ONE FOR THE THUMB!!!!! Duke 68, Wisconsin 63 Post-Game Thread

[MarkD83]

I am not trying to be snarky, but that kind of hypothetical statement always bothered me. First it seems to diminish what we just accomplished in the one game we played. "Well, if we had played you six more times; we would probably have the majority of them." Secondly, the tournament format is the same for everyone - you get ONE chance.... one game... and we won it. That makes us National Champs.
I suspect Kentucky could say the same thing about Wisconsin. However, they had their chance and they ended up watching from Lexington.

I agree the hypothetical x game series makes no sense to me either, but Duke did win the best 2 out of 3 from Wisc. :)

More importantly Duke won the 5 games that lead to the NCAA championship and THE one game on April 6 that counts the most.

5 time NCAA National Champions

and Quinn gets to hang two banners, one in the practice gym (I think that is where Final 4 banners go) and one in the corner of Cameron where 4 others are hanging right now.

p.s. I am glad they did not play North Florida in the first round ;)

[gumbomoop]

I assume somewhere above in this thread there's a link to Krzyzewski's post-presser comments. Make sure to watch it all, for the last several minutes and his comments re good things and trends this season in college bball. K is different.

[martydoesntfoul]

For a good time, take a spin through the Nike Hoops Summit thread from April 12, 2014. Anyway, below was my write-up from the 10th row. How'd I do?

PS Can't tell you all how much I've enjoyed being a part of this community. What a year! What a coach! What a team!!

"Justise: It's just one game, but man was he impressive. He battled down low, finished around the rim, and of course hit the three before halftime. But more than that, he showed he could handle the ball (I think he brought it up on one possession), and made some great passes that should have resulted in several more assists. And on one play where Tyus went down hard, he ran across the court to be the first one to help him up. Given his defense, athleticism, ability to drive, and passing and dribbling skills, I really see him getting big minutes next year.

Jahlil: I think he's going to be great. First, he got stronger as the game went on (perhaps some of that was wearing down Towns and the subsequent foul trouble that went along with it). Second, he has great footwork and can get very quickly to the basket where he has a nice touch on his shot. Third, he's physically very mature and doesn't get pushed around. Fourth, he appears to have good hands and showed that he could play the inside-outside game with Tyus. Fifth, he plays really hard with a lot of intensity on both ends of the floor; for instance, when he got whistled for a BS call in the first half he yelled in frustration. In summary, I think he 's the real deal.

Tyus: I came away with similar views to the ones expressed on this thread. There's something about him that just instills confidence in his teammates when he has the ball. He spent the first 85 percent of the game patiently getting everyone involved (though I wish we could have seen more work with Myles). His quickness wasn't really evident though he did play good D. And then, with 5 minutes to go, BAM! He just took over, effortlessly blowing past people and finishing. I say he starts next year. He has a calmness and a leadership capability that we missed from our guards this season. Tyus just might be the key..."

[brevity]

Before everyone asks later tonight and tomorrow, a week from now, in the summer doldrums...

One Shining Moment 2015

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOu6bCDiZm4

Streamable: http://streamable.com/v03l?t=6.5

Snappy TV: http://www.snappytv.com/tc/541211

CBS Sports: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25138529/watch-one-shining-moment-recaps-the-2015-ncaa-tournament

NCAA: http://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-men/2015-04-07/mbk-ncaa-tournament-2015-one-shining-moment

[KandG]

It might sound funny to the younger fans here. But there was a time when it felt like Duke & Coach K. would never win a title. 1986, 88, 89 and 90 were tough. It hurt, it sucked, I felt for the players who gave 4 years and tons of effort and came up short. "Experts" called Duke a perennial bridesmaid, Coach K. was "a great coach who can't win the big one." But we never lost faith and now this program and coach are on the "Mount Rushmore" of college basketball.

I posted this in one of the other pre-game or post-game threads during the tournament: I went to the Final Four in 1986 in Dallas, had a great seat for the final game. The aftermath of the loss vs Louisville was still the most depressing moment I've ever experienced as a sports fan - for decades K talked about the loss in hushed tones & Bilas said on Sportscenter last night that he still isn't over it. I still vividly replay distinct moments from the late game collapse in my head once in a while, and can remember greeting the Duke players coming back to their Dallas hotel, glum as you could possibly be.

All this is recounted not to bum people out, but to note that after this latest championship win, I feel like I'm finally over 1986. A wonderful group of young men in 2014 came together in amazing ways to deliver a special season that culminated with this championship. From the beginning of the season, to my return to Cameron for the first time in ages against Clemson, I just felt a vibe around the team -- even if they got no further than the Elite Eight, I would have still felt that way. The adaptability of the group tactically, the love between the players, the breathtaking talent, the ability of even role players way down in the rotation to make the most of limited minutes at crucial times, the continuously evolving smarts and energy of the legendary coach...you can't say enough.

It's fascinating to watch even people who have always hated Duke note that they can't help but like and admire this particular team. What a great, great group. I'm going to savor this one a while.

[JamminJoe]

Another champion with both offense and defense in Pomeroy's top 15. Clearly, a team with a defense in the 50s can't win a championship.

I'm glad that's settled.

That held true this year as Duke (final ranking of 3rd and 12th in offense/defense) beat Wisconsin, who was ranked 1st and 54th respectively. If Duke's defense had not improved so dramatically in the last 6 weeks of the season, we would not have gotten past the round of 16 IMHO.

[Skitzle]

One last though on what actually happened in this game.

The first 6 rounds of the boxing match were back and forth. Duke gave a good few punches, then Wisconsin landed some and it was about even in round 6.

In rounds 7-9 Wisconsin laid a bunch of great punches, and Duke fell to the mat.

That was the turning point in the game. Wisconsin got Cocky "We just beat Kentucky, we're the favored team, we've got these guys, Duke's right arm (Jahlil) and right leg (Justice) are in serious pain."

They thought (Heck I thought) DUKE was done.

Then Duke utilized its secret 4th arm (Grayson Allen) to smack them so hard they never recovered.


Wisconsin got Cocky and Complacent, and Duke Knocked them out, so they blamed the Refs instead of themselves.

[FireOgilvie]

Wow, what a great season! Developments I was most impressed with over the season:

Justise Winslow's development into a double-double machine who hit 8/14 3s in the Tournament. Unbelievable. He also hit big shots when we needed them.

Tyus Jones' clutch play throughout the year. He was an amazing closer in big games.

Quinn Cook's leadership, lockdown defense, and ability to hit big 3s. Huge. His attitude and leadership from day 1 make him the MVP, IMO.

Jahlil Okafor's offensive rebounding and his massive improvement on defense throughout the year.

Matt Jones' defense and the big shots in the Tournament when we needed them.

Amile Jefferson's leadership and aggressiveness around the basket. He never gave up and made a lot plays that don't show up in the box score.

Marshall Plumlee's all-around game. He made huge improvements everywhere and had fantastic +/- per game stats. Hard worker.

Grayson Allen's energy and ability to get to the free throw line. He has a fantastic knack for drawing physical contact and finishing through it.

Assistant Coach Jon Scheyer. Championship magnet.

[Edouble]

It's 4:00 in the morning and I still can't sleep.

Still on cloud nine.

Grayson's performance not withstanding, Tyus took us home in the second half. The freshman that wears #5, made sure we got #5!!!!!

I love this team!!!!!

[Ggallagher]

Serious question here people.

If my vasectomy reverses itself and my wife and I find ourselves unexpectedly expecting a son, do we name him Grayson Jones or Tyus Allen?

Go with the Charles Barkley mashup (at least I think it was Charles that had so much trouble) - call him Tyson. I think I heard "Tyson's" name about four or five times in the post game before it got firmly corrected.

[Saratoga2]

Recognition for the coaches:
While coach K rightly gets a lot of credit for this years success, as can be seen by the way his players hold him in high esteem and his moves during the game, it shouldn't be lost on us that three other coaches put their heart and souls into recruiting this phenomenal freshman class and developing it over the year. Jeff Capel is a great recruiter and we dont know the wwork that Nate James and Jon Scheyer put in but no doubt it was very significant. Great staff work!

The game:
On a night where Jahlil was having problems finishing and also guarding without fouling, and Justise was also not finishing and shooting as well as he has in earlier games, we needed great play from others and got it. Wisconsin's game plan appeared to try to stay with Quinn and not let him go off with 3 point shots so our other guards had some openings. In the first half, I thought one key to the game was the great defense that Matt played on Dekker. When Matt sat, the job was also done well by Grayson. The two of those guys stayed with Sam and limited him to 0 for 6 from 3. Another, although negative key was that Duke players weren't blocking out when rebounding and they allowed at least 4 put backs in the first half from smart Wisconsin players following shots. Coach K was smart about getting out at the half with a tie game since both Jahlil and Justise had to sit for what seemed to be an eternity. Grayson showed his offense during that stretch and I believe he scored 6 in the first half.

We started the second half weakly and Wisconsin's lead got up to 9 but Grayson came to the rescue driving and scoring 8 strait to cut the lead to 1. That burst seemed to revive the team and Tyus took it from there with a little help from Jahlil at the end. Not to be missed was the play of Amile who came in and played excellent defense on Kaminsky and others. Without him, we couldn't have stopped Wisconsin from scoring repeatedly.

Make no mistake, we beat an excellent team with our tenacious defense and our great guard centered offense. I love what this team has accomplished.

[Les Grossman]

What a terrible insult. Whatever happened to Congratulations?

I would think that a critique of OAD would follow a disappointing loss by a team relying upon said players, rather than a heroic win by them over a senior heavy, old school opponent. Seriously, the critique of OAD loses all force coming from the coach of a team who lost to a group of freshmen who are NBA bound.

Hey Bo, you got whipped by a group of freshmen, and made yourself look bad in the process. Put that in your cranky ol pipe and smoke it!

[cspan37421]

Bilas said postgame it's been 29 years since his team lost to Louisville in the NC game, and in another 20 he might get over it.

I noticed Bilas' predicted score: Duke 72, Wisconsin 69. I thought to myself, "That's no accident."

He doesn't harp on it much, but I remember in some video tribute to the 86ers - not sure when it was done - he choked up on camera when discussing that game, how much they wanted to win it for him. Don't forget after 1991 final, the players celebrated "getting the monkey off" his back (by then he had been to 5 final fours in 6 years, IIRC). From '86 to '91, they really wanted to win it for Coach K, maybe more than for themselves. They love the guy.

I did like how Bilas pointed out how K has won in completely different eras. Perhaps his "8 or 9" NCAA titles by the time he's done was a bit optimistic ... Wooden's record is likely out of reach for anyone, but Wooden, for all his greatness, won in one era - a very different era in terms of the NCAAT, season scheduling, and even rules of the game.

[PSurprise]

Proud of this team and proud to be an alum, winning championships the RIGHT way!

Congratulations to everyone!

[DukeFanSince1990]

When does the next sports illustrated come out? I am about to buy one, first since 2010!

[UrinalCake]

What an amazing finish to close out the game. We overcame a number of second half deficits this season (St John's, UVA, and UNC come to mind) and I think those experiences helped us maintain confidence that we could come back even when down 9. We didn't shoot the three well all tournament but our defense was absolutely the biggest contributor to our title run. So happy for the team, for Quinn and Coach K especially.

[DarkstarWahoo]

Wanted to pop in and offer my congratulations. Happy for you guys. And go ahead and put me down in the "K is the GOAT college coach" camp. (Qualifier there only because I don't know nearly enough about the NBA to say he's better than all pro coaches.)

[camion]

What a great game! What a team effort.

This is one time when 8 = 5. It took all eight players to bring home the fifth trophy, but as Coach has said frequently this year, "Eight is enough." It was.

Congrats to the the team and coaches. I'm bleary eyed, but happy.

[dukepsy1963]

You got it, Grayson! You did it for me! Teach us how to "never give up!"



Thanks guys!!! I love you too!

[Reilly]

I googled and saw reference to Arkansas being down 10 in 1994 in the second half. Duke was down 9 last night. Anybody know the record?

[NancyCarol]

As re OAD: I think I speak for all of us when i say we'd be more than happy if ALL our freshmen returned next year.

I'm just as confident that if Bo had had a chance to recruit our guys, he would have. I wish the rule would change to have players stay at least two years, but that's NOT the rule, and for kids and families who have struggled all their lives - who can blame them when they sign for a more secure financial future. It's a silly argument made in bitterness and the sorrow of disappointment. I cannot for one second envision Coach K sinking to that level, and it increases my pride in him (and our team).

We beat Wisconsin twice. We won the Championship. Next play.

[kshepinthehouse]

As re OAD: I think I speak for all of us when i say we'd be more than happy if ALL our freshmen returned next year.

I'm just as confident that if Bo had had a chance to recruit our guys, he would have. I wish the rule would change to have players stay at least two years, but that's NOT the rule, and for kids and families who have struggled all their lives - who can blame them when they sign for a more secure financial future. It's a silly argument made in bitterness and the sorrow of disappointment. I cannot for one second envision Coach K sinking to that level, and it increases my pride in him (and our team).

We beat Wisconsin twice. We won the Championship. Next play.

Furthermore, I don't think Coach K knew that Winslow and Jones would have quite the seasons they had and be OAD. So really, Okafor was the only one and done K recruited.

[wsb3]

If you saw it that obviously you have better eyes than mine.

I could not tell by the replay. That may just be my eyes but it is kind of like the football replay. The call on the court stands unless the evidence to overturn is substantial?

[MChambers]

Is it too early to nominate Grayson for preseason Player of the Year?

Need to see if he's declaring for the draft!

[TKG]

Jon Scheyer: a national champion as a Duke player and a national champion as a Duke coach.

[bjornolf]

Jon Scheyer: a national champion as a Duke player and a national champion as a Duke coach.

Nate James too, right?

[Danke Shane]

I love how when Wisconsin wins their B1G Championship game thanks to a blatant missed out of bounds call, and benefits from an egregiously missed yet still reviewed and missed shot clock violation vs. Kentucky in the Final Four, all you hear is "oh that's just the human element! let 'em play!" but of course when Duke benefits from a missed call where I think 8 atoms from Winslow's sneaker brushed the out of bounds stripe, and CBS replays an out of bounds scramble with more refinement than is currently available from the FBI on the Zebruder film, "it's a ref conspiracy".

[gus]

I love how when Wisconsin wins their B1G Championship game thanks to a blatant missed out of bounds call, and benefits from an egregiously missed yet still reviewed and missed shot clock violation vs. Kentucky in the Final Four, all you hear is "oh that's just the human element! let 'em play!" but of course when Duke benefits from a missed call where I think 8 atoms from Winslow's sneaker brushed the out of bounds stripe, and CBS replays an out of bounds scramble with more refinement than is currently available from the FBI on the Zebruder film, "it's a ref conspiracy".

If there were a ref conspiracy it would have been Duke and Kentucky playing last night, in what would have been the highest rated championship game ever, and may even have rivaled the NFL draft.

[Skitzle]

Nate James too, right?

Nate James' Second. He has now been a part of 3 national championship squads. Tying him with Roy Williams (UNC 82, 05, 09 for now...)

[TKG]

Nate James too, right?

Great catch. How could I forget about Nate? A thousand pardons.

[bjornolf]

My memory is not what it once was, but I seem to remember a thread on here back in 2001 called "Gone in 54 Seconds" when Jason Wiiliams took out Maryland basically single-handedly from down 10 with under a minute to play. How does Grayson's "8 in 94" compare? Similar to J-dub, he got a steal in there. Grayson also had a HUGE defensive rebound. I think Jason's feat was a little better objectively since Grayson didn't completely erase the deficit alone, but considering the stage and Grayson's seeming appearance out of nowhere and the complete change in momentum, I would probably give the nod to Grayson subjectively, though I'd put both kind of on the same tier in amazing, short Duke comebacks dominated by one player.

Over the last 13 minutes of the game, Wisconsin turned into a jump shooting team with stretches of 3, 4, and 3 minutes without a basket. That's a total of 10 out of 13 minutes without a bucket. Duke flipped a switch on them through defense and became the aggressor on both ends of the court. Yea, K was upset by Tyus' runout missed layup. SO was I. However, looking at the tenacity the team was playing with at that point, there was no way our guys weren't going for the throat there. It's not like we were in full run clock mode at that point. That aggression got us back in the game and got us the lead... at that point, though, you can't just turn it off in the heat of the moment. Luckily, it all turned out okay.

