Zion Williamson: Duke vs. UNC Rivalry Lived Up to Hype After ACC Semifinal Win
Mar 16, 2019
Zion Williamson got his first real experience of the Duke-UNC rivalry Friday as he led the Blue Devils to a 74-73 ACC tournament semifinal win over the Tar Heels at Spectrum Center thanks to 31 points and 11 rebounds.
After the game, Williamson said that the rivalry "exceeded my expectations." Steve Reed of the Associated Press provided video of his reaction:
Williamson played just 36 seconds of Duke's first regular-season game against UNC on Feb. 20 after suffering a knee sprain. That injury kept him off the court for the remainder of the regular season, which included another matchup with the Tar Heels.
The 6'7", 285-pound forward wasn't denied an opportunity to play a full game against UNC a third time, however, and contributed his patented array of highlights.
None were more impressive than this steal and dunk:
Williamson and the Blue Devils could conceivably face the Tar Heels again in the men's NCAA tournament, but before then, the team has to face Florida State in the ACC tournament championship on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Zion Williamson, Duke Advance to ACC Title with Win vs UNC; RJ Barrett Drops 15
Mar 15, 2019
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 15: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game in the semifinals of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 15, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Zion Williamson posted 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting and 11 rebounds—including the game-winning bucket with 30.3 seconds remaining—as No. 5 Duke beat No. 3 North Carolina 74-73 in the Division I ACC men's basketball tournament semifinals Friday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
UNC had numerous chances down the stretch to take the lead, starting with a Cameron Johnson three-point miss with 17 seconds remaining.
Duke forward RJ Barrett grabbed the rebound and was fouled, but he missed two free throws. The Tar Heels then charged down the court, but a long Coby White two-pointer and a Johnson tip attempt could not connect.
Johnson scored 23 points for the 27-6 Tar Heels, whose eight-game win streak ended.
Barrett added 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for 28-5 Duke.
Duke's Role Players Will Determine Tournament Ceiling
There really isn't much more that needs to be said about how unbelievable Williamson is on a game-by-game basis. The man is simply on the track to NBA stardom, and the mid-May NBA lottery selection show to determine the 2019 draft order may have more viewers than the playoff game that follows it.
Lost in the shuffle of a dominant Williamson performance and a clear Game of the Year candidate is the fact that some role players outside Duke's big three played some valuable minutes.
College basketball writer/editor Ray Holloman put it best in multiple tweets—one at the end of the first half, and the other postgame:
It wasn't just a game of the star though. Zion Williamson absolutely carried Duke down to the final offensive rebound for the final points. But it was the game of the role player too. Duke doesn't win without Jordan Goldwire. Duke doesn't win without Antonio Vrankovic.
That was the half of Antonio Vrankovic and Jordan Goldwire. In a half where DeLaurier got three fouls, Reddish had two points and O'Connell couldn't keep up defensively, it was the role players who steadied the ship.
First up is sophomore guard Jordan Goldwire, who has played 17 or more minutes just twice this year: One was in a 84-46 win over Eastern Michigan, and the other was a 113-49 blowout against Stetson.
Still, Goldwire never played more than 21 minutes in a game, but he somehow found himself on the court for 28 in Duke's most important game of the season as of now.
Goldwire didn't produce much on the stat sheet with four points, three boards and two steals, but his impact was far more valuable than what any box-score numbers can tell you.
Of note, he was at the right place at the right time when a loose ball off Barrett's hands fell into Goldwire's possession. The sophomore then calmly hit a layup with 1:46 left to give Duke a 72-71 lead.
On defense, Goldwire did an excellent job stopping the UNC attack after the Tar Heels scored 20 points before the under-12 first-half timeout.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski (via Blue Devil Nation) specifically shouted out Goldwire's defensive efforts:
Coach K had high praise for Jordan Goldwire, saying he fanned out on defense allowing them to slow the UNC break. He mentioned @A11Vrankovic as well and spoke of how the bench helped give his team energy.
Senior center Antonio Vrankovic falls in the same boat as Goldwire. Like the sophomore, Vrankovic didn't contribute much in the box, with just two points, two assists and a block. But also like Goldwire, he came up big at an opportune time.
