The NCAA Tournament selection committee has a funny way of bracketing its games and the Duke basketball team will get a first-hand look at the irony.
After a dominating win in the Round of 64 against Mount St. Mary’s, the Blue Devils will battle Baylor after its win over Mississippi State – setting up a matchup that many could have seen coming months ago.
Duke against ex-guard Jeremy Roach.
It was written in the stars as soon as he opted to enter the transfer portal during the offseason, leaving Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster as the only players to return to the team from last year’s roster.
Roach had an up-and-down season for the Bears this year, averaging the fewest amount of points since his sophomore season at Duke and only starting 18 games entering the postseason as his role diminished throughout the course of the season.
The former Duke captain logged just 14 minutes in the 75-72 victory over the Bulldogs but did manage six points, two rebounds, and three steals.
It’ll also be a chance for the Blue Devils to play VJ Edgecombe, the electric Baylor freshman who has heavily considered committing to Duke during his recruitment. In fact, Edgecombe was considered to be a favorite to land in Durham until the final stages of his process.
The Bahamas native has only gotten better during his rookie season and remains a likely NBA Draft lottery pick after posting 15.0 points per game on 43.4-percent shooting. He had 14 points in his NCAA Tournament debut.
Despite the loss of Jeremy Roach and not adding VJ Edgecombe to its roster, the Blue Devils have put together a dream season as the ACC champions, earning a No. 1 seed, and being considered as the favorites to win the National Championship.
Tipoff between Duke and Baylor is slated for 2:40 p.m. ET (CBS) in Raleigh on Sunday.