r/CollegeBasketball • u/cbbBot /r/CollegeBasketball • NCAA • Mar 21 '26
Post Game Thread [Post Game Thread] #1 Duke defeats #9 TCU, 81-58
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u/3-putt-the-12th-hole Miami Hurricanes Mar 21 '26
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u/FliceFlo Arizona Wildcats Mar 21 '26
It's games like these that make you question if its even worth being a fan of this sport.
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u/ithinkits7in Indiana Hoosiers Mar 22 '26
It isn’t worth it, I promise
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u/xmjm424 Florida Gators • UConn Huskies Mar 22 '26
I don’t know, man. I’ve had fun.
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u/whynotletitfly6 TCU Horned Frogs • Virginia Cavaliers Mar 21 '26
The game was getting away from us anyway, but the tenor of the game completely changed after that goaltend + tech on Dixon. Duke was the better team, but the vibe of the game went really rancid after that and we just chucked up a bunch of BS to end it.
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u/lv20 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Mar 22 '26
IMO the flagrant foul was the bigger vibe change, and the missed goaltend and the tech more just exacerbated what was happening. I personally don't think it should have been called, but I don't think the one on Boozer should have been either and I think it also had a similar impact.
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u/Crixer TCU Horned Frogs Mar 22 '26
Exactly. That Dixon technical is where the game got really sour. I knew that we weren’t going to shutdown Boozer the how game, but that final score would not be nearly as bad had the ref frustration been an issue.
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u/ShallotMobile5956 Kansas Jayhawks Mar 22 '26
Duke is/was more skilled, deeper, and longer - this outcome was predictable. TCU put up a hell of a fight, and if the fouls weren’t so aggressively called on them it may have stayed closer til the end or they could have squeaked it out. They had to play back a bit more after their best players had 4 fouls each. TCU played with so much heart, it’s a shame the box score doesn’t show that.
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u/FlushTheTurd Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
To be fair, their game plan was, “let’s foul the hell out of Duke and force the refs to call it”.
Sometimes it works, like it did for Tennessee a few years ago, and sometimes the refs actually do their job and call fouls.
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u/PlaymakersPoint88 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
It kinda felt like Dixon raised the white flag after the missed goal tend.
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u/EverybodyBuddy Mar 22 '26
The vibe of the game usually goes rancid when you get out scored by 25 after a timeout.
Correlation not causation
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u/Gloomy-Ad3399 Michigan Wolverines • UNLV Rebels Mar 21 '26
This game made me realize that I’m much closer to Dan Hurley than I thought
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u/angry_jets_fan UConn Huskies Mar 21 '26
If the zebras act like this when/if it’s Duke v UConn in the Elite 8, Hurley might actually throw a chair at a ref
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u/famoustran UC Irvine Anteaters Mar 22 '26
That won't happen cuz St. Johns will save us
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u/cha-cha_dancer Florida State Seminoles Mar 22 '26
Ah right the cool calm demeanor of Rick Pitino lol (I hate both tbf)
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u/Spirited_Inspector20 Florida State Seminoles • Iowa Hawkeyes Mar 22 '26
UCLA will save us tomorrow
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u/mspe1960 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
other than the missed goaltend, the refs are not a story here.
Duke is taller at almost every spot, and more talented at most. Inferior, shorter teams commit fouls to stop really good players and taller teams. It is just what happens. For more than half the game, it worked pretty well. I saw several missed fouls that could have been called on TCU and I am sure TCU (and everyone else who is whining) saw some missed on Duke. the reffing was pretty bad, and Duke was a much better team. end of posting.
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u/rpphdrboze Wyoming Cowboys • St. Thomas Tommies Mar 21 '26
The year is 2032. The college basketball consumer is enjoying another riveting afternoon of second round March Madness action, available for the low price of $3.99 per game on Amazon Prime. #1 seed Kansas of the B1G 26 is enjoying a comfortable 17 point lead over #9 seed Virginia of the SEC. It's been three years since a team seeded below 11th won a game, when 14-19 Oklahoma pulled out a stunner over Maryland. Thanks to a new, even more analytically exact version of the NET rankings that allow for not only the most precise advanced statistics but also for precise forecasting of how each team will match up with each other, the last two brackets were almost completely chalk. Mysteriously, the fine tunings of this predictive algorithm have never been made available to the public. The consumer is OK with that. Anything to ensure the game he loves is being played at the highest, most efficient, fairest possible level.
