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2 Thursday, February 1, 2001 ■SA'-MS} 'is&' i ’ -|V “/ think they ’re all a bunch of rude Northerners provided anv barbs for I who studs too much and release it on the players. in Krzv/ewskiville Seriously, I don 7 think it shows much class. " The Crazies will be r —Matt Doherty, 1984 to see a few T-shi f 'll JTm Doherty made his last appear on the list candic ance at Cameron Indoor Stadium Doherty said he enjovs t Three the '■ffv. ’ Doherty, who is from East 1 think we should 100 l Meadow, N.V., poked some fun the Cameron Doherty said. "It's gre '•■■■ Crazies -and himself. basketball. I haven't set Doherty angered Duke’s fans with his com- come out and block asi ments, but UNC coach Dean Smith upset coun Doherty will get his f 7 " terpart Mike Krzyzewski even more by repeated- coach tonight. If the 11 ; 'y arguing with officials and jumping around on recent predecessors are -i‘;’■ the sidelines during the Tar Heels’7B-73 win. Tar Heels will have thei WsMgjgSf* s|||||!pSi£ Doherty returns to Durham tonight and will still Smith led UNC into ' f ’p ■ plav the role of the villain. Only this time, he’ll be time on Feb. 3,1962. Tb the one dancing around in front of the UNC bench. 79-57, starting a string ■ “He still has a love for the game, and that love for Smith against Duke, the game goes far beyond being a coach,” UNC Guthridge coached senior Brendan Haywood said. “He still has that Devils on Feb. 5, 1998 burning desire to be a player because he loves the But the Tar Heels lost BS9H|BEgv game that much.” against Duke with Gut} Doherty has learned a little self- Doherty, who was p rpsfrainf in thp last 17 vpars Hp hasn’t aominct HnlfP as a nlavi DTH/ PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JASON COOPER rapsgp- SjH||| DTH/SEFTONIPOCK Duke senior Shane Battier (31) attempts to shoot in the post against UNC's Brendan Haywood during the Feb. 3 matchup at North Carolina. Battier Utilizes Head, New Scoring Ability The first thing people notice when they see Shane Battier playing basketball is his head. North Carolina fans love to pick on the shape of the Duke forward’s crani um. They say Battier looks like a California Raisin or an alien. But those who know the game admire Battier’s head because of the way he uses it ESPN commenta tor Dick Vitale calls him college basket ball’s smartest player. The senior thinks things through on the court and, as a result, always seems to be at the right place at the right time. Whether it’s spotting up for one of his team-record nine 3-pointers against Princeton or drawing one of his school record 93 charges, Battier is always there. And he always gives maximum effort “Shane is the best player in college basketball because he plays every play, and he gets the unit to play every play, every huddle, every timeout, every pregame, every halftime to go along with the way he plays,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. But Battier, who leads the ACC in 3-pointers made with 69 and ranks sec ond to teammate Jason Williams in 3-point percentage (.457), hasn’t always been a dead-eye long-range bomber. Battier made just four of his 24 attempts from beyond the arc during his freshman season in 1997-98. He didn’t need to score. Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, Roshown McLeod and William Avery took care of the scoring. Battier served as the defensive stopper. Langdon and McLeod headed to the NBA after that season, and Brand and Avery did so the next, leaving Battier to Llixli luiiiiora" Doherty Returns to Rivalry game that much.” . Doherty has learned a little self restraint in the last 17 years. He hasn’t assume the scoring duties. “I knew for us to win ballgames my freshman and sophomore year, we didn’t need me to shoot,” Battier said. “I needed to rebound, play defense and be a spark plug. As they needed my offense more, I’ve stepped it up.” Now the self-described reluctant shooter is a top marksman. His scoring average has increased every year, from 7.6 as a freshman, to 19.5 this year. Battier By Will Kimmey Senior Writer scored 20 straight points in the second half of ajan. 20 win at Georgia Tech. “His development as a player speaks volumes for how hard he’s worked,” Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “He’s completely a different player offensively. He may be the best open shooter in college basket ball. He can put the ball on the floor and create for himself. “He’s more than just a defensive stop per and guy that takes charges. He’s a complete player.” And he’ll fire up a 3 at any opportu nity. Battier makes 3.5 treys a game, the most in the ACC. “On the secondary break, he’ll come down and just stop at the hash mark and shoot it, and he’ll hit it,” UNC forward Kris Lang said. Even with the gaudy numbers, defen sive player of the year awards (he already has two) and player of the year consider ations, Battier only cares about one thing. “I just try to win ballgames,” said Battier, whose Duke teams have com piled a 115-12 