Duke basketball: Keys to victory against Arkansas in Elite Eight

Duke basketball keys to victory against Arkansas

Keep Arkansas off the Free Throw Line

Arkansas did not fly into the Sweet 16.

The Razorbacks found themselves in two battles with Vermont and New Mexico State, and the free throw line pushed Eric Mussleman’s team over the top in both of those games.

Arkansas was 20-of-25 from the free throw line in the 75-71 win over Vermont in the Round of 64 and 22-of-25 from the charity stripe in an ugly 53-48 victory over New Mexico State in the Round of 32.

The team shoots 75.8-percent from the line on the season but was just 9-of-14 against Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.

Keeping Arkansas off the free throw line mostly is left up to the officials and how tight of a whistle they will have. But a large part of the Razorbacks offense comes from the charity stripe, and Duke has to do a great job of defending without fouling in order to win on Saturday night.