On paper, Duke and Houston seemed to be a matchup of opposites when they met in the Sweet 16. Houston was a defense-first, grind-it-out team led by a grizzled head coach and a pack of veterans. Meanwhile, Duke was seen as a finesse squad that lived by the outside shot and which relied on youth, and was led by a head coach still earning his stripes.
However, Duke was the team that won the rock fight that transpired in Dallas, not the Cougars. That surprised many around the nation.
Yes, we must all admit that the ankle injury that took Big 12 Player of the Year, Jamal Shead, out of the game late in the first half played a massive role in the outcome. Anyone who denies that fact is delusional.
With that said Duke isn’t supposed to be able to win cage matches against a team that makes basketball look like bare-knuckle boxing. That’s what the Blue Devils did, though.
To the surprise of no one, Houston dominated and controlled the pace of play. But to the surprise of many, Duke was up for the fight.
Filipowski was the difference as he scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the 54-51 win. It was a step forward for Duke under Scheyer as the program proved that it had enough grit and determination to play Houston’s style of basketball and come out on top. Certainly, this win was one that the program and its head coach can grow from and it was easily the defining victory of 2023-24.