[quote]Mike Krzyzewski noticed a lot of people were happy that Duke lost to Maryland on Sunday in the ACC tournament final.

On Monday, he was told some analysts consider Duke's region the strongest in the NCAA tournament.

"We usually get in the strongest region," Krzyzewski said, smiling. "That's a constant."

He said Duke is facing a backlash because of its winning tradition. The Blue Devils have been to nine Final Fours and won three national titles since 1986.

Forward Shavlik Randolph said it's human nature for people to pull against Duke, as they do against the New York Yankees.

"Unless you're a diehard Duke fan, you're going to want to see Duke lose," Randolph said.

Krzyzewski said anti-Duke sentiment gained steam after the national title in 2001. Some of the media questioned whether Duke received preferential treatment from referees that year, especially during a victory against Maryland in the national semifinals.

Although he didn't give details, Krzyzewski said anti-Duke sentiment has reached a point where it can influence games.

"It would be na

Quote:The Dookies, who are nothing if not a condescending bunch, would appreciate some affection from those outside The Family. Or at least a little less hatred. Bulletin: Ain't gonna happen.

Now, though, Duke has taken its tale of woe too far with veiled gripes that architects of the NCAA tournament bracket somehow seem to choose the most difficult regional path for the Devils to reach the Final Four.

^^^

"I think there's an anti-Duke bias," guard J.J. Redick said Friday. "Seton Hall and Arizona are much better than eighth and ninth seeds. Louisville's a 10. That's a joke. North Carolina. Mississippi State. There are so many teams in the region that can beat us."

Just as there are lots of teams in other regions that can beat the top-seeded teams in those quarters of the tournament chart.

Hey, it's no doubt burdensome to face what Duke faces at a typical NCAA tournament venue. But to imagine that the NCAA selection committee might work from a point of prejudice against Duke in seeding and placing the field would be preposterous.

"I never said that," Krzyzewski said when asked if he thought an anti-Duke bias might be reflected in the Blue Devils' placement in the bracket. "I think we'd be naive not to think the tournament's not set up to get great matchups."

And then he mentioned how surprised he was that Seton Hall wasn't "a much higher seed."

OK, maybe that's just coach-speak in trying to get his team's attention by building up the competitor. Because a study of this year's regions makes difficult to support any argument that Duke is getting jobbed.

"This is the most really good teams in a while," Krzyzewski said.

Exactly. And they appear to have been evenly dispersed in the NCAA brackets.

<a href='http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/special_packages/marchmania/8233688.htm?1c' target='_blank'>http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/spo.../8233688.htm?1c</a>

Game 1 free throws:

Ala St 10-17
Duke 23-31


Game 2 free throws:

Seton Hall 11-16
Duke 34-38

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

:snore: