It has not been an easy path for Duke to get to the Elite Eight. And there won't be anything easy about Sunday's matchup against Dan Hurley and UConn with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Duke survived against Siena in the opening round despite shockingly trailing by 11 at halftime, surged late to turn a close-game into a laugher against TCU, and then made pivotal plays down the stretch to knock off St. John's to get to the Regional Final.
The return of Caleb Foster gave the Blue Devils a huge lift, both physically on the court and emotionally, and he'll be needed again for Jon Scheyer's team to punch their ticket to the Final Four against a 32-5 UConn team that has looked downright scary in the NCAA Tournament.
This matchup will most likely be tight, but Duke has opened as a solid favorite.
On FanDuel, Duke opened as a 5.5-point favorite over UConn.
Duke opens as a 5.5-point favorite for Elite Eight matchup vs. UConn
The opening odds feel a bit inflated toward the Blue Devils, particularly with how both teams have played in the NCAA Tournament so far.
Per KenPom, Duke projects to win 71-66 with a 70% implied chance of victory. Bart Torvik sees it slightly closer, favoring the Blue Devils by four and projecting a 70-66 win with a 67% implied chance of victory.
Regardless of where you look, a close game is expected. And it should be. It's the Elite Eight after all.
Scheyer has already slain one coaching giant by taking down Rick Pitino in the Sweet 16, and he'll have to do it again against a two-time national champion in Dan Hurley. The Huskies have had a lot of success in the NCAA Tournament in recent years, holding a 16-1 record in March Madness over the last four trips to the Big Dance.
Duke will have to earn a second straight trip to the Final Four.