I had this idea sometime toward the end of last summer, and with the NBA playoffs officially underway this weekend, I figured now was a good time to do the research. I looked at every NBA Finals, Eastern Conference Finals (ECF), and Western Conference Finals (WCF) from 2025 all the way back to 1951, a total of 75 playoffs,1 to get an answer to the question “how often would the NBA Champion be different if Game 1 of the NBA Finals was for the Larry O’Brien Trophy?”

In other words, what if the NBA playoffs were one-and-done like the NCAA Tournament? I quickly realized I needed to take it a step further, since Game 1 of the conference finals could potentially change one (or both) of the teams playing for the title.2 Of course, the conference semifinals could potentially alter the conference finals (and so on), but I figured looking at the NBA’s “Final Four” would be sufficient without over complicating my trivial exercise.

Obviously, the first game of the conference finals is not the same as playing on Saturday night in the Final Four - both NBA teams know they are playing in a best-of-seven series, making the first game less critical than a true win-or-go-home. But I also can’t imagine an NBA team not putting everything they have into winning that first game, especially knowing that the winner of Game 1 goes on to win a best-of-seven series roughly 76% of the time in the NBA.

This is meant to be a fun exercise, not to actually suggest any NBA champ would definitively be different in an NCAA format. There is no way to know how the psychology and/or preparation may differ for the teams involved.

Let’s use 2022 as an example - Boston beat Golden State in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, meaning the Celtics would hoist the trophy instead of the Warriors. However, Miami beat Boston in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals, meaning Boston wouldn’t have even made the Finals. It was the same the previous year - Phoenix would have been the 2021 champ via their Game 1 win over Milwaukee, except for the Suns would have been facing the Atlanta Hawks via their opening win in the ECF. Even last season, the Pacers took Game 1 of the Finals over Oklahoma City - Indiana wins the trophy.

In my (fictional) one-and-done scenario, only 34 of the 75 NBA seasons would have produced both the same Finals match-up and the same NBA Champion. And to my original question - if we only looked at the NBA Finals, 22 champions would change based on the winner of Game 1.

The full results are below, but let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

Instead of four match-ups in a row, we only get Cleveland vs. Golden State twice in the NBA Finals (2015, 2017). The Warriors still win them both.3

The Miami Heat with LeBron, DWade, and Chris Bosh never win a title. Instead of Miami, Chicago advances to plays Dallas in the 2011 Finals. The Thunder take Game 1 of the 2012 Finals, as do the Spurs in 2013 - and we never get to see Ray Allen do this:4

The Kobe/Shaq Lakers do not three-peat. The 76ers win the 2001 NBA Finals behind Allen Iverson’s 48 points in a 107-101 (OT) victory in Game 1, the Lakers only loss in the postseason. AI’s performance was incredible regardless, but especially at six feet tall.

Every Finals match-up and NBA Champion from 1994-2000 remains the same, the longest stretch in this scenario.

MJ and the Bulls’ first three-peat goes away also. Magic and the Lakers win the 1991 championship (Chicago swept them after Game 1), and the Knicks play the Suns in the 1993 Finals instead. But perhaps Jordan wins his first title in 1989 when the Bulls would have advanced to the Finals instead of the Pistons.

The LA Lakers go to nine NBA Finals in ten years beginning in 1982 (i.e. they won Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals every year from 1982-1991 except 1990).

Boston and LA flip titles in 1984 and 1985, and the much anticipated rubber match in 1986 would have actually taken place - that would have been awesome.5

Philadelphia plays Seattle in the 1980 Finals instead of LA, so we never get rookie Earvin Johnson’s legendary Game 6. At 20 years old, Magic started at center in place of the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists.

The 1977 title goes to Philadelphia with Dr. J and Doug Collins instead of Portland, led by Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas, and Dr. Jack Ramsey.

The 1976 NBA Finals is between Boston and Golden State instead of Phoenix, meaning we never get this epic 128-126 (3OT) win for the Celtics. I recorded this game on VHS from ESPN Classic when I was younger, and the full sequence to end the second overtime is as crazy as it gets.6

Boston’s “eight-peat” from 1959-1966 would have been cut in half with Cincinnati advancing to the 1963 NBA Finals instead. The Celtics would have also faced a different team in the NBA Finals in 1959 (St. Louis instead of Minneapolis), 1961 (LA instead of St. Louis), and 1964 (St. Louis instead of Golden State) - though I’m betting those great Red Auerbach/Bill Russell teams still win Game 1.

In fact, the Lakers win the 1966 and 1969 NBA Finals with their Game 1 victories over Boston, giving Elgin Baylor the NBA Championship(s) he never got.7 And Jerry West is slightly less haunted by the Celtics, though he loses his 1972 title in this scenario as the Knicks go back-to-back in 1972 and 1973.

New York wins the 1953 NBA Finals over the Minneapolis Lakers, interrupting George Mikan’s three-peat and giving the Knicks their first championship 17 years sooner than their 1970 title.

Reversing my exercise slightly, think of all the great college teams that lost a “Game 1” at some point in the NCAA Tournament, but never got a chance to come back and try to win the series. To be clear, I’m not suggesting the NCAA Tournament move to a series format of any kind - I can’t imagine college basketball history with, for example, NC State and Houston playing a best-of-three instead.8 And I’m glad the NBA playoffs have given us so many moments in Games 2 through 7 over the years, some of which I mentioned above. Enjoy the playoffs if you’re watching and, if not, it’s only 350 days until the Final Four.

Full results:

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2025-2026
Duke Blue Devils | 35-3 overall | 17-1 ACC
ACC Regular Season Champions | ACC Tournament Champions
NCAA East Region 1-seed | NCAA Elite Eight | Final AP Poll #4

“I’m not shying away from the fact that there’s incredible disappointment and heartbreak when you lose the way we did….we’ve lost two unimaginable ways the last two seasons….”
- Coach Scheyer (full interview below)

Season Numbers

Duke won both the outright ACC regular season and the ACC Tournament for the second year in a row. Only 5 times in ACC history has a team won the outright regular season and the ACC Tournament in consecutive years. It hadn’t happened since Duke in 1999-2000, with the rest coming prior 1975.1

855 - points this season for Cameron Boozer, the third best single-season point total in Duke history. His 389 rebounds also rank as the third most in a season. Boozer was the first freshman to average 20 points/10 rebounds/4 assists since Larry Bird in 1977.2

11 - National Players of the Year for Duke (most all-time) with Cam Boozer sweeping the six major awards this season. And if you missed it, my NPOY article from a few years ago is now updated as well.3

5 - combined margin of defeat in Duke’s three losses, with all of the game-winning points coming with under four seconds to go.4

13 - wins for Duke against the AP Top 25, the most ever in a single season.5

DBR Stats

Full Season Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

I tracked 19 different statistical categories this season, and included the link in each newsletter. I’m fond of saying that basketball should be considered both “science and art” - with the stats and analytics providing an objective look at trends throughout the year, while keeping in mind the numbers cannot tell the whole story.

This was best rebounding team so far under Jon Scheyer, and it’s not a stretch to say one of the few best rebounding Duke teams of the analytics era (since 1997). Duke has only had four other teams with an offensive rebounding rate above 38%, and this was the first Duke team to keep their opponents below 28% on the offensive glass.6

At 15.9%, the Blue Devils ranked 135th in the country in turnover rate after being inside the top 35 the previous two seasons (~14%). Duke’s turnover rate was ~2% above their season average during the NCAA Tournament and a touch higher (~0.5%) in their three losses. While those are all small increases (and four NCAA games is not a good sample size), those few additional lost possessions over the course of forty minutes are significant when it’s a one or two possession game at the end.7

Duke did an excellent job keeping their opponents off the free throw line, finishing second nationally in defensive free throw rate, but opponents were able to get to the stripe ~4% more often in losses. A few additional fouls 1) stop the clock, 2) potentially put guys in foul trouble, and 3) put the opponent in the bonus more quickly.

If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I’m fond of line points as a key metric (points from 3 + points from FT). Obviously, all points count the same, and Duke was dominant from two-point range this season, shooting 60.2% inside the arc (7th nationally) while generating 1.21 points-per-shot and outscoring teams by ~9.5 points per game on twos. The majority of Duke’s advantage in line points came from free throws, with three-point scoring virtually even on the season. Opponents only shot 30.6% from three-point range on the year, but made 11 of 14 triples down the stretch in Duke’s three losses.8

After Duke’s win over Wake Forest in January, Jon Scheyer remarked “Rebounding was our advantage for this game. It is our advantage probably most games….I never thought we'd be playing ‘smash mouth’ basketball as much, but it’s a fun style when you’re getting layups and dunks and fighting for great shots.” The Blue Devils pounded teams inside for a season-long advantage in second chance points (+6.5) and points in the paint (+12.2), along with their rebounding rate mentioned earlier. I already noted Duke’s turnover rate as well - that marginal increase showed up not only in lost possessions, but also in points off turnovers for the opponent.

Of course, the most important statistic is always wins. Duke’s 35 victories was behind only Michigan (37) and Arizona (36).

