Tag Archives: ESPN

Duke basketball vs. North Carolina: ESPN score error, links and video

If you tuned in a bit late to Duke’s 69-53 win against North Carolina last night—you might have been a bit confused about the score.

That’s because after the game was over, ESPN left up a graphic with the score reading Duke 56, North Carolina 62 as the game ended and the teams shook hands.

Check it out (via @mbafuqua):

Here are your links from today’s stories about the game:

And watch our postgame video with Duke Student Broadcasting from the Dean Dome:

Duke dominates ESPN’s top-75 NCAA tournament moments

With the NCAA tournament nearing ever closer, ESPN took the time to rank the top-75 moments in the tournament’s history. Unsurprisingly, Duke basketball was featured prominently in the rankings, including occupying the top spot on the list.

The list started off on a low note for Blue Devil fans, as the No. 73 moment was Arkansas guard Scotty Thurman drilling a three-pointer to break a 70-70 tie and propel the Razorbacks to the victory and the 1994 NCAA title. No. 67 was another disappointment, detailing how Duke coughed up a Sweet 16 game against Indiana back in 2002.

There were also joyous moments for Duke featured on this list. Nos. 62 and 57 come from the Blue Devils’ 2010 national championship. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski won his fourth ring, tying Adolf Rupp for second all-time among coaches. Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave was a moment in it of itself.

Also included in the top moments were  UConn’s 1999 victory over Duke for the national title, Pervis Ellison and Lousville knocking off the Blue Devils in 1986, Duke’s 2001 come-from-behind victory over Maryland, the 1990 “special”, and the 1991 upset victory over UNLV.

Aside from wins and losses, there was also a heartfelt moment. In 2010, West Virginia’s Da’Shaun Butler collided with Duke center Brian Zoubek and suffered a devastating knee injury. Mountaineer head coach Bob Huggins went out on the court to hug and reassure his fallen player, bringing tears to the eyes of even the most hardened fans.

Last, but certainly not least, Duke owns the No. 1 moment in NCAA basketball tournament history. You guessed it, the 1992 Christian Laettner buzzer-beater to knock off Kentucky. Here’s what ESPN’s Dana O’neil had to say about Laettner’s shot:

There was madness before and plenty after the shot, but it stands alone as the iconic moment of the NCAA tournament. If you were in Philadelphia on March 28, 1992, and you witnessed Christian Laettner’s impossible buzzer-beater to beat Kentucky in the Elite Eight, you carry it like a badge of honor. If you watched it on television, you remember where you were. If you weren’t born yet, you wish you had been. Grant Hill’s perfect pass went directly to Laettner, who then turned and swished the most epic shot in NCAA history. Now, more than 20 years and plenty of buzzer-beaters later, it remains The Moment that stands above all the rest. A moment that stands the test of time and always will.

With the season winding to a close, the Blue Devils will soon be looking to add more memorable moments—and NCAA titles.

Coach K special to air on June 30

ESPN will air a candid discussion between arguably the two greatest living coaches in college sport—Penn State’s Joe Paterno and Duke’s own Mike Krzyzewski—in a special on June 30 the Duke Sports Information Department announced today.

The special, entitled “Difference Makers: Life Lessons with Paterno & Krzyzewski” will begin at 8 p.m. on ESPN and continue for an additional half hour on ESPNU. The show will be shot in front of an invite-only audience at the Eisenhower Auditorium on Penn State’s campus.

“These leaders have achieved an extraordinary level of success, but their biggest accomplishments are the lessons they have learned along the way and the passion they have for sharing those lessons with others,” said Dan Steir, ESPN senior coordinating producer. “Difference Makers will reveal the essence of both men and what motivates them to continue to impact those around them.”

Former Blue Devils Jay Bilas and Jay Williams are scheduled to appear as guests during the special.

Krzyzewski on Halftime Interviews

At halftime during the game against Temple, the ESPN crew interviewed Owl’ head coach Fran Dunphy. Some people may wonder why Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is never asked to do these interviews, and last week after the Blue Devil’s win against Virginia he gave his reasons.

“That stinks… that shouldn’t be,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s horrible.”

Pretty strong words coming from the coach.

“A coaches’ responsibility from the time you talk to them in the locker room before the game, until the time you talk to them in the locker room after the game is sacred for you and your team,” he said. “Anything you do outside of that in college sports I think is wrong.”

“That’s why I never do half time interviews… I want my team to know the only people I’m talking to from start to finish is them, and sometimes the referees.”

On this matter, he had more to say. Jokingly, he suggested ESPN, or the coaches, interview the referees instead.

“Maybe we should interview them,” he said. “We’re trying all kinds of things on ESPN this week we might as well try that.”

Even then, however, the coach said he would not ever conduct one of those during the game as his responsibility is with his team.

So don’t expect Krzyzewski to speak to the media, or anyone for that matter, during a game any time soon.

A Chance To Watch Nolan Smith For 40 Minutes

The Chronicle just received a press release from ESPN that actually is interesting (this is a rarity in the press release world). On ESPN3 Wednesday, Duke fans will be able to watch a special “Isocam,” that will be directed at Nolan Smith the entire game. Every move, every shot, everything he does on the court.

Why is this good news? Smith is one of the few big-name college athletes known for showing his personality on the court. In Ben Cohen’s article, “Bringing Showtime to Duke,” the reporter sees a moment in the Boston College contest where Smith shows the humor and joy for the game seen nearly every day on his Twitter account.

It was a fairly lopsided matchup, another meaningless rout for Duke, and the one moment that lingered with me long after Cameron cleared out had nothing to do with basketball. Right after a quick, late timeout, when Smith knew he wouldn’t be in for much longer, he was matching strides down the floor with his defensive assignment. The two guards were almost bumping into each other, they were so close, and yet they weren’t chatting, only shuffling their feet in step. The official scorer was ready to sound the horn, the referee poised to blow his whistle; in this lull lurked a strange silence. Walking the way of the four banners in the rafters, Smith glanced to his left, one last time, like an instinct. He paused. His eyes widened, ever so slightly and — yes sir! — there it was: The sly hint of a smile.

Will Duke fans see more of that Wednesday?

Duke Gets ‘Loud’ for ESPN The Magazine

The defending champion Blue Devils have received massive amounts of media coverage leading up to the 2010 season.

The hype for this year’s Duke basketball team has been almost deafening as the 2010 season approaches—something ESPN The Magazine is apparently well aware of.

In the Magazine’s Season Tip-Off Issue, Blue Devils Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving are featured on the cover with comically large mouths—a nod to their skills communicating on the court as well as their friendship off it. In this behind the scenes video of the photo shoot, the Duke backcourt clearly seems to be enjoying the attention, and at one point even show off their Cameron Crazie-esque screams for the cameras.

But the cover shoot has been just the tip of the iceberg for Blue Devil coverage over the past few days.  ESPNU is currently in the midst of a four episode All-Access special on Duke Basketball, which given fans an inside look into a typical Blue Devil practice. And over at SI.com, Seth Davis recently wrote an article heaping praise on Duke, especially point guard Kyrie Irving.

And with now under two weeks until the season tips off, the hype is only going to get louder.