The NCAA Tournament East Region notebook …
GREENSBORO— As Jason Williams fell to the court, clutching his ankle and rolling around in pain, the question raced throughout the Greensboro Coliseum.
Why was Duke’s most valuable asset still playing with his team up 41 points, just one game removed from a sprained ankle?
Williams had already scored 20 points against Monmouth in the NCAA Tournament first-round game. His outburst from the 3-point line in the first half staked the top-seeded Blue Devils to a 62-29 halftime lead.
It was 73-32 with 14:30 to play in the game when Williams drove through the lane, split three defenders and connected on a fantastic layup. When he hit the floor, though, a teammate came with him.
“I was down on the ground and Matt Christensen, being the big guy he is, came down on my ankle,”Williams said. “It was good because my ankle was already flat on the ground and he just came down on the inside of it. I think I was more scared than anything, and I was actually kind of mad when I found out I wasn’t going to play any more.”
Williams didn’t finish Sunday’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament win against North Carolina after spraining his ankle. When he didn’t immediately hop up off the floor, head coach Mike Krzyzewski hopped off the bench.
“I tried to see Jason’s face right away. There was more fear of what might have happened than pain. I was kind of relieved,” Krzyzewski said. “Jason made a move there that was probably his best move of the night, which was to not let his foot be pummeled by Matt.”
Krzyzewski then made his best move of the night, getting the starters over to the bench.
“I think it scared Coach K a lot: ‘All right, everybody on the sideline, we’ve got five more games to go,’ ” freshman guard Chris Duhon said.
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take it easy: Battier enjoyed his extended stay on the bench.
“That was probably the least minutes I’ve played since high school,”Battier said with a laugh. “It feels good at this point in the year.”
Actually, Battier has played fewer minutes this season, but not since December’s nonconference slate. Against league foes, the fewest minutes he logged were 30.
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keep dreaming: When Monmouth star Rahsaan Johnson was asked if the Hawks really — honestly — thought they could beat Duke heading into Thursday’s game, he responded with a yes.
In fact, two nights ago he actually dreamed of the feat.
“I thought we were going to win. Oddly enough, I had a dream about it,” Johnson said. ”It didn’t come true, though.”
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dodging a bullet — and flying monkey? Kentucky, Maryland and UCLA were among the major college basketball programs to survive upset bids Thursday.
While the Wildcats and Terps did so in more dramatic fashion, fourth-seeded UCLA eventually pulled away from No. 13 Hofstra, saving head coach Steve Lavin from the angry mobs in Los Angeles.
“We’re in L.A., so we’re part of the entertainment landscape,”Lavin said. “If you can make a run in the tournament, the wolves, hounds and flying monkeys won’t get you.”
Odd place, L.A.
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new lucky number: Last week in Atlanta, the Blue Devils had to don different uniforms than expected for the ACC Tournament when a mixup left their white jerseys in Durham.
The same fate befell Utah State’s Shawn Daniels, No. 5 throughout the regular season but No. 42 on Thursday because his jersey disappeared.
After Daniels tallied nine points and five rebounds in the No. 12 Aggies’ 77-68 upset of No. 5 Ohio State, Daniels was asked if he would switch back to his old jersey for Saturday’s second-round game against UCLA.
“They can keep that No. 5 jersey!”he responded with a big grin. “I’m gonna keep wearing this one.”
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Sportswriter Steve Hanf is covering the East Region for the Post.
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