After UNC senior forward Luke Maye hit a jumper to put the Tar Heels up 36-30 with 4:27 left in the first half, Vrankovic went to work. Over the last 4:05 of the first half, the senior assisted on a Goldwire deuce, made a layup and assisted on a Williamson two. Thanks in part to Vrankovic's efforts, Duke erased the halftime gap and went into halftime tied at 44.
The Blue Devils eventually withstood a ferocious UNC offense to win by one in a game that had the intensity and drama of a Final Four matchup. And that wouldn't have happened without Goldwire and Vrankovic stepping up.
But Duke is going to need more from those two (and other Blue Devils not named Williamson, Barrett or Cam Reddish) to win it all. The best teams in the country have proven that Duke isn't invincible, even if Williamson seems like he is nearly every game. Gonzaga, which will be a No. 1 seed, beat Duke. Virginia, which will be a No. 1 seed, nearly beat Duke on the road. And UNC has done so twice (sans Williamson, admittedly) and almost did so a third time Friday.
Simply put, the Blue Devils are going to need those invaluable performances from role players to knock off the best teams in the country.
Duke-UNC Part IV Is Best-Case Title Game Scenario
Duke and UNC have made the NCAA tournament championship game a combined 18 times since 1975, when the NCAA finally allowed more than one team from each conference to make the tournament.
Somehow, the two archrivals have never faced off in the NCAA tournament, but that might change shortly. If so, fans could be in for one of the best title games in recent history.
The quality of play during the ACC men's semifinal was tremendous, especially considering that the game was played at a frenetic pace with both teams having won quarterfinal games one day before. Any exhaustion from the night before didn't show.
If you liked great defense, you got great defense (with a Williamson dunk as a cherry on top):
There's a lot more to love than what those three clips show. Fans saw scorching-hot shooting from Johnson, clutch performances from bench players and sharp passing from UNC freshman guard Coby White.
Furthermore, six players whoJonathan Wassermanof Bleacher Report currently projects to go in the first round of this summer's NBA draft were on the court together Friday, with four of them picked to land in the lottery.
The fact that Duke and UNC are rivals isn't the primary reason why these two teams create the best possible national championship theater. It really doesn't matter. You can replace the UNC and Duke names with any two other schools and the sentiment about these two groups of players would remain the same.
The two sides just feed off each other so well that it creates the best entertainment college basketball can offer. The talent is tremendous, the pace is great, and the efforts exuded on both ends are so remarkable that it's almost exhausting to watch sitting at home. Fans would be very lucky to see Duke and UNC in the championship. The key is whether they'll be placed on opposite sides of the bracket.
What's Next?
Duke will faceFlorida State for the ACC title Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
UNC will discover its NCAA tournament placement Sunday during the NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show, which begins at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
Zion Williamson's High School Dunks Are Still WILD
Mar 15, 2019
BR Video
Zion Williamson threw down some of the wildest dunks high school basketball has ever seen. The Spartanburg, South Carolina, native racked up millions of views on social media and props from Drake and LeBron James. He might be dominating at Duke now, but you can't miss some of Zion's best high school dunks.
Syracuse's Frank Howard Denies Trying to Trip Duke's Zion Williamson
Mar 15, 2019
SYRACUSE, NY - MARCH 04: Frank Howard #23 of the Syracuse Orange motions to a teammate during the first half against the Virginia Cavaliers at the Carrier Dome on March 4, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Virginia defeats Syracuse 79-53. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Duke star Zion Williamson's return to the court Thursday was flawless, though Syracuse's Frank Howard became the source of controversy in the first half.
Early in Duke's 84-72 win, Howard stuck his foot out in what seemed like an attempt to trip Williamson:
Syracuse's Frank Howard appeared to attempt to trip Zion Williamson early in the first half. pic.twitter.com/aNUUebKMXH
When asked about the incident after the game, Howard denied any wrongdoing:
Frank on Zion: I was just shown the video. I’m not going to wait 4 years to get to this position to trip somebody. Said he has a lot of respect for Zion.
Howard added the following, per DonnaDitotaof Syracuse.com: "He tripped over my foot, and I said, 'Oh, I was not trying to trip you.' He was running back, I'm trying to get open. I'm being face-guarded. I didn't see the whole video, so I don't even want to answer too many questions about that. There isn't really much more to talk about."
