All posts by Cliff Barnes

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny

GQ magazine is ugly in describing the ugliest fans; Duke 8th

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GQ magazine, which chose Duke basketball fans as the eighth worse in sports, uses graphic descriptions and foul language to blast fans who blast others. While it’s hard to argue with the inclusion of most fans on the list, the article is kinda like hearing one of the “Housewives of Orange County” talk trash about another one.

Los Angeles Lakers’ fans are described as “Starf*ckers” except without the “*.” Oakland Raiders fans are stereotyped as “criminals.” Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies fans are called “savages.” And Duke fans are considered “dicks.”

Here’s what GQ has to say about the “Silver-spoon bullies” otherwise known as Duke fans: “Duke fans who complain that everyone hates them because they’re too good are like cheerleaders who complain that everyone hates them because they’re too pretty. Sorry, princess! Soaked with arrogance (and Dick Vitale tongue baths), the Dukies have hit NC State with the chant ‘If you can’t go to college, go to State!’ while UNC has gotten the blunter ‘We’re smart! You’re dumb!’ This from the crowd who interminably claim to be the classiest in all of basketball. Here’s what the most reviled fans in college sports don’t understand: When everyone already resents you for being a perennial national champion, brainstorming new ways to make fun of people doesn’t make you clever. It makes you a dick.”

A lot of people probably agree with that assessment – and it actually could have included acts more classless than that. But I thought it was funny that GQ disputes Duke fans’ claim that they are disliked because they are “too good” but then admits that people resent Duke “for being a perennial national champion.” By the way, the Blue Devils are not perennial national champions – yet.

I also don’t hear Duke fans claim they are the classiest in all of basketball. The author might be confusing Duke fans with Carolina fans. (By the way, when Dean Smith was coach and didn’t allow signs, waving behind baskets and personal chants against players, Carolina fans were the classiest yet they were loud and supportive of their team. But they have fallen victim to trying to out-Duke Duke.)

The worse fans from 15th to 1st, GQ says, are Los Angeles Lakers, Oregon basketball, Wisconsin football, Dallas Cowboys, Montreal Canadiens, LSU football, New York Yankees, Duke basketball, Penn State football, Boston Red Sox, Maryland basketball, Oakland Raiders, West Virginia Mountaineers, and tied for first are the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies.

Those appearing on the list aren’t big surprises but the order is somewhat surprising. For instance, Red Sox fans “worse” than Yankees fans? Do you have others that might have appeared on the list?

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny

Duke’s Irving may return Friday but is that best?

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Duke super frosh Kyrie Irving may play in the NCAA tournament after missing months and 26 games.

Irving injured his right big toe Dec. 4 and has only recently returned to any basketball practice. If he doesn’t play in the tournament though, he may have already played his last game as a Blue Devil as he sits atop most NBA draft charts because of his potential.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski said if he does return to play against Hampton in the first round of the tournament Friday afternoon, Irving would not start and would only play a few minutes. A decision probably won’t be made until after practice on Thursday in Charlotte.

Duke certainly doesn’t need Irving to beat Hampton but the Devils have to win six games to win the national title. If Irving gets back up to speed, he could certainly help the cause. But he could also, despite what teammates are saying, mess up the chemistry and rotation that players and coaches have gotten comfortable with.

Irving was leading the Blue Devils in scoring over the first eight games of the season with a 17 points per game average. But Duke has all the shooters they need to win a championship – Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins. If Irving were a big man, then we’re talking a big difference maker. The Devils could use help inside. That being said, Irving is a point guard that could make the big men look better on offense.

The blogosphere is already burning up that, with Irving in the lineup, you can just hand the NCAA trophy to Duke again. While I’m sure Coach K will work him in gradually so that the Duke engine is roaring by the Final Four, I’m just not sure the Devils will make it to the Final Four.

They should win the first two games handily but it could take a while for Irving to work in smoothly plus all it takes for a three-point shooting team like Duke to be ousted is to have one bad shooting game. By the time Irving is about settled in again, the Devils may have bowed out.

