There is only one player on the Duke basketball team who knows what the intensity level will be like in the Final Four against Houston – Tyrese Proctor.
Proctor is the only holdover from last year’s team that played against the Cougars in the Sweet 16, but the message has been clear to other members of the squad of what to expect on Saturday night.
“It’s going to be a war out there and we got to be tough and handle it,” Duke freshman Kon Knueppel told the media on Thursday. The rookie was on a tear last weekend, scoring 20 points in a victory over Arizona and 21 points in the Elite 8 against Alabama.
The Blue Devils are going to need the rookie to play beyond his years, like he has all season, in order to advance to its first National Championship since 2015.
“I just think it’s going to come down to our toughness and our physicality,” he continued. “Most of the time that’s what it comes down to in basketball games, especially in a semifinal game.”
Last season Duke emerged with a 54-51 victory against Houston and people suspect a low scoring game could benefit the Cougars this season with its top ranked defense in the country, according to KenPom.
On the other side, the Blue Devils hold the top ranked offense in the nation, according to KenPom, led by the Associated Press Player of the Year, Cooper Flagg.
Houston held Tennessee to just 50 points in the Elite 8 and the only team to score more than 60 points on the Cougars during the NCAA Tournament was Gonzaga, who scored 76 points in a narrow defeat in the Round of 32.
“It's not something you can replicate,” Jon Scheyer said in a press conference. “It's a combination of understanding what could or could not be there, but at the same time you don't want to make them out to be the boogeyman either. You have to have confidence.”
“We're a great offensive team…We know very well how legit their defense is and their physicality and all that.”
A spot in the National Championship is on the line when Duke and Houston meet on Saturday night (8:49 p.m. ET, CBS) with the winner getting either Auburn or Florida.