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.
CBS Sports will update this story soon with takeaways.
