The Gamecocks scored 65 points in the second half, as they ended Duke’s season and punched their own ticket to the Sweet 16. “We got worn down”. When the Gamecocks defeated Marquette on Friday night, it was their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1973. The Blue Devils, though, could not surmount South Carolina’s stifling defense. “They fed off the crowd, I think, and it gave them a lot of energy”.
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But most of all, this was not supposed to be a year Duke was vulnerable.
“Everyone got a glimpse of how good we can be”, coach Jamion Christian said.
“Yeah, absolutely”, Martin said. “I was struggling a little bit in the first half and I just had to pick it up”.
“It’s unfortunate that there’s been a message put out there – I’m not saying our league’s better than anybody’s”.
“I’m still speechless. I honestly – I’m trying to take it all in”. I comprehend how every league is. Plus, we’ve done it before-we’ve come back. “Sophie’s had more game-winning shots in her career than all the players I have ever coached in my career combined”.
That’s where Commodores guard Matthew Fisher-Davis inexplicably grabbed Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh on goal despite his team leading by 1. Cincinnati reached 30 wins for the second time with its win over Kansas State, joining the 2001-02 team. If this team is to make an incredible run to Arizona, Thornwell will have to be big 2 more times in the Big Apple. “They obviously had a lot more fans and Carolina is going to have a lot more tomorrow”. We had the atmosphere. Or maybe everyone just loves to watch Duke lose. So you just try and patch up. “We had guys jumping in the pool”.
What made the SC win particularly enjoyable to people with good taste was that they weren’t supposed to win.
Welcome back to South Carolina, March Madness.
Whatever malaise the ACC caught on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament Duke got the worst of it.
The other three regions have mostly stayed true to form outside of a few upsets in the first two rounds, which prevented the No. 2 seed in the Midwest (the Louisville Cardinals) and the No. 3 seed in the West (the Florida State Seminoles) from making the Sweet 16.
“You know, we’re okay”, Kryzewski said. Back-to-back dunks by Silva and Dozier brought Bon Secours Wellness Arena to its feet, pulling the Gamecocks within two, but MU pulled in front by eight, 34-26, with 5:18 to play. Actually, the most physical game we’ve been in all year.
The Blue Devils did not make a basket after Matt Jones’ 3-pointer with 5:38 to play, their only points coming on Allen’s foul shots in the final minute before the break.
“We’re not satisfied”, he said. “And we like tough environments”. Thanks to future National Basketball Association players Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Garrett Temple and Tyus Thomas, the Tigers’ defense sent Duke packing. If the game is close at the end, watch Dillon Brooks. The Big Ten Tournament champs don’t foul much and take care of the ball, too, as evidenced by the four turnovers they had in a first-round win over Oklahoma State. And they’re going to be well supported.
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If you just woke up from a dream in which the dude from “The Dan Band” was singing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” to the crying Northwestern kid, consider yourself lucky.
