Elite Eight showdown should pack a wallop
When top-seeded Duke and third-seeded Baylor tip off Sunday at Reliant Stadium, two determined and self-assured ballclubs will play harder than they ever thought they could. Indianapolis is on the clock.
"You know, 40 minutes," Baylor's star forward Ekpe Udoh said. "We've just got to go at it. It's going to be a physical, tough, ugly game. So we've just got to come prepared and get ready for battle."
The Baylor crowd will be proud and loud and out in force. Baylor coach Scott Drew has sent the call for every last person with a Baylor heartstring to get to the game. Friday afternoon on ESPN radio the 39-year-old head coach said he hopes a regional-round record crowd of 50,000 shows up.
The Blue Devils, having heard the muted roar of the partisan crowd from their locker room, said they won't get rattled.
"We have no problem being those guys coming in and trying to take something away," Duke forward Lance Thomas said. They have everything behind them, but us sticking together is going to be key in this game. Not one person is going to be able to do it by themselves. So us sticking together and just playing like there's no tomorrow in a hostile environment. I mean, we have nothing to lose, we're going to go for it."
Yes, that was a touch of underdog re-positioning of the South Region favorite. The Dukies know they'll have to their blood pumping the start. They saw how the crowd juiced the Bears, leading to a devastating blitz of Saint Mary's. Duke will prepare to withstand Baylor's initial adrenaline rush, then try to gain some control and settle things down into a half-court boilermaker.
"Like Coach said in his opening statement, this is one of the most athletic teams we're going to play against," said Thomas, repeating coach Mike Krzyzewski's assessment. "So we're going to have to play to our strengths. Rebounding is going to be a big key to the game. We can't jump with them. We're going to have to put bodies on them and let them know it's going to be a game for 40 minutes."
The Bears say they are prepared.
"Nothing changes for us," Udoh said. "Just stick to our game plan, come out aggressive and try to get the victory."
TEAM RESOURCES
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast Kirk Herbstreit joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Bob Stoops' recent comments about the SEC and the pending college football playoff, what appears to be an unpredictable Big 12 in 2013, how the Aggies will handle expectations and more.
Play Podcast Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin talks about the improvements being made to Kyle Field, what those improvements will to for the program, the success of last year, Johnny Manziel's offseason and the expectations for the Aggies in 2013.
Play Podcast Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo talk about Texas A&M's decision to expand its stadium and say although the Aggies had a fantastic year, the school must also be careful not to overextend its resources based on a single hot stretch.
Play Podcast Baylor head coach Art Briles joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss what kind of player the Cowboys are getting in Terrance Williams.
Play Podcast Arlington and Texas A&M product Luke Joeckel, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, joins Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett to discuss the draft, coaches and advice from his dad.
Play Podcast Florida Gulf Coast athletic director Ken Kavanagh joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss his school's Cinderella story and playing in the Sweet 16 at Cowboys Stadium.
Play Podcast Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby joins Fizsimmons & Durrett to discuss Cowboys Stadium as a venue, the state of Big 12 basketball, the new 2014 college football format, why there's no hurry to have a Big 12 football championship and much more.
Play Podcast Jay Bilas joins Fitzsimmons and Durrett to discuss the remaining 16 teams in the NCAA tournament, the intrigue surrounding the Northwest Region and the excitement over FGCU, even though a similar story happens every year.
You must be signed in to post a comment