NCAA tournament: No. 1-seeded Duke beats No. 8 California, 68-53

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Nolan Smith scored 20 points, Kyle Singler added 17 and top-seeded Duke advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament with a 68-53 victory over California today in Jacksonville, Fla.

Brian Zoubek finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds — the sixth double-double of his career — as the Blue Devils overcame some long-range shooting woes with dominant post play.

Duke (31-5) advances to play Purdue or Texas A&M in a South Regional semifinal Friday in Houston.

The eighth-seeded Golden Bears (24-11) failed to get past the opening weekend for the fourth time in as many NCAA tournament appearances.

The Blue Devils opened up a double-digit lead late in the first half. Jamal Boykin’s jumper cut the deficit to 44-37 with 13:30 remaining, but Duke pulled away down the stretch.

Boykin led short-handed Cal with 13 points. Jerome Randle added 12 and Theo Robertson had 10

-- Associated Press

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