This team was just a tad before my time, the 81 team was the team i really was able to follow, and was in providence for the win over JMU, before ainge ripped my young heart out.
Was great to see this team play, and see KT and TJ as young players, and was wondering if OW was hurt since I didnt see him play. What a loaded roster.
And good to know Billy Packer was just as annoying back then, the guy only talked about teams getting tired, like herbstreit talks about speed.
Just had no answer for Banks and Gminski, they just killed us, which is odd since we had Flowers, Batton and BL...but i did feel duke got the benefit of the whistle a few times, nothing major, but just enough to never let us get going.
Interesting game to watch with no three, no shot clock, a jump ball at the half, and quick commercial breaks, and loved hearing Al break it down...and I am not sure there was one ball screen against the zone, and hardly any screens against the zone, just trying to work it side to side and get a hi post catch, different times
Interesting that in the early parts of the game they seemed to be saying that ND had to worry about playing too fast v Duke, and certainly Duke built a big lead, but I thought that was mostly against our press...but they were also saying we had more depth than duke and that foster did a great job getting his kids breathers (see packer obsessing over who is tired), but that doesnt make much sense to me, but I dont know these teams enough...was duke known as more of a running team than us, were we seen as plodders? Was our size supposed to overwhelm Duke? Cant imagine that with banks and gminski down low?
Clearly we got insanely hot at end to make the comeback, but I also thought the quicker tempo was good for us, we looked comfortable playing it...wasnt this a common complaint of digger's, that he put the clamps on his teams too much?? maybe I am wrong there, not sure...
Anyway, truly a heartbreaking loss, great fight by the irish...