VCU exposes Duke's fall from the top

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Obnoxious onlookers, bloody faces, gutless Blue Devils and links in a chain.

Sounds like something that would happen in Mike Tyson's hotel room. Instead, all of those things were part of the Duke-Virginia Commonwealth University game, a gorgeous thriller that clearly signaled just how far the mighty have fallen.

Coach Krzyzewski: 'If you're in this tournament long enough, you're going to go down.' (AP)

Fearless is what VCU was in beating Duke. Soft is what Duke resembled most. Embarrassing was the word of the night as this was one of the worst losses in modern Blue Devils basketball history.

When Duke's DeMarcus Nelson tied the score at 77 with a driving layup, it seemed Duke would escape bruised but alive. But the scintillating Eric Maynor, who kept VCU in the game almost by himself with a handful of outstanding plays late, responded with a 14-foot jumper near the top of the key with just 1.8 seconds left to give the Rams a 79-77 victory.

There was a time when Duke would have taken a school like VCU and squished them under their shoe like a bug.

The Rams had not advanced to the second round of the NCAA's since 1985. Duke, in turn, had won 67 NCAA Tournament games since the Rams last won one. VCU should have been dog meat.

Yet here was Duke losing to an 11th seed. Here was Mike Krzyzewski getting thoroughly out-coached by Anthony Grant, a wise leader with an experienced pedigree. Here were Krzyzewski's players getting out-hustled, beaten to many loose balls, at times playing without passion while their opponents sizzled.

"If you're in this tournament long enough," said Krzyzewski, "you're going to go down."

That is indeed true but it was how Duke lost that was so difficult to comprehend. The Blue Devils made countless mistakes and turnovers, and perhaps the biggest indictment of all was that Duke showed little heart at key moments.

Duke losing like this should not be completely unexpected. Every dynasty ends. The Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Yankees, among others, all evaporated.

Now, the Blue Devils dynasty is officially done after suffering its first opening-round loss in over a decade. Goodnight, Dukies. You're not much better than Rutgers.

And just as some took terrific glee in the demise of other empires, smiling as greatness melted before their eyes, so too are people enjoying watching Duke struggle. It is almost infectious to some.

This was not just the best game of the tournament thus far but also one of the strangest. Some of VCU's fans, with a little too much alcohol in their bellies, were belligerent toward the game officials. One fan taunted a game official so threateningly during a timeout he was taken out of HSBC Arena by security.