The Dagger - NCAAB

The Dagger

Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:12 pm EST

Mapping your hatred for Duke's most hateable

By Eamonn Brennan

Duke is one of the best, most consistent college hoops programs of the past 20 years. Theoretically, fans should like the gents from Durham. But because they've managed to achieve that success with a coterie of unlikeable players -- not to mention their coach's constant scowl and a certain sports network's ceaseless fawning -- Duke has become the most hated program in America, a veritable catch-all hate fest for fans who can't stand the squeaky clean image. It's a mystery, this hate, but it is real all the same. (And it feels oh so good.)

In honor of tonight's game vs. North Carolina, here's a chart (found via the ShareBros and Erica Lane) mapping the various skill and hate levels of notable Duke players. While it does little to explain the hatred, it does organize it quite nicely. Observe:

There are plenty of notable names missing here. Feel free to fill out the quadrants in the comments. Or, if you're bored, you could print it out and use it as a dartboard. Different strokes.

Related: ACC Basketball

digg delicious
more

177 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. Jon A
    1. Posted by Jon A Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:11 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Surprisingly, this is a pretty accurate synopsis of this subject. Although I didn't hate Wojo quite as much as spelling his name. But Paulus is for sure in the correct quadrant. I'd proabably add Chris Duhon to the upper left.
  2. quzybuk
    2. Posted by quzybuk Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:18 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Cherokee Parks is upper left.
    For me personally (a Wake fan), Dahntay Jones ranks as my most hated Dukie of all time... I'd put him on the vertical axis somewhere up near the blog heading.
    Also, Shane Battier needs to be on the horizontal access between Jay Williams and Hurley.
  3. The Thrilla in Vanilla
    3. Posted by The Thrilla in Vanilla Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:01 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    So, I guess White = More of a douchnozzle. Best to be black in the game of basketball? Who knew!
  4. Permanent4
    4. Posted by Permanent4 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:38 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Notice how only the white dudes are true douchenozzles.
  5. gaborik10m
    5. Posted by gaborik10m Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:05 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Shavlik Randolph, where do you put him?
  6. gaborik10m
    6. Posted by gaborik10m Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:05 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    or Boozer?
  7. PurdueMatt
    7. Posted by PurdueMatt Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:11 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Josh McRoberts belongs at the top left.
  8. PurdueMatt
    8. Posted by PurdueMatt Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:11 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    What about Gerald Henderson. Pretty sure he belongs in the top half somewhere for what he did to Hansbrough's nose.
  9. Rowdog
    9. Posted by Rowdog Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:52 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    zoubek belongs bottom left
  10. Anything but Gatorade
    10. Posted by Anything but Gatorade Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:33 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    REGGIE LOVE! i'd put him in the middle of the left side, but the fact that he actually behaved like a college student almost made him likable (almost).
    How no one's taken a cattle gun to laettner's frontal lobe yet is a microcosm of the sad state of modern society.
  11. Keith F
    11. Posted by Keith F Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:50 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Gerald Henderson surely deserve to be riding that upper line. Kyle Singler needs to be on that left side axis, I think. And can we put Jay Bilas on the upper left? He's a grad and if he cheered for Duke more, he'd still be an assistant coach.
  12. Tom
    12. Posted by Tom Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:15 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Dick Vitale belongs somewhere around the top of tomorrow's blog heading. Oh, wait, he never went to Duke?
  13. W-mann
    13. Posted by W-mann Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:21 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Danny Ferry, upper right. Brian Davis, upper left. Johnny Dawkins, lower right. Thomas Hill, lower center. Alaa Abdelnaby, upper left. Quin Snyder, upper middle. The Collins kid and Jeff Capel, lower left. Cherokee, upper middle. Phil Henderson, lower middle. Avery and Trajon Langdon, lower.
    Good observation on the whiteness. What is it about white Duke players that make them so damn annoying?
  14. Stephen T
    14. Posted by Stephen T Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:43 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    gminski? between hurley and jason williams. gene banks? down there with brand.
