MY ACCOUNT
The fairytale ending for legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is still alive after a stylish 78-69 win against Arkansas in Saturday night’s Elite Eight.
Krzyzewski – affectionately known as ‘Coach K’ – is in his 42nd and final season in Duke’s top job, and is in search of his sixth National Championship.
While his strategy and coaching style has seen Coach K earn stints as the head coach of USA’s national team, he is buoyed this season by the presence of three likely first round picks in this year’s NBA Draft. All three came to play on the big stage against Arkansas.
Number one pick candidate Paolo Banchero was strong, finishing with 16 points (four-of-11 shooting, seven-of-eight free throws), seven rebounds and a team-high three assists, top-10 pick A.J. Griffin scored an efficient 18 points on seven-of-nine shooting (two-of-three from long range), and late-first round center Mark Williams was a perfect six-of-six from the field to finish with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Duke will play the winner of the clash between Saint Peter’s and North Carolina, with the former trying to become the first 15 seed to ever make it to the Final Four.
Villanova is through to the Final Four after a gritty, low-scoring 50-44 win against Houston.
Both teams shot worse than 30 per cent from the field, but the Wildcats’ ability to hit from long range and the free throw line was the difference.
Villanova shot a mediocre five-of-21 from deep, but the Cougars were ice cold, going one-for-20, while the Wildcats were flawless from the free throw line (15-of-15) compared to Houston’s nine-of-14.
Senior Jermaine Samuels led the way for the winning side, finishing with 16 points (six-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds.
Villanova will play the winner of Kansas’ matchup against Miami.
