Disappointed Andrew Platek, Garrison Brooks Discuss Loss to Duke

UNC guard Andrew Platek scored nine points against Duke, but he also had three critical free throw misses that helped Duke come back at the end of regulation and in overtime to beat the Tar Heels 98-96.

Platek was understandably upset about the loss afterward and pointed out that Garrison Brooks got poked in the eye early in overtime.

“Well, we were trying to get the ball inside when that happened,” he said, “and G got his eye scratched out. Apparently, that just randomly happens, I guess. (Note: Wendell Moore Jr. was called for a foul on the play.) But that happened, and he had to sit. Then I think Armando (Bacot) had five fouls, if I’m not mistaken.” (Bacot picked up his fifth foul with 3:15 left in overtime.)

“So we had to go small, too. Our smaller guys aren’t used to playing down low. We also let Tre (Jones) drive to the basket like every possession, and we didn’t really … We had no answer for it. We got called on a lot of ticky-tack fouls down at the end, so it wasn’t a matter of who was out there. It was a matter of how we were defending and playing.”

Big man Garrison Brooks was also upset after the loss. Brooks finished with 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

“Tough game, man,” he said. “Rivalry game. Whoever made plays at the end, they end up getting the W. You just can’t ever feel sorry for yourself. You’ve got to keep working. It was tough to deal with. We had a chance to win. This is probably one of the hardest games to deal with.”