Welcome to the countdown I know you have all been waiting for. March is just around the corner and it is time to get the juices flowing with some March
Madness predictions.
The “Super Scintillating Selections” will be a 30 day countdown leading us to Christmas Day AKA, Selection Sunday. Each blog will contain 3 things: 1) Why I believe that team can win the whole damn thing 2) What's holding them back from lifting the trophy and 3) My very own prediction for them.
Now- it is only fitting that this first team will hold a special place in my heart as the feature of my very first blog (Psych). Coming in at #30 is the Duke Blue Devils.
A preseason top 10 squad and now their best non-conference win is against an Ohio State team who now owns a losing record. Duke has some work to do before they are even a lock to get into the Big Dance, but I think they will get there. Duke has 3 quad-1 games remaining, @ UVA, vs. NC State, and @ UNC, if they can take one or two of those and win the games they are "supposed" to (Syracuse, Notre Dame, VT and Louisville) we will see them in the final bracket come Selection Sunday.
Why can Duke win their 6th national championship?
Well, it's pretty simple. Duke is a team full of 5 star recruits led by a veteran point guard, Jeremy Roach, which is a recipe for success.
1) Rebounding - They are 2nd in the ACC in rebounding averaging 39.6 boards a game. Led by the 7-foot freshman Kyle Filipowski and 6'10 senior Ryan Young, the Blue Devils crash the glass like it's nobody's business and it will prove to be helpful for them in March.
2) Free Throws- Make. Your. Free. Throws...which they do. There is nothing more important than this come tournament time. The team that makes their shots from the charity stripe will always have a good chance to win the game. Shooting 76.3% as a team is good enough for 3rd in the ACC. Four players averaging 80% or better, 7 players averaging 70% or better and 9 averaging 65% or better. As long as the ball is not in Dereck Lively's hands during a late-game fouling session, Duke and their fans should feel pretty good about who is at the line.
3) Star Players- You didn't hear this from me, because a positive word about Duke has never left my mouth...but they have the talent to make a run. If this team can catch fire and start playing as one unit, we will not only be seeing them in the field, but the second weekend as well.
What's holding them back?
Now onto my favorite part of this blog. What is holding Duke back from winning the national championship?
1) Coaching :) - First year head coach, John Scheyer, does not have that dawg in him. He will be around for a while and will develop multiple dawgs in him, but the time is not now. One thing I look for throughout the regular season is how head coaches handle their team when the opposing team is going on a run. All you have to do is look back to what they did against Miami last Monday....or better yet, what Miami did to them (NSFW). Coach Scheyer looked like he wished Coach K was still by his side to hold his hand. Total deer in the headlights moment. Sorry coach, maybe next year.
2) Lack of experience - Having young talent run the show is something Duke is used to having, but there are too many teams this year with veterans running the show. Duke’s age will show at some point during the tournament, it's just a matter of when.
My Prediction: Round of 32 exit.
Next Game: Saturday 2/11 @ #8 UVA
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