Your NCAA Championship Gamelog

I haven't been around these here parts in awhile, a real job that doesn't revolve around making jokes about Billy Packer's bladder control will do that to you, but I felt I needed to dust off the old blog and put some closure on the season. Here's your gamelog, I vow to return for the wonderous, inanely speculative splendor that is the NBA Draft. Probably.

1st Half
20:00- Nantz does all the intros and what nots. Why does every analyst start sentences with "when you look at" nowadays? I am already looking right at them, why does your pending analysis assume I am looking elsewhere?

19:43- Dorsey scores and an angel gets its wings, which are tattooed.

19:04- Brandon Rush nearly dies for the sake of a dunk. He is an American hero. Packer compares him to "the great Darnell Valentine," mainly because he is 112 years old.

17:57- Arthur bangs one on Dorsey and immediately apologizes.

16:50- Slop abounds, which always seems to happen for the first ten minutes of every title game.

16:39- OK, let's get this out of the way. Derrick Rose is the MOP of this tourney for me, win or lose. He is the best point guard prospect since Chris Paul (obviously) and will be a freaking star in the pros. He is NOT the No. 1 pick in the draft. Moving along...

15:36- 9-7 Kansas. Sasha Kaun receives far too many alley oops for a Russian. Isn't the United Nations doing something to prevent this?

13:44- 11-11. NBADraft.net has CDR at No. 18 in the '08 Draft. What exactly does he not do well? There is nothing.

13:00- 13-11 Memphis. Case in point, the absurd 12-foot push shot he just hit. He's even good at looking weird.

12:17- 13-11 Memphis. It's Ed Hightower's world and we're all just living in it.

11:33- 13-13. OK, now that it appears they are showing new ads for this game, here's a quick rundown of the March Madness commercials, each of which I have seen 13,000 times. Good: Sven. Bad: Everything else. That was fun.

10:53- 15-13 Kansas. Brandon Rush is another guy who will be drafted way too late, which just goes to show, it doesn't pay to play a lot of college basketball. If Brandon Rush was some mysterious swingman with lots of athleticism and without three years of college ball for a great team under his belt (like he was before busting his knee last year), he'd be a top 10 pick. Now, because he's merely "solid" he'll drop to around 20.

9:38- 18-13 Kansas. Cole Aldrich comes in, and I will admit he was incredible in the semis. But let's just say, for a seldom-used freshman, Joey Dorsey is not the same opponent as Tyler Hansbrough. And that dunk, should quickly allow Cole to realize that.

8:01- 22-18 Kansas. Packer is incredulous that Rose doesn't shoot enough and he gets two quick assists. Packer changes his tune and I am rather pleased.

7:00- 24-23 Kansas. Roy Williams doesn't give a shit about the University of North Carolina.

6:02- 26-26. This has settled into an extremely entertaining, high-quality game. Now back to less important matters.

4:49. 28-28. CDR is pooping upon everyone.

3:52. 28-28. Amendment to the commercial roundup from earlier. Good: Sven, Nike Training Saul Williams thing that makes me want to light things on fire. Bad: Everything else.

2:30. 31-28 Kansas. Nantz: "Where is Derrick Rose?" Well Jim, he's right there in front of you playing, you know, point guard. Oh and look, there he is at the top of a mock draft, ahead of Michael Beasley. That's where he is. It appears this will be Packer's "Thing to Be Cantankerous About" this year. A freshman point guard not jacking up 25 shots in a national title game against one of the nation's best defensive backcourts.

Half. 33-28 Kansas. Good half, high energy, very athletic, pretty well played besides the beginning, lots of Rush/Arthur, lots of CDR, fair amount of Rose, not enough for Packer, no Sven.

2nd Half
18:12- 36-35 Memphis. Game on, as the venerable Wayne Campbell once said.

16:30- 38-37 Memphis. Rose alley oops it to Dorsey, Packer is appalled he wouldn't alley oop it to himself.

15:13- 39-38 Kansas. Penny Hardaway is in the stands. Zero NBA teams play tonight. Those are not two related statements.

13:55- 39-38 Kansas. Anderson missed two free throws. See!? SEE!?

12:07- 43-42 Kansas. If Rose had dunked that, we would all cease to exist.

11:00- 45-42 Kansas. The more I watch this game, the more I think every player in it will find an NBA roster... except Pierre Niles.... then again, Oliver Miller made it so....

10:30- 45-44 Kansas. Rose with another pretty ridiculous finish and Packer says nothing. Kansas is basically doing everything it can to contain Rose, he is playing completely within himself and yet he is getting ripped because he doesn't have 25 points. No snark there, it just bugs me.

8:38- 47-46 Kansas. Nantz: "Both men met their wives in Lawrence, Kansas... of all places." Well, it's a better place to meet women than Augusta National so I'm not sure why you are throwing stones Green Jacket Boy.

8:24- 49-47 Memphis. This game will mark the triumphant end to The Year Of The Junk Defense.

7:36- 51-47 Memphis. Rose does something gross again and he is once again the second coming of Christ, or at least Jack Nicklaus, to Nantz and Packer.

5:10- 54-47 Memphis. Dear lord Mr. Rose.

4:45- 54-49 Memphis. Sherron Collins scores and Nantz announces that he pounded his chest and said let's go. Only Nantz would find this noteworthy.

4:04- 57-49 Memphis. Rose hits a fadeaway banked three at the shot clock buzzer. There goes your One Shining Moment right there folks. And probably your NCAA Tournament. And probably Billy Packer's bladder.

3:49- 56-49 Memphis. Check that, it was a two-pointer. One Shining Moment does not discriminate though.

3:10- 56-49 Memphis. Kansas plays man-to-man defense all year long, were one of the best defensive teams in the country, played it the whole first half to a five-point lead and are now inexplicably throwing some weird zones out there. Are you sure you want to pay Bill Self $60 million and all the cows he can slaughter Oklahoma State?

2:12- 60-51 Memphis. I really hope the Tigers don't make all these free throws, not because I want them to lose, but because Calipari won't stop talking about it for somewhere between four and 987 months.

1:44- 60-56 Memphis. Steal, three, got-a-game-again.

1:30- 62-56 Memphis. Two free throws by CDR. OK Kansas, you have held Memphis to 60 points for 38+ minutes and yet you feel the best way to stop them from scoring is to give them two uncontested 15-foot shots rather than play defense straight up. Again, OK State, you're gonna give this man a jillion dollars? And an unlimited supply of freshly processed goat cheese?

0:44- 62-60 Memphis. And we've got a title game folks. Feels good, doesn't it?

0:16- 62-60 Memphis. Anyone get a read on the nutritional facts on CDR's arm? How many grams of sodium does he contain? Oh, I suppose this in intense or something.

0:12- 62-60 Memphis. Somehow, on this Earth, Kansas doesn't get a rebound after CDR misses two free throws. Where is Sasha Kaun when you need him?

0:00- 63-63. Holy crap. How is Gus Johnson not doing this game? What a freaking shot. Foul shots Calipari, you son of a B, foul shots! Best title game of my lifetime (besides when Syracuse won).

OVERTIME
4:30- 65-63 Kansas. Sherron Collins is playing really, very well tonight. He's a star next year. Sorry, when a gamelog predicated on making fun of things in a shallow, understated manner turns into an insanely entertaining game, it's hard to stay in character.

3:38- 67-63 Kansas. If Arthur and Collins stay, this team will be right back here again. Well, if Self is at Oklahoma State, of course.

2:24- 69-65 Kansas. Two Memphis foul shots. They make 'em when they count!

0:57- 71-68 Kansas. Seriously, what a game. That is all.

0:45- 73-68 Kansas. Cal elects to foul even though they could have gotten it back with 10+ seconds. Chalmers makes two and it appears Calipari, in the end will have out-incompetented Self.

0:00- 75-68 Kansas. And Kansas is your improbable, unbelievable champ this season. Nantz: "Rock, Chalk, Championship." He came up with this roughly three months ago. It was an amazing finish to a fairly unamazing season of very poor basketball at times. But like it always does, March Madness never fails to disappoint, no matter the circumstances. So thanks Davidson, Western Kentucky, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Mario Chalmers and, why not, Kansas. I might not have picked the best year to unload my thoughts and passion for college hoops onto the Intertubes, but, as I expected, it's certainly better than not writing about college basketball.

So One Shining Moment and all that crap, let's wrap this baby up. It's been real.

Your Selection Show Gamelog That's Not About A Game

Alright it's Selection Sunday, and 6 p.m. It is one of the greatest exact times of the year. And to properly chronicle the beginning of Madness and all of the analyst reaction and idiocy (not to mention Jim Nantz's overall creepiness), I give you a gamelog, even though it's not a game. Make of it what you will.

