Vitale - Marquette's big week: Beating General, Coach K

[thethethe]

http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/061112marquette.html

Marquette's big week: Beating General, Coach K
By Dick Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPN.COM

King James put on quite a show in Kansas City Tuesday night -- and I'm not talking about LeBron, baby!

Marquette guard Dominic James did it all, scoring 25 points, dishing out seven assists while making big play after big play. To be honest, James is even better than I thought he would be. Watching him for two straight nights at the CBE Classic, he is one of the top 10 players in America.

It was a great win for the Golden Eagles and coach Tom Crean had to be proud of his squad's tenacity and effort. Don't even look at the final score; this was a battle between Duke and Marquette that had the intensity of a March Madness clash. Both teams were diving for loose balls, going toe-to-toe.

In the end, Marquette's sophomore trio of James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews came through big time, combining for 50 points.

I was really impressed with the all-around performance of Marquette. The guys up front came up big on the glass and contributed. In my opinion, this is definitely a top 10 team.

As for the young Duke squad, it is a learning opportunity and one the team will grow from. The Blue Devils are winners, right from the top with Mike Krzyzewski on down. Duke played hard and will gain from this experience. You can be sure this club will get better and better as the season rolls on, and it doesn't get much easier when you look at opponents like Indiana and Georgetown down the line in non-conference play.

On Tuesday night, King James, Dominic James, led Marquette to the gold trophy in the CBE finals. Give the Golden Eagles credit -- in two nights, they beat Robert Montgomery Knight and Coach K. Pretty impressive wins indeed!

[NYWarrior]

I cant stand Vitale but that article is all good for MU

[LastWarrior]

It must have been hard for dookie V to write that!   

Glad he gave us some props though.  As anyone ever heard him remotely criticize Dookie?

[COS98]

From my post yesterday:

It was great to beat Knight's team so handily that Vitale had to give credit to MU.  Tonight is very different.  Without surgery on the floor, Vitale's head will be attached to Coach K's colon for the entire game.  Our job is to win the game and force Dukie V to give us the credit we will hopefully deserve.  This game could keep us in the top 15 all year long, if not top 10.

Thank you Dick...no really...thanks.

[iamthelorax]

 

[State]

As for the young Duke squad,.....

We can't have had that much of an age advantage....


V just had to get that in there...all-n-all it was a good article.

[Tampa Warrior]

It must have been hard for dookie V to write that!   

Glad he gave us some props though.  As anyone ever heard him remotely criticize Dookie?

No criticism of Duke from Vitale is ever to be expected. He was, however, quite enthusiastic about TC and MU throughout both broadcasts this week.

Not that it made him any easier to listen to.

[StillAWarrior]

He was, however, quite enthusiastic about TC and MU throughout both broadcasts this week.

I thought so, too.  So much that it made me worry that Marquette might become one of Dickie V's chosen teams.  He seemed really, really enthusiastic about Marquette.  Too enthusiastic.  While I certainly would love the publicity that Dickie V can bring the program, I'm a little uncomforable about the thought of him fawning over Marquette all the time.

[77ncaachamps]

A criticism and a praise for Dick.

Criticism: What kind of nonsense is that: "learning experience"? They're frontcourt really was outplayed by a weaker frontcourt, and their backcourt dominated. Had Nelson just been told to "run the show" by Coach K instead of Paulus and the other geeky guards, Duke might have won.

Praise: Thank you for making it an easy read for me. You restrained your use of "Baby!" to the first paragraph.

Down with Dick and the Dookies!

GO MU!

[LastWarrior]

It must have been hard for dookie V to write that!   

Glad he gave us some props though.  As anyone ever heard him remotely criticize Dookie?

No criticism of Duke from Vitale is ever to be expected. He was, however, quite enthusiastic about TC and MU throughout both broadcasts this week.

Not that it made him any easier to listen to.

He did give MU props but he made it sound like Marquette was really the favorite (they were a 7 point underdog in some books) and he kept acting/talking as if he was really a Duke homer.  I don't mind the home team call but when I listen to a national broadcast, I don't expect any preference and the announcers to just call the game as they see it.