Duke-UNC: Austin Rivers reflects on game-winner 10 years later
By Andy Katz
FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst
Austin Rivers’ game-winning 3-pointer at North Carolina was the greatest, most significant bucket a Duke player has made for coach Mike Krzyzewski in the long-storied rivalry game — full stop.
Rivers’ clutch dagger was nearly 10 years to the day before Coach K will bring the Blue Devils to the Smith Center for the last time in his coaching career.
The ninth-ranked Blue Devils (18-3, 8-2) head to Chapel Hill on Saturday to play North Carolina (16-6, 8-3) in the first of two meetings this season in what is undoubtedly college basketball’s greatest grudge match.
But nothing could top Rivers’ shot on Feb. 8, 2012.
The 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Duke an 85-84 win over then-No. 5 North Carolina. Duke was No. 9, so it wasn’t like this was a David vs. Goliath situation (which it never is when these two teams meet).
Still, the Tar Heels were perceived to be the better team at the time, and the 3 ended things with no time left, calling for Rivers to be mobbed by his teammates.
"I can’t remember the actual shot, but I do remember my boys caught up to me," said Rivers, now a top reserve for the Denver Nuggets. "It all happened so fast. We were lucky to be in that game at that point. We had come back. I didn’t want it to go into overtime. I went for it."
North Carolina held a 13-point lead on Duke before the Blue Devils came storming back. Both teams were littered with future NBA players. The Tar Heels had Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall, while Duke had Rivers, Seth Curry, Miles and Mason Plumlee, and Quinn Cook.
Rivers said the shot definitely helped him in his career and increased his confidence.
"I’ve always been a high-confidence guy, but anytime something like that happens in a game like that, in high-pressure situations, it can snowball and propel you," he said. "It was definitely the biggest shot of my college career. There aren’t many bigger. I’ve had a few game-winners in the NBA. But you have to be comfortable taking that shot."
Playing in a high-intensity game such as Duke-Carolina can prepare a player for any situation. You can’t mimic that pressure. And you have to be ready, something Rivers said he has been as a rotational player in his 10-year NBA career with New Orleans, the LA Clippers, Washington, Houston, New York and Denver.
"You have to be confident that you’re going to play right away and get into the game and perform," Rivers said. "You have to be ready to make shots like that. I go back to that big moment and think about it at times."
Rivers’ parents, Doc and Kristen Rivers, were in attendance that night in Chapel Hill, too, something that isn’t lost on him now.
"That was pretty cool," he said. "Now, as a parent myself, I see that clip and realize that it’s pretty cool. I was fortunate that they were able to come."
Austin Rivers played just one season for Duke. But like all former Coach K players, he is now part of the Duke brotherhood. He said he hopes that in Coach K's final visit to UNC, he receives the respect and adulation he deserves.
"It was amazing to be coached by him," he reflected. "[I continue] to be amazed. I reach out to him as a resource and a source of information. It’s something I don’t take for granted. Coach K has done so much. It’s been pretty special, and it’s hard to put into words. I just hope he enjoys this last trip to Chapel Hill.
"Go Duke."
Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on FOX Sports and Big Ten Network platforms, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast "March Madness 365." Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, prior to that, in newspapers for nine years.