[TKG]

Does anyone think any recruiting tweets/calls went out last night and this morning?

[gumbomoop]

Lots of media outlets, lots of Bo interviews, too many. He was understandably upset. I think his "rent-a-player" comment was more explicitly about grad transfers, but it was probably implicitly also a dig at Duke's OADs. But the worst part of Bo's Very Bad Form was some hallway interview in which he pointed out how statistically effective Wisconsin had been all season, but how it was "unfortunate" that they weren't allowed to play the way they'd played all season.

Dan Patrick started his show this morn by blasting Bo. I'm watching right now. Krzyzewski will be on around 10 this morn. DP noted, accurately IMO, that Bo got out-coached. On this point, I will add that K got the way-better of Bo in the in-game cat-and-mouse/where's-this-game-going-and-how-do-I-give-my-team-its-best-chance. K's Very Good Form can -- clearly -- be compared to Bo's Very Bad Form both during and after the game.

I like Bo the Curmudgeon, and will soon enough get over his Very Bad Form. Sooner than he will.

[Billy Dat]

Joe Giglio ‏@jwgiglio 42m42 minutes ago
To finish the new bracket rule: When Duke loses by double-digits in Raleigh in January, it wins the national title in Indy in April

So...maybe losing away to the Pack is some kind of sweet harbinger.

[bjornolf]

Did anyone else notice during the comeback how many times Kaminsky got caught in no man's land with Jones shooting over him off a screen? I saw at least three. You'd think the senior player of the year would try SOMETHING different to stop it. It just seemed to happen over and over and over again.

[yancem]

Don't have time to read the whole thread quite yet but one thing that crossed my mind this morning about the out of bounds call in the closing minutes is the size of the monitors the refs review plays on. When watching the replays on my 55" screen you could see Winlow's finger defect but on the 12-15" monitors on the sidelines, the refs may not have been able to see that level of detail.

Anyway just a thought. Great game. Will post more when I get a chance.

[FerryFor50]

Kicking it old school today...

4988

[gus]

I think Jason's feat was a little better objectively since Grayson didn't completely erase the deficit alone

JWill's was better because of the timing: it was at the end of a game the other team (and their from delirious to despondent fans) thought they had won. But he didn't do it alone. Nate James (forgotten a second time in this thread!) tied the game, not Williams.

[rifraf]

YES YES YES YES YES!

I just got to work after driving 3 hours straight in from Indianapolis to the Chicago area and it was TOTALLY WORTH having to sit here and inject coffee directly into my eyeballs all day. So ridiculously proud of our team who didn't give up even after I did. Way to play tough and hang in there. HUGE thanks to everyone but especially our senior leader, Quinn.

Also, our future first born was in attendance (my wife is 6 months pregnant) and so Duke is officially 2-0 in games where he or she is in attendance. We'll fill out an application for Duke as soon as he or she is born.

[bjornolf]

JWill's was better because of the timing: it was at the end of a game the other team (and their from delirious to despondent fans) thought they had won. But he didn't do it alone. Nate James (forgotten a second time in this thread!) tied the game, not Williams.

Oh, looking at their faces, Bo may have denied it, but Wisconsin's players and fans were pretty confident that they had broken us. Absolutely, JWill's timing was better, but I think Grayson's stage equals it.

[FerryFor50]

Oh, looking at their faces, Bo may have denied it, but Wisconsin's players and fans were pretty confident that they had broken us. Absolutely, JWill's timing was better, but I think Grayson's stage equals it.

I think it was a look of shock.

Like, who *IS* this guy???? And how is he destroying us?

[roywhite]

Did anyone else notice during the comeback how many times Kaminsky got caught in no man's land with Jones shooting over him off a screen? I saw at least three. You'd think the senior player of the year would try SOMETHING different to stop it. It just seemed to happen over and over and over again.

Good point. That was masterful use of the pick and roll by Tyus Jones and company. Defense against the pick and roll was a huge area of improvement for this Duke team; looks like Wisconsin didn't quite learn their lessons.

[dyedwab]

Today, I busted out the Duke hat I wore in Indianapolis when we won our first title in '91.

What a great night.

[bjornolf]

I think it was a look of shock.

Like, who *IS* this guy???? And how is he destroying us?

I liked that look too, but I was referring to the look on their faces in the timeout right after they hit the shot to go up 9.

[gumbomoop]

Gottlieb-haters, of whom I am not usually one, will be temporarily mollified by his analysis on DP this morn. Opined that this might be K's best FF and whole-season coaching job.

Duke guys more motivated, K better at X/O. Doug critical of Bo postgame, calls him "a little bit of a bully." Bo not honest about the several things Wisconsin failed to do right. Bo no adjustments, bad coaching. Duke more energetic because K knew how to get his guys in and out of the game. Bo didn't adjust to the actual game right in front of him.

Repeat: K scheduled to be on DP very soon, 10 a.m.

[Les Grossman]

Did he not win one? Memory failing me

[rifraf]

Did he not win one? Memory failing me

I don't know if they showed it on TV ever, but in the stadium the camera caught K walking around the celebration looking for one particular person. He saw them, and his face lit up and he opened his arms for a big hug. As the camera panned, I was expecting Quinn but it was actually Capel who came charging in for probably the biggest hug of the night.

[Matches]

Did he not win one? Memory failing me

This was Jeff's first Final Four as a coach (I forgot '94). It was very cool to see him getting his turn to cut down the net last night. We wouldn't have been there without him.

[gus]

Did he not win one? Memory failing me

As a player, or as a coach? Either way, the answer is no. He was a freshman on the '94 runner up team, and he joined the Duke staff in 2011.

[roywhite]

I don't know if they showed it on TV ever, but in the stadium the camera caught K walking around the celebration looking for one particular person. He saw them, and his face lit up and he opened his arms for a big hug. As the camera panned, I was expecting Quinn but it was actually Capel who came charging in for probably the biggest hug of the night.

Thanks for noting that. Huge props to Jeff Capel; he did a lot to recruit some of these players, and was invaluable as K's right hand man.

If, as we expect, Jeff moves on to Arizona State, wish him all the best.

[Les Grossman]

Does anyone think he will be back on the Duke bench in the next year or two?

[Les Grossman]

Thanks for noting that. Huge props to Jeff Capel; he did a lot to recruit some of these players, and was invaluable as K's right hand man.

If, as we expect, Jeff moves on to Arizona State, wish him all the best.

Capel to ASU? I was wondering if he would be moving on. Started thinking about that when he stopped doing the pregame and half time interviews for Duke, handing that task back to K.

[Matches]

Does anyone think he will be back on the Duke bench in the next year or two?

Eventually maybe but I think Quinn has a bright professional career ahead of him - maybe overseas but he's good enough to play for money for a good while.

[77devil]

Order has been restored. Again.

[Rich]

I posted this in one of the other pre-game or post-game threads during the tournament: I went to the Final Four in 1986 in Dallas, had a great seat for the final game. The aftermath of the loss vs Louisville was still the most depressing moment I've ever experienced as a sports fan - for decades K talked about the loss in hushed tones & Bilas said on Sportscenter last night that he still isn't over it. I still vividly replay distinct moments from the late game collapse in my head once in a while, and can remember greeting the Duke players coming back to their Dallas hotel, glum as you could possibly be.

All this is recounted not to bum people out, but to note that after this latest championship win, I feel like I'm finally over 1986. A wonderful group of young men in 2014 came together in amazing ways to deliver a special season that culminated with this championship. From the beginning of the season, to my return to Cameron for the first time in ages against Clemson, I just felt a vibe around the team -- even if they got no further than the Elite Eight, I would have still felt that way. The adaptability of the group tactically, the love between the players, the breathtaking talent, the ability of even role players way down in the rotation to make the most of limited minutes at crucial times, the continuously evolving smarts and energy of the legendary coach...you can't say enough.

It's fascinating to watch even people who have always hated Duke note that they can't help but like and admire this particular team. What a great, great group. I'm going to savor this one a while.

It's also great to see how successful the kids on the '86 team have become -- Bilas, Dawkins, Amaker, Ferry, King, Snyder, to name a few. Sometimes I wonder if such losses impact the fans' psyche more than the players long term. You never hear any of them lamenting about '86. Just being in the Final Four and/or Championship Game must be such a positive experience for them after the initial shock of losing.

[Duke1994]

Got into work early (despite the late night) and called home to chat with my 6-year old about the game before he headed to school. I said "You know who had a really good game, Amile Jefferson." He responded: "I know, he had 7 rebounds." Feel like I'm raising him the right way! The Duke way! Couldn't be prouder of Coach K, the team and the entire program!

[Mike Corey]

I'm long-winded, generally, and nostalgic, always.

But today, I'm tired and I have a bunch I have to somehow accomplish at work.

I'm very grateful to a great friend who made it possible for me to attend last night. I hope those of you also in attendance, and those of you who watched from home, felt the joy those guys and those coaches and their collective families were emanating.

Special, special group. I can't begin to wrap my head around the leaps this team took from start to finish--good as they were when we first saw them at the Blue-White scrimmage, this was a superlative team over the last 3 weeks.

Tremendous amounts of work went into this result. The moment shall shine for a long time.

Congratulations to all. Thanks for bringing some joy to this fan's heart once again, and year after year.

[MChambers]

Gottlieb-haters, of whom I am not usually one, will be temporarily mollified by his analysis on DP this morn. Opined that this might be K's best FF and whole-season coaching job.

Duke guys more motivated, K better at X/O. Doug critical of Bo postgame, calls him "a little bit of a bully." Bo not honest about the several things Wisconsin failed to do right. Bo no adjustments, bad coaching. Duke more energetic because K knew how to get his guys in and out of the game. Bo didn't adjust to the actual game right in front of him.

Repeat: K scheduled to be on DP very soon, 10 a.m.
Gottlieb thinks this job was better than coaching an alarmingly unathletic team to a championship?

Seriously, 2010 was an amazing coaching job. I don't think this year's was quite so amazing.

[NashvilleDevil]

Capel to ASU? I was wondering if he would be moving on. Started thinking about that when he stopped doing the pregame and half time interviews for Duke, handing that task back to K.

I don't think Capel takes that job. There will be better jobs available next year.

[nmduke2001]

The scoring stats didn't show it, but this was a true team-effort win. Amile and Matt didn't show up in the stat sheet but sure played great games. Justise struggled a bit offensively, but played outstanding all around. Grayson's hustle and defense were as important as his points. Quinn Cook continued to play D despite the poor offensive game. I could go on. This was a very satisfying game.

[Skitzle]

Eventually maybe but I think Quinn has a bright professional career ahead of him - maybe overseas but he's good enough to play for money for a good while.

Yea He's not NBA Caliber unfortunately, but he should have a long overseas career.

[peloton]

Need to see if he's declaring for the draft!

I would absolutely love to see another 2 or 3 seasons of The Grayson Allen Show...an incredible show with lots o' action. It certainly won't get canceled for lack of viewers, that's for sure! :p

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

What a game. Call it 50 Shades of Grayson! And Bo Ryan came across as a whiny $%#€^ complaining about the refs. I mean really. Just classless.

Can't wait for Duke reunion weekend to buy a ton of Duke stuff!!!

My new nickname for him is Grayson Effing Allen.

[hurleyfor3]

Sorry, I've been off the boards since yesterday afternoon, did anything happen?

[GGLC]

This is one of my favorite Duke teams. They are so, so mentally tough. Seems so fitting that the title game would feature a big second-half comeback, since we had more of those this year than I can remember off hand. Not ashamed to admit that I thought we were dead and buried in the Virginia game. And the first UNC game. And... But last night? I guess all those other games wore off on me. Never in doubt. ;)

I love these guys.

[bjornolf]

It's also great to see how successful the kids on the '86 team have become -- Bilas, Dawkins, Amaker, Ferry, King, Snyder, to name a few. Sometimes I wonder if such losses impact the fans' psyche more than the players long term. You never hear any of them lamenting about '86. Just being in the Final Four and/or Championship Game must be such a positive experience for them after the initial shock of losing.

You didn't hear Bilas mention it a dozen times last night when talking about Wisconsin? He said it's been 29 years for him and that maybe he'll be over it in another 20.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

My memory is not what it once was, but I seem to remember a thread on here back in 2001 called "Gone in 54 Seconds" when Jason Wiiliams took out Maryland basically single-handedly from down 10 with under a minute to play. How does Grayson's "8 in 94" compare? Similar to J-dub, he got a steal in there. Grayson also had a HUGE defensive rebound. I think Jason's feat was a little better objectively since Grayson didn't completely erase the deficit alone, but considering the stage and Grayson's seeming appearance out of nowhere and the complete change in momentum, I would probably give the nod to Grayson subjectively, though I'd put both kind of on the same tier in amazing, short Duke comebacks dominated by one player.

Grayson's performance reminded me more of Dunleavy's shots vs Arizona in the magnitude of the game and somewhat of Seth Curry's explosion vs UNC in Nolan's senior year (when we were down 13? at the half) in that it came from an unexpected player.

[COYS]

I just rewatched the Grayson fueled run (after re watching the game last night after the press conference was over). I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that after the Kaminsky bucket on the inbounds play that put the Badgers up by 9, K calls a timeout and then trots out a lineup with Marshall, Amile, and Grayson in favor of Justise AND Jahlil. I realized it at the time and thought it made sense. We needed more defensive intensity and Justise and Jah were battling foul trouble with over 13 minutes of game time left. But now I'm struck by how gutsy that was. Holy crap! Your team is down 9 in the national freaking title game and you put in ALL THREE of your subs against a talented and experienced Wisconsin team. You've got the number one pick AND a probably top 10 pick sitting on the bench in favor of a lightly used freshman and two offensively limited bigs when the team needs to overcome a 9 point deficit.

I don't care about foul trouble or anything else. That's gutsy coaching and a testament to just how prepared the entire team, 1-8, really was.

[kAzE]

What a night . . . it was an absolute joy to watch this team come together the way it did over the past few weeks, culminating in our one shining moment. I'm just so proud to be a Duke fan, and thankful that we are blessed to have these amazing players and coaches. No matter what the outcome of this game was, we had incredible players this year, and an incredible season. I truly believe that our best was simply better than anyone else's best this year, Kentucky included. A perfect ending to a perfect season. All we do is win. LET'S GO DUKE.

[duke79]

Lots of media outlets, lots of Bo interviews, too many. He was understandably upset. I think his "rent-a-player" comment was more explicitly about grad transfers, but it was probably implicitly also a dig at Duke's OADs. But the worst part of Bo's Very Bad Form was some hallway interview in which he pointed out how statistically effective Wisconsin had been all season, but how it was "unfortunate" that they weren't allowed to play the way they'd played all season.

Dan Patrick started his show this morn by blasting Bo. I'm watching right now. Krzyzewski will be on around 10 this morn. DP noted, accurately IMO, that Bo got out-coached. On this point, I will add that K got the way-better of Bo in the in-game cat-and-mouse/where's-this-game-going-and-how-do-I-give-my-team-its-best-chance. K's Very Good Form can -- clearly -- be compared to Bo's Very Bad Form both during and after the game.

I like Bo the Curmudgeon, and will soon enough get over his Very Bad Form. Sooner than he will.

Yea, I was a little shocked to hear that interview with Bo right after the game ended. I've always thought that coaches should say something like this, in those circumstances, "Yea, we got outplayed tonight by......XYZ team; congratulations to them. They deserved to win". (I believe Coach K would have said something like that in the same circumstances). BUT I can also understand that he was upset by the loss and I'm sure he felt (in his own mind) that they got some bad calls in the second half that threw them off of their normal game. Frankly, I didn't really notice that many bad calls against Wisconsin versus good calls for Duke in the second half, but I may be biased. I think part of the reason for his shock is that I'm sure he and his players began to believe all the press hype about the team and that they were a team of destiny (esp. after beating Kentucky on Saturday). I have no doubt that they were completely expecting to win that game last night (esp. when going up by 9 points in the second half) and be the national champions and it must have been a HUGE shock to lose the game so dramatically (thank YOU, Grayson) in the last 8 minutes or so.

