Tag: jeremy roach

Midseason Awards for Duke Men’s Basketball: Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach have been stars

Handing out midseason awards for the 2023-2024 Duke basketball team.

Duke is fresh off the heels of a 71-53 win over Notre Dame to complete a season sweep of the Fighting Irish and now sits just 1.5 back of first place in the ACC behind only the North Carolina Tarheels and the Virginia Cavaliers.

It’s been an up-and-down season by Duke standards. Of course, they aren’t in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament, but it’s reasonable to believe that one or two head-scratching Duke losses have impacted how we view them in totality.

That said, the Blue Devils have everything in front of them, and they have the offensive firepower to beat any team in the country on a given night. Other components must continue to come together, but Duke is a threat.

With over half of their ACC games done, the Blue Devils are just past the midseason point of their conference schedule, so now’s the perfect opportunity to hand out our midseason awards.

Check them out below.

Could Duke be the opponent Armando Bacot needs for a breakout game?

Saturday is going to hit home for UNC center Armando Bacot, as he’s playing his last UNC vs. Duke home game against old friend Jeremy Roach.

Last year, Armando Bacot was undoubtedly the best player on UNC.

He was a walking double-double, rebounding machine and – despite double-teams every game – able to score at east near the rim.

That’s why this year, compared to his historical standards, Bacot is struggling.

The Tar Heels’ starting center has gone three straight games without scoring – or rebounding – in double-digits. He’s still backing guys down in the paint, but isn’t finishing. Bacot is shooting free throws at a more productive clip, making nearly 78% from the line this year compared to 67% a season ago, but isn’t playing as aggressively.

Good news for Mondo – Duke comes to town on Saturday, Feb. 3.

This matchup works pretty well in Bacot’s favor, as he’s averaging 15.1 points per game on 53.3% shooting, 9.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in nine matchups against the Blue Devils.

With Saturday also being Bacot’s last home game against Duke, let’s hear what he had to say.

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“I’ve been on the same team with Jeremy (Roach) since he was in the sixth grade and I was in the seventh grade,” Bacot told InsideCarolina. “We played AAU all the way up. Jeremy’s a great player and I love playing against him, he always has a great game against us so I need him to play bad. Me, RJ and Jeremy, we’ve all got the same manager, so we do a lot of things together. We talk all the time, but we haven’t really talked this month. We all know what’s at stake coming up and we definitely want to take it to them.”

Saturday isn’t just any UNC-Duke game, but also a battle between old friends.

Bacot started his high school career in Virginia – at Trinity Episcopal – before transferring to IMG Academy. Roach played high school basketball in Virginia – for Paul VI Catholic – all four years.

Going back to the numbers, producing less on the stat sheet isn’t a product of poor play from Bacot, but instead due to the availability of more scoring options.

Wheres RJ Davis was the only other consistent scorer on North Carolina last year (Caleb Love was inconsistent), the Tar Heels also have Cormac Ryan, Harrison Ingram, Jae’Lyn Withers, Elliot Cadeau and much-improved sophomores in Seth Trimble and Jalen Washington.

What better time to have a rebound game than against your biggest rival?

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Notre Dame can’t capitalize on Duke’s bad shooting in loss

A loss like this is a sure sign of a young team.

There will come a time when Notre Dame wins close games against top programs again. That shouldn’t be expected when facing a team like No. 14 Duke. Sure enough, the Irish fell to the Blue Devils, 67-59. Believe it or not, this actually was the Devils’ first true road win of the season.

The Irish (6-9, 1-3) held a nine-point lead during a first half in which the Devils (11-3, 2-1) made only nine field goals and were lucky to go into halftime with a two-point lead.

Overall, the Devils shot 35.6% from the field, well below the .497 clip at which they were shooting entering Saturday. But the Irish weren’t much better from the floor at 39.0%, and they shot only 8 of 16 from the free-throw line, which turned out to be the difference in the game.

The Irish never led in the second half but only trailed by four with 41.9 seconds left. Out of a timeout however, a bad pass by [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] forced the Irish to foul and put the Devils in the double bonus. From then until the end of the game, Jeremy Roach made six free throws to ice the game for the visitors.

While Roach’s late free throws accounted for a third of his 18 points, the night belonged to Mark Mitchell. His 23 points and 14 rebounds both accounted for career highs, and he got 19 of those points and eight of those boards in the second half. It’s unlikely the Devils would have won this game without him.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] led the Irish with 18 points and four assists. All 12 of Shrewsberry’s points off the bench came on four 3-pointers.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

UNC, Duke rivals team up for Fortnite OG ad

UNC basketball standout Armando Bacot teams up with Duke’s Jeremy Roach for a new Fortnite ad.

Fornite took the video game world by storm in 2017 with the battle royale game becoming extremely popular on consoles, PC and mobile. As the game as progressed in the years since, it went back to its OG mode recently for a limited time.

For one month, the original map returned and will rotate with prior seasons every five days until the next chapter is out. And now it’s taking on the UNC-Duke rivalry, sort of.

