Miami vs. Duke

When I was a kid my father took me to a spot in Jackson where some of the Civil War fighting had taken place. There were mounds set up, so that soldiers could set up shop and take aim at their enemies. My Dad asked me a simple question at the time "who were you going for in the Civil War?" I was a kid and didn't really understand anything about the Civil War, so I answered innocently enough "Mississippi." My Dad then told me that Mississippi was part of a group that was fighting against the United States. This confused me as a kid since I didn't know if I should root for my home state or for my country. (Again I didn't understand anything about the Civil War and please don't hold this as any sort of negative referendum on the South.)

I bring up that short story because tonight was a weird experience. I watched a Duke game and hoped the other team won. I literally have never had that experience before. Thanks to ESPN I have been able to watch plenty of Duke games every year. I have been known to react in a bunch of different manners (some I am not proud of), but always with the explicit hope that Duke would win. Tonight was different because Duke played Miami University. If there is anything that trumps my love for Duke basketball it is my love for Miami University.

(Miami University with two of my friends in the picture)

I rooted for Miami. They fought a not particularly good fight and lost by 34 points. It wasn't even that close.

Tomorrow is a better day because I can go back to throwing my support around Duke. It should be a great year in Durham even though I think people are glossing over the fact that the post players are below average. This Duke team is going to miss Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas. (I never thought I would write that.) Also, I know they are loaded with wings, but a team doesn't just lose a senior like Jon Scheyer without some adjustment. There will probably posts later on about Duke, but those are my initial thoughts after watching the game tonight.