Ever since noted quarterback developer David Cutcliffe came to Duke the program has gotten a lot more respectable. Last year they finished 6-7 but that final loss was in the Belk Bowl, the first time the program had gone bowling since 1994.
The final score of Louisville vs. Oregon probably didn’t tell the true story of the game. It looked kind of close but really the Cardinals were in control – no surprise.
NCAA Tournament – Midwest Bracket
#1 Louisville Cardinals (32-5) vs #2 Duke Blue Devils (30-5)
Sunday March 31
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
5:05PM
Moneyline: Louisville -175, Duke +155 at GTBets
Spread: Louisville -3.5
O/U: 137
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For bettors it was a disappointment as the Cards failed to cover for the first time in the tournament.
Now they square off against Duke, a team they lost to back in November…when they were missing center Georgui Dieng.
Guard Russ Smith was fantastic once again scoring 31 points even though he made just one three pointer. He made 12 of 14 from the free throw line showing the versatility to his game – I am not sure the Blue Devils have a good counter for him defensively.
It seems like every tournament game a new face steps forward for Louisville. Against the Ducks it was sophomore guard Kevin Ware, who more than doubled his seasonal average with 11 points.
To demonstrate how unlikely that was – it was his first double digit game since the first game of the season.
Louisville continues to roll and the fact that they did not beat Oregon by 20 probably makes them even more valuable in this one. They are playing great but you have to think that there are some who are going to see that loss to Duke and get on the Blue Devils to bring this one down further.
Let’s hope so.
I thought Friday night would be the end of the line for Duke. Michigan State fights you in a way that most teams don’t and I thought Duke wouldn’t be able to respond. I certainly did not see them being able to get the Spartans bigs off their games the way they did, holding them to 30% shooting from the field. [ad-6571516]
If they still have something left in their tank they are going to need it all to beat Louisville one more time and earn a trip to the Final Four.
Guard Seth Curry had a fantastic shooting game in leading the Dookies over MSU but I don’t see that happening against Louisville this time around. He was 3 for 11 in that early season victory, a game where center Mason Plumlee was the top scorer.
Plumlee will definitely find it harder this time around and the Blue Devils will likely need to get at least some production from their bench. In the victory over LU only 3 of 76 points came from subs.
It’s Duke so you can’t run your mouth off and say they can’t win…they almost always do. Still I think it will be much harder for them to do what they did again in this game.
Louisville is looking super hungry and their defense is better now than the last time they played.
It is hard to beat a team that good twice.
Spread Pick: Louisville -3.5
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction: Louisville 69 – Duke 62
It is a little bit odd that Duke beat Creighton by a greater margin than they did Albany. I thought the Blue Jays would be able to push Duke but they shot horribly in a very disappointing performance.
The Blue Devils made an early exit from the ACC tournament but it didn’t damage their profile too much as they are still a #2 seed.
Being a top ranked team is dangerous territory this season. More than half of the top 5 teams in the nation have already lost this week so a win by the Canes will push them back up into some rarified are.
Losses are losses but it should at least be noted that N.C. State’s 4 conference losses are by a total of just 7 points. Losing to Wake Forest was inexcusable this season but the others are acceptable, even if they do bury the Wolfpack in 5th place in the ACC.
The Blue Devils are back on top of the polls after several teams joined them with a loss recently. Funnily enough Duke is not at the top of their own conference, a spot occupied by Miami who has yet to lose in ACC play.
Duke is still among the few unbeaten teams in the nation but with forward Ryan Kelly injured their depth will be tested. The Blue Devils have been eased into ACC play this season with easy victories against weak sister programs Wake Forest and Clemson.
When it is Duke and not hardwood it is hard to get excited. This year’s team isn’t a total pushover but I am not sure they are ready to win a bowl game just yet.
The Duke Blue Devils are perennially one of the most polarizing teams in all of college basketball, and that trend isn’t likely to change in the 2012-13 season. The team is ranked eighth overall in both the preseason AP and USA Today Polls, and they are ready to avenge themselves following a disappointing showing in the NCAA tournament last year.
It has been a weird start to the season for Virginia. Since coach Mike London took over there have been glimpses of a program on the rise but this year they have been outclassed far too often.
Duke really impressed me last week with their throttling of Florida International last week. I really liked FIU as an upset candidate but they beat the Golden Panthers by 20 points in a game that might not have even been that close.
While it wasn’t considered a banner season by their extremely high standards, the Duke Blue Devils are once again a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Duke Blue Devils don’t need to win the ACC tournament to punch their ticket to the Big Dance but they are headed in that direction anyway.
For years the Virginia Tech Hokies have been one of those bubble teams who never gets picked.
Duke (25-4) has won 6 straight and they are getting closer to snagging a #1 seed in the Big Dance.
