Duke guard Derryck Thornton (12) and Duke guard Grayson Allen (3) react as they walk to the bench for a time out during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Notre Dame, Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Washington.
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Despite Duke’s stellar postseason reputation the Blue Devils have a. 755 winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament and are third all-time with 105 victories after winning their fifth title a year ago coach Mike Krzyzewski doesn’t view this matchup as David vs. Goliath.
UNCW also spoke with the media on the eve of their showdown with Duke.
“I’ve told everybody that I was excited for about 30 minutes”, UNCW coach Kevin Keatts said.
The Blue Devils are set to face UNCW tomorrow, with tip set for 12:15 p.m. Coverage is available on CBS.
Duke has won 75.5 percent of its games in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, the best mark of any school in the tournament’s history. It alternated wins and losses in the last six games before splitting a pair in the ACC tournament. There is plenty of offensive firepower with sophomore guard Grayson Allen (21.6 points) leading the way, but two of the team’s top three – Brandon Ingram (16.8 points, 6.8 rebounds) and Luke Kennard (11.9 points) – are freshmen who are unproven on the big stage.
“They’ve done it since Amile has been out, so they’re accustomed to it”, Krzyzewski said. We advanced a lot more than we haven’t. Ingram is fully expected to enter the draft after Duke’s season does end, but top prospects usually at least say that they are considering staying regardless of where they are projected to be selected. “If we play like that, we’ll be all right”.
“You look on paper and they are probably better than us at every position”, Keatts said.
No. 13 seed Wilmington’s plan of attack involves three-point shooting and assiduous outside defense.
Region: West. Seed: No. 4.
That win came during a span where the Seahawks reached the NCAA Tournament four times in seven years.
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Not many people that watch college hoops in March know where Mercer or Lehigh are located, but a great number of them could tell you where they were when the Bears (from Macon, Ga.) and the Mountain Hawks (from Bethleham, Pa.) knocked off the Blue Devils in the first round Big Dance. It’s especially important for them not to start now.
