The weekend passes include access to both of Thursday’s Sweet 16 games and Saturday’s Elite Eight showdown between the winners of Friday night’s games.
The weekend passes include access to both of Thursday’s Sweet 16 games and Saturday’s Elite Eight showdown between the winners of Friday night’s games.
The weekend passes include access to both of Thursday’s Sweet 16 games and Saturday’s Elite Eight showdown between the winners of Friday night’s games.
Duke, a No. 4 seed, plays No. 1 Houston on Friday for a spot in the Elite Eight. A win would also be the Blue Devils’ first over a higher-seeded team since 1994.
Duke has more than a ticket to the Elite Eight on the line on Sunday. The Blue Devils could accomplish something the program hasn’t done since 1994.
The Blue Devils have played a team seeded above them in the NCAA Tournament five times since 1994, and Duke has gone home after every game.
In fact, Duke hasn’t taken down a team above them in the rankings since Grant Hill led the squad past No. 1 Purdue in 1994.
The last three times the Blue Devils played a No. 1 seed when they weren’t a top seed themselves, they lost. This year, Duke is a No. 4 seed in the South region. Houston, their Sweet 16 opponent, is the top-ranked team in the region.
Granted, five times in three full decades is a microscopic sample size, especially considering that the Blue Devils have won three national titles in that same time frame. They don’t run into teams better than them too often. However, it’s still a three-decade streak.
Duke hasn’t beaten a higher-seed since 1994 (via Reddit: 0010001)
College basketball reporter Andy Katz ranked the last 16 teams standing in the men’s NCAA Tournament on Monday. Where did he put the Blue Devils?
College basketball reporter Andy Katz revealed his ranking of the final 16 teams standing in the NCAA Tournament this year, and the Blue Devils came in right in the middle at eighth.
Katz revealed the rankings on Monday, and his power rankings included some bold takes. The Blue Devils are above Iowa State, a No. 2 seed, and 3-seed Illinois is his fourth-ranked team remaining.
Duke has excelled through two games of the tournament, pulling away from Vermont late for a 64-47 win before throttling James Madison for a 93-55 blowout in the second round.
Houston, Duke’s second-round opponent, spent much of the season atop the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, and the Cougars have only lost four games. However, Katz is lower on them than most, dropping Houston to his fifth-ranked team left in the field despite their status as a No. 1 seed.
Connecticut, the defending national champions, remains the team to beat in Katz’s eyes, followed by Purdue and North Carolina.
NC State, the ACC Tournament champions, sat at the bottom of the ranking. The Wolfpack, an 11-seed, are also the lone double-digit seed remaining. San Diego State, Clemson, and Gonzaga also fell in Katz’s bottom four.
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf reordered the last 16 teams standing in the men’s bracket on Monday. Where did the Blue Devils fall?
The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are complete, and even in a chalk-heavy year, with every No. 1 and No. 2 seed escaping the opening weekend, the tournament always feels a little upside-down as teams underachieve and overachieve.
ESPN staff writer Myron Medcalf took on the task of re-seeding the last 16 teams left in the field based on their current form on Monday.
Despite being a No. 4 seed in the bracket, Medcalf has the Blue Devils as a ‘No. 3 seed’ and the ninth overall squad listed in his ranking.
“Duke had never quite reached its ceiling before the NCAA tournament,” Medcalf wrote. “But…always had the potential to put together the display we witnessed in the first two rounds.”
The Blue Devils safely got by Vermont in the opening round before pounding James Madison for a 93-55 win on Sunday. Freshman Jared McCain finished with 30 points and eight 3-pointers, the latter setting a new program tournament record. Medcalf pointed out that the Blue Devils are 6-2 when McCain scores 20 points.
The Blue Devils play Houston, who remained one of Medcalf’s No. 1 seeds, in the next round on Friday. In fact, all of Medcalf’s top seeds remained unchanged, with Connecticut, Purdue, and North Carolina all holding on to their top spots too.
Duke’s game against Houston in the Sweet 16 has an official tip-off time. Check out where and when you can watch the Blue Devils try to take down the top-seeded Cougars.
Duke’s battle against top-seeded Houston in the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Tournament will cause some Blue Devils fans to stay up past their bedtimes on Friday.
