Game One: Michigan State vs. North Carolina
Location: Ford Field, Detroit
Start Time: 9:21PM EST (CBS)
Network and Announcers: Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg
Favorite: UNC (-8)

Game: South Regional Final
Teams: Oklahoma Sooners vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Start Time: 5:05PM EST (CBS)
Network and Announcers: Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg
Favorite: UNC (-7)

I have to admit that I haven't watched Blake Griffin as much this year as I wanted to, or should have. That said, the guy is a complete machine, and I think this clip summarizes that mindset more than any other this season.

With Oklahoma up 20+, Blake decided to go baseline on a dunk that was as equally amazing as it was ridiculous. No defender challenged him, but he decided that wasn't enough for him. Yes, Griffin decided to battle the backboard itself, apparently out of sheer boredom....

Man. That guy is a straight up man child. He's Dwight Howard without the College experience. If Oklahoma was up against any other team but UNC, I might give them a chance, but with their outside shooting and free throws, you have to go with UNC. Still though, very very impressive.

HBO Sports has been putting together a nice collection of rivalry documentaries, with the last being a look at Ohio State and Michigan, and their latest should be just as interesting. The network will be delving into the dynamic that is Duke-UNC, titled "Battle for Tobacco Road", and they've got a pretty impressive lineup of cameos. Via HBO PR....

Separated by fewer than ten miles, the two schools have been going at it on the hardwood since 1920. But over the past 25 years, their heated competition has steadily grown in intensity, with Duke and North Carolina gearing up each season to reach a common goal: to beat their archrival twice in the regular season, regardless of rankings or won-loss records. These two Atlantic Coast Conference powerhouses frequently dominate the conference standings, and routinely compete for the top spot in the national polls. Remarkably, since the NCAA Tournament expanded to its current configuration in 1985, these two schools alone have combined for more national titles (five) and made more Final Four appearances (18), than any other entire conference.

The high-profile list of interviewees from the Blue Devils and Tar Heels programs weighing in on the intense rivalry in BATTLE FOR TOBACCO ROAD: DUKE VS. CAROLINA includes: Hall of Fame coaches Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski; players Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Charlie Scott, Larry Brown, Art Heyman, Kenny Smith, Phil Ford, Eric Montross, Mitch Kupchak, Chris Collins, Grant Hill, Alaa Abdlenaby, Jay Bilas, Mike Gminski, Johnny Dawkins, Brian Davis, J.J. Redick, Jeff Capel and Christian Laettner; commentators Jim Lampley and Seth Davis; former Duke athletic director Tom Butters; and current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams.

Sounds pretty interesting, and if it's anywhere near as good as the UM-OSU one, it will certainly be a hit.

There will probably be a ton of great plotlines this NCAA Basketball season, and I'm sure Duke versus UNC will be one of them, but this is just waaaaay too over-the-top for my tastes. Friar Blog noticed an interesting countdown going on over at CBSSports.com and naturally it's for a game that's over three months away and isn't even going to be aired on the network. That's right people UNC-Duke is just 91 Days, 5 Hours, 5 minutes and 59 seconds....58....57....56....away!


How lame is that? And you were sitting there thinking that ESPN was the only network that shoved certain teams down your throat. Shame on you!

You Thought ESPN Had a Hard-on for Duke-UNC? (Friar Blog)

Who knew that a great center winning the Player of the Year award in College Basketball would cause such great controversy? Of course I'm talking about no other than UNC's Tyler Hansbrough and his umm, caucasianess.

Everything was going along swimmingly in the tournament and all the number one seeds were advancing with ease like they should. That's when Jay Bilas decided to go overboard in praising one player and the flood gates opened up. So much so that he's emailing reporters from the Baltimore Sun and ESPN employees are calling each other out. Where do I even start? Let's go in chronological order....

1) Last Week: Skip Bayless and Rob Parker dismiss Tyler Hansbrough for his whiteness. Let's Go To The Videotape!

Now there's a few problems with this (not Rob Parker calling Eric Montross, Eric Mondross). Yes it's idiotic, but it's borderline racist. And ESPN's LZ Granderson was there to explain....

