2017 Duke vs. Notre Dame
Re-watch #2 - The Duke Basketball Project
Duke vs. Notre Dame
ACC Tournament - Championship Game
Barclays Center - Brooklyn, NY
March 11, 2017
Where I was
I watched this game in my hometown of Smithfield, NC at the local bar, The Little Brown Jug. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve watched a Duke game anywhere other than my home or being in the arena. I prefer to watch without much commentary, sometimes I even mute the TV, and a bar or restaurant provides the opposite environment in my experience. However, a bunch of my buddies had gotten together that afternoon to celebrate one of them getting married soon, so after some Longleaf Swine BBQ and a few beers, we headed to the Jug.
Why this game
I picked this game for a couple of reasons. One, I love the ACC Tournament so much. It is one of my fondest basketball experiences growing up, my dad and I went every year from 1993-2000 and I have attended several as an adult as well. With Jayson Tatum off to an awesome start in the NBA (averaging 31/7/4), I decided to pick a game from the 2016-2017 season. I loved that team - it battled adversity and injury (Jay Bilas pointed out on the broadcast the team had missed a total of 43 games due to the injury) and continued to respond. Luke Kennard had an unbelievable breakout season earning 2nd Team All-American honors. Tatum had a number of great games but this is the game I think about most with him in a Duke uniform.
Storylines
Duke entered the ACC Tournament as the 5th seed, following a competitive regular season that saw the 2-seed Florida State finish only 2 games ahead of the 9-seed Miami. This meant the Blue Devils would have to win four games in four days to win the tournament, which had never been done. Four teams had previously played for the ACC crown with the chance to complete this task, how many can you name? See Trivia Answer below. Following a four game losing streak in late January, Notre Dame came into the title game winning 8 of their last 9 and was trying to win the ACC Tournament as it had in 2015, which included a win over Duke in the semifinals.
The Teams
Notre Dame, coached by former Duke assistant Mike Brey, started VJ Beachum and Bonzi Colson in the frontcourt along with Steve Vasturia, Matt Farrell, and Rex Pflueger. Matt Ryan was the main sub for the Fighting Irish, with Austin Torres, TJ Gibbs, Martinas Geben also logging minutes. Duke started Frank Jackson, Matt Jones, Luke Kennard, Amile Jefferson, and Jayson Tatum. Grayson Allen and Harry Giles came in off the bench.
The Game
1st Half 20:00 - Duke 0 Notre Dame 0
Duke won the tip and immediately went to Tatum in the post for a turnaround jumper, the type of move you don’t see in college much, foreshadowing his ability to score in the NBA. Amile Jefferson soon added a couple of buckets to help Duke to an early 8-2 lead but Bonzi Colson and VJ Beachum responded with back to back 3-pointers to close the gap. That Notre Dame team was so good for a number of reasons, but the fact that all 5 guys could legit shoot the 3 made them so tough to guard.
1st Half 13:43 - Duke 10 Notre Dame 8
Luke Kennard connected on a pass in the corner from Grayson Allen for his second 4-point play of the tournament. Colson added another score before Harry Giles had back to back buckets, first on an offensive rebound and then on an alley-oop off a Grayson Allen drive. Matt Farrell responded with a 3 for Notre Dame before Tatum added to his highlight reel with a put back dunk.
1st Half 9:07 - Duke 22 Notre Dame 15
Steve Vasturia immediately knocked down a 3-pointer as Notre Dame began to cut into the lead. I thought their defense went up a level, as they continued to use a mix of zone and man to man. The Duke lead was down to five when Harry Giles came up with another offensive rebound, this time off a missed free throw, and the ball found Kennard for another 3. Notre Dame got buckets from Matt Farrell and Beachum as the two teams continued to play without a whistle, finally leading to a Duke timeout.
1st Half 2:15 - Duke 33 Notre Dame 28
Bonzi Colson began to really assert himself and I started to have nightmares remembering the 2016 game in Cameron when he scored 31. Colson scored off an offensive rebound and then converted an and-1 from a high ball screen to cut the Duke lead to two points with 6 seconds remaining. He was a match-up nightmare. Grayson Allen went coast to coast to close the half and push the lead back to four at the break. It wouldn’t be the last coast to coast play for the Blue Devils.
2nd Half 20:00 - Duke 38 Notre Dame 34
After a 3 by Rex Pflueger gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game, Notre Dame began to pick up their pace on offense. First, getting a runout layup by VJ Beachum after a Duke score and then scoring off a turnover. The turnover differential was a problem Duke had not solved yet in this game.
15:52 Duke 44 Notre Dame 45
Notre Dame went back to the high ball screen with Bonzi Colson - he was so great at reading the defense. First, Colson popped and nailed a long 2 before rolling hard to the basket on the next possession. After a timeout, Duke went to a 2-2-1 three-quarter court press and forced a rare turnover (Notre Dame only had 6 for the game). But Colson immediately stole the ball back and the Irish had now turned a four point halftime deficit into a five point lead.
