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No. 9 Duke squeaked out a 76-74 win over Wake Forest on Tuesday with Mark Williams’ dunk on a follow-up with 0.4 seconds left. The basket was initially waved off due to basket interference, but after a replay review, the officiating crew ruled that the basket counted.
The dunk by Williams accounted for Duke’s first points in nearly four minutes as the Blue Devils (22-4, 12-3 ACC) weathered a late run by the Demon Deacons (20-7, 10-6). Wake Forest outscored Duke 41-34 in the second half as the Blue Devils played without coach Mike Krzyzewski. The 75-year-old Krzyzewski, who is retiring after this season, did not return to the game in the second half.
The craziness didn’t end there, however. Wake Forest’s Damari Monsanto unleashed a nearly full-court heave at the buzzer that hit the backboard and circled the rim before bouncing off. If it had gone in, it would have marked Wake Forest’s first lead since early in the first half and given Wake Forest its first win at Duke since the 1996-97 season.
Duke announced that Krzyzewski was not feeling well but offered no further explanation. Krzyzewski also missed Duke’s first win over Wake Forest on Jan. 12 because of a virus unrelated to COVID-19.
Williams and Wendell Moore Jr. each scored 16 to lead Duke on Tuesday. Williams added 10 rebounds. Jake LaRavia led Wake Forest with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The loss was a crushing one for Wake Forest, which entered the game on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm.
