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

[pfrduke]

YES!!!!!!!

[Andre Buckner Fan]

Let's retire Grayson's number!!! What a performance!

[pfrduke]

Also, Sean Obi showed up to the finals in a tuxedo. That's amazing.

[#1Duke]

Coach K did one fantastic coaching job. FANTASTIC!!

Allen and Jones!! What can you say? Unbelievable!!

Congrats guys!! You earned it!!

[pfrduke]

And, finally, we were undefeated this year when we held opponents under 70. This team was best on offense, but it won games when its defense showed up.

[kaufmjo]

Let's retire Grayson's number!!! What a performance!

Unbelievable comeback. Allen was amazing

[downeastdad]

Way to go, Duke! No love from the announcers. Grayson for MOM!

[Duke3517]

WOOHOO!!!!!

Congratulations Duke!!!

[mapleleafdevil]

Holy Crap Grayson.

[CDu]

OmgomgomgomgomgomgomgOMG!!!!!!

[lmb]

Maybe my most enjoyable season! So many big wins and ending with a natty! Yesssss!

[Troublemaker]

YES!!!!!!!!

Of course it would be Tyus Stones. Of course.

The scoring burst by Grayson when Duke was down 8-9 points saved the game, though.

And Amile gave us such huge minutes at center down the stretch.

[grossbus]

Down 9 and Grayson provides the spark to turn us around.

Congrats team and coaches.

Wow

[Bob Green]

Absolutely gutty performance by the team tonight. Grayson Allen was amazing fueling the comeback!

[kaufmjo]

i want the old version

[Troublemaker]

On that replay of the ball going out of bounds

Did anyone have the Cake song in their head?

"With fingernails that shine like Justise's"

[Tjenkins]

Beautiful!

Coach K. cements his title as greatest coach of the 64-team tournament era!

[bjornolf]

Grayson Allen deserves man of the match in my opinion! Congrats, guys! So awesome!

[pfrduke]

So not finally - Mike Krzyzewski has won championships 24 years apart. That's insane. The number of coaches who simply coach at a school for 24 years is small - Mike won championships before all of these kids were born and then won with them.

[Lulu]

So did the refs hand us the game by putting Okafor on the bench?

We will never hear the end of this Winslow tipped ball. It was obviously tipped; I'm sure everyone will admit it.

[willywoody]

No one will believe me but I was telling my 8 year old at dinner tonight it would be one of the unsung players for Duke that would make the difference and Allen and Jefferson delivered.

[pfrduke]

So did the refs hand us the game by putting Okafor on the bench?

We will never hear the end of this Winslow tipped ball. It was obviously tipped; I'm sure everyone will admit it.

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

[Newton_14]

How bout-em boys!!!!!!

How bout-em!!!!! Huh??????

Grayson freakin allen!!!!!!

[bjornolf]

So did the refs hand us the game by putting Okafor on the bench?

We will never hear the end of this Winslow tipped ball. It was obviously tipped; I'm sure everyone will admit it.

Makeup call for Okafor's 4th.

[Troublemaker]

Fractions

In the past quarter-century, Duke has won one-fifth of the national championships

[davekay1971]

Wow! What a great performance. I'm amazed at this team, particularly coming back when down 9. Grayson Allen and Tyus Jones put the team on their backs...but what about the defense and boards by Jefferson and Winslow? This team got the job done, and they got it done in a huge way.

5 NCs for K, 5 NCs for Duke!

Thanks to the team for a great season!

[Karl Beem]

The difference was #3's 8 straight points. Without them, we're toast.

[Orange&BlackSheep]

So did the refs hand us the game by putting Okafor on the bench?

We will never hear the end of this Winslow tipped ball. It was obviously tipped; I'm sure everyone will admit it.

Well, it wasn't *obviously* tipped else the refs would have reversed. But the slo-mo convinced me.

Tyus friggin' Jones .... unbelievable. What a step up. Grayson too. Plus no one will mention how good a job Matt Jones did on Dekker!

O&B Sheep

[Lulu]

Poor Okafor not getting even a mention from Coach K. I kinda feel bad for him.

[bluenorth]

What a ride this year has been! K has been masterful. And just amazing play from T Jones and Allen. Jefferson deserves special mention for the job he did on Kaminsky. Time to celebrate!

[FerryFor50]

AWESOME win. Just another gutsy performance from a team that has refused to quit all year long.

And Coach K.... pulling all the right strings.

Down 9 with 13 minutes left? Okafor with 3 fouls? Insert Grayson Allen, the forgotten freshman. And boy, did he ever deliver.

HUGE defensive performances from Amile and Matt Jones. Unsung. Both playing much bigger guys (Dekker and Kaminsky) and held their own. I think the key to the game was the defense played on Dekker. A large number of his 12 points came off offensive rebounds. 0-6 from 3.

Okafor... I feel bad for him. Officiating took him out of this game and he was missing some easy shots. But he still finished with 10 and had a HUGE defensive stop in the final minutes.

Cook was off. And wasn't his usually steadying presence. Was taking some real bad shots... but was leaving everything on the floor. Great effort.

Winslow was very good defensively and on the boards, despite the foul trouble.

Man of the match, by far, was Tyus Jones. He put his team on his back and beat Wisconsin on his own down the stretch.

Kaminsky really showed why he is POY. Hayes... not sure how he didn't miss from 3 until the final buzzer.

Just so much to love about this team. Great kids. Great season.

Oh, and keep in mind... you WILL hear how Duke gets all the calls. People will ignore the 2 total fouls by Wisconsin in the first half and the 2 fouls each on Okafor/Winslow. They'll ignore how often Kaminsky brought his arms down on drives with no call. They'll just point to how many foul calls Duke got in the 2nd half.

Know what you say? Nothing. Scoreboard.

[#1Duke]

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.

[crdaul]

Keeping the faith always!!!!

[pfrduke]

We held Wisconsin to 63 points in 60 possessions. By leaps and bounds their worst performance of the tournament and one of their 5 worst of the season (better than what we did in Madison).

[Karl Beem]

So did the refs hand us the game by putting Okafor on the bench?

We will never hear the end of this Winslow tipped ball. It was obviously tipped; I'm sure everyone will admit it.

You couldn't see the ball deflect.

[subzero02]

1 shining moment next!!!!!! WOOOOOHHHHHOOOOOO!!!! Tyus and Grayson, just think how great they'll be next year ;-)

[Lulu]

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

Well I didn't see it live, but his finger buckled under the ball on all those slo-mo replays. I mean, I'm glad the officials didn't have the same angle apparently, but of course won't say it changed the outcome, though you know others will.

What a phenomenal outcome. Still can't wrap my brain around it really. I think I was more pumped after we beat UNC just because this isn't sinking in. Crazy awesome.

[tfk53]

So impressed with Amile's defense on Frank the tank. Absolutely needed that to get #5.
K massaging the foul trouble. Superb.
Duke attacking the basket in 2nd half. Such an energizer.
Grayson. Love this guy!
Such a game. Intense battle. Badgers never backed down.
I can sleep tonight!

[Tjenkins]

Fractions

In the past quarter-century, Duke has won one-fifth of the national championships

And as of tonight, Coach K. has more titles than Rupp.

[#1Duke]

I was concerned about our defense against Wisconsin. Like I said, Coach K did one heck of a job and our players played extremely hard.

[bjornolf]

I can sleep tonight!

You can?! I wish I could. My pulse and blood pressure are through the roof!

[TNTDevil]

You couldn't see the ball deflect.Spot on. If he'd have touched it, the trajectory or spin would have changed.

Now, could it have brushed Winslow? Sure, but you can't change the call based on what's possible, you have to see something that changes your mind.

[FerryFor50]

On that replay of the ball going out of bounds

Did anyone have the Cake song in their head?

"With fingernails that shine like Justise's"

No, I was too enraged that they didn't call Koenig for a foul. :D

[snewman92]

. . .I've been a Duke fan since 1988 (when I was accepted) and I can't believe how lucky I've been. Thank you to one of the most enjoyable teams I've seen, to Coach K for a coaching job for the ages, to Amile Jefferson, Grayson Allen, and TYUS JONES--and all the players.

[peterjswift]

What a game. Grayson Allen was the catalyst, Tyus was the fuel. Incredible.

And during the post-game celebration, I think the hug between Jefferson, Winslow and Plumlee would have crushed a normal human.

[ChrisP]

Well I didn't see it live, but his finger buckled under the ball on all those slo-mo replays. I mean, I'm glad the officials didn't have the same angle apparently, but of course won't say it changed the outcome, though you know others will.

What a phenomenal outcome. Still can't wrap my brain around it really. I think I was more pumped after we beat UNC just because this isn't sinking in. Crazy awesome.

No offense but...huh? Breathe deep and let it sink IN!!!

[Here is a Turtle]

Allen is a beast, and Duke exploited Wisconsin's bigger flaws. They always had trouble against strong guard play and got caught again. Congrats.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

That ball was obviously off Winslow on the replays, and up until that very last shot, I felt strongly that you couldn't see it well enough to overturn it. But the last angle slo-mo was clear as day. Does it matter? Not to me.

Allen was the most important player this game to me. Tyus Jones hit a lot of big shots, but Allen singlehandedly saved this game in the middle of the second half. It was an insane performance, and his hustle on defense was equally impressive. I loved his game and his passion tonight. Can't wait to watch him next year.

This was one of Coach K's best seasons. He molded a poor defensive team into a pretty dominant defensive team by tournament time.

Glad Okafor's season didn't end with him on the bench for the last several minutes, cause if I were Coach K it very well might have. But Okafor gave us that big push out of the final TV timeout, so I guess Coach knows what he's doing.

What a great team to watch. Gonna miss watching some of these guys next year.

[FerryFor50]

Spot on. If he'd have touched it, the trajectory or spin would have changed.

Now, could it have brushed Winslow? Sure, but you can change the call based on what's possible, you have to see something that changes your mind.

The spin did change. It was off Winslow. But Koenig fouled him, so...


:shades down:


Justise was served.

[pamtar]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!grayson!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!!????!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tyusSTONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!????!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ILOVEYou ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[InSpades]

What a game. What a team. What a coach. Grayson and Tyus. So happy. Quinn gets his natty.

Grayson Allen... I don't know what to say. Love that kid.

[peterjswift]

Does Okafor even need the ladder?

[cptnflash]

Anyone have a link to the net cutting ceremony and/or postgame press conference? They're not showing it on TV here in the UK.

[DukeDiva]

Still trying to catch my breath! Grayson was the game changer, he was the spark for the comeback. National Champions!

[pamtar]

Oh, and whoever called the 'Grayson as Andre' in the final gets all the sporks I can offer. Reply to claim your prize...

[rogermortimer]

You can?! I wish I could. My pulse and blood pressure are through the roof!

I had minor heart surgery about two weeks ago! I did not care - it was such an exciting game I watched it with vigor.

Hats off to Wisconsin - a great opponent and a well coached team.

What is great to see about Allen is not just that he scored 16 points. He is a great athlete, and asserted himself in the biggest game of all - showing his athleticism.

Duke was so good to me in my younger days. I can't say enough good things about these kids, who just made me even more proud of Duke than usual.

[Troublemaker]

Anyone have a link to the net cutting ceremony and/or postgame press conference? They're not showing it on TV here in the UK.

Live postgame press conference will be here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwIJsSq0jnc

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Kenny Smith said it best... The best 4 freshman this year were in Durham, not Lexington.

Best Duke freshman class ever!!!

[CoachJ10]

No, I was too enraged that they didn't call Koenig for a foul. :D

That and then some.

[NashvilleDevil]

Poor Okafor not getting even a mention from Coach K. I kinda feel bad for him.

What?! You think Jah even cares about that? I doubt it

[willywoody]

Does Okafor even need the ladder?

Not if he is on Grayson's shoulders.

[pfrduke]

Bo - be better than complaining about contact. Come on.

[FerryFor50]

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

[chi]

Man, I am touched and happy for the team!!!

[kaufmjo]

Classy interview from Bo Ryan. It's a shame the game had to end up that way. Dude you lost

[willywoody]

Bo Ryan blaming officiating in his interview.

[nyesq83]

Bo Ryan is blaming us and the officials...saying we held and had hands on them (and not enough fouls called on us). Boo.

Not classy nor gracious.

[Tjenkins]

Did anyone else notice Kenny Smith call Grayson "Grayson Marshall"? Who remembers him?:

http://www.clemsontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205528392

Great win, I'm so happy for these kids & Coach K. I have lots of respect for Ryan and the Badgers.

Edit:I typed that prior to Ryan's interview. Should've had more class, but I won't crucify him in the toughest moment of his coaching life.

[Reisen]

Haha, the best part is Clark Kellogg then saying "Bo Ryan, classy and gracious in defeat"

I was waiting for him to add ".....NOT!!!".

[CR9]

My shirt and hat will arrive in about 13 hours. AHHHHHHH STILL CAN'T BELIEVE TYUS IS A FRESHMAN

[brevity]

Mods, please change the thread title so that it has 5 exclamation points instead of 4. Thanks.

[pfrduke]

Thank you Reggie - correct that the officiating was bad both ways. One team sacked up, one didn't.

[toughbuff1]

Wow so happy for our guys. What a fun season to watch! This team just kept getting better throughout the year.

Also, Bo Ryan with some really sour grapes there. Stay classy Bo.

[Chard]

That was the most enjoyable year to watch! I am so happy for those young men!

[CoachJ10]

Bo Ryan complaining to reporter about actually being called for fouls when you grab, hack and slap. Just cause you got away with it in the first half, didn't mean they werent fouls.

Love that we drove and drove at them in the 2nd half and made those obvious fouls have to be called.

[ChrisP]

Bo - be better than complaining about contact. Come on.

Word! Really surprised to hear Bo's not so thinly veiled comments about the refs. Just lost a little (just a bit) of respect for him. I know he's disappointed for his guys but, that's kinda lame, Bo.

[monkey]

That Bo Ryan interview was ridiculous- fouls were 10 to 2 in first half including two major players for Duke in major foul trouble

[pfrduke]

Mods, please change the thread title so that it has 5 exclamation points instead of 4. Thanks.

Done!








!!!!

[Duke79UNLV77]

Wow. Disappointed in Bo immediately whining about officiating. Sure, there were missed calls both ways, but our best 2 players sat half the game in foul trouble. Their best 2 players had one each.

[IrishDevil]

Haha, the best part is Clark Kellogg then saying "Bo Ryan, classy and gracious in defeat"

I was waiting for him to add ".....NOT!!!".

Ugh. Bo Ryan, great coach, not so great loser, at least tonight.

[crdaul]

Bo Ryan just lost all his class points whining about referees...

[Reisen]

My shirt and hat will arrive in about 13 hours. AHHHHHHH STILL CAN'T BELIEVE TYUS IS A FRESHMAN

Where did you order from?

[NancyCarol]

I am almost catatonic. LOVE THIS TEAM. Miss them already. Thank you Coach and all the guys for all your courage, dignity, sportsmanship and hard work. Miss you already.

[FerryFor50]

Ugh. Bo Ryan, great coach, not so great loser, at least tonight.

Not the first time I've heard him whine about officiating.

When you are spoiled the entire season by no one calling obvious fouls on you, that's what happens.

[NashvilleDevil]

Gonna toot my horn on the outcome. Said by me in the pre/in-game thread:

"So far my favorite analysis of tonight's game is Wisconsin had a healthy Dekker and Duke no longer has Rasheed. They seem to be ignoring how great Justise has played the last couple of months. I also think Grayson plays a big role tonight, not Billy McCaffery against Kansas big but Grayson is going to make a couple of big plays tonight."

Ok so Grayson played a bigger role than McCaffery in 1991.

[CoachJ10]

Not the first time I've heard him whine about officiating.

When you are spoiled the entire season by no one calling obvious fouls on you, that's what happens.

Amen. Been saying that all season long to my Wisky friends (I grew up there).

[pfrduke]

Strong one shining moment. Plenty of memorable moments from this tournament that got captured.

[downeastdad]

Ugh. Bo Ryan, great coach, not so great loser, at least tonight.

Lost a lot of respect for Bo in that interview. Bad loser!

[House G]

Bo Ryan just lost all his class points whining about referees...

He must have learned it from Dekker who was barking at the refs throughout the first half--Matt Jones had him locked down.

[kaufmjo]

Lost a lot of respect for Bo in that interview. Bad loser!

He's now complaining on ESPN. What a loser. Embarrassing.

[_Gary]

Lost a lot of respect for Bo in that interview. Bad loser!

Ditto.

[CDu]

The spin did change. It was off Winslow. But Koenig fouled him, so...


:shades down:


Justise was served.

Yup, which is I think why the refs conveniently went with the inconclusive evidence argument.

