The Duke question

[businesslawyer]

Duke is really good, and I don't want to play anyone really good, but a really good team that is very reliant on youth and hasn't had any real competition in months isn't the worst option.

Add to that, a coach who hasn't shown he can pull his team through in a huge moment.

Has Duke proven greatness by rampaging through a down ACC? No. But if I'm on the 8/9 line, I'd rather be in any of the other three #1 seeds' brackets.

 

[Gurleyman]

If we played Duke in the second round, when they hadn’t been tested or felt tournament pressure yet, I think we’d have a chance if we kept it close. Flagg has more or less played in 3 close games in his entire life and fell down in the clutch in all of them. Montverde played none, and Duke has barely played any.

Proctor has a little bit of big game experience, but was something like 0-8 in the NC State loss, so he has some demons. Mason Gillis has some too - he’s been a part of losses to a 15 and a 16 and then played 25 scoreless minutes in the national championship where you have to go look at the film to remember he was out there (he scored 20 in the entire NCAA Tournament). The freshmen of course haven’t been on a stage like this and Sion James and Maliq Brown haven’t really either. So I could see a scenario where they collectively get really tight and it’s up to Flagg and Knueppel to make shots and that isn’t necessarily going to go well.

But you never know. We would also have to beat a good team in the 8-9 game to have a chance, of course. We were once wondering about how we’d match up with Anthony Davis and Iowa State beat us by 50.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

UConn to West regional vs East regional in Raleigh

 

[Tenspro2002]

I prefer playing bad teams instead of good teams.

 

[J187Money]

I just want to get to the 2nd weekend - then I'm down with playing anyone.

 

[uconngb]

The 5 teams in the hunt for a 1 seed are Auburn, Houston, Florida, Duke, and Tennessee. I think Tennessee is by far our best matchup. After that it’s either Duke or Florida. I want no piece of Auburn or Houston. Duke/Florida have more talent than Houston, but Houston’s style of play would be a major challenge for us.

Duke would probably be favored by 8-10 against us, but it’s definitely not an unwinnable game. Their guard play is decent at best. Flagg is obviously a beast and so is Knueppel. Their center is okay on both ends of the floor, but nothing Johnson/Reed can’t match on an average day. Easier said than done, but the key is containing Flagg and not allowing Proctor/Evans to go off from 3.

We match up horribly w Houston. We quite possibly could have more than 30 TOs against them. They would beat the hell out of us.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

For the record I want whoever they put in front of us.

While we aren't what we have been in recent tournaments, as far as I'm concerned we're champions until we no longer are. I'll take my chances against anyone. If we do get bumped off, I want to see us fighting until the end.

I absolutely don't want to start thinking "if we can avoid this school". "If someone can knock off that school for us".

Either we win it on our merits or we don't. That's all there is to it.

 

[RuffRuff]

We match up horribly w Houston. We quite possibly could have more than 30 TOs against them. They would beat the hell out of us.

Funny, both StJ and Marquette force more turnovers. We only turned the ball over 8 times in the last matchup against Marquette and had one of the better assist/TO ratios in the country up until that first Marquette game. On TO's, StJ is 11th in country, Marquette 20th and Houston 50th. Their defense is good, it's not StJ good. What they do surprisingly well this year is shoot the 3, 4th in the country in 3pt%.

They're behind Duke, Florida and Tenn in defensive FG%. Their defense is like the boogie man around here.

Have you watched them or are you just spitting out assumptions? I think Tarris could eat them alive and beat them up, their two guards are not beat up kinda guys, our 3 would take theirs by 4 inches. They simply subscribe to a pressure in your shirt defense. I think we match up really well TBH.

 

[JB75]

So funny that of course, the one year in the past few that Duke is really really good and we might face them in the second round. Where was this the last two years when we would’ve killed them?