Anyway, South Alabama, Villanova and Arizona State fans are probably sitting tight, so I apologize if their inclusion/exclusion is mocked and leads to some kind of emotional crisis. If it makes you feel better my team, Syracuse, has no chance. We will also see how well my Final Bracketology holds up against the read deal. I just wanna beat Lunardi and I'll be ecstatic. Oh and I'll be using the CBS broadcast, I've made fun of ESPN enough around here.

6:00 p.m.- And we're off. Your analysts are the giant-headed Greg Gumbel, the fantastically boring Clark Kellogg and burgeoning stand-up comedian and possible impostor Seth Davis. Won't be as entertaining as the Phelps/Knight romance, but just wait till Packer and Nantz come on.

In the interest of full disclosure, my roommate is a Villanova fan, so this particular Selection Sunday should have some added entertainment. I am a Syracuse fan so I'm going to do my best to contain any reaction to Villanova's potential exclusion. I don't want to start an enraged, "Yeah well where the hell is Syracuse" type argument.

The No. 1 overall is UNC in the East, no surprise there, but I still don't like this team to win it all. Clemson and Virginia Tech are decent, but that was not a very convincing effort by the Heels this weekend.

6:01 p.m.- Greg tells us how the Tournament is set up, which is all very shocking information. The other No. 1s are Memphis, UCLA and Kansas, in a bit of a surprise. Tennessee fans are probably going to cry and complain and shoot their guns into the air or whatever they do. If it makes them feel better, I think they will go deeper than Memphis. So there, put the gun away.

6:04 p.m.- Jim and Billy check in and for some reason Nantz looks giant. The creepy Nantz Gaze is in full effect though. He looks at everyone like they are a woman undressing by the window across the street. Packer is about a six on the Cantankerous Scale right now and even when not in HD, his face is terrifying.

6:05 p.m.- The March Madness on Demand thing is plugged. One of the better inventions ever by the way. Except when you have to explain to others who don't care about basketball why your laptop is perched on your TV. Also if you have a boss that would prefer to pay you for actually working.

6:07 p.m.- I would never wipe bleu cheese off a Georgetown fan's face. And I don't really think I should have to explain why.

6:09 p.m.- The East region is revealed. I'm going with Mount St. Mary's in the play-in game but then again, who cares. Indiana's suckiness is properly evaluated with a No. 8 seed, congratulations committee. Wazzou gets a surprisingly high seed and I am already rooting extremely hard for George Mason to beat Notre Dame. The slow-footed American Eagles might have to forfeit due to exhaustion in the second half of that game with Tennessee.

Butler is WAY too low and I cannot believe South Alabama got a No. 10. Other Bubble fans cannot be pleased. The committee might be in a mid-major mood this year. The Vols should be frightened of a second round game with Butler, even though the Bulldogs got completely screwed by playing a road game in Birmingham against USA. Poor job so far Committee, with the exception of Indiana being rightfully crapped upon. Oh and UNC will stroll easily into the Elite Eight of that bracket by the way, but I like Louisville to win the region.

6: 16 p.m.- The Midwest is about to be revealed and my roommate might take off into outer space. I haven't seen much of UNLV this year, but for them to have that season after all the players they lost is great; good match-up with Kent State. Why are they having all the mid-majors knock each other out, by the way? Nova gets in and I will be alive tomorrow morning. At a No. 12, they might have been one of the last in, which really annoys Syracuse fans. Siena will beat Vanderbilt. Gonzaga-Davidson; again with the mid-majors. Both of those teams should be pretty pissed I would imagine, especially Gonzaga who has to travel across the country to play Davidson at home. This bracket is wide open on the bottom, USC could come out of there. Speaking of USC, I think Mayo v. Beasley should be a whole lot of fun, but that's just me.

6:21 p.m.- CBS is teaming with Facebook for a Bracket Challenge and I couldn't be happier. I've always wanted to know if the person beating me in my pool is interested in "Random Play" or "Whatever I Can Get." Although it will provide the opportunity to stalk whoever else shares my confidence in Louisville, and that's what love is all about, really.

6:24 p.m.- Alright let's go to the South region, where John Calipari is holding some kind of house party, which should make UAB fans chuckle a bit. Oregon is very high at a No. 9 seed, which bodes well for Arizona State. Temple over Michigan State, for the record. ORU over Pitt. Temple over ORU. Book it. Miami is too high at No. 7, which is good for St. Mary's, who will destroy them. Texas-St. Mary's rematch in the second round probably; the Longhorns should roll again. Oh boy, Texas-Stanford in the Sweet 16 will provide a serious existential crisis for me. The winner of that game is your Final Four team from that region. Memphis waltzes to the Elite Eight though.

