MBB: Duke 71, Louisville 69 Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[CDu]

That was awful, and then spectacular.

[wavedukefan70s]

Absolutely unbelievable.

[robed deity]

Unreal. Tip of the cap to CDu in the game thread.

[dukelion]

what the effffff was that!!!!!!

[WHOneedsSOX]

I wrote them off, not going to lie. What an amazing comeback. Love seeing Cam play with confidence. But, they need to play with that energy to start games.

[Pghdukie]

WOW !

[fuse]

For all those that kept the faith, I apologise unreservedly.

What did we just witness???? 😱😱😱😱😱😱

[Mak P]

I'm speechless right now

[FerryFor50]

Wow.

Duke got punched in the mouth. Shook it off and just ripped out Louisville’s hearts.

Guess Louisville wore black to their own funeral.

[YmoBeThere]

Wasn't pretty but it did achieve the desired effect.

[jsx]

Apparently when the opponent’s home team/crowd wears black, it’s their own funeral

[Wahoo2000]

This is remarkably similar to how I felt after we (UVA) scored 4 points with less than 1 second left to win by 1.

All congrats to Duke for taking advantage (as we did last year) but what an incredible choke job by Louisville.

[InSpades]

Is -2 less than 20? Asking for a friend.

It's great that we won but honestly I mostly just cared about them giving 110% for the last 15 minutes or so. If we lose by 2 or win by 2... don't really care. That was 110% effort. Very impressive. Super happy for Jordan Goldwire. Man, to play such a big part in a game like that. He'll remember that forever.

[billy]

Happy to win as always, but as Rece (or was it Dykes?) said, I'm not happy that Duke had to flip the switch (for the third time out of the last four games)

[OZZIE4DUKE]

WOW! What a win! LGD GTHc!

[Fish80]

Now it is over!!! Sweet!

[arnie]

I’m still not sure I believe what I saw😀😀😀

[curtis325]

Was that a 34-10 run?

Great win!

[CDu]

Unreal. Tip of the cap to CDu in the game thread.

LOL, even I was doubting things midway through the second half!

But yeah, people firing off frustration comments during the game risk looking silly after.

[Wander]

Duke is winning the national championship with 100.00% certainty

[CoachJ10]

Coach K doesnt coach losers.

[cbarry]

That was awful, and then spectacular.
What he said.
It really did not look like it was our night. I thought there was no way we were going to win. I WAS WRONG. I won’t doubt these guys again.

[Ballboy1998]

Holy hell! No words!

[crdaul]

Never give up...go Duke!

[DukeDevil]

This had all the flavor of the gone in 60 seconds comeback. Down 23, feel like the game is over but deep down you feel...they could still do this...do I dare hope? Is that ridiculous??

RJ between the legs pass back to Reddish for the 3 is my play of the game.

[#1Duke]

Wow!! Just WOW!

The team learned and grew tonight ! Most important game and learning experience of the year!

For as bad as Duke looked for most of the game, this was a great lesson and what they learned tonight will serve them well in the Big Dance.

[WHOneedsSOX]

That espn announcer called it perfectly. No one on Louisville wanted the ball. Love what Coach K said in the huddle. No better way to challenge your team than to have your leader say he doesn't coach losers.

[DU82]

Louisville wore black to their own funeral.

[FerryFor50]

Hats off to Jordan Goldwire. Gets called on down 20. Blows a layup. Then just plays bulldog defense the rest of the way.

[lmb]

Coach K gets a lot of credit for bringing in Goldwire with Jones, switching to zone and picking them up full court.

Besides that I'm pretty speechless

[peterjswift]

So how’d the game go? I’m pretty sure I fell asleep due to the late tip and dreamt that Duke came back from down 23 with 10 minutes left.

I’ve got sportscenter on, and it seems to be cofirming my dream. Is this lucid dreaming?

[JD for Three!]

Wow! So proud of this team, and Cam Reddish has a major pair on him!

[devilsadvocate85]

Jordan Goldwire deserves a lot of credit. He played awesome defense. Key steal and assist to Tre.

[kAzE]

I would not have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. I think that comeback can only be topped by the "Gone in 60 seconds" one from 2001.

[DukieInKansas]

Amazing!

[scottdude8]

I was on press row for the 20 point comeback in Cameron against NC State in 2012. Despite the monumental defect, against an inferior team at home the environment never quite felt like the game was over. Plus, that team could shoot the 3.

This game, meanwhile, felt like it was over. I was already anticipating the resulting panic on the board. Then this team, with Jordan Goldwire of all people playing a major role, came back from 23 down led almost entirely by the defense. Not crazy three point shooting, not home court energy, but pure defense. That was the most unlikely and impressive thing I think I’ve ever seen in collegiate sport.

[CDu]

This is remarkably similar to how I felt after we (UVA) scored 4 points with less than 1 second left to win by 1.

All congrats to Duke for taking advantage (as we did last year) but what an incredible choke job by Louisville.

Yeah, but Duke deserves some credit for applying the pressure that unnerved Louisville. We started landing punches, they panicked, and the last thing you can do with sharks in the water is panic. We sensed their fear and we ate it up.

[Chard]

Zion stopped to take a pic with a little girl after his interview. Best part of the night for me.

Anyone else remember that Clemson game back in 92?

[curtis325]

I only saw the final 6 minutes. I guess I missed some stuff.

Great day for basketball--my alma mater beat Michigan and my other one also won a game.

[CoachJ10]

I kept on telling my wife that it wasnt louisville playing that great, it was us playing unbelievably poorly...and if we changed, we had a chance.

And then we changed.

[lotusland]

I knew going zone with JGold would be the ticket. Don’t know why K waited so long???:p

[Dukehky]

What the ****. Jesus, what a game.

[UrinalCake]

Just want to say that when we were down 23 I was tempted to post in the in-game thread conceding defeat, but chose not to as it was conceivable we could still come back. You’re all welcome!

Crazy decisions by K to go zone and bring in Goldwire rather than O’Connell when we needed threes. That’s why he’s the goat. Louisville had no idea how to handle our press, and helped us out with some quick shots thinking the game was over and they could pour it on.

Awesome strategy by Zion to lay down the oil slick, causing the UL player to slip and Tre to grab the loose ball. That was straight out of Spy Hunter!

Barrett’s between the legs pass to Cam for the three was a straight baller play. He didn’t shoot a great percentage but Cam carried us offensively for long stretches.

[ChillinDuke]

I told you guys, I'm not overly nervous about this game.

You're welcome.

- Chillin

[SoCalDukeFan]

We all know that Coach K is the GOAT. You saw it tonight.

To go on the road and play UVa and then on the road to play Louisville is a tough assignment. And we had travel problems. Not surprised that we were off. What a great comeback!

Brilliant coaching. Which is not to take anything away from the players.

SoCa;

[duke4ever19]

Now it is over!!! Sweet!

You deserve a lot of credit. You are on record several times saying it ain't over, while most of us were busy cussing and kicking dirt.

I need to work on my optimism.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

The Goldwire Comeback.

Unbelievable.

[WiJoe]

Jimmy Dykes is fantastic. reduce - HA auto correct - davis, not so much. Anywho, fantastic line by Dykes: When you have No. 1, it’s hard to put away No. 2

[wavedukefan70s]

Zion stopped to take a pic with a little girl after his interview. Best part of the night for me.

Anyone else remember that Clemson game back in 92?

My wife said the same thing.

[Dukehk]

Whatever happens for the rest of the season, we should be proud of this group.

They really don't give up and never say die. Thats all you can really ask for.

This is a special group. It truely is. We're very lucky to be able to enjoy them for 1 year.

[Bluegrassdevil1]

9052

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

The in game thread should be burned.

Stunning. Never seen anything like that.

[WHOneedsSOX]

Probably won cause I stopped recording. They always seem to lose when I record the game... Saw them down 23 and stopped it.

[kako]

5 thoughts:

1. I almost never think Duke is out of a game. '92 vs. UK, the Austin Rivers game, last year in the Nike games, even this year vs. Gonzaga - I thought the Devils could come back. But tonight, I just didn't see it, and I posted so. I am so happy to be wrong. And I will never, ever doubt Duke - with K - again. I will always believe, because his teams always seem to do so.

2. For a guy who didn't score, Goldwire was so key. His D was good, but he must just have given the team a spark. Reddish hit the shots that mattered, but I may just vote for Goldwire as MOTM. The last time I saw a Duke guy be so key to winning a game without scoring (much) was the Wojo/Carolina game.

3. So many lessons to learn about the first 30 minutes of that game. Lots of film to watch. The win was great, the comeback amazing. But I'm sure the staff will be showing them their lack of effort, their bad decisions, etc. Great teaching moments to use.

4. Duke could not have come back without the Ville just choking. So many 2nd half TOs. Sure, Duke got steals, but the comeback got into the home team's heads. Gag job by Louisville.

5. Davis and Dykes called a great game. Greatest quote by Dykes: It's over, but it's not over.

9F

[rsvman]

That was just insanity. Talk about havoc defense!
Wow.

[Saratoga2]

I'm stunned by what just happened. I credit Coach K with this win. He was getting a lackluster performance out of guys with poor communication leaving guys wide open on the 3 point line over and over, getting one rather poor shot and getting beat down the court. Coach apparently felt Bolden and DeLaurier weren't doing anything so he stuck in a small lineup and put pressure on Louisville and they unravelled. All of a sudden Duke was forcing turnovers and getting easy baskets. You could tell when they began to believe they had a shot as the defense was max effort and the offense began to click. Another good game by Reddish and with Zion having to sit it might actually have helped his energy level down the stretch.

Thanks team and special thanks to coach K!

[jipops]

Goldwire had a nice +/- in this one didn’t he?

[szstark]

Watching since 1964 - I've never seen anything like this (Including the gone in 60 Seconds).

[scottdude8]

Has anyone followed up on the review rules? I was quite sure that block/charge wasn’t a reviewable call (much like offensive goaltending wasn’t in the UK/LSU game). I’ve never been happier to be wrong, but something is gnawing at me that something was still awry there.

[DangerDevil]

Early birthday gift for Coach K!

Thank goodness the Goldwire Express made the delivery a little early.

[dukelion]

Just think how Kentucky fans are feeling that we got our late call reviewed and they didn't...makes this even sweeter!!!!

Still can't believe what I just saw.

[DarkstarWahoo]

When Louisville was at about 60 points, I remember thinking they needed to get to 70 to win. Didn’t know how right I was!

[Duke76]

What the ****. Jesus, what a game.

Calipari is gonna be livid at this review and his non review...livid I tell ya

[robed deity]

Has anyone followed up on the review rules? I was quite sure that block/charge wasn’t a reviewable call (much like offensive goaltending wasn’t in the UK/LSU game). I’ve never been happier to be wrong, but something is gnawing at me that something was still awry there.

That changed starting this year I believe.

[FerryFor50]

The switch to a zone press by K was brilliant. And he had a nice wrinkle... they’d have two guys in the backcourt pressuring the ball. When Louisville would get by Tre, he’d sneakily trail the play and make a late break on the ball for a steal attempt from behind.

Louisville had no answer, and no real ball handler to break down the press. And they got super conservative on offense late in the game. They’d get into the lane with an advantage and back it out again, then settle for a contested shot. Mack blowing through all his timeouts hurt them with late game adjustments.

