Duke has done the unthinkable – the Blue Devils have moved past the Green Bay Packers by the thinnest of margins as the team I hate the most in all of sports.  There are at least some scenarios where the Bears could be aided by a Packers victory since they play in the same division.  However, I can’t think of any situation where a Duke win could ever help Illinois.  Only Duke could get me to cheer for Teams of the Dark Side such as Indiana, Kansas, and the club they beat yesterday in North Carolina when Coach K and his minions are the opponent.  I’ll stop now with the rant since I could go on about this for another 10,000 words.

Still, I’ve got to admit that Duke and UConn are clearly the top 2 teams in the country (similar to how Illinois and UNC separated themselves from the pack last season).  J.J. Redick absolutely drives me nuts – a certified Duke-hater implores the public to hate the team and not to hate him, which I just can’t comply with – yet he displayed what a clutch player he is in last night’s game with 22 second half points and a ridiculous fadeaway three-pointer to ice the game.  Rudy Gay of Connecticut is finally playing up to his talent level (19 points and 12 rebounds at Indiana on Saturday), which scarily means that the #1-ranked Huskies could still get even better.

It’s time to give props to the young UNC Tar Heels, who looked impressive even in their loss to Duke last night.  If Reyshawn Terry and Tyler Hansbrough continue develop at such a fast rate, Carolina is going to be on the short list of 2007 national championship contenders.  I just wish their great second half comeback last night would have culminated in a toppling of the Blue Devils, but it wasn’t meant to be.