5 Reasons Why Duke Will Win The NCAA Title
BOSTON (CBS) - The No. 1-seeded Duke Blue Devils emerged from the South Region and dominated Michigan State in the Final Four, and now face one final test in Wisconsin, the No. 1 seed out of the West Region. The Blue Devils have plenty of reason to be optimistic about Monday night's national title game, and here are the top five reasons why Coach K will earn his fifth NCAA title.
1. Jahlil Okafor vs. Anyone on Wisconsin
Freshman behemoth Jahlil Okafor has lived up to the hype. All season long, and certainly against Michigan State in the Final Four, Okafor has proven he is virtually unstoppable at the college level. Play him one-on-one; he will back you down and spin to finish with either hand. Push him out of the paint; he will face up and bank in a jumper. Try to score on him; he will send it into the stands.
Okafor destroyed Michigan State inside, and while Wisconsin has much more size and athleticism to match up against the freshman sensation, the Badgers are facing a big man with just about every post move imaginable in his repertoire. It will be interesting to see if Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan puts Frank Kaminsky on Okafor, which would pose a threat to his best player getting in foul trouble early. Double-teaming the ACC Player of the Year might be the only way to prevent him from scoring.
2. Defensive Intensity
The Blue Devils have hit their defensive stride as a team heading into Monday's title game, as Michigan State struggled mightily to consistently score on a Duke defense full of athleticism and intensity from head to toe. Before that, Duke held the best shooting team in the country, Gonzaga, to just 52 points en route to a 14-point Elite 8 win. A nine-steal, four-block performance against Sparty could definitely happen again against the Badgers, who are coming off an uncharacteristic 10-turnover game against Kentucky.
Freshman point guard Tyus Jones pressures the ball from baseline-to-baseline, and athletic wings Quinn Cook and Justice Winslow are always in passing lanes at the right time.
3. Fresh Legs
Let's face it, the Blue Devils have made their road to the national championship appear quite easy. While Wisconsin was fighting for their lives for 40 minutes against Arizona, Duke was nursing a double-digit lead to send Gonzaga packing. When Wisconsin was in a possession-by-possession slugfest against Kentucky, Duke was running circles around Michigan State before resting their starters in the second half. The brackets are physically and emotionally draining, and Wisconsin is heading into Monday night having drained both while slaying Goliath Kentucky in the semifinal. Meanwhile, Coach K's squad has cruised in the past two rounds. Don't overlook that.
4. Emergence of Justice Winslow
This may be Quinn Cook's team and Jahlil Okafor's year, but this is without a doubt Justice Winslow's tournament. The lengthy freshman swingman conveniently decided to have his coming out party in the NCAA Tournament, as he has shown the world his versatility on defense and slashing ability on offense. Winslow was one rebound away from his third double-double of the tournament (out of five games played) against Michigan State where he poured in 19 points.
If Okafor is a new version of Tim Duncan, then Winslow is the new Kawhi Leonard. The 19-year-old physical specimen doesn't look like he's slowing down any time soon.
5. Coach K
Coach Krzyzewski has quietly put together a quasi-Calipari program and made this young, largely hyped team play like they've been at Cameron Stadium for four years. Aside from senior Quinn Cook, the big components to this Duke squad are all freshmen -- Tyus Jones, Justice Winslow, and Jahlil Okafor. Coach K has certainly adapted to today's recruiting, landing big-name NBA prospects and integrating them into the "Duke Way."
If Duke's recent players had stayed for four years, Austin Rivers, Jabari Parker, and Rodney Hood would still be on the team. Whoa. While players are recycled year after year, Coach K has remained a constant, keeping future stars' egos in check and creating team chemistry that has produced four national titles.
Who would you want coaching an NCAA title game other than Coach K?