Remembering Lehigh’s Win Over Duke: 10 Years Later
3/16/2022 11:57:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Support, Features
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
"Suspend Disbelief."
That was Lehigh Men's Basketball's saying heading into its NCAA Tournament game against Duke 10 years ago today.
They certainly did that, and more.
The 75-70 win on March 16, 2012 will always be a historic moment for not only the program and Lehigh Athletics department, but also the university. It brought together people – past and present, near and far – and was a display of the power of sports.
Let's take a look back…
The 2011-12 season was my second at Lehigh and second as Sports Information Director for the Mountain Hawks' men's basketball program. After winning the 2010 Patriot League Championship and facing top-seeded Kansas in the NCAA Tournament (and giving the Jayhawks a run for their money for long stretches), there was a feeling that 2011-12 could be special.
Little did anyone realize how special it would be.
A competitive regular season saw the Mountain Hawks earn the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and win at top-seeded Bucknell in the championship game – Lehigh's second victory at Bucknell in less than a month. It came against a very strong Bison team that, like Lehigh, featured a future NBA player in Mike Muscala.
On Selection Sunday, there was not only excitement, but also genuine confidence amongst the players when they heard that Duke was the opponent. Don't get me wrong, there was a ton of respect for the Duke program and that year's team, which was 27-6 and 13-3 in the ACC. But the strength of the Blue Devils was their guards, which was also Lehigh's greatest strength. The Mountain Hawks' backcourt featured future NBA standout CJ McCollum, along with Mackey McKnight – who finished his Lehigh career with 1,327 points and 574 assists, and went on to play several years professionally overseas.
Lehigh knew it could match Duke's strength with strength.
I told him regardless of what would happen in the game, the moment would not be too big for this Lehigh team.
Earlier that season, Lehigh lost at St. John's, Iowa State and Michigan State by single digits. Michigan State went on to earn a No. 1 seed in that NCAA Tournament, and the Mountain Hawks were leading the Spartans at the half and gave them everything they could handle.
Having one of the top scorers in the nation in McCollum, the intangibles, confidence and "suspend disbelief" mindset, Lehigh men's basketball wasn't a "typical" No. 15 seed.
When thinking about the game itself… For as well as the Mountain Hawks played, it felt like they could have played even better. Lehigh shot 38.5 percent in the first half (10-of-26) and just 28.6 percent from three (2-of-7) and 54.5 percent from the free throw line (6-of-11), yet only trailed by two at the half.
The Mountain Hawks never wavered. With Duke leading 42-39, Lehigh went on an 8-0 run – capped off by a McCollum 3-pointer – to go ahead 47-42. The Blue Devils responded with the next six points to retake the lead, but only 15 seconds after Austin Rivers hit a free throw to put Duke up 49-47, McKnight answered on the other end to put Lehigh in front, 50-49.
The Mountain Hawks would not trail the rest of the way.
That McKnight three was a play that struck me in the moment, and continues to stick with me 10 years later.
Why?
Usually, it feels like underdogs have to scratch and claw extra hard to make a run against a top seed, then oftentimes, the favorite responds in the blink of an eye. But in many ways, the roles were reversed in this case. After all Duke had done to retake the lead, all it took was 15 seconds… Fifteen seconds for McKnight to answer.
The last couple minutes were highlighted by big dunks – from John Adams, Gabe Knutson and Jordan Hamilton – and a lot of free throws. A 59-54 Lehigh lead heading into the final two minutes ended 75-70. Duke did a great job extending the game and giving itself a chance, but the Mountain Hawks made enough plays in the end.
Everyone will talk about McCollum's 30 points, rightfully so. It was arguably the day that turned him from a great player with a future playing professionally somewhere, into an NBA lottery pick. Not to be forgotten, though, was his supporting cast, who without, Lehigh would not have won.
Facing big men on Duke much bigger and taller than him, Knutson finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, shooting 5-of-5 from the floor. McKnight had 11 points while Hamilton added eight and John Adams scored seven. Justin Maneri played meaningful minutes as the backup center, posting two points and three rebounds. B.J. Bailey had four rebounds and two assists.
It's a moment that's so telling of the person McCollum was (and is).
