Duke will have its toughest game of the year tonight against Illinois. The Blue Devils struggle most against teams that are quicker than they are, and the Fighting Illini's best player, Dee Brown, is the quickest player still remaining in the tournament. Just as Duke struggled mightily against Georgia Tech and UNC this year, Krzyzewski's squad will find it hard to have an advantage on the perimeter, thus taking away the team's biggest strength.
Chris Duhon's rib injury, which clearly affected his play in the first two rounds, makes things even more difficult for the No. 1 seed in the Atlanta regional. Therefore J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing both must play well in order for Duke to win. While this may not seem like a difficult thing for the Blue Devils to pull off, the two have not both scored over 15 points in the same game in a month. Redick's and Ewing's scoring production must come close to the 15-point mark in order to defeat Illinois.
Luol Deng also needs to play better than the equilibrium he reached during his stellar freshman season. The Sudan native has looked timid on the court at times this year, but also has appeared like a player with the potential to be the best in the history of Duke basketball. Deng needs to bring his "A" game because he is the only player who can score at will in a tournament situation when he has confidence. Redick can get the hot hand from outside, but as his wretched performance against Kansas in last year's Sweet 16 loss showed, he is too one-dimensional to be counted on in a must-win game despite leading the team in scoring average.
The big men only need to be solid for Duke to win, as this game should be decided on the perimeter. It is now unrealistic to hope Shelden Williams does not get in foul trouble, so Nick Horvath and Shavlik Randolph must step up off the bench.
The Duke-Illinois matchup will also decide which team earns the Atlanta region's spot in the Final Four. The Texas-Xavier contest will merely be a conciliation game, with Xavier, though peaking at the correct time, not talented enough to go the distance and Texas to slow to defeat either the Blue Devils or the Fighting Illini. Slow teams never succeed in the tournament, as Stanford and Pittsburgh have shown once again in 2004.
The ACC has a legitimate shot at sending two teams to the Final Four, with Georgia Tech quickly becoming the favorite in the St. Louis bracket after No. 1 seed Kentucky was surprisingly upset in the second round and No. 2 seed Gonzaga was unsurprisingly defeated after winning only one game. The Yellow Jackets' biggest opponent is themselves, as they have the quickness, size and talent to down either Kansas, UAB or Nevada.
Connecticut and Oklahoma State should complete the Final Four, making this year's final games among the fastest pace in history. Though Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt and Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton will be hungrier for their first national titles, the Huskies and the Blue Devils, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in this year's preseason's polls, will bring the year full circle in the season's most exciting semifinal game.
Robert Samuel is a Trinity junior and sports managing editor.
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