Wake Leaves Duke 1 and Done

Mike Krzyzewski was right, the biggest thing to fear about Wake Forest was their seven-day layoff, and the resulting time for the Demon Deacons to stew on a loss to Virginia Tech that ended their time as the No. 1 team in the nation.

But Coach K was also wrong. Wake Forest's ability to dominate in the paint against Duke propelled them to a thrilling 70-68 win over the Blue Devils.

Wake controlled much of the game, leading by five at half and as much as 13 late in the game, but Duke managed to storm back and nearly steal a win in Winston-Salem, before L.D. Williams hit James Johnson for a quick layup with just .8 seconds remaining.

There was plenty to love about this game, including Wake's impressive defense -- something that was sorely lacking in their loss to the Hokies -- and an atmosphere in "The Dash" that hadn't really been present since the Chris Paul days.

There was plenty to question as well, though; particularly some of Jeff Teague's shots. The super soph converted only 4-of-14 from the floor, and plenty of those misses came on ill-advised, "we seem unstoppable" shots by the Deacs early in the first half.

Chas McFarland couldn't stay out of foul trouble (again) either, and that's a terrifying prospect for Wake, considering they'll have to play more interior-oriented teams at some point. On the bright side, Al-Farouq Aminu was dominant after suffering a busted forehead against Virginia Tech, leading the way for Wake with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. Johnson managed a stellar 13-point and 11-rebound of his own.

Kyle Singler led the Devils with 22 points and 12 rebounds -- the latter number certainly makes you question Wake's ability to keep opponents off the boards -- and Gerald Henderson was typically clutch with 20 points and eight boards.

Still, Singler and Henderson couldn't help the Devils overcome a horrid shooting night from Jon Scheyer (2-for-10) and the supporting cast (6-of-30, outside of Henderson and Scheyer) and Wake pulled out a win that shouldn't ever have been that close.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-28-2009 @ 9:49PM

sergeantruss said...

Obiously Will Brinson is just another Duke hater. He definately is not a sports writer because his biases are extremely overt. He uses terms like "dominate" and "impressive defense" to describe Wake Forest, and words like "horrid shooting" and "a game that shouldn't ever have been that close" to describe Duke. Hey bonehead Brinson, guess what. It was a two point loss at Wake Forest. If Wake Forest was so dominate and had such an impressive defense, how did Duke lose by only two points on Wakes home court. AOL alleged sports writers are dickweeds who most likely never played sports in their lives. AOL writers are such a joke. Sports writers are suppose to be unbiased. This article should have praised Duke for making it such a close game on Wakes home court.

1-28-2009 @ 10:58PM

BerniesFan84 said...

Good point Serg. Those who hate Duke expect them to lose. When Duke has a loss, those who hate Duke re-joice.

That is because Duke is basketball royalty. 16 ACC Championpships, over 1,800 victories, fourteen final fours, nine national players of the year, seven national defensive players of the year & 3 National Championships.

1-29-2009 @ 9:46AM

DR. JIM said...

Looking at your vocabulary and your inability to spell, I can only surmise that you are a Tar Heel.

1-29-2009 @ 10:45AM

Blue said...

Excellent points. Of course all the DUKE bashers won't agree with you. But NO team is going to be perfect throughout the season. But I would venture to say come March, Duke goes further then Wake in the playoff's. They usually do. Love them or hate them they are nothing but a quality team and Coach K is HIGH CLASS

1-28-2009 @ 10:41PM

heritagepc said...

AOL Sports is a Joke!!! Duke played worst game of the season and Wake scraped by! Not going to happen in Durham! Duke will win easily. AOL IS 30 dollar a month waste! Why am I still paying this ????????

1-29-2009 @ 5:50AM

Jake said...

Oh the Dukies!
My memories of the Duke/Maryland days, not too long ago:

As Coach "K" and his wonder boy, Jason (I ain't too smart watch me screw up an NBA Career real quick) Williams were looking at each other in one of their "we are the kings" moments, little dukie pain in the ass Steve Blake stole the ball right under their noses and went down court. Wait a second, did Duke win the National Championship that year? Nope.... I believe the Terps did.

1-29-2009 @ 8:53AM

Lynn said...

Yes, I remember that day! Can you tell me why Maryland never gets any credit? They are in rebuild mode right now but all anyone ever talks about is the negative...we remember otherwise! goes the same with MD football....

1-29-2009 @ 6:44AM

Thomas Hayworth said...

The 'Pack is back....Go State....remember Ron Shavlik, Phil DiNardo, Lou Pucillo, John Magilo,Cliff Hafer, David Thompson,Sidney Lowe, Monte Towe, Tom Burlson.... go 'Pack again...!!!!!

1-29-2009 @ 7:10AM

George said...

Perhaps you Duke fans should have thrown some bananas on the floor,yall the worst whiners in the world,Wake whipped that arse. Puke got owned,16 blocked shots,make some more excuses you ACC pusses that give a scholarship to anyone that can dribble.

1-29-2009 @ 7:03AM

boderekisa5now said...

Give us some more stats Berniefag,geez.

1-29-2009 @ 8:08AM

WHATEVER, LOSER!

1-29-2009 @ 7:05AM

B.FRY said...

how come james johnson wan't called for hooking with his left arm and pushing off to get that lay up what were the ref's doing watching the cheerleaders or their bank account

1-29-2009 @ 7:08AM

Krzyzewski looks like a puppeteer after a loss,what's with that red ugly arse face?

1-29-2009 @ 7:12AM

lol F off Fry,Johnson owned the puke devils.

1-29-2009 @ 8:18AM

nana1430023 said...

Refs didn't work for Mike tonight!!! LOL!!!

1-29-2009 @ 4:01PM

I don't know so much about that. That charging call on Aminu early in the game sure stunk to me!

1-29-2009 @ 9:52PM

joakley61 said...

Wow! Why can Duke fans never admit that they did not play their best game or that the other team played better? All I ever hear is whining from them when they lose and arrogance when they win!(So tired of the bad call accusations!)No matter how good your team (Or their record) they are going to lose some games. I hate a sore looser as much as I hate a sore winner!Can we not just enjoy a really great game! (By the way, Duke got spanked for the first 22 minutes of that game! It should never had ended with such a close score! LOL)

1-30-2009 @ 11:23AM

Basically, I agree with you but you must admit that. over the years, Dean Smith and now Mike K, get more than their fair share of calls. Superstars, like Hansborough, get away with offensive fouls that are called on freshmen and others incapable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Duke does whine a lot, particularly coach K, and Wake is a very young team that is far ahead of what I anticipated for them. Skip has got to be in Heaven busting his buttons and quoting Shakespeare about his Deacons. Duke will win an awful lot more games for they are good and Wake will lose games they should not because they are young and prone to believe the praise heaped upon them. Remember the paper jocks who crowned UNC as undefeated national champions pre season?

1-30-2009 @ 1:47PM

Dr. Jim,
Anybody who responds to a post with only complaints about spelling is nothing but a bozo. I doubt you are a real doctor, (well mayba a proctologist, but I can tell from your response that you have severe issues in your life. Get a life dickweed doc.