Duke Needs Miracle To Keep Ncaa Streak Alive
Barring a miracle in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, Duke’s absence from the NCAA Tournament will end the second-longest current streak for consecutive appearances.
The Blue Devils had been in the last 11 men’s basketball tournaments, reaching the Final Four seven of the last nine years and winning it all in 1991 and 1992.
North Carolina will continue its record stretch of appearances to 21 in a row, while Arizona will replace Duke in second place with its 11th straight bid.
The rest of the Top Ten entering this season were: Indiana 9, Arkansas 8, UCLA 6 and Temple, Kansas and New Mexico State, all at 5.
Coaches vs. cancer
When Missouri coach Norm Stewart was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, he became active in raising funds for the American Cancer Society, and one way was by having friends of his program pledge money for each 3-point shot the Tigers made during the season.
With the untimely death of Jim Valvano, college basketball’s support of cancer research reached new heights and one form of national fund-raising became “Three-Point Attack: Coaches vs. Cancer.”
More than 70 schools have started pledge drives based on the same system Stewart began, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised for research, education and services to patients and their families.
Louisville leads the “Top 20 Attack Poll” with an average of almost $100 pledged per 3-pointer.
Fordham coach Nick Macarchuk addressed a recent writers’ luncheon that was attended by representatives of the American Cancer Society.
“Have you seen my team shoot?” Macarchuk asked. He reached for an imaginary checkbook. “You’re not getting rich off us. We’re such bad shooters I feel like I owe money.”
Chair chat
There are some who wish this anniversary wouldn’t be recognized, but it was 10 years ago this weekend that Indiana coach Bob Knight threw a chair across the court 5 minutes into a home game against Purdue.
The incident got Knight ejected from the 72-63 loss and an eventual one-game suspension from the Big Ten. It also fed Big Ten opponents with plenty of ammunition whenever the Hoosiers came to town, and there were plenty of chair-throwing competitions held in the next few years.
Scottie Pippen’s recent chair-throwing tantrum during a Chicago Bulls’ NBA game brought Knight’s incident to mind, but the difference in chairs and techniques made comparisons impossible.
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