Running up the score
It's hard to fault a team for playing 40 minutes.
But ...
"It was good for us mentally. We haven't blown a team out in awhile, and I think it was good for our confidence," said Duke women's basketball coach Gail Goestenkors after her team's 96-27 shellacking of Southern over the weekend.
Yes, you read that right.
It was 96-27 - and the game wasn't as close as the score would indicate.
The question that begs to be asked here is ... did the Dukies perhaps run up the score a little bit on the Jaquars?
For what it's worth, Southern coach Sandy Pugh didn't say as much in her postgame interview. She focused on her team's effort - or lack thereof.
One telling stat there: Duke outrebounded Southern 60-28.
"I'll bet Coach Gail doesn't have to coach effort with her team," Pugh said after the game.
"When you have to coach effort day in and day out, you can't compete on this level. And that is one of the things we will have to address next season," Pugh said.
"Am I disappointed? Of course. Did I expect to be sitting in the winner's chair? Well, I knew in Duke we were getting a beast by the tail. The most important thing is I wanted the kids to go out and play hard," Pugh said.
To Goestenkors' credit, she did empty the bench - giving 10 minutes or more of court time to 11 of her players.
But still, 96-27?
- Chris Graham