Season Analytics

Duke finished #3 in Ken Pomeroy’s final rankings (+37.37), with the 6th best offensive rating (128.1) and 3rd best defensive rating (90.7). Via Evan Miyakawa, the Blue Devils finished #2 overall (+36.2).

Evan Miya also debuted a new player performance rating this season. It’s no surprise the analytics support the NPOY hardware for Cam Boozer. But what went under the radar to most was Pat Ngongba’s impact on both ends of the floor for Duke. Pat finished second on the team in offensive rating (126.6), fourth in assist rate (16.9%), and first in blocked shot rate (6.0%).9

Lineups

I enjoyed including more lineup analysis in the newsletter this season though, of course, statistics like plus/minus or on/off comparisons do not illustrate the full picture.10 Here is every Duke lineup with 75+ possessions on the season, and it’s noteworthy that no five-man combination appeared in more than 30 games.

In fact, Duke had two of the top lineups in the country according to EvanMiya (150+ possessions). Unfortunately, Duke’s best lineup was only able to log 330 possessions on the year. For context, Arizona’s top combo was on the floor for over 750 possessions, Houston’s for over 600 possessions, and Michigan’s for over 450 possessions.

More Season Numbers

3 - consecutive Elite Eight appearances for Duke for the first time since five in a row from 1988-1992. The list of coaches with three Elite Eight appearances before age 40: Bob Knight, Dean Smith, and Jon Scheyer.11

35 - wins for Duke for the second year in a row. The Blue Devils are 70-7 in the last two seasons, the most wins in a two-year period in Duke history.12

124 - career wins for Jon Scheyer, the most all-time by a coach in their first four seasons.13

0 - losses for Duke at home. The Blue Devils are 63-3 in Cameron under Coach Scheyer, including three undefeated seasons.

58.8% - assist rate for the Blue Devils on the season, the second best mark since Duke began tracking assists in 1968-1969. Here are my favorite Duke dimes of the ACC regular season, originally posted in DBR Newsletter #102.14

25 - years since Duke won the 2001 National Championship. The squad got together in Cameron for the SMU game, and I wrote my longest article thus far to celebrate the 25th Anniversary.

“I’m not shying away from the fact that there’s incredible disappointment and heartbreak when you lose the way we did….we’ve lost two unimaginable ways the last two seasons…and the scarier thing is if we’re not close. The thing is, we’re knocking at the door, we’re right there and we’ve just got to continue to find ways to win in the margin, regroup with a different team for next year, and not quit. Like we’re going to stay at it, we’re going to stay at it until we’re there….this team deserves to praised for the year they’ve had, 35-2 with the schedule we had going into that game. Incredible. And they were a great group to coach.”

Well said, Coach.

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Key Stats

Duke 80 St. John’s 75

Total Possessions: 64
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.25 ppp
St. John’s Pts/Possession: 1.17 ppp

Duke OReb Rate: 41.4%
St. John’s OReb Rate: 26.3%

Duke 72 Connecticut 73

Total Possessions: 63
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.16 ppp
UConn Pts/Possession: 1.15 ppp

Duke TO Rate: 20.6%
UConn TO Rate: 7.9%

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Duke trailed 45-55 at the 15:05 mark of the second half before outscoring St. John’s 35-20 the rest of the way. St. John’s made 9 of their 13 three-pointers in the first half. The Blue Devils won the glass 40-27 for a 15-6 advantage in second chance points.

Points off turnovers:
1st half - Duke 7 UConn 4
2nd half - Duke 0 UConn 16

Second chance points:
1st half - Duke 14 UConn 7
2nd half - Duke 2 UConn 8

Offensive Rebounds:
1st half - Duke 8 UConn 7
2nd half - Duke 2 UConn 6

Fast break points:
1st half - Duke 6 UConn 2
2nd half - Duke 2 UConn 10

Three-point shooting:
1st half - Duke (5 for 11) UConn (1 for 11)
2nd half - Duke (1 for 4) UConn (4 for 12)

After starting the game 1 for 18 from three-point range, the Huskies went 4 for 5 in the final 7:00. Duke managed just 28 points after halftime, posting below 30 points in a half for only the third time all season.

Be wary of what you read and listen to following this game - I’m not saying don’t consume it if you want, just try to maintain the full picture. Throughout my writing, I’ve been consistent with the fact that everyone is entitled to their opinion and there will be tons of them, especially regarding the final 10 seconds. Here’s mine: please remember there were 63 possessions Sunday afternoon and every single one mattered. The final play was poorly executed by Duke, and everyone involved knows what should have been done differently. You also have to give Braylon Mullins credit for making the shot from just inside half-court - a miss from that deep and Duke wins. I’ve deliberately stayed away from opining in the newsletter this year, choosing to stick to only stats and analysis of the final game book (trends, notes, etc.) - but if you want to put the final sequence under a microscope, please do so for the rest of the game too.

Afterwards, Coach Scheyer said “It's easy to look at that play - I look at every play that happened, especially in that second half, this is not about one play. It's about every play that put us in that position, and that's what you don't want to do, where one play something could happen. For me, look, it's going to be tough, but it's not going to be on one play.” A number of factors within Duke’s control led to the possibility of a miracle ending - shot selection to close the first half and second half turnovers for example. Duke also made a number of clutch plays to maintain the lead all the way to the end, such as Nik Khamenia’s triple or Cam Boozer’s final bucket in the lane.1 And credit Connecticut on a number of things that made it difficult for Duke in the second half, including their rebounding, physicality, and three-point shooting down the stretch. Congrats to Coach Hurley and his team.

The final thing that gets lost in these Monday morning discussions is the people aspect. The NCAA Tournament is the most heartbreaking sporting event for every team but one. As a fan, I don’t ever feel disappointment for myself after a season-ending loss - nothing happened to me personally. I simply feel terrible for the Duke locker room and all the guys, both players and coaches - they gave everything they had all season long.

Here’s Jon Scheyer with Tracy Wolfson after the game:

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Key Stats

Duke 71 Siena 65

Total Possessions: 62
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.15 ppp
Siena Pts/Possession: 1.05 ppp

Duke FT Rate: 35.6%
Siena FT Rate: 9.2%

Duke 81 TCU 58

Total Possessions: 69
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.17 ppp
TCU Pts/Possession: 0.84 ppp

Duke 2P Pts/Shot: 1.43 pps
TCU 2P Pts/Shot: 0.71 pps

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Siena was +12 from the three-point line, with Duke going 2 for 15 from beyond the arc in the first half. The Blue Devils offset the three-point disadvantage by making 18 of 21 free throws to even up the total line points at 33 apiece.1

With 18:24 to go, Duke trailed Siena 34-47 before outscoring the Saints 37-18 the rest of the way. Siena went scoreless from the 7:53 to the 1:06 mark of the second half. Duke earned a 15-2 advantage in second chance points after halftime.2

The Blue Devils were efficient from two-point range against TCU, making 20 of 28 shots inside the arc (1.43 pps). TCU was below 1.00 points-per-shot on both twos (0.71) and threes (0.88). Duke posted a 62.2% eFG compared to 38.4% for TCU.

Duke and TCU were tied at 44 with 13:56 remaining. From there, Duke closed the game 37-14, including runs of 9-0 and 13-0.3

Duke’s defense allowed just 46 combined points after halftime in the two games. The Blue Devils outrebounded Siena and TCU 85-56.4

Plus/minus leaders vs. Siena: Cameron Boozer (+12 in 38:36); Cayden Boozer (+12 in 38:36); Isaiah Evans (+5 in 32:22)

Plus/minus leaders vs. TCU: Cameron Boozer (+25 in 33:13); Nik Khamenia (+22 in 26:10); Pat Ngongba (+20 in 12:45)

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Key Stats

Duke 80 Florida State 79

Total Possessions: 67
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.19 ppp
FSU Pts/Possession: 1.17 ppp

Duke OReb Rate: 53.7%
FSU OReb Rate: 20.0%

Duke 73 Clemson 61

Total Possessions: 63
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.16 ppp
Clemson Pts/Possession: 0.97 ppp

Duke eFG: 55.0%
Clemson eFG: 39.1%

Duke 74 Virginia 70

Total Possessions: 64
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.16 ppp
UVA Pts/Possession: 1.10 ppp

Duke OReb Rate: 48.8%
UVA OReb Rate: 32.3%

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Florida State led 59-51 with 13:12 remaining before Duke responded with a 19-2 run over the next 5:13. The Blue Devils rebounded over half of their missed shots and outscored the Seminoles 24-7 in second chance points.1

Duke outscored Clemson 26-6 over the final 10:39 of the first half - the Tigers made one field goal during that stretch. Clemson managed just 0.84 points-per-shot from three, and 0.73 points-per-shot from two, en route to a 39.1% eFG.2

There were 12 ties and 16 lead changes during the Virginia game - neither team led by more than four points over the final 18:39. In the second half, Duke posted a 9-3 advantage in second chance points and a 7-2 advantage in points off turnovers.3

Duke’s best lineups in plus/minus during the ACC Tournament:

2-Boozer / 3-Evans / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+18 in 35:18)
2-Boozer / 7-Sarr / 8-Harris / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+10 in 6:19)
3-Evans / 6-Brown / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+9 in in 12:55)
2-Boozer / 3-Evans / 8-Harris / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+6 in 10:18)

Duke was a combined +45 on the glass in the three games (128-83).4

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ACC Assists

I’ve been wanting to do some version of this for the last two years, but it was always too daunting to pull together at the end of the season. So this year, I’ve been cutting up clips of my favorite assists after every game. Duke has assisted on 59.6% of their made field goals on the season (39th), and 57.6% in ACC play (2nd) - and one of my favorite things under Coach Scheyer has been watching the ball movement on offense.1 The only bad thing about all these dimes? The video is 23 minutes, so put it on 2x speed and enjoy the passing.

