Why Maliq Brown is ‘different animal’ for Duke basketball entering March Madness Sweet 16
· Yahoo Sports
GREENVILLE, S.C. — This March Madness is different for Maliq Brown because this version of Maliq Brown is different.
A shoulder injury last season hindered Brown in his first NCAA Tournament appearance, causing him to miss the first two games of Duke basketball’s run to the Final Four in San Antonio. Even when he returned for the Blue Devils for the final three games of the Big Dance, it was in more of a decoy role with him limited to 22 minutes.
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No. 9 seed TCU got to see a fully operational Brown as top-seeded Duke hammered the Horned Frogs in an 81-58 victory that will send the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16 of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament.
“To be honest, for me, it was just being able to be on the court. I wasn't even thinking about the game I played,” Brown said inside Duke’s locker room at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
“Just being able to be on the court with my guys … I missed a lot of it last year. So just making sure I'm not taking anything for granted this year.”
Brown had 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 26 minutes for Duke (34-2) against TCU (23-12). After logging 16 points across the last four games, the senior forward tallied 10 points in the first half of the second-round matchup.
“It feels good. Last year when I was getting in, I felt a little timid, obviously, wearing a brace,” Brown said of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. "So now just being out there, I’m out there freely.”
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year, Brown is arguably the best defender in the country. He’s second nationally in steal percentage (5.2), per KenPom, and has nearly 200 deflections through 36 games.
“Liq deserves it, especially to what he's provided to us the last two years,” said sophomore Isaiah Evans, who had 17 points against TCU. “I feel like he deserves it all.”
Like Evans, sophomore guard Darren Harris and graduate guard Cameron Sheffield saw what Brown had to deal with throughout March Madness in 2025.
“Maliq, when he's healthy, I don't think there's a better defender in the country,” Harris said, before adding, “I think it just makes all of us proud of him. I think all of us have to go through different things. ... Obviously, he was kind of hindered during (the 2025 tournament). Now, he gets a full healthy run at it. I'm excited to see what he can do the rest of the tournament.”
A now-healthy Brown and the Blue Devils will try to keep it rolling in the East Regional against No. 4 seed Kansas (24-10) or No. 5 seed St. John’s (29-6) at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Friday, March 27. A tipoff time will be announced when that information becomes available.
“I'm so glad to see Maliq out there, especially last year with his injuries. He's always been that kind of player, but when he's full strength, he's a different animal,” Sheffield said.
“Going against him every day in practice, and seeing what he does out there on the floor, he's more than deserving of defensive player of the year this year. We're just so glad to have him on our side. and happy to have them healthy.”
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Maliq Brown gets different March Madness experience with Duke basketball