By Joe Coopersmith
3 29 2024
GAME NOTES
https://uhcougars.com/sports/2023/10/27/2023-24-mens-basktball-game-notes.aspx
DALLAS – For the fifth consecutive season, #2/2 (1) Houston will compete in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 when it faces #13/14 (4) Duke around 8:35 p.m., Friday, inside American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The Cougars earned their trip to the Sweet 16 after a tough 100-95 win in overtime against (9) Texas A&M during the Round of 32 inside FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. on Sunday. Sophomore guard Emanuel Sharp poured in a career-high 30 points and seven 3-pointers to lead all players while senior point guard Jamal Shead added 21 points with a game-high 10 assists for his team-leading fifth double-double of the season.
Houston joins Gonzaga as the only NCAA Division I teams with Sweet 16 appearances in each of the last five Tournaments.
Under the leadership of Big 12 Coach of the Year and Henry Iba National Coach of the Year recipient Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars have been ranked among the nation’s Top Seven in both polls throughout the season and have been in the Top 25 in each of the last 84 weeks, a school record and the longest active streak in the country.
Senior guard LJ Cryer leads the Cougars with 15.5 points per game and tops the Big 12 with 3.1 3-pointers per game. The Katy, Texas, native and Morton Ranch High School product became the eighth player in school history to drain 100+ treys in a single season.
Shead is a unanimous consensus First-Team All-American in 2023-24 after averaging 13.2 points, 6.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. The Manor, Texas, native is a Finalist for both the Jersey Mike’s Naismith National Player of the Year and the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year and became the first player in Big 12 history to win the league’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.
Senior forward J’Wan Roberts leads Houston with 6.8 rebounds per game and is one of only three student-athletes to rank among the Big 12 Top-10 leaders in both offensive and defensive rebounding. He recently moved past 800 rebounds in his award-winning collegiate career, becoming only the 10th Cougar in school history to reach that total.
With his 3-point barrage against the Aggies last weekend, Sharp ranks among the Big 12’s Top-10 leaders in 3-point field goals per game and 3-point field goal percentage.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Friday’s game on CBS with Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter) calling the action.
• Fans can hear Friday’s game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes calling the action. The pregame show begins at 8:24 p.m., Friday.
• Fans can follow live stats by visiting NCAA.com/march-madness and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
ABOUT DUKE
• Duke brings a 26-8 overall record and 15-6 ACC mark into Friday’s NCAA Tournament South Region Sweet 16 game.
• The Blue Devils are ranked #13 in the latest Associated Press poll and at #14 in the most recent USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll.
• Duke finished second in the ACC regular-season standings, two games behind league champion North Carolina. The Blue Devils fell in the ACC Championship Quarterfinals to NC State.
• Duke is 4-1 in neutral-site games and 11-5 in non-home games in 2023-24.
• The Blue Devils have won their last two games entering Friday’s contest.
• In its most recent action, Duke took a 93-55 win over (12) James Madison in Brooklyn on Sunday.
• Against James Madison, freshman guard Jared McCain posted 10 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field, including 8-of-11 from the arc. Sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor totaled 18 points with three rebounds and five assists while senior guard Jeremy Roach posted 15 points with a game-high six assists. Graduate center Ryan Young and freshman forward Sean Stewart led all players with six rebounds. Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski added 14 points with five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
• This season, Filipowski leads Duke with 16.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
• Head Coach Jon Scheyer is in his second season at Duke and as a collegiate head coach.
• Scheyer has posted 53-17 record with Duke and during his career.
• Friday’s game will be the first time Scheyer has faced Houston during his career.
• Friday’s game will be the first time Scheyer has faced Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson during their careers.
• 2010 graduate of Duke.
SERIES HISTORY vs. DUKE
• Friday’s game will be the first time Houston has faced Duke in Men’s Basketball.
UP NEXT
• With a win over #13/14 (4) Duke on Friday, Houston will advance to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the eighth time in school history and the third time in the last four years.