North Carolina center Armando Bacot and Duke guard Jeremy Roach teamed up for a new ad on TikTok for the Fortnite OG mode that is out now. Watch as the two are wondering where they will drop in off the battle bus:

@armando

Where we droppin’? #FortniteOG #ad

♬ original sound – Armando Bacot

Bacot and Roach have been friends since high school but now being rivals in college, they are big competitors on the court. That competition heads to Fortnite as they team up to try and get a win.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Duke guard Jeremy Roach withdraws from NBA draft, set to return to the Blue Devils

Duke is seeing a big part of their 2022-23 success return for next season.

Duke junior guard Jeremy Roach is returning to Duke after withdrawing from the NBA Draft. The Leesburg (VA) native announced his return to Cameron on Monday evening via Instagram.

A 2022-2023 team captain for the Blue Devils, Roach is returning to the Blue Devils after a career season in which he started in 30 of 32 games while averaging 13.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. For his career, he’s averaged 10.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 95 career games and 75 starts.

Roach was a consensus five-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle and considered a top-25 talent by 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals. He originally committed to the Blue Devils over Kentucky, Maryland, Miami, and others.

With Roach’s help this past season, the Blue Devils went 27-9 overall including 14-6 in ACC play where they finished third in the conference. They would earn a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, defeating No. 12 Oral Roberts in the Round of 64 before falling in the second round to No. 4 Tennessee 65-52.

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The Blue Devils with the return of Roach are expected to be among the top teams in the country next season. They’ll also return the likes of guard Tyrese Proctor, forward Mark Mitchell, and center Kyle Filipowski next season. Together, the four were the Blue Devils’ top four leading scorers this past season.

The 2023-24 season will be the second under head coach Jon Scheyer who took over for legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski after his retirement following the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Iowa reportedly set to square off against Duke in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic

Iowa will meet the Duke Blue Devils in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic. Here’s a look at the all-time series history and Duke’s projected starters.

The start of Iowa’s 2022-23 men’s basketball season is still every bit of five months away. Still, the Hawkeyes just received fantastic news with the return of forward Kris Murray to Iowa City.

Paired with several other decisions by Iowa players to either return or exit via the transfer portal, fans now have a pretty clear idea of what the Hawkeyes’ starting five and key reserves will look like entering next season.

Now, Iowa fans know they can book flights and start planning a trip to New York City for a battle against a blue blood.

CBS Sports and College Hoops Today’s Jon Rothstein reported that Iowa is set to meet the Duke Blue Devils in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic from historic Madison Square Garden. Rothstein also reported that the other game in the event is expected to feature the Texas Longhorns against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Duke is one of the pillar programs in all of college basketball and will enter next season fresh off the Blue Devils’ 17th all-time appearance in the Final Four. Of course, legendary head coach Mike Krzyewski’s 13th and final Final Four appearance ended with the Blue Devils’ archrivals in the North Carolina Tar Heels sending Duke packing, 81-77.

The Kansas Jayhawks would go on to win the national championship over North Carolina, erasing a 16-point deficit in a historic second-half flurry for the largest title game comeback in NCAA Tournament history, topping the Tar Heels, 72-69.

In its history, Iowa has met up with Duke on eight different occasions. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 7-1. The Hawkeyes and Blue Devils last played on Nov. 27, 2001, in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. It was not to be from the jump for an Iowa team led by guard Luke Recker and forward Reggie Evans.

Duke point guard Jason Williams scored 25 points, center Carlos Boozer added 22 and forward Mike Dunleavy chipped in with 18. The then-No. 1 and defending national champion Blue Devils routed Iowa, 80-62, inside the United Center.

Duke is set to replace some serious star power from last season’s Final Four team, but the Blue Devils have reloaded their roster with some serious talent. Here’s a look at the all-time series matchups between Iowa and Duke and a look at the Blue Devils’ projected starting five.

Duke tore apart Texas Tech’s top defense when it mattered most

Texas Tech could not stop Duke from making it rain.

It looked like Texas Tech had Duke’s number on Thursday night in the Men’s NCAA tournament.

For the most part, the Red Raiders held Duke’s prolific offense in check during the first half. Thanks to a defense that ranked in the top-10 in the country in almost every relevant category, Texas Tech (who came into the game as 1-point underdogs) put Duke in a vise grip and refused to let go. A 33-29 first-half lead was nowhere near indicative of the Blue Devils’ offensive struggles. Surely no one in Durham imagined Mike Krzyzewski’s formal farewell tour ending at the hands of a defensive masterclass.

Folks, that’s why you play two halves in college basketball.

With their season on the line, Duke punched back at Texas Tech and found an answer to the gritty, disciplined, athletic Red Raider defense … to the tune of a lights-out, 17-of-24, shooting performance second half.

I shouldn’t have to tell anyone this secret, but 70.8 percent shooting in the clutch against a defense that locks almost everyone down while throwing away the key is ridiculously good. We know Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore will get theirs for Duke. Thursday night was the sort of offensive performance where even Jeremy Roach found a way to make his mark by putting the ball in the basket. A 78-73 win was well-earned with good defense beaten by a better offense.

