Duke Blue Devils
Record: 26-8
Head coach: Mike Krzyzewski (34th season)
Season summary: A pair of newcomers to Durham have carried
the Blue Devils all season long, and that will have to continue into the
postseason for Duke to bring home its fifth national championship. Freshman
Jabari Parker and redshirt sophomore Rodney Hood lead the Blue Devils with 19.9
and 16.4 points per game, respectively. Parker, the ACC’s Freshman of the Year,
enters the NCAA tournament on an incredible tear, having recorded
double-doubles in seven of his last 11 games. The Blue Devils’ outside
shooting, once their most valuable asset, has turned suspect in recent weeks. But Duke has a stable full of long-range shooters to turn to for an answer. Hood, Andre Dawkins, Tyler Thornton and Rasheed Sulaimon all shoot better than
40 percent from long range, and Quinn Cook shot well in the ACC
tournament. Consistent scoring and
rebounding production from Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee down low may
well determine how far the Blue Devils can take their season—an inside force
to complement Parker and the outside sharpshooters could be huge.
How they make a run: Parker continues to play like a Player
of the Year candidate, and his teammates support him by knocking down the open
shots available to them with opposing defenses concentrating on Parker.
How they falter: Porous defense and a second-half cold spell
doom the Blue Devils to an early exit. It’s a storyline Blue Devil fans have
seen all season long.
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