Close your eyes and picture this: It’s early March. You whip into paid parking, and the car grinds to a halt. Quickly, you grab your tickets, phone, and jacket. As soon as you open the door, a chill fights its way in through your jacket, freezing you to your core. Winter desperately clings to the earth, but you are undeterred and unfazed. There is one thing on your mind, and nothing will stand in your way. In defiance, you roll your coat up around your neck as an icy breath of air suddenly whips up the leaves around you.

Walking quickly down Whitford Drive, you catch your breath as you near the historic Cameron Indoor Stadium. You’ve faithfully watched, cheered, prayed, and hoped all season long, and now the time is here: The Duke Blue Devils and The North Carolina Tar Heels. They’re locked in an eternal struggle between good and evil, right and wrong. For some, this is just another season, just another game. For the Cameron Crazies, the Devils, the Tar Heels, and for you, this…this is the moment you’ve been waiting for your whole life.

Gripping your ticket tightly, you round the corner, and see the giant mass of humanity congregating in the entrance of the stadium. Krzyzewskiville is alive and pulsing with the excitement. Signs, banners, tents, balloons, posters, and all sorts of assorted goods line the sidewalks and grass, bathing the whole area in a majestic Duke Blue.

Cameron looms before you, a den of ravenous lions hungry for the ram. There are 9,314 seats inside, and tonight the whole place will be packed with screaming fans, one of them being you. The line seems endless, and sprawls two-thousand deep, weaving in between the gothic buildings. Making your way quickly to the back of the line, you note the demeanor of the people. Everyone is dressed in Duke. Hats, jackets, pants, hoodies, scarfs, shoes…it’s all Duke Blue. It seems like everyone has been waiting for this game as long as you have.

The line buzzes with excitement and the frustration of the wait to get inside. Painfully, like a giant slug, the line oozes forward. Just when you think you’ll never get there, you round the corner…

And there it is. Finally, the entrance to Cameron Indoor Stadium. One of the most legendary arenas in NCAA division one basketball history presents itself to you now in glorifying fashion. The sight takes your breath away. The line is moving slower than ever, but the end is near. You’re so close you can almost taste it.

 Finally, the guard takes your ticket, and you’re in! Past the turnstile and into the halls you go. You can’t help but grin as you hear the fight song echoing of the walls, and it’s all you can do to keep from breaking into a full sprint as you round the stadium looking for your seat. You find the correct entrance, and head into the heart of the arena – Coach K Court.

“Let’s go Duke! Let’s go Duke!”

The chant from the Crazies rings in your ears like a rock concert. Less than two minutes left on the clock until tipoff. You barely made it. Desperately, you look for your seat hidden in the vast seas of blue hoodies, signs, shirts, posters, flags, and body paint. Booming over the PA, the starting lineup drowns out the crowd for a split second.

“Let’s go Duke! Let’s go Duke!”

You find your seat, but this is no time to sit.

“Let’s go Duke! Let’s go Duke!”

The score is zero to zero, and so are the records. For the teams, the coaches, and the fans, this is day one, game one. It’s all or nothing, and to some, this game is every bit as important as the national championship.

T-minus 30 seconds and counting. The entire stadium rises to their feet!

“LET’S GO DUKE! LET’S GO DUKE!!”

In agonizing slow motion, the ref tosses the ball into the air.

“LET’S GO DUKE!!! LET’S GO DUKE!!! LET’S GO DUKE!!!”

The ball soars.

The crowd thunders.

The time has come.

FIGHT.

The focus of this weeks blog is the 2013-14 Duke basketball starting five. I know a lot is still up in the air, most importantly Tarik Black’s decision to potentially transfer to Duke, but I figured I would do one a little early. Without further wait, here is my starting five:

Point Guard: Quinn Cook
This is one of two positions with almost no debate over it. Going into last season, Quinn Cook struggled early on and Tyler Thorton started the year at point guard. But during the Battle 4 Atlantis, Quinn Cook play phenomenal, winning the tournament MVP and the starting spot for good. Although Quinn was shaky at points during the last season, he made great strides from his freshman season. As a junior, he will be counted on to keep this new offense running solidly this year. He will not be asked to carry the load offensively like many Duke point guards in the past. Expect Quinn to fill the role of a distributer and start every game this upcoming season. I see Quinn averaging 10-12 points with 6-7 assists per game next season.

