Game of the Night/Year
Pittsburgh 65 Duke 64 (OT)
Once again, general rule for this site: if we make fun of team, expect great things in coming days. I've been one of Pitt's biggest critics, calling them "boring", "overrated" and "lucky" over the past few years (seriously though, take a look at some of the teams they had to beat reach all those Sweet 16s). So yeah, I'm pretty surprised that a game involving Pitt could easily be the most exciting game of the early season. Levance Fields (guessing all that taser action gave him ice cold veins) hit a three pointer from the top of the key with 4.7 seconds remaining to give the Panthers the 65-64 win over the Dukies.
I'll admit that I missed the first half of the game thanks to some last minute Christmas shopping that needed to be finished, so I didn't really get to see how Duke dominated this game in the first half. What I did see was Pittsburgh's double-digit comeback in the final 10 minutes. The Panthers crawled back in typical Pitt fashion: by straight out-muscling Duke and and holding on to the basketball. Same boring Pitt, right? I noticed two major differences: Fields is a true leader on the court who I knew could make that final shot and freshmen DeJuan Blair is a beast in the paint (15 pts and 20 rebounds) and yes, an exciting player from Pitt.
Also discovered a new drinking game watching this one. Everytime that someone describes Pittsburgh as "tough" or "gritty" during a telecast, take a sip. You'll be Huggins-drunk by half.
Also Intriguing
Miami (OH) 61 Illinois 58 (OT)
Leitch hit it right on the nose when describing the Illini: they have no one who seems to score consistently and are looking around for someone to lead this team . While the Redhawks are a legitimate tournament contender (and possibly playing the toughest schedule in America), a team expecting to finish in the top tier of the Big Ten can't lose a game like this at home.
Upset of the Evening Oral Roberts 74 Oklahoma State 59
The battle of Sutton Bothers ends with a victory for older brother Scott. Looks like Sean is going to be sitting at the kid's table for Christmas dinner.
Other Scores
Oklahoma 72 Gonzaga 68
Ole Miss 69 DePaul 63
Saint Mary's 64 Tulane 57
Friday, December 21, 2007
Breakfast of Champions 12/21: Game of the Young Season
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Maybe now you can give Pitt some respect in your top 25's. You might also "despise" Duke, but you had no problem ranking them near where they are in the polls (even ahead actually at #5). I think Pitt should take their spot next week.
I've been all over Pitt this year as well, but I've got to admit that they are a Top-10 team. Top 5? Not sure.
Also, lets just face facts; the Big Ten is terrible. Illinois would not be a top tier team in another other major conference in the country, but will make the tourney with 10-12 Big Ten wins because the bottom of that league is just so bad.
Finally, I can't figure out Gonzaga. They seem like the whole is less then the sum of the parts, somehow. And they have yet to win a really close game.
-Chilltown
Hey, I am an unabashed Duke Lover. In fact, I write for this site. But last night, the huge flaw I noticed in Duke during the pre-season came back to haunt them. They are unsure of who is their go-to guy. Everyone knows that against teams like Pitt, they will get outrebounded. However, that does not excuse them from playing great defense, which they failed to do in the second half. You nullify your rebounding deficiencies by running an efficient offense and playing stellar man-to-man D. In the second half, they forgot to do both of those things. This loss will make them better (because K will fucking grill them over their D) and I truly think they might go bust some heads all the way until they meet UNC. This team can be very good, but they are far from complete. I, like every other Duke fan, love to see them get the hype they have received thus far this year, but it is always best to be cautious, especially when your team has severe weaknesses that need to be addressed. This game will make K do that, and will force Duke to respond effectively.
Also, (and if you watch the NBA, this was witnessed with Tony Allen trying to guard Chauncey Billups at the end of Detroit/Boston) you NEVER put a cold player on the opposing team's sure-fire shooter at the end of the game. McClure should have never been on Fields. And, if he had paid attention during the game (or while watching tapes) he would have known Fields is a cocky guy - meant in the best way- who would go for the winner, rather than head to the hoop. No excuse for a poor coaching choice and awful defensive awareness. Where is Nolan FREAKIN' Smith at on that play? You brought him in to play great D and you don't put him on the guy you know will take the last shot? Christ!!
Hey Corn...seemed to me like Henderson was the go-to guy down the stretch for Duke last night. Which isn't a bad choice, but I agree with you that that everyone just seemed to be looking around waiting for something to happen during the Pitt comeback
Corn, I watched the game last night as well, and I agree with Marco, Henderson looks like Duke's guy to have the ball in the stretch. Scheyer just didn't show very good judgement on the last possession. Henderson's poor work from the foul line is the only negative when considering who that team should go to in the stretch. He is the strongest player on Duke's roster, with the most athelticism and best shot as well.
Post a Comment