With the game in hand in the overtime period, the Utah Utes had a prime opportunity to seal the deal without a late surge. However, after a couple boneheaded plays, Utah let the Duke Blue Devils in the game with a chance to force another overtime or win the game. In the end, the Utes came away with a 77-75 victory as Brandon Ingram couldn't convert the close range shot with seconds remaining.

With Duke senior forward Amile Jefferson out at least another month with a fractured right foot, it was going to be difficult for the Blue Devils to stop Utah seven-footer Jakob Poeltl. The future NBA lottery pick didn’t disappoint as he finished the game with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 14 rebounds and three blocks. The Austrian native did deal with foul trouble most of the game and later fouled out in the overtime period, but that was the only thing that kept him from putting up even bigger numbers.

There was some talk that Duke’s leading scorer Grayson Allen might not play because he is dealing with flu-like symptoms. He suited up and didn’t play well at all, as he finished the game with seven points on 3-of-18 shooting from the field. It was very clear on the court that he was battling fatigue, no better example than the fact he shot 1-of-7 from behind the arc and missed both of his free throws.

Despite a poor showing from Allen, the Blue Devils received a huge boost off the bench as Luke Kennard finished with 24 points. Kennard was very efficient as he shot 5-of-9 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line. It was Kennard’s four-point play with just over six seconds remaining in overtime that gave Duke a chance to steal this game.

Brandon Ingram has been on a role lately, averaging 24.3 points in the previous three games. He wasn’t as dominate today but finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Matt Jones continued his steady play as he added 18 points on 6-of-19 shooting.

With Poeltl dealing with foul trouble for a large portion of the game, forward Kyle Kuzma was the player for Utah that picked up the slack. Kuzma finished the game with 21 points and eight rebounds. Junior college transfer Lorenzo Bonam played very well as he added 12 points and nine assists.

It was an off shooting game for Duke, as they shot an abysmal 29.9 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from behind the arc. Utah shot the ball pretty solid as they shot 45.2 percent from the field, but struggled from deep only shooting 16.7 percent. The only reason Duke stayed in this game was because they turned the ball over only five times, whereas Utah turned it over 19.

It was a close contest early in the first half, with neither team grabbing the advantage. But it was Utah who gained the advantage first, going on a 7-1 run to lead the Blue Devils 20-13. Duke would claw their way back and go into the half only down three, 33-30.

After Grayson Allen tied the game at 33 with a three-pointer early in the second half, Utah wouldn’t flinch as they went on a 9-0 run to lead 42-33 with 14:28 remaining. During that stretch, Kyle Kuzma accounted for seven of those nine points. The Blue Devils would regroup and come storming back, going on one of their patent 18-2 runs to give themselves a 51-44 lead with 9:45 remaining. That run was highlighted by a Brandon Ingram steal and slam, and a Matt Jones three-pointer that gave them the lead.

Luke Kennard would nail a three-pointer with 4:14 remaining in regulation to give the Blue Devils a 60-55 lead, but Utah would chip away and tie the game at 60 with a Kyle Kuzma layup with 1:50 remaining. Duke had the chance to take the lead with 33 seconds remaining, but Ingram wasn’t able to knock down the three-pointer.

Utah had the final possession and the chance to win the game. Despite having a good game, Kuzma wasn’t able to knock down the game-winning three with two seconds remaining. It seemed to be a questionable play call as Duke had no answer for Poeltl the entire game.

Utah would jump on Duke to start the overtime period, scoring five quick points. With 2:25 remaining, the Utes would have a 69-63 advantage over the Blue Devils. Duke would continue to fight as Kennard was able to get to the free throw line. After Kennard’s four-point play, Duke would force a turnover on the inbounds pass.

With 6.4 seconds remaining, the Blue Devils were down 77-75 with a chance to tie or win the game. Ingram would receive the inbounds pass and would make a move to the basket. The Utah defender tried to take the charge but no call was made, leaving Ingram with an uncontested layup. He clanked it off the rim and Utah would survive and defeat the seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils in Madison Square Garden.

These two teams matched up against each other in the Sweet 16 last year, where Duke would win that game and eventually the National Championship. This doesn’t erase a tournament loss for Utah, but it surely lessens the pain as they get some sort of revenge.

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About the author
Parker White
Sports journalist from Midlothian, Virginia. Co-editor and writer for the NBA and MLB sections at VAVEL USA. Follow me on Twitter @spudwhite1022