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Day at a Glance
Don't forget about the defenses
Posted: Sunday April 01, 2001 6:52 PM
By Albert Lin, CNNSI.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- As much fun as it will be to watch Arizona and Duke fill it up Monday night on the offensive end, we just as eagerly await the defensive matchups -- specifically, the potential mismatches. Both teams have scads of potent offensive weapons plus one or two versatile defenders who will make their coach's job easier and the opposing coach's task more difficult.
Arizona coach Lute Olson was keeping his defensive assignments close to the vest, but we can make an educated guess on all of them. The backcourt seems set with Jason Gardner on Chris Duhon and Gilbert Arenas on Jason Williams. Up front, though, is where it gets interesting. Power forward Michael Wright no doubt will check Duke's Carlos Boozer when he is in the game, or Casey Sanders otherwise. The Wildcats' two X factors, though, are Loren Woods and Richard Jefferson.
Woods is a 7-foot-1 shot blocker without the bulk to battle down low. He does, however, have the athleticism to chase a perimeter player, and he is expected to spend a lot of time in Shane Battier's company. "[Woods] feels very comfortable out there right now, which has been a great thing for him in terms of his development as a player," Olson said. "Big guys don't move their feet like Loren does. He has good quickness. He can use his size, he can keep a bigger gap [to prevent a drive] and still get pressure on the shot."
Jefferson has developed into one of the best defenders in a nation, someone Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski likened to his own former star Grant Hill in terms of ability to guard multiple positions. The 6-7 skywalker has shut down the likes of Frank Williams, Casey Jacobsen, David Bluthenthal and Jason Kapono this season. He will probably start on Mike Dunleavy Jr., but Jefferson likely will spend time on Battier and Jason Williams, as well. "He's different than just about anybody else in college basketball because of his athletic ability and how he uses it," Krzyzewski said. "Jefferson can make a mistake and still react because of his determination and his ability."
Coach K could counter with a big lineup featuring Sanders, Boozer, Battier, Dunleavy and Williams, creating a huge height advantage for Dunleavy over Arenas, but that would stray from Duke's strength of having four shooters on the floor at all times, so we don't think it will happen.
Defensively, Dunleavy said the Blue Devils, as of Sunday, were planning to stay with their normal assignments, so he expects to be on Jefferson. Dunleavy's length will present a challenge to Jefferson, but he comes up short in strength and quickness.
At the 4 and 5 spots, when Sanders is in the game the sophomore will take Woods while Battier battles Wright. When Boozer checks in, Battier will probably switch over to Woods and leave Wright to Boozer. Battier, of course, is Duke's X factor, a two- (and likely three-)time defensive player of the year who can also guard multiple positions.
If any Blue Devil is a perfect matchup for Jefferson, it's Nate James, who is similar in size and athleticism. James will see a lot of court time, regardless, but he might draw Jefferson if Dunleavy isn't up to the task.
Which leads to this delicious scenario: Woods on Dunleavy, and vice versa. The former would happen if Olson chooses to put Jefferson on Battier; the latter if Krzyzewski goes to a small lineup where Battier is the center.
Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Other permutations are possible, but we'll leave those decisions for the coaches before and during the final.
"There are going to be some interesting situations that develop throughout the whole game that are going to be fun to watch," Jefferson said.
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| History in the making |
| Both schools have a chance to repeat feats. When Arizona won the title in 1997, it became the first team to defeat three No. 1 seeds en route to the championship; a win over Duke Monday would make this Wildcats club the second to do so. (Going back to '97, Arizona has beaten the last five top seeds it has faced.) Duke's last championship run, in 1992, went from Greensboro, N.C., to Philadelphia to Minneapolis. The Blue Devils have followed that same itinerary this year. |
| Like father, like son |
| If Arizona forward Luke Walton follows in dad Bill's footsteps, the Waltons will become the third father-son tandem to play for championship teams. The previous two all involved UCLA and Arizona: Marques (UCLA '75) and Kris Johnson (UCLA '95) and Henry (UCLA '70-72) and Mike Bibby (Arizona '97). Bill, of course, is in town in his role as a CBS commentator. |
| Free form |
| In the second half of its win over Maryland, Duke stopped calling set plays and instead just ran its motion offense. Sounds dicey, but really, as Battier said, it's just about playing basketball. "I think you take the lead off of your guard," Krzyzewski said. "I've learned more about Jason in coaching him, that he's better instinctive." Will the Blue Devils use this approach during the entire final? |
| The start of something big? |
| Depending on how many players from both schools leave early (and there are indications that at least a couple might), each team could be in line for a good shot at another title next season. Duke's only seniors are Battier and James; Arizona's significant graduation losses will include Loren Woods, Eugene Edgerson and Justin Wessel. Only Battier and Woods are starters, though. |
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| Chris Duhon, Gilbert Arenas: Both sustained injuries in Saturday's semifinals (Duhon a slight concussion, Arenas a bruised chest) but are expected to be in action Monday night. |
