everything that's on my mind

The natural order of things in the basketball universe has been restored.

The Duke Blue Devils are returning to the Final Four.

All of the college basketball pages had their polls up at the beginning of the tournament, asking “Who will be the first #1 seed to lose?” The answer was overwhelmingly Duke. Many didn’t feel they even deserved a #1 seed, and granted, Ohio State and West Virginia could just as easily been a #1 instead of Duke. But now, with 61 of the 65 teams having made their exit from the dance floor, Duke stands alone as the only #1 seed remaining.

By Duke’s standards under Mike Krzyzewski, it’s been a long time since they played the final weekend of the season. They’ve missed the Final Four the past five seasons, the longest stretch under Krzyzewski since he first brought a Duke team to the Final Four in 1986. The previous long stretch was four years, from 1995 to 1998.

For the first time since the freshman class that included Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie and Jay Bilas, Duke had two straight senior classes that failed to go to a Final Four. This year’s seniors have had a tough road, coming in the year after the team lost four seniors (including J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams) and began their career on the youngest team Coach K had ever had at Duke. The team has gradually gotten better over the last three years, and now has resulted in a trip to the Final Four, the first in what seems like a lifetime to Duke fans.

This is Duke’s fifteenth Final Four overall, and the eleventh under Mike Krzyzewski. This ties Coach K with Dean Smith for second most Final Fours as a coach. John Wooden leads the list with twelve trips, though my expectation is that Coach K will tie that in the next few years, and possibly surpass it.

I wasn’t going to mention the “haters”, but I can never seem to help myself. The dislike for Duke went national years ago, certainly during the Christian Laettner years, if not before. The combination of success and players like Ferry, Laettner and Hurley certainly grew the anti-Duke camp far beyond Tobacco Road. People grew tired of seeing Duke and Coach K in the Final Four annually and hearing Dick Vitale incessantly sing their praises. And as the years went by, celebrated Duke players with names like Collins, Wojciechowski, Battier and Redick would only fuel the anti-Duke fires.

And I can relate to that. I admit that I love seeing UNC and Kentucky lose, and find their players obnoxious and/or annoying as well, so I’m well aware of such feelings. Fans of other teams will not like your team. That’s a given. But what isn’t a given are the irrational conspiracy theories that are perpetuated year after year after year suggesting that Duke’s success is only possible with outside help. Usually those aiding and abetting Duke are the officials calling their games (although this year they also received help from the tournament committee, who gave them the “easy region” which included potentially playing Texas A&M and Baylor in Houston.) John Feinstein mentioned it this morning as well:

Of course there will be the ritual whining about Duke’s draw and the charge that Brian Zoubek took with Duke down two late in the game. Yup, the Krzyzewski-haters (and they are a legion) will say he’s now won 793 games thanks to the officials. (I think they concede the 73 wins at Army may have been legit). Fine. If that makes you feel better, go ahead and think it.

That’s right. Had it not been for the officials, Duke would have had exactly ZERO wins over the last 10 seasons. The officials help them win every single game. Which, of course, explains why they will be playing this weekend for their unprecedented 10th straight national championship.

Seriously, so many people want so badly for Duke to fail, any success they have is scrutinized unlike any other team’s, in hopes of finding something dubious. And when you are desperate enough, you probably will find it, despite the fact that it doesn’t actually exist. Gary Williams and Lute Olsen imagined it at the 2001 Final Four, and it’s grown exponentially since.

But enough of that nonsense. On to yesterday’s game…

As for the South regional final win over Baylor, Duke worried me significantly in the first half. Kyle Singler was clearly off his game on the offensive end. There are multiple theories about that, including that his defensive assignment on LaceDarius Dunn taking away from his offense, to his wrist injury possibly being aggravated again in the fall during the Purdue game. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t himself offensively (0-10 from the field, his only points coming from the line.)

But more than that was Duke’s lack of intensity in the first half. Baylor seemed to come out very aggressive, and Duke did not appear to be matching them. They turned the ball over more than they should have and occasionally seemed flustered on offense. Duke only managed to shoot two free throws in the first half, which also points to a lack of aggressiveness on offense. Some three’s in the first half – including two huge shots by freshman Andre Dawkins – seemed to keep them in the game and helped them avoid a larger deficit at halftime.

