Tune in to this week’s post-cinco-de-mayo podcast as we hold court on a veritable smorgasbord of topics: from Hubert Davis’ hiring to Seth Greenberg’s firing, from the Andre Dawkins situation to the Chris Collins non-situation, we’ve got it covered and then some. So join us, won’t you?

As it happened, I found myself in Hampton, Va. this past weekend attending the 70th anniversary of my father’s portentous birth which brilliantly coincided ( thanks dad!) with the Boo Williams AAU Tournament. I was able to sneak out for a few bleary and hungover hours of bball watching on Sunday morning at 8am, when it was pretty much just me, a few members of the press, a few player moms and like every high major coach ( except Roy and K) you can think of in attendance : Cal, Izzo, Howland, Gottfried, Crean, Huggy Bear, Self…you name ‘em. Anyway  here’s my take on a few of the guys Duke has a strong interest in, though there will be some Carolina overlap I imagine ( if Duke has offered these guys , you know Ol’ Roy won’t be far behind).

Ish Wainright – A Wainwright was, back in the day, a man who built wagons. A task, no doubt, for which one had to be a sturdy fellow, no matter how sporty the ride. If Ish had been building back in the day, his conveyances would have been big. Like the wagon equivalent of Hummers, big.  Imagine the shoulders of Dwight Howard and the arms of Karl Malone on a 6’5″ frame and you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about. His game is unselfish to a fault. He is a pass first guy on offense ( much of his team’s offense runs through him flashing to the top of the key), but will, on occasion, attack the rim to great effect ( and when he does you don’t want to be the rim or the guy in between him and it). He game is about defense, rebounding, and passing which would explain why the Duke coaching staff has told him they see him as a Shane Battier – type contributor to the Duke program. Like Shane ( before his senior year) and Nate James ( a guy with a similar build), this guy simply does whatever it takes for his team to win, provided that isn’t scoring a lot of points. I did not see him take a jump shot or make a post move in the game I watched, but I saw him do everything else you can think of. He is not overly quick and has an odd, almost slew-footed running gait. He’s a  3 who can defend the 4 due to his rather incredible 7’3″ wingspan and his aforementioned strength. He said he and his parents were completetly blown away to talk to K (  he said his mom nearly dropped the phone) when he called to extend an offer, which has a lot of Duke fans feeling good about their chances. They’ve been there before though…

Theo Pinson – Theo ( class of 2014) is still waiting for a Duke offer, but unless Coach K has mysteriously decided he hates the idea of having a high motor 6’6″ slashing wing who can score from anywhere, plays really aggressive defense, and is a very vocal leader, there will be one forthcoming. In the game I watched, Theo pretty much single handedly brought his team back from a double digit deficit by contributing positively in almost every way a player can. He had that I’m-not-going-to-let-us-lose-this mentality that Duke fans are used to and so desperately craved last year. Theo has great bounce and a very aggressive attitude on both sides of the ball.

Tyus Jones – This is a player that literally every high major program is/will be gunning for. His game against Ish Wainwright’s team had the complete coaching cornucopia in attendance. For a rising high school Junior, this kid is as good as it gets. Everything you want in a point guard he’s got : speed, vision, equally good in half-court or transition, decision making and size ( listed at 6’1″ but I would swear he was 6’3″). The only thing I didn’t see in evidence was his offensive game from outside, but, one game is too small a sample size (  he put up 38 in his next game, and I’m guessing some of those were probably jump shots). Good luck to Duke on getting this guy. And I mean it.

