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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Sion Williamson and RJ Barrett left the court with arms crossed. Williamson leaned forward, speaking firmly in Barrett's ear to be heard over the rumors in the stands. Barrett shook his head incredulously.
The scoreboard shows Duke 77, UCF 76 and, despite the hype surrounding the Blue Devils team over the last six months, these figures still did not match the reality of the previous 40 minutes. Duke had taken every punch, and here the Blue Devils were still standing.
"We're not going home, man," Williamson told his teammate. "It's me and you here, two brothers.
Duke resisted the victory against UCF in 32nd. Here is what a tight result means.
Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett saved Duke, first, from the second day, injured on Sunday by the UCF. Coach Mike Krzyzewski congratulated the rookie duo for his "desire to win".
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The game will be remembered for the presence of Tacko Fall in the painting, for the 3-point Williamson, for the UCF decided to shoot, and that Duke begs Aubrey Dawkins. But what will remain alive, which could occupy the entire assembly of this year's "One Shining Moment", which fans of Duke and UCF will talk about in decades, are the last two minutes of the drama, the official criticism of physics. – Scroll rolling around the rim on the final shot.
Here is how it all happened.
"I'm not worried."
B.J. Taylor's jump touched the rim, but it took some time for officials to understand it. Fall followed Taylor's foul with a dunk, but officials stopped the match to make sure there had been no violation of the clock.
At the stop, Mike Krzyzewski brought together his team – four freshmen in their first tournament and a menagerie of cogwheels for the machine – and offered a reminder of confidence.
"I'm not worried," he says. "You live those moments."
"When the greatest coach of all time tells you," said Williamson, "it's all the confidence you need."
The goal of the fall was counted and the UCF had a 4 point lead with 2 minutes to play. Confident or not, Duke was on the ropes.
A test in the hallway could have been the coup de grace.
"If Dawkins had caught this lob, they go up six, and who knows how that changes things," said Williamson. "Just a room to change things."
Autumn was a force on Sunday, hovering in the paint. With Fall on the ground, Williamson was stifled near the basket, converting only 6 of 17 shots in the paint, three of which were pushed back before Fall. So, instead, Duke looked outward, where he had fought hard all season. This time, Cam Reddish delivered a 3.
"We worked hard to beat each other and we all had to tackle and make some difficult shots," Reddish said.
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Duke had the opportunity to take the lead in the next possession, but Javin DeLaurier missed two free throws and UCF pushed his margin to 3 by scoring a pair of the band at the other end.
The score was 76-73, 33 seconds to play, Duke ball. There was no doubt about who would get the hang of it.
Of course, at the origin of the game, Williamson did not think to drive. His plan was to find room on the perimeter and hoist his eighth attempt of the match to 3 points. A 3 would have knotted it. Fall still patrolled the painting. It was the smart game.
Attack the hoop
Then Williamson heard Jones from the top of the key.
"Come on," Jones shouted. "Go to the basket."
It's not that Jones saw an ideal match. Fall was in the painting, threatening. But that's what Jones wanted. He knew that Williamson had seen the exploits of the season, knew that his great man would not fail. Jones wanted to attend the ultimate mano-a-mano game, and Williamson delivered.
"There is no one who can walk in front of him and stop him, so when the match is on the line like that, and the ball is in his hands, I do not want him to settle for anything, "Jones said. "I want him to attack the hoop, he did it."
Williamson drove straight into the fall, jumped, was suspended in the air, collided with the UCF giant and threw the ball into the hoop. The basket counted, Fall was whistled for his fifth foul and Williamson went to the line of fouls to tie him down.
2:00
Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett divide what their coach Mike Krzyzewski told them to stay at 2:09 from the end of the match against UCF.
"Zion made an incredible game against Tacko when he missed the game," Barrett said. "This desire to win is something special."
Williamson missed the free kick, but with Fall on the bench, Barrett found room to rebound. Duke's top scorer, Barrett, had scored no goals in less than 17 minutes when he scored the rebound and immediately turned to the shot.
"I saw the ball, she came to me, I grabbed it and I put it on," Barrett said. "That's the only thing I thought about."
He came in and Duke took his first lead in 5 minutes of action.
Subsequently, a reporter asked Barrett if it was the best part of his career.
"It's my favorite, it's safe," he says.
Barrett's basket looked like a dagger, but the UCF still had a chance to win it.
Taylor took the inside pass and tried to drive, but Jones – one of the best defenders of college basketball – forced him back on the bottom line, where he threw a float that bounced back inside the rim and then on the back panel.
"I shoot this shot since I play for the coach [Johnny Dawkins]"Said Taylor. It just did not fall. It kills me that it did not fall. But that was the room. We had the shot we wanted. "
Penalty of love
Aubrey Dawkins charged on top of the key and sent the ball back. He rolled around the edge during what could have been an eternity.
"It was up there forever," Dawkins said. "It was like idling."
And then it ended, and Williamson swept the rebound to end the match.
"Heartbreak," said Dawkins. "It's the only way to summarize."
Heartbreak for UCF. Jubilation for Duke.
"When he rocked," said Williamson, "you talk about microseconds." When the ball rolled around the rim, it looked like he was entering the ball, but as Coach K was talking a lot the gods of basketball, they had our backs tonight. "
At the end of the match, UCF was upset and its supporters dissected the game's immaculate shots. They wanted a charge on Williamson's last training, a blocking of Barrett's rebound, a foul on Taylor's last uprising.
"I thought the match was great," said Johnny Dawkins afterwards. "I have no problem with the way the game was played.It's a game where you have to create games.Unfortunately, we just have not done enough games."
Duke was left to examine every detail, too. Outside the locker room, two team leaders traveled the last minutes, frame by frame, on a mobile phone. It still did not seem real.
Duke passes now. Virginia Tech is waiting in the Sweet 16. But everyone in the locker room of the Blue Devils knows how close they are.
"I could be sitting here saying that it was an excellent race and it's sad," said Williamson. "But it was special, and I hope we can go even further."
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