Arizona vs Duke

[MADXSTER]

Who will win??

[picknroll]

Who will win??

I believe Duke will spank Mr. Miller and Crew: 90-73

[SixFig]

Choice of evils eh?

[Snipe]

Go Sean Miller!!

[stophorseabuse]

I picked Duke to win the tourney again this year. They put the ball in the basket so well, and Arizona does not play tremendous defense.

Yes, go Arizona.

[Anti-Homer]

Go Sean Miller!!

Second that. 2 sweet sixteens and an elite 8 in 5 years. Along with Thad, elevated XU's program to national relevance. Hopefully the decline this year will be reversed by the infusion of highly skilled players next yr.

[SkyWalker]

My heart will be rooting for Arizona and Sean but my head says don't pick against Duke.

[Snipe]

Second that. 2 sweet sixteens and an elite 8 in 5 years. Along with Thad, elevated XU's program to national relevance. Hopefully the decline this year will be reversed by the infusion of highly skilled players next yr.

"The decline this year" is winning 24 games and being ranked 20th in the final AP poll. "The decline this year" is winning our fifth straight Atlantic Ten conference campaign, and having the A-10 MVP and other All League selections. Holloway has also been named an All American by The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and Fox Sports. That is "the decline this year", and that is why comments like that make your rep line show you to be the tool that you are.

Sure, we lost our NCAA game. That is obvious to all of us. It ends a run of three straight Sweet 16s. In a way that is a decline, because we didn't meet the high mark that this program has set. But this is not a program in decline. That is a negative spin that I abhor.

Marquette earned it. They were a tough match-up for us. They were also a tough matchup for the 3 seed that they sent packing as well on their route to the Sweet 16. I am not sure that they won't beat Carolina and play to go to the Final Four. We could have had a much better matchup with our 6 seed but we didn't get it. That is what happens in the dance, and all of the teams are competative. Look at how VCU and Florida St have played. Teams lose, and all teams lose except the Champ. I would not focus on one loss to cite "The decline this year".

But then again, if being ranked, having an All American and several All-league players is part of a decline, maybe a decline ain't so bad...

[Michigan Muskie]

Article on Duke vs. Arizona with brief XU reference at the end...I think he included that just to appease me.

Arizona, Duke Square Off in Sweet 16 (http://www.pac12sportswatch.com/homepage-articles/Arizona-Duke-Square-Off-in-Sweet-16.html)

[nuts4xu]

Sean Miller is a Great American and Coach K is a rat faced schmuk.

GO WILDCATS!!

[Cincypunk.org]

"The decline this year" is winning 24 games and being ranked 20th in the final AP poll. "The decline this year" is winning our fifth straight Atlantic Ten conference campaign, and having the A-10 MVP and other All League selections. Holloway has also been named an All American by The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and Fox Sports. That is "the decline this year", and that is why comments like that make your rep line show you to be the tool that you are.

Sure, we lost our NCAA game. That is obvious to all of us. It ends a run of three straight Sweet 16s. In a way that is a decline, because we didn't meet the high mark that this program has set. But this is not a program in decline. That is a negative spin that I abhor.

Marquette earned it. They were a tough match-up for us. They were also a tough matchup for the 3 seed that they sent packing as well on their route to the Sweet 16. I am not sure that they won't beat Carolina and play to go to the Final Four. We could have had a much better matchup with our 6 seed but we didn't get it. That is what happens in the dance, and all of the teams are competative. Look at how VCU and Florida St have played. Teams lose, and all teams lose except the Champ. I would not focus on one loss to cite "The decline this year".

But then again, if being ranked, having an All American and several All-league players is part of a decline, maybe a decline ain't so bad...

awesome. reps.

[drudy23]

I'll go with Arizona.

[gladdenguy]

Lets go Duke.........Lets go Duke.............Lets go Duke
I hope fatty chokes on a cough.

[CinciX12]

I have this odd urge to clear my throat.

Die Sean Miller.

