NCAA Basketball...

So much for Ty Lawson being listed as doubtful due to a toe injury; the boy damn near had a triple-double: 13 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds. #2 North Carolina topped #7 Duke, 79-71, and while it was close, you never got the feeling that Duke might actually win. With the win, North Carolina wrapped up the ACC title.

Doesn't it always feel like the wheels slowly fall off for Duke every year? Real talk, they were the best team in the country at one point. Started out 18-1. Since then: 7-5. Coach K is an outstanding coach, but his players are so limited (save Gerald Henderson) that there's just no room for error. And having to work so hard to perfect his system in order to make that happen is just too much to ask season in and season out. Take a look...2007-2008: Started out 22-1. Finished (incuding postseason play) 6-5.  2006-2007: First round exit in the Tournament - their first in 11 years. The two season prior to that: Sweet Sixteen exits. Obviously, Duke is held to a higher standard than most teams, but the numbers don't lie. Something's up, and I have to believe it's the kind of players that Duke goes after. They're great players, but not playmakers, and have to work so damn hard just to to compete that eventually, they burn out.

In the past few weeks it's become a Sunday ritual for me: Wake up. Go to work. Watch Michigan St. get it in. This Sunday, they held in down at home against very good, balanced Purdue squad, winning 62-51. Same MSU formula as usual: Kalin Lucas (21 points), nasty D (Purdue - 28% shooting), toughness from Goran Suton (10 points, 11 boards), and contributions from a handful of guys, specifically Delvon Roe (9 points, 8 rebounds) who's played extremely well in the past few games. And most importantly, execution. 

Moreover, it was great to see their guys get it done on senior night. You could tell how much wearing the green and white meant to seniors Goran Suton who was in tears, and Travis Walton, Marquise Gray, and Idong Ibok, who all kissed the floor on their way to the bench.

Bid Stolen!!!

College of Charleston bet Davidson in the conference tourney. Does Davidson still get in???

OTL x Nolan Smith...

Top 25 Scores From Around The Nation...3/8/09

#7 Duke 71, #2 North Carolina 79

#20 Purdue 51, #8 Michigan St. 62

#19 Clemson 88, #10 Wake Forest 96

Santa Clara 59, #14 Gonzaga 94

Virginia Tech 53, #25 Florida St. 63

Via: ESPN