Duke just suffered a huge upset in its first game in the 2012 NCAA tournament -- the No.2-seeded Blue Devils fell to No.15 seed Lehigh, 75-70.
While I was watching the game live in Greensboro and trying to write a column to capture it, I started thinking about another huge upset from 13 years before. Remember Weber State?
It had a (briefly) great player named Harold "The Show" Arceneaux, and Weber State upset UNC by two points in the 1999 tournament. UNC was the No.3 seed and Weber State was a No.14, but the Tar Heels couldn't use their size advantage well (future NBA player Brendan Haywood had zero rebounds and was 0-for-3 from the field in 24 minutes) and Arceneaux scored 36. (Arceneaux would later make a living playing basketball overseas, but not in the NBA).
Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum played the role of Arceneaux Friday night against Duke. He was the best player on the court, scoring 30, and he could have had a lot more if he had made his free throws and layups. The guy could drive by anyone Duke threw at him.
Duke fans for years later could tease UNC fans with only two words: "Weber State." Some went as far as to buy Weber State T-shirts to wear.
Tar Heel fans will long remember the word "Lehigh" now -- particularly the ones who were in Greensboro screaming for the Mountain Hawks and waving "Go Lehigh" signs. And there were a lot of those. Don't be surprised if some brown Lehigh T-shirts start showing up in Chapel Hill soon.
So my two equations for the night is simple:
Weber State = Lehigh
Harold Arceneaux = C.J. McCollum
And the NCAA tournament, as always, equals a whole lot of surprises.
We're moving!
9 years ago
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14 comments:
Duke lost to Lehigh 75-70..... First paragraph...
Yeah, the loss for UNC was embarrassing. But that game was played in Seattle, where there were probably more Weber State fans than UNC fans. Duke lost in Greensboro, which is only 55 miles away from their campus and they haven't lost there in a long time.
This Duke team never seemed to have that it factor of past teams. No real first round picks on the squad. No solid go to guy. Coach K was able to get more from less this year.
Why do people keep saying Coach K did a great job this year? That he got more than expected from this team.
Fact: out in first round of NCAA is not a succesful coaching job!
I trash UNC whenever possible, because they are arrogant jerks. But last night was the BIGGEST upset in NCAA tourny history. Lehigh was 0-4 all time in the dance, Duke is 96-31
I love the spin about this team being a testament to how great K is. HE LOST TO LEHIGH. He may not have the same talent level as UNC, but do you think Lehigh would swap rosters with him? Give me a break. He recruited and signed every one of these guys, so obviously he thought they were talented. But now they aren't, and he is great just to get them this far. Riiigghht.
SPORTSDON: Austin Rivers is not a sure-fire #1 pick? WHAT? He will go pro in about 2 months and will be a late first round pick...(maybe you meant to say "lottery pick"?)
Agreed with the comment regarding how well K coached this team. Duke lost this game because they are a one dimensional team that is unable to adjust when outside shots aren't falling. Plumlee was 9 for 9 from the field last night, and yet the coaching staff failed to realize this and let Rivers keep heaving up bricks.
Sportsdon, what are you smoking? Coach Rat had as many McD's All Americans on his squad as any team in the country. Rat was a HORRIBLE game coach this year, and he is unable to develop what he has. He is a has been.
It's 1:42pm. About time for Sorenson to wake up and post a two-paragraph sarcastic response to Scott's article, collect his paycheck and go back to sleep.
I love how ABC`er turn a Duke loss about Carolina. And I have heard of Weber State before 1999. Lehigh really it sounds like a high school team. Go Heels
Duke had a talented yet unbalanced team. They are much more geared towards the three ball which makes them vulnerable when the shots don't fall. I'm not really sure about their chemistry this year but maybe it's because Subzero seemed to always put himself before the team.
Reid, you obviously weren't at the game last night. The douchebag Heel fans made sure that there were FAR more Lehigh fans in the building than Duke fans. But that's ok. I'm certain all that's done is give Creighton several thousand more fans come tomorrow's game. And we'll love seeing Dougie Mac run all over the Tar Heels, who can't defend on the perimeter to save their life.
So Mr. Procton, Duke fans would have cheered for the Heels otherwise? You're letting your bitterness show friend. Duke fans sold their tickets as soon as the Le High game was over. Duke students didn't even get all the tickets for home games this year. Even if the Heels lose we'll be finishing just ahead of the dookies for a 3rd time this year.
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