#stillbitter

[xubrew]

arizona's doing pretty well to keep it within six. zona's defense is tough, but it also isn't the type of defense that's designed to force duke away from their strengths.

even if zona wins this game, i don't think they'll go any further. i get the sense that neither of these teams are as good as either uconn or san diego state.

[waggy]

41 points in a half. Seriously doubt Miller's happy with the D.

[CinciX12]

Arizona is f'ing terrible without Williams. I'm not certain they are a 15 win team without him. Guy is unbelievable.

[MADXSTER]

Arizona up 55-53 with 15 min to go

[MADXSTER]

Arizona up 11 with 12 min to go

[waggy]

Kinda surprised that Parrom didn't get called for a foul trying to deny Singlar earlier.

[waggy]

That was a great great slam. Just awesome.

[waggy]

This is now an ass-whippin.

[MADXSTER]

Coach K has no answers

[Xavgrad08]

Derrick Williams will be making a lot of money next year.

[xubrew]

arizona's doing pretty well to keep it within six. zona's defense is tough, but it also isn't the type of defense that's designed to force duke away from their strengths.

even if zona wins this game, i don't think they'll go any further. i get the sense that neither of these teams are as good as either uconn or san diego state.

^^^^
disregard...

arizona's defense may not be taylor made to stop duke, but duke can't stop arizona either. in fact, they're so frustrated that duke is stopping themselves.

[waggy]

Coach K has no answers

4 on Singlar, and no Zoubeck.

[MADXSTER]

WOW they don't call the foul against Williams and then call the body-touch foul against Arizona. Expect Duke to come back with calls like that.

[CinciX12]

I stand by what I said.

I needed new panties after that Williams throwdown though. Good. Lord.

[MADXSTER]

Arizona up 18 with 3 min to go

[MADXSTER]

Arizona up 17 with 2 min to go

[gladdenguy]

Well this sucks....I guess a Lexus is better than a Buick.

Yep I'm saying it.....I'm rooting for Big East over fatty cough cough.

[MADXSTER]

I suck.

[waggy]

Tough night for Dick Vitale.

[Xman95]

I don't know if it's a Lexus, a Buick or something else. Whatever it is, that engine is purring right now.

[xsteve1]

Arizona looks more like a Rolls Royce. Miller's a flat out stud coach.

[Anti-Homer]

I meant by definition only. I hope CM retires with Xavier. I have a feeling he will fill the Tas with some final 4 banners.

[SixFig]

Butler and AZ both make the elite 8?

Sigh...

[doug204]

Instead of working the refs, rat face should of been coaching his team. :)

[Anti-Homer]

It must be April. SM surpassing expectations and marching deep into the tourney with a team that had 3 coaches in 3 yrs.

Take that Cronin and Crean!

[Anti-Homer]

It's in his DNA. Hate losing Parrom. HE is going to be a stud! He and Wells would have been fun to watch together. They can keep Kryl.

[Xavier]

Sean is one of the best coaches in the country and most Xavier fans realize this. While I fully expect Xavier to keep going on- Losing Miller was tough. I was extremely confident in Miller taking X to the final four though. AZ will be back to National power house real soon---as I predicted when Miller left.

[xubrew]

a great win for arizona. having said that, i don't think duke was really THAT strong of a team. they were good, but i don't think they were #1 seed good, or for that matter even #2 seed good. they had what appeared to be big wins early in the year against kansas state, michigan state and marquette, but those wins didn't really turn out to be as big as what they seemed at the time. kansas state had a big year, but they weren't playing well at that point in time. other than the acc tournament win against north carolina, at no point did duke really look like a top ten team. they won a lot of games against teams outside the top 20 or even top 30, and they even struggled to win some of those. i understand why the committee gave them a #1 seed, but i don't agree with the decision. i just don't see why people were so amazed by them. there were a couple of teams that were #8 or #9 seeds that had duke played instead of michigan, i wonder if they would have even made it this far. i'll admit that one of the teams was old dominion, who didn't fair all that well, but i think their defense would have driven duke crazy, and since duke isn't really that strong on defense themselves, i think odu would have been able to score.

i'm not a duke hater. i just never thought that this year's addition was all that tough. i certainly don't feel that they were one of the ten best teams, much less a #1 seed caliber team. one thing is for certain, arizona is better than duke. i expected duke to win because i didn't think arizona's defense would stop them, but as it turns out duke became so frustrated that they stopped themselves.