Shooting Guard: Rasheed Sulaimon
I have heard many arguments form both sides on wether Rasheed Sulaimon or Andre Dawkins will start this season at shooting guard for Duke. I do expect Andre Dawkins to start a few games this year at shooting guard, but I think this will be primarily Rasheed’s starting spot. Rasheed played extremely well in stretches last year and could turn himself into a 15-17 ppg scorer next year. Andre Dawkins is a better shooter, but Rasheed is a much better overall scorer and defender. I expect for Coach K to stick with his two returning starters from last year, Quinn and Rasheed, and for Rasheed Sulaimon to start a majority of games for Duke at the shooting guard spot. Rasheed should average between 13-16 points per game next season while playing good defense and contributing all over the court. With a productive season, I could see Rasheed declaring for the NBA draft and being a mid-first round pick.

Small Forward: Rodney Hood
This is another spot where Andre Dawkins could start in the usual 3 guard lineup, but I think this is Rodney Hood’s spot to lose. After transferring from Mississippi State, Rodney Hood spent the last year at Duke gaining strength and improving his game. Rodney Hood averaged just over 10 points per game at Mississippi State in the SEC his freshman year. Reports from practices claimed Rodney Hood would have been the second best player behind Mason Plumlee if he had been allowed to play last year. Hood can score in a variety of ways as a slasher, driver and shooter. Rodney Hood’s dedication to the team last year and improvements from his already solid freshman year should lead him to be a starter and star for Duke next year. I see him averaging 13-18 points per game with 4-6 rebounds and challenging Jabari Parker for the role as “best player on the team.” With a solid year, Rodney Hood could be a lottery pick in what is considered a very strong draft.

Power Forward: Jabari Parker
Along with point guard, this is the other position with little controversy over the starter. At the age of 17, Sports Illustrated tabbed Parker as “The best high school player since Lebron James.” Recently, Jabari Parker has been overshadowed in the national media by the emergence of the super athletic Andrew Wiggins. Although Andrew Wiggins may have more NBA potential than Jabari Parker, Parker will be the better freshman in college basketball. Parker has a refined offensive game, and has the ability to score off the dribble, around the rim, in the post, and even with his jumpshot. Coach K used the small lineup with an athletic perimeter player at power forward at the Olympics and Jabari Parker will fill that role perfectly. Jabari will be the star of this Duke team from game one and will be a crucial piece towards Duke success this coming year. I think he has the ability to score 14-20 points per game for this team with 4-8 rebounds per game and really step up as the true star of this Duke team. Jabari Parker will more then likely enter the 2014 NBA Draft and will fight with Andrew Wiggins and Marcus Smart for the top 3 picks in the draft.

Center: Marshall Plumlee
If Tarik Black commits to Duke next season, I believe he gets the starting center spot. If he decides to go else where, Marshall Plumlee should be the starting center. Many people have listed Amile Jefferson as their starting center choice. Although Jefferson outperformed Marshall last year, he is not a true center. Marshall is not ready to take over the starting center spot yet, but with work he will be able to. His size alone, 7 feet compared to 6 feet 8 inches gives him a huge advantage over Jefferson. Marshall Plumlee may not be ready to start yet, but Duke will need him to in order to succeed. Duke does not need Plumlee to be an offensive threat, just a solid rebounder and post defender. Plumlee will split time with Jefferson at center, but Duke needs Plumlee to take over the spot in order to be a true contender next season. If Duke is able to get 4-6 points per game and 6-10 rebounds per game in 24-32 minutes per game from Plumlee, it will be a huge success and I think it gives Duke the boost to make a championship run.

With Quinn Cook, Rasheed Sulaimon, Rodney Hood, Jabari Parker, and Marshall Plumlee in the starting lineup, Duke will be a true contender next season. Next week I plan on discussing the reserves and their roles on Coach K’s roster. Many people call Duke a deep team, but how talented will their bench be and how many players will Duke play. Please leave your thoughts here and on Twitter on who you think will and should start for Duke next season.

