WASHINGTON — After proving their mental fortitude in the Sweet 16, Cameron Boozer’s No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils will try to defeat this decade’s most successful program when they meet the No. 2 UConn Huskies in Sunday’s NCAA East Regional final.

Boozer has posted double-doubles in all three tournament games for Duke (35-2) to continue a season that has made the freshman forward the Naismith Award favorite.

Meanwhile, his Blue Devils teammates have gotten healthier.

In Friday’s 80-75 victory over St. John’s, junior guard Caleb Foster willed himself back to action 20 days after sustaining a right foot fracture and scored all 11 of his points after halftime to help his team overcome a 10-point deficit.

“First time playing in a few weeks, he’s sore and recovering like you would expect, but nothing concerning,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “We want him to just continue to be himself, his leadership, his ability to get downhill, just making plays himself and really more of what he did yesterday.”

Center Patrick Ngonba II has also been able to provide minutes off the bench in the last two games after he missed about three weeks with right foot soreness.

At a program that frequently re-loads with NBA Draft Lottery-bound talent like Boozer, that duo provides precious experience from last year’s Final Four squad. So does sophomore guard Isaiah Evans, who had his best game of the tournament with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead Duke’s rally against the Red Storm.

“Just being able to insert our names in history definitely means a lot,” said Evans of possibly reaching consecutive Final Fours. “Like you said, a lot of people haven’t done that. With Duke having the history it has, to be one of the people that did something different, it means a lot to me.”

As impressive as Scheyer’s three consecutive Elite Eight appearances are in four seasons as Mike Krzyzewski’s successor, it’s Dan Hurley’s Huskies (32-5) who are seeking a third national title in four years.

And to limit Boozer, Hurley will lean on senior center Tarris Reed Jr., who has stepped up a level this tournament.

“I think with Tarris or any player, I think just at some point you hope that the light switch comes on in time,” Hurley said. “Maybe it’s the life or death urgency to this time of year. … When he plays at the level that he’s capable of playing at, we can beat any team in the country, and he’s as good as any center in the country.”

Reed posted double-doubles in both games of the opening weekend, including career bests with 31 points and 27 rebounds in a first-round win over Furman. It was the first time a player had 30-plus points and 25-plus rebounds in the same NCAA Tournament game since Houston legend Elvin Hayes in 1968.

Against Michigan State, Reed was more clutch than dominant, scoring 20 points and sinking four consecutive late free throws to ice the contest, but making less of a rebounding impact against a Spartans team that dominated the glass.

On Sunday, it may be more about limiting Boozer rather than outplaying him.

“Be disciplined, stay long, and make him stay over the length,” Reed said.” Make it as difficult as possible for him to score in the post.”

–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media

Andrew McCutchen and the Texas Rangers rebounded after a late collapse to post a 5-4, 10-inning victory over the host Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.

Corey Seager and Jake Burger hit early home runs for Texas, which lost Thursday’s season opener 5-3 but rallied in this one to give Skip Schumaker his first win as Rangers manager.

Brandon Marsh notched the game-tying hit in the ninth for Philadelphia, which then had an opportunity to win it in the 10th after allowing two runs in the top half of the frame.

Texas reliever Tyler Alexander hit Otto Kemp to open the 10th, putting runners on first and second. With two outs, Bryce Harper’s single made it 5-4 and brought the winning run to the plate. But Alexander got Alec Bohm to pop out to end it.

With Philadelphia trailing 3-0, Bohm singled with two outs in the ninth against Robert Garcia, who then walked Edmundo Sosa to bring the tying run to the plate.

Chris Martin (1-0) came on and appeared to have retired Adolis Garcia, but Burger dropped a wind-swept foul ball that would have ended it. Two pitches later, Garcia flared a double into left to score Bohm.

The next batter was Marsh, who lined a hit into right-center to tie it at 3-3.

The Rangers promptly bounced back against Jhoan Duran (0-1) in the 10th, scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and then tacking on an insurance run on McCutchen’s two-out base hit.

Phillies starter Aaron Nola gave up three runs and five hits over five innings, walking two and striking out seven. He allowed a solo homer to Seager in the first inning and a two-run shot to Burger in the third.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia did not manage a hit against spot starter Jacob Latz, who got the nod because Jacob deGrom woke up Saturday with a stiff neck. Latz allowed just two baserunners – an error and a walk – and struck out three in four scoreless innings.

The Phillies got their first hit in the fifth when J.T. Realmuto reached on an infield single against reliever Cole Winn, but they didn’t manage another hit until there were two outs in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and an assist to lead the host Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Jackson Blake, captain Jordan Staal, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and Seth Jarvis also connected for the Hurricanes (46-20-6, 98 points), who have won four of their last five and kept pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning (96 points) for first overall in the Eastern Conference. Taylor Hall had two assists and Brandon Bussi stopped 17 shots.

Timo Meier and Evgenii Dadonov scored for the Devils (37-33-2, 76 points), who had won five of their last six. Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves.

Carolina scored three goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead.

Ehlers’ power-play goal with 9:50 left tied it 1-1. He scored on a wrist shot from the left circle. Blake then gave the Hurricanes the lead with 6:12 remaining in the middle period when he skated from deep in the left circle, back towards the blue line and then to the inside edge of the left circle and beat Markstrom.

Staal made it 3-1 with 4:47 left in the period on a one-handed tip of Ehlers’ pass.

Carolina had a 15-5 shots advantage in the second period.

Bussi made a big save on New Jersey captain Nico Hischier on a shot from the slot in the middle of the third period.

Gostisbehere scored with 4:35 left when he snapped in a shot from the high slot off the rush after a turnover by the Devils.

Jarvis got his 30th goal into an empty net and short-handed with 2:20 left and Dadonov recorded his first marker as a Devil with 24 seconds remaining.

Meier gave New Jersey a 1-0 lead with 2:54 left in the first period. Off the rush and from the bottom of the left circle,, he converted a cross-crease pass from Dawson Mercer. It was Meier’s third goal in three games and fourth in his last five.

Mercer played in his 400th consecutive contest.

–Field Level Media