News & Observer | newsobserver.com | 2008 NCAA Men's Bracket

BEIJING — I left the U.S. for this tour to embrace that uncomfortable feeling of being so far away from home. I've been covering Duke basketball for so long, I needed something different.

So why did the Cameron Crazies follow me here?

Not all of them, just the random three or four who attended the U.S. quarterfinal game against Australia at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium. At the end of the third quarter, with the U.S. up by a lot, they broke out with the one Crazie cheer that WILL NOT DIE.

It's goes like this: Two-syllable name, two-syllable name, clap, clap, clap clap clap. As in "Car-los Boo-zer, clap, clap, clap clap clap." Why that chant bugs me has nothing to do with Boozer. After hearing so many permutations, turning one syllable names into two and three back into two, over the years, it makes me twitch.

It's like Pavlov's dog. They started chanting. I started twitching.

BEIJING — USA coach Mike Krzyzewski's entire family, wife (1), daughters (3), grandkids (5), sons-in-law (3), are all in China for the U.S. run at the Beijing Olympics.

It's odd to be anywhere and not hear immediate recognition of the Krzyzewski name. But apparently his granddaughters Carly and Emmie have attracted quite a bit of attention while the family has been out in Beijing taking in the attractions and Olympic events.

The girls have reddish hair and the Chinese just don't see a lot of those in their own country. Mickie Krzyzewski, the coach's wife, said Wednesday that they've taken to calling the girls "Hannah Montanas" because they attract such crowds.

While visiting the Beijing zoo earlier in the week, so many people were taking pictures of the girls that the family caught themselves taking photos of the people taking photos of the girls.

BEIJING — The U.S. men's basketball team is three victories shy of a gold medal. It's that time in this Olympic basketball tournament when teams have to adust to the adjustments.

USA coach Mike Krzyzewski's job now is to ready itself to be flexible. Here he is talking about the team's preparation before the team's quarterfinal game against Australia.

BEIJING — Here's USA guard and leading scorer Dwyane Wade describing USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski like a kid on too much sugar.

This comes from the U.S. practice session at Beijing Normal University on Wednesday.

BEIJING — The athletes and coaches who walked in with their respective countries at the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics had to stand for hours.

USA men's coach Mike Krzyzewski and USA women's forward Candace Parker, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 WNBA Draft, found the experience at the Bird's Nest worth every minute on their feet. 

Listen to them reminisce. By the way, Krzyzewski is talking about former U.S. president George H.W. Bush when he talks about "41." As in the 41st POTUS.

U.S. basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is talking the talk about how his star-laden U.S. team knows better than to underestimate their future Olympic opponents.

To walk the walk, the U.S. has to navigate Pool B play in Beijing, where Spain figures to be the toughest initial matchup. Spain beat Greece, which had beaten the U.S. in the semifinals, to win the 2006 World Championship in Japan.

The U.S. opens Olympic pool play against China on Aug. 10 (10:15 a.m. ET). The Americans play Angola on Aug. 12 (8 a.m. ET) and Spain on Aug. 16 (10:15 a.m. ET). U.S. opponents for Aug. 14 and Aug. 18 are being determined this week in Athens, Greece.