Jon Scheyer had an arduously long offseason to reflect on how small the margins are between victory and defeat. The nightmares of blowing a 14-point lead in the Final Four to Houston, including a last-minute shot from the depths of hell, will never completely go away.
You have to wonder if these all-too-familiar thoughts began to resonate Tuesday when No. 15 Florida erased a 15-point deficit and took a 66-64 lead with 35 ticks remaining on a Boogie Fland pull-up trey. Ten seconds earlier, Pat Ngongba had taken one of the most ill-advised shots a Duke player had taken all season to open the window for a courageous Florida comeback.
This time, Duke made the three big time-saving plays that happened last April at the Alamodome. Jon Scheyer ran a ghost screen for Cameron Boozer to find Isaiah Evans for the go-ahead shot. Caleb Foster, like the skilled warrior he is becoming, turned up the dial to force a Boogie Fland turnover, and Maliq Brown deflected an inbound Duke pass to seal a victory at the buzzer.
No. 4 Duke 67, No. 15 Florida 66.
Stacking winning plays. Games like Tuesday could prove to be a daily deposit for a young team like these Blue Devils to learn what it takes (and what to avoid) to beat desperate teams like Florida.
Duke not only improved to 9-0, but also found a closer. Duke’s late-game offense was a source of frustration several times a year ago, but Boozer showed that its toughness and smarts are an extremely valuable asset in crucial times. His nothing but net trey with 2:10 left was huge. That includes his strong left turn and finish over Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu, who is aptly described as a mountain of a man.
Boozer poured in 29 points, along with six rebounds and two more dimes. He entered the night averaging over 33 points per night. He scored 29 and assisted on a further six points to finish with an astonishing 35 points. It is one of the highest numbers in the entire sport.
Scheyer also showed how far he has come. Duke scored a monster 18 points after timeouts in this one. That applies to the vast majority of games from the Scheyer era. Duke not only has one of the most talented rosters in the sport, but it also has a sharp offensive coordinator in Scheyer.
Hopefully the ice packs and ice baths in Durham are up to par, because the Blue Devils will need them to recover from Tuesday’s brawl ahead of Saturday’s showdown with ultra-physical No. 8 Michigan State.
They head to East Lansing with an impeccable record and a defined closer in the bullpen. Oh, what a wonderful feeling that must be.
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