Freshman’s Buzzer-Beater Clinches Duke’s Victory Over North Carolina

A sweet victory for the Blue Devis came with just moments left on the clock as freshman guard Austin Rivers shot a three-pointer into the history books.

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The most improbable sports play of the week was the New York Giants’ Ahamad Bradshaw’s accidental touchdown on Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI. That is until Wednesday, when the son of an NBA superstar whisked a one-in-a-million buzzer beater in a college-hoops classic that electrified one group of fans and shocked another.

In the final moments between Duke’s game versus North Carolina, the UNC Tar Heels seemingly had the game won, 84-82. But Austin Rivers was handed the ball with just 11 seconds on the clock. He dribbled downcourt, took his time looking for an opening and perhaps an open man to pass to. Instead, he stayed outside of the three-point-line and moved several feet to his right, with North Carolina’s seven-footer Tyler Zeller staying on him. Taking the only chance he had to win the game, Rivers put up a perfectly arced shot with just over a second left — and clinched the game for Blue Devils, 85-84.

Duke’s bench erupted in amazement and took to the floor, tackling their equally thrilled freshman guard. North Carolina and the thousands of fans in the stands at Chapel Hill stood with jaws dropped at how a coveted win over their most fierce rivals slipped through their fingers in a single instant.

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The most thrilled of all of course is Rivers’ proud dad, Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, in attendance that night. He cheered in the stands with the rest of Duke’s excited fans. “I can’t explain it, man,” Rivers told the Raleigh News & Observer. “To play in this game, they have a great crowd, great tradition here. They had us down. I think, obviously, this is my favorite win I’ve ever had in my life.”

After the game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski talked about the game being a struggle, but eventually an opportunity opened. “We fought like crazy to stay close,” he said. “And then in the last couple of minutes, we got hot.”

But a sullen North Carolina coach Roy Williams echoed the bewilderment of Tar Heel fans: “This one hurts.”

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