Tommy is a junior in HS in the state of Massachusetts. He’s been a fan for as long as he can remember, as his grandfather is a Duke alumni and even played basketball for Duke in the 1950s! So you can see Duke basketball is literally in his blood. Tommy went from Duke fan to Cameron Crazie during the 2010 run to the National Championship. Some of his favorite Duke players include Austin Rivers and Seth Curry, and he’s really looking forward to seeing Jabari Parker this coming season.  Since Tommy is a junior, he will be applying for admission to Duke University in the fall!  We wish him the best and hope he is accepted.  Make sure to follow him on Twitter @dukebasketball7 and welcome him to the Duke blogging family!

Look out later this afternoon around 2:30pm ET for his first post!

To start, I needed to find a list of every Duke player to play in the NBA. For that I used http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/colleges.cgi?college=duke. They only list a player for Duke whose last collegiate season was at Duke. Someone like Elliot Williams, for example, would not be listed for Duke since he played his final collegiate season at Memphis. From that list, I narrowed it down to those players who played at least one season in the NBA. I did not include anyone that only played in the ABA.

How many players from Duke would you guess have played in the NBA? 20? 30? Try 54 (and counting). That’s right. 54 players whose final collegiate season was at Duke have gone on to play in the NBA.

Now which team would be your first guess as to having the most Duke players in team history? Mine was the Chicago Bulls. They’ve had Elton Brand, Jay Williams, Chris Duhon, Luol Deng, and Carlos Boozer just to name a few. I was close BUT wrong. The team with the most Duke Blue Devils in team history is…

The Philadelphia 76ers. They have had 10 Duke players in their history:

Alaa Abdelnaby
Elton Brand
Johnny Dawkins
Mike Gminski
Dave Henderson
Art Heyman
Antonio Lang
Roshown McLeod
Shavlik Randolph
Jim Spanarkel

The Chicago Bulls are second with 8 players, the Los Angeles Clippers are third with 7 players and there are 11 other teams that have had 5 Duke players in their history.

With the NBA Draft coming up in June, and free agency, these numbers will surely change.

I’ve included a chart of all the Duke players to have played in the NBA along with the teams they played for.  Active Blue Devils are in bold.

First let’s take a look at who has left Duke early to enter the NBA Draft:

2012 – Austin Rivers
2011 – Kyrie Irving
2009 – Gerald Henderson
2007 – Josh McRoberts
2005 – Shavlik Randolph
2004 – Luol Deng
2002 – Carlos Boozer
2002 – Mike Dunleavy Jr.
2002 – Jay Williams
1999 – William Avery
1999 – Elton Brand
1999 – Corey Maggette

While Jay Williams technically graduated in 3 years, he still had a year of eligibility remaining and could have played another year.  That is why he is included.

How does one go about choosing the team?  Longevity? All-Star appearances? Overall stats?  Potential? Everything will be taken into consideration.

The first player I would select for the team would be the point guard for the team – Kyrie Irving.  He was the #1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.  He was named NBA Rookie of the Year and was the only unanimous selection to the NBA All-Rookie Team.  In his brief career he’s averaged 20.8 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 3.7RPG. While he has not been in the league that long you have seen what he is capable of doing (ask Team USA).

The second selection for the team would be at the shooting guard position – Gerald Henderson.  He was selected #12 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. He would not get much playing time his rookie year because of Larry Brown being the Bobcats head coach, who does not like playing rookies.  Henderson has improved every year, averaging a career best 15.3 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 3.7 RPG.  He had his career high of 35 pts. against the Boston Celtics this season. He is also considered one of the Bobcats best defenders.

At small forward the obvious selection is Luol Deng.  Deng made the NBA All-Rookie Team and has been a two-time NBA All-Star selection.  He is also considered one of the top defenders in the league as he regularly draws the other teams best player (LeBron James for example).  For his career Deng is averaging 16.0 PPG, 2.4 APG, and 6.4 RPG.

For the power forward position we have 2 great candidates with Carlos Boozer and Elton Brand.  Due to the lack of a true center from the early entrant list I’m choosing Boozer as the power forward selection.  Like Deng, Boozer is a two-time NBA All-Star selection and for his career is averaging 16.9 PPG and 9.9 RBG.

Since I didn’t choose him for power forward, Elton Brand makes the team at the center position.  He was Co-Rookie of the Year, make the NBA All-Rookie Team, and is a two-time NBA All-Star selection.  While he is nearing the end of his career, Brand has career averages of 17.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 1.8 BLKPG.

