Zion Williamson and Duke are advancing to the Sweet 16 by the skin of their teeth.
The freshman phenom and presumptive No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft scored 32 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the No. 1 overall seed Blue Devils, who needed a comeback in the waning seconds of the game to escape with a 77-76 win over nine-seed UCF.
Fellow freshman R.J. Barrett -- also a consensus top five pick -- poured in 16 points. Tacko Fall, the 7-foot-6 big man for the Knights, went for 15 points and six rebounds.
DUKE HANGS ON 😱#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/JegO2wFY2q
- NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2019
When the Blue Devils trailed in the final minute, it was Williamson who made a key move to the lane and drew an and-one against Fall to foul him out of the game. Williamson missed a game-tying free throw attempt, but Barrett laid the attempt back in for the final margin of victory. UCF missed two chances from close range that would have sent Duke home.
Aubrey Dawkins led UCF with 32 points.
Next up for Duke is a Sweet 16 date with the winner of Virginia Tech-Liberty in Washington, D.C.