Duke vs Houston NCAA Tournament
Houston’s top-ranked team was unable to defeat Duke on Friday night due to Jamal Shead’s absence.
The Blue Devils men took the lead and secured a 54-51 victory in the Sweet 16 game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas after Shead suffered a severe ankle sprain in the first half. This win sent Duke to their second Elite Eight in three seasons marking the first one under second-year head coach Jon Scheyer.
Surprisingly, this also represented Duke’s initial NCAA tournament victory against a higher seed in three decades.
Duke will move on to the Elite Eight to play against conference rival NC State, a team they have already faced twice this month.
Duke has a history of going far in the NCAA men’s tournament, but this victory marks a remarkable milestone for the team under the leadership of 36-year-old coach Jon Scheyer, who took over from the renowned Mike Krzyzewski last season.
Duke has achieved success in the two years under Scheyer, but it has not met the very high expectations set when they recruited the top class in the country and added more five-star prospects in the following year.
Houston had a strong beginning on Friday night, taking a 6-0 lead and prompting Scheyer to call a timeout less than two minutes into the game. However, Duke gradually reduced the lead and finished the first half strong. The Blue Devils managed to keep Houston from scoring for almost six minutes at one point and outscored them 13-6 after Shead exited the game. Houston struggled in the latter part of the first half, missing nine of their last 11 shots.
At halftime, Duke was ahead 23-22 following a buzzer-beating layup by Houston’s L.J. Cryer, which accounted for the Cougars’ sole points in the final four minutes of the half.