So to recap your Duke All NBA Early-Entrant Team is

G – Kyrie Irving
SG – Gerald Henderson
SF – Luol Deng
PF – Carlos Boozer
C – Elton Brand

That’s a helluva starting five right there.  I bet that team would be at least a top 3-4 team in the Eastern Conference easily and could make the Eastern Conference Finals.  I wouldn’t be shocked if they gave the Miami Heat a run for their money.

What do you think?  Who would make your team?

As you know Duke will be losing seniors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, and Mason Plumlee. Those are going to be some incredible shoes to fill, not only from a scoring standing but from leadership as well. Personally I think Mason’s are going to be the hardest to fill based on the current roster as of today:

G – Quinn Cook
G – Tyler Thorton
G – Rasheed Sulaimon
G – Andre Dawkins
G – Matt Jones
F – Alex Murphy
F – Rodney Hood
F – Josh Hairston
F – Amile Jefferson
F – Jabari Parker
F – Semi Ojeleye
F/C – Marshall Plumlee
F/C – Todd Zafirovski

IF I had to guess at a starting lineup for the first game of the season, at the moment I would say that you would see

G – Quinn Cook
G – Rasheed Sulaimon
F – Rodney Hood
F – Jabari Parker
F – Josh Hairston

Let me explain why.

Cook, Hood, and Parker are no brainers. Cook is our starting PG, everyone has been raving about Hood and he will be a Jr., and Parker is one of the top players in the country. Right now I say Rasheed Sulaimon starts over Andre Dawkins because Andre has not been with the team. He very well could earn that starting spot over Sheed during summer workouts and preseason practices. Dawkins I think is going to have to show Coach K he is ready to be the player we all know he can be. If he doesn’t start at the beginning of the season, I think Andre could very well be starting by Dec. or at latest ACC play. Coach K will want that senior leadership Andre can bring to the table.

While I believe Amile Jefferson should start in place of Hairston, we all know Coach K loves Josh and loves what he brings to the team. Josh was many times the first player off the bench for Duke this season. And again, Josh will be a senior and know what’s expected. That being said, like with Sulaimon/Dawkins, I could see Amile starting by Dec. or latest ACC play. He showed a lot in his brief time this year that has me excited for what he can bring after a summer of getting stronger and working with the Duke coaching staff.

Most people might say Plumlee should be starting to give us a true starting center. While I agree we could use one, I’m not sure if Marshall is ready for that. He did not get much playing time at all this season, and when he was in there he at times seemed lost or maybe too amped up. He’s going to need a healthy offseason to work on his game and show K that he is ready for extended minutes. Just like Alex Murphy who we were all expecting to have be a valuable part of the team this year, but at times barely moved off the bench.

Earlier I mentioned that Mason’s shoes would be the hardest to fill and it’s because we don’t have that true low post prescence who can bang inside to score and grab rebounds and block shots. I believe we’ll have more than enough shooting with Sulaimon, Dawkins, Hood, and freshmen Matt Jones. I think we’ll have stretch 4 if you will in Parker, even though he’s not as tall as Kelly. I think he will still have the size to cause matchup problems on both ends of the floor.

I think this will be the pecking order for the 2013-14 Duke team:

• Jabari Parker
• Rodney Hood
• Quinn Cook
• Rasheed Sulaimon
• Andre Dawkins
• Josh Hairston
• Tyler Thorton
• Amile Jefferson
• Semi Ojeleye
• Matt Jones
• Marshall Plumlee
• Alex Murphy
• Todd Zafirovski

Alex Murphy is far down on the list because I honestly think it’s all in his head. If he can get the confidence he needs then he can and will be a very valuable part of the team. In a lot of ways it’s Miles Plumlee all over again. We see the talent. We know he can be a star. He just has to put it all together and make it happen.

My prediction for this team without ever having one practice together or knowing their schedule is they will be finish first in the regular season and win the ACC Championship, thus locking up a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. I think they will be able to make it to the Final Four and contend for a National Championship. They have a great mixture of upper classmen and young players. The lack of a true low post presence will hurt them against teams that do have one, though I think they will have enough of a mixture of offense and defense to win. Kentucky will go in the season the #1 favorite because of all their recruits, but that many freshmen trying to get time, I personally don’t see, no matter how talented the freshmen may be, them winning it all. A Final Four is possible depending on matchups and how well they mesh together, but don’t expect Kentucky to win another title.

