Duke Basketball: Historic comeback puts wisdom of Coach K on full display

All the Duke basketball players had to do to pull off a monumental comeback was exactly what their genius coach asked them to do.

On the road and after trailing No. 16 Louisville by 23 points with just 9:03 to play on Tuesday night, four Duke basketball freshmen and one sophomore made obvious the fact that their coach is an unrivaled mastermind.

The five Blue Devils formed the deadliest lineup that the world of college basketball has seen in action this season and successfully implemented the change in plans from their legendary head coach during the late stages of their 71-69 win that left the Cardinals and their fans in total disbelief.

With the historic comeback victory, which moved No. 2 Duke’s record to 22-2 overall and an ACC-best 10-1 in conference play, Mike Krzyzewski tied former D-II coach Harry Statham for the most career wins by any college coach in history from any division (1,122).

Yes, it was a hoss named Zion Williamson who made his presence known in every facet of the game down the stretch. The freshman forward finished with a game-high 27 points and 12 rebounds — his 10th double-double of the season and 11th game this season with at least 25 points, the record for a Duke freshman — while also adding three steals and a block.

Yes, it was a sniper named Cam Reddish who made clutch swishes from beyond the arc and at the foul line. The freshman forward finished with 22 points, including the game-winning pair of free throws with 14 seconds left, and has now averaged 18.4 points across his past five games.

Yes, it was a driver named R.J. Barrett who made an art form out of layups that he generated with crafty Euro steps — not to mention his between-the-legs pass that beautifully set up the Reddish 3-pointer that tied the game at 69 with 90 seconds left. The freshman guard finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

Yes, it was a floor leader named Tre Jones who made all the right decisions to create opportunities for steals and fast breaks. The freshman point guard — the only player from either team to be on the court for all 40 minutes — finished with six points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and zero turnovers.

Yes, it was a dogged defender named Jordan Goldwire — a seldom-used sophomore guard prior to his breakout performance — who made a name for himself to a national audience by relentlessly forcing the Cardinal backcourt into making hurried decisions and multiple mistakes.

"“He comes in there and gets up under you,” Barrett said about Goldwire after the game. “And they had a hard time handling him.”"

But it was Coach K who made the call to have Goldwire join the four freshmen on the floor down the stretch, leading to the largest second-half comeback of his Hall of Fame career (the largest such comeback of any Duke team since 1950).

And it was Coach K who admitted that he and his team learned some lessons from the comeback that they will use to grow in the future.

"“Our thing going into the game was ‘Play harder than them,’ and we weren’t able to do that,” Krzyzewski said. “So that’s a lesson for our guys. However, the other lesson is maybe Goldwire can play more.”"

It was Coach K who made the decision to have that lineup play a tenacious fullcourt zone press that left the Cardinals looking less confident than 12-year-old boys at a middle school dance.

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It was Coach K who stayed calm yet told his young players what they needed to hear when nothing was going right — for three-quarters of the game, the players seemed to have left all their energy in Charlottesville (where Duke defeated then-No. 3 Virginia, 81-71, on Saturday night).

And according to Coach K’s comments to the media following the game, this is what he said to his players in the huddle in order to help them overcome their dismal start to the second half:

"“You’re not losers, but you’re playing like losers.”"

It was Coach K who made the bold decision to trust that Williamson could be effective the final nine minutes despite having four fouls.

It was Coach K who had to help his team deal with the adversity of their flight from Durham to Louisville being delayed by about four hours the night before the game (they did not arrive until after midnight).

It was Coach K who was responsible for snagging the recruits who comprised the deadly comeback lineup.

Finally, it’s Coach K who should be the leading candidate for AP Coach of the Year — an honor he has inexplicably never received.

ALSO READ: AP cheapens own reputation by insulting Coach K

By the way, today is Coach K’s birthday. And although the 72-year-old is way too old and rich to need any gifts, he’s way too wise and crafty to go without at least this one gift: the credit he deserves for all of his wins — particularly the memorable one on Tuesday night.

Top 10 wins of the Coach K era. dark. Next

The next test for Coach K and his Blue Devils comes at home against N.C. State on Saturday at 6 p.m. (on ESPN).

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