CHANGE MY LOCATION
Sports
Examiners
Sports Examiner
Most Recent Post
Updated MLB division series results, starters and broadcast schedule
California News
Multimedia News
Duke, North Carolina ready for ‘granddaddy of all tournaments’
SEE HOW THIS STORY DEVELOPED
Related Topics: BALTIMORE
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - No puts more stock in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament than Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.
During his 27-year stewardship of one of the nation’s elite programs, Krzyzewski has claimed the title 11 times, including five in a row from 1999 to 2003. The three-time national championship-winning coach has lorded over the country’s most prestigious conference of late, winning seven of the last 10 tournaments.
The domination has been so thorough that changing the name of the tournament to the Duke Invitational would probably elicit only a few raised eyebrows.
“The tournament is the best tournament and is the standard for which [all others are judged],” Krzyzewski said.
For all their past success, the seventh-ranked Blue Devils (27-4) enter this week’s tournament at Charlotte (N.C.) Bobcats Arena as a slight underdog.
That’s because defending tournament champion North Carolina ended the regular season as the nation’s top team thanks to a 29-2 record. The Tar Heels are just four days removed from a 76-68 win over Duke, fueled by 16 points and 15 rebounds by center Tyler Hansbrough.
Hansbrough was named the Sporting News National Player of the Year Tuesday; assuring that his number will be just the eighth retired by North Carolina. If the Tar Heels win the tournament, they are likely assured of a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
“Growing up here in Carolina, the ACC Tournament is the granddaddy of all the tournaments,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. “It means a great deal, but at the same time, we can’t put all our loaves in this basket, because we have accomplished enough during the regular season that we know we’re going to be playing after this week.”
Duke and North Carolina split the season series, with each winning on the opposition’s home court. Duke took an 89-78 victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill earlier last month, with a third matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the conference seemingly likely in Sunday’s conference championship game.
Krzyzewski says he does not pay attention to those who recommend resting players in the conference tournament to prepare for the NCAA Tournament.
“I think whenever you are playing, it’s important,” Krzyzewski said. “To look beyond games you might play sends the wrong message to your team. At this point, you don’t want to lose what you’ve been doing all year if you’ve been doing it fairly well.”
mpalmer@baltimoreexaminer.com
