Greatest single-game performances in Duke history

[captmojo]

Seriously, I think back to when Laettner was a freshman, and missed the free-throw at the end of the lost effort to Arizona, at the Meadowlands. That miss made him become the perfect shotmaker he was against Kentucky.

But right now, on the History Channel, Moses is parting the Red Sea.
All else falls short.

[OldPhiKap]

Seriously, I think back to when Laettner was a freshman, and missed the free-throw at the end of the lost effort to Arizona, at the Meadowlands. That miss made him become the perfect shotmaker he was against Kentucky.

But right now, on the History Channel, Moses is parting the Red Sea.
All else falls short.

As to the first part, I credit Dick Nixon's post-game locker talk to Laettner where he told him, and I quote, "don't worry, I've blown the big one, too."

As to the second, well -- not sure that anyone had a harder test than Abraham. (Excellent program)

[duke96]

A different direction, but do we think anyone has ever had a better performance (significance x accomplishment) in a college BB game than Laettner vs. Kentucky?

[OldPhiKap]

A different direction, but do we think anyone has ever had a better performance (significance x accomplishment) in a college BB game than Laettner vs. Kentucky?

10 for 10 from the field, 10 for 10 from the line IIRC.

Hit the shot of a generation.

Hard to dispute.

[jimsumner]

A different direction, but do we think anyone has ever had a better performance (significance x accomplishment) in a college BB game than Laettner vs. Kentucky?

Bill Walton shot 21 for 22 in an NCAA title game. He didn't make a buzzer-beater. Didn't need to.

[mdj]

A different direction, but do we think anyone has ever had a better performance (significance x accomplishment) in a college BB game than Laettner vs. Kentucky?

I'd put Mannings NC game in 88 above Laetnners game. He went for 31 and although he had a lower shooting % (obviously) he had a higher % of his teams points (31/83) and to win a national championship with that supporting cast against a great OU squad was a miracle. He also had 18 rebounds. As I remember the game he was a 1 man wrecking crew against a much better opponent on the biggest stage.

[jimsumner]

I'd put Mannings NC game in 88 above Laetnners game. He went for 31 and although he had a lower shooting % (obviously) he had a higher % of his teams points (31/83) and to win a national championship with that supporting cast against a great OU squad was a miracle. He also had 18 rebounds. As I remember the game he was a 1 man wrecking crew against a much better opponent on the biggest stage.

Gail Goodrich in the '65 title game and Goose Givens in the '78 title game make the short list.

[ricks68]

Because of the long injury, I don’t think we can really compare it to other real-life performances whether at Duke or elsewhere. Heck, even Willis Reed only scored 4 points in his famous game coming back from injury. Really, the only proper comparisons are to Hollywood movies.

Hoosiers (1986) is a fictionalized account of the true story of a rural Indiana high school basketball team in the 1950s that makes it way to the state championship where it beats a more heralded team from a metropolitan area. According to a box score projected by Bill Simmons, Jimmy Chitwood played 32 minutes and had 30 points, going 14-18 from the field. As we know, Ryan played 32 minutes and had 36 points, going 10-14 from the field. While Jimmy had a higher percentage of his team’s total points and he did score the game-winning bucket, I’m giving the edge to Ryan because he scored his 36 against a very athletic top-5 D1 team rather than a team of high school players. I mean, how many would Jimmy have scored with 25-year old 6’11” Kenny Kadji in his face?

In Space Jam (1996), Michael Jordan leads a team of Looney Tunes cartoon characters against a team of NBA stars. Jordan scores 44 out of the 78 points scored by the Tunes team, according to an online box score. While Jordan had more points than Ryan, nevertheless I give the edge to Ryan for the following reason: If Ryan’s teammates were a bunch of cartoon characters, obviously Ryan would have had to score more to pick up the slack. He might well have had more than 36. Also, we know what a ball hog MJ was. All of Ryan’s points came completely within the flow of the offense.

In Air Bud (1997), Buddy the golden retriever, with the help of his friend Josh, escapes from the mean Mr. Snively in time to join his team in the state finals basketball game. As to who had the better game, I note the following: Buddy only played the last few minutes of the game, whereas Ryan played 32 minutes. Buddy only had a few field goals (although he did hit key foul shots down the stretch), whereas Ryan went for 36. Buddy was not coming off injury, unlike Ryan; however Buddy had been chained up for a while by Mr. Snively. Having said that, we must take into account the fact that Ryan has opposable thumbs and Buddy does not, making it difficult for Buddy to hold the ball with his paws. So unlike Buddy, Ryan is not forced to shoot the ball with his nose. Because of this last point I would have to give the edge to the performance by Buddy the golden retriever.

In summary, I would put Ryan’s individual performance above that of Jimmy in Hoosiers and that of Jordan in Space Jam, but below that of Buddy the golden retriever in Air Bud.

