Duke’s freshmen have gotten plenty of attention throughout the year, but it’s always felt like Justise Winslow was undervalued when compared to Tyus Jones and, of course, Jahlil Okafor. After Duke’s 66-52 Elite Eight win over Gonzaga, that’s no longer the case.
Winslow put Duke on his back down the stretch as they pulled away from the Bulldogs, slashing to the basket, pulling down rebounds and hitting a pull-up three that felt like the dagger in the Zags’ coffin.
Justise Winslow is 4/14 from the field, yet is unequivocally dominating this game. Defense, rebounding, passing, making all the big plays.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 29, 2015
Justise Winslow hasn’t gotten the same level of pub as Okafor and Tyus, but he brings the toughness. So good on both ends.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) March 29, 2015
Winslow finished with 16 points and five rebounds, but as is so often the case with Winslow, the box score didn’t tell half of the story. Each time that Duke needed a big bucket or rebound, Winslow was there. When they needed a defensive stop, Winslow was there. In short, he showed why his inconsistent skill set hasn’t scared off many NBA teams when talking about his professional prospects.
It wasn’t just Winslow, however.
Reserve Matt Jones came up with four huge three-point hits, several coming in the second half, and a steal in the final minutes that sealed Duke’s twelfth Final Four under Mike Krzyzewski’s leadership. That number ties John Wooden for most all-time Final Four appearances.
Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer finished the game with 16 points, one of only two Bulldogs to finish in double-figures scoring.
