The Hotbed Of College Basketball

There is no doubt the state of North Carolina leads the way when it comes to great college basketball programs.  Duke won the 76th NCAA national championship.  39 times a team from North Carolina has made it to the final four.  Twice two got there the same year.  Charlotte and Carolina did it once and Duke and Carolina went the same year.  Carolina has been 18 times while Duke jumps to 16 trips. State three, Wake Forest once and Charlotte once have all been to the Big Dance. THE ACC has sent Virginia, Maryland and Georgia Tech each have gone twice giving the ACC 44 trips from the conference in 76 years.  Make that 43 trips cause State went in 1946 as a member of the Southern Conference.

 I thought the  game was officiated better than the Wisconsin/Kentucky  game and yes after Duke got the lead they did miss an out of bounds on Winstead under the Duke basket.  Look one of Okafors four fouls one time he had all ball so with Duke having two players in foul trouble I can't see coach Ryan complaining about the calls.  I think he should ask himself why didn't he perch Kaminski in the low post once Okafor was out of the game.  Instead he stayed outside the three point line and Duke could control him a lot better there than under the basket.

All of this talk about Kentucky being the school of one and done it is the Duke Blue Devils who had the best freshman class.  I suspect all three of the starters will go pro but look, Kaminski dominated Okafor almost all night. Kaminski if he was a pro this year  would be the worse starting center in the NBA.  I know a NBA team will take Okafor on prospect of the future but he is not ready.  He needs one more year.  Justise Winstead and Tyus Jones both had a great last six weeks but six weeks will not prove you are NBA ready.  I hope Winstead and Jones don't go pro to never to be heard from again.

More than 28 million watched the telecast which was the highest rated championship game since 1997.  Can you imagine how many might have watched if Kentucky and Duke had of been the game.  You know Duke has become the Dallas Cowboys of college basketball.  People watch just to see them lose and the other half watch to admire their great program.  In Dallas case they watch to see how many times Jerry Jones will be on TV.

I guess it has something to do with getting used to winning titles as I would like to thank the Duke students for not trying to burn down the city of Durham.  I have heard of no arrest made but I know several wood benches that dot the Duke campus are missing today.  I don't know how something close by didn't catch on fire as big as that Bonfire was.

Tuesday completed the Easter baseball action in Wilson and the Rocky Mount Gryphons get out of town with a win.  They beat Southern Wayne 11-0 behind the complete game pitching by Blake Helms.  Boy has he been good this year or what?  Ragsdale beat Nash Central 12-2 and the Bulldogs  lose three times in the event.  Northern Nash lost for the first time to Ragsdale 4-1 to finish 2-1 over the break.