[bjornolf]

I just rewatched the Grayson fueled run (after re watching the game last night after the press conference was over). I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that after the Kaminsky bucket on the inbounds play that put the Badgers up by 9, K calls a timeout and then trots out a lineup with Marshall, Amile, and Grayson in favor of Justise AND Jahlil. I realized it at the time and thought it made sense. We needed more defensive intensity and Justise and Jah were battling foul trouble with over 13 minutes of game time left. But now I'm struck by how gutsy that was. Holy crap! Your team is down 9 in the national freaking title game and you put in ALL THREE of your subs against a talented and experienced Wisconsin team. You've got the number one pick AND a probably top 10 pick sitting on the bench in favor of a lightly used freshman and two offensively limited bigs when the team needs to overcome a 9 point deficit.

I don't care about foul trouble or anything else. That's gutsy coaching and a testament to just how prepared the entire team, 1-8, really was.

He knew he needed defense at that point. The faster, more tanacious defenders turned Wisconsin into a jump shooting team and instantly sapped all their aggression. Amile had both fouls to give and defensive lateral quickness that Jah was lacking against Kaminsky. BRILLIANT!

Ironically, our guys played more like Badgers that last five minutes. The amazing thing to me is how K has been so flexible, similar to 2001, to find what the team had to do to win, and the flexibility of the players TO LISTEN AND DO IT!

[COYS]

What a night . . . it was an absolute joy to watch this team come together the way it did over the past few weeks, culminating in our one shining moment. I'm just so proud to be a Duke fan, and thankful that we are blessed to have these amazing players and coaches. No matter what the outcome of this game was, we had incredible players this year, and an incredible season. I truly believe that our best was simply better than anyone else's best this year, Kentucky included. A perfect ending to a perfect season. All we do is win. LET'S GO DUKE.

Ok, this is a little bit stream of consciousness now, but on the possession just after Grayson nails the three he forces the turnover on the perimeter. If he hadn't done that, it would've been an easy bucket for Wiscy. Why? Because Quinn had gotten stuck guarding Frank the Tank, who had Quinn hopelessly pinned on his hip in the post. Instead, Grayson came to the rescue.

[camion]

I've been trying, but just can't get it done so I'll ask.

Can someone draw a fist with eight fingers?

:)

[bjornolf]

I've been trying, but just can't get it done so I'll ask.

Can someone draw a fist with eight fingers?

:)

Sure, just make the palm as wide as Jahlil's with Jefferson width fingers.

[roywhite]

SIAP, but CBS Sports Network (613 on DirecTV) will replay the championship game tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern.

They'll likely replay it a few times, and other key tournament games as well; I remember seeing the 2010 championship game replayed several times.

[Rich]

You didn't hear Bilas mention it a dozen times last night when talking about Wisconsin? He said it's been 29 years for him and that maybe he'll be over it in another 20.

No, I didn't watch the ESPN coverage until the press conference, but when I have heard Bilas talk about '86 it seemed to always be in a sarcastic, self-deprecating and good humor manner. I don't take him too seriously when he talks about himself.

[CDu]

My wife is a nurse and works 7am-7:30pm. She worked yesterday and works again today. So since she had to get up at 5:30am this morning, she only got to watch the first half. So I recorded the game for her, and will get the joy of watching the game again this evening. I can't wait!

I'll be honest: I wasn't thinking good things when we went down 9. Okafor was clearly losing the battle of the bigs, Winslow was in foul trouble and tentative, and our guards weren't dominating their matchups like I hoped they would. And then Coach K turned to Grayson Allen in place of the senior Cook, and MAN did he ever respond!

I think Coach K pushed a ton of the right buttons tonight, although perhaps the best button he pushed may have actually been pushed for him: with Winslow and Okafor both in serious foul trouble, Coach K had little choice but to roll with Jefferson and Allen a bunch in the second half. And wow did that turn out to be the right decision.

My thoughts:

- I figured Coach K would go with Winslow on Dekker, and he did that some. But the primary assignment for Dekker was Matt Jones. And I thought Jones did a terrific job of pestering Dekker all night. He forced some turnovers, and he made Dekker uncomfortable. He just never let Dekker get in a rhythm. The only mistakes I remember Jones making were losing Dekker for a few offensive rebound putbacks in the first half. But otherwise, it was a nearly flawless defensive performance

- Sakes alive did Jefferson ever come to play last night! 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal, and most importantly some terrific defense on Kaminsky in the second half.

- Speaking of Kaminsky: that kid can BALL! He won the NPoY and he deserved every bit of it. The kid can score from anywhere on the court. He hits 3s. He can post you up and score. He can take you off the dribble. Just a complete offensive player. He had a terrific game. On another night, he's celebrating a well-deserved championship. But not last night!

- Grayson Allen has arrived. He didn't look comfortable at all earlier this season. He could have easily faded into the background and wilted when Sulaimon was dismissed. Instead, he embraced the challenge. And he came through in a big way last night. He saved the game for us.

- Allen certainly saved the game, but down the stretch it was all Tyus Jones on offense. He took some very questionable shots, but they just kept going in. He was just not going to be denied. The 3 he hit to put us up by 8 was staggering in its ruthlessness. The guy is just absolutely clutch. If he never plays another game for Duke, I'll have no complaints (though I'd LOVE to have him back!). Tough kid, on a tough team.

- How crazy is it that the team whose top two stars spent the whole night in foul trouble is the team that won? Okafor was sloppy last night and Kaminsky made him pay. One of Okafor's four fouls was garbage (I think it was the third one), but the rest were getting beaten to the spot on offense for a charge and two mental mistakes of slapping down on defense. He was outplayed by Kaminsky for most of the game, and forced to sit with fouls for nearly half the game. But even then, despite the struggles, he got a few key plays down the stretch for us: finishing through Kaminsky's bear hug; getting another offensive rebound and a putback. It wasn't his night, but he didn't go away and sulk. Instead, he came through when we needed him late.

- It wasn't Cook's best night, but I guarantee he doesn't care. That kid was all heart this year, and provided great leadership. I'm quite sure he had no problem stepping to the background while the youngsters took the spotlight. He achieved his goal, and I couldn't be happier for him. Tremendous individual growth for him for the last four years. He's been such a phenomenal representative of this program, it will be sad to see him go. I can only hope we find another guy to fill his leadership void, and soon.

- Finally, Coach K. A great coaching job: going with a variety of defensive looks, including man-to-man, 3-2 zone, 2-3 zone, and a hybrid man-to-man with Winslow playing "free safety" in the lane. He pulled out all the stops. At times we switched on every ball screen. Sometimes we trapped on screens. Sometimes we stayed home. Nothing was constant, and I think eventually that confused Wisconsin. They briefly got a rhythm going in the middle of the game, but it was only temporary. We held Wisconsin (the best offensive team in the country) to just 15 points over the final 13.5 minutes. We held them to just 5 points in the final 4.5 minutes, despite their fouling to extend the game. Coach K had the guts to stick with Jefferson at the 5 with Okafor ineffective. He had the guts to pull his senior leader for Allen midway through the second half with the team down 9. He had the guts to put Winslow back on the floor midway through the second half with 3 fouls and to never look back (even when Winslow should have picked up his fourth on a charge-that-got-called-a-block). He just seemed to have it going last night. Let's hope there are several more years of his coaching brilliance to come!

Man, I'm exhausted right now. But so so so so SOOOOO happy!

[roywhite]

- Speaking of Kaminsky: that kid can BALL! He won the NPoY and he deserved every bit of it. The kid can score from anywhere on the court. He hits 3s. He can post you up and score. He can take you off the dribble. Just a complete offensive player. He had a terrific game. On another night, he's celebrating a well-deserved championship. But not last night!



That was a terrific overall post, but I wanted to highlight this point about Kaminsky, and add....he was too unselfish. He had plenty of good looks that he passed up; ultimately, his teammates did not shoot as well as he did. Yes, Amile did a fairly good job on him, but Kaminsky could well have gone for 30, and the outcome might have been different.

[duke79]

My wife is a nurse and works 7am-7:30pm. She worked yesterday and works again today. So since she had to get up at 5:30am this morning, she only got to watch the first half. So I recorded the game for her, and will get the joy of watching the game again this evening. I can't wait!

I'll be honest: I wasn't thinking good things when we went down 9. Okafor was clearly losing the battle of the bigs, Winslow was in foul trouble and tentative, and our guards weren't dominating their matchups like I hoped they would. And then Coach K turned to Grayson Allen in place of the senior Cook, and MAN did he ever respond!

I think Coach K pushed a ton of the right buttons tonight, although perhaps the best button he pushed may have actually been pushed for him: with Winslow and Okafor both in serious foul trouble, Coach K had little choice but to roll with Jefferson and Allen a bunch in the second half. And wow did that turn out to be the right decision.

My thoughts:

- I figured Coach K would go with Winslow on Dekker, and he did that some. But the primary assignment for Dekker was Matt Jones. And I thought Jones did a terrific job of pestering Dekker all night. He forced some turnovers, and he made Dekker uncomfortable. He just never let Dekker get in a rhythm. The only mistakes I remember Jones making were losing Dekker for a few offensive rebound putbacks in the first half. But otherwise, it was a nearly flawless defensive performance

- Sakes alive did Jefferson ever come to play last night! 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal, and most importantly some terrific defense on Kaminsky in the second half.

- Speaking of Kaminsky: that kid can BALL! He won the NPoY and he deserved every bit of it. The kid can score from anywhere on the court. He hits 3s. He can post you up and score. He can take you off the dribble. Just a complete offensive player. He had a terrific game. On another night, he's celebrating a well-deserved championship. But not last night!

- Grayson Allen has arrived. He didn't look comfortable at all earlier this season. He could have easily faded into the background and wilted when Sulaimon was dismissed. Instead, he embraced the challenge. And he came through in a big way last night. He saved the game for us.

- Allen certainly saved the game, but down the stretch it was all Tyus Jones on offense. He took some very questionable shots, but they just kept going in. He was just not going to be denied. The 3 he hit to put us up by 8 was staggering in its ruthlessness. The guy is just absolutely clutch. If he never plays another game for Duke, I'll have no complaints (though I'd LOVE to have him back!). Tough kid, on a tough team.

- How crazy is it that the team whose top two stars spent the whole night in foul trouble is the team that won? Okafor was sloppy last night and Kaminsky made him pay. One of Okafor's four fouls was garbage (I think it was the third one), but the rest were getting beaten to the spot on offense for a charge and two mental mistakes of slapping down on defense. He was outplayed by Kaminsky for most of the game, and forced to sit with fouls for nearly half the game. But even then, despite the struggles, he got a few key plays down the stretch for us: finishing through Kaminsky's bear hug; getting another offensive rebound and a putback. It wasn't his night, but he didn't go away and sulk. Instead, he came through when we needed him late.

- It wasn't Cook's best night, but I guarantee he doesn't care. That kid was all heart this year, and provided great leadership. I'm quite sure he had no problem stepping to the background while the youngsters took the spotlight. He achieved his goal, and I couldn't be happier for him. Tremendous individual growth for him for the last four years. He's been such a phenomenal representative of this program, it will be sad to see him go. I can only hope we find another guy to fill his leadership void, and soon.

- Finally, Coach K. A great coaching job: going with a variety of defensive looks, including man-to-man, 3-2 zone, 2-3 zone, and a hybrid man-to-man with Winslow playing "free safety" in the lane. He pulled out all the stops. At times we switched on every ball screen. Sometimes we trapped on screens. Sometimes we stayed home. Nothing was constant, and I think eventually that confused Wisconsin. They briefly got a rhythm going in the middle of the game, but it was only temporary. We held Wisconsin (the best offensive team in the country) to just 15 points over the final 13.5 minutes. We held them to just 5 points in the final 4.5 minutes, despite their fouling to extend the game. Coach K had the guts to stick with Jefferson at the 5 with Okafor ineffective. He had the guts to pull his senior leader for Allen midway through the second half with the team down 9. He had the guts to put Winslow back on the floor midway through the second half with 3 fouls and to never look back (even when Winslow should have picked up his fourth on a charge-that-got-called-a-block). He just seemed to have it going last night. Let's hope there are several more years of his coaching brilliance to come!

Man, I'm exhausted right now. But so so so so SOOOOO happy!

Amen !! Agree 100% with your analysis. Frankly, I was pessimistic too when we were down by 9. I thought we had lost our mojo and Wisconsin had all the momentum at that point in the game. I think an incredibly gritty performance by Duke in the last 10 minutes of so of the game. We very easily could have lost that game.

[MChambers]

- How crazy is it that the team whose top two stars spent the whole night in foul trouble is the team that won? Okafor was sloppy last night and Kaminsky made him pay. One of Okafor's four fouls was garbage (I think it was the third one), but the rest were getting beaten to the spot on offense for a charge and two mental mistakes of slapping down on defense. He was outplayed by Kaminsky for most of the game, and forced to sit with fouls for nearly half the game. But even then, despite the struggles, he got a few key plays down the stretch for us: finishing through Kaminsky's bear hug; getting another offensive rebound and a putback. It wasn't his night, but he didn't go away and sulk. Instead, he came through when we needed him late.
Kedsy told us in the pre-game thread that foul trouble could be the key. And it was, but in exactly the opposite way he (and I and probably everyone else here) expected.:D

[OldPhiKap]

That was a terrific overall post, but I wanted to highlight this point about Kaminsky, and add....he was too unselfish. He had plenty of good looks that he passed up; ultimately, his teammates did not shoot as well as he did. Yes, Amile did a fairly good job on him, but Kaminsky could well have gone for 30, and the outcome might have been different.

Kaminsky was very tentative at times, not sure if it was because he was trying to get others involved or if he just didn't want to take the shot. Dekker seems to have more of the killer instinct than Frank does. (Not taking anything away from Frank, he is a deserving NPOY)

[Billy Dat]

- Finally, Coach K. A great coaching job: going with a variety of defensive looks, including man-to-man, 3-2 zone, 2-3 zone, and a hybrid man-to-man with Winslow playing "free safety" in the lane. He pulled out all the stops. At times we switched on every ball screen. Sometimes we trapped on screens. Sometimes we stayed home. Nothing was constant, and I think eventually that confused Wisconsin. They briefly got a rhythm going in the middle of the game, but it was only temporary. We held Wisconsin (the best offensive team in the country) to just 15 points over the final 13.5 minutes. We held them to just 5 points in the final 4.5 minutes, despite their fouling to extend the game. Coach K had the guts to stick with Jefferson at the 5 with Okafor ineffective. He had the guts to pull his senior leader for Allen midway through the second half with the team down 9. He had the guts to put Winslow back on the floor midway through the second half with 3 fouls and to never look back (even when Winslow should have picked up his fourth on a charge-that-got-called-a-block). He just seemed to have it going last night. Let's hope there are several more years of his coaching brilliance to come!

Great post. I actually don't think K is getting enough credit in the press today about the way he managed the game, particularly about the way he managed the last 3 minutes of the first half when our two big guns had their two fouls, UW had erased our lead and were threatening to push out to a 5+ point halftime lead. Instead, I am reading a lot about how he adapted to the one-and-done and how he manipulated the refs into calling the game in our favor in the second half. K is at the height of his powers right now in all facets.

[roywhite]

Great post. I actually don't think K is getting enough credit in the press today about the way he managed the game, particularly about the way he managed the last 3 minutes of the first half when our two big guns had their two fouls, UW had erased our lead and were threatening to push out to a 5+ point halftime lead. Instead, I am reading a lot about how he adapted to the one-and-done and how he manipulated the refs into calling the game in our favor in the second half. K is at the height of his powers right now in all facets.

Ole Roy Williams could watch this game and learn something about how to use timeouts during a game. K was indeed masterful.

Fortunately, I doubt Ole Roy will pick up these lessons.

[CDu]

That was a terrific overall post, but I wanted to highlight this point about Kaminsky, and add....he was too unselfish. He had plenty of good looks that he passed up; ultimately, his teammates did not shoot as well as he did. Yes, Amile did a fairly good job on him, but Kaminsky could well have gone for 30, and the outcome might have been different.

