Duke shows both bad and brilliant play in win over Miami

By: John Delong | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: February 07, 2009

DURHAM --

There is the good Duke and there is the bad Duke.
Actually, there is the really good Duke, and there is the really bad Duke.
Sometimes they show all up on the same day.
That was the case yesterday afternoon as Duke rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Miami 78-75 in overtime at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils were every bit as bad in the first half as they were in a 27-point loss at Clemson on Wednesday night. But they stormed back in the second half much like the team that had won 18 of its first 19, and then they dominated the five-minute overtime from the start.
The consensus in the locker room afterward was that Duke had regained its true identity.
"We came together today," guard Jon Scheyer said. "I thought we showed a lot of heart. We showed pretty much the worst we've been in the first half — kind of how we played at Clemson — and in the second half, we showed how we want to play every game.
"I'm not saying we're going to win every game, but when we play like that, when we're attacking, sharing the ball, being more aggressive — it's fun to play like that. I think we're going to be a tough team to beat if we play like that."
Coach Mike Krzyzewski called it a landmark win for this team, because of the second-half turnaround.
"How we played the last 22 minutes if more indicative of how we've played this season," Krzyzewski said. "But we had to do it after playing the worst you can play. … I think we put Clemson to rest, and how we go forward will be based on the foundation of heart that we showed, and guts, in the last 22 minutes."
Duke raised its record to 20-3 overall and 7-2 in the ACC, and remained in a tie for first place with North Carolina going into Wednesday night's showdown here.
Miami fell to 15-8 overall and 4-6 in the ACC.