But... WHO CARES? Wisconsin didn't hit the shots after that anyway. Lots of bad calls in the game. Crazy to pick out just one as a focal point.

Unbelievable coaching job by Coach K. So much wasn't working, yet Coach had the guts to roll with Jefferson at C for a LONG time. And kudos to the bench for stepping up. Allen and Jefferson were amazing.

And of course, what can you say about Tyus Jones? MAN did he come up big!

And the defense for the last 3 minutes was unbelievable. In crunch time, we completely shut down the best offense in the country. Amazing. Just amazing!

[ChrisP]

I told my buddy today that I had a feeling someone from the Jefferson/M. Jones/Allen/Plumlee bunch would be the difference tonight (and later added, "Watch out for Grayson!). I love being right :cool:

[NM Duke Fan]

One of the best and most intense championship games ever. I had predicted a Duke 5 point win in the pre game discussion thread, but there were a few times I doubted my prediction would come true!

Allen was astounding and carried the team when it was on the ropes!

[Les Grossman]

Good thing I pack a portable De-fib. I think my heart stopped 3 or 4 times in the second half!

Great win by a great team and coach. And so much fun to experience as a fan!

So long and best of everything to QC, OK, Tyus and Justise. and Grayson, a star is born!

See you all next fall.

Duke Blue Devils, 2015 Nat'l Champs!

[TNTDevil]

Bo - be better than complaining about contact. Come on.Yeah, did not expect that from Bo. Reggie's comments were a more accurate assessment of what transpired.

[CoachJ10]

And lets not forget the 2 huge buckets okafor got in the last few mins. They were huge.

[pfrduke]

Yup, which is I think why the refs conveniently went with the inconclusive evidence argument.

But... WHO CARES? Wisconsin didn't hit the shots after that anyway. Lots of bad calls in the game. Crazy to pick out just one as a focal point.

Unbelievable coaching job by Coach K. So much wasn't working, yet Coach had the guts to roll with Jefferson at C for a LONG time. And kudos to the bench for stepping up. Allen and Jefferson were amazing.

And of course, what can you say about Tyus Jones? MAN did he come up big!

And the defense for the last 3 minutes was unbelievable. In crunch time, we completely shut down the best offense in the country. Amazing. Just amazing!

Not just rolling with Jefferson at the C, but with riding the hot hand and giving Grayson Allen 21 minutes. Would have been easy to stick with the rotation, but he saw the energy that kid was giving us and ran with it.

[Jackson]

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

[Udaman]

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!!!

[Elev8ion]

Really surprised Bo is going there....

Lot's of respect lost for him. I am sure it is tought, but the refs were terrible both ways.

[gus]

Bo Ryan just lost all his class points whining about referees...

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

[FerryFor50]

Yeah, did not expect that from Bo. Reggie's comments were a more accurate assessment of what transpired.

Well, prior to the game, all I was hearing was that "if Duke wins, it's just because they got the calls."

It's a no-win situation. Except when you win the title. :cool:

[azzefkram]

So happy right now. Awesome win by the team. Greyson and Tyus were unbelievable. Amile did a great job on Frank. Solid D from Quinn and Matt. So glad I can take off my Duke hoodie now. Florida really doesnt have weather now.

[CR9]

Where did you order from?

Fansedge

[dukebluesincebirth]

Yessss!!!!!!!!!! Yessssssss!!!!!!!!! Yesssssss!!

[FerryFor50]

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

Didn't he recruit Henry Ellenson? Who also wants to be a one and done?

[fc3]

Grayson Freaking Allen.

[crdaul]

My dog needs therapy now....doesn't like loud cursing.....

[Elev8ion]

Can someone find a dead horse for Bo???

[pfrduke]

Let's be clear. Even if Bo is right, I will take ALL THE CALLS and put them right next to the championship trophy in our hall of fame. 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.

[FerryFor50]

Seth making excuses for Bo. "Oh he just got into the media room."

Tough.

[Atlanta Duke]

Bilas says postgame not Wisconsin's finest hour

Did Bo make the "rent a player" jab?

[_Gary]

I honestly believe it can't be underestimated how much the years of "Duke gets all the calls" pushed via the media influences even well-seasoned coaches like Ryan. He just instinctively went there. Sad.

[77devil]

Yeah, did not expect that from Bo. Reggie's comments were a more accurate assessment of what transpired.

He's still whining about it in the presser. Also made acheap shot reference of "rent a player."

[crdaul]

Can someone find a dead horse for Bo???

How about some Wisconsin cheese to go with his whine...

[westwall]

Don't see a thread yet, so:

Tyus was fantastic down the stretch, BUT without Grayson's heroics that brought us back from a 9 point deficit, Tyus likely would not have had the opportunity. Thus, Grayson was the game-changer, and my Man of the Match!

[CDu]

Can't wait for the icey handshake next year when we play them.

[Duke95]

Seth making excuses for Bo. "Oh he just got into the media room."

Tough.

Great game for Duke. So happy tonight!!!!!

[FerryFor50]

HA

ESPN said Bo "hinted" at the officiating.

[JMorgan99]

Bit of a typo on the front page of DBR...
"An amazing second half by freshmen Grayson Allen and Tyus Jones leads Duke to its fifth national title since 1991 and second of this young century."

2001, 2010, 2015!!!

[Tjenkins]

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.

[Skitzle]

HA

ESPN said Bo "hinted" at the officiating.

Did he congratulate Duke or K and commend their tough play even once? What a .... I'd be a wanker so I'm not saying this.


That said.

WAHOO!!! When we were down 9 I thought it was over! 50 Shades and Tyus Stones.. WOW!

[gus]

Hey Bo - some Kentucky fans have a question about a shot clock violation? Wanna address that one ya hypocrite?

[TNTDevil]

Well, prior to the game, all I was hearing was that "if Duke wins, it's just because they got the calls."

It's a no-win situation. Except when you win the title. :cool:Word. I've been hearing about us "getting all the calls" for like...ever. Water off a duck's back to me. I hated the officiating too so, does that mean it was pretty good? Because both sides hated it? ;)

[mgtr]

I think this game was just as exciting as 2010, maybe more so, since I believed the whole time that we would beat Butler. I guess if I put my hand in the fire, I believed we would win this game, too. However, BG (Before Grayson, when we were down 9) I might have had some questions. Jeez, I hope Grayson doesn't declare for the draft!

[Rich]

YES!!!!!!!!

Of course it would be Tyus Stones. Of course.

The scoring burst by Grayson when Duke was down 8-9 points saved the game, though.

And Amile gave us such huge minutes at center down the stretch.

This. Surprised no one mentioned that playing the 5 the past few years gave Amile the experience to do it tonight.

[#1Duke]

We should just enjoy the win. If the score was reversed and we would have lost, every other post would have been a complaint about the refs…. no doubt about it. Be real, let it go.

We got our share of no calls. We won!!

[fuse]

Elated.
The reality so much better than the pre and in season expectations.

We got the win for Quinn!!!!!

[Newton_14]

Gonna toot my horn on the outcome. Said by me in the pre/in-game thread:

"So far my favorite analysis of tonight's game is Wisconsin had a healthy Dekker and Duke no longer has Rasheed. They seem to be ignoring how great Justise has played the last couple of months. I also think Grayson plays a big role tonight, not Billy McCaffery against Kansas big but Grayson is going to make a couple of big plays tonight."

Ok so Grayson played a bigger role than McCaffery in 1991.

Dude you are money and were spot on the entire stretch run to the title!

Mark "In NashvilleDevil I Trust" Newton!

[Duke95]

Grayson Allen signaled that he's going to be a star tonight. He came out on the biggest stage in college hoops and was absolutely brilliant.

Amile Jefferson is once again an unsung hero. What a kid. What an absolute teammate.

[pfrduke]

So proud of our guys. We coalesced around the eight and every single one of those eight made a huge contribution to the win. Jah was outplayed basically all game but he came up huge at the end.

[wavedukefan70s]

I'm at a loss for words. GO DUKE GO!

[superdave]

We held Wisconsin to 63 points in 60 possessions. By leaps and bounds their worst performance of the tournament and one of their 5 worst of the season (better than what we did in Madison).

Duke finishes 12th in AdjD on Ken Pom. Wisco remains #1 in AdjO but comes back in a little to 127.9.

[FerryFor50]

Duke finishes 12th in AdjD on Ken Pom. Wisco remains #1 in AdjO but comes back in a little to 127.9.

What's our "Gets all the calls" rating on KenPom now?