• There, the Cougars would face the winner of #8/8 (2) Marquette-(11) James Madison inside American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, March 29.
• Game time and broadcasting networks for the Elite Eight will be announced following Friday’s games.
• All Houston Men’s Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app.
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The Opening Tip
- No. 4-seed Duke confronts No. 1-seed Houston in the Sweet 16 of the South Region at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Dallas, Texas on Friday, March 29, on CBS.
- Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson will call the action on CBS. David Shumate and John Roth team up for the broadcast on the Blue Devil Sports Network. Ryan Radtke and PJ Carlisemo will describe the game on Westwood One.
- Duke is making its 46th appearance in the NCAA Tournament – fifth most in NCAA history – and 29th trip to the Sweet 16 – first under second-year head coach Jon Scheyer.
- In the past 25 NCAA Tournaments, Duke has advanced to the Sweet 16 in 19 of them.
- Scheyer leads Duke into the tournament for the second straight season and has steered the Blue Devils to a top-five seed in each of his first two campaigns.
- Duke has been ranked inside the top-25 for the entirety of the 2023-24 season and achieved 25 victories for the 16th consecutive season (not impacted by COVID-19).
- Duke is 121-40 (.752) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, marking the best winning percentage in tournament history by a team with a minimum of 20 games played.
- The Blue Devils are among the nation’s top 25 in scoring margin (+13.3), field goal percentage (.482), 3-point field goal percentage (.381) and assist/turnover ratio (1.61).
- Jared McCain broke Duke’s NCAA Tournament record with eight 3-pointers in a second-round victory over James Madison in Brooklyn, New York (March 24).
- Among ACC leaders, Kyle Filipowski ranks 10th in scoring (16.6 ppg), sixth in rebounding (8.2 rpg), third in blocked shots (1.6 bpg) and sixth in field goal percentage (.515).
- Tyrese Proctor ranks second in ACC in assist/turnover ratio (2.84), and has 37 assists with just 10 turnovers in his last nine outings.
- Houston, ranked No. 2 in the top-25 polls, makes its fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, and the Cougars’ second straight year as a No. 1 seed.
- Houston leads the nation in scoring defense (57.7 ppg), turnover margin (7.0) and field goal percentage defense (37.8%).
- Senior point guard Jamal Shead, the Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and consensus First-Team All-America honoree, averages 13.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists (230 assists; 8th in nation) and 2.2 steals per game.
Last Time Out
- Behind a record-setting eight 3-pointers from Jared McCain, Duke defeated James Madison, 93-55, in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Second Round on Sunday night, advancing to the Sweet 16.
- McCain finished with 30 total points and was joined in double-figures by Tyrese Proctor, Jeremy Roach and Kyle Filipowski, who scored 18, 15 and 14, respectively.
- The Blue Devils made a season-high 14 3-pointers on 28 attempts, draining at least half of their shots from long distance for the sixth time this season.
- Duke’s 93 points matches the most by the Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament since a 93-85 first-round win over UNC-Wilmington on March 17, 2016.
- The 93 points against JMU are the third-most scored by Duke this season, and the most since the Blue Devils beat Queens, 106-69, on Dec. 30, 2023. That point total is also the most allowed by JMU in a regulation game this season.
- The Blue Devils’ 38-point triumph is the largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament second-round contest since a 97-56 win over Tulsa on March 14, 1999.
- Duke’s defense held JMU to 55 points, matching a season-low by the Dukes and 29.0 below its season average of 84.0. The Blue Devils have held 29 of their 34 opponents to below their respective scoring average.
- The Blue Devils distributed 22 assists on 33 made field goals, marking the sixth time in the 2023-24 campaign tor register 20-plus helpers.
- Duke turned the ball over just six times compared to JMU’s 14 miscues, resulting in a 24-4 advantage for the Blue Devils in points-off-turnovers.
- The Blue Devils’ disruptive defense amassed a season-best 12 steals.
- McCain made eight 3-pointers, including his first six in the opening 20 minutes, setting a new Duke record for made 3-pointers in the NCAA Tournament, bettering the standard of seven triples by Quinn Cook against Mercer on March 21, 2014.
- McCain became just the second Duke freshman to score 30 or more points in an NCAA Tournament game. Zion Williamson holds the program’s NCAA Tournament freshman scoring record with 32 points against UCF on March 22, 2019.
- McCain did not commit a turnover, becoming the first freshman since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to score at least 30 points with no turnovers.
- Roach scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while also dishing a team-high seven assists and committing zero turnovers. Duke’s backcourt tandem of Roach and Proctor combined for 12 assists and one turnover.
- Sean Stewart came off the bench to secure a team-best seven rebounds in just 15 minutes of game action, while adding a pair of alley-oop slams.
Flip’s Sophomore Season Elevation
- Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski has improved in nearly all statistical categories from his rookie campaign, most notably in blocks and assists.
- Filipowski has tallied 97 assists (56 in 2022-23) and blocked 54 shots, after swatting a total of 26 attempts during his freshman year.
- The 7-footer has tallied nine double-doubles this season, moving his career total to 25 double-doubles in 70 games played.
- “Flip” has scored 20 or more points 12 times this season, including a career-high 30 points versus Georgia Tech (Jan. 30), after reaching 20 points six times as a freshman.
- He has distributed three-plus assists 23 times during his career, with 18 of those coming during his sophomore campaign.
- Filipowski scored 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field at Pittsburgh (Jan. 9), marking the best shooting performance by a Blue Devil with at least 10 attempts since Zion Williamson finished 13-of-13 against Syracuse on March 14, 2019.
- He amassed a career-high 30 points with 13 boards, four assists, two blocked shots and two steals without committing a turnover versus Georgia Tech (Jan. 13), becoming the first Duke player with a 30-point double-double and no turnovers in the past 40 seasons.
- The sophomore center was just two assists shy of triple-double with 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight helpers versus Hofstra (Dec. 12).
- Filipowski is the 69th Blue Devil all-time to reach 1,000 points, having landed on the exact number following his 17-point outing at Wake Forest on Feb. 24, and only the seventh Blue Devil in the past 50 years to score 1,000 career points in their first two seasons.
- Filipowski became a consensus Second Team All-American, with citations from the Associated Press (AP), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
- The sophomore is the only underclassman on each of the three, 15-player, All-America teams and the first Duke consensus Second Team All-American since Paolo Banchero in 2022.
- The Westtown, New York, native also earned First Team All-District recognition from the NABC, his second consecutive season doing so – the first Blue Devil to bring in back-to-back All-District honors since Luke Kennard did so in both 2016 and 2017.
- With Filipowski’s All-District honor, Duke extends its streak to 17 consecutive seasons with at least one All-District selection.
Emergence of McCain
- After averaging 7.6 points per outing in the first eight games of the season, Jared McCain has reached the 20-point mark eight times, averaging 15.8 points per game as the team’s second-leading scorer during that stretch.
- The freshman guard scored a career-high 35 points in a road win at Florida State (Feb. 17), matching the Duke freshman scoring record set by Zion Williamson versus Syracuse on Jan. 14, 2019, and the sixth most points scored by a freshman in ACC history.
- McCain nailed 8-of-11 triples against the Seminoles to break Duke’s freshman record for 3-pointers made.
- In a top-10 rivalry matchup at North Carolina (Feb. 3), McCain recorded a double-double with team highs of 23 points and 11 caroms.
- McCain made eight 3-pointers in the second round NCAA Tournament win over James Madison, setting a new Duke record for made 3-pointers in the NCAA Tournament, bettering the standard of seven triples by Quinn Cook against Mercer on March 21, 2014.
- McCain became just the second Duke freshman to score 30 or more points in an NCAA Tournament game. Zion Williamson holds the program’s NCAA Tournament freshman scoring record with 32 points against UCF on March 22, 2019.