ACC Analytics

Here are KenPom’s conference-only analytics through the end of the regular season, along with per game specialty stats via CBB Analytics.

The ACC is currently fourth in both KenPom and Evan Miya’s newly updated conference rankings.

ACC Awards

Player of the Year - Cameron Boozer (Duke)
Defensive Player of the Year - Maliq Brown (Duke)
Rookie of the Year - Cameron Boozer (Duke)
Most Improved Player - Juke Harris (Wake Forest)
Sixth Man of the Year - Maliq Brown (Duke)
Coach of the Year - Jon Scheyer (Duke)

All-ACC Teams

First Team: Cameron Boozer (Duke); Caleb Wilson (UNC); Ebuka Okorie (Stanford); Malik Reneau (Miami); Thijs De Ridder (UVA)

Second Team: Boopie Miller (SMU); Juke Harris (WFU); Henri Veesaar (UNC); Tre Donaldson (Miami); Ryan Conwell (Louisville)

Third Team: Isaiah Evans (Duke); Mikel Brown (Louisville); Quadir Copeland (NCSU); Robert McCray (FSU); Dai Dai Ames (CAL)

Honorable Mention: Jaron Pierre (SMU); Donnie Freeman (Syracuse); RJ Godfrey (Clemson); Amani Hansberry (VT); Seth Trimble (UNC); Patrick Ngongba (Duke); Justin Pippen (CAL); Darrion Williams (NCSU); Jalen Haralson (ND); B.J. Edwards (SMU)

All-ACC Defensive Team

Maliq Brown (Duke); Ugonna Onyenso (UVA); B.J. Edwards (SMU); Dame Sarr (Duke), Ernest Udeh (Miami)

All-ACC Rookie Team

Cameron Boozer (Duke); Caleb Wilson (UNC); Ebuka Okorie (Stanford); Mikel Brown (Louisville); Thijs De Ridder (UVA)

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Key Stats

Duke 76 North Carolina 61

Total Possessions: 65
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.17 ppp
UNC Pts/Possession: 0.94 ppp

Duke OReb Rate: 42.9%
UNC OReb Rate: 17.2%

Duke Turnover Rate: 12.3%
UNC Turnover Rate: 21.5%

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Duke was +20 in points off turnovers (24-4). The Tar Heels turned it over 14 times, including 11 steals for Duke.

1st half rebounding: Duke 18 UNC 19
2nd half rebounding: Duke 24 UNC 10

The Blue Devils grabbed 11 of their 18 offensive rebounds after halftime for a 10-0 advantage in second chance points. Carolina did not have an offensive rebound in the second half.1

Duke outscored North Carolina 30-6 over a 13:13 span of the second half, pushing the lead to 71-46 with 6:03 remaining.2

Duke had five different lineups +5 or better:

2-Boozer / 3-Evans / 6-Brown / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer (+7 in 9:17)
1-Foster / 3-Evans / 6-Brown / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer (+7 in 7:31)
2- Boozer / 6-Brown / 8-Harris / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+7 in 2:54)
2- Boozer / 6-Brown / 7-Sarr / 8-Harris / 12-Boozer (+6 in 3:52)
2-Boozer / 3-Evans / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+5 in 4:10)

Maliq Brown posted 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 assists in his final game in Cameron. Cam Boozer had 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists.

1st half plus/minus: Maliq Brown (+13); Cameron Boozer (+7)
2nd half plus/minus: Dame Sarr (+14); Cayden Boozer (+10)

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Key Stats

Duke 93 NC State 64

Total Possessions: 64
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.44 ppp
NCSU Pts/Possession: 0.99 ppp

Duke Assist Rate: 65.6%
NCSU Assist Rate: 52.2%

Duke Pts in the Paint: 42 pts
NCSU Pts in the Paint: 28 pts

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

NC State led 16-15 with 12:09 to go in the first half. Duke outscored the Wolfpack 32-14 for the remainder of the half, and then used a 15-5 stretch in the opening 4:33 of the second half to push the lead to 27 points.

Duke assisted on over 65% of their field goals for the fifth time in the last six games, including 13 assists on 16 made field goals in the first half (81.3%).1

After making 8 of 17 three-pointers in the first half, Duke went inside for a 26-14 advantage in the paint after halftime. The Blue Devils generated 1.18 pps from three and 1.40 pps from two, compared to 0.72 pps from three and 0.89 pps from two for NC State.

Duke’s best lineups in plus/minus at NC State:

1-Foster / 3-Evans / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer / 21-Ngongba (+10 in 8:40)
1-Foster / 3-Evans / 6-Brown / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+9 in 4:00)
1-Foster / 3-Evans / 6-Brown / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer (+6 in 7:17)
2-Boozer / 8-Harris / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia / 21-Ngongba (+6 in 2:06)

“I’m really proud of this team. To win the ACC outright, 28 wins at this point in the year. Just their professionalism, their approach, they've been an absolute joy to coach….We put nine guys on the floor that impact winning, and I'm proud to see the individual growth of everybody on the team, but also just how they've come together.”
- Coach Scheyer postgame

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Key Stats

Duke 100 Notre Dame 56

Total Possessions: 72
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.40 ppp
ND Pts/Possession: 0.78 ppp

Duke Line Points: 70 pts
ND Line Points: 32 pts

Duke 77 Virginia 51

Total Possessions: 61
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.26 ppp
UVA Pts/Possession: 0.84 ppp

Duke 3P Pts/Shot: 1.50 pps
UVA 3P Pts/Shot: 0.60 pps

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

The Blue Devils were a combined +54 in line points (3P + FT) against Notre Dame and Virginia. Duke’s 70 line points in South Bend matched their second-highest total so far this season.1 Duke led for 78:21 and never trailed in the two games.

Duke outscored Notre Dame 23-5 in points off turnovers, including 10-0 in the second half.2 The Blue Devils won the glass 47-29, with Cam Boozer (13 reb), Maliq Brown (10 reb), Nik Khamenia (6 reb), and Dame Sarr (5 reb) leading the way.

Duke made 12 of 24 three-pointers (1.50 pps) against Virginia en route to a 60.4% eFG. The Cavaliers went 7:29 of the first half without a field goal, connected on just 7 of 35 triples, and posted a 35.5% eFG for the game.

Duke led Virginia 19-12 at the 7:52 mark of the first half before three consecutive threes in 1:39 - two from Darren Harris and one from Dame Sarr - pushed the lead to 16 points. Credit Darren for staying ready when his number is called.3

After the win against Virginia, Coach Scheyer said “I thought our guys had great determination. They came out ready, and just kept on pushing in those inflection points. I couldn’t be more proud to be able to win a share of the ACC, especially in this day and age where it is not necessarily a balanced schedule all the time; it’s just a different day and age. We won’t take this for granted. With that said, we don’t like shares. We have more work that we want to do, but I’m just proud of all nine guys that played and impacted the game.”

Over the last five ACC games, Duke’s opponents are averaging just 0.87 points-per-possession on offense.4

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Key Stats

Duke 68 Michigan 63

Total Possessions: 62
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.10 ppp
Michigan Pts/Possession: 1.02 ppp

Duke OReb Rate: 39.4%
Michigan OReb Rate: 22.2%

Duke Pts in the Paint: 34 pts
Michigan Pts in the Paint: 24 pts

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Duke rebounded nearly 40% of their misses for an 18-11 advantage in second chance points. The Blue Devils won the glass 41-28 overall, with Cam Boozer (10 rebs) and Nik Khamenia (9 rebs) leading the way.1

Duke outscored the Wolverines 20-8 in paint points after halftime, leading to a +10 advantage for the game. In a contest between the top-two defensive teams per KenPom, Duke’s slight edge in paint efficiency was one key difference. The Blue Devils shot 17 for 29 inside the paint (1.17 pps), compared to 12 for 23 for Michigan (1.04 pps).2

Michigan used a 7-0 run to cut Duke’s lead to 57-56 at the 3:24 media timeout. Duke often sets flare (fade) screens, and subsequent re-screens, for Isaiah Evans - but out of the timeout, Coach Scheyer varied this action slightly. Caleb enters the ball to Pat in the right slot - Foster (wing) and Sarr (corner) occupy space on the ball-side. Evans is at the top as Boozer comes to set the familiar flare screen, and notice how the bigs for Michigan are forced to the perimeter with Boozer and Ngongba outside the arc. Instead of fading or getting a re-screen from Cam, Isaiah curls to the basket. As the clip freezes, Johnson (#21) stays with Boozer and McKenney (#1) wisely chases over-the-top to prevent a three-point attempt from Evans. With the lane open, Isaiah is able to get to the rim for the dunk - and credit Pat for the precise alley-oop pass.3

Duke’s best lineups in plus/minus against Michigan:

1-Foster / 3-Evans / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer / 21-Ngongba (+8 in 8:03)
2-Boozer / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia / 21-Ngongba (+6 in 6:39)
1-Foster / 2-Boozer / 6-Brown / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+5 in 1:41)

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Key Stats

Duke 67 Clemson 54

Total Possessions: 62
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.08 ppp
Clemson Pts/Possession: 0.87 ppp

Duke Line Points: 41 pts
Clemson Line Points: 26 pts

Duke 101 Syracuse 64

Total Possessions: 64
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.57 ppp
Syracuse Pts/Possession: 1.00 ppp

Duke Turnover Rate: 6.3%
Syracuse Turnover Rate: 17.2%

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Duke’s defense allowed 50 first half points combined versus Clemson (26 pts) and Syracuse (24 pts).

