The Blue Devils ended Xavier’s remarkable run in the NCAA tournament and headed to their 14th Final Four, holding off the Musketeers 66-63 Sunday to win the Atlanta Regional.
Duke will be the only No. 1 seed in San Antonio, advancing to meet Connecticut next Saturday in the national semifinals.
Xavier couldn’t overcome the loss of Anthony Myles, its best inside player, who fouled out with 12 1 1/42 minutes remaining after scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. His absence was especially telling in the deciding minutes. Duke’s Luol Deng had 19 points and was named the MVP of the regional.
Shelden Williams also came up big, scoring 12 points to go along with 13 rebounds and five blocks.
The Duke Blue Devils are headed to San Antonio for their 10th Final Four since 1986.
