One 4-seed lost to a 13 earlier in the day on Friday. Duke got a scare from Vermont and maybe there was a thought another upset was incoming. But the Blue Devils steadied themselves in the second half and kept the Catamounts at arm’s length for a 63-47 win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Devils had lost back-to-back games heading into the Big Dance. After the first half against Vermont, they had just 34 points and a 5-point lead. But Jon Scheyer’s group outscored Vermont by 12 in the second half to pull away and advance to the second round, where they’ll face either Wisconsin or James Madison.

Here are 3 takeaways from an eighth consecutive first-round win for Duke.

Winning ugly

Kyle Filipowski scored 3 points and took 1 shot in 37 minutes. He was Duke’s leading scorer this season at 17 a game. The offense that averaged 80 a game in the regular season just didn’t look the same. Duke had just 34 at the break and finished 4 percentage points under its season shooting average and 5 percentage points under its season-long 3-point clip.

But they just kept working. The second half was a complete performance on both ends of the floor. Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor, Jared McCain, and Mark Mitchell all scored in double-digits. The defense held Vermont to 18 points and 28% shooting over the final 20 minutes.

When Vermont cut the lead to 5, Duke answered with a 6-0 spurt. When 2 quick Vermont buckets cut the lead back down to 6, Duke hit back with another 6-0 spurt to go back up 12.

Duke closed the final 6:43 on a 14-3 run. Vermont didn’t score a point over the final 4 minutes, and it missed 9 of its 10 shots.

Duke wins the extras

Duke took 29 free throws and made 20 of them. It limited Vermont to just 6 free throw attempts and only 2 makes. Duke turned 12 Vermont turnovers into 10 points and did not give up a single basket following any of its 9 turnovers. On 6 offensive rebounds for Vermont, the Catamounts got just 3 points. When you’re struggling to really separate from a team you should be handling — Duke was a 12.5-point favorite via ESPN BET — winning on the margins is huge.

Roach steps up

With Filipowski taken completely out of the game, Duke guard Jeremy Roach put his fingerprints on the win. The senior scored 10 of Duke’s final 18 points. The shot wasn’t falling (3-for-10) but Roach got himself to the foul line and added 4 assists.

As the Blue Devils move deeper into the tournament, Roach will be incredibly important. He has now started in 8 different NCAA Tournament games throughout his career. We’ve seen the importance of guards, and we’ve seen the importance of veterans calming things down when the moment gets big.

Related: Sports betting in North Carolina is officially live! Here’s how you can sign up with one of Saturday Down South’s recommended online sports betting apps and take advantage of a first-bet bonus! Don’t miss out on the action during March Madness!