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The Duke basketball team saw a swift exit from the ACC Tournament on Thursday following a loss to rival NC State. The Blue Devils were beaten soundly in that contest, trailing the entire second half of action.
While Duke’s social media team was brave enough to post the final score of that matchup on its X feed, it did so in a very cowardly way. No replies!
Being one of college basketball’s blue bloods comes with its drawbacks. Rival fans often look for the first moment to pounce when the team shows a sign of weakness.
They got their opportunity this week.
After posting a 24-7 regular season record, the Blue Devils landed the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament. Facing tenth-seeded NC State, the expectation was that Duke would cruise to a relatively drama free win.
0-0 pic.twitter.com/j0lvarQ8dD
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 14, 2024
Entering as 10.5-point favorites, Jon Scheyer’s bunch fell flat.
After grabbing a 33-32 lead late in the first half of action, NC State wouldn’t look back. They led the rest of the way, ballooning that lead to 41-32 before the Blue Devils made their next bucket.
When all was said and done, the Wolfpack walked out with a 74-69 win to advance to the semifinals. Duke’s tournament run came to a close with college basketball’s Selection Sunday around the corner.
Following the loss, the social media team posted an image of the final score. They cowardly cut the replies, though, in hopes of avoiding further embarrassment.
Final from DC pic.twitter.com/b7YkAADGYl
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 15, 2024
You might notice the replies are now back on, with Duke submitting to the online bullying and changing course. That doesn’t wipe out the initial act!
Opposing basketball fans love to hate Duke, and the Blue Devils gave them the opportunity not only with the on-court loss but with the subsequent online activity. Tough look!