Duke Basketball: 3 takeaways from Blue Devils win over Arkansas in Elite 8

Paolo Banchero is the Best Player in the Country

Many thought this prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament, but there should be no doubt now, Paolo Banchero is the best player in College Basketball, and it’s not necessarily close. Banchero is averaging 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 51% from the field, and 53% from beyond the arc in Duke’s four tournament games so far.

In the Sweet 16, Duke was in a back-and-forth fight with Texas Tech, as it appeared to be anybody’s game to win, but Banchero was able to will the Blue Devils to victory with an impressive 22 point performance, with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals to go with it.

Then, two days later in the Elite Eight, he went for 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists as he helped Duke get past Arkansas and into the Final Four. The best players show up in the biggest moments, and that is exactly what Banchero has done in the NCAA Tournament.

He has an epic performance one game, and then nobody is quite sure if he can duplicate it in the next round, and he goes out and does it again, and continues to help the Blue Devils lengthen their season.

Banchero has the ability to take over any game he wants to, against Michigan State in the Round of 32, he had a seemingly quiet 19 points, and there were numerous cases where he dribbled into the high post and passed it out for an open three when he easily could’ve taken it to the rim and gotten two points.

His selflessness sometimes hurts him, as occasionally what Duke needs is for him to take over a game, and instead, he passes it, but it’s his ability to take over a game whenever he wants to that makes him so good.