The Elite Eight game between Duke and Kansas went about as well as anyone could possibly have hoped for. The top-two seeds in the Midwest bracket went toe-to-toe for 40 minutes, and the game still hadn’t been decided after Grayson Allen’s last-second attempt touched every part of the rim but just didn’t drop.
GOODNESS GRACIOUS. Grayson Allen was a slight roll away from becoming a Duke Icon. pic.twitter.com/NxLqC3465s
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 25, 2018
Kansas and Duke trying to hang on to a lead pic.twitter.com/WGQ1NRgZsC
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 25, 2018
So, tied up at 72-72, we went into overtime.
Watching this game. pic.twitter.com/rRgFLaM7v0
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 25, 2018
In the overtime period, both teams continued their back-and-forth battle, with players from both sides dropping huge buckets.
Malik Newman with a BIG TIME THREE! 💦#MarchMadness #Elite8 pic.twitter.com/rly4YOZM0R
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2018
Not surprisingly, there was a controversial charge called.
Block or Charge?! pic.twitter.com/mpl0NcEPME
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 25, 2018
Surprisingly, for all you Duke haters out there, it was called on Duke’s Wendell Carter Jr., who fouled out on the play, much to Coach K’s chagrin.
Emotions running high.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/WDlDCuHHsE
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 25, 2018
With two minutes to go in overtime, all tied up at 78-78, Duke had a crucial turnover, which immediately turned into three points when Malik Newman converted from the corner, his ninth point of the overtime period (aka, all of Kansas’ points to that point).
SPLASH!!!@KUhoops up 3. pic.twitter.com/bgTNqiajS0
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 25, 2018
Then, on Kansas’ next possession, Duke was awarded the ball on a controversial turnover that was reversed following a lengthy break in the action as the officials pored over the replay.
here we go again – refs incapable of making a call right in front of their noses – icing the game with endless replays
— Courtney Capps (@courtgolf) March 25, 2018
Clearly this should be the Patriots ball.
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) March 25, 2018
Hey refs: If the video did not give you a definitive answer the first 27 times, the 28th will not. Keep it moving.
— Troy Tauscher (@Troy_NT) March 25, 2018
Judge for yourself.
https://twitter.com/_MarcusD2_/status/978049718587678720
In the end, Kansas hung on to win the game, 85-81.
What. A. Game. pic.twitter.com/Qf7FZ4b9l3
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 25, 2018
KU fans#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Ykc4fOknhq
— /r/CollegeBasketball (@redditCBB) March 25, 2018
Kansas has moved on to the final four! Madness!!! Insanity!!! Who saw that coming!!!!!! Plucky Little Kansas rising up against all odds!!!!!!!
— Mark Craig (@markcraignfl) March 25, 2018
Percentage of brackets out of the 17.3 million submitted to ESPN that had each Final Four team:
58.4% Villanova
29.8%: Kansas
19.1% Michigan
0.5% Loyola-Chicago— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 25, 2018
Duke losing is just so … beautiful. pic.twitter.com/saaQVwOfZg
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 25, 2018
What an anti-climatic ending after so much back-and-forth. Feel bad for Grayson Allen. Tough way for his career to end on back-to-back tough shooting nights.
— Eugene Frenette (@GeneFrenette) March 25, 2018
Bill Self getting that Elite Eight monkey off his back pic.twitter.com/sh5dwXKqk1
— Student Union Sports (@StudentUSports) March 25, 2018
With the win, Kansas joined Loyola-Chicago, Michigan and Villanova in the Final Four.
AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR pic.twitter.com/P2PXd5aCb9
— SB Nation (@SBNation) March 25, 2018