Jay Williams on College GameDay: ‘I Don’t Think Duke Wins if Jamal Shead Plays in the Second Half’
While the Duke Blue Devils advanced to the Elite Eight on Friday night with a 54-51 win over the Houston Cougars, ESPN’s Jay Williams believes the outcome would have been reversed had Jamal Shead taken the court in the second half.
Shead suffered a grade four ankle sprain with 6:38 remaining in the first half on Friday, which proved to be too much adversity for the Cougars to overcome.
Williams spoke on the outcome of Duke vs. Houston on ESPN’s College GameDay, saying, “I don’t think Duke wins that game if Jamal Shead is playing in the second half, if he’s healthy. I don’t think Jeremy Roach scores 14 points. I think a guy like Shead spearheads their defense, would’ve gotten under Jeremy Roach.”
To Williams’ credit, Roach had a huge second half with Shead sidelined due to injury. Roach finished his day with 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists, with all 14 of his points coming in the second half of the game.
While Duke may have had a lucky bounce with the nation’s best guard sidelined, the Blue Devils did not miss their opportunity to show their respect for Shead after the game. Multiple members of the Blue Devils, including Kyle Filipowski, Tyrese Procter, Jared McCain, and more, ran into Jamal Shead on their way out of the arena and stopped to shake hands and show their support.
While X-rays on Shead’s ankle were negative, unfortunately for both the Cougars and the Big 12 Conference, Houston’s March Madness run is over. Duke will take on the NC State Wolfpack with a chance to advance to the Final Four on Sunday, March 31st, at 4:05 p.m.
