Up by 11 points on the Duke Blue Devils with 15 seconds left in the game, a trip to the Elite Eight secured, the Oregon Ducks had the ball with eight seconds on the shot clock. With the shot clock winding down, forward Dillon Brooks fired up a long three-point field goal attempt, and sank the shot.
The final score would stand at 82-68, and shortly after Brooks met Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski in the handshake line. The television broadcast did not pick up what they said to each other, but it was clearly a back-and-forth conversation, albeit a brief one.
Not to be outdone, Oregon's Dillon Brooks also puts the final touch on his team's win #MarchMadness https://t.co/6cWGpStwcf
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 25, 2016
"He just told me that I'm too good of a player to be showing out at the end," Brooks said after the game. "And he's right. I've got to respect Duke."
Oregon head coach Dana Altman said Brooks taking the shot was not the issue, since Duke's defense surrendered and a shot clock violation would have given them the ball anyway. What appears to be the issue for Brooks and Duke is "trash talking" that apparently took place at various points of the game.
"They were all trash-talking," Brooks said. "I wasn't really trying to say too much. But it's part of the game. Everybody trash-talks and tries to get you out of your game. But that just makes me go harder and fires me up."
While Brooks' exchange with Krzyzewski after the game seemed civil, the one that took place during the first half may well be the one at issue. Brooks hit a three-pointer in front of Duke's bench and appeared to say something to Krzyzewski. Regardless, Coach K said he did not scold Brooks in their postgame exchange.
"I didn't say that," Krzyzewski said after the game. "You can say whatever you want. Dillon Brooks is a hell of a player. I said, 'You're a terrific player.' And you can take whatever he said and then go with it, all right?"
Altman seemed to condemn trash talking in general, saying he "[does not] want our players talking, ever, so I'm not sure what he said or whatever. But we definitely don't want Dillon talking, just playing."
Brooks led the Ducks with 22 points, including four three-pointers. Oregon will now go on to play the Oklahoma Sooners in the Elite Eight. Here's looking forward to Brooks and Buddy Hield going head-to-head at the end of that game.
