The Duke Blue Devils and their high-powered offense will look to keep pushing the pace when they face off against Utah and the Utes’ stingy defense and grind-it-out style on Friday night. Duke was able to overpower a similarly-profiled foe, No. 8 seed San Diego State, on Saturday to the tune of a 68-49 win. The Blue Devils shot 55% in the win. Duke is 14-1 SU (10-5 ATS) over its past 15 games, including an opening round 85-56 win-and-cover over No. 16 seeded Robert Morris. Utah defeated trendy upset pick, No. 12 seed Stephen F. Austin (57-50) in the opening round, and then dismissed No. 4 seed Georgetown 75-64 on Saturday as a 4.5-point favorite. The Utes shot 58% from the field (8-for-14 from three) and had four players in double-figures in the Georgetown win. Utah is 6-4 SU (4-5-1 ATS) in its past 10 games. Utah lost to San Diego State (Duke and Utah’s only common opponent) 53-49 in mid-November to start out its season. Overall against non-conference NCAA tournament teams, Utah is 2-2 SU (2-2 ATS) but the Utes were just 1-5 SU (1-5 ATS) versus the Pac-12’s other three NCAA tournament teams. Duke was 2-0 SU (2-0) ATS in non-conference games versus NCAA teams and 7-3 SU (6-4 ATS) versus ACC foes that made the NCAA tournament. This is the other Coach K’s (Utes’ coach Larry Krystowiak’s) first NCAA appearance with the Utes (Krystowiak was 1-2 in the NCAA tournament as head coach of Montana). Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is the winningest men’s basketball coach in division 1 history, and he’s won 82 NCAA tournament games. Recently, however, Coach K has overseen two early-round exits for his Blue Devils in the past three seasons. Duke has made the Elite Eight once since 2010. Utes G Kenneth Ogbe (groin) (4.5 PPG) has missed the past seven games and is questionable for Friday night.
Utah boasts the 11th best scoring defense in the nation (56.9 PPG) and the 8th best field goal defense in the nation (38.3% FG), both tops in the Pac-12. These gaudy numbers will be put to the test like never before against Duke’s talented, multi-faceted offense. Utah is 0-4 when allowing teams to shoot above 46% from the field (Duke shoots 50.7% FG). That said, Duke is vulnerable on defense. In the five times Duke has allowed an opponent to shoot 50% or better from the field, it is 1-4 SU (0-5 ATS) with the lone win being a 91-86 overtime squeaker over ACC doormat, Virginia Tech. Utah has been able to shoot 50% or better in four of its past eight games and, like Duke, is a top-10 offense from the field (48.7% FG, 8th in NCAA). The Utes are led by do-everything senior G Delon Wright (14.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.1 SPG, 53% FG). Wright, as a 6-foot-6 point guard, can easily see over the defense to help Utah get easy buckets. His size and athleticism could prove problematic for Duke’s smaller backcourt. Aiding Wright are juniors, G Brandon Taylor (10.7 PPG, 44% 3PT, 2.3 3PM) and F Jordan Loveridge (10.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.0 3PM) have started every game for the Utes in their rise from the bottom of the Pac-12 to the Sweet 16. Taylor is coming off of a 14-point performance (4-for-8 from three) versus Georgetown, while Loveridge has scored double-figures in six of his past seven contests. In seven-foot freshman C Jakob Poeltl (8.7 PPG, 6.9 PPG, 1.7 BPG) Utah will finally be able to offer a like-sized counterpart for Duke’s standout freshman center, Jahlil Okafor. If Poeltl can stay on the floor and force someone else from the Blue Devils to beat Utah from the perimeter, it would greatly enhance Utah’s chances of pulling the upset. To his credit, Poeltl has played fantastic on offense in Utah’s two tournament wins, having only missed one shot (12-for13 FG) for 30 total points. Foul trouble limited Poeltl to 18 minutes in the Georgetown win, however.
Duke’s offense is, at this point, a well-oiled machine. Its aforementioned 50.9% from the field is good for 2nd overall in the nation. Even Duke’s “off nights” from the field are solid, as it has played an astounding 19 straight games shooting 45% or better from the field. Dukes scoring offense, at 80.4 PPG (4th in NCAA) is impressive, but it doesn’t mean the team has to run-and-gun to win. As shown in the Blue Devils’ blowout win over San Diego State, Duke was able to grind out a 68-49 win with offensive efficiency (54.5% FG, 43% 3PT) against an opponent who – similarly to Utah – struggles to score at times. Utah is content to let their opponents grind out possessions, so expect Duke to be aggressive looking to make the extra pass and find standout C Jahlil Okafor (17.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 67% FG). Utah is a much different defensive team without its own freshman seven-footer, Jakob Poeltl, on the floor, and Okafor is more than capable of getting Poeltl in foul trouble. Okafor has scored 21 and 26 points respectively in his two tournament games. Fellow freshman F Justise Winslow (12.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG) has been a stat-sheet-stuffer in his two tournament games, averaging 11.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Don’t be surprised if coach Krzyzewski has Winslow keeping one eye on Utah’s Delon Wright at all times. Gs Tyus Jones (11.6 PPG, 5.8 APG) and Quinn Cook (15.7 PPG, 40% 3PT, 2.8 3PM) round out the firepower for Duke’s offense, as Cook has scored 37 points over his two tournament games (9-for-18 from long distance). Jones has been steady-yet-unspectacular, with 13 assists to only three turnovers, but is capable of popping off for big scoring games when the situation calls for it (see two 20+ point outings versus North Carolina).
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