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Duke-North Carolina: A Rivalry Which Will Always Matter
Duke and North Carolina isn’t just a college basketball rivalry, it’s the rivalry.
It’s the matchup which pulls in the casual sports fan and turns a normal Friday night into must-see television.
This game is at the center of the sports world whenever it hits the calendar. The regular season games never feel regular, but when the stakes are raised, however, so does the intensity.
Whenever asked to describe Duke and North Carolina, the thoughts begin to run through my mind like a fast break.
It’s Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill to Eric Montross, George Lynch, and Donald Williams. It’s Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace to Vince Carter and Antwan Jamison. It’s Jay Williams, Shane Battier to JJ Redick and Sheldon Williams. From Raymond Felton, Sean May, and Rashad McCants to Ty Lawson, Danny Green, and Tyler Hansbrough.
It’s Dean Smith to Roy Williams. There’s Mike Krzyzewski. Michael Jordan.
It’s simply Duke and North Carolina. And it always matters.
The backdrop for the next installment in this classic won’t be in the state of North Carolina. This time the stage is set for their semifinal matchup in the ACC Tournament, in Brooklyn.
Duke and North Carolina split their regular-season series this season, each team winning on its home court. The winner will move on to the championship game, with an added emphasis for seeding in the upcoming NCAA Tournament also on the line.
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The Blue Devils, behind Marvin Bagley III, shut down Notre Dame in the quarterfinal round. Bagley was dominant, the freshman showed why he’s an elite top NBA prospect. He repeatedly pulled the plug on any momentum Notre Dame could gather in the second half when he made 11-of-12 shots.
Bagley finished with a game-high 33 points and with 17 rebounds. If his next stop is the NBA draft in June, he made a strong case to be the number one pick.
“Bagley was just the first pick in the draft,” Notre Dame Head coach Mike Brey said afterward. “He’s a can’t-miss star in my opinion from what I’ve seen tonight.”
Duke senior Grayson Allen was also can’t-miss in the first half, he drained his first five shots from the three-point line and finished with 23 points.
When Bagley and Allen are both on like that, Duke’s an entirely different monster.
North Carolina took an early punch in the mouth from Miami, in their quarterfinal game, when they fell behind, 14-0. But the Tar Heels, led by seniors Theo Pinson and Joel Berry III, showed their poise and came back to finish the Hurricanes with a game-ending 13-0 run.
Bagley and Allen to Pinson and Berry. Their names can be added to the history between these two teams.
Time to Buckle Up
On a Friday night in Brooklyn, Duke and North Carolina will hit the court fully aware of what’s on the line. The winner moves on to play in the ACC championship game, but they also get to pad their case for a potential number one seed in the NCAA tournament.
It’s been another controversial season for the NCAA with the annual debate of issues and scandals dominating the headlines off the court.
But its rivalries, such as this one, which provides the die-hard and casual sports fan a much-needed break. For two to three hours, the focus shifts to what college basketball is supposed to really be about, the passion.
The stakes are high for this game and so will be the intensity. Most of the talk around Barclays Center this week has been about what if Duke and North Carolina get it on Friday night?
Well, we have it. Buckle up for a rivalry which will always matter.
Notre Dame ‘Figures It Out’ In Time to Stun Virginia Tech
Notre Dame found a way to keep their March Madness hopes alive. It took a furious rally for the Fighting Irish to pull off a stunning 71-65 win to advance in the ACC Tournament.
When senior Bonzie Colson banked in a three-point heave for Notre Dame that barely beat the shot clock the crowd at Barclays Center exploded. Fans of the Fighting Irish and Hokies were in disbelief. Two teams, one which looked dead in the water, the other finding a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
For Notre Dame, seeded 10th, their NCAA Tournament hopes received a huge lift with this win. They advanced to the quarterfinal round where they’ll matchup with second-seeded Duke.
Matt Farrell scored 22 points to lead Notre Dame. The senior guard, once again, was an emotional spark for his team.
The great comeback by Notre Dame was epic. But the complete collapse by Virginia Tech in the second half was brutal.
Collapse is an understatement.
Virginia Tech was in control of this game, the seventh-seeded Hokies held a 47-26 lead with just under 14 minutes left to play. Farrell knocked down his second consecutive three-point shot and that launched the comeback.
Colson’s three-point heave gave the Irish the lead. It also renewed hope their pursuit of a birth in the NCAA Tournament is still very much alive.
“Well, how about that one, huh?,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said afterwards. “I’ve never been prouder of a group because they were thumping us pretty good, because they’re really hard to guard. But I thought in the second half, with the last 15 minutes, we got better defensively, and we made some adjustments.”
The Hokies turned it over 10 times and only shot 26.7 percent from long-range, 8-for-30. Notre Dame had them totally out of sync in the second half.