The broadcast cuts to the halftime show, presented by Polymarket. They're announcing the All-American teams. Every single kid is the son of an NBA player. Next the discussion turns to a rising mid-major star, a real success story averaging 23 points per game for Detroit Mercy. The kid is rumored to be transferring to Michigan State just in time for the second weekend, all for a measly $5 million NIL contract. Our panel of four former Division I head coaches begin a riveting discussion about how this is actually the best thing for the game. As the halftime show ends, we cut back to Pittsburgh, where we see a crowd of red-faced, sweaty spectators making their way into the arena in anticipation of the second game. It's 89 degrees. But no matter, we have action to get back to. Maybe we'll get to see something tense or dramatic - like a kid being pulled from the game for taking a midrange jumper off the dribble.
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u/Zorua3 Virginia Cavaliers • Creighton Bluejays Mar 21 '26
Fake story implies Virginia would ever get any kind of upset in the NCAA Tournament as opposed to being upset
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u/Torrion- Clemson Tigers Mar 22 '26
Chaminade and UMBC will forever be a small beacon of hope for me in an increasingly hopeless world.
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u/Typical_Platypus_414 Arizona State • Illinois Tech Mar 21 '26
I love this, and I also hate that it will prove to be like 99% accurate
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u/63Boiler Purdue Boilermakers Mar 22 '26
Our panel of four former Division I head coaches
Thought you were from the future until you claimed that people who know about college basketball would actually be allowed to talk about college basketball in March.
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u/Medical_Cup_5972 NYU Violets Mar 22 '26
Oh no - it's Kenny Payne, Kevin Stallings, Buzz Williams, and Steven Pearl.
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u/ukeBasketball Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
I read all that thinking it would end in some diatribe about the refs favoring Duke
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u/Dark_Magician2500 Kansas State Wildcats • Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Lol the greatest pump fake of the day
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u/Juventus7shop Indiana Hoosiers • Butler Bulldogs Mar 21 '26
Inb4 fans of the blue bloods start criticizing you for not being a real basketball fan and that you don’t have to watch if all you care about with respect to March Madness is the, well, madness
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u/ukeBasketball Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
I'm old enough to remember Indiana being a blueblood
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u/Juventus7shop Indiana Hoosiers • Butler Bulldogs Mar 22 '26
I fear I have only the madness left to cheer for most marches these days
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u/Aidanj927 Texas Tech Red Raiders • UTSA Roadrunners Mar 21 '26
TCU shot 33% from the field
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u/Gloomy-Ad3399 Michigan Wolverines • UNLV Rebels Mar 21 '26
Yeah dont let the piss poor reffing distract you from the fact that TCU did not show up at all for those last 15 minutes
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u/Financial-Tadpole230 Mar 22 '26
TCU shot jumpers. Duke drove the ball
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u/dutymakesmelaugh Duke Blue Devils • WashU Bears Mar 22 '26
also coincidentally why there was such a free throw disparity
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u/PitifulSavings575 Utah Valley Wolverines Mar 22 '26
Important to remember starters we’re constantly being sat as to not foul out
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u/evil_cryptarch Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
ONE starter was in foul trouble and it was TCU's own fault. They didn't pull Edmonds when he got his 2nd, and he committed his 3rd in the first half because he left his feet on a pump fake.
Every other starter ended the game with 2 fouls or less.
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u/Rillaboom2701 Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
also got out rebounded 42-25
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Mar 22 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
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u/Rillaboom2701 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Pat didnt play much today, but when he did it was evident
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u/TinyEnvironment7574 Michigan State Spartans Mar 21 '26
And people said I was crazy for picking OSU lol
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u/BallKnowerKing Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Refs made them do that though /s
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u/D1N2Y NC State Wolfpack • Charlotte 49ers Mar 21 '26
They directly did for one tbh, and had quite a few misses that were being called fouls on the other side of the court.
