Talk about indigestion.
The NIT Season Tip-Off, whose field was announced Wednesday, presents the ultimate conundrum for N.C. State fans, whose team isn't even involved in the tournament.
To reach the tournament semifinals, Duke needs only to prevail at home in a four-team bracket that includes Charlotte, Elon and Coastal Carolina. The only obstacles between Arizona State and the semifinals out West are Texas State, Texas Christian and Cal State Northridge.
So it's extremely likely that on Nov. 25 - the day before Thanksgiving - N.C. State fans will have to choose between Mike Krzyzewski and Herb Sendek if they want a rooting interest as they prepare their holiday feasts.
It begs the question - what's a loyal Wolfpack fan to do in that situation? Krzyzewski and Duke are rivals who still appear on N.C. State's schedule each season.
N.C. State fans had little reason to object to Arizona State - until Sendek left the Wolfpack and Raleigh to quickly make the Sun Devils an NCAA Tournament team.
So does a fan hold a bigger grudge against an institution, or against a personality? The best guess here is that the cult of personality rules in the United States.
Pressed to make a decision, your average Wolfpack fan would root for Duke ahead of Herb Sendek any day.
Ken Tysiac
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Duke vs. Sendek: A Pack fan's conundrum
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26 comments:
Sorry to disappoint you Ken, but this State fan will root for Sendek.
Hopefully State fans will not be put in this situation.
LET'S GO NINERS!!!!!!
Way to support the home team Ken! Wouldn't expect anything less than the ACCServer
Go Niners baby!
Again, let's not put State in that situation
Here's one State fan that will be pulling for Sendek and hoping he can make a return to Raleigh to save the program soon.
I went to State and don't consider this a conundrum at all. I'm a loyal Wolfpack fan, and the last time I checked Sendek left State, so why would I cheer for him? Not to mention, I don't consider Duke a huge rival. Duke is a good team and a part of the ACC. So faced with this situation, GO ACC!
State ran Sendek out of Raliegh...no need to hate on him for that.
I went to State and have been a life long fan (a character building experience of late). Believe me, true fans don't hate Sendek. In fact, I have a huge amount of respect for him and the classy program he ran and I wish him great success at A.S. But it also doesn't mean I thought he was the right fit for the Wolfpack. Your article is a narrow-minded piece...Carolina school of journalism, I suspect.
State fan here. Got no use for Sendek. Glad he's gone.
Go Duke!
I like Herb and wish him the best, but its best for State that ACC teams win outside the conference, so I am neutral.
People who hated him call themselves "true fans" and people who liked him call themselves "true fans." I think of it in terms of the smarter ones liking & appreciating him and the dumber ones hating him & eventually running him out of town. Which is a shame...he will be in whatever Hall of Fame there is for basketball coaches eventually.
As a State Fan I'm pulling for Duke. There is only one true evil wearing blue, and it's "Pansy" blue down the road in chapel hill.
Oh yeah - I'll obviously be pulling for Sendek. Even though I went to high school in Durham, my sister went to Duke and I've always liked the bluedevils more than the tarheels. I was a Tech fan when I was a kid....
This is a ridiculous premise. It is just Tysiac stirring the pot and trying to get a rise out of Wolfpack Nation. No real Wolfpacker gives a Rat's behind who wins this game. Sendek is dead to us and Coach K is a Rat Faced Bast@#% that everyone but Dookies hate.
Hahaha James Reed FTW
As a State grad I don't really care who wins, its freaking November basketball.
But I'll be pulling for Arizona State...
to lose
Pack fans are much classier than heel fans,so ncsu fans will root for their conference(duke)...period!!! It's only the unc fans who root against duke because they are still in fear of the devils.
State fans are much classier than heel fans,so they will root for their conference(duke,in this case) period!!!! It's only a tarhell fan that will root for another team just because of the other coach.UNC fans are still in fear of duke and coach K.
State fans are much classier than unc fans,so they will root for their conference(duke,in this case).....period!!! It's only a tarhell fan who will root against an acc team because of their coach.Heel fans will always be in fear of duke and coach K.
THe big question is if a Charlotte 49er upset of Duke in the 2nd round will get print in the Charlotte Observer.
I went to State and I gotta say...anyone who would even consider Duke in this so-called 'conundrum' makes me sick!
The Great Herb Sendek was run out of Raleigh! And for what?!?! The Sidney Lowe Era?!?! Yeah, he really has us on track for 'the next level'.
Here's to you Herb...I hope you beat Duke, beat everyone in the PAC10, and beat everyone in the NCAA Tournament!
I MISS HERB!!!
Shocking that Charlotte's paper doesnt support Charlotte's team. I remember when UNCC visited Herb's State team at the RBC several years ago and by the end of the game there were more Charlotte fans in the stands than State fans. Don't count out the 49ers too quickly. Of course as always Duke is at home or at the garden, only Saracuse has more nonconference home-cooking than Duke.
Hey ON: who's your team? Duke played top 50 teams Purdue, Xavier, and Michigan (twice) away from Cameron. UNC played just two top 50 road games away from home, and neither were at the other team's home court.
Truly truly a non-story. Are we going to have this when Arizona plays an ACC school (Coach Miller) also!??! Let it go Ken. I am a State fan. I hate Duke not Herb
Sendek shouldn't have to worry about K b/c Lutz is coming, GO NINERS!
weak attempt at bringing up the whole "State ran Herb away (after 10 yrs)" argument. As an alum, I genuinely liked Herb, but after 10 years, it was pretty obvious our program had hit a wall. How is it that our fanbase is influential enough to run Herb away yet somehow we can't do the same to Fowler??
Tho i typically pull for the ACC, I can't find it in me to pull for Coach K. I dislike him so much that i now pull for UNC against Duke in hoops. So I will be cheering for Herb, but expecting him to come up short against K as he usually did at State.
NCSU, Class of 2000. i saw several games won and lost by sendeks teams. he brought in good players and put good teams on the floor. herb ran a class act program for 10+ years, his only downfall was not being able to beat unc and duke consistantly. there isnt a team in the nation that can beat unc and duke consistantly! we needed a coaching change at NCSU no doubting that and as much as i want him to be the man, im not sure if sid lowe is the right fit. besides its football season!
Let's go Duke!! As long as it's not the Tarholes, I'll root for anybody against Sendek.
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