Mar 24, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Mark Williams (15) reacts after a play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half in the semifinals of the West regional of the men’s college basketball NCAA Tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career continues, as the No. 2 Blue Devils defeated the No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders to advance to the Elite Eight.
On the first night of the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, fans witnessed top-seeded teams in Gonzaga and Arizona get eliminated to bust a ton of brackets. One team that has outlasted both of them are the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils.
In a thrilling, closely-contested game, Duke defeated the No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 78-73 to advance to the Elite Eight. Not only that, but head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career continues.
Here is what college basketball media had to say following Duke advancing to the West Regional Finals.
That was AWESOME from Duke. Incredibly impressive performance from them. Weathered a storm at the start. Locked in. Defended well in a scheme they don’t have much experience in. Then, got killer Paolo and Roach games while shooting 70% in the 2nd half. Really, really awesome.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 25, 2022
Nice win. These Duke kids deserve a few breaks in their life.
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) March 25, 2022
Arkansas vs Duke in the Elite Eight – rematch of the 1994 championship game!
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 25, 2022
Duke gets brilliant clutch / / plays from Jeremy Roach as improvement has made him a STAR PG. He keyed a 7-0 @DukeMBB run in the last 2 min that sparked the Dukies to the elite 8 over @TexasTechMBB Coach K gets another game to coach- AMAZING 1201 WINS pic.twitter.com/KVksZpoJhb
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 25, 2022
Coach K is now one win away from his first Final Four since 2015.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 25, 2022
One reason as to why Duke was able to outlast Texas Tech was they made the most of their shots. In the entire second half, the Blue Devils made 68.4-percent of their shots, resulting in 49 points scored after they trailed 33-29 at halftime.
Perhaps the most pivotal point scored in the entire game came at the hands of Duke guard Jeremy Roach. Up 71-68 with a little over a minute remaining in regulation, Roach hit a clutch two-point shot to essentially seal the victory for the Blue Devils.
Roach finished the night scoring 15 points while shooting 7-for-11 from the field. Paolo Banchero led the team in points, putting up 22 points (7-for-12 from field), while also recording four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Bryson Williams led the way for the Red Raiders, putting up 21 points while shooting 50-percent from the field (8-for-16).
With this victory, Krzyzewski has earned his 100th career tournament victory, becoming the first coach to ever accomplish this.
Duke will look to clinch their first Final Four appearance since 2015. To do so, they will have to defeat the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks in the Elite Eight. Arkansas is carrying a ton of momentum, as they were the team to eliminate Gonzaga from the NCAA Tournament.
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