This, I believe, may be the best tongue-in-cheek performance ever on the boards--------unintentional, or not. Now, all we need is a long follow-up review of fictional basketball events that we can conjure up from the past to debate about. Uncle Drew vs. some of Kyle's "Buckets" videos could be a start. Well done, whether you meant to do it or not.

ricks

[Son of Jarhead]

One of my favorite single game performances was back in the '76-'77 season when senior Tate Armstrong put up 33 as Duke won at UVA in overtime. And, oh, by the way... he scored 31 of those 33 after breaking his wrist (an injury that ended his Duke career and sank our season) in the first few minutes of the game, but stayed in the game and played all 45 minutes. Check out his stat line:

Tate Armstrong vs. UVA, 1/17/77 = Min: 45 ~ FG: 14-24 ~ FT: 5-6 ~ Reb: 3 ~ PF: 1 ~ Ast: 3 ~ TO: 1 ~ Blk: 0 ~ Stl: 1 ~ Total Points: 33

Different circumstances than Ryan's gem from Saturday, but still one of the great games ever by a Duke player.

[Durham Thunder]

Not the best, but it's one of them: Elton Brand 16 pts on 6-8 shooting against UNC in 1998.

He came back from (recent) injury, he was a freshman going against the NPOY Antawn Jamison, and he literally put the team on his back when they were down by double digits in the biggest game of the year. PRESSURE! It was huge circumstances, and he was more than clutch.

[heyman25]

I was 9 and saw Art Heyman's 40 point 24 rebound performance live against The Holes.He was up against Brooklyn's Billy Cunningham, an NBA hall of famer I believe. I witnessed Gary Melchionni's 39 point game as a Duke undergrad against Durham's own John Lucas and the Maryland juggernaut. Ryan Kelly's performance was right up there with those 2 Cameron performances.

[jv001]

One of my favorite single game performances was back in the '76-'77 season when senior Tate Armstrong put up 33 as Duke won at UVA in overtime. And, oh, by the way... he scored 31 of those 33 after breaking his wrist (an injury that ended his Duke career and sank our season) in the first few minutes of the game, but stayed in the game and played all 45 minutes. Check out his stat line:

Tate Armstrong vs. UVA, 1/17/77 = Min: 45 ~ FG: 14-24 ~ FT: 5-6 ~ Reb: 3 ~ PF: 1 ~ Ast: 3 ~ TO: 1 ~ Blk: 0 ~ Stl: 1 ~ Total Points: 33

Different circumstances than Ryan's gem from Saturday, but still one of the great games ever by a Duke player.

Tate is still my favorite Duke player of all time. But it's a close race. GoDuke!

[Cameron]

My favorites have a J.J. theme to them, but he just had so many great games that I want to list as many as I can. They deserve it. I also kept it more recent.

J.J. versus N.C. State. 2003 ACC final. He was paying h-o-r-s-e with the Wolfpack and he finished the game without any letters. It was the single-most dominating 10 minutes of basketball I've ever seen from a single player at the college level. He dropped 23 points in the final 10:05, almost single-handedly erasing a 15-point second-half lead for State on his way to 30 points for the game and keeping Duke's streak of consecutive ACC titles alive at five.

J.J. against Virginia at home in 2006. Forty points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 8-of-10 from downtown. The only person who could have stopped J.J. that night was God, and he would have had to have used a box-and-one.

J.J.'s breakout party as a freshman in 2003, also against Virginia. In just his second-ever ACC game, Redick went for 34, setting the Duke record for most points in a game for a rookie and foreshadowing the legendary exploits to come with a sensational performance from the floor, hitting 5-of-6 from three and 9-of-13 from the field overall. While watching that game I remember thinking that I was watching what would become the greatest player in Duke history. While J.J. didn't quite reach that level, he gave it one hell of a run.

J.J. at North Carolina in 2006. Thirty-five points and four consecutive threes at one point in the second half that turned the lights out in the Dome.

Andre Dawkins against Wake Forest in 2012. The kid topped even Ryan's Miami performance with 21 points in the first half against the Demon Deacons, including knocking home 7-of-9 from three in the opening stanza. It was the greatest display of streak shooting I've ever seen at Duke. Just think about it for a moment. By the time the first half concluded, he was on pace to hit 14 threes. It was remarkable. Unlike Ryan, however, the the curtains closed after the first act and Dre never scored again.

Also, any game Marty ever dressed.

[devildeac]

My favorites have a J.J. theme to them, but he just had so many great games that I want to list as many as I can. They deserve it. I also kept it more recent.

J.J. versus N.C. State. 2003 ACC final. He was paying h-o-r-s-e with the Wolfpack and he finished the game without any letters. It was the single-most dominating 10 minutes of basketball I've ever seen from a single player at the college level. He dropped 23 points in the final 10:05, almost single-handedly erasing a 15-point second-half lead for State on his way to 30 points for the game and keeping Duke's streak of consecutive ACC titles alive at five.

J.J. against Virginia at home in 2006. Forty points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 8-of-10 from downtown. The only person who could have stopped J.J. that night was God, and he would have had to have used a box-and-one.

