It Rhymes With Puke, Part II, Decline and Fall of Puke (2005-2006 Season)

[WussGawd]

For those of you late in joining us, you can catch up with the three previous seasons of the dynasty through the links below:

2002-2003 Season
2003-2004 Season
2004-2005 Season

Believe it or not, ladies and germs, despite our running to a record of 88-22 over the course of the first three years, this dynasty is in fact a lofty goal by one alien from the planet Arizona to destroy the unmitigated evil that is the Duke Mens' Basketball program.

Our efforts so far have been a mixed bag of success, on the field, we have been nightmarishly successful, coming within a couple of buckets of making the Final Four last year.

However, over the past two years, our recruiting classes have consisted of players more worthy of North Carolina A&T than Duke. We now have only six good players, which means that the decline of the Duke dynasty is on.

At best, this team is an NCAA Bubble Team...however, a few injuries or coach imposed academic problems could push Duke into the Not Invited Tournament, which is my personal goal for the season.

And with that, on with the show.

[WussGawd]

2004-2005 Season Awards:

Yes, ladies and germs, it's that time of year. The time when we recognize those players who have inflicted the most wounds on the Duke basketball program.

The "Diaper-after-a-dinner-of stewed-prunes-and-pickled-beets-Dandy" Award:

This award is given annually to the worst freshman on the team. This year, two candidates stand out:

Ricky Jefferson:

Yes, that's right our lovable loser is a pretty good candidate. Ricky actually got into 35 of Duke's 36 games this year, despite the logjam at center. Here were his numbers. He averaged 7 minutes/game, 1.1 points/game, .9 rebounds/game. Ricky shot 47% from the field, 25% from 3 point range, and 66% Free Throw percentage.

Still, I suspect we can find a better candidate for this one.

Chris Woni:

Chris, a freshman shooting guard, got into 16 games, but played in most of them down the stretch. In 5.3 minutes/game, he scored 1.4 points per game. Most significantly, his shooting percentages were awful 40% from the field, 12% from three point range, and 25% from the free throw line. Yes, all in all, Chris shows great promise in stinking up any hope of outside shooting we may have for the next three years.

Leland Sanders:

Leland, a small forward, really only saw action in mop up time. He played 12 games, averaging 2.7 minutes. Needless to say, his scoring statistics aren't significant enough to mention. The good news is that he is awful enough to not merit significant playing time last year, which bodes well for the future.

I will list the other awards to be handed out, and solicit votes later this evening after I actually work for a few hours.

[WussGawd]

Yes, I'm back after a long hiatus, at least until EP4 comes out for CM4.

Unfortunately, the award file is scrubbed. A corrupted saved game (thank heavens for a backup), wiped my stats, and my backup was a save after season's end.

However, I have to admit that it's kind of hard to get fired up about handing out awards for sucky play when your team keeps winning 30 games. So we'll try again next year.

[WussGawd]

Street and Smith's College Basketball, Duke Preview, Summary, 2005-2006 Season


"In summation, Duke's starting five is as good or better than anyone in college basketball. Unfortunately, after going six deep, this is a team with an astonishing lack of depth. Duke's starters should ensure that the team reaches yet another in its interminably long string of NCAA Tournament appearances. However, this bench will assure that the team does little damage once they get there.

Prediction: 4th ACC, NCAA Tournament At Large Bid

[WussGawd]

2005 NBA Draft

Happily, for the first time since taking over the program, Duke doesn't yield a lottery pick. Despite the disappointing on-court results, it is pleasing to see that I'm stunting the development of the last of Coach K's five-star beauties.

PG Courtney Lyles is drafted 40th overall by the Lakers.
PF Tom Davis is drafted 48th overall by the Paperclips. Yeagh. For this you left early, Tom? To be taken late in the second round by the Purgatory of the NBA?



Hahahahaha.

[WussGawd]

A look at the 2005-2006 Roster & Training.


Pointless Guards

Derek Hicks:
Freshman Point Guard
5'9" 142 lb.
Rio Grande HS, Albuquerque, NM
Strengths: Free Throw Shooting
Weaknesses: Court Awareness, Endurance, Potential

Derek is one of two gawd-awful point guards that are part of my latest recruiting class. Happily, no other PGs remain on the roster. It is my profound hope that this lack of experience and talent could really cripple an otherwise pretty good roster.

I will update the rest in this post later on today.

Mike Millford:
Freshman Point Guard
5'11", 148 lb.
Bradford HS, Starke, FL
Strengths: Ballhandling
Weaknesses: Court Awareness, shooting, endurance, potential.

Mike may be the single worst athlete on the roster. Not to say he's dumb and clumsy, but his mom still ties his shoes in doubleknots.

Up Next: Clanking Guards

[WussGawd]

Clanking off the rim Guards

Kenyon Wright
Junior Shooting Guard
6'4", 178 lb, 3.89 GPA
Hartford HS, White River Junction, VT
Strengths: Basically, he's a f***ing nightmare.
Weaknesses: Strength, Court Awareness, may not survive the world's next ice age.

Why the , didn't you leave early with your drinking buddy, that Tom Davis?

Well, Kenyon. You've done a nice job pulling that GPA out of the gutter into a 3.89...but, 3.89 isn't 4.0 is it, Kenyon? How are you going to attract the overweight, coke-bottle bottom glassed coeds of Duke if you don't have a brawny GPA?

This semester, I don't want you in the weight room, and I don't want to see you on the court until that GPA is a 4.0, got it bub?


Derricus Granger
Junior Shooting Guard
6'4", 169 lb, 3.72 GPA
Richardson Berkner HS, Richardson, TX
Strengths: Pretty Much Everything
Weaknesses: Kryptonite, planets that orbit red suns

Derricus makes Kenyon look like a scrub. I'm wondering if there is a religious ritual that could enhance my chances of making him go pro early? I know. I could burn a Blue Devils uniform while chanting nonsense phrases. Yeah, that might work.


Chris Woni
Sophomore Shooting Guard
6'2", 176 lb, 3.61 GPA
Groton HS, Groton, NY
Strengths: Defense, Ballhandling, Endurance
Weaknesses: Not a great outside shooter, poor court awareness.

Chris is strictly a scrubeenie here. If he sees serious minutes, the team is in real trouble.

Next Up: Little Forwards

[WussGawd]

It's not the size that matters, it's how you use it Forwards:

Leland Sanders
Sophomore Small Forward
6'5", 177 lb, 2.55 GPA
Salpointe Catholic HS, Tucson, AZ
Strengths: Free Throw Shooting, Shooting
Weaknesses: Defense, Offensive Awareness, Strength, Endurance, Potential.

Leland represents the future of the Duke program. In a word, this means he sucks very large rocks through a soda straw.

Joe Wright
Junior Small Forward
6'8", 207 lb
Westark CC, Raleigh, NC
Strengths: Inside Scoring, Endurance, Passing
Weaknesses: Free Throw Shooting, Post Defense, Potential

A juco product, our scouting service absolutely screwed the pooch on this one. Joe is halfway decent. Fortunately, he has a very limited upside.

Up Next: Powerless Forwards

[WussGawd]

Powerless Forwards:

Kris Robinson:
Junior Power Forward
6'6", 167 lb, 2.87 GPA
Fitchburg HS, Fitchburg, MA
Strengths: Pretty Much Everything
Weaknesses: Mutant Viruses from the Planet Mars.

Kris is another one of those annoyingly good starters that I hope will graduate early.


Scott Brand:
Senior Power Forward
6'7", 195 lb, 3.44 GPA
Interlachen HS, Interlachen, FL
Strengths: Virtually Everything
Weaknesses: Endurance

Scott is likely to have a breakout year and be a lottery pick. Unless his poor endurance gets him injured.


