Tag: ryan young

Jeremy Roach and Kyle Filipowski lead Duke to the Elite Eight after beating Houston 54-51

Duke hangs on in a rock fight of a game to advance to Elite Eight.

Friday night in Dallas felt like a fight night.

Kelvin Sampson and his No. 1-seeded Houston Cougars made the three-hour trip up I-45 South to Dallas to take on the Duke Blue Devils.

Much of the build-up to the game centered around Houston’s defense and Duke’s methodical yet explosive offense, and when the ball went up for tipoff, that was precisely what surfaced immediately. Houston hit Duke in the mouth early, going up 6-0 after forcing two Jeremy Roach turnovers.

Jon Scheyer called a timeout immediately to settle his team down, and from then on, it was game on. Duke worked back into the game, trading blows with the Cougars for the remainder of the half.

Just past the midway point of the first half, Houston’s fearless leader and Naismith Player of The Year candidate Jamal Shead drove to the rim but rolled his right ankle hard as he planted to rise for the layup. Shead fell to the floor and wouldn’t get up until after the game was stopped. He eventually tried to walk off the court under his power, but trainers helped him the rest of the way to the locker room. He would be diagnosed with a severe ankle sprain and would never return.

With Shead out, Duke eventually fought back to take a 23-22 lead into the break.

Houston, indicative of the toughness they have become known for, would not go away in the second half. Ramon Walker drilled a huge contested 3-pointer to cut the game back to a single possession with nine minutes to play. J’Wan Roberts, another senior leader for Houston, got a tough left-handed layup in the paint to cut it to just one point one minute later.

But that was as close as the Cougars got.

Jeremy Roach, Duke’s senior captain, has a highlight reel of big plays from his March exploits over the last four years. Tonight, he added to it with a masterful second-half performance. He locked in and poured in all 14 of his points after the break, including a dagger mid-range jumper to put Duke up 6 with just over a minute left.

Duke held on to secure its first win over a higher seed since the Blue Devils knocked off No. 1 seeded Purdue in the 1994 NCAA Tournament, then led by 19 points from former Duke assistant Jeff Capel.

Sophomore Kyle Filipowski played one of his best all-around games, contributing 16 points, nine rebounds, and two assists. Ryan Young was a massive X-factor off the bench, and the 6-foot-10 senior gave Duke four points and four rebounds while playing tough defense, helping Duke stay in the game when Houston punched first.

With the win, Duke ensures that at least one ACC team will make the Final Four. The Blue Devils will take on the NC State Wolfpack in the final game of the Elite Eight on Sunday at 5:05 PM EST.

Starting fast and getting back on defense in transition key to a Duke win vs. Vermont

Three keys to a Duke win over Vermont.

Duke has departed Durham and arrived in Brooklyn as it prepares for its first-round NCAA Tournament game against the Vermont Catamounts.

Duke’s season has been an up-and-down affair, but the Blue Devils can change the entire narrative in six games. They’ll do so without a piece of their depth in freshman guard Caleb Foster, but make no mistake: the Blue Devils have plenty of offensive firepower to make a run in this tournament.

Their opponents are no strangers to the NCAA Tournament. The Catamounts will not be intimidated, considering this will be their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance out of the America East conference.

With tournament experience under their belt, expect the Catamounts and coach John Becker to fight.

With that said, Duke has the talent and size advantage, and barring a nightmarish day, they should advance. However, there are a few keys we wanted to lock in on that should help the Blue Devils push through to the round of 32 and get one win closer to a Sweet 16 appearance.

Dominate the Glass

If it sounds simple, it’s because it is. Duke has no reason not to dominate the glass in this contest. Vermont’s leading rebounder is a 6-foot-4 guard named Shamir Bogues. The Blue Devils have a starting point guard who is 6-foot-5. They start the 6-foot-9 Mark Mitchell, and Kyle Filipowski is a full 7-foot. There’s no reason that Duke should not be +12 or more in rebounding by the end of this game, especially with Sean Stewart and Ryan Young coming off the bench. Eliminating second-chance points is an easy way to shut off the offense for a team that doesn’t need extra opportunities. If Vermont tosses a shot up, that should be their only shot of the possession.

Start Fast

This may be the most essential key to this game. This is the NCAA Tournament, and anything can happen if you play with your food. Duke needs to set the tone early. Race out to an early lead by the under-16 media timeout, or the under-12 at the latest, and keep the foot on the gas. If Vermont is within three possessions by halftime, things could get dicey in that Duke locker room. The doubt would settle in on one side while belief would rise in Vermont’s, and after that, all bets are off. Duke needs a fast start like they had last year against Oral Roberts.

