Duke basketball: 3 keys to victory in the Final Four

Key to Duke basketball winning: No unforced turnovers

Duke has survived two straight games against top-tier defenses despite having double-digit turnovers in both games. The Blue Devils surrendered the ball 10 times against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16, and another 15 times against Arkansas in the Elite 8.

While those are two of the better defensive teams in the country, many of the Duke turnovers are unforced or simply bad turnovers. While Texas Tech and Arkansas had the defense to turn the Blue Devils over, they didn’t have the offense to make them pay.

North Carolina has that offensive firepower.

However, UNC has one of the WORST turnover-forcing defenses in the entire nation. The Tar Heels rank 340th in forced turnovers per game, at 9.86.

While they’ve struggled with ball security lately, the Blue Devils still rank 24th in the nation in turnovers, averaging a mere 10.4 per contest.

If Duke can control the ball and eliminate the unnecessary turnovers, it has the talent and the offensive efficiency to run away with this game.

Tipoff for the Final Four is scheduled for 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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