First of all, congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils and Coach K on winning the 2015 NCAA National Championship over the Wisconsin Badgers. Their class of freshman was the topic of many conversations over the course of the season, and they showed up in the title game. Point guard Tyus Jones had 23 points and 5 rebounds on his way to winning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Grayson Allen had a breakout game, scoring 16 clutch points down the stretch. Justise Winslow added 11 and Jahlil Okafor had 10, but they were limited due to fouls. Although the freshmen combined for 60 of Duke's 68 point, they are not the reason the game was won. The reason lies in two of the most unheralded Duke players, Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones.
When you eliminate freshmen, four Duke players played last night. Senior leader Quinn Cook scored six, but he seemed not to do as much for Duke as he had in previous games. Marshall Plumlee got on the floor for nine minutes, but he didn't do anything. The two other players, sophomore guard Matt Jones and junior forward Amile Jefferson, are overlooked in the summary of the team's success. Yes, they did only score two points (a Jefferson reverse layup), but they contributed on the defensive end. When Okafor got into foul trouble, Jefferson stepped in and locked down Frank Kaminsky down the stretch, allowing him only 3 points in clutch time. Keep in mind Kaminsky won the National Player of the Year earlier that day. Okafor couldn't stop him, but Jefferson came in and made a large, but overlooked contribution with three blocks and a steal. Matt Jones was assigned to Josh Gasser, a sniper who made large contributions in the tournament. Gasser didn't score the whole game. He helped on the other perimeter shooters as well, limiting them to only 33% shooting from three. What did these two earn for stopping Wisconsin? A piece of the net, because they don't need individual awards. Defense is about team, and it is obvious Jefferson and Jones give all they have to Duke.
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