RALEIGH - En route to its quest for the national title, No. 1 seed Duke (32-1) must get through Utah tonight before making its sixth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. This will be the first meeting between eight-seed Utah (24-6) and Duke. Tipoff is set for 7:06 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.
Duke will face what many consider the nation's toughest half-court defense. Despite Georgia State's ability to frustrate Duke with a matchup zone, Utah will stick to its famous man-to-man coverage.
"You can't do anything based on what anybody else does," Utah head coach Elaine Elliot said. "I know they [Georgia St.] were happy with their zone, but we play the worst zone in the country...it would certainly not be in our best interest. We just have to continue to play what we've taught our kids and what they've already known, making sure they're just trying to do well."
If trends continue, this game will likely end up being a defensive battle. The Mountain West regular-season champions and tournament semifinalists have held all but five of their opponents to under 60 points this season.
They are known for their ability to pass and move the ball, and while the Utes play more of a position defense, Duke thrives on ball pressure.
Duke must come out with a stifling defense, especially after a disappointing showing on Sunday. In addition, the Blue Devils need to step up their perimeter defense, as Utah has strong long-range shooting.
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