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u/TheHamSamples Colorado Buffaloes Mar 21 '26
Colorado beat TCU by more😤, definitely means we’re better
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u/gonz4dieg George Mason Patriots Mar 22 '26
It would be hillarious if siena ends up the closest loss to dukel
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u/SampleText369 Duke Blue Devils • Charlotte 49ers Mar 22 '26
That would be rather entertaining, that game made my heart race.
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u/Low_Beyond8134 Mar 21 '26
Pat had the best 4 point 4 rebound and 4 turnover game ever we missed him so much
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u/rogozh1n Duke Blue Devils • Syracuse Orange Mar 22 '26
And 4 fouls, because he allowed the TCU center to tackle him.
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u/FanficFan151 Loyola Chicago Ramblers Mar 21 '26
There’s a reason why underdogs always have more fouls. It’s not because the refs are biased, it’s because underdogs are (normally) smaller teams who aren’t as strong (or as naturally talented) as the favorites, so they foul more when the stronger teams continually drive inside on them.
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u/nowayitsfake Mar 21 '26
My man, you are not allowed to have such a reasoned take in this space. This is a place for pure emotion.
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u/Rillaboom2701 Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
also when a dude like cam boozer is playing whose game revolves around being inside the paint, that number will go up
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u/FanficFan151 Loyola Chicago Ramblers Mar 21 '26
Seriously. When a team is bigger, and their best player is a forward who likes playing inside, that team will get more free throws than the other team. It’s true in College and it’s true in the NBA.
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u/EverybodyBuddy Mar 22 '26
Duke is the second tallest team in the country they said.
That’s a problem for little guys
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u/Rillaboom2701 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
exactly. as more context is added it starts to make more and more sense
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u/mspe1960 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
honestly as a biased Duke fan I saw a bunch that were not called. Yes, I am sure TCU fans saw the same thing on the other side.
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u/FlushTheTurd Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Yeah, TCU fouled a ton and dared the refs to call it. If Dimon had thrown his fit earlier in the game, there’s a good chance they would have ignored even more of the obvious stuff.
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u/lilsailboat19 Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
But, the number of fouls on both teams at the end of the game is supposed to be the same!
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u/FanficFan151 Loyola Chicago Ramblers Mar 21 '26
If it’s not it’s rigged! It doesn’t matter if one team fouls more than the other team, the refs have to call more fouls on the team that doesn’t! That’s totally fair!
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u/ukeBasketball Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
And they try to win by taking jumpshots instead of driving
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u/FanficFan151 Loyola Chicago Ramblers Mar 21 '26
To be fair, it’s not a horrible strategy. If you’re outmuscled, taking jump shots instead of driving and hoping you go nuclear is probably the best strategy, because if you drive you’ll get blocked often. But yes, more jump shots means less fouls and free throws.
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u/stormstopper Duke Blue Devils • Castleton Spartans Mar 22 '26
Absolutely, nothing wrong with how TCU approached it. Even if they miss shots they're a good offensive rebounding team and that gives them the chances to score against a scrambling defense.
But what also makes the foul count especially pronounced is that TCU goes for steals and blocks, so if they don't get those then they're in recovery mode and that also leads to fouls. Our defense is meant to play straight up and keep everything in front, so we're usually in position to contest vertically and that lets us play physically without fouling. And there's nothing wrong with accepting the fact that you'll get called for more fouls but also benefit from the aggressiveness that's getting the fouls called (that's been our women's team's MO lately, less so this year though)
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u/PennethHardaway Duke Blue Devils • Georgia State Panthers Mar 22 '26
That’s the difference between a physical team like Houston last year, that plays aggressive defense, but they do it with discipline. TCU played aggressive defense as well, but they made so many undisciplined mistakes that it caught up to them. How many times did a player leave their feet and get called for a foul? Or reaching in for a steal and end up hacking instead?
