Was Grayson Allen back to his antics against Virginia?

The No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers went into Cameron Indoor and did something the Hoos hadn’t done in 23 years: knocked off the Blue Devils. Duke, who was ranked No. 4, trailed the Hoos 32-22 at the half, but rallied in the second to take the lead before Virginia battled back for the 65-63 win.

It was the type of game everyone had hoped for as two outstanding teams traded blows and pitted the best defense in the country (Virginia, duh) against the high-octane offense of the Blue Devils. The Hoos prevailed thanks to some outstanding play from several players, and Ty Jerome salted the game away on a deep, brutal three with 39 seconds left in the game.

While the game itself was exciting, college basketball’s favorite villain, Grayson Allen, had some vintage Grayson plays throughout.

Duke opened up the game with back to back baskets from the Blue Devils’ super talented big men, Wendell Carter and Marvin Bagley, to take a 4-0 lead. On Virginia’s second offensive possession, Kyle Guy dribbled around the perimeter while marked by Allen. From the crowd, you could see him say what appeared to be “all day, all day” to Guy, attempting to get in his head. Allen would eventually foul Guy on the three point try, sending him to the line for free throws (he made all three).

With 10:45 to play in the first half and Virginia holding on to a 14-12 lead, Guy used a Jack Salt screen to create some separation and get to the basket. Some astute Twitter detectives noticed something...interesting.

Guy went on to score on the play on a nice move in the lane, and wasn’t impeded by whatever happened on the screen. It’s possible that Allen stuck his foot out in a last-ditch effort to stop Guy. It is also entirely possible and plausible that Allen was making a move around the screen and lost his balance. Whenever Allen is involved, however, the questions come up, thanks to his previous issues with tripping in his career.

As the game was winding down and Virginia led 63-61 with eight seconds remaining, Allen’s chin ran into Guy’s elbow as he was fouled by the Blue Devils. After they play, Guy offered a helping hand to get up off the court, which Allen wanted no part of.

The play was (very) quickly reviewed and determined that Guy was within his space, and no flagrant would be assessed. Guy calmly buried both free throws, put the Hoos ahead by four, and the rest was history.

To his credit, Allen mentioned post game that it was the right call, and sought out Guy to say something to him.

The Hoos are now 9-0 in conference with the win, and have a chance to build more space and momentum with Louisville coming to town on Wednesday. Duke has a quick turnaround on Monday with Notre Dame coming to Cameron Indoor.