| Casey Sanders: The Duke center languished on the bench for much of the season, but he never got discouraged and has made a considerable impact since Boozer first broke his foot. "I don't think I have a quitting nature in me," the sophomore said. "The thing that helped me the most was talking to some of the assistants; Coach [Johnny] Dawkins and Coach [Steve] Wojciechowski were always encouraging. Coach Dawkins has been in every position in basketball: coming off the bench, a scrub, a star. He said to just go and run your own race. I developed my own philosophy: Everyone has his time on the pine. How you get off, how you better yourself and your team once you get off, that's what makes the difference." |
| Eugene Edgerson: The fifth-year senior is the glue of Arizona's team. When he speaks (or tells coffee-bean stories), the Wildcats listen. Plus, after a midseason attitude adjustment caused by frustration over his lack of minutes, the New Orleans native has provided a solid, physical complement down low. "You have to be responsible in accepting a leadership role," he said. "I try to set an example in practice every day. Sometimes I spice it up, run around and get the team fired up." |
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| East Coast-West Coast rivalry: The media tried to make something out of it, but as several players pointed out, the finesse-vs.-physical stereotypes are largely a result of what their conference referees allow the teams to get away with. Arizona forward Jefferson noted that through spring and summer AAU competition, you face players from all over the country starting as young as 12 or 13. |
| Arizona fans: Of all the schools here, Wildcats supporters numbered the fewest, while Michigan State seemed to travel best. OK, this is perfectly logical given that it was in the mid-80s last week in Tucson when the team departed, and that East Lansing is a hop, skip and a jump across the Great Lakes. But it does give a whole new meaning to the term fair-weather fan. |
| Maryland good-luck charms: NBA superheckler Robin Ficker, known for his rants behind the Washington Bullets/Wizards bench, was in town Saturday to support the Terrapins. He didn't attend the school, but as an area resident he decided to lend his considerable trash-talk experience to Gary Williams' crew. Didn't work. |
| Bob Knight: Is his dismissal of three players already a sign of Knight being Knight, or is he ridding the Texas Tech program of bad elements? |
 |
| Want a ticket for Monday's final? Shouldn't be a problem. As is generally the case, once fans of the semifinal losers hightail it out of town, plenty of ducats are available for the championship game. This year, however, scalpers already were having trouble getting face value for seats, especially in the upper level, heading into the weekend. A couple theories abound: 1) As a cold-weather city, Minneapolis is not much of a draw; 2) The Twin Cities are not exactly a tourist haven, without other attractions to keep fans occupied.
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| Sid Hartman wrote in his column in Sunday's Minneapolis Star Tribune that talk in the Twin Cities has South Carolina preparing to offer Kentucky coach Tubby Smith a $2 million-per-year contract to come to Columbia to revive the Gamecocks. If such a pitch is forthcoming, the Wildcats are expected to match the deal. |
| Even their own teammates watch Duke stars Battier and Williams in awe. "Sometimes it is pretty amazing the shots they hit, the moves they make," swingman Mike Dunleavy said. "But this time of the year, it seems like we've seen it all, so we expect it out of them. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but they are fun to watch." |
| Arizona center Loren Woods was a high school classmate of former Duke star Chris Carrawell, the 2000 ACC Player of the Year, at Cardinal Ritter High in St. Louis. The two haven't spoken yet, but Woods knows that Carrawell is in town. "He's always going to cheer for me. Whether he cheers for Arizona, I don't know. ... He's like a brother to me. He's going to be around the arena. You'll probably find him somewhere near the Duke bench, and that's OK because that's his alma mater." |
| Arizona forward Michael Wright was a freshman at Chicago's Farragut Academy when a lanky senior transferred in from Mauldin, S.C. Less than a year later, Kevin Garnett made the jump to the NBA. The Timberwolves have been on the road during the Final Four, so the two haven't had a chance to visit, but Wright says, "Just to see how hard he work inspired me a lot. He was the first one in the gym, the last one to leave. Every time he was on the court, he played his heart out." |
| During each teams' joint press conference, with the coach and five players, Duke seemed a lot more relaxed and loose, while Arizona seemed subdued and a bit weary (though the players loosened up in individual sessions). Wildcats coach Olson, very much out of character, often has had trouble finding the right words -- perfectly understandable given what he's gone through. Krzyzewski, on the other hand, was perfecting his standup routine. When asked if he believed in karma, Coach K cracked, "Karma guy? I'm a Polish guy. Is karma a sausage or what? ... All kidding aside, I do know karma. He played second base on my baseball team in Chicago." |
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| Arizona coach Lute Olson on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski |
| "Mike's impact on the game is way beyond the coaching of his team. He's been a great leader for the NABC [National Association of Basketball Coaches]. He's been a great spokesman for college basketball. I guess if you think of coaches through the years, I'm not sure that anyone has had a greater impact than Mike has had." |
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