BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Duke took the court for pregame warmups just as No. 4 Auburn upset No. 13 Yale, and the Blue Devils decided one upset was enough for the day.
It was a little too close for comfort, but the fourth-seeded Blue Devils pulled away from No. 13-seeded University of Vermont and won 64-47.
Duke knocked down six of its first seven shots in the first half, but made just four of its final 16 shots and watched its 10-point deficit narrow to two.
However, Duke made 11 of 16 shots from the line and led 34-29 at the half, while Vermont only took three free throws and missed all of them.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Mark Mitchell of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after dunking the ball in the first half against the Vermont Catamounts in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Barclays Center in New York City on March 22, 2024. (Sarah Steer/Getty Images)
Stetson’s head coach talks about his one-word message for No. 1 at halftime. 1 Yukon
The pro-Vermont crowd (perhaps more anti-Duke) went wild when the Catamounts cut the deficit back to two points after a 1-1 tie, but the Blue Devils went on a 12-3 run with a narrow lead. The lead was 48-37. More than 10 minutes left.
A few minutes later, Vermont quickly turned the momentum by scoring five straight points, but Duke responded with six straight points to build a game-high 12-point lead with 4:53 remaining. Duke then held a lead of at least nine points for the rest of the game.
With 16:32 left in the game, Duke defeated Vermont 28-13, including an 8-0 run with 4:44 left in the game.
Tyrese Proctor (age 5) and Jared McCain of the Duke Blue Devils celebrate during the first half of an NCAA Tournament first round game against the Vermont Catamounts at Barclays Center in New York City on March 22, 2024. Player (0 years old). (Sarah Steer/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Four Blue Devils reached double digits. Blue Devils star Kyle Filipovski only had three points, all of which were made on free throws. He took just one shot, but grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Outside of Shamir Bogues (18 points) and Aaron Deloney (14 points), the rest of the Catamounts totaled just 15 points, with the next highest scorer scoring just five points. Jared McCain and Mark Mitchell led Duke with 15 each.
Duke awaits the winner of No. 5 Wisconsin and No. 12 James Madison, expected later Friday at Barclays Center.
Follow Fox News Digital X sports broadcastplease subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