record. “That is what I’ve been about since Day One. “And that is what I’ll be about until my last day at Duke.” ■■■; —jpi-'The Tar Heels take their 14-game winning streak on the road to the Blue Devils' lair in a battle of ACC unbeatens. provided any barbs for Duke fans to pin up inside their tents in Krzyzewskiville. The Crazies will be ready, though. Doherty expects to see quite a few T-shirts explaining just how low he was on the fist of candidates to replace Bill Guthridge. Doherty said he enjoys that kind of interaction with stu I think we should look at it from that perspective,” Doherty said. “It’s a great environment to play college basketball. I haven’t seen one of the Cameron Crazies come out and block a shot yet or steal the ball.” Doherty will get his first view of the rivalry as a head coach tonight. If the initial performances of his two recent predecessors are any indication, Doherty and the Tar Heels will have their bands full. Smith led UNC into battle against Duke for the first time on Feb. 3,1962. The Blue Devils beat the Tar Heels 79-57, starting a string of seven consecutive losses for Smith against Duke. Guthridge coached his first game against the Blue Devils on Feb. 5, 1998, when UNC beat Duke 97-73. But the Tar Heels lost six of their final seven games against Duke with Guthridge at the helm. Doherty, who was part of eight wins in 10 games against Duke as a player, knows he will be judged by Tar Heels Could Face Hellacious Game Cameron Indoor Stadium is scheduled to have air-conditioning units installed in time for next season. That’s nice, but it won’t help No. 4 North Carolina jßHight when it travels to Durham for a 9 p.m. show ibwn with second-ranked Duke. “I’m expecting a hostile crowd, a great game,” for ward Kris Lang said. “It’s going By T. Nolan Hayes to be very Senior Writer intense and hot.” “It’s a hostile crowd, hot,” point guard Ronald Curry said. Cameron is one of the hottest locations in college basketball. That will happen when 9,314 screaming people are crammed into a tiny gym. But the lack of air conditioning isn’t the only reason the building is hot. The players in Duke uniforms push up the mercury with tbeir in-your-face defense and penetration-based offense. They run off 10 or 15 points in a row with little trou ble. Defensively, they create turnovers by challenging every pass. Offensively, they convert those turnovers into points via transition layups and long 3-pointers. Combine the chaos created by that style of play with the noise generated by a chanting and jumping student body, and Cameron Indoor Stadium is pure hell for opponents. Duke is 613-134 (.821 winning percentage) all-time in the building and 262-44 (.856) at home under Mike Krzyzewski. “This place definitely has a great vibe to it,” Duke guardjason Williams said. “When you’re on the court and the Cameron Crazies are yelling, they’re jumping up and down, you definitely get a certain kind of chill in your body and goosebumps.” While the Blue Devils are experiencing that chill of euphoria, their opponents are feeling the heat. The Tar Heels must find a way to keep their cool if they are to avoid becoming another victim of Cameron’s madness. UNC will find its biggest shade tree by taking care of the basketball. The Blue Devils play a swarming man-to-man defense all 94 feet of the court. They force 20.7 turnovers per game and average 11.1 steals. The man under the gun will be Curry, who has not played his best basketball recendy. He had trouble against N.C. State’s full-court press Sunday, turning the ball over four times. “Hopefully that’s behind me now,” Curry said. “I have to pick my game up.” As UNC’s starting quarterback, Curry has plenty of experience eluding pressure. But he has not faced the kind of quickness on the hardwood that Duke’s Williams and Chris Duhon possess. Williams, perhaps the leading candidate to become national player of the year, is Duke’s catalyst. He sets the tone on defense but is also a major factor in the UNC Keys to the Game 1. Protect the basketball. Duke has outscored its opponents 542-306 in points off turnovers, and 29 percent of its points this season have resulted from miscues. PG Ronald Curry will be busy, and he’ll need help from backcourt mate Joseph Forte in handling Duke's press. 2. Defend the 3-point line. The Blue Devils take 40 percent of their shots from behind the arc and make 41.1 percent of those. G Jason Williams, F Shane Battier and F Mike Dunleavy each shoot better than 42 percent from long range. 3. Make free throws. Things have gotten ugly for the Tar Heels. They are hitting just 64.8 percent of their free throws, their worst mark since the stat began being kept in 1950, Scoring on Duke is already hard enough UNC needs to take advantage of its free chances. 