Notre Dame, Seniors, Overcoming Adversity
In a season where injuries to Farrell and Colson almost derailed their season, Brey’s team deserves credit for not giving up. But Brey was quick to put the emphasis on the leadership of his seniors as the main reason for his team’s ability to overcome adversity.
“Yeah, that’s really been key all year, too,” said Brey. “In the midst of losing seven in a row, in the midst of all the tough stuff that we’ve had unbelievable senior leadership and a great class. they do the talking in the huddles now.”
With his team down by 21 at the half, Brey’s message at halftime sums up his trust in his players, specifically his senior class.
“I didn’t say much at halftime.I went in and said to them, ya’ll figure it out. They’ve had ownership of themselves for a long time, and that really helps us in tough times.”
ACC Tournament: Experienced North Carolina Won’t Panic In Postseason
The postseason road begins for North Carolina with their matchup against Syracuse in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
It could’ve been a little easier for the Tar Heels in Brooklyn this week. A six-game winning streak had them in prime position to secure a high seed. This would have provided the comfort of a double-bye into the quarterfinal round.
A big key to gaining peace of mind comes is making sure what needs to be done gets done.
In North Carolina’s case, their regular season ended with a loud thud. They lost their final two games of the regular season, a heartbreaker to Miami on Senior Day and a road loss to Duke where they coughed up a 13-point second half lead.
Fortunately, for the Tar Heels, there’s more that comes with securing peace of mind. And that’s letting go of the things you don’t control.
That’s not easy. With experience, however, the goal becomes easier to meet. And that’s where North Carolina can thrive on this year’s road to the Final Four. The Tar Heels, seeded sixth in the ACC Tournament, can rely on their experience to help them move forward.
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North Carolina … Battle-Tested
Its experience which will help senior point guard, and team leader, Joel Berry shake off a disappearing act in the regular season finale against Duke. Berry, ranked fifth in the ACC in scoring with 17.8 points per game, was held to only six points against the Blue Devils on 3-of-11 shooting from the field. This included a surprising 0-for-7 from the three-point line.
The odds of Berry having a repeat-performance in Brooklyn are slim to none. He’s too good and battle-tested. This also goes for fellow senior Theo Pinson, junior Luke Maye, and the rest of the Tar Heels who follow their lead.
North Carolina is 15-2 in the postseason the past two years. A two-game losing streak to end the season, as deflating as those losses were, won’t rattle them. They know it’s winning time.
Syracuse Must Bring Lunch Pail to Brooklyn for ACC Tourney
When it comes to Syracuse basketball, this year’s team isn’t exactly poetry in motion on the court. But give the Orange credit for not trying to be something they’re not.
The ACC Tournament is set to tip off this week in Brooklyn, if Syracuse is to hear their name called on Selection Sunday they’ll need to make a good impression at Barclays Center.
The uphill battle for the 11th-seeded Orange begins with an opening round matchup against 14th seeded Wake Forest. The two teams split their regular season series, but this time its loser goes home.
No first-round byes, no benefit of a high seed in the tournament to reach the quarterfinals. No shortcuts.
If Syracuse is going to get it done they’ll need to grind it out every step of the way in order to make a deep run. But this is nothing new for them.
To understand the current scenario for Syracuse requires to first understand how they reached this point. Injuries and a short-handed roster left the Orange no other choice but to scratch and claw for their victories this season.
If this team is to dance in March, they must stick with what got them to this moment, their hustle.
Their big three of Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett, and Frank Howard must be ready to ball out.
Lunch Pail Mentality
The Orange will also need to bring their lunch pail to Barclays, but what does this mean?
For Syracuse, beginning with their opening-round matchup, they’ll need too to win the turnover battle, make their free throws, and rebound.
Head coach Jim Boeheim is the master of the 2-3 zone defense. In this alignment, there’s an emphasis placed on not letting your opponent score inside the painted area or get to the basket.
The downside to zone is the ability for opponents to rise up and shoot over it. Wake Forest, despite all of their struggles this season, can shoot the basketball. The Demon Deacons shot 37.8 percent from the three-point line, this was good enough for fourth in the ACC.
If Boeheim and Syracuse can keep Wake Forest from getting hot outside, they’ll have a strong chance of moving on.
A good showing by Syracuse in Brooklyn this week only helps improve their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. According to the experts, a win over Wake Forest might be enough to get it done.
It likely won’t be pretty, that’s just not their style. But if Syracuse brings their lunch pail with them, they’ll make for a tough out in the ACC tournament and might just find themselves dancing in March.
A Healthy Matt Harvey Can Still Thrive With Mets
Matt Harvey may not be the ace of the New York Mets anymore, but he can still thrive in 2018.
