Kyle Filipowski and Duke were pressed again in the NCAA tournament. This time the Blue Devils responded by setting up a Tobacco Road showdown for a spot in the Final Four.
The 7-foot-2 second-year center had 16 points and nine rebounds, Jeremy Roach scored all 14 points after halftime, and Duke advanced to the Elite Eight with a 54-51 win over top-seeded Houston, which played the final 26 minutes on Friday night. without All-America point guard Jamal Shead after rolling his right ankle.
Even with Shead on the bench, the fourth-seeded Blue Devils had to overcome a physical defense that has been one of the best in the country all season. They won despite a season low in points.
“Any questions about their mental toughness or their heart, I think they answered them tonight,” second-year coach Jon Scheyer said.
Duke was ousted in the second round a year ago when Filipowski, Roach and the Blue Devils were bullied in a 65-52 loss to Tennessee, their fewest points last season.
“This game here was the same type of game. Just a great, gritty team and their culture. Just seeing the togetherness, that we didn’t stop tonight, that really shows the growth from last year,” Filipowski said. “We remember how upset we were from last year, and we didn’t want to repeat that again.”
They didn’t, and will play Atlantic Coast Conference rival, No. 11 seed North Carolina State, last Sunday in the South Region.
The Wolfpack, the only double-digit seed remaining in this NCAA Tournament, defeated No. 2 seed Marquette 67-58, their eighth straight victory, including a 74-69 victory over the Blue Devils, just two weeks ago in the competition. ACC Tournament.
“It’s getting crazy. A rematch of the ACC tournament,” Roach said. “They are on a mad run.”
Shead left with 6:38 left in the first half after his right foot twisted awkwardly during a drive while missing a contested layup. By then, he was on the ground under the basket for about 15 seconds as play continued on the other end until Houston got the ball on a Duke miss.
The senior guard, who was part of 120 wins in his four seasons in Houston, reached for his foot as he went down and then pulled his jersey over his face. He walked gingerly to the locker room after being attended to by an athletic trainer, then sat on the bench for the entire second half. He limped off the field after the Cougars became the second No. 1 seed to be eliminated — a night after North Carolina lost to Alabama.
“I think it’s terrible that it ended this way. I wish I could have gone back out there and at least fought,” Shead said. “It would have been different if I could have at least limped a little and fought a little.”
The Blue Devils trailed 16-10 when Shead left, and were never ahead until Tyrese Proctor’s two free throws made it 21-20 with 2:46 left in the first half. They never fell behind again.
“It didn’t feel like a fair fight. Two of them are equal to one of Jamal. He was that good. You don’t have another one,” Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said. “You don’t have the best defensive player in the Big 12. You don’t have the guy who ended up making all the big shots.”