Armstrong: No words on how Duke valiantly won over UNC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Sometimes there are no words. How Duke wound up winning Saturday night will confound me for weeks, but win is exactly what they did. A triumph that for most every one of the 45 minutes of game action looked darned near impossible.
Turns out nothing is impossible if you've got Tre Jones on your side. The heir to his older brother Tyus's "Stones" throne, Tre was impossibly good down the stretch, running rampant through the Tar Heels defense for 15 straight Duke points bridging regulation and overtime. That's before we even get to the absurdity of the play he made to force overtime. An intentionally missed free throw that was executed so perfectly, he retrieved it himself.
RELATED: Duke clutches out nail-biting overtime win against Tar Heels in Battle of the Blues, 98-96
Jones said after the game that it was a play he's actually worked on and discussed with Jon Scheyer.
Not content with that little bit of wizardry - Jones then calmly stuck a contested jumper at the buzzer to force overtime. It was at that moment that I knew I was taking in a game and performance that will be talked about for ages.
Mike Krzyzewski got to the point in the postgame "Tre was magnificent... his best game."
Mike Krzyzewski post-game presser after win over Tar Heels
Overtime, of course, brought more drama, with Duke and then Carolina seemingly grabbing the game by the neck. The final seconds will be run and re-run forever. Wendell Moore tipping out Tre Jones' free throw miss to Jordan Goldwire, Goldwire then passing to Jones. His shot didn't fall this time, but Moore was there for what will likely be the most heroic moment of his Duke career. He told me afterward it was part instinct, part slow motion. "I thought I had a chance and I caught it and put it in."
Simple words to describe a profound play. Legends are made in legendary games. Tre Jones, Wendell Moore and 98-96 Duke in overtime all qualify.
