If you’re like us, remember what it felt like in the days leading up to Duke’s win over Arizona?
It’s not that we thought Duke would lose, but of course there were no guarantees. And you saw the Arizona fans lining up and camping out for this ticket. They were pointing to this game as a major highlight, a potentially season-defining game as the Wildcats prepared to compete in the Big 12.
There were some butterflies, in other words. If Duke had lost to Kentucky, then Arizona and then played Kansas on Tuesday night only to lose…the pressure of a 3-3 start would have been intense.
Not that it couldn’t have been overcome, but the media and the social media reactions would have been crazy.
Didn’t happen like that.
Duke put the pressure on Arizona instead, and did it in a tough environment, too.
For anyone who hasn’t been in the McKale Center, or at UA or Tucson, it’s very different from what we experience in the Triangle. It’s a bit like Kentucky in that everything in town focuses on Arizona. It’s a bit strange, honestly. There is no UNC or NC State around, no fans of other schools to pick on or have fun with or hide from after a painful loss.
Like the cheer, it’s just the one: U. Of. A! U. Of. A! U. Of. A!
And by the way, that cheer is ancient and never-changing. Please, Arizona fans: think of a new one. You can keep the old one! Just find something else, mix it up. It’s so boring, so robotic. You can do better!
The point though is that the atmosphere in Tucson is just relentless. It’s like Lexington, but usually healthier, and they were ready to pounce on the Blue Devils.
Instead, Duke pounced on the Wildcats – and did it with three freshmen starters.
Watching Cooper Flagg start a bit slow, then take over the game…watching Kon Knueppel just shiv Arizona with a pair of late threes…watching Khaman Malauch expand his game with a corner three, which in our opinion is the toughest three of all…that was remarkable.
But obviously it wasn’t just them. It was Maliq Brown and Sion James defending like hell. It was Mason Gillis holding up his end of the deal.
It was Duke coming into one of the toughest places to play in the country and just shutting Arizona down. Duke took away offensive rebounding, a great strength, shooting, which Tommy Lloyd coaches brilliantly, and the transition game. All of it!
It was a brilliant display and it came, as noted, with high stakes: lose here, lose Tuesday against #1 Kansas, and you’re out of the polls. The media mocks you and calls you overrated and in a sense, you have to start over. The pressure would have been insane.
The win was great and Duke played very, very well, particularly on defense, but one of the biggest things to come out of this win is that the Blue Devils handled that pressure.
Now it’s on to Kansas and there will be much less pressure than there would have been after a loss. Win it and Duke’s aura will burn bright. Lose it, and you lost to the #1 team in the country. Most teams lose to the #1 team in the country.
This early season gauntlet has been and will continue to be tough. What’s great about it isn’t winning, even though that’s obviously the goal. What’s great about it is that it’s forcing this team to grow up fast. Win or lose, Kansas will accelerate that.