11:56 Duke 48 Notre Dame 53
Another Duke turnover led to a slam by VJ Beachum and gave Notre Dame 20 points off turnovers to this point in the game. The Fighting Irish now led by 8 with just over 11 minutes remaining and a “Let’s Go Irish” chant starting up in the Barclays Center. A steal by Matt Jones led to a bucket by Amile Jefferson, which helped steady the ship. Those guys are two of my favorite Duke players post-2010, great leaders who only cared about winning. Duke began to push the pace a little, giving themselves a chance to score without going against the set Notre Dame defense. After using some zone in the first half, Notre Dame had been all man to man so far in the second. Bonzi Colson continued to be sensational, hitting a turnaround off the glass to beat the shot clock but Frank Jackson answered with a 3 from the corner as Duke cut back into the lead.
2nd Half 7:29 Duke 55 Notre Dame 58
Duke continued to use the 2-2-1 press after makes, which helped disrupt the Notre Dame offense and change the pace of the game. After a drive by Tatum, Jefferson came up with a block and bucket to regain the Duke lead. Matt Farrell immediately answered with a pull-up jumper. He was another guy who constantly made winning basketball plays. Luke Kennard drove into the paint, stopped on a dime, and elevated for a jumper. He had some of the best footwork in just two years of any shooter I’ve seen.
2nd Half 3:14 Duke 63 Notre Dame 62
After a Duke timeout, Jayson Tatum began his push to help the Blue Devils over the finish line. He drove the middle and finished strong off the glass.
2nd Half 2:53 Duke 65 Notre Dame 62
Bonzi Colson answered back with a 3 following, you guessed it, setting a high ball screen and popping out.
2nd Half 2:25 Duke 65 Notre Dame 65
Notre Dame showed zone and Duke positioned Tatum at the free throw line, as they had throughout the game. He caught a pass from Matt Jones and was fouled going strong to the hoop. He converted 1 of 2 free throws.
2nd Half 2:02 Duke 66 Notre Dame 65
As Steve Vasturia drove the left lane, Jayson Tatum met him at the rim from the helpside, blocked his attempt, recovered the ball and took it coast to coast for a layup. I have no idea how he was able to summon that effort at the end of his fourth straight game. Coach K agreed when he said after the game regarding the play, “I thought….How the hell did you do that? I thought it gave everyone energy.”
2nd Half 1:33 Duke 68 Notre Dame 65
Matt Farrell attacked quickly off a ball screen and was fouled on his attempt. He sank both free throws.
2nd Half 1:15 Duke 68 Notre Dame 67
Duke went back to Tatum on the wing and Amile Jefferson set a ball screen. Tatum drove middle, drawing the defense, and kicked it back out to Matt Jones who had replaced him on the wing. Jones fired the 3 with the shot clock winding down. I couldn’t believe it as the shot was in the air - it was just his second shot attempt of the game and he was in the midst of a 2 for 17 shooting slump from behind the arc. He drilled it. Insert obligatory “Matty Ice” comment here.
2nd Half 0:48 Duke 71 Notre Dame 67
Farrell continued to compete, finding a cutting Beachum for another dunk but Notre Dame had only 3 team fouls, meaning they would have several fouls to give before putting Duke on the line.
2nd Half 0:32 Duke 71 Notre Dame 69
After one foul by Notre Dame, Duke took the ball out on the sideline at halfcourt. Tatum went to set a screen but then broke to the basket with Vasturia trailing him. He punctuated the over the top pass with a dunk as he was fouled. He converted the free throw. Notre Dame would foul again after being unable to score themselves, Kennard made 1 of 2 free throws, and Duke was the ACC Tournament Champions for the first time since 2011. Final Score: Duke 75 Notre Dame 69.
Final Score - Duke 75 Notre Dame 69
From the Box Score
Bonzi Colson finished with 29 points and 9 rebounds, while Matt Farrell pitched in 13 with 7 assists. Notre Dame scored 20 points off Duke turnovers, which means they didn’t add to that total for the final 10 minutes of the game. Problem solved. Jayson Tatum led Duke with 19 points and 8 rebounds, Luke Kennard added 16 points, and Amile Jefferson’s 14 points and 3 blocks all came at key junctures in the game.
Postgame Notes
Luke Kennard was named ACC Tournament MVP but it just as easily could have been Tatum. Duke doesn’t win the tournament without either of those guys, as they combined for 168 points (Tatum 88 Kennard 80) in the four games. Both would go on to be Lottery Picks in the NBA Draft that year. The win gave Coach K his 14th ACC Tournament Championship, breaking a tie with the great Dean Smith. Coach would add one more to that total in 2019.
Trivia Answer
NC State 1997, NC State 2007, Georgia Tech 2010, North Carolina 2015
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
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