Duke outscored Clemson 21-5 in the opening 8:03 of the second half to take a 52-31 lead. Duke used a 19-2 run spanning the final 2:58 of the first half and the opening 1:23 of the second half to build a 22-point lead against Syracuse.1

Clemson started the game 3 for 19 from three-point range before going 3 for 5 over the final 4:32 (0.75 pps for the game). Duke was +15 in line points on the afternoon, their best mark since +25 in the SMU game.2

Duke’s 6.3% turnover rate against Syracuse (4 turnovers on 64 possessions) was their lowest so far this season.3 After the game, Coach Scheyer remarked “Really proud of our team. I love the sharing that we had, 21 assists and 4 turnovers. I think that tells the story.” Of the 21 assists, 15 came in the second half (to just 1 turnover) on 23 made field goals en route to an 85.9% eFG after halftime. Six guys finished with multiple assists - Maliq (5), Cayden (4), Dame (3), Caleb (3), Cam (2), and Pat (2).

The Blue Devils posted their most efficient offensive performance so far this season against Syracuse - with 1.57 points-per-possession and 1.80 points-per-shot from beyond the arc. Duke has only topped 1.40 ppp in two other games so far this year.4

Cayden Boozer’s combined stats against Clemson and Syracuse: 24 points, 7 assists, 2 turnovers, 10 for 14 from the field, and +45 in 42:58 on the floor (+5 off).

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Key Stats

Total Possessions: 61
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.14 ppp
Pitt Pts/Possession: 0.88 ppp

Duke eFG%: 63.7%
Pitt eFG%: 47.2%

Duke 3P Pts/Shot: 1.17 pps
Pitt 3P Pts/Shot: 0.82 pps

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Pittsburgh scored 21 of their 29 first half points from beyond the arc (7 of 20) before going 2 for 13 (0.46 pps) from three after halftime. Duke shot 7 for 14 from three-point range in the second half (1.50 pps). The Blue Devils posted a 63.7% effective field goal percentage, including an efficient 1.36 pps on two-pointers.1

With Patrick Ngongba sitting out due to injury, Coach Scheyer utilized some different rotations. Duke trailed 29-28 before the lineup of 1-Foster / 2-Boozer / 7-Sarr / 8-Harris / 12-Boozer outscored Pittsburgh 12-0 from the 2:32 mark of the first half to the 16:50 mark of the second half. This five-man lineup had not logged any minutes together prior to last night, and finished +4 in 8:38.2

The combination of 1- Foster / 2-Boozer / 3-Evans / 6-Brown / 12-Boozer led the Blue Devils in plus/minus at +8 in 2:36, pushing Duke’s lead to 17 points with 2:26 left to go. This lineup had only appeared together in 9 games prior to last night (+8 in ~18 min).3

Caleb Foster posted 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists and was +17 in 34:49. Isaiah Evans finished with 21 points and did not miss a shot in the second half, including 4 for 4 from three.

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Key Stats

Total Possessions: 64
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.07 ppp
UNC Pts/Possession: 1.11 ppp

Duke 3P Pts/Shot: 1.11 pps
UNC 3P Pts/Shot: 1.26 pps

Duke Pts in the Paint: 36 pts
UNC Pts in the Paint: 22 pts

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

It was a tale of two halves from beyond the arc, with Duke going 4 for 8 in the first half and 3 for 11 in the second. Meanwhile, UNC was 3 for 12 in the opening half before going 5 for 7, including 3 for 3 in the final 2:30. With neither team getting to the free throw line after halftime (4 FTA combined), Carolina’s three-point efficiency (2.14 points-per-shot) was a key difference, leading them to a 69.6% effective field percentage in the second half.1

All of Duke’s +14 advantage in the paint came before halftime. Paint points were 18-18 in the second half, with Carolina attempting 17 shots in the lane compared to just 6 in the first half.2

Leading 62-53 with 8:23 remaining, Duke scored just six points to close the game while going scoreless for the final 2:51. The Blue Devils led for 37:39 and only trailed for 0.4 seconds - a tough loss for sure but, when asked about his message to the team, Jon Scheyer remarked “….we're not going to hang our heads on this. We played a game where I thought our guys played their hearts out. I thought they played incredibly tough. I thought we weathered some tough storms there….These losses, I've learned, if you handle them the right way, they bring you even closer together than you could have been otherwise. They just do. And that’s how we're going to handle this in our program.”

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Key Stats

Total Possessions: 61
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.09 ppp
BC Pts/Possession: 0.80 ppp

Duke FT Rate: 40.0%
BC FT Rate: 17.3%

Duke Pts in the Paint: 38 pts
BC Pts in the Paint: 18 pts

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Duke outscored Boston College 13-0 to open the game, and made 12 of their first 13 shot attempts to lead 29-13 at the 9:54 mark of the first half.

From there, the game was a defensive battle between two of the top-five defenses in the ACC, particularly in the second half.1 Duke scored 25 points after halftime, their fewest points in a half so far this season, with BC managing only 22 points. After the opening ten minutes, the Blue Devils shot just 12 of 37 (32.4%) for the remainder of the game, and missed all 7 three-point attempts in the second half.

Coach Scheyer remarked after the game, “Great to get our 10th conference win. All of these are precious. Credit Boston College with their defense and I thought they were very disruptive and stood us up, and we have to be better at handling that in the second half. But, loved our defense and our ability to get off to a quick start was great. And proud, like I said, again to get this win.”

Duke got to the free throw line at a 40% rate (20 FTA/50 FGA), right at their season (and ACC) average, after shooting a season-low 7 free throws in Blacksburg.2 The Blue Devils also kept BC off the line (9 FTA/52 FGA), outscoring the Eagles 14-4 from the stripe - and their 38-18 advantage in paint points marked Duke’s sixth consecutive game with at least a +20 margin in the lane.

Cameron Boozer recorded 5 steals to go along with his 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists. Duke currently leads the conference in steal rate at 13.6%, with Maliq Brown (5.78%), Cam Boozer (3.67%), Nik Khamenia (2.79%), and Isaiah Evans (2.66%) all inside the top-25 among ACC players.3

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Key Stats1

Total Possessions: 58
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.25 ppp
Va Tech Pts/Possession: 1.01 ppp

Duke FT Rate: 11.9%
Va Tech FT Rate: 10.9%

Duke 2P Pts/Shot: 1.37 pps
Va Tech 2P Pts/Shot: 1.10 pps

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Duke (5 for 7) and Virginia Tech (5 for 6) combined to shoot just 13 free throws. Including yesterday’s game, the two teams are at the top of the ACC in free throw rate both offensively and defensively - with each team getting to the line at a +40% rate while keeping their opponents under 25% in conference play.2

With neither team getting to the free throw line, and both hovering around 25% shooting from three (Duke 23.8% Va Tech 26.9%), Duke’s two-point efficiency was a key difference in the game. Duke outscored the Hokies 52-32 inside the arc at 1.37 points-per-shot. The Blue Devils were +22 in paint points and +10 in second chance points.3

Duke led 62-56 at the 5:34 media timeout of the second half - Virginia Tech would go scoreless over the next 5:05 as Duke closed the game 10-2.

After being questionable due to illness, Caleb Foster logged 7 points, a career-high 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 25:46 off the bench. With Dame Sarr also sick, Nik Khamenia started and led the Blue Devils in plus/minus at +19 in 30:16. Maliq Brown was +15 in 19:07.

Since we are at the halfway point of the conference schedule, I took a look at the ACC analytics via KenPom. Of course, schedules are unbalanced and nine games isn’t a huge sample size, but here are the offensive and defensive metrics as we enter February.

