Mar
9
by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
Hoops 4 the Soul East Regional Breakdown
#1 1991/1992 Duke Blue Devils vs. #4 2003
* The 1991 and 1992 Duke national championship teams have been combined into one team. Duke returned most of its team in 1992 with the key exceptions being center Greg Koubek, who started at center as a senior in 1991, and backup guard Billy McCaffrey, who was second on the team in scoring and transferred to Vanderbilt after Duke’s first title. These players will be included on this combined team, with their stats obviously being from the 1991 season. The stats for all other Duke players will be from the 1992 season.
(remember to click on the pictures)
Point Guard:
Duke Bobby Hurley (13.2 ppg, 237 assists) vs. Syracuse Gerry McNamara (13.3 ppg, 155 assists)
A battle of scrappy competitors, Hurley is the product of his father—legendary high school coach Bob Hurley, Sr.—who demanded nothing but the best from his oldest son. Hurley’s heart matches his ability; despite his less than imposing appearance, Hurley plays the game with no intimidation. He is the backbone of this Duke team, outplaying bigger and more athletic foes with his well-schooled fundamentals and basketball savvy. Hurley will do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s taking it to the tin amidst the trees, stepping in and popping a big three in the game’s final moments, sacrificing his body for the charge, or doing something else. Hurley is just an amazing competitor who backs down from no one. The freshman McNamara is another guy with limited physical abilities who just goes out there and gives it all. A fiery guard like Hurley, McNamara may be streaky from the outside but he doesn’t have a conscious and will step up and take and make the big shot with everything on the line. The edge still goes to Hurley, who is a model of consistency. Advantage: Duke
Shooting Guard
Duke Thomas Hill (14.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) vs. Syracuse Kueth Duany (11.0 ppg, 3.7 ppg)
A smooth yet tough lefty, Hill is a versatile weapon who can kill you from the outside with the three, take his game mid-range, or attack the rim with fearless abandon. Hill is an extremely aggressive defender who will get his body into the opposing player on offense. A lanky senior from the
Small Forward:
Duke Grant Hill (14.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) vs. Syracuse Carmelo Anthony (22.2 ppg, 10 rpg)
Talk about versatility – this match up is as good as it gets in this tournament. The 6’8’’ Hill is college basketball’s version of Scottie Pippen – a point forward who can bring the ball up and get Duke in its offense on one possession and then use his extreme athleticism to score at the hoop and battle down low the next time the Blue Devils have the ball. Hill has the entire package – he’s a cerebral competitor with tremendous offensive and defensive skills. Hill’s addition to these Duke teams is what finally put them over the top after so-many disappointments in the Final Four. When you talk about impact freshman over the last 25 years in college basketball, Hill in 1991 and Anthony in 2003 are at the top of the list. A product of Baltimore, Anthony is the driving force of the Orangemen. The game comes so easy for this amazing freshman, who plays with a smile from ear to ear. Whether it’s burying ridiculous 25-foot three-pointers with a guy in his face or putting the ball on the deck and acrobatically scoring in the lane, Anthony is college basketball’s definition of athletic grace. A scoring machine, the 6’9’’ Anthony is a forgotten but major force on the boards who simply makes all four of his teammates on the floor much better players. This is a dream match up. Advantage: Even
Power Forward:
Duke Greg Koubek (5.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg) vs. Syracuse Hakim Warrick (14.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg)
Koubek is a scrappy and intelligent player who is nothing special physically. The senior will battle on the defensive end of the floor and can hit the occasional mid-range jumper; but he doesn’t figure to get too much minutes in this game as Duke will rely more heavily on lengthy Alabama-native Antonio Lang (6.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and talented freshman big man Cherokee Parks (5.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg). The sophomore Warrick is a freak of nature with this athleticism and wingspan. This kid could have his feet planted in cement outside the lane and still lift up from off the ground for the one-hand slam. While an extremely effective scorer fading away from the lane due to his length, Warrick’s physical attributes make a bigger impact on the defensive side of the ball, where he is able to alter shots and get into the heads of shooters by just raising his right hand. Advantage:
Center:
Duke Christian Laettner (21.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg) vs. Syracuse Craig Forth (3.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
This is probably the biggest mismatch in the history of college basketball. Hardly a choir boy despite his looks, Laettner is a fierce human being during those 40 minutes of game time. Liked by few and despised by many, Laettner commands the most ultimate respect; the kid is a clutch performer who is at his best in the biggest moments. Laettner may rub many people the wrong way, but the guy fuels this Duke team with his intensity. Laettner is one of the greatest college basketball players of all time who is a near automatic from the field—whether inside or outside—as the stage gets bigger. An unrefined seven-footer, Forth is out on the floor because of his size.
The Bench:
Duke brings a lot of firepower off its bench, with McCaffrey (11.3 ppg) really able to stroke it from the outside. Physically and mentally strong, small forward Brian Davis (11.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg) is like having a sixth starter on the floor.
As for
Coaching:
Duke Mike Krzyzewski vs.
While the 1998/1999 Duke team may have been more talented, the 1991 and 1992 Blue Devils’ squads will always remain the most-identified teams of the Coach K era. Krzyzewski has an amazing feel with this team; he knows these players better than they know themselves and perfectly works off their strengths, putting them in the best situation to win (simply watch the 1991 Final Four game against Nevada-Las Vegas).
Boeheim has done an amazing job with this young
Prediction:
While this game is at the
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It’s funny how things change. I remember everyone, except UNC fans I suppose, being thrilled with Duke’s ‘91 title and earlier upset of UNLV and there wasn’t much hatred being shown after they took out the Fab Five the next year. Imagine if Christian Laettner was playing now. He would be adored by Dickie V and despised by everyone else. His shot against Kentucky would be remembered with searing hatred instead of neutral amazement.
This was one of at least 4 years in which Temple made the Elite 8 as a double digit seed. They nearly beat UNC, who had the simplest of paths to the Final 4, playing the 16, 9, 12, and 10. This was the bracket from which Richmond beat Syracuse, the first ever 2-15 upset. The better seed went 16-0 in the 2nd round, which set up some good later games. This is also the only year I can think of in the recent past where both UNC and Duke were in the Final 4.
‘92 had the historic Duke-Kentucky game, but otherwise was only memorable for the run by Michigan’s Fab Five. They beat 1 seed Ohio State in OT to make the Final 4 as a 6 seed and beat surprise Final 4 team Cincinnati to make the final. It’s hard to believe, but this is Cincy’s only F4 appearance of the Huggins era, and it came before they were known as a powerhouse team.
This is the tournament where James Forrest’s miracle 3 beat Harold Miner’s 2-seeded USC team in the 2nd round. My Holy Mackerel name comes from Al McGuire’s reaction to the winning shot.
2003 was the breakout for Carmelo Anthony and Dywane Wade. Anthony of course was the big hero here, but Wade a triple-double! in Marquette’s elite 8 win over the overall #1 team Kentucky. This was the year I realized I had slipped too far away from college hoops and got back into it hardcore the next year. It was Auburn’s sweet 16 run (and near win over Syracuse) where I knew nobody on their team that upset me so.
I watched the final on Classic a few weeks ago, and Syracuse was just filthy in the first half. They would have been up on any team in college history with that performance. They then missed everything in the 2nd half were very lucky to escape with the win. Believe it or not, Hinrich was disappointing.
“McNamara may be streaky from the outside but he doesn’t have a conscious and will step up and take and make the big shot with everything on the line.”
Your entire website has lost any and all credibility based on that quote.
And, Grant Hill, while a fantastic college player, simply would not have been able to handle Carmelo defensively.
That being said, Duke still wins by 8-10 points.