Duke is headed to the Final Four for the first time since the 2014-2015 season. They won the national championship that year, and they may win another this year. We won’t know their opponent until Sunday evening, but Coach K’s swan song is turning into the magical season he dreamed of.
Saturday evening, they played a scrappy well-coached Arkansas team that is limited offensively.
Duke didn’t play awful. https://t.co/APGdQPbfQu
— Jeff or Jeffrey Fann (@TalkinACCSports) March 27, 2022
The only way Duke was losing was if they gave Arkansas help and a lot of it. They didn’t and the game was never in doubt other than for a moment early in the 2nd half when Arkansas got the lead down to 5. Coach K made his best move of the calling timeout and settling his down.
Duke never looked back and basically led by double digits the rest of the way.
Duke is the most talented team in college basketball, but they didn’t always play like it. They lost 3 times at home, got routed by Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament finals. Their toughness was questioned, and rightly so.
Maybe the distraction of Coach K’s final season was too much for the young team.
The Blue Devils needed to be resilient and show a toughness we hadn’t seen all year to reach the Final 4.
They stared down relentless Michigan State. They dispatched rugged defensive-minded Texas Tech. Saturday night they overwhelmed Arkansas.
When the intangibles match the talent level, Duke becomes a national championship-caliber team.
If Paulo Banchero doesn’t get you with his immense talent, then Jeremy Roach is breaking down defenses. AJ Griffin was tonight’s leading scorer, and Mark Williams owned the paint. There’s still Wendell Moore to deal with, and Trevor Keels is rounding into form.
Will they play North Carolina in the Final 4? That would be something and would allow the Blue Devils to avenge one of their most frustrating losses. Let’s see if North Carolina, and maybe even Miami reach the Final Four Sunday,
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