Could you imagine what would happen if Hollywood released a comedy about football entitled "Black Men Can't Throw"? Rush Limbaugh would be sitting in the theater chuckling with a box of Ho Hos in his lap as movie execs tried to explain to Jesse Jackson and/or Al Sharpton why he/they should not be offended. Yet men and women of both races who are otherwise intelligent not only embrace the notion inherent to "White Men Can't Jump," but it is spoken about as if it's scientific fact.

This is true in the barbershop.

This is true at the local Y.

Apparently it's true on national television as well.

Just last week I watched a pair of journalists dismiss the pro potential of both Tyler Hansbrough and Kevin Love for no other reason than their skin color.....

......If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, racial reconciliation is a two-way street. You can't say Hansbrough won't make a good NBA player because he's white unless you are prepared to also say Oregon's Dennis Dixon won't make a good NFL quarterback because he's black. For every Larry Bird there is a Doug Williams. For every Big Country there is a Stanley Roberts. You'd think we'd figure that out by now, but apparently not.

It almost seems as if ESPN might be pushing the race angle just to get controversy doesn't it LZ? I mean why else would you bring up race when it has nothing to do with anything right (*ahem* Jemele Hill!)? There is a time and place for race discussions but when you force the issue it just comes across as callous and petty. Yes there is a problem, and yes there are biases towards black athletes, but drawing attention to it in this light only makes it worse.

So with that out of the way let's move onto the completely separate issue of Jay Bilas.

2) Jay Bilas goes gah-gah over Hansbrough and Baltimore reporter calls out Bilas and hints at racism.



Via the Baltimore Sun....

Here's some of what Bilas had to say: "He's not supposed to be able to make those [shots from beyond 15 feet]. ... He's willing the ball into the basket. ... His will exceeds his skill, and his skill is considerable. ... Michael Jordan did not out-compete Tyler Hansbrough -- no way."

The problem is hearing the hosannas for Hansbrough with an ear for what has come before. We're back in familiar territory here. The star white player -- no matter how clearly talented -- has somehow elevated himself through the sweat of his brow. The star black player, meanwhile, is doing amazing things on the court because his talent is carrying him.

Here's the thing. Sure Bilas went over the top when praising Hansbrough EVERY SINGLE play, but there's nothing wrong with an announcer marvelling at a player's ability. It happens all the time regardless of race and I've heard Bilas praise numerous players both black and white. It's just the amount of times he did so and at the oddest times that made it stick out to everyone. Here's what Bilas had to say in response to the above statement....

Please accept this in the spirit it is intended. I respect your opinion and judgment, and I would never contact you to question your likes or dislikes regarding broadcasts, broadcasters or the like.

However, I do take exception to your implication that the comments regarding Tyler Hansbrough were racially motivated. If you recall, I compared Hansbrough favorably to the hardest worker and greatest competitor the game has known, Michael Jordan. If you will recall as well, I have praised Curry all season for being a smart player and one that really knows how to play. I have praised countless others for their work ethics.

Reasonable minds can differ on the matters we normally discuss. However, the implication from your point that was directed toward me is offensive and contrary to clear evidence. Such matters require a higher level of discussion, in my judgment, and I believe your blog item regarding me was incorrect and unfair.

Good for Bilas. Broadcasters will always be biased over certain players and teams because that's who they enjoy, played for, or grew up with. Some are obviously worse then others (*ahem* Mike Patrick), but they're human. The fact that Bilas is praising an individual player at UNC when he went to Duke should speak volumes for his credibility if you ask me.

I don't mind race coming up and/or discussing it, but when media members use it to gain attention (when it clearly doesn't need to be brought up) it really really bothers me. No matter if said media member is black, white, or green.

Jay Bilas Responds (Baltimore Sun)
Who says white men can't jump? (Page 2)

I'm not going to poke fun at people crying....wait, yes I am. Seriously UNC....you're 18 and 1, why the hell are you all bawling after one loss?

Come on. It's not even February yet and you're crying? There's no crying in Basketball!

Update: Ooh....Mr. I has pictures, and they're umm....special.....


