DURHAM, N.C. – Considering all that Duke has accomplished in recent years (and all that Georgetown has not), it would be premature to say that the Hoyas and Blue Devils have started something of a rivalry. But between last year�s thriller at MCI Center and Saturday�s dogfight in Cameron Indoor, the two teams have nonetheless matched up well.
Yes, there was Duke�s lopsided 85-66 win Jan. 24, 2004 in former Head Coach Craig Esherick�s final season, but even the season before that, the bout between the then-No. 1 Blue Devils and unranked Hoyas was a close one, with Duke winning 93-86. The all-time series between the two teams, one that technically started in 1913 when Duke was still known as Trinity, is now tied at six.
“We unbelievably respect Georgetown and what they are doing and their kids,” Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Saturday night. “It’s been a heck of a series.”
There is no mistaking the fact that Georgetown students get extra excited for the matchups with the Blue Devils. For their part, Duke students started lining up on Wednesday for a chance to see the Hoyas.
One Blue Devil seated in the front row of the student section spoke about how he had made the trip to Washington, D.C., last winter and how difficult it was to watch Georgetown students storm the court. The Hoyas must be put back in their place, he said during the game.
Duke’s stars had last year�s affair fresh in their minds, too.
“Obviously it wasn’t the result we wanted last year,” Duke sophomore guard Greg Paulus told the Durham Herald-Sun before the game. “They beat us in the paint, and they beat us off backdoors.”
If history is any indication, the Blue Devils do not need to rebuild. They have been consistently strong, and will be good for years to come. The Hoyas, with a talented roster and exciting recruiting classes, are only likely going to get better. Both teams are young as it is.
Each of the teams’ recent matchups has been broadcast on national television, and as difficult as it may have been for some Georgetown students to listen to Dick Vitale�s commentary on Saturday, the exposure can only help the Georgetown program.
“We are similar schools, so if we could get a rivalry going, it would be awesome,” Carter Collison (MSB ’08) said as he perused a copy of Sports Illustrated in Vital Vittles on Monday evening. “We won last year, they won this year, so it’s already off to a good start.”
“The recent games have been so good, and both teams are just going to get better in the future,” Brock Hayes (MSB ’08) said. “Playing Duke in the future would make a ton of sense – especially if we could get them in McDonough. That would be sick. I doubt they would make it out alive.”
The dream of a game in McDonough aside, the athletic department was unable to comment upon about the chances of an extension.
The difficulty of scheduling in college basketball cannot be overstated � especially for the Hoyas who have to deal with the calendar constraints of Verizon Center – but there only seems to be an upside to JT III and Coach K figuring out a way to extend this series.
