Written by Brian Pohl
Columbia, SC- In the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, top overall seed Duke survives a back and forth thriller with nine seeded UCF.
In arguably the best game of the tournament so far, the UCF Knights gave the Blue Devils all they could handle for 40 minutes, falling just short of the upset.
The game was close throughout, as the one seed could never truly take control of the game for any extended period of play. Both teams tried to push the tempo from the opening tip, and the Knights were able to use the size of center Tacko Fall to grab an early 10-8 lead as we reached the first media timeout.
UCF guard Aubrey Dawkins was the star of the first half, leading all scorers with 18 points including three big shots from behind the arc to really keep the Knights in the game.
Duke would go on their run, however, as the Blue Devils seemingly flipped the switch and went on a 12-4 run to close out the half with a 44-36 lead.
Star forward Zion Williamson led Duke with 15 first-half points, making his move during that late run after Tacko Fall was placed on the bench in foul trouble.
UCF would come out firing in the second half behind the hot shooting of Dawkins, and a 9-0 run to start the half forced a quick timeout by coach K and Duke to try and regroup. The Blue Devils would regain their composure, but the Knights from Orlando would just not go away keep the game within single digits throughout.
After the under eight media timeout, UCF would make their final push, shooting lights out from behind the arc and taking their first lead of the half with three minutes and 50 seconds to play.
The game seemed to be lost, as Duke trailed the Knights by three in the final minute, but Zion Williamson used his freakish athleticism to get to the rim and absorb the contact for the and-one.
Williamson missed the game-tying free throw, but fellow freshman star RJ Barrett was right there for the put-back layup to give the Blue Devils a one-point lead in the final seconds.
UCF had one final shot to shock the world but missed two shots at the rim to fall to the one seed 77-76.
The UCF Knights left it all on the floor, falling just short of the incredible upset, but shouldn’t hang their heads, as their performance will be one to remember from this year’s tournament. The win moves Duke to the Sweet 16, where they will play the winner between #4 Virginia Tech and #12 Liberty
Zion Williamson led all scorers with 32 points while completing the double-double with 11 rebounds. The star freshman has proven himself to be an elite talent and has been must-watch basketball for anyone tuning into the tournament.
Duke now advances to the second weekend, and will next play Friday, March, 29th from Washington DC, with their opponent and time of tip-off still to be determined.
