Huge Upset: Wake Forest defeats Duke 86-73

How sweet it is. On one of the most enjoyable nights Wake Forest basketball has had in several seasons, nothing (even the rain outside) can put a damper on such a special night. Tonight’s 86-73 defeat of the Duke Blue Devils could not have come at a better time for the Demon Deacons.

Jeff Teague got the Deacs started with their first eight points. Thanks to the fast start the crowd was loud and rowdy, and the energy rarely subsided throughout the game. Wake held the lead until the 9:13 mark of the first half and the game was back and forth for the rest of the first half until Wake went on a run to finish the first half leading by five.

At halftime James Johnson had 15 points and 9 boards and Teague had provided 13 points of his own.

Not surprisingly, Duke was not going to go away. They grabbed the lead with about 15 minutes left and didn’t look like they were going to go away. Wake kept playing hard and never quit putting the ball in the basket, and with 8:20 remaining the Deacs took the lead for good.

I’m so happy right now my thoughts about the game are entirely jumbled. All I can think about is that we won. That we’re 6-5 in the ACC and just beat the #2 team in the nation. That two freshman almost single-handedly beat Duke. That Wake is now in sole possession of 5^th place in the ACC with a 2 game lead on the 6^th place team.

If ever there was a big win, this is it, and words just can’t describe the excitement that I’m sure all Wake fans are experiencing right now. It will probably take some time for this win to set in for everyone, but this is definitely the biggest win Wake has had in several years.

Wake beat Duke in every aspect of the game. They shot better, rebounded better, had fewer turnovers and fewer fouls. I don’t think anyone would have believed Wake would so thoroughly dominate Duke. The team had a game plan and they stuck to it for 40 minutes. Even when things got a little rocky they never game in. The guys kept playing hard and the crowd’s energy kept things going.

Wake now controls their own destiny, and I look forward to seeing where they can go from here. Momentum is currently on their side, but next weekend’s game at Carolina will be a big test. Pulling off back to back upsets would be an incredible feat.

I’m trying something new out here – I’m trying to make some of the post game press conference audio available. It may or may not work, but I’m going to try. Hopefully you can listen to it, and if not we’ll try to get it soon. For now I’m going to go enjoy the victory, and I’ll be back tomorrow with some more thorough analysis of this incredible victory.

Dino's Post Game Press Conference
Krzyzewski Post Game Press Conference