I'm not sure where everyone gets this whole UNC hates Texas thing. I'm in grad school at UNC, and most people generally like UT. I have NEVER heard anyone specifically say anything negative about Rick Barnes, but maybe this is just a younger crowd (25-30) who didn't really think much of the Dean Smith incident. Either way, everyone here hates Duke more than Texas I can guarantee...except the guys who went there undergrad.
I live in Chapel Hill and there is definitely no love for Texas amongst UNC fans. Every time I mention Texas, someone has something negative to say about Rick or Mack. But I do think UNC fans will be pulling for Texas over Duke.
I reiterate, while an interesting debate in the psychology of UNC fans, it matters not. Texas and its fans need merely focus on Minnesota. To do otherwise is an extreme waste of time. Win one or win none, that is the whole question. Duke can handle this particular Texas team playing in front of the most rabid (read OU ready) Texas home crowd. I understand it may be fun to talk about the relative animosiity a UNC fan feels for Duke or UNC, but it is my best guess, if a Texas fan spends time focussing on Duke, they will miss the 2009 Texas team's NCAA tournament. Texas may well never face Duke this year folks. Let's hope they do, but who a UNC fan roots for will matter not one iota. With Coach K hissing at the referees (45 miles from Cameron Indoor), Sexy Dexy gets two offensive fouls in the first 8 minutes. That'll be a quick, quick, game set and match......... the streak lives on all the same! Happy we are are about that, or sure should be anyway.
You people need to get a grip. Why the f- would you want Texas to lose and end this season. Yeah, they haven't lived up to expectations but I doubt these kids are ready for the season to end and neither am I. Duke is NOT UNC, Pitt or UConn. They are not out of our league. It'll take a great game for us to win but we can put together great play such as the second OU game or first half against KU. Yeah the odds are against us but we should be pulling for this team, not rooting for this season to come to a premature end. Bunch of drama queens on this board. My interest level in the tourney takes a big dip when Texas gets eliminated.
First off, I live in Raleigh and will be attending tonight's game against Minnesota (I'll be the one in the burnt orange). While the Coliseum is barely an hour away from Duke's campus , not everyone is crazy about the Dark Blue. The local GSO paper had a article about this earlier in the week. The last time UNC and Duke shared a pod in Charlotte, UNC fans stuck around to boo Duke. Regardless, when you get to the tourney you're supposed to have tough crowds. If the get to play against Duke they will be tough but are beatable. Lately, the Dukies have had a habit of playing well in the ACC tourney, but then leaving early in the NCAAs. We play well tonight and we have an opportunity to continue that trend.
Yeah, we can beat Duke. We have played them well in the past. One time we kept it down to only a 26 points defecit.
I guess I haven't seen us play a lot this year because I don't live in Texas. But has our transition defense been this porous all season?
No, we can't beat Duke. This team has gone as far as it will go in this year's NCAA tournament. I'm a graduate of UT-Austin and a big Horn fan, but even I can see the reality through my orange-tinted glasses. Sorry, this will be an easy win for Duke.
I am absolutely certain this team could beat any team in the tourney.....on the flip side I am also absolutely certain this team could lose to any team in the tourney. Sometimes both teams show up to the same game. Let's see who shows up next.
^ ^ ^ That pretty much says it all. We are the definite underdogs and who knows how things will go. Let's get one more win and move on to next weekend. Hook'em!!
Here is all I found "The incident took place in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament as North Carolina was putting the final touches on a 78-62 victory. Clemson’s Iker Iturbe committed a hard foul on Tar Heels star Jerry Stackhouse, which resulted in Dean Smith barking at the Clemson player for an extended period of time." "Barnes then called timeout and began to yell at Smith." Are you kidding? The refs allowed Dean Smith to yell at an opposing player for an extended period of time? No wonder Rick got upset. There must be more to the story, or maybe that is the story. The refs let Dean do whatever he wanted? Even if it was an intentional foul, I don't think opposing coaches are allowed to yell at opposing players? What a weird deal.
Find a copy of John Feinstein's March to Madness. Sixteen pages on this. Very quick summary. Barnes had an undermanned team when he got to Clemson. Had to walk it up, milk the clock, play tough D. It was very tough D. A lot of fouls... a lot of clutching and grabbing on defense. Think BCG his first couple of years at A&M. Smith didn't like it. Barnes also was trying to build up his team's self-esteem against UNC. He was going to take them head on. When Smith talked to Barnes's players at the UNC end of the floor about how they were playing defense, Barnes went nose to nose with him. The ACC commissioner had to step in and tell both of them to shut up. This is why UNC fans hate him, because he stood up to Dean. For his part, Barnes regrets what he did, or at least, how he did it. He won't talk about it anymore. He and Smith are friends now, and I think that's the way he wants it. But Carolina fans don't mind carrying the grudge.
The other part that I heard is that he went to mid court on the sidelines, called the ref over and said get Dean over here now or I'm going over to him. He had every right to. By the way, if you want to look for a contrast, Bobby Knight would always talk to our players. One time he pulled Mouton over and basically politely told him to act like he'd been there before. Barnes had no problem with that because he is good friends with Knight and Knight wasn't trying to disrespect the Texas team. Smith was arrogant and got what was coming to him.
