Duke Basketball Captain Jeremy Roach Playing With House Money

Already a beloved Duke basketball talent, Jeremy Roach has a shot at reaching another level of importance in the history books.

Duke basketball guard Jeremy Roach / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The US Air Force has an expression for a member who has passed his 20-year mark. It’s called playing with house money; it means they’ve already secured a full retirement and have nothing to lose in their job.

Duke basketball senior guard and second-year captain Jeremy Roach should be able to relate to this position.

Roach has already proven he can lead the nation's premier program. In his 128 games as a Blue Devil, the former five-star prep out of Paul VI Catholic (Va.) has averaged 11.3 points and proven clutch several times over. As a sophomore in Mike Krzyzewski's final season on the throne, he led a team with five 2022 NBA Draft picks to a Final Four. Then, as a junior, he was the on-court leader for a squad that swept UNC and won the ACC Tournament in Jon Scheyer's first year at the helm.

Result notwithstanding, his legacy won’t diminish a bit. As the program's first four-year impact player since Grayson Allen, he will be beloved by Blue Devil faithful long after he leaves Durham (he has the option to play a fifth year in college due to the NCAA not counting the 2020-21 season against anyone's eligibility).

The tale of Jeremy Roach can only trend up. First, he could become the first Blue Devil since Chris Duhon in 2004 to tally two Final Four appearances. And he could hit legendary status by helping guide Duke basketball to its sixth national championship.

Of course, in order to hang such a weighty banner, Roach and Scheyer's second crop of Blue Devils must string together four more wins, beginning as underdogs in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.

Every moment is motivation 🕺🕺👿 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Wiby5dpgPt

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 28, 2024

Facing No. 1 seed Houston in Dallas' American Airlines Center at 9:39 p.m. ET, No. 4 seed Duke will encounter a brutal test from the Cougars' backcourt, most notably seniors LJ Cryer and Jamal Shead, Houston's top two scorers. Simply put, Cryer and Shead are two of the savviest, most physical guards in the country.

"They're a tough group," Roach, averaging career-highs this season with his 14.0 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, explained to the media on Thursday afternoon. "They have the best defense in the country. Top 10, top 20 offense too. We know it's going to be a battle.

"I think for our mindset, we just have to come out and kind of impose our will the first four minutes. I think that's the biggest thing: physicality. If we match their physicality, everything else will take care of itself."

Flip x Rese x Jerm | Sweet 16 presser pic.twitter.com/nopp580ENZ

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 28, 2024

The younger guys in Duke's starting backcourt, freshman Jared McCain and sophomore Tyrese Proctor, have likely never faced skillsets quite like those of Cryer and Shead.

But Jeremy Roach has seen most every guard archetype across his storied Duke basketball journey. And for the Blue Devils to survive to play for a Final Four berth on Sunday versus Friday's winner between No. 11 seed NC State and No. 2 Marquette, they will need Roach to play like he has nothing to lose, like he's playing with the house's money.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more Duke basketball news.