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Key Stats

Duke 83 Louisville 52

Total Possessions: 65
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.28 ppp
Louisville Pts/Possession: 0.80 ppp

Duke OReb Rate: 46.9%
Louisville OReb Rate: 22.0%

Duke 2P Pts/Shot: 1.21 pps
Louisville 2P Pts/Shot: 0.50 pps

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

So far in ACC play, Duke has posted at least a 40% offensive rebound rate in six of their eight games, including four in a row. With a 16-5 advantage against Louisville, the Blue Devils are now +43 in second chance points in the previous four games.1

Duke continued to gain an edge inside as well, outscoring Louisville 42-10 in paint points for a combined 176-62 (+114) advantage over their last four, while generating an average of 1.28 points-per-shot on twos. The Blue Devils are shooting 64.0% at the rim and 59.5% in the paint so far in conference play.2

The Cardinals shot just 5 of 20 on two-pointers and posted a 39.8% effective field goal percentage for the game. Louisville has the highest three-point attempt rate in the country (54.3%), and took 63% of their shots from beyond the arc last night, for a 33-24 advantage. Despite the -9 from three-point range, Duke was slightly more efficient at 1.04 points-per-shot compared to 0.97 for the Cardinals.3

After Louisville took a 25-24 lead with 4:30 to go, Duke closed the first half on a 14-3 run. The Blue Devils started the second half with an 8-2 stretch before the first media timeout, and led for a total of 38:15 on the night.

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Key Stats

Duke 90 Wake Forest 69

Total Possessions: 65
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.39 ppp
Wake Pts/Possession: 1.07 ppp

Duke Pts from 3: 21 pts
Wake Pts from 3: 42 pts

Duke Pts from 2: 48 pts
Wake Pts from 2: 16 pts

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Wake Forest generated 1.31 points-per-shot from three, outscoring Duke (0.84 pps) by 21 points from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils attempted 16 triples in the first half, before going 4 for 9 after halftime.1

Duke’s efficiency in the paint and at the free throw line helped offset the three-point advantage for Wake. All of Duke’s two-pointers came inside the paint, while generating 1.30 points-per-shot. In the second half, Duke shot 16 of 17 from the free throw line and 10 of 16 inside the arc. Duke rebounded 50% of their misses for an 18-7 advantage in second chance points and a +21 rebounding margin overall (43-22). Coach Scheyer remarked after the game:

“I just think, for us, it’s to not get bored with what is working. [Rebounding] was our advantage for this game. It is our advantage probably most games with how we’re trying to play. I think we'll be a good three-point shooting team also, when we continue to get really good looks. If you think about the free throws and the points in the paint, that’s 69 points in the paint or at the foul line. I never thought we'd be playing ‘smash mouth’ basketball as much, but it’s a fun style when you’re getting layups and dunks and fighting for great shots. We are just manufacturing it a different way, and the 16 offensive rebounds were huge.”

Duke used a 26-7 run during a six-minute span of the first half to flip a 7-point deficit into 12-point lead with 3:26 to go until halftime.2

Wake Forest cut Duke’s lead to 10 points (61-51) at the 12:23 mark of the second half. Duke’s defense did not allow a made field goal over the next 7:37, pushing the lead to 24 points during an 18-4 stretch.3

The lineup of 1-Foster / 3-Evans / 6-Brown / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer was +11 (23-12) in 6:56 on the floor, while generating 1.73 points-per-possession.

Maliq Brown and Cameron Boozer combined for 9 assists and 1 turnover.4 Maliq has excellent vision as a perimeter passer, and Cam does a nice job reading the double-team. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

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Key Stats

Duke 71 California 56

Total Possessions: 65
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.10 ppp
Cal Pts/Possession: 0.87 ppp

Duke OReb Rate: 40.0%
Cal OReb Rate: 17.6%

Duke Pts in the Paint: 42 pts
Cal Pts in the Paint: 16 pts

Duke 80 Stanford 50

Total Possessions: 63
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.27 ppp
Stanford Pts/Possession: 0.79 ppp

Duke TO Rate: 15.9%
Stanford TO Rate: 28.6%

Duke Pts in the Paint: 44 pts
Stanford Pts in the Paint: 20 pts

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

Cal (41.3%) and Stanford (40.7%) were each below 42% effective field goal percentage and 1.00 points-per-possession. The Blue Devils had not held consecutive opponents below both offensive outputs since the Niagara and Howard contests. Duke’s points allowed in the four halves were: 30, 26, 19, 31.

Duke rebounded 40% of their missed shots in both games, and outscored the Golden Bears 17-2 in second chance points.1

Stanford committed 18 turnovers (12 in the first half). Duke capitalized for a 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers (15-4 in the first half).

Duke averaged 1.30 points-per-shot inside the arc while posting a combined +50 in paint points (86-36) in the two West Coast games. After going 7 for 32 on three-pointers against Cal, the Blue Devils only attempted 10 triples against Stanford (20% 3PA rate) - the fewest three-point attempts (and 3PA rate) for Duke so far this season.2

Duke’s best plus/minus lineups at California:
1-Foster / 3-Evans / 6-Brown / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia (+10 in 11:29)
2-Boozer / 3-Evans / 7-Sarr / 14-Khamenia / 21-Ngongba (+12 in 3:02)

Duke’s best plus/minus lineups at Stanford:
2-Boozer / 3-Evans / 6-Brown / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer (+9 in 12:10)
1-Foster / 3-Evans / 7-Sarr / 12-Boozer / 21-Ngongba (+14 in 8:39)

Clips

I liked this elbow action from Duke, with Isaiah setting the back-screen for Cam in the middle of the floor, and Pat or Maliq as the passer. The clip below shows three possessions from Duke’s road trip:

1 - Because Evans is a three-point threat, his defender is reluctant to help on Boozer’s cut off the back-screen. Cam’s defender chases over the top of the screen and is forced to foul on the catch inside.

2 - This time, Cal switches the action initially. Isaiah stays in motion after setting the back-screen, curling for a possible hand-off with Maliq. The Golden Bears attempt to switch back to prevent the big from chasing Evans on the perimeter, which leaves Cam open inside for the dunk.

3 - Stanford defends the initial action well, so Dame Sarr clears to the opposite side of the floor and Caleb Foster flattens along the three-point line. The paint is now wide open as Cam moves out to the short corner since he did not receive the pass. Isaiah sets his man up and cuts backdoor for the slam.

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Writer’s Note

This is the most extensive article I’ve written to date, and I feel like I could just as easily work on this for another five years and wait for the 30th anniversary of Duke’s third National Championship. I hope to update to this piece later in 2026 with some additional stats, video clips, photos, and/or quotes. There were so many great players, moments, and memories during this season - let’s have some fun looking back at this all-time great team. Thanks for reading, Go Duke!

Background

2026 marks the 25th anniversary of Duke’s 2001 National Championship. But before we look back at the 2000-2001 Duke Basketball season, I wanted to include an excerpt on the previous year from my essay Becoming a Duke Fan - Part Two.

1999-2000
A few weeks after the 1999 season, Elton Brand, William Avery, and Corey Maggette became the first players ever to leave Duke early for the NBA draft - kind of amazing when you think about the talent to come through Durham over the years. Trajan Langdon graduated, Chris Burgess transferred, and Coach K underwent hip replacement surgery. Some experts seemed to think Duke would be rebuilding again after going 31-1 in the ACC regular season the past two years. Instead, Chris Carrawell, Nate James, and Shane Battier (the lone returners with any experience) visited Coach K during his recovery to assure him that Duke Basketball was back for good. The season started with two consecutive losses, but finished with the Blue Devils going 15-1 in the league (if you’re counting, that’s a ridiculous 46-2 over three regular seasons), winning the ACC Tournament, and finishing #1 in the final AP poll. Carrawell won ACC POY and was a consensus 1st Team All-American, Battier joined him on the 2nd Team, and I learned not to listen to the preseason pundits. The leadership of those three upperclassmen, starting with that summer visit, should never be forgotten.

I don’t put a lot of time or thought into the preseason polls (see above) since no one has played a game yet, and history shows that the Final Four rarely resembles the first AP poll of the year. Nonetheless, even I will admit those first rankings are still fun to discuss from time to time - mostly because it means the college basketball season is almost here, and I can hardly contain my excitement. So when the rankings came out in the fall of 2000, I was eager to get to the school cafeteria and discuss the poll with my UNC buddy from all those ACC Tournament trips.

“Did you see the preseason rankings?” -Me
“No, I haven’t. Who’s #1?” -Him
“Arizona.” -Me
“Where’s Duke?” - Him
“#2.” -Me
“Nah, Duke is better than Arizona. If they played, Duke would win.” - Him

Man, we had so much fun laughing about that exchange once the season was over. And I will say, the preseason pollsters did a nice job that year. The Final Four teams were ranked #1 (Arizona), #2 (Duke), #3 (Michigan State), and #5 (Maryland) to start the season.1 I did say rarely resembles….

The Team

Shane Battier #31 (Sr.); Carlos Boozer #4 (So.); Andy Borman #40 (So.); Andre Buckner #15 (So.); Ryan Caldbeck #5 (Jr.); Matt Christensen #41 (Jr.); Chris Duhon #21 (Fr.); Mike Dunleavy Jr. #34 (So.); Nick Horvath #3 (Fr.); Nate James #14 (Sr.); Reggie Love #42 (Fr.); Casey Sanders #20 (So.); J.D. Simpson #13 (Sr.); Andre Sweet #12 (Fr.); Jay Williams #22 (So.)2

Mike Krzyzewski (Head Coach); Johnny Dawkins (Associate Head Coach); Chris Collins (Assistant Coach); Steve Wojciechowski (Assistant Coach)

Triple Threat

The 2001 Duke Blue Devils set single-season NCAA records for both three-pointers attempted and made. No team had ever shot 1,000 threes in a season prior to 2001, when Duke launched 1,057 triples in 39 games (27.1 attempts per game). While Sports Reference data only dates back to the 1992-1993 season (Kentucky led the country with 862 three-point attempts that year), I feel confident saying no team shot 1,000 threes prior to 1993. The three-point shot was implemented across college basketball for the 1986-1987 season, so I’m only missing six seasons of data, although some conferences experimented with it prior. Teams played slightly fewer games back then and the shot clock was 45 seconds, so 1,000 three-point attempts seems unlikely.

