#1 seed you most/least want in Duke's bracket?

[houstondukie]

Assuming Duke does not get a 1 seed (which is still very possible).

IMO, the following teams have both a realistic shot at a #1 seed and we could face them in our bracket (UNC and Wake Forest are not on this list because they will not be in our bracket):

UConn
Pitt
Louisville
Oklahoma
Memphis
Michigan State (very unlikely to get #1 seed unless win out and others lose)

My list:
1. Michigan State (most want)
2. Memphis (Duke should be able to turnover Evans with ball pressure)
3. Oklahoma
4. Louisville
5. UConn (matchup nightmare for Duke but loss of Dyson gives us better shot)
6. Pitt (another matchup nightmare)

[FireOgilvie]

UConn, no question. Thabeet destroys teams with little/no dominant post presence. He also alters every shot taken within about 5 feet of him. They are a terrible match-up for us...

Also, we nearly beat Pitt last year and I like our chances with them.

I actually think we would beat every other team 6/10 times (at least).

[MarkD83]

Duke's goal is to get through the first weekend and then we can worry about the higher seeds.

[DukieBoy]

Most Wanted to Least Wanted
1. Michigan State - Not sure if they really are still in contention for number one seed, but are not a great team by any means. A very good team, but not great.

2. Memphis - Same as first post. Could wreak havoc on a freshman point guard with Williams and Smith.

3. Louisville - Match up with them athletically I think. They also don't have an outright dominant post presence like the remaining three.

4. Oklahoma - Griffin would probably tear us up offensively, but having no post player to worry about on the our offensive end would render him useless on defense and there isn't a lot of other players that can step up for them.

5. UConn - It's pretty much a toss-up by this point. Thabeet, however, is a much less physical player. Blair showed that if you attack him, he is ineffective.

6. Pitt - Despite the fact we almost beat them last year, they are a very good team and Blair is a scary player. He can alter every players shot who drives down the lane, as does Thabeet and even Griffin.

[houstondukie]

Duke's goal is to get through the first weekend and then we can worry about the higher seeds.

O please, you are a FAN. I am a FAN. We are FANS.

And as fans, we are allowed to "look ahead" and think about these things.

If you don't want to discuss this, don't open this thread and don't post a reply.

[speedevil2001]

O please, you are a FAN. I am a FAN. We are FANS.

And as fans, we are allowed to "look ahead" and think about these things.

If you don't want to discuss this, don't open this thread and don't post a reply.

I love threads like this..talking about what we fans want to talk about.

Great Job Houston..

I agree with you most that Pitt scares me most. I would like Duke to be in a bracket again Uconn, because I want Duke to knock them off.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

I don't think any team is going to want to be in Pitt's bracket.

[RelativeWays]

I DO NOT want OU or UConn at all. Louisville and Pitt would be really tough but I think we could beat them under the right circumstances, neither are unbeatable.

[geraldsneighbor]

I want Michigan State and Memphis. I don't want UConn or Pitt.

[dukemath]

I thought we were going to win the next 4 games and get the 1 seed. :) Shouldn't the question be which 2 seed we don't want to see?

[DukeChapel'90]

I really don't want to see us in the same regional as OU. I would hate to have to pull against Capel. HOWEVER, knowing the tournament committee, that is precisely the kind of match-up they will try to create. :(

I think we have the slashers and perimeter defense to beat UConn and Thabeet.

We almost beat Pitt last year and I think we have improved more in the last year than they have. Blair is a beast. Fields killed us, but I think we can better handle them this year.

We won't be in UNC's region.

I would love to be in Louisville's bracket because you know it would be ad nauseum about Pitiful Pitino rematched with Duke. We can take the Cards.

Memphis is so undeserving, so I would not mind matching up with them either.

We have a mental toughness this year that has been absent in the past few. I really think this team can go far (F4 and beyond). That Clemson loss was a watershed moment for us. If people can come back from injuries and play, we are in great shape.

I'm such a homer though. This will be the 25th straight bracket that will feature Duke as the eventual Champ (I did not do a bracket the year we missed the tourney, I could not find a winner in the group). It's worked 3 times so far. :cool:

[Buckeye Devil]

I agree that Duke does not want close to either UCONN or Pitt. I would also hate to see them play Oklahoma with Capel as coach although it would make for great story lines. Memphis would be my first choice because they are very overrated IMO. Louisville would probably be second best as Duke seems to match up well with the Cards.

Michigan State will probably not be a #1, but they are every bit as good as Louisville and better than Memphis. Don't sell the Spartans short. They lack the star power of a UNC or Oklahoma, but I would much rather match up against Memphis or Louisville than Izzo.

