Duke vs St. John's: Sweet Sixteen Rematch

0:00Duke faces St. John's in the sweet 16 of the NCAA, a tournament on Friday at 7-10pm on Washington, D.C. It's a rematch 35 years in the making since Duke's 78-61 win over the Red Storm in 1991 sent the blue. Devils to their first national title. Duke, the number one overall seed at 34 wins and two losses, enters as a six-and-a-half point favorite against the fifth seeded Red Storm, who sit at 30 wins and six losses. Meanwhile, the coaching match up pits Duke's John Shire, who won a title as a player under Mike Rajewski, and now seeks his first as head coach. Against 73-year-old Rick Patino, Patino has two NCAA championships already, and a seven years older than St. John's coach was back in 1991. Adding buzz, Duke guard Caleb Foster might return after foot surgery, sideline him for two weeks, with Shire calling it possible. Coaches and players bring plenty of history, too. Patino joked about

1:01avenging Christian late's nurse famous buzzer-beater from 1992 when he coached Kentucky against Duke. St. John's guard Ian Jackson, a Bronx native who transferred from North Carolina, has struggled versus the blue devils before. The East region also features heavyweights, with Michigan State and UConn in the other semi-final led by Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley. Duke has won 13th straight, including comebacks against Siena and TCU, where freshman Cameron Booser posted 19 points in 11 rebounds. Despite early turnovers, St. John's rides an eight-game streak, highlighted by a last second upset over Kansas, and a big East title win over UConn. This loaded bracket feels like a final four preview, but both teams stress focusing game by game as the path to Indianapolis heats up. That's your update from Durham News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story.