The final NCAA Tournament run for Duke with Mike Krzyzewski as coach survived an epic Sweet 16 test on Thursday night as the Blue Devils outlasted Texas Tech 78-73 to reach the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils struggled in the first half against the Red Raiders’ vaunted defense but turned on the afterburners in the second half, advancing to face No. 4 seed Arkansas in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
Duke trailed 33-29 at the break before using an early offensive spurt in the second half to tie the game at 47 with 13:05 remaining. From there, the teams swapped the lead down the stretch with Duke forward Paolo Banchero and Texas Tech’s Bryson Williams taking lead roles in a back and forth thriller.
Ultimately, Duke’s Jeremy Roach played a heroic role once again. After coming up clutch in the second half of the Blue Devils’ second-round victory over Michigan State on Sunday, the sophomore guard did it again on Thursday. Roach hit a jumper with 2:16 left and another with 1:30 remaining to build Duke’s lead from 69-68 to 73-68.
The victory marks Krzyzewski’s 100th career NCAA Tournament win, and Saturday will mark his 17th Elite Eight appearance. Banchero led Duke with 22 points, while Williams paced Texas Tech with 21. Here are the takeaways:
1. Legendary offensive half
Duke shot 70.8% from the floor in the second half and made its last eight attempts from the field against a defense that ranked fourth nationally by holding opponents to just 38.2% shooting. Opponents were also scoring just 60.2 points per game agains the Red Raiders, which ranked eighth nationally. But no one scored more points against Texas Tech in a regulation game this season than Duke just did. Kansas finished with 94 in a double-overtime victory against the Red Raiders on Jan. 24, but the Jayhawks were at just 75 after regulation.
On a night when Houston and Arkansas used gritty defensive efforts to outlast No. 1 seeds, Duke showed that offense is not totally obsolete in college basketball.
2. Roach’s emergence
Roach’s first two seasons have been an up-and-down ride. The former five-star prospect missed the one-and-done boat as a freshman and was removed from the starting lineup during two multi-game stretches of ACC play this season. Since reentering the starting lineup during the NCAA Tournament, though, the 6-foot-1 point guard has been excellent.
He’s reached double figures in all three NCAA Tournament games and emerged as a go-to option for the Blue Devils in late-game situations. Front-court play with Banchero and Mark Williams is Duke’s strength, but great guard play is an essential ingredient in March, and Roach is providing it at the right time.
3. Round 2 coming
Arkansas became just the fourth team all season to hold Gonzaga under 70 points on Thursday as the Razorbacks took down the Bulldogs 74-68. One of the other teams to hold the Zags under 70 was Texas Tech. In essence, Duke may have to replicate Thursday’s offensive performance against Arkansas on Saturday to reach the Final Four.
The Razorbacks don’t have quite the defensive reputation of Texas Tech, but they are getting pretty close. If the Blue Devils can answer the bell offensively once again, they will have earned their trip to the Final Four.
