the idea that the Pac 10 is #1.

[joeybee12]

9. This was a big surprise...the Pac-10 just ain't what it used to be...

...and to vault the 14th ranked school in the country to a #1 is unbelievable. I predict UW will go out fairly early--the first #1 to do so. Duke OR UNC cshould be a #1, but NOT both. Illinois was the only no-brainer.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. Pac-10 ain't what it used to be.....

East Coast bias based on the fact that late games makes coverage harder for the Easties. Not a conspiracy, just a time zone fact of life.

The Tourney will tell all, though.

[Leilani]

33. The ACC is the toughest division

UNC finished season #2

Duke finshed #5, but won the ACC tournament.

They BOTH deserve to be #1 seeds.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Utah, Oklahoma, Alabama, NC State.

All wins.

Surprised at the #1, but the Dawgs can hoop.

[ThorsHammer]

20. Thanks; I'm not arguing their #1, but was just curious

I don't have any problem with putting them ahead of Louisville (who should have been a 2-3, a 4 is absofrickinglutely ridiculous), despite being lower in the polls. Kansas, UK, and Wake all had chances to win their tournaments and move into contention for a #1, but couldn't get the job done, while UW took care of business. I would be irate if I were a Louisville fan - 29-4, conference and tournament champs, top 6 ranking, a road win at UF, and this somehow translates to a #4?? I am looking forward to the UW-UL Sweet 16 matchup, as I think that will be a great game to watch.

[XNASA]

12. I don't put much faith in the RPI.

The Huskies were barely above 500 in league games away. They weren't ranked in the top 10 at the end of the regular season and only got this bid because they won the PAC 10 tournament.

I would expect Louisville, Gonzaga or Wake to handle them.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

13. They'll have trouble with teams that have big interiors.

Like the impending meeting with Pittsburgh. But they would give a team like Illinois a run for their money. It's all about the luck of the draw.

[underpants]

6. I haven't watched much this year but I can say-Duke, BOOOOOOOOO!

I despise Dook

[joeybee12]

8. Doesn't everyone?

:hi:

[underpants]

14. Looking at the bracket Duke seems to have a fairly easy ride to the 16

surprise surprise. Notice who is promenantly featured on CBS's promo for "March Madness". No accident me thinks but then I haven't watched a lot of b-ball this year.

ON EDIT- I am picking Miss. State to beat them in round 2.

[joeybee12]

15. I hope you're right! Go Mississippi State!

Yeah, there's been way too much butt-kissing for Dook for far too long. They only made it to the Final Four last year because of the ref's incompetence or bias. Or both.

I don't think they're that good this year--they started out much better than they finished the season, even if they did win the ACC. I think they're ripe for an early exit!

[underpants]

16. Remember the no fifth foul call on Williams in 2001?

Williams was literally laying on top of the Arizona point guard while Az had the ball and were dribbling and no call. The boos were about normal for anytime Duke plays in front of knowledgeable basketball fans (Boise a few years ago was hilarious).

I haven't watched much this year but they are awfully thin in the middle and they don't want to run. I can't believe that they got by State in the semis.

http://espn.go.com/ncb/2001/20010402/recap/aaqdau.html

[joeybee12]

17. I think the ACC isn't as strong as a lot of sportswriters and selection

committee members seem to think it is. As you note, Duke is thin. I can't really see them getting that far.

I wonder if the refs do itintentionally--look the other way for Dook--or if they have been intimidated by the press for so long they don't truly realize what they're doing!

[underpants]

23. Watch for replays in Duke games

they are few and far between. CBS especially IMHO is really bad about not showing replays of foul calls against Duke's opponents.

As Pete Gillam (UVa) once famously said when asked about ref's calls in Duke games "Dook is Dook"

[joeybee12]

26. At first I thought you meant replays of the entire games!

Can't do that...unless they lose! I've re-watched UCONNN beat them in the final in 1998, and then last year in the semis...now those are replays!

[ThorsHammer]

18. How about the Maryland game in the semis? Grrrrrrrrrrr

I've gotta give credit to Dook for fighting back from 22 down, but it's always easier to do so when you're playing 8 on 5.

[kick-ass-bob]

22. Duke could lose anywhere -

they rely too much on the outside shot.

Maryland exposed them twice this year, but then again, Duke could ride it all the way to the F4.

But I don't think so - not this year.

[Leilani]

34. No!

Dukies haters are like Yankee haters.

Sour grapes.

[kick-ass-bob]

21. Duke is definitely not as strong as they have been

and I don't think they would have been #1 without winning the ACC championship. But they did.
Again. :eyes:

I'm getting pretty sick of that - but at least it wasn't UNC...