Terps Beat UNC, Make Fans Cry (Mister Irrelevant)

In the span of about a minute Brent Musburger got a player's name wrong, gave us about 30 seconds of dead air, and completely blew a promo for the X-Games. It was a powerful minute of broadcasting. Have a look see....

I don't know if Brent had a long night, but Ginyard plays for the Heels and talking to yourself makes you sound a little bit crazy. I'm just saying.

We could know who won the College World Series as soon as tonight. The second game of the three-game series starts at 6pm central time, and Oregon State already has a one-game lead over the North Carolina Tarheels. If OSU can back that up with another win today, they will boast back-to-back championships. If they lose, there will be a Monday night game for all the marbles. We'll do some small-town readin' after the jump, as we visit Omaha, Corvallis, and Chapel Hill.

I absolutely love these kinds of stories. What are the OSU players doing to keep loose in between games? Fishing in the ce-ment pond.

And so boys who grew up casting in the Willamette Valley and off the Snake River banks in Oregon pace around litter-infested water with their dime-store poles and bait: sausage, bacon and potatoes from hotel breakfast.

and then there's this Stuart Smalley positive thinking quote from coach Pat Casey:

"Think about how you felt about yourself a month ago and how you feel about yourself now," Casey told his players before Wednesday's win. "You're doing things maybe even above and beyond what you should be doing, but it's all because mentally you like yourself."

What about the Tar Heels? Their ace, Robert Woodard, pitched Wednesday, and UNC coach Mike Fox isn't pitching him without adequate rest, even if it might cost him the trophy.

"Our coaching staff is not easily swayed," Woodard said. "They're going to do not only what is best for this program but also what's best for me as a pitcher. They know the last game I pitch is not going to be in the College World Series. They're not going to do anything that will jeopardize my future in professional baseball."

And it's been a black-and-blue week for everyone who made the trip to Omaha. They're calling this "The Year of the Hit Batsman" down at Rosenblatt Stadium:

Through 13 games at Rosenblatt Stadium, pitchers have plunked 47 batters. The old record of 36, set in 16 games in 2003, was eclipsed in the 10th game of this tournament. UC Irvine alone was hit by a team-record 12 pitches in four games, including a single-game record six Tuesday in a 13-inning win over Cal State Fullerton.

Now we'll go into the upper-left hand corner of your USA map and look at the Corvallis Gazette-Times. Remember how we read that UNC's ace was sitting this one out? Not so much for OSU, who send Mike Stutes to the mound for what they hope will be the deciding game.

“It’s every pitcher’s dream to win the national title with the ball in your hand,” Stutes said. “It would be a great way to go out. It would be unbelievable to get back-to-back national titles for the school. It would be great to end it like this.”

And Albany (OR) Democrat-Herald writer Cliff Kirkpatrick also reminds us that this is a pretty big deal, since the Beavers almost whiffed on making the postseason at all.

Lonnie Lechelt had a breakout game, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

“We’ve always had the capability of all the guys getting it done, and it’s falling into place more,” Lechelt said. “We are relaxed. Coach is letting us play more. Guys are coming together at the right time.”

Is there panic in Chapel Hill? Not yet. They've made a habit of rallying when they need to. Eddy Landreth oozes confidence in his column for the Chapel Hill News:

So, when Rice whipped UNC 14-4 in the second game of the CWS, the Tar Heels wanted in the worst way to get play the Owls again. Two victories against the Owls later, we see the guys from Chapel Hill meant just what they said.

And that means they get a second chance at Oregon State, the team that snatched the title from Carolina just when it seemed the Tar Heels were about to seize it last year.

Everyone is itching to see if UNC can do to the Beavers what it did to the Owls.

There's at least one guy on the Tar Heel team who might be nervous, however. Catcher Benji Johnson is looking to get hitched to a female airman from nearby Offut Air Force Base, whom he met at last year's CWS:

Johnson had originally planned to wait to pop the question until June 18, the one-year anniversary of the meeting, but said, "I just couldn't wait." He made the proposal on bended knee on the day before the Series started after handing her another baseball that said, "It all started here, June 18th, 2006." Needless to say, Ammerman said "yes."