Harvey pitched three scoreless innings in a 4-2 victory for the over the Detroit Tigers in spring training. Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo, of MLB.com, described his fastball as resting in the mid-90’s for a second straight start.
Velocity for the right-hander was a concern last season during his return from injury. There was a bout with shoulder weakness, a result from dealing with the aftermath of horacic outlet syndrome and arterial surgery.
To see Harvey finding his groove with his fastball again is an encouraging sign for the Mets. In 48 pitches, against Detroit, he struck out two, walked one, and allowed one hit.
Anthony’s Perspective
It’s no secret on this site that I really like the hiring of new manager Mickey Callaway for the Mets. There’s a confidence and charisma to his approach on the field. This was a team badly in need of a new voice and a player like Harvey can benefit from it.
Callaway, as Anthony DiComo noted in his article, spotted a mechanical flaw in Harvey’s delivery from past seasons. The results obviously are helping with Harvey’s approach this spring on and off the field.
Harvey might not turn back into the dominant force he was which took New York City by storm. But with Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, now at the front of the starting rotation, Harvey has a chance to fly under the radar for the start of the 2018 season.
Callaway, with new pitching coach Dave Eiland, were brought in for their leadership skills as much as their knowledge of pitching. Part of those skills include getting their players to embrace change. Harvey appears to be buying in and so far the results have been on the money.
Fordham Suffers Blowout Loss To VCU On Senior Day
The Fordham Rams, on Senior Day at Rose Hill Gym, finished their regular season with a 25-point defeat to VCU.
VCU, led by senior forward Justin Tillman, powered past Fordham and left the Bronx with a 83-58 win. It was the second biggest loss of the season for Fordham, they suffered a 30-point loss to Davidson in January.
Tillman led VCU with 18 points and 13 rebounds, 14 of his points came in the second half. Joseph Chartouny finished with 16 points for Fordham, Prokop Slanina added 14 points.
In the first half Fordham played with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. The game was close for the most part until the seven-minute mark where VCU went on an 11-0 run. Sophomore guard De’Riante Jenkins scored six points, on a jumper and a four–point play, making a 3-pointer while getting fouled by Ivan Raut leading to a made free throw.
That run helped VCU gain a 15-point lead and closed out the half, 38-27. The only player for Fordham to reach double figures was Prokop Slanina who scored 10 points and 2 rebounds.
Fordham never recovered in the second half. VCU went on another 11-0 run and took control of the game from there. Jenkins, freshman forward Sean Mobley and sophomore guard Mike’l Simms each made three pointers. In the last few minutes, with the score out of reach, Fordham head coach coach Jeff Neubauer decided to bring in the rest of his seniors. For guards Thomas Sanchez and Brenton Petty it would be their last time playing at Rose Hill Gym and Neubauer wanted them to have that moment. With a little over two minutes left, Tavares was subbed out and received a nice standing ovation from the crowd.
Jenkins finished with 14 points and freshman forward Sean Mobley scored 16 points for VCU.
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It’s been a tough year for Neubauer, this is the most games he’s lost as a head coach. He talked about what his team feels mentally when they give up those long scoring runs.
“We cut into leads way too many times we want to remember,” said Neubauer. “So when it happens over and over within a season it really can be disheartening.”
Tavares finished his last home game with 10 points and three rebounds. For the senior, it’s been a great learning experience for him.
“Just the ups and downs,” said Tavares when asked what he’ll remember most about Fordham. “Sticking through it and just believing in myself. In the offseason I spent countless hours just getting better and better. I believe I shocked a lot of people this year.”
What’s Next
Fordham now looks ahead to the Atlantic-10 tournament where they will be the 14th seed in Washington D.C., they’ll play 11th seeded George Washington.
The A-10 tournament starts March 7th at the Capital One Arena.
Same Steven Matz Looks Like Familiar Problem
The Mets would like to see Steven Matz be a key member of their starting rotation in 2018. Now if someone can just remind Matz of this, preferably before the Mets begin their season.
Matz, for the second time in as many starts, allowed five runs. He recorded only one out, gave up five hits, and walked two in a 7-3 loss to the Washington Nationals.
It’s only spring training, and he’s working his way back from injury, but the early signs are alarming and familiar.
The Nationals didn’t hit him hard, however the left-hander didn’t help himself by working deep into counts and running his pitch count up.
Mets manager Mickey Calloway, after the game, called his struggles a “bump in the road”. Well, it’s a bump the Mets have seen before.
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Anthony’s Perspective
In past seasons, whenever he’s struggled, Matz consistently falls behind batters. All this does is run up his pitch count and make it difficult to pitch deep into ballgames.
The potential has always been there for Matz, however, his inability to stay healthy has been a problem.
With his health concerns and command issues, the Mets have to think about their options for the 26-year old talent. With his history of arm problems, the bullpen doesn’t seem like a good fit. But, as Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News points out in her article, Matz does have an option left and could be sent to the minor leagues. If it comes to that.