[Buckeye Devil]

If it means anything, he has Duke currently in UCONN's bracket.

[4decadedukie]

OU - Griffin (plus the true emotional difficulties and unfairness associated with Coach Capel competing against Duke)
Pitt - Blair
UConn - In so many ways, our post-season nemesis

[Faison1]

Let's say we finish out strong, but not enough to land a #1 seed. I would assume we are a strong 2 seed. That would stand to reason that we get a weaker 1 seed in our bracket, while the stronger 1 seeds get weaker 2 seeds.

That would mean that we get either Memphis, MSU, Oklahoma, or Louisville. Unless the committee decides to go against the rules and put us in UConn's bracket just for the history and story.....

Bottomline, depending on what the team's attitude is (if it's a killer attitude), then we take on anyone and don't care what the name is.

But if I wanted to avoid someone, it would be Pitt and UConn....they just seem pretty big and athletic.....

[slower]

Thabeet, however, is a much less physical player. Blair showed that if you attack him, he is ineffective.


Blair showed that if you attack him WITH DEJUAN BLAIR, he is ineffective. We have nobody remotely resembling Blair.

[slower]

OU - Griffin (plus the true emotional difficulties and unfairness associated with Coach Capel competing against Duke)

Unfair? What's unfair about it? Uncomfortable, maybe.

[ice-9]

Unfair? What's unfair about it? Uncomfortable, maybe.

I think it's be pretty damn good for both men if they meet in the Final Four. That means both teams had very good seasons, and coach and former player can pat themselves on the back.

Now if we had to, say, for example, face off Notre Dame in the first/second round that wouldn't be so great since then at least one team would have a first weekend exit.

[mcdukie]

I wouldn't want to play UCONN. Thabeet and their guards, even without Dyson, scare me. I can see the committee putting us in the same bracket with OU.

[NSDukeFan]

To me, at this point of the season, there are 3 teams (UNC, Pitt, UConn) deserving of a #1 seed that I think Duke would have a tough (but very possible) time beating. I like Duke's chances to beat every other team, though you never know on a given day.

[DukieBoy]

OU - Griffin (plus the true emotional difficulties and unfairness associated with Coach Capel competing against Duke)


Would the players really be affected by going against Capel? None of them were around when he played. I think it will have an impact on Coach K and the staff, but players-wise, I don't see this affecting them.

[rotogod00]

As everyone's been saying, UConn and Pitt are match-up nightmares for us. Not sure we can handle the big inside presence

[NSDukeFan]

If we win either tomorrow or the ACC championship, I think we are right there with the other top 3.

[phaedrus]

I wouldn't want to play UCONN. Thabeet and their guards, even without Dyson, scare me. I can see the committee putting us in the same bracket with OU.

I would love to see Thabeet guarding Singler at the top of the key.

[houstondukie]

To me, at this point of the season, there are 3 teams (UNC, Pitt, UConn) deserving of a #1 seed that I think Duke would have a tough (but very possible) time beating. I like Duke's chances to beat every other team, though you never know on a given day.

I agree 100%.

UConn, Pitt, and UNC are the 3 teams that NOBODY would chose to face, including Duke.

Although the committee may try to match up the best #1 with the worst #2, the worst #1 with the best #2, and so on, it doesn't always work out that way due to the pod system. Duke will most likely be in the BOSTON regional, which is where UConn most likely will end up. I could also see them sending us out West to play in Oklahoma's region.

[houstondukie]

I wouldn't want to play UCONN. Thabeet and their guards, even without Dyson, scare me. I can see the committee putting us in the same bracket with OU.

If we are hitting our outside shots, we will be a matchup nightmare for UConn.

Heck, if we are hitting our outside shots, we are a matchup nightmare for anyone.

[Greg_Newton]

If we are hitting our outside shots, we will be a matchup nightmare for UConn.

Agreed... Thabeet causes more trouble for teams that get are used to scoring by getting into the lane and getting high-percentage shots, which is admittedly not really our style. Plus, he's not quite the force Blair is on the offensive end, so we could conceivably go small and cause UConn bigger matchup problems than they cause us.

Pitt is who really scares me. Anyone see them dominate UConn again today? Blair would be problem enough for us, not to even mention Sam Young. That guy is an absolute animal.

[dukemsu]

Pitt and UConn are the teams I'd most want to avoid due to their size and defensive ability.

Louisville has a great record and some good wins, but I don't think they are a terrible matchup for Duke by any means.

The only team I watch as much as Duke is Michigan State, and I wