The Agony Of Defeat

Uggggghh! Where do I start? Duke falls to LSU in the sweet 16 in one of the ugliest college basketball games I have ever seen. The officials let a lot go tonight and that hurt Duke in a big way. The Blue Devils never adapted to the physical, bodies flying everywhere style of play. J.J. struggled and who wouldn't struggle when they are being grabbed and held on every possession as he was. McRoberts has bugged me all season and tonight put me over the edge. All the guy can do is dunk for christ sake! He takes gambles on defense that make no sense and he struggles to finish in traffic. Dicky V thinks he is going to be a star next year, but I am not convinced. Paulus on the other hand is going to be a great point guard. I thought he made some strides at the end of the season. Dockery and Nelson shot the ball horribly tonight and both looked incredibly nervous. Finally, as much as it hurts me to say this I put a lot of this loss and previous early NCAA tournament exits on Coach K. He has to establish a deeper rotation during the season. Even if this means three or four more regular season losses, you cannot win the big dance with seven players. Period. The team looked slow and sluggish tonight as they did in several games at the end of the year (Temple and North Carolina come to mind). He has to start trusting nine or ten players and the starters have to trust those bench players as well. Thanks to J.J. and Sheldon for four great years and see you in the NBA.