Callaway, and pitching coach Dave Eiland, are preaching patience, and as they should because it’s still spring training. But there’s enough depth on the roster to spark debate on what role their lefty should have when the regular season starts.
Fordham Falls Short In Comeback Effort Against La Salle
Fordham’s woeful shooting in the first half put them in a big hole. At halftime they were down by 21 to La Salle while just shooting 27 percent from the field. Despite shooting over fifty percent in the second half Fordham lost to La Salle Saturday afternoon at Rose Hill Gym, 73-60.
In the first half, Fordham struggled on defense and on the boards. La Salle out-rebounded Fordham 27-11, eight of those rebounds came from sophomore guard Saul Phiri. For much of the first half, La Salle had a small lead until about the five minute mark where they went on an 11-0 run, led by Amar Stukes. The senior guard finished with 14 points in the first half. Senior center Tony Washington finished with eight points in the first half. The Rams managed only four points in the last eight minutes of the first half.
In the second half, La Salle held control of the game until the 13-minute mark when Fordham cut a 22-point lead down to 10. With the Rams trailing 53-31, senior guard Will Tavares and junior forward Slanina Prokop put together a 22-10 run. Tavares scored 11 points and Prokop added six points. Their second half surge came after both scored an abysmal three points in the first half. With 5:14 left to play and the score 63-53, the Rams looked ready to take over the game. But La Salle managed to pull away with the victory.
Four of La Salle’s starters were in double figures. Senior forward B.J. Johnson led the way with for the Explorers with 23 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. Stukes added 16 points. Washington had 14 points while junior guard Pookie Powell also chipped in with 14 points.
Fordham has now lost four in a row and sits last in the conference with a 9-19 overall record, 4-12 in the conference. The Rams have two games left in the season and would like to finish strong.
When asked about the team’s struggles and how to cope with losing Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer said, “I’ve never been apart of this, so I can’t refer back to some other experience. All I can do is tell my team is I’m not going away, I’m not quitting.”
March 3rd is Senior Day for Fordham at Rose Hill Gym. Coach Neubauer shared his thoughts about the day.
“It’s about the emotion the players feel,” Neubauer said. “It’s about the emotion they bring because as a coach you literally go through senior day every year. As a college basketball player you only get one senior day, you’re a senior only one time, so hopefully our team will bring a fighting spirit.”
Fordham’s next game is against George Washington at the Charles E. Smith Center Wednesday 7pm.
Seton Hall Must Ride Seniors Through Tough Times
In the biggest game of the season for Seton Hall, Desi Rodriguez couldn’t buy a bucket. The senior forward missed his first five shots from the field, he also committed two turnovers.
The timing simply couldn’t be worse.
Seton Hall’s season, full of promise, was spiraling out of control. They’re in a fight to stay afloat in what’s become a logjam in the middle of the Big East standings. A loss this past Sunday in Newark to DePaul, the last place team in the conference, would be a body blow for the Pirates and their postseason hopes for March.
But with the pressure on and a sense of urgency inside the Prudential Center, there was Rodriguez and his fellow seniors struggling from the opening tip.
With a little over seven minutes left in the first half, Rodriguez found his shot. He drained a three-pointer to break a 23-23 tie. He hit two more from downtown which keyed a 10-3 run from Seton Hall.
Rodriguez found his shot just in time, he finished with a career-high 33 points. When Angel Delgado, the walking double-double, wasn’t pulling down rebounds he was diving on the floor for loose balls. It wasn’t pretty by any means but the Pirates escaped with a hard-fought 82-77 victory over DePaul.
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These are tough times for Seton Hall and they needed badly to beat DePaul. The win over the Blue Demons snapped a four-game losing streak which raised red flags all over the place. With the Big East tournament quickly approaching, these are desperate times for the Pirates.
Head coach Kevin Willard’s senior core group of Delgado, Rodriguez, Khadeen Carrington, and Ismael Sanogo have struggled with bouts of inconsistency. It would’ve been easy to understand Willard shaking things up.
But instead of playing his younger players more against DePaul, Willard doubled down on playing his seniors. When Rodriguez missed his first five shots, it looked like it wasn’t going to be his night. Instead of sitting him down, Willard let him work through it. The move paid off.
The logic is simple, Willard knows this group has been through this before. What made Seton Hall an early favorite to make noise in March is their experience. This team is battle-tested and familiar with adversity visiting around this time of the season.
Seton Hall’s win over DePaul, gritty as it was, did little to remove any of the current concerns surrounding them. Their final four games left on the schedule will set the tone for their last postseason run together. It won’t be easy.
These are tough times for the Pirates, but history has shown they’ll rise to the occasion for one last ride.