Top Ranked Duke Comes Back To Beat Florida In The Phil Knight Invitational Championship

Like Duke had to do Friday against Texas in the semifinal they also had to rally to beat Florida Sunday in the Phil Knight Invitational Championship in Portland Oregon.

Marvin Bagley had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and No. 1 Duke rallied late to beat No. 7 Florida 87-84 on Sunday night for the Motion Bracket championship at the Phil Knight Invitational tournament. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Gary Trent Jr., who had a pair of free throws that pulled the Blue Devils in front and a key steal in the final moments, finished with 15 points. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Bagley, a 6-foot-11 freshman, has six double-doubles in eight games this season for Duke (8-0). He was named the bracket's Most Valuable Player. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

KeVaughn Allen had 17 points for Florida (5-1). Jalen Hudson added 24 points and 10 rebounds."according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Florida led by as many as 17 points midway through the second half. Duke closed within 78-70 on consecutive jumpers from Wendell Carter Jr. and a pair of free throws from Bagley. "according tohttp://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Grayson Allen's 3-pointer got Duke within 82-79 with 3:07 left, putting the Blue Devils fans on their feet. Bagley's layup closed the gap to 84-83 and Trent made free throws to put Duke in front 85-84 with 1:12 left. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Hudson missed a free throw to tie it before Trent's steal with 12 seconds left. Trent made clutch free throws for the final margin. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The teams were among the 16 Nike teams that took part in the three-day tournament, dubbed the PK80, that started on Thanksgiving and took a hiatus Saturday for college football. Fourth-ranked Michigan State beat defending NCAA champion North Carolina 63-45 earlier in the evening in the Victory Bracket. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The event honored Nike co-founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Both Florida and Duke were coming off hard-fought overtime victories. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The Gators defeated No. 7 Gonzaga 111-105 in double overtime on Friday night to advance. Hudson had a career-high 35 points, 31 of them coming in the second half. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Florida opened the tournament with a 108-87 victory over Stanford."according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The five-time NCAA champion Blue Devils defeated Texas 85-78 in overtime on Friday, led by Bagley with 34 points and 15 rebounds. Duke opened the tournament with a 99-81 victory over Portland State on Thanksgiving. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Egor Koulechov, a graduate transfer from Rice, hit a 3-pointer that put the Gators up 16-4 early. KeVaughn Allen added a layup to extend it. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Gorjok Gak's dunk pushed Florida's lead to 30-19 at the midpoint of the first half, but Bagley answered with a 3-pointer on the other end. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Duke got within 33-31 after Trent's 3-pointer and Grayson Allen made consecutive 3-pointers to give the Blue Devils a 42-37 lead with 4:20 left in the half, capping a 22-5 run. The Gators went back ahead a 49-48 on Chris Chiozza's layup, and ended the half on a 14-2 run to lead 53-49 at the break. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Bagley led all scorers with 18 points and eight rebounds at the half. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Florida's momentum continued in the second half, opening with an 8-2 run to go up 61-51. Hudson's layup capped an 11-0 run that extended the Gators' lead to 72-57. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The teams last played on Dec. 6, 2016, in the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden, with Duke coming out on top 84-74. Duke leads the all-time series 13-4. "according http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The Gators have defeated a top-ranked team twice in the team history. Florida beat then-No. 1 Duke in the 2000 Sweet 16, and then No. 1 Ohio State for the 2007 NCAA Tournament championship. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

BIG PICTURE

Duke: Wendell Carter had four double-doubles through the first eight games, but he picked up three fouled early against Florida. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Florida: Hudson is a transfer from Virginia Tech. With his 13th point of the night, KeVaughn Allen reached 1,000 for his career."according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

UNCLE PHIL: Knight was presented with a special commemorative PK80 trophy during a break in the first half, earning a standing ovation from the crowd at the Moda Center. Nike's corporate headquarters are in Beaverton, just west of Portland. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211687316&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Duke will next travel to Bloomington for their ACC -Big Ten Challenge matchup with Indiana Wednesday.

Tip-off is set for 9:30pm. The game will be televised on ESPN. "according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1845&SPSID=22726