Was it karma that Grayson Allen's shot didn't fall for Duke?

There might have been a metaphysical assist (and perhaps the good Doctor - or maybe both of the good Doctors - up above blew the ball around the rim from up in the heavens), but the actual answer is:

NO.

The reason the shot didn't fall was because MALIK NEWMAN played other-worldly defense on that final possession, and so flummoxed Allen on every approach to the hoop (on every pivot and move) that the latter had no choice but to take a completely off-balance shot - with Newman's outstretched arm in his face, as Malik fell to the floor from his Superman effort - and wound up throwing up a bank shot that should never have seen the light of day. Appropriately so, it did not, albeit after a little drama. Well, a LOT of drama.

Malik Newman absolutely SHUT GRAYSON DOWN all game and all day long. Allen went 3-13 and 2-9 from behind the arc with Newman in his grill all day. The same Newman that took the entire game over offensively and carried KU on his back, both in the 2nd half and clearly in OT (when he scored every point KU had in that make-or-break period).

I cannot think of a more dominant performance, on such a high-stakes stage, in such an epic game, than what I saw from Newman on both ends of the court yesterday. The only thing that matches it would be Danny in the '88 championship game. Perhaps I'm missing something, but in terms of an overall game, operating at a truly elite, stratospheric level on both ends of the court, in a Final 4-enabling win, it just blows the mind.

Karma may get an "assist" on this one ... but having watched the play a dozen times now on DVR (after the live broadcast the first time) I can say without a doubt that it was Newman's defense that prevented the clean look and more accurate shot that could have (and probably would have) left the Hawks and the extended Flock reeling and very, very sad as the last couple seconds ticked off the clock.

Thank goodness for small miracles, voracious "want-to" inspired by the will to win, and incredible effort/execution.

Hat's off...

I love that you posted it, and I get the karma thing (which should help us come Saturday, lol, given Louisville two years ago), but felt compelled to posit the "terra firma" reasoning.

DeSousa definitely got his arm up to help, but the left arm of Newman is the arm that was in Allen's face and blocking his line of sight. Great defense all around. In a game punctuated by great defense by Kansas, starting with Svi on Bagley. Still shaking my head in wonder at the coaching staff scouting and personnel decision there (Svi on their dominant big). Our coaches rock.

May karma be fully on display Saturday and Monday, helping KU to avenge the Elite 8 losses to Villanova (2016) and Michigan (2013), should Michigan advance over Loyola.

Honestly, while that would be sweet, I'm going to be rooting mightily for Loyola in the first game Saturday for two reasons:

* I love their entire story (including the '63 championship season and groundbreaking integration angle to it), and wish them well

* If we beat Villanova, I have no burning desire to play a Michigan team that is on a flaming-hot tear of a run and could give us problems.

* If we beat Nova and get to the final, we "should" beat Loyola. But if for some reason they pulled off the upset, I could live with that outcome far, far more than seeing Michigan win it all. Or Nova for that matter, should we not get past them Saturday.

For all those reasons, I'll pull for Loyola Saturday and then KU over Loyola Monday (or Loyola over Nova if things don't go quite our way).

All that being said, I have a good feeling about our Hawks against Nova and also Michigan, if it comes to that. It will be a gauntlet, but it's in San Antonio (where we won it all...and our players practice every day in a facility that has the floor centerpiece from the '08 Final Four on the wall!), we're the underdog Saturday so we'll have a chip, we owe those guys, Dok should play better, we have a fully rounded-out team with true depth, and karma should be in play.

Late in regulation during the KU-Duke game, when the foul disparity was 9:3 Duke to KU and things were very tense, I texted HawkErrant the following:

"If we can just get to San Antonio we will win it all." "Just gotta get there"

May karma and the basketball gods make it so. May Coach Self and the staff do the exceptional scouting and game-planning job they did this past weekend, may the players all execute and fight to the utmost of their ability, and may we get as many "A" games from the entire squad as is possible.