Clayton Hays:
Freshman Power Forward
6'6", 227 lb
Frankfort HS, Ridgely, WV
Strengths: Post Defense, Free Throw Shooting, Endurance
Weaknesses: Just About Everything Else.

Clayton is a huge step down from the other two. I doubt we'll see much time from him as a result.

Up Next: The Great Big Hole in the Middle

[WussGawd]

The Hole in the Middle of the Jelly Doughnut

Tony Haginas:
Senior Center
6'8", 237 lb, 3.22 GPA
Fayetteville East HS, Fayetteville, AR
Strengths: Just About Everything. Thank Gawd he's a senior
Weaknesses: Endurance

Graduate, please Tony...oh, and blowing out an ACL early would be nice as well.


Mike Cole:
Junior Center
6'8", 232 lb, 3.44 GPA
Bradford HS, Bradford, AR
Strengths: Shooting, Free Throw Shooting, Rebounding, Defense, Shot Blocking, Leaping Ability, Endurance, Strength, Neurosurgery, Quantum Mechanics, Parting the Red Sea
Weaknesses: Well, he only has four years worth of eligibility, right? RIGHT?

Cole is probably the starter. I'm hopeful he'll go pro early. He is certainly ready.


Ricky Jefferson:
Sophomore Center
6'11", 229 lb, 1.93 GPA
Spartanburg HS, Spartanburg, SC
Strengths: Awareness, Free Throw Shooting, Post Defense
Weaknesses: Shooting, Ballhandling, Passing

Ricky has actually developed a bit of game, which worries me. Still, his GPA should make it easy to keep him in line.

[WussGawd]

Lifeboat #3 now abandons the program

The following news greets me in the inbox as the new season begins in earnest:

Well, it seems your ability as head coach and teacher has paved the way for promising assistant Albert Whitworth. He has just accepted a position as the new head coach of UNC Wilmington. While we wish him the best of luck, we need to focus back on our program. Therefore, you will need to replace his spot on the staff before proceeding.

Duke Athletic Director
On behalf of the School Board

Apparently, Albert can tell a ship going down by the head when he sees one. This means I get to pick a rotten assistant. Remember, according to house rules, I can only fire an assistant once every two years, so this is a great opportunity.

I hire Eddie Rashaw, the worst of a good lot, who comes to Duke from Samford. Here are the ratings of all of the assistants:

The ratings for the assistants in order are as follows:
Offensive Skills, Defensive Skills, Rebounding, Ball Handling, Athleticism, Evaluating Current Ability, Evaluating Future Potential, Recruiting Skill

For the trainer, there is only one rating, which is Player Conditioning and Recovery.

Afterward, I will list their ambition rating, which measures their likelihood to take another job.

Assistant Head Coach Jamison Archibald: Exc, Good, Avg, Good, Good, Good, Exc, Avg, Ambition: Very Little

Assistant Coach Eddie Rashaw: Avg, Avg, Good, Avg, Avg, Avg, Avg, Good, Ambition Very High

Assistant Coach Cedric Fischer: Avg, Avg, Avg, Avg, Exc, Good, Good, Good, Ambition: Very High

Trainer Mark Curry: Average

And now it's time once again for the Shuffling Deck Chairs On The Titanic Poll:

Which assistant is going to leave first? Answer in the thread, and we'll tally the votes over the course of the next three days.

[WussGawd]

Scout Service, Scheduling, and Season Preview

Shockingly, Duke's recruiting class from last year is not ranked in the Top 20.


Here's the state of the program as we enter the season.

Prestige: 83 (Very High)
This is up 2 from last year.
Expectations: Vie for the NCAA Title
Freshman Class: Awful
Composite Talent Level: Superior
Avg: Recruiting Class Rank: 73rd
Coach Grade, 2004-2005 Season: C

Once again, we hire Basket Bytes, the Five Star service, as our scouting service.

Finally, after upgrading the opposition a little bit from the default, here is the Duke 2005-2006 Schedule:

11/10: St. John's
11/15: at Missouri
11/19: Mercer
11/23: at Florida
11/27: Maryland Eastern Shore
11/30: Denver
12/03: at Washington State
12/08: George Mason
12/10: LSU
12/12: at Gonzaga
12/16: at Northeastern
12/19: Auburn
12/24: Virginia Tech
12/28: Florida State
12/31: NC State
01/05: at Maryland
01/08: at Clemson
01/12: at North Carolina
01/18: Georgia Tech
01/21: at Wake Forest
01/25: at Georgia Tech
01/29: at Creighton
02/01: Wake Forest
02/03: North Carolina
02/08: at Florida State
02/12: at Virginia
02/15: Maryland
02/18: at NC State
02/23: Clemson
02/25: Virginia

My personal guess on this season is 20 wins and a tournament bid. My hopes are that the lack of depth will sink us in short order. With luck, a few injuries and suspensions, maybe we can fall to the NIT.

[WussGawd]

Week 1 Recruiting and Games


Recruiting

At least until later in the season when players can declare for the draft, we have only two scholarships to give, both in the front court, at power forward and center.

Now to look, to look, for the caliber of player more befitting the new direction of Puke basketball.

Hold your noses. Ah, here we go. Just a moment:

Damon Sims
6'11" 193 lb, 2.53 GPA
Center
Naperville North HS, Naperville, IL
Stats: 5.1 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 4.7 TOPG. 29.2% FG%, 68% FT%

I'm up against such prestigious schools as Chicago State, Southern Illinois, yes, a variety of directional schools.

I offer Damon a visit. He coyly and unconvincingly tells me Duke is not on his short list, but of course, this is only because he sucks too badly to be seriously considered by a school like Duke...or at least, a school like Duke when the coach isn't covertly sabotaging the program.


Now we have the Ricky Jefferson Scholarship. As you know, we look for the dumbest athlete we can recruit, then try to keep him eligible for four years. This year, the pickings are slim. We finally recruit Renaldo Hill.

Renaldo Hill
Powerless Forward
6'5", 183 lb, GPA 1.68
Hattiesburg HS, Hattiesburg, MS
11.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 31.7% FG%, 17% 3P%, 77% FT%

Renaldo's really too good a player for the caliber of the new spirit of Puke Basketball, but one can't be choosy when looking for stupid 1-star stinkwads.

I recruit a few other contingency plans, but I don't anticipate losing out on either one of them.

Duke is the #1 seed in the Preseason NIT. On to the games.


Thursday, November 10, 2005, St. Johns vs. #1 Duke

OK. So maybe it's going to be another year before we suck.

We absolutely roll, taking a 50-27 lead at the half and winning 103-52. Kenyon Wright scores 26, while Scott Brand puts up a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

One piece of good news. Darricus Granger sprains an ankle. He's listed as day to day.

Duke climbs to 1-0.


Friday, November 11, 2005, #16 Iowa State vs. #1 Duke

Now that's more like it. Iowa State rolls to a 50-40 halftime lead and holds on for an 88-80 win. Duke wastes a 21 point effort by Kenyon Wright.

Duke drops to 1-1. So much for the Preseason NIT.

[WussGawd]

Week 2 Recruiting and Games

Happily, the Iowa State loss knocks Duke out of the #1 spot. They drop in both polls to #7.

On the recruiting front, both visits with my #1 targets go well, both now show me as their #1 school (what a shock).

On to the games:


Tuesday, November 15, 2005, #7 Duke at Missouri

Duke rolls to a 55-27 halftime lead and absolutely destroys Missouri 96-67. Mike Cole has a phenomenal game, 21 points, 20 rebounds, while Kenyon Wrights scores 12 points and dishes 9 assists.

Duke climbs to 2-1.


Saturday, November 19, 2005, Mercer at #7 Duke

Duke rolls to a 58-27 halftime lead and blasts Mercer 109-54. Kris Robinson leads the team with 28, while Chris Woni scored 21. Scott Brand also puts up a double double with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Duke climbs to 3-1.

