The Blue Devils are back, baby.
In a shocking turn of events, No. 4-seed Duke’s Sunday night loss to No. 11-seed N.C. State was overturned by NCAA officials Monday morning, who cited “colossal ineptitude” on the part of the game’s referees as the reason for the decision.
“I’ve never seen such bad calls in my life,” said NCAA President Charles Barckles, whose bracket was definitely not completely busted to oblivion. “We just had to scrap the whole lineup, every official, they’re all gone.”
The Blue Devils struggled to neutralize graduate forward TJ Blazes Jr. in Sunday’s match-up, putting up a good show defensively in the first half but faltering in the second. The end result was devastating for the Final Four hopefuls from Durham: a 76-64 loss that ended their March Madness run early in Dallas.
The problems came with Duke’s foul trouble, as the Blue Devils suffered several fouls that cost them both points and possession at crucial moments.
In an unprecedented move, Barckles announced that every single one had been called incorrectly.
“That's right! Every last one of 'em. If the refs had just done their job, we would’ve seen a Duke dub for sure,” Barckles said.
“It’s definitely embarrassing for the NCAA,” said freshman forward Shawn Stuart. “Everyone hates to see Duke succeed. There is no other explanation for a Duke loss other than bad refs.”
Head coach Don Shire was grateful that the NCAA acknowledged the mishap and looks forward to taking the Blue Devils to the next level.
“You know, stuff like this, it’s unfortunate, but it happens,” Shire said. “At the end of the day, I’m just glad they corrected it, and we’re going to do our best to make it count and bring our A game to Phoenix.”
N.C. State head coach Kevon Eats declined The Chomicle’s request for comment and is reportedly packing his bags in search of an easier job on the coaching staff of the University of Iowa’s women’s basketball program.
Duke is now set to meet No. 1-seed Purdue April 6 in Phoenix for a chance at a spot in the championship game.
Editor's Note: Happy April Fools' Day! In case you couldn't tell, this was a story for our satirical edition, The Chomicle. Check out more Chomicle stories here, guaranteed to make you laugh, or at least cry.
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