CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jahlil Okafor learned a valuable lesson Friday night and he offered one up Sunday afternoon.
After getting chastised by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski for showboating in his NCAA Tournament debut for a missed reverse dunk he attempted, the freshman taught San Diego State’s massive front line what a determined future NBA star looks like.
Displaying his entire polished repertoire, the 6-foot-11 Okafor dominated the eighth-seeded Aztecs as Duke ran away from the Mountain West Conference champion and into the Sweet 16 with an impressive 68-49 victory in the South Region third-round contest.
“I had a lot of emotion going through me before the game,” he said. “Me and my brothers, we really just wanted this game.”
Duke will face No. 5 Utah in the South Region semifinals in Houston on Friday.
Okafor, who also had six rebounds and three blocked shots, carried Duke (31-4) to a big first-half lead, scoring 18 points on a series of jump hooks, bank shots and nifty moves in the paint. He drew oohs and aahs from the crowd when he took San Diego State’s Skylar Spencer, the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, off the dribble, dropping in a soft running one-hander, the kind of shot a man his size shouldn’t be able to master.
“I played against big players before, but I haven’t played against anybody that big with that skill set,” Spencer said.
When San Diego State (27-9) made a run after the break, Okafor’s teammates were there to thwart the Aztecs with a furious 20-2 run to put the contest out of reach, turning a 44-37 edge into a 64-39 stranglehold.
Senior Quinn Cook delivered his usual share of back-breaking 3-pointers, scoring 15 points, and Justise Winslow, another almost certain freshman lottery pick, was everywhere, producing a ridiculous line of 13 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks while limiting San Diego State star J.J. O’Brien to eight points on 2-of-10 shooting and three turnovers.
“It just takes us to a whole other level,” Krzyzewski said of his 6-6 southpaw. “Justise won that individual battle, not that [O’Brien] was bad but Justise was so good, and it gave our guys more confidence.”
San Diego State couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean most of the afternoon, unable to match its perimeter production against St. John’s on Friday night. Winston Shepard led the Aztecs with 13 points, but was alone in double-figures as San Diego State was held to 32 percent shooting from the field and made only 2-of-13 3-pointers.
“Their pressure bothered us,” O’Brien said.
Duke made mincemeat out of San Diego State’s defense, shooting 54 percent from the field, committing just nine turnovers and scoring 68 points, 14 more than the stingy Aztecs allowed on average this season.
“That hasn’t happened the way it did tonight,” San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said. “They’ve got a terrific team and they played like a No. 1 seed today.”
The Aztecs couldn’t stay in front of Tyus Jones (six assists), Winslow and Quinn, and when they helped, it led to open 3-point attempts. They also had to help on Okafor in the paint after his fast start, creating even more scrambling.
“It’s a very complementary group of guys because you have, I think, the best low-post scorer in the country in Jah, we have good shooters and we have guys who can drive,” Krzyzewski said. “And so that’s why we’ve been one of the best offensive teams in the country because we have those components. But it starts with Jah because you get — you don’t just get penetration with a dribble, you get penetration with a pass and then you get results.”
Duke now heads to Houston, two wins shy of a Final Four and four wins away from its first championship since 2010. Kentucky remains the heavy favorite, but the Blue Devils may be second in line.
“Me, Justise, Tyus, Grayson [Allen], the freshmen who [came] in here, we had one big dream of winning the national title,” Okafor said. “That’s what led me to come to Duke was the opportunity to win a national title. That’s where all my focus has been the entire season and that’s where it still is. We’re putting everything on the line and that’s our No. 1 goal.”