Adam Smith / Times-News

GREENSBORO – Andre Dawkins packed his supporting-role contributions into a tidy span of less than three minutes of game time Sunday.

The baby-faced freshman guard with the blue braces on his teeth came off the Duke bench and supplied seven straight points in the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament final.

“I’m always ready to come in and play my part,” Dawkins said. “The last few days I’ve had opportunities, just haven’t been able to capitalize and I kind of got on my self. I tried to focus in (Sunday) and make plays.”
Dawkins went scoreless during appearances against Virginia and Miami earlier in the tournament.

But in the championship game, after Duke starter Nolan Smith picked up his second foul at the 7:52 mark of the first half, Dawkins injected the Blue Devils with a meaningful boost.

He buried an open 3-pointer and then drained a long jumper. Fifty-seven seconds later, he ended up with the ball at the top of the key after Duke secured an offensive rebound.

Dawkins pump-faked and drove into the lane – as wide-open teammate Jon Scheyer was stationed behind the 3-point arc and calling for a pass.

With bodies parting in the lane, though, Dawkins decided to ignore the kick-out pass request from Scheyer, Duke’s senior floor leader.

Instead, Dawkins lifted off and soared in for a one-handed dunk that brought to life the strong contingent of Blue Devils fans at the Greensboro Coliseum – including an enthusiastic pocket of women supporting him with hearts drawn on homemade signs.

“I actually did” hear Scheyer calling my name, Dawkins said. “I don’t know. It was just one of those plays. When I drove I wasn’t really thinking about it, but then the lane kind of opened up. Once I took off I figured I might as well.”

COMING OF AGE: Georgia Tech freshman forward Derrick Favors capped off his continuing emergence with an assertive performance of 22 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday’s final.

He earned first-team all-tournament recognition after ending up one point shy of delivering a double-double in all four of the Yellow Jackets’ tournament games.

“It was a good experience all the way around,” Favors said.

Whether it was the 18 rebounds he snatched against North Carolina on Thursday night or the power moves he used on Duke’s post players Sunday, the 6-foot-10 Favors showcased the potential that has him projected as a future top pick in the NBA Draft.

“He’s going to continue to get better,” fellow Georgia Tech big man Gani Lawal said. “He’s not a freshman anymore. He’s like a bona fide super sophomore.”

ON THE SLY: Smith’s 16 points Sunday meant he finished with the tournament as Duke’s third-leading scorer behind Most Valuable Player Kyle Singler and Scheyer.

Most of his 43 points during the three rounds here came in bursts.

“I definitely played a little sneaky,” Smith said. “I got my points here and there, got them in spurts. We’re all going to be around the same point spread every game. We all play together and love playing along with each other.”

By Stephen Schramm / Times-News

MARCH CHILL: Prior to the ACC Tournament, Duke’s Jon Scheyer was the second-leading vote-getter for the league’s Player of the Year honor and the rock solid leader of the top-seeded Blue Devils.

But for much of the event, the senior guard posted pedestrian shooting numbers.

In total, the Blue Devils’ leading scorer was 13-for-40 from the field during Duke’s three games in Greensboro. He was 5-for-21 from beyond the arc.

“My teammates and coaches, even though I hadn’t been hitting, kept telling me the whole game to keep shooting,” Scheyer said. “They all had confidence in me.”

That confidence was rewarded when Scheyer nailed a 3 with 18 seconds left to push Duke’s lead to 63-59.

“On top of him not playing too well the whole tournament, it didn’t bother him on that last shot,” forward Lance Thomas said. “…I didn’t have any doubt it was going in. I didn’t even go for the rebound.”

LONG, PRODUCTIVE WEEK: Tattooed along the upper portion of the right arm of Georgia Tech’s Maurice Miller is the word “Miracle.”

If Georgia Tech had stunned top-seed Duke, it likely wouldn’t have qualified as one, but given the difficulty of winning four games in four days, it wouldn’t have been far off.

“We felt like we came out and fought this whole tournament and established ourselves as an elite program,” Miller said. “We feel like we can play with anybody.”

In falling to the Blue Devils 65-61, the Yellow Jackets met the same fate as the other teams that have come from the tournament’s first day to the title game.

In 1997, eighth-seed North Carolina State fell to North Carolina 64-54 in the championship game. A decade later, the Tar Heels downed the 10th-seed Wolfpack 89-80 for the 2007 ACC Tournament crown.

Miller said fatigue wasn’t an issue for the Yellow Jackets (22-12).

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Yellow Jackets forward Derrick Favors said. “I just need to go back to Georgia Tech, jump in an ice tub and I’ll be
straight tomorrow.”

While they fell short of their ultimate goal, the Yellow Jackets’ performance did alter the perception of a team that won just two of its final seven regular season games.

“People know that we can play and know what kind of talent we have,” Miller said. “We just weren’t leaving it out on the floor. I think with all the stuff going on and people kind of doubting us, it made us step up and want to prove a point, not only to them but to ourselves.”