Something’s changed. This isn’t the same Duke squad who during the regular season dropped four of their five losses by a total of nine points – five at Ohio State (71-66), two at home against Miami (76-74), one in overtime at Florida State (79-78) and one to Virginia (69-68). In each, Duke held a lead in the games’ final 70 seconds.
In what seems like a complete 180, Duke has trailed or been tied in the final five minutes of four postseason wins this season — Syracuse, Miami, Michigan State, Texas Tech — and closed those games on combined runs of 57-22.
What’s clicked? According Wendell Moore Jr, Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams those L’s helped them reach where they are now – winning close games.