Julius Randle – This dude is just a scary monster of a beast of a player. He does everything you’d want for a guy of his size and build ( he is a biiiig boy, and I don’t mean Tony Parker big) PLUS he’s got a fantastic handle. There were even a few instances where he brought the ball upcourt and set up the offense. You will hear a lot of hype about him over the coming year and it’s probably all deserved. Duke fans better start praying now that UNC doesn’t get him if Matt Jones can’t convince Julius to join him at Duke. Perish the very thought…

Matt Jones – This kid is going to be special at Duke. Universally regarded as the best shooter in his class, what I saw was a very strong, athletic guard with a great offensive arsenal. In fact , most of the points I saw him score were from 12 feet and in, so this guy is anything but one dimensional. He was better than advertised ( and taller. i think he’s a legit 6’5″) and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he ended up as the #1 SG in his class ( currently #4)

Semi Ojeleye – Who ? Exactly. I followed Wojo over to the Mokan/Southern Stampede game and stayed because I had no idea that anyone playing in that game was on Duke’s radar. 3 minutes into the game I knew exactly why he was there. There was a powerfully built 6’7″ kid who drained consecutive 3′s to start the scoring for his team and then took the ball down inside for an impressive post move. Some guys just stand out in a crowd, and Semi is one of them ; impressive physically, skills-wise, and academically.  His parents are both M.D.s and love the idea of him playing for Duke. No scholly has been offered yet but I would expect one real soon.

Both sides of Tobacco Road rejoice on the Blue vs Blue podcast this week as James McAdoo’s return to UNC and Mason Plumlee coming back to Duke have everyone feeling better about their chances next year. We talk through the recent declerations of Shabazz Muhammad and Nerlens Noel, wonder whether a recruiting splash might be better for the Devils long-term than the slow and steady development of current players, and weigh in on whether the transfer of Michael Gbinidje means anything bigger than another player just moving on.

Congratulations to Berberian 1 for being our virtual wire to wire champion in our virtual competition of our 3rd annual bracket challenge! A (virtual) slap on the back and an actual “Huzzah” are sent your way good sir. The grand prize check will sadly get lost in the mail, and you will never receive it. Sorry about that.

The handful of other entries who had Kentucky winning it all (including me) moved up the final standings ladder as you might have guessed – but we all will be washing that disgusting bluegrass smell off for months.

Thanks to all who participated again this season. At some point our magnificent scoring model will become the new standard, and you all can say you were among the pioneers. Only about 190 days til Midnight Madness everyone. So there’s that!

Those departing Heels have Tar Heel nation down in the dumps as we break down the respective legacies of Zeller, Marshall, Henson and Barnes (and Macadoo?). Meanwhile, we’re ALL sad to see the tournament and college basketball season come to a close. It ended with a blue-blood battle and we’ll weigh in on Kentucky’s win and the tournament as a whole. We also discuss who will and might be wearing blue in the triangle next year and the potential impact that might have. Join us, won’t you?

Both teams on Tobacco Road are feeling bummed this week as Carolina and Duke are resigned to watching the Final Four at home. UNC’s unceremonious exit leaves Zeke wondering what could have been with Kendall Marshall around, and everyone’s asking what portion of the blame Roy Williams and Harrison Barnes have to shoulder. Bart and Alex say goodbye to Austin Rivers, who is NBA bound, and speculate on Mason Plumlee’s future, as well, with one hand hovering over the “panic” button. We wonder what the ACC will look like next year, and reveal which lesser of 4 evils we’re rooting for in this weekend’s Final Four games while our teams are out of it. Sad Keanu and sad panda, we feel your pain.

Well our Bracket Challenge looks very much like it could be a walk-over by first weekend leader Berbarian 1.

He continues to crush the field (See updated Google Spreadsheet Here) as only one of two entries with 75% of the Final Four picked correctly. (ahem – yours truly was the other one) Unfortunately for me, we have exactly the same results from here on out – so I have no chance to catch him. The only remaining suspense is if Kansas were to win it all, Tapp Gut Picks would overtake him for top prize. Tapp is the only entry with Kansas to win – and oddly enough no one picked OSU as champs though many have them in the Final Four and Championship.