Texas Tech brought its A-game to the Sweet 16. In another year, against another team, they might have been on the verge of the Final Four. But not this version of Duke. This version of Duke was firing on all cylinders and looked unstoppable with their backs against the wall. As Texas Tech learned, sometimes it’s just not your year.

As for the Blue Devils, they suddenly look national title worthy. They can thank the Red Raiders for awakening the sleeping offensive giant inside.

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Jeremy Roach saved Duke, Coach K, in thriller win over Texas Tech

Duke has an unexpected ace in their sleeve.

On Thursday night, it certainly looked like Mike Krzyzewski’s swan song with Duke was coming to an end. Behind its physical, grimy defense, Texas Tech had knocked the Blue Devils (favored by a point heading into the contest) down to the mat over and over. More importantly, they showed no signs of letting up.

This was it. A 42-year legendary run in men’s college basketball, over, in the Sweet 16. Not the way anyone had envisioned Coach K leaving the game. Oh well. Happy endings are rare, and you shouldn’t expect them.

But Duke wasn’t finished. Far from it. Krzyzewski had hope of his final run continuing. All thanks to sophomore guard Jeremy Roach.

As Duke responded in this back-and-forth battle, Roach was instrumental. Beginning at the 10:07 mark of the second half, it seemed like he was in on every play. A layup. A free throw here and there. A steal. A layup. A jumper in the face of a tenacious Red Raider defender. Another jumper.

When the Blue Devils finally started to take control in the closing moments, Roach potted what felt like a dagger in an eventual 78-73 Duke win.

Onions, ice in your veins, and every hallmark of a clutch play. A classic “Duke” moment in March, in one of Coach K’s last March moments with Duke, delivered by a guard like Roach, who was ready for the March stage.

All in all, Roach chipped in 15 points (13 in the second half), five assists, and four boards. It’s the guard’s third straight tournament game in double-figures scoring. Considering Duke was on the ropes, that’s not bad for a guy who averaged just over eight total points a game during the regular season.

In the coach’s last ride, Duke is on to the Elite Eight against Arkansas. Even better, they have their X-Factor.

His name is Jeremy Roach. Remember it.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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Notre Dame Unable to Solve No. 22 Duke in ACC Opener

Did Notre Dame think it had a chance against No. 22 Duke without having to face Jalen Johnson?

Did Notre Dame think it had a chance against No. 22 Duke without having to face Jalen Johnson? Probably, because anyone who goes into a game with a losing attitude shouldn’t be playing college basketball. But there are reasons the Blue Devils are ranked, and the Irish are not. The latest is a 75-65 win by the more talented Blue Devils at Purcell Pavilion.

Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Juwan Durham (11) and Duke Blue Devils forward Patrick Tape (12) jump for the opening tip at the Purcell Pavilion. Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The Irish (2-3, 0-1) never led this game, but they didn’t let it get out of hand either. They never let the deficit get bigger than 11 in the first half, and they got within five near the halfway point of the second. But the Blue Devils (3-2, 1-0) responded to that by scoring nine unanswered points and leading by double digits the rest of the way. Given that they did more with more opportunities (31 of 60 from the field vs. 23 of 49 for the Irish), that should have been the result.

Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey talks to his players during a time out in the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at the Purcell Pavilion. Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Hurt led the Blue Devils with 18 points, three assists and two blocks. D.J. Steward scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had a game-high two steals. Jeremy Roach had 14 points, and Jaemyn Brakefield scored 10 in 24 minutes off the bench.

Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Dane Goodwin (23) shoots a three point basket over Duke Blue Devils guard Jeremy Roach (3) in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Dane Goodwin was scorching with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the floor, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Prentiss Hubb scored 12 and tied with Cormac Ryan with three assists. Trey Wertz made his Irish debut with nine points in 21 minutes as a substitute.

2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 2.0: How has the NCAA season changed rankings?

Now that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is underway, we are getting a more clear picture of the top prospects in the upcoming class.

Now that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is underway, we are getting a more clear picture of the top prospects in the upcoming class.

Former top recruits like Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs have made a great first impression and have confirmed why many already feel they are going to be solid future professionals in the NBA.

Of course, considering the unusual nature of the college basketball season, some players are struggling a bit more than others. The performance on the court will likely stray closer to the mean with a larger sample size as the year continues.

But to get a better sense of where everyone stands right now, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, The Athletic and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win to see where the prospects rank at the moment.

We highlighted the prospects who have been the biggest risers since we published our last edition of this exercise.

College basketball standouts who have most drastically improved their draft stock through the early parts of the season include Keon Johnson (Tennessee), James Bouknight (UCONN), Jared Butler (Baylor), Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Day’Ron Sharpe (UNC), Aaron Henry (Michigan State), Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois), Marcus Bagley (Arizona State), Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky), Jason Preston (Ohio) and Luka Garza (Iowa).

Below are the rankings based on the latest mock drafts from top analysts and experts:

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report