Duke takes victory over Houston 54-51 in the Sweet 16 conference during the March Madness NCAA tournament on March 29, 2024.
This March Madness game was crucial for both teams as this was Duke’s 29th trip to the Sweet 16 and Houston’s 16th. The Duke vs Houston was a game of underdogs that went down to the wire. Friday’s game was an intense one, with both teams having high field goal percentages of 40.8. Both teams hustled on all sides of the court with Duke being dominant with defensive and offensive rebounds. Both teams showed a great defensive performance with steals, blocks and forced turnovers
Jeremy Roach of Duke was a top contributor. Roach had the most impact coming out after halftime with the most points that helped them secure the win. Duke’s Kyle Filipowski, a seven-foot center, led the game with 16 points and completely dominated the court in the second half. Filipowski went 6 for 14 and 1 for 3 from the free throw line while also setting his teammates up for points.
Houston’s L.J. Cryer had 15 points, ending the game going 7 for 14 with 0 free throws.
Prior to the March Madness tournament, both teams were in the top five of their seed during the regular season. With Duke having a record of 24 wins and 8 losses prior to the tournament and Houston having a record of 30 wins and 4 losses, both teams almost went undefeated during their regular season.
The Houston Cougars were eliminated out of the tournament finishing off their season. Duke got to move on to their first game in the Elite 8 Conference but unfortunately suffered a tragic loss to NC State with the final score being 76-64.
