Duke Basketball: 3 keys to victory against Houston Cougars in Sweet 16 matchup
Match the intensity of the Cougars
The Duke Blue Devils should have seen some chinks in the armor in the Cougars' overtime victory over Texas A&M. The Cougars gave up 26 second-chance points, 32 points in the paint and 22 bench points despite escaping the second round with a 100-95 victory. Seven 3-pointers from Emanuel Sharp was enough to overcome a rough shooting night from Jamal Shead (7-of-18 FG) as well.
On the flip side, the Blue Devils have played some of their best basketball defensively in the NCAA Tournament. They're allowing just 51.0 points per game in the NCAA Tournament heading into Friday's contest against the Cougars. Duke allowed just 55 points in their second round victory against James Madison and a season-low 47 points in the first round against Vermont. They recorded a season-best 12 steals as a team against James Madison and with another strong backcourt, they could match that total on Friday.
While LJ Cryer, Jamal Shead and Emanuel Sharp have proven to be a burden to deal with on both ends of the floor, the Blue Devils will need to do their best to match their intensity. Emotions will be high and despite the game being at a neutral-site, the crowd will most likely favor the Cougars, as it is in Houston.
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They've got the length on the interior in Filipowski and Mitchell to slow down Shead in the painted area. McCain and Sharp should be an exciting matchup on the perimeter as well. Roach will need to show he can matchup with Cryer and slow down his prowess as a perimeter shooter. Given the past two performances, the odds should certainly favor the Blue Devils on Friday. Tune in at 8:39 PM EST!