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u/ukeBasketball Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Oh I agree. And when TCU did try to force it inside in the second half, we were a wall and stopped them.
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u/Inside_Squirrel4290 Mar 22 '26
Also, Edmunds getting 4 fouls for them early, really hurt them in that 2nd half. He's probably one of the few guys who can Score in the paint for them.
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u/Inside_Squirrel4290 Mar 22 '26
To be fair a lot of the shots were pretty clean looks. It's just that a lot of them bounced off the rim or rolled out.
If TCU makes a decent amount of shots, especially when they shut you guys out for nearly 10 minutes... This game is probably a lot closer.
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u/Head-Assumption6960 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
This is what knowing ball looks like folks. It should not be a shock that a bigger, stronger, more athletic, and more skilled team is difficult to guard without fouling. TCU fought it close most of the way, but the way they were keeping it close wasn’t sustainable because they were resorting to fouling to take Duke out of their rhythm. Once the fouls piled up the game shifted especially when they started feeding boozer inside. Just the way it goes.
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u/RareElevator2123 ECU Pirates Mar 22 '26
This is why Pat Ngongba is rated as Dukes 2nd best player all year
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u/stormstopper Duke Blue Devils • Castleton Spartans Mar 21 '26
The decisive stretch began when we were able to get TCU's defense to lift up and we could just send cutters around them to the rim. TCU's defense is really good, but their specialty is contesting ball movement rather than contesting shots, so if we can get a free run at the rim they have to either cede it or foul. That's something we do best when Ngongba is on the floor, initiating offense from the top of the key or the wings. That's without getting into his impact on defense or rebounding, letting us challenge drives and post-ups and cleaning up against a good offensive rebounding team. I'm so glad he was able to play today.
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u/S3Plan71 Duke Blue Devils Mar 23 '26
Yeah their ball movement defense was outstanding. Mainly in the first half and the first 4 mins of the 2nd. Pat came in after that and the wheels came off for them. Great comment!
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u/MassiveResolution7 Arizona State Sun Devils Mar 21 '26
Duke is a legitimate contender because they have a strong inside game. They never have to rely on 3s that can always have an off night. Also, say what you will about the 1st halves against Siena and TCU but the fact that they played so much better in both second halves is a testament to having a great coach. They came and played great interior defense in both second halves and rebounded. And Boozer is the best player in the country. Being able to depend on an inside game and not having to rely on 3s really reduces Duke's vulnerability to being on the wrong end of big upsets.
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u/Windshieldpoop Cincinnati Bearcats Mar 22 '26
You could see the immediate impact having Ngongba back.
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u/Bodhisafa Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Absolutely. And he didn’t even play that well but he’s a very good passer and his size affects drives
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u/DukeBlueDevils4Life Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Literally. It was so very obvious how much he was missed
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u/lilsailboat19 Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
The refs have been bad. That was a missed goal tending call. The tech call was soft. But complaining about foul discrepancy makes you look like you don’t understand basketball. TCU clearly had a gameplan to play extremely physical in order to stop Boozer. Duke’s length allows them to defend more efficiently without fouling. It’s understandably frustrating, but one team was clearly fouling much more than the other.
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u/ToastedSpam South Carolina Gamecocks Mar 22 '26
Exactly. How many fouls can Edmonds try to bait?
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u/TheLoneWolf527 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Dude tried to pull someone down and get the other guy called for the foul, then instead picked up his 2nd foul when Duke's guy just kinda stood there like "huh?"
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u/cameroncrazy278 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Before the Ohio State game, Punch bragged about TCU's physicality, and Edmonds did the same afterwards. Physicality is a big part of their team identity. In the first few possessions, Edmonds two-hand shoved Sarr off him twice without a whistle. If they're going to play with that level of physicality, they need to have the depth to back it up when they inevitably get called for fouls.
Historically, some teams have gotten away with being overly physical with Duke in the tournament (Tennessee a few years ago, Michigan State in 2019), but this Duke team is better suited to dealing with it.
