Loading ...Duke 54, Indiana 51
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by Doug Wilson | Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 7:50 pm UTC
Well, guys, sorry for not keeping up with the updates. Game got pretty hectic and we were on tight deadline. Thanks for checking in with us.
Click below to read the entire transcript of our live blog.
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And they’ve come all the way back. An Earl Calloway jump shot just made it 40 all. Maybe all teams have that *click* moment, and this is Indiana’s.
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It’s hard not to pin this resurgence on Errek Suhr. He’s simply the heart of this team. “Frodo,” as the crowd here is calling him, just took the ball to the hole against DeMarcus Nelson — about as athletic a guard as there is in the country — and floated a shot over him and through the lane that cut Duke’s lead to two points.
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A 9-1 run, capped by a Bassett 3, to start the second half has cut Duke’s lead to 35-30 with 17:10 left. Coach K calls timeout.
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Duke had doubled up the Hoosiers at 30-15, but the Hoosiers have managed a couple of shots right next to the basket and cut the lead to 31-19. Look like they might even get 20 by halftime.
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And the Duke fans have broken out the “Kelvin called me” chant. As Mike White stood at the free throw line to take Indiana’s first free throw of the day, the Crazies took out their cell phones and began chanting.
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils have opened up a 17-7 lead.
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Armon Bassett — the true freshman — has pulled Indiana within two points. He hit a three-pointer off an inbounds play and then took a fast break and hit a lay in to make it 9-7.
D.J. White can’t get free in the paint. Duke is just collapsing on him. He’s had three shots blocked, most of them by shorter players.
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Nightmare come true in the first three minutes for Indiana. A couple of turnovers, a few missed open shots and Duke exploiting Allen on defense. Sampson has already used a timeout.
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As we reported earlier the starting lineup will be Allen, White, Ratliff, Bassett and Calloway. According to our loyal commenter Cheyenne, the ESPN people have announced that Stemler sustained a concussion during practice over the weekend.
New Indiana basketball media relations contact Jeff Keag said that there was nothing to report on Stmler’s condition earlier today.
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Greg Paulus sure doesn’t look like a freak athlete. He’s listed at 6-1, 180 and looks shorter and lighter.
But hey, the kid is one of the best high school athletes of this decade. No question. He was the the top-rated quarterback and point guard by many recruiting services.
Can you imagine making this phone call: “Uh, yeah, hi Notre Dame. This is Greg. Just calling to say I’ve decided I’m not going to play quarterback for you. Turns out I’m going to head down to Duke and play point guard for them. So, yeah, sorry about that.”
He’s struggled a bit this year. Running a team like Duke isn’t easy and he’s still young. This Blue Devils team is still trying to forge a style after relying on that J.J. guy for so long.
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Half an hour or so from tip-off. The arena — the size of most big high school gyms — is filling up slowly. Students haven’t stopped though. I wonder if they take a freshman class on this or something. “Basketball Crowd 101.” Probably worth six credits.
Would love to know what Kelvin Sampson is saying to his team right now in the locker room. He’s been trying to make sure they don’t get “caught up” in what Duke was, is or will be. Good luck with that. The atmosphere here is just overwhelming. Any player who can come in an not be affected by this is truly special. A guy like Michael Jordan thrived under this sort of pressure; does Indiana have anyone like that?
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Basketball was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Indiana and calls Duke’s Cameron Indoor heaven. What’s most frightening is that Dickie V is some sort of deity.
Ok, it’s only mildly frightening.
People here really like basketball. The students are coordinated and enthusiastic and right behind me.
First impression: How did Indiana ever let a kid like Josh McRoberts leave the state? We’re just watching warm ups and he’s impressive.
Small contingent of Indiana fans here, clad in in red. The Crazies already duped one of them into taking his shirt off to reveal a painted IU on his chest. They then held a sign that said “Mid-life Crisis” over his head. The poor guy is probably out buying a Porsche right now.
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We’re at Cameron Indoor Stadium getting ready for the start of tonight’s game. Here’s the lastest word on Indiana’s starting lineup: Calloway, Bassett, D.J. White, Allen and Ratliff.
Chris … they announced about Stemler now … too bad!
Sunday practice he sustained a concussion … Bummers! I was hoping for a gametime decision but it did not occur! I know Lance really wanted to play!