[Xavier]

Meh- I thought Duke was a top 5 team. Whith who they lost last year vs. who they brought in I expected them to go to the final four (and if Irving did not get hurt I think they would have) They lost Sheyer and Zoubek. They brought in two better guards then Sheyer IMO in Irving and Curry. They did not replace the low post guy in Zoubek but the Plumlees each got better. Did you think Zoubek was key to them being a championship team?

[xubrew]

Meh- I thought Duke was a top 5 team. Whith who they lost last year vs. who they brought in I expected them to go to the final four (and if Irving did not get hurt I think they would have) They lost Sheyer and Zoubek. They brought in two better guards then Sheyer IMO in Irving and Curry. They did not replace the low post guy in Zoubek but the Plumlees each got better. Did you think Zoubek was key to them being a championship team?

i really didn't even think about it like that at all. my outlook was much more simple. i thought that since they were struggling to beat teams that weren't in the top twenty, and lost to a few teams outside of the top ten (a couple of them that were way outside), that they probably weren't a top ten team themselves.

[XUOWNSUC]

Losing Miller was tough. I was extremely confident in Miller taking X to the final four though.

I thought the same thing. Miller had me believing that a Final Four appearance by Xavier was a certainty - it was just a matter of when. That's why I find it so hard to root for him now. I feel like he ripped my heart out when he left. In my opinion, Miller was he best coach we ever had.

No offense to Mack, but now I just don't have the same feeling that Xavier will be in the Final Four some day. I think it's possible - even George Mason did it - but I no longer feel it is inevitable.

[xubrew]

I thought the same thing. Miller had me believing that a Final Four appearance by Xavier was a certainty - it was just a matter of when. That's why I find it so hard to root for him now. I feel like he ripped my heart out when he left. In my opinion, Miller was he best coach we ever had.

No offense to Mack, but now I just don't have the same feeling that Xavier will be in the Final Four some day. I think it's possible - even George Mason did it - but I no longer feel it is inevitable.

i actually think mack is a better bench coach than miller. i like that we have more in our arsenal now than we had before, especially on defense. we even busted out a zone a few times, which i can't ever remember happening before. i don't think our recruiting has missed a beat either. we had a big year despite having limited personnel. i don't think we would have done all that much better these past two years had miller stayed.

i think our scouting is as good, or better, than it has ever been. personally, i'm just as confident now as i was before. maybe even moreso.

[SixFig]

Miller is a better defensive coach, and Chris is a better offensive coach.

However, as some other poster once said: Chris Mack hates zone, but he will zone the #### out of you.

[GuyFawkes38]

No offense to Mack, but now I just don't have the same feeling that Xavier will be in the Final Four some day. I think it's possible - even George Mason did it - but I no longer feel it is inevitable.

It's definitly easy to feel that way after X just exited in the first round and AZ is still going. But feeling that way strikes me as too reactionary.

Who knows. Time changes thing. And miller has been extremely lucky the past two years.

IMHO, X fans are way too obsessed with reaching the Final Four. It's a bad way to measure the success of a program.

[wkrq59]

I watched both the Arizona and Butler games with mixed feelings. Butler's
victory made Xavier look very good.
As for Sean and Arizona, I was somewhat torn. Still think Sean was an outstanding coach at X and I believe set the stage for greater things to come here.
It's hard to root intensely for a guy who told you in essence, "Look, I took you as far as I could and this is the best you'll ever be. I can win a national championship there and(you can't here)"... and the Lexus-Buick excrement was the final straw.
Still, the mentions of the Xavier (no eggs) through and at the end of the game, shows I think, that people who know the game know what Xavier is and who they can become, and that's a nice thought.
One other thing. I usually root for Duke because I like Krzyzewski's ways and what he stands for, but he really doesn't need any extra help from the zebras and it cheapens him to watch as he constantly bitches to them. People always used to say John Wooden was a model of decorum with his rolled up program but people who knew him admitted he could be a bit sarcastic and nasty but never mean. Coach K on the other hand can be downright snotty, and his often condescending praise after he squeaks out a victory, just doesn't sit well. Besides, his teams get away with murder in the guise of "physical play."
For his wife and kids' sakes, I was glad to see Sean and U of A win.
:logo::shield::sword:

[xsteve1]

Miller is a better defensive coach, and Chris is a better offensive coach.

