COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett walked off the court with arms wrapped around one another. Williamson leaned in, spoke firmly into Barrett's ear to be heard above the clamor in the stands. Barrett shook his head back and forth, disbelieving.
The scoreboard read Duke 77, UCF 76, and for all the hype surrounding this Blue Devils team over the past six months, those numbers still felt incongruent with the reality of the prior 40 minutes. They'd taken every punch, and here they were, still standing.
"We're not going home, man," Williamson told his teammate.