May the Best Virtual Entry Win! (and may the woulda, coulda, shoulda continue for all the rest of us)

Blue vs Blue bids adieu to the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, which left the whole crew feeling a bit depressed, as Duke bows out to a 15 seed and UNC faces a lot of questions about Kendal Marshall’s availability after fracturing his wrist. Bart and Alex try to figure out whether this team overachieved all year and what it is that has the Devils flame out more often than not in the tournament. Zeke looks at who needs to step up in Marshall’s possible absence, and discusses whether the Heels still have a title shot – sacre bleu!

Do Over?

Both sides of Tobacco road have reasons for somberness this morning, so what better way to drown your sorrows than to take a look at how you did on a hypothetical analysis of a wildly unpredictable series of events?

I’ve crunched the numbers on the Blue vs Blue Bracket Challenge, and you can take a look at the updated standings HERE.

Congrats to Tapp Gut Picks entry for correctly picking 26 of 32 First Round Match-ups, 3 more than any other entry. That earned the 100 bonus points that is keeping him/her in contention (although the rest of that bracket is not quite as pretty). Our current leader Berberian 1 looks nearly impossible to beat with all Elite Eight teams alive and in my mind the most likely Final Four and Championship game picks (when Marshall injury is factored in that is).  But then Duke fans could tell you something about loosing a star point guard that your team look previously unbeatable…

Some minor oddities and observations:

• Not a shocker, but no one picked either of the #15′s to advance. Two entries had Xavier into the Sweet Sixteen, but only my wife (who knows almost nothing about college basketball) picked Florida.
• Nearly everyone (see note above) took a beating on Mizzou loosing. They were a very popular Final Four pick.
• Bonus points in the second round largely came down to if you picked NC State into the second weekend.  ACC Homerism did not help so much in the East Region – not a single Entry had Cincy past FSU.

The Midwest – American’s Heartland. Amber waves of grain and all that. I think of miles and miles of corn fields from Ohio to Iowa to Nebraska. And sadly this region looks to be about as exciting as a road trip through all those aforementioned fields. Yes, yes it’s still the tournament. There will still be passion and nail-biting and probably some upsets. But if you were pitching me the Midwest Bracket as a movie script it would most assuredly not be green-lighted. “The big battle at the end sounds as epic as the Riders of Rohan charging to “Death, Death, DEATH! But everything else needs to be re-worked.” There is my 100% accurate Hollywood producer opinion.

The last several weeks there has been a lot of buzz about how chalk-y this tournament is likely to be with 7 1/2 really good teams on a collision course. (Yes Devils fans, the Duke grad is giving our team only half credit with 27 wins) The good news is the brackets are set up for those top 8 all to be in the Regional Finals, and nowhere does it seem more likely to happen than in the un-sexy Midwest Bracket. Kansas lost a lot from last year, and the Heels lost nothing, but both are playing their best this season when it matters most. Even the lingering doubts about the skinny on John Henson’s burly wrist seem unlikely to derail the Carolina express to the Final Four. If the Jayhawks can emerge from the bottom half of the bracket, where at least a handful of dangerous teams are lurking, they’ll be rewarded with a virtual home game in St. Louis against what should be a team in baby blue.

Michigan and/or Temple might have been more of a threat to another team, but UNC’s huge lineup is exactly the kind of team that should kill them on the boards (including the scoreboard). Hard to argue other than that the Heels got the good end of the matchup stick with their 8/9 game as well. (again Creighton is a good team, but the eye test doesn’t appear to provoke any danger signs) And it’s not as if this team needs any favors. They were big favorites coming into the season, and had enough starting talent to withstand several key injuries. If they can get any contributions from McAdoo and Hairston, positive contributions mind you, they should be playing Kentucky April 2nd. (if it seems like I am doing all I can to heap pressure on Carolina so as to give them as little credit as possible if they win and to heap ignominy on them if they loose, you are indeed an astute reader)

