Fast and Fearless Lehigh Stuns Duke

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Lehigh took an eight-game winning streak into the N.C.A.A. tournament and did not seem to notice that its opponent in the South Region on Friday was a few levels higher than its Patriot League competition.
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Duke’s Austin Rivers scored 19 points off the bench, but the Blue Devils ran out of comebacks.
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Lehigh’s C. J. McCollum took on Miles Plumlee in the second half at Greensboro, N.C.

Duke? Whatever.

The Mountain Hawks (27-7) were quick and fearless, drove the lane at will and gave Duke a lot more trouble than a No. 2 seed could expect in its opening game.

And then Lehigh pulled a Norfolk State, becoming the second No. 15 seed to shock a No. 2. The junior guard C. J. McCollum scored 30 points to lead the Mountain Hawks to a 75-70 victory in a virtual home game for the Blue Devils at the Greensboro Coliseum.

It was the first time in N.C.A.A. tournament history that two No. 15 seeds defeated No. 2 seeds and the first time three seeds No. 13 or higher won on the same day.

True, Duke (27-7) was playing without forward Ryan Kelly, who missed his third consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Maybe that’s why the Blue Devils seemed to struggle. Kelly averaged 11.8 points a game, third behind Austin Rivers and Seth Curry.

But mostly, they couldn’t stop McCollum from driving the lane at will. McCollum entered the game averaging 21.9 points a game, fifth best in Division 1, and was the Patriot League player of the year. He had 21 with more than 11 minutes left in the game.

“We were definitely confident coming in, because we didn’t have anything to lose,” McCollum said. “Everyone except for our family members predicted us to lose, so there was no pressure on it. The pressure was all on them, and I’m glad that we were able to get the win.”

After Justin Maneri broke a 42-42 tie with a layup with about 12 minutes 30 seconds to go, it was a McCollum 3-pointer that gave Lehigh a 47-42 lead.

Duke regained the lead at 48-47 on a Mason Plumlee layup with 8:39 remaining, but Lehigh surged again, going up by 56-51 with just over four minutes to go.

The Blue Devils closed to within 2, but McCollum buried a 3-pointer from the wing with 2:25 remaining and John Adams ran past a Duke press for a slam with just under two minutes remaining to put Lehigh up, 61-54.

There were no comebacks left in Duke, and the comparatively small contingent of Lehigh fans who filled a section of the Coliseum roared, along with a large gathering of North Carolina fans on hand, when the Mountain Hawks put the final dagger in Duke with a press-breaking slam by Gabe Knutson with 38.5 seconds left for a 67-59 lead.

“They had the best player on the court tonight, McCollum,” Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He’s really one of the outstanding players in the country, and you could see why tonight.”

Duke wasn’t the only high-profile team Lehigh faced this season, and maybe that’s why the Mountain Hawks seemed so comfortable on the same floor with the Blue Devils. After all, Lehigh had played at No. 1-seeded Michigan State earlier in the season, falling by 9 points. It was perfect preparation for Duke.

“It helped a lot,” McCollum said. “Early on, we were in some tough environments. That gave us confidence we could play with anybody in the country.”

The senior forward Jordan Hamilton said: “I don’t think a lot of these big schools, they don’t really expect the smaller guys to come out and come out swinging. So that’s an advantage we have. That also built confidence that we can really play. We feel we can play with anyone in the country.”

And they showed it on national television.

The Duke senior forward Miles Plumlee had 4 points and 6 rebounds in his final game.

“People remember you for how you leave, and this wasn’t how I wanted to leave,” he said.

Krzyzewski said: “The game is a great game. I’ve been in it for 37 years, and it takes you to incredible highs, and it also takes you to incredible lows. Tonight’s one of those lows. We just haven’t been in sync offensively these last couple weeks and it showed up again tonight.”