ATLANTA (AP) — For Duke to capture another national championship, senior stars J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams will almost certainly have to be at their best. Through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, that’s exactly what’s happened.
Coming off an impressive victory over George Washington, the Blue Devils (32-3) look to advance to the final of the Atlanta Regional when they take on No. 4 LSU (25-8) on Thursday night.
Redick has 20 points and Williams added 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead Duke past George Washington 74-61 on Saturday and into the round of 16 for the ninth straight year.
“It shows a level of consistency that we’ve had since we’ve been here and over the past nine years,” said Redick, who struggled with his shooting at times late in the regular season. “For the seniors, we’ve already been to the Sweet 16, so we’re probably looking for a bit more than that.”
Duke had a strong performance defensively, limiting George Washington to 30.9 percent shooting, and went on a 17-4 first-half run to take control at 36-20.
Besides the big games from Redick and Williams, Duke continued to get contributions from freshmen Josh McRoberts and Greg Paulus. McRoberts had his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds while Paulus added 10 points and six assists.
“When my two freshmen are playing like that, it brings everybody together,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They were playing with such enthusiasm. They have such good game personalities, that when they allow themselves to show it, we’re just better.”
The key to a deep run in the tournament, though, will be Redick and Williams. The duo was even more overpowering in the first round against Southern, as Williams had 29 points and 18 rebounds, and Redick scored 29 points.
Although Duke advanced to the Final Four two years ago, the Blue Devils have had trouble getting out the round of 16 the past few seasons. Other than in 2004, when Duke suffered a heartbreaking loss to Connecticut in a national semifinal, the Blue Devils have lost in the regional semifinals in three of the four years since winning their third NCAA title in 2001. Last year, Michigan State eliminated Duke on its way to the Final Four.
The Blue Devils will be looking to avoid a similar fate when they take on an LSU squad that’s coming off a thrilling 58-57 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday.
The Tigers took a 53-46 lead with 3:31 remaining, but the Aggies rallied to wipe out that deficit in the next 91 seconds, and took a 57-55 lead on Acie Law’s jumper with 19 seconds left.
LSU’s lone senior responded, as guard Darrel Mitchell hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left.
“When he let it go, I just felt confident it was going in,” LSU coach John Brady said. “I call (Mitchell) the silent assassin because he doesn’t say much, but when it’s time to deliver he can do that.”
Mitchell was 1-of-7 from 3-point range before his winning shot.
For the Tigers to pull the upset, they’ll need Mitchell to continue to hit big shots and sophomore forward Glen Davis to have another big game. The 6-foot-9, 310-pound Davis, who had 21 points and eight rebounds Saturday and averages team bests of 18.6 points and 10.0 boards, will likely find himself in a physical matchup with the 6-9, 250-pound Williams on Thursday night.
“My assignment is to play the biggest and best post man on each team,” Davis said. “So I just have to do what I’m supposed to do to get the ball game won. I’m just going to take it as a regular game.”
LSU hasn’t advanced past the round of 16 since 1987, and Brady is trying to keep Davis and the rest of the Tigers calm and focused on the task at hand against the experienced Blue Devils.
“Glen told me a couple of times that he’s excited to play tomorrow,” Brady said. “I want to control that feeling a little bit and don’t let it get too out of hand where he’s too excited to play. Certainly, I think our team will be ready to play.”
Duke and LSU have never met in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils lead the series 5-1 and have taken the last three matchups. The teams haven’t met since the 1992-93 season.
Thursday’s winner will face sixth-seeded West Virginia or No. 2 Texas on Saturday in the regional final.