We have our first bit of personality as Seth Davis rips the seeding of Temple. It is here that we see young Seth's edgy humor that will surely make him the next Jerry Seinfeld. Or at least Frank Caliendo.

6:32 p.m.- Alright, last one Arizona State and Ohio State fans. Let's go to the West. Drake is at No. 5, which works for me. Again, still not sure how Butler is a No. 7. And, like clockwork, they are matched up with another mid-major. They should quickly realize what a BCS team looks like when Connecticut meets them in the second round. Good for Georgia, although Dennis Felton looks rather perplexed. You're not the only one, Dennis. Baylor gets a No. 11 and start humping each other. Looks like curtains for Ohio State and Arizona State. The Buckeyes were the one I got wrong. I had them in and South Alabama out. Lunardi got them all correct I think. You win again Mr. Brackets, but we shall battle in the future. Davis makes a Love the Drake joke and I feel rather ashamed we have any similarity in our sense of humor. I like some chalk in the West with Duke v. UCLA and the Bruins taking it down. Pretty solid job by the committee except for the Butler fiasco and all the mid-majors grouped together like some kind of leper colony or something.

6:38 p.m.- Now we get some discourse from Nantz and Packer. This should be good. Packer likes Notre Dame, which makes sense because he loves white people. Packer thinks Davidson is George Mason and leaves it at that. Don't waste to much energy trying to figure out what that means. I'm going to the second round in DC and if I have to watch Duke and West Virginia and deal with those fanbases, I am getting extremely drunk. I am a huge Arizona fan starting Thursday.

6:43 p.m.- They show all the various reactions of teams and it would have been great if they just threw Ohio State's reaction in there for the hell of it. The scene at Drake looked like a Kentucky Derby party.

6:46 p.m.- Tom O'Connor, AD at George Mason, is seated with Packer and Nantz, which is ironic on all kinds of levels. If he and Packer don't come to blows I will be very upset. Packer looks sedated tonight, very disappointing. Maybe he's taking Levitra or something.

Why are they so close on Packer's face? It is ghoulish. Packer delivers a slight rip on the ACC only getting four teams and a slightly indignant O'Connor says he never looked at conference affiliation. Packer poops pants. Arizona State learns its non-conference SOS killed them, but I'm not buying it. So now they go schedule Duke, UNC and Kansas and don't make it because of too many losses next year? Brilliant.

6:51 p.m.- O'Connor waxes poetic on college kids and dreams and that crap. Nantz is in love.

6:53 p.m.- Packer likes Kansas and North Carolina, specifically Sherron Collins and Danny Green as X-factors. This is actually rational and I am displeased. Davis calls out Virginia Tech's imbalanced schedule and this is also rational. This is no fun. Kellogg then becomes an idiot and all is well. He picks all No. 1 seeds. You gotta be kidding me. Clark likes three No. 5 seeds as sleepers, which is cowardly. Seth likes some double-digit teams and UCLA as the champ. Him and I are far too like-minded for me. Gumbel is incredulous that Seth likes double-digit teams as sleepers, which makes all kinds of sense in all the wrong ways.

7:00 p.m.- OK, we're done here. Pretty boring, no fireworks, no egregious snubs. I would say Butler should be the most pissed fanbase in America, though. Now it's time to figure out how to fill out this damn thing and, more importantly, how to piss off Duke fans in DC next weekend.

Live Gamelog: Duke at UNC

Alright here we go. Everyone knows how much fun this little shindig is going to be, although judging by the ESPN promos and the idiot announcers from the Syracuse-UConn game, I'm supposed to be more excited about Dickie V than, you know, two of the top three teams in the country playing each other.

Ty Lawson is going to dress but probably won't play apparently. Greg Paulus is only wearing one ankle brace instead of the usual four.

If you want some sort of analysis previewing this game, check out this or this.

1st Half
20:00- Extremely close and disgusting shot of some foreign students saying "rivalry" in different languages to start the game. Unfortunately this game is NOT on ESPN Deportes. By the way, there are some serious flaws with Hi-Definition television... and Mike Patrick's head is one of them.

