Mar
4
by Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
Hoops 4 the Soul Sweet Sixteen West Regional Breakdown
#2 2001 Duke Blue Devils vs. #3 1993
(remember to click on the pictures)
Point Guard:
Duke Jason Williams (21.6 ppg, 6.1 apg) vs. UNC’s Derrick Phelps (8.1 ppg, 5.4 apg)
Next to UNLV’s Anderson Hunt, the sophomore Williams is this region’s most explosive talent, capable of going off and dominating the game from three point land in three to four minute spurts. A cagey junior, Phelps is a deliberate point guard who gets UNC into its offense. Not the quickest athlete, Phelps will struggle with the explosive Williams, who can surprise you every once in a while with a throw down at the hoop. Advantage: Duke.
Shooting Guard:
Duke Nate James (12.3 ppg, 5.2 apg) vs. UNC’s Donald Williams (14.3 ppg, 41.7 3-pt%)
The underrated James is an imposing guard, standing at 6’6’’ and built like a fullback. James is a solid senior who’s played behind Duke stars Trajan Langdon, Corey Maggette, and Ricky Davis, and has a knack for hitting timely shots in big games despite shooting 31 percent from the three point line. UNC’s sophomore Williams is like Duke’s sophomore Williams—when he’s in rhythm and hitting the three, his game is hard to control and his team hard to beat. James’ size and physicality on Williams could be key in determining this match up, but the nod, at least for now, goes to UNC’s 1993 MOP. Advantage:
Small Forward:
Duke Mike Dunleavy Jr. (12.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg) vs. UNC’s George Lynch (14.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg)
The sophomore Dunleavy’s numbers seem a bit modest…but don’t be fooled by the boyish looks of this son of a coach. Dunleavy can be a cold-hearted assassin from beyond the arc in the big moments (just ask Richard Jefferson and the 2001 Arizona Wildcats). The senior Lynch is the heart and soul of this
Power Forward:
Duke Shane Battier (19.9 ppg, 7.3 apg) vs. UNC’s Brian Reese (11.4 ppg)
The 2001 Defensive Player of the Year, Battier is Duke’s Lynch—the heart that keeps the Blue Devils beating. Battier is always in the right spot on defense…his ability to take the charge could be key if Donald Williams is able to penetrate for the short pull-up in the lane. He’s also a great help side rebounder, meaning that the hardworking Reese, who likes to play baseline to baseline, will be in for a challenge at the rim. Reese is a scrapper who maximizes his underwhelming talent, but he can’t scrap with Battier. Advantage: Duke
Center:
Duke Carlos Boozer (13.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg) vs. UNC’s Eric Montross (15.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
This battle in the pivot will be interesting. The sophomore Boozer from
The Bench:
Duke’s got an extremely thin bench, but freshman Chris Duhon (7.2 ppg, 4.5 apg, 3.4 rpg) is like a sixth starter. Duhon plays with a maturity beyond his years while the offensively-inept Sanders (2.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg) is a fill in for Boozer and represents five fouls. If Duke’s front line gets really thin, Mark Christensen is a typical Dukie at the end of the bench—short on skill, long on annoyingness.
Coaching:
Duke Mike Krzyzewski vs. UNC Dean Smith
Two of the best coaches of all-time. Krzyzewski’s team can run-and-shoot and then lock down on defense in the crunch time. Like his point guard Phelps, Smith is calm and quiet yet extremely driven. Smith typically never lets the pace of the game get out of his hands; however, he could struggle doing so with this explosive Duke team. Don’t be surprised if Smith brings out the old four corners (even with the 35 second shot clock) to try and frustrate Duke’s Jason Williams. Advantage: Too Close to Call
Prediction: The battle of Tobacco Road makes its way
ESPN has already started the ticker countdown on this game, which will be a ratings bonanza for CBS. Could it rival Magic vs. Bird in 1979 on NBC?
As for the prediction, expect a classic with UNC pulling this one off thanks to Smith’s tact and another bonehead gaffe by an opponent. Remember Freddie Brown’s pass to James Worthy in 1982. Chris Webber’s timeout in 1993. This game will be remembered for Duke rah rah Christensen punching out a referee in the game’s final moments after being called for an over-the-back foul following a Jason Williams missed free throw that would have broken a tie. Donald Williams sinks the two technical free throws with three seconds left to break the tie and help give UNC an eventual four-point win.
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The 2001 tournament was nothing special. But I have pretty sour memories thanks to Illinois losing to Arizona in a brutal game and Duke’s championship. Not to mention I was living in NJ.
