NCAA Basketball: Best games from 2019-20 season – Duke vs. Stephen F. Austin

Nobody expected the classic that Duke and Stephen F. Austin would produce; let’s look at how it all went down.

For over a month, we’ve talked about the disappointment caused by the national pandemic, but also how thankful we’ve been that much of the season was still played. We had no NCAA Tournament, but there were still numerous fantastic moments and memories that we’ve gone over. The final of our top 40 games of the 2019-20 season is a memorable upset that most fans won’t soon forget.

1. Stephen F. Austin 85, #1 Duke 83, OT

November 26, 2019, Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC

The first month of the college basketball season is regarded for many things. We have early season nonconference tournaments, early rivalry matchups, the Champions Classic, and other exciting showdowns. The rest of the schedule is largely comprised of home-and-homes or buy games, where the home team is heavily favored, especially when a mid-major from Texas travels to Tobacco Road.

Even with plenty of roster transition and a young team, Duke had gotten their season off to a fantastic start. They took care of #3 Kansas during the Champions Classic and had already won the Empire Classic as well, jumping to a 6-0 start and top-ranking to start the season. There was elite talent up and down this roster, with Tre Jones, Cassius Stanley, and Vernon Carey Jr. just to name a few and this team was poised well to contend at the top of the college basketball world.

Stephen F. Austin had been a potent mid-major in recent years but had struggled to a 14-16 finish the previous year. Former coach Brad Underwood was long gone at this point, though fourth-year coach Kyle Keller had a great talent on this roster in Kevon Harris. They won four straight home games to start the year but lost a tough game at Rutgers in their last outing.

On paper, this looked like an easy win for the Blue Devils, who were already playing extraordinary basketball this season. The Lumberjacks got a few early shots, but Duke took control of the game pretty early. Harris’s layup five minutes in made it a 2-point game, but Duke went on another run. The Lumberjacks didn’t have an answer for Carey, who jumpstarted a run that gave the Blue Devils a 14-point lead.

Matthew Hurt extended the lead to 15 a moment later, but surprisingly the Lumberjacks weren’t about to just give up. Harris scored three baskets in a hurry after a pair of Blue Devils turnovers, getting the lead down to double digits again. Harris was a machine, scoring several more times late in the half, as the Lumberjacks got as close as 3-points.

By halftime, Duke had a 45-40 lead in a very offensive opening 20 minutes. Stephen F. Austin had fought hard not to fall out of the game early but it was going to take a monumental effort to fight with the Blue Devils for 20 more minutes. That is, however, exactly what the Lumberjacks did.

Stephen F. Austin survived Duke’s initial surge and kept the game within reach in the opening minutes. Baskets from David Kachelries and Cameron Johnson brought the Lumberjacks within a single possession again, but Duke had an answer on offense. The Lumberjacks kept carving into the lead, and would eventually get back over the top.

Johnson’s layup with just over eight minutes left tied the game, while his free throws seconds later gave the Lumberjacks an unexpected lead. Duke was in for a fight, and Hurt’s 3-pointer a minute later gave them the lead again. The two teams traded baskets and the lead down the stretch, though Stephen F. Austin had built a 3-point advantage with just over three minutes left.

There was still plenty of time for Duke and they did not panic, getting a pair of shots from Carey and a big 3-pointer from Cassius Stanley down the stretch. Harris retied the game with his free throw, but Jones gave Duke the lead again from the foul stripe. It was Gavin Kensmil who tied the game in the final seconds, while Duke failed twice to score, pushing the game into overtime.

Overtime certainly favored Duke behind their raucous home crowd, but the overtime period was very different from regulation. After heavy scoring, there were merely six points scored between the two teams in the extra period. Johnson opened the scoring with a layup two minutes in, after both teams had struggled to get anything going offensively. Carey had the game tied again shortly thereafter, and both teams had plenty of chances down the stretch to score.

What happened at the end of this game will be remembered for years to come. Duke missed their shot near the end, but got the offensive rebound and was able to hold onto the ball until time expired. Kensmil recovered a loose ball down low and got it out to Nathan Bain at the top of the key. He sprinted down the court and laid the ball in the basket as time expired, shocking the home crowd, and giving Stephen F. Austin their program’s most signature regular-season win.

This victory for Stephen F. Austin was profound and unexpected in every way. The Blue Devils hadn’t lost a nonconference home game since 2000, ending a 150-game winning streak, and it had come to a potent mid-major like these Lumberjacks. Harris had 26 points for Stephen F. Austin and they needed every bit of his effort, especially in that late run in the first half. Duke made 50% of their shots, but missed 16 free throws and committed 22 turnovers, giving the Lumberjacks the opportunity for this shocking win.

Stephen F. Austin finished the season 28-3 and were heavy favorites to return to the NCAA Tournament before the Southland Tournament was cancelled. The Blue Devils remained an elite program, nearly winning the ACC regular-season title and finishing in a great position. Both of these teams could have made some noise had March Madness taken place, even if the Lumberjacks would have been doing it from a much lower seed.

Even without a postseason, there were many games, moments, and players to remember from the 2019-20 season. Duke and Stephen F. Austin gave us an exciting showdown and memorable final moment that nobody anticipated and it certainly qualified as the top game of the past season.