4. Handle the crowd. The Tar Heels must keep their composure. North Carolina vs. Duke dents, especially the ones that fill Cameron. “It’s a great place to play - his team’s performances against its rival 8 miles up U.S. 15-501. Maybe that’s why the first two game films he studied after accepting the UNC job were the two con tests against Duke from a year ago. “There is that fear of failure,” Doherty said. “I think about playing Duke a lot. Not just this week, I’ve thought about it in the summertime. To me, it makes you raise your level.” The byproduct of that approach has become apparent as the season has progressed. Duke and UNC are squar ing off with 7-0 records in the ACC for the first time. Doherty’s first shot at Duke should be just the start of many classic batdes between Krzyzewski and him. “It’s safe to say you guys will have a lot to write about when it comes time for the Duke/Carolina game,” UNC junior Kris Lang told reporters Tuesday. “I believe Coach Doherty is a great coach, and he’s on the rise. I guess you could say he’s bringing the program back to where it was, if it did decline at all.” Doherty is bringing it back to where it was when he was a player, when the Tar Heels routinely beat the Blue Devils. Back when he could get caught up in the frenzy surrounding the action on the Cameron court. “I think for me it’s kind of going full circle,” Doherty said. “It’s neat to have been in this rivalry as a player and now as a coach. Asa coach, you worry about a lot more things than you do as a player.” / WSk-p- j? jIH IHf P 4 jir WmhmmF w f Jilt Jr * w 8 . i 1 msL 4 f Jilli ™ w* , •* -lUlix , DTH/MILLER PEARSALL North Carolina forward Jason Capel (center) tries to pass the ball during the Feb. 3,2000 game , despite pressure from Duke's Shane Battier, Nate James and Mike Dunleavy (from left to right). , pressure the Blue Devils apply offensively. Williams (21.3 points per game) leads a group of Duke starters who all average more than 12 points per game, shoot better than 50 percent from the field and make at least 73 percent of their free throws. “That’s what makes them so dangerous,” UNC coach Matt Doherty said. “You can’t cheat off of any body. You look at tbeir stats, and it’s incredible.” Doherty is right. The Blue Devils convert 41.1 per cent of their 3-point shots and lead the nation with 10.6 3-pointers per game. They shoot from anywhere at anytime, stretching defenses to their breaking points. “We take what the defense gives us,” Duke senior guard Nate James said. “If we’re open, we shoot the ball. I don’t think we take that many bad shots. Duke Keys to the Game 1. Avoid foul trouble. One of the few knocks on Duke is its lack of depth. If the Tar Heels can get Battier and/or C Carlos Boozer on the bench, they can attack the likes of Matt Christensen and Casey Sanders. If that happens, UNC's Brendan Haywood and Kris Lang will rule. 2. Slow down Forte. It's impossible to stop UNC's star shooting guard, but Duke is at least hoping to limit his touches. The Tar Heels have been relying on Forte almost exclusively down the stretch in recent games. If he's bottled up, so are they. 3. Make sure Boozer shows up. He gave Duke next to nothing (four points on 1-of-6 shooting and four rebounds in 29 minutes) in its loss to Stanford, and Haywood and Lang are just as good as the Collins twins. 4. Get Williams going. He piayed poorly against the Tar Heels last year and is coming off his worst game of the season at Maryland. UNC sophomore Joseph Forte averaged 22.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists last year against Duke. utyp Sailg (bar Hppl No. 4 UNC at No. 2 Duke Time: 9:08 p.m. Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium Radio: WDNC62O-AM Television: Raycom/Jefferson Pilot, espn2 Series Record: UNC leads 121-85. The Players Duke (19-1,7-0 ACO PPG RPG APG PG Jason Williams 21.3 3.4 6.1 SG Nate James 13.9 4.9 1.1 SF Mike Dunleavy 12.4 5.3 3.6 PF Shane Battier 19.5 6.0 1.7 C Carlos Boozer 14.6 6.4 1.4 Blue Devil Bench G Chris Duhon 5.6 2.7 5.2 PF Matt Christensen 1.8 2.6 0.1 C Casey Sanders 2.6 1.3 0.2 . UNC (17-2,7-0 ACC) PPG RPG APG PG Ronald Curry 5.3 3.4 3.9 SG Joseph Forte 20.7 5.3 3.5 SF Jason Capel 9.9 6.5 3.1 PF Kris Lang 13.4 6.5 0.7 C Brendan Haywood 12.0 7.6 1.2 Tar Heel Bench PF Julius Peppers 5.9 4.5 0.9 SG Max Owens 6.7 1.6 1.2 PG Adam Boone 1.5 0.9 1.6 SG Brian Morrison 3.8 1.2 1.3 “If the defense presents us with an open 3 or a shot, then we’re going to take it We’re going to use all of the bullets in our gun.” So far, the strategy has worked. The Blue Devils rank second in the nation in scoring (93.9 points pey game) and lead the NCAA with a 24.1-point average winning margin. * The one time Duke’s gun has misfired, an 84-83 loss against Stanford on Dec. 21, the Cardinal countered the Blue Devils’ nonstop pressure with size and strength. It’s a combination tbe Tar Heels possess. It’s also one they think can help them escape hel} with a win. “I haven’t experienced it,” UNC forward Jason Capel said. “But I’m planning to on Thursday.” Duke sophomore Jason Williams ; averaged 11 points • and shot 7-for-27 . from the field against UNC last season.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Feb. 1, 2001, edition 1
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