NOTES

Have Final Four teams, will travel:

Duke Athletic Director Joe Alleva has a serious case of jet-lag after criss-crossing the nation while following the fortunes of his men’s and women’s basketball teams, playing in the Final Four on opposite coasts.

Chartering a Lear jet, Alleva and entourage flew from the Duke women’s victory over Georgia Friday night in San Jose back to St. Petersburg to catch the Duke men’s win against Michigan State on Saturday.

After 40 winks, it was back to San Jose for Duke’s Sunday night title game against Purdue, which the Blue Devils lost, 62-45, then back to St. Petersburg for tonight’s men’s final.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime situation,” Alleva told the St. Petersburg Times. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

*

Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun likened containing Ohio State point guard Scoonie Penn in Saturday night’s victory to “cutting the dragon’s head off.”

UConn forward Kevin Freeman was asked Sunday which player was Duke’s dragon.

“I don’t think it’s a head on a dragon tomorrow,” Freeman said. “I think it’s like a big Cyclops and you got to just try to take the eye out of him and beat them, the entire team. You can’t just take the head off.”