Completely agree. Big Frank seemed to have everything working for much of the night last night, yet for some reason he seemed hesitant to keep exploiting it. There was never a point when he got the ball that I felt good. When you're the best scorer on the floor for your team, and your team needs a bucket, you need to step up and demand the ball. It's almost like he was too nice a guy out there. Wisconsin needed him to be relentless. He has quite a bit of Christian Laettner's game, but lacks Laettner's cutthroat mentality. Had he been more selfish aggressive, we might not be celebrating #5 today.

[cspan37421]

No, I didn't watch the ESPN coverage until the press conference, but when I have heard Bilas talk about '86 it seemed to always be in a sarcastic, self-deprecating and good humor manner. I don't take him too seriously when he talks about himself.

Interesting. FWIW, I know of one exception - see upward in the thread. There was a review of the 86ers, maybe done by local sports (WRAL?) 25 years afterwards (+/- 5 yrs), though it had an ESPN 30-for-30 flavor to it. Anyway, he got quite choked up talking about how disappointed he was that they didn't win it for Coach K, as it seemed like destiny, given their arc of progress since their freshman season (and of course how badly they wanted to win it for him, showing their gratitude). He is an interesting fellow. I don't always agree with him, but he has sincerely held convictions about the college game, and he can back them up with good reasoning. He also is very good at reporting - he really digs deep and finds stuff that others don't find.

[Billy Dat]

Kedsy told us in the pre-game thread that foul trouble could be the key. And it was, but in exactly the opposite way he (and I and probably everyone else here) expected.:D

Indeed, as K said in the post-game, the foul trouble may have actually been the reason we won because it unleashed the unit that led the comeback and the win:

"Q. Can you talk about the versatility of this particular team. You have been able to outscore people all year, but in this particular championship game, you out Wisconsin and people thought that wasn't possible.
COACH KRZYZEWSKI: With eight guys, we needed to be very versatile. It kind of happened over how we play. Grayson has been coming on so much, and Matt was playing such good defense, and my guards are good. In some respects the foul trouble may have helped us a little bit because I got some gritty guys in there in combinations that we didn't have on the court very much this year. I have to look at it. I'll look at the tape later on 'cause I'm not even sure who I had in all the time. But I know, because Jah and Justise were on the bench, and Marshall was on the bench, we were pretty small. We were playing such good post defense with that small lineup. I know Matt and Amile were the linchpins of the defense. They were so darn good. For them to take that pride without, you know, getting shots and stuff like that is terrific."

[pfrduke]

- Finally, Coach K. A great coaching job: going with a variety of defensive looks, including man-to-man, 3-2 zone, 2-3 zone, and a hybrid man-to-man with Winslow playing "free safety" in the lane. He pulled out all the stops. At times we switched on every ball screen. Sometimes we trapped on screens. Sometimes we stayed home. Nothing was constant, and I think eventually that confused Wisconsin. They briefly got a rhythm going in the middle of the game, but it was only temporary. We held Wisconsin (the best offensive team in the country) to just 15 points over the final 13.5 minutes. We held them to just 5 points in the final 4.5 minutes, despite their fouling to extend the game. Coach K had the guts to stick with Jefferson at the 5 with Okafor ineffective. He had the guts to pull his senior leader for Allen midway through the second half with the team down 9. He had the guts to put Winslow back on the floor midway through the second half with 3 fouls and to never look back (even when Winslow should have picked up his fourth on a charge-that-got-called-a-block). He just seemed to have it going last night. Let's hope there are several more years of his coaching brilliance to come!

In the final 20 possessions of the game, Wisconsin scored 15 points to Duke's 29. They were humming on offense at that point - 48 points in 39 possessions - and then we just shut them down. We played good first shot defense all night, and we wiped out the second chances down the stretch (Wisconsin's last point off an offensive rebound came with 14:14 to play).

[Billy Dat]

Completely agree. Big Frank seemed to have everything working for much of the night last night, yet for some reason he seemed hesitant to keep exploiting it. There was never a point when he got the ball that I felt good. When you're the best scorer on the floor for your team, and your team needs a bucket, you need to step up and demand the ball. It's almost like he was too nice a guy out there. Wisconsin needed him to be relentless. He has quite a bit of Christian Laettner's game, but lacks Laettner's cutthroat mentality. Had he been more selfish aggressive, we might not be celebrating #5 today.

Part of it, I think, was fatigue. I think UW having that war with Kentucky definitely helped us in that final 10 minutes.

[roywhite]

Part of it, I think, was fatigue. I think UW having that war with Kentucky definitely helped us in that final 10 minutes.

And they sure celebrated that semifinal win, didn't they?

Perhaps a little emotional, mental fatigue?....especially when they go up by 9 and think they have it won?
Grayson Allen and Tyus Jones will be appearing in Badger nightmares for a while.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Now that the game has been played and another banner's been earned, I'll share this bit that I wrote the day after we beat Gonzaga. I love that #5 has come true!


On his Twelfth Final Four, Duke's Coach K Gave to Me...


12 Cheerleaders Dancing
11 Threes a Raining
10 Times Jah's a Jamming
9 Ashley Judd Tears a Falling
8 Scholarships Playing
7 Seeds a Leaving
6 Fast Breaks Breaking
5 CHAMPIONSHIP RIIIINNNGS!!!!!!
4 Maturing Freshmen
3 Head Coaches Crying
2 Guards a Driving
and another ornament for our Duke tree!

[BD80]

... Grayson freakin allen!!!!!!

I think we have been misspelling his name ...

Grayson ALIEN: otherworldly talent.



Bo Ryan whining about the fouls. After only 2 fouls in the first half. And 1 total on Kaminsky. And 1 total on Dekker.


And he complains about "rent-a-players"? Wow. He's bitter isn't he.

Bo Cryan is getting blown up by the talking heads this morning. Deservedly so.



... I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.ing is temporary, banners hang forever.

The ceiling of the dean dome may soon disprove this assertion



... We got the win for Quinn!!!!!

And he got the Quinntuple for Coach K.

[CDu]

Part of it, I think, was fatigue. I think UW having that war with Kentucky definitely helped us in that final 10 minutes.

Great point. Overall, it was hard to see tangible results of fatigue. But Dekker had a bad night and was nonexistent in the second half, and Kaminsky was great but maybe didn't have the stamina to dominate for 40 minutes. Those two guys had huge efforts in the UK game. So you might be on to something with fatigue.

[Billy Dat]

Great point. Overall, it was hard to see tangible results of fatigue. But Dekker had a bad night and was nonexistent in the second half, and Kaminsky was great but maybe didn't have the stamina to dominate for 40 minutes. Those two guys had huge efforts in the UK game. So you might be on to something with fatigue.

I was watching the game with my father and kept telling him, "We need to keep pushing the pace and picking up the D in their half of the court, they want to slow it down but I think we can tire them out!" He kept telling me to shut up, that my banter was making him agitated!

Someone upthread talked about physical and emotional fatigue. I think kids at that age obviously have reserves of juice that they don't even know exist, and those can be triggered by big swings in the action, etc. I think our ability to stay close and then take the lead without our primary weapons both on the court made the emotional start to impact the physical. I also think about Laettner who literally was running on fumes against Kansas in 1991 having put forth such an effort against UNLV.

[cspan37421]

- How crazy is it that the team whose top two stars spent the whole night in foul trouble is the team that won? Okafor was sloppy last night and Kaminsky made him pay. One of Okafor's four fouls was garbage (I think it was the third one), but the rest were getting beaten to the spot on offense for a charge and two mental mistakes of slapping down on defense. He was outplayed by Kaminsky for most of the game, and forced to sit with fouls for nearly half the game. But even then, despite the struggles, he got a few key plays down the stretch for us: finishing through Kaminsky's bear hug; getting another offensive rebound and a putback. It wasn't his night, but he didn't go away and sulk. Instead, he came through when we needed him late.



Great post, CDu, and I agree - I also think it was Okafor's third foul that was so questionable. As I saw it, he did slap down (not against the rules!) and got all ball - as evidenced by both of Kaminsky's hands going upward and the ball going downward. There are some photos in the gallery at espn dot com that show this well. But I wouldn't harp on it too much - I missed a minute or two of the first half and it's my understanding (from earlier in the thread) that he earned his first two fouls and may have been lucky to not be called on a third in the first half.

For much of the year I thought Jahlil would earn NPOY, and as the year progressed and he regularly faced double-teams, I knew his numbers would decline, but I hoped the voters would understand why. I knew his FT shooting was an Achilles' Heel, but he was so dominant in every other way, I figured he'd earned it. Well, last night Kaminsky really showed why his winning the NPOY honor was no highway robbery. Kaminsky has a complete game and is every bit as dominant in the things at which Jahlil excels. There's no shame in finishing runner-up to that guy. They're both great; Frank gets NPOY, Jahlil gets an NCAAT and plenty of other honors ... both will be fine and play well at the next level.

Never thought Calipari would be more gracious in defeat than Ryan, but there you have it.

[Billy Dat]

SI Cover featuring post 3 pointer Tyus with the wide eyed howl!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CB_1YQGWAAEPq2p.jpg:large

[COYS]

Great point. Overall, it was hard to see tangible results of fatigue. But Dekker had a bad night and was nonexistent in the second half, and Kaminsky was great but maybe didn't have the stamina to dominate for 40 minutes. Those two guys had huge efforts in the UK game. So you might be on to something with fatigue.

It also might have had something to do with Duke playing more guys more minutes in the game last night. Marshall was one minute short of logging ten minutes, which would've put all 10 guys in double figures for minutes. Even better, there was no drop off in production when Duke went to the bench, which is key because depth isn't always so great if the bench takes minutes away from the best players (looking at you, Roy Williams). Wiscy had to play all seven of their guys double figures in what was an exhausting game, both physically and emotionally, but their seventh guy only got 10 minutes, meaning their top six players shouldered the bulk of the load. Wisconsin was already at a disadvantage from an athletic standpoint. The fact that a fresh Grayson Allen could come in and attack the hoop the way he did had to take its toll. Finally, when Jah finally did put together a stretch of strong play at the end of the game, he did so having not even played more than 16 minutes to that point. I don't care who you are, having to defend a guy like Jah when he's fresh and you've played at least double the minutes means advantage: Jah.

The UK hangover might have had something to do with it, but I think Duke's quality depth helped wear down the seven player rotation of the Badgers.

[FerryFor50]

Stay classy, Wisconsin fans.

Lots of salt in Wisconsin. Not just for the icy roads... pretty upset about not getting a rent-a-player.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/04/07/wisconsin-fans-hurl-insults-at-maryland-recruit-diamond-stone/

[cspan37421]

Marshall was one minute short of logging ten minutes, which would've put all 10 guys in double figures for minutes.

All 10? I thought eight is enough.

Talk about gutsy coaching moves. No way Bo Ryan was prepared for Sean Kelly and Nick Pagliuca.

[GGLC]

SI Cover featuring post 3 pointer Tyus with the wide eyed howl!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CB_1YQGWAAEPq2p.jpg:large

That's a fantastic cover.

[Duvall]

His "rent-a-player" ref was mostly to grad transfers, which phrase ("5th year") he did also use. I could understand it is too close to criticizing OADs, and thus by implication our frosh.


Except that there was no reason for Ryan to even mention grad transfers. There weren't any on the floor.

[FerryFor50]

Except that there was no reason for Ryan to even mention grad transfers. There weren't any on the floor.

He was just setting the excuse up for next year when Duke beats them with a grad transfer.

[Duke95]

Except that there was no reason for Ryan to even mention grad transfers. There weren't any on the floor.

I think Ryan realized what he just said and tried to cover himself. His "rent-a-player" reference was clear. Problem is, he "rents" his players for many years and doesn't graduate them as often as Duke does. So, he's a hypocrite on multiple levels.

[tux]

Great post, CDu, and I agree - I also think it was Okafor's third foul that was so questionable. As I saw it, he did slap down (not against the rules!) and got all ball - as evidenced by both of Kaminsky's hands going upward and the ball going downward. There are some photos in the gallery at espn dot com that show this well. But I wouldn't harp on it too much - I missed a minute or two of the first half and it's my understanding (from earlier in the thread) that he earned his first two fouls and may have been lucky to not be called on a third in the first half.

For much of the year I thought Jahlil would earn NPOY, and as the year progressed and he regularly faced double-teams, I knew his numbers would decline, but I hoped the voters would understand why. I knew his FT shooting was an Achilles' Heel, but he was so dominant in every other way, I figured he'd earned it. Well, last night Kaminsky really showed why his winning the NPOY honor was no highway robbery. Kaminsky has a complete game and is every bit as dominant in the things at which Jahlil excels. There's no shame in finishing runner-up to that guy. They're both great; Frank gets NPOY, Jahlil gets an NCAAT and plenty of other honors ... both will be fine and play well at the next level.

Never thought Calipari would be more gracious in defeat than Ryan, but there you have it.

I agree, but you know, Okafor had several (3-4, maybe 5) bunnies or almost bunnies that didn't fall last night. You can point to Kaminsky's D, but to me they were just shots that he'd normally make that bounced short or off the rim. Make those and Okafor probably matches Frank in points. That said, besides some very bad defensive habits that he'll have to correct, Okafor's biggest weakness is on the boards. With those hands and that wide body, he should dominate the boards much more than he does IMO. If he falls behind Towns in the draft, it will be the D and rebounding... his offensive gifts for his size are off the charts. (BTW I really believe that he should be the 1st pick.)

[COYS]

All 10? I thought eight is enough.

Talk about gutsy coaching moves. No way Bo Ryan was prepared for Sean Kelly and Nick Pagliuca.

Whoops, my bad. Apologies all around.

[MChambers]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/04/07/mike-krzyzewskis-fifth-title-at-duke-might-be-his-most-surprising/?tid=pm_sports_pop_b

I'm not much of a fan of Feinstein, but this is a nice article. No great or unique insights, however.

[GGLC]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2015/04/07/mike-krzyzewskis-fifth-title-at-duke-might-be-his-most-surprising/?tid=pm_sports_pop_b

I'm not much of a fan of Feinstein, but this is a nice article. No great or unique insights, however.

Sort of an unfair swipe at Hood's defense to conform to his narrative, I think.

Decent article overall.

[cspan37421]

I agree, but you know, Okafor had several (3-4, maybe 5) bunnies or almost bunnies that didn't fall last night. You can point to Kaminsky's D, but to me they were just shots that he'd normally make that bounced short or off the rim. Make those and Okafor probably matches Frank in points. That said, besides some very bad defensive habits that he'll have to correct, Okafor's biggest weakness is on the boards. With those hands and that wide body, he should dominate the boards much more than he does IMO. If he falls behind Towns in the draft, it will be the D and rebounding... his offensive gifts for his size are off the charts. (BTW I really believe that he should be the 1st pick.)

I totally agree - we missed a bunch of layups last night, mostly Okafor and at least one Winslow. But many of them were in the first half when Wisconsin "wasn't fouling." I would have liked to see Zapruder-like replays on those (like we got for the Winslow-brushed out of bounds ball) and see if they were hacked on the way in with their shot, or if they just plain missed all of them without help. But we didn't get them. You see what CBS wants you to see ... and you don't see what they don't want to show.

[tux]

Whoops, my bad. Apologies all around.

This is off topic, but re: "eight is enough". Anyone else feel bad for Nick, Sean K, and even Obi? I'm sure they don't take it personally, but I really wish K had qualified those statements a bit. I mean, even those guys are sacrificing quite a lot over the course of the season and deserve to at least be counted as part of the team... I know what was meant by that, but still... everyone keeps saying that Duke "only has eight players"...

[wavedukefan70s]

I believe they thought they had this game after beating Kentucky. Not just we are going to win.they truly believed it was their's.
duke had other plans.the badgers played a heck of a game.they should be proud.60 plus other teams didn't make it.sour grapes.
DUKE got the trophy .its not going to change.

[rifraf]

Hey guys, did you know that the whole thing was fixed? That there is too much money in the game? That the refs are so good they can send players to the bench with 4 fouls and still control the game enough with their whistles to ensure Duke wins?

I learned all this at lunch.

[Henderson]

This is off topic, but re: "eight is enough". Anyone else feel bad for Nick, Sean K, and even Obi? I'm sure they don't take it personally, but I really wish K had qualified those statements a bit. I mean, even those guys are sacrificing quite a lot over the course of the season and deserve to at least be counted as part of the team... I know what was meant by that, but still... everyone keeps saying that Duke "only has eight players"...

