Back in January, Duke took an undefeated record into Raleigh and were beaten so badly by NC State that head coach Mark Gottfried answered Mike Krzyzewski’s signature “chest tap” with a good-job-good-effort slap on the backside.
ACC Tournament: Duke flexes its muscle, and the rest of the country should be terrified
Duke makes it personal in crushing NC State by 24, and North Carolina earns its best win of the season to set up a showdown with Virginia.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, Coach K metaphorically returned the favor with a 24-point drubbing that was not nearly as close as the score indicated. Make no mistake, this NC State team is not overrated. There's a reason why, before Thursday, most everyone had them on their list of teams not to bet against in March. Still, many will fall into the trap of thinking that this game is cause for concern that NC State can't hang with the small handful of teams that could win a national championship.
This Duke team is at its best when it is angry and when the bright lights are on, and when you combine the two of those scenarios into one, the Blue Devils are downright scary. Ask 11th-ranked Notre Dame, who after beating Duke in South Bend in one of the best conference games of the season, walked into a buzzsaw in Durham, losing by 30 points. Ask 3rd ranked Virginia, who took a double-digit lead into the final third of the game in Charlottesville only to see Duke score on 14 of 15 possessions to take the win. And now ask NC State, who seem far removed from that butt-slap, picking up the pieces after Wednesday’s dismantling.
What makes this Duke team different than the one with the 6-6 post-season record since senior captain Quinn Cook stepped on campus? "Post-season we didn't play as well as we wanted to, so we get another chance this year for the guys who returned," Cook said. "Our younger guys have bought in since day one. We play our best basketball when we have a chip on our shoulder." Cook added, "I know we're not satisfied." Frightening.
Where does NC State go from here? A lot will depend on the health of point guard Cat Barber, who took a nasty shot on an Amile Jefferson screen in the second half.
Speaking of health, Justin Anderson is back for Virginia, which is frightening in its own right. The Cavaliers have two losses all season -- one without Anderson -- and he can do things like this.
Anderson only played 12 minutes and didn’t register a point today, but his presence adds star power to a team that is nearly impossible to score against. Virginia, like Duke, likely locked up a one seed today, and should be on everyone’s short list of potential national champions. More from StreakingTheLawn.
North Carolina earned arguably its most important win of the season against Louisville thanks in part to another return from injury/illness, Kennedy Meeks. Brice Johnson starred for the Tar Heels with 22 points, but Meeks’ return was a major factor, especially with a key block down the stretch that sealed the game. More from TarHeelBlog.
Although it was a short stay, it was nice to have Louisville in Greensboro today. It’s always nice to see Rick Potato.
rick potato i’m so sorry pic.twitter.com/FAkrG3zQ5M
— martin rickman (@martinrickman) March 12, 2015
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