In the second half, though, Duke turned things around. Their defense stiffened and they prevented Baylor from running as often. They were more aggressive offensively, resulting in 21 points from the line in the second half. And, on the eighteenth anniversary of “The Shot“, there were a number of big shots. Down 57-54, Scheyer hit a three, followed by a Smith three, then another Scheyer three, another Smith three, then a put-back dunk (and foul) by Lance Thomas that put Duke up 70-62 and effectively ended the game.

Their rebounding, though, was the biggest factor. They had 23 offensive rebounds, 8 by Lance Thomas. That stretch that put them up 70-62 included three baskets after offensive rebounds (two three’s and Thomas’ dunk.) No matter what shooting woes you have, if you get more shots, you’re probably going to make more. That’s what Duke has done all year, and that’s what they did yesterday. And that’s why they’re going to Indianapolis.

People have underrated Duke all year long. Even some of the heads have mentioned this week that they were wrong about Duke. They really had no choice, though. Duke, quite simply, is better than most people thought they were. They’ve been better over the past six weeks or so than I thought they were. Most picked them to lose early (despite the “easy region”) and most aren’t picking them this weekend. But they continue to find a way to win, no matter how many people seem intent on writing them off.

Here’s hoping they can do it two more times.

Go Duke!

Finally I’m getting around to the new music post I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I’ve not bought a lot of new music that’s been released in 2010, but here’s most of what I’ve been listening to so far from the new year.
 

True Believer
Matthew Barber
(2010)

I discovered Canadian singer-songwriter Matthew Barber on eMusic (thanks to Scott‘s suggestion) a couple of years ago, and his last album Ghost Notes almost broke my top 10 for 2008. On his newest, released a couple of weeks ago, Barber again has created a fantastic pop/rock album which, like it’s predecessor, will easily make my list again this year.

Check out “Revolution Of The Sun”.

Contra
Vampire Weekend
(2010)

After such an excellent debut, I was mildly disappointed when I first listened to Contra. I liked it, of course, but it didn’t grab me right away since there weren’t any songs that immediately stood out (as several on their debut did.) However, after several listens I started to appreciate it for what it is: another outstanding collection that is a bit different from, and yet just as good as, their first.

Check out “Cousins”.

Transference
Spoon
(2010)

Indie rock band Spoon is nothing if not consistent. This is my fourth album of theirs, and I have yet to be disappointed. Nothing they’ve done has really overwhelmed me, but they continue to put out very good albums. This newest may be my favorite since 2002′s Kill The Moonlight. Like the Vampire Weekend, this one required a little time to grow on me, but it didn’t take long.

Check out “Written In Reverse”.

End Times
Eels
(2010)

I first heard Eels after Jason‘s recommendation of their 2009 release Hombre Lobo, which I really enjoyed a lot. After a quick turnaround, their newest became available shortly after the new year and I grabbed it right away. It’s a bit more acoustic than it’s predecessor, and lyrically it’s a deeply personal album, often focusing on the breakup of primary band member Mark Oliver Everett’s marriage and his heartache. Another very good album.

Check out “A Line In The Dirt”.

American VI: Ain’t No Grave
Johnny Cash
(2010)

I only had the first three of Cash’s American series, but couldn’t pass up the sixth installment when it was released. I’ve read mixed reviews of this album, but I absolutely love it. The songs were recorded shortly before he died, and although death is the common theme of the songs, they’re not focused on death itself, but on what comes next. I found this final album to be a great closing chapter to a remarkable career.

Check out “Ain’t No Grave”.

That’s it. That’s the list.

The games tip off in a few hours and I’ve yet to fill out a bracket. I didn’t even look at the bracket as a whole until this morning. It’s been a busy week, and I hope to fill out a bracket in full this morning. Until then, I will go ahead and submit my final four.

I’ve been seeing a lot of the picks by various heads on TV, and Tony Kornhesier has had several guests each day on his radio show laying out their picks. Almost everyone I’ve seen/heard has Kansas over Kentucky in the final. Even President Obama did.

I said to various people a couple of weeks ago Syracuse was my pick. Despite losing their final two games coming in and also the injury to Arinze Onuaku (he’s day to day and unlikely to play in their first round game), I’m going to stick with them as my champion. Not only that, I’m going to leave Kentucky and Kansas at home after the regionals.

Here’s how I see things, starting with the regional finals:

Midwest: I think both of these teams could potentially lose prior to this game. This is the toughest region in my opinion. Nevertheless, I’m going with Ohio State over Kansas. It’s probably unlikely, that’s my big upset.

West: I don’t think anyone will beat KSU in the first three rounds, but again, I’m counting on a healthy Syracuse team to reach Indianapolis. Syracuse over KSU.