I think they understand their roles.

[stillcrazie]

Right before the game I told my State fan friend who watched the game with me (and pulled for Duke, of course) that if Tyus leaves Grayson will handle the ball next year. I'll stand by it.

I'd rather see Grayson play the 2, but we may have no choice.

[tux]

I'd rather see Grayson play the 2, but we may have no choice.

I'm so giddy this morning that I'm betting on landing Swanigan, Ingram, and Thornton (reclassifying to 2015 of course)... That would move the Devils up a notch in all those ridiculous "way too early" 2016 rankings....


Edit: speaking to that, do you guys think winning last night moves the recruiting needle either way for Duke? (An argument could be made that it hurts more than helps --- but I'll take it every time of course...)

[Duke95]

I'm so giddy this morning that I'm betting on landing Swanigan, Ingram, and Thornton (reclassifying to 2015 of course)... That would move the Devils up a notch in all those ridiculous "way too early" 2016 rankings....


Edit: speaking to that, do you guys think winning last night moves the recruiting needle either way for Duke? (An argument could be made that it hurts more than helps --- but I'll take it every time of course...)

Based on what the recruits were tweeting, I'm pretty sure it helped. A LOT.

[MChambers]

In his weekly chat, Boswell of the Washington Post has some interesting things to say about Coach K and John Calipari:

Coach K had all the classical challenges. When he put both Okafor and Winslow on the bench with about 12:00 left and his team down NINE, I thought, "This guy either has more guts than anybody in his profession or else he is going to burn up his team's chances RIGHT NOW." And his kids came through for him.

http://live.washingtonpost.com/ask-boswell-20150406.html#3681967 (you'll have to scroll down a little)

[MChambers]

I'm so giddy this morning that I'm betting on landing Swanigan, Ingram, and Thornton (reclassifying to 2015 of course)... That would move the Devils up a notch in all those ridiculous "way too early" 2016 rankings....


Edit: speaking to that, do you guys think winning last night moves the recruiting needle either way for Duke? (An argument could be made that it hurts more than helps --- but I'll take it every time of course...)

How could it hurt? Winning the title hurts recruiting?

[cspan37421]

This is off topic, but re: "eight is enough". Anyone else feel bad for Nick, Sean K, and even Obi? I'm sure they don't take it personally, but I really wish K had qualified those statements a bit. I mean, even those guys are sacrificing quite a lot over the course of the season and deserve to at least be counted as part of the team... I know what was meant by that, but still... everyone keeps saying that Duke "only has eight players"...

I agree, they know that walk-ons seldom play except at the end of blowouts, and usu. a 30-pt blowout is required. But note that K worked them in at the end of the national semifinal. As was said, they know what to expect.

OMG, listening to Dan Patrick Show, Coach K makes a Hot Tub Time Machine reference!! Made my day.

[tux]

Based on what the recruits were tweeting, I'm pretty sure it helped. A LOT.

You're going to make me search twitter now, aren't you?

[brevity]

Ratings are in. (http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/duke-wisconsin-gets-a-big-overnight-rating.html) Biggest final since Arizona-Kentucky in 1997.


The numbers are in and CBS received a 17.7/27 overnight rating/share which is up 33% from last year’s UConn-Kentucky game which averaged a 12.9/21. During the last half-hour of the game, the numbers peaked at 20.1/34.

This bodes well for the final number as well as viewership which could see as much as 23 million.

[gus]

Ratings are in. (http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/duke-wisconsin-gets-a-big-overnight-rating.html) Biggest final since Arizona-Kentucky in 1997.

I made a comment that a Duke/Kentucky final would have rivaled the NFL draft in terms of ratings. Some may have thought I was kidding.

The 2014 draft attracted 45.7 million viewers. To watch people read names.

[Neals384]

<snip>
While no Duke fan was ready to give up on the season, no one could foresee what would happen.
<snip>

Quite a few DBRers were declaring hopes for a deep tournament run, let a lone a title, dead and buried. Check post-game threads after our first three losses.



Then, because of foul trouble, we play a lineup with Amile at center . . . . We played this lineup maybe once all season. And Amile beasts Wisconsin on defense to get the stops we need to win.


This is a good point, but we actually have used Amile at the center quite a bit this year. In the second half of the title game, we used three different lineups with Amile at center. Jefferson Winslow Cook Allen T.Jones (+2) had been used 4 times before, but not since Wake in the ACCT. Jefferson Winslow M.Jones Cook T.Jones (+2) had been used 32 times before, including Utah, Gonz and MSU. Jefferson Winslow M.Jones Allen T.Jones (+1) had been used just once before (Syracuse 2). To be fair, a lot of those priors were in end-game situations (Jah on the bench to keep him off the free throw line).


Can anybody say how often we played the Jones-Cook-Allen-Winslow-Jefferson lineup this season? Because it killed for us down the stretch in the title game.
Four times before, see above.


Serious question here people.

If my vasectomy reverses itself and my wife and I find ourselves unexpectedly expecting a son, do we name him Grayson Jones or Tyus Allen?

I don't know if a vas can reverse itself, but I think you should keep trying.



I haven't read a lot about the pivot point of Sheed's (who to his credit, congratulated the team tonight on Twitter) dismissal. If he is on the team, I don't think Grayson sees the floor tonight. I wish we could do a sliding doors type thing where we play out the different timelines. Do we still win the natty with him on the team?

No.


Gottlieb thinks this job was better than coaching an alarmingly unathletic team to a championship?

Seriously, 2010 was an amazing coaching job. I don't think this year's was quite so amazing.

Are you kidding? In 2010 did we have four freshmen and only eight overall? Did we have an early season transfer? Did coach have to dismiss a player from the team? Did coach have to swallow his pride and play zone defense often, including part of the title game? Did coach have to move our past year point guard to the two spot and convince him to play D first? Did he have to move a junior starter to the bench but keep him ready to be the key defender in the title game?

[OldPhiKap]

How could it hurt? Winning the title hurts recruiting?

Well -- what are the odds of going back-to-back?


;>)

[Duke95]

You're going to make me search twitter now, aren't you?

No, TDD had a thread about this. I'll dig it up.

Edit: here it is: http://duke.scout.com/forums/1386-tdd-hoops/13786861-recruits-react-to-duke-national-championship?s=167

[tux]

How could it hurt? Winning the title hurts recruiting?

No, in the long run (and maybe even the short run) it does nothing but help. I'm just imaging someone like Brandon Ingram (who I think probably would just go to UNC if the NCAA wasn't breathing down their necks or umm... threatening to start breathing down their necks at some undetermined point in the near or maybe not so near future ;) Anyway, I could see Ingram looking at next year and imagining coming in *after* a championship... some guys may find it more satisfying to go to an elite team that's built to win next year... just thinking out loud on little sleep I guess.

[MChambers]

Well -- what are the odds of going back-to-back?


;>)
Better at Duke than anywhere else, except maybe Florida.

[Billy Dat]

The "program" on the plane home
https://twitter.com/dukeblueplanet/status/585494819902005251/photo/1

[MChambers]

Are you kidding? In 2010 did we have four freshmen and only eight overall? Did we have an early season transfer? Did coach have to dismiss a player from the team? Did coach have to swallow his pride and play zone defense often, including part of the title game? Did coach have to move our past year point guard to the two spot and convince him to play D first? Did he have to move a junior starter to the bench but keep him ready to be the key defender in the title game?
In 2010, we essentially had eight overall, because Kelly was a freshman who wasn't ready for college ball, plus he was the fifth big, so wasn't needed.

We had four perimeter players for three positions, including a freshman who had reclassified in high school to join Duke, and really struggled after his sister died in December. Our "3" had been a "4" his first two years.

Coach K changed our defense to a compact man-to-man, different than any other season. Very little extended pressure. We didn't run on offense, for the most part.

And our offense was a very unorthodox strategy that featured, in large part, offensive rebounding by a senior who had never played a big role before February.

And we did have an early season transfer (Czyz, a Polish-American one at that).

Our point guard (Nolan Smith) moved to shooting guard, at least on offense, although that had begun late in the preceding season.

Did I mention that we were alarmingly unathletic?

[COYS]

Quite a few DBRers were declaring hopes for a deep tournament run, let a lone a title, dead and buried. Check post-game threads after our first three losses.



I think you missed my point. I was referring to K and the staff utilizing zone so frequently. I don't think ANYONE saw that coming.

[KandG]

In 2010, we essentially had eight overall, because Kelly was a freshman who wasn't ready for college ball, plus he was the fifth big, so wasn't needed.

We had four perimeter players for three positions, including a freshman who had reclassified in high school to join Duke, and really struggled after his sister died in December. Our "3" had been a "4" his first two years.

Coach K changed our defense to a compact man-to-man, different than any other season. Very little extended pressure. We didn't run on offense, for the most part.

And our offense was a very unorthodox strategy that featured, in large part, offensive rebounding by a senior who had never played a big role before February.

And we did have an early season transfer (Czyz, a Polish-American one at that).

Our point guard (Nolan Smith) moved to shooting guard, at least on offense, although that had begun late in the preceding season.

Did I mention that we were alarmingly unathletic?


All good points. I love this year's champions as much as any Duke team, maybe more for all the storylines and the characters. But let's not minimize what a great story 2010 was to elevate this year's group. The 2010 team had lots of issues to start its season and ended up being a great team. The path it took to get there was as odd, wonderful and unlikely as this year's team's was.

[CDu]

I think you missed my point. I was referring to K and the staff utilizing zone so frequently. I don't think ANYONE saw that coming.

Right - there were certainly some complete "doom and gloom" folks. But a lot of folks were saying that, playing with the approach we had at the time, a deep run didn't seem promising. Well, Coach K made some major overhauls with regards to how we defended, the likes of which we've never seen from him before. And in doing so, he seemed to get the attention of the team. So much so that, come tournament time, we were actually an extremely good defensive team (even though we had largely returned to being a man-to-man defensive team). The coaching moves Coach K made this year were shocking in that they are things that have gone against everything he has stood for defensively over 35 years.

[fgb]

No, in the long run (and maybe even the short run) it does nothing but help. I'm just imaging someone like Brandon Ingram (who I think probably would just go to UNC if the NCAA wasn't breathing down their necks or umm... threatening to start breathing down their necks at some undetermined point in the near or maybe not so near future ;) Anyway, I could see Ingram looking at next year and imagining coming in *after* a championship... some guys may find it more satisfying to go to an elite team that's built to win next year... just thinking out loud on little sleep I guess.

i would imagine that if ingram sees himself as one-and-done, and assuming justise leaves, we'd be a pretty attractive destination for him right about now.

[MChambers]

All good points. I love this year's champions as much as any Duke team, maybe more for all the storylines and the characters. But let's not minimize what a great story 2010 was to elevate this year's group. The 2010 team had lots of issues to start its season and ended up being a great team. The path it took to get there was as odd, wonderful and unlikely as this year's team's was.
No doubt this was a great coaching job, but this team has a lot more high end talent than the 2010 team. Also, although it only had eight players, they were a better fit for a roster, with better balance and versatility.

And I certainly don't think you can leave the 2001 championship off the list of great coaching jobs. After all, it was over.

[bluenorth]

No, in the long run (and maybe even the short run) it does nothing but help. I'm just imaging someone like Brandon Ingram (who I think probably would just go to UNC if the NCAA wasn't breathing down their necks or umm... threatening to start breathing down their necks at some undetermined point in the near or maybe not so near future ;) Anyway, I could see Ingram looking at next year and imagining coming in *after* a championship... some guys may find it more satisfying to go to an elite team that's built to win next year... just thinking out loud on little sleep I guess.

The potential recruits like to see a program that has some swagger to it, and right now no one has more 'swag' than Duke. But they also like to see a team where they can play significant minutes very quickly. The next step will be to confirm who is leaving early (Okafor, Winslow, maybe T Jones) and how much playing time will open up as a result. At least there's no shortage of scholarships available!

[Chillduck]

Grayson just took his place in Duke Championship lore. The Grant Hill dunk, the 3 threes by Mike Dunleavy, and now the 90 seconds of Grayson Allen. This season has been "Eight is Enough", but for 90 seconds, Grayson put Duke on his back and said "One is Enough"! He gave that energy back to everyone and said this game's not over yet! Whatever Grayson does in the rest of his Duke career ( which I hope is lots), he will forever be remembered fondly by Duke fans.

[superdave]

Serious question here people.

If my vasectomy reverses itself and my wife and I find ourselves unexpectedly expecting a son, do we name him Grayson Jones or Tyus Allen?

I'd go with Quinn Cameron or Cameron Quinn. Quinn stirred this drink all season. I love that guy.

[devildeac]

IIRC, we were 4-0 in the B1G this season. Do we get to hang a banner as B1G champions?;)

[sagegrouse]

IIRC, we were 4-0 in the B1G this season. Do we get to hang a banner as B1G champions?;)

Moreover, we beat the two teams in the Big Ten Tournament finals -- twice each.

[Matches]

IIRC, we were 4-0 in the B1G this season. Do we get to hang a banner as B1G champions?;)

Cue Gary Williams complaining that the B1G is too NC-centric and demanding the tournament be moved to Washington DC.

[CameronBlue]

Swag? So that's what gets recruits' attention? Tuning in last night recruits were probably more impressed by Wisconsin than Duke, I mean if we're talking "swag" for god's sake. They should call themselves the Wisconsin Fighting Fred Astaires as the cummerbunds alone added an irresistible panache.

[rifraf]

Swag? So that's what gets recruits' attention? Tuning in last night recruits were probably more impressed by Wisconsin than Duke, I mean if we're talking "swag" for god's sake. They should call themselves the Wisconsin Fighting Fred Astaires as the cummerbunds alone added an irresistible panache.

Actually, we win that too. Here's Sean Obi:

4993

With that move alone, he's already my favorite player next year.

[pfrduke]

Actually, we win that too. Here's Sean Obi:

4993

With that move alone, he's already my favorite player next year.

His bench attire game has been sharp all season. The man knows how to dress for the occasion. Sean Obi's tuxedo is definitely on my top 10 list of great things about last night.

[sagegrouse]

Swag? So that's what gets recruits' attention? Tuning in last night recruits were probably more impressed by Wisconsin than Duke, I mean if we're talking "swag" for god's sake. They should call themselves the Wisconsin Fighting Fred Astaires as the cummerbunds alone added an irresistible panache.

Semi Off-Topic: The University of Wisconsin needs a music and pep band makeover. It is so-o-o-o-o-o football. Trenchant oom-pah-pahs and weak melodies. The Duke band and entourage was far more interesting -- jazz and rock in combination -- very hip. Way to go, Devils!

[cptnflash]

Not sure if anyone else already mentioned this, but as of yesterday evening, Coach K has as many D-1 national championships as:

Roy Williams
Tom Izzo
John Calipari
Bill Self
Bo Ryan
Bob Huggins
Sean Miller
Jay Wright
Brad Stevens
Shaka Smart
Tony Bennett
Mark Few
Thad Matta
... and many others...

combined.

[CDu]

Not sure if anyone else already mentioned this, but as of yesterday evening, Coach K has as many D-1 national championships as:

Roy Williams
Tom Izzo
John Calipari
Bill Self
Bo Ryan
Bob Huggins
Sean Miller
Jay Wright
Brad Stevens
Shaka Smart
Tony Bennett
Mark Few
Thad Matta
... and many others...

combined.

No coach has coached in more Final Fours (the guy who ties him here didn't have to win 4 games to get to the Final Four). No coach has coached in more championship games (the guy who ties him didn't have to win 5 games to get to the championship game). Only one coach has more championships (okay, Wooden wins on this one :confused:). I'd say he is pretty good.

This tournament and this season has shown me a more energized, more engaged, more creative Coach K than we've seen in a few years. It seems that the pair of one-game showings in the NCAA tournament got Coach's juices flowing again. Hoping this means more than a few more years of Coach K brilliance.

[CameronBornAndBred]

wral has a live feed of the team's return.

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke-plans-campus-celebration-of-basketball-season/14564250/

[mattman91]

wral has a live feed of the team's return.

