Duke vs. Houston final score, results: Blue Devils skate to Elite Eight after Cougars' Jamal Shead goes down

Dan Treacy

•
Duke vs. Houston final score, results: Blue Devils skate to Elite Eight after Cougars' Jamal Shead goes down image

Everyone wants to see the best of the best go head-to-head in the NCAA Tournament, but fans in Dallas got that for less than 13 minutes in Friday night's Elite Eight battle between Houston and Duke.

No. 1 seed Houston lost star Jamal Shead to what the team described as a severely sprained ankle in the first half, and the Cougars quickly watched a six-point lead dissolve against a mature Duke team.

The No. 4 seed Blue Devils looked completely out of sorts on the offensive end in the early minutes, turning the ball over on three of their first four possessions. But they settled in just enough to gain control early in the second half.

Once Kyle Filipowski figured out how to beat Houston's interior defense, Duke began to find a rhythm against a swarming unit. 

Houston hung around by forcing turnovers, but the offense simply wasn't good enough without Shead. The Cougars were held to just 51 points and made just two 3-pointers the entire night. Emanuel Sharp had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but his attempt from beyond the arc came up short.

Duke set out last season to prove its prestige can last beyond the Mike Krzyzewski era. The biggest win of coach Jon Scheyer's young career reinforces that the Blue Devils aren't going anywhere — except the Elite Eight, where No. 11 NC State will be waiting for an ACC rematch.

For Houston, a month that began with realistic championship expectations ends in disappointment and a feeling of what could've been had Shead never injured his ankle. A 51-point showing is rarely enough to win an NCAA Tournament game, and coach Kelvin Sampson will enter 2024-25 on a quest to assemble an offense that can consistently match such a stifling defense.

The Sporting News tracked live updates and highlights from Friday's Sweet 16 game between Houston and Duke. Check out all of the key moments you might have missed.

STREAM: Watch NCAA Tournament games live with Fubo (free trial)

Duke vs. Houston final score

  1 2 F
Houston 22 29 51
Duke 23 31 54

Duke vs. Houston updates, results, highlights from 2024 March Madness

(All times Eastern).

FINAL: Duke 54, Houston 51

12:08 a.m. — Sharp got the look he wanted, but he came up short. Duke is going to win this game and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time under coach Jon Scheyer as Houston comes up short on the second weekend again. 

12:05 a.m. — Houston does go to the rim, misses, and the ball gets knocked out of bounds by Duke. The Cougars will have roughly nine seconds to work with, and this time they need a three.

12:03 a.m. — Wow, Filipowski somehow misses an uncontested jumper and Houston grabs the rebound. Kelvin Sampson wants a timeout. The Cougars need a three to tie, unless they want to move fast and go to the basket. 

12:01 a.m. — Emanuel Sharp keeps Houston's heart beating by driving to the rim and drawing an and-one opportunity. 48.7 seconds remaining.

11:57 p.m. — Houston is getting defensive stops, but the Cougars' offense is abysmal right now. Duke has a chance to put the dagger through with just over a minute left. 

11:49 p.m. — Filipowski is single-handedly keeping Duke in control. He gets to the basket, puts it in, and draws the foul. Houston doesn't have anyone who can do that right now.

11:45 p.m. — Duke turnovers are keeping Houston in the game, as J'Wan Roberts comes up with a steal and Houston hits one free throw on the other end. Blue Devils still ahead by two with 5:30 remaining.

11:42 p.m. — Filipowski drills a huge three to wrestle momentum back for Duke. The Blue Devils are back up by two possessions. 

11:41 p.m. — The foul isn't deemed to be a shooting foul, and Houston forces the turnover on the inbound. A key swing for the Cougars.

11:38 p.m. — It's 45-42 Duke at the under-8 timeout, with Filipowski set to go to the line for free throws. Houston had a chance to tie on its last possession but came up empty.

11:33 p.m. — Houston is starting to let Duke take control here, and the Blue Devils are doing it at the free throw line. Cougars trail by 6.

11:26 p.m. — Jeremy Roach extends Duke's lead with a three, but LJ Cryer follows it up with a three of his own. The Blue Devils lead by two.

11:24 p.m. — Duke is looking more crisp on the offensive end right now, jumping out to a 36-32 lead against this hurting Houston team. 

11:18 p.m. — We're all even at 32 after an offensive rebound and putback by Ja'Vier Francis. 

