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Around the ACC with the G-Man:
Musings on Duke-FSU- Congratulation to the Seminoles and Leonard Hamilton on a big victory. This win should go a long way in making a case for their inclusion in the field of 65.It also showed that athletic teams will continue to give Duke trouble. The league, however, needs to do something about fans storming the court. I’m all for celebration, but sooner or later someone is going to get seriously hurt in on of these situations. A final thought for all of you conspiracy theorists out there. In the first game in Durham, Duke out attempted FSU 43-11 at the free throw line. Last night, FSU out attempted Duke 40-17…Hmmmm…
THE GAME- With the renewal of this rivalry on Saturday, I thought I would look back on my favorite three memories of games I played versus the Heels..
- UNC @ Duke, 1/14/78 - This game took place my sophomore year and is my most special memory at Cameron other than having my jersey retired. We beat the then number-two ranked Heels 92-84. It was the first victory over Carolina in a long time, and the students would celebrate by storming the court. The last two minutes of the game were the loudest that I would ever experience. As a result, Duke would break into the top 25 the following week for the first time in eight years. More importantly, that win would give us confidence and propel us to the national championship game later that year. Duke basketball became relevant again on the national scene.
- UNC @ Duke-2/24/79 – Halftime score- 7-0! It was the most surreal half of basketball I was ever involved with. We scored the opening basket and Carolina went four corners. In fact, the only positive to come out of it was two air balls by Rich Yonakor resulting in the birth of AIRBALL ! AIRBALL! as a cheer. They decided to play in the second half and both teams scored 40 points, resulting in a 47-40 score. Mike O’koren questioned the decision to shorten the game by Coach Smith and wound up running the steps for the entire next practice.
- Duke vs. UNC 2/29/80- After getting waxed on Senior day at Carolina 96-71 six days prior, we met the Heels in the Semi’s of the ACC Tournament. We finally got everyone healthy and would get a measure of respect back as we beat Carolina 75-61, a 39 point turnaround. We would go on to beat Maryland in the Title game, having beaten the #3, #2, and #1 seeds on consecutive nights to win the championship.
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The Final weekend- THE GAME aside, there is plenty on the line as we approach the final weekend of the regular season. As stated earlier, FSU did a lot for their tournament resume by beating Duke. They would remove all doubt with a win at Miami on Sunday. It is a huge game for the Canes as well as they attempt to level their record at 8-8 in conference. I think Miami would still have to win two games in the tournament to get a bid. Virginia plays at home against Maryland and both stand at 7-8 in conference. Even if the Cavs win, they are in a similar situation as Miami as they will have to have a very strong showing in the tournament to get the selection committees attention. A win by Maryland might be enough, although I think they would have to get a first round win to seal the selection.
Finally, Congratulations to the Bobcats' Raymond Felton who was named February’s NBA Rookie of the Month. Felton has been solid and durable this year for Charlotte. He has played point and also has been a solid off guard when injuries forced this team to go small. I just wish he would return my phone calls so we can put a little action on this Saturday’s game…..
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