Duke basketball players greet injured Houston guard Jamal Shead after Sweet 16 win

It was unfortunate in the Duke basketball Sweet 16 matchup against Houston that an injury had a major impact on the game.

Jamal Shead, the consensus First Team All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year, drove to the basket with just under seven minutes remaining in the first half and as he planted his right leg, his ankle gave out and twisted awkwardly.

He remained on the court in pain as the play continued down the other end of the floor and trainers eventually brought him back to the locker room.

Shead did not return for the remainder of the first half and was seen on a transport scooter during halftime. He rejoined his teammates on the bench for the second half with the hope of coming back into the game, but did not have enough strength in his ankle. He could barely stand to cheer when Houston made a basket.

The team called it a "badly sprained ankle" and X-Rays were negative. Houston said he "had ankle retaped tight and will try to give it a go in second half at some point."

As the Blue Devils held on for the 54-51 victory, Duke players made their way to the Houston bench to congratulate Shead on a stellar season as he was unable to walk through the postgame handshake line.

Shead was just 1-for-5 with two points prior to his injury but his defense was making the greatest impact for the Cougars. Houston, leading 16-10, at the time of the injury, was holding Duke to 4-of-17 shooting from the field and 2-of-8 from 3-point range with seven turnovers.

The Blue Devils were 4-of-6, making its only 3-point attempt, with just two turnovers the rest of the half and outscored Houston 13-6 in the final 6:38, leading 23-22 at halftime.

Duke shot 46-percent in the second half but Houston's offense didn't suffer, shooting 50-percent after halftime.

Duke will face ACC rival NC State on Sunday afternoon (5:05 p.m. ET, CBS) in the Elite Eight.