Beyond the Arc: Duke basketball vs. Gonzaga

For the fourth straight game, Duke used a stingy defensive performance to keep its NCAA tournament run going. The top-seeded Blue Devils claimed the South Regional title Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium in Houston with a 66-52 win against No. 2 seed Gonzaga. Matt Jones and Justise Winslow led Duke with 16 points apiece as the Blue Devils punched their ticket to the FInal Four in Indianapolis, their first since 2010:

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Get contributions from the bench: The Blue Devils were able to prevail despite getting almost no help from their second unit. The trio of Marshall Plumlee, Amile Jefferson and Grayson Allen combined for no points and five rebounds in 31 combined minutes, though Jefferson contributed solid defense in his 20 minutes of work. Nonetheless, the bench contributions the Bulldogs got from freshman forward Domantas Sabonis—who had nine points and four rebounds—gave Gonzaga a huge advantage, one of the few it enjoyed on the afternoon.
• Control tempo: This was a big reason Duke pulled away despite getting no bench points. The Blue Devils were opportunistic with chances in transition and took advantage when the Bulldogs made mistakes late in the game. Duke built a 17-2 edge in points off turnovers and a 8-2 lead in transition points that helped it overcome another relatively quiet night from ACC Player of the Year Jahlil Okafor.
• Win the battle of the backcourts: Most were focusing on the efforts of Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook entering the contest, but the solid play of sophomore guard Matt Jones coupled with Tyus Jones' attacking mentality made sure the Blue Devils won the battle on the perimeter. Duke's trio of guards combined for 41 points and eight assists while limiting Gonzaga's three starting guards to 19 points and four assists. Tyus Jones' 15-point, six-assist effort, Cook's defense and Matt Jones' 4-of-7 display from 3-point range are a big reason the Blue Devils are marching on to Indianapolis.

Three key plays:

• 18:07, second half: After Gonzaga scores the first five points of the second half to tie the game at 31, Matt Jones comes up big as he did all game long, swishing a corner triple off a feed from Tyus Jones to put Duke back up by three.
• 4:48, second half: This is the moment that will stay with Gonzaga and Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer—who had 13 of his 16 points in the first half. With the Bulldogs down two, Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski draws two defender and flicks a nifty pass over his shoulder to a wide-open Wiltjer underneath the basket, but the 6-foot-10 forward blows the layup. The Blue Devils then go on to close the game on a 13-1 run.
  
• 2:48, second half: Winslow continues putting on a show in his hometown, essentially sealing the win with a dagger 3-pointer from the left wing to put his team up by nine.
  

Three key stats:

• Duke allows 53.5 points per game on its way to the Final Four
• Okafor limited to fewer than 10 points for second straight game
• Plus-28 edge in 3-pointers and free throws and 8-1 steals advantage help Blue Devils overcome poor shooting

And the Duke game ball goes to.... Matt Jones