Duke continues its march in trying to go back-to-back as NCAA basketball champions. Their second round matchup will tip-off around 11:45 AM PT/2:45 PM ET on CBS (click here for the full schedule). Let's take a look at both teams.
Ken Pomeroy says ... 4th best offense, 2nd best defense. Runs one of the fastest tempos in the country. Great shooting team on both offense and defense (inside, outside, free throw line, you name it). Good at forcing teams into jump shots and holding onto the basketball. Decent at forcing steals.
The weaknesses with Duke are rebounding. They struggle to get defensive rebounds. They also don't get to the free throw line a lot, although some of that may have to due with the number of blowouts they've been involved in this year.
Ken Pomeroy says ... 37th best offense, 28th best defense, one of the slowest basketball teams in the country. The Wolverines are a strong shooting team, particularly from the inside. They take care of the basketball and draw few turnovers. They're strong at defensive rebounding, good at keeping other teams off the free throw line and forcing them into tougher shots (particularly outside).
The weaknesses with Michigan: They're a one shot and done offense; the Wolverines are a poor offensive rebounding team. They also rarely get to the free throw line and have trouble forcing turnovers. They're also not a terribly great two point shooting defense and can't block shots or get steals.
Prediction: Really hard to see Michigan being the team that knocks off Duke. The Wolverines are a good basketball team, but they're stuck in a rut with trying to deal with Duke's size inside and speed from the outside. They'll have to play the defensive game of their life, keep the possessions down and execute efficiently against one of the toughest offenses in the country.
It probably won't be enough. Duke.