Amelia Rayno's college basketball short takes

February 16, 2013 at 5:10PM
Duke's Mason Plumlee (5) and North Carolina's James Michael McAdoo (43) reach for the opening tip-off during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013.
(Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

• It's not very often that a court-rushing is justified in a Duke victory over North Carolina. But this week was one of those times. You don't remember fans piling down the bleachers after the Blue Devils' Wednesday comeback over the Tar Heels, you say? Nope, not that one. Before those teams went head-to-head, the team managers got after it, and the game's end, dare I say it, was more thrilling than the headliner. And perhaps even more stunning was the reaction. After Duke hit a buzzer-beater three-pointer to win, the fans in attendance -- fans in attendance at the managers' game? -- stormed the court. This is the depth of this rivalry.

• There's been plenty of renewed discussion contemplating the best strategy -- to foul or defend -- when up by three and an opponent has one final possession. Stats guru Ken Pomeroy comes down on the side of fouling even if he admits that his own numbers showed a slight advantage in the case of defending in that situation. Then Monday, we saw first-hand an example of how fouling could potentially work out in the favor of an opponent if everything works out just perfectly. In a Division III game between No. 2 Amherst and No. 3 Middlebury, Amherst's Willy Workman was fouled with 1.8 seconds left and his team trailing by three. He hit his first free throw, intentionally missed the second, then flew in for the rebound himself, laying the ball in and taking his team to overtime, where it eventually won. Tough to convert, certainly, but a good anecdote to continue the debate.

Miami's Julian Gamble celebrates with fans after defeating Duke 90-63 in an NCAA college basketball game in Coral Gables, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Charlie Trainor) MAGS OUT
(Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

• There's a reason everyone is still stunned about third-ranked Miami (Fla.): this level of surprise doesn't happen that often. Since 1985, only 12 teams have advanced to the AP top 25 after starting the season unranked and spending the entire previous season unranked, CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander wrote this week. Michigan State in 1989-90 was one of those 12 teams. What's more, if Miami (11-0 in the ACC) reaches No. 1, it will be the first team with the previous qualifiers to do so.

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