The first round was drab, with a few mid-range upsets by mid-majors over overrated BCS level schools. The real stunner was Hampton beating Iowa State in a late night 2-15 game. That is perhaps the biggest 1st round upset in tourney history. Three of the four brackets had drab 2nd rounds. In the South region, Penn State shocked a lazy UNC team in the 2-7 game and Temple once again pulled off a huge upset beating defending runner-up Florida in a 3-11 game. Defending champ Michigan State had a cakewalk to the Final 4, with a 7, 11 and 12 seed joining them in the Sweet 16.
All four 1-seeds make the regional finals without a challenge. But 2-seed Kentucky was shocked by an inspired USC team, who would lose to Duke in the regional final. Maryland hadn’t played a single digit seed until they faced 1-seed Stanford in the regional final, but the Terps pounded Stanford to make their first ever Final 4. The less said about Illinois-Arizona the better. In the Final 4, Maryland got off to a 20+ point lead on Duke in the first half (remember this was the same season Maryland blew a 10 point home lead in the last minute to Duke.) This time, Duke slowly chipped away and eventually took the lead in the last 7 minutes and never looked back. Arizona dispatched of their second straight Big 10 1-seed with a strong 2nd half to beat MSU. Arizona battled well in the final, but Duke played an excellent game and got the Battier flops called their way.
The ‘93 tourney went heavily to form. Let’s not forget that officially Michigan vacated their appearance due to cheating. Three of the brackets combined for just a pair of seeded 1st round upsets. But Michigan’s West region broke down right away. 13 seed Southern beat Georgia Tech and 12 seed George Washington beat New Mexico. In the bottom half, 15-seed Santa Clara, led by some guy named Nash, shocked Arizona. Jason Kidd’s Cal team ended Duke’s title reign in a 2nd round 3-6 game. The only real upset of the 2nd round was Western Kentucky taking out Terry Dehere and Seton Hall in a 2-7 game, but UCLA had the Fab Five on the ropes, but blew a big lead and eventually lost on a Jimmy King follow up basket in OT. Michigan played awful in the regionals, but their limited opponents GW (with the late Yinka Dare) and 7 seed Temple on yet another Elite 8 run couldn’t step up and send Webber to the NBA.
Kentucky looked to be the class of the nation, demolishing Wake Forest and a good Florida State team by a combined 58 points to reach the Final 4. UNC and Cincinnati went to OT in their regional final, with the Heels holding off Nick Van Exel in the end. Kansas beat Indiana to prevent the Final 4 from being all 1-seeds for the first time. I was at the Final 4, and it was truly up for grabs between teams that wore a shade of blue. Kentucky was the favorite, but Travis Ford sucked against Jalen Rose and Michigan played a great game and won in overtime. UNC beat Kansas in a decent game that was never really that close. The final will always be remembered for Webber’s uncalled travel and eventual illegal timeout, but UNC blew this game late with a stupid play and missed free throws. They had the game in hand and Brian Reese foolishly stepped on the line catching an inbounds pass and Pat Sullivan clanked the front end before Webber’s timeout. All in all, Michigan played the best in the final 4 and Webber was dominant, but Donald Williams’ hot hand was the difference in the end. I’m pretty sure no men’s BB title has ever been vacated, so the NCAA has to be happy that UNC pulled this one out.
2001 was my first year in college, so I enjoyed this year as Illinois made it to the Elite Eight. The Arizona game was a travesty with the foul calls and Bill Walton announcing a game in which his son was playing. This year was sort of like how 05 turned out, with the two best teams meeting in the title game. Arizona slumped mid-season but put it together in the tournament, trouncing Michigan State in the Final Four.
This was one of the last really good Duke teams in my opinion. Dunleavy won the title game for Duke in the second half as Jason Williams really struggled and should have had three fouls in the first half. He ran over Jason Gardner, but they called a block I believe. I’m not too fond of 2004 or 2006 Duke, and 2002 Duke was good with Williams, but blew it against Indiana.
In the grand scheme of things, 2001 wasn’t anything too special. Hampton-Iowa State was great, except that the game was played on Boise State’s awful court. Freakin’ Penn State made the Sweet Sixteen with the Crispin brothers.
As for 1993, my favorite Final Four right ahead of 1997 and 2005. My dad had Kansas, Michigan and Kentucky in our family grab bag that year, and still lost on the pot. Kentucky-Michigan was exciting from start to finish. I was in fifth grade this year and don’t remember the early rounds of the tourney. However, I remember the Final Four quite well.