Duke Muscles Past Houston Without Injured Star, Reaches Elite Eight
Duke overcame a physical Houston team and the loss of their star player to secure a hard-fought 54-51 victory and advance to the Elite Eight. This sets the stage for an epic Tobacco Road showdown against NC State on Sunday.
Houston’s All-American point guard, Jamal Shead, suffered an ankle injury late in the first half and was sidelined for the remainder of the game. Despite his absence, the top-seeded Cougars remained a formidable opponent, employing their signature physical defense that has troubled opponents all season.
Duke, a team that was bullied in the NCAA Tournament last year, showed remarkable resilience this time around. Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski led the Blue Devils with a double-double (16 points, 9 rebounds), while Jeremy Roach stepped up in the second half, scoring all of his 14 points.
This win marks a significant accomplishment for Duke’s second-year coach Jon Scheyer, silencing doubts about his team’s mental toughness. “They answered those questions tonight,” said Scheyer, highlighting the team’s growth and perseverance.
Next up for the Blue Devils is a highly anticipated rematch against ACC rival NC State, the only double-digit seed remaining in the tournament. The Wolfpack recently defeated Duke in the ACC Tournament championship game and are riding an eight-game winning streak.
“It’s going to be crazy,” said Roach, anticipating the rematch’s intensity.
Houston’s loss continues the trend of top seeds falling in the tournament. Coach Kelvin Sampson acknowledged the significant impact of Shead’s absence. “It didn’t feel like a fair fight,” he said.
Despite a season-low point total, Duke managed to hold off the Cougars and extend their active streak of making at least one three-pointer in a game to an impressive 1,224 contests. This is the second-longest streak in the nation, trailing only UNLV’s now-dormant run of 1,227 games.
With this victory, Duke reaches their 24th Elite Eight, tying Kansas for the third-most appearances in this prestigious stage of March Madness. Only Kentucky (38) and North Carolina (29) have reached the Elite Eight more often.
