MORGANTOWN — Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Saturday night’s Final Four matchup between Duke and West Virginia will be found not on the floor, but in the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium, where 70,000 will gather.
It will be for sure a Butler crowd, as the Butler campus stands but 7 miles from the stadium and Butler is the host school for the Final Four. What is of interest, however, is who the Butler crowd turns for or turns on when WVU and Duke play the 8:47 second game.
That is, of course, on the assumption that any of them are left, win or lose. Lose they may leave in disappointment, win and they head out to celebrate.
If, however, most of a crowd of 70,000 lines up behind the Mountaineers, who would be Cinderella were it not for Butler’s inclusion in this field, it could make a huge emotional difference in the game.
Not that Duke isn’t used to playing in front of hostile crowds when it leaves the zanies at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Has anyone ever heard of the fans at Chapel Hill, N.C.?
Certainly, there is a strong segment of America that dislikes the Dukies.
Joe Mazzulla, the West Virginia point guard who was the most valuable player in the East Regional and who almost single-handedly beat the Blue Devils the last time the two played in the NCAA’s two years ago, thinks he understands the psychology involved.
“I guess you always hate people who are so good,” he said at practice Tuesday. “Duke has great tradition. I guess it is jealousy.”
Certainly, the world loves to see an upset and roots for the underdog. It’s really hard to take an exclusive school like Duke with one of college basketball’s most successful traditions and a coach so revered that he was made the coach of Team USA and cast them as an underdog.
That coach, Mike Krzyzewski, says it comes with the territory.
“You know, anyone who’s successful over a period of time is not just going to have detractors in a few years, but throughout your career. That’s just part of the game,’’ said Krzyzewski. “Everybody has that. You can’t take that personally. No one is going to get everybody supportive of them. So I think you just go about your business.”
He has done that rather well, owning a career 886-279 career record of which 793-220 has come at Duke. He has led his team to 12 Final Fours and has won three NCAA championships.
Still, there are detractors, as there always will be. Don’t believe that, ask Bob Huggins, the WVU coach whose resume may not be as pristine as Coach K’s, as he came to be known through sportswriters who could not spell his name, but who has been successful enough to be bordering upon Hall of Fame credentials.
Some people, you see, seem to think that coaching Team USA has distracted him from his job at Duke and that is why he has not been in a Final Four since 2004.
“This isn’t about my vindication or anything like that. It’s about coaching this group of kids, who deserve your full commitment. And I think coaching in the Olympics has made me a better coach. I not only think that, I know that,” he said.
It isn’t, however, as though Duke has suddenly become Duquesne. Since that last Final Four his teams won 22, 27, 28, 30 and 32 games before this year’s 33 victories.
“Usually a lot of people have opinions, whether they be favorable or unfavorable, and they don’t have all the information that’s necessary to form valued opinions,’’ Krzyzewski said. “I would rather listen to people who I trust and have them tell me the truth about how our team is doing, how I’m doing. I react to that, not to talk shows and articles.
“In one way or another, we certainly have had more than our share of people saying we’re really good. So you can’t go in that direction either. You’ve just got to stay focused on what you’re doing right now with this group.’’
The problem, if it can be called that, is a nice problem to have, knowing that everyone is giving you their best shot because a victory over you means a victory over the best.
“I think any program that’s had continued high-level success, there is a target on you. I’m sure Kansas has it in their league. I think we have it and North Carolina has it in our league. Kentucky probably has it in their league. There are a number of programs who have that,’’ Krzyzewski said.
“I think youngsters who come into the program have to know that. And I think it’s exciting for them to know that every game they play will be an exciting one. There usually aren’t going to be any empty seats when you’re playing. You’re going to be watched a lot. As a result of being watched a lot, there are going to be people who really want you to win and really want you to lose. I think that happens when any program at any level of sport that has continued success and high visibility. That’s just going to happen.’’
It is exactly what any program would be more than willing to put up with and one WVU will have to deal with next year.
FINAL FOUR NOTES: It still isn’t known if Truck Bryant, who is out with a broken bone in his foot, will be able to play although Bob Huggins said he doubted he would be able to. He will use caution to protect Bryant and his team from any mishaps … A sendoff rally will be held at the Coliseum at 4 p.m. today with the building opening at 3:30 p.m. It will be closed until then as Huggins is holding a closed practice … It appears that Jerry West, who led WVU to the Final Four in 1959, the last time they were there, will not be at the games as he says he has a hard time emotionally watching them.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.
