March Madness 2025: Previewing Duke's Final Four chances
The Duke Blue Devils have been one of the best teams in the country all season long, thanks in large part to a talented cadre of underclassmen. Where the rest of the Final Four is led by veteran talent, Duke has gotten this far on the backs of a collection of talented freshman. They've rolled through the tournament thus far, winning three of their four games by 20 or more, and beating Arizona by a comfortable seven once the dust settled in the Sweet 16.
Cooper Flagg has looked every bit the part of the best player in the country, and the Blue Devils are a tenacious defensive team with the offensive chops to hang with anyone.
But will Jon Scheyer's young team have what it takes to bring home a title? Or will the young Blue Devils lose out to a more experienced team? Let's break it down.
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Biggest Strengths: On paper, Duke is exactly what you want out of a modern college basketball team. They're incredibly efficient offensively, thanks to Flagg and fellow freshman Kon Kneuppel, along with junior guard Tyrese Proctor, and stellar defensively thanks to their length and athleticism basically across the board.
Flagg is the engine of this offense. His on-ball skill is essential to what they want to do, and his size creates mismatches pretty much everywhere. He's athletic enough to get by big defenders, and big enough to bully smaller ones.
Kneuppel has been electric in the tournament as well, averaging over 20 points per game and looking the part of the perfect running mate for Flagg. They have the most efficient offense in the history of the KenPom ratings and a defense that ranks in the top five. Proctor is shooting better than 41 percent from three on the year, and pairs that outside shot with a lethal slash to the basket.
Defensively, they're anchored by freshman big man Khaman Maluach, who specializes in blocking shots, and Duke's length harries teams all over the court. The Blue Devils are balanced, efficient and terrifying on both ends of the floor.
Biggest Weakness: It's hard to peg a specific thing, but this is the youngest of the four remaining teams in the tournament. Youth tends to lose out to experience in these situations, but this Duke team hasn't looked cowed by any bright lights thus far in the tournament. A lesser team would've fallen apart down the stretch against an Arizona team that could hang with them shot for shot, but Duke took the Wildcats' best punch and hit them right back.
Duke could get into some trouble against an elite defense like Houston's who is out to deny penetration off the dribble, especially if Kneuppel, Proctor or Sion James go cold from outside. Proctor in particular is going to be crucial to the Blue Devils' hopes in the next two rounds.
Best-Case Scenario: Duke counters Houston's elite defense by bombing away from the outside, the one place where Houston struggles defensively, forcing them to extend their zone and opening up lanes for Flagg and Proctor to punish them. The defense keeps Houston's offense from getting going, much like Purdue did by driving them off the perimeter and focusing heavily on LJ Cryer.
From there, Duke's star studded lineup manages to outclass Auburn or Florida, with the Blue Devils' balance helping to stymie their title game opponent.
Worst-Case Scenario: Houston does what they've done to virtually every team they've faced this season: disrupt the offense. Proctor goes cold from beyond the arc, and Flagg has no room to operate. Houston gets the Blue Devils flustered and down big early, and this young Duke team can't fight back against the Cougars' elite defense.