After the slap received against North Carolina last weekend, for the last home game of Coach K’s career, Duke started again this week during the ACC conference tournament. First by disposing, not without difficulty, of Syracuse in the quarter-finals, then by a victory this night, in the semi-finals against Miami, still in pain (80-76).
Caught in the throat by the defensive aggressiveness of the Canes, the Blue Devils took time to enter the game. After a hotly contested first half (36-36), it was finally at the end of the game, in the “money-time”, that the difference was made, thanks to the talent of the “freshmen” Paolo Banchero (18 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists) and AJ Griffin (21 points at 4/6 behind the arc, 7 rebounds).
Duke joins the ACC Conference Finals for the 22nd time under the Coach K era. This is simply the conference record, as the former was co-held by Dean Smith, legendary and late North Carolina coach of 1961 to 1997, and by Coach K, therefore.
In the final, Paolo Banchero and his team will challenge Virginia Tech, which created a surprise by beating North Carolina (72-59) in the semi-finals. There will therefore be no Act III between the two historical rivals.
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