For context, Mississippi Valley State came the closest prior to 2001, firing 958 triples in 1997 - and among power conferences, Arkansas shot 917 threes in 1995 (40 minutes of hell, indeed). But what was even more impressive to me during the research is that only eight more teams attempted 1,000 threes in a season from 2002 through 2015. Even as recent as 2024, only six teams shot 1,000 threes that year. The 1,057 three-point attempts is still the Duke record for a season, edging the 1,020 three-pointers taken by the 2025 team.3

Duke connected on 407 of their 1,057 three-point attempts (38.5%). In fact, 400 triples is even more rare than 1,000 attempts, with only 12 teams connecting on 400+ three-pointers in a season since 2001 - and six of those came in 2022 or later.4 The Blue Devils made eight or more three-pointers in 31 of their 39 games, and never made fewer than six all year. Duke set the school record for made threes in a game twice that season - 18 triples against both North Carolina A&T and Monmouth, and made 17 threes in their second game against Temple.5

Of course, all those three-pointers drove my old-school dad crazy all year, but he was also the king of saying “No, no, no. Great shot!” whenever Battier or Williams would drill one from NBA range (or deeper).6

National Player(s) of the Year

Shane Battier all but swept the National Player of the Year awards in his senior season. Battier won the Rupp Award, the Naismith Trophy, and the Wooden Award, along with being named NPOY by the AP, the Sporting News, and the US Basketball Writers Association. The only award missing? The NABC, which went to his teammate Jay Williams. The 2001 Duke team is the only team in college basketball history to have two different players win a National Player of the Year honor in the same season. Shane was also awarded the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, and Jay completed the NPOY sweep the next year, putting Duke on the list of schools with players to win a NPOY award in consecutive seasons, along with St. John’s (Walter Berry-1985; Chris Mullin-1986) and Kansas (Drew Gooden-2002; Nick Collison-2003).7

Analytics

Basketball cannot be analyzed using only the numbers (I like to say the game is both art and science) - but I’ve been using Ken Pomeroy’s site for current season analytics and historical research for a while now, with his data going back to the 1996-1997 season.

Of course, I would love to see the net rating for great teams pre-1997 such as 1992 Duke, 1991 UNLV, 1984 Georgetown, 1982 North Carolina, 1976 Indiana, 1974 NC State, pick any Wooden-era UCLA team, etc. (and apologies to many other squads, that list was not intended to be exhaustive). But with almost 30 years of data, it’s still safe to say KenPom’s rankings can provide good historical (and objective) context.

I started my research by looking at teams that finished in KenPom’s top-five in both offensive and defensive efficiency - that yielded 19 teams. Eight of those 19 teams won the National Championship, and another seven went to the Final Four. And while 19 teams is still less than one per year dating back to 1997, I wanted to trim the list a little more. I found that only six teams have posted an efficiency inside the top-three both offensively and defensively.8 The 2001 Duke team is on that list, finishing with the #2 offense (123.9) and the #3 defense (86.6) for a +37.32 net rating. The +37.32 net rating put the Blue Devils at #1 in KenPom’s final 2001 rankings, and is the third highest net rating of all-time.9 Duke played the #1 strength of schedule (+13.90) during the 2000-2001 season, helped in part by the ACC finishing as the #1 conference in net rating.

Atlantic Coast Conference

The ACC helped bolster that top strength of schedule, finishing as KenPom’s #1 conference for the third time in the past five seasons (1997, 1998, 2001). Duke, Maryland, Carolina, Virginia, and Wake Forest all spent the entire season ranked in the AP Top-25, and all finished inside KenPom’s final 15.

Duke led the conference-only analytics in eight categories, shared the regular season title with North Carolina, and won their third consecutive ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils split with Virginia (but posted a +40 scoring margin in the two games combined), won in Winston-Salem at the buzzer against Wake Forest, played three memorable games with UNC, and topped that with four battles against Maryland - we’ll spend some more time on all those momentarily.

Shane Battier won ACC Player of the Year, and Jay Williams joined him on the 1st Team All-ACC. Nate James was a 3rd Team All-ACC selection, while Chris Duhon was voted ACC Rookie of the Year.10

Regular Season

GoDuke.com was in its earliest stages back then, so I printed off the Duke schedule and taped it on the back of my bedroom door.11 Somehow, I still have it, now tucked inside the front cover of John Roth’s Encyclopedia of Duke Basketball on my bookshelf.12

(#2) Duke 87
Princeton 50
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Nov 14)

Shane Battier opened his senior season with 29 points in 29 minutes, including 9 for 12 from beyond the arc - still the Duke record for made threes in a single game.13 Jay Williams (7 ast) and freshman Chris Duhon (8 ast) combined to dish out 15 dimes.

(#2) Duke 98
Villanova 85
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Nov 17)

It seems like the floor inside of Cameron has been named in honor of Mike Krzyzewski forever, but “Coach K Court” was officially unveiled the second game of the season following his 500th win at Duke. As Coach K concluded his speech, the Crazies began to chant “500 more! 500 more!” It is awesome to look back on this now because Coach K responded with a smile “…I’m glad to share this milestone, but don’t expect me to be here for 500 more…unless they win every game.” Krzyzewski would go on to win more games at Duke after that speech (629) than before (500). Here’s the full ceremony:

(#2) Duke 63
Temple 61
Madison Square Garden (Nov 24)

The Blue Devils connected on 8 of 27 three-pointers, and Carlos Boozer was the only guy in double-figures with 26 points - scratch that, Jay Williams added 10 assists as Duke outlasted John Cheney’s Owls to win the Preseason NIT.

(#1) Duke 78
(#9) Illinois 77
Greensboro Coliseum (Nov 28)

Jay Williams posted 23 points and 7 assists, and Mike Dunleavy added 21 points. Duke led 77-68 and held on for the win, despite a 42-23 advantage on the glass for the Illini.

(#1) Duke 93
(#17) Temple 68
First Union Center (Dec 2)

This time around in Philadelphia, the three-pointers fell for Duke (17 for 30), including 8 of 10 for Williams on his way to 30 points. Shane Battier added 18 points and 9 rebounds, and Chris Duhon notched 12 assists.

(#1) Duke 83
(#3) Stanford 84
The Arena at Oakland (Dec 21)

Duke led 43-30 at the half, and 77-66 with four minutes to go, but Casey Jacobsen banked in the go-ahead bucket with 3.6 seconds remaining. Nate James followed-up a miss from Williams to seemingly win it for Duke, but it came after the buzzer. Stanford finished the season 30-3, earned a #1-seed, and had the only offense more efficient than Duke (125.0). Battier and Williams each had 26 points.

(#2) Duke 103
(#10) Virginia 61
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Jan 13)

All five starters scored in double-figures - James (19 pts), Battier (18 pts), Williams (17 pts), Boozer (16 pts), Dunleavy (12 pts) - and the Blue Devils used a 23-0 run in the first half to lead 53-20 at the break. It remains the largest margin of victory over a Top-10 opponent in Duke history.

(#2) Duke 97
(#25) Boston College 75
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Jan 16)

Future ACC opponents met in a ranked non-conference match-up in Cameron. Duke led 42-38 at intermission before putting up 55 second half points. Jay Williams posted a career-high 34 points, including 5 three-pointers, and 9 assists. Battier and Boozer each had 22 points, Dunleavy had a team-high 9 rebounds, and Chris Duhon added 8 assists.

(#2) Duke 85
(#9) Wake Forest 62
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Jan 24)

In the first of three consecutive games against a Top-10 opponent (#GoACC), Battier (22 pts), Williams (27 pts), and Dunleavy (21 pts) combined to make 13 three-pointers. Duke closed the first half with a 21-3 run to lead 45-29, and the Demon Deacons never got closer than nine points after halftime.

(#2) Duke 98
(#8) Maryland 96 OT
Cole Field House (Jan 27)

The “Miracle Minute” is well documented and doesn’t need much further explanation, except to say two things: it is still incredible to watch all these years later, and it may have only been the second best comeback Duke had that season. If you need a refresher, Duke trailed 90-80 with 55 seconds remaining in regulation before Jay Williams scored eight straight points and Nate James tied it with two clutch free throws. The Blue Devils got a stop to end regulation, and another one to end overtime as Shane Battier erased Juan Dixon’s attempt at the rim. Here’s the full re-watch I did on this game, along with the highlights courtesy of Duke Blue Planet Vault.