  15. Nathan Onnat-Hanchreim
    15. Posted by Nathan Onnat-Hanchreim Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:13 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Brian Davis, Laettner and THill would end up together, in whatever quadrant. Don't forget pre transfer McCaffrey, upper right.
  16. Just Me
    16. Posted by Just Me Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Uconn baby...who cares about duke...thabeet is what college basketball is all about!!!!
  17. tim
    17. Posted by tim Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:11 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Yep, gotta love the Duke squeaky-clean image: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=dw-ncaafavorites&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
    You know, how they never cheat: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/438652.html
    But why do we hate Duke? Perhaps it needs a comprehensive analysis: http://www.coachksucks.com/
  18. Kent
    18. Posted by Kent Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:54 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    It's okay haters...it's human nature to hate what you envy....suck it up!!!!
  19. Grammy
    19. Posted by Grammy Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:38 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Don't you jerks have anything better to write about. To quote kentR, "it's human nature to hate what you envy".
    Mr. Brennan must have been rejected from duke, also.
  20. Alissa P
    20. Posted by Alissa P Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:54 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I have to say that Shane Battier has to go down as one of the best Duke players ever. He loved the game and played it hard. You can't knock a guy for that. By the way, the relationship between Paulus and Wojo is almost uncanny...I love them both though!! Although, I live in Wisconsin, I am a Cameron Crazie all the way!
  21. PsychoT_Rules
    21. Posted by PsychoT_Rules Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:02 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    most hated, lowest talent dookie of all time? coach k. he should be way upper left. he sucks and is more hated then even chrissy laettner.
    unc 2009 national champs!!! go psycho t!
  22. Amy
    22. Posted by Amy Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:53 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    How did you not include Battier in your analysis?!?!
  23. JB
    23. Posted by JB Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:44 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Everyone has an opinion and most of them are anti-Duke. I have followed Duke for almost 20 years which means one, i am getting old but it also means i have heard all the haters for just as long. And there are more and more of them every year. It is a very popular thing to follow. I can only say that i love Duke because they go out every game and give it there all. They hustle, play defense and all around team basketball. They handle wins and loses with class and never make excuses. In 20 years i have never heard Coach K blame anyone or anything on a lose. He gives respect to the other teams, their coaches and their fans. It is a shame Coach K and Duke doesn't get the same back. They have become the most hated team in all of sports and their players are criticized and disrespected with no real reason other then they are annoying or douches.
  24. tim
    24. Posted by tim Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:11 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    JB: Duke does go out there and hustle, play defense, and all around team basketball (ignoring the JJ Redick years). I won't deny that. Duke is hated in part because they are very good year-in and year-out.
    Don't claim that Coach K never blames anyone or anything when he loses. This is the guy who claimed "medical reasons" to leave during Duke's terrible year in the 90's.
    The main reason I dislike Duke? The fans. Duke fans threw snack cakes at Dennis Scott because he once had a weight problem; they dressed as Frankenstein in an Eric Montross replica jersey; they named an 'All Acne Team' of opposing players and further named Mike O'Koren the Oxy 10 poster boy; record albums were thrown at an N.C. State player accused of stealing a stereo; pizza boxes were hurled at another Wolfpacker accused of robbing a delivery man; Maryland forward Herman Veal was showered with condoms and women's panties after being accused of sexual misconduct, (a charge of which he was exonerated - precisely like Shelden Williams); Steve Francis received a serenade of 'SAT' because of academic struggles.
  25. Rick S
    25. Posted by Rick S Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:54 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    As long as Laettner is top right, you could drop everybody else to bottom left.

The Dagger

Add to My Yahoo! RSS

Jeff Eisenberg

The Dagger is a college basketball blog edited by Jeff Eisenberg. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
Chris Chase, Matt Norlander,

Related Photo Gallery

More NCAAB Photos »

Featured NCAAB Video

More Videos »

Y! Sports Blogs

The Dagger Recent Readers

(provided by MyBlogLog)