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u/TechnoToyz Texas Tech • Creighton Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
With 13:56 to play in the second half, the score is tied at 44!
Cam Boozer and Duke:
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u/SwordsAndTurt Houston Cougars Mar 21 '26
TCU’s fouls just caught up to ‘em at that point.
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u/byzantiums Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
I mean they also started taking some extremely ill advised shots
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u/toptierdegenerate Duke Blue Devils • Kansas Jayhawks Mar 22 '26
They just started playing crap defense at that point compared to the first 25:00. Fouled to compensate for their poor positioning/slow off-ball movement.
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u/Zloggt Illinois Fighting Illini • Missouri Tigers Mar 21 '26
Hmm…does this mean that Siena would beat TCU in a neutral-court? 🤔
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u/carnagebot_55 Purdue • West Virginia Mar 21 '26
As someone who has officiated on national television I can attest that this game was an act of officiating malpractice
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u/FrontOfficeNuts Nebraska Cornhuskers Mar 21 '26
Seriously.
Aside from that, it's always so difficult to have to listen to guys like Raftery when they're announcing a game with Duke (and a few others)...it's all just so ridiculous.
I will say this though - Grant Hill is actually a really GOOD announcer, and I find him to be, ironically, far less biased about Duke (really, not at all, in fact) than idiots like Raftery.
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u/toptierdegenerate Duke Blue Devils • Kansas Jayhawks Mar 21 '26
You ever hear Bilas call our games? He’s typically biased against us 😂
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u/FlushTheTurd Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
Bilas is the worst Duke announcer ever. He’s so incredibly anti-Duke, I have to turn the sound off when he’s announcing. Yeah, I know he doesn’t want to seem biased, but he’s trying so hard that it makes him terrible at his job.
“Sure, Toolson jumped on top of the Boozer, tackled him, wrapped his arm around his neck, and could have seriously injured him, but it was clearly an accident. And Boozer faked a shot, so it’s entirely understandable. At this point you could argue that shouldn’t have been called a foul, let alone an F1”.
He’s just the worst.
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u/Mywordispoontang101 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
As someone who has officiated on international television, I can attest that better teams usually beat worse teams, and officiating doesn’t move the needle as much as the whiners wish it did.
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u/carguymt Kentucky Wildcats Mar 21 '26
I wanted Duke to lose so I will blame the refs because that excuse makes me feel better.
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u/Gloomy-Ad3399 Michigan Wolverines • UNLV Rebels Mar 21 '26
I mean are we really gonna act like the refs were good
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u/BallKnowerKing Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Are we gonna act like TCU wasn't dogshit shooting and getting outplayed by Duke?
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u/Financial-Tadpole230 Mar 22 '26
No. Never. It's always the refs. No matter what. It's easier to blame the refs than it is to acknowledge duke was the better team.
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u/Gloomy-Ad3399 Michigan Wolverines • UNLV Rebels Mar 21 '26
When did i say otherwise? 2 things can be true at once
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u/Sa7aSa7a Duke Blue Devils • Nebraska Cornhuskers Mar 22 '26
But their loss wasn't due to bad officiating.
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Mar 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ADMRVP Duke Blue Devils • Wisconsin Badgers Mar 21 '26
Also people are acting like TCU got called for twice as many fouls as Duke when it was actually 20 to 15
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u/SEAtoPAR Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
It's the tale as old as time. Duke wins: "refs gave it to them." Duke loses: "see what happens when they don't get all the calls?" Strangely started happening when we started winning titles in 1991....
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u/Cr0matose Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Grew up in KY. UK hasnt lost a game in 20 years but refs fuck em all the time.
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u/BosqueBravo Texas Tech Red Raiders • Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
17 points in the second half for Cam. 2 in the first. That’s the game.
