For the second straight postseason in the NCAA Tournament, Duke basketball (35-3, 19-1 ACC) faces the Houston Cougars (34-4, 19-1 Big 12) in March Madness. Duke and head coach Jon Scheyer topped Houston and head coach Kelvin Sampson in the Sweet 16 in last year's postseason in the NCAA Tournament.
In Scheyer's third full postseason as the Duke men's head coach, the Blue Devils are in prime position to make a title run going into the Final Four in March Madness.
Standing in the Blue Devils' way in the Final Four and the program's first men's national title since 2015 is a stout two-way Houston squad from the Big 12. The Cougars boast the No. 2 ranked defensive (according to defensive rating) in the nation in college basketball.
Arguably the two best teams in college hoops are facing each other in the Final Four this upcoming weekend between Duke and Houston on April 5.
Freshmen show out
Star freshman forward Cooper Flagg isn't the only first-year Blue Devils player who has stolen the spotlight for NBA scouts and the national media this postseason. Against the two-seed Alabama Crimson Tide in a dominant 20-point win in the Elite Eight last week, Duke had four out of its five starters score in double figures, including three true freshmen.
In the postseason alone, two out of the three leading scorers for Duke in terms of points per game for the NCAA Tournament are true freshmen.
The recently-named 2025 AP Player of the Year Flagg has led a freshman-focused squad for Scheyer and the Blue Devils this season in the ACC conference.
Scheyer said that keeping a focus on player development and trusting the core of the rotation to younger players has set the tone for Duke this postseason.
"It was an interesting use for us, starting with analytics of just understanding you're not just looking at a player, just one versus one. We felt we had a great core to our team, specifically, especially a guy in Cooper [Flagg]."Jon Scheyer
Leadership and well-rounded player development has been crucial to Duke's success in the ACC and the NCAA Tournament this postseason.
"For us, it was about influencing plugging different guys in for the best fit with potential lineups we could have, then understanding there's going to be some fluidity in that. Once you get a team on campus, different guys are more ready. Things always change and evolve. We really prioritized shooting. We prioritized defense, the versatility with the defense."Jon Scheyer
Push the pace
Duke has succeeded this season when it can push the pace and play their own game at their pace on the offensive end of the floor. The Blue Devils lead the nation in offensive rating (125.3).
An achilles heel for the Blue Devils this season has been when it faces tough defensive squads that can push them out to the perimeter and challenge all shots from within 18 feet of the basket.
Getting the ball moving effectively and early in the shot clock for offensive possessions can help Duke stem the tide of facing a really effective and experienced Houston team on the defensive end for the Cougars.
Challenging shots and strangling opposing offenses from the set halfcourt has been a specialty of Sampson-coached teams on the defensive end for the Houston program.
Houston is a top-five ranked squad in the nation on the defensive end of the floor this season. The Cougars rank first in the nation in scoring defense (58.3 points allowed per game).
When Duke scores under 73 points this past regular season, it is 5-3. Duke is a perfect 30-0 when scoring at least 73 points this season. Flagg scoring in double figures and leading a strong second-half offensive push for the Blue Devils is an x-factor for Duke to emerge victorious against Houston.
Defend the paint
In this day and age of college hoops teams stretching the three-point line and chucking up more shots from distance on the offensive end of the floor, it's rare to find teams that still feed the paint for a primary source of scoring offensively.
Winning the battle on the glass is just as important as getting those easy and efficient high-proficiency shots around the basket on both ends of the floor.
Duke won their most recent national championship through dominating the paint with the high-scoring big man and former No. 1 ranked recruit in the nation a decade ago, center Jahlil Okafor.
The Blue Devils' ability to win the battle on the glass and win the paint scoring battle will be critical. Duke has the edge with size and length inside in the frontcourt over Houston's big man rotation in this game. But Houston has been one of the best interior defending teams this season, ranking third in the nation in points in the paint allowed per game (per CBB Analytics).
Seven-footer and freshman center Khaman Maluach controlled the paint, with an impressive 14 points, nine rebounds, one steal, and two blocks, in Duke's Elite Eight win over Alabama this past week.
Winning the battle on the boards and the paint-scoring battle can get Duke a long way to punching its ticket to the National Championship Game next week with a big victory over the Cougars this weekend.