Dick says he never dreamed he would back in the broadcast booth. Neither did we Dick, neither did we.

Oh, wait we have to talk about the game? Darn, might as well chuck some starting lineups in there, then. I wanted to hear more about the cysts in a 68-year-old man's throat. Can they put some physician photos in the corner?

19:47- Greg "Pimp G" Paulus drains a three right off the bat. I'm telling you, he's the Eli Manning of college hoops.

Continue...

18:25- 8-5 UNC. Big old giant block by Henderson. Dirtness. But Hansbrough gets a put back. Patrick is going to be using "Psyco T" A LOT tonight folks. He's trying to appeal to the young, hip crowd. Might want to drop the phrase "holy cow" from the vocabulary first there buddy.

14:54- 12-10 UNC at first TV timeout. Really entertaining thus far. Psycho T has looked pretty great... and pretty crazy. Besides the crazy person eyes, he seriously looks like he just has no control of his emotions. Almost like he's terrified of himself. Next to "weaknesses" on his NBA Draft profile, it should say, "undersized for the pros, limited range, afraid of the demons within, foul shooting." But seriously he's showing a face-up game tonight and there's gonna be tons of scouts watching so good for him.

13:17- 16-13 UNC. Some fella named Graves is in for UNC. I mean, is the Lawson injury really that debilitating? Graves?

12:39- 18-13 UNC. Graves!

12:27- 18-13 UNC. Paulus burrows his way to a cheap foul, is assassinated. And then Quentin Thomas pulls a Paulus Circa 2007 (a stupid turnover). Heels fans ready their post-game excuses.

11:33- 18-18. Scheyer, who was monstrous in the Duke-UNC game I gamelogged (or "glogged") last season, drains a three. After that game, I predicted a career plagued by a creative plethora of taunts regarding his sexuality and family members put in erotic positions, but he seems to have gotten off easy. Probably not punchable enough.

Stacey Dales, who just got out of an audition for Melrose Place, shows some "Wanted" poster for Gerald Henderson that those crafty UNC fans made. It says "Wanted" and shows his face. Best and the brightest down there at Chapel Hill.

9:43- 27-20 Duke. Patrick inexplicably brings up Zoubek's injury in regards to the current 15-5 rebounding margin in favor of the Heels. Scheyer saves us all by interrupting him with a three. Then a charge on UNC, then a three by Pimp G. Then a bucket by Thomas. Then ANOTHER three by Singler.

Dickie V: "Gotta love making the threes." Never lost a step Dick.

9:00- 27-20 Duke. Another awful turnover by Q. Might have to suck it up there Ty. Where's Wes Miller when you need him?... Oh, apparently writing books. Hmm.

8:20- 27-22 Duke. Vitale: "So great to be back. I don't wanna get too emotional here." Yes Dick, thanks for keeping your emotions in check. Very professional. Now what were you shouting about dipsy doos and dunkeroos?

6:34- 31-23 Duke. Oh boy. Another really bad turnover by Thomas leads to an easy lay-up. They then show a montage of his mistakes. I always liked Quentin Thomas, but this is brutal.

5:53- 31-24 Duke. Some thrilling discourse on how hard it is to say "rivalry" and "rural." Speaking of slow... UNC looks much more sluggish than Duke right now and Ty Lawson probably wouldn't be helping all that much. Singler burns Hansbrough, who then turns over the inbounds. 35-26 Duke.

4:00- 39-29 Duke. A series of incredibly lame jokes by Vitale, one relating to lasagna, another relating to his poor SAT scores. No comment, just wanted to chronicle the type of shit us viewers have to deal with. Kinda like a time capsule of inanity.

3:40- 42-31 Duke. Heels go zone despite seven threes already by Duke. And what to do the Devils do? Knock down a three, courtesy of Pimp G.

3:00- 42-31 Duke. Dickie V may have just referred to Stacey Dales as "Cindy." Not sure.

2:06- 42-33 Duke. Vitale talking to Hubert Davis: "I wonder who Hubert is rooting for? Is he gonna be objective tonight (baby)?" Pot. Kettle. Black.

1:08- 42-35 Duke. Vitale talks about another charity thing he's doing and I feel like an ass.

