It’s okay to root for Duke on Saturday

By Harold

I have to live with the fact that, through no fault of anyone, my school will always be hated. Wherever I go, there will always be more people rooting against it. Even in Durham bars, since there are far more UNC and NC State graduates who stay in-state than Duke grads.

But is the tide finally starting to turn? Not according to this, or this, or hundreds of other sites out there dedicated to hating Duke.

And why is that? Well it used to be that Duke beat everyone so they were jealous, but Michigan State has made six Final Fours in 12 years (Duke has made three) and all I hear about is how Tom Izzo is a great coach and how hard-working the players are. Nobody is listing the reasons to hate Michigan State.

It was also because Duke had villains (who for some reason were always white) like Christian Laettner, JJ Redick and Greg Paulus. Well, there’s no villain on this year’s team. In fact, there’s a ton of good stories. Nolan Smith is following in the footsteps on his father, who won an NCAA championship in Indianapolis exactly 30 years earlier and has since passed away (he tweeted “This one is for you Dad!! I love you!” before having the best game of his career in the Elite Eight).

The other four starters have also sacrificed. Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler were already successful in their roles, but then switched positions late in their Duke careers (Scheyer moved to point guard, Singler moved from post to wing) for the good of the team. And Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek, who came in as McDonalds All-Americans, agreed to do the dirty work of rebounding, defense and setting screens at the expense of the glory (and NBA hype) that comes with scoring.

Of course there’s still Coach K, who took a no-pay, no-credit coaching position in order to guide the U.S. to a gold medal, and oh yeah unlike most coaches there’s never been a whiff of scandal.

Just imagine if Coach K’s graduation rate was zero four different years and he was arrested for drunk driving. You know, like the coach everyone WILL be rooting in the Duke-West Virginia game Saturday, Bob Huggins (according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, it’s okay because Huggins grew up in a small town. Or something). Oh yeah, and the starting point guard has been arrested twice since he got on campus, once for assault (which just makes him more lovable to the Providence Journal).

But after an eight-year Final Four drought and no hateable players (unlike their opponent), people will still root for West Virginia. The Duke hatred will probably never end. So instead of worrying about people I can’t control, I’m definitely going to enjoy this one.

Like most incoming Duke students, I thought an NCAA championship celebration was included in the tuition. So in my freshman year, when Duke lost in the 1999 final, I was disappointed but not crushed, since I assumed we would be back.

Fortunately I was right — the 2001 team won the championship, and the ensuing bonfire and celebration on West Campus was a memory that my wife and I will never forget (and unlike my wife, I will also remember the actual game).

But over the past eight years it’s become increasingly clear how lucky we were. The past two graduating classes didn’t even get to one Final Four. Finally, that streak is broken, and in the best possible way — unexpectedly.

There’s levels of winning and losing. The worst loss is when you’re the overwhelming favorite (see: Duke’s Sweet 16 losses as a 1 seed in ’00, ’02, ’06). The best win is when expectations are low and you’re not expecting it. That’s where Duke is, and I’ve been enjoying this ride, even if no else has.