SFA (4-1) vs. Duke (6-0)
WHEN: NOV 26 (TUE) 8:00 P.M.
WHERE: Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, NC)
WATCH: Fox Sports SW
So, here we are. It's the game that got everyone excited about this season - Duke. In Cameron.
Like when Keller was able to get the Jacks into Rupp to play Kentucky, seeing our Lumberjacks take on the most storied programs in college basketball brings a thrill. There's a magical "what if" hiding down in your heart. Goals, hopes, and dreams have been high since Des chunked up his desperation three down by 4 points with seconds left. And we won. They got higher when Walkup stuck out his tongue in the face of America after thrashing the #3 seed West Virginia. Do you think three and a half years later that SFA fans have stopped thinking about what could have been in the final five seconds of the Notre Dame game? We're still dreaming.
Your friends that wear orange or maroon might say, "That was in the past. New coach, new team. Those days are gone." But those of us in purple know that while it may now just be an ember in our heart, the spark is still ready to come alive. Down by 4 with seconds left. It can't be done. IT CAN. The fire can come ablaze and change the course of an entire program. Facing Duke, the #1 team in the nation, on their home court. It can't be done...
Duke is a freshman team. Go look at their roster- plenty of juniors. Freshmen lead this team. They've beaten #3 Kansas, destroyed Cal, handled Georgetown. They laughed their way through a 51 point rout of Central Arkansas. They don't know who SFA is, and they don't care. Just another faceless team to destroy for Duke basketball. They think they are invincible, but they turnover the ball, they are poor at shooting free throws, and the stats say they are just ok at shooting from anywhere. They are dominant on the offensive glass, they can force turnovers, and their perimeter defense is good.
What Duke has not faced yet is being on the wrong side of the game. They have never taken a punch in the mouth that they weren't expecting. They have never been down. A couple points to Kansas and Georgetown - that's just basketball. They have never been outhustled, manhandled on the inside, frustrated and picked at. They have never played SFA.
To be frank, the Jacks probably don't yet have the chemistry and the confidence to take down the Blue Devils. Rotations and consistency are still trouble for this young team. They are good, and they can play with confidence when they smell blood. But, they can also seem to struggle with pressure instead of thriving on it. Maybe, it will be up to one of our freshmen to lead the way. Get some points falling, get those steals. Maybe this is the game that Roti shows why he is a starter. Maybe Kensmil flips the script on his 6' 10" counterpart Vernon Carey Jr.
This is the "what if?" game. This is the game to dream. This is a game where your heart doesn't finish that four letter word - can't. It catches in your throat when you see that last ball go up, and all you can do is scream.
WHEN: NOV 26 (TUE) 8:00 P.M.
WHERE: Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, NC)
WATCH: Fox Sports SW
So, here we are. It's the game that got everyone excited about this season - Duke. In Cameron.
Like when Keller was able to get the Jacks into Rupp to play Kentucky, seeing our Lumberjacks take on the most storied programs in college basketball brings a thrill. There's a magical "what if" hiding down in your heart. Goals, hopes, and dreams have been high since Des chunked up his desperation three down by 4 points with seconds left. And we won. They got higher when Walkup stuck out his tongue in the face of America after thrashing the #3 seed West Virginia. Do you think three and a half years later that SFA fans have stopped thinking about what could have been in the final five seconds of the Notre Dame game? We're still dreaming.
Your friends that wear orange or maroon might say, "That was in the past. New coach, new team. Those days are gone." But those of us in purple know that while it may now just be an ember in our heart, the spark is still ready to come alive. Down by 4 with seconds left. It can't be done. IT CAN. The fire can come ablaze and change the course of an entire program. Facing Duke, the #1 team in the nation, on their home court. It can't be done...
Duke is a freshman team. Go look at their roster- plenty of juniors. Freshmen lead this team. They've beaten #3 Kansas, destroyed Cal, handled Georgetown. They laughed their way through a 51 point rout of Central Arkansas. They don't know who SFA is, and they don't care. Just another faceless team to destroy for Duke basketball. They think they are invincible, but they turnover the ball, they are poor at shooting free throws, and the stats say they are just ok at shooting from anywhere. They are dominant on the offensive glass, they can force turnovers, and their perimeter defense is good.
What Duke has not faced yet is being on the wrong side of the game. They have never taken a punch in the mouth that they weren't expecting. They have never been down. A couple points to Kansas and Georgetown - that's just basketball. They have never been outhustled, manhandled on the inside, frustrated and picked at. They have never played SFA.
To be frank, the Jacks probably don't yet have the chemistry and the confidence to take down the Blue Devils. Rotations and consistency are still trouble for this young team. They are good, and they can play with confidence when they smell blood. But, they can also seem to struggle with pressure instead of thriving on it. Maybe, it will be up to one of our freshmen to lead the way. Get some points falling, get those steals. Maybe this is the game that Roti shows why he is a starter. Maybe Kensmil flips the script on his 6' 10" counterpart Vernon Carey Jr.
This is the "what if?" game. This is the game to dream. This is a game where your heart doesn't finish that four letter word - can't. It catches in your throat when you see that last ball go up, and all you can do is scream.
Ryan
Kinnaird Guitars
Kinnaird Guitars
