END OF GAME: Duke 62 Utah 57
2nd Half :9 - Loveridge misses a three and Duke will run the clock out!
2nd Half :14 - Duke let's Wright take a wide-open layup to run out some clock, then they take a timeout.
2nd Half :20 - Cook sinks two free throws. Duke's lead is now 7 and a timeout is called.
2nd Half - Taylor makes two free throws and they foul Jones again, sending him to the line. Jones pushes the lead to 7.
2nd Half :39 - Jones sinks two free throws. Duke is up 59-51
2nd Half :59 - Taylor hits a three to bring the lead down to 6 now. Utah is still poking around.
2nd Half 1:31 - Taylor hits a three, it gives Utah some hope. Jones will go to the line after getting fouled. He pushes the lead to 56-48
2nd Half 2:30 - Utah knocks down a couple of free throws, moves the lead to 9 and we have a timeout in the game.
2nd Half 2:54 - Tyus Jones knocks down both free throws. Duke holding onto this 11-point lead right now.
2nd Half 3:44 - Winslow hits the free throw. duke leads 52-43 and Wright misses a three point attempt.
2nd Half 3:54 - Utah is on a 9-0 run now, but Winslow hits an And-1 shot and will shoot the free throw after the media timeout!
2nd Half 4:31 - Duke calls a timeout. Utah is just a three and a stop away from really getting into a threatening position in this game.
2nd Half 5:36 - Taylor hits a floater to bring it within 8.
2nd Half 6:30 - Duke is trying to run the clock down a bit, but Taylor hits a shot that bings the lead down to 10.
2nd Half 8:44 - Cook sinks two free throws.
2nd Half 8:54 - Jefferson takes a pass at the block and nobody comes to help so he throws one down!
2nd Half 10:19 - Utah has really struggled. Tucker double-dribbles and it leads to a Winslow layup.
2nd Half 11:18 - Cook gets fouled after a missed three by Loveridge.
2nd Half 12:19 - Winslow knocks down another three, but they get beat and give up a layup. 41-34
2nd Half 13:27 - Chapman hits a mid-range jumper, then Winslow knocks down a three. Duke 41 Utah 32
2nd Half 15:53 - Tyus Jones gets a quick layup in transition. Utah is having issues defending in transition this half so far. Media Timeout
2nd Half 18:00 - Jones gets a steal and a layup. Poeltl comes back and gets a layup to go, the Cook gets a fast-break layup. Duke 33 Utah 26
2nd Half 19:46 - Wright makes a layup, then a double team forces Okafor to throw a turnover. Winslow tips in a layup. Duke up 29-24
1st Half 0.0 - Cook misses a running layup, and we are at the end of the first half!
1st Half :34 - Winslow gets called for another foul, Bachynski hits 2 free throws.
1st Half 1:22 - Bachynski hits an And-1 shot and hits the free throw. Duke up 7 and a timeout is called.
1st Half 2:06 - Bachynski misses two free throws.
1st Half 2:58 - Okafor gets in a layup. Duke is really pressing hard on this lead now. Duke up 10!
1st Half 4:17 - Jones hits 2 of 2 free thows. Jones hits a floater off the backboard on a fastbreak. Duke leads by 8!
1st Half 4:53 - Cook makes a layup and then rolls his ankle, he walks it off and sits down on the bench. Duke up 4!
1st Half 5:54 - Allen hits 1 of 2 free throws. Loveridge gets a layup on a back-cut. Duke 19 Utah 17
1st Half 6:19 - Winslow hits a long 2-pointer, and Loveridge hits a three. Duke leads 18-15
1st Half 7:50 - Winslow banks in a short shot, and Wright gets a layup off a steal. Duke leads 16-12
1st Half 8:22 - Poeltl ends a 5-minute droubt without a make for Utah, as they get within 4 points of Duke.
1st Half 9:48 - Jones gets a layup to go. Duke 14 Utah 8
1st Half 10:57 - Okafor hits a layup with ease, and Cook gets fouled after a Utah miss. Duke 12 Utah 8
1st Half 11:43 - Duke takes the lead on a 2-point shot, and Duke leads 10-8!
1st Half 12:24 - Winslow hits an open three to tie the game at 8!
1st Half 13:18 - Bachynski gets a wide-open layup on a fast-break. Grayson Allen gets a layup to go. Utah 6 Duke 5, Bachynski will go to the line.