And how about Zion, playing his tail off, getting steals and drives on offense with 4 fouls. That was a huge difference.

Then Cam got hot at the right time... so many things had to go right as a team for this comeback, and they did.

[devilsadvocate85]

Has anyone followed up on the review rules? I was quite sure that block/charge wasn’t a reviewable call (much like offensive goaltending wasn’t in the UK/LSU game). I’ve never been happier to be wrong, but something is gnawing at me that something was still awry there.

The secondary defender being in the restricted area is reviewable.

[FerryFor50]

Has anyone followed up on the review rules? I was quite sure that block/charge wasn’t a reviewable call (much like offensive goaltending wasn’t in the UK/LSU game). I’ve never been happier to be wrong, but something is gnawing at me that something was still awry there.

Good thing it was, because it was an awful call in real time. Not only was McMahon in the restricted area, he was also sliding over with Cam in mid-air.

[Dub]

Stayed away from the in-game thread once we got down big. I can only imagine the pessimism in that thread. But against all odds, we came back and beat Louisville at their place in game 2 of murderers row.

And Cam mf’n Reddish! Loved how Coach K just ran plays for him basically every play of the comeback. Give it to the best shooter on the team and let that thing fly. So exhausted and elated but big shout out to Louisville. They play physical and locked in on D (it’s not a foul unless the refs call it). They completely took RJ out the game. They could absolutely be a sleeper tourney team. On to the next one...

[kako]

Mack blowing through all his timeouts hurt them with late game adjustments.


Understatement of the year! The Ville's year, not ours lol

[bbosbbos]

Unbelievable. What can I say? just unbelievable.

[downtowndevil]

So how’d the game go? I’m pretty sure I fell asleep due to the late tip and dreamt that Duke came back from down 23 with 10 minutes left.

I’ve got sportscenter on, and it seems to be cofirming my dream. Is this lucid dreaming?

Haha... basically same. When I came to “Lebron Center” was on - as it is every night.

Should we have been in that position? - of course not, but love the buy-in of this team. With the starter turnover in this era to build the trust in <1 season & integrate with the vets (and the vets accepting their roles amongst the stars) is something. Plus how much they want it as a group & for each other even though a good portion of the team will be gone next year - love it.

The win is great, but the verve (nearly) as satisfying & it bodes well combined from the lessons of the first 3/4 of the game.

[jv001]

I don't know if the comment RJ made after the VA win was on his mind(black unis and funeral), probably not, but he sure had a poor first half. Those turnovers sure hurt. But he picked it up late in the 2nd half with some very good plays. Goldwire helped turn the defense from poor to very good when Coach K put him in. I felt bad for him when he bricked a layup but he didn't get down on himself. Cam with 2 big 3s that got us even and then the drive and made both FTs. But the man of the night was Coach K. GoDuke!

[dyedwab]

For the first 30 minutes - one of the worst performances I've ever seen in 30 years of watching Duke basketball. No energy, lack of communication, couldn't hit the broadside of barn. And then......

The last 10 minutes was one of the most stunningly beautiful performance I've ever seen. And, for me, the cherry on top was how key Jordan Goldwire was. What a win.

[Duke79UNLV77]

Has anyone followed up on the review rules? I was quite sure that block/charge wasn’t a reviewable call (much like offensive goaltending wasn’t in the UK/LSU game). I’ve never been happier to be wrong, but something is gnawing at me that something was still awry there.

The restricted area is reviewable.

[DarkstarWahoo]

Didn’t want to jinx anyone on their own board - that’s just bad form - but I’ll ask now. Worse Louisville choke: UVA 2018 or Duke 2019?

My former-college-player brother-in-law answered “UVA x 100,000,” but that was before the game was actually over. I don’t know if his answer would have changed with the comeback complete.

[DU82]

Rule 11, section 2e regarding instant replay

In the last two minutes of the second period and of any extra period(s), to determine if a secondary defender was inside or outside the Restricted Area Arc when an official has stopped the game and has made either a blocking call or a player control/charging call. A head coach may request a monitor review after a call has been made to determine if a secondary defender was inside or outside the Restricted Area. A timeout shall be charged to the coach if the original call is confirmed.

[scottdude8]

I’m just gonna leave this here. 9053

[WiJoe]

Watching since 1964 - I've never seen anything like this (Including the gone in 60 Seconds).

NOTHING will beat "Gone in 60 Seconds"

[dukelion]

Also thrilled that dude with the "Zion can't dunk" sign is going home sad.

[scottdude8]

Rule 11, section 2e

In the last two minutes of the second period and of any extra period(s), to determine if a secondary defender was inside or outside the Restricted Area Arc when an official has stopped the game and has made either a blocking call or a player control/charging call� A head coach may request a monitor review after a call has been made to determine if a secondary defender was inside or outside the Restricted Area� A timeout shall be charged to the coach if the original call is confirmed�

Thanks! Couldn’t find this for the life of me. No crazy Duke conspiracy here then, phew.

[kAzE]

I really thought karma came to bite us because of RJ's hubris. (referring to that funeral comment).

It took a kid at the end of the bench to come in and show the lottery picks how we play Duke basketball.

Kudos to Jordan. Stay humble and hungry. We haven't won anything yet.

[dairedevil]

I’ve been watching Duke basketball a long time. Some games, like the first 30 minutes tonight, the team has looked pretty awful. But I can’t say when I have ever seen them look like they have given up. I’ve seen it in other teams, but not Duke. Not tonight, even down 23, Zion in foul trouble, shots not going in, not getting rebounds. .. they stayed in and played and turned a sure loss into a win.

The reason? Zion explained it in his post game interview when he said K told them, “ if you need confidence, look at me” and told them that they are winners. One of the many reasons he is the GOAT.

[weezie]

And K did this without screaming or going ballistic. Coat on, no tantrums, just pure mastery. Calm, collected and deadly.

Miraculous.

[TNTDevil]

So how’d the game go? I’m pretty sure I fell asleep due to the late tip and dreamt that Duke came back from down 23 with 10 minutes left.

I’ve got sportscenter on, and it seems to be cofirming my dream. Is this lucid dreaming?
Thirty-six points in the first 30:47.
Thirty-five points in the next 9:13.
35-10 run.

Reader's Digest Condensed Version

[jv001]

Also thrilled that dude with the "Zion can't dunk" sign is going home sad.

Yeh, the idiot first put it upside down. What a dope. GoDuke!

[devildeac]

Didn’t want to jinx anyone on their own board - that’s just bad form - but I’ll ask now. Worse Louisville choke: UVA 2018 or Duke 2019?

My former-college-player brother-in-law answered “UVA x 100,000,” but that was before the game was actually over. I don’t know if his answer would have changed with the comeback complete.

Pretty comparable in my mind. The UVa-loovill was so quick and so well-executed by the Hoos and incredibly stoopid by the Cards. This one was so prolonged and thorough. Somewhat surprised you didn't mention the Hoos comeback from about 13 down against WFU a couple years ago with about 1:10 left in the game.

[camion]

I kid you not, there was a glitch in the matrix.

The game was in dumpster fire mode with Duke down by 20 when the power at my place flicked off for about two seconds. It took my cable and DVR 6 or 8 minutes to reset and when I managed to get back to the game Duke trailed by 7 and Louisville was in panic mode. The only part of the game left on my DVR is the comeback.

I’m doubly flabbergasted.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

And K did this without screaming or going ballistic. Coat on, no tantrums, just pure mastery. Calm, collected and deadly.

Miraculous.

Ummmm.... You might want to go back and lip read his mouth after some questionable calls midway through the second half. Or not.

[TNTDevil]

Good thing it was, because it was an awful call in real time. Not only was McMahon in the restricted area, he was also sliding over with Cam in mid-air.Look carefully and you'll also see an arm wrapped around Cam's waist.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I kid you not, there was a glitch in the matrix.

The game was in dumpster fire mode with Duke down by 20 when the power at my place flicked off for about two seconds. It took my cable and DVR 6 or 8 minutes to reset and when I managed to get back to the game Duke trailed by 7 and Louisville was in panic mode. The only part of the game left on my DVR is the comeback.

I’m doubly flabbergasted.

My wireless router also kicked this evening, apropos of nothing. K might have called in some divine favors tonight.

[WHOneedsSOX]

And K did this without screaming or going ballistic. Coat on, no tantrums, just pure mastery. Calm, collected and deadly.

Miraculous.

Probably had something to do with his "I don't coach losers" comment to his team during a timeout. Nothing more motivating than when the guy you look up to and admire calls you a loser.

[curtis325]

Just thanking my lucky stars that Duke gets ALL the calls.

[DarkstarWahoo]

Pretty comparable in my mind. The UVa-loovill was so quick and so well-executed by the Hoos and incredibly stoopid by the Cards. This one was so prolonged and thorough. Somewhat surprised you didn't mention the Hoos comeback from about 13 down against WFU a couple years ago with about 1:10 left in the game.

I was just reminded that last year’s loss probably kept them out of the tournament. I think we win based on that, but the sheer horror that must have been unfolding for the Louisville fans in the arena is different - and, in a way, worse - than the quick comeback at the end.

I turned that Wake game off. I can admit that now. And the way that game ended probably kept me watching last year.

[TNTDevil]

Just want to say that when we were down 23 I was tempted to post in the in-game thread conceding defeat, but chose not to as it was conceivable we could still come back. You’re all welcome!

Crazy decisions by K to go zone and bring in Goldwire rather than O’Connell when we needed threes. That’s why he’s the goat. Louisville had no idea how to handle our press, and helped us out with some quick shots thinking the game was over and they could pour it on.

Awesome strategy by Zion to lay down the oil slick, causing the UL player to slip and Tre to grab the loose ball. That was straight out of Spy Hunter!

Barrett’s between the legs pass to Cam for the three was a straight baller play. He didn’t shoot a great percentage but Cam carried us offensively for long stretches.I made a comment in a different chat that L'ville was missing shots, as were we. If we started hitting, we'd start winning cause they were out of the game. And, whaddayaknows?

[rsvman]

My wireless router also kicked this evening, apropos of nothing. K might have called in some divine favors tonight.

Not sure you can get divine favors with a vocabulary like his.

[FerryFor50]

Look carefully and you'll also see an arm wrapped around Cam's waist.

That was pretty much how it was all night.

I am always amazed when I see an aggressive, pressing team like Louisville barely pick up any fouls.

In the first half, they had TWO total fouls. And it wasn’t like Duke wasn’t trying to draw them.

And in the first 5-8 minutes of the 2nd half, Louisville had just 6 total fouls in the game.

That’s not to mention the no call on what looked like a flagrant-1 on Tre’s layup attempt.

[jipops]

Zion stopped to take a pic with a little girl after his interview. Best part of the night for me.

Anyone else remember that Clemson game back in 92?

Yes! Brian Davis had 30 in that game. That was similar but not as spectacular a comeback.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

And K did this without screaming or going ballistic. Coat on, no tantrums, just pure mastery. Calm, collected and deadly.

Miraculous.

He does it one way one game.....and another way in another game. His coat has flown off at least once this year.

I really think he started coaching this game in the second half as part of a bigger picture than just this game...and dadgum if it didn't work this game too.

[DukeDevil]

https://streamable.com/2jkcj

Louisville fans be like

[CoachJ10]

Good thing it was, because it was an awful call in real time. Not only was McMahon in the restricted area, he was also sliding over with Cam in mid-air.

