Duke routed both opponents on their road to the Sweet 16. They beat Vermont 64 to 47 in the first round and 12th-seed JMU 93 to 55 in the next round. The Blue Devils had a relatively easy path on the first weekend, beating two double-digit seeds, but do not doubt their talent. Their starting five is as good as any in the country and should give Houston a fight.
Gonzaga routed both opponents through the first two rounds. They beat McNeese State 86 to 65 and then thrashed Kansas 89 to 68. They were down one at halftime against Kansas but beat them by 22 in the second half. Anton Watson was the leading contributor and scored 21 on 73% shooting. They shot 60.3% as a team and held Kansas to 38.6% from the field.
They must travel a similar distance to play at TD Garden in Boston, but both should have plenty of time to adjust. They will be the final game on Thursday, scheduled to start at 10:09 p.m. EST on TBS and truTV. The clash of two styles should make an exciting, action-packed game.
In consecutive years under Tommy Lloyd, the Wildcats have been dismissed by teams that slow the pace and force them to grind.
And that’s a perfect description of Clemson. The Tigers give up plenty of shots, but they hold teams under 40% with a defense that ranks 13th nationally.
Can the books actually find a number that Alabama can’t reach? They’re certainly going to try, as the totals have now reached an insane 173.5 at DraftKings. There’s signs that might go even higher, so if you want the under, you’ll want to wait until five minutes before the tip.
At 32-3, Madison isn’t going to be the least bit scared of Duke. The Dukes have already been to Michigan State and won, and based on how the teams played in round 1, they likely believe they can outrun this team.
In their first meeting, Houston gave A&M too many opportunities at the free throw line, the one place where they cannot play any defense. If the Cougars have fixed that, A&M’s going to need another incredible shooting night to win.
The Catamounts play slow-paced and deny the 3-pointer, but this Duke team isn’t as 3-point dependent as the ones from a decade ago. This Duke team shoots well from deep, but is far more willing to get inside.
When all eyes are on the Huskies, they’ve been susceptible to off-days. That shouldn’t matter against Stetson, but this game could give a clue as to whether Connecticut can stave off the champion’s curse.