So Close...

Duke beats State by 1 today. It is a really painful loss, because State led almost the entire game. Honestly, I never expected State to win this game, but with about 5 minutes to go I couldn't help but believe they were going to hang on.

Just for you Duke fans, who seem to whine about the refs a little more than most, I'll whine a little. One sequence that had me so mad was when Javier was put to the floor on an obvious foul, which wasn't called, leading to a breakaway for Duke and an intentional foul on Costner. In retrospect it wasn't a game changer maybe, because Lance Thomas choked 2 free throws. But it sure was a bad no-call. A real game changer WAS when Ben plays great and what should have been a no call or an offensive foul was called against him. Those 2 points really hurt.

State couldn't make the plays to hold on down the end. A couple of missed free throws didn't help either, and I can't help but feel that if Gavin had been on the floor at the end, maybe it turns out differently. I don't mean to sound bitter, because I like Duke, and this Duke team in particular, but I sure hate losing to them. If not for the ACC tournament game last year, I'd probably downright hate them.

Anyway, always looking for the positive, you've got to love the game Javier Gonzalez had. He's not perfect, but he played his heart out against some serious pressure. And if you are a basketball fan at all, you've got to love the way Trevor Ferguson is playing. The kid isn't the quickest or most gifted athlete in the world, but he plays fearless and I think could have a nice career at State.