We live in a time when the easiest thing to do is a remake of anything that marginally successful. We find this in both movies and television shows. Add in the fact that every pop and rock band that had as much as one song make it to the radio in the ’70s and ’80s is now back on tour.
Going with that same theme I am ready to roll out a new reality show and with a tip of the cap to Dick Van Patten the name of the show will be Eight is Enough.
For weeks now we have been hearing from Durham that Coach K is crippled by the fact that his Blue Devils are down to just eight scholarship players. Last night the Duke Eight made their initial appearance in the 2015 New York Life Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Quinn Cook, Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, Matt Jones, Jahil Okafor, Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee joined their Hall of Fame coach in a quarter-final showdown versus rival North Carolina State.
The Wolfpack are a Big Dance lock if you go by Joey Brackets and they were coming off an impressive victory a day earlier versus Pitt. The game was slated to start at 7:00 p.m. with the tip taking place at 7:08 and by 7:15 the N.C. State faithful were looking for a license plate of the dump truck that flattened them.
A beat down of this proportion in the post season is usually reserved for the opening round of the NCAA and even then only in the #1 vs., #16 or #2 vs. #15.
Trying to find a way to attach a catchy saying to this thought process would go something like this: Duke Basketball – we only have eight players but we have Eight players.
Last year’s team had two first round NBA draft picks in Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood. Parker went second overall to the Bucks and Hood went later to the Utah Jazz. The team had bankroll talent but they lacked team chemistry and it showed all season long. It really showed in both the ACC Championship Game loss to Virginia and then the opening round shocker to a senior laden Mercer squad.
There will be no such issues this post season as the four freshmen have meshed well with the four remaining players to form an actual team. The group will test that theory again tonight when they take the Coliseum floor to face a deep and talented Notre Dame.
How deep is the team with no depth – I am not sure that Rodney Hood would start on this years squad.
Tyus Jones could easily be the team MVP and his understanding of the game is off the charts. Need him to torch North Carolina for 20+ in both regular season contests – no problem. Last night Jones was the floor General in the rollover of State and did so without taking a shot for the first 10 minutes.
Basketball has no guarantees and you are always one sprained ankle or two from having the best of seasons come to a screeching halt. With that said the 2014-2015 Blue Devils have their sights set on returning to the House that Peyton Manning built for the Final Four.
If the so called undermanned squad makes it to Indianapolis dibs on the title Eight is Enough.
– Column by Jerry Carter
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