No word yet as to whether a wedding on the pitching mound at Rosenblatt is in the cards, a la "Bull Durham."

I mean, damn. We're all manly and stuff here at Awful Announcing, but I just gotta say "Awwwwww!" to that one. Good luck, you crazy kids.

Check back next week to see a true test of my abilities, as we begin the long march to the beginning of football season. Will I crack if I have to write next week's column about the MLS? Wait and see!

--Extra P.

So now it's time for the second half, Duke leads 39-34. The songs suffled onto my iPod were All Along the Watchtower and Higher Ground.

Duke ball to start. Paulus wide open off of a screen and flips it up with 1 hand-good. Wright scores before I could finish that first sentence. Zoubeck is called for another travel. Lawson misses a layup, the ball is tipped out of bounds to Duke. Foul away from the ball on UNC. The pass into the middle is tipped away-to henderson-to Paulus, who makes the 3. Henderson steals the pass on the next possesion, and dunks itwith one hand and now Vitale has lost it. Wright scores again, he has 12. McClure for 3 no good, rebound McRoberts, who hits McClure as he's on his ass, foul on Terry. Pass into the middle to McRoberts who makes the layup. Duke by 10. Hansbrough is doubled, so he kicks it out to Ellington for 3, no good, rebound McRoberts, over the back call on Hansborough. Paulus hits Scheyer cross court no good. UNC drives and Wright misses the bank shot. Pass stolen and layup is made by Lawson, just a bad pass there. Nelson drains another jumper. Foul in the lane...blocking on Scheyer, two shots for Wright. He splits them and is subbed out for Hansbrough. Paulus misses the 3 but McClure gets the offensive board. McClure gets the ball stolen from him and its a fast break again, but Nelson tips the ball out of bounds. Another exciting start to the half, as Vitale thinks it'll be "something special." Duke 50-41.

Dick Groat-what a rough name. And what a rough camera angle this is. Terry misses the jumper, but Ginyard rebounds. Hansbrough draws the blocking foul on McRoberts. Perfect backdoor pass for the...missed dunk by Terry. Nelson is called for a palming violation. I've seen everything today. What happened to the good old days where there were no traveling, carrying, or palming? Hansbrough gets the ball in the post, misses, but draws the foul on McRoberts, his 3rd. Hansbrough has no rebounds and 6 points after the 2 made ft's. Scheyer is double teamed, so he takes about 5 steps and then steps on the line. Hansbrough triple teamed and the ball is stolen by Paulus. Henderson drives and is blocked, but Duke rebounds. Coach K is bitching to the refs, trying to milk more time onto the shot clock. Scheyer is wide open, but misses the three. Scheyer reaches in on Hansbrough as he goes for the steal, leading to a missed layup by Terry and Duke's ball. Frasor gets a steal and his layup is blocked, but it's goaltending, good call. UNC's back within 5, the closest they have been in a while.

We're back, Duke ball. They haven't scored in 4 and a half minutes. McRoberts is fouled as he goes up for a layup by Hansbrough. He surprisingly misses both. Terry airballs a 3, but McRoberts is called for a foul underneath, his 4th. Vitale almost shot his load yelling at McRoberts on that one. Timeout, Duke lead is still 5.

UNC ball underneath the Duke hoop. Hansbrough banks in a jumper. Pressure time for Duke-their lead is only 3 now. Scheyer pulls up and makes the open jumper, clutch shot. Frasor is short on a 3, but they get an offensive board, Hansbrough is doubled, but kicks it out to Miller who makes the 3. Duke lead is only two, and McClure is hurt. Paulus misses the jumper, and they can tie or take here, but they don't do either because of an offensive foul. Paulus misses a runner, UNC fast break, but they slow it down. Hansbrough hits the mid range jumper, and we are tied at 52! Paulus pulls up and hits a jumper, he has 15 and Scheyer has 19. Hansbrough fouled by Scheyer, his 3rd, as he got the ball underneath. McRoberts comes back in with 4 fouls, and he plays great defense twice on Lawson, denying two layups and getting a board. Paulus is fouled by Lawson, his 2nd foul. Paulus' jumper rims out, and Wright ties the game with a layup. Nelson drives baseline and kicks it out to Scheyer who hits the 3. Entry pass, and Lance Thomas grabs the ball away from Wright and calls timeout, good defensive play, but Duke only has 2 timeouts left to UNC's 4. Duke by 3 and they have the ball.

