When top-seeded Duke (29-5) meets No. 5 Illinois (26-6) in Atlanta on Friday (WBBM-Ch. 2) expect a very loud collision.
The Blue Devils cruised through their first two games by an average of 31.5 points, and Illinois trounced Murray State and No. 4 seed Cincinnati by a total of 43 points.
All time, the schools are 3-3 head-to-head. So who has the edge?
We report and, well, we decide too.
– – –
ILLINOIS
Dee Brown, a 6-foot sprinter, averages 34.8 minutes on the floor, and he’s averaged 17.1 points in the first two games. He’s so fast, he runs off the TV screen on fast breaks.
The Michigan Wolverines have one NCAA men’s basketball title and no timeouts left.
Bruce Weber seems to be enjoying this tournament run more than any other coach. That rubs off on players in a good way.
Weber’s assistant Matt Painter took over for him at Southern
Illinois.
Kendall Gill (9.8 ppg. for the Bulls), Frank Williams (4.1 ppg. for the Knicks) and Robert Archibald (1.2 ppg. for the Raptors)
Students sing “Oskee-Wow-Wow.”
Nobody
Category
Guard duty
Edge: Illinois
Motivation sparked by titles won by much-hated rivals
Edge: Illinois
Head coaches
Edge: Duke
Head coaching tree
Edge: Please.
Don’t embarrass either one of us. Moving on …3-on-3 tourney
between notable NBA products:
Edge: Duke.
NEXT!
Wacky hoops tradition
Edge: Duke
Famous people (sort of) named after the school
Edge: Illinois.
DUKE
Chris Duhon, a 6-foot-1 defensive whiz, has a rib injury. But Duke is a gaudy 94-16 with him in the starting lineup. Now, that’s not all him. Duke does have other players, you know.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have 3 NCAA titles, just like Duke.
Damn that Chris Webber.
When 11-time Coach of the Year Mike Krzyzewski retires, they may very well rename the tournament after him.
Eight of Coach K’s former players and assistants are head coaches at the Division I level: Tommy Amaker (Michigan), Mike Brey (Notre Dame), Jeff Capel (Virginia Commonwealth), Mike Dement (SMU), Neil Dougherty (TCU), David Henderson (Delaware), Tim O’Toole (Fairfield) and Quin Snyder (Missouri).
Elton Brand (19.8 ppg. for the Clippers), Corey Maggette
(20.6 ppg. for the Clippers), and Carlos Boozer (15.5. ppg. for the Cavs) Students camp out in tents before the season begins.
Duke Ellington, Patti Duke and “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
The final score: If you believe in the intangibles (and frankly, who doesn’t?)
Duke has the edge. But the winner isn’t determined on paper. That’s why they play the games.
