While one of the final games of Friday will go down as the best one of the day, it was in the middle of the game action that we had perhaps the most telling game. We found out something about both teams, although for a while it appeared that the result would be more than a little different.
Duke found a way to win, and Texas let one get away. Actually, Duke was willed to win largely by the best freshman in the country and a solid cohort, and Texas let one get away.
We’ll talk about Duke first, because it’s easier.
Duke has looked shaky at times in the early going, including in Portland. They trailed at the half on Thursday, and they looked very much on the way to a loss on Friday. They were not the better team for most of Friday’s game, and Grayson Allen was never much of a factor as he was in foul trouble early and ultimately fouled out.
Duke trailed 43-31 at the half, and at times in the second half looked like they might make a run. They got within seven about seven minutes in, then Texas ran off nine straight and looked to be in control with a 16-point lead.
Down 66-52, two freshmen – Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. – went to work. In an 18-4 run, Carter scored seven of his 14 points (he also hauled down 11 rebounds) and Bagley scored six of his game-high 34 points (he added 15 rebounds) as Duke tied it. In the extra session, Bagley and Carter scored all but two of the Blue Devils’ points as they beat Texas 85-78 to advance to the championship of the Motion Bracket in the PK80 Invitational.
And for Texas, this is the one that got away. It’s what could have been, though Shaka Smart will do all he can to make sure this team moves on as quickly as they can.
The Longhorns were the clearly better team for over 30 minutes on the afternoon. They outplayed the Blue Devils and responded to their attempts to grab the momentum. Did they run out of gas? Did their struggles from behind the arc – they went 4-23 from deep – catch up to them?
It could have been any of them. It certainly didn’t help that they were out-rebounded 50-39.
Kerwin Roach II was the best player on the floor for the first 30+ minutes. He was 7-9 from the floor for 18 points, and Dylan Osetkowski showed his versatility bookending touted freshman Mohamed Bamba in what should be a formidable front line.
But it wasn’t enough. They didn’t do enough.
This could have been a turning point for the program following a forgettable season a year ago. There were plenty of reasons before this season to think this would be a little different than last year, but a win over Duke would have certainly helped in that regard. This was a big opportunity, especially since a win would have also had them playing for a championship in a major in-season tournament.
Duke looks very good, especially the inside duo of Bagley and Carter, but the Blue Devils look beatable. They don’t look like a team that is clearly the class of the country. Texas, meanwhile, looks pretty good, as expected, but they can certainly get a lot better.
And the Longhorns let one get away all the same on Friday.
Side Dishes
Elsewhere in the PK80 Invitational, Florida will be Duke’s opponent in the Motion Bracket championship game after they outlasted Gonzaga 111-105 in the game of the day in double overtime. Butler edged Portland State 71-69 and Ohio State knocked off Stanford 79-71 in the consolation round. In the Victory Bracket, North Carolina advanced to the final with an 87-68 win over Arkansas as Luke Maye continued his torrid start with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Their opponent: Michigan State, who broke away from UConn in the second half for a 77-57 win after a closely contested first half. Oklahoma blew out Portland 93-71 behind 33 points and eight assists from Trae Young in the first consolation game, while the second one took overtime to decide as Oregon beat DePaul 89-79 behind a career-high 29 points and eight assists from Payton Pritchard.
After their win, Florida guard Chris Chiozza was hurried to the team locker room after he truly left everything on the floor. The senior already got banged up before the season, and it’s hard to say anyone earned their stripes on the evening more than he did as he took a pounding in between scoring 26 points and handing out 10 assists. No word was available at press time on any further injuries, but it’s fair to figure the day off is more than welcome for him right now.
Villanova started the day by taking home their second Battle 4 Atlantis title with a 64-50 win over Northern Iowa. It was the first loss of the season for the Panthers, and there’s no shame in losing to the Wildcats. Tennessee took third place with a 67-58 win over NC State, Western Kentucky edged SMU 63-61 for fifth place on a late three-pointer by Jake Ohmer, and in a game many might have ticketed as a championship matchup, Purdue ran away from Arizona 89-64, shooting 57 percent from the field including 11-22 from long range. Arizona has lost three straight games before December for the first time in school history.
