Poll: Does Duke's Coach K get the big calls when his team needs them? – SILive.com

The howling began early.
 
Just as soon as Wisconsin started stringing together all those fouls early in the second half in Monday’s NCAA Tournament championship game.
  A lopsided number, that rose to nine for the Badgers vs. three for the Duke Blue Devils by the eight-minute mark of the half.
 
By the time the refs blew Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes for one last significant whistle on a loose-ball tangle with Duke’s Tyus Jones with 35 seconds remaining on the way to a 68-63 Duke victory, the chorus of conspiracy theorists could be heard loud and clear from Madison, Wisconsin, to New Dorp.
 
And just about everyplace in between.
 
The general theme is simply this:
 
In the big games Duke and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski get the big calls when they need them.
 
The winner of 1,018 career games and five national titles is too often recipient of a friendly whistle, is the general battle cry.
 
Coach K’s status as the most successful college coach of the past half-century wins him advantage, Duke haters insist.
 
In Monday’s game in Indianapolis those folks point to a critical two-minute stretch in the second half as exhibit #1 in the case against the Dukies.
 
Wisconsin had built a 48-39 lead at that point.
 
And looked pretty comfortable running offense and guarding the Blue Devils (with their three freshmen potential NBA lottery picks).
 
That’s when Duke super-sub Grayson Allen drained a three-pointer, and Wisconsin’s Traevon Jackson was called for a foul on the ensuing possession.
 
Allen drove the ball seconds later, made the basket and was fouled by the Badgers’ Sam Dekker.
 
The freshman was then fouled on a drive by Duje Dukan, and made a pair of free throws.
 
And Duke’s Jones converted a three-point play moments later, after Wisconsin’s fourth foul in two minutes.
 
The score was 51-50 following the 11-3 run.
 
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was fuming.
 
And the tide had definitely turned.
 
Jones (the eventual game MVP) made a jumper over Frank Kaminsky to tie it at 54-54 a couple of minutes later.
 
It was pretty much downhill from there for the Badgers.
 
Afterward there were some veiled (and not so veiled) references from Ryan and his players that Duke got away with some pretty rugged screen-setting etc.
 
And, not surprisingly, the anti-Duke lobby geared up full-throttle in support of that idea.
 
But you tell us by casting a vote in our poll.
 
Does Duke and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski get a break from officials?
 
Or
 
Is the whole idea a figment of the imagination of the anti-Duke fan contingent across America?

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