J.J.'s breakout party as a freshman in 2003, also against Virginia. In just his second-ever ACC game, Redick went for 34, setting the Duke record for most points in a game for a rookie and foreshadowing the legendary exploits to come with a sensational performance from the floor, hitting 5-of-6 from three and 9-of-13 from the field overall. While watching that game I remember thinking that I was watching what would become the greatest player in Duke history. While J.J. didn't quite reach that level, he gave it one hell of a run.

J.J. at North Carolina in 2006. Thirty-five points and four consecutive threes at one point in the second half that turned the lights out in the Dome.

Andre Dawkins against Wake Forest in 2012. The kid topped even Ryan's Miami performance with 21 points in the first half against the Demon Deacons, including knocking home 7-of-9 from three in the opening stanza. It was the greatest display of streak shooting I've ever seen at Duke. Just think about it for a moment. By the time the first half concluded, he was on pace to hit 14 threes. It was remarkable. Unlike Ryan, however, the the curtains closed after the first act and Dre never scored again.

Also, any game Marty ever dressed.

Which Marty?

[Cameron]

Which Marty?

The one from the 2000s whose game many here would have you believe resembled a cross between a Moron Mountain Monstar and Larry Bird.

Guess I should have clarified. (Having played in pickup games with him at the Duke Camp, the other Marty from the 1990s probably thinks of himself that way too. Ha. He never lacked confidence, and was a hell of a performer when called upon.)

To Marty Pocius's credit, he could fly. Against State in the 2007 ACC opening round, I'm convinced he levitated.

[bballanj]

It might not be better than Kelly's performance against Miami, but one that stands out to me was J William's performance against UCLA in the 2001 Sweet 16. In a game that was neck and neck deep into the second half Jason Willliams scored 17 straight points for Duke, and we went on to win that game by 13, and of course the Title three games later.

[Cameron]

It might not be better than Kelly's performance against Miami, but one that stands out to me was J William's performance against UCLA in the 2001 Sweet 16. In a game that was neck and neck deep into the second half Jason Willliams scored 17 straight points for Duke, and we went on to win that game by 13, and of course the Title three games later.

Not only did Jason score 19 points in a row for Duke, but nobody from UCLA put a single point on the board during that stretch either. For those few brilliant minutes, the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia had become Jason's own personal playground. He was magnificent in that game. Good call.

Another game I would throw out there is Michael Dunleavy against Arizona in the 2001 national final. He electrified the Hubert H. Humphrey Dome with 18 second-half points against the Wildcats, including an otherwordly stretch of three straight three-pointers in a span of 45 seconds that rivals any significant championship moment in Duke history. It was surreal it was so good.

[davekay1971]

It might not be better than Kelly's performance against Miami, but one that stands out to me was J William's performance against UCLA in the 2001 Sweet 16. In a game that was neck and neck deep into the second half Jason Willliams scored 17 straight points for Duke, and we went on to win that game by 13, and of course the Title three games later.

That stretch is right up there with Reggie Miller's Spike Lee inspired 25 point quarter in MSG against the Knicks as single-player within-game moments that were truly unbelievable. Jason just took over, and there was nothing anyone on UCLA could do about it.

As for single game performances (whole game), Ryan's was right up there. I lean toward Laettner's against KY because Laettner's of the perfection of the shooting line, the size of the moment, and The Shot. Ferry's game was astounding. There have been lots, but Ryan's performance, coming off a significant time out with injury, was the equal of just about any.

[sagegrouse]

Not only did Jason score 19 points in a row for Duke, but nobody from UCLA put a single point on the board during that stretch either. For those few brilliant minutes, the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia had become Jason's own personal playground. He was magnificent in that game. Good call.

.

I know it's hard to keep track of a 17YO arena that has had four different names. At the time, it was the First Union Center, as in "eff you," which the ever-polite jason would never have uttered to UCLA, although he was entitled to. It is now the Wells Fargo Center. At other times, it was Core States and Wachovia.

I was in the house that day, and I also remember the forlorn throngs from Kentucky, after it got bounced by USC.

sagegrouse
'When First Union Bank, feeling some PR heat for its name, approached Wachovia about acquiring it, the FU rep said something like: "You're going to like this deal. You get to keep your name."'

[Cameron]

I know it's hard to keep track of a 17YO arena that has had four different names. At the time, it was the First Union Center, as in "eff you," which the ever-polite jason would never have uttered to UCLA, although he was entitled to. It is now the Wells Fargo Center. At other times, it was Core States and Wachovia.

I was in the house that day, and I also remember the forlorn throngs from Kentucky, after it got bounced by USC.

sagegrouse
'When First Union Bank, feeling some PR heat for its name, approached Wachovia about acquiring it, the FU rep said something like: "You're going to like this deal. You get to keep your name."'

Thanks for the clarification. Even as I typed it I wasn't sure what the name of the building was then. I just remembered one of the previous names and took a shot in the dark, similar to Dexter Strickland when he shoots.