Speaking of McCollum, I received a request for McCollum and Coach Reed to be interviewed at halftime of the next day's first Round of 32 game – Syracuse vs. Kansas State – live by the studio hosts, which included Charles Barkley. When I told McCollum that Charles Barkley was going to interview him, his eyes lit up in such a genuinely excited way.
Again, a small moment I'll never forget.
All the while, the impact of the victory was being felt in so many ways, from national media attention to the Lehigh Athletics website not being able to keep up with the incredible number of people wanting to learn more about the team that just knocked off a giant.
For that night, the Mountain Hawks were the top story in all of sports (and that's not an understatement).
In the end, I am proud of how many media requests we fulfilled, both national and local. The requests kept coming deep into the following day until it got to a point that Saturday afternoon, we decided internally (the coaching staff and I), to cut off any more requests to allow full focus on the Round of 32 game vs. Xavier. (In the end, I don't remember receiving any requests beyond our cutoff point anyway.)
Another moment that I'll never forget came the day after the Duke win. Keep in mind, we were in UNC country (Greensboro, North Carolina). There are a lot of stories about the way the Tar Heel fans stuck around (after their NCAA Tournament win over Vermont) to root on Lehigh against Duke… Along those lines, when the Mountain Hawks' team travel party headed to dinner on that Saturday, we got off the bus on the corner. Within seconds, people noticed it was Lehigh and started clapping. The same was true after entering the restaurant.
The UNC fan support was a very real thing (and I know much-appreciated by the team).
Lehigh versus Xavier was the final Round of 32 game of the weekend, and the Mountain Hawks became the first No. 15 seed to lead its next game at halftime. But Xavier proved too much in the end.
That didn't take away from a moment that will live in Lehigh history, and forever be one of the most iconic moments the NCAA Tournament has ever seen.
"Suspend Disbelief."
That was Lehigh Men's Basketball's saying heading into its NCAA Tournament game against Duke 10 years ago today.
They certainly did that, and more.
The 75-70 win on March 16, 2012 will always be a historic moment for not only the program and Lehigh Athletics department, but also the university. It brought together people – past and present, near and far – and was a display of the power of sports.
Let's take a look back…
The 2011-12 season was my second at Lehigh and second as Sports Information Director for the Mountain Hawks' men's basketball program. After winning the 2010 Patriot League Championship and facing top-seeded Kansas in the NCAA Tournament (and giving the Jayhawks a run for their money for long stretches), there was a feeling that 2011-12 could be special.
Little did anyone realize how special it would be.
A competitive regular season saw the Mountain Hawks earn the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and win at top-seeded Bucknell in the championship game – Lehigh's second victory at Bucknell in less than a month. It came against a very strong Bison team that, like Lehigh, featured a future NBA player in Mike Muscala.
On Selection Sunday, there was not only excitement, but also genuine confidence amongst the players when they heard that Duke was the opponent. Don't get me wrong, there was a ton of respect for the Duke program and that year's team, which was 27-6 and 13-3 in the ACC. But the strength of the Blue Devils was their guards, which was also Lehigh's greatest strength. The Mountain Hawks' backcourt featured future NBA standout CJ McCollum, along with Mackey McKnight – who finished his Lehigh career with 1,327 points and 574 assists, and went on to play several years professionally overseas.
Lehigh knew it could match Duke's strength with strength.
When the team practiced at the Greensboro Coliseum, I sat down with Jim Nantz – prominent CBS announcer who would be broadcasting the game with Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson. To this day, I don't remember many details of what was discussed, but I do remember one thing…John Adams recalls the confidence the Mountain Hawks had entering the NCAA Tournament Game vs. Duke 10 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/JqMyoWxpPi
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 16, 2022
I told him regardless of what would happen in the game, the moment would not be too big for this Lehigh team.
Earlier that season, Lehigh lost at St. John's, Iowa State and Michigan State by single digits. Michigan State went on to earn a No. 1 seed in that NCAA Tournament, and the Mountain Hawks were leading the Spartans at the half and gave them everything they could handle.
Having one of the top scorers in the nation in McCollum, the intangibles, confidence and "suspend disbelief" mindset, Lehigh men's basketball wasn't a "typical" No. 15 seed.
When thinking about the game itself… For as well as the Mountain Hawks played, it felt like they could have played even better. Lehigh shot 38.5 percent in the first half (10-of-26) and just 28.6 percent from three (2-of-7) and 54.5 percent from the free throw line (6-of-11), yet only trailed by two at the half.
