GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Duke Blue Devils are still dancing in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 2 Duke beat No. 15 Cal State Fullerton 78-61 Friday night as they round out the West region competition. Freshman Paolo Banchero scored 17 points to lead the Blue Devils. Duke jumped to an early double-digit lead and played with a comfortable margin nearly all night. Duke shot 52% from the field while getting 10 blocked shots at the other end, five coming from Mark Williams.
The game marked the first all-time meeting between both teams. The Titans made their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they hold a 2-3 all-time record. Their last appearance was in 2018. Fullerton's last NCAA Tournament game win was in 1978 when it reached the Sweet 16.
The appearance marks Duke's seventh time competing in the West Region of the tournament. Duke is 4-0 all-time against teams from the Big West.
The 2022 NCAA Tournament will be the last for Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski as he will retire at the end of the season. The university named associate head coach Jon Scheyer as Krzyzewski’s successor for the 2022-23 season
Duke is 114-38 (.750) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, marking the best winning percentage in tournament history. Duke's 114 wins are also third-most in the event's history. Duke has been a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in 20 of its last 24 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1997. Duke earned its 44th all-time bid to the NCAA Tournament -- fifth-most in NCAA history and 36th under Coach K. He has led Duke to five NCAA National Championships in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015. He coached Duke to the Final Four 12 times and is tied for most in NCAA Tournament history. He led Duke to win 12 ACC Regular-Season Championships and 15 ACC Tournament Championships and still holds the ACC record. He holds the record for the most wins of any college basketball coach. He has been devoted to Duke basketball for more than 40 years.
Duke will play Michigan State on Sunday.
