Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 17, 1993 TAG: 9301170157
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
DEVILS HAVE A COW OVER BULLISH PLAY
Virginia has the nation's longest winning streak, but the Cavaliers need to bring much more to Cameron Indoor Stadium today.With forearms, elbows and a Big Ten Conference officiating crew, UVa would be visiting with the kind of basketball baggage Duke doesn't enjoy handling.
That was apparent Saturday as the third-ranked Blue Devils slugged their way to a 65-56 victory over No. 13 Iowa. From point guard Bobby Hurley's whining, it's obvious the Blue Devils don't like to be pushed around in their own building.
"There was nothing called. Guys were getting beat up on both ends of the court," Hurley moaned after Duke pulled away in the final five minutes.
"It was a good game, a tough game inside, but we've played those before," said Iowa forward Chris Street, who is the Hawkeyes' force - not more heralded Acie Earl.
"It was physical, but they called it the same both ways," said Duke's begoggled center, Cherokee Parks. "It was consistent."
Hurley said both teams should "have shot 3-pointers" the entire game to avoid pain in the paint. That, at least, was a Devilishly astute analysis. Iowa's idea of a trey is the old-fashioned basket - foul, free throw.
What was proven is that college basketball is still a different game in different parts of the country. A touch foul carries a bigger bruise in the Big Ten than in the ACC.
Despite Hurley's assessment, the Big Ten zebra crew of Art McDonald, Tom Clark and Randy Drury worked a good game. They were consistent, if sparing, with their whistles - remindful of the Indiana-Michigan classic from the same league five days earlier.
Maybe it wasn't apparent to Mike Krzyzewski's playmaker on the floor, but it was the kind of game and situation from which the Blue Devils will prosper in their bid for a sixth straight Final Four appearance and an NCAA championship three-peat.
When a program is as successful as Duke's has been, two tough games in 25 hours is what passes for adversity. Duke has won 78 straight Cameron non-conference dates. Hurley was a sixth-grader when Louisville became the last ACC outsider to win here a decade and five days ago.
So, in March of a season in which it appears any of eight or so teams could win the national title, the black-and-Blue Devils may look back on this win as proof they can battle with more than their talent.
It also was a contest of ego-bruising for the Blue Devils. Duke was caught with a short lineup on the floor midway through the first half, and Iowa scored 14 straight points as fast as you can spell "Krzyzewski."
What was a 15-8 lead became a 22-15 deficit, and Coach K was losing it on the sideline during a TV timeout. He screamed at the officials before bending down to his haunches in front of the bench to face his players.
Then, he wheeled around, balled one hand into a fist and muttered something that lip readers thought was a profane word that begins with the sixth letter of the alphabet.
A good Polish Catholic should know it isn't right to say those kind of words in Cameron, which, after all, is a regular place of worship for 9,314. McDonald called a technical foul.
The whine continued to flow. During the timeout, Krzyzewski sent Captain Hurley to talk to the zebras three times. While listening to instructions, Hurley had one of those "Do I have to go?" looks on his pained visage.
"I should have told Coach not to say anything," Hurley said later. "He wanted me to go out there and tell them they were climbing our backs on the offensive boards.
"I think he got the technical for saying bulls---. I don't know what's wrong with saying bulls---. It's not that big a deal."
Maybe not, but Krzyzewski's act with Hurley was bush, as was the point guard's kiss-blowing toward the Iowa bench after an intentional foul late in the game.
At least Coach K admitted his mistake.
"Instead of getting my team to adjust to a different style of play, I was trying to impact on the officiating, of how the game was being administered, " Krzyzewski said. "And that's stupid.
"You should always spend more time coaching your team than trying to change how officials might perceive a game's being called. It was a mistake on my part, and my responsibility."
Obviously, it was an educational afternoon on campus. Duke and Iowa learned a lot, although obviously not whether discussing bovine excrement with an official is appropriate.