Spot on. These refs were atrocious for most of the game...they almost stole this comeback from us with that potentially bad call.

[CameronDuke]

22-2, 10-1.

1,049 wins at Duke for Coach K and 1,122 wins overall.

Along with the Miracle Minute in 2001 at Maryland, the Austin Rivers shot at UNC in 2012, and the Cam Reddish win at FSU earlier this year, that was among the craziest wins I have ever witnessed. And the entire comeback being down 23 with less than 10 minutes left and winning was the craziest comeback I have seen in college basketball in quite some time.

Louisville just kept leaking oil until their entire train came to a screeching halt. The press forced so many turnovers and even when Louisville rarely broke it, they would dribble into the key and pass it back out for out of rhythm 3s. Duke simply never quit. Every kid kept playing hard and that’s what I’m most proud of.

Also, Cam with the game tying 3 on the break after a bounce pass backwards thru RJ’s legs and also 2 game winning free throws to ice it. Two game winning scores from Cam this year on the road in the ACC. He has some guts.

Let’s Go Duke!

[Dukehk]

"I don't coach losers. So go out and win" - Coach K

The goat.

[snewman92]

Yeh, the idiot first put it upside down. What a dope. GoDuke!

Yes, was thinking that. And I don't recall Zion actually having a dunk this game--maybe he did, but I don't remember it. But he didn't have to--instead, a cornucopia of stunning moves when he needed them.

[DarkstarWahoo]

Under-the-radar play that may have been discussed already: Zion going to the floor for a loose ball that a Louisville player came away with. But with no stoppage in play, he goes to the basket and slips, presumably on Zion’s sweat. That’s the kind of break that makes something like this feel pre-ordained.

[TNTDevil]

That was pretty much how it was all night.

I am always amazed when I see an aggressive, pressing team like Louisville barely pick up any fouls.

In the first half, they had TWO total fouls. And it wasn’t like Duke wasn’t trying to draw them.

And in the first 5-8 minutes of the 2nd half, Louisville had just 6 total fouls in the game.

That’s not to mention the no call on what looked like a flagrant-1 on Tre’s layup attempt.Word.

When things looked darkest, I commented: "On the brightside, L'ville has been called for 500% more fouls."

[Billy Dat]

You can never give up when there is still a lot of time on the clock. We got about as close to it being over as we could get, but as Jimmy Dukes said, “It’s over, but it’s not over.”

That was an all time historic game we will always remember, it’s right up there with the most memorable regular season games I can recall.

This team has IT. For most of the game we looked like a word that includes IT, but they still have IT.

I may not go to sleep.

[weezie]

Ummmm... You might want to go back and lip read his mouth after some questionable calls midway through the second half. Or not.


Ummmm, I meant towards his players, not the fat dumb stupid incompetent, dangerous, blind, lazy, butthead idiot refs.

[jv001]

Props to CDu in Duke-Louisville thread. He mentioned that their guards can turn it over and that plays to our strengths. Nail-Hammer. GoDuke!

[UrinalCake]

I could be wrong, but I believe Louisville missed the front end of the 1-and-1 all three times in the second half. One of the many small things that had to all happen in our favor to enable this comeback.

[jv001]

Ummmm, I meant towards his players, not the fat dumb stupid incompetent, dangerous, blind, lazy, butthead idiot refs.

Too bad I can't sporkz but I agree and GoDuke!

[WHOneedsSOX]

So awesome to see Cam get his confidence back and making big plays. Kind of sucks it comes at the expense of Jack White though who was playing fantastic early on. Unfortunately he's a spot up shooter and that's it so he can't do anything offensively if they aren't giving him shots.

[weezie]

I could be wrong, but I believe Louisville missed the front end of the 1-and-1 all three times in the second half. One of the many small things that had to all happen in our favor to enable this comeback.


And using up their time outs! So freaking dumb!

[fathippo]

I’ve been watching Duke basketball a long time. Some games, like the first 30 minutes tonight, the team has looked pretty awful. But I can’t say when I have ever seen them look like they have given up. I’ve seen it in other teams, but not Duke. Not tonight, even down 23, Zion in foul trouble, shots not going in, not getting rebounds. .. they stayed in and played and turned a sure loss into a win.

The reason? Zion explained it in his post game interview when he said K told them, “ if you need confidence, look at me” and told them that they are winners. One of the many reasons he is the GOAT.

During some huddle shots I could see how focused the team, and especially Zion, was on everything Coach K was saying, which told me they really trust and believe in him. IMO Coach K really won this game.

[jv001]

I could be wrong, but I believe Louisville missed the front end of the 1-and-1 all three times in the second half. One of the many small things that had to all happen in our favor to enable this comeback.

I thought they hit almost every FT they shot. Well it seemed like it. You might be correct. GoDuke!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Does RJ get credit for three assists for the between the legs reverse dish to Cam for the tie?

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Under-the-radar play that may have been discussed already: Zion going to the floor for a loose ball that a Louisville player came away with. But with no stoppage in play, he goes to the basket and slips, presumably on Zion’s sweat. That’s the kind of break that makes something like this feel pre-ordained.

That was a huge basket we got as a result......sign me up for pre ordained....:cool:

[TNTDevil]

Rewatching game right now. I noted in first half that we were missing their passes my millimeters. Starting about the eight minute mark, we stopped missing and got turnovers.

That foul on Tre's break-away needs to be reviewed by the league. That was a wicked shot he took. Probably a misdemeanor battery charge but, no foul.

[Chard]

Yes! Brian Davis had 30 in that game. That was similar but not as spectacular a comeback.

Not spectacular but Coach engineered that win much like tonight.

[devildeac]

Too bad I can't sporkz but I agree and GoDuke!

You're covered. ;)

[BlueandWhite]

My wireless router also kicked this evening, apropos of nothing. K might have called in some divine favors tonight.

For those who didn’t record, looks like it’s being shown again on ESPN2 or ESPNU from 12:30 to 2 am (a condensed version with less commercials)?

[tbyers11]

Under-the-radar play that may have been discussed already: Zion going to the floor for a loose ball that a Louisville player came away with. But with no stoppage in play, he goes to the basket and slips, presumably on Zion’s sweat. That’s the kind of break that makes something like this feel pre-ordained.

Zion is so good his sweat will make first team All-ACC defense :D

[JayZee]

See Zion, post post game interview, stop to let a dad take a picture with him and his daughter? What a gem.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Rewatching game right now. I noted in first half that we were missing their passes my millimeters. Starting about the eight minute mark, we stopped missing and got turnovers.


I don't know what the number was at the mark, but I was kinda looking and I think we had maybe 10 or 11, and they had 2 less. Both teams were pretty even with the TOs, but we had the unfortunate lead.

8 minutes later, we still only had 11, and the birds had 17.

[Dukehky]

I'm getting pretty tired of the draftniks who I respect a lot still relaying concerns over Cam's motor. He might float a little on offense, especially with Zion and RJ on the team, but that MFer plays his I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. off every possession on defense.

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

Some of my favorite parts of the comeback in no particular order:

Goldwire’s pressure
Tre’s steals
Cam’s clutch shooting
RJ’s eurostepping to the basket
Zion’s sweat
RJ’s through the legs assist
Dino Gaudio knowing how this would end

[azzefkram]

I have no words.

[grad_devil]

Reminiscent of the 2001 Final Four against Maryland...right?

We came back from down 22, but that comeback started in the first half, if my memory serves.

I had already chalked this game up to our Georgetown '10 game for this season. Glad to see I was mistaken.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Reminiscent of the 2001 Final Four against Maryland...right?

We came back from down 22, but that comeback started in the first half, if my memory serves.

I had already chalked this game up to our Georgetown '10 game for this season. Glad to see I was mistaken.

In my head I compared it more to the Miracle Minute. Same teams, though, and same year. (And K and James were there for all of them.)

[niveklaen]

Rule 11, section 2e regarding instant replay

In the last two minutes of the second period and of any extra period(s), to determine if a secondary defender was inside or outside the Restricted Area Arc when an official has stopped the game and has made either a blocking call or a player control/charging call. A head coach may request a monitor review after a call has been made to determine if a secondary defender was inside or outside the Restricted Area. A timeout shall be charged to the coach if the original call is confirmed.

I love the last bit - charging a timeout against the challenging coach if they are wrong stops the review from being abused.

[thewoosh31]

Just re-watched the last portion of the game where we were behind by 23.

And now I’m inspired to go watch another unbelievable comeback that no one has mentioned (maybe i missed it).

The 2001 FINAL FOUR game against MD. We were behind by 22 at the half! The miracle minute was also earlier that year, but I was more impressed and elated by the Final Four win against MD.

I don’t remember if that game’s comeback was fueled by insane pressure D like tonight’s was.

I’m still in utter disbelief at the turn around tonight. How am I supposed to sleep now?!

[freshmanjs]

Just re-watched the last portion of the game where we were behind by 23.

And now I’m inspired to go watch another unbelievable comeback that no one has mentioned (maybe i missed it).

The 2001 FINAL FOUR game against MD. We were behind by 22 at the half! The miracle minute was also earlier that year, but I was more impressed and elated by the Final Four win against MD.

I don’t remember if that game’s comeback was fueled by insane pressure D like tonight’s was.

I’m still in utter disbelief at the turn around tonight. How am I supposed to sleep now?!

No, that's not right. The half time score was 49-38.

[thewoosh31]

No, that's not right. The half time score was 49-38.

Ah ok, I stand corrected. Thanks!

[dukelifer]

I couldn’t watch after down by 23 and then monitored to see if Duke would make it respectable. I got a text from my daughter that it was down to five. I turned it on and Duke missed and then turned it off because - well they were coming back and I could not risk that me - the observer - would negatively affect the game. I then got a “Heck Ya” text and then back on again- Cam got the charge and then no - it was changed to a block. Cam hits- Jordan plays D and an amazing comeback complete. Just spent the last 30 minutes rewatching what I missed. Still can’t believe it.

[ncexnyc]

I see ESPN is now into fake news. They're trying to tell people Duke actually won tonight's game. Last I saw Duke was getting blown out by 23 points.;)

That was some awesome comeback and while some of the comments from the in-game thread were harsh we honestly didn't have much to cheer about for the majority of the game.

UrinalCake mentioned he was surprised that Goldwire got the call instead of AOC, but I believe K wasn't pleased with AOC's effort on a loose ball and I don't believe we saw him after that play. Jack is still playing hard on defense, but he's totally out of it on the offensive end. He passed up a good look for a 3 and ended up with a charge when he tried to drive.

Wasn't thrilled with Tre taking so many 3's, but I loved how sneaky he was on the press. The Cards really didn't do a good job of communicating with each other during our run. This group definitely has the talent to dig themselves out of a massive hole and they keep punching no matter what.

[wsb3]

At 10:29 I received a text that read "Louisville is making a mockery out of Duke."

I hope my Wake friend went to bed thinking the game is over...so when he wakes he can think. "What the Hell happened?"

Another friend just sent a text..(She being the good little Duke sister I raised properly) She saw where the percentage was 99.9% for a L'Ville win with 9:17 to go, then 35-10 Duke run in the last 9:13.

I have seen a lot of stuff since the days of Jeff Mullins & Jack Marin but I never saw anything like this.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I couldn’t watch after down by 23 and then monitored to see if Duke would make it respectable. I got a text from my daughter that it was down to five. I turned it on and Duke missed and then turned it off because - well they were coming back and I could not risk that me - the observer - would negatively affect the game. I then got a “Heck Ya” text and then back on again- Cam got the charge and then no - it was changed to a block. Cam hits- Jordan plays D and an amazing comeback complete. Just spent the last 30 minutes rewatching what I missed. Still can’t believe it.

Kudos to your daughter for keeping you up to date, and kudos to you for rightfully tuning out when you obviously needed to. :cool:

[Utley]

I was completely with you my friend.



I kept on telling my wife that it wasnt louisville playing that great, it was us playing unbelievably poorly...and if we changed, we had a chance.

And then we changed.

[CameronBornAndBred]

For the Heels game, can the Crazies ALL please have tiny Zion Can't Dunk signs? Those things work magic.

[Utley]

Even when you are playing like a different number 2.


Jimmy Dykes is fantastic. reduce - HA auto correct - davis, not so much. Anywho, fantastic line by Dykes: When you have No. 1, it’s hard to put away No. 2

[roywhite]

I thought that final score looked kind of familiar.

1986 National Finals
Louisville 72 -- Duke 69

Tonight
Duke 71 -- Louisville 69

If you live long enough and follow sports, you can see some amazing things. This game was one of them.

[fathippo]

Reminiscent of the 2001 Final Four against Maryland...right?

We came back from down 22, but that comeback started in the first half, if my memory serves.

I had already chalked this game up to our Georgetown '10 game for this season. Glad to see I was mistaken.

Yeah it was in the first half, we had plenty of time to come back in the 2001 Final Four game. This game we only had 9 minutes. Of course, the 2001 game was more important.

[SavDukeGrad]

Wow! Just wow!! That was incredible! Such fight in our team! And what an adjustment by Coach K, to stick with Goldwire after he had missed that layup and go zone! It reminded me of the Maryland semifinal comeback in 2001 also.

And that between the legs pass to Reddish for a three was no. 3 on ESPN SC top 10 tonight! Love this team!

[jacone21]

Ummmm, I meant towards his players, not the fat dumb stupid incompetent, dangerous, blind, lazy, butthead idiot refs.

I don't know. They didn't seem fat to me.

[Utley]

When Louisville was at about 60 points, I remember thinking they needed to get to 70 to win. Didn’t know how right I was!

I remember thinking we had like 34 with 12 minutes left and were down 20 - all after 81 against you guys. Couldn’t see us scoring 20 from there. 34 points in the first 28 minutes and 37 in the final 12. Crazy.

[gam7]

We always make a run, but ... what just happened?

Interestingly, in 2015, @Louisville is where Coach K first scrapped man for zone - K going zone was the basketball equivalent of "Dylan goes electric." It sure worked again tonight.

[BandAlum83]

At 10:29 I received a text that read "Louisville is making a mockery out of Duke."

I hope my Wake friend went to bed thinking the game is over...so when he wakes he can think. "What the Hell happened?"

Another friend just sent a text..(She being the good little Duke sister I raised properly) She saw where the percentage was 99.9% for a L'Ville win with 9:17 to go, then 35-10 Duke run in the last 9:13.

I have seen a lot of stuff since the days of Jeff Mullins & Jack Marin but I never saw anything like this.

You need to call your wake friend and wake him up to tell him the news!

[CameronBornAndBred]

If you live long enough and follow sports, you can see some amazing things. This game was one of them.

Irony...so many turned off TVs at 23.

[Coballs]

Ah ok, I stand corrected. Thanks!

We were down 22 in the first half of the 2001 FF game against the Terps but began cutting into the lead before halftime.

[Coballs]

"Gone in 547 Seconds"

[TNTDevil]

Yeah it was in the first half, we had plenty of time to come back in the 2001 Final Four game. This game we only had 9 minutes. Of course, the 2001 game was more important.In actuality, it's really the last six minutes when the comeback goes Supernova.

[bluedev_92]

At a loss for words. What character & fight. Love this team!!!

[robed deity]

"Gone in 547 Seconds"

Outstanding.

[BandAlum83]

So my wife and I went to dinner with my daughter tonight. We got home at about 9:45 and I sat down and started the game at 10:00.

I never give up, really. I watched the 1990 UNLV game to the end. Tonight I was tired and when the deficit got to 23, I just had to check the final score. I knew the game had ended by then. I wanted to know if I should invest another 30-45 minutes for a blow out.

When I saw the final score, I thought that can’t be right. We are about to go on a 35-10 run in under 10 minutes!?

Unreal. Kinda mad at myself for looking at the final score, but I didn’t want to just give up. I still had hope, lol. Just not enough to torture myself for another 45 minutes if it ended badly.

[Utley]

Can was the only not playing like a zombie for the first 30 minutes.


I'm getting pretty tired of the draftniks who I respect a lot still relaying concerns over Cam's motor. He might float a little on offense, especially with Zion and RJ on the team, but that MFer plays his I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. off every possession on defense.

[Neals384]

5. Davis and Dykes called a great game. Greatest quote by Dykes: It's over, but it's not over.

9F

except for the bit where one of them said TN is clearly best team.

[fan345678]

The Yum!back.
Wasn’t Goldwire originally planning on playing in Kentucky?

[MrPoon]

9054

Rewatched last ten mins
Crazy, going small with Z at the 5 and two guards pressing a team that turns it over ended the Card’s world.

[jipops]

Most over used phrasing so far this season, “________ provided the blueprint on how to beat Duke”.

[Edouble]

Minutia, but after Zion wrestles the last rebound, I love how instead of the "throw the ball up in the air" as he runs over to the bench for hugs, he just lets the ball fall out of his hand.

[g4orce]

Louisville may have wanted a blackout game, but in the end, it looked more like a brownout.

Props to K for seeing something in Goldwire and putting him in. I know Z will deservedly get his props, but Goldwire was the defensive spark we needed.

[Bluedog]

It's sometimes fun to see what's trending on Twitter...Duke!!! (By a large margin.) No idea what #2 means. Coach K also at #9.

9055

[CameronBornAndBred]

Most over used phrasing so far this season, “________ provided the blueprint on how to beat Duke”.

HA!!! I was literally just messaging with TNT on fb about this. Told him I've seen that phrase a few times this season, and each after a Duke win.

[kako]

except for the bit where one of them said TN is clearly best team.

Well, if they said that with 10 minutes left in the game, they were right... at that particular moment. Things changed 10 minutes later! :)

9F

[BandAlum83]

Minutia, but after Zion wrestles the last rebound, I love how instead of the "throw the ball up in the air" as he runs over to the bench for hugs, he just lets the ball fall out of his hand.

I thought the same thing!

[BlueDevil2K]

For those who didn’t record, looks like it’s being shown again on ESPN2 or ESPNU from 12:30 to 2 am (a condensed version with less commercials)?

Hard to remember that Duke was up 19-17 at the under-8 timeout in the first half. What a crazy game...

[MrPoon]

This from a Cards’ site:

In the game’s final four minutes, a Louisville team that had built a reputation on toughness and a refusal to wilt went turnover, turnover, turnover, made three-pointer, turnover, missed layup, turnover, missed three-pointer, missed jumper over its final nine possessions. If the Cards simply hold the ball and do nothing for 30 seconds on each of those possessions then they win the game.

They aren’t taking the loss well....

[CameronBornAndBred]

If the Cards simply hold the ball and do nothing for 30 seconds on each of those possessions then they win the game.

They aren’t taking the loss well...

As Duke fans, we can educate them on the frustrating failures of stall ball just as well.

[BlueDevil2K]

Hard to remember that Duke was up 19-17 at the under-8 timeout in the first half. What a crazy game...

And only down by 2 at the under-4 timeout. While Duke definitely didn't play well for the first 16+ minutes, I hadn't realized that it only took about the same amount of time for the wheels to come off as it did to come back.

</live blog>

[Ian]

The amazing thing was not that Goldwire made the difference, but that Coach K trusted him enough to let him make the difference by letting him play the entire last 10 minutes.

[Kedsy]

ADVANCED STATS

Possessions: 73.8 (way more than Louisville's adjusted average of 66.5)

OFFENSE

oRtg: 0.96 (our adjusted oRtg was 1.07, our 2nd-worst offensive performance of the season (after Texas Tech))
eFG%: 42.1% (also 2nd-worst, also after Texas Tech)
3pt%: 25.0% (back to normal?)
2pt%: 45.7% (also 2nd-worst of the season, this time after Gonzaga)
%threes: 44.4% (if you're going to shoot 25% from three, this number was waaaaay too high)
FT rate: 38.7% (a healthy FTR)
OR%: 26.2% (horrible, especially against a short team like Louisville)
TO%: 14.9% (fairly strong)
a/to: 0.91:1
%assisted: 43.5%
fast break pts: the box score only had first half, and we only had 2 fb points in the first half, which is pretty pathetic for us.


DEFENSE

dRtg: 0.94 (adjusted that's 0.81, really good, though most of the defensive effort occurred in the last 9:54 of the game)
eFG%: 49.2% (poor)
3pt%: 33.3% (fine)
2pt%: 48.5% (not good)
%threes: 45.0% (that's a lot of threes)
FT rate: 21.7% (pretty decent)
DR%: 73.7% (very good)
TO%: 23.0% (pretty strong)
a/to: 1:1 (17 of 18 games we've forced our opponents to have equal or more turnovers than assists)
%assisted: 68.0%
fast break pts: they only reported first half, and in the first half Louisville had 10 fb points, 26.3% of their first half points
block%: 3.3%; 6.1% of 2-point shots (not so good, for us)
steal%: 16.3% (another big game for the #1 steal% team in the nation)


In the first 30+ minutes of the game we gave up 59 points, nearly two points per minute. In the last 10- minutes of the game we only gave up 10 points, just about half the rate we gave up points in the first three-quarters of the game. Similarly, in the first 30+ minutes we only scored 36 points, or 1.2 points per minute, while in the last 10- minutes we scored 35 points, or almost triple the rate we scored in the first three-quarters of the game. Those two facts basically say it all about this game.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The amazing thing was not that Goldwire made the difference, but that Coach K trusted him enough to let him make the difference by letting him play the entire last 10 minutes.

Watched K's presser. He spoke of Goldwire, and how it was a learning experience for everyone. Summed up "he's in the rotation".
Also, K spoke very critically of Bolden, which we haven't heard in a while. But it was well deserved and I'm sure Marquise will take what he said in front of the mike and in the locker room/practice court to heart.

[JayZee]

For the Heels game, can the Crazies ALL please have tiny Zion Can't Dunk signs? Those things work magic.

Just need to hold them upside down for the first few minutes.

[WHOneedsSOX]

lol damn, Zion

https://twitter.com/jtylerconway/status/1095545997038624774

[TNTDevil]

In the first half L'ville only tallied two fouls (one of which was another beating Tre withstood). Yet, in the second half Duke gets in the bonus with 13:34 remaining. I noted that Duke would shoot FTs the rest of the way.

Well, didn't seem it was going to matter...until it did.

At 6:22 Zion gets fouled, and a first down, on an And One. Puts Duke in Double-bonus. From here on out L'ville was very considerate to foul us over and over allowing us to score with the clock stopped. And, to our credit, we hit those FTs.

Zion gets the steal, after Tre was assaulted, and gets a double-smack. He turn around and, I can't quite make it out but, he mouths "Okay, that's good" (as in: If that's the way you want to play). Two more points with the clock stopped.

Zion gets a rebound, takes it the length. Scores +1. So far, that's five points with the clock stopped. It's only 2:10 off the clock.

4:05: Duke down by nine after the BS "holding" call on Goldwire. (Savvy play by the McMahon.) Cam fouled on a 3-point attempt. Goes 2-3. Seven points with the clock off.

:14.9 remain and the critical overturn of the Charge call. Two more points from the line, for a total of nine with the clock off.

Cool.

[JetpackJesus]

This from a Cards’ site:

In the game’s final four minutes, a Louisville team that had built a reputation on toughness and a refusal to wilt went turnover, turnover, turnover, made three-pointer, turnover, missed layup, turnover, missed three-pointer, missed jumper over its final nine possessions. If the Cards simply hold the ball and do nothing for 30 seconds on each of those possessions then they win the game.

They aren’t taking the loss well...

That's an extreme over simplification by that L'Ville fan. It's hard to hold the ball for 30 seconds with the 10 second and closely guarded rules. I think one of their only scores down the stretch came from a desperation toss to cross half court that luckily deflected to a Card. They couldn't hold the ball by rule, and Duke took it ways from them most of the times they tried to move it.

Also, you can't just hold the ball for 30 seconds in a 2-possession game, which it was for the last couple minutes. I was just glad to see K stick with the D that got them there when the game became close.

Unrelated point, but I'm pretty sure the guy who took the block in the restricted area was late to his spot anyway under the current rule that you have to be in position before the shooter begins going up with the ball. I'm glad the arc takes that judgment call out of. The official's hands because its a really tough call to make in real time.

[bigperm13]

What a game! Complete opposite of the game thread which was a tragedy. This team is special.

[uh_no]

I have no words.

[cptnflash]

Hey y’all - so here’s my story. Work commitments prevented me from watching the game live, and my wife knows better than to text me any spoilers in these situations. I got home after she’d gone to bed and started watching the game on the ESPN app on our PS4, without knowing the outcome. Obviously we didn’t play well late in the first half / early in the second half, and when it got to a 20 point deficit I thought “ok, we lost this game, I’m gonna check the final score and go to bed because it’s 1:00 am and I have to work tomorrow.” So I turn on my phone and find that I have a bunch of notifications of text messages from people I very rarely hear from, including former coworkers, my Aunt in Maui, and even my mother (who I hear from all the time but not about Duke basketball), and all of them are some flavor of “OMG, that was the most amazing comeback ever, can you believe it!?” So despite trying very hard to avoid spoilers, I wound up watching the last 13 minutes of that game knowing that we would eventually come back and win. Which, I have to say, was quite a lot of fun!

[proelitedota]

Even down 23 points I had this surreal feeling that we'll make this a game within around 4 min to go. Get it to within 10 with 4 min and this Duke team can pull it off.

[DrChainsaw]

That game reminded me of Muhammad Ali doing his Rope-a-Dope.

[lotusland]

Watched K's presser. He spoke of Goldwire, and how it was a learning experience for everyone. Summed up "he's in the rotation".
Also, K spoke very critically of Bolden, which we haven't heard in a while. But it was well deserved and I'm sure Marquise will take what he said in front of the mike and in the locker room/practice court to heart.

What was the Bolden criticism? I noticed Jav got more PT early than he had been getting. Of course, we played small a lot in the second half. I don’t remember anything specifically bad except his man was shooting open 3s. I guess I answered my own question?

[lotusland]

I had honestly given up on winning before the comeback started. I just wanted them to stop the bleeding, play defense and end on a positive note. By the time they got the deficit under 10 I felt like we were playing with house money. Can’t believe I watched that ending without waking up the family. I just sat there shaking my head at what I saw.

[peterjswift]

lol damn, Zion

https://twitter.com/jtylerconway/status/1095545997038624774

Thanks for sharing. There is gold in that thread. “Our grandchildren aren’t going to believe the stories we tell them about Zion.”

[jv001]

Thanks for sharing. There is gold in that thread. “Our grandchildren aren’t going to believe the stories we tell them about Zion.”

Thanks for the link. I think the one poster must have been the idiot that held up the Zion can't dunk sign(upside down). Zion gave Jordan props for his play in the comeback. What a great young man. GoDuke!

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I had honestly given up on winning before the comeback started. I just wanted them to stop the bleeding, play defense and end on a positive note. By the time they got the deficit under 10 I felt like we were playing with house money. Can’t believe I watched that ending without waking up the family. I just sat there shaking my head at what I saw.

I was on a text trail with two of my three kids (the only 2 who care about hoops) and my daughter asked me with about a minute to go if I was nervous....I said no, at this point, tremendous lessons learned already....I'm fine with whatever happens. Of course, I'm MORE fine with them completing the comeback and winning. :cool:

[wsb3]

At 10:29 I received a text that read "Louisville is making a mockery out of Duke."

I hope my Wake friend went to bed thinking the game is over...so when he wakes he can think. "What the Hell happened?"


Received a text from my Wake friend. 4:25 a.m. He woke up...:)

[porkpa]

Duke is winning the national championship with 100.00% certaintyDon't you ever dare say anything like that again. You can think it, but never say it.

[Ballboy1998]

What was the Bolden criticism? I noticed Jav got more PT early than he had been getting. Of course, we played small a lot in the second half. I don’t remember anything specifically bad except his man was shooting open 3s. I guess I answered my own question?

I didn’t think it was too harsh - just that Bolden looked tired out there. K added that Bolden is a big guy that has been working his tail off and logging a lot of minutes and just didn’t look like the same guy out there against Louisville.

Hopefully he’ll get some rest and some renewed motivation, because I think he as been a HUGE under appreciated plus for this team.

[porkpa]

I'm an old guy. I rarely, probably never, watch late games unless Duke is in them.
Ten minutes left. They are down by 23. I'm tired and grumpy. I turn off the TV. I think to myself, this isn't the tournament. The sun will rise in the east tomorrow morning. Maybe they are getting a life's lesson. I go to this site to see how bad the annihilation was.
You can imagine my shock.
A job well done by all. One for the ages.

[Troublemaker]

Amazing.

The cherry on top of this comeback is that there could be wide-ranging consequences down the line. This win could be the difference between first place and second place in the ACC; at the very least, perhaps the difference between outright regular season title (which Duke hasn't accomplished since 2006) and shared regular season title (which Duke hasn't accomplished since 2010). It could be the difference between getting the East region or not, the difference between being overall #1 seed or not.


You can never give up when there is still a lot of time on the clock. We got about as close to it being over as we could get, but as Jimmy Dukes said, “It’s over, but it’s not over.”

That was an all time historic game we will always remember, it’s right up there with the most memorable regular season games I can recall.

This team has IT. For most of the game we looked like a word that includes IT, but they still have IT.

I may not go to sleep.

I would just modify slightly to say never give up until the adjustments don't work. Obviously, the 2-2-1 press and extended ball-hawking zone worked wonders, but had Louisville picked them apart, I probably *would* have turned off the TV.

Ironically, if this Duke team weren't so great, it's possible Coach K would've adjusted sooner; sometimes a coach just wants to see if a great team can snap out of it running what they usually run. This isn't a complaint -- Coach K was a god in this game. The point is just that, at a certain point in the comeback, it was obvious Duke was going to win if we had enough time left to do so. I'm tickled pink that we did -- barely.


Apparently when the opponent’s home team/crowd wears black, it’s their own funeral

And a version of the "death lineup" was prominent in Lville's demise.

BTW, I've seen some criticism of RJ's funeral comment after the UVA game. Give the guy a break. He didn't call out any specific team, any specific player, any specific coach. It was a general comment, and he was just basically saying that Duke's mindset for road games is that we are coming to bury you. I love it, and I hope we *do* have that mindset for road games.


The amazing thing was not that Goldwire made the difference, but that Coach K trusted him enough to let him make the difference by letting him play the entire last 10 minutes.

Disagree. I think it's flexible whom the 5th player on the court playing alongside the 4 frosh is. Since JGold helped start the comeback, I'm not surprised he stayed in. None of Jack, Alex, Marques, and Javin are obvious "gotta get him in" guys.

[WillJ]

I'm an old guy. I rarely, probably never, watch late games unless Duke is in them.
Ten minutes left. They are down by 23. I'm tired and grumpy. I turn off the TV. I think to myself, this isn't the tournament. The sun will rise in the east tomorrow morning. Maybe they are getting a life's lesson. I go to this site to see how bad the annihilation was.
You can imagine my shock.
A job well done by all. One for the ages.

I *almost* turned the tv off with ten minutes to go......glad I didn't:). I'm old, too.

[Utley]

Goldwire - Best Bond movie ever!! (taken from Twitter)

Shaken - but not beaten :)

[Saratoga2]

Unexpected win by our team who played an incredible last 9:00+ minutes of the game. We should celebrate it but realize also that Louisville collapsed due to our pressure or we would be upset over a loss this morning.

Would be worthwhile after the elation wears off to try to identify what went wrong for the 1st 3 quarters of the game.

1. Coach K says they outcompeted us and it sure looked as though they were playing harder
2. I would say there was very little communication going on
3. Coach K also said that Bolden looked tired out there, perhaps because their center was getting wide open looks from 3.
4. I noticed that Zion was also playing off his man and trying to help but was too far to limit his guy from hitting the three.
5. When AOC was brought into the game I think coach K was looking for an offensive spark. AOC got burned on defense and really took none of the scoring initiative.
6. RJ was being closely guarded but still attempted his spin moves inside and was held totally in check.
7. Javin hustled but is really not an offensive threat these days and gives up a lot of fouls.
8. Jack provides little offense if any these days while still defending and rebounding well

I don't expect last night's miracle to repeat itself, so we had better improve our competitiveness and perhaps roll out the zone press more often.

[WillJ]

Jack provides little offense if any these days while still defending and rebounding well.

Jack is in a real funk - 13 minutes and basically nothing to show for it. I wish he'd pull the trigger on a few corner threes....I wonder if he's still traumatized by the Syracuse game. If so it's too bad, because he really showed us something in the first two months of the season.

[porkpa]

Unexpected win by our team who played an incredible last 9:00+ minutes of the game. We should celebrate it but realize also that Louisville collapsed due to our pressure or we would be upset over a loss this morning.

Would be worthwhile after the elation wears off to try to identify what went wrong for the 1st 3 quarters of the game.

1. Coach K says they outcompeted us and it sure looked as though they were playing harder
2. I would say there was very little communication going on
3. Coach K also said that Bolden looked tired out there, perhaps because their center was getting wide open looks from 3.
4. I noticed that Zion was also playing off his man and trying to help but was too far to limit his guy from hitting the three.
5. When AOC was brought into the game I think coach K was looking for an offensive spark. AOC got burned on defense and really took none of the scoring initiative.
6. RJ was being closely guarded but still attempted his spin moves inside and was held totally in check.
7. Javin hustled but is really not an offensive threat these days and gives up a lot of fouls.
8. Jack provides little offense if any these days while still defending and rebounding well

I don't expect last night's miracle to repeat itself, so we had better improve our competitiveness and perhaps roll out the zone press more often.

The zone press can be ultra tiring. Its a pretty difficult thing for a team that plays four guys almost 100% of the time.

[dukelifer]

What was the Bolden criticism? I noticed Jav got more PT early than he had been getting. Of course, we played small a lot in the second half. I don’t remember anything specifically bad except his man was shooting open 3s. I guess I answered my own question?

He simply said that he looked tired or was tired. Every kid responds differently to lack of sleep. He also mention how well he has been playing. I didn’t see it as criticism.

[weezie]

...Coach K also said that Bolden looked tired out there, perhaps because their center was getting wide open looks from 3...


Bolden was totally over-matched.

Just a terrible game for him, beginning with the head scratching 3 pt attempt to begin the game. What the heck was going on with that shot? Was that a play? Did lville actually put drugs into the pre-game meal? From there it was just a bumble along performance for him.

[Billy Dat]

The Yum!back.

Perfect!

[Furniture]

I got a text from my UNC friend at 10.39pm. “So, Duke isnt indestructible anymore”. I thought about ignoring him but sent him a text back. This is the ACC. Some losses will occur. He then sent me another. “Duke is too predictable so they are easy beat tactically now”.
No reply from me to that. At the end of the game I get a “fantastic comeback” text. I text him back explaining what a jinx is.

[hsheffield]

That was pretty much how it was all night.

I am always amazed when I see an aggressive, pressing team like Louisville barely pick up any fouls.

In the first half, they had TWO total fouls. And it wasn’t like Duke wasn’t trying to draw them.

And in the first 5-8 minutes of the 2nd half, Louisville had just 6 total fouls in the game.

That’s not to mention the no call on what looked like a flagrant-1 on Tre’s layup attempt.


""ok boys, these Duke guys are making college basketball boring. It's not good for the sport. So don't call any F1, walks, arm bars, holding or anything like that on Louisville. We have to make college basketball competitive again. Besides, everyone hates Duke-no one will make a fuss if we let them get beat up."

[weezie]

K, "I was hoping that we wouldn't lose by 35."

:cool:

[YmoBeThere]

Darn freshmen! Trying to get 4 years of livin'/excitement all in one year! The audacity!







(I like it!)

[Edouble]

Bolden was totally over-matched.

Just a terrible game for him, beginning with the head scratching 3 pt attempt to begin the game. What the heck was going on with that shot? Was that a play? Did lville actually put drugs into the pre-game meal? From there it was just a bumble along performance for him.

To be fair, Bolden has shot and missed a wide open three in each of the last 3-4 games. I am guessing he has the green light to do this, although it is puzzling, as he is now 0-6 on the year.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Sitting at a coffee shop this morning eaves dropping on a table of old school geezers talk about how astounding the Duke game last night was. That's a pretty damn satisfying way to start the day.

[Billy Dat]

The RJ "pass backwards between his legs while simultaneously screening the man guarding him" to Cam for the game tying 3 is a vintage move I have seen many many times from one of the great NBA guards...who also happens to be his godfather...Mr. Steve Nash. It was like watching a mannerism a parent passes to a kid.

[COYS]

I only get a chance to watch a few regular season games live. This is one that I circled on the calendar to watch in real time. I was regretting that decision for most of the night but man am I glad I stuck with it. Wow.

What’s even crazier is that it’s not like everything went right during The Comeback. There were a number of times I thought, man, that’s gonna be the difference in the final score. The no-call on Tre’s layup. The phantom hold on Jordan on that inbounds play, etc.

Add all of that to the miscues and mental mistakes of the first half and early second half and I really just thought we had dropped too many points and handed Louisville too many easy buckets.

To overcome all of that and still find a way to win on the road was nothing short of mind-blowing.

Also, I’m happy to see a version of the Death Lineup get its due. To be honest, I want to see it more often. Jack and Alex’s inconsistency have made it harder to play lineups with Zion at the 5, but K finding a way to fit Jordan in with the freshmen gives us a completely different look. Props to Jordan for taking advantage of the opportunity.

Speaking of Jordan, how often is it that a player who bricks a three and blows a wide open layup as his only shot attempts is also worthy of Man of the Match consideration?

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

The RJ "pass backwards between his legs while simultaneously screening the man guarding him" to Cam for the game tying 3 is a vintage move I have seen many many times from one of the great NBA guards...who also happens to be his godfather...Mr. Steve Nash. It was like watching a mannerism a parent passes to a kid.

Yes. Watching that replay this morning on ESPN was... Fun. Great play. That sort of play only happens with kids who really have a feel for where they are on the floor. If that play fails, we destroy them in this board today.

[CameronBornAndBred]

To be fair, Bolden has shot and missed a wide open three in each of the last 3-4 games. I am guessing he has the green light to do this, although it is puzzling, as he is now 0-6 on the year.

Someone should write an article about that.

[lotusland]

To be fair, Bolden has shot and missed a wide open three in each of the last 3-4 games. I am guessing he has the green light to do this, although it is puzzling, as he is now 0-6 on the year.

Thought he made one early in the year. Was it a scrimmage? This is not a huge compliment but his shot looks as good or better than Zion’s and Tre’s and definitely better than JGold’s. His free throw stroke is good though he misses a fair amount. I’m not advocating more threes for Bolden but I don’t think one a game is horrible either.

[Dukehk]

To be fair, Bolden has shot and missed a wide open three in each of the last 3-4 games. I am guessing he has the green light to do this, although it is puzzling, as he is now 0-6 on the year.

I'm not against it. Shows he has confidence in his ability, and that he has been working on his game in practice.

Marques has been improving with each and every game. Especially on the defensive end. He was no better, no worse than many others today.

We will need him to perform in March if we are to go deep in the tourney. A confident Marques is a winning Marques!

[budwom]

Ummmm... You might want to go back and lip read his mouth after some questionable calls midway through the second half. Or not.

yessir, I think we got a very clear WTF out of him after Jones was mauled on the layup attempt with no call...directed not at the players, of course..

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

yessir, I think we got a very clear WTF out of him after Jones was mauled on the layup attempt with no call...directed not at the players, of course..

*nods* that's one of the several I saw... He's no choir boy. :)

[FerryFor50]

Disagree. I think it's flexible whom the 5th player on the court playing alongside the 4 frosh is. Since JGold helped start the comeback, I'm not surprised he stayed in. None of Jack, Alex, Marques, and Javin are obvious "gotta get him in" guys.

Agree. I think the 5th guy this year will be a "hot hand" approach and probably matchup/situation related.

Need size? Use whomever is playing better out of Bolden/Delaurier/White (in that order)
Need offense/outside shooting? Use whomever is playing better out of White/O'Connell (in that order)
Need pressure defense? Use whomever is playing better out of Goldwire/White/O'Connell (in that order)

Most of the time the size will be the lineup K uses, since there is overlap in skill with the 4 freshmen for offense/defense.

[FerryFor50]

To be fair, Bolden has shot and missed a wide open three in each of the last 3-4 games. I am guessing he has the green light to do this, although it is puzzling, as he is now 0-6 on the year.

He likely hits those fairly regularly in practice.

And honestly, if Goldwire has the green light to shoot it, why not Bolden?

I think K understands that 1 or 2 shots out of those guys, even if they're misses, are beneficial. Worst case, they miss but the defense has to actually defend it. Best case, they hit it and get their teammates pumped.

[bluenorth]

To be fair, Bolden has shot and missed a wide open three in each of the last 3-4 games. I am guessing he has the green light to do this, although it is puzzling, as he is now 0-6 on the year.

I'd imagine it's an attempt to keep the defender honest and stay near Bolden instead of sagging off into the lane. This idea is more effective if Bolden hits one of the shots, :).

What must it be like in the Louisville program today? You're a top 20 team and this just happened on your home court. It will take some time to recover, and even then the thought will be in the back of their minds at the end of games to not screw up (again). Which makes it even tougher to play well.

[Troublemaker]

He likely hits those fairly regularly in practice.

And honestly, if Goldwire has the green light to shoot it, why not Bolden?

I think K understands that 1 or 2 shots out of those guys, even if they're misses, are beneficial. Worst case, they miss but the defense has to actually defend it. Best case, they hit it and get their teammates pumped.

Starting at the 58 second mark of this video, you can see him drilling 5 in a row in a practice/training setting:

https://twitter.com/i/videos/878831781256015873

Of course, a real, live game is different, but I do agree that he should shoot one early in the game. If he happens to make one, it might stretch the defense. If he follows up by making a second one, the opponent probably would adjust.

[60sDukie]

At about the 15 minute mark left game (couldn’t stand any more) to watch Westminster dog show final (dachshund was robbed!). Then went back to game and we were only 12 behind. Needless to say I stuck with it after that. So psyched I ended up watching all of SportsCenter and then some. Now replaying the 2nd half. I am particularly enjoying the announcers’ pre-comeback comments.

[wsb3]

Apologies if this has already been shared but ESPNU showing replay of the game at Noon..

[FerryFor50]

One point I missed in previous posts - Cam Reddish seems like he's turned a corner on offense.

I'm not just talking about his outside shot. That's always been there, despite some off nights. I'm talking about his strength with the ball, his drives and his confidence overall.

Now that his outside shot is falling, he seems more comfortable doing other things. He's taking more off the dribble shots. On his drives, he's not fumbling the ball away as much. And he's finishing at the rim better.

One play that stands out to me in particular is where Cam basically takes it the length of the court and finishes with a dunk early in the game, before L'ville pulled away a bit.

This highlight reel shows how much more versatile he's gotten - he's no longer just shooting spot up threes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Eo0PSNKTo

In this video he:

- Hits a mid-range jumper off a screen/curl (Rip Hamilton style)
- beats all 5 Louisville players down the court, blows by one and dunks on the rest
- shot fakes to freeze his defender (Nwora), blows by and then hits a nice double clutch layup on the baseline over man-mountain Enoch
- deep spot up three over Nwora
- deeper pull up three off a pass
- nice step back three attempt to draw a foul on Nwora
- pull up three off a dribble move over McMahon
- deeper than NBA range three in rhythm off the nice between the legs pass from RJ
- strong drive down the lane to draw the block (thank you replay review) and get the game winning FTs

Early in the season Cam would have lost the ball on that last drive, with defenders raking at his arms and one with a forearm in his back.


9057

But he held on and got the call (eventually).

[mo.st.dukie]

Thought he made one early in the year. Was it a scrimmage? This is not a huge compliment but his shot looks as good or better than Zion’s and Tre’s and definitely better than JGold’s. His free throw stroke is good though he misses a fair amount. I’m not advocating more threes for Bolden but I don’t think one a game is horrible either.

He made one against Ferris State. In the post game press conference of that game K said Bolden is a very good shooter and that they could us him in the pick-and-pop to get open three's. It sucks he hasn't hit one in the regular season. He certainly looks confident taking them and his shooting form is smooth.

[Acymetric]

In my head I compared it more to the Miracle Minute. Same teams, though, and same year. (And K and James were there for all of them.)

Man, as much as I hated everything related to Maryland and their awful fans, that was a pretty fun short-term rivalry. Not hard to understand why they hated us so much after that year (although they hated us before that, anyway).



BTW, I've seen some criticism of RJ's funeral comment after the UVA game. Give the guy a break. He didn't call out any specific team, any specific player, any specific coach. It was a general comment, and he was just basically saying that Duke's mindset for road games is that we are coming to bury you. I love it, and I hope we *do* have that mindset for road games.

Yeah, I actually loved that comment too, but I'm also a fan of trash talk/swagger generally. Compare it to some of the classics from the Crazies that people love to reminisce about (I understand there is a difference between fans and players, but still) and it looks pretty bland in comparison. Huge non-story. I also loved Louisville's response of doing a blackout. The fun doesn't have to allbe on-court stuff.


Jack is in a real funk - 13 minutes and basically nothing to show for it. I wish he'd pull the trigger on a few corner threes...I wonder if he's still traumatized by the Syracuse game. If so it's too bad, because he really showed us something in the first two months of the season.

I guess it has to be. Either that or his green light was taken away. The way he is passing up looks I'm not sure he's going to take another three in his career! Hopefully he shakes it off and gets back to his old self.


The RJ "pass backwards between his legs while simultaneously screening the man guarding him" to Cam for the game tying 3 is a vintage move I have seen many many times from one of the great NBA guards...who also happens to be his godfather...Mr. Steve Nash. It was like watching a mannerism a parent passes to a kid.

That play was fantastic. It was slightly different, but it reminded me a lot of that play Villanova ran on the game-winning shot against unc in the championship game (theirs just didn't go between the legs).

[Dukebasketball2020]

Is anyone else on board having Goldwire play more minutes? I think he earned it last night yeah he isn't going to score for us but I bet K gives him a few spurts a game where the team can put a press on going forward. Him and Jones played lights out Defense together last night. Honestly wouldn't mind playing Carolina this way making it tough for them to get up the court.

[FerryFor50]

I guess it has to be. Either that or his green light was taken away. The way he is passing up looks I'm not sure he's going to take another three in his career! Hopefully he shakes it off and gets back to his old self.


From what I've seen, he's had very few clean looks.

He either doesn't catch the pass cleanly or a defender gets out quickly because they know he's a threat.

And when he does appear open, he doesn't always get the ball. His teammates could be looking for him more. But it's no coincidence that his shot attempts have dried up with Cam coming on more.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Is anyone else on board having Goldwire play more minutes? I think he earned it last night yeah he isn't going to score for us but I bet K gives him a few spurts a game where the team can put a press on going forward. Him and Jones played lights out Defense together last night. Honestly wouldn't mind playing Carolina this way making it tough for them to get up the court.

As I noted in a post few pages back (boy what a slow boring thread this is) K said Goldwire is now "in the rotation".
Gotta love a guy who makes the most of his moment!

[Acymetric]

From what I've seen, he's had very few clean looks.

He either doesn't catch the pass cleanly or a defender gets out quickly because they know he's a threat.

And when he does appear open, he doesn't always get the ball. His teammates could be looking for him more. But it's no coincidence that his shot attempts have dried up with Cam coming on more.

Yes, but he is getting some clean looks and he isn't taking them. Several of the times he's passed up a clean three have lead more or less immediately to turnovers as he hesitates, decides not to shoot, and then makes a bad play.

[budwom]

Is anyone else on board having Goldwire play more minutes? I think he earned it last night yeah he isn't going to score for us but I bet K gives him a few spurts a game where the team can put a press on going forward. Him and Jones played lights out Defense together last night. Honestly wouldn't mind playing Carolina this way making it tough for them to get up the court.

K is the master chef, and his seasonings sit on the bench. Sometimes he needs a pinch of Goldwire, or a heap of of DeLaurier. It's situational...but clearly Goldwire is in the mix, so to speak.

[DukeFanSince1990]

9:55 am the next day and I am still speechless.

[bluenorth]

From what I've seen, he's had very few clean looks.

He either doesn't catch the pass cleanly or a defender gets out quickly because they know he's a threat.

And when he does appear open, he doesn't always get the ball. His teammates could be looking for him more. But it's no coincidence that his shot attempts have dried up with Cam coming on more.

Agreed. The scouting report on White seems to be not to give him time to set up for his shot, but to closeout on him quickly. With Zion and others near the low post, driving is not an option. So he's barely shot the ball in the last 5-6 games. But he's contributing anyway with leadership and rebounding. What a luxury to have players like White, AOC, DeLaurier and now Goldwire who can come into a game and have such positive impacts.

[NSDukeFan]

Amazing.

...



Disagree. I think it's flexible whom the 5th player on the court playing alongside the 4 frosh is. Since JGold helped start the comeback, I'm not surprised he stayed in. None of Jack, Alex, Marques, and Javin are obvious "gotta get him in" guys.
This is overall true, but I think it can be solidified as Jack had a spot in the top 5 minutes guys early in the year and Bolden had it the last 5 or so games. I'm not sure one game keeps Bolden out of that 5th starter spot.

One point I missed in previous posts - Cam Reddish seems like he's turned a corner on offense.

I'm not just talking about his outside shot. That's always been there, despite some off nights. I'm talking about his strength with the ball, his drives and his confidence overall.

Now that his outside shot is falling, he seems more comfortable doing other things. He's taking more off the dribble shots. On his drives, he's not fumbling the ball away as much. And he's finishing at the rim better.

One play that stands out to me in particular is where Cam basically takes it the length of the court and finishes with a dunk early in the game, before L'ville pulled away a bit.

This highlight reel shows how much more versatile he's gotten - he's no longer just shooting spot up threes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Eo0PSNKTo

In this video he:

- Hits a mid-range jumper off a screen/curl (Rip Hamilton style)
- beats all 5 Louisville players down the court, blows by one and dunks on the rest
- shot fakes to freeze his defender (Nwora), blows by and then hits a nice double clutch layup on the baseline over man-mountain Enoch
- deep spot up three over Nwora
- deeper pull up three off a pass
- nice step back three attempt to draw a foul on Nwora
- pull up three off a dribble move over McMahon
- deeper than NBA range three in rhythm off the nice between the legs pass from RJ
- strong drive down the lane to draw the block (thank you replay review) and get the game winning FTs

Early in the season Cam would have lost the ball on that last drive, with defenders raking at his arms and one with a forearm in his back.


9057

But he held on and got the call (eventually).
So are you saying we shouldn't give up on Cam for this year and figure he will only improve once he gets to the pros? :)

He made one against Ferris State. In the post game press conference of that game K said Bolden is a very good shooter and that they could us him in the pick-and-pop to get open three's. It sucks he hasn't hit one in the regular season. He certainly looks confident taking them and his shooting form is smooth.
I agree Bolden seems to have a reasonably good looking shot and his taking one or so a game isn't a problem. He might not have the percentage of MP1 or MP3, but should probably take them when he has the opportunity.

The RJ "pass backwards between his legs while simultaneously screening the man guarding him" to Cam for the game tying 3 is a vintage move I have seen many many times from one of the great NBA guards...who also happens to be his godfather...Mr. Steve Nash. It was like watching a mannerism a parent passes to a kid.
Any post mentioning Nash and R.J. gets props from me. Love that play, love the comparison.

From what I've seen, he's had very few clean looks.

He either doesn't catch the pass cleanly or a defender gets out quickly because they know he's a threat.

And when he does appear open, he doesn't always get the ball. His teammates could be looking for him more. But it's no coincidence that his shot attempts have dried up with Cam coming on more.
I am certainly hoping and expecting Jack to get going again. He looks to me like he isn't as prepared to take contested threes like he was early in the year and I agree he hasn't had many wide open ones lately.

As I noted in a post few pages back (boy what a slow boring thread this is) K said Goldwire is now "in the rotation".
Gotta love a guy who makes the most of his moment!
He reminds me some of Tyler Thornton, a guy who didn't score much but could still make a difference.

K is the master chef, and his seasonings sit on the bench. Sometimes he needs a pinch of Goldwire, or a heap of of DeLaurier. It's situational...but clearly Goldwire is in the mix, so to speak.
I am pretty sure Coach K has mentioned that in his mind depth isn't how many players play significant minutes, but how many players you can call upon when needed. Chalk up Goldwire providing additional depth, at least for this game.

I also agree with other posters mentioning how few fouls Louisville had in the first half. It appeared to me (I am biased because Barrett is already one of my all-time favourite Dukies) that it was okay for Louisville to hammer R.J.'s right side when he was driving left as long as his left arm wasn't hit? I thought he got hammered a number of times, especially in the first half, though probably nothing as blatant as Tre getting his arms grabbed on his layup.

What a fantastic game!

[Lurkingdukedog]

Ummmm... You might want to go back and lip read his mouth after some questionable calls midway through the second half. Or not.

The no-call after Tre had the break away lay-up that missed was particularly noticeable from the lip-reading standpoint.

[COYS]

[Goldwire] reminds me some of Tyler Thornton, a guy who didn't score much but could still make a difference.



I am hoping this doesn't come across as too nit-picky, as I agree with you, overall. However, I feel like Jordan is really different from Tyler. Tyler was strong and hard-nosed despite being undersized and limited, athletically. He was ALWAYS focused, even in his freshman season when he got a few starts after the loss to St. Johns while Kyrie was on the shelf. Finally, he had a very limited offensive game, but he was at least a threat to hit an open corner three from time to time (he had an amazing 0-rating north of 130 his senior season . . . with only 8% usage).

Jordan, on the other hand, is far more athletic to my eyes. He's also bigger and longer, but not as strong. His defense isn't nearly as fundamentally sound, but his length and athleticism allow him to force the issue when he's focused and dialed in. He's also even more limited on offense (almost inexplicably so . . . I think he's likely a better shooter than he's shown so far). Last night was a perfect game to turn him loose on defense. His fresh legs, length, and active hands were just the spark the team needed to get the press going. Also, he could be completely loose and relaxed in a game in which Duke had nothing (more) to lose.

Again, this is a little nit-picky on my part. Both Tyler and Jordan are defense-first guys who are capable of getting some steals despite not adding much else to the stat-sheet. But I think they go about it in very different ways.

[Edouble]

As I noted in a post few pages back (boy what a slow boring thread this is) K said Goldwire is now "in the rotation".
Gotta love a guy who makes the most of his moment!

I feel like you are extrapolating a little bit. This is the quote from Coach K's presser:

"However, the other lesson is maybe Goldwire can play more, the 2-2-1 may be added to what we’re doing. What’ve we played? 24 games? They’ve played 24 games in their career. So, we can still learn a lot. We learned a lot tonight, and they didn’t give up, and they made really pressure free throws, pressure free throws. Then, Cam hit… his teammates you could even see right there, ‘Where is he?’, and just shoot it. So, confidence-wise, I think it adds a lot, and it gets Goldwire in the rotation there.”

The two points where Coach K mentions Goldwire are:

At the beginning, where I think the most you can take away is "maybe Goldwire can play more" under the circumstance that we start to add the 2-2-1 in more often.
At the end, where Coach K is sort of recapping the idea that we learned a lot and we gained confidence. He talks about how Cam's shooting boosted the team, and Goldwire was able to play as part of the rotation in this game... "it gets Goldwire in the rotation there ("there" meaning in this game)".

I don't think Coach K said what you are suggesting: that Goldwire is now a rotation player.

[NSDukeFan]

I am hoping this doesn't come across as too nit-picky, as I agree with you, overall. However, I feel like Jordan is really different from Tyler. Tyler was strong and hard-nosed despite being undersized and limited, athletically. He was ALWAYS focused, even in his freshman season when he got a few starts after the loss to St. Johns while Kyrie was on the shelf. Finally, he had a very limited offensive game, but he was at least a threat to hit an open corner three from time to time (he had an amazing 0-rating north of 130 his senior season . . . with only 8% usage).

