Watch CBS News

Quick Hits: Duke's Late Heroics Top Virginia

By Andrew Kahn

The end of January brought a taste of March Madness, as Saturday provided a bevy of great performances, top matchups, and wild finishes. Here are the best of the best.

Duke 69, Virginia 63

This game did not go as expected, especially when you consider Duke won. That’s not to say it was a stunning upset, but the way in which the Blue Devils got the victory was surprising. You may have thought they’d do it with outside shooting and a steady dose of Jahlil Okafor inside. That wasn’t the case. Okafor had just four points on four attempts at the under-8 media timeout in the second half. But he had six points and two key assists down the stretch. Duke missed its first nine three-point attempts, but hit six of their last eight. They weren’t necessarily better looks, either. Quinn Cook buried one to break a 63-63 tie and Tyus Jones hit another to cap a 19-5 run to finish the game and stun Virginia. The concerning part for the Cavaliers was their interior defense. A major strength all season, they have allowed their last two opponents to shoot a high percentage from two by driving through the lane and getting baskets in the paint. It won’t get any easier for them: they’re at North Carolina tonight and then host Louisville.

Louisville 78, North Carolina 68 (OT)

The Tar Heels had a big comeback in the earlier meeting between these two teams and Louisville returned the favor on Saturday, coming from 18 down in the second half to force overtime. The Cardinals’ guards are inconsistent shooting the ball—Chris Jones and Terry Rozier shot a combined 10 for 34—but Montrezl Harrell is a beast. He finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and a few more highlight-reel dunks. It was Rick Pitino’s first win in seven tries against UNC.

Northern Iowa 70, Wichita State 54

The first Missouri Valley Conference game between ranked teams in 33 years didn’t live up to the hype as far as competiveness, but it proved the league is more than just Wichita State. The Shockers’ 27-game regular-season winning streak in the MVC is over thanks to Seth Tuttle’s dominant performance. The senior big man scored 29 points on just 13 shots. It was very rare to see Wichita play like this, especially given how good they’ve been on the road in recent years. It was their worst defensive performance of the year by far and they shot just 5 of 24 from downtown; Ron Baker was 2 of 10 from deep.

North Carolina State 81, Georgia Tech 80 (OT)

After Georgia Tech missed two free throws, N.C. State’s Trevor Lacey raced down the court, pulled up well beyond the three-point line, and drained a game-winner at the buzzer. It was a must-win game for the Wolfpack as they try to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Pittsburgh 76, Notre Dame 72

James Robinson scored to give Pitt a one-point lead with 13 seconds left and the Panthers survived a wide open three-point attempt on the ensuing possession to hand No. 8 Notre Dame its first road loss of the season.

Andrew Kahn is a regular contributor to CBS Local who also writes for Newsday and The Wall Street Journal. He writes about college basketball and other sports at AndrewJKahn.com. Email him at andrewjkahn@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @AndrewKahn.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.