March 11, 2002
CHARLOTTE -- History was made on many fronts Sunday in Duke's 91-61 thrashing of N.C. State in the ACC Tournament finals.
Duke won its fourth consecutive ACC championship, a feat never accomplished before in the storied tradition of the conference.
In addition, the Blue Devils won their first game over the Wolfpack in the ACC Tournament finals, having lost to their neighbors from Raleigh in 1955 and 1966, the only other times the two teams have met for the tourney championship.
Perhaps the most lasting piece of history created when Duke center Carlos Boozer, who made 20-of-24 field goal attempts during the three-day affair, including 11-of-12 against the Wolfpack, was named Tournament MYP, becoming the first player from his hometown to win such a prestigious honor.
"You know, it's historical that you're the first player to win [the MVP award] from Juneau," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said sarcastically to Boozer during the post-game press conference. "Our record of four [consecutive championships] may be topped, but I'm not sure if that other one will be."
Boozer's dominance down low, combined with junior Mike Dunleavy's hot shooting hand and solid floor games from Duke guards Jason Williams and Chris Duhon, signaled doom for the N.C. State. The Blue Devils, eager to erase any hopes on the part of the Wolfpack for another tournament upset, pounced on State early and never looked back.
After only seven minutes of play, Duke had already jumped out to a 21-7 lead on the backs of Williams, swingman Dahntay Jones and Boozer, who were able to break N.C. State's full-court press and zone defenses, which Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek alternated throughout the first half in an effort to keep the Blue Devils guessing.
Instead, it was State that was confounded, as Duke handled nearly every defensive configuration
"[Duke's] defense was very good. We squandered some opportunities ourselves," Sendek said. "They had a great physical presence at all positions. They keep pressure on the basketball and contest the passing lanes. With Boozer's presence inside, it's difficult to get one close."
Despite N.C. State's continuing difficulty, the Wolfpack finally began to challenge Duke. After falling down by as much as 15 points with less than eight minutes remaining until intermission, State crept back into the game with 14-4 run, highlighted by a pair of buckets by reserve Josh Powell, as well as scoring from senior All-Tournament selection Anthony Grundy. With 3:34 left in the half, the Wolfpack had cut Duke's margin to five, 33-28, and seemed to be ready to engage in the typical ACC championship dogfight.
But then Dunleavy exploded. Thirty seconds after Grundy's three-pointer that cut Duke's lead to five, the Blue Devil junior converted a three-point play off an assist from Daniel Ewing, and on Duke's next possession, he nailed a three from the top of the key that gave the Blue Devils' a 10-point advantage. With 1:23 remaining, Dunleavy continued his barrage with another trey off a pass from Wiliams, putting Duke in an advantageous position heading into the break.
"Mike actually said, 'Get me the ball.' I love when a player says that," Krzyzewski said. "So we called a couple of more things for him. That was probably the key part of the game."
With the Lake Oswego, Ore., native having
Furthermore, Duke made 14 of its 21 second-half shots, while it once again held the Wolfpack to under 40 percent shooting.
Krzyzewski attributed this offensive success to the positive demeanor of his players before and during the game. He noted that he predicted a strong performance by his squad as he witnessed their preparation for the game Saturday night and Sunday morning.
"When I went into my pre-game talk, I said, 'I better not say too much,'" Krzyzewski recollected. "I love that, because that is the maturity that has developed over the last couple of weeks. We are playing very well right now.
"I really enjoyed watching my team play today. When kids have fun and make daring plays in championship games, I love that. You can't coach that, that comes from them."
Notes: After the conclusion of the ACC Tournament, the Blue Devils were assigned the top seed in the South region of the NCAA Tournament and will face Winthrop Friday at 7 p.m. in Greenville, S.C.... The Wolfpack garnered the seventh seed in the East regional in Washington, D.C., where they will face off against last year's national semifinalist Michigan State.... Boozer, Williams, Dunleavy, Grundy and N.C. State's Archie Miller were named to the All-Tournament first team, while State's Marcus Melvin and Julius Hodge, Duke's Chris Duhon, Wake Forest's Darius Songaila and Maryland's Steve Blake were second-team selections.
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