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said afterward: "As far as what people were commenting on at halftime, I talked to Frank, I looked at the video; there was no trip involved out there. I don't know who was talking about that, but it was a bump, and...that's it. It was nothing there. Trying to manufacture something out of nothing."
Williamson showed no lingering effects from a knee injury that cost him five games, as theACCPlayer of the Year had 29 points, 14 rebounds and five steals on a perfect 13-of-13 shooting.
Controversy aside, Howard did everything in his power to keep Syracuse in the game, leading the Orange with a career-high 28 points.
Mike Krzyzewski: Nike's Top People Oversaw Making of Zion Williamson's New Shoes
Mar 15, 2019
As Duke star Zion Williamson appeared in his first game since he suffered a Grade 1 knee sprain by blowing out his shoe in a Feb. 20 loss to North Carolina, Nike did everything in its power to ensure the Blue Devils phenom would avoid a repeat occurrence.
During his first game in nearly a month, Williamson led Duke to an 84-72 victory over Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the 2019 ACC tournament. He paced the Blue Devils with 29 points, 14 rebounds, one steal and five blocks on 13-of-13 shooting from the field.
After making the switch from PG 2.5s to custom Kyrie 4s, Williamson called his latest sneakers "incredible," per Dan Wolken of USA Today.
That's good news for Nike, which put a lot of effort into making sure the shoes held up.
ESPN's Allison Williams reported during the game that Nike flew a team of employees to Durham in order to properly measure the 6'7", 285-pound forward:
Zion is playing tonight's game in a pair of custom Kyrie 4s.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski added afterward, per Wolken, that Nike sent "their top people" to campus the day after the blowout incident. Those employees then made a trip to China to oversee production of the sneakers.
According to Wolken, Coach K attributed the Feb. 20 blowout to "wear and tear" and noted the star will now be switching shoes more frequently.
The Kyrie 4s passed their first test, but the season is far from over. Williamson will be back in action Friday night with a trip to the ACC championship game on the line as he gets his first true meeting with archrival North Carolina.
Zion Williamson: Kyrie 4s Were 'Incredible' After PG 2.5 Shoes Ripped vs. UNC
Mar 15, 2019
Duke's Zion Williamson (1) smiles after a play against Syracuse during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, March 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Shoes don't often serve as one of the biggest storylines heading into an ACC tournament game, but that was the reality before Thursday's showdown between Duke and Syracuse.
After all, Blue Devils star Zion Williamson suffered a knee injury when his foot went through the bottom of his Paul George shoes during a Feb. 20 loss to North Carolina. He wore shoes from Kyrie Irving's signature line Thursday, and they apparently delivered in the 84-72 win.
"The shoes were incredible this game," he said, per Dan Wolken of USA Today.
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski revealed Nike did everything it could to make sure they were ready:
Coach K said Nike sent “their top people” to Durham after the shoe exploded. Those people then went to China to personally oversee the manufacturing of his new shoe. OK then!
The shoes may have been incredible, but so was Williamson.
He tallied 29 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, five blocks and a steal during the victory, and he didn't miss a single one of his 13 field-goal attempts. Williamson had no issue attacking the rim off the bounce or lifting off for the soaring dunks that have placed him atop NBA draft boards.
Attention now shifts to a rematch with the Tar Heels in Friday's ACC tournament semifinal. It's safe to say Williamson will likely don Irvings again after his most recent performance.
Zion Williamson After Return vs. Syracuse: 'I Come Ready to Kill Every Game'
Mar 15, 2019
Duke's Zion Williamson (1) smiles after a play against Syracuse during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, March 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson made his much-anticipated return from injury Thursday night, and he was more than ready for it.
Playing in his first game since suffering a Grade 1 knee sprain back on Feb. 20, Williamson led Duke to an 84-72 victory over Syracuse by dropping 29 points on 13-of-13 shooting and adding 14 rebounds, five steals and one block. That dominant performance was made possible by sticking to his typical mindset.
