Duke Basketball

Win Over Duke A Reminder Unc Has Unfinished Business

... part. At some point, you might have expected North Carolina to let go of the agony of last year’s title game loss to Villanova, to stick to the stay-in-the-moment mantra that most programs espouse. But the moment just wouldn’t let the Tar Heels escape. It was there at the start of the season. “Yeah we made it to the championship, we had a great run,” forward Justin Jackson said, recalling the primary undercurrent of preseason workouts. “But you’re not just going to walk back. You’re not just going to win it because you’re North Carolina.”. • Bracket Watch: Which teams are in the hunt for a No. 1 seed. And it was here again at the end, two days before Duke even arrived. A return to March returned the Tar Heels to that place; a place where a rival was almost just an accessory for a larger purpose, the latest means ...

Time For Central To Shine

... by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images. As Duke fans, all of use have gotten used to our team being one of the elite teams in the country if not THE elite team. Since 1984, Duke’s made the NCAA field every year except for 1995 and has made the Final Four in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2010 and 2015. That’s on top of the three Vic Bubas earned and the one Bill Foster claimed in 1978. Counting this year’s most recent triumph, Duke has 20 ACC titles too. Point is, you get used to it and it’s fun. But there’s a lot to be said for the ride up as well. When Coach K showed up in Durham, there were no guarantees. The Duke Chronicle ran a headline about his hiring saying “this is not a joke.”. Once things got going there it took a few years for things to ramp up then after the first Final Four with Krzyzewski, it took a couple of years to realize that those trips were ...

Thornwell Leads South Carolina To Second-round Upset Of Duke

... seventh-seeded South Carolina stunned No. 2 seed Duke 88-81 on Sunday night to advance to its first Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament’s expanded bracket. The Gamecocks (24-10) trailed by 10 points early in the second half after one of its coldest shooting stretches of the season. But behind Thornwell’s outside shooting and Silva’s dominance underneath, South Carolina rallied to win two NCAA games for the first time in 44 years. The Gamecocks rushed to their fans when things were over, celebrating one of the biggest wins in program history. Next up is the East Regional at Madison Square Garden, where the Gamecocks will face third-seeded Baylor, an 82-78 winner over Southern Cal earlier Sunday. Duke (28-9) was attempting to reach the round of 16 for the sixth time in eight seasons. The Blue Devils, though, could not surmount South Carolina’s stifling defense. Leading scorer Luke Kennard had his second straight subpar shooting game, ...

South Carolina Stuns Duke To Advance To Sweet 16

... stingy defense, No. 7 South Carolina stunned No. 2 Duke, 88–81, to advance to the Sweet 16. Jonathan Jones. an hour ago. GREENVILLE, S. C. — The Blue Devils are done. The Gamecocks are in. And the New York regional is going to be really lacking in star power next weekend. Seventh-seeded South Carolina knocked off Duke, one of the tournament favorites, 88–81, with a furious second half where the Gamecocks shot 71% and missed just eight shots. For Duke, it likely spelled the end of Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, Harry Giles and Grayson Allen on the team along with the graduations of Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones. With the win, South Carolina advances to its first Sweet 16 since 1973, when the NCAA tournament only had 32 teams. The Gamecocks will join Florida, Wisconsin and Baylor—their opponent next week—in what appears to be ...

The Duke Basketball Garden Continues To Grow

... it grow. In the beginning of each season, Krzyzewski’s basketball garden consists of dirt, seeds, water and fertilizer. Mix it all together then see what happens. Crops and basketball teams grow at different rates and some never reach full bloom. There were times this season when it appeared that the Duke basketball garden wouldn’t produce a bumper crop. Missing or bad ingredients stunted the growth process. Things like injuries to players, the Grayson Allen situations and the back surgery that kept Krzyzewski idle and out of his natural element. With all of these issues, Duke’s January was really October in terms of basketball growth. But Krzyzewski and his staff continued to work with their crop to pull out the weeds and nurture it. From the dirt, seeds, water and fertilizer the plants began to grow and strengthen. It showed potential of producing something bountiful in the future. A split with North Carolina and a gritty win on senior day over Florida State was followed up by four incredible days in ...

2017 Acc/ncaa Tournament Roundup

... what Virginia does to be able to deal with it. Wilmington might win next time out, but it wasn't going to happen this time. Xavier did knock off Maryland but that’s no surprise. The Terps staggered to the end of the season which has happened a lot lately. Maryland did make the Sweet Sixteen last year but the year before they won one game and bowed out. Between 2011-12 Maryland was in the NIT and from 2007-08 to 2010-11 the Terps won a total of three NCAA games. After Maryland won the NCAA title under Gary Williams in 2002, the Terps made the Sweet Sixteen the following year and never again took Williams based the second round. It’s been awhile in other words. Until Maryland shows something, losing is essentially the expectation. This was not an upset. Losing has long been the expection at Northwestern but former Duke assistant and player Chris Collins is reversing that pretty nicely. Northwestern was lucky to win - a major mental error by Vandy’s Matthew Fisher-Davis who thought his coach ...

Duke Women Rout Hampton 94-31 In Ncaa First Round

... Broome). The Associated Press. Duke's Lexie Brown (4) and Hampton's K'lynn Willis (10) chase a loose ball during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Durham, N. C., Saturday, March 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome). The Associated Press. Duke's Rebecca Greenwell, left, guards Hampton's K'lynn Willis (10) during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Durham, N. C., Saturday, March 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome). DURHAM, N. C. — Hampton, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion, was back in the NCAA tournament after a two-year absence. But because of a horrendous second quarter, the Pirates’ stay didn’t last long. Duke outscored Hampton 31-2 in the second quarter en route to a 94-31 victory Saturday night, snapping the Pirates’ seven-game winning streak. Rebecca Greenwell had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Lexie Brown and Oderah Chidom finished with 11 points apiece for Duke (28-5). The Blue Devils, the second seed in the region, held the 15 th-seeded Pirates to ...

2017 Ncaa Tournament/acc Roundup

... Virginia’s offense has never really hit its stride this year and losing Austin Nichols after one game was bound to hurt too. For London Perrantes, it’s a terrible way to end a brilliant career. Virginia just couldn’t hit shots. And we must say, the Florida we saw Saturday was dramatically better than the Florida we saw Duke play earlier this season in New York. Virginia played without Isaiah Wilkins, but that’s not an explanation for what happened. After the game, ‘Hoos coach Tony Bennett said this: “This team got a lot from itself, and it's a credit to them. It's a credit to the coaching staff. But then to end it this way, to just get overwhelmed like that the last whatever minutes, just feeling a little bit outmatched was frustrating. “But like I said, I challenged the guys that are returning. You've got to grow from this.”. Not a big deal but Bennett’s name is always going to come up during hiring season now. He was rumored (briefly) at Illinois. Those comments sound like a guy who is planning on being back and given what he’s accomplished already, Virginia should be too. Florida State, playing in ...