Greatest Basketball Programs of all time tournament, round 1: Duke v. Florida, Kentucky v. Syracuse

Both matchups in this section of the bracket pitted teams among the blue bloods of the sports against teams who have enjoyed quite a bit of recent success.

DUKE: Lineup: Christian Laettner, Mike Gminski, Shane Battier, J.J. Redick, Jay Williams

Duke has one of the most balanced lineups across the board. This team has it all scorers, rebounders, and defenders. Let’s start down low.

Duke has a pair of phenomenal big men. Christian Laettner may be one of the best college basketball players ever. He is among the top-five scorers, rebounders, and shot blockers in Duke history. He left Duke with two national championships and a national player of the year award to his name. Who could forget his buzzer beater to cap a perfect day from the floor to down Kentucky during Duke’s 1992 title run? (Foreshadowing the next round perhaps?) Mike Gminski is sort of a forgotten man and I was tempted to put Shelden Williams in his place, but Gminski also ranks in the top five in school history in points rebounds and blocks. He went on to have a nice NBA career but was overshadowed during a time when centers were dominating the game.

Shane Battier and J.J. Redick make up a solid tandem of wings. Both were outstanding college players and Battier has made a nice career out of his reputation as a defensive stopper. J.J. Redick knocked down tons of big shots in his career and would be a great scoring threat on this team.

Duke has a great point guard tradition with players such as Bobby Hurley and Chris Duhon. I gave the nod to Jay, who was simply a complete player. Sadly, his NBA career was cut short after a motorcycle accident.

FLORIDA: Lineup: Neal Walk, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Mike Miller, Jason Williams
Florida’s lineup was tough to choose, as it is a program with a plethora of solid players but few true stars. Prior to researching this, I had not heard of Walk, but the man could play was the number two overall pick in the NBA Draft after only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Joakim Noah was the (ugly) face of Florida’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2006-2007.

Thanks for looking good on draft night Joakim

Florida has produced a handful of good wing players over the years, but Corey Brewer and Mike Miller provided a lock-down defender and a shooter.

Jason Williams is among the more intriguing players in this matchup. After beginning his college career at Marshall University, Williams transferred to Florida when Billy Donovan took the helm of the Gators. Williams’ one season in Gainesville saw him emerge as both a scoring threat and a silky smooth passer. Williams was sometimes more known for his antics than his game, but went on to have a long NBA career.

KENTUCKY: Lineup: Anthony Davis, Antoine Walker, Jamal Mashburn, Goose Givens, Rajon Rondo
Kentucky was a tough team to pick given its extremely rich basketball tradition. I feel UK may be a little bit under seeded in this tournament, but let’s take a closer look at the lineup.

Davis only spent one year in Lexington, but it was one for the record books as he led Big Blue to their first national title since 1998. Antoine Walker was a prolific scorer. Despite being a power forward, he was not afraid to step out and shoot, once saying he shot so many threes because there were no fours.

Jamal Mashburn was a jack-of-all-trades for the Cats and went on to have a productive NBA career. Goose Givens is the loan throwback on the list and adds another scoring threat. Givens is third on the all-time scoring list at UK and has the distinction of having the best name in these first round matchups.

I debated between Rondo and John Wall for the point guard spot. I went with Rondo since he is a true facilitator on a team that already has a scoring punch. Rondo is also an outstanding defender and rebounds particularly well for a guard.

SYRACUSE: Lineup: Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly, Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Sherman Douglas
Syracuse is another program with a number of worthy players, which made it difficult to pick the five who stood out.

Derrick Coleman was a straight beast. He is the second leading scorer in program history and top rebounder. He ripped down 19 of them in the 1987 NCAA Championship loss to Indiana. Rony Seikaly started alongside Coleman and he is reunited with him here. He was another do it all big man who could score and hit the glass.

Carmelo Anthony was a no-brainer. He put Syracuse on his back to win the 2003 NCAA Championship. Anthony only spent one year at Syracuse, but has gone on to become one of the most prolific in the NBA. Gerry McNamara played with Anthony in 2003 and was a prolific shooter. McNamara was a gritty competitor and is a strong asset to this lineup.

Reunited and it feels so good!

Sherman Douglas scored over 2,000 points in his career as well as setting the career NCAA record for assists. He completes what is quietly an outstanding line-up for the Orange.

DUKE v. FLORIDA
Duke is simply too much to handle for Florida. A solid battle down low opens up the floor for JJ Redick who chips in 22 points on hot shooting. Jay Williams is able to push the tempo and get some easy buckets for himself and Christian Laettner.

Joakim Noah battles his way to a respectable 14 points and 10 rebounds. Duke leads from the outset and the game is never really in doubt.

Final Score: Duke 85, Florida 71
Syracuse v. Kentucky
A closer game than one might expect. Carmelo is the predominant scoring threat for the Orange going for a game high 26 points. Anthony Davis is able to stop Syracuse’s post play with 7 blocks while adding 16 points and 12 rebounds. Rajon Rondo is able to slow down Douglas just enough to throw off his rhythm. Rondo adds 8 assists while Mashburn and Walker combine for 37 points.

Kentucky is able to get a key stop down the stretch and Goose hits a big shot late to put the game away.

Final Score: Kentucky 78, Syracuse 74

-Andy