The current phrase in vogue for nearing one's limits in basketball is "hitting
the wall." Coach K talked about it before the Tech game, but the
rookies seemed to hold up pretty well. After the game, he talked about
Cameron and the Maryland game, saying this: "Our crowd wasn't very good Wednesday when we
lost. They have expectations that we would walk all over whoever we're playing. They have to understand we need them, that they need to get out there and work."
Chris Carrawell added this: "At home, we rely on the
crowd. They just expect us to win. But we need them to come out."
We took some heat for cracking on the crowd the other night, including on 850
The Buzz, so we're glad someone else said something. And in
fairness, the students who did show up weren't the problem, though chanting
overrated at Terrence Morris was like telling a mugger he's not that tough when
he's got a gun in your face. Just not the brightest thing in the
world. And the fans upstairs who showed up weren't the problem
either. The problem was the people who didn't come. Now we heard
that there were various conflicts on campus, including at least one major exam,
and we also heard from a few people who said basketball wasn't the end-all and
be-all of their lives, and that's understandable, too. But unlike a lot of
places, there is a bond between team and crowd, and the players obviously want,
and need, the support. We're sure the students will be there for the rest
of the season. Upstairs is a concern, however.
Look, if you can't go, or if you can't be bothered to go, for God's sake,
turn your tickets back in to the Iron Dukes or use this site to get them to a
Duke fan. The fact that Maryland tickets couldn't be given away was
ridiculous. Worse, at the NC State game, there were enough State fans
there to have an impact on the game. Please, if you can't go, just at
least make sure a Duke fan goes. There are a lot of them who want to go who
can't even get tickets, and to just burn them, or give them to the opposing
school - that's just crazy.