The Mountain Hawks never wavered. With Duke leading 42-39, Lehigh went on an 8-0 run – capped off by a McCollum 3-pointer – to go ahead 47-42. The Blue Devils responded with the next six points to retake the lead, but only 15 seconds after Austin Rivers hit a free throw to put Duke up 49-47, McKnight answered on the other end to put Lehigh in front, 50-49.
The Mountain Hawks would not trail the rest of the way.
That McKnight three was a play that struck me in the moment, and continues to stick with me 10 years later.
Why?
Usually, it feels like underdogs have to scratch and claw extra hard to make a run against a top seed, then oftentimes, the favorite responds in the blink of an eye. But in many ways, the roles were reversed in this case. After all Duke had done to retake the lead, all it took was 15 seconds… Fifteen seconds for McKnight to answer.
The last couple minutes were highlighted by big dunks – from John Adams, Gabe Knutson and Jordan Hamilton – and a lot of free throws. A 59-54 Lehigh lead heading into the final two minutes ended 75-70. Duke did a great job extending the game and giving itself a chance, but the Mountain Hawks made enough plays in the end.
Everyone will talk about McCollum's 30 points, rightfully so. It was arguably the day that turned him from a great player with a future playing professionally somewhere, into an NBA lottery pick. Not to be forgotten, though, was his supporting cast, who without, Lehigh would not have won.
Facing big men on Duke much bigger and taller than him, Knutson finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, shooting 5-of-5 from the floor. McKnight had 11 points while Hamilton added eight and John Adams scored seven. Justin Maneri played meaningful minutes as the backup center, posting two points and three rebounds. B.J. Bailey had four rebounds and two assists.
As someone in my role of Media Relations, nothing could prepare me for what was to come postgame. It began with CBS, national and local radio all conducting interviews right after the game. An influx of media requests came via email and text – everything from SportsCenter wanting to talk with Coach Reed that night, to local media asking for an interview the next morning, and much more. This is in addition to the normal media responsibilities on site – both press conferences and an open locker room. Amidst all these requests, I will never forget McCollum coming to me and saying something to the effect of: "I know you're really busy (managing all these requests). Let me know what I can do to help."B.J. Bailey talks about the team's mindset, and feeling when the clock hit zero of the NCAA Tournament win over Duke 10 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/cowphFaaBx
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 16, 2022
It's a moment that's so telling of the person McCollum was (and is).
Speaking of McCollum, I received a request for McCollum and Coach Reed to be interviewed at halftime of the next day's first Round of 32 game – Syracuse vs. Kansas State – live by the studio hosts, which included Charles Barkley. When I told McCollum that Charles Barkley was going to interview him, his eyes lit up in such a genuinely excited way.
Again, a small moment I'll never forget.
All the while, the impact of the victory was being felt in so many ways, from national media attention to the Lehigh Athletics website not being able to keep up with the incredible number of people wanting to learn more about the team that just knocked off a giant.
For that night, the Mountain Hawks were the top story in all of sports (and that's not an understatement).
In the end, I am proud of how many media requests we fulfilled, both national and local. The requests kept coming deep into the following day until it got to a point that Saturday afternoon, we decided internally (the coaching staff and I), to cut off any more requests to allow full focus on the Round of 32 game vs. Xavier. (In the end, I don't remember receiving any requests beyond our cutoff point anyway.)
Another moment that I'll never forget came the day after the Duke win. Keep in mind, we were in UNC country (Greensboro, North Carolina). There are a lot of stories about the way the Tar Heel fans stuck around (after their NCAA Tournament win over Vermont) to root on Lehigh against Duke… Along those lines, when the Mountain Hawks' team travel party headed to dinner on that Saturday, we got off the bus on the corner. Within seconds, people noticed it was Lehigh and started clapping. The same was true after entering the restaurant.
The UNC fan support was a very real thing (and I know much-appreciated by the team).
Lehigh versus Xavier was the final Round of 32 game of the weekend, and the Mountain Hawks became the first No. 15 seed to lead its next game at halftime. But Xavier proved too much in the end.
That didn't take away from a moment that will live in Lehigh history, and forever be one of the most iconic moments the NCAA Tournament has ever seen.
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