Half- 42-39 Duke. HUGE 8-0 run by UNC to cut the lead to three by half on a nice pass from Thomas (thank God) to Hansbrough. Much like the first meeting last year, UNC plays pretty bad and is right in the game. Duke's hit eight threes, the Heels have gotten nothing in transition and have turned it over twice as much as Duke and yet they are down three. The game is as we have expected to a degree: Duke wins by spreading the court and taking advantage of quickness, UNC dominates the glass and Hansbrough is unguardable (18 points; and Thompson has nine too). Duke can't shoot like this the whole game.

As for Vitale, he seems a bit rusty tonight. I mean, not once have I wanted to pour this piping hot queso in my ears. He's probably on orders from either his doctor or Perverted Justice to keep the Diaper Dandy exultations to a minimum, though. I actually think I hate Mike Patrick more at this point. He is just clueless and can't even sniff a relevant point about actual basketball. And I am absolutely positive that he smells weird.

2nd Half
19:00- 42-41 Duke. Dirty cross by Quentin Thomas for a lay-up. Good for him. Not to be outdone, Paulus drains another three, his fourth of the game. Eli. Manning. Of Football. Then a Thompson bucket +1, a Nelson three (Duke has 10) and another filthy crossover by Thomas for a bucket. There's always the And 1 Tour, Q. Great action right now.

17:35- 51-46 Duke. Pimp G drains ANOTHER three. Hide your daughters men of Chapel Hill. He's seeing triple tonight, if you know what I mean.
/shudders

16:42- 51-49 Duke. First Diaper Dandy reference. Chris Hanson is a few minutes away already.

15:08- 57-51 Duke. Patrick on Roy Williams' vertigo: "It's easy to lose your balance with that."
/stunned silence

13:50- 58-51 Duke. Taylor King comes in, clangs a three, gets it back and airballs a three. A nation rejoices.

12:30- 58-51 Duke. The EXACT same collision in the paint on each end, UNC called for a charge first; Vitale: "I could've made that call with my eyes closed." Duke then called for a charge; Vitale: "That was absolutely not a charge."

9:28- 62-57 Duke. Vitale: "OHH, North Carolina-Duke. CALL YOUR FRIENDS UP, CALL YOUR FRIENDS UP. IT'S SPECIAL BABY." That's what I was waiting for. The thing where he's too old to yell and form complete sentences at the same time.

Me: Hey man.
Friend: Yo what's up?
Me: Uhh... it's special baby.
Friend: I always thought you were gay.

7:08- 68-62 Duke. TV timeout. Honestly, despite all the idiocy from the announcers, this has been an incredible game. Obviously not what it could've been had Lawson played but pretty damn entertaining nonetheless. There have been so many incredible plays of individual talent (did you see that pass by Quentin Thomas and then the block by Lance Thomas?). Gonna take a break from the ripping on Vitale/Patrick (maybe) to enjoy the basketball for a little while.

5:33- 74-65 Duke. Greg Paulus, who shall now forever be known as Pimp G, buries another three. I fully expect him to wear a silk suit and a fedora to the press conference after the game and answer reporters' questions by quoting Public Enemy or something.

1:26- 82-73 Duke. Alright I'm back. You can't really blame him because he's won them a couple games this year, but Wayne Ellington shot the Heels out of this one. Duke CANNOT stop Hansbrough and yet Ellington wasted possessions trying to get his stroke back.

0:54- 83-78 Duke. Wild exchange. Q. Thomas, who is having an outstanding second half that has probably saved his life, finds Hansbrough like a non-idiot, Hansbrough misses. Paulus grabs the loose ball in the corner, throws a pass that hits the net of UNC's basket, Ellington grabs it and kicks it out to Green for a three. Normal shit doesn't happen in this rivalry.

0:23- 88-78 Duke. Heels throw away the inbounds. Ballgame.
Final
89-78 Duke.
Really entertaining game. These teams are about even if UNC has Lawson, with a slight edge to Duke probably. This game basically came down to the Heels not being quick enough to guard Duke's spread, drive and kick offense, Duke hitting an absurd amount of threes and Ellington/Green, who usually combine for 28 per game, only getting 11 total. Keep in mind, these two teams are playing for that East regional No. 1 seed (that Vitale wouldn't shut up about) which never leaves North Carolina before the Final Four. But due to the suckiness of the ACC, it's basically a three-game series (this one, @Duke, ACC final) for that spot. So don't get your panties in a bunch Duke fans.

And as for the extra-curriculars, like I've said before, Duke is not very hateable this year. And while Vitale was annoying, it was mild and it was certainly an added element to have him back. Oh and Mike Patrick is a freaking idiot. But we knew that.