CHARLOTTE -- Going into this weekend's Final Four, senior Marty Clark had not had a good NCAA Tournament, and he knew it.
Against Florida, Clark did something about it.
Clark played a major role in the Blue Devils' thrilling 70-65 win over the Gators Saturday at the Charlotte Coliseum, which puts Duke in the national title game for the third time in Clark's four years as a Blue Devil.
The 6-6 reserve scored eight points and connected on 2-of-3 three-point shots, made three assists and had four steals, all while not committing a single turnover in 24 minutes of action.
Perhaps the most important play he made all night, however, was a strip of Florida guard Dan Cross in the game's final 90 seconds. Clark's quick hands prevented the Gators from taking a lead and set up Cherokee Parks' game-clinching layup less than a minute later.
In Duke's four NCAA Tournament games prior to Florida, though, Clark had struggled mightily and was a shadow of the player he was during the regular season.
Clark scored a total of nine points in those four games and had his only back-to-back scoreless games of the year last week against Marquette and Purdue at the Southeast Regionals.
Clark had also made costly turnovers in the backcourt, handling the ball excessively while trying to create a shot to get going offensively.
All the futility and struggles ended against Florida as Clark joined classmates Grant Hill and Tony Lang in making the key plays.
"It meant a lot to play well," Clark said. "In the last couple of games I've been out of character. I had to get back to being me."
For Clark, being himself during the regular season meant being a critical ingredient of this surprising team's success. Clark averaged nearly 10 points per game during the Blue Devils' drive to the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title before lapsing into a 2.3 ppg funk in the postseason.
As a sixth man, Clark provided an offensive lift all year. He had 13 games in double figures, including two 17-point games and three consecutive 16-point performances.
"During the regular season, one of the reasons we're where we are is because of what Marty Clark's done," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "In the postseason, Marty had not played up to that level. Saturday night he did all the little things and also started hitting his shot."
During the NCAA Tournament, Clark was not joining fellow co-captains Hill and Lang in leading the Blue Devils through the draw.
But even during the regular season Clark probably did not get the recognition he deserved as an essential part of this Blue Devil team. Hill and Lang got most of the credit for creating the team chemistry and personality that has served the Blue Devils so well.
"My role on the team has been one of a complementary player," Clark said. "And that's fine with me. You need those types of player to win championships.
"All players go through periods where you're not playing well, and they get frazzled. It's part of the game. I understood what I was going through and I had a great week of practice."
Krzyzewski saw his important player's struggles, and this week in practice he emphasized getting Clark back on track.
"Coach told me, `If we're going to win the national championship, we need you to play well.' I took that in an internalized it."
Clark externalized it on the floor of the Charlotte Coliseum.
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