Sometimes you just have to admit defeat, even if it is personally painful for you. Not to say that was exactly the tone of Tyler Hansbrough's comments about this year's Duke team, but the former North Carolina star heaped a ton of praise on his alma mater's arch rival. Hansbrough spoke about what he likes about the Blue Devils heading into March Madness while appearing on The Field of 68 recently.
Yes, Hansbrough had no problems picking Duke to be the team he thinks is going to win it all this year.
"I would say Duke right now. Even with the injuries, I just think that they're ... rolling on all cylinders. I just think that with their half-court defense and the way they shrink the court, the way they're playing right now, I just think that they gotta be for sure the favorite. And I if were gonna pick a team, it would definitely be Duke."
He followed up his initial remarks on Duke by saying he is a big fan of what Jon Scheyer is doing here.
"I just think that Jon Scheyer has done an unbelievable job. He's actually who I think probably should, [Fred] Hoiberg and Scheyer, to me, are the two coach of the year candidates."
Hansbrough's praise about Duke was mostly over how tactically sound they have played throughout.
ICYMI: @THANS50 on who will win the ACC Tournament 👀
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 10, 2026
“If I were going to pick a team to win it, it would be Duke even with the injuries. Jon Scheyer has done an unbelievable job and he’s actually my pick for Coach of the Year.”
🎥 https://t.co/YMjmS63W6i pic.twitter.com/uWlxB2UB4m
No wonder Scheyer and the rest of the Blue Devils virtually swept the entirety of the ACC awards...
Tyler Hansbrough's glowing commentary about Duke should fire up fans
Even with all the injuries, especially the ones to Caleb Foster in the backcourt and Patrick Ngongba II down low, Hansbrough believes this team has the necessary depth to overcome this kind of attrition. Plus, he went on and on about how well-coached this team is under Scheyer. Look for someone like Cayden Boozer to play even bigger minutes down the stretch in his new role in their starting lineup.
Overall, Duke will have to overcome this injury bug. Foster is not expected to return from his foot injury anytime soon, while Ngongba could conceivably return at some time in the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately for Duke, their best player all season long has been Cayden Boozer's twin brother in superstar freshman forward Cameron Boozer. He is expected to go in the top five in the NBA Draft.
Ultimately, just because Duke is widely seen as the presumptive favorite to win this year's NCAA Tournament does not mean they will. Regardless of what happens in the ACC Tournament, Duke will need to win six NCAA Tournament games as a row to be crowned champions. While they will surely be a No. 1 seed at the start of next week, anything and everything is possible with March Madness.
At this time, Duke fans should take great pleasure in Hansbrough saying positive things about them.