Duke is headed to the Final 4 after burying a very good Alabama team by 20 85-65. It was an astonishing display of dominance, talent, and coaching by Duke who will enter the Final 4 as the favorite.
Sorry I don’t care what happens tomorrow. Auburn finally showed their November/December form late against Michigan, but they’ve played uneven basketball since early March. Michigan State can’t match Duke’s shooting. Houston and Tennessee aren’t as talented. Florida hasn’t been as consistent. That doesn’t mean Duke will win it all, but Jon Scheyer is proving that if he doesn’t get that national title this year, he will eventually.
There will always be people that will question Jon Scheyer until he wins a national title, but he can not only accumulate talent, he’s really grown as a coach and you’re going need an epic effort to beat this Duke team.
They are 10-11 points better than in Nov/Dec.
— Jeff or Jeffrey Fann (@TalkinACCSports) March 30, 2025
There are a handful of better teams in the country than Alabama, but I don’t think there is a more explosive one. Scheyer put together a masterful defensive gameplan to close out relentlessly on the Bama 3-point shooters. Alabama made just 8 out of 32 3 pointers. Duke is going to take away your 3 point shooting on most nights, and if they don’t, they just drop a 100 on you like Arizona.
Clemson is the only team that has managed to handle Duke this calendar year by going unconscious in their mid-range jumpers and riding the wave of home emotion. That’s a lot to ask of any team remaining in the field.
Now, in the past, you thought you might be able to outscheme Scheyer due to his youth and relative inexperience. Not so anymore. If you can handle the pressure of replacing a legend like Coach K, then you can handle big game pressure.
Jon Scheyer is rapidly becoming one of the best young coaches in the country, and he just might end the season with a national title.