Sweeping giant
No. 1 Duke gets third win over UNC to coast to ACC title
Posted: Sunday March 07, 1999 04:54 PM
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North Carolina's Brendan Haywood (right) provides little defense as Duke's Elton Brand drives the lane. AP |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Duke's undefeated march through the
Atlantic Coast Conference was unprecedented. The manner in which
the top-ranked Blue Devils did it was even more staggering.
Duke added yet another 20-point ACC rout to its resume by
stomping No. 15 North Carolina 96-73 in the conference championship
game Sunday.
The win was the 27th straight for the Blue Devils (32-1) and
completed an unbeaten run through the ACC regular season and
postseason at 19-0. Four other league teams have run the table, but
those occurred during 12- and 14-game ACC regular-season schedules.
"No one can ever do this better," coach Mike Krzyzewski said
following the third largest victory margin by a team in the ACC
finals. "Someone can do it as well, unless we add more teams to
the league, which I hope they don't do."
Duke won its three ACC tourney games by a record-setting victory
margin of 25 points, topping the 1964 Duke team that won it by an
average margin of 22.7
"Nineteen-and-0, even if they were one-point wins, is
impressive," said Krzyzewski. "Our kids have just played hard all
year long. I don't think they have placed any pressure on
themselves. It seems like they've always had fun playing."
"I don't remember a team dominating the league the way they
have," added North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge, who has more
than three decades of ACC coaching experience. "They've just taken
everybody apart."
William Avery had 29 points and Elton Brand had 24 for Duke, who
denied the Tar Heels (24-9) a chance at a third consecutive ACC
title.
"We were as little bit fresher and Will and Elton were just a
step above everyone else," said Krzyzewski, whose club shot 57
percent. "Elton, throughout the tournament, established the inside
and William established the outside."
North Carolina had enjoyed good luck against Duke in previous
ACC title games, going 6-2 against the Blue Devils. But Sunday's
game was another matter.
"I don't look at this as breaking through, I look at this as a
singular team," said Krzyzewski.
The Blue Devils shot 60 percent in the opening half with injured
3-point ace Trajan Langdon on the bench to go up by 16 in the
opening 20 minutes.
The strong start by Duke came against a Tar Heels team seeking
to avenge a 20-point rout by Duke eight days ago in the Smith
Center.
Duke's lead reached as many as 24 with a 10-0 run to start the
second half as Brand scored on a shot in the lane and a dunk, and
Avery sank a 24-foot 3-pointer.
But the Tar Heels had one more rally in them before falling to
one of the more talented teams in ACC history. A 14-0 run by North
Carolina got them back in the game, closing within nine with 10:28
left.
Duke, however, sensed a piece of ACC history and went for the
kill. A 12-4 run sealed it as Avery had a layup and a 3-pointer, while
Brand scored on a pair of free throws and another basket from in
close.
"They've got a lot of horses and we just couldn't keep up with
them," said North Carolina guard Max Owens, who led the Tar Heels
with 22 points.
It was the first time since Duke did it 11 years ago that a team
swept the Tar Heels three games in a season.
"We want to keep winning," said Brand, who was 9-for-11 from
the field with 13 rebounds to be named the tourney MVP. "People
may say a loss would help us going into the [NCAA] tournament, but
I feel the opposite. We wanted to win this tournament and play our
best. The pressure really didn't get to us."
The opening pace certainly favored Duke. The Blue Devils started
fast from 3-point range, nailing three from beyond the arc in the
game's first 2:42 -- a move that would open up the middle later in
the half for Shane Battier and Brand.
A steal and fastbreak layup by Avery midway through the half
gave the Blue Devils a 27-14 lead before the Tar Heels responded
with an 11-1 run to close within three.
But Duke responded following a 20-second timeout by coach Mike
Krzyzewski with a 12-2 run of their own, getting a shot in the lane
and a baseline jumper by Brand to open the rally, while Avery
nailed a 3-pointer and fed Battier for a three-play play and it was
40-27 four minutes before intermission.
The lead grew to as many as 16 in the closing minutes of the
half as Avery, taking over the outside game in the absence of
Langdon, sank another 3-pointer before Duke settled for 49-35 lead.
"This was one of William Avery's best games," said Krzyzewski.
"He did it when there was a lot on the line and his backcourt mate
wasn't there. I got a note from his mother at the end of the first
half that said, 'Leave my son in.' "
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