Gator coach leery of officiating

SALISBURY POST

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Just in case the officials for tonight’s game read the newspaper, Florida head coach Billy Donovan got a quick word in before his team takes on Duke.

The Blue Devils are known for getting some good calls over the course of a game. Florida’s aggressive, trapping defensive style is known for committing fouls. If the BlueDevils have a big night at the free-throw line, Florida will be in trouble.

So Donovan embarked on a preemptive strike.

“I think a big key could be how this game is officiated,”he said at his Thursday press conference. “The amount of free throws that they take relative to their opponents is mind-boggling.”

The numbers don’t dispute Donovan’s argument. Duke shot 808 free throws to its opponents’ 510 this season. And the Blue Devils capitalize on their extra chances, connecting on a 74-percent clip.

When Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski was asked to comment on Donovan’s statement, he just laughed.

“Any game and how it’s officiated will affect the outcome. Ours will not be any different,”he said. “Part of this tournament is adjusting to however a game is called. Just because you say a game is called differently doesn’t mean it’s being called poorly.

“If we lose I don’t think it’ll be because of officiating,”Krzyzewski added. “It’ll be because we didn’t play as well as Florida.”

n

painful memories: Duke and Florida met last season in a game the Florida players were eager to forget.

“Basically, they gave it to us,”said Gator sophomore Mike Miller of the 116-86 pounding. “We were a young team, it was our first road game, we went to Cameron. It was a big-time learning experience for us. We remember that they gave it to us pretty good, but that isn’t going to stop us from coming in here confidently and preparing to win.”

It helps Florida’s confidence that the leading culprits in that blowout now play in the NBA.

“Both teams are completely different,”Donovan said.

n

feeling better: Duke freshman Matt Christensen, who didn’t play last weekend in Winston-Salem, is expected to see action today.

The 6-foot-10 forward missed the first two tournament games with a concussion, but Krzyzewski said the active big man had a solid week of practice.

Another plus for Duke is that Mike Dunleavy Jr. had an extra week to recover after suffering from mono and missing six games late in the year. Dunleavy roared back for the ACCTournament, scoring 36 points in three games, but managed only five points against Lamar and Kansas in the opening rounds of the NCAATournament.

“When he first came back in the ACCTournament I think he was so excited to be back you almost forget you were sick,”Krzyzewski said. “Last week he wasn’t at his best, but he’s had a good week of practice and we’re encouraged.”

n

who’s better? The Southeastern Conference is more than ready to take over for the ACCas one of the nation’s top leagues.

After two straight seasons of getting three teams in the NCAATournament, the ACChas suffered what a lot of people are calling down years. TheSEC, meanwhile, got six berths in the tournament this year, with LSU, Tennessee andFlorida all still alive.

“The ACC in basketball is what the SECis in football. There’s tremendous traditions when you go all the way back,”Donovan said. “I don’t think the SEChas been given enough respect and enough due for what it’s done the last 10 years with Arkansas, Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi State — all those teams competing in the Final Four in the ‘90s.”

n

in your corner … sort of: Chris Carrawell didn’t want to get too carried away with the whole ACC-SEC battle.

When asked if he’d be rooting for NorthCarolina tonight, which plays Tennessee in Austin,Texas, in the late time slot after the BlueDevils will have played, he smiled and tried to stammer his way to an answer.

“I always thought they needed the tournament to just turn things around,”he said. “I don’t think I’m going to be rooting for them, though.”

n

no place like dome: Playing basketball games in a stadium built for football can be pretty odd.

A lot of times, games in theCarrier Dome or similar sites present huge mental roadblocks for players to overcome, like shooting into a different background or getting accustomed to the unusual configuration.

But the Blue Devils won’t be affected, Battier said.

“It’s been my experience that once you step on the court, it’s a basketball court,”said the junior, who played last year’s FinalFour at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“The rims are 10 feet high, the court is 94 feet long and it’s all a matter of what you do. It’s just a matter of getting adjusted to the surroundings and that’s why we’re here today.”

For the record, this year’s Final Four is in the RCADome in Indianapolis, which was built along very similar lines to the Carrier Dome.