Grayson Allen provides a reminder: Don't count Duke out
By mid-January, Duke's postseason fate seemed predetermined: NCAA tournament first-round exit. Just like in 2007, the last time the Blue Devils suffered a three-game losing streak. That Duke team lost to Virginia Commonwealth as a No. 6 seed. They had fallen as low as a No. 7 seed this year in USA TODAY Sports' bracketology.
After the Blue Devils lost to Clemson, Notre Dame and Syracuse on that three-game skid and fell out of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll top 25 rankings, one headline even suggested Duke wouldn't make the NCAA tournament.
Grayson Allen's buzzer beater lifts Duke past No. 7 Virginia
About a month later, the doubters might need to rethink their positions. Grayson Allen's buzzer-beater lifted the Blue Devils past Virginia on Saturday and, regardless of late-game controversy on whether the guard traveled, the final score speaks volumes to just how much this team has grown through some mid-season adversity.
"I thought we earned it," coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the 62-63 victory. And they did. This win came against a red-hot Virginia team that just grabbed a No. 1 seed in the latest bracketology projections and was riding a seven-game winning steak. Even if it was at Cameron Indoor, the outcome changes the narrative on a Duke team many had counted out.
Duke, still lacking primary post player Amile Jefferson, is finding its identity. Teams that struggle in January are much different than teams that struggle in February or March.
With exactly one month until Selection Sunday, the defending champions are starting to come together and seem to be peaking at the right time. Allen is having an All-American season and is one of the best players in college basketball. And his late-game heroics Saturday — in the form of an off-balance runner with six seconds left...and subsequent fist pump as the crowd erupted — proved Krzyzewski has a go-to guy when it matters most. Meanwhile, freshmen Brandon Ingram (25 points against UVa) and Luke Kennard haven't stopped improving all season. And big man Marshall Plumlee has vastly improved in Jefferson's absence.
Still don't believe in Duke? Its defense is far from superior, its depth is a big issue and a cold shooting night could spell doom. And as we alluded to earlier in the season, this is a much different roster makeup than last year's with three one-and-done, future NBA players. The Blue Devils will get a chance to really prove how good they are with their next two contests on the road at North Carolina and Louisville. With a pair of wins, they could be in contention for, dare we say, the ACC title.
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