Duke Drops Texas Tech, Advances to Elite 8

SAN FRANCISCO, CA ——- The Duke Blue Devils advance to the Elite 8 with a win 78-73 over the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday at the Chase Center.

The win comes on the 32nd anniversary of Christian Laettner’s buzzer-beater in overtime to send Duke to the final four. Coach K secured his 100th NCAA tournament victory tonight while in his 26th sweet 16 appearances.

The Blue Devils (30-6, 16-4 ACC) struggled in the first half against the soaring, suffocating Red Raiders defense. They trailed by four going into the half, with only Paolo Banchero in double digits.

Duke opened this game on the wrong side of a 10-2 run led by Texas Tech (27-9, 12-6 Big 12) scoring off turnovers. Duke went one for five, had three turnovers on their first eight possessions.

Coach Krzyzewski said that his team started the game “nervous”. They started the game with three straight airballs.

Duke went to the half down 33-29 before coming out the locker with offensive firepower tying the game at 47 with 13:05 remaining. The difference in this game is when Coach K went to zone defense, causing Texas Tech to look lost on offense, and making them take uncomfortable shots.

Krzyzewski stated, “Going to zone was actually in our scouting report knowing that Texas Tech wasn’t a good shooting team.”

The Blue Devils shot 71% in the second half. Duke is 16-0 when they shoot better than 50%

Duke shot 52% from the floor while converting 15/17 free throws. Duke came through big when it mattered most and showed continuity.

Jeremy Roach came up clutch again, scoring 13 of his 15 points in the second half. He has been the X-Factor throughout this NCAA tournament. He showed why he is the true point guard of this team, and why he can be trusted.

Paolo Banchero went to that zone where he felt like he was unstoppable. He had that look in his eye where he was determined to put the ball in the hoop. He finished with 22 points, four rebounds, and four assists. He’s looking like a potential #1 pick while he tries to give his coach another title for his last dance.

The Blue Devils will be back in action Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks who pulled off an upset against the number 1 seed, Gonzaga Bulldogs.