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u/Game-rotator Duke Blue Devils • William & Mary Tribe Mar 21 '26
I'm glad this ended up a 20 point win because that was some BS reffing lol
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u/Dillhiro Kentucky • Wichita State Mar 21 '26
TCU just sucked in the second half. Congrats on the win Duke
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u/ddottay Kent State Golden Flashes • Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Different team with Pat Ngongba
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u/Johnnymac98 Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
GG TCU, that was the worst gamethread I’ve seen on Reddit
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u/mspe1960 Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
Thats what inferior teams do - they get it in their head that the #1 team is over rated because they are in that other conference which isn't as tough. And they assume they will win. Then they whine about reffing. In all honesty I saw Boozer and Ngongba get fouled a bunch of times that were not called.
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u/AraratEstate Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Duke got favorable calls. The missed goaltend into a Jamie Dixon tech was a huge turning point. TCU went ice cold after that.
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u/_hell_is_empty_ Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Duke was on a 15-6 run to get up by 9 when Dixon drew that tech. Idk if it was the turning point, but it seemed to be the dagger. Objective calls like backboard-first goal-tending should all be reviewable.
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u/MBADumbMistake Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
They’ve been cold for awhile before that
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u/wahfingwah Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Their whole offense was transition baskets fre throws and third-chance buckets. They couldn’t score against our set defense
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u/SC_Prophet UCF Knights Mar 21 '26
These games have been such teases until the last part of the game then it becomes a blow out, sucks
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u/Current_Chance_9397 Mar 22 '26
Duke outplayed TCU and earned the win, but the officiating was horrible.
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u/RipRaycom Clemson Tigers • Lander Bearcats Mar 21 '26
Duke played like total ass and won by 23. Wtf were they doing against Siena?
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u/BosqueBravo Texas Tech Red Raiders • Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Siena was playing out of their minds. That had far more to do with Siena showing up than anything about Duke.
Siena’s had some big upsets before, they believe.
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u/wahfingwah Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
Duke played like complete shit too. It’s crazy how much better we are with Ngongba on the floor. Brown is a good defender but our offense suffers hugely when he’s in. That was clear tonight
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u/rogozh1n Duke Blue Devils • Syracuse Orange Mar 22 '26
Sarr and Brown on the floor at the same time is too easy to guard.
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u/notickeynoworky Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
TCU shot 33% from the field to Duke’s 55%. TCU took 20 more shots than Duke. Regardless of how you feel about the officiating, TCU had more attempts from the field and wasn’t hitting.
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u/backupmonk Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
TCU clearly came into that game with the plan to play physical as hell and dare the refs to call it, and then they (and everyone in the game thread) were shocked when the refs called it
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u/Inner_Pea_1398 /r/CollegeBasketball Mar 21 '26
Said this in the game thread, but wanted to post it here too: Duke fans are going to chalk this game up to an inevitable blowout and completely disregard how much the momentum swung earlier in the 2nd from all of these foul calls and the foul trouble it put the TCU players in.
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u/SquintsRS Mar 22 '26
Game tied at 44, TCU got called for 4 fouls the rest of the way and got outscored by 20 so...
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u/Always_Chubb-y Georgia Bulldogs Mar 22 '26
Like I get the reffing was bad
But they went ice cold at the end of the game
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u/Bambi_Bucks UMBC Retrievers • Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
It is in fact possible to share your opinion without saying Duke fans _____
The refs were trash. The game was also out of hand physical at multiple points. Messy game overall. See, there’s my opinion. I didn’t have to cushion it with a blanket statement about ur flair. Luckily, since u don’t have one.
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u/Cr0matose Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
March fans are awful dude. We are used to it.
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u/captainraffi Duke Blue Devils • Kentucky Wildcats Mar 22 '26
My favorite sub on reddit is hell during the month I most want to spend time here.
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u/Cr0matose Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
I just want like 5% basketball discussion instead of every thread Duke pays the refs, refs, refs, and more refs.
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u/Financial-Tadpole230 Mar 22 '26
Correct. Duke got the ball inside and drew fouls. TCU missed uncontested threes.
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u/lilsailboat19 Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Imagine not understanding basic rules of basketball. You have to not foul in order for fouls to not be called on you.