Scheyer gets the feed from Nelson and misses a highly contested 3 pointer, but he is fouled. He'll get 3 shots when we come back from the break. 7:22 left.

That new Air Jordan XX2 commercial is intense as hell, back to the action, Scheyer shooting free throws. They try to jinx him with the consecutive FT's made graphic and they are successful. Fuck you graphics department. He misses 2 of 3 and Terry makes an easy layup. Nelson misses a jumper, and Wright's hook shot rattles in. McClure is hurt again. Tied at 58. Henderson hits a tough baseline jumper, first time I've said his name in a while. Lawson comes right back and hits a jumper of his own. Paulus misses a 3 badly, and Henderson gets called for another goaltending on a blocked shot. UNC is ahead for the first time with 5:15 to go. Henderson misses a jumper again, and its a kicked ball on UNC's end. Wright hits another jumper, UNC by 4 and the momentum shift is visible now. Nelson drives and is fouled, he'll get two shots, but is notoriously bad from the stripe. He splits them. Hansbrough is blocked, great work by Nelson, and Duke even gets to keep the ball. I'm guessing they go for the 3 and the tie. They don't, Henderson gets the ball and hits an off balance leaner. Nelson steals the ball and heads downcourt, he is fouled. Two shots when we come back. Will someone please put Dick Vitale out of his misery? UNC leads 64-63, 3:44 to go.

Nelson misses both, Duke is suffering this half. Hansbrough hits the jumper from the foul line. Scheyer misses again, but Terry walks on the fast break. Foul called on Scheyer on a bad pass by Nelson, good deflection by Miller. Miller splits. Duke trails by 4, their biggest defecit tonight. McRoberts misses again, and it's getting ugly on offense for Duke. They cannot get anything going on offense at the end of games anymore.

Lawson drives, is fouled, and gets the continuation on the made shot. Iffy call there, and he makes it a 7 point game. Duke needs points badly. Paulus misses a layup and he fouls Lawson on the other end. Like I said in the comments earlier, they outplay teams for 35 minutes and let it slip away. A surprising miss on the first shot. Scheyer works the baseline, hits a layup and the foul as he faked out Lawson. He makes the shot. Duke needs a stop or its just about over. Lawson nails the layup. Scheyer misses the layup, the ball is tipped around, and McRoberts makes it, timeout Duke, they trail by 4. They need a steal or some missed free throws to get back into this one. 37.3 left.

Hansbrough is fouled with 30.3 left. Even if he makes both, it's still a two possession game. The foul is on Scheyer, and that's 5. He's played an incredible game, but he'll watch the final 30 from the bench. Hansbrough makes both. Carolina calls timeout. Duke needs two threes and no points from UNC. I've seen crazier things happen.

Jesus Christ Dick, shut up. No one wants to watch that womens game.

Nelson makes a layup, that didn't help at all. Paulus fouls Ginyard downcourt.
The first one rolls around and goes in, the second one doesn't. Paulus is blocked by Hansbrough and it's just about over. He makes them both and its a 3 score game.

UNC leads by 7, as Duke has lost 3 straight games where they've outplayed their opponent, and the schedule doesn't get any easier. They should still get to 25 wins, but they are not a great team this year. UNC has a much easier schedule, including two revenge games against VT and NCST.

Ok so Duke gets a 3...which counts for 6 points according to ESPN. It is now 77-76 (73) good work, graphics department. 6.7 left. It will take more than a miracle and ESPN's graphics for Duke to win this game. Paulus commits the foul and he's gone.

Lawson makes both, Henderson misses the 3, and that's how the game ends; not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Duke has lost 3 in a row and will need so turn things around quick, the ACC tournament is only 3 weeks away.

BIG win for UNC, they control their own destiny in the ACC, and I don't see another game before senior day vs Duke that they should lose.

