TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State shocked top-ranked Duke in thrilling fashion Sunday, as Monte Cummings' driving basket with 7.4 seconds left on the clock propelled the Seminoles to a 77-76 victory. The upset ended the Blue Devils 22-game unbeaten streak, capping a chaotic weekend in college basketball that saw the last four undefeated teams in Division I lose to unranked opponents.
In the game's frantic final moments, Duke's Mike Dunleavy seized teammate Jason Williams' partially blocked shot and almost prevented the stunning defeat with a putback at the buzzer. Dunleavy's attempt rattled out, however, allowing the Florida State faithful to storm the court and celebrate one of the biggest wins in the program's history.
"I just want to congratulate Florida State," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "They just played their hearts out for 40 minutes, and were very deserving of a win. They played with a lot of courage."
In the Seminoles' previous six contests, Cummings had been the team's hottest player, averaging 18.5 points on 62.3 percent shooting. Against Duke, however, the senior suffered through a miserable first half, scoring only two points on 0-for-6 shooting.
In the second half though, Cummings bounced back from his poor start, tallying 14 points, including the crucial winning basket.
"A lot of times last year I had the chance to take the last shot, and I wasn't too successful with that," Cummings said. "It's been on my mind a lot, and it followed me, haunted
Although No. 1 Duke entered the game as the clear favorite, many Blue Devils voiced neither shock nor surprise at the loss.
"I think we all in here hate to lose," Dunleavy said. "It leaves a terrible taste in your mouth, [but] a part of me wants to say we deserve it. We've been messing around with teams."
Clearly disappointed to lose for the first time since last February, the Blue Devils were most visibly stunned not so much by the defeat itself, but the painful manner in which their winning streak ended.
Facing a 13-point deficit with less then 10 minutes remaining, Duke mounted a furious comeback behind the incredible shooting of Jason Williams, who scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half.
Inexplicably, however, the player most regard as the nation's best missed all six of his second half free throw attempts, and Duke as a team made only 2-of-11 foul shots after the intermission.
With under a minute left to play, Duke held a four-point lead, and appeared seemingly in control of the contest. But with Florida State forced to foul, Williams and Dunleavy proceeded to miss all four of their combined free throws, enabling Cummings to have his game-winning opportunity.
Afterwards, the entire Blue Devil team rallied behind their two most heralded teammates.
"I told the guys after the ballgame-and I truly believe this, I've believed this for the 22 years I've coached-you don't lose games because of missed free throws," Krzyzewski said. "The two kids who basically got the lead for us were put in a position where they were on the line, and I'm sure they were exhausted. They just missed, and I'm okay with that."
Point guard Chris Duhon echoed his coach's sentiments.
"We're not looking at those missed free throws at the end as [the reason] for us losing," the sophomore said. "[Williams and Dunleavy] carried us here, and everyone else has to step up. We ride them too much."
Overshadowed perhaps by Duke's shooting woes was Florida State's tremendous competitive energy. The Seminoles led practically from start to finish. They seized an 8-7 advantage on Antwuan Dixon's monster one-handed jam four minutes into the game, and did not trail again until the contest's final 90 seconds.
According to Florida State point guard Delvon Arrington, whose game-high 10 assists established his school's career record, a Duke comeback was entirely expected.
"Everybody watches Duke on TV, and when somebody has a lead, you always have it in the back of your mind that Duke's going to come back," Arrington said. "I tried to tell my teammates out there: `Keep your poise. Try not to be so up, and so energetic.'"
Even after the Blue Devils transformed a 13-point deficit into a four-point lead, the Seminoles remained confident.
"As long as there is time on the clock, you can find a way," Florida State coach Steve Robinson said. "There is time to get it done regardless of the situation."
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