If we look back at this season, I actually think it’s one of Coach K’s finest jobs of coaching. After being upset in the 2nd (or 1st rd if you hate Duke which is 99% of people out there) last season by Lehigh, many were unsure what this season would hold. Many of us felt there were eerie similarities to the 2010 Championship team. From having the seniors (Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas, & Brian Zoubek in 2010 to Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, & Mason Plumlee), to a highly touted transfer (Seth Curry in 2010, Rodney Hood in 2013) that we would give anything to have watched during that season, to barely being ranked in the top 10 (9th in 2010, 8th in 2013). But unfortunately the similarities would end there.

Before the season even started, we were hit with the news that Seth Curry had an injury, one that could cause him to miss the entire season. Thankfully for him and us as fans, he was able to nurse the injury and not miss any games. Ryan Kelly, however, would not be so lucky. He would reinjure the same foot he did last year and would miss 13 games. More on that in a minute.

Duke started off on a tear winning their first 15 games, and beating 3 top 5 ranked teams in the month of November alone (Kentucky – which Robert Morris says hi, Louisville, & Ohio State). Mason Plumlee was a leading candidate for National Player of the Year, Rasheed Sulaimon was making every forget Austin Rivers, and it looked like the Devils were primed for a run to the National Championship. However, Ryan Kelly would get hurt, Sulaimon would hit the freshmen wall it seemed, Plumlee was not playing as well as he did to start the season, and Duke would go 9-4 (including a drubbing by Miami and a come from behind win against UNC). Again that would be good for most teams. But Duke is not most teams.

Ryan Kelly would make his return in dramatic fashion against Miami in Cameron and drop a career high 36 to help Duke get revenge against the Hurricanes. He would have 18 in his next game against Virginia Tech at home, but he could never seem to find his shot for the rest of the season. That coupled with a lack of Duke defense we have come accustomed to game and game out, Duke would fall in the first round of the ACC Tournament against Maryland, going 1-2 against the Terrapins on the season and all but costing themselves a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke would end up as a #2 seed in what was arguably the hardest region of the bracket. In fact the NCAA Selection Committee did not do any favors for any of the ACC teams as UNC had to face #1 Kansas in the second round (though I personally enjoyed it), NC State IF they had gotten by Temple would have had to face #1 and pre-season favorite Indiana, and if they got by them they may have had to face #2 Miami (who could have also have had to face Indiana, though both lost negating the possible matchup).

The Devils would get through 3 tough matchups against Albany, Creighton, and Michigan State to take on Lousiville. Many felt this should have been the National Championship and I agree. I feel like the National Championship was played during that game and by winning, Louisville will win it all. Duke for more than half the game was going back and forth with Louisiville until they delivered a bunch the Blue Devils could not answer. Duke could not hit a shot, not stop Louisville from scoring. That coupled with the emotion of having seen their teammate Kevin Ware suffer a horrific injury in the first half, the Cardinals beat Duke 85-63 in the third worst tournament defeat in Blue Devils history.

Many will criticize Coach K for not playing Amile Jefferson more, or not switching to some kind of zone, but the players must make the stops. And they had trouble making those stops all season long. A coach can only do so much, it’s on the players to execute.

For a team that was not really in discussion as a championship contender, and in many cases was being considered third fiddle in the ACC behind NC State and UNC, I think Duke had a great season. They swept UNC which is always great for bragging rights as fans. They were the last ACC team standing. You can’t win them all, but these Devils, especially the 3 seniors, won an awful lot. Most importantly, the gratitude and adoration of every Duke fan, especially this one.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

With the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament in the books, college basketball nation’s focus shifts to the Sweet Sixteen and the fight to reach the Final Four. While the clock has yet to strike midnight for Cinderella surprises La Salle, Wichita State, and Florida Gulf Coast, perhaps the most exciting matchup in the Round of 16 is the Midwest Regional battle between traditional powerhouses Duke and Michigan State in Indianapolis.

Future Hall of Fame coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo will face off for the third time in the NCAA Tournament, with the pair splitting the previous two meetings. The last time they met in the Tournament, Michigan State claimed a 78-68 victory in the 2005 Sweet Sixteen. A youthful Michigan State squad, led by junior point guard Keith Appling defeated a pesky Valparaiso squad in their first matchup before overpowering an athletic Memphis team to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Duke, a more senior-laden team, dispatched Albany in the Second Round before knocking off a Doug McDermott led Creighton team to make it to Indianapolis.