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke-plans-campus-celebration-of-basketball-season/14564250/

I'm enjoying stalking the team bus right now :)

[duke79]

Grayson just took his place in Duke Championship lore. The Grant Hill dunk, the 3 threes by Mike Dunleavy, and now the 90 seconds of Grayson Allen. This season has been "Eight is Enough", but for 90 seconds, Grayson put Duke on his back and said "One is Enough"! He gave that energy back to everyone and said this game's not over yet! Whatever Grayson does in the rest of his Duke career ( which I hope is lots), he will forever be remembered fondly by Duke fans.

I second this thought !!

[alteran]

It doesn't matter. Yes, the ball was off Winslow but it doesn't matter. Winslow also stepped out of bounds before Okafor's last dunk. The dunk should not have happened. It doesn't matter. Duke beat Wisconsin and played extremely well at the end of the game.

It sure looked like Winslow was fouled on both occasions. The out-of-bounds wasn't egregious, but THAT'S WHAT KNOCKED HIM OUT OF BOUNDS. I guess Wisconsin wants it both ways.

[MChambers]

Interesting article at fivethirtyeight about Duke, Wisconsin, Kentucky and tempo/shot clock. Doesn't seem to deserve its own thread, so I put it here:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/a-shot-clock-by-shot-clock-guide-to-duke-vs-wisconsin/

[rsvman]

Don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said.........I think the main key to victory wasDeckker being held to well below his recent offensive output. I think our defense has more to do with that than reversion to the mean.
Talking heads today saying that Grayson's performance had no precedent or came out of the blue haven't been paying attention. He has shown flashes of that brilliance all along and has had higher scoring games in the past.
coach K is greater than Coach Bo in all facets. Wisconsin was a great team but the "destiny" story was a fabrication of the media. Our team was truly a band of brothers. Fantastic game, fantastic team, fantastic coach, fantastic achievement.

[Reilly]

Not sure if anyone else already mentioned this, but as of yesterday evening, Coach K has as many D-1 national championships as:

Roy Williams
Tom Izzo
John Calipari
Bill Self
Bo Ryan
Bob Huggins
Sean Miller
Jay Wright
Brad Stevens
Shaka Smart
Tony Bennett
Mark Few
Thad Matta
... and many others...

combined.

That Coach K can be reasonably compared to a list that includes Mr. March himself Tom Izzo tells us all we need to know about K -- we've got ourselves a good one.

[alteran]

#1 with a bullet.
It better be made of silver. Otherwise we ain't stayin' down.

[bjornolf]

I'd go with Quinn Cameron or Cameron Quinn. Quinn stirred this drink all season. I love that guy.

My sons are Sean Patrick (for Dockery and Davidson) and Michael Cameron (for the obvious).

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I think you missed my point. I was referring to K and the staff utilizing zone so frequently. I don't think ANYONE saw that coming.

We even had people predicting double digits in our loss column. Not on the optimism thread, however. :-D

[alteran]

Wisconsin had a game plan to neutralize us except for Grayson Allen. They wore us down and then the two freshman guards wore them down. Wow
A little lucky? Maybe, but the last swing was ours and it may be as simple as that. I can't help think coaching played a big part of it.

I think Ryan blew it a bit down the stretch. His team fought tooth and nail against Kentucky, fatigue was likely going to be a factor, and everyone knew it.

His team played great but started fading a little around the 12 minute mark in the middle of the Duke run. But instead of judiciously using his timeouts to keep the team fresher, and use the time to inspire them to rise above the fatigue, he chose to glare at refs, whined, and stewed. Hell, the only timeout he called during the run was explicitly to whine to the officials.

He should have been coaching his team, and he paid the price. Maybe it would have made a difference, maybe not. Own it, Ryan.

[Saratoga2]

Lots of media outlets, lots of Bo interviews, too many. He was understandably upset. I think his "rent-a-player" comment was more explicitly about grad transfers, but it was probably implicitly also a dig at Duke's OADs. But the worst part of Bo's Very Bad Form was some hallway interview in which he pointed out how statistically effective Wisconsin had been all season, but how it was "unfortunate" that they weren't allowed to play the way they'd played all season.

Dan Patrick started his show this morn by blasting Bo. I'm watching right now. Krzyzewski will be on around 10 this morn. DP noted, accurately IMO, that Bo got out-coached. On this point, I will add that K got the way-better of Bo in the in-game cat-and-mouse/where's-this-game-going-and-how-do-I-give-my-team-its-best-chance. K's Very Good Form can -- clearly -- be compared to Bo's Very Bad Form both during and after the game.

I like Bo the Curmudgeon, and will soon enough get over his Very Bad Form. Sooner than he will.

Bo was recruiting Diamond Stone, a likely OAD for next year. It fell through because he couldn't pass the entrance requirement and instead was taken by Maryland. Kind of hypocritical to refer to OAD's when actively pursuing one.

[CDu]

Bo was recruiting Diamond Stone, a likely OAD for next year. It fell through because he couldn't pass the entrance requirement and instead was taken by Maryland. Kind of hypocritical to refer to OAD's when actively pursuing one.

Noting about his rant made sense. I think he was simply hurt by the loss especially after having complete command of the game. And he let emotion spill into a lashing out at everything: the refs, the system, whatever. I think we can all agree it was a poor look, and he came off as a bitter sore loser. Not unlike how UK looked over the weekend. Disappointing.

Thankfully, it just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. We won, he lost, and is getting panned by most of the media. But most importantly, scoreboard! Five rings. Five banners. Ryan can go on being a poor loser. We will take our banners.

[swood1000]

The overt haters are having a bad day. http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/duke-wins-one-for-the-man-20150407

[Trey21]

The overt haters are having a bad day. http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/duke-wins-one-for-the-man-20150407

Indeed, but I wouldn't worry Rolling Stone isn't even good at covering their main subjects (music/politics/pop culture), let alone basketball.

[jdk]

Didn't they learn their lesson last time they slandered an ACC university?

[Ggallagher]

Wow has today been challenging for me. I can't imagine being happier about the team and coaching performance I saw last night - I just love this team. And I had to spend all day today in a project meeting at our mill in Kentucky - listening to one of our major suppliers who happens to be from Wisconsin.
Kind of got the impression that all the Kentucky and Wisconsin folks in the room were not QUITE as happy as I was today.

Too bad :)

Great game and great season DUKE!

[MCFinARL]

In fairness, while the writer is a hater, he is a pretty self-aware hater. He points out many of the irrational aspects of his own emotional reactions. Seen in that light, I thought the article was not bad.

[KandG]

In fairness, while the writer is a hater, he is a pretty self-aware hater. He points out many of the irrational aspects of his own emotional reactions. Seen in that light, I thought the article was not bad.

Yup, the author (Michael Weinreb) is a Penn State grad and has written extensively on the Sandusky affair and its impact on Penn State football, the State College community and the whole concept of fandom and re-evaluating the veneration of long time legends like Paterno in the midst of horrific scandal. So he's actually a pretty self-aware and sensitive writer.

With that said, this was just average satire...it played on some of the usual tropes around Duke hating and privilege and funny names. But I saw it mainly as "damn you for being better than me" type self-deprecation.

[KandG]

Highly recommend watching the pep rally at Cameron if you didn't watch it live...only thing that couldn't quite come off in the coverage were the inspirational videos, which couldn't make the same impact on a sliver of a computer screen or television. But Coach K & Quinn carried the rally beautifully:

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke-plans-campus-celebration-of-basketball-season/14564250/

[RaiderDevil]

I'd go with Quinn Cameron or Cameron Quinn. Quinn stirred this drink all season. I love that guy.

Ok, so jokes aside, I am expecting a girl in August. One name is Cameron, any ideas for the other?

[mr. synellinden]

A quote that I love from Mark Titus's column on Grantland:

Or maybe we could just give credit to Duke for completely transforming how it played. I mean, Wisconsin torched Kentucky’s historic defense two days before getting shut down by a team that gave up 90 points at home to Miami. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to wrap my head around that.

Something that just occurred to me which is a nice little quirky fact. Quinn (or Quin) is a prefix for something with five parts). Duke now has quinNtuple championships. Our MOP wears number 5.

[CDu]

Ok, so jokes aside, I am expecting a girl in August. One name is Cameron, any ideas for the other?

Quinn still works

[dukelifer]

Ok, so jokes aside, I am expecting a girl in August. One name is Cameron, any ideas for the other?

Cookie? Amiley?

[GDT]

Quinn still works

As does Quincey. I used that a couple of years ago.

[dukelifer]

I think Ryan blew it a bit down the stretch. His team fought tooth and nail against Kentucky, fatigue was likely going to be a factor, and everyone knew it.

His team played great but started fading a little around the 12 minute mark in the middle of the Duke run. But instead of judiciously using his timeouts to keep the team fresher, and use the time to inspire them to rise above the fatigue, he chose to glare at refs, whined, and stewed. Hell, the only timeout he called during the run was explicitly to whine to the officials.

He should have been coaching his team, and he paid the price. Maybe it would have made a difference, maybe not. Own it, Ryan.

I have a feeling that Dekker had a mild concussion. He was not the same player after that hit.

[BD80]

I have a feeling that Dekker had a mild concussion. He was not the same player after that hit.

The same as what? He never impressed me as one that had that much going on upstairs to begin with.

[jv001]

Grayson just took his place in Duke Championship lore. The Grant Hill dunk, the 3 threes by Mike Dunleavy, and now the 90 seconds of Grayson Allen. This season has been "Eight is Enough", but for 90 seconds, Grayson put Duke on his back and said "One is Enough"! He gave that energy back to everyone and said this game's not over yet! Whatever Grayson does in the rest of his Duke career ( which I hope is lots), he will forever be remembered fondly by Duke fans.

If we Duke fans can remember Fred Lind and Robbie West, we can certainly remember Grayson's great game. I'm pretty sure Grayson will give us many more memories before he leaves Duke University. GoDuke!

[Dukehky]

Just got back...

Incredible.

[duke09hms]

The great LeBron James weighs in via FB: "I've been to the highest mountain top with u 2x so last night wasn't a surprise cause I know how GREAT you are at what u do!! My FAVORITE!! Congrats K! ‪#‎IPROMISE‬"

Amazing

[Troublemaker]

Kobe also gave Coach a "5 ring salute" since they both have five now: https://instagram.com/p/1KPAr-RNn1/

[dukelifer]

Every scholarship player had at least one double digit scoring performance in the championship run. I wonder if that has ever happened before. I did not double check to see if these were the best for each player, but this shows the unusual accomplishment. Everyone played a big part in winning this one.

Amile Jefferson 10pts 6 reb Robert Morris
Marshal Plumlee 10pts 10 reb Robert Morris
Quinn Cook 22pts 4 reb 5 asst Robert Morris
Grayson Allen 16pts 2 reb Wisconsin
Justise Winslow 21 pts 10 reb Utah
Matt Jones 16pts 3 reb Gonzaga
Jahlil Okafor 26pt 6 reb San Diego State
Tyus Jones 23 pts 5 reb Wisconsin

[jimsumner]

If we're looking for great performances in the FF from unlikely sources, let's not forget Marty Clark. Little-used sophomore in 1992 (he was in the rotation the next two seasons).

Duke is playing Indiana, K v. K. Brian Davis hurts his knee late, Grant Hill fouls out. Duke is trying to hold on to a small lead. Clark comes off the bench cold and proceeds to knock down five-of-six foul shots and Duke holds on.

Way cool.

[weezie]

Just got back...

Incredible.

A very long drive home, just chocked full of sports radio talk. General consensus, Bo kind of stank up the joint with his bitter comments.
Plenty of guys looking to smooth it over, along the lines of poor old Bo, great guy, hard worker, time in the trenches, etc.
A few others more to the tune of, geez, what a blowhard. Desperate not to relinquish the spotlight. I feel pretty sure he'll apologize but who cares anyway.

Several moments of consideration today on my part and each time, my eyes began to well just thinking of what K means to all of us in Blue Devil Nation. It's overwhelming!

[arnie]

A very long drive home, just chocked full of sports radio talk. General consensus, Bo kind of stank up the joint with his bitter comments.
Plenty of guys looking to smooth it over, along the lines of poor old Bo, great guy, hard worker, time in the trenches, etc.
A few others more to the tune of, geez, what a blowhard. Desperate not to relinquish the spotlight. I feel pretty sure he'll apologize but who cares anyway.

Several moments of consideration today on my part and each time, my eyes began to well just thinking of what K means to all of us in Blue Devil Nation. It's overwhelming!

Regarding K it's been an unbelievable run for 3 decades. Regarding Bo, not so sure he apologizes. Other media members are saying he can be a jerk and his outburst didn't surprise. Also if NCAA seeding based on graduation rates, Wiscy would have need a 16 seed. Not a record to be proud of.

[Dukehky]

Chris Burgess was at the player party at the Sheraton last night. Thought that was a little weird. I went up and talked to him for a little while and he was like, "man you're like the only non-basketball person who has had any clue who I am."

I also heard Bilas and Williams and Battier and even Seth Davis give expletive laden shouts of exuberance during the party. No one should ever accuse them of being traitorous ever again. If they seem to go against Duke a little more, it's so they keep going in the upward direction at the ESPN and get more money. Fine.

K said repeatedly during that event that this was his favorite team and his favorite year of coaching. I was standing beside Zoubs at the party and he looked around upon hearing this and was said, "man, what the (expletive)"

Justise Winslow also did not put the trophy down the entire night.

Fantastic night. Chuck Okafor walked through and said congratulations to anyone who reached out to shake his hand, I'm gonna miss that big lovable galoot.

[Duvall]

In fairness, while the writer is a hater, he is a pretty self-aware hater. He points out many of the irrational aspects of his own emotional reactions. Seen in that light, I thought the article was not bad.

Maybe you're right, but the column seemed to me to have a fair amount of kidding on the square, in that Weinreb *really did* resent Duke for leaving the Final Four without the entertaining narratives that would have come from a Kentucky or Wisconsin win, and that he *really did* have an irrational resentment of Allen that he felt pretty okay about. The halfhearted self-examination felt more like a token gesture to avoid descending into obvious hackery. I mean, this isn't ESPN.com.

[bedeviled]

Chris Burgess was at the player party at the Sheraton last night. Thought that was a little weird. I went up and talked to him for a little while and he was like, "man you're like the only non-basketball person who has had any clue who I am."A family member spent some time talking with Cherokee Parks at the Washington Duke watch party. Mr. Parks was sitting with his family and his "freshman year roommate." Apparently, my family member and her group didn't recognize Parks' roommate. Humorously, no one bothered to mention that he, too, is a former Duke player! ....maybe he was just being (Erik) Meek

[DukeDevil]

anyone know what the blue devil's headband said for the championship game?

[wilson]

anyone know what the blue devil's headband said for the championship game?According to this story (http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2015-04-07/perfect-pictures), it simply said "Destiny" (scroll about halfway down for the relevant mention).

[Furniture]

Here are my two cents.
As others have stated K started to drive to get calls on them and for us to get to the foul line. Since Justuce has foul trouble he had to turn to Grayson.
Wisconsins end of game play and coaching was really bad. Why foul Tysus when only three behind? Then finally they wasted so much time dribbling the ball in the last two minutes. They didn't have a play to run. Didn't they have any time outs? It was very strange. The last two minutes in a tight basketball game normally take 30 mins. This felt like 30 seconds...crazy. I couldn't beleive it.
Overall great game from the boys. I knew they would win. I felt it.
A UNC fan buddy of mine came over to watch the game and we had a side bet of a bottle of wine. I never bought one. I told him. I'll just be taking your wine from you. No need to buy one.
This team has so many weapons and when one had a bad day another stepped up pretty much all season.

[Native]

According to this story (http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2015-04-07/perfect-pictures), it simply said "Destiny" (scroll about halfway down for the relevant mention).

Stylized, of course, as "DE5TINY".

[Newton_14]

Posted this in the Celebration Thread but wanted to post it here as well in case folks don't read the other thread.

K said that last night prior to their presser, he and his assistant coaches were in a holding room together. He stated to them that he could not believe they came back and won that game, after being down 9 with all the foul trouble. One of Scheyer/Capel/James said "why coach? They have done it all year".

UVA on the road, down double digits in 2nd half
St Johns on the road, down double digits in 2nd half
UNC at home, down 9 with 2 minutes to go.

