The Selection Committee Got It Right!

The NCAA Selection Committee apparently got it right when they only selected four teams from the ACC. Clemson, a five seed, lost to Villanova in the first round. Duke and Miami both lost in the second round. The only team from the ACC to make it into the "Sweet 16" is North Carolina. Carolina will face Washington State, a four seed, in Charlotte on Thursday.

Duke being beat by West Virginia was certainly a surprise. The Bluedevils had a 5 point lead at the halftime break. Apparently their legs failed them down the stretch because they could not manage to hit their jump shots. Everyone knows how imperative for Duke's shots to fall, especially from behind the three point line. Duke's inability to knock down shots from the outside and lack of size inside and on the boards, made for an uphill battle ultimately leading to an early exit to the tournament.

Another North Carolina surprise was Davidson. The Wildcats defeated Gonzaga and came from a 17 point second half deficit to defeat the Georgetown Hoyas. Stephen Curry, a sophomore, has now scored 100 points in his last three NCAA tournament games. Davidson will face Wisconsin on Friday.

The Bluedevils Did Their Part

The Duke Bluedevils did their part last night by going to Virginia and winning 86-70. The greatest rivalry in college basketball will have additional meaning Saturday night. When the North Carolina Tarheels make that eight mile trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium saturday night, the ACC regular season title and the No.1 seed in the ACC tournament will be at stake. Also up for grabs is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and the opportunity to play the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in Raleigh at the RBC Center and the third and forth rounds in Charlotte.

Even if there was nothing on the line, it would still be a great game. The greatest rivalry in college basketball continues Saturday night at 9pm.

Duke over NC State

The Duke Bluedevils outlasted the NC State Wolfpack, and then some. The final score was 92-72. NC State had a 9 point lead going into halftime. The Duke Bluedevils came out of the half firing on all cylinders and outscored the Wolfpack by 29 in the second half.

NC State will face Wake Forest on Sunday (2/3) and the Virginia Tech on Tuesday. The Duke's next opponent is Miami on Saturday, followed by an 8 mile trip to North Carolina on Wednesday night. It is no coincidence that Dick Vitale will make his return courtside to call the game for ESPN.

Wins by all of the Big Three

All three Triangle schools won non conference games last night. NC State beat North Carolina Central University 57-29 to win their seventh straight contest. The Duke Bluedevels beat Temple 74-64 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. This was Coach K's 787th victory, making him sixth on the all time career win list. Duke is currently ranked No. 9 with a 12-1 record overall. North Carolina also won, defeating UNC Asheville 93-81. UNC Asheville has the country's tallest player, Kenny George who is 7 foot 7. George had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. North Carolina is still ranked No. 1 in the polls with undefeated Memphis and Kansas on their heels.



NC State travels to the Dean Dome this Saturday for what promises to be a typical high energy, high intensity, throw the records and rankings out the door Tobacco Road battle.



For information on NC State, click here. For Duke, click here. And for North Carolina, click here.

Great Basketball at Madison Square Garden

Great basketball returned to Madison Square Garden last night. Unfortunately for Knicks fans, it was between two college basketball teams, the Duke Bluedevils and the Pittsburgh Panthers. It was a great game that required one overtime period to determine the outcome. After trailing by 12 at the half, the Panthers came roaring back to upset Duke 65-64. Prior to last night, Duke had not lost a game in the month of December since loosing to Stanford in 2000. Eventhough the Panthers won the game, they may have come up on the short end of the stick. Mike Cook, a senior Forward and East Carolina transfer, left the game with an undetermined knee injury just one minute into the overtime period. Hopefully Cook's injury is not serious and he will be able to make his 49th consecutive start.