The heavy hitters were out in force to watch round 2 of Duke and North Carolina. (I put them in that order for alphabetical purposes only) Gameday was in place and ESPN had a camera at every angle except the men's room.
Future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. sat courtside smiling at all of the antics of the Cameron Crazies. It's been a while since I sat courtside at Duke where your ears are pierced with noise and the back of your shirt is a canvas for face paint and other excess flying objects.
I wouldn't trade that seat for a 50 yard line seat to the Super Bowl. That game can be a dud...Duke vs. Carolina rarely is.
Duke paid homage to their six seniors...too many for a starting lineup. After his introduction, Lee Melchionni jogged to center court and kissed the Duke logo. The biggest fear for a player is that he'll cry like a baby on senior night. JJ Redick and Shelden Williams held their pre-game emotions in check but I'm sure they were sick after Carolina's 83-76 salute to the Devils.
Duke says they're not tired...that's a sign of weakness. Whatever it is, they aren't playing much defense. They couldn't keep up with Carolina's quick pace. When Byron Sanders drops in 2 buckets in transition, something's up. The Tar Heels were better Saturday night and right now they may be a better team period. Marcus Ginyard stuck to JJ Redick like velcro making every shot a chore. The ACC's all-time leading scorer hit 4 of his first 5 shots, then the Heels defensively turned to Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green who forced Redick to miss 15 of his next 16 shots.
Carolina finishes with a 7-1 ACC record ON THE ROAD!! so playing in Greensboro at the ACC tournament fits them nicely. Whoever has to play the Heels in the ACC tournament had better get ready for one of the toughest games of the year. Carolina will run you, defend you and challenge you. They are confident and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see them play for the ACC championship on March 5th.