On the other hand, if the shooters can avoid a one-game slump, by game six of the NCAA tourney, Irving (if truly healthy) and the Devils should be playing at their peak. This season, that could be enough to take it all – but I wouldn’t bet on it just yet.

Featured stories, UNC

Hansbrough says he’d pull for Notre Dame over Carolina

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Tyler Hansbrough, the leading scorer in North Carolina basketball history, said it might “piss a lot of people off” but he’s rooting for Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament and would have no qualms pulling for Notre Dame against the Tar Heels.

Real family is thicker than basketball/alma mater family but it might have been nice had Hansbrough said he hated to do it or he would have conflicting feelings but he would have to cheer for his brother or something a tad gentler.

Granted Buck Williams who played at Maryland isn’t my brother but he invited me to sit behind the Maryland bench for a game against North Carolina. I cheered for North Carolina and I cheered for Buck. People must have thought I was schizophrenic but I hoped that Buck scored 40 and hauled in 20 rebounds … and that the Tar Heels won the game.

I frankly think it’s perfectly ok and understandable that Hansbrough would pull for his brother’s team though but if I were him, I would at least say that I hope the two teams don’t face each other because it would be difficult to watch.

Instead, Hansbrough said, “Notre Dame, I hope they win it all. I’m a UNC fan but my brother plays for Notre Dame so that’s who I’m going with this year.” When asked if he had any qualms rooting for Notre Dame if they come up against the Tar Heels, he said “No question I’m pulling for the Irish. It might piss a lot of people off but that’s the way it is.”

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

Miller would be a good choice as Wolfpack coach

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Sean Miller, the coach at Arizona, would be a good choice to replace Sidney Lowe as N.C. State Wolfpack head basketball coach.

After the experiment of hiring an alum in Lowe, there probably aren’t any appropriate former Wolfpack players State would want to try. Monte Towe, the current associate coach at State, would give some continuity in case some players are considering jumping ship. But Towe only did fair as a head coach for five years at New Orleans going 70-78. Plus, you’d think most State supporters would want to start fresh.

With Miller, although only 42, you get a proven head coach who did very well at Xavier, taking them to four NCAA berths in five years and compiling a 120-47 mark there. In addition, as coach of Arizona for the past two years, he has brought the Wildcats program back to national prominence. His first recruiting class was ranked 12th nationally and this season he led Arizona to the regular season conference championship and an NCAA berth with a 27-7 record. In so doing, he was named coach of the year in the Pac-10.

In addition, Miller has a fairly substantial connection to N.C. State. He was an assistant to Herb Sendek at N.C. State for five years from 1996 to 2001. Miller was a point guard in college at Pittsburgh too. I’m partial to point guards as head coaches but, then again, Lowe was a point guard.

It’s a shame the Lowe experiment didn’t work out but, after five years, it just didn’t. Names being bandied about include Rick Barnes of Texas. Wolfpack fans might enjoy that hate-Carolina mentality that many believe he has or had when he coached at Clemson. But Barnes probably wouldn’t accept the position and I’m not sure he would be a better choice than a young up-and-comer like Miller.

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Duke has to play out West but has an easier road than Heels

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Duke and North Carolina both get to play first round games in Charlotte but the Tar Heels have a much tougher road to the Final Four.

Duke got a No. 1 seed but after playing two games in Charlotte that the Devils should win – against Hampton and either Michigan or Tennessee – they are shipped out to Anaheim to try to get a couple more wins to reach the Final Four. San Diego St., at 32-2, is the No. 2 seed in the West, followed by Connecticut and Texas.

San Diego St. has never won an NCAA tournament game. Connecticut, a young team, had to win five grueling games to take the Big East tournament. Texas has not played well lately, losing three of its last five games.

If Carolina can get through two wins in Charlotte – against Long Island and either hot Washington or Georgia -they’ll get to play closer to its fan base in the regional finals (Newark, N.J.) than Duke. The bad news is that, top to bottom, the East region is the toughest.

