Mike Krzyzewski seemed to be in excellent spirits Friday. That had something to do with the improved health of Duke guard Chris Duhon, the giddiness that comes with any trip to the Final Four and, maybe, because the pressure this time is on someone else.
Duke has the mystique, the remarkable 10 trips to the Final Four since 1986, the No. 1 seeding in its regional and the label as the standard-bearer for excellence in college basketball. Yet it is No. 2-seeded Connecticut, the team the Blue Devils play Saturday night in the second semifinal game, that has emerged as the team to beat for the national championship.
That is what happens when a team loaded with talent lives up to preseason expectations and demolishes four NCAA tournament opponents on its way to the Final Four, as Connecticut has. Duke has been cast merely as the team that might be good enough to stop this runaway train.
"People are saying we'll probably lose," Krzyzewski, the Duke coach, said. "That's healthy."
It's not that Duke (31-5) has been unimpressive on its way here. The Blue Devils started the season at No. 2 in the polls, behind only Connecticut. They sewed up a No. 1 seeding by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and have won their four NCAA tournament games by an average of 19 points. The only test came against Xavier in the Atlanta regional final, a game Duke won, 66-63.
A case can be made that the Blue Devils have yet to play their best during the tournament because of Duhon's health problems. He has been hampered throughout the tournament by bruised ribs, but Krzyzewski said Friday that Duhon, a senior point guard, is doing much better.
"We're in good health," Krzyzewski said before Duke practiced. "Duhon is much better than he was at this time last week. He's actually practiced at least half the time this week and he's had contact. So, if we can get through this practice in a little bit, we should be in really good shape. I'm excited about that."
Connecticut (31-6) also had good news to report about injuries. Center Emeka Okafor, bothered in the Phoenix regional final by numbness in his right hand, said that he should not have any problems playing at 100 percent Saturday. He has also had back and shoulder problems in the postseason.
"I'm feeling real good right now," he said. "As far as what I do to get myself ready, I'm practicing full time. I'm just doing my ab routine to keep my back strong and doing my shoulder exercises to keep my shoulder loose."
With a healthy Okafor, Connecticut should have all the pieces in place for another stellar performance. The Huskies get great defense from Okafor, senior leadership from Taliek Brown and explosive offense from Ben Gordon and Rashad Anderson. Anderson, who did not enter the starting lineup until Feb. 24 against St. John's, had 28 points in Connecticut's victory over Alabama in the regional final, and Gordon had 36.
"It doesn't surprise us that we're the underdog," Duke guard J.J. Redick said. "Connecticut has been playing as well as any team in the country, not only in this tournament but for most of the season. They were the preseason No. 1 and have a lot of future NBA lottery picks. They should be the favorite."
But not an overwhelming favorite in a game that has pitted two programs with superb coaches, outstanding records and some notable history between them.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
RSS