Why is Tony Romo at Duke basketball game vs Houston? How Cowboys QB became Blue Devils fan

Duke basketball secured its latest trip to the Elite Eight early Saturday, upending 1 seed Houston in the Sweet 16 with a 54-51 victory.

Considering the massive brand that is Blue Devils basketball, many fans throughout the state of North Carolina and well beyond will be celebrating Jon Scheyer and Co.'s victory. And a notable one was in the American Airlines Center in Dallas to celebrate in person.

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Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback-turned-NFL analyst Tony Romo was spotted in the stands rooting on the Blue Devils. Though he wasn't wearing Duke gear, it was obvious he was there in support of the ACC team; of note, his former CBS partner Jim Nantz is a noted Houston fan.

Following the victory, Romo was even seen heading to the locker room to celebrate.

But, considering he grew up in Wisconsin, played college football at Eastern Illinois and then played for the Cowboys, there is no obvious connection between him and the Duke program. So why was he there?

Here's a look at why Romo was in attendance for Thursday's game:

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Why was Tony Romo at Duke basketball game vs. Houston?

Long story short: Romo is a Duke basketball fan, as he relayed to Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan.

"You know, I grew up — probably the same reason, people (are fans of) the Cowboys. In some ways, there was just no real local team where I lived like that was like, 'That's your team.' And I don't know why. I just never got attached to anything. And then in the (Christian) Laettner years, I started to watch college basketball and during that time Duke was winning.

And I think I just took a liking to the fact that they were winning. And I just liked Laettner, Grant Hill and all those guys, and I think that was where it started."

Romo was born in San Diego but grew up in Burlington, Wisconsin, where he was a standout in both football and basketball. Burlington is roughly an hour-and-a-half from Madison, home of the Wisconsin Badgers.

Regardless, Romo has been seen attending Duke games and, more often than not, celebrating the Blue Devils' victories. The same was true in 2015, when Duke basketball beat Wisconsin (the flagship program of his childhood state) in the national championship game .

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Why is Tony Romo at Duke basketball game vs Houston? Cowboys QB noted Blue Devils fan