HOUSTON -- The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Utah Utes 63-57 in an NCAA tournament South Regional semifinal Friday. The top-seeded Blue Devils advanced to face No. 2-seed Gonzaga on Sunday with a Final Four berth on the line.
Here are five observations from Duke's win:
Duke freshman forward Justise Winslow put on a show in his homecoming debut. The Houston native had an added bounce from the start of the game but saved his best work for the second half, when he scored 13 of his game-high 21 points. When Utah cut its deficit to 49-43, the closest it had been since early in the second half, it was Winslow who scored a three-point play to boost the Blue Devils. During one stretch he made back-to-back 3-pointers, which led to a bit of chest pounding and signaling from the normally stoic forward. It nearly led to a Utah basket as Winslow was beat down the floor while making his gestures. Luckily for him, the Utes missed the basket and he avoided the ire of Mike Krzyzewski.
The Blue Devils proved they can survive against a team with more size. Early in the first half, the Utes owned the boards but finished with just a 36-31 advantage. Once Krzyzewski inserted Amile Jefferson at power forward and Grayson Allen at shooting guard for a bigger lineup, Duke was able to forge ahead. Despite giving up 18 offensive rebounds, Duke was only outscored on second chance points 12-6.
Delon Wright's value to Utah showed just after he picked up his third foul with about five minutes left in the first half. Duke went on an 8-0 run that turned a one possession game into a 10-point lead. The Blue Devils also used full-court pressure for the first time -- once causing a 10-second violation -- and the Utes turned the ball over on four straight possessions.
The Utes made it clear that Duke center Jahlil Okafor was not going to beat them. Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak ran a double team at Okafor every time he touched the ball in the post. While it kept him from scoring most of the time in the first half, it didn’t keep the Blue Devils from being effective. Okafor was adept at backing up with the double closing in on him, staying patient and not panicking under the pressure and finding an open player to pass out of the situation. As the Utes kept going to the double team, Okafor began cracking in the second half. He was twice baited into making cross-court passes and turned the ball over both times. Okafor finished the game tying a season-low six points on 3-of-6 shooting.
The Duke-Gonzaga matchup has the potential to be an offensive explosion -- if both teams can actually solve the riddle of 3-point shooting in NRG Stadium. The pace should be fast, the possessions quick and decisive, and a lot of points should be scored. There are also several individual battles to look forward to, including at point guard with Tyus Jones going against Kevin Pangos. It’ll also be interesting to see if Gonzaga coach Mark Few allows 7-foot center Przemek Karnowski to play Okafor straight up.
