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Teacher bests pupil Duke survives 3-point barrage, tops Tigers
Updated: Sunday March 18, 2001 8:31 AM
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- On a day in which Mike Krzyzewski and Quin Snyder found it difficult to control their emotions, the best tandem in college basketball remained cool when it counted most. Krzyzewski's team had too much Shane Battier and Jason Williams for his former co-captain and assistant coach as the No. 1 Blue Devils (31-4) beat Missouri 94-81 in an NCAA East Regional Saturday. Williams, nursing a sore left ankle, was brilliant, scoring 31 points and handing out nine assists. Battier had 27 points and 11 rebounds as the top-seeded Blue Devils advanced to Philadelphia and the round of 16 for the 12th time since 1986. "They identify with team," Krzyzewski said of his two first-team All-Americans playing so well together. "They are secure about who they are. They know they're not bigger than the program and they can co-exist on a high level." On cue, Battier and Williams complimented each other on their tremendous performances.
"Shane is not your average basketball player," Williams said. "We know when we step on the court we're two of the tougher matchups in college basketball," Battier said. "On any given night, we're both capable of carrying this team. Today, we both carried the team on the offensive end." Snyder, making his second postseason appearance after coaching for Krzyzewski from 1996-99, got a hug and long verbal exchange from his mentor a minute before tipoff, and the two hugged again at center court after player introductions. Snyder, who was a part of five Final Fours at Duke, said he wrestled with what was proper to do prior to game time. "I didn't know what to do with myself. Part of me wanted to call Shane and wish him good luck, but I just stayed in the back," Snyder said. "At first, I was going to go out and see the [Duke] guys and wish them well and be on with it, but then I wondered what my guys would think. I was just playing games with myself." Krzyzewski wasn't any more comfortable. "I'm glad this is over with and glad we both played terrific games," Krzyzewski said. "That was the best scenario." After the hugs, it was down to business. Duke built a 15-point first-half lead before the ninth-seeded Tigers (20-13) closed to six at the half and 63-62 with 10:41 left on a 3-pointer by Kareem Rush, who led Missouri with 29 points. The Blue Devils then scored on six consecutive possessions to build the lead back to double digits with 7:49 left, taking control of a tense and tight game. There was no timeout by Krzyzewski as the Tigers made their run. "We take pride in that," Battier said. "We feel if a team is going to throw their best shot at us, we want to absorb it, then deliver our own blow without calling a time out." Battier had a driving layup, a bank shot, a 3-pointer and a key block in Duke's spurt, while Mike Dunleavy added a fastbreak layup and follow shot that gave the Blue Devils a 76-66 lead. "That is what great teams will do and what great players on great teams will do," Snyder said of Duke's decisive run. "Coach K just lets those guys go and gives them confidence as opposed to making them question their abilities to make plays. "Frankly, those kids just stepped it up. They played like champions." Missouri would not get closer than eight down the stretch despite hitting 11 of 21 3-pointers as Duke improved to 21-0 this season when scoring 90 or more points. Battier was near-perfect at the foul line. The first-team All-American was 12-for-13 there as the Blue Devils sank 21 of 25 to improve Krzyzewski's NCAA mark to 52-14. "I always look at the eyes of the team I'm playing as the game is going on to see if we can break them," Krzyzewski said. "Never, ever, for one second, did I see hesitancy or any weakness in their eyes. They were a strong basketball team -- and we were, too." Duke missed 13 of its first 19 shots and had 10 turnovers 12 minutes in before going on a 14-0 run. Williams hit a pair of 3-pointers during the spurt as the Tigers were 0-for-3 with six turnovers in a horrible offensive stretch as the Blue Devils went up 30-19. The lead reached as many as 15 before the Tigers closed the half with a surge. Missouri hit three 3-pointers over the final 1:25 of the half, cutting Duke's lead to 43-37. Rush made two of the long-range shots as he and Clarence Gilbert combined for 27 of their team's points in the opening 20 minutes. "He's sweet," Dunleavy said of Rush, who also grabbed eight rebounds. "I've played with a lot of NBA guys, and he's right there with all of them." After the game, Rush, a sophomore who led the Big 12 in scoring at 20.8 per game, said he would return to Missouri next season and not enter the NBA draft.
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