Thank you all for reading and staying with me and my rabid Duke bias (someone has to do it). If you are interested in my blog, give me an email at samtydings@aol.com, but if you're not, stick around as AA has something good working over here.

Peace-
Sam T

Well it's Patrick and Vitale, which means I'll be hitting mute again. Just so you know-Duke sympathists hate Dick Vitale, too. So when I miss something incredibly stupid, just post it in the comments. And a correction from my previous post, UNC is actually 3rd in conference. Somehow, BC is still #1. Already we have a shocker-Zoubeck in for McRoberts, not alongside of him, lets see if this pays off.

Duke wins the tip, and Henderson misses a layup, as does NC on the other end, but they'll keep the ball. Offensive foul on something that looked like, well, a stepback from here...I expect a video on YouTube about this in under 3 minutes.

Paulus drains a 3 for Duke, but Carolina comes right back with a short jumper, but Reyshawn Terry is hurt and is now sitting on the bench. Henderson nails a jumper off a high screen, which appears to be all Zoubeck is able to do for Duke this year. Lawson misses, and Duke works the ball around for Paulus who hits an open jumper. UNC scores, but Duke leads 7-4. Scheyer nails a 3! Someone must have loosened the rims at Duke's end, almost everything is going in. Somehow, a miss gets tipped in by Green for UNC, I'll check who. Henderson nails another 3...and rims one out on the next time down. What's the point of blogging a basketball game if you can't say "rims out." Timeout and McRoberts is in. Scheyer steals the inbounds pass and gets an easy layup. Now they call an offesnive foul away from the ball on UNC...how's that YouTube video going guys? Eventful as hell first 4 minutes, Duke leads 15-6. Raise your hand if you saw that coming.

And we're back. Please leave the note I left in the comments, first. Duke ball.
Now it's UNC ball, as McRoberts is called for a blatent moving screen. UNC hits two incredibly tough jumpers in a row. Duke needs to stop this quick run..and they do, as McRoberts hits Nelson for a layup. An airball by Ellington is followed up by a Scheyer miss and a possesion arrow call.
This is the perfect time to pump my new blog, If I Ran... located at ifiran.blogspot.com it is mostly composed of guest posts, so comment if you want an invite.
Lawson hits a layup, cutting the lead back to 5. McRoberts hits the tough hook shot on the other end, now he gets the rebound and takes the ball up court, and they don't score.
McRoberts hits Nelson for the dunk, and they triple team Hansborough, enducing a tieup that will go to UNC. I hate the possession arrow. Timeout, Duke leads by 9.

Henderson leading the fast break, leads to another tieup and our first scuffle tonight, between Zoubeck and Terry. The refs will have a little chat with Terry, as we go to another timeout.

Back to the blog, not to sound like a guest on MNF, but some guest posters this week will include Will Leitch of Deadspin, Big Daddy Drew and Monday Morning Punter of Kissing Suzy Kolber, and Awful Announcing doing a piece about Monday Night Football, along with me.

These "Rivalry Week" commercials suck ass. We get it, these teams don't like each other. Zoubeck travels. McClure fouls Ginyard, he'll get two free throws, as ESPN decides to plug the UNC/Duke womens hoops game. Count me out. Ginyard makes both.
Paulus hits McClure with a perfect pass, but the dunk gets blocked and Wright scores on the other end. Momentum's a bitch. Now Paulus steals the ball and gets a fast break, but misses the layup, and Henderson gets the putback, with the foul shot which he makes. Terry. 3 pointer. Cold-blooded. Scheyer misses a fadeaway, not a great shot there. Hansborough dunks and Coach K has to call a timeout, as UNC is within 3. Duke can't buy a layup after that hot start. And here comes the Gerald Henderson/Wayne Ellington fluff piece that we've been waiting for since last year's signing day, thank you ESPN.
Duke needs a score again here. McRoberts hits Paulus-who makes the jumper. UNC's next shot goes out of bounds, Duke ball. Nelson misses an open Scheyer underneath, but gets a blocking foul going around a screen. Paulus gets the shit blocked out of him...i think, as ESPN cuts away from the game. Scheyer and Thomas both miss, and UNC gets a fast break, and gets a foul call on Paulus.
Ok, this is hard to explain. So the ball is tipped around the rim, and Deion Thompson tried to dunk it, but only grabbed rim, so he got a tech. Scheyer makes both free throws. Interesting call there. Duke ball now. Nelson finds Scheyer as he goes out of bounds, but the 3 pointer rims out. Duke can't score on another fast break, and UNC has the ball again, but Green dribbles off of his foot. Timeout-Duke leads 28-21.

