It's A Glorious Day: Duke Lost

March Madness has a means of bringing about moments that very few sporting events can even remotely pull off. There are the fixtures and mainstays which occupy deep spots in the tournament nearly each and every year: Kentucky, UConn, North Carolina, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State, and finally the Duke Blue Devils. Of the teams just mentioned, there could only be one of them that would get the blood boiling for most of you. I mean, who hates Kansas? Rock Chalk Jayhawk is loved by mostly all of us as it depicts what March Madness is all about. Kentucky? Nah, unless you attended Louisville. But that is not what this post is about. There will always be teams and fan bases that wish for failure of their most heated rivals. Here, I am talking about the New York Yankees of college hoops. Yankee haters exist in every corner of the country. Same with Duke. No college hoops team is more divisive than the Blue Devils. Does anyone know a true Blue Devils fan? Oh, a worthy sidenote: nobody likes Duke football. It is only basketball which deserves attention. I have loads of friends, by the way and only one is a true Duke fan, albeit in basketball only. This means only one thing: 99.9% of my friends would rather go through a high-powered colonic than cheer for Duke. Let's explore why after the jump.

For me, it began in 1992 with this most ridiculous shot and lack of defense by Kentucky. This game is heralded by many as the greatest college basketball game in the history of the sport. Those rankings are tough to objectively score, but it would be in the top three in my book.

By the way, how do you not guard the in-bounds pass here? Oh, I digress. Of course, this game catapulted Duke into the Final Four where they toppled Indiana in the national semi-finals and then dispersed of the Fab Five from Michigan with a 71-51 drubbing of Chris Webber and the gang. The Wolverines brought some hip-hop flavor, baggy shorts (for the day), black socks, and an attitude as they started five freshmen from mid-February through the rest of the season. You wanted the Fab Five to succeed, especially against Duke. They didn't. Worse, they didn't even compete. Blown off the national stage by the irritatingly proficient Mike Krzyzewski led Blue Devils brought about even more annoyance. Who liked Laettner and Bobby Hurley besides their families and Duke alumni and student base? Nobody, that's who. And they screwed it up for everybody. A team starting five true freshmen had a chance to make history by not only winning the national title, but knocking off the loathed Dukies in doing so.

Speaking of Coach Krzyzewski, he draws a good bit of attentive ire in his own right. Whether it is due to his smallish mouth, rat resemblance, or the fact that he always seems to beat you with less can be debated. This man can flat out coach. Maybe it is the fact that the university has an undergraduate enrollment of some 6500 full time students. Perhaps it is the fact that 95% of the students graduate within a four year time frame. There is less of them, they are smarter than the rest of us, and they still win with regularity. That is damn annoying. 

Regarding accomplishments, it gets even worse: 

• 4 National Championships (all since 1985 when field was expanded to 64 teams)
• 15 Final Fours
• 10 Championship Game Appearances
• 18 ACC Championships
• 11 National Players of the Year Awards
• 14 of its alumni are active in the NBA (tied for most in the nation)
• One of only two programs with Final Four Appearance and Championship Game appearance in each of the last five decades
• Cameron Indoor Arena is arguably the top venue in the nation for college hoops

Yes, as you can see, there is a good bit to voice one's displeasure about regarding Duke University. Perhaps they don't do anything at all but make others insanely jealous. Ahhh, that's it. We all don't simply hate Duke, unless you are a UNC graduate/fan. No, we are simply jealous at their relentless efficiency and consistency. As they say, it is lonely at the top and Duke proves that once more. Job well done, Coach K.