(#2) Duke 83
(#4) North Carolina 85
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Feb 1)

I watched this game in Washington D.C. while attending the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) as a high school junior. Of course, I was disappointed for the Duke team to lose a heart breaker after Mike Dunleavy drilled the game-tying three-pointer with 9.3 seconds remaining.14 I’ve alluded to this a few times since I started writing, but I only included this game so I could finally tell this story. The first installment of the rivalry in 2001 took place on a Thursday, and I had been at the conference since Sunday afternoon. Friday was our last day, and we had been divided up in small groups all week alphabetically by last name. Each day we’d travel to a different site in D.C., have sessions on leadership topics, and get to tour the various attractions. Monday on the bus I met this girl from Illinois - she was standing in the aisle talking to some other people, and stood out because in a group of high school girls (on a charter bus full of teenagers), she was the loudest one by far - and also nearly six feet tall. We ended up in the same small group and became friends during the week, often being the only two joking around. Thursday night was the only social event of the trip - the conference center had an event space for food and music where we could socialize with our fellow nerds (prerequisite for attending) for a few hours instead of writing mock bills or meeting some Senator. This girl was appalled when I told her I wasn’t coming to the social, but was going to stay in my room and watch the Duke/Carolina game instead. She gave me such a hard time about not wanting to hang out with her, about how much fun we’d had all week, and that we’d never see each other again, etc. etc. We’ve been married for 12 years and have two awesome children - and she still gives me shit about not spending time with her that night. And I still won’t miss a Duke game….

(#4) Duke 82
(#24) Wake Forest 80
LJVM Coliseum (Feb 24)

Wake Forest led by nine points with 5:29 remaining. Duke responded with a 14-2 run to take an 80-77 lead, until Robert O’Kelley buried a three to tie the game with 7.5 seconds on the clock. Coach K elected not to call timeout and Jay Williams pushed it up the floor. Williams rose for a three of his own but passed it to Chris Duhon instead. Duhon drove the closeout and lofted a soft floater from outside the lane - it swished through at the buzzer. Williams finished with 26 points, and Carlos Boozer added 20 points and 13 rebounds. Here’s Duhon on the game winner:

(#2) Duke 80
(#16) Maryland 91
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Feb 27)

They raised #31 into the rafters of Cameron a week earlier and, fittingly, Shane Battier scored 31 points in his final home game. Unfittingly, Duke shot just 9 of 37 in the second half (including 3 of 19 from three), while Juan Dixon finished with 28 points, Steve Blake with 11 points and 11 assists, and Lonnie Baxter and Terrance Morris each had double-doubles. But worst of all, early in the second half Carlos Boozer broke the third metatarsal in his right foot and exited the game with 16 points and 7 rebounds. On the brink of March, Boozer was out indefinitely - and Duke’s title hopes seemed to be on the brink of elimination before the NCAA Tournament even started.

(#2) Duke 95
(#4) North Carolina 81
Dean E. Smith Center (Mar 4)

Without Carlos Boozer, Coach K inserted Chris Duhon and Casey Sanders into the starting lineup, and Duke connected on 14 of 38 triples, matching the school record for three-point attempts in a game.15 Duke led 42-40 at the break, pushed the lead to nine points early in the second half, and held Carolina to just one made field goal over a six-minute span for a 93-74 lead with 2:20 to go. Williams had 33 points and 9 assists, while Battier stuffed the box score with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 4 steals. The win gave Duke a share of the ACC regular season title, marking their 5th consecutive regular season crown.

Featured in the clip: Half-court traps, a three-point barrage, and Shane Battier showing why he was the three-time National Defensive Player of the Year.

(#1) Duke 76
NC State 61
Georgia Dome (Mar 9)

It was the first ACC Tournament played outside the state of North Carolina since 1989 (and the first ACC Tournament I wouldn’t attend since 1992), but I was excited to see what basketball looked like in the Georgia Dome.16 The managers forgot the white uniforms and warm-ups, so Duke had to buy t-shirts for the pregame and wear their black unis instead. Williams and Duhon combined for 33 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals. Battier posted 16 points and 8 rebounds, and Nate James added 13 points off the bench.

(#1) Duke 84
(#11) Maryland 82
Georgia Dome (Mar 10)

Maryland jumped ahead 10-0 and led 45-42 at the break. Duke opened the second half with a 19-2 run to lead 61-47. Of course the Terps responded, including runs of 9-0 and 11-2, with that second spurt giving Maryland a 78-77 lead with 2:15 to go. Duke went back in front on the next possession and then led 82-79 - the ACC semifinal was decided in a classic sequence from there. First, Steve Blake tied the game at 82 on a pull-up triple with 8.1 seconds remaining. Just like at Wake, Williams rushed the ball up the floor. His shot in the lane missed, but Nate James tipped home the game-winner with 1.3 seconds on the clock before Juan Dixon hit the front rim from just over half court as the horn sounded.

Duke forced 20 turnovers to help offset a 51-30 rebounding advantage for Maryland. Eight Blue Devils scored - Battier (20), Williams (19), Dunleavy (15), James (14), Sanders (7), Duhon (4), Christensen (3), Love (2) - and Duke needed every point to advance to the ACC title game.

Featured in the clip: Two teams trading haymakers for the full 40 minutes.

(#1) Duke 79
(#6) North Carolina 53
Georgia Dome (Mar 11)

Joseph Forte hit a three-pointer to cut Duke’s lead to 23-20 at the 9:02 mark of the first half. Duke then went on a 19-1 run, led 50-30 at halftime, and became just the third team to win three consecutive ACC Tournaments.17 Mike Dunleavy and Shane Battier combined for 44 points and 26 rebounds. Battier (MVP), Williams, and Dunleavy were named to the ACC All-Tournament Team, and Duke set the record for most steals in an ACC Tournament with 38 total in their three games.18

Featured in the clip: More half-court traps, between-the-legs assist, and Jay Williams diving on the floor with a 22-point lead.

NCAA Tournament

As a fan, one thing I both love and hate is how daunting the empty bracket looks every year prior to March Madness tipping off. It seems damn near impossible to be the last team standing. Duke earned the #1-seed in the East region, and would look to follow the same route to the title they took in 1992 - Greensboro, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. The #1-seed was Duke’s fourth in a row, setting the record for consecutive NCAA #1-seeds (seeding began in 1979).19

(#1-seed) Duke 95
(#16-seed) Monmouth 52
Greensboro Coliseum (Mar 15)

The Blue Devils opened their NCAA Tournament run with 18 made three-pointers, 22 points from Williams, 21 points and 10 rebounds from Battier, 15 points from James, 14 points from Dunleavy, and 9 assists from Duhon. Duke posted 62 first half points and seven guys saw action off the bench.

(#1-seed) Duke 94
(#9-seed) Missouri 81
Greensboro Coliseum (Mar 17)

Duke faced former player and assistant coach Quin Snyder in the second round. Snyder went to three Final Fours under Coach K before becoming an assistant in Durham, and was now in his second year as Missouri’s head coach. Kareem Rush cut the Blue Devil lead to 63-62 with 10:30 remaining. Duke outscored Missouri by 17 points over the next several minutes for a 91-73 margin with 3:30 to go. Battier finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds, Jay Williams had 31 points and 9 assists, Mike Dunleavy posted 15 points and 9 rebounds, and Nate James added 8 points and 8 rebounds as Duke advanced.

Featured in the clip: 28 points for Duke in seven minutes.

(#1-seed) Duke 76
(#4-seed) UCLA 63
First Union Center (Mar 22)

College basketball blue bloods met in Philadelphia in the Sweet Sixteen. Carlos Boozer returned from the broken foot he suffered 23 days earlier to see limited action off the bench. The Blue Devils led 40-37 at the 14:40 mark of the second half before Jay Williams ripped off 19 consecutive points for Duke over the next five minutes, pushing the lead to 57-47 with 9:30 to go. Williams matched his career-high with 34 points, Battier added 24 points and 11 rebounds, and the Blue Devils finished with 17 steals to advance to the Elite Eight.

Featured in the clip: J-Will relentlessly attacking the defense both inside and outside, plus a Battier and-one to seal the win.

(#1-seed) Duke 79
(#6-seed) USC 69
First Union Center (Mar 24)

The Trojans took down #2-seed Kentucky 80-76 in the Sweet Sixteen, and had only trailed for a combined 1:23 in their three NCAA wins. Battier played all 40 minutes and posted 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. Jay Williams had 28 points and 6 assists, and Duhon (13 pts) and Dunleavy (11 pts) each added double-figures. It was the ninth Final Four for Coach K, moving him closer to Dean Smith (11) and John Wooden (12).20

Featured in the clip: Defense to offense and three-pointers from fearless freshman Chris Duhon.

(#1-seed) Duke 95
(#3-seed) Maryland 84
Metrodome (Mar 31)

Duke and Maryland met again and, somehow, this meeting seemed like the first three games all wrapped up into 40 minutes in the National Semifinal.21 Maryland had won 10 of their last 11 (the only loss was that ACC Tournament classic), including an 87-73 win over #1-seed Stanford in the Elite Eight. It’s safe to say Gary Williams had the Terps playing their best basketball of the season.

