Duke fights off Irish, takes ACC
FOR MOST of this season, Duke has struggled to develop an identity. Injuries have plagued the team, with starters, key players and even coach Mike Krzyzewski missing time at various points. The changing pieces made it tough to find cohesion — and a sense of personality.
But this past week in Brooklyn, the Blue Devils seemed to discover just who they are in 2017: The comeback kids.
For the third straight game on the third straight day, Duke overcame a second-half deficit of at least eight points to earn a victory. This time, it came over Notre Dame in the ACC final in front of a packed house at Barclays Center, 75-69, Saturday night.
It’s Krzyzewski’s 14th ACC tournament title. It’s also the first time in ACC history a team won four games to claim a conference championship.
“It just shows the character of our team, how hungry we are and how much heart all the guys on our team have,” said freshman Jayson Tatum, who led Duke with 19 points. “We never say die.”
Tatum took over for the Blue Devils in the final two minutes of regulation. With Duke leading by one, Tatum blocked a layup attempt from Notre Dame’s Steve Vasturia before going coast-to-coast for an easy finish.
“How the hell did you do that?” Coach K said of the play after the game. “It was terrific. It was so darn good.”
After a free throw from Fighting Irish point guard Matt Farrell, Tatum drove into the paint on the ensuing possession. The 6-8 forward kicked to senior Matt Jones, who buried a threepointer to extend the lead to four points.
“It was beautiful,” Krzyzewski said. “It was the shot of the game.”
Notre Dame hung around, cutting the deficit to two with a well-executed play that resulted in an open dunk for forward VJ Beachem. But Tatum then broke the Fighting Irish press and threw down a ferocious and-1 dunk, sinking the free throw to build a five-point lead with 25 seconds left.
“That’s how bad we want to win,” Tatum said.
Luke Kennard, who’s emerged as one of the elite scorers in the country and the Blue Devils’ calming presence, scored 16 points and earned tournament MVP. Grayson Allen added 10 off the bench. And big man Amile Jefferson contributed 14 points on 7 of 8 shooting, including two crucial layups early in the second half to keep Duke in the contest.
“We got fighters on our team,” Jefferson said. “We’re never out.”
Notre Dame leading scorer Bonzie Colson did all he could to bring home the team’s second ACC title in three seasons. The junior forward poured in a game-high 29 points on 12 of 21 shooting. He also hauled in nine rebounds. His three with 2:27 remaining tied the game at 65 before Tatum willed the Blue Devils to a trophy.
“It’s one of the great performances in championship game history,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said of Colson’s offensive outburst.
Duke jumped out to an 8-2 lead and never trailed in the first half. They controlled the opening 20 minutes, shooting 55.6% from the field while holding Notre Dame under 40%. But the Fighting Irish never let the deficit get out of hand — largely thanks to Colson’s 15-point first half.
So despite a dominant start from the Blue Devils, Notre Dame trailed by just four points at the break. Then Colson exploded early second half. Over a five-minute stretch, Colson scored nine of Notre Dame’s 13 points, including eight straight, to help build an eight-point lead with 11:36 remaining.
It wasn’t enough to sink the comeback kids.
“They’ve been through so much,” Krzyzewski said of his players. “They’re close, and I think that closeness paid off for us.”