The James Gang
Guard leads Eagles to title
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=534133
By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 21, 2006
Kansas City, Mo. - That Thanksgiving turkey's going to taste extra good to the Marquette Golden Eagles.
How could it not after what transpired late Tuesday evening at Municipal Auditorium, when they went toe-to-toe with the mighty Duke Blue Devils in the championship game of the CBE Classic, and came out on top?
MU got a game-high 25 points and seven assists from tournament most valuable player Dominic James and 17 points and six rebounds from all-tournament selection Jerel McNeal in beating Duke, ranked eighth by the coaches and ninth by the Associated Press, 73-62, in the nationally televised game.
"My grandma's food is going to taste so good," said a grinning James afterward. "This is unbelievable, I swear. I'm just sitting back and taking it all in. We worked so hard for it. But our journey's not done. This is just the beginning."
MU, ranked 13th by the AP and 17th by the coaches heading in, held Duke (4-1) to just 37.7% shooting and forced 19 turnovers, which led to 25 points for MU (6-0).
The victory was the fourth in as many games in the tournament for MU, which also knocked off Idaho State, Detroit and Texas Tech.
It was also MU's second in six all-time games against Duke, and its first since an 80-77 triumph in the Milwaukee Classic on Feb. 10, 1980.
The tournament title was the second in as many years for the Golden Eagles, who last year won the Great Alaska Shootout.
"This is a monumental win for this program because we were playing against, really, what college basketball stands for," said coach Tom Crean.
"To come in and have a chance to compete against them and to have a chance to be successful is a wonderful accomplishment for all these guys, and something they'll carry with them for a long time."
MU looked to be losing steam roughly seven minutes into the second half after three Jon Scheyer free throws gave Duke a 50-45 lead, its biggest since early in the first half.
An 11-2 run got MU back into the driver's seat, however, and also got what was early a heavily pro-Duke crowd onto the Golden Eagles' side.
A David Cubillan three-pointer from the top of the key gave MU a 54-52 lead, prompting coach Mike Krzyzewski to call a time out, and James' reverse dunk off a steal coming out of that stoppage brought many of the 8,381 fans in attendance onto their feet.
James was off the charts from that point on, scoring 10 of the Golden Eagles' next 11 points. His three-point play off a Greg Paulus foul with 3 minutes 57 seconds remaining gave MU a 67-58 lead, the largest held by either team to that point.
MU wasn't really threatened the rest of the way, either, thanks in large part to its holding Duke to just one field goal and two made free throws over the final six minutes.
The Golden Eagles even withstood being without James for almost two minutes after he rolled his right ankle, but he returned late and said afterward he was fine.
MU's interior defense took a hit early when Jamil Lott picked up his second foul just 1:41 into the game. That brought Dan Fitzgerald, who was still feeling the effects of both the flu and a left shin injury suffered Monday against Texas Tech, off the bench.
MU got to within 15-12 when Fitzgerald was then whistled for his second foul, further affecting the Golden Eagles' depth and Crean's roster flexibility.
From Rosiak's article:
"It was also MU's second (win) in six all-time games against Duke, and its first since an 80-77 triumph in the Milwaukee Classic on Feb. 10, 1980."
I was at the game in 1980, which was a single game, not part of a tournament or anything, and it was played in Madison because of scheduling conflicts or something at the MECCA. I was a freshman and I remember MU busing the students to the game. How does that equate to "The Milwaukee Classic"?