Here’s another excerpt from Becoming a Duke Fan - Part Two:

Battier was correct - it was Maryland for a fourth time and, as I said earlier, those guys were tough. I actually didn’t get to see this game live. It was my junior year of high school, and I was on our school’s leadership retreat as a counselor and student-body VP. We’d be in leadership sessions most of Saturday night, but I enlisted Mr. Smith, our Assistant Principal, to keep an ear on the radio for me. During a changeover between sessions, I emerged from the cabin to find him sitting with his headphones in - it was perfect timing, as he gave me a thumbs up and repeated Billy Packer’s words “…and Mike Krzyzewski goes wow.” Of course, I found out later that Duke was down 22 points with less than seven minutes to go in the first half, before outscoring the Terps 78-45 the rest of the way.

Duke finally took the lead on a three from Williams to go ahead 73-72 with 6:52 remaining, and the Blue Devils were terrific down the stretch to complete the 33-point turnaround.

Shane Battier led Duke with 25 points and 8 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer had 19 points in just 25 minutes off the bench. Jay Williams had 23 points and 4 assists, while Duhon added 10 points and 6 assists. Nate James had 9 points and 9 rebounds, and shadowed Juan Dixon on defense in the second half.

Featured in the clip: Still the largest comeback in Final Four history.22

(#1-seed) Duke 82
(#2-seed) Arizona 72
Metrodome (Apr 2)

I did a full re-watch of the 2001 National Championship game, and included this trivia question which I alluded to earlier.

So, it would be the AP preseason #1 versus the preseason #2 for just the fourth time ever in the National Championship game (it’s happened once since then). Can you name the other four preseason #1 vs. #2 title games? See trivia answer below.23

This game featured nine future NBA players, including four lottery picks, that would go on to accumulate over 90 total seasons in the league. Both Mike Krzyzewski and Lute Olson would be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and finished their careers with a combined 18 Final Fours and nearly 2,000 career victories. In fact, Billy Packer noted during the broadcast that this was first Final Four match-up between two coaches that had already won a National Championship.24

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half and Duke took a 35-33 lead into the locker room.

Featured in the clip: J-Will reverse lay-up, C-Booz footwork (x2), Battier jab-step triple, and a Duhon floater.

Duke led 40-37 when Chris Duhon drove middle, drawing in the Arizona defense, and starting one of the most memorable sequences in Duke (and Final Four) history. 55 seconds later, the Blue Devils led by 10 thanks to three consecutive threes from Mike Dunleavy - the last of which came as a result of Battier’s block and no-look save under the Arizona basket.25 Moments later, Dunleavy used a pass fake to get open for his fourth triple of the half.

Featured in the clip: “Oh boy, that is some sequence for Duke University!” - Billy Packer

After Dunleavy’s three-point onslaught, Duke attacked the paint and used the old-fashioned three-point play to counter Arizona’s 9-1 response. The two teams were now trading punches, and the Wildcats cut the lead to 68-65 with five minutes to go before Duhon completed his three-point play over Loren Woods to stretch the lead back to five.

Featured in the clip: Three-point plays from Battier, James, and Duhon.

Shane Battier dunked home a miss moments earlier, and then tipped home a miss while facing the wrong direction to give Duke a 75-70 lead with 3:35 remaining.

Featured in the clip: “The best play I’ve ever seen in a final.” - Mike Krzyzewski

With Duke now leading 75-72, Jay Williams starts to drive and fires a pass to a cutting Shane Battier. It’s a great look and a great catch - and Battier had now scored Duke’s last six points with the National Championship on the line.

Bear with me briefly because I mean this in the most complimentary manner possible. With under two minutes to go and Duke leading 77-72, Williams was currently a combined 2 for 19 from beyond the arc in the two Final Four games. But as a fan, J-Will could have been 2 for 190 and I still would have wanted him to rise up and fire the dagger that delivered the title. You have to have, as Bill Raftery would say, a huge set of onions to do this - but even more so when the threes haven’t been falling.

Shane Battier put up 18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks in his final college game and was named Most Outstanding Player. Mike Dunleavy scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half. Jay Williams finished with 16 points, and Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 12 rebounds as Duke hoisted the title.

Featured in the clip: Postgame interviews, trophy presentation, and One Shining Moment.

Season Stats

Season Notes

After dropping three games in February, Duke won 10 straight to close the season and became just the second National Champion to win all six NCAA Tournament games by 10+ points.26

Duke’s 35 wins were (and still are) the second most wins in a season in school history.27 The Blue Devils went 13-4 against the Top-25, and only lost one game by more than two points. Duke finished #1 in the final AP poll for the third consecutive season.28

Shane Battier became the fourth Final Four MOP in Duke history,29 and set both the NCAA and ACC records for wins in a career, going 131-15 overall and 70-6 in the ACC (59-5 regular season).30

Battier also became the first ACC player to record at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 blocks, and 200 steals for their career. No one has done it since.31

Jay Williams set the Duke record for points in a season with 841, and his mark is still third all-time.32 Williams led the 2001 NCAA Tournament in both total scoring (154 points) and scoring average (25.7 points per game).

Coach K became just the fourth coach to win three or more National Championships, and only two coaches have joined the list since.33 Krzyzewski improved to 9-1 in the Elite Eight and a ridiculous 29-1 in the East Region, and would be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in the fall of 2001.

The 2001 National Championship capped off an incredible four-year run (1998-2001) for Duke Basketball with two Final Four appearances,34 three ACC Tournament titles, and four ACC regular season titles. Duke went 133-15 (70-6 ACC) - still the NCAA and ACC records for a four-year period. At different points during the four years, Duke won 28 consecutive ACC games and 24 consecutive ACC road games (also both conference records), and I was so elated for everyone in the program to hang that third banner in Cameron - what an incredible season by an incredible team.

Thanks for reading, Go Duke!

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Additional Resources

Duke Basketball Reference YouTube:

2001 Duke Basketball 25th Anniversary Playlist

Duke Basketball Reference Articles:

Becoming a Duke Fan - Part Two
Re-watch #7 - 2001 Duke at Maryland
Re-watch #14 - 2001 Duke vs. Arizona
ACC Tournament Memories
CBB History: The ACC Tournament
CBB History: NPOY
CBB History: AP Poll

Books:

Five-Point Play by Mike Krzyzewski
Life is Not an Accident by Jay Williams
Every Shot Counts by Carlos Boozer

Podcasts:

The Brotherhood Podcast: Coach K
The Brotherhood Podcast: Shane Battier
The Brotherhood Podcast: J-Will & C-Booz
Glue Guys Podcast: Coach K
Glue Guys: The Surprising Power of Nostalgia

Key Stats

Duke 82 SMU 75

Total Possessions: 70
Duke Pts/Possession: 1.18 ppp
SMU Pts/Possession: 1.08 ppp

Duke Turnover Rate: 18.6%
SMU Turnover Rate: 30.0%

Duke Free Throw Rate: 52.9%
SMU Free Throw Rate: 17.0%

Full Game Stats: Duke Basketball Reference Season Stats

Notes

SMU committed 21 turnovers (14 in the first half) for a 30% turnover rate, the highest for a Duke opponent so far this season. The Blue Devils outscored SMU 21-14 in points off turnovers (16-7 in the first half).

Duke was +13 (21-8) at the free throw line, with SMU only shooting 9 free throws for the game. So far in ACC play, the Blue Devils have done a nice job in free throw rate both offensively and defensively. Duke ranks second in the conference in both categories through four ACC games.1

Off the bench, Cayden Boozer was +14 in 34:03 and Pat Ngongba was +11 in 27:29. Coach Scheyer remarked after the game “I thought they had a great response. You know, you can get into [who is] starting, you get into all this other stuff, all this superficial stuff - and man, those guys are pros. They had a great attitude.” Cayden had 12 points and 4 assists, and Pat matched his career-high with 17 points.

Isaiah Evans scored 20+ points for the third consecutive game, including 3 three-pointers in the second half. Cameron Boozer posted 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Duke’s most used lineup against SMU was 2-Boozer / 3-Evans / 12-Boozer / 14-Khamenia / 21-Ngongba. The five-man combo was +6 in 7:31 and generated 1.48 points-per-possession - this group had only logged approximately seven minutes together all season prior to yesterday.

I haven’t done many game clips so far this year, so I wanted to highlight this staggered ball screen with Pat, Cam, and Cayden. While it’s not a transition bucket, it is an effective action to generate a good look early in the shot clock. Pat and Cam set a staggered ball screen as Cayden crosses half court. The SMU defenders are both in drop coverage with Duke’s bigs setting the screens. Pat rolls to the paint which occupies Yigitoglu (#24). On the ball, Davis-Ray (#9) is able to get over the top of Ngongba’s screen, but is forced to go under Cam, so Toombs (#10) steps out to prevent the drive. Cam pops into space and buries the triple with 20 seconds still left on the shot clock. If Yigitoglu were to closeout on Boozer’s three, Pat would be open on the roll - or if Edwards (#0) were to help in the lane on Yigitoglu’s closeout, Caleb Foster would be open in the left corner.

The 2001 Duke team was honored at halftime yesterday for the 25th anniversary of their National Championship season. It was awesome to see those guys back together, and to have Shane Battier join Jay Williams in the broadcast booth early in the second half. I’ve been working on a 25th anniversary article for a while, and it should be out tomorrow - it was so fun to look back on that historic Duke Basketball season.

Thanks for reading, Go Duke!

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