March Madness is where dreams are made and hearts are broken. Last night was the prime example of this as the Duke Blue Devils defeated UCF by a score of 77-76. Coming into the game, Duke was considered a tournament favorite and many believed they would easily roll past UCF. That was not the case though as the 7'6" Tacko Fall was a nuisance all night long, keeping Duke players like Zion Williamson at bay. UCF was up 76-73 with just a few seconds left, although an and-one from Williamson gave the Blue Devils the lead. UCF had one last chance to win the game and even had two lay-up attempts but both rolled across the rim.
It was a valiant effort from a team that many believed would lose the game. Afterward, a video was shared from the team's Twitter account, showing head coach Johnny Dawkin's post game speech. In the video, you can hear UCF players sobbing in the background, in what has to be one of the most heartbreaking visuals to come out of March Madness.
“We always said it’s going to end in two ways ... it’s going to end celebrating, or we’re going to end crying, we’re in tears,” Dawkins said. “That’s because we invested – like I said before – so much in each other, and in what we were doing. I know this is going to hurt – it’s going to hurt for a while, we’ve been here before, the same thing.”
With the win, Duke will now play Virginia Tech in the Sweet Sixteen on Friday.