UM-Duke: Slap whatever cliché you want on it

Forget the Zantac they made us pop down the stretch.

Forget the fact that with six minutes left they couldn’t figure out how to milk the clock.

Forget the fact that had the game been 30 seconds longer, Duke might have pulled off the inconceivable comeback.

We all knew Duke would shoot lights out from the free throw line in the second half, no matter how poorly they have shot this season.

We all knew Coach K would put on a press defense that gave the Canes fits in the teams’ first meeting. Even if I watched him sit on his hands for 35 minutes from a prime view in the band section.

But what went down tonight was a team, a crowd, a student body coming together and simply refusing to lose.

Coach Frank Haith, in his usual serene postgame manner praised a crowd that was simply the loudest I’ve ever experienced at the BankUnited Center.

“The atmosphere was special,” Haith said. “They definitely helped us.”

To call that an understatement would be like saying to call this win a “signature win” isn’t terribly passé.

But any amount of clichés would be applicable here. This was a Hurricanes team that just refused to bow to an elite team thirsty for retribution after an embarrassing loss against Wake Forest.

Dwayne Collins played out of his mind.

Brian Asbury came off the bench and made a huge impact on the game.

Even Eddie Rios knocked down a couple huge threes in the first half.

And, turns out, Jack is kinda good too.

The team, as well as the crowd, just wouldn’t let up, even when the Devils from up the coast cut what was a 20-point lead down to three.

Haith might want to be his usual composed self, saying “We’re still building our résumé.”

But for tonight, Miami is a basketball school.

Corey Erb is a sophomore majoring in journalism, economics and music business. He writes sports for the Miami Hurricane and the Miami Herald on occasion. He may be contacted at c.erb@umiami.edu.