1st Half 13:46 - Bachynski hits a tip-in layup. Duke 3 Utah 4
1st Half 14:21 - Cook gets called for the foul and we get to the first TV timeout! Duke leads 3-2
1st Half 15:10 - Utah finally gets their first basket! 3-2 Duke leads
1st Half 16:07 - Okafor makes it look easy as he lays it up from the block. Duke 3 Utah 0
1st Half 17:22 - Winslow is all over the place right now. Winslow missed a layup on a lob, then came back down the other end and had a ferocious block.
1st Half 18:06 - Winslow hits a free throw, and puts Duke up 1-0!
1st Half 18:40 - Duke turns it over, and neither team has scored yet. Utah turns it over right back after a travel.
Utah starts with the ball, and Winslow is called with the foul.
Game Start
It's almost game time!
My name is Mitchell Evans and I'll be joining you through this journey of an awesome matchup between the Utah Utes and Duke Blue Devils! Thanks for joining us here on VAVEL USA. It should be a great game.
For Duke, it's obviously to get Okafor going. Okafor is skilled enough that he can handle a double-team, and he can pass well, let alone score the ball. Okafor will need to keep his head up so he can see Duke shooters around the arc. We'd assume that Utah would try doubling Okafor and make another person beat them, but Okafor has looked so poised in the tournament so far that it's a real big concern for Utah. Duke needs to limit the turnovers and fouls in this game. Like this writer said before, Duke only has 8 players for their squad so managing minutes should be key for Coach K. His guys this year have played a ton of minutes and they have to stay out of foul trouble so they can really take ahold of this game.
Keys for Utah in this game include stopping Okafor. Okafor is arguably the best player in the country, so if Utah has any hope in winning this game, they'll need to limit Okafor. Utah has a nice solid defense and has the potential to neutralize Okafor. Once they stop Okafor, they'll need to be careful of Quinn Cook. Cook is the type of guard that if he gets going, he's unstoppable and can hit from anywhere on the floor. He can drive, hit the three, and really cause havoc. The good thing for Utah is that Duke doesn't have depth, so if Utah hits them around then it's a possibility that they can keep this game close.
''Certainly I'm not predicting the future that we're going to turn Utah into Duke,'' Krystkowiak said. ''But (Krzyzewski) reminded me that when he first started at Duke, it wasn't all roses and went through a period of about three, four years where there were questions about what was going on there.''
Utah’s Coach K. has done a lot of similar things that happened at Duke when they were revamped.
Utah Utes - Duke Blue Devils Live score and commentary of 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
''Just a fun guy to be around. Really energetic,'' junior forward Jordan Loveridge said. ''Great coach, great guy off the floor. He just tells you how it is. He's not beating around the bush.''
Utah’s coach is also referred to as “Coach K.” Krystkowiak, a former NBA player and coach, is really loved by the players and has done an awesome job to revitalize the program into a respectable team.
Live score and result of 2015 Sweet Sixteen
"I never saw this coming," Tucker said about heading to Houston. "This is really a dream come true."
Utah was down early, by as much as 11, to Georgetown, but fought their way back. "It was just miscues," Loveridge said. "We started off not rebounding. We started running back, thinking about transition too much instead of thinking about boards. That's pretty much what hurt us in the beginning.
Utah has had quite a successful run as well. They came into the tournament with a respectable 5-seed and had an impressive win over Georgetown. "I knew we were due at beginning of the season, I just didn't know how the feeling would be. I saw it: We have the personnel. We put the work in during the summer," Taylor said. "But I just didn't imagine what the feeling would be like. To experience it now, I'm lost for words."
"Okafor is a load," Aztecs coach Steve Fisher said. "He is hard to guard. ... But he's not the lone ranger. Winslow can play. They have a terrific team, and they can play. They played like a No. 1 team today."
"They're together," Krzyzewski said. "We have talent, we're getting older by experience, and so we just -- we got better here these two games."
"It would mean the world to me," Okafor said. "I've always wanted to win a national title. ... That's what [the freshmen] came to Duke to have an opportunity to win a national title. That is where all of my focus has been this season, and that is what it still is."
There was talk about San Diego State possibly pulling an upset, but Duke’s Jahlil Okafor totaled 26 points to lead Duke to a cruising victory. Here are some interesting quotes from key members of each team.
It’s finally time for some Sweet 16 basketball! This week took long enough, and now we’re here! Duke and Utah is the matchup for today, and I’m excited to take you through it. Duke comes off a huge win over San Diego State, and Utah comes off a huge win over Georgetown.