Jordan, on the other hand, is far more athletic to my eyes. He's also bigger and longer, but not as strong. His defense isn't nearly as fundamentally sound, but his length and athleticism allow him to force the issue when he's focused and dialed in. He's also even more limited on offense (almost inexplicably so . . . I think he's likely a better shooter than he's shown so far). Last night was a perfect game to turn him loose on defense. His fresh legs, length, and active hands were just the spark the team needed to get the press going. Also, he could be completely loose and relaxed in a game in which Duke had nothing (more) to lose.

Again, this is a little nit-picky on my part. Both Tyler and Jordan are defense-first guys who are capable of getting some steals despite not adding much else to the stat-sheet. But I think they go about it in very different ways.

Oh, I don't mind the nit-pickiness and agree with your differences. My comparison was only a vague one in that they can both be effective not because of their scoring, though you're right Tyler was a good 3-point shooter (even when his legs were spread apart, a la Maui winner vs. Kansas?)

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Catching up on this thread, I think everyone has hit the highlights really well. I was very close to turning it off when we went down 23. The defensive pressure after that was just unbelievable. And it really speaks to the critical need for a good point guard who feels safe with the ball - Louisville clearly did not have this. It makes me appreciate Tre that much more.

I know we are all trying to forget the first 30 minutes of the game but one of the few highlights for me during that time was Zion's foul where he hung in the air for longer than most UNC athletes spend in a classroom in a year - I think the announcer noted that the Louisville player could have been called for three seconds while waiting for Zion to actually come down and make contact with him. It was not a great foul by Zion but it was an incredibly display of his athleticism.

[Troublemaker]

When Duke had the ball for our final real possession, there was ~30 seconds on the game clock and about ~23 seconds on the shot clock, so about a 7-second difference.

I LOVE that Duke went "early" and Cam got fouled and went to the free throw line with around 15 seconds left on the game clock instead of using all of our shot clock.

If Duke had waited longer and Louisville had gotten the ball under 8 seconds left, the odds that they would put up a 3-pter at or around the buzzer would go up exponentially. That was my entire fear when that possession began -- that we would get 2 pts but Lville would spoil the comeback with a 3-pter at the buzzer.

But by starting the possession early, we sort of "tricked" Lville into "working" their way into a 2-pt attempt. They should've shot a 3 anyway (why would you want to go into overtime given everything that had occurred?) but we gave them the rope to make a mistake.

(Incidentally, all this is moot if Cam hadn't canned both clutch free throws. Thanks Cam!)


This is overall true, but I think it can be solidified as Jack had a spot in the top 5 minutes guys early in the year and Bolden had it the last 5 or so games. I'm not sure one game keeps Bolden out of that 5th starter spot.

I wasn't at all saying JGold will start or even that he had supplanted others ahead of him in the rotation. I believe Marques will start. And JGold might not even see minutes in the next competitive game we play.

All I was saying is that within a game, nobody has that 5th spot locked down.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Ran into a gentleman at my Harris Teeter wearing a Duke sweatshirt. We chatted for 15 minutes.

This may have been even more impressive than the Gone in 59 Seconds game, but it sure seems to have tapped the same "Holy crap, did you watch last night?" button.

[Danke Shane]

The flashy plays have received a lot of attention, I just wanted to give a shout out to the clutch FT shooting down the stretch during that comeback. Zion going 8-9 on his FT's, and Cam's FT's (nothing but net) giving us the 2 point lead on the last possession... man. I would not have predicted that series of events based on how things have gone earlier in the year. And we needed every one!

[NSDukeFan]

...


I wasn't at all saying JGold will start or even that he had supplanted others ahead of him in the rotation. I believe Marques will start. And JGold might not even see minutes in the next competitive game we play.

All I was saying is that within a game, nobody has that 5th spot locked down.
That's fair. I am hoping that Bolden retakes that 5th spot most of the time, with White reestablishing himself and DesLauriers reminding everyone why he was the presumed 5th starter, Goldwire giving the team a spark when necessary and O'Connell playing himself into a dependable, trustworthy shooter.

[UrinalCake]

Speaking of Jack, did anyone notice him getting elbowed in the face at the end of the first half? I was wondering if that played a role in him not returning.

[CDu]

I am hoping this doesn't come across as too nit-picky, as I agree with you, overall. However, I feel like Jordan is really different from Tyler. Tyler was strong and hard-nosed despite being undersized and limited, athletically. He was ALWAYS focused, even in his freshman season when he got a few starts after the loss to St. Johns while Kyrie was on the shelf. Finally, he had a very limited offensive game, but he was at least a threat to hit an open corner three from time to time (he had an amazing 0-rating north of 130 his senior season . . . with only 8% usage).

Jordan, on the other hand, is far more athletic to my eyes. He's also bigger and longer, but not as strong. His defense isn't nearly as fundamentally sound, but his length and athleticism allow him to force the issue when he's focused and dialed in. He's also even more limited on offense (almost inexplicably so . . . I think he's likely a better shooter than he's shown so far). Last night was a perfect game to turn him loose on defense. His fresh legs, length, and active hands were just the spark the team needed to get the press going. Also, he could be completely loose and relaxed in a game in which Duke had nothing (more) to lose.

Again, this is a little nit-picky on my part. Both Tyler and Jordan are defense-first guys who are capable of getting some steals despite not adding much else to the stat-sheet. But I think they go about it in very different ways.

Agree with you that they are really nothing alike. Though I'd note that Thornton is actually a fair bit bigger (by like 25lbs).

To add to your points, Thornton was a capable defender against SFs and some SGs, but couldn't defend PGs. Goldwire is perhaps a capable defender against PGs (we haven't seen enough for me to trust that yet, and last night was more a frenetic press than sound defense) but is overmatched against SGs and anyone bigger. Thornton seems like he had a much higher bball IQ. With Thornton, the issue was that he wasn't athletic enough to capitalize on that bball IQ. Goldwire is more like a cat on catnip: lots of energy but maybe not the most channeled of players.

If anything, Thornton was more like a shorter and less athletic Jack White than he was like Goldwire.

[clinresga]

Someone should write an article about that.

LOL! But credit the power of the jinx. JGold gets called out for poor shooting, goes 0-2 in this game, but is a defensive hero and one of the stars of the game. Sweet.

[jv001]

To be fair, Bolden has shot and missed a wide open three in each of the last 3-4 games. I am guessing he has the green light to do this, although it is puzzling, as he is now 0-6 on the year.

I will have to say that Bolden has come closer to making his 3s than last night's hero, Jordan has on his attempts. Since I've not been invited to sit in on Duke practice, this is just a guess; Coach K has told both to shoot the 3 if you're wide open. But if that's the case, why isn't Jack taking the shot when he's open. Lack of confidence? As for Marques, I'd rather see the jump hook or put back. GoDuke!

[Tooold]

Yes...I saw Jack get elbowed and grab his head/face after. It was a hard hit and clearly hurt. I, too, wondered about him after that.

[luburch]

To echo the comments a few pages back, I loved the RJ "funeral" comments. Wish he would own it. Double down. Love that sort of confidence and mindset. Teams are already going to be up to play against Duke. Takes me back to the 90s and early 2000s. It can do no harm, imo.

Jack will hit several more big time shots before the end of this season. Mark my words.

[Spanarkel]

Speaking of Jack, did anyone notice him getting elbowed in the face at the end of the first half? I was wondering if that played a role in him not returning.

Jack did play 5 minutes in the second half last night.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I feel like you are extrapolating a little bit. This is the quote from Coach K's presser:

"However, the other lesson is maybe Goldwire can play more, the 2-2-1 may be added to what we’re doing. What’ve we played? 24 games? They’ve played 24 games in their career. So, we can still learn a lot. We learned a lot tonight, and they didn’t give up, and they made really pressure free throws, pressure free throws. Then, Cam hit… his teammates you could even see right there, ‘Where is he?’, and just shoot it. So, confidence-wise, I think it adds a lot, and it gets Goldwire in the rotation there.”

The two points where Coach K mentions Goldwire are:

At the beginning, where I think the most you can take away is "maybe Goldwire can play more" under the circumstance that we start to add the 2-2-1 in more often.
At the end, where Coach K is sort of recapping the idea that we learned a lot and we gained confidence. He talks about how Cam's shooting boosted the team, and Goldwire was able to play as part of the rotation in this game... "it gets Goldwire in the rotation there ("there" meaning in this game)".

I don't think Coach K said what you are suggesting: that Goldwire is now a rotation player.
I am sure you are right. I was listening through computer speakers, and my head was still spinning.

[Truth&Justise]

Whelp, these sorts of games happen. No reason to panic (13 pages already, wow!)

Sometimes it's just not your night. We're a young team, we'll bounce back from this.

Things really started to unravel in the second half, which was unfortunate to see. I wasn't able to catch the end of the game (maybe I'll go back and watch those last ten minutes, but why punish myself?) so I'll have to check a box score soon to see how bad the loss was.

But we knew this was a gauntlet of a schedule, and coming through it unscathed was unlikely. Being 1-1 after two road games against ranked opponents is still really good! It would have taken a very special team--generational good--to win both of those games, so let's appreciate what we have and not fixate on what could have been.

We're still in the driver's seat for a regular season crown if we can take care of business against UNC. Let's just put this one behind us and focus on beating NC State.

[sagegrouse]

I feel like you are extrapolating a little bit. This is the quote from Coach K's presser:

"However, the other lesson is maybe Goldwire can play more, the 2-2-1 may be added to what we’re doing. What’ve we played? 24 games? They’ve played 24 games in their career. So, we can still learn a lot. We learned a lot tonight, and they didn’t give up, and they made really pressure free throws, pressure free throws. Then, Cam hit… his teammates you could even see right there, ‘Where is he?’, and just shoot it. So, confidence-wise, I think it adds a lot, and it gets Goldwire in the rotation there.”

The two points where Coach K mentions Goldwire are:

At the beginning, where I think the most you can take away is "maybe Goldwire can play more" under the circumstance that we start to add the 2-2-1 in more often.
At the end, where Coach K is sort of recapping the idea that we learned a lot and we gained confidence. He talks about how Cam's shooting boosted the team, and Goldwire was able to play as part of the rotation in this game... "it gets Goldwire in the rotation there ("there" meaning in this game)".

I don't think Coach K said what you are suggesting: that Goldwire is now a rotation player.

True enough, but I believe Goldwire will see action in the first half against State on Saturday. That's how K's rewards system works.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Whelp, these sorts of games happen. No reason to panic (13 pages already, wow!)

Sometimes it's just not your night. We're a young team, we'll bounce back from this.

Things really started to unravel in the second half, which was unfortunate to see. I wasn't able to catch the end of the game (maybe I'll go back and watch those last ten minutes, but why punish myself?) so I'll have to check a box score soon to see how bad the loss was.

But we knew this was a gauntlet of a schedule, and coming through it unscathed was unlikely. Being 1-1 after two road games against ranked opponents is still really good! It would have taken a very special team--generational good--to win both of those games, so let's appreciate what we have and not fixate on what could have been.

We're still in the driver's seat for a regular season crown if we can take care of business against UNC. Let's just put this one behind us and focus on beating NC State.
Ummmm....