Duke's deep run
Duke rallied to beat St. John's 80-75 — after trailing by 10 early in the second half they closed the game 14-for-18 to advance to their third straight Elite Eight (youtube.com) (x.com). Freshman Cameron Boozer had 22 points and 10 rebounds and became the fourth freshman ever with 15+ points and 10+ rebounds in three straight NCAA tournament games, while Caleb Foster returned just 20 days after foot surgery to provide a critical bench lift (youtube.com) (x.com).
Duke’s Sweet 16 victory sent the program to its 26th Elite Eight appearance and marked its third straight regional final under fourth‑year head coach Jon Scheyer. (goduke.com) Freshman Cameron Boozer finished the season averaging about 22.4 points and 10.3 rebounds and was voted both ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year. (espn.com) Boozer’s Sweet 16 outing also pushed him to 22 double‑doubles on the season and added to a stretch that included multiple 20‑point, 10‑rebound games. (goduke.com) Guard Caleb Foster, who fractured his right foot and had surgery one day later, returned to practice midweek, played 18 minutes off the bench in his first 5‑on‑5 action since the injury and scored 11 second‑half points on five‑of‑eight shooting. (espn.com) The win extended Duke’s season record to 35‑2, stretched the program’s current winning streak to a nation‑best 14 games and lifted Duke to 70 victories across the last two seasons—the most by the program in any two‑year span. (goduke.com) Duke will face No. 7 seed UConn in the East Region Elite Eight; the regional final is scheduled to tip at 5:50 p.m. ET on CBS with Ian Eagle, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery and Tracy Wolfson on the call. (goduke.com)