Yep... the Midwest. It's a-maze-ing

Any good Duke fan can only hope that the Mega-Beast that is Thomas Robinson can will his team (with the help of 40-50 thousand locals) past their traitor of a former coach. (Hold the venom Heels fans – that was a joke. Sort of.) At the very least it would be a ratings bonanza and would most likely provide a fitting denouement to what on paper looks to be a yawner of a bracket.
Best First Round Matchup – Loads of ‘experts’ are telling us to watch out for Detroit against Kansas, and while the Dickie V’s former team scores at a high clip and has some size, they don’t make a ton of 3′s – which is the way a little guy beats a big boy team. (ask Kansas about Davidson…) For my money Georgetown vs Belmont is the way to go. The Hoyas over-achieved this year with some unexpected production and all Duke fans know about Belmont. ESPN’s predictor actually has the Bruins favored in this one. It’ll be a popular upset pick.

Dark Horse – Ugh. Can I take a ‘Pass’ in this category? Though there are some nice teams out there, it’s really really hard to see anyone other than UNC and Kansas in this regional final. Michigan has the best shot to beat the Heels with the scintillating play of freshman PG Trey Burke and by making a ton of threes (something they are vulnerable to). But sadly for me I don’t see it. Maybe St Mary’s can make a regional final, but I’m hoping the Jayhawks will be there.

The ‘Who?’ Award - Ohio Bobcats. No this is not some Michigan prank about not calling Ohio State by it’s chosen name. The Mid-American champ is also a guard heavy team who plays very stingy defense. The Wolverines should make jests at their own risk – they face off Friday.

The All-Atlas Squad ( the team-carriers) – Matthew Dellavadova (St Marys), Doug McDermott (Creighton), Robbie Hummel (Purdue), Stilman White (UNC) Just making sure you are paying attention there readers

Upset Special – You already know how I feel about Belmont, and other than the huge seeding difference it may not be that much of an upset. NC State certainly looks capable as well of upsetting a surprisingly successful San Diego St team. That subregion seems the most certain to me to have a double digit seed in the second weekend.

Best Potential Second Round Matchup – UNC vs Creighton would get a lot of pub nationally and would shut down the town of Ames Iowa. But I wouldn’t expect it to be a great game. Temple vs Michigan would likely be the most fun game to watch – two guard-dominated teams where the key would likely be Michigan’s 3 point shooting against the Owls solid perimeter D.

Have at thee, vile Train!

Sparty's little brother from Detroit?

Best Mascot – The Detroit Titans sounds great, but the logo is just a sword/shield combo and the mascot looks like they took an old Michigan State hand-me-down and dyed the hemet crest red. St Mary’s Gaels sounds unexciting but it’s actual on-court mascot is awesome! Advantage Gaels.

Worst Mascot – While Alabama’s Crimson Tide always sounds more like a horror film title than a mascot (yes yes I know all about the proud tradition) the worst mascot of this this bunch has to be the Tar Heels. Another proud southern tradition that had to cave and find a reasonable animal representation to stand in for it’s strange nickname, and you choose a big goat. This decision has nothing whatsoever to do with my personal allegiance.

The All Digger Phelps Team ( of names most likely to be mispronounced) – Jahenns Manigat (Creighton), Matthew Dellavadova (St Marys), John Smith (Ohio)

The God Shammgodd Award ( for best name) – Sliiiim pickings in this region. A very pedestrian array of names if I do say so. The best of the bunch would be (Viscount) Augustus Gilchrist of the South Florida Bulls.

The Home Cooking Award ( for beneficial geographical placement) – Kansas got a huge boon, with the ability to potentially play UNC and their sweet 16 opponent in St.Louis. I applaud this decision.

The “What are they doing here?” award – Purdue is mighty questionable, but there is no WAY South Florida should even be in the play-in game. They have one quality win (Louisville), 13 losses, and had by far the easiest conference schedule in the big east

The Shitburger Award ( for getting jobbed) – One could make a really strong case for Creighton here, who should have gotten a 7 or a 6 instead of an 8, but I’m going to give this award to Drexel, who clearly should have been in ahead of USF and probably Cal for that matter.