Why Jeremy Roach is Duke basketball’s man of March, something he showed against Houston
With each shot Jeremy Roach made during Friday night’s second half against Houston, memories kept recalling another NCAA Tournament game against another Texas team two years ago.
That’s when, as a sophomore, Roach’s clutch shooting helped Duke topple Texas Tech, 78-73, San Francisco’s Chase Center.Then as now, the game decided who moved into the NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8 and whose season ended.
Then as now, because of Roach, Duke was the former rather than the latter.
In a different NBA arena, this one Dallas’ American Airlines Center, it was Roach’s 14 second-half points that lifted the Blue Devils to a 54-51 win over top-seeded Houston and into Sunday’s South Regional final.
Predictably, his former teammates from that 2021-22 Duke team weighed in on social media, reintroducing the nation to “March Jeremy Roach” as Charlotte Hornets and former Duke center Mark Williams proclaimed on X (formerly Twitter).
“He’s done it,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “He’s been there. It’s funny. He even said after the game some of his turnovers early was like Texas Tech.”
Yes, this slugfest against Houston (32-5) carried numerous similarities to that 2022 West Regional semifinal against Texas Tech.
That night, Texas Tech sprinted to a 10-2 lead and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski burned an early timeout to settle his team.
That’s what Scheyer did Friday night when Houston scored the game’s first eight points and threatened to bury the Blue Devils.
Two years ago, Roach committed a pair of turnovers in the game’s first four minutes to help Texas Tech take that early lead.
On Friday night against Houston, Roach turned it over on Duke’s first two possessions and he had three in the first half.
But, like two years ago, Roach didn’t panic and never lost confidence. The Blue Devils count on him too much to do such a thing.
“It’s exactly what I’ve seen,” Duke freshman guard Jared McCain said. “Exactly what I’ve seen. He’s built for this. He worked so hard, especially at those mid range shots. So I’m just happy he’s able to make those.”
McCain was a high school student two years ago watching Roach hit those shots while scoring 15 points against Texas Tech, helping Krzyzewski lead Duke to one last Final Four before his retirement.
Tyrese Proctor was in his native Australia, watching on television. This was two months before Proctor decided to reclassify and enroll in Duke that summer to begin his college career a year early.
Now a sophomore guard starting in the backcourt with Roach and McCain, Proctor implores his older teammate to not let poor plays define him. Proctor knows what Roach is capable of, especially in the NCAA Tournament.
“I’m always talking to him, trying to give him confidence,” Proctor said. “Jared is always talking to him. We just trust one another. We knew he was going to do that. It’s March. It’s Jeremy’s time. We knew he was gonna get good shots.”
Two years ago, Duke followed its win over Texas Tech with a convincing 78-69 win over Arkansas to reach the Final Four. The Sweet 16 game, it turned out, was far tougher than the Elite 8 matchup.
This year, the Blue Devils have a rematch in the Elite 8 as N.C. State, the Triangle rival that knocked Duke out of the ACC Tournament, awaits in Sunday’s South Regional final.
Duke will need to hit big shots to end the Wolfpack’s inspiring run of eight consecutive wins to reach the precipice of the Final Four.
Don’t count against Roach being the guy to make them.
This story was originally published March 30, 2024 at 7:00 AM.