Duke will seek their fourth national championship in men’s basketball Monday night after shredding West Virginia 78-57 in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils rocked the Mountaineers, recording 13 3-pointers in coasting to a comfortable win. Duke guard, Jon Scheyer, hit 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points in lighting up West Virginia’s defense. The top-seeded Devils will play Butler University for the title game. The hometown Bulldogs defeated Michigan State 52-50 in a gritty defensive battle Saturday.
Mike Krzyzewski’s Devils dominated and drubbed Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers from the opening tip-off. The Devils grabbed an early 11-4 advantage against struggling West Virginia. They extended the edge to 18-11 with eleven minutes remaining in the first half. West Virginia, a team known for solid defense, had few answers for Duke’s 52.7% shooting. The Devils solved the Mountaineers’ zone defense, demonstrating their preparedness for the game. Duke led by eight at the intermission and took a double-digit lead with just over twelve minutes on the clock. Wellington Smith collected 12 points to carry the Mountaineers. West Virginia took a major blow in the second half, when Da’Sean Butler was knocked out of the game. Butler, the team’s top offensive playmaker, went down with a knee injury nine minutes before the end of regulation. He scored 10 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. The Mountaineers were already playing without their point guard, Darryl Bryant. Butler’s absence most likely would not have made a difference Saturday against Duke. The Devils trounces and thrashed the tight Mountaineer defense. West Virginia’s ten game winning streak was snapped with the loss to the ACC champions.
The 34-5 Blue Devils clogged the middle and out-rebounded the Mountaineers. Senor Brian Zoubek’s defensive prowess landed him a team high, 10 boards. Kyle Singler donated 21 points and nine rebounds. Nolan Smith added 19 points for Duke and was 4-of-9 from downtown. West Virginia cut the deficit to two points before the break but the Devils surged to take a sizable lead. Duke broke the game open in the second half and never looked back. The Mountaineers couldn’t keep the Devils off the offensive glass Saturday marked the first time the Mountaineers had given up 30 or more points in the first half since February. It was the first time this post-season West Virginia has allowed 70 points in a game. The Devils rolled to their 10th win over a Big East opponent this season. Duke is back in the title game for the first time since 2004. They join Butler, a mid-major vying for its first title, in Monday’s championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium for one EGG-cellent ending.
Parting Points: Happy Easter—and Opening Night. Go Yankees!
Song of the day- “Thank God I Found You”- Mariah Carey, Joe and 98 degrees
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