Duke’s Men's Basketball team prevailed over Louisville’s by a score of 71-69 in a tightly contested game that featured a historic comeback on February 2nd due to outstanding play from Forwards Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish, and R.J. Barrett despite visiting the hostile KFC Yum! Center. This game has not only defined Duke’s season, but is likely a preview of what’s to come in March Madness for the mighty Blue Devils.
Despite the comeback that Duke had to make in order to win the game, for most of the beginning, both teams traded shots with the largest point differential within the first half being only 10 points. By the end of the half, both teams were still battling out an even game as the score was 38-29 in Louisville’s favor. Both teams were holding strong defensively as Duke’s Big Three was uncharacteristically limited to a mere 25 points and the rest of their team to only 4. Going into the 2nd half, most viewers and analysts came to the consensus that Duke, ranked 2nd in the country, would pick up steam throughout the 2nd half and hustle their way to a hard fought victory. Although the end result was just about true, the 2nd half didn’t go as planned at all as the Cardinal’s of Louisville outscored the Blue Devils of Duke 21-7 in just the first 10 minutes of the half. As the game went on, and a 23 point lead was obtained by Louisville, most fans were excitedly partying, knowing that their team was just 10 minutes away from defeating the 2nd ranked, super team, of College Basketball. That was, until, Duke focused and executed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of College Basketball. Hustling defense and a new found offense allowed Duke to slowly but surely chisel the lead to 3, when Cam Reddish, the least popular, considered ‘overrated’ member of the Big 3 hit possibly the clutchest shot from beyond the arc of his short, yet promising basketball career. From there, Duke would make 1 last defensive stand for the night, and after a Louisville foul, Reddish, once again, came up big and hit both free throws, sealing the deal for the Blue Devils.
After the intense, historic game, many were speechless of what they’d just witnessed. Louisville's previously ecstatic crowd was all but happy as only a few standout Duke fans were left in the sea of cardinal red seats. When asked about the game by an ESPN reporter, Zion Williamson responded, “It just took us playing hard. They were playing harder than us. Louisville's a very great team, but we just had to play harder than them.” Soon after, Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke added, “I did think we could play better,'' he said. "I was positive, but I don't know, belief… At that point, I may have been telling them a lie.” Then, Chris Mack, head coach of Louisville, chimed in by adding, “Give Duke great credit. Their kids never quit. They battled. They turned us over what seemed like a thousand times in the last four or five minutes. I'm stunned.” Mack’s reaction was similar to most of the public. In fact, a comeback like this ranks among some of the largest, but with so much on the line, this comebacks importance was greatly exemplified.
As Duke continues its season using their Louisville game as a motive to never give up, College Basketball dominance will be a given. With 3 superstars and the greatest coach of all time, a clutch factor is all the Blue Devils need to overcome opponents of any skill level. Now, entering March, the only thing that could possibly lead to the downfall of Duke is poor shooting. Similar to the 2009-2010 Kentucky Wildcats, the Duke Blue Devils have one of the most potent offenses to ever see a basketball court, powerful enough on its own to allow for Duke to prevail in the all important NCAA Championship Game.