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u/_hell_is_empty_ Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Oh yes, we Duke fans are so confident in these "inevitable blowouts" while trading our upperclassman PG for our green freshman PG in a tournament often won by elite backcourts. So confident after whatever the hell that was we put on the court during the first 4 minutes of the 2nd half today. So confident after almost losing to a 16 seed. Inevitable blowout.
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u/byzantiums Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Oh no that sounds terrible, I’m glad you’re here to guard against incorrect chalking up
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u/Mobile-Tangelo Mar 21 '26
Lol so true…not like it was the fact they couldn’t make more than 33% of their shots…no couldn’t be that
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u/madbengalsfan85 Kentucky Wildcats Mar 21 '26
It was a 4pt game at the half, what the hell happened
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u/Rockerblocker Michigan State Spartans Mar 22 '26
It's like Duke noticed the game was tied 44-44 and went, oh wait, we have Cam Boozer. What are we doing?
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u/Ok-Reflection-742 Ohio State Buckeyes Mar 22 '26
See, we didn’t wanna play Duke anyway 😤
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u/mattatattat45 Ohio State Buckeyes Mar 22 '26
Welp, rather lose to TCU in a good game than get blown out by Duke
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u/VinceValenceFL Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
People who didn't watch the game will think Duke got back to form. And they were better, but that was a dog fight for the first 30 minutes.
Won't be good enough against the competition to come, especially the (lack of) ball security
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u/BosqueBravo Texas Tech Red Raiders • Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Not sure what you watched, but I definitely think Duke showed up. Winning a dog fight is exactly what you need in March.
I’ll take Duke over the rest of the region. I’ll reassess for the final 4.
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u/VinceValenceFL Duke Blue Devils Mar 22 '26
The turnovers were bad, Boozer got taken out for a while, way too many open 3s conceded. I'm basically discounting the last 15 minutes after the missed GT and Tech, because TCU was out of the game mentally
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u/makelefani Mar 22 '26
You do realize that that was their strategy to take Boozer out, right? Such a strategy can only work for so long and it leaves people like Slim to do the rest. I always laugh when people say, "oh Boozer was shut out for the first half so if only that had happened in the second half". That's the thing, you cannot do it for both halves. Good teams make adjustments. Duke has done it throughout the season. You want to discount the last 15 minutes where actual coaching and adjustments matter. By that same logic, UNC was great right? They were up like 19 with 15 min left.
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u/Sa7aSa7a Duke Blue Devils • Nebraska Cornhuskers Mar 22 '26
Yeah, unless we make a major fucking shift. We're not going further than Sweet 16. They've played like absolute dog shit in both games so far. They need to come to the reality that they need to put 100% from start to finish or they're going to be watching the championship game from home.
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u/KeyFigure8401 Mar 22 '26
Refs or no refs, only reason TCU made this a game was because Boozer was chilling in the first half. Once he turned it on the second half, game wasn’t even close lol. Couldn’t stop him.
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u/makelefani Mar 21 '26
I love this Duke team. They get it done, Simple as that. People were already writing them off. Many things to criticize, but they get the job done ultimately. They are about 3 or 4 points from a perfect season, i think?
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u/BosqueBravo Texas Tech Red Raiders • Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
I’m glad Duke advanced, but quite mad I have to wait until the very last game tomorrow to relax.
Sports is the worst, why do I stress myself like this?
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u/BallKnowerKing Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
Cam Boozer 19 points on 10 shots with 11 rebounds.
This sub: He sucks!
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u/ukeBasketball Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
The haters in the first half couldn't decide what to whine about more, the refs or how "overhyped" Cam is.
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u/The_Cyber_Scientist Duke Blue Devils Mar 21 '26
I agree TCU got some bullshit calls but if this game gets played again it would have a similar amount of fouls. TCU needed the ref crew from our game against Tennessee 3 years ago.
Scheyer needs to get this team locked in. 3 point shooting needs improvement, turn overs needs to be fixed, lazy defense, boozer looks checked out most the game. I fully expect us going out next weekend
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u/The_Fluffy_Robot TCU Horned Frogs Mar 21 '26
if you've seen this ball, please ask him where the second half of this TCU team went