"I love this game, I love my teammates, so people who thought I wasn't going to return they weren't smart. I love playing with Duke. I love my teammates and it was great to be back," Williamson said in his postgame interview with ESPN, h/t Forbes' Adam Zagoria. "I come ready to kill every game, so it was just great to get back on the court."
He made that clear early in the contest when he took flight for a highlight-reel dunk. That would just be the start of his record-tying night:
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger 🎶
Zion tied the record for most consecutive makes in a single game by an ACC player! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6audKDsFUu
Williamson's big night set the stage for a showdown with archrival North Carolina in the ACC semifinals. The Tar Heels took both regular-season meetings, as Williamson suffered his knee injury in the opening minute of the first game and sat out the second in Chapel Hill last weekend.
RJ Barrett, Duke Get ACC Tournament Win vs. Syracuse in Zion Williamson's Return
Mar 14, 2019
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Zion Williamson #1 and teammate RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils react against the Syracuse Orange during their game in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
The Duke Blue Devils beat the Syracuse Orange 84-72 in the quarterfinals of the 2019 ACC tournament at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Zion Williamson returned to the lineup after he missed Duke's final five regular-season games because of a knee sprain. The ACC Player of the Year finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and five steals in the victory. He was a perfect 13-of-13 from the field.
RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish added 23andsevenpoints for Duke, respectively.
Entering Thursday's game, ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi projected Duke to be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Beating Syracuse won't push the Blue Devils into No. 1-seed territory just yet, but staying alive in the ACC tournament likely keeps that door open.
Duke the Runaway Title Favorites with Zion Williamson Back in the Lineup
Collectively, this wasn't a great performance from Duke. Reddish struggled mightily, and Barrett and Williamson carried most of the scoring load.
In general, Syracuse is a nightmare matchup for the Blue Devils. The zone defense is exactly the way to attack a Duke offense that can struggle to stretch the floor. During the regular season, the Orange held Duke to 25 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
On Thursday, the Blue Devils were 7-of-23 from three-point range.
Duke should look a little more like its usual self in the semifinals, and Williamson is a big reason for that.
He answered any questions about his right knee almost immediately, throwing down a right-handed jam 2:04 into the game.
Because he seemingly delivers multiple highlight-reel dunks every contest, one can potentially overlook how much more he contributes. Take out his scoring, and the combined value of his defense and rebounding would still probably make him Duke's best player.
It's easy to quantify Zion's return with dunk clips. But he just made a vintage energy play there, tipping out an offensive rebound that led to a Duke trip to the free throw line. He brings a ton of intangible value, too.
Duke was effectively 3-3 without Williamson since he played one minute before getting injured against North Carolina on Feb. 20. Before that, it reeled off a 23-2 record—those two losses coming to Gonzaga and Syracuse by six combined points. There's a reason some peopleseriously entertainedthe notion a few months ago that the Blue Devils would've beaten the NBA's worst team.
When Williamson was absent, Duke looked more vulnerable. The roster is pretty top-heavy, so losing a key player creates a big void. Now that Williamson looks to be at 100 percent, the Blue Devils are once again fully operational and the clear No. 1 national-title threat.
Syracuse's Zone Defense Will Make Orange Difficult Matchup in NCAA Tournament
Three years ago, Syracuse reached the Final Four as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region. Last year, the Orange were a No. 11 seed and had to beat Arizona State to get into the first round. They still managed a run to the Sweet 16.
Good luck to whoever has to share a region with Syracuse in this year's Big Dance.
Jim Boeheim's team pushed Duke hard despite being without leading scorer Tyus Battle. Frank Howard scored a team-high 28 points, and Buddy Boeheim was a pleasant surprise (15 points).
The Orange have obvious flaws. They'retied for 260thin scoring (69.5 points per game),258thin free-throw percentage (68.4) and289thin three-point percentage (32.3).
Turn the game into a track meet and Syracuse will have a hard time keeping up, especially if Battle's back injury lingers into the NCAA tournament. Playing an uptempo game isn't easy against the Orange's zone, though.
Syracuse has some bad losses this year—Georgia Tech at home and Connecticut in New York City stand out. Nobody will be all that surprised if the team exits the NCAA tournament in the first round.
