OMAHA, Neb. — Devonte’ Graham broke into a smile so large it could be seen from Lawrence, Kan. Svi Mykhailiuk starting flapping his arms, egging on the thousands of Kansas fans in attendance. Bill Self pumped his fist and let out an uncharacteristic scream, a rare show of emotion from the Jayhawks’ usually reserved head coach.
After back-to-back Elite Eight losses, the Big 12 powerhouse finally broke through, and it did so by defeating mighty Duke and it’s one-and-done freshmen in a classic regional final its fans won’t soon forget.
“I’m not the most emotional guy, but sometimes you can just be overcome with it, and at that moment I was,” Self said Sunday after the top-seeded Jayhawks knocked off the No. 2 Blue Devils, 85-81, in overtime in front of 17,529 at CenturyLink Center to return to their first Final Four in six years. “You think about it, ‘Hey, in their careers all we’ve been is the No.1 overall seed, the No. 2 overall seed and the No. 3 overall seed and haven’t gotten to a Final Four.’
“So that means that these guys have done so well to put us in a position but we hadn’t kicked the door in yet.”
Seniors Graham and Mykhailiuk, with plenty of help from redshirt sophomore Malik Newman, eliminated that asterisk on Sunday, proving experience still matters this month. That past heartbreak, when used correctly, can lead to euphoric moments. Freshmen, as good as the four were on the loaded Duke roster — and Marvin Bagley III, Wendell Carter Jr., Gary Trent Jr and Trevon Duval are projected first-round picks — don’t own March anymore. For the third straight season, there will be no freshmen-led teams in the Final Four, as Kansas (31-7) will face Villanova, the No. 1 seed from the East Region, in the nightcap Saturday night in San Antonio.
“It just means everything to see these guys be happy going to San Antonio,” said Newman, referring to Graham and Mykhailiuk. “That’s basically what we were playing for, to help these guys get over that hump. … I couldn’t ask for any better leaders than these two guys.”
Newman, a Mississippi State transfer who could only watch from the sidelines last year when Kansas was blitzed by Oregon in the Elite Eight, scored 26 of his game-high 32 points after halftime, and all 13 of the Jayhawks’ points in overtime. The seniors, Graham and Mykhailiuk, were essential. Graham (11 points, six assists), the Big 12 Player of the Year and Naismith Award finalist, made all the right decisions down the stretch. Mykhailiuk, the 6-foot-8 sharpshooter from Ukraine, pulled Kansas even with 25.7 seconds left in regulation with a right wing 3-pointer after missing five of his previous shots, and somehow, despite giving up 3 inches and 29 pounds to Bagley, limited him to 16 points on nine shots, and just four offensive rebounds.
Trevon Duval reacts in the second half of Duke’s Elite Eight loss to Kansas on Sunday.Getty Images“Even though Malik scored a lot of points, I don’t know that anybody had a better game than what Svi had,” Self said of Mykhailiuk, who notched 11 points, a season-high 10 rebounds and five assists.
In the end, the Jayhawks’ experience carried them past the NBA prospects of Duke (29-8). They had the urgency and determination the Blue Devils lacked, the grit to somehow out-rebound bigger Duke by 15. There was the fast start to the second half that gave them a working margin, never panicking once they went down three points late, and the poise under pressure in overtime to execute while Duke grew flustered without the fouled-out Carter (10 points).
After four consecutive free throws from Grayson Allen (12 points on 3-of-13 shooting), Duke led by three with under a minute to go in regulation and had possession. But Carter failed to draw iron on a left-handed drive, and Mykhailiuk pulled Kansas even on the 3-pointer with under a half minute to go. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski opted not to call timeout, putting the ball in Allen’s hands. The senior drove the lane, and his across-the-body bank shot nearly dropped, going halfway down, before rolling off the rim as the regulation horn sounded with the score tied at 72-72.
“That was an epic game,” Self said. “One of the best ones, if not the best, I’ve ever been a part of.”
The teams scored points on the first six possessions of overtime, before Newman sank the game’s biggest shot, a left-corner 3-pointer — one of four he hit from that exact same spot — with 1:47 left to give Kansas an 81-78 lead that was never in danger again.
Soon, the celebration would be on. Kansas was cutting down the nets, headed back to the Final Four. The Elite Eight losses can finally be flushed.
“It’s hard to describe, man,” Graham said. “It just feels unbelievable.”
