GREENVILLE, S.C. — Duke basketball punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament with a 81-58 win over TCU at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday, March 21.

Cameron Boozer scored 19 points with 11 rebounds to lead the No. 1 seeded Blue Devils (34-2), with 17 of his points coming in the second half as he did not make a field goal until the 16:02 mark of the second period. Isaiah Evans added 17, Dame Sarr 14 and Maliq Brown 12. TCU (23-12) was led by Micah Robinson’s 18 points while Xavier Edmonds added 12.

Duke outscored TCU 43-24 in the second half, holding it to 26.3% shooting. Foul trouble was also an issue for the Horned Frogs, as Edmonds fouled out with six minutes to go and Tanner Toolson and Liutauras Lelevicius each finished with four.

Duke now advances to play the winner between No. 4 seed Kansas and No. 5 St. John’s in the Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C.. Kansas and St. John’s play on Sunday, March 22.

Blue Devils built lead up in first half behind Isaiah Evans, but Horned Frogs cut it going into half

Isaiah Evans scored 11 straight points for Duke midway through the first half as Duke jumped out to its first two-possession lead of the night. The Blue Devils led by as much as eight in the period, but TCU found some momentum late after Cameron Boozer picked up a Flagrant 1 foul and a Tanner Toolson triple trimmed the lead to 38-34 at the break.

After missing five straight games with foot soreness, Patrick Ngongba II made his first appearance for Duke since March 2 on Saturday. He first checked in at the 16:14 mark of the first half and played 6:44 of the opening period, going 2-for-2 from the field with three fouls and two rebounds.

Ngongba finished the night playing 13 minutes. He scored four points with four rebounds, four assists and four turnovers.

He was wearing a heating pad on his right ankle almost every time he returned to the bench.

Turnovers an issue for Duke, but Blue Devils take control in second half

Duke turned the ball over six times in the first half, with three coming from Patrick Ngongba II, resulting in nine points for TCU.

The Blue Devils turned the ball over five times within the first 3:49 of the second half, with two coming from Cameron Boozer and one apiece from Maliq Brown and Cayden Boozer, plus a shot clock violation. TCU, in turn, took 11 shots during that span but only made three, still enough to temporarily regain the lead at 40-38.

Duke was able to regain control in the second half and led by as much as 25 and going on a 30-6 run, but it finished the night with 17 turnovers, resulting in 20 TCU points.