Duke Basketball: 3 keys for Blue Devils versus UCF in Round of 32

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 22: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball against the North Dakota State Bison in the first half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – MARCH 22: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks the ball as teammate Zion Williamson #1 celebrates against the North Dakota State Bison in the second half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

3. Be aggressive on offense and knock down open shots.

The Knights have the 32nd best defense in the nation according to KenPom. This is mainly attributed to the Knights 7’6″ center Tacko Fall. The Knights are aggressive on defense because they know if the opposing team blows by them they have a Fall waiting to black or alter their shot. This sort of defense could be difficult for the young freshman to handle.

The Blue Devils love to attack the paint and take most of their shots there. However, this young team can be baited into taking a lot of three-pointers. The Blue Devils are shooting 30.5 percent from behind the arc this season, which has them ranked 333rd in three-point percentage. The Blue Devils will need their three-point shooters to be hitting. Reddish and Alex O’Connell have been the team’s most consistent three-point shooters this year.

The Blue Devils score most of their points inside from Williamson and Barrett. The two phenom freshman will have to find ways to score in the paint around Fall. One way Barrett and Williamson could get easy baskets would be if they ran pick and rolls with one another. Fall doesn’t have the best mobility, so if they expose him in pick and roll actions, it could lead to easy baskets or free throws.

Next. Biggest takeaways from Round of 64. dark

Duke will need to be locked in and playing their best if they want to advance to the sweet sixteen. If the Blue Devils can successfully do these three things, they should be in good shape to win the game.

Prediction: Duke 75 – UCF 67

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