Paolo Banchero, No. 2 Duke Outlast No. 3 TTU, Will Face Arkansas in Elite Eight

Mike Krzyzewski is not done with his career yet.

The Duke Blue Devil defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders 78- 73 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament at Chase Center in San Francisco. The West Region had three players advance to the Elite Eight for the third time in the last four tournaments.

Roach's baskets in the final three minutes extended a one-point advantage to five, and clutch free throws from Wendell Moore Jr.

The three players who played well for the 3 seed were defeated by the 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884

Notable player statistics.

• Paolo Banchero, F, DUKE: 22 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL
• Mark Williams, C, DUKE: 16 PTS, 8 REB, 3 BLK
• Jeremy Roach, G, DUKE: 15 PTS, 5 AST, 4 REB
• Bryson Williams, F, TT: 21 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
• Kevin McCullar, G, TT: 17 PTS, 3 REB
• Adonis Arms, G, TT: 13 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL

Duke had an offensive turnaround in the second half.

The biggest storyline going into the game was the Duke offense, which was ranked fourth in KenPom.com.

It was not an ideal start for the Blue Devil with a number of turnovers and forced shots that led to points on the other side.

Duke went more than five minutes without a point in the first half after it battled back from a slow start. The Blue Dukes faced a four-point halftime deficit thanks to their offensive struggles.

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Jeremy Roach 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wotlgO6Ewa

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PAOLO BANCHERO FOR THE THREE AND THE LEAD 😱

Duke up by one with three minutes left pic.twitter.com/brs2inYtiK

In the first 20 minutes, the conference shot just 36.7% from the field and struggled to create looks it had grown accustomed to.

The Blue Devil made a point of taking advantage of the size advantage of Williams with post entries. The others started to break down the defense after that success, and a deep Griffin three gave them the lead.

That set the stage for a back-and-forth second half with Banchero hitting clutch threes, Williams continuing to impact the game down low, and Roach making plays on the drive after a slow, turnover-filled start.

The most important stretch of Duke's season was the seven-point run by Roach in the final three minutes after Texas Tech had taken the lead.

All five Blue Devil starters finished in double figures, and the offense that only scored 29 points in the first half scored 49 in the second half.

Texas Tech's defense is usually strong.

It all starts on the defensive end for Texas Tech with the ability to switch almost anything because of the team'sVersatility, which takes some pressure off its inconsistent offense.

The offense was under scrutiny against Duke because it would need to counter the talent on the other side at some point. The Big 12 program was able to control play for much of the first half because of Kevin Obanor's ability to stretch the floor.

Even small sparks like that were enough to give the Red Raiders a lead.

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WOW 😳 pic.twitter.com/9TYpwxGMHB

In the early going against a Duke group with no shortage of size, Obanor helped his side control the glass by hitting multiple three-pointers. Texas Tech showed no fear of the blueblood team on the other side because of hounding perimeter defense that gave Roach trouble at the start.

The offense took over in the second half with Williams hitting from the outside and Arms getting to the lane. When Duke switched to a zone, the Red Raiders adjusted by sending cutters into the lane and attacking the middle.

Texas Tech's defense is its calling card, and the failures on that end throughout the second half put all the pressure on its offense. The challenge seemed to have been met, though, as the two players traded three-pointers in the closing minutes to dial up the drama.

Asking the Red Raiders to win the game on the offensive side of the ball was too much. Their inability to get timely stops against Duke's NBA-level talent left them in comeback mode in the final minute and ended their season after a promising start.

What is next?

The Duke and Arkansas game will be played on Saturday.