Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Countdown to Craziness on October 3, 2025 at 7 p.m.
/
7 p.m.
Men's Basketball
vs Countdown to Craziness
.png&width=24&height=24&type=webp)
Quotes: North Carolina 76, Duke 68
3/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
“I was proud of our guys. Carolina's an outstanding basketball team. I thought in the first half, we were just so emotional. That happens a lot, with it being senior night, and just wanting to be in this big game. We almost wanted it so much that we didn't have any poise in the first half. It wasn't because of attitude or anything ? our kids really wanted to win ? it's just that we couldn't settle down. Greg (Paulus) kept us in the ballgame really. It reminded me of when we played Indiana in the 1992 final Four when Indiana was outplaying us, but Hurley kept us in it.”
On Duke's shooting percentage against Carolina:
“You miss good shots and they make their good shots and you lose ? you just lose. You tip your hat to the opponent and you move on. We played our hearts out and Carolina played their hearts out, but they just hit their shots in those last three and a half minutes. We weren't able to do that. Of course, they're playing good defense too. Both teams were playing so hard, but they just got their shots and they made them. To win a game like this, you have to get up by two possessions. That puts game pressure on them, and we were never able to have that game pressure on them.”
On the intensity of his players and how it may have affected them:
“Every once in a while, especially last games, you can't even have strategy. You just can't settle them down. It's not a matter of being scared, it's just wanting it so much. They were just a little bit too emotional. They knew that - that it wasn't how they've played the whole year. It's not that we weren't prepared or that we weren't ready to play, it's almost that you're trying too hard.”
On limiting the play of Duke's big men against North Carolina:
Brian (Zoubek) did a real good job. With (Ty) Lawson back, (Carolina has) started playing four smalls now, with (Danny) Green at the four. It's real tough to put two bigs in there against that. Green played really well and he was a difference maker tonight.
On how this game prepares the team for the upcoming ACC Tournament:
“We're just trying to get better. We've had a really good year and we don't feel it's over. As disappointing as the outcome was tonight, playing in a game like this and being in those situations where you hit or miss, is great experience for us. The next time in a big game, after being in there, we might do better. We want to play in as many big games as we can.”
Senior DeMarcus Nelson
“We went out there and gave it everything we had but tonight North Carolina was a better team. In the second half we really played like the team we've been playing like all year. In the first half it was the complete opposite. We didn't have the poise, we didn't have the chemistry on offense, and defensively we gave up a lot of buckets in transition and second-chance shots. When you go down by 11 going into the half with a good team like [North Carolina], it's going to be tough to win the game. We really played with a lot of emotion and fought back and got back into the game. But once we got there, we were just emotionally drained at that point and I think we hit a wall.”
“I don't think it was their size because we've played against them before and played against big teams all year. We just have to get bodies on guys and try to carve out space and just go get the ball. They were relentless on the boards tonight and that really hurt us.”
“I think we definitely used too much emotion - just raw emotion throughout the course of the game, especially myself. When you're playing against a team like that, you have to have some poise. We stressed to come into this game and approach it like any other game, and I think everybody was ready to play. But I think we might've played on raw emotion and it drained us.”
Junior Greg Paulus
“They did a good job doing what they do ? hitting the boards, getting the ball up in transition. They hit a few more shots. They did what they normally do.”
“We took our time instead of rushing things and doing things a little bit frantically. We were poised and we got ourselves a few good looks. We did a better job of that in the second half than in the first half.”
“This is definitely not how we wanted to leave the gym tonight. But it will keep us hungry and we'll get back to work and we'll play with a chip on our shoulder.”
“We were really excited to play. Whenever you play in this type of atmosphere, you want to get out there and sometimes it speeds up the game a bit. You try to rush things and do things that you normally don't do. I think that got to us a little bit in the first half.”
On senior DeMarcus Nelson:
“DeMarcus has been great the last three years. I've had a chance to play with him and become really good friends with him. He's been so great for us this year with his leadership and his strength. Just his personality on and off the floor is going to be a big time loss for us.”
On the possibility of meeting North Carolina again in the ACC Tournament:
“There are a lot of things to take care of before that. You have to take it one game at a time in the ACC Tournament. The minute you look ahead is the minute you lose. We'll look forward to just getting back out on the floor and getting a chance to play again.”
Sophomore Jon Scheyer
“[Coach Mike Krzyzewski] was poised the whole time and we weren't in the first half. We just played strictly on emotion. We weren't calm and we didn't make smart decisions. In the second half that was a big key for us ? to take it possession by possession and just play poised.”
“I think one person that really helped us out was Brian Zoubek. Coming back from injury, I thought he played one of his best games tonight. I don't know if it necessarily showed up on the stats sheet but he was just great. He and other players made huge plays for us tonight.”
North Carolina Coach Roy Williams
Opening Statement:
“I honestly believe that I would say this even if we had lost the game; I truly, truly appreciate Duke University, Mike [Krzyzewski] and his staff for being willing to do certain things tonight. It was their idea; they initiated a lot of the things; we had the ribbons and Eve [Carson]'s name on our jerseys. To have a moment of silence and to have the teams come together before the game, I think it says a lot about college athletics, the ACC and it says a heck of a lot about Duke University. I'm lucky to be involved in such a great rivalry. It was two teams playing as hard as they could possibly play. It was a very rough and physical game. It was really two teams with a great deal of intensity and aggressiveness. We got some great play down the stretch. At the end of the game both teams were frustrated because our fouls didn't put them on the free throw line and they couldn't put us on the free throw line. Danny Green was huge tonight. The kids did a great job. What a great situation for college basketball.”
On Ty Lawson:
“He looked better tonight. He was important to us. Q[uentin] Thomas made a big three. For us to be the best team we can possibly be we need both those guys playing all out. Duke is really good. I know they don't have that big center inside, but it's hard for our big guys to get out and guard those guys 25-30 feet from the basket.”
On Tyler Hansbrough:
“I've said all year long that Tyler Hansbrough has gotten better and better. He is not a defensive liability anywhere. In the game in Chapel Hill he took three charges in the first half. He can really move his feet and it's not normal for him to guard Greg Paulus. He can guard a 6'8” guy and do a better job against him. Again, it was a huge emphasis for us not to give up so many threes, but we gave up almost just as many as last time because that's the focal point of their offense.
On North Carolina's defense:
“I think we have gotten better defensively. We've been drilling it since the first day. I don't think anybody works harder on it than our kids. It's a challenge to try to be a really good defensive team. Sometimes you get lucky and they miss shots as well. The statistics show that we've gotten better defensively. It's something that you have to be good at if you want to reach those big time dreams that we have.”
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballCoach Scheyer Media Availability
Wednesday, September 24
Jon Scheyer Press Conference: Summer 2025
Tuesday, July 08
Duke vs Houston: Press Conference
Sunday, April 06
Duke vs Alabama: East Region Champions Press Conference
Wednesday, April 02