The tournament’s overall No. 1 seed Ohio State is in the East region as are Syracuse and Kentucky. Syracuse saw its six-game winning streak end Friday, with an overtime loss to UConn in the Big East semifinals while Kentucky handled Florida in the finals of the SEC tournament finals.

If Washington is the Tar Heels second-round opponent, it could prove to be a tough game. The Huskies, winners of three straight, talk like they still have something to prove after surprisingly winning the Pac-10 conference tournament.

The ACC got four teams in the tournament – Duke, UNC, Florida State and Clemson – with Virginia Tech and Boston College being left out, as was Colorado which was thought to be a lock. Two inferior teams – UAB and VCU – made the tournament ahead of those three teams.

Despite three additional at-large teams being added to the field this year, Virginia Tech is outside looking in for the fourth straight season.

Hokie coach Seth Greenberg understandably isn’t happy about it. “You almost wonder if someone in that room has their own agenda and that agenda doesn’t include Virginia Tech. Just plan and simple,” he said in a released statement. “I totally wonder if someone in that room has an agenda. The explanation was so inconsistent with the result that it was almost mind-boggling.”

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Tar Heels get No. 2 seed in East, play Friday in Charlotte

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NEWS RELEASE – North Carolina (26-7) is the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament East Regional and will open play on Friday in Charlotte against No. 15 seed Long Island University (27-5).

The winner of that contest will advance to face the winner of Friday’s game between No. 7 seed Washington and No. 10 seed Georgia on Sunday in Charlotte. The East also includes No. 1 seed Ohio State, No. 3 Syracuse and No. 4 Kentucky.

Roy Williams on 2011 NCAA Tournament selection:
“I am ecstatic about the making the NCAA Tournament field once again. It was kind of hard to enjoy the Tournament last year as it was the only time in 23 years that one of our teams had been eligible to make the field and did not. Tonight our guys were very excited when they saw `North Carolina’ show up early on the selection show. Of course, it was a little reserved because of the fact we had just lost to Duke about three hours before the show came on, but we have to congratulate the Blue Devils for playing so well.

“After we were selected, I looked around and realized that there were only two players in the room that had ever played in an NCAA Tournament game (juniors Tyler Zeller and Justin Watts in 2009). It shows how the culture of college basketball has changed. Two years ago we were the national champions and now after missing just one season we will go into the Tournament with such a young and inexperienced team.

“But I am extremely proud of my team and I congratulate them on the great run they’ve had since mid-January. Not many people would have thought that when we left Atlanta after the loss to Georgia Tech that we would have won the ACC regular-season championship, played in the ACC Tournament final and earned a number two seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now we have to get back to work and play better than we did this weekend in Greensboro.”

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Duke receives No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament

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NEWS RELEASE – Fresh off a victory in the ACC Tournament Championship game, the Duke men’s basketball team found out they would be awarded the No. 1 seed in the West Region for the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Duke will play its first round game in Charlotte against Hampton on Friday. It will be the first ever meeting between the two schools. The Pirates are 24-8 and defeated Morgan State, 60-55, in the MEAC Championship game. The winner of that game would face the winner of the 8/9 game between Michigan (20-13) and Tennessee (19-14).

It is the 12th time in school history the Blue Devils have been a No. 1 seed and second straight season. All 12 times they have been a top seed have come under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Since 1998 Duke has been a No. 1 seed 10 times. Overall the Blue Devils have a 43-8 record as a No. 1 seed in the tournament with three of the school’s four national championships coming as the top seed in the region (1992, 2001 and 2010).

Duke will be making its 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 35th in school history. The Blue Devils have a 94-30 (.758) all-time record in the tournament with a NCAA-record 77 (77-22) of those wins coming under Krzyzewski.

When playing in the state of North Carolina during the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils boast a record of 30-4, including an 8-3 record in Charlotte. The last time Duke traveled to Charlotte for the NCAA Tournament was 2005 when they defeated Delaware State and Mississippi State as a No. 1 seed to advance to the Sweet 16.

