The 7th ranked Duke Blue Devils rebounded in emphatic fashion on the road last Thursday at Little John coliseum versus Clemson with a 82-64 win. The game was originally scheduled in January, but due to a covid-19 response within the Duke men’s program it was rescheduled
Late in the 1st half, Junior forward Wendell Moore stripped Tigers guard David Collins leading to an easy transition basket dunk. In the midst of the dunk Collins undercut Wendell Moore, causing a dangerous and potentially damaging fall to occur. Moore who fell on his neck, luckily bounced up after several moments on the floor at Little John.
Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, along with players and staff, came onto the floor showing their displeasure of the dirty play and exchanging words with the tigers players and coaching staff – ending in both teams receiving technical foul calls. David Collins was charged with a flagrant two foul, resulting in him being ejected.
Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell, after the sequence, brought Collins center court with the Duke team to man-up to his costly cheap foul. The play, which has been viewed over a million times, caused an uproar from fans and media analysts, to professional athletes like Bengals wide receiver Tee Heegins and former Tar Heel Theo Pinson.
Collins issued an apology to Wendell Moore, Duke and Clemson via his Instagram page “retroflow0” where he stated,
“I was going to try to block it from behind, but I was going too fast and I couldn’t stop. I realized I needed to stop when it was too late. I never have been a dirty player never will. I wish bro a healthy season and I never tried to hurt anybody, but I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I have respect towards Duke and Clemson and I apologize to everybody for a reckless play. I’m glad Wendell is okay”
Moore has since tweeted, “ Thank you everyone for checking on me!! I’m good, love you all”
Not only was the act not a basketball play, but it should be further investigated if David Collins should be suspended longer than the one-game announcement made by the ACC Thursday. Players within the Duke program should be commended for their poise during the egregious act by Collins.
Next up for the Duke men’s basketball team is a matchup on the road at Boston College Saturday 5 pm, marking the teams 5th road test in 6 games.
