(2) Duke vs. (15) Binghamton - Are the Blue Devils for Real?
by Nick Meyer
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Duke hasn’t been the vintage Mike Kryzewski Blue Devils squad in the NCAA Tournament that fans who grew up in the early 90’s have come to expect by any stretch of the imagination. A lack of athleticism on defense and an over-reliance on the three-point shot have been Duke’s downfalls in the past few tournaments.
Duke is a team that is hard to figure in that they’re perfectly capable of marching all the way to the Final Four like the good old days or also capable of being upset in the first round by just about any team. The key to beating Duke is deny them points in the paint and to hope they’re off from outside the arc. You also have to be able to control the tempo and not be intimidated by their pressure defense.
The line for Duke’s opening round game as a number two seed against Binghamton is currently at -22 in favor of Duke. Duke usually hammers lesser-talented teams in the regular season but they have had some close calls in the NCAA Tournament recently.
Duke is playing well going in having won 8 of 9 games, and they have gotten top-quality play from Jon Scheyer especially and have shot the three-ball well. If Duke can go into this game shooting the way they’re capable of and in a rhythm, they could roll.
But Binghamton has a balanced scoring lineup with three guards among their leading scorers, and they should be able to spread Duke out and take advantage of them by driving and kicking the ball out to the perimeter. Good guard play is the main factor in playing the Blue Devils tough with lesser talent and the Bearcats have it in spades.
Duke could definitely win this one if they shoot the lights out, but Binghamton has the kind of balanced scoring that should allow them to break down the Blue Devils off the dribble and keep this one at least somewhat close in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Duke is only about .500 against the spread on the year and the 22-point gap seems a little bit too high for this one so pick the Bearcats tonight.
The Pick: Binghamton (+22.5)
