Duke basketball: 3 keys to victory in the Final Four

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 26: The Duke Blue Devils pose for photos holding the regional champion trophy after defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks 78-69 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Elite 8 Round at Chase Center on March 26, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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Key to Duke basketball winning: Limit Brady Manek

North Carolina is easily the highest-scoring team remaining in the tournament, averaging 82.5 points per game thus far.

The leader of that surge has certainly been Brady Manek, the graduate transfer from Oklahoma. Manek is averaging 21.5 points through the first four rounds and is shooting 16-for-34 (47 percent) from beyond the arc.

He’s also enjoyed similar success this season against Duke. In the two games against the Blue Devils, Manek scored 41 total points on 11-of-20 shooting from beyond the arc.

Keeping Manek in check and limiting his opportunities will be key to avoiding a UNC scoring run. Duke will likely start with either AJ Griffin or Paolo Banchero defending him and could have them stay connected at the expense of help defense.

Limiting Manek will force UNC to rely more on guys such as Leaky Black offensively, which is a strategy the Blue Devils will certainly try to employ.

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