However, as some other poster once said: Chris Mack hates zone, but he will zone the #### out of you.

I thought Mack was still using the offensive system Miller had installed? Watching AZ share the ball last night reminded me of the Duncan, Lavender, Burrell, Brown, Anderson team. They moved the ball around beautifully. Everybody get's theirs.

[gladdenguy]

That team didn't have a Derrick Williams type player though.
"Fatty cough cough" can thank Tim Floyd for him.

[SixFig]

That team didn't have a Derrick Williams type player though.
"Fatty cough cough" can thank Tim Floyd for him.

And Jordan Crawford, Drew Lavender and Tu Holloway.

Its just part of the business.

[jco17]

I watched both the Arizona and Butler games with mixed feelings. Butler's
victory made Xavier look very good.
As for Sean and Arizona, I was somewhat torn. Still think Sean was an outstanding coach at X and I believe set the stage for greater things to come here.
It's hard to root intensely for a guy who told you in essence, "Look, I took you as far as I could and this is the best you'll ever be. I can win a national championship there and(you can't here)"... and the Lexus-Buick excrement was the final straw.
Still, the mentions of the Xavier (no eggs) through and at the end of the game, shows I think, that people who know the game know what Xavier is and who they can become, and that's a nice thought.
One other thing. I usually root for Duke because I like Krzyzewski's ways and what he stands for, but he really doesn't need any extra help from the zebras and it cheapens him to watch as he constantly bitches to them. People always used to say John Wooden was a model of decorum with his rolled up program but people who knew him admitted he could be a bit sarcastic and nasty but never mean. Coach K on the other hand can be downright snotty, and his often condescending praise after he squeaks out a victory, just doesn't sit well. Besides, his teams get away with murder in the guise of "physical play."
For his wife and kids' sakes, I was glad to see Sean and U of A win.
:logo::shield::sword:

It was very hard for him to leave Xavier. I don't think Miller thought of it that way at all. I think the things he said about National Championships and other things was for the Arizona fans. He honestly felt he was leaving a final four Xavier team when he took the rebuilding job at Arizona. He also had a very close relationship with Bobo. Miller only ever speaks highly about Xavier. I feel the Buike vs Lexus thing has been overblown. Sometimes people say things they can't take back no matter how much they would like to.

It was a careless thing to say. It can't be taken back, but Xavier is a great program, with a very bright future. I'm stoked that some still are rooting for Miller here. It's great and I love cheering for Mack and Xavier as well. X played poorly against Marquette and got knocked out. X will be back next year without a doubt and will have the experience. I think your fan base is outstanding, very passionate about your team. Miller and Mack are different coaches, both are very good, and have bright futures.

[GuyFawkes38]

Jco, you'll get a good chuckle reading the "Sean Miller Appreciation" thread.

[gladdenguy]

And Jordan Crawford, Drew Lavender and Tu Holloway.

Its just part of the business.

comparing lavender crawford or tu holloway to derrick williams is much different.....derrick williams will be the number one pick in the nba draft. but i understand what u mean

[doug204]

That team didn't have a Derrick Williams type player though.
"Fatty cough cough" can thank Tim Floyd for him.

No, he can thank Tim Floyd for bending the rules thus leading to a disaster exit at USC which in turn lead him to land William over Memphis. The support cast scored 48 points in the second half while Derrick only scored 7. It's called *cough cough* half time adjustments.

The fact that he's going to an Elite 8 in year two with HIS recruits no matter how U$C or UW fans spin it speaks volumes.