This will be just the fourth season Duke has been placed in the West region. The Blue Devils are 2-3 all-time when playing in the West region. The last time was 2008 when Duke lost in the second round to West Virginia. The Blue Devils also were in the West Region in 2003 when they advanced to the Sweet 16 before losing to Kansas in Anaheim, Calif., the site where Duke would play if advancing to the Sweet 16 this season.

This season Duke is 30-4 overall, the third straight 30-win season for the program. The Blue Devils are just the sixth program in NCAA history to win 30 or more games in three straight seasons. On Sunday Duke defeated North Carolina, 75-58, to claim its third consecutive ACC Tournament Championship.

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Duke gets on top early, uses threes and defense to stop UNC

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You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit in the wind. You don’t pull the mask of the old Lone Ranger. And you don’t get down early to Duke, which defeated North Carolina 75-58 in the ACC tournament championship game.

I’m not sure I’ve seen Duke any more excited to beat Carolina. Nolan Smith, the tournament MVP who led all scorers with 20 points, said it was almost like winning the national championship.

The Blue Devils defense cut off the passing lanes and Smith seemed to never get tired hawking Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall, who had five turnovers. “We had a freshman point guard who did not play well today,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “Nolan Smith forced us to start our offense 45 feet from the basket. Kendall didnt feel like he could get past him.”

Duke was the better team overall and especially the better three-point shooting team (nine threes vs. two for UNC) but the officials amateurish effort kept Carolina from making any comeback. A kind Tyler Zeller of UNC said, “The refs let us play and I don’t think we adapted to it as well as they did.”

With just over nine minutes left, Duke’s Kyle Singler barreled into Justin Knox, nothing called. Two seconds later Miles Plumlee lost the handle on a shot but UNC’s John Henson was called for a foul. If you have the game on tape, I urge you to try to find the Henson foul.

Carolina had a chance to cut the deficit down to 10 points but Duke defender Miles Plumlee, two feet from the basket mind you, moved into – that’s moving forward into – a driving Justin Watts and Watts was called for a charge.

With less than five minutes to play, Nolan Smith used an arm to get Zeller off of him. The foul was called on Zeller and Smith hit two free throws.

With less than four minutes to play, Duke’s Seth Curry reached in on a driving Leslie McDonald to tip the ball. McDonald managed to keep control but officials, obviously not having seen the Curry tip, called McDonald with double dribbling.

The officials also dampened Carolina’s spirits in the first half when they waved off a Dexter Strickland dunk, calling him for a charge. That call was wrong on so many levels. First, Singler was too close to the basket to draw a charge. Second, Strickland actually went to the left of Singler and hardly even touched him. It certainly wasn’t enough contact for a charge. The basket would have cut the Duke lead to five. Instead, the game never got closer.

For more on the game, please click here.

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

It’s a redux as Carolina comes back behind Barnes

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During the Tar Heels 92-87 overtime win over Clemson in the ACC tournament today, North Carolina fans must have felt they’d seen this picture before. The Tar Heels were turning the ball over and the opponent was hitting threes to get out to a big lead.

Carolina turned it over four times by the time the first TV timeout came around and trailed 14-3. The Tar Heels trailed by 10 at the half, after getting down by as many as 14 points. But the Heels clamped down a bit in the second half to get the game close down the wire.

Harrison Barnes, who scored 40, hit his sixth triple with 1:22 left to bring the Heels within a bucket at 73-71. Then Tyler Zeller scored to send the game into overtime. Barnes tallied 14 points in the overtime period to lead Carolina to victory.

“In the second half we got more aggressive, the defense was better and Harrison made a bunch of shots,” said UNC coach Roy Williams. “We’ve got to be more aggressive ourselves and not let the other team be the aggressor.”

It’s been fun for fans of basketball to see the comebacks the last two days but you have to figure that the Heels won’t be able to do that again in the finals of the ACC tournament or in the NCAA tournament.

For more on the game itself, please click here.