We can't remember anymore where the myth that “Duke gets all the calls” started, but Gary Williams had something to do with it. He made snide remarks about that over the years and reportedly in the 2001 Final Four matchup between Duke and Maryland snarled at a ref “how bad do you want Duke to win this game!”
Which is one reason why Maryland struggled so much against Duke. If your leader doesn’t think you can win, why would you?
In the title game that Monday, just a couple of minutes in, Jason Williams fell over Arizona’s Jason Gardner, who was bent over, without touching him: his hands were on the floor and he made no contact with Gardner.