1-seed Duke basketball will take on fellow 1-seed Houston in the Final Four this coming Saturday. All four 1-seeds made the Final Four for just the second time in NCAA Tournament history this season and first time since 2008, when Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA made up the Final Four as all 1-seeds.
The Blue Devils have looked like the most dominant team in the nation through the NCAA Tournament, and are proving fans right as Duke was the most-picked team to win the big dance in brackets around the nation.
Duke has won its four tournament games by an average margin of 23.5 points and have looked unbeatable to say the least.
It held an Alabama team that scored 113 points in the Sweet Sixteen against 6-seed BYU to 65 points two days later, as the Blue Devils routed the Tide 85-65 to advance to the Elite Eight.
Now as Duke looks towards Houston in San Antonio, CBS Sports college basketball analyst Wally Szczerbiak thinks the Blue Devils will comfortably take down the Cougars on Saturday.
"They could be the greatest Duke tournament team of all-time...it's up to Houston to prove that they're not, and I don't think they can do it. I think Duke's going to be too big, too poised, too strong, and too talented, and I think they're going to win by double digits."
The makeup of Houston allows Duke to win this game handily. The Cougars, as they are every year under Kelvin Sampson, are one of the best, if not the best, defensive teams in the country, and another squad can rarely match the physicality of Houston. But Duke can. The Blue Devils might be just as good defensively as Houston, and the length and versatility Duke boasts on the defensive side of the ball could match that of the Cougars.
Houston can be a great offensive team but struggles to get shots to fall at times. The Cougars shot just 37.7% from the field as a team in their 62-60 Sweet Sixteen win over 4-seed Purdue, then bounced back, shooting 42.4% from the field in their 69-50 victory over 2-seed Tennessee in the Elite Eight. However, Duke is for sure the best offensive team that Houston has faced thus far in the tournament.
Duke is #1 at KenPom in adjusted offensive efficiency and hasn't shot under 50% shooting from the field as a team once through the NCAA Tournament. Granted, Houston will by far the best defensive unit Duke has faced through the tournament, but the way the Blue Devil offense is clicking right now, it genuinely looks unbeatable.
Catch the two 1-seeds clash this Saturday at 8:49pm ET on CBS.