March Madness: 10 best moments from the 2019 NCAA Tournament

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: De'Andre Hunter #12, Kyle Guy #5, and Ty Jerome #11 of the Virginia Cavaliers huddle together during overtime against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 24: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball against the UCF Knights during the second half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

6. Duke receives some help from the heavens

After stampeding through the ACC Tournament with the healthy return of Zion Williamson, Duke was ordained by many to be the clear favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils took care of business in the first round very efficiently, but their second round game against UCF was extremely difficult.

Let by former Duke assistant Johnny Dawkins, the Knights proved to be a huge matchup problem for the Blue Devils with Tacko Fall controlling the paint. Dawkins’ son Aubrey also had a monstrous game, pouring in 32 points on 50 percent shooting, but the Knights found themselves down one with seconds to go.

The Knights got not one, but two great opportunities to tie the game that simply wouldn’t go down. That dose of divine intervention saved Duke from a second round exit, and it wouldn’t be the last time that the Blue Devils needed some help from above.

The Sweet 16 Brough a game with Virginia Tech, one of Duke’s bitter rivals from the ACC. The Hokies gave Duke everything they could handle, but the Blue Devils again found themselves up by a bucket with just seconds to go.

Virginia Tech drew up the perfect inbounds play, getting a clear look at a point-blank layup to tie the game. That shot went off the right rim, enabling Duke to survive by the skin of their teeth again and advance into a showdown with Michigan State in the Elite Eight.

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