This game was intense throughout though it always felt like Carolina had the edge. It always felt like Duke hit a timely 3 pointer that got them back into the game, down 2 to 4 points. Then in the final minutes, Duke played solid while Carolina seemed prone to turnovers. I heard the complaint that Carolina went tentative, not trying to get that fifth foul on Marshall Plumlee. I don't totally agree. While watching the 2nd half of a second time, it seemed to me that they drove to the basket plenty versus settling for shots from the perimeter. It is just they couldn't hit anything.
I've said in previous posts that I just can't see how Duke will win the Championship. Their bench is just so short and I'm betting Matt Jones misses a couple games. Their current #4 seeding probably starts heading down to #6. On the other hand, I'm not sure Carolina is going anywhere either. Yes, this was a rivalry game, but if Carolina can't take down a team that was playing 6 players (I'll say 6 though many say 5 as I thought Chase Jeter played some solid minutes) and basically couldn't implement their game plan in the last 3 minutes of the game, I'm not sure how they'll be able to play when there will be at least 2 close games during a March Madness run.
My notes:
Marshall Plumlee rocks.
Brandon Ingram can take a shot over his defender from anywhere on the court.
Grayson Allen has no fear driving to the basket. I will admit I was thinking that he threw that ball up in the air a half second to soon.
Derryck Thornton had the game moment with that block.
I love how the team initially mobbed Coach K before celebrating on their own. It almost feels like the team understands that every victory is just so precious and needs to be treasured.
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