[dairedevil]

In the midst of joy, there is sadness. I really hate that we will never get to see this team play together again. It's been so much fun to watch them grow, different guys stepping up on different nights. This season has certainly been one of K's best coaching jobs - proving that eight is enough, if it is these eight guys.

I want to bask in this victory....


before basketball withdrawal starts...........and I begin to obsess about next season. How long till Midnight Madness??

[Rich]

Elated.
The reality so much better than the pre and in season expectations.

We got the win for Quinn!!!!!

What he said!!!!! :D

[jgehtland]

What's our "Gets all the calls" rating on KenPom now?

#1 with a bullet.

[DukeFanSince1990]

Unbelievable. My favorite team has won 5 national titles....and I saw them all. What a year Coach had, it seemed like every week he was breaking some kind of record, and to end the season like this.......wow.

[OZ]

Just announced that the Duke presser is coming up on ESPN.

[GGLC]

Matt and Amile played fantastic games for guys who scored a combined two points between them.

[Acymetric]

We should just enjoy the win. If the score was reversed and we would have lost, every other post would have been a complaint about the refs…. no doubt about it. Be real, let it go.

We got our share of no calls. We won!!

But would it have come from Coach K that way? I think a lot of people came into the game with a great deal of respect for Bo Ryan (and deservedly so), but I'm hard pressed to think of a more classless press conference from an NCAA runner up (not to mention hall of fame nominee) head coach.

Moving on to the important stuff, this game was INCREDIBLE! Back and forth, great even for someone who isn't invested. Loved seeing Grayson take over, I honestly believe we lose by double digits without his efforts in the 2nd half (of course someone else may have stepped up if he weren't in but we'll never know).

[Duke95]

What an absolutely amazing night. Congrats to Wisconsin on a great game. Superb play from Kaminsky. He's a class act.

[FerryFor50]

Matt and Amile played fantastic games for guys who scored a combined two points between them.

But Matt missed that open 3!!! <sarcasm>

[OZ]

Grayson Allen signaled that he's going to be a star tonight. He came out on the biggest stage in college hoops and was absolutely brilliant.

Amile Jefferson is once again an unsung hero. What a kid. What an absolute teammate.

Also signaled that he has the toughness to play on any stage. The kid is a keeper.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

I can't help but wonder how Rasheed experienced this game. I hope he was able to root for this team.

[Duke95]

But would it have come from Coach K that way? I think a lot of people came into the game with a great deal of respect for Bo Ryan (and deservedly so), but I'm hard pressed to think of a more classless press conference from an NCAA runner up (not to mention hall of fame nominee) head coach.

Moving on to the important stuff, this game was INCREDIBLE! Back and forth, great even for someone who isn't invested. Loved seeing Grayson take over, I honestly believe we lose by double digits without his efforts in the 2nd half (of course someone else may have stepped up if he weren't in but we'll never know).

Who cares about Bo Ryan? His kids have 10 times more class than he does. I don't think his lack of class should reflect poorly on his team. Wisconsin is a classy, classy team. Hats off to their program.

[Acymetric]

Grayson Allen signaled that he's going to be a star tonight. He came out on the biggest stage in college hoops and was absolutely brilliant.

Amile Jefferson is once again an unsung hero. What a kid. What an absolute teammate.

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.

[Furniture]

The thing about this team is that somebody almost always stepped up. Tonight Jahill and Winslow were taken out of the game then Grayson stepped up. Amile stepped up. Tysus stepped up.
Brilliant...bloody brilliant...

[pfrduke]

Those National Champions shirts are fantastic. I want one.

[ChrisP]

He's still whining about it in the presser. Also made acheap shot reference of "rent a player."

Man, "rent-a-player"? What a jerk. Losing lots of respect for Bo tonight :mad:

[#1Duke]

Also signaled that he has the toughness to play on any stage. The kid is a keeper.

He was fearless!!

[Mabdul Doobakus]

I'm a little behind on my ESPN/press conference coverage. I'm not a big fan of having the losing college kids sit through a press conference. Bo Ryan, meanwhile...get a grip, dude.

[TampaDukie]

Incredible! I'm so incredibly proud of this team. Indescribably proud. I spent all day so excited for the game, and even when we got down 9, I knew we were going to win. I've felt it since the tournament started. So congrats Coach K, Quinn, and the rest of this amazing team.

And Grayson and Tyus. OMG!

Congrats to Wisconsin on a great season, but SMH forever at Bo Ryan.

[mgtr]

But would it have come from Coach K that way? I think a lot of people came into the game with a great deal of respect for Bo Ryan (and deservedly so), but I'm hard pressed to think of a more classless press conference from an NCAA runner up (not to mention hall of fame nominee) head coach.

Since Calipari was put into the Hall of Fame, I have lost a lot of respect for that organization. As I stated in another thread, he is a carnival huckster.

[duke74]

So far, every question to Grayson...coming out party!

[gwlaw99]

Just looked at the replay of the out of bounds call. Koenig's left arm swings in a windmill down and slaps Winslow on the arm and head and then his hand pushes Winslow on the lower back. Then he brings it back and slaps Winslow on the head a second time. It was off Winslow but he was fouled hard before that.

[CoachJ10]

Love Quin in the presser. One of the greatest kids we've had.

[pfrduke]

Incredible! I'm so incredibly proud of this team. Indescribably proud. I spent all day so excited for the game, and even when we got down 9, I knew we were going to win. I've felt it since the tournament started. So congrats Coach K, Quinn, and the rest of this amazing team.

And Grayson and Tyus. OMG!

Congrats to Wisconsin on a great season, but SMH forever at Bo Ryan.

More power to you. I was pretty darn worried when we were down 9. Incredible poise to come back, and incredible shot-making by the freshmen.

[Tjenkins]

Bo Ryan's sour grapes can't kill my buzz!

[cspan37421]

Tonight's game is a great example of why bench players need to be ready to contribute at any time. Earlier in the year, losing Semi and Rasheed, our bench players got a little more burn and knew they had to be ready. Tonight was a bit unexpected, how much we would have to play without Okafor and to a degree, Winslow. Allen and Jefferson answered the call big-time. Allen always brings it hard, but I'm most pleased for Jefferson, whose role diminished through the season. Amile WAS READY and he delivered.

Tyus was amazing, but for man of just this match, well, Grayson definitely makes a case. We needed Tyus' scoring, but I have to say, a lot of those shots looked pretty wild going up, with him not being squared up, kicking a leg out, etc. He rattled a few home, to be sure, but I'm amazed how many of those things he did hit. If they had rattled out we'd be talking how ill-advised they were.

MVP is Coach K though. Coach K is amazingly adaptable - to the talent on his roster, to the game situation, to rules changes, to what is working and what is not. Think about it: how much did he play zone this year? How many other coaches could swallow their pride and admit that their vastly preferred defense just wasn't going to work for this particular team? How many coaches could manage the game for so long without his two best starters? How many can bring home a national championship giving out so many minutes to freshmen?

Let's see if Bo reconsiders his comments in a day or two. I'm sure it hurts like heck. His team was following a storybook ending that ended bitterly. He was probably blind to the equally-uneven officiating by his loyalty to his team and his stake in the game. There were a number of BS foul calls on Duke (Winslow's 2nd; Okafor's 3rd, ...) that he's probably not considering when he thinks of bad calls (or no calls) against his guys. I don't think he was watching super-slo-mo while coaching, nor does he have multiple angles, so I bet there's a lot that he feels certain about that he really can't know for sure until he does. Anyway, textbook case of how to not handle a postgame interview in a loss. Look, it's not like people didn't recognize officiating issues in the semi-finals, and that those affected all teams. I believe even before this game people here have pointed out the need to have professional officials. OK, enough on that.

Congratulations boys. Fellow alums, expect a Duke Annual Fund email in 3, 2, 1, ....

[NashvilleDevil]

Wisconsin benefited from a missed out of bounds play in the B1G tournament. Also a B1G coach complaining about physical play is hilarious.

[COYS]

I just love how our past two championship runs have really flipped the script. In 09, we were coming off a loss to Villanova in the sweet 16, we lost Gerald and Elliot in the offseason, watched UNC win the title, and lost out on the game changing point guard we "needed" to be elite, again in John Wall. Then, in November, Harrison Barnes commits to UNC. We're stuck with only three guards (thanks, Andre!) and no dynamic point guard to break down defenses. Then we come out and win the title playing the slowest pace Duke has ever played and playing a defensive style Duke had never played before with Jon, the anti John Wall in terms of style, leading the way.

