5 thoughts...
1. The loss was not on Carey, but he had the shot to go ahead near the end. I think he was surprised how open he was - I don't think he had such an open look inside all game. UVA's defense really pressured him. But he should have gone up strong instead of the pump fake. Two hands and dunk it... I hate that head fake in the post for any player. In the midrange and beyond, fine. But in the post it just gives the defense a chance to converge.
2. Vitale was saying that Duke started out slow. By tempo and score, very true. But I actually though Duke did play OK in the early minutes. UVA just met them equally and scored more early. And I didn't see Duke's intensity falter at any point. So at least that was there this game.
3. After a really good game by JRob against Wake... 0 minutes? Really? K is the best, but I just didn't understand that one. White got more minutes this game, but he didn't seem all that productive (though at least he actually took a shot). I think JRob would have been a better choice. But I really just don't understand the rotation at all right now. The bench seems to have shortened, but why? Earlier on, it seemed to be working better. Maybe more predictability helped the players, and now things are more confused?
4. I have no real problem with that last play. 3.7 seconds is enough time to get a shot, and Jones had one to win. It just didn't drop. But they could have pushed the ball to half court first, then called timeout. Then set up Banks/Laettner look. But then again, if Jones had hit that shot, he might have wrapped up ACC POY. Oh well...
5. It's conceivable now that Duke could drop out of a bye in the ACC Tourney. This UVA loss was a close one, so I'm not all that upset about it given Duke's play against the best defense in the country. But to fall out of a bye? Unbelievable. They must run the table against State and Carolina. Hopefully their intensity keeps up, even after this loss.
9F
I will never talk about That Game. GTHC.