Duke basketball advances to Sweet 16 after rout of San Diego State

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Entering their Round of 32 tilt against one of the stingiest defenses in the country, the Blue Devils said they wanted to get off to a good start.

They did just that.

No. 1 seed Duke knocked off No. 8 San Diego State 68-49 Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Arena, opening the game on a 15-4 run and never looking back led by ACC Player of the Year Jahlil Okafor. The nation's second-best scoring defense had no answer for the dominant center, who had 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the first half and finished with 26 points.

Justise Winslow added 13 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Blue Devils, who advanced to the Sweet 16 and earned a Friday date with No. 5 seed Utah in Houston.

“Our guys played outstanding defense,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Justise—his defensive rebounding especially in the first half was huge—and his play throughout was huge and Jah—his scoring inside, to get that percentage of shots and makes against a San Diego State defense that is one of the best in the country was terrific. We’re going to Houston—that’s a heck of a thing.”

Okafor almost kept pace with the Aztecs (27-9) by himself for much of the first half, as San Diego State struggled mightily to score all game against the Blue Devils' pressure man-to-man defense. The Aztecs opened the game 0-of-7 from the field with two turnovers and never looked comfortable on the offensive end, shooting just 33 percent.

One of the main reasons Duke was able to stymie the San Diego State offense was by taking swingman J.J. O’Brien out of the game. The primary Aztec facilitator was held to 2-of-10 shooting and recorded just one of his team’s five assists, often seeing multiple Blue Devil defenders every time he ventured into the paint.

“They bothered us with their pressure. They did a good job denying our wings [and] getting us out of our sets a little bit,” O’Brien said. “Not a lot of teams pressure like them, but that’s just their style. We hadn’t faced a style like that.”

Duke (31-4) was able to take advantage of San Diego State's offensive struggles thanks to the activity of Winslow, who sparked his team's 18-6 advantage in fastbreak points. The Houston native was consistently in attack mode, often going coast to coast after pulling down rebounds to put pressure on the Aztec defense.

Although San Diego State was able to cut the lead to seven twice, Winslow and senior Quinn Cook—who had 15 points and knocked down three 3-pointers—came up with strong responses both times. The Blue Devils sealed the win with a 20-2 run after the Aztecs climbed to within seven at the 12:42 mark of the second half to regain momentum during one of San Diego State's many droughts.

“They went on their run and we knew we just had to buckle down and try to go on a run of our own and that’s what we did,” point guard Tyus Jones said. “We got stops and that’s how it started and it transitions to offense.”

Duke's ball security allowed the Blue Devils to have a solid offensive game despite starters Tyus and Matt Jones combining for just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting. Duke did not get to the free throw line until the 7:49 mark of the second half, but also did not commit a turnover for the first 16:44 of the game, which prevented the Aztecs from generating offense from their normally impenetrable defense.

As they hoped to against a team with four starters 6-foot-7 or taller, the Blue Devils were able to dictate tempo thanks to their hot start and tenacious defense—trends they hope continue next week.

“When they control the pace, they’re a tough team,” Cook said. “We wanted to speed them up a little bit and ball pressure was a big thing for myself and Tyus—getting after the point guards and making them play faster than they usually do. Those guys are humongous, so we just wanted to fight.”