RALEIGH, N.C. – Those associated with Duke’s basketball program like to refer to themselves as “The Brotherhood.”
It’s more than just a slogan printed on their warmup suits. It’s a tangible bond that connects the players and coaches who have helped the Blue Devils become the nation’s most successful program over the past half-century.
It’s a fraternity to which Jeremy Roach proudly belongs, having played the past four seasons for Duke.
But that only makes Sunday’s reunion at Lenovo Center all the more awkward for the graduate guard when he leads his new team, Baylor, against Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“All those guys over there are my brothers,” said Roach, whose ninth-seeded Bears earned their date with the top-seeded Blue Devils with a 75-73 win against Mississippi State on Friday. “I’ll just kind of imagine that it’s some of the pickup runs we had in the summer when we were playing against each other. It’s going to be weird. But at the end of the day, it’s a basketball game, and when the ball goes up it’s going to be (on).”
Roach said he never really considered the possibility of playing Duke in the Tournament until Baylor’s name appeared on the same line as the Blue Devils on Selection Sunday.
But after a little thought, he wasn’t surprised by the matchup.
“Knowing the committee,” the graduate guard said. “They like a story and stuff like that.”
Storyline aside, he’s trying his best to tune out all the attention he’s been getting and treat the game like any other.
NCAA Tournament Tracker: Hoops HQ’s Live Updates of Men’s and Women’s March Madness
March Madness news, constantly updated throughout the Tournament
“It would be great to beat them, for sure, but if you think about it like that, emotions might get too much into it and you’ll get out of character,” he said. “I really don’t want to think about it. I just want to go out and do what I have to do to get the win.”
Roach, who averages 10.1 points and 2.6 assists off the bench for the Bears, wasn’t just any Duke player during his career in Durham.
He was the program’s final link to the Mike Krzyzewski era, having played on the 2022 team that made it to the Final Four in the legendary coach’s farewell season. He was also a two-time team captain who averaged 14.0 points per game last season while shooting a career-best 42.9 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
Despite that legacy, he would have been an odd man out in a star-studded backcourt bolstered by the nation’s top recruiting class and the return of veterans Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster had he chosen to stay.
It’s a realization that led to his inevitable departure once he decided to use his extra COVID year of eligibility. Though his entry into the transfer portal was in the best interest of everyone involved, the decision to leave wasn’t easy — for neither the player nor the coach who has been part of Roach’s life since he was a 16-year-old recruit playing high school ball in Leesburg, Va.
“We’ve been through a lot together,” Jon Scheyer said on Saturday, adding that Roach’s transfer to Baylor was “handled with love and honesty.”
“With COVID and guys having extra years of eligibility, these types of things can come up. We just felt mutually that (leaving) was the best thing for him in his career. I have nothing but love for Jeremy, and our relationship is strong. He’ll be a Duke guy forever.”
Just not for the 40 minutes they’ll spend on the court together on Sunday.
