Last night's installment of the UNC/Duke rivalry was an impressive one, and among other things, reinforced something Harrogate has been saying for some time, now: In the world of college basketball, there is simply no place more difficult to win than on Duke's home floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It isn't just when Carolina comes knockin', either. The crazies keep the gym rockin' from the opening tip off, and one can palpably feel their influence and inspiration on the hometown players.
And let us be honest, here: Duke outhustled Carolina last night, they showed more heart. It galls Harrogate to admit these simple truths, but that's the way it seems to be every time those two teams hook up. North Carolina fields better atheletes, runs a prettier offense, and projects a left-of-center ethos: and for all of these things, Harrogate is thankful. Not to mention the fact that its campus is indeed the Southern Part of Heaven. But even with all of this, Duke just plays scrappier. Harrogate tips his cap to the hated rival, they are in a rebuilding year and were desperately overmatched last night, and yet they rose to the level of the challenge and indeed, they led for most of the game.
In the end, though, there was just far too much Carolina depth, with Frazor and Miller coming off the bench to provide crucial guttiness that the starters, for all their superior talent, just couldn't seem to muster. And throughout there was just wayyyyyy too much Brandan Wright for Duke to deal with. Kid is 6'9 but plays like he's 7 feet tall. His wingspan exceeds 7'0 and goes into the 7'3 range. Wright will be a lottery NBA pick whenever he elects to jump ship--let us hope, Readers, that he gives Carolina at least one other year!!! He has a soft touch, hits hook shots and baseline jumpers, runs the floor like a man obsessed, blocks shots, makes the extra pass, pretty much does everything you'd ever want from your power forward. And he does all of this with a smoothness and unflappability that you almost never see in a senior, let alone a freshman.
Little Ty Lawson, another freshman, was pretty awesome at times, too, when he's got his offense going he really does seem unguardable. Still to early to compare him to (Everybody Loves) Raymond Felton and the other great point guards in UNC's hallowed history, but he has that kind of potential.
The rest of February and all of March promise to constitute one helluva crazy ride for the Big Baby Blue, and Harrogate's ready to ride that train all the way to Atlanta. As long as Carolina and Texas A&M do not meet in the Big Dance, Harrogate's pretty sure he can handle whatever emotional devastation awaits in that clearing at the end of the path.
Ta ta, Readers. Ta ta.
3 comments:
P-duck shares in Harrogate's comments about last night's game. As a fellow Tarheel, I was very happy to see last night's win but also must admit that Duke played a very good game. Even Aggie pride paled in comparison to the energy emminating from Cameron Stadium and Blue Devil fans. While as a Tarheel I'm slightly biased, I do think this is the best rivalry in college basketball. Lest we forget, the schools are separated by mere miles.
Go Tarheels! (and Aggies)
Ah, p-duck, Harrogate revels in these shared alliances.
Re Duke's perfmroance last night, Harrogate shares the New Testament doctrine of looking for the best in your enemies. In striving to cede Duke their due, we grown more excellent.
Then there's a more Old Testamenty motive at work, Harrogate must admit. It is much more pleasing to see Duke play that hard, do their very very bestest, with all the fans at their back; to see them thinking for most of the game that they were going to earn their signature win-- Only to have the whole thing unceremoniously pulled out from under them in the last few minutes.
As the strode off the court, Carolina should have said in unison, "Don't hate me because I;m beautiful."
It was a pivotal win.
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