How Duke basketball responded from its ‘darkest moment’ to the cusp of Final Four

As N.C. State ascended, finding its way, it caused Duke to hit a low point earlier this month.

Coupled with a home loss to North Carolina, the 74-69 setback to the Wolfpack on March 14 in the ACC Tournament threatened to derail Duke’s season.

“After the two losses, it was probably the darkest time of the year for us,” Duke sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor said. “We were getting a lot of hate from everyone.”

As the two Triangle and ACC rivals meet against Sunday in the NCAA Tournament’s South Regional final at American Airlines Center, with even more on the line than their ACC Tournament quarterfinal game 17 days earlier, the Blue Devils (27-8) have dramatically risen from that dark place.

Photos: Duke defeats Houston in the NCAA basketball tournament Sweet 16

While not as dramatic as the Wolfpack’s magical eight-game winning streak that propelled it to its first Elite Eight since 1986, Duke’s NCAA Tournament run allowed the Blue Devils to become what they thought they always were: one of the nation’s top teams.

“Ultimately, the tournament is about competing,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “I mean, that’s really what it comes down to. The teams I’ve been fortunate enough to be on as a player or a coach, be on staff with, the teams that have done the best just competed the best in the tournament when it matters most. And these guys have stepped up to that challenge.”

It took some soul searching and tough conversations to get there.

Team meetings, even among just the players, aren’t rare for Duke. But they had following their ACC Tournament ouster, before the NCAA Tournament began, spawned something special.