Observations on Duke-LSU

1. Tyrus Thomas of LSU looks like he'll have a long and prosperous NBA career. He can run the floor, defend and has game on offense. Was tonight his national coming out party?

2. You can't throw out a great career with one game, but against a very athletic LSU squad, J.J. Redick looked a bit slow and athletically outclassed. Is he a bona fide starter or sixth man for an NBA team, or will he turn into a three-point specialist? He had a great career and is a gritty player, but the game is played at a higher level at the next level. His career will be interesting to watch.

3. Coach John Brady of LSU did a great job tonight. I had thought for a while that Duke was a team of 2 main guys, 5 more guys, and then everyone else. He didn't have to play a box and one on J. J. Redick, because Garrett Temple did a fantastic job on the senior guard, but LSU denied Redick's game. Shelden Williams played well, but no one else from Duke filled in the slack. Without Redick's big numbers, Duke had trouble finding its offense.

4. Duke is a great program. If they had a corporate alliance, it would be with Target, because their prestige is such that they have a big bullseye on their backs every time they go out and play. While many teams don't want to play them, most top 10 conference teams seem to get up for Duke more than most other schools, including the likes of UConn and Memphis. It's something extra special to beat the poster kids for hoops scholar-athletes.

5. My son will be very upset tomorrow morning. He was almost crying tonight when LSU was up at the half, and I reminded him that our house will still be standing and that his sports schedules will remain intact even if Duke were to lose. He's only six and will probably heal more quickly than most Cameron Crazies. But he's so enamored of Duke that when I told him I was going to e-mail Coach K and tell him about his crayoning of our sofa, he didn't realize that I was joking and asked me not to do so because he was embarrassed. Some parents discipline their kids by taking away privileges; now I know I can threaten to e-mail Mike Krzyzewski and effect improved behavior. After all, according to his American Express ad, Coach K's life isn't about playing games. Now, when you're six, that is what your life is about, but as a parent of that kid you don't want those games extend to writing on walls or furniture. While I remain confounded by this alliance, if he had to choose one big-time school to root for, my son has shown pretty good judgment.