Zion, Duke wake up to crush North Dakota State in NCAA Tournament opener
The player who was flexing after a highlight-reel drive through traffic for a bucket-and-foul stood 5-foot-11, 190 pounds. He spent last season at Western Nebraska Community College. He didn’t hold a Division I scholarship offer coming out of high school.
In many ways, Vinnie Shahid is the anti-Zion Williamson. And in the NCAA Tournament, that’s the perfect kind of story.
Shahid and 16th-seeded North Dakota State fought hard Friday against Williamson and top-seeded Duke. The Bison gave a packed house at Colonial Life Arena — and millions watching on television — an unexpected thrill for the better part of 20 minutes. The Summit League champions were leading the national title favorites late in the first half after Shahid completed a three-point play with his own flavor of swagger.
Duke still came back to win the game easily, 85-62, but NDSU players still earned themselves a lifetime of memories.
They hung with the mighty Blue Devils for a half — and they shared a court with Williamson.
South Carolina’s own was spectacular in his first NCAA Tournament debut. The Spartanburg product and likely No. 1 pick in June’s NBA Draft scored 25 points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked a shot.
“I remember watching March Madness, like live-streaming it in high school and middle school, just watching the intense games and telling myself I was going to be a part of that,” Williamson said. “So I think last night, when I was sitting in my hotel room, I’m like, wow, I’m actually here. It’s very exciting. But you’ve got to put the excitement aside and just go out there and try to get the win.”
In one 3-minute, 56-second stretch of the second half — a.k.a. when Duke put away any thought of a titanic upset — Williamson hit a short jumper, scored while getting fouled, dunked off a missed free throw, had a transition layup after a steal and hit a 3. It was part of a 19-5 run that made Shahid’s early heroics a distant memory.
“Before that even happened,” Williamson said, “my teammates were in my ear. They were just like be me, like be myself. My teammates, and obviously coach said the same thing. When they’re constantly telling you to be yourself, it just gives you energy, and I just try to bring energy for my team. I think in those situations I just happened to be in the right spot.”
Shahid, NDSU’s point guard, scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half as the Bison were within four.
With Williamson leading the charge, the Blue Devils shot 57 percent in the second half. R.J. Barrett, Duke’s other lottery-bound freshman, had 26 points and 14 boards.
Next
Duke advances to face VCU or UCF on Sunday at a time to be announced. North Dakota State’s season ends with a 19-16 record.
Notes and numbers
Plus-24: Duke outscored NDSU, 42-18, in the paint.
Five: The Blue Devils were credited with five dunks, including three from Williamson.
31: The Bison shot 31 percent in the second half.
Postgame reaction
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on NDSU: “They return, everybody, watch out, man. Watch out. They’re going to be that team in their conference. That’s my prediction.”
Zion Williamson on playing in South Carolina: “It’s nice to be in my home state, but like I said in our last press conference, I can’t put my personal happiness before my teammates. We did start out very sluggish. We weren’t playing very well. But I think in the second half we calmed down, and we just started playing Duke basketball.”
North Dakota State coach David Richman: “What our guys accomplished in the last three weeks in particular and over the last six weeks is tremendous. But that doesn’t come close to what I’m really proud of. What I’m really proud of is how they did it. We talked a lot about representing a school, a community, a fan base, a state the right way, and to me, these guys did it.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2019 at 9:12 PM.
