The Top Five Duke Comebacks Of All Time

Duke has had some amazing comebacks over the years, so we thought that it might be nice to list the biggest ones, including the biggest of all, which happened 76 years ago.

#1: vs. Tulane (December 30, 1950) – 32-point deficit
In the old Dixie Classic, Duke trailed 54-22 (and by as many as 32) late in the first half, then trailed by 29 at halftime. However, the Blue Devils stormed back to win 74-72. Dick Groat had 24 points in the second half, personally outscoring Tulane in that period. This is still the largest comeback in Duke history and was long recognized as the biggest in NCAA Division I history too.

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It was finally surpassed by Kentucky, with a 31-point comeback over LSU in 1994, and Drexel vs. Delaware, which saw a 34-point comeback in 2018. Duke’s comeback is still the third biggest ever.

#2: vs. Maryland (March 31, 2001 – Final Four) – 22-point deficit
In the national semifinals, Duke was just awful in the first half, falling behind 49-38 at the half. At one point in the first half, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told his team that he wasn’t calling any more plays, and told them to play and “just be Duke.”

Led by Shane Battier and Jason Williams, the Blue Devils outscored Maryland 57-35 in the second half and won, 95-84. This is the largest comeback in Final Four history and propelled Duke to the national championship two days later, where they took down Arizona, 82-72. Duke won every NCAA tournament game by double digits in 2001, but the Maryland game was amazing.

#3: vs. Louisville (February 12, 2019) – 23-point deficit
Trailing 59-36 with under 10 minutes left (a 23-point hole), Duke outscored the Cardinals 35-10 the rest of the way, and won 71-69 on Cam Reddish’s late free throws. It stands as one of the largest late-game regulation comebacks under Mike Krzyzewski and is of the best Duke rallies ever. The highlight: the incredibly arrogant pass by RJ Barrett, between his legs to a trailing Cam Reddish, who nailed a long three to tie the game at…

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Publish date : 2026-08-20 11:55:00

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