Found a way to win..... All they do is win win win

[LBF]

I just rewatched the Grayson fueled run (after re watching the game last night after the press conference was over). I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that after the Kaminsky bucket on the inbounds play that put the Badgers up by 9, K calls a timeout and then trots out a lineup with Marshall, Amile, and Grayson in favor of Justise AND Jahlil. I realized it at the time and thought it made sense. We needed more defensive intensity and Justise and Jah were battling foul trouble with over 13 minutes of game time left. But now I'm struck by how gutsy that was. Holy crap! Your team is down 9 in the national freaking title game and you put in ALL THREE of your subs against a talented and experienced Wisconsin team. You've got the number one pick AND a probably top 10 pick sitting on the bench in favor of a lightly used freshman and two offensively limited bigs when the team needs to overcome a 9 point deficit.

I don't care about foul trouble or anything else. That's gutsy coaching and a testament to just how prepared the entire team, 1-8, really was.

Great observation and truly amazing.

[gcashwell]

When will the NCAA put this game on YouTube?

[DukieInBrasil]

Maybe my favorite year of being a Duke fan. So many huge second half, come from behind victories that just left the opposing team shocked at what had just happened. Amazing chemistry, amazing talent, amazing athletes, amazing team.
5!!! and one for the thumb!!!

[nmduke2001]

During the game and while watching the replay, I was shocked by the number of missed layups by Duke. Taking a look at the shot chart on cbssports.com it looks like 13 missed layups. Most of those shots were normally makes especially from Jah and Justise. Had we made half of those shots we win going away.

[DukeDevil]

Despited 23 pages of this thread...here's something nobody has thought about.

The confetti cannons were firing out blue and white confetti. Somewhere, there's a huge pile of confetti that wisconsin didn't get to have fired off.

:cool:

4997

[Eternal Outlaw]

Here are my two cents.
As others have stated K started to drive to get calls on them and for us to get to the foul line. Since Justuce has foul trouble he had to turn to Grayson.
Wisconsins end of game play and coaching was really bad. Why foul Tysus when only three behind? Then finally they wasted so much time dribbling the ball in the last two minutes. They didn't have a play to run. Didn't they have any time outs? It was very strange. The last two minutes in a tight basketball game normally take 30 mins. This felt like 30 seconds...crazy. I couldn't beleive it.
Overall great game from the boys. I knew they would win. I felt it.
A UNC fan buddy of mine came over to watch the game and we had a side bet of a bottle of wine. I never bought one. I told him. I'll just be taking your wine from you. No need to buy one.
This team has so many weapons and when one had a bad day another stepped up pretty much all season.

From a Badger fan friend this question was asked to the team (believe it was Ryan) and the answer was there was no directive to foul, Hayes went for the steal and Tyus simply was too quick and got his body in position to protect and Hayes momentum ended up being too much to stop.

It sure looked like a planned foul though but that's the story I'm being told.

[duke09hms]

While Skip Bayless and Steven A. Smith can often be overbearing, they do a great job speaking about the title game - inexcusable Bo Ryan, Duke's defense, fearless Grayson, unsung hero Amile Jefferson, and praise for "the greatest coach in the modern era, Coach K".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_YNRLWoVnE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5kht4PRPSs

[1999ballboy]

Unfortunately, Twitter Stephen A. Smith didn't seem to agree with TV Stephen A. Smith.

[cspan37421]

K said repeatedly during that event that this was his favorite team and his favorite year of coaching. I was standing beside Zoubs at the party and he looked around upon hearing this and was said, "man, what the (expletive)"


In his defense, he told Andy Katz shortly after the game (who asked him which of his 5 championships was his favorite) that the one you just won is always going to be your favorite. I think that's a fair position to take, not to mention it probably accords with human nature.

[cspan37421]

[QUOTE=DukeDevil;799704]Despited 23 pages of this thread...here's something nobody has thought about.

The confetti cannons were firing out blue and white confetti. Somewhere, there's a huge pile of confetti that wisconsin didn't get to have fired off.

:cool:
Not to mention enough Kentucky 40-0 gear to outfit a few villages in impoverished countries.

(Oh, and I had thought about the confetti - specifically, that they really only needed 3 color combos for the 4 final four teams).

[cspan37421]

Despited 23 pages of this thread...here's something nobody has thought about.

The confetti cannons were firing out blue and white confetti. Somewhere, there's a huge pile of confetti that wisconsin didn't get to have fired off.

:cool:



Not to mention enough Kentucky 40-0 gear to outfit a few villages in impoverished countries.

(Oh, and I had thought about the confetti - specifically, that they really only needed 3 color combos for the 4 final four teams).

Phooey, sorry for the duplicate post - mods, please remove one. I was just trying to save bandwidth and not quote the photo too. :-/

[JTH]

When will the NCAA put this game on YouTube?

Link: http://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/game/701

[MChambers]

If you have a subscription, there's a nice article on how the coaches changed their approach this year:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-duke-saved-a-national-championship-season-1428423379?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLE_Video_Third

Interestingly, at first Duke was going to put Winslow on Kaminsky, but then decided against it.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Here are my two cents.
As others have stated K started to drive to get calls on them and for us to get to the foul line. Since Justuce has foul trouble he had to turn to Grayson.
If you're gonna spell it wrong, at least do it uniquely! I have to say, that is the first time I've seen his name spelled that way. ;)

[Dopeshop]

THERE ARE NO MULLIGANS IN LIFE (INCLUDING BASKETBALL ), BUT I'VE WONDERED WHAt SORT OF THOUGHTS AND CONVERSATIONS MIGHT BE TAKING PLACE WITH :

Michael Gbinije

Semi Ojeleye

Rasheed Sulaimon

If given a "do over " what might happen ?

Two other questions ? Does Obi get a ring ?

Did anyone here Bo Ryan congratulate Duke ?

[rifraf]

I remember watching Duke beat Butler in 2010 and enjoying 40 minutes of stressful, enjoyable basketball with my future-wife and the fans around us. As I drove home from Indy the next day I listened to a little sports radio but was fighting for signal most of the day, and with only one channel they could only dedicate so much time to the story. This year things were different. I was more stressed during the game, more frustrated about the calls in the first half and curious about the calls in the second half. My enthusiasm and enjoyment was dampened by Bo Ryan's presser comments and the callers on the various radio shows talking about this foul and that foul. In my caffeine-fueled crawl through the internet yesterday all I saw were the familiar refrains about Duke getting all the calls and a crooked NCAA.

The difference?

5 years ago I didn't have Twitter. I didn't surf Reddit. I didn't have multiple satellite radio channels of 24/7 sports talk to listen to.

After finally getting home from work yesterday, my wife and I sat down to watch the game on DVR. I was ready to see and hear about reffing controversy and I was curious to see if I could find what all the people I eat lunch with were complaining about. While I saw a few blown calls against Duke, I saw a few against Wisconsin as well. I saw a lot of 50/50 calls go Wisconsin's way and a lot go our way. But I also saw a Duke team that has owned the paint in the past few games miss a lot shots around the rim we normally would have made, leading to the game being tied at the half when we could have easily been up by 6. I saw a Duke team willing to fight and scrap more than I've seen since 2010. But more than that, I saw one of the most phenomenal turn arounds that I've ever seen in basketball. From the minute Grayson stepped out with about 13 minutes left in the game, I saw a Duke team that imposed their will on to the court. They realized that no one on that court could keep up with them and they drove relentlessly to the hoop and wouldn't be denied. I saw some of the best defense I've seen in a long time and watched it turn a team that lives off of fluid ball screens into a pass-and-pull-up jump shooting team. I saw a Wisconsin team that is lucky to have only lost by 5.

Again, yes, I saw the missed out of bounds call and a few other iffy calls, but I saw those in every game this tournament. Honestly though, all that takes away from what a great team Wisconsin was. I didn't appreciate Frank until I saw him in person and in the replay but that kid deserved every single NPOY vote he got. We couldn't beat them in the first half when we tried our normal inside-out play because they have great fundamentals and footwork in the paint. There were a number of shots Tyus missed going against Frank in the second half because he was in position in front of him and bothered the shot without fouling. The media and fans are doing a disservice to that team by harping on a few calls. We wouldn't have been able to beat them if it wasn't for the fact that we just had superior athletes and everyone should be congratulating Bo and his team for being very smart very good basketball skill players.

With about 15 minutes left in the game on Monday, I put my phone in my jacket and threw it under the seat and didn't look at it again until the game was over. I enjoyed that so much more than trying to get instant social media analysis of every play. I didn't do it on purpose, but I think going forward I'm going to disconnect from the internet while watching any Duke sport. It was so much more enjoyable that way.

[EKU1969]

Don't post much, but just saw this alluded to up thread: once Wisconsin took the 9 point lead they seemed to become extremely tentative on offense. Numerous times they had one on one match ups heading toward the basket, pulled up and looked to pass back out to no one in particular. Had they continued to the rim Duke fans may have seen Pagliuca and Kelley on the court out of necessity rather than celebration because Okafor, Winslow, Plumlee, Jefferson, and Matt Jones could all have fouled out trying to stop Kaminsky, Dekker, and Hayes up close. I was totally surprised to see them become so passive near the rim and knew then that Duke could take this. Great job by all and a fantastic outcome! Go DUKE!

[Henderson]

Not to mention enough Kentucky 40-0 gear to outfit a few villages in impoverished countries.


Such as Kentucky?

[OldPhiKap]

Don't post much, but just saw this alluded to up thread: once Wisconsin took the 9 point lead they seemed to become extremely tentative on offense. Numerous times they had one on one match ups heading toward the basket, pulled up and looked to pass back out to no one in particular. Had they continued to the rim Duke fans may have seen Pagliuca and Kelley on the court out of necessity rather than celebration because Okafor, Winslow, Plumlee, Jefferson, and Matt Jones could all have fouled out trying to stop Kaminsky, Dekker, and Hayes up close. I was totally surprised to see them become so passive near the rim and knew then that Duke could take this. Great job by all and a fantastic outcome! Go DUKE!

Excellent point, Ryan froze up and did not match K's adjustment.

[roywhite]

Excellent point, Ryan froze up and did not match K's adjustment.

Ha, yeah; he was at a loss for words until the post-game.

Mentioned previously, but I think the Kentucky hangover (physically and emotionally) took it's toll on the Badgers in the last 10 minutes, too.

[1 24 90]

The fact that Grayson Allen was featured twice in "One Shining Moment" may be the best thing ever. Love that kid.

[DoneDeal]

Bo was recruiting Diamond Stone, a likely OAD for next year. It fell through because he couldn't pass the entrance requirement and instead was taken by Maryland. Kind of hypocritical to refer to OAD's when actively pursuing one.

add Kevon Looney and Henry Ellenson to that list although as a Marquette fan I hope HE at least stays the 2 years his brother will be there too

[CameronBornAndBred]

THERE ARE NO MULLIGANS IN LIFE (INCLUDING BASKETBALL ), BUT I'VE WONDERED WHAt SORT OF THOUGHTS AND CONVERSATIONS MIGHT BE TAKING PLACE WITH :

Michael Gbinije

Semi Ojeleye

Rasheed Soulaimon

If given a "do over " what might happen ?

Two other questions ? Does Obi get a ring ?

Did anyone here Bo Rein congratulate Duke ?
Rasheed aside (He wanted to be a Blue Devil but didn't live up to the standards required), I would think that Gbinije and Ojeleye are both happy with their decisions. Silent G has done very well for himself at Syracuse. He's a starter and playing great. I wish he hadn't left, K wishes he hadn't left, but aside from not being able to play in the post-season this year, I would think he feels good with his choice.

"I wish he stayed," Krzyzewski said. "But he didn't. He's a great kid playing for a great coach. Great kid. Great family.
http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2015/02/duke_coach_mike_krzyzewski_on_mike_gbinije_im_glad _he_turned_out_to_be_the_playe.html
Right now, G has the choice of going pro, or playing as the point guard for Boeheim next year. If those are your two options, then you are in a good spot. He's 23, so for a pro he'd be going in older than most, but he also has the chance to be the leader on his team next year. Here's a good article on him.
http://dailyorange.com/2015/03/michael-gbinije-talks-thought-of-going-pro-potential-future-role-at-point-guard/

As far as Semi goes, he'll be playing for a team that will likely start off the season ranked in the top 20, playing for a conference championship. SMU doesn't have the brand that Duke (or Syracuse) does, but I'd assume that he wants to win championships and it sounds like he has a chance to do that. For him to leave mid-season, that means that he must have been pretty frustrated, and nothing can cure those ills like a fresh start.

[David Bunkley]

All season long, I thought we had a puncher's chance to win the title, but mostly I was the conductor of the "anybody but Kentucky" train.

I'm so glad to see how these young men fought and scrapped their way to a championship, playing the best defense we've seen since 2010...especially since based on the regular season, it seemed like we couldn't guard a chair.

So proud and happy for Quinn and the leader he has become. So proud of this team. My favorite stat is the one posted earlier about how all 8 scholarship players had at least 1 double-digit game in the tournament.

Absolutely amazing.

#GODUKE

[Billy Dat]

Don't post much, but just saw this alluded to up thread: once Wisconsin took the 9 point lead they seemed to become extremely tentative on offense. Numerous times they had one on one match ups heading toward the basket, pulled up and looked to pass back out to no one in particular. Had they continued to the rim Duke fans may have seen Pagliuca and Kelley on the court out of necessity rather than celebration because Okafor, Winslow, Plumlee, Jefferson, and Matt Jones could all have fouled out trying to stop Kaminsky, Dekker, and Hayes up close. I was totally surprised to see them become so passive near the rim and knew then that Duke could take this. Great job by all and a fantastic outcome! Go DUKE!

I have now watched the game a few times. As a sensitive Duke fan, it does bother me that the refs sucked, because the calls they blew down the stretch largely went in our favor. And, as a result of all the terping, I now watch the game examining every call for and against us like the Zapruder film. Justise, especially, could have picked up a bunch of charges in the final 10 minutes.

All that being said, in addition to EKU1969's observation, the overwhelming truth is that Duke TOOK THE GAME BY FORCE. I put that in caps because we attacked the basket all game, taking many fewer than our average number of 3s...we took 11 and we usually shot closer to 18 per game. When we were forced to go small, they settled for jumpers. That is the game in a nutshell. We attacked, they settled. That's why we shot more FTs, that's why we won.

I know Jim Calhoun is no favorite on DBR, but he was being interviewed about the game and he lauded Duke's versatility. He said that to win a title, you have to be able to play fast or slow, big or small, halfcourt or in transition...you have to be flexible. When Wisconsin's back was to the wall, they couldn't adjust their game - to how it was being officiated or to speed up at the end of the game. We imposed our will, they didn't.

[79-77]

Here's a question: does anyone have any info on which former Duke players were at the game? I have to believe a bunch of them attended, and was expecting to see periodic shots of Hurley, Laettner, etc. in the crowd during the telecast, but didn't see any. (I did randomly notice Miles Plumlee sitting a couple of rows behind the bench, but that was accidental -- no zoom-in on him.)

More importantly: what a great win!! Tyus Jones, with 19 in the 2nd half of a title game, is now officially a Duke legend -- joining Dunleavy, who achieved a similar feat in 2001. He's also up there with Laettner and Hurley in the "all-time great clutch Duke players" group, although perhaps a half-notch below due to likely OAD status.

As far as that goes, does anyone have any historical data on most points scored in the 2nd half of a title game by anyone, especially anyone on the winning team? While I'm sure there are a few outliers, I have to believe there aren't that many 18-point-plus scorers.

[duke09hms]

For Mandarin-speaking Duke fans, this is hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW8FOck8fMs

Yall should know this is a Taiwanese animation group that regularly pushes the boundaries of PC-ness ...

[dukelifer]

We all knew this team had two major issues going into the tourney- D and Free throw shooting. As we saw, Duke's D was outstanding in the NCAAs. The kids figured something out- communicated better and somehow played with great confidence in every game. As for free throw shooting, there were big concerns- Hak-a-Jah and shaky shooting by Winslow and Amile seemed to be a problem Duke would not be able to overcome. But like the D- the free throw shooting was really good. Here are the numbers for the tourney run. Other than Robert Morris- those numbers were outstanding and many of those throws were under big pressure. Of course many of them were taken by the right guys.

