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As you saw, TCU wanted to get physical with Duke, and that worked – until it didn’t.
This game was tied 44-44 with 13:56 to play, and the Blue Devils outscored the Horned Frogs 37-14 to win, 81-58.
However, it wasn’t as easy as the score would suggest.
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Jamie Dixon has a good team with some good basketball players, but none of them are first-round draft picks or anything. Plus, they’re not very tall. Both of his starting guards are 6-0, and his frontcourt runs 6-8, 6-7, and 6-6. While smallish, though, the frontcourt is thick and powerful, and they nearly got Duke in big trouble in the first half.
Cameron Boozer picked up two fouls in a big hurry, and in his return, Patrick Ngongba also picked up two fouls in the first half.
TCU kept Duke from scoring a basket for about a 9-minute stretch spanning the end of the first half and the second, and the Blue Devils were a bit butter-fingered, too. They had 8 turnovers in the first half and 9 in the second for 17 total.
And for part of the second half, it looked like TCU’s strategy was going to work. For a short period, Duke looked tired and, as Bill Raftery said, discombobulated. Duke had 5 turnovers in those four minutes, and it looked like TCU was poised to win.
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Until they weren’t. Because it was Boozer time!
First, Cayden hit a layup and got a three-point play, then Cameron got one of his own. Then Cayden got the ball to Nik Khamenia for a three-pointer from the corner, and suddenly, Duke was up 53-44.
TCU hit a three, then Khamenia got a pair of free throws, followed by a Dame Sarr three. And suddenly, Duke was up by 14. And while a few minutes earlier, the Blue Devils looked discombobulated, suddenly, TCU did. Their shots weren’t falling anymore, and Duke was getting most of the misses (the Blue Devils finished with a 42-25 advantage on the boards).
The final 16 minutes or so were a complete blowout.
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In more good news for Jon Scheyer and Duke, Ngongba is not only back, but he had a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/think-physical-tcu-no-no-003726670.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-22 00:37:00
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