Duke Blue Devils – March Madness Team Predictions, Odds and Preview 2016

West No. 4 – Duke Blue Devils (Overall: 23-9, Conf: 11-7)

Team Strengths

Although the Blue Devils capped of the regular season by losing three of its final five contests, their beloved head coach in Mike Krzyzewski will have his boys ready to make a second-straight run at the national championship. The biggest strength for Duke is going to be its pair of promising talents in Grayson Allen (21. 5 PPG) and Brandon Ingram (16.7 PPG). Those two have played key roles to the team’s overall success on offense (81.2 PPG). And so long as the reigning NCAA champs continue receiving quality productions from Allen and Ingram, the Blue Devils are going to be very hard to beat despite their lack in depth.

Team Weaknesses

As stated earlier, depth is one of the main issues for the Duke this season. The club’s been mainly relying on Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram to carry them on a nightly basis, and that cannot be the case all the time. The Blue Devils will need to efficiently work as a team and at least receive consistent productions from some other players.

Speaking of which, the likes of Luke Kennard, Marshall Plumlee or even their freshman Derryck Thornton have got to seize this opportunity. All three have had some notable moments during the season. Senior center Plumlee (8.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG), in particular, has improved remarkably from the previous year and has done pretty well in filling the void of the injured Amile Jefferson. Plumlee’s toughness and veteran experience will unquestionably play a vital role for Duke.

Team Statistics

Category | Stat | NCAA Rank
Points Per Game | 81.2 | 15
Rebounds Per Game | 36.3 | 145
Blocks Per Game | 4.2 | 81
3-Point Percentage | 38.9% | 22
Free Throw Percentage | 72.4% | 84

Starting Lineup

Position | Name | PPG
C | Marshall Plumlee | 8.1
G | Matt Jones | 11.0
G | Grayson Allen | 21.5
G | Luke Kennard | 11.8
G | Brandon Ingram | 16.7

Writer’s Prediction

Duke makes it up to the Elite Eight only.

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