After helping Duke rally from a four-point deficit at halftime, Jeremy Roach burst toward the rim in the final minutes of the Sweet 16 game against Texas Tech, only to be grabbed in midair by the Red Raiders’ Bryson Williams. Roach angrily slapped Williams’ arm, then stood his ground as players came together, his teammates flanking him. Wendell Moore Jr. clapped his hands when the foul was called on Williams and yelled, “Yeah!” as the officials stepped in between the teams.
The moment, led by Roach, was a message: this Blue Devils squad will not be pushed around.
“It definitely was a big thing,” the sophomore point guard said after Duke won 78-73 on March 24 to advance to the Elite Eight. “We were the underdogs coming into [the Texas Tech game]. I didn’t see anybody having us winning this game. Everybody said we’re too young and they were going to out-tough us. We just wanted to show … that we belong here.”
Roach’s crucial second-half rally in the Sweet 16 win — 13 of his 15 points, eight of which came in the final 10:07 — punctuated a win over college basketball’s top defense and solidified Duke’s title intentions. It also proved he could be a clutch performer and an integral part of a lineup that includes projected 2022 lottery picks Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin, Trevor Keels, Moore Jr. and Mark Williams. At the most critical moment of his final season, coach Mike Krzyzewski picked Roach to lead his starting lineup.
Duke now has a chance to send Coach K into retirement with his sixth national championship. A Final Four matchup in New Orleans on Saturday against North Carolina — the first meeting between the two longtime rivals in NCAA tournament history, coming nearly a month after the Tar Heels spoiled Coach K’s final home game of the regular season with a win — will also offer a chance for redemption. Roach knows what that feels like.
“I’ve had ups and downs the whole time I’ve been at Duke,” he said. “But just staying consistent and staying…
Source : espn
