GREENVILLE, S.C. — Casey Sanders has been an afterthought this season for Duke, but he got the chance to showcase his forgotten skills on Thursday night.
Sanders, who started in Carlos Boozer’s place last season during the postseason because of an injury to the star center, had played only 215 minutes in 28 appearances this season for the Blue Devils.
Sanders scored six points in 15 minutes off the bench.
“This is the time of the year, especially with what happened last year, you just try to be ready,”Sanders said.“Tonight I got to show people that I still can play.”
Sanders knocked down two long jumpers on Thursday night, including one from the top of the key with 2:32 left that included a defensive foul.
Sanders’ shot was initially credited as a 3-pointer, which would have been the first attempt and make of his career.
“I’m more comfortable further away from the bucket,” Sanders said. “I can see where everybody is around me. I’m not a good back-to-the-basket player like Carlos.”
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COMING TO AN END:Charlotte’s Cam Stephens ended his collegiate career on Thursday night, and it’s been a long ride.
Stephens, who is from Fort Wayne, Ind., had stops along the way at Purdue and Vincennes Junior College before ending up at Charlotte.
Stephens scored eight points and pulled down eight rebounds in his final game as a 49ers.
“It’s been like a family to me, especially with everything I’ve been through,”he said.
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FALCON PHENOM:Bobby Lutz is sharing the South Region stage with legendary coaches such as Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, but he hasn’t forgotten his small college roots.
Lutz was the head coach at Pfeiffer from 1991-95, and he has been joined at Charlotte by former assistants Rob Moxley and Benny Moss.
“Pfeiffer was a great experience because I had an opportunity to do everything,” Lutz said. “I didn’t have a bunch of assistant coaches. I had very good ones, but they were limited in number.
“You had to do everything, from being the academic advisor to also being the coach.”
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CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT:For 33 minutes, the first Cinderella story of the 2002 NCAA Tournament looked like it was emerging.
Florida Atlantic, seeded 15th in the South Region, stood tied with No. 2 seed Alabama with seven minutes remaining on Thursday afternoon.
The Crimson Tide went on a 10-0 run from there and eventually pulled out a 86-78 win in front of 13,194 fans, most of whom were pulling for the Owls.
“We knew the arena would be against us because when I’m at home, I root for the underdog no matter who’s playing,”said Alabama point guard Maurice Williams, who had 33 points and 10 rebounds.
“Coach said it was like Rupp Arena, with 20,000 people pulling against you.”
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BAD BOUNCES:Kent State guard Trevor Huffman made one of the better plays of the day with about three minutes left in the first half of the Golden Flash’s win against Oklahoma State.
Huffman chased down a deflected ball in his own backcourt and raced back toward the basket with seven seconds showing on the shot clock.
Huffman sliced his way through several Cowboy defenders before dishing off to Antonio Gates, who made a layup just before the buzzer.
“The floor has a lot of dead spots in it,” Huffman said. “I must have hit nine or 10 on that play alone.”
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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com
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