[underpants]

25. I seemed to have softened in my UNC hating

I think I have focused it all on Duke.

[ThorsHammer]

28. I've softened my Duke hating

As much as I disliked Redick before this year, he's been undeniably impressive, and he would be the guy I want to take a shot if my life depended on it. It might just be me, but it also seems like he's cut back on the yapping. I also like Shelden Williams, as he's a very hard working, tough player. I'm still not a fan of Coach K's owning of the refs, nor of Dookie V and friends, but Redick and Williams are definitely growing on me, and I respect their game a ton.

[GOPBasher]

24. I have a feeling my SU orange will upset Duke in the sweet sixteen.

:fingers crossed:

[kick-ass-bob]

27. I definitely see that as very possible.

(Plus, my dad graduated from SU)

[joeybee12]

29. I agree!

Provided that Dook gets that far! Which I hope they don't!:evilgrin:

[GOPBasher]

30. Cool. I didn't go there, but I live in a suburb of Syracuse. nt

[Emboldened Chimp]

31. I've got Syracuse picked to blow past Duke

[welshTerrier2]

43. Syracuse was ranked #4 in the country at one point this season

then they hit a real bad patch of games against some very high quality Big East teams ... they looked awful for a bunch of games in a row ...

but over the last few weeks of the season, they became a much stronger team ... one of the main things they have now that they didn't have then was a strong contribution from Roberts and Watkins ... both of them got plenty of playing time and both have grown tremendously ...

i think Syracuse is stronger now then when they were ranked #4 in the country ... no guarantees but Syracuse has a real chance to beat Duke ...

i'm pulling for the Orange all the way ...

[Leilani]

35. Obviously this the HATE Duke thread

You're all jealous that Duke players also have brains!

LOL!

[joeybee12]

36. Yeah, but they borrowed them from other schools...

...and now they have to give them back!:P

[Leilani]

37. LOL! Let's look at graduation rates.

Interestingly enough, Duke players are required to go to classes!:P

[underpants]

38. Leilani bad news it is harder to play ball and go to school at State

I can't find the article I read 6 years ago about how Duke's basketball team has the lowest SAT scores in relation to the student body of any NCAA team (the NCAA has surely had that fact scrubbed) but I did find this.

STATE IS HARDER THAN DOOOOOOOOK! STATE IS HARDER THAN DOOOOOOOOK!

http://www.ncsu.edu/BulletinOnline/11_02/facsenate1112.htm

All student-athletes will find it more difficult to maintain eligibility through their college years under the other new change handed down by the NCAA. Under the new regulation, student-athletes must complete 40 percent of their degree requirements by the end of their second year in school or lose athletic eligibility. The percentage would then increase to 60 percent by the end of the third year and 80 percent by the end of the fourth year.

While there seems to be general agreement that the rule is well-intentioned in trying to increase graduation rates, several see potential pitfalls. In his earlier Faculty Senate visit, Fowler pointed out that while NC State requires 130 hours to graduate, Duke only requires 96, so meeting the 40 percent bar will be much harder at NC State.

[joeybee12]

39. Whoo-hoo! Yup, Duke is all talk, and no action!

It's got a reputation, but probably not truly deserved!

[underpants]

40. Check THIS out

This still isn't that article I was looking for but it is great for all the Dookies (and wannabe Dookies) you run into.

http://slate.msn.com/id/101920/

There's only one problem with all this Dukophilia. It's absolute bunk. Just consider some recent happenings at Duke:

In 1995, Duke center Greg Newton was suspended from the school for two semesters after a student court found him guilty of cheating on a computer science exam. Newton returned to Duke and resumed playing for the basketball team. Two years later, Duke guard Ricky Price was suspended from school for plagiarism. He too returned to Duke and resumed his basketball career.

In 1999, Duke point guard William Avery led the Blue Devils to the NCAA championship game. Unfortunately, while Avery was lighting it up on the basketball court, he wasn't going to many classes—and as soon as the season was over, Avery, a sophomore, dropped out of school and made himself eligible for the NBA draft.

Last year it was discovered that another player from that 1999 team, Corey Magette (who also left the school early to go to the NBA), shouldn't have been playing at all, because he was ineligible. While in high school, Magette had received $2,000 from a summer-league coach. Pending a decision by the NCAA, Duke may have to forfeit all its victories from that year.

Earlier this month, the San Jose Mercury News, examining data from 1994-97 (the last four-year period the NCAA used for documentation of grades and test scores), found that freshmen entering Duke on basketball scholarships during that period had an average SAT score of 968. The average SAT score for Duke's freshman class as a whole is generally in the high 1300s.

[joeybee12]

41. I'm lovin' it! Great find!

This sounds sort of familiar--like I read it when it was first posted on Slate!