South: Everyone’s picking Duke to lose early, but they are feelling have less pressure than the past few years, and have largely been under the radar this year, despite the #1 seed. It’s probably the most wide open region, yet I’m going with Duke over Notre Dame.

East: Kentucky is still the popular pick, but I think both Texas (if they play to their potential) and Wisconsin could give them trouble. Nevertheless, I’m going with “Calisleazy” to get the Wildcats to the regional final, where they will fall to West Virginia.

Championship Game: Syracuse edges West Virginia in an all-Big East final.

That’s it. That’s the list.

Now, we return you to your regularly scheduled programming, and have fun watching the games this weekend when, most likely, all of the teams I just mentioned lose. That’s generally how my bracket goes…

Here’s a look at some of my new music for the year so far. First are a group of albums (mostly from last year) that I didn’t get around to downloading until December or after the new year.
 

Strict Joy
The Swell Season
(2009)

After the success of their debut album and, later, the film Once, I wondered if Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová would be able to build on that success or if this album would fall short and disappoint. I had no need to fear, for they very well may have surpassed their previous work together with Strict Joy. Their debut was full of love, but this is more of a “break-up album”. And yet it’s beautiful.

Check out “Fantasy Man”.

Swoon
Silversun Pickups
(2009)

I checked out Swoon a few months back, but only recently got it while on sale at amazonmp3. Now that I have it, I wish I hadn’t waited so long. Their big sound and fuzzed-up guitars really works for me, and they seem to draw a lot of comparisons to The Smashing Pumpkins (who I admit I’ve never listened to, though I evidently should.) A definite winner, and I’ve officially become a big fan.

Check out “Panic Switch”.

Horehound
The Dead Weather
(2009)

I’m way late to this party, but I’m also becoming a huge fan of just about anything in which Jack White is involved. Of what I’ve heard from him to date, this collection of bluesy, garage rock is probably my favorite since The White Stripes’ Elephant. It’s not Led Zeppelin, but the comparisons are valid. If you love great rock and roll, you need this album.

Check out “I Cut Like A Buffalo”.

Broken Boy Soldiers
The Raconteurs
(2006)

Did I mention I’m really digging Jack White of late? Like The Dead Weather, this is another “supergroup” of sorts consisting of Jack White and a few musicians from other bands. While in some ways this is more of the same classic sound from White, it does (for me, at least) fall a bit short of the excellence of Horehound or Elephant. Nevertheless, it’s still a very enjoyable listen.

Check out “Steady, As She Goes”.

The Mountain
Heartless Bastards
(2009)

This one didn’t blow me away immediately, but one day it just clicked and I realized this is just an outstanding piece of work. They’ve apparently expanded their rock and roll sound since their previous works (which I haven’t heard) to include instruments most common in artists coming out of Nashville (steel guitar, banjo, violin/fiddle, etc.), but do so to great effect. You must hear this.

Check out “Out at Sea”.

 
A few others, in brief:

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix (2009) – The latest from Phoenix was on a lot of year end lists. It’s definitely an enjoyable pop/rock set, but I have to say that I wasn’t as crazy about it as a lot of other people apparently were.

Get Lucky – Mark Knopfler (2009) – Haven’t listened to anything from Knopfler since Dire Straits in the 80′s (and I was a big fan at the time.) Well, it’s been too long. Good stuff on his newest, and also check out his album with Emmylou Harris from 2006. It’s even better.

Armistice – MUTEMATH (2009) – MUTEMATH’s latest is a very good album, though it took me a few listens to really get into it. I hear their first album was even better, so I intend to check it out as well.

Love Remains – Alice Peacock (2009) – Last year I fell in love with Neko, Dar and Brandi; this year, Alice Peacock. An outstanding folk/rock album (with a little bit of country flavor to it.) A h/t to Freeman for recommending this via his year end list.

Collective Soul (Rabbit) – Collective Soul (2009) – More of the same from CS, but I’ve been a fan since the beginning and continue to love their work.
 

That’s it. That’s the list.

And, a hat tip to RM for the recommendations of Heartless Bastards and all things Jack White.

In my next post I will take a look at a few new albums released since the new year.

 
Band name trivia: This struck me as funny. According to Erika Wennerstrom, a trivia quiz game at a bar included a multiple choice question asking the name of Tom Petty’s band. One of the incorrect answers was “Tom Petty and the Heartless Bastards.” She thought it was funny, too, and remembered it when she started her band.