Duke’s Clear Path to the NCAA Championship

It has been one of the wildest NCAA tournaments in recent memory and that is saying something for a tournament that features that craziest comebacks coupled with the must see to believe late second upsets.   For the first time in tournament history, we witnessed a number one seed fall in the first round when UVa lost to University of Maryland- Baltimore County.  Tournament favorites Arizona, University of North Carolina, and Michigan State have also already fallen before the start of the Sweet 16.  With so many big schools knocked out, only a hand full of tournament staples remain.  The one leading the pack is none other than Duke University.

Now considered the favorite in the Sweet 16, Duke will face off against 11-seed Syracuse.  The two remaining number one seeds, Kansas and Villanova, will face off against number seeded teams, West Virginia and Clemson respectively. Looking ahead in the tournament,  the most plausible narrative of a Duke championship is that Marvin Bagley III feasts against overmatched Kansas and Villanova frontcourts, with Bagley pinned as many people’s favorite for outstanding player of the tournament.  Bagley is the last remaining elite prospect remaining in the tournament and this is the time he can separate himself from players like DeAndre Ayton and Collin Sexton.

Bagley has helped Duke sail past their two first opponents, Iona and Rhode Island.  Currently, he is averaging 22 points and 8 rebounds in the tourney, proving to NBA teams that if you draft him you are gaining a great player who is not scared of the big moment.  He is loving the moment too, noting that he dreamed about this moment as a kid and looks to help his team any way he can.  Bagley will get a chance to carve up Syracuse’s famed zone defense this weekend like he did the last time the teams met up and he dropped 19 points and 7 rebounds on the Orange.  Bagley, along with fellow big man Wendell Carter Jr., have thrived under Coach K, even as his style of play has differed this season compared to the past.

Photo Credit: NBA/GETTY IMAGES

Blue Devils’ head coach Mike Krzyzewski made the decision last month to switch to zone defense.  This is hard to imagine for a Duke team who is known for their tough man defense by their wing players.  The move may be responsible for Duke’s success as their defensive efficiency has jumped 100 spots since the beginning of the year. Krzyzewski credits his best friend, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, and the long nights they spent together coaching Team USA to the decision.  Having the inside knowledge of how to play zone should help cruise into the elite eight.