In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils will take on the No. 9 Baylor Bears in the East Region. According to DraftKings, the Blue Devils are heavy 12.5-point favorites.
Defensively, Duke will be going up against one of its former teammates in Baylor guard Jeremy Roach. Roach spent the first four seasons of his basketball career from 2020-2024. He decided to transfer to Waco for his fifth and final season.
Let’s take a look at why Roach opted to transfer, and how he’s done at Baylor during the season.
“Personally, I wanted to stay,” Roach said as transcribed via CBS Sports. “But stuff didn’t meet up, and it was just my time to go. … I did my four years, sacrificed a whole lot, and I made the most of it. It was no hard feelings or anything like that. It was all cool.”
“It was kind of like a mutual thing,” he continued. “[Coach Jon Scheyer] already knew what was kind of expected.”
One other factor in his decision is likely Baylor utilizing Roach as a point guard instead of a shooting guard, which he played four four seasons at Duke. In the same interview, Roach said playing at Baylor would allow him to play a position that’s more comfortable to him, and one that he played in high school.
“I made the most of what I did [at Duke],” Roach said. “It’s great getting back to what I do. Ball is in my hands now, I have to make plays for myself and others now.”
“I’ll let the whole world know right now. I’m not a 2,” Roach said. “I’m not a 3. I’m not a scoring guard. I’m a point guard. That’s just what I had to do at Duke. Right now, I’m a point guard. It’s great to get back to what I do. That was a big thing in my offseason training. I needed to get back to being that point guard. I feel more comfortable. I’m doing what I need to do. It’s no shade at Duke.”
At Baylor, Roach helped lead the Bears to a 19-14 regular-season record, with a 10-10 mark in conference play.
Roach was a huge part of Duke success in recent years. He led the Blue Devils in assists the last two seasons, and helped Duke make a Final Four three seasons ago and reach the Elite Eight last season. His stats at Duke were impressive:
Roach hasn’t put up as big numbers at Baylor as what he did at Duke. But he’s helping the Bears rank 16th overall in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency. Roach is still helping facilitate the offense as the point guard, too:
One of Roach’s best games with the Bears came during a March 1 win over Oklahoma State. He finished with a season-high 21 points with three assists and four boards.