As you saw, TCU wanted to get physical with Duke, and that worked – until it didn’t.
This game was tied 44-44 with 13:56 to play, and the Blue Devils outscored the Horned Frogs 37-14 to win, 81-58.
However, it wasn’t as easy as the score would suggest.
Jamie Dixon has a good team with some good basketball players, but none of them are first-round draft picks or anything. Plus, they’re not very tall. Both of his starting guards are 6-0, and his frontcourt runs 6-8, 6-7, and 6-6. While smallish, though,
the frontcourt is thick and powerful, and they nearly got Duke in big trouble in the first half.
Cameron Boozer picked up two fouls in a big hurry, and in his return, Patrick Ngongba also picked up two fouls in the first half.
TCU kept Duke from scoring a basket for about a 9-minute stretch spanning the end of the first half and the second, and the Blue Devils were a bit butter-fingered, too. They had 8 turnovers in the first half and 9 in the second for 17 total.
And for part of the second half, it looked like TCU’s strategy was going to work. For a short period, Duke looked tired and, as Bill Raftery said, discombobulated. Duke had 5 turnovers in those four minutes, and it looked like TCU was poised to win.
Until they weren’t. Because it was Boozer time!
First, Cayden hit a layup and got a three-point play, then Cameron got one of his own. Then Cayden got the ball to Nik Khamenia for a three-pointer from the corner, and suddenly, Duke was up 53-44.
TCU hit a three, then Khamenia got a pair of free throws, followed by a Dame Sarr three. And suddenly, Duke was up by 14. And while a few minutes earlier, the Blue Devils looked discombobulated, suddenly, TCU did. Their shots weren’t falling anymore, and Duke was getting most of the misses (the Blue Devils finished with a 42-25 advantage on the boards).
The final 16 minutes or so were a complete blowout.
In more good news for Jon Scheyer and Duke, Ngongba is not only back, but he had a tremendous impact. He only played 13 minutes, but he shored up the defense, and as always, passed brilliantly. During the killer stretch of the second half, he consistently passed over the TCU defense.
And Cameron Boozer, who was the primary beneficiary of those passes, bounced back from a one-shot, tw0-point first half to finish with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists.
This certainly wasn’t a perfect game, but it was a nice response to the weak outing against #16 seed Siena. TCU had Duke where it wanted it, but Duke refused to stay cowed. And best of all, it was a real team win. Everyone played well, they played together, and when they got punched in the mouth, they punched back.
It was really encouraging going into the Sweet 16, where Duke will face the winner of St. John’s vs. Kansas.
Notes – Isaiah Evans had a personal stretch of 9 straight points in the first half…Maliq Brown finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds, and at a certain point, seemed to take TCU’s physical play personally…all the starters finished in double figures except for Cayden Boozer, who finished with 9…Cameron Boozer took just one shot in the first half, then missed just two shots in the second…TCU’s guards combined to shoot 5-18 for 12 points…
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