Update, 1:35 p.m.: The ACC is reviewing the incident from Thursday's game, according to the Associated Press.
Grayson Allen scored Duke's first eight points against Florida State, but it was his actions during the game's final possession that had people talking about the Blue Devil sophomore once again Thursday night.
As the final seconds of Duke's 80-65 win against the Seminoles ticked off the clock Thursday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Allen appeared to send his right foot behind him into the path of Seminole sophomore Xavier Rathan-Mayes, sending him tumbling to the ground.
The incident drew no whistle from the nearby official, though Rathan-Mayes pleaded his case before the final seconds ran out.
It could be dismissed as a one-off, wrong-place, wrong-time situation, except that earlier this month, Allen was assessed a flagrant one foul for sticking out his leg from the ground, tripping Louisville freshman Ray Spalding as the Cardinal forward tried to start a fast break in the second half.
Grayson Allen appeared to trip an opponent for the 2nd time this month. https://t.co/sbRHSJ9zj9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 26, 2016
Throw in an extra step on his game-winning buzzer-beater against Virginia Feb. 13, and Allen's had quite the February, giving opposing fans plenty of ammunition.
Allen's former classmate, Justise Winslow, was in the middle of a few similar controversies last season. The 6-foot-6 swingman sent an opposing player to the ground in the midst of a play that looked similar to the fate that befell Spalding, then was called for a flagrant foul in Duke's regular-season finale in Chapel Hill when he kicked his leg out at Justin Jackson. An errant Winslow foot later caught North Carolina's Brice Johnson below the belt on a drive to the basket, resulting in an offensive foul.
Even before the two trips in question, Allen was well on his way toward aggravating fanbases across the country. He's a hard-nosed driver who refuses to concede an inch, creating plenty of contact as he surges through the lane on his way to the basket. His head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, has likened Allen to a warrior and suggested that an abundance of the contact Allen creates goes uncalled. That frustration seemed to boil over in Saturday's loss at Louisville, when both Krzyzewski and Allen were given technical fouls in the second half.
But Duke was leading comfortably Thursday when Rathan-Mayes hit the deck, so it's unclear what led to the tangling of feet, intentional or not. Regardless, Allen's perceived transgressions seem to have elevated to level of scrutiny beyond that afforded to Winslow, as the media has cast Allen in the unofficial role of "next Duke villain."
That storyline isn't going anyway any time soon, so everything about Allen—his relentless drives, his 3-point shooting and, yes, his foot placement—will be under intense scrutiny the rest of the season.
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