Tony Romo curses Duke basketball just like he did with the Cowboys

It's painful to admit for Dallas Cowboys fans, but Dak Prescott's career is starting to align with that of his predecessor, Tony Romo. While both quarterbacks proved capable of producing great regular seasons and leading the Cowboys to the playoffs, neither player has taken Dallas on a deep playoff run.

Of course, the jury is still out on Prescott. Approaching his age-31 season, Prescott is smack in the middle of his prime. Romo, on the other hand, can't rewrite his legacy. The Cowboys only made the playoffs three times in Romo's seven healthy seasons as the starter.

The Romo curse might extend beyond the football field. The CBS color analyst paid Duke's mens basketball team a visit in the locker room after their big Sweet 16 win over No. 1 seed Houston. A self-proclaimed Duke fan, Romo gave the No. 4 seeded Blue Devils a big vote of confidence before the Elite Eight.

"If you play defense like that and box out like that, you ain't losing," Romo told the team, via the Dallas Morning News.

Either Romo's message didn't resonate or he really is cursed because the Blue Devils were sent packing by NC State on Sunday.

Former Cowboys QB Tony Romo cursed Duke basketball

In Romo's defense, Duke ran into an absolute buzzsaw in the Wolfpack, which finished 10th in the ACC during the regular season. They won the conference tournament just to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and have now won nine straight games to punch a ticket to the Final Four.

Having said that, this is still a horrifying loss for the Blue Devils, who were coming off a massive triumph over the Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16. They were favored by more than 7 points against NC State and jumped out to a 27-21 lead at halftime only to get outscored by 19 points in the second half.

Romo obviously isn't at fault for Duke's loss. It's more ironic than anything that the Blue Devils squandered a golden opportunity days after Romo visited them in the locker room. To add insult to injury, the former Cowboys quarterback was in attendance for Sunday's loss.

Devastating losses just have a knack of following Romo. The 26-21 loss to the Packers in the 2013 Divisional Round sticks out as the 2013 Cowboys are considered the best Dallas team of the last 20-some years. Other examples include losing as the No. 1 seed to the wild card and eventual-champion Giants in 2008.

And who could forget Romo fumbling the field goal snap late in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks in 2006? A field goal would have given Dallas a 23-20 lead with just over a minute left in regulation.

For Romo's sake, we hope the Cowboys or one of his favorite teams bring home a championship so the curse talk can be put to bed.

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