Robert Morris 7-14 50%
San Diego State 2-2 100%
Utah 20-26 76.9%
Gonzaga 16-19 84.2%
MSU 27-37 73%
Wisconsin 16-20 80%

[tux]

Sorry if this has already been posted and I missed it: Here's a pretty cool interview with Tyus Jones's AAU coach in USA Today (http://usatodayhss.com/2015/tyus-jones-duke-tyus-jones-most-outstanding-player-duke-wisconsin-jahlil-okafor-tyus-jones-mop). Says he's the best "pure" PG in college basketball. I agree. I know he'll do what's best for him and his family, but the +/- on the outlook for 2016 depends greatly on what Tyus does.

[subzero02]

Sorry if this has already been posted and I missed it: Here's a pretty cool interview with Tyus Jones's AAU coach in USA Today (http://usatodayhss.com/2015/tyus-jones-duke-tyus-jones-most-outstanding-player-duke-wisconsin-jahlil-okafor-tyus-jones-mop). Says he's the best "pure" PG in college basketball. I agree. I know he'll do what's best for him and his family, but the +/- on the outlook for 2016 depends greatly on what Tyus does.

I think he has a very tough decision to make. He could really take another big step next year and play himself into the top 10. This year's draft is looking very deep...

[sagegrouse]

College basketball tends to be a guards' game. The Duke guards were far superior to Gasser, Koenig and Traevon Jackson. In fact, the Wisconsin guards tended toward average for major college backcourts -- the Badgers' strengths were Kaminski, Dekker and Hayes. Duke, therefore, had more of a running game than Wisconsin, plus an inside-outside game of offense, and the ability to break the press in crunch time. Moreover, when Duke had Tyus, Quinn and Grayson on the court at the same time, Dekker had to guard Grayson -- mismatch!

Driving out of town on Tuesday, I heard Tim Brando (?) on XM Sirius College Basketball say, "I have to remind myself [when picking a bracket] that teams don't usually win the NCAA's without an NBA quality point guard, and Tyus Jones is an NBA-level point guard."

[Furniture]

In regards Tysus. It seems that his brilliant performance also had something to do with the coaching staff. K said in his talk at Cameron that at some point one of his staff said why don't we run some ball screens for Tysus. That plus his crazy shooting was the end of the story I suppose.
I'd love to see Tysus return but if his draft stock has gone up because of his performance then good luck to him!

[pfrduke]

In regards Tysus.

You are aware that's not his name, no?

[roywhite]

In regards Tysus. It seems that his brilliant performance also had something to do with the coaching staff. K said in his talk at Cameron that at some point one of his staff said why don't we run some ball screens for Tysus. That plus his crazy shooting was the end of the story I suppose.
I'd love to see Tysus return but if his draft stock has gone up because of his performance then good luck to him!

If we can wait for a while, we might have another T. Jones at PG. That would be Tre Jones, younger brother of Tyus and a freshman (HS class of 2018) at Apple Valley MN High School; Tre just led his team to a state championship.

State Class 4A basketball: Apple Valley 64, Champlin Park 61 (http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_27714836/state-class-4a-basketball-apple-valley-64-champlin)


The Eagles had to sweat it out before they could celebrate.

Jones made five free throws in the final 1 minute, 37 seconds and Jordan Bolton made two to help the Eagles hold off the Rebels (31-1), who had to resort to fouling in the final minutes. Jones' final two free throws gave Apple Valley a 64-58 lead with 3.8 seconds left in regulation.


Kid sounds clutch.

[roywhite]

Really good piece from the NYT; may have been linked somewhere previously, but definitely worth a read.

It Went Back and Forth, Until Duke Stood Tallest (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/sports/ncaabasketball/in-a-finals-brawl-dukes-youngsters-score-the-knockout.html?_r=0)


Bo Ryan, the white-haired veteran Wisconsin coach, complained afterward that the game had gotten too physical, and suggested that the referees had let Duke knock his team off its sweet game. “It’s just a shame it had to be played that way,” he told CBS after the game.

This is like the legendary boxing cornerman Angelo Dundee complaining about rough fisticuffs. Both Wisconsin and Duke gave and got with abandon, and if the referees missed a few calls, it was at least equal opportunity blindness.



Wisconsin, however, was a question for which Duke had too many answers.

Duke won, 68-63, Krzyzewski had his fifth national championship, and in an ode to the reality of this strange new basketball world, the Duke students pointed to their freshman stars and began chanting: “One more year! One more year!”

[duke09hms]

In regards Tysus.


You are aware that's not his name, no?

Maybe confused him with Jesus, I get it.

[BD80]

For Mandarin-speaking Duke fans, this is hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW8FOck8fMs

Yall should know this is a Taiwanese animation group that regularly pushes the boundaries of PC-ness ...

Has English subtitles. Even an ancient monosyllabic curmudgeon like me found it humorous.

[duke09hms]

Has English subtitles. Even an ancient monosyllabic curmudgeon like me found it humorous.

love that Kentucky reaction at the end haha

[mkirsh]

Don't think I've seen this elsewhere in the thread or on DBR, but here is an article about another one of Coach K's creative motivational tactics. Hadn't heard of this one before but seems really cool (and obviously it worked!).

https://accsports.com/loose-ball/

[Dukerati]

Two days later and still firmly in the championship afterglow -- which I am apparently just borrowing from Grayson Allen. According to Chad Ford, Grayson has been getting 1st round buzz. I don't think he will go but we live in crazy times...

[stillcrazie]

Just wanted to point out that almost every time I see a clip of Quinn with the guys, he is joking around and having a great time. Whether it is handshakes or private jokes, he is so loose. It seems like his looseness helped keep the whole team loose, even when expectations were sky high.

[dhillbluedevil]

2 days after the big game and I still have the greatest feeling in the world about this team/game...

Great defense, unbelieveable guard play, and yes, GRAYSON ALLEN !!

Go Duke!

[AncientPsychicT]

Here's some good celebratory music. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs) :cool:

[Kfanarmy]

Don't post much, but just saw this alluded to up thread: once Wisconsin took the 9 point lead they seemed to become extremely tentative on offense. Numerous times they had one on one match ups heading toward the basket, pulled up and looked to pass back out to no one in particular. Had they continued to the rim Duke fans may have seen Pagliuca and Kelley on the court out of necessity rather than celebration because Okafor, Winslow, Plumlee, Jefferson, and Matt Jones could all have fouled out trying to stop Kaminsky, Dekker, and Hayes up close. I was totally surprised to see them become so passive near the rim and knew then that Duke could take this. Great job by all and a fantastic outcome! Go DUKE!

I didn't see it that way. Over and over Kaminsky tried to position himself to receive the ball in position to attack the basket. A combination of Amile Jefferson absolutely refusing to give ground and help defense totally shut him down. Matt Jones was phenomenal. I didn't think Wisconsin got tentative about trying to get it inside nearly as much as I was astonished watching the Duke interior put up a wall to Wisconson's bigs.

[DukieInBrasil]

what happened to the ncaa march madness video replay of the championship game?
the page appears but the video never loads. is there another venue for watching a replay of it?

[Marc81]

Ok, so jokes aside, I am expecting a girl in August. One name is Cameron, any ideas for the other?

My wife told me we were expecting Tuesday of this week just after Duke won their 5th and on our 1st child's(boy) 2nd birthday(4/7/2015). We had talked in the past about if we had a girl naming her Cameron because of both of our love for Duke. It's so funny that someone else is thinking the same thing. I told her Duke winning the national championship was a sign from God to name our baby Cameron I was joking of course but there is a good chance we end of naming our little girl Cameron.

[weezie]

My wife told me we were expecting Tuesday of this week just after Duke won their 5th and on our 1st child's(boy) 2nd birthday(4/7/2015)...

Well, congratulations! That's fantastic news :D !!! What a joyful blessing.

"weezie Cameron" or "Cameron weezie" both have nice rings...get it? Rings?

[Duke95]

My wife told me we were expecting Tuesday of this week just after Duke won their 5th and on our 1st child's(boy) 2nd birthday(4/7/2015). We had talked in the past about if we had a girl naming her Cameron because of both of our love for Duke. It's so funny that someone else is thinking the same thing. I told her Duke winning the national championship was a sign from God to name our baby Cameron I was joking of course but there is a good chance we end of naming our little girl Cameron.

Our good friends, both Duke grads, named their daughter Cameron. Great name.

[bjornolf]

Awesome! Congrats!

[Henderson]

Cameron is a great name for a girl or boy. But if you've ever had a child, you know the name is perfect no matter what it is.

I wonder if any Duke fan has ever named a child Krzyzewski. First or middle.

[wilson]

what happened to the ncaa march madness video replay of the championship game?
the page appears but the video never loads. is there another venue for watching a replay of it?This link has worked fine for me...more than once:o
http://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live

[OldPhiKap]

My wife told me we were expecting Tuesday of this week just after Duke won their 5th and on our 1st child's(boy) 2nd birthday(4/7/2015). We had talked in the past about if we had a girl naming her Cameron because of both of our love for Duke. It's so funny that someone else is thinking the same thing. I told her Duke winning the national championship was a sign from God to name our baby Cameron I was joking of course but there is a good chance we end of naming our little girl Cameron.

Congratulations!

Cameron is a great name. I named my girl Cherokee -- maybe should have thought that through a little more.

[Nesto]

My wife told me we were expecting Tuesday of this week just after Duke won their 5th and on our 1st child's(boy) 2nd birthday(4/7/2015). We had talked in the past about if we had a girl naming her Cameron because of both of our love for Duke. It's so funny that someone else is thinking the same thing. I told her Duke winning the national championship was a sign from God to name our baby Cameron I was joking of course but there is a good chance we end of naming our little girl Cameron.

Congratulations! And do it! My daughter Cameron was born in 98.

[Marc81]

Congratulations!

Cameron is a great name. I named my girl Cherokee -- maybe should have thought that through a little more.

Thanks everyone for the congratulations. We are very excited about both this and Duke's fifth. It has been a very emotional week for sure. I like many of you absolutely loved this team and our senior leadership. I was really excited to meet Quinn at the beginning of the year at countdown to craziness and I keep thinking about what I told him which was "you guys are going to do great things this year." I'm very happy that I was right! Go Duke!

[Dukehky]

My dog's name is Cameron. 90% for Indoor and 10% for Newton (go panthers)

I don't think I will name my child after something I'm a fan of though, but to each their own. We have a butt load of family names and members that I we have to keep happy.

[summerwind03]

One last though on what actually happened in this game.

The first 6 rounds of the boxing match were back and forth. Duke gave a good few punches, then Wisconsin landed some and it was about even in round 6.

In rounds 7-9 Wisconsin laid a bunch of great punches, and Duke fell to the mat.

That was the turning point in the game. Wisconsin got Cocky "We just beat Kentucky, we're the favored team, we've got these guys, Duke's right arm (Jahlil) and right leg (Justice) are in serious pain."

They thought (Heck I thought) DUKE was done.

Then Duke utilized its secret 4th arm (Grayson Allen) to smack them so hard they never recovered.


Wisconsin got Cocky and Complacent, and Duke Knocked them out, so they blamed the Refs instead of themselves.


Now that the game has been played and another banner's been earned, I'll share this bit that I wrote the day after we beat Gonzaga. I love that #5 has come true!


On his Twelfth Final Four, Duke's Coach K Gave to Me...


12 Cheerleaders Dancing
11 Threes a Raining
10 Times Jah's a Jamming
9 Ashley Judd Tears a Falling
8 Scholarships Playing
7 Seeds a Leaving
6 Fast Breaks Breaking
5 CHAMPIONSHIP RIIIINNNGS!!!!!!
4 Maturing Freshmen
3 Head Coaches Crying
2 Guards a Driving
and another ornament for our Duke tree!

Ha! The boys started our version on the way to the Final game. This is what we ended up with.

At Coach K's 12th Final Four, the Duke team gave to me:

12 Winslows driving
11 players practicing
10 Amiles rebounding
9 Matts defending
8 Plumlees blocking
7 Tyuses passing
6 Okafors dunking
5 golden rings
4 coaches coaching
3 Graysons shooting
2 Quinn Cooks leading
And another championship for Coach K!

[OldPhiKap]

My dog's name is Cameron. 90% for indoor and 10% for Newton (go panthers)

I don't think I will name my child after something I'm a fan of though, but to each their own. We have a butt load of family names and members that I we have to keep happy.

Of the Hampton Buttloads?

[jipops]

I was fortunate to make the trip to Indy with my 7 year old son. It was an experience both he and I will never, ever forget. I know as a 7 year old he won't remember the games very much, but he'll definitely remember being there and the entire experience of the Final Four. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad we did it. I only wish I could re-wind and do it all over again.

I know at this point I'm only re-iterating what others have already said. What an amazing turn-around our defense made in this tournament. Many sequences on defense were some of the best we have seen in years from a Duke team, especially since it came against such an efficient offensive team. To win this title on the backs of 3, and that night 4, freshmen is astounding no matter how talented those guys are. Credit K for getting guys like Tyus and Grayson in position to make great plays, but it was really almost all about those guys making plays. And huge shouts to Amile for saving us in the paint on defense.

I'm still on a high right now over all this.

[Henderson]

I was fortunate to make the trip to Indy with my 7 year old son. It was an experience both he and I will never, ever forget. I know as a 7 year old he won't remember the games very much, but he'll definitely remember being there and the entire experience of the Final Four. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad we did it. I only wish I could re-wind and do it all over again.


My kids are in their late 20's and early 30's and they amaze me with the stuff they remember. But regardless of how much your son remembers about the game, he'll remember that his dad took him there. That'll be cool forever for both of you.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I was fortunate to make the trip to Indy with my 7 year old son. It was an experience both he and I will never, ever forget. I know as a 7 year old he won't remember the games very much, but he'll definitely remember being there and the entire experience of the Final Four. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad we did it. I only wish I could re-wind and do it all over again.
That is so awesome. The one and only FF I've been to was in '78, when I was barely older than your son, by a few months at most. My dad took me, and it was just the two of us. I remember so much about that experience. All these years later, I still remember meeting and talking to Max Crowder at the Arch in St. Louis, I remember loving the Arkansas fans and their Razorback hats and their Sooooooie calls. I remember being on the floor after we won our first game, (And coming back home to a stack of Durham Morning Heralds with my pic waving at the camera. She said "Give me a #1 sign", and I waved all five fingers...haha), I remember wondering about Digger Phelps and the Notre Dame mascot. I remember thinking the school emblems on the floor were just the coolest things ever, I had never seen stickers so big.
Mostly, though, I remember that as one of my best trips ever with my dad. And we lost to Kentucky...your son got to celebrate a championship with you. I guarantee you, he'll remember so much. Ask him in 30 years.

[jipops]

That is so awesome. The one and only FF I've been to was in '78, when I was barely older than your son, by a few months at most. My dad took me, and it was just the two of us. I remember so much about that experience. All these years later, I still remember meeting and talking to Max Crowder at the Arch in St. Louis, I remember loving the Arkansas fans and their Razorback hats and their Sooooooie calls. I remember being on the floor after we won our first game, (And coming back home to a stack of Durham Morning Heralds with my pic waving at the camera. She said "Give me a #1 sign", and I waved all five fingers...haha), I remember wondering about Digger Phelps and the Notre Dame mascot. I remember thinking the school emblems on the floor were just the coolest things ever, I had never seen stickers so big.
Mostly, though, I remember that as one of my best trips ever with my dad. And we lost to Kentucky...your son got to celebrate a championship with you. I guarantee you, he'll remember so much. Ask him in 30 years.

I plan to. It was all about enjoying the moment. And there were so many great moments this past weekend, outside of the games themselves. If Duke had lost I know the whole experience would of course still have been wonderful both for him and me. But winning it all was just icing on the cake.

One of the coolest parts was my son walking into school Wednesday morning with his Final Four shirt on. He made sure his backpack strap didn't cover up the logo.

[Dev11]

I just reached the end of this thread for the first time! Keep up the relentless celebration!

[OldPhiKap]

I just reached the end of this thread for the first time! Keep up the relentless celebration!

If you go back and re-read it, you get a better sense of the theme development the second time. Oh, and that Bo Ryan got schooled by K.