When the NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed on CBS Sunday night, Jeremy Roach immediately reached out to Tyrese Proctor to share his thoughts. It was a tradition for them over the past two years as Duke teammates, working together to push the Blue Devils toward another Final Four appearance. But this year is different.
Roach now plays for Baylor after transferring last spring following Duke coach Jon Scheyer’s roster shake-up, ending his four-season stint with the Blue Devils. Meanwhile, Proctor remains at Duke and has stepped into a full-time starting role after previously alternating between the bench and the lineup alongside Roach.
In this year’s East Region bracket, Duke (31-3) landed the No. 1 seed, while Baylor (19-14) is a No. 9 seed set to face No. 8 Mississippi State. If both teams win their opening-round games on Friday, they’ll clash in the second round on Sunday at Lenovo Center.
“I called Tyrese that night,” Roach said on Thursday. “I also reached out to a couple of other guys who transferred last year. But really, we just talked about the potential matchup—nothing too crazy. We’ve got to handle business on Friday first.”
Despite transferring, Roach has maintained connections with his former Duke teammates and coaches. A Duke graduate and a recruit of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, he played a key role in the Blue Devils’ 2022 Final Four run during Krzyzewski’s farewell season. Roach was also part of the 2023 ACC championship-winning team in Scheyer’s first year as head coach.
Those connections run deep. After Baylor finished practice at the Lenovo Center, Roach happened to be nearby when the Duke bus arrived and ran into his former teammates.
“He was walking out, and I saw him and said what’s up,” Proctor recalled. “It was great to see him and catch up.”
Roach and Scheyer built a strong relationship during Roach’s recruitment from Paul VI High School in Northern Virginia and their four years together at Duke. Like Scheyer in his playing days, Roach was named a team captain.
Last spring, Duke reached the NCAA Tournament’s South Regional final, just one win away from the Final Four. However, a stunning 76-64 loss to N.C. State ended their run, prompting Scheyer to reassess the program. He decided to rebuild around a top-ranked freshman class, led by Cooper Flagg, while also bringing in experienced, physically imposing players like 6-foot-7 Sion James and 6-foot-6 Mason Gillis.
Roach, at 6-foot-2, explored entering the NBA but still had a year of college eligibility left. He and Scheyer had what were described as “tough conversations” before Roach, who would have been happy to remain at Duke, entered both the NBA Draft pool and the transfer portal.
“I spent four years here, sacrificed a lot,” Roach said Thursday. “I did what I had to do here, so he understood. Me and him are still very, very close. We text a lot. I love that guy. He’s always had my back from day one, and I’ve had his back since day one.”
Baylor coach Scott Drew was thrilled to add a guard like Roach, who had started on a Final Four team. The Bears also brought in another experienced transfer, former Miami big man Norchad Omier.
“When we got him and Norchad,” Drew said, “we were really excited about their leadership. Both of them have Final Four experience. Both are proven winners.”
Freshman forward VJ Edgecombe, a projected NBA Draft Lottery pick, credited Roach for helping him this season.
“It’s crazy,” Edgecombe said. “I’ve been watching Jeremy since high school. I’ve just always been a fan. Just watching him work out or play helps me see how to approach the game, how to train. His maturity level stands out.”
This season, Roach has averaged 10.4 points per game for Baylor while overcoming two concussions that sidelined him for six games.
“When you look at Jeremy’s year, I don’t know if anyone else in college basketball has had to deal with two concussions,” Drew said. “Adjusting to a new team is one thing, but battling health issues on top of that is another challenge entirely.”
Before thinking about a potential matchup with Duke, Roach is focused on helping Baylor get past Mississippi State (21-12). Of course, scouting the Blue Devils won’t take long—he’s kept a close eye on their impressive season.
“They’ve had a great year,” Roach said. “They’re a tough, physical team. They have size, they can switch on defense, play zone, and they can really shoot—guys coming off the bench hitting 47% from three.”
For now, though, that’s a conversation for another day. First, Baylor must take care of business against Mississippi State.