Today Duke Sports Blog begins a 17 day Countdown to “Countdown to Craziness” with a daily article dedicated to each member of this year’s squad. We will be alternating articles between Ro Shiell and Bermuda Bob.
Today, we’ll start with comments on the 2013-2014 Duke Basketball Schedule …
By Bermuda Bob:
First and foremost, I need to point out that I was one of “those” guys who did not see any virtue into bringing in Notre Dame, who I refer to as “The American Sports Vatican.” As you might glean from my nickname for them, I believe that they like to have their things “their way,” and that’s not godly, it’s hypocrisy.
You can’t have it both ways folks. Yes, they bring a history of academic excellence along with relatively competitive teams, but my position has always been that either you bring them all, or don’t come.
On to the schedule.
Duke is home for a few exhibitions, then Davidson in Cameron as well. These game sought to help the squad gel on their home court as well as give the Coach K and his Staff ideas on who will play where and when. As we all know, Duke is without a proven ”Big” this year, so the option will be for many faces per game instead of only the traditional 7 or 8 deep.
Duke will also be home well into November except for a visit to Chicago on 11-12-2013 for a match-up with Kansas as a part of the State Farm Champions Classic. Kansas is stacked this year … with talent and expectations from nine (9) Frosh, including the highly touted Andrew Wiggins. If Duke doesn’t have it together, it could be a “learning game.” Duke/Kansas games are always full of spirited competition and I’ll bet that this year Coach Self will make sure someone guards Tyler Thornton …
Ro Shiell adds that this game, since it’s being played in the United Center in Chicago, will provide some extra glimmer for fans as Jabari Parker is a hometown boy. Who knows, maybe Wiggins and Parker will draw each other.
This year, Preseason NIT will call for Duke to play in the East Region at Cameron where they draw UNC Ashville on the 18th of November, and if they prevail they will play the winner of East Carolina and Norfolk State on the 19th. If they are still in the win column, (meaning they won the East Region) then it’s off to Madison Square Garden in NYC on the 27th for a match with the South Region winner out of Alabama, Stillman, Georgia State, or McNeese State.
The Bracket Masters essentially want to see an Arizona-Duke final on the 29th.
After that, on Monday, 12-3-2012, comes the night Mitch McGary has presumably had circled since last year. Michigan and Duke meet in the Big 10 – ACC Challenge. McGary, Duke fans will recall, “dissed” the expectations of any Duke “Big” when he was heavily recruited by Coach K. He also came into his own during the end of last season, a playing pivotal role in Michigan’s season. Michigan is still a formidable team after losing some of their leaders to the NBA Draft. The Challenge never disappoints, so mark this one on your calendar if you haven’t already !!!
Shortly after a meeting with UCLA in the CARQUEST Auto Parts Classic in Madison Square Garden, in NYC on 12-18-2013, comes the new year and Conference Season.
This is the first year in recollection that Duke will not play an out-of-conference game in the middle of this part of the season. Well, unless you count their final meeting with Maryland on Saturday, 2-15-2013 Coach K always used that game to prepare his squad for the post-season, but an expanding ACC has eaten up all other available dates.
The conference game getting a lot of attention is the match AT Syracuse on the eve of Groundhog Day in the Carrier Dome. No, the attention is not because Duke transfer, Michael Gbinije will be eligible to play, it is because Syracuse has so far taken a pass on putting the floor in the middle of the arena and going for a record attendance. The Orange have said that nothing is etched in stone, so time will tell.
In the new and expanded schedule, Duke will play home-and-home series with only Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Wake, Syracuse, and, of course North Carolina. That means plenty of variety and a chance for plenty of parody this year. New faces, venues, and crowds, but in the end, eventually they will all have to come to Cameron sooner or later to meet the Cameron Crazies.
TELEVISION:
This year, it seems that Duke gets on ESPN plenty. Only five conference games will not be on ESPN, ESPN2, or CBS. That’s a welcome aspect for those of us who have to pay for any coverage outside of those portals.
POST SEASON:
The ACC Tournament begins on Wednesday, March 12th at Greensboro, which, if you believe the press, might be one of the last times there. The tourney will return for 2015 be then changes will happen.
Many believed that the ACC expansion and inclusion of previous Big East stalwarts might cause them to wish to go to MSG. I thought that was a mistake, and I got my wish when it was announced that no bids were made for 2016 through 2021.
The ACC is considering other venues such as Atlanta – Phillips, Charlotte, Tampa, and Washington DC through 2021. Washington DC will most likely be dropped first since there will be no ACC presence there any longer. Miami, Orlando, Pittsburgh and the Georgia Dome were eliminated since the ACC has expressed a desire to stay away from domes in favor of more traditional arenas.
Personally, I believe they ought to stay in Greensboro where the Conference has always had a home there of grateful citizens, easy economical travel, and hospitality, and an event where there are few minuses for North Carolina teams or visitors. “Spreading the wealth” only hurts the fans who have packed Greensboro year in and year out !!!
Then it’s on to the Big Dance,
Please come back tomorrow as we start our examination of this year’s squad.
