Miami Hurricanes take Duke to the wire, but fall short 80-76 in ACC tourney semifinal
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The last time Miami and Duke met, in early January, the Hurricanes overcame a hostile sea of blue at Cameron Indoor Stadium and beat the Blue Devils in a thriller. Friday’s ACC tournament semifinal was 486 miles north at the Barclays Center, but it felt a whole lot like another Duke home game.
From the moment the national anthem singer hit her final note, the Duke faithful from the front row to the rafters began chanting “Let’s Go Duke!” and their roar was deafening when the Blue Devils survived the never-say-die Hurricanes 80-76.
Duke forward A.J. Griffin, battling a stomach flu, scored 12 straight points at the end of the first half to get the Blue Devils back in the game, made three critical free throws in the final 20 seconds and led his team with 21 points. Paolo Banchero had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Wendell Moore added 17.
Unranked Miami, which has exceeded expectations all season, led by as many as 11 points in the first half, kept up with seventh-ranked Duke until the end, but the Blue Devils were 17-of-22 from the free throw line and the Hurricanes were 6-of-12. That proved the difference.
“I thought that was a great college basketball game by two very good teams playing at a very high level, and the game sometimes comes down to some very simple things,” said UM coach Jim Larranaga. “In this case, it was free throw shooting, and that obviously made a difference. But our guys played as hard and as well as we possibly can. Duke is a terrific basketball team.”
Duke (28-5) has four players projected as NBA first round draft picks. Miami (23-10) has had four first-round picks total since the program was reinstated in 1985 after a 14-year hiatus.
“That was just a heck of a game,” said retiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who received a rousing ovation. “When Jim and I shook hands after on the court, we both smiled at each other. We’ve done this hundreds of times, but this was a real good game. This is a game where both teams were worthy of winning. Everything was earned tonight and I’m proud of my guys. They almost knocked us out.”
UM’s Kameron McGusty was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points and seven rebounds, but he said that was no consolation for the loss.
“I’ve been through a lot in my college career and I just want to win,” said McGusty, a sixth-year senior. “I’ve only been to the NCAA tournament one time and this is as far as I’ve been in the conference tournament and it really broke my heart that we couldn’t get it done. Our guys fight so hard. We’ve been through a lot as a program so the personal accolades don’t matter to me at this point.”
Jordan Miller had 17 points and 13 rebounds for Miami. Point guard Charlie Moore scored 15 points and had a game-high eight assists. And center/forward Sam Waardenburg, going up against players who outweigh him by 40 pounds, was a warrior with eight points, seven assists, no turnovers, two steals and two blocks.
“Miami can beat anybody,” Krzyzewski said. “They’re going to the (NCAA) tournament and they can really play. They have five guys (who can score), and they’ve improved. The big thing is how Miller’s playing. Last four or five games he’s been their leading scorer. (Friday) he had 17 and 13. They have a center who doesn’t play center and had seven assists. They have a pro offense. They’re going to be really difficult to defend.”
The crowd went wild when Griffin made a three-pointer for the first points of the night, and then got quiet when the Hurricanes went on a 15-2 run to take an 11-point lead. Miami made four three-pointers during that stretch, including a pair by Charlie Moore, who turned around with a grin after his second one and yelled “OH MY GAWD!” toward the crowd.
But Duke’s Banchero, a 6-10 and 250-pound freshman projected to be an NBA lottery pick, got the Blue Devils back in the game with his strong play around the basket, dunking and barreling his way through Miami’s undersized defenders. UM, meanwhile, went on a cold spell, missing eight of nine shots and Duke tied it up 22-22.
Moore than drilled a long-range three to give UM the lead, spark a run, and with five minutes to go in the first half the Hurricanes led by eight points. That’s when Griffin took over with his 12-point run and Jeremy Roach went coast to coast for a layup to tie it 36-36 at the half.
The fact the Hurricanes were deadlocked at the half was remarkable considering Isaiah Wong and Waardenburg were a combined 2-for-10 from the field and Miami was 1-of-5 from the free throw line.
In the second half, Duke’s size was a challenge for the Hurricanes, but they kept making big plays and trailed by just three with 25 seconds to go after Moore sank a three-pointer to make it 77-74. Griffin made his free throws in the closing seconds, and that sealed the win.
“The plan we had wasn’t working defensively and we weren’t aggressive (early), that’s on me,” Krzyzewski said. “We changed it and got back to playing our stuff. We righted the ship and second half was just back and forth.”
When a reporter asked Griffin if it was special to get to the ACC tournament final in Krzyzewski’s final year, the coach interjected and didn’t let Griffin answer. “I’m trying to get away from all that. It’s really too much. It’s their season. It’s all about them. It is. I don’t want to be a distraction to them. This is their season, especially now. They only get it once. I’ve had it numerous times…my farewell thing sells tickets, but I don’t want it. I just want them to win.”
The Hurricanes return home to await their NCAA tournament seeding and first-round opponent, which they will find out during the Selection Sunday show. Duke will play for the ACC title Saturday night against the winner of the North Carolina vs Virginia Tech game.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 11:00 PM.