But this could be yet another year in which the Orange head into March with low expectations and end up playing the role of spoiler.
What's Next?
Duke will play North Carolina in the ACC semifinals. The Blue Devils dropped both games against the Tar Heels in the regular season, although Williamson's injury limited him to one combined minute across those matchups. Syracuse, meanwhile, must wait until Selection Sunday to learn its NCAA tournament fate.
Zion Williamson's Emphatic Return Confirms Duke's Spot as March Madness Favorite
Mar 14, 2019
Zion Williamson needed only two minutes to remind the college basketball world of something critically important.
He's back. And he's healthy.
After an explosive performance in Duke's 84-72 victory over Syracuse in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, it's safe to eliminate lingering questions about the Blue Devils and their place in the NCAA hierarchy. When Zion is healthy, they're the March Madness favorite.
Playing in his first game since he suffered a knee sprain Feb. 20 at North Carolina, Williamson followed up his rim-rattling dunk with a couple important plays that won't make the highlight reel.
The freshman skied for an offensive rebound that led to Paschal Chukwu's second foul just three minutes into the game. He also found RJ Barrett for a wide-open triple, grabbed his second steal and made a second layup. All important; nothing spectacular.
Then, Williamson took over the game.
After burying a triple from the left wing, he rocked Spectrum Center with a thundering alley-oop flush.
Zion added an offensive rebound and putback layup before taking a deserved rest on the bench with 9:27 remaining in the first half. He'd already amassed 15 points, five rebounds, four steals and one assist on perfect 7-of-7 shooting.
That 10-and-a-half-minute stretch was all anyone needed to see. You could've turned off the game, ignored the final score and acknowledged the impact Williamson made for the Blue Devils. They won by 12 points, but the result felt like an aftershock.
Zion alone provided the earthquake.
Following his injury, Duke mustered a 3-3 record and was a stiff breeze from losing at the buzzer to Wake Forest. Four of the Blue Devils' seven least efficient rebounding games and four of their seven lowest defensive turnover rates this season came during that stretch, per Sports-Reference.
That should be no surprise given his production in both categories, and it immediately reverted to normal Thursday. Along with nine first-half rebounds, Zion was a defensive menace.
Duke has 10 steals in the first half tonight, five of which belong to Zion. Devils had a total of 21 in the five games he missed.
Forgotten among everything else ridiculous that he does, he ranks 20th nationally in steal rate.
Williamson's seven offensive rebounds led to 12 second-chance points. He finished with a massive stat line of 29 points, 14 rebounds, five steals and two assists on 13-of-13 shooting.
Yes, Duke simultaneously showed its flaws.
The Blue Devils had 18 turnovers, which the Orange turned into 15 points. They continued to struggle from three-point range and trudged to a 7-of-23 mark. Duke shot 67.8 percent at the free-throw line, where Williamson himself went a dreadful 2-of-9.
Turnovers, perimeter efficiency and free-throw percentage are the Blue Devils' three biggest weaknesses. All three flared up Thursday, and that's what kept a short-handed Syracuse in the game.
But Zion's contributions ensured the shortcomings didn't matter.
Duke looked out of sync tonight but still beat Syracuse by double digits. Zion makes such a huge difference for the Blue Devils on both ends
The rest of the roster played about as poorly as possible, yet Duke managed a 12-point win over an NCAA tourney lock. Few teams have a margin for error that massive against quality competition.
According to OddsShark, the Blue Devils entered the night as the betting favorite to win the national championship. Had they struggled while Williamson seemed he wasn't fully fit, reconsideration of that standing would've been justified.
Mike Krzyzewski's team did the first part. Williamson, though, quickly showed off his dominant ability and sustained it over 36 minutes.
He's back. He's healthy. And Duke is officially the frontrunner.
Video: Watch Zion Williamson Throw Down Monster Dunk in Return from Knee Injury
Mar 14, 2019
Any concerns about Zion Williamson's knee were put to rest early in Thursday night's ACC tournament quarterfinal showdown with the Syracuse Orange.
Playing in his first game since suffering a Grade 1 knee sprain on Feb. 20, the 6'7", 285-pound Williamson proved he was healthy in the opening minutes by throwing down a highlight-reel slam on a fast break:
