THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 26, 1995 TAG: 9511260201
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
The previous two times Duke and Indiana met on the basketball court, the winner went on to claim the national championship - the Hoosiers in 1987 and Duke in 1992.
When apprised of this late Friday night, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski smiled. ``Where do we pick up the trophy?'' he said.
These Blue Devils won't soon be mistaken for Krzyzewski's two national champions or his five other Final Four teams. But Duke did pick up a nice win in the Great Alaska Shootout semifinals, beating No. 23 Indiana 70-64. The Blue Devils (2-0) advanced to the tournament championship game, where they played No. 10 Iowa late Saturday night at Sullivan Arena.
As you would expect in a game where Krzyzewski and his former boss Bob Knight are on the benches, defensive intensity was the modus operandi of both teams.
``That was a hell of a basketball game,'' Krzyzewski said. ``It was hard to get shots. When you have two good defensive basketball teams, you give up points grudgingly.
``We're not a hotshot basketball team. Our kids are playing hard, they're playing together and they're playing pretty good defense.''
And Friday they showed a degree of resiliency. Center Greg Newton, who had 18 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in an opening-round win over Old Dominion, was mired in foul trouble all night. He finished with one point and two rebounds in 13 minutes.
At times Friday, Duke went with a front line of 6-foot-7 Tony Moore along with Carmen Wallace and Ricky Price, who are both 6-5. Meanwhile, Indiana's starters up front averaged 6-9, and the Hoosiers brought a 7-footer and 6-9 man off the bench.
The Blue Devils responded by extending their defense to put pressure on the ball. Starting guards Collins (14 points, five assists) and Jeff Capel (team-high 19 points) outscored Indiana's starting guards 33-8. Wing forward Price added 17 points, as he and Capel combined for 7 of 12 from the 3-point arc.
Duke led the entire game, with the advantage reaching 10 right before halftime.
The Hoosiers (1-1) got their points inside - led by forward Brian Evans' 21 - but couldn't overcome Duke's perimeter game.
Another Duke national title, now that's probably another story. But for what Krzyzewski referred to as a ``very fragile basketball team,'' Friday's win was a good start to a foundation. by CNB