Get back on defense

Jordan Mann, a former collegiate basketball player who breaks down Duke games and their opponents, laid out an interesting stat. Vermont is in the 99th percentile across Division I basketball in points per possession via transition offense.

They shoot 71% from inside the 3-point line in transition and 40% behind it.

Make or miss, Duke needs to get back and set its defense up. While many talk about Duke’s offensive efficiency, they remain in the top 25 defense in adjusted efficiency per KenPom, meaning Duke can play some defense when they are willing and engaged. If they play defense that way come Friday, they will be fine.

Duke is well-positioned to win this game. It ultimately will come down to how well Duke starts this game and if Jon Scheyer’s team can impose its will early and often. Duke should see itself coasting into Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 if they can do that.

Three keys to a Duke victory against UNC

Taking a look at three keys to a Duke win vs UNC on Saturday as the Blue Devils close out the regular season.

It is time for the round two.

Tobacco Road’s biggest titans are set to square off one final time for the regular season on Saturday evening. The stakes will be a bit higher than they were when the two hit the hardwood the first time in February. An outright ACC title is on the line for UNC while a share of the ACC title is still up for grabs for Duke.

That doesn’t even include the possible implications for NCAA Tournament seeding either. Both schools are still firmly in the mix for a No. 2 seed at this juncture, and a massive Quad 1 win like this would only boost that case.

All those storylines aside, it’s Duke and North Carolina. The bragging rights matter and Duke, specifically, has revenge on their mind.

The loss in Chapel Hill in February felt like a lifetime ago. Duke played passively, didn’t play a crisp game (nine of their eleven turnovers were live ball), and defensively, they had some major hiccups.

Credit is due to the Tar Heels. They played great. But Duke didn’t put forth their best effort.

Saturday gives the Blue Devils one final chance to show how much of a force they’ve become. There is no mistaking them now. They’ve got a bench unit that’s starting to flourish despite being without Caleb Foster at least through the ACC Tournament, per head coach Jon Scheyer. And Tyrese Proctor has found his swagger again.

These all bring us to our three keys for the game on Saturday.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Duke’s chances to truly be Final Four contenders rest on the shoulders of their sophomore Australian point guard, Tyrese Proctor. Proctor can control and dictate a game on both ends. In the first UNC matchup, he played 26 minutes and scored two points on 1/6 shooting. It felt as if he wasn’t even out there at points. He wasn’t aggressive, and he seemed reluctant to get downhill.

In the last three games, he’s found himself. He kept Duke afloat early in Raleigh despite NC State connecting on the first punch. His 11 first-half points, spearheaded by three massive three-pointers, kept Duke from spiraling. He can shoot, he can pass and he can defend. All three of those things Duke will need against UNC.

Look for Proctor to be a factor early.

The bench needs to show up

Ryan Young, Sean Stewart, and TJ Power look solidified as Duke’s bench right now. Caleb Foster joins that when, or if, he gets back, and Duke officially is nine deep.

For right now, they are eight deep, and that will have to be enough. Power and Stewart have started to become consistent players off the bench in the last three games. Stewart had his best game as a collegiate player against NC State. He played 26 minutes and had 12 points, five rebounds (four offensive), three blocks, two assists, and two steals. It was incredible. If Stewart provides that kind of impact, Ryan Young hits the glass, and TJ Power can hit one or two open threes, Duke will be in a much better position to win.

Defending Bacot

RJ Davis is likely going to win ACC Player of the Year. And rightfully so. He’s had a phenomenal season. Davis can get his season average in points. Stopping fellow senior Armando Bacot is the real challenge for Duke. They have bodies to throw at him, but in an attempt to limit foul trouble for Flip, they tried to double Bacot last game and it helped result in open threes or driving lanes for others.

How Jon Scheyer and this coaching staff choose to play Bacot matters. Do they double him? If they do, do they leave Elliot Cadeau, a 21% 3-point shooter, open and force him to shoot the ball? Or do they play Bacot straight up and leave Flip to defend him one-on-one? Either way, one wrong decision would be to leave Harrison Ingram open. He shot 5/9 from distance in game one. 

That’s the game within the game and one matchup that will likely decide the winner. 

Senior night for captain Jeremy Roach, Ryan Young, and Spencer Hubbard. A share of the ACC title is on the line for Duke. The number one seed in the ACC Tournament is still up for grabs. All the storylines are there. Duke just needs to play a bit cleaner than they did in Chapel Hill and they’ll have a chance to wrap up a very good regular season.

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.