[JeeberD]

I'm up against such prestigious schools as Chicago State, Southern Illinois, yes, a variety of directional schools.

Hey now, quit picking on the Salukis...

Death to Duke!!!

[WussGawd]

Week 3 Recruiting and Games

Whoops, discovered something interesting. I don't actually have to allocate 45 hours to the offseason training plan. I only need to allocate 1. Looks like I've found another way to cripple the development of my players, hehe.

Duke remains at #7 in both polls, no change from last week despite blowing out a couple of cupcakes.

All is quiet on the recruiting front as well. Shockingly, none of my gawd-awful would-be recruits is not declaring for the NBA draft, though there are rumors that one of them may go early for the WNBA draft.

On to the games:

Wednesday, November 23, 2005, #7 Duke at #13 Florida

Duke reaches the locker room with a 44-33 lead. While Florida plays better in the half, they can't narrow the lead, and fall to Duke 94-83.

Mike Cole leads the Pukies with 19 points & 11 boards. Interestingly, three players have double doubles: Scott Brand has 11 points & 12 rebounds; Kris Robinson has 16 points and 12 rebounds.

A phenomenon I've noticed is that the assistants are playing my bench players a lot, but they aren't putting up a whole lot of numbers.

Duke climbs to 4-1...looks like this could be another long year, ugh.


Sunday, November 27, 2005, Maryland-Eastern Shore at #7 Duke

Duke runs away in a laugher, 105-48. Mike Cole has 23 points and 10 rebounds, Chris Woni scores 20.

Duke climbs to 5-1.

[WussGawd]

Week 4 Recruiting and Games

With the four game winning streak, Duke climbs from #7 to #6 in both polls.

Early grades are out. None of my players are ineligible.

All is quiet on the recruiting front. I continue to spend about $15,000 a week recruiting a half dozen dogs to fill the two scholarship spots.

On to the games.


Wednesday, November 30, 2005, Denver at #6 Duke

My first thought at looking at this is why are the Blue Devils playing the Nuggets.

The game is actually a little competitive in the first half, and Duke leads 47-36 going into the locker room. Denver never came out for the second half, and winds up getting stomped on 99-57.

Kris Robinson scores 21, while Scott Brand scores 20 and has 13 rebounds.

Duke wraps up the month of November at 6-1.


Saturday, December 3, 2005, #6 Duke at Washington State

Duke absolutely rolls in a laugher, winning 100-49. Perhaps this wasn't the year to dumb down the schedule.

Darricus Granger, back from his injury, puts up 21 points and 11 assists, while Mike Cole (15 points, 12 rebounds), and Scott Brand (16 points, 12 rebounds) have their usual stellar games.

Duke climbs to 7-1.

[WussGawd]

Week 5 Recruiting and Games

With the winning streak now at 6, and my season in tatters, Duke climbs to #5 from #6 in both the AP & Coaches Polls.

The first week's RPI ratings are out, Duke comes in at #6.

Not much to report on the recruiting front. TDCB seems to follow the TCY pattern of the blue chips going first, the stinkbombs taking a little while longer to commit, so I'm not exactly panicked at this point.

On to the games:


Thursday, December 8, 2005, George Mason at #5 Duke

Duke absolutely rolls, trashing George Mason 93-64.

Darricus Granger has 23 points, while Mike Cole has yet another double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds).

Duke climbs to 8-1.


Saturday, December 10, 2005, LSU at #5 Duke

Yeagh. My efforts to dismantle the Duke dynasty sink to an all time low. It's one thing to beat Mercer by 50, but LSU???

At halftime, it's 54-17 Duke. It doesn't get any better from there. Duke wins 102-48.

I can't even write about this one I'm so mad.

Maybe I'll reward my players for the win by making them run until they puke and start to see bright lights flashing before their eyes.

Duke climbs to 9-1.

[WussGawd]

Week 6 Recruiting and Games

With the two lopsided wins, Duke climbs from #5 to #3 in the AP Poll. They remain at #5 in the Coaches' Poll.

Duke climbs to #5 from #6 in the latest RPI rankings.


Recruiting

Good news greets me in the inbox. Kris Robinson and Mike Cole, both juniors, are declaring early for the NBA draft. Two more stinkwads for me to recruit.

Damon Sims and Renaldo Hill, my #1 targets at Center & Power Forward respectively, both sign letters of intent, so I've got only two of four scholarships left to give.

Kris and Mike give me another Power Forward and Center to recruit, so I can put a couple of the guys I had on the back burner behind Damon and Renaldo on the front burner.

Let's take a look at a couple more victims, er, recruits:

Jamar Solomon:
6'5" 166 lb, 3.75 GPA
Power Forward
Finney HS, Detroit, MI
7.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 5.3 TOPG, 26.2% FG%, 28% 3P%, 64% FT%

Jamar is probably the second worst player at his position among the one-star beauties.


Valter Oliver:
Center
6'11", 211 lb, 3.25 GPA
Hialeah HS, Hialeah, FL
8.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.6 TOPG

Any basketball skills in Valter are purely coincidental.

I continue to aggressively recruit the four guys I've been targeting before, and offer scholarships to Valter and Jamar.

On to the hoops:


Monday, December 12, 2005, #3 Duke at Gonzaga

These are hardly the Bulldogs of the Casey Cavalry days. Duke trashes the Zags 94-56.

Kris Robinson scores 20, while Mike Cole puts up another double-double (10 points, 18 rebounds). Darricus Granger has 19 points and 10 assists for another double double.

Duke climbs to 10-1 and now sports a 9 game winning streak.


Friday, December 16, 2005, #3 Duke at Northeastern

Duke rolls 93-59.

Mike Cole goes absolutely wild, scoring 30 points and adding 17 rebounds to pace the win.

Duke climbs to 11-1. The winning streak is now 10 games.

[WussGawd]

Week 7 Recruiting and Games

Duke climbs once again in the rankings. In the AP, they climb from #3 to #2. In the Coaches Poll, we climb from #5 to #2.

Duke also climbs to #2 in the RPI.

Things are quiet on the recruiting front. I continue to aggressively recruit the kids I've targeted to fill the remaining two scholarships.

On to the games:


Monday, December 19, 2005, Auburn at #2 Duke

This matchup looked a lot better in the preseason. Duke takes a 52-40 halftime lead and never looks back, winning 96-79.

Chris Woni comes off the bench and scores 23, while Scott Brand has a double double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Duke climbs to 12-1 and now sports an 11 game winning streak. Taking a page from the guys who stay up on billboards until their team wins, I have vowed not to take a shower until the team loses.


Saturday, December 24, 2005, Virginia Tech at #2 Duke

Duke rolls to a 49-33 halftime lead and never looks back, winning 94-56. Mike Cole leads the charge with 21 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

The winning streak now stands at 12. Number of days without a shower, 5.

Needless to say, the family, the wife, and the team are trying to stay a few feet away at this point.

[WussGawd]

Midseason Review

Since we are about to enter the ACC conference schedule, now seemed like a good chance to review our progress, and recap the first half of the season.

My goal for the season, as you recall, was to turn Duke into an NCAA Bubble Team. Obviously, in light of the fact that we are 13-1, I am going to fall far short of that goal.

The AI which runs the games for me has clearly sensed that we have little depth, and is only using the 6 worst players on the roster in garbage time. The lack of injuries and academic suspensions means that the team still has enough depth to win on talent against the relatively weak non-conference schedule I've played.

I am still hopeful that we will lose a few games with our depth problems in conference. Still, this is looking dangerously like a 25 win team and a contender for the conference title. We'll see.

[WussGawd]

Week 8 Recruiting and Games

Duke climbs from #2 to #1 in both the AP & Coaches Poll, but remains at #2 in the RPI rating.

All is quiet in the recruiting wars. I continue to waste about $10,000 a week on four guys who have been continuously telling me that I am their number one choice, and who are now threatening to change their phone numbers if I don't stop calling them.

On with the games.


Wednesday, December 28, 2005, Florida State at #1 Duke

For a half, it looks like FSU could pull the upset, and the game is tied at halftime 37-37. In the second half, the wheels come off, and Duke wins 89-77. Darricus Granger scores 22 and adds 6 assists for Duke, while Mike Cole has another double double (18 points, 11 rebounds).

DerMarr Sheppard has 22 for Florida State in a losing cause.

The numbers:
Duke Record: 14-1 (1-0 ACC)
Winning Streak: 13 games
Number of days without a shower: 9
Number of flys circling WussGawd on a perpetual basis: 3


Saturday, December 31, 2005, NC State at #1 Duke

Duke rolls to a 44-23 halftime lead and never looks back, winning 86-53. Darricus Granger again paces the scoring with 22, while Scott Brand puts up a double double (18 points, 13 rebounds).

The numbers:
Record: 15-1 (2-0 ACC)
Winning Streak: 14 Games
Number of Days without a shower: 12
Number of flys circling WussGawd on a perpetual basis: 5

My wife hasn't spoken to me in days. Even the dog is shunning me for the smell at this point, and he doesn't smell much better.

We need a loss pretty quick or I may be estranged from my family.

[WussGawd]

Week 9 Recruiting and Games

Duke stays at #1 in the AP, but drops to #2 in the Coaches Poll behind undefeated (16-0) Stanford.

All is quiet on the recruiting front. I visit the heck out of the same four guys, two of whom are threatening to file restraining orders.

On to the games:


Thursday, January 5, 2006, #1 Duke at #9 Maryland

The scene is a steamy hotel bathroom near College Park, Maryland. It is 1:30 AM. In this particular room, #127, a man is singing.

"Singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain, what a glorious feeling, my team is miserable again...oh, hi, didn't see you come in."

"We lost tonight, which is why I'm doing this. That and my wife was threatening to contact the divorce attorneys from the firm of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe."

"We stunk up the joint. Trailed by 9 at the half, never really got back into it. We lost 76-68. Scott Brand had 15 points and 13 rebounds, but it wasn't enough. The best part is we shot a miserable 27 of 73 from the field."

"Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to get back to my shower. Thanks."

The numbers:
Record: 15-2 (2-1 ACC)
Winning Streak: Zero, Zip, Zilch, Nada, Doughnut, babe.
Losing Streak: 1
Number of days without a shower: 0
Number of Flys circling WussGawd on a permanent basis: 0

I kind of miss the flys. I'd even given names to some of them. Besides, they were about the only living creatures that would have anything to do with me by the end.


Sunday, January 8, 2006, #1 Duke at Clemson

For a half, this one is close, and Duke leads 38-36 at the break. In the second half, we blow it open, winning 88-71.

Chris Woni leads all scorers with 20. Scott Brand (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Mike Cole (13 points, 12 rebounds) each post double doubles.

On a positive note, Darricus Granger blows up an ankle, and will be out one to two months.

No shower tonight for me, thank you.

The Numbers:
Record: 16-2 (3-1 ACC)
Winning Streak: 1
Losing Streak: 0
Number of days without a shower: 0
Number of flys circling WussGawd on a permanent basis: None Yet.
Wife Status: Still speaking to me, doesn't know yet.

[WussGawd]

Week 10 Recruiting and Games

Duke remains at #2 in the AP Poll, but falls from #2 to #3 in the Coaches Poll.

Duke also drops from #2 to #3 in the RPI.

Darricus Granger, who was starting for us at the point, is out for one to two months with a broken ankle.

Jamar Soloman & Valter Oliver commit to Duke this week, rounding out another gawd-awful recruiting class.

Let's get on with the games:


Thursday, January 12, 2006, #2 Duke at #4 North Carolina

It is my hope that with Darricus Granger out of the picture that we can perhaps fade a little bit here.

However, if UNC is any indication, we may just keep rolling like nothing happened. It was 33-28 Duke at the half, and got worse from there, as Duke goes into Chapel Hill and wins 80-67.

Scott Brand has 19 points and 12 rebounds for Duke, while Andrew Rowell pours in 26 in a losing effort for the Tar Heels.

The Numbers:
Record: 17-2 (4-1 ACC)
Winning Streak: 2
Losing Streak: Tragically, None.
Number of Days Without a Shower: 8
Number of Flys Circling WussGawd on a permanent basis: 1 (My buddy Spike the Housefly is back!)
Number of days since wife has spoken to me: 1

To celebrate the win, I make each player run ten miles. There's nothing more satisfying than watching a future NBA Lottery Pick projectile vomit while running cross country.

Just the one game this week, I should smell real ripe by the time the next game rolls around.

[WussGawd]

Week 11 Games

Duke remains at #2 in the AP & #3 in the Coaches Poll.

Tragically, we climb to #1 in the RPI.

Recruiting is done for the year, we got 4 1-star beauties.

For your entertainment and reading pleasure, here are the ACC Standings:

Wake Forest 5-0 (17-1)
Duke 4-1 (17-2)
Maryland 4-1 (16-1)
Virginia 4-2 (16-2)
North Carolina 2-3 (14-3)
NC State 2-3 (7-10)
Clemson 2-4 (9-9)
Georgia Tech 1-5 (11-7)
Florida State 0-5 (7-10)

On to the games:


Wednesday, January 18, 2006, Georgia Tech at #2 Duke

OK, so maybe the Darricus Granger thing is going to hurt us worse than I thought. Duke struggles with lowly Georgia Tech, and leads 41-40 at the break. Georgia Tech stays tight and Justin Linderman, Yellow Jacket Small Forward sinks a three pointer at the buzzer to shock the Duke crowd. Georgia Tech wins 89-88.

The news gets better from there. Scott Brand, my personal gadfly, dislocates his right knee, and is listed as out one to two months. The bench is getting more and more devoid of healthy talent by the day.

Justin Linderman lights us up for 31 points (including 8 of 10 from 3 point range). Kris Robinson leads the Duke scorers with 21, Mike Cole had another double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.

The Numbers:
Record: 17-3 (4-2 ACC)
Winning Streak: Diddly
Losing Streak: 1 (but we're on a roll)
Number of Days Since Last Shower: 0
Number of Flys Circling WussGawd: Sadly, Spike has left the building
Number of Days Since Wife Has Talked to me: Heck, Mrs. Gawd even gave me some last night, since we were both so happy with the loss.


Saturday, January 21, 2006, #2 Duke at #4 Wake Forest

Yes, folks, we've got a chance to get a little momentum going in the form of a two game losing streak against the Demon Deacons.

And sure enough, our injury and depth depleted squad complies. Wake Forest leads 38-26 at the break, and it gets worse from there. Duke was never really in it, losing 82-62.

Joe Wright, our crappy JC transfer from last year's class actually started with all the injuries, but scored only 5 points in 27 minutes.

Ricky Jefferson cries after the game.

Stinkwads Tony Haginas and Ricky Jefferson also played significant minutes off the bench, and barely left an impression on the box score. Kenyon Wright led all Duke scorers with 18 (on 5 from 16 from the field, haha), while Mike Cole had a double double with 16 points and 17 rebounds...but that was about all, and it wasn't enough.

The Numbers:
Record: 17-4 (4-3 ACC)
Winning Streak: No Winning Streaks for You!
Losing Streak: 2 (and counting, I hope)
Number of Days since my last shower: 0
Number of Flys circling WussGawd: 0
Number of Days since Mrs. Gawd has talked to me: 0. In fact things are better than ever.
Number of Ricky Jefferson Crying Jags: 1

[WussGawd]

Week 12 Games

Not surprisingly after a week of missed threes and sympathy, Duke drops in the polls. We drop to #5 from #2 in the AP Poll, and #5 from #3 in the SIDs who pretend they are Coaches Poll.

We also drop from #1 to #6 in the RPI.

Darricus Granger is out for 1 month with a broken left ankle.
Scott Brand is out for 1 month with a dislocated right knee.

Third Term Grades are out, everyone is still eligible.

Here are the updated ACC Standings:

Wake Forest 7-0 (19-1)
Virginia 5-2 (17-2)
Maryland 5-2 (17-2)
Duke 4-3 (17-4)
North Carolina 4-3 (16-3)
Clemson 3-4 (10-9)
NC State 2-5 (7-12)
Georgia Tech 2-6 (12-8)
Florida State 0-7 (7-12)

On to the games.


Wednesday, January 25, 2006, #5 Duke at Georgia Tech

Duke gets a rematch of the conference upset of the year from just over a week ago against Georgia Tech.

The venue and the date are the different, but for Puke, the results are worse. Kenyon Wright gets hurt early on (more on him in a moment), which further depletes our already shallow squad.

Georgia Tech rolls, and leads 48-29 at the break. In the second half, they pretty much coast and empty the bench. Duke gets blown away 85-66.

Mike Cole leads Duke with 18 ponts and 13 rebounds, but the only other Blue Devil in double figures was the hapless Kenyon Wright, who scored 13 before leaving with an injury.

Lamar Smith, Senior Shooting Guard for the Yellow Jackets lights up Duke for 29.

Kenyon Wright breaks his wrist, and is listed as out 1 to 2 months.

Ricky Jefferson bawls his eyes out again after the loss.

The Numbers:
Record: 17-5 (4-4 ACC)
Winning Streak: Hahahaha.
Losing Streak: 3 (Yeah, baby)
Number of Days since last shower: About 10 minutes
Number of flies circling WussGawd: Haven't seen a fly in weeks
Number of Days since Mrs. Gawd talked to me: She's pretty much talking non-stop. Kind of funny getting congratulatory hugs and french kisses from your wife after losing by 20 though.
Number of Ricky Jefferson Crying Jags: Two in a Row. Woohoo!


Sunday, January 29, 2006, #5 Duke at Creighton

Duke takes on the Bluejays. We're a slim favorite in the game, but I'm hopeful our boys can pull defeat out of the jaws of victory and extend what is a very nice losing streak.

Sadly, we just aren't quite bad enough yet to lose to a team the caliber of Creighton. It's close at the half, 48-47 Duke, but in the second half we go wild, beating the Bluejays 102-84.

Kris Robinson has the game of his career, scoring 34 and snagging 15 rebounds in his first start at power forward, while freshman point guard Derek Kicks deals 13 assists. Chris Woni also scores 28. Interestingly, Mike Cole is almost totally ineffective.

The Numbers:
Record: 18-5 (4-4 ACC)
Winning Streak: 1
Losing Streak: All Good things must come to an end. 0
Number of Days since the last shower: In a sign of optimism, I take a shower.
Number of flies: 0
Number of days since wife has talked to me: 0
Number of Ricky Jefferson Crying Jags: 2 and holding.

[WussGawd]

Week 13 Games

The mixed bag of a blowout loss against Georgia Tech and a blowout win against Creighton leaves us where we were last week. Duke remains at #5 in both polls.

However, we fall to #8 from #6 in the RPI.


Injury Report

Scott Brand (Dislocated Right Knee): Out 1 month.
Kenyon Wright (Broken Wrist): Out 1 month.
Darricus Granger (Broken Left Ankle): Out 3-4 Weeks.

For your reading and entertainment pleasure, here are the updated ACC Standings:

Wake Forest 8-1 (20-2)
Virginia 6-3 (18-3)
North Carolina 6-3 (18-3)
Maryland 6-3 (18-3)
Duke 4-4 (18-5)
Georgia Tech 4-6 (14-8)
Clemson 3-5 (10-10)
NC State 3-6 (8-13)
Florida State 0-9 (7-14)

Let's go on to the hoops:


Wednesday, February 1, 2006, #3 Wake Forest at #5 Duke

Duke is a slim favorite due to home court, but I think the oddsmakers are heavily discounting our injuries, and the fact that our benchwarmers suck.

Sure enough, the oddsmakers are dead wrong. Wake Forest opens a 53-27 lead. By halftime, we leave the court to a chorus of boos and thrown soft drink cups. The players are angry, and I'm wearing a big stupid grin as we reach the locker room.

In the locker room, I tell them to try their best, and that if they come up short, it's ok, because they tried their best. Then we go out in the second half for more of the same. Final Score, Wake Forest 105, Duke 59.

Hahahaha. I sing in the shower after the game and buoyantly answer the beat writers' questions in the press conference about what is going wrong with Duke.

Yes, folks, in short, it's moments like this that I live for.

Leland Sanders leads the Duke scorers with 18 points on 6 of 8 from 3 point range. Tellingly, no other Duke player scores in double figures.

I think we just turned Wake Forest Senior Point Guard Eric Walter into a lottery pick. His line: 43 points on 12 of 15 shooting with 8 assists.

On another positive note, Ricky Jefferson has to be restrained from repeatedly banging his head on his locker.

The Numbers:
Record: 18-6 (4-5 ACC)
Winning Streak: No Wins for you, sucky Blue Devils.
Losing Streak: 1 and climbing, baby!
Number of Days Since Last Shower: 0 (I'm smelling positively April Fresh these days, heh).
Number of Flies Circling WussGawd: 0
Number of Days Since Talking to Mrs. Gawd: 0
Number of Ricky Jefferson Crying Jags: 3


Friday, February 3, 2006, #7 North Carolina at #5 Duke

Duke again is favored, but the oddsmakers are understandably a bit more wary this time.

Things just keep getting better and better. Even underachieving UNC gives us fits, and its 40-36 at halftime. In the second half, it's more of the same, and North Carolina wins 82-74.

Chris Woni scores 14 in the only memorable Duke performance of the game, while four North Carolina players score in double figures.

Ricky Jefferson cries unconsolably after the game as I giggle through the press conference.

The Numbers:
Record: 18-7 (4-6 ACC)
Winning Streak: A Win, what's that?
Losing Streak: 2
Number of Days since Last Shower: 0
Number of Flies: 0
Ricky Jefferson Crying Jags: 4

Yes, folks, all in all, it's been a lovely week.

[WussGawd]

Week 14 Games

Before we look at Duke's standing in the polls, I thought it'd be fun to review the carnage.

We have now lost 2 games in a row. We've lost 5 of the last 6, and 6 of the last 9 games. But the news only gets better now as you read on.

Duke drops heavily in the polls, from #5 to #13 in the AP Poll, and from #5 to #12 in the Coaches Poll.

This is the lowest ranking this team has been since I took over.

Sadly, we only drop 1 rung in the RPI, from #8 to #9.

Injury Report:
Scott Brand (Dislocated Right Knee): Out 3-4 weeks
Kenyon Wright (Broken Wrist): Out 1 month
Darricus Granger (Broken Left Ankle): Out 2-3 weeks

All of these guys look like they should be back for the ACC Tournament, unfortunately.

Now, for your reading and entertainment pleasure, the updated ACC Standings:

Wake Forest 9-2 (21-3)
North Carolina 8-3 (20-3)
Maryland 7-4 (19-4)
Virginia 6-4 (19-4)
Clemson 5-5 (12-10)
Georgia Tech 5-7 (15-9)
Duke 4-6 (18-7)
NC State 3-7 (8-14)
Florida State 1-10 (8-15)

No, that is not a misprint folks, Duke is indeed tied for 6th in the ACC.

On to the games:


Wednesday, February 8, 2006, #13 Duke at Florida State

Even with all the injuries, we can't possibly be bad enough to lose to Florida State, can we?

No, we can't, but it was close. Duke led 55-46 at the half, and held off a furious Florida State rally to win 94-86.

