Four Things We Learned About Duke in Maui

You might have heard once or four hundred times during the ESPN broadcast that Duke has never lost in Maui.  It is certainly an interesting (and impressive) fact, but here are four real things we learned about the Dukies over the past week.




1.  Ryan Kelly reads March Maniacs. 

Shortly after posting our first Bracketeering column of the year and citing Kelly as the main reason I elevated the Blue Devils to #3, Kelly goes out and wins the MVP of the Maui Classic.  So, thanks Ryan.  We appreciate the good lookin' out for the Maniac's analystic prowess.

2.  Duke Recruits Winners.  Lots of 'em

Austin Rivers sat the final two minutes, in a tight ballgame, and unlikely hero Tyler Thornton came up clutch.  

 This tells us, no, not that Duke is better with Rivers on the bench, but that this Duke team is a cohesive enough unit that they can get immense, headline-grabbing contributions from seven players on their roster.  This is a key ingredient of most championship teams.  Even the seeming "one-man shows" of Kemba Walker and Carmelo Anthony got huge contributions from Jeremy Lamb and Gerry McNamara.  You've gotta share the load over the course of a season.  Duke has passed that test far earlier and far easier than most talent-laden squads.


3.  Forget 1,000, Coach K is going to win 1,100 games; at least.

One more championship?  Okay ... I'm in

Did you see the youthful ebulience that bubbled over throughout K's post game interview?  It was simply joyous.  He looked almost teary eyed he was so overjoyed and excited.  The coolest thing about it?  He wasn't excited about the win; he was excited for Tyler Thorton getting a moment in the spotlight, one he said he deserved because he was just such an amazing kid.

Does this sound like a coach anywhere close to retiring?!?  In fact, I'll say confidently there is not a coach in the nation more comfortably and enjoyably pulling as much from his players and the joyful experience of college basketball as Mike Krzyzewski.

4.  Austin Rivers is going to be a great teammate and a big-time winner at Duke.

Peace and Love with the Dukies in Maui

The most impressive thing from this entire weekend was watching the way an engaged and excited Austin Rivers cheered on his Duke teammates and celebrated wildly when they won the championship, despite spending the last two minutes on the bench.  Suffice it to say this was the first time in young Austin Rivers' life when he was riding the pine in crunch time.  Most 18-year old phenoms would sulk.  Or at least look visibly uncomfortable.  Not Rivers.  He took it in stride, with class, and with complete team-first joy in the victory.

This is an enormous step in the evolution of a young superstar, and an enormous building block in the foundation of a potential Final Four squad.  Hi shot selection may at times still leave a little to be desired, but from here on in we will not be questioning his team focus.

This Thanksgiving be Thankful it wasn't on TV...

"At least it wasn't on TV"

That would have to be the sentiments of more than a few coaches so far this young season. I understand that early season "upsets" are usually more based on name value than actual surprise on the court, but there have been a few scores that defy logic. For example, the Long Beach State win over Pitt.  A surprise, but not a shock.  Ditto for Cleveland State over a Vandy team missing glue-guy Festus Azili.

The losses  below, however, are ones the respective coaches and fan bases are going to have a harder time overlooking; the kind of losses that can be profile-crippling when a team's resume is thrown up on the big board in March...

North Florida 69 - Wright State 52

Not that Wright State is Butler's heir apparent in the Horizon League, but they certainly fashioned themselves as contenders.  There was no shame in the opening night blowout loss at Ohio State, and even some valor in a hard-fought 11 point loss to Florida several nights ago.  There is no excuse or rationale for a 17-point thumping at the hands of the new-to-D1 Osprey.  That one is just ugly.

St. Joseph's 66 - Georgia Tech 53

St. Joe's is a long way removed from the Jameer Nelson era.  Picked as low as 11th in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll the Hawk was flapping 40-strong against Georgia Tech, delivering a resounding answer to the "are the Yellow Jackets back?" question that seemed relevant after their dispatching of a depleted but respectable VCU squad... That's be "no" for my less clever readers...

Missouri 87 - Notre Dame 58

Ok, so this one was on TV.  And Missouri is really good.  But after Tim Abromitis and crew stumbled to a subsequent loss to a really poor Georgia team, the expectations for this Notre Dame team dropped from "back to the NCAA's hoping to get through the first weekend" to "finish high enough in the Big East to not have to play in the opening round of the Big East tourney."  I'm not sure that is even likely...  This team is so unathletic (sic.) it is frightening...

For the last time, no one "blew hoes"

Presbyterian 56 - Cincinnati 54

This one was so ugly, the Bearcats were booed off their floor in their home opener.  Presbyterian's next contest was a seven-point loss to Western Carolina.  Ouch.  It probably didn't help that half the Cincinnati bench was giggling every time the PA announcer said "Blue Hose"...


Loyola Marymount 69 - UCLA 58

It certainly didn't help any when LMU went out and lost their next twogames to Middle Tennessee State and Harvard (both actually are solid squads - expect both to be pesky 13/14 seeds in March), making UCLA their only win on the season... A single win also remains true for UCLA who are left hanging their hats on a single win over Chaminade in Maui...

Elon 58 - South Carolina 53

Go away Elon loss, go away!

My uncle, the proudest and perhaps only professional fisherman alumnus of mighty Elon College was smiling wide as can be following the surprising upset.  The same can not be said for Gamecock head coach Darrin Horn.  I imagine there were a few expletives thrown around the locker room after the follow up loss to Tennessee State.  It's going to be a long, long season for the Gamecocks in the talented SEC East .