The Blue Devils and the Cougars will be the second CBS game on Friday, meaning their game will not start until NC State and Marquette finish. The Wolfpack and the Golden Eagles will tip off at around 7:10 p.m. ET, leaving Duke and Houston to start after 9:30 p.m.
Should the Blue Devils beat Houston, they would play the winner of that NC State-Marquette game for a ticket to the Final Four.
Date:Â Friday, March 29
Time:Â 9:40 p.m. ET (approximately)
Network:Â CBS
Streaming:Â Paramount Plus
The same CBS announcer crew from Duke’s first two tournament games will handle the broadcast work. Blue Devils legend Grant Hill will be an analyst alongside Bill Raftery, and Ian Eagle will provide the play-by-play. Tracy Wolfson will be the game’s sideline reporter.
The game will take place at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Duke’s Sweet 16 opponent is set after Houston, the top seed in the South region, survived an overtime scare against Texas A&M on Sunday.
Duke’s Sweet 16 opponent is set.
The Blue Devils will play Houston, the top seed in the South region, in the regional semifinals of March Madness this year. The Cougars tried their hardest to not make it past opening weekend, needing overtime to dispatch No. 9 Texas A&M on Sunday, but Houston held on for a 100-95 win.
Kelvin Sampson’s team is one of the nation’s best. The second-ranked team in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency rating, the Cougars have the No. 2 defense and the No. 14 offense in the country, according to the site’s efficiency metrics.
Houston has a 32-4 record so far this season, and the Cougars have only lost two games since January 13. They beat Longwood 86-46 in the opening round before the overtime battle with Texas A&M.
The game will take place on Friday night with tipoff set for approximately 9:40 p.m. on CBS.
Texas A&M’s season comes to an end after a hard-fought battle against Houston that ended in an overtime loss
Texas A&M (21-15, 9-9 SEC) took No. 1 Houston (32-4, 15-3 Big 12) to the wire and then some before running out of magic late in the overtime.
The first half was as intense as expected, with neither team being able to run away with the game. There were 11 lead changes and seven ties early, but few issues on the Aggie side ball were apparent that never gave A&M to retake the lead after Houston went up by seven about halfway through the half. However, Tyrece Radford and Manny Obaseki did what they do best: getting to the rim and combining for 19 points.
A&M has been getting to the charity stripe but only made 50% of their free throws and 1-6 from the three-point line. Houston did just enough to stay ahead, but with Wade Taylor held to only one point through the first 20 minutes, the Cougars only took a five-point lead into halftime, up 43-38.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
second half:
After scoring the first points of the second half, the Aggies started to struggle on both ends of the court. Houston was able to extend their lead to nine, which caused Buzz Williams to call a timeout. For most of the half, Houston stayed a step ahead of A&M, which had a nine-point lead until late in the half.
The Aggies just couldn’t cut into the lead enough as the Cougars regularly hit a second-chance shot or knocked down a timely three-point shot. Then, with under a minute left, A&M started chipping away while playing the trap and foul game. With just seconds left on the clock, the Aggies pulled within three after Wade knocked down all three free throws after being fouled.
With 10.1 seconds, Taylor got two chances and missed both; however, 1.2 seconds remained. Radford was about to find an unlikely hero open at the three-point line, and with time expiring, Andersson Garcia knocked down a three to send the game into overtime.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
overtime:
Ultimately, A&M ran out of gas in overtime and could not hit a few clutch shots late. The Aggie gave Houston all they could handle, but they fell 100-95 in the tournament’s best game to this point. They gave it all, but the defeat will leave them out of the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth straight year.
In the end, an inconsistent Wade Taylor and 16 missed free throws lost the game, but this is why they call it March Madness.
Below are the Aggies critical contributors from the game:
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.
No. 1 Houston overcame a furious late comeback by No. 9 Texas A&M and advanced behind 30 points from Emanuel Sharp and 21 points from Jamal Shead, who missed just 18.2 seconds of the game after fouling out late in overtime.
No. 4 Duke dominated No. 12 James Madison 93-55, led by freshman Jared McCain’s eight three pointers and 30 total points.