Mike Cole rediscovered his game, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to pace all scorers, as Duke put five players into double figures.

Alas, the losing streak is over.

The Numbers:
Record: 19-7 (5-6 ACC)
Winning Streak: 1
Losing Streak: 0, dammit.
Number of Days without a shower: In a show of optimism, I will continue to shower.

Sadly, Ricky Jefferson does not cry after the game.


Sunday, February 12, 2006, #13 Duke at #11 Virginia

Duke is a slim favorite, even though the odds makers like their starting five a lot better than ours. Personally, this game will be a litmus test to see just how far we've fallen.

The game is nip and tuck through the first half, and Virginia leads it 50-48 at the break. In the second half, the wheels come off, and Virginia blows us away, 94-77.

Oddly, Ricky Jefferson has a double double, with 15 points and 11 rebounds. but nobody else really steps up when needed.

Virginia Junior Point Guard Mike Davis has a fine game against us, scoring 28 points and dishing out 6 assists.

Ricky Jefferson does not cry after the game, but has apparently begun smoking marijuana. In an effort to set him straight, I institute a program of mandatory drug testing. Yes, that's right. If at any time I discover him without cannabis in his urine, he will be suspended from the team.

The Numbers:
Record: 19-8 (5-7 ACC)
Winning Streak: 0 (That Didn't Take Long, Did It?)
Losing Streak: 1 (Damn Florida State)
Number of Days Without a Shower: 0

Ricky Jefferson Watch: 4 Crying Jags, 1 Drug Habit.

[WussGawd]

Week 15 Games

Yes, folks, we've reached another milestone in our efforts to turn Duke into the Bangladesh of college basketball. I've received my first nasty phone call from a booster.

Nothing like a guy threatening my job to tell me that things are going well.

We climb a notch in the AP Poll from #13 to #12. Ironically, the coaches can smell a stinker when they see it better than the writers. I drop from #12 to #14 in the Coaches Poll.

More importantly, we drop from #9 to #12 in the RPI.


Injury Report
Scott Brand (Dislocated Right Knee): Out 2-3 weeks.
Kenyon Wright (Broken Wrist): Out 3-4 weeks.
Darricus Granger (Broken Left Ankle): Out 1-2 weeks.

On to the games.


Wednesday, February 15, 2006, #11 Maryland at #12 Duke

Strangely, the oddsmakers pick us to beat the Terps.

Not surprisingly, the oddsmakers are dead wrong. It's a close game in the first half, with Maryland leading at the break, 42-40. In the second half, our lack of bench strength tells, and Maryland runs away with it, 92-66. We leave the court at the end of the game to a chorus of boos, and the beat writers are positively hostile in the press conference. What a night we are having!

Ricky Jefferson leads the charge with 18 points, while Mike Cole has a double double (10 points, 12 rebounds).

It isn't enough. Maryland puts four guys in double figures and empties the bench in the win.

The Numbers:
Record: 19-9 (5-8 ACC)

Yes, folks, we have already lost more games than any of the three previous seasons on my watch.

Winning Streak: Hahaha.
Losing Streak: 2

Ricky Jefferson Watch: 5 crying jags, 1 drug habit.


Saturday, February 18, 2006, #12 Duke at NC State

The oddsmakers pick us to beat the 8th best team in the ACC.

As usual, the oddsmakers are wrong. NC State roars early, and leads at halftime, 41-29. In the second half they coast, winning 78-68. We may not win another game in the regular season.

Mike Cole scores 14, but nobody else does much of anything. NC State Junior Small Forward Wayne King scores 23, while his teammate, Junior Power Forward Byron Johnson has 15 points and 15 rebounds in the win.

The Numbers:
Record: 19-10 (5-9 ACC)

Duke clinches a losing record in the ACC

Winning Streak: We don't have wins here, just varying levels of losing.
Losing Streak: 3 (Damn Florida State)
Number of days without a shower: 0

Ricky Jefferson Watch: 6 crying jags, 1 drug habit.

[WussGawd]

Week 16 Games

Six weeks ago, Duke was 17-2. They had won 16 of 17 games and were ranked #1 in the country.

In our last 10 games, we've gone 2-8. Yes, Virginia, right now we stink. And there is still no Santa Claus.

We drop 3 spots in both polls. In the AP, we drop to #15 from #12. In the Coaches Poll, we drop from #14 to #17.

In the RPI, we drop from #12 to #18.


Injury Report

Tragically, things on the injury front are improving:
Scott Brand (Dislocated Right Knee): Out 1 to 2 weeks.
Kenyon Wrignt (Broken Wrist): Out 2 to 3 weeks.

Darricus Granger is now healthy and has returned to our starting lineup.

Now for the standings for your reading and entertainment pleasure:


ACC Standings After Week 15

Wake Forest 12-3 (24-4)
Maryland 10-4 (22-5)
North Carolina 9-5 (22-5)
Clemson 9-5 (16-10)
Virginia 7-7 (20-7)
NC State 6-8 (11-15)
Puke 5-9 (19-10)
Georgia Tech 5-10 (15-12)
Florida State 1-13 (8-19)

A Wake Forest win will clinch them the regular season title. And right now, we are in sole possession of 7th Place in the ACC.

Let's get to the games:


Thursday, February 23, 2006, Clemson at #15 Duke

Sadly, Darricus Granger is back, and it does make a difference. Duke takes a 48-41 halftime lead and never looks back, beating Clemson 91-84.

Mike Cole scores 21, while Chris Woni dishes 8 assists in the win.

The Numbers:
Record: 20-10 (6-9 ACC)
Winning Streak: 1
Losing Streak: 0
Number of Days without a shower: Not taking one tonight, Mrs. Gawd understands, and is joining me in this symbolic show of solidarity.

Ricky Jefferson Watch: 6 Crying Jags, 1 drug habit.


Saturday, February 25, 2006, #19 Virginia at #15 Duke

At halftime, Duke has a narrow lead 46-42, and actually starts the first half on an impressive run, going up by as much as 12. But in the last 10 minutes, the wheels come off, Virginia rallies, and we lose, 86-82.

Mike Cole's 20 point, 15 rebound effort is wasted on a terrible performance by his teammates.

The Numbers:
Record: 20-11 (6-10 ACC)
Winning Streak: Doughnut, babe.
Losing Streak: 1
Number of Days without a shower: Mrs. Gawd & I shower together after we get home.

Ricky Jefferson Watch: 7 Crying Jags, 2 Drug Habits (Apparently Ricky is now sniffing spray paint. Unfortunately, this means that his nose is now Candy Apple Red much of the time, as he hasn't quite figured out the secret to sniffing the stuff without getting it on him).

Next Stop: An Early Exit in the ACC Tournament, I hope.

[WussGawd]

ACC Tournament (Week 17)

The 1-1 split last week leaves us with a mixed bag. We remain at #15 in the AP, but fall to spots, from #17 to #19 in the Coaches Poll.

Duke remains at #18 in the CRI.


Injury Report:

Scott Brand has now recovered from his knee injury and is ready to play.

Kenyon Wright will be out this week, but should return in time for the NCAA Tournament as he finishes recovery from a broken wrist:


ACC Final Standings:
Wake Forest 13-3 (26-4)
Maryland 12-4 (24-5)
Clemson 10-6 (17-11)
Virginia 9-7 (22-7)
North Carolina 9-7 (22-7)
Duke 6-10 (20-11)
Georgia Tech 6-10 (17-12)
NC State 6-10 (11-17)
Florida State 1-15 (8-21)


On to the games:


Thursday, March 2, 2006:

#8 NC State 84, #9 Florida State 59

NC State climbs to 12-17. Florida State sucks.


Friday, March 3, 2006:

#8 NC State 87, #1 Wake Forest 65

NC State climbs to 13-17 and knocks off Wake Forest. This one probably cost #5 Wake Forest a #1 Seed.

