The Duke Blue Devils will be seeking the fifth national title in program history when they take the court inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night.
The Duke Blue Devils will be one of two teams playing for the national championship on Monday night thanks to an 81-61 victory over Michigan State on Saturday. One more win by Mike Krzyzewski's team would give his program its fifth national title, tying Indiana and arch-rival North Carolina for the third-most in the history of the sport. Two of those past four national titles -- in 1991 and 2010 -- came in Indianapolis.
Coach K already made a bit of history in Indianapolis on Saturday, where he coached a game in his 12th career Final Four, tying him with the legendary John Wooden for the most ever. He also continued his dominance over Michigan State and head coach Tom Izzo, improving his record against the Spartans under Izzo to a sparkling 9-1.
Here's everything else you need to know about the national finalists from Durham:
Record:
34-4
Seed:
No. 1 in South Region.
How they got here:
Round of 64: Defeated No. 16 Robert Morris, 85-56
Round of 32: Defeated No. 8 San Diego State, 68-49
Sweet 16: Defeated No. 5 Utah, 63-57
Elite Eight: Defeated No. 2 Gonzaga, 66-52
Final Four: Defeated No. 7 Michigan State,
Past championship game appearances:
1964: Lost to UCLA, 98-83
1978: Lost to Kentucky, 94-88
1986: Lost to Louisville, 72-69
1990: Lost to UNLV, 103-73
1991: Defeated Kansas, 72-65
1992: Defeated Michigan, 71-51
1994: Lost to Arkansas, 76-72
1999: Lost to Connecticut, 77-74
2001: Defeated Arizona, 82-72
2011: Defeated Butler, 61-59
Why they can win it all:
Duke had an uncharacteristically lethal inside-outside mix, with ACC Player of the Year Jahlil Okafor providing the inside punch, and the backcourt duo of Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook keeping defenders honest with their outside stroke. They didn't have to utilize the outside stroke much against the Spartans, as Michigan State elected not to spend much time doubling Okafor on Saturday. The big man made them pay to the tune of 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field. Jones, Cook and wing Justise Winslow (who scored 19 points of his own on Saturday) will likely be asked to do more work from beyond the arc in the title game, a task they're fully capable of completing.
Why they might not win it all:
Duke was able to avoid any significant foul trouble on Saturday, but if that isn't the case on Monday, the Devils don't have the depth to trade punches inside with a team like, say, Kentucky. Duke got 11 bench points in the win over Michigan State, and 9 of those came from Grayson Allen. The other two reserves who saw the floor, Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee, didn't even attempt a field goal. If Okafor is limited on Monday or forced to spend a significant chunk of time on the bench for any reason, then Duke could wind up in trouble.
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1CFylat
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