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College basketball media reacts to Duke basketball upsetting Gonzaga

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 26: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Duke Blue Devils gestures after hitting a 3-pointer against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the Continental Tire Challenge at T-Mobile Arena on November 26, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 26: Paolo Banchero #5 of the Duke Blue Devils gestures after hitting a 3-pointer against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the Continental Tire Challenge at T-Mobile Arena on November 26, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Gonzaga had looked unbeatable to start the 2021-22 season but Duke basketball made a statement in Las Vegas with a huge upset win and the media loved it.

Duke basketball and Gonzaga facing off as two top-five teams in college basketball late on Black Friday was everything hoops fans could ask for. Two elite programs and teams, the two best candidates to be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft with Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren, and a raucous T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Though the Zags had looked unbeatable, including a drubbing of No. 2-ranked UCLA, the Blue Devils delivered a masterful performance. They frustrated and got both Holmgren and Drew Timme into foul trouble, Banchero dominated, Wendell Moore Jr. did everything, and Coach K’s team stepped up.

The Bulldogs never went away but it wasn’t enough as Duke basketball, a heavy underdog coming into the matchup, knocked off the No. 1 team in the country. Naturally, it got the college basketball media stirring, especially after such a great contest.

Duke basketball upsets Gonzaga: College basketball media reacts

The general consensus is that college hoops needs these two teams to meet again — preferably late in March — because this was an instant classic.

Gonzaga is going to drop from the top spot but you have to wonder if Duke will rise up to No. 1 or if they’ll still sit behind Purdue. Regardless, though, the Coach K farewell tour is off to a swimming start and has the look of a team that could certainly win a national championship, which would be an undeniable storybook moment.

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