The NIT Season Tip-Off moved away from Madison Square Garden this year, which certainly felt a little strange. Virginia took home the title with a convincing 70-55 win over Rhode Island, while third place went to Seton Hall after a 72-59 win over Vanderbilt, with the Pirates outscoring the Commodores 41-27 after intermission.
Before that, the Barclays Center Classic had semifinal action, with Minnesota getting a double-double from Jordan Murphy (16 points, 11 rebounds) to lead them to a 69-51 win over UMass, before Alabama made an 11-point halftime lead stand up in knocking off BYU 71-59.
The finals are set in the AdvoCare Invitational, with West Virginia running away from UCF 83-45 in the first semifinal and Missouri beating St. John’s 90-82 despite 31 points and seven assists from Red Storm guard Shamorie Ponds. Both UCF and St. John’s suffered their first loss of the season. In consolation games, Long Beach State beat Oregon State 74-69, which drops the Beavers below .500, and Nebraska blew out Marist 84-59 to keep the Red Foxes winless on the season.
Also in Florida, semifinal action in the Emerald Coast Classic had two dandies. TCU edged New Mexico 69-67, then St. Bonaventure used late momentum to pull off a 63-61 win over Maryland in a game where the Terrapins at times seemed ready to break it open but never could. Tennessee Tech edged Omaha and Maryland-Eastern Shore eked out a win over Jackson State in consolation games.
One of the big surprises of the day came in the championship game of Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. There, Arizona State rode a 40-point outing from Tra Holder to knock off Xavier 102-86, as the Sun Devils continue to score as they have reached 90 points in each game thus far this season. Holder went 14-22 from the field, including 5-8 from long range.
Out west, there was a surprise in the Wooden Legacy semifinals, as Washington State pulled out an 84-79 win over Saint Mary’s. It will be an all-west coast final as San Diego State handed Georgia their first loss of the season in the other semifinal, a 75-68 decision after the Aztecs closed the game on a 12-4 run. In the consolation bracket, Harvard got 21 points each from super sophomores Chris Lewis and Bryce Aiken to beat Saint Joseph’s 77-71, and Cal State Fullerton beat Sacramento State 68-63 after a high-scoring second half.
Further west, there was semifinal action in the last Great Alaska Shootout. Central Michigan edged Cal Poly 56-53, then CSU Bakersfield edged Idaho 64-62 in a game where the Vandals assisted on 21 of 22 made field goals.
Tonight’s Menu
A couple of the tournaments take a day off, but others will finish up.
- The Barclays Center is home to the second day of the Barclays Center Classic, with the third place game of BYU and UMass (2:30 p.m.) followed by the championship game that pits Alabama against Minnesota (5 p.m.) in what should be a dandy.
- It’s the last day of the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, and it starts with Jackson State taking on Omaha (11 a.m.), followed by Maryland-Eastern Shore battling Tennessee Tech (1:30 p.m.), the third-place game between New Mexico and Maryland (4 p.m.), and concluding with the championship game, where TCU will take on St. Bonaventure (7 p.m.)
- It’s also the last day ever for what was once one of the great tournaments, the Great Alaska Shootout. It starts with the seventh place game between Sam Houston State and Santa Clara (4 p.m.), then the fifth place game between College of Charleston and Alaska-Anchorage (6:30 p.m.) After a break, the evening session has the third-place game pitting Cal Poly against Idaho (9:30 p.m.), followed by the championship game that has Central Michigan taking on CSU Bakersfield (midnight)
- A nice battle of teams who should contend in their respective leagues is Vermont’s trip to Yale (2 p.m.)
- Georgetown puts its 3-0 mark on the line when they travel to Richmond (6 p.m.)
- Former Big East rivals battle as Boston College heads south to take on Providence (8 p.m.)