This year, after three years of surprisingly subpar defense and two first round losses (a serious tragedy for Duke fans, lucky for us), we have to replace our top scorers. Our recruiting class is phenomenal, but they're freshman. Can they learn Duke defense? Despite some early success, the team flies under the radar as people speculate as to whether UK can beat the 76ers. Then, NC state and Miami happen and it seems clear that defense is once again Duke's Achilles Heel. While no Duke fan was ready to give up on the season, no one could foresee what would happen. K played zone, he played sagging man, he played matchup zone, we employed a zone press. K did things many experienced fans could never dream we'd see. In the back of our minds, we worried that this was all an attempt to hide our biggest weakness.

And then, the end of the season approaches and we're suddenly an amazing man to man team. In fact, we win our first five tourney games on the back of our DEFENSE! Then, in the title game, our star freshmen Justise and Jahlil get into foul trouble, Jahlil struggles, and we're playing the best offense in college basketball over the past decade (per KenPom). We actually have to go back to some zone schemes to protect our players. We go down by 9 and The FOURTH freshman, Grayson, who is only playing because Rasheed was dismissed, comes in and has himself a game. 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.

Just proof that you really can never know how a championship season is going to unfold. With maybe the exception of 1992, it never goes exactly as planned.

[Newton_14]

Yup, which is I think why the refs conveniently went with the inconclusive evidence argument.

But... WHO CARES? Wisconsin didn't hit the shots after that anyway. Lots of bad calls in the game. Crazy to pick out just one as a focal point.

Unbelievable coaching job by Coach K. So much wasn't working, yet Coach had the guts to roll with Jefferson at C for a LONG time. And kudos to the bench for stepping up. Allen and Jefferson were amazing.

And of course, what can you say about Tyus Jones? MAN did he come up big!

And the defense for the last 3 minutes was unbelievable. In crunch time, we completely shut down the best offense in the country. Amazing. Just amazing!

With 3 to go, I remembered that Wisc had been killing it in the last 5 minutes of these games on offense and I muttered to myself "time to change that narrative devils, here we go"

Let's get it Devils! They got it by playing suffocating defense the last 4 minutes and pushing tempo on the other side. Then High Pick & Roll in half court. How bout that? The one play that has destroyed us since 2012 and we changed that narrative and made it a weapon for us!

I said 2010 was K's best coaching job ever. He trumped that in 2015! Amazing man! Amazing coach! Amazing team!

Duke Blue Devils 2015 National Champions

Who's joining me in Cameron Indoor tomorrow for the celebration?

[FerryFor50]

Somebody check Bo Ryan's blood pressure. I think he overdosed on SALT tonight.

[bjornolf]

Seeing how much trouble Jahlil had and how awesome Grayson was, I wonder if Wisconsin prepared so well for Okafur but had no idea what to do with Allen, who just came out of nowhere on them.

[gurufrisbee]

I LOVE THIS TEAM!!!

What a run! What a season! There are just are no words right now. I'm in awe and overjoyed. So sweet!

GO BLUE DEVILS!!!

BLUE DEVILS FOREVER!!!

[ChrisP]

Enough about that Ryan doofus...CONGRATS to the 2014-15 Blue Devils!!!

Everyone of our 8 scholarship players played an important role tonight. Jah looked nervous and seemed very frustrated near the end, but came up with 2 HUGE buckets. Amile played just amazing D on Kaminsky (and I can't believe I'm saying it, but Oak's foul trouble may have been a key to the win). Grayson = major cajones and heart (obvs). Tyus...wowza. Plumlee with some nice D and solid minutes. Winslow with some great blocks and excellent defense. Quinn wasn't his best on offense, but played great D and grabbed more boads than Jah!

True team effort and such heart to come back from 9 down to a GREAT Wiscy team.

[wilson]

Take away any of the 8 scholarship players, and our school does not win this championship. Every single one made at least one championship play.
How beautiful?
We are blessed.

[mgtr]

I just love how our past two championship runs have really flipped the script. In 09, we were coming off a loss to Villanova in the sweet 16, we lost Gerald and Elliot in the offseason, watched UNC win the title, and lost out on the game changing point guard we "needed" to be elite, again in John Wall. Then, in November, Harrison Barnes commits to UNC. We're stuck with only three guards (thanks, Andre!) and no dynamic point guard to break down defenses. Then we come out and win the title playing the slowest pace Duke has ever played and playing a defensive style Duke had never played before with Jon, the anti John Wall in terms of style, leading the way.

This year, after three years of surprisingly subpar defense and two first round losses (a serious tragedy for Duke fans, lucky for us), we have to replace our top scorers. Our recruiting class is phenomenal, but they're freshman. Can they learn Duke defense? Despite some early success, the team flies under the radar as people speculate as to whether UK can beat the 76ers. Then, NC state and Miami happen and it seems clear that defense is once again Duke's Achilles Heel. While no Duke fan was ready to give up on the season, no one could foresee what would happen. K played zone, he played sagging man, he played matchup zone, we employed a zone press. K did things many experienced fans could never dream we'd see. In the back of our minds, we worried that this was all an attempt to hide our biggest weakness.

And then, the end of the season approaches and we're suddenly an amazing man to man team. In fact, we win our first five tourney games on the back of our DEFENSE! Then, in the title game, our star freshmen Justise and Jahlil get into foul trouble, Jahlil struggles, and we're playing the best offense in college basketball over the past decade (per KenPom). We actually have to go back to some zone schemes to protect our players. We go down by 9 and The FOURTH freshman, Grayson, who is only playing because Rasheed was dismissed, comes in and has himself a game. 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.

Just proof that you really can never know how a championship season is going to unfold. With maybe the exception of 1992, it never goes exactly as planned.

Excellent, actually outstanding, summary of our season and championship. Good going!

[superdave]

We knew all season this team had the talent to do this. But we did not know if they would put it all together.

The defense they played for 6 games was legendary and banner worthy. They got better the last two months. The last 6 games they swarmed and hustled and played fearless defense. It really was a thing of beauty.

You could sense it after the SDSU game and it just kept building. We were the hot team down the stretch of the season, into the tournament and to the title. What a special thing to watch. What a great gift from the guys to give to Coach K. What a great gift for Quinn to finish his career this way. What a great way for role players to lead the defensive effort tonight in a team effort. I am so proud of these guys for buying in, learning, taking criticism and growing together. They trusted each other.

Very grateful for this team!

[subzero02]

Are there any press conference links?? net cutting??

[pfrduke]

Take away any of the 8 scholarship players, and our school does not win this championship. Every single one made at least one championship play.
How beautiful?
We are blessed.

100% agree on this. All of the guys made such huge contributions.

[mgtr]

So, how are the folks over at IC? Melting down, are they?

[superdave]

Who's joining me in Cameron Indoor tomorrow for the celebration?

I am likely to make the drive and take my parents. Wont know details of time until tomorrow morning. 1pm maybe?

[cspan37421]

Who cares about Bo Ryan? His kids have 10 times more class than he does. I don't think his lack of class should reflect poorly on his team. Wisconsin is a classy, classy team. Hats off to their program.

This is a really good point. Thanks for the reminder, Duke95.

I suspect/hope B.R. will regret his whining tonight but time will tell. Notice how K said at halftime that we couldn't get Wisconsin to foul. He didn't say the refs weren't calling the fouls that occurred. Huge difference in approach. Reminds me of what they said about Calipari - he got so wound up about the refs that he lost focus, and maybe his team lost focus as a result.

Normally I'd agree with another poster - that a B1G team complaining about physical play - that's rich. But I'm not so sure it applies to Wisconsin. They came in with an extremely efficient offense and a mediocre defense. This Wisconsin team isn't the 50-points-per-game, bang-you-up Badger team of yesteryear. Not hardly.

[Reisen]

and ESPN tries to cut away from K's conference to a freaking baseball game.

Agreed that the basketball gods just spoke!

[pfrduke]

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.

[TampaDukie]

We should just enjoy the win. If the score was reversed and we would have lost, every other post would have been a complaint about the refs…. no doubt about it. Be real, let it go.

We got our share of no calls. We won!!

We're fans. Complaining is what we do best. But I would have been embarrassed and appalled if K had given a presser like that. It does not reflect well.

[pfrduke]

K gets it (no surprise): "Amile was a better defender against Kaminsky than Jah would be."

[FerryFor50]

This is a really good point. Thanks for the reminder, Duke95.