- McCain did not commit a turnover, becoming the first freshman since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to score at least 30 points with no turnovers.
- McCain has made two 3-pointers or more in 23 games this season. The Blue Devils are 19-4 in those contests.
- The 6-3 guard has secured double-digit rebounds six times this season, including a career-high of 11 boards twice.
- McCain was named ACC Rookie of the Week twice in 2024 (Jan. 29, Feb. 19) and was voted to the ACC All-Rookie Team, All-ACC Honorable Mention and the Kyle Macy National Freshmen All-America Team as a finalist for the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year Award.
Mitchell Makes His Mark
- Since the calendar turned to 2024, sophomore forward Mark Mitchell is shooting 59.0% from the field and 50.0% from 3-point range with three double-doubles.
- On Jan. 6 at Notre Dame, Mitchell amassed 23 points and 14 rebounds – both career highs.
- When grabbing six rebounds or more this season, Mitchell averages 14.9 points per game, including all five of his 20-plus-point performances.
- During his two seasons as a Blue Devil, Duke is 33-4 when Mitchell reaches double figures in the scoring column.
Blue Devils Top ACC in Shooting, Sharing, Scoring Margin
- Duke has outscored its opponents by an average of 13.3 points per contest, which tops the ACC and ranks 11th in the country.
- The Blue Devils have made 38.1% of 3-pointers as the top-shooting ACC team from long distance, ranking 12th nationally.
- Duke has converted on 48.2% overall to lead the ACC in field goal percentage and rank 24th in the nation.
- The Blue Devils also are the best in the league at sharing the rock, averaging an ACC-high 15.3 assists per outing, and ranking 14th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.61).
Roach and Filipowski Reach 1K
- Senior guard Jeremy Roach became the 68th Blue Devil all-time to eclipse 1,000 career points in his Duke career, scoring 17 points against Arizona on Nov. 10.
- Sophomore center Kyle Filipowski also accomplished the feat this season, scoring 17 points at Wake Forest on Feb. 24 — the sophomore is just the 12th Blue Devil all-time and seventh in the past 50 years to score 1,000 points in their first two seasons.
- The Blue Devils are tied for second in NCAA Division I for most 1,000-point scorers in program history, tied with Louisville and ahead of Notre Dame and Villanova.
- Roach reached other career milestones — his 100th game in a Duke jersey against La Salle on Nov. 21, 2023, and his 100th career start versus Louisville on Feb. 28.
75th Anniversary of Associated Press Top 25 – Duke Dominates Past Three Decades
- To celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Top 25, the Associated Press compiled its weekly polls to determine the best programs of each decade. Duke was crowned the top program for the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.
- In the 1990s, Duke won back-to-back national championships in 1991 and 1992, and started a run of 24 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 1996.
- In the 2000s, the Blue Devils won two more national titles in 2001 and 2010, and went on to spend nearly 60% of the time inside the top five of the AP Top 25 — including 40 weeks at No. 1.
- In the 2010s, Duke captured its fifth national championship in 2015, and tallied 33 weeks at No. 1 and 86% of the AP polls (167 of 194) inside the top 10 from 2010-20.
All-Access with Coach Jon Scheyer
- The 17th episode of Duke All-Access with head coach Jon Scheyer is available on the Duke Athletics YouTube channel. The show also airs weekly on Friday’s at 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. (Bally Sports South), Saturday’s on MASN (8:30 a.m.), Bally Sports South (9:30 a.m.), ABC11.com (10 a.m.) and Sunday’s on WTVD ABC-11 (noon).
- Produced by Blue Devil Sports Properties from LEARFIELD, Duke All-Access with Coach Scheyer is in its second season as an 18-episode series that provides a look at the Duke men’s basketball program through interviews, game highlights, breakdowns, analysis and features.
- In the penultimate episode of the season, Coach Scheyer details the excitement going into the NCAA Tournament.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeMBB”.
Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu
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