The game, set to tip off Friday night at 9:45, could very well hinge on the interior battle where Duke senior Marshall Plumlee will face off against Spartan big men Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix. For the Spartans to prevail, it will be critical that they get a solid defensive effort from their bigs to prevent Plumlee from asserting himself offensively inside thus allowing the Blue Devil’s three point threats to get off open looks.

Perhaps the most interesting area of the game will be how the Duke offense is able to shoot the ball against an intense Spartan defense. Duke’s effective field goal percentage of 54.4% ranks 13th in the nation, while the stingy Spartan defense limits teams to a 44.5% mark, good enough for 28th in the nation.

This game is widely expected to be one of the most competitive and hotly contested matchups of the tournament so far and will go a long way in determining who might claim one of the highly coveted Final Four spots next week in Atlanta.

Midwest Regional (Lucas Oil Stadium)

The average ticket price for Sunday’s elite eight game in Indianapolis is $124.17, while the session 1 on Friday, that gets you Duke vs. Michigan State and Louisville vs. Oregon is $249.31.

The Midwest Regional features a fantastic opportunity for basketball fans to watch two great games for a reasonable price, particularly compared with the other three regionals where remaining tickets are sparse and expensive for the Sweet Sixteen match ups.

Other Regionals Sessions:

The West Regional (Staples Center)

Average Ticket Price = $1312 (under 200 tickets remaining)

The South Regional (Cowboys Stadium)

Average Ticket Price = $203.01

The East Regional (Verizon Center)

Average Ticket Price= $404.07 (under 200 tickets remaining)

Final Four Tickets:

The average price for the Final Four Semis is $614.39. The cheapest ticket is $151.
The average price for the Finals is $498.84 The cheapest ticket is $106.

Let’s look at some of Laettner’s career stats at Duke:

• Record for highest Points Efficiency in a game – 1.00 vs. Kentucky (10-10 FG, 1-1 3FG, 10-10 FT)
  
• Record for highest FG % in a season – .723
• Record for highest 3 PT % in a season – .557
• 1st in Games Played – 148
• 1st in Free Throws Attempted – 885
• 1st in Free Throws Made – 713
• 1st in 3 PT %  - .485
• 2nd in Offensive Rebounds – 374
• 3rd in Scoring – 2,460
• 3rd in Rebounding – 1,149
• 3rd in FGs made – 834
• 4th in Victories – 122
• 4th in Double Figure Games (scoring) – 118
• 4th in FG % – .574
• 5th in Steals – 243
• 6th in Blocked Shots – 145
• 6th in Double-Doubles – 42

And here are some of his NCAA Tournament Records:

• Most points scored: 407
  
• Most free throws made: 142
• Most free throw attempts: 167
• Most games played: 23 (out of a possible 24 for a 4 year career)

Christian won countless player of the year awards including:

• Naismith College Player of the Year (1992)
  
• John R. Wooden Award (1992)
• USBWA Player of the Year (1992)
• Adolph Rupp Trophy (1992)
• NABC Player of the Year (1992)
• AP College Player of the Year (1992)
• Sporting News College Player of the Year (1992)

He was also

• 2× NCAA champion (1991–1992)
• NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1991)
• ACC Player of the Year (1992)
• 2× ACC Athlete of the Year (1991–1992)
• Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1992)

Tell me again how this man is NOT in the Hall of Fame for his career at Duke?

For one Duke got a tough draw. I don’t see them getting out of that bracket with how they have been playing recently. Quite frankly I think they could lose to the 7/10 winner and be knocked out in the first weekend. They have the talent to win the National Championship but I just don’t see that fire of Duke teams past that is needed to win it all.

UNC and NC State both got tough draws. I think they won’t last the first weekend. Miami, however, I think has what it takes to make a run to the championship game. Don’t believe they win it, but they definitely can get there.

I haven’t picked many upsets, which is why this will change numerous times. It’s early to say yes this team will definitely upset that team. There will be some, but I think this year will be the hardest to pick them. Honestly I wouldn’t be shocked if Western Kentucky knocks off Kansas for your first ever 16 over a 1 upset. Don’t think it will happen but I won’t be surprised.

What are your thoughts?