I suspect/hope B.R. will regret his whining tonight but time will tell. Notice how K said at halftime that we couldn't get Wisconsin to foul. He didn't say the refs weren't calling the fouls that occurred. Huge difference in approach. Reminds me of what they said about Calipari - he got so wound up about the refs that he lost focus, and maybe his team lost focus as a result.

Normally I'd agree with another poster - that a B1G team complaining about physical play - that's rich. But I'm not so sure it applies to Wisconsin. They came in with an extremely efficient offense and a mediocre defense. This Wisconsin team isn't the 50-points-per-game, bang-you-up Badger team of yesteryear. Not hardly.

But they still get a lot of benefit of the doubt in the B1G. And in this game, lots of uncalled contact on drives.

That's just how it goes. No one gets *all* the calls.

[Acymetric]

K gets it (no surprise): "Amile was a better defender against Kaminsky than Jah would be."

Spoiler alert! I am apparently about a minute behind ;)

[ChrisP]

Ya know, people (especially the haters) are going to be talking about Winslow's fingertip until Football season, but it sure looked to me like Justise got fouled by the Wisconsin player before that. He went up strong for the rebound, had two hands on the ball, and the Wiscy guy smacks into his arm and knocked the ball loose. I know I've seen fouls called in similar situations before. Yes, it went off Winslow's finger, but I guess the refs didn't think they saw definitive evidence. And there were plenty of bad calls both ways. Hate it that the refs missed the Winslow play but...we won one for the thumb!!! :cool:

[striker219]

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?

[FerryFor50]

Ya know, people (especially the haters) are going to be talking about Winslow's fingertip until Football season, but it sure looked to me like Justise got fouled by the Wisconsin player before that. He went up strong for the rebound, had two hands on the ball, and the Wiscy guy smacks into his arm and knocked the ball loose. I know I've seen fouls called in similar situations before. Yes, it went off Winslow's finger, but I guess the refs didn't think they saw definitive evidence. And there were plenty of bad calls both ways. Hate it that the refs missed the Winslow play but...we won one for the thumb!!! :cool:

I really think they saw Winslow hit it last. But they probably also saw the whack on his arm and called it a wash. Easy to cop out with "no definitive evidence" there. Duke misses out on Koenig getting foul #4 and FTs. Wisconsin doesn't get the ball. Evens out.

[CDu]

HA

ESPN said Bo "hinted" at the officiating.


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?

Patrick Davidson.

[DesertDevil]

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?


Grayson Tyus?

[BlueandWhite]

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.

Great reflection - exactly how I felt - the Seton Hall loss in '89 followed by the 30 pt UNLV blowout in '90 were rough. Then, Duke 79 UNLV 77, Indianapolis 1991, the greatest win in Duke sports history, and now here we are, 24 years and 5 national titles later!

[JamminJoe]

I was actually thinking today that we would need a superhuman effort in order to beat WI, because we shot lights out in the first meeting. And I was thinking, we need something like Grayson Allen's performance against Wake Forest this year. That's crazy to think that that's what happened.

Most enjoyable Duke season ever.

[duke80]

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. Wow.
Our team could have folded under the pressure of it all. But no, in the end they rose to the occasion. Wow.

I bet a patient of mine $1 on the game. I may hang onto the $1 for a while. I think it is the first sporting bet I have made. 1 for 1. Thanks for the fun to a team that stuck together through thick and thin and never, ever gave up!!!

Did Bo actually say 'rent a players' about guys who were all in and team first??????????????? Proud of Duke tonight. Coach K competes hard, hard, hard but is a class act and shows grace when he loses. Rubs off on the players and even me a little watching him and our team over the years.

[Henderson]

I'm channelling my inner Marcus Paige tonight.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2WisXFOD8Jk

[Duke95]

Honestly, the last things we should take away from this game are Bo Ryan's comments.
This was an incredible game, where kids stepped up to do amazing things, and our upperclassmen sacrificed everything for the team. And the result was magnificent.

[devildeac]

Makeup call for Okafor's 4th.

Only because Winslow was grabbed/held/fouled on the play.

[FerryFor50]

Honestly, the last things we should take away from this game are Bo Ryan's comments.
This was an incredible game, where kids stepped up to do amazing things, and our upperclassmen sacrificed everything for the team. And the result was magnificent.

How about Bronson Koenig's?


@BronsonK_24: Trying to keep my chin up n all but it's a little sore, not sure why

Trickle down class.

[gwlaw99]

So, how are the folks over at IC? Melting down, are they?

They are all starting threads on the Wisconsin boards about how the refs won the game for us. The Wisconsin fans are telling them to go away.

[Duke95]

How about Bronson Koenig's?



Trickle down class.

Come on, man, I'm trying my best to be nice to them.

[FerryFor50]

Come on, man, I'm trying my best to be nice to them.

Hey, I didn't say it. ;)

[tbyers11]

I really think they saw Winslow hit it last. But they probably also saw the whack on his arm and called it a wash. Easy to cop out with "no definitive evidence" there. Duke misses out on Koenig getting foul #4 and FTs. Wisconsin doesn't get the ball. Evens out.

Pretty sure that the refs have their own video feed to look at. I don't think they have the capability to look at the super slo-mo freeze frame that CBS showed that was the only view where it appeared definitive. Every other regular speed and normal slo-mo angle was not conclusive. I think that is why the refs made the call that they did of not enough evidence to overturn it.

in the end, one call didn't make the difference.
- Grayson coming up big with the 3, the near steal that forced a foul, and the and-one drive when we got down 9
- Jah with 2 big buckets after coming back into the game with 4 fouls
- Tyus with so many huge shots down the stretch
- Most importantly, great TEAM defense the last 4 minutes of the game

Woohoo!! One for the thumb!!!!

[subzero02]

I would like to hear the ref's explanation on the Winslow ball off fingertips call. Did they see the review that was shown on tv? Who controls their video feed?

[El_Diablo]

4984

[bedeviled]

10 minutes to 1AM (after a late night Championship), and the Fire Dept. is putting out the sanctioned bonfire.
#MissTheGoodOlDays #30for30IHateNan ;)

[FerryFor50]

I would like to hear the ref's explanation on the Winslow ball off fingertips call. Did they see the review that was shown on tv? Who controls their video feed?

Obviously, the Duke Illuminati.

[JetpackJesus]

I really think they saw Winslow hit it last. But they probably also saw the whack on his arm and called it a wash. Easy to cop out with "no definitive evidence" there. Duke misses out on Koenig getting foul #4 and FTs. Wisconsin doesn't get the ball. Evens out.

Winslow was also smacked in the head. He was fouled no less than three times before the ball went out of bounds.

[devildeac]

Kenny Smith said it best... The best 4 freshman this year were in Durham, not Lexington.

Best Duke freshman class ever!!!

Kenny said it best when he said "Duke, Duke, Duke."

[NYBri]

Grayson Frickin' Allen!!!!!!

How great was this season!!!!!

[OldSchool]

I think my favorite moment of the game, other than when the clock hit double zeros, was at 5:36 of the second half.

K told Justise to stay in the corner and then practically jumped out onto the court to tell Tyus to hand the ball to Grayson.

So following orders, Grayson came around Tyus who handed him the ball at the top of the key.

And Grayson simply took Gasser. He took him to rack, ate his lunch and took his dessert too.

I think, even with so many freshmen playing key roles, that by the end of the season K knew this team really, really well and knew just what buttons to push and when.

[Furniture]

Ya know, people (especially the haters) are going to be talking about Winslow's fingertip until Football season, but it sure looked to me like Justise got fouled by the Wisconsin player before that. He went up strong for the rebound, had two hands on the ball, and the Wiscy guy smacks into his arm and knocked the ball loose. I know I've seen fouls called in similar situations before. Yes, it went off Winslow's finger, but I guess the refs didn't think they saw definitive evidence. And there were plenty of bad calls both ways. Hate it that the refs missed the Winslow play but...we won one for the thumb!!! :cool:

Who cares? It doesn't matter. It's Irrelevant. It's over. Duke won.

[pfrduke]

Kenny said it best when he said "Duke, Duke, Duke."

This was 100% my favorite moment of the post-game.

[JetpackJesus]

10 minutes to 1AM (after a late night Championship), and the Fire Dept. is putting out the sanctioned bonfire.
#MissTheGoodOlDays #30for30IHateNan ;)

Better than when the fire department turned the hoses on students on senior night in 2006. This after the fire marshal tried to take the entire front row of student section away before the game because it' was a "fire hazard" for the first time ever.

[FerryFor50]

Wow. Duke scored 68 points. Freshmen scored 60.

[OldSchool]

I would like to hear the ref's explanation on the Winslow ball off fingertips call. Did they see the review that was shown on tv? Who controls their video feed?

By the time CBS finally showed the close-up, super slo-mo version, the refs were done reviewing it and had moved on to explaining their decision and getting on with the game.

[pfrduke]

Also, sneaky best post-game press conference moment: "I don't see how you could have been better than we could down the stretch. Except for Tyus taking it in for that layup instead of taking it to the sideline and I wanted to break his neck."

[grateful_duke]

What a masterful coaching job by K tonight.

I mentioned earlier that I thought Grayson was going to be the x-factor tonight... him along with Tyus...wow... what a 2nd by them. One for the books!!!

What a great season! Congratulations everyone!!!!!:cool:

[Furniture]

Saw a post on Twitter that Wisconsin were wearing swimming trunks. I knew something was bothering me about there kit. I mean how can you be a national champ wearing swimming trunks?

[wsb3]

Also, sneaky best post-game press conference moment: "I don't see how you could have been better than we could down the stretch. Except for Tyus taking it in for that layup instead of taking it to the sideline and I wanted to break his neck."

Loved that. I wanted to break his neck as well..:) Wow. I am going to go out on a limb here & say I am one of the older posters here. 11 National Championship games I have watched with my heart on my sleeve. 5 National championships when I wondered for so long if I would see one.

Wow! My niece who I raised many years ago to love Duke ask if we are going to Cameron again tomorrow. Why not. When anyone hears of the time for the ceremony to welcome the team please share.

GO DUKE. A cold beer never tasted so good.

[Clay Feet POF]

we should just enjoy the win. If the score was reversed and we would have lost, every other post would have been a complaint about the refs…. No doubt about it. Be real, let it go.

We got our share of no calls. We won!!


plus tax

[Billy Dat]

I just read through the thread having watched the game away from home and what a pleasure it was. I root for a lot of teams, but this team is the one that I love the most, partially due to the alma matter connection, but also because it's the one that always delivers for me as a fan, a consistent beacon of excellence and pure effort that inspires, thrills and captivates me. Being able to share it with you fine folks is a big part of the experience too.

Now that this team has won a title, and we consider the events of this season - the freshman class hype and Jah as POY candidate from Day 1, Early season excellence capped by the win at Wisconsin, the "losing streak", the Louisville must-win and the zone, K's 1000th fueled by an epic comeback that was one of many including Virginia, UNC and Syracuse, Semi and Rasheed's departures, sweeping the Heels, the OT win in Blacksburg, the odd semi final loss in the ACCs, the miraculous emergence of the defense and the bench (we played 8!, 8 is Enough!), the romp through the NCAAs, Winslow's explosion..and then tonight:

K at the height of his powers, a master in full command
Tyus Jones doing what he did against UW in Madison, in front of 70,000
Grayson Allen saving the game by stopping the bleeding
Amile draining the fuel from the Tank
Jah redeeming his night with two late buckets and some D
Matt Jones and Quinn Cook working so so so so hard on defense
Justise making his mark in the final 5 with brilliant effort and ferocious physicality
Marshall, shots aside, doing whatever needed to be done

I can't believe what happened on that court tonight, and the season these guys just had.

We are so freakin lucky to love this team/program.

[cspan37421]

Saw a post on Twitter that Wisconsin were wearing swimming trunks. I knew something was bothering me about there kit. I mean how can you be a national champ wearing swimming trunks?

and their dance tights, too, don't forget.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

What a masterful coaching job by K tonight.

I mentioned earlier that I thought Grayson was going to be the x-factor tonight... him along with Tyus...wow... what a 2nd by them. One for the books!!!

What a great season! Congratulations everyone!!!!!:cool:
I would say a masterful job by Coach K all year long. The adjustments he made. The tough situations he managed. The new defensive tricks he learned! 😜 The whole season was a magical performance for him. Just incredible.

[MulletMan]

Holy...

I mean...

Glorious.

What an awesome season. So glad that got to see this team win a title...especially Quinn. There are no words right now.

Oh...and Duke gets all the calls. No one's gonna stop running with that narrative, so I'm gonna just embrace it. The refs made Decker miss all his threes too.

DDMF!

[moonpie23]

after 3 glasses of malbec, (when 1 1/2 is my limit), what does it say about me that i had more fun over on IC and CATS PAWS for the first hour after th game rather than my friends here on DBR...


amazing year, amazing win, just......amazing...


it's all so surreal....

[Troublemaker]

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.


K gets it (no surprise): "Amile was a better defender against Kaminsky than Jah would be."

Yeah, Coach K even said in the postgame that the foul trouble probably accidentally helped Duke because it forced him into finding that ultra-smallball lineup that performed so well.


Also, sneaky best post-game press conference moment: "I don't see how you could have been better than we could down the stretch. Except for Tyus taking it in for that layup instead of taking it to the sideline and I wanted to break his neck."

I also loved when he mentioned that he'd be looking at the game film later. What a stud coach.

[pfrduke]

Yeah, Coach K even said in the postgame that the foul trouble probably accidentally helped Duke because it forced him into finding that ultra-smallball lineup that performed so well.



I also loved when he mentioned that he'd be looking at the game film later. What a stud coach.

Jah was -5 on the game. Duke was +10 when he was on the bench.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Before the game I saw where Dekker was shooting so much better in the tournament than the season. I thought it had to start to even out. It did.

I also actually thought that Grayson could be a big player. In my mind I saw him hitting a three to win the game. He may have done better than that.

To me this is a BIG WIN for Coach K. I thought that last year was not one of his better years, but this year was. And I thought that before the Final Four. He said before this season that in reviewing season last he saw that he need to make "adjustments." To me the biggest adjustment was changing Quinn Cook's role and getting him to buy into it.

The courage tonight of Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen was unbelievable. And Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson were huge on defense. Obviously we don't get there without Jah and Winslow. Quinn led the team and there were times when we really needed Marshall. WHAT A TEAM!!!!!

Question: Have 3 brothers ever won a basketball NC at the same school?

SoCal

[SharkD]

Wow! My niece who I raised many years ago to love Duke ask if we are going to Cameron again tomorrow. Why not. When anyone hears of the time for the ceremony to welcome the team please share.

3:30pm is what I've heard.

[Elev8ion]

Man, "rent-a-player"? What a jerk. Losing lots of respect for Bo tonight :mad:

Yes, evidently Bo told Diamond Stone that Bucky didn't do "rent-a-player" and that's the REAL reason he chose to go to Maryland instead of Wisconsin....who had been recruiting him heavily.

[Dukerati]

Deliriously happy with the win. I wish officiating was not part of the conversation but unfortunately, too many big calls for it not to be. Still, it takes nothing away from our amazing stretch run performance.

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?

[wilson]

Deliriously happy with the win. I wish officiating was not part of the conversation but unfortunately, too many big calls for it not to be. Still, it takes nothing away from our amazing stretch run performance.

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?Similarly to Carlos' broken foot in 2001, I wouldn't have wished that moment on the player, but no, I think there's no chance of this title without Rasheed's dismissal.

[gumbomoop]

I thought our bench would be one of several keys. Bob Green, possibly others, also posted to that effect. My hope was that our bench would "trounce" theirs in minutes, points, rebounds. And that if we did, we would likely win. They did, and they did.

The totals: Duke bench had 51 minutes, 18 points (mostly Grayson), 9 rebounds (mostly Amile), and 3 Amile blocks. Wisconsin totals were 23 minutes, 7 points, 6 rebounds. I expected some points from Grayson, but not 16.

Others here will justifiably point to other important factors, especially D. Matt looked lost on O, but with Amile, strong on D; led by those 2, Duke was fierce on D, holding Wisconsin to 15 points in the final 13 minutes.

The slogan the team seems to have adopted late in the season, or maybe during the NCAAT itself, was "8 is enough." Maybe Grayson's 27 v. Wake convinced K that 7 wasn't enough. I'm glad K didn't think 6.5 was enough, as it wasn't.

The bench wasn't quite the key, but it was a very big key.

[papa whiskey]

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?

Cinco?

[Kedsy]

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.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

I honestly believe it can't be underestimated how much the years of "Duke gets all the calls" pushed via the media influences even well-seasoned coaches like Ryan. He just instinctively went there. Sad.

Izzo also did it a little on Saturday night.

[Wander]

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.

I learned in 2010 that there are simply no rules about who can and can't win a championship other than to just have a really good team*. This year reinforces that.

*And even that's questionable, cough uconn cough

[OZ]

"rent-a-player"?

What does that even mean?

[weezie]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO

It's 2:00am and we just got back to hotel and man oh man this is suuuweeeet!

Holy moley it's a miracle.

Bo Ryan, go chase yourself.

BURNNNNNN.

[Troublemaker]

Am I too caught up in the moment, or was this the best team Duke's had since 2001?

So consistently clutch down the stretch of games, so strong both offensively and defensively, one of the deepest Duke teams Coach K's had, and a national champion in a strong year for college basketball. (Unlike the ridiculously weak field that UNC will attempt to win against next season.)

[gumbomoop]

Feel for Wisconsin players, and Bo, too, despite his off-key comments in postgame. Except for clutch O by Grayson and Tyus, and relentless Amile/Matt D last 10-12 minutes, the Badgers might well have been deserving champs.

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. K has repeatedly said his '86 team would kick butt against all his other great teams. Maybe, maybe not, but that one still hurts, so I hope Wisconsin's great, great run through a gauntlet of talented teams in this tourney will be recognized and praised by pundits and opposing fans, and remembered with great pride and fondness by Wisconsin fans.

Congratulations to a Wisconsin team that is fun to watch, easy to root for, worthy of great respect.

[InSpades]

When they said "Grayson is the best driver on the team" I kind of laughed. Justise is a great driver. Tyus is a great driver. Grayson barely plays...

He was incredible though. They couldn't keep up w/ him. Sometimes he did it off a screen, sometimes he just knew his man couldn't stay in front of him. Then when he got to the basket he either got fouled or scored (and sometimes both).

That was something special. Tyus was special but we've come to expect that out of Tyus. Grayson? Are you for real?

Work on your 3-point shot. Hit the weight room. Kid could be something real special. And we may really need that next year!

[NashvilleDevil]

Coach K has now won the last three title games he has coached in. I'm still wrapping my head around 5 titles for Duke. 5! 29 years ago I was a devestated 8 year old after the loss to Louisville. Tonight I'm a giddy 38 year old, husband and father of 2 that cannot stop smiling that this team won it all! What an awesome ride we went on with them this year.

[OZ]

Honestly, the last things we should take away from this game are Bo Ryan's comments.
This was an incredible game, where kids stepped up to do amazing things, and our upperclassmen sacrificed everything for the team. And the result was magnificent.


Agree totally. The refs did NOT decide this game tonight. BOTH teams played their guts out and left everything on the floor. Congratulations to Wisconsin for a great year and a great game. Tonight eight great and fearless young men REFUSED to lose. Facing a nine point deficit and momentum seeming going against them, they sucked it up and found a way to win. Tonight, the BEST team won... period!

[peloton]

I'm very late to the party, because I just got back from a party. What kind of party you might ask...let's watch Duke win the 2015 NCAA National Championship kind of party - that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. It's a beautiful thing; especially when you have each and every teammate make some valuable contribution. Sure, there were those who contributed more offensively, but as others in this thread have stated before me, this group epitomizes the team concept. Wow...what an incredible display of heart and determination by both teams with their respective runs. I have to give major props to the Badgers who were every bit as tough/competitive as I thought they'd be. We were truly fortunate (not lucky) to have that last run in us, but it was due to a bunch of guys who played with an amazing will to win and who made some plays when they really needed to. I'll be honest...when we were down by 9 in the 2nd half I was a bit nervous (who wouldn't be?) but I didn't really think that we'd lost the game at that point. There was plenty of time for another run with some good shots and solid defense...plus, we have a guy coaching this team that's "pretty good". Congrats to the team, Coach K, and all my fellow Duke fans...it was a wonderful ride this season that I for one will never forget.

I'm not very sleepy for some reason (didn't have enough adult bevs obviously)...I suspect I'll end up lying in bed for a good while before actually going to sleep. Anyone else having the same problem by chance? :)

[gumbomoop]

What does that even mean?

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.

I hope not including Grayson.......

[archand1]

What really got us here? It started with the clutch free throws against UNLV. Then, that great pass full court for a last second shot. I think the next hurdle was that injury where we were forced to play small with a little known PG in the starting lineup. Afterwards, being glaringly unathletic forced three upperclassmen to carry the scoring load while the others rebounded and defended well. The pivotal moment, however, was when the least heralded freshman on the team put us on his back to storm back and take control of the game. The end.

[Troublemaker]

Feel for Wisconsin players, and Bo, too, despite his off-key comments in postgame. Except for clutch O by Grayson and Tyus, and relentless Amile/Matt D last 10-12 minutes, the Badgers might well have been deserving champs.

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. K has repeatedly said his '86 team would kick butt against all his other great teams. Maybe, maybe not, but that one still hurts, so I hope Wisconsin's great, great run through a gauntlet of talented teams in this tourney will be recognized and praised by pundits and opposing fans, and remembered with great pride and fondness by Wisconsin fans.

Congratulations to a Wisconsin team that is fun to watch, easy to root for, worthy of great respect.

Indeed. Congrats to the Badgers. They were definitely a great team this season. I'm not completely sure Duke would've taken a 7-game series against them, but I'm glad we won Game 1. (Or, I guess Game 2, but the game in Madison was so long ago, and both teams are so different.)

[COYS]

I could understand it is too close to criticizing OADs, and thus by implication our frosh.

I hope not including Grayson.......

I could be wrong, but I think we're safe on Grayson coming back.

I'm still savoring tonight. But I will say that if our three freshman stars leave, the Grayson show promises to be pretty dang entertaining next season.

[Olympic Fan]

after 3 glasses of malbec, (when 1 1/2 is my limit), what does it say about me that i had more fun over on IC and CATS PAWS for the first hour after th game rather than my friends here on DBR....

Well, I did start on DBR, but I couldn't pass up the chance to visit Idiot Central and slurp their pain (their whine is much tastier than any wine in my cupboard).

It was delicious -- once again, we didn't win ... we were handed the title by the refs ... we only had to beat one decent team in the tournament, blah blah blah. I loved how they kept posting disgruntled tweets by former UNC players to bolster their perception that it was all the refs. Yeah, Deems May, that's a credible source.

I especially loved their description of the game -- Duke was getting beat until K's halftime interview, when he complained about the officials and after that, Duke got all the calls.

Wow, what a great, powerful coach!

[subzero02]

Those 6 points by Grayson to bring us to 48-45 from a 9 point deficit of 48-39 were special. none of their perimeter players could really check him. If Grayson can improve his handle he could be a dominant force in conference next year.

[OZ]

I'm not completely sure Duke would've taken a 7-game series against them, but I'm glad we won Game 1.


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.

[martydoesntfoul]

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.

Found this classic line from a Kevin Trahan write-up on SBNation a little bit ago:

"Elsewhere in Wisconsin sports, the Badgers were extremely successful in 'renting' Russell Wilson."

You may have also seen the fine senator from MO weigh in on the topic, unleashing a mini-fury on herself in the process...

[mr. synellinden]

A few things to reflect on:

Since the Notre Dame loss and Sulaimon dismissal, Duke was 18-1, starting with the huge comeback at UVA - a preview of Duke's ability to dominate in the last 5 minutes of games. I think Coach K knew what he was doing.

If you go back and watch the game again, play close attention to the defense Jefferson and Matt Jones played during the last 10 minutes. In particular, Jefferson was outstanding against Kaminsky, as Coach K noted in the press conference.

Duke's defense in the NCAA tournament was just astonishing. Against Utah, Gonzaga, MSU and Wisconsin, KenPom ranked 3, 7, 8 and 15 (including the #1 (Wisconsin) and #6 (Gonzaga) offenses), Duke gave up 57, 52, 61 and 63 points. That's historically great defense. Wisconsin scored 71 against Kentucky in 4 less possessions and 85!! against Arizona in just two more possessions. This was the most efficient offensive team in the history of KenPom rankings, which just torched two of the best three defensive teams in the country, and we just stifled them.

Against Gonzaga, Duke outscored the Zags 13-1 in the last five minutes.

Against Wisconsin, a team that had dominated the second half and especially the last 5 minutes all tournament long, Duke was down 58-56 with 4:30 left and then outscored the Badgers 12-5 as part of a 29-15 run to end the game.

This Duke team is a bunch of winners as Tyus Stones explained (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12635325&ex_cid=espnapi_public).