Centers Give Reason for High Expectations for Duke, Cal, Cornell

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- They are the big men in the middle, three 7-footers who each play different yet important roles on their teams here at the NCAA tournament.

There's bearded Duke center Brian Zoubek, who is finally healthy and is credited by coaches and teammates for providing a needed post presence. Say hello to Cornell center Jeff Foote, a recruiting afterthought and a favorite of his head coach. And let's not forget California center Max Zhang, the tallest of the three at 7-foot-3 who continues to gain confidence each time he steps on the floor.

The trio's performances -- specifically from Zoubek and Foote -- could likely decide which teams survive Sunday's second round at Veterans Memorial Arena and advance to the Sweet 16.

Foote, a 7-foot senior from Lockwood, N.Y., who grew up about 30 minutes from Cornell's campus, and the 12th-seeded Big Red are up first Sunday against fourth-seeded Wisconsin. The Badgers, who feature four players in double figures, including 6-foot-10 center Jon Leuer, rank among the national leaders by allowing just 56 points per game.

Foote was especially effective against high-major opponents this season, recording 19 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks at St. John's; 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks at Alabama; 12 points and 10 rebounds at Syracuse; and 12 points, six rebounds and three assists at Kansas.

Not bad for a guy who barely made an impression on Donahue when he scouted Foote during his prep senior year in 2005. Actually, let's take that back. Foote did make an impression.

"It was hard to imagine him being a college basketball player at any level," Donahue admitted.

Following a year at St. St. Bonaventure as a walk-on, Foote put his foot down. He realized he needed to get much stronger to have any future in the game. Plus, Foote realized he needed a fresh start, too, so he transferred to Cornell. Foote went from bad to good in a hurry, starting 84 career games and helping the Big Red set a new standard of success in the Ivy League.

"I knew to get to another level I needed to put on a lot of strength," Foote said. "As the strength came, the coaches really started to work with me on my skills."

Foote scores, rebounds, sets picks, makes passes and plays with emotion.

"I love talking about [him] because it's a lesson for me as a coach," Donahue said.

"I think he had a chip on his shoulder about how he looked, how he felt, awkward being tall as he was, and he wanted to prove people wrong. That's kind of how he plays now."

Zoubek, meanwhile, is making up for lost playing time due to foot injuries earlier in his career.

At 7-foot-1, the senior also believes he has found his ideal role for the Blue Devils, who have not made the Final Four since 2004. Those national championship Duke teams featured offensive balance and an established post player in the middle.

Zoubek has started the Blue Devils' last 11 games and is averaging 6.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in that span. He has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in five of those contests. Zoubek said he can become more of a scoring threat if needed, though perimeter players Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith continue to be Duke's focus on offense.

"He's a monster. He brings it," senior forward Lance Thomas said. "I don't think I've ever seen a player that tall play with so much energy."

Zoubek will need every bit of that energy Sunday, when the top-seeded Blue Devils tangle with No. 8 California. While the Golden Bears, one of two teams from the Pac 10 in the NCAA Tournament, rely heavily on their starters, they can score in bunches. Just ask Louisville, which trailed 12-0 three minutes into Friday's game and was down 18 at the 13:40 mark.

California also has a weapon on the bench in the 7-foot-3 Zhang, from Yantai City, China. The tallest player in school history and a -- excuse the pun - big crowd favorite, Zhang received cheers from his teammates and the crowd when late in the game he drained a pair of free throws and swatted a Louisville shot out of bounds.

"I always think it's kind of funny when he runs to the scorer's table and you hear a roar from the crowd and everybody's trying to figure out, 'Who is this guy?'" senior Patrick Christopher said earlier this season.

Zhang was only one of three players who came off the bench against the Cardinals for head coach Mike Montgomery -- the trio totaled 18 minutes, with Zhang playing 13.

Despite his limited playing time this season (he averaged 10.6 minutes per game), Zhang's 37 blocks lead the team and rank 10th on Cal's season list. Zhang, who missed the final three games of the regular season with a collapsed lung, scored a career-high 13 points against Stanford and had a career-high six rebounds against Syracuse.

Montgomery admits that relying heavily on his starters is a concern against Duke, though he also says he won't hesitate to go to his bench if needed. That includes pointing to Zhang, a sophomore who expects to only get better with time.

Zhang played for China in the World University games this past summer and recorded outstanding numbers in six games, including two triple-doubles and leading all tournament players with a 17.3 rebounds per game and 5.6 blocks per game.

"We're capable of going deeper," Montgomery said.

"We just feel like our best chance to win is with the players that we are playing with, and that's why we're here. If I have to play five players 40 minutes, and that gives us the best chance to win, that's what we'll do."