"Carolina has a better team, but we have Cameron"-Duke Student. Insert joke here, Marco.
Zoubeck gets a tieup along the baseline on Terry-looked like a foul. UNC gets the ball, but Ginyard misses the trey. Zoubeck is called for another walk. Hansborough hits a jumper, cutting the lead back down to 5. Scheyer drives, misses, but gets a foul call on Wright. He hits both. Terry burns Scheyer and makes a layup. Scheyer gets the ball from McRoberts and nails the 3 off the screen, and David "The Quiet Storm" McClure gets a block on the next possesion, UNC ball. If anyone knows any UNC nicknames, leave them in the comments. Lawson, from NBA range...brick. Paulus from 3...almost airballed it long. Duke is getting every shot wide open, and UNC is gettin a ton of layups. Henderson misses a shot going away from the basket, but no one boxes out Scheyer and he makes the easy layup. Wright gets the ball and dunks it with authorita as Cartman would say. Timeout-Duke leads 35-25.

Duke is outrebounding UNC...just wow. Terry defends the pass, and it goes ob off of Nelson. Lance Thomas blatently fouls Thompson in the post. Terry can't handle the inbounds pass, and Scheyer gets a steal. Paulus drives and misses, but gets a foul call. He makes both. Both teams are automatic from the line tonight. Wright misses once, but gets the ball back and hits the nice layup. Nelson tries to shoot the 3, but it slips out of his hands and ob to UNC, weird ass play. Quentin Thomas misses an open jumper for UNC, and its the 2 minute warning. Terry nails a 3, and UNC is back within 5. Scheyer misses the 3 from the corner, and Ellington gets blocked from behind by Scheyer. Paulus brings the ball up, drives, and is fouled. Two more shots. No I will not watch the Duke/UNC womens game.
Paulus makes both, and Duke is 9-9 from the stripe. Ginyard makes the runner. Duke will hold for 1. Scheyer misses ther runner, and we're going to halfime, Duke is only up by 5, despite completely outplaying UNC this half-they shoudl be scared as hell going into that locker room. Scheyer leads with 14 points.
For UNC-they know that they are better than this team, and to be only down by 5 after that kind of half is something that Roy Williams has to hit on during halftime. Wright is the leader for UNC with only 8, Hansborough only has 4.


I'll be back with the 2nd half-keep posting comments. And will people besides Marco and AA show up?

HELLO BLOG READERS! Sitting here from New Jersey with a dark blue "Go to Hell Carolina" shirt, it's the official Awful Announcing Duke/UNC blog. I'll be live blogging this one tonight, and while pouring my heart out for Duke and not listening to Dick Vitale, I'll also be plugging my new blog. Here's some important info:

DUKE is 5-4 in conference, lost two in a row, both by two points or less. They need a win here badly or could go into a tailspin unlike any other. Watch for Josh McRoberts tonight. He seems to be Duke's only option as a playmaker because Nelson has not been great recently. He will also have to defend Tyler Hansborough unless Zoubeck comes in. They'll get a ton of momentum from the Crazies tonight.

Meanwhile, UNC is the class of this conference and one of the best teams in the NCAA's right now. Ranked #5, they are also winning the ACC, and can truly solidify that first place ranking with a win tonight. They won this game last year, and are the better and deeper team, so expect a stong effort. Watch for freshman Ty Lawson. Duke is suceptible to the long range shot, and he will also have to force turnovers from Paulus.

Prediction:
It will be close, but unless Duke and UNC switch uni's pregame, I've got to pick UNC
Duke-69
Carolina-76