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Prince Of A Matchup: Duke Vs. Former King

March 22, 2001|By Rick Morrissey.

PHILADELPHIA — UCLA is past and tense. Duke is present and pretty close to perfect.

UCLA's tradition is a burden, Duke's is an enabler.

The name "UCLA" doesn't carry the weight that "Duke" does, not anymore, unless it's the weight on the program's shoulders. Nobody has more developed shoulder muscles than UCLA. We're talking colossal deltoids and some serious scapula. Unfortunately the MRI results are back, and UCLA also has a hernia the size of Santa Monica.

UCLA is chaotic, and Duke is as sturdy as a nice piece of North Carolina furniture.

UCLA fans expect to win, or else . . . or else the coach can book that long vacation to North Korea they have dreamed for him all these years. Duke fans expect to win, but if they don't, they can cozy up with their eight Final Four appearances from the past 15 seasons and wipe away their tears with letters of intent from, what, the entire 2001 Parade All-American team?

UCLA is John Wooden, which happens to be part of the problem. Duke is Mike Krzyzewski, which happens to be a very good thing.

Two schools. Two traditions. Two teams trying to find a way to keep their hearts thumping for another day.

You almost can hear Bruins players trying to convince themselves that everything is going to be OK when the two teams meet Thursday night, convince themselves that UCLA still strikes fear in opponents' hearts, convince themselves that their program is just as big-time as Duke's.

"They haven't played us," UCLA's Billy Knight said.

Well, they haven't played Northwestern, either, if you want to get technical about it.

UCLA was.

Duke is.

That's not to say the Bruins don't have a chance in this NCAA East Regional semifinal. They do. They need 6-foot-11-inch Dan Gadzuric to have the game of his life against the smaller Blue Devils. They need point guard Earl Watson to do what few people can do--make Jason Williams play like a goofy, mercurial sophomore.

But the Bruins have to work through more issues and deal with so much more garbage that they aren't just facing Duke. They're being pressed fullcourt by some ghosts. The ghosts have seen Alcindor and Walton, have seen an 88-game victory streak, have seen 10 national titles in a 12-year span. The ghosts are greedy little brutes.

The Bruins also are dealing with a coach, Steve Lavin, who is on the bubble so much he regularly has a cleaning service come in and tidy up the place while he's out. He is the Soap Opera That Wouldn't End, and whatever Lavin does short of a title might as well be toe jam, for all UCLA fans care.

The Bruins still are dealing with Wooden, who set remarkable, unreachable, unfair standards that no one could meet, players and coaches alike. His empire was so powerful that he stockpiled players just so no other team could get at the talent. This was Clint Eastwood backing up John Wayne at power forward. This was an era when UCLA boosters were allowed to be creative with their, ahem, enthusiasm, even if Wooden didn't approve.

The Bruins still are trying to get out from underneath that history, while trying to embrace it at the same time. It takes some gymnastics. The players accept it as they would a rich, famous grandfather, but they sure would like to make their own way. Even worse, there's no trust fund to dip into.

Everything at Duke now is how it used to be at UCLA but--dare we say it?--even more smug. Not only are the Blue Devils makers of elite basketball players, as UCLA is and was, but they are makers of the leaders of tomorrow. Asked whether forward Shane Battier would be president of the United States some day, Krzyzewski said:

"He's going to be president of something."

And Williams for Secretary of State! Krzyzewski is maybe the best coach in college basketball these days, but he needs to spare us some of this stuff. He's starting to believe his armpit doesn't stink, or something like that. Mike, Duke doesn't own the monopoly on classy people.

It's interesting. Krzyzewski finds joy in giving his players freedom on the court, and he is lauded for that, for giving kids responsibility. Lavin gives his players freedom on the floor and he is ripped for not coaching enough.

Two schools. Two traditions. Two coaches in two very different places. UCLA trying to be what it was. Duke trying to be what it is. Perfect.