11:15 p.m. — These teams trade five consecutive baskets in the early minutes of the second half, so the offenses are settling in.

11:11 p.m. — The broadcast says Shead's X-rays were negative and he could still try to return tonight. Shead is on the sidelined with his ankle heavily taped. Houston is calling it a "severe" sprain. 

11:04 p.m. — A bad sign for Jamal Shead's availability:

End of first half: Duke 23, Houston 22

10:50 p.m. — Cryer scores at the buzzer to shift some momentum back to Houston, but it's still a one-point Duke lead and a massive absence for the Cougars as the first half comes to an end.

10:45 p.m.: Duke takes its first lead of the game at 21-20 with 2:46 to go in the first half.

10:42 p.m.: Shead is still in the locker room, replays showed he rolled his ankle on a layup. Tracy Wolfson reported that he is questionable to return in the second half.

10:35 p.m.: Filipowski knocks down a 3-pointer as the shot clock winds down to cut the deficit to 16-13 with 5:45 remaining in the first half.

10:29 p.m. — Jamal Shead is down in serious pain for Houston. It looks like a lower-leg injury of some kind. 

10:28 p.m. — McCain finally breaks through for Duke and drills a three. 14-10, Houston. 

10:27 p.m. — Houston's defense is just swarming Duke. The Blue Devils aren't getting any breaks on the offensive end yet. 

10:25 p.m. — We have points! LJ Cryer breaks the long drought and extends Houston's lead to 12-7.

10:20 p.m. — It's still 10-7, Houston at the under-12 timeout. A scoring drought for both teams.

10:18 p.m. — Both of these defenses are giving max effort right now, and Duke is doing a nice job of hanging around even as the Blue Devils' offense struggles to settle in.

10:14 p.m. — Duke's defense has tightened up a bit around the rim, and the Blue Devils have this back to a one-possession game. 10-7, Houston.

10:07 p.m. — Filipowski hits a three to give Duke its first points, 3:30 into the game.

10:05 p.m. — Duke's first possession out of the timeout is...a turnover. 

10:02 p.m. — Jon Scheyer calls timeout after Duke goes down 6-0. Houston is getting what it wants in the paint less than two minutes in. 

10:01 p.m. — Two possessions, two turnovers for Duke. 4-0, Cougars.

9:59 p.m. — And we're off! Houston forces a turnover on the opening possession and capitalizes on the other and with a layup by J'Wan Roberts.

9:57 p.m. — Minutes away from tip...

9:52 p.m. — And the starters for Duke, led by Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain. McCain has been red hot early in this tournament. 

9:46 p.m. — The starting five for Houston, led by the dynamic backcourt.

9:35 p.m. — Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET after NC State's win over Marquette ran a bit late. The winner will officially get the cardiac Pack, who have won eight consecutive games. 

9:12 p.m. — It's looking like the winner will get No. 11 NC State in the Elite Eight on Sunday. What a run by the Wolfpack!

8:35 p.m. — A nice hotel sendoff for the Blue Devils in Dallas.

8:12 p.m. — Some key info to know for tonight's matchup, including an interesting note that this is the first-ever matchup between Houston and Duke. That's the beauty of this tournament. 

8:05 p.m. — The winner of this matchup will face either No. 2 Marquette or No. 11 NC State, and right now the Wolfpack are in control up by 13 at halftime.

Duke vs. Houston start time

  • Date: Friday, March 29
  • Time: 9:39 p.m. ET

Friday's Sweet 16 matchup between Houston and Duke is set to tip off at 9:39 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Center in Dallas. It will follow Marquette's battle with NC State, so tip-off could change if the earlier game runs later than expected. 

How to watch Duke vs. Houston

  • TV channel: CBS
  • Stream: Fubo

Fans can watch No. 1 Houston try to fend off No. 4 Duke on CBS on Friday at 9:39 p.m. ET. For cord-cutters, you can stream the game on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

NCAA Tournament schedule 2024

Below is the schedule for Friday's Sweet 16 games:

Game Time (ET) TV/Livestream
No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 11 NC State 7:09 p.m. CBS/Paramount+
No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 5 Gonzaga 7:39 p.m. TBS/truTV
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 4 Duke 9:39 p.m. CBS/Paramount+
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Creighton 10:09 p.m. TBS/truTV

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy Photo

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.