2014-15

Season Overview

The 2014-15 season is the story of a promise kept.

After the Mercer loss in March 2014, incoming freshman Tyus Jones texted Coach K five words: “This won’t happen next year.” It was the kind of thing a recruit says to sound committed. It was also, as it turned out, a prophecy.

Jones and Jahlil Okafor had been planning to attend college together since they’d played on the U17 World Championship team as fifteen-year-olds. They announced their commitments to Duke on the same day in simultaneous press conferences from different states — Jones in Apple Valley, Minnesota, Okafor in Chicago. A week later, five-star small forward Justise Winslow from Houston committed too. Guard Grayson Allen from Jacksonville had committed earlier. It was the #1 recruiting class in America, the first time a school other than Kentucky had claimed that distinction in three years.

They joined a Duke team anchored by senior Quinn Cook, the kid from D.C. who had been at Duke since 2011 and had never hung a banner. Cook moved from point guard to shooting guard to accommodate Jones, a sacrifice that perfectly captured the selflessness Krzyzewski demanded. Cook was the team’s emotional leader, its heartbeat in the locker room, the guy who had stayed in Durham all summer to work out because he told the media “I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished anything.” Junior Amile Jefferson provided toughness and rebounding. Sophomore Matt Jones gave the team a long, versatile wing defender.

Duke started 14-0, the seventh such start in school history. K earned his 1,000th career victory on January 25, 2015, at St. John’s in Madison Square Garden — the first Division I men’s coach to reach that milestone. Jones hit the shots that sealed the comeback in a 77-68 win. But January also brought adversity: back-to-back double-digit losses to NC State and Miami raised questions about the team’s toughness and depth. And on January 29, Rasheed Sulaimon — the team’s most experienced reserve — was dismissed from the program. Duke was suddenly playing with eight scholarship players. K adopted a new mantra: “Eight is enough.”

The dismissal was supposed to be devastating. Instead, it was liberating. Justise Winslow’s minutes expanded. Grayson Allen went from end-of-bench freshman to critical rotation player. Matt Jones became the primary wing defender. The roles crystallized. Duke went 17-1 the rest of the way, losing only to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament semifinals.

The rivalry with UNC was played against an emotional backdrop. Dean Smith, the legendary Tar Heel coach, passed away on February 7, 2015, at the age of 83. The February 18 game at Duke was played in his memory. Duke won 92-90 in a classic that went to overtime — Tyus Jones got hot for the Blue Devils to send the game to overtime, where Duke prevailed. The second meeting at Chapel Hill saw UNC control the action in an 84-77 victory. The ACC Tournament semifinal loss to Notre Dame meant Duke entered March without a conference championship banner.

As the #1 seed in the South Region, Duke was brilliant in the NCAA Tournament. Robert Morris fell 85-56. San Diego State was dispatched 68-49. Fifth-seeded Utah pushed Duke in the Sweet Sixteen before falling 63-57. In the Elite Eight, Tyus Jones earned six assists with zero turnovers and scored 15 points as Duke dismantled #2 Gonzaga 66-52, advancing to the Final Four. Jones was named South Regional Most Outstanding Player.

The Final Four in Indianapolis brought seventh-seeded Michigan State. The Spartans jumped out to a 14-6 lead before Duke erupted on a 14-2 run. Michigan State missed 17 of its final 20 first-half shots. Duke won 81-61, its most dominant Final Four performance in decades. The expected opponent in the championship game was undefeated #1 Kentucky — 38-0 and hunting for perfection. But Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky stunned the Wildcats in the other semifinal, setting up Duke-Wisconsin for the title.

The championship game was a masterpiece of resilience. Wisconsin built a nine-point second-half lead. Okafor was in foul trouble. The season appeared to be slipping away. Then Grayson Allen, the lowest-ranked recruit in Duke’s freshman class, put the team on his back. K said afterward: “We were kind of dead in the water. Grayson just put us on his back.” Allen scored 16 points off the bench, sparking the comeback that brought Duke back from the dead.

Tyus Jones took it from there. He scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, including 10 in the final seven minutes. He buried two three-pointers in the final five minutes to give Duke breathing room. With 3:30 remaining and Duke clinging to a 59-58 lead, Okafor re-entered the game and immediately scored on back-to-back possessions to push the lead to 63-58. A controversial out-of-bounds call went Duke’s way. Jones hit another three. Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky scored 21 and grabbed 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough. Duke 68, Wisconsin 63.

Jones was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player — the first Duke player to earn both the Regional and Final Four MOP in the same tournament. He averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 assists across the six tournament games. Duke allowed just 56.3 points per game in the tournament — the defense that was supposed to collapse after Sulaimon’s dismissal had instead become the team’s identity.

Quinn Cook finally got his banner. He finished his career with over 4,000 minutes played — one of the most decorated four-year careers in program history. The freshmen who had joined him made the leap: Okafor was drafted #3 by the Philadelphia 76ers, Winslow went #10 to the Miami Heat, Jones went #24 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Allen, the kid who had saved the championship game, stayed for three more years.

It was K’s fifth national championship, tying him with the all-time record. It was Duke’s fifth title overall. It was the culmination of the Resurgence Era — three championships in six years (2010, 2015) from a program that had been told by everyone outside the building that its best days were behind it.

“This won’t happen next year,” Tyus Jones had texted. It didn’t. What happened instead was perfection.

Wisconsin built a nine-point second-half lead and appeared to have Duke on the ropes. Jahlil Okafor was in foul trouble and on the bench. The Badgers' Frank Kaminsky was dominant. Then Grayson Allen — the lowest-ranked recruit in Duke's freshman class, a kid who had barely played before Rasheed Sulaimon's dismissal — changed everything. He scored 16 points off the bench, attacking the rim with a fearlessness that shocked Wisconsin and electrified the Duke bench. K said afterward: 'We were kind of dead in the water. Grayson just put us on his back.' Tyus Jones took over from there. He scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, including 10 in the final seven minutes and two three-pointers in the final five minutes. With Duke clinging to a 59-58 lead with 3:30 remaining, Okafor re-entered the game and immediately scored on back-to-back possessions to push it to 63-58. A controversial out-of-bounds replay review went Duke's way. Jones hit another three. Wisconsin's Kaminsky finished with 21 and 12, but Duke's defense held when it mattered most. The Blue Devils allowed just 56.3 points per game across six tournament games — the defense that was supposed to collapse after Sulaimon's dismissal had become the team's identity. Jones was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Cook got his banner. K got his fifth ring.