 

[Jaydumo20]

We match up horribly w Houston. We quite possibly could have more than 30 TOs against them. They would beat the hell out of us.

matchup "nightmares" don't scare me.
They used to until Iona, St.Marys, Alabama, Illinois, Purdue.... these were all supposed to be matchup problems.

Especially Illinois- and we cant say "but we beat up on them because it was the best UConn team ever"... as it happened THAT UConn team was the team people said matched up poorly against Illinois.

 

[tennmike]

We match up horribly w Houston. We quite possibly could have more than 30 TOs against them. They cwould beat the hell out of us.

Amazing how one letter changes things...

 

[NJHusky]

So funny that of course, the one year in the past few that Duke is really really good and we might face them in the second round. Where was this the last two years when we would’ve killed them?

NCAA couldnt do that to doook

 

[willie99]

They're the 2025 version of Gonzaga. They beat up on the worst major conference in basketball.

The Big East is far more competitive, with home and away games vs everyone

8 to 10 tough games in the Beast. None or one or maybe two tough games in the ACC

 

[IndyLives]

Committee would get denounced if they put a 22+ win UConn team going for a historic 3peat on the road at Duke in the 2nd round. Marquette, yes. Uconn, no.

 

[auror]

They're the 2024 version of Gonzaga. They beat up on the worst major conference in basketball.

The Big East is far more competitive, with home and away games vs everyone

8 to 10 tough games in the Beast. None or one or maybe two tough games in the ACC

Gonzaga has made the sweet 16 nine straight tournaments. If we're the 8 seed in their region, guess what we don't want Duke to do.

 

[willie99]

Teams aim much higher than the S16

The Zags are overrated every year, with maybe one or two exceptions

Probably have the record for most one seeds without a title

And the higher seeds are supposed to make the S16

I don't want to be on the 8/9 line. But if we are, some one seed is going to be crying about having a tough road to the second weekend

 

[AdamaNation]

Based on our record this year it’s very unlikely we could beat Duke but the first coronation I’d like to ruin is St. John’s.

Just remember Louisville in 14.

 

[storrsroars]

Lunardi's brackets are rarely dead on, but if his current version holds, UConn, Creighton and Marquette will all be facing #1 seeds the first weekend. Xavier might have a better chance of advancing to 2nd weekend after starting in Dayton.

 

[6Nattys4Us]

If we played Duke in the second round, when they hadn’t been tested or felt tournament pressure yet, I think we’d have a chance if we kept it close. Flagg has more or less played in 3 close games in his entire life and fell down in the clutch in all of them. Montverde played none, and Duke has barely played any.

Proctor has a little bit of big game experience, but was something like 0-8 in the NC State loss, so he has some demons. Mason Gillis has some too - he’s been a part of losses to a 15 and a 16 and then played 25 scoreless minutes in the national championship where you have to go look at the film to remember he was out there (he scored 20 in the entire NCAA Tournament). The freshmen of course haven’t been on a stage like this and Sion James and Maliq Brown haven’t really either. So I could see a scenario where they collectively get really tight and it’s up to Flagg and Knueppel to make shots and that isn’t necessarily going to go well.

But you never know. We would also have to beat a good team in the 8-9 game to have a chance, of course. We were once wondering about how we’d match up with Anthony Davis and Iowa State beat us by 50.

That game would be in Raleigh, NC. You do know how close that is to Durham? 30 mins from NC State to Duke or back. Way too close to home for them to lose when their entire fan base would be there.

 

[6Nattys4Us]

UConn to West regional vs East regional in Raleigh

East Regional is in Newark, NJ.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

East Regional is in Newark, NJ.

Sure, my bad, I was thinking East region, typed East regional. 1st/2nd round East region games likely 1 seed Duke will play will be in Raleigh.

Ideally, UConn wins all BET games to rise to a 7 seed or stretch to 6 seed. As a possible 8 seed in the East region, UConn likely faces Duke in Raleigh if the Huskies win the 8/9 game.