#2 Maryland 83, #7 Georgia Tech 68

The Terps have too much for the Yellow Jackets. Maryland climbs to 25-5.

#5 North Carolina 78, #4 Virginia 76

North Carolina climbs to 23-7 and makes their case for a higher seed.

#6 Duke 83, #3 Clemson 60

For the second week in a row, we beat Clemson. It was 43-20 at the half, then we coasted. Duke is now 21-11.

The news is not entirely bad though. Scott Brand reinjured his knee and is gone for the year.

Mike Cole had 18 points and 13 rebounds to pace us in the win.

Mrs. Gawd and I refuse to shower in solidarity.


Saturday, March 4, 2006

#5 North Carolina 73, #8 NC State 67

So much for the Wolfpack's miracle run. North Carolina climbs to 24-7.

#2 Maryland 80, #6 Duke 78

This one was close throughout, with Duke leading 37-35 at the half. Maryland put it together down the stretch, and held on for the win off a Chris Woni miss at the buzzer.

Mike Cole has 19 points and 10 boards, but it isn't enough.

Duke falls to 21-12. Maryland is now 26-5.


Sunday, March 5, 2006

#2 Maryland 79, #5 North Carolina 69

Maryland wins the ACC Tournament with ease and improves to 27-5. Maryland now has a legitimate shot at a #1 Seed.

On to the NCAA Tournament!

[WussGawd]

First Weekend, NCAA Tournament (Week 18 Games)


In the last pre-Tournament Poll, Duke climbs from #15 to #14 in the AP Poll, and #19 to #17 in the Coaches Poll.

Duke finishes at #18 in the CRI.

The following teams from the ACC win postseason bids of some sort:

NIT Tournament:
Georgia Tech: #1 Seed, South Region

NCAA Tournament:
Maryland: #2 Seed, East Region
Virginia: #4 Seed, East Region
North Carolina: #3 Seed, Midwest Region
Clemson: #11 Seed, Midwest Region
Duke: #4 Seed, South Region
Wake Forest:#2 Seed, West Region

This is the worst seeding ever for the Blue Devils under my reign.


Injury Report

Scott Brand is out with a dislocated right knee for one month. Effectively, he's gone for the rest of the season.

Everyone else is healthy, dammit.

On to the tournaments:


NIT Tournament First Round, Tuesday, March 7, 2006:

East Region:
#1 Harvard 78, #8 Virginia Tech 75
#4 Siena 101, #5 Drexel 60

Midwest Region:
#8 Long Island 94, #1 Purdue 80
#5 Western Michigan 85, #4 Evansville 76

South Region:
#6 Tulane 84, #3 Louisiana-Lafayette 80
#2 Georgia 99, #7 Arkansas State 52

West Region:
#6 Texas A&M 86, #3 Ohio State 82
#2 Arizona State 78, #7 Vanderbilt 76


NIT Tournament First Round, Wednesday, March 8, 2006:

East Region:
#3 Seton Hall 69, #6 Sout Carolina 67
#2 Auburn 89, Northern Illinois 77

Midwest Region:
#6 Rice 99, #3 Oklahoma State 96
#7 Loyola Chicago 72, #2 Depaul 70

South Region:
#8 LSU 88, #1 Georgia Tech 76
#5 Fresno State 73, #4 Georgia Southern 68

West Region:
#1 Massachusetts 98, #8 Mississippi 50
#5 Washington 73, #4 Mississippi State 62


NCAA Tournament First Round, Thursday, March 8, 2006:

East Region:
#9 Colorado 87, #8 Arkansas 78 (OT)
#7 Oklahoma 85, #10 Gonzaga 62
#2 Maryland 92, #15 Central Connecticut 51
#1 Syracuse 77, #16 Cornell 55

Midwest Region:
#8 Iowa 78, #9 USC 75
#10 Rhode Island 74, #7 Memphis 65
#2 Kansas 95, #15 Missouri-Kansas City 52
#1 Texas 99, #16 Tennessee State 72

West Region:
#6 Texas Tech 90, #11 New Mexico 60
#5 Florida 76, #12 Loyola-Marymount 65
#4 Boston College 82, #13 Weber State 52
#3 UCLA 79, #14 Army 62

South Region:
#6 Arizona 83, #11 Arkansas Little Rock 58
#5 California 80, #12 Hofstra 69
#3 Iowa State 84, #14 Alabama A&M 39
#4 Duke vs. #13 Louisiana-Monroe

Yes, that's right Duke played today, but I know you wouldn't be interested in the score, or how things turned out, so maybe I'll just leave you hanging.




















Naw, guess I won't.

Yes, Virginia, Duke lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and there is still no ****ing Santa Claus, alright?

Duke held a narrow lead through most of the first half and led at the half 37-33. But they couldn't drive a stake through the heart of UL-M, and it wound up costing them. Louisiana Monroe got some late buckets off the bench and wound up rallying to win 75-73.

Mike Cole had 17 points and 15 rebounds, but Duke got absolutely nothing from their bench, and just like that Duke's last legitimate shot at making noise during this anti-dynasty is over.

[WussGawd]

NCAA & NIT Tournaments, First Week (Week 18)

With Duke out of the way, the coverage of the rest of the tournament will be mercifully brief:


NCAA Tournament First Round, Friday, March 10, 2006

East Region:
#6 St. Joseph's 90, #11 Ohio 53
#5 Temple 63, #12 Boston University 58
#4 Virginia 75, #13 SMU 51
#3 Illinois 93, #14 Iona 54

Midwest Region:
#6 Michigan 74, #11 Clemson 69
#12 Creighton 84, #5 Notre Dame 76
#13 Butler 98, #4 Cincinnati 90 (OT)
#3 North Carolina 90, #14 Georgia State 55

South Region:
#9 Alabama 79, #8 Georgetown 73
#7 Wisconsin 82, #10 Indiana 73
#2 Kentucky 83, #15 Birmingham Southern 50
#1 Louisville 112, #16 North Carolina A&T 56

West Region:
#8 Michigan State 71, #9 Providence 69
#7 Tennessee 76, #10 Missouri 69
#2 Wake Forest 103, #15 VMI 69
#1 Stanford 108, #16 Pacific 59

[WussGawd]

NCAA & NIT Tournaments, First Weekend (Week 18 Games):

Yes, it was quite a sight coming back to Raleigh-Durham International Airport last night. I'm used to coming home to see 10,000 screaming fans on the tarmac after the first weekend. This time, I found 20 fans, most of whom were shouting obscenities.

Oh, it makes my heart glad to be the object of such derision and scorn.

And if they're cursing me now, what are they going to do when we go 4-24? I can't wait to find out.

In any case, Duke is dead, but the tournament rolls on.


NCAA Tournament Second Round, March 11, 2006:

East Region:
#1 Syracuse 84, #9 Colorado 55
#2 Maryland 82, #7 Oklahoma 77

Midwest Region:
#1 Texas 80, #8 Iowa 55
#2 Kansas 95, #10 Rhode Island 61

South Region:
#5 California 92, #13 Louisiana-Monroe 40

Yes, that's right. The team that laid us to waste this year just got beat by 50 points in the second round.

#3 Iowa State 92, #6 Arizona 69

West Region:
#5 Florida 81, #4 Boston College 78
#3 UCLA 84, #6 Texas Tech 57

[WussGawd]

NCAA & NIT Tournament, First Week (Week 18 Games)


NCAA Tournament, Second Round, Sunday, March 12, 2006

East Region:
#5 Temple 86, #4 Virginia 68
#3 Illinois 104, #6 St. Joseph's 68

Midwest Region:
#13 Butler 82, #12 Creighton 81
#6 Michigan 76, #3 North Carolina 61

South Region:
#1 Louisville 91, #9 Alabama 49
#2 Kentucky 74, #7 Wisconsin 60

West Region:
#1 Stanford 75, #8 Michigan State 55
#2 Wake Forest 78, #7 Tennessee 51

[WussGawd]

NCAA & NIT Tournaments, Second Week (Week 19 Games)


NIT Tournament Second Round, Monday, March 13, 2006

East Region:
#1 Harvard 81, #4 Drexel 62

Midwest Region:
#8 Long Island 76, #5 Western Michigan 62

South Region:
#2 Georgia 80, #6 Tulane 66

West Region:
#2 Arizona State 76, #6 Texas A&M 71


NIT Tournament Second Round, Tuesday, March 14, 2006

East Region:
#2 Auburn 89, #7 Northern Illinois 77

Midwest Region:
#6 Rice 73, #7 Loyola-Chicago 66

South Region:
#8 LSU 70, #5 Fresno State 68

West Region:
#1 Massachusetts 87, #5 Washington 59


NIT Tournament Regional Finals, Wednesday, March 15, 2006

East Region:
#2 Auburn 82, #1 Harvard (2OT)

South Region:
#8 LSU 78, #2 Georgia 77


NIT Tournament Regional Finals, Thursday, March 16, 2006

Midwest Region:
#6 Rice 74, #8 Long Island 65

West Region:
#2 Arizona State 79, #1 Massachusetts 72

Hmm...my own alma mater is in the Final Four of the NIT.

[Patman]

I was just wondering, do you sitll recruit one player that's interested in Duke? It seems that you don't do that anymore. Have you gotten rid of this rule?

[WussGawd]

Originally posted by Patman
I was just wondering, do you sitll recruit one player that's interested in Duke? It seems that you don't do that anymore. Have you gotten rid of this rule?

Good question. I was actually wondering when somebody would notice this.

One of the things I can say about this dynasty is that I've learned an incredible amount about TDCB that I didn't know before.

With TDCB's recruiting model, no matter how much a kid growing up in North Carolina may follow Duke basketball from the time he's in diapers, he will not be "interested" in playing at Duke unless he thinks he's good enough. Conversely, even if he dreamed of playing at Northwestern, cause Daddy played at Northwestern, and Grandpa played at Northwestern, and Great Grandpa would have played at Northwestern if basketball had been invented at that point, he wouldn't want to play at Northwestern if he had the skills to go to say, Illinois or Kentucky.

Honestly, I consider this a bit counterintuitive, and like TCY's model better...a player will idolize the school he grows up around whether he has enough "game" to get a scholarship there or not. For example, I grew up around Arizona State football, back when it and the Phoenix Suns were the only game in town sports-wise.

I grew up idolizing players like Danny White, Woody Green, Mike Pagel, Dennis Sproul, John Jefferson, Gerald Riggs, Jim Jeffcoat and Larry Gordon. When I decided to go to school in-state, I never considered another place than Arizona State, and no, I don't play football. It is not unusual at all for a kid to walk on in state at a lot of programs rather than go out of state. This is very true in football, and isn't all that unusual at a lot of the lesser basketball schools in Division I.

Anyhow, the net result of this is I was faced with the danger of having to recruit 4 & 5 Star athletes to Duke with the house rule (something I hadn't anticipated). So I kind of quietly modified the rule to take at least one local kid, and deep-sixed the must take one player from Duke rule.

[WussGawd]

NCAA & NIT Tournaments, Second Week (Week 19 Games


NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals, Thursday, March 16, 2006

East Region:

#5 Temple 99, #1 Syracuse 74

Midwest Region:

#1 Texas 97, #13 Butler 63

South Region:

#3 Iowa State 74, #2 Kentucky 62

West Region:

#2 Wake Forest 89, #3 UCLA 87 (OT)


NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals, Friday, March 17, 2006

East Region:

#3 Illinois 75, #2 Maryland 63

Midwest Region:

#6 Michigan 98, #2 Kansas 64

South Region:

#1 Louisville 78, #5 California 61

West Region:

#1 Stanford 88, #5 Florida 52

[WussGawd]

NCAA & NIT Tournament, Second Week (Week 19 Games)


NCAA Tournament Regional Finals, Saturday, March 17, 2006

East Region:

#3 Illinois 75, #5 Temple 64

Midwest Region:

#1 Texas 99, #6 Michigan 50


NCAA Tournament Regional Finals, Sunday, March 18, 2006

South Region:

#3 Iowa State 76, #1 Louisville 65

West Region:

#2 Wake Forest 89, #1 Stanford 83

[WussGawd]

NCAA & NIT Tournament Final Fours


NIT Final Four, Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Auburn 83, LSU 72
Arizona State 70, Rice 67


NIT Championship Game, Thursday, March 23, 2006

Arizona State 85, Auburn 78

Woohoo! My alma mater is the 65th best basketball program in the nation.


NCAA Tournament Final Four, Saturday, March 25, 2006

Illinois 94, Iowa State 42
Wake Forest 74, Texas 51


NCAA Tournament Championship Game, Monday, March 27, 2006

Wake Forest 90, Illinois 78

Most Outstanding Player: Wake Forest PG Eric Walter (27 points, 8 assists, including 19 of 22 from the line).

Coming Up Next, the Season Wrap Up. Should be entertaining.

[WussGawd]

2005-2006 Season Fishwrap-Up

The Season in General.

At first glance, in light of the fact I am dismantling the Duke dynasty one recruit at a time, a 21-13 record doesn't seem like much of an achievement, but let's take a look at the trend:

2003: 30-7 Overall (14-4 ACC), Elite Eight Tournament Finish
2004: 30-6 Overall (14-4 ACC), Sweet 16 Finish
2005: 28-8 Overall (13-5 ACC), Elite Eight Finish
2006: 21-13 Overall (7-11 ACC), Eliminated in First Round of NCAA Tournament.

Consider this was the first losing record for the team in the ACC. It is the second year that our win totals have declined in a row. It was the earliest exit in the tournament. It contained a number of one sided losses. A couple of more stats also illuminate the illusions of this particular 20 win season:

Record vs. over .500 opponents: 11-10
Record vs. under .500 opponents: 10-3

We began the season at 17-2, mainly on the strength of a soft non-conference schedule. Then, they ran up against a tough ACC schedule and struggled, finishing 4-11 for the rest of the season.


The Measures of Success

Everything I know about basketball I learned from my mentor and friend, Alfred "Phog" McMuddled, legendary coach of Division IV Lower East Middle Western Central Coastal Rhode Island State. Phog was a coach of a thoussand stories of wisdom. There was many a time, particularly after one of our wins (there were so few that they were all memorable), he'd take me aside, and say. "Wuss, the biggest key to being a successful coach is knowing what success looks like."

Now the dark cynical side of me realizes that Phog, with his 15-306 lifetime career record, could easily recognize success by how frequently opposing coaches had it against his teams. But nonetheless, I have chosen to take his advice:

Therefore, for your edification pleasure, here are the varying levels of success for the Duke program in terms of on the court success:

1. Losing Record in the ACC.
2. First Time Finishing Out of the Top 25.
3. First Season without 20 wins.
4. First Year Missing NCAA Tournament.
5. First Year Missing NIT Tournament
6. First Last Place Finish in the ACC.
7. First 20 Loss season.
8. First Winless Season in ACC.
9. First Winless Overall Record.
10. First #320 Finish in RPI.

We accomplished the first this year. We had a losing season in the ACC and we got bounced in the first round of the tournament by a thoroughly mediocre directional school.

With four more veterans leaving, and nobody of similar quality to replace them, I actually expect a dramatic drop in the Win column next year. Objectives 2-4 could happen as early as next year. From there, it should be a lively ride to Level #10 of Success as a Failing Program.

That's all for now. Click here in a few days to join us for the 2006-2007 Season of It Rhymes With Puke.