The reason behind the rivalry
(02/09/05 5:00am)
When I wrote my column two weeks ago, I was expecting a lot of hate mail.
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When I wrote my column two weeks ago, I was expecting a lot of hate mail.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Duke basketball players are very tall. They are usually much taller than their opponents. æ Although this observation may not seem terribly novel, it was the deciding factor Thursday night against Miami.æ For the fourth straight game the Blue Devils turned the ball over more than 20 times. Seven of those turnovers came during the first seven minutes of the game--a miserable stretch when the Hurricanes jumped out to a 16-10 lead. æ In the first half Duke was repeatedly beaten to its own basket in transition and surrendered several easy layups. Once they had finally built up a commanding, 16-point second-half lead, the Blue Devils almost let Miami back into the game. The Hurricanes managed to cut the deficit to six points with 3:23 left to play.æ But none of that mattered because of the simple fact that Duke is a very tall team. While Miami was able to effectively contain the 6-foot-3 Mistie Williams, it had a tougher time matching up against the Blue Devils" other forwards. 6-foot-5 Chante Black, 6-foot-7 Alison Bales, 6-foot-2 Wynter Whitley and 6-foot Monique Currie all held significant height advantages over their defenders.æ Duke dominated its opponents down low. Currie and Black combined to pour in 27 points, and the Blue Devils out-rebounded their competition by a 16-board margin, their highest total in ACC play.æ 'The big key we were worried about was their high-low game,' Miami head coach Ferne Labati said. 'We felt that we really had to keep the ball out of the middle of the floor, and we really had to do a great job on Currie. Currie is so good off the dribble.'æ In a mere 17 minutes of playing time, Black was able to victimize the Hurricane defense with 12 points. The freshman also helped her team"s effort with eight rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass.æ 'Chante came in and gave us a couple of really good rebounds and a couple of scores inside that we really needed,' head coach Gail Goestenkors said. 'That loosened things up on the outside as well.'æ For most of the contest, Miami had no true answer for Duke"s inside game. The Blue Devils shot 53.8 percent from the field in the first half, and it was only when the Hurricanes switched to a zone defense that the Duke offense began to stall.æ 'I think that us going late in the game to the 1-3-1 with the pressure of [Albrey] Grimsley and Fallon Phanord up top, that pressure just gave them a different look and they rushed a little bit with their shots,' Labati said.æ Miami clogged the middle and slowed the Blue Devil attack to a pace that allowed the Hurricanes to close the gap to six.æ 'I think Ferne"s just doing a tremendous job,' Goestenkors said. 'I think when they went to the 1-3-1 that caused some problems. That"s something we"ll have to work on in the future.'æ But in crunch time Duke was still able to feed the ball down low. Black, Currie and Williams were all able to score points in the final minutes of the game and seal the victory for the Blue Devils.æ 'We usually get good looks, it"s all about finishing,' Black said. 'That"s one of our focuses--I don"t think we did a great job [tonight].'æ Another helpful byproduct of Duke"s size advantage was the number of open looks it created for Jessica Foley. The junior caught fire in the second half as Miami focused on shutting down the interior.æ Foley thrived in the Blue Devils" high-low attack and shot 3-for-5 from behind the arc in the second stanza.æ '[Passing] out of the penetration, they have great three-point shooters, especially Foley,' Labati said. 'Foley is one of the best, she can compare with anybody in the nation and just really sticks it to you.'
Join me momentarily on a brief journey into the past—10 days into the past to be exact—to a cold Saturday night, 30 minutes prior to Duke’s 8 p.m. tip-off against Virginia.
At times it seems as if the men and women in the sports medicine industry can work miracles—broken bones, torn muscles and snapped ligaments. When the ailment is infectious mononucleosis, however, modern medicine can only sit and wait.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With seconds remaining in the first half and his team up 41-26, J.J. Redick raced across the baseline looking for a screen. He got the pick he was seeking and received the ball at the left wing. Redick’s pump fake sent his defender flying, and the junior nailed a wide-open three as the buzzer sounded.
MIAMI — Although the skies are clear and the hurricane season is well past, another kind of storm is souring the mood of the citizens of the Sunshine State. A win over Florida State Saturday (10-8, 2-3 in the ACC) would extend No. 4 Duke’s (14-0, 4-0) perfect season and complete an undefeated Florida road trip.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — For one night, Shaquille O’Neal was not Miami’s premier attraction.
The fans of the University of Miami men"s basketball team would probably prefer to forget the recent history between their Hurricanes and the No. 4 Blue Devils (13-0, 3-0 in the ACC).
Trailing their opponent by 11 points with 15 minutes left to play and on the verge of losing their second straight game against a nationally ranked opponent, the No. 6 Blue Devils (3-1) were in desperate need of a savior.
Duke's 2004-2005 men's basketball team is slowly coming together. Although drawing hard and fast conclusions from Duke's 88-46 victory against Tennessee-Martin would be fairly foolish, and although it's anybody's guess how this team will respond to its grueling ACC schedule, it is this time of the year when players begin to step up and define the niches they will fill for the rest of the season.
If last season was all about “Getting to Know You,” then this season’s theme might be “Shall We Dance?”
Just call her The Skipper.
WINSTON-SALEM — Even though they trailed for the final 15 minutes of the game, the Blue Devils suffered a meltdown Saturday.
There is a buzz reverberating through the Taishoff Aquatics Center. Ever since the women’s team upset N.C. State in the ACC championships seven months ago, Duke’s natatorium has been home to a level of optimism that has been unmatched in recent history. To most Blue Devil teams, a victory over an ACC opponent is little cause for celebration.
Ladies and Gentlemen, savor Katie Ness’ final two seasons at Duke—the Blue Devil swimming program may never see a more talented swimmer ever again.
After tearing through their competition at the ITA Mideast Regional Championships last weekend, Duke’s Jonathan Stokke and Peter Rodrigues came up just a little short in the final round of the event.
ATLANTA, Ga. — Revenge is sweet. And when you exact your revenge in front of 47,000 Homecoming Weekend supporters, it’s even sweeter.
The volleyball team will host Virginia Tech in what appears to be its most crucial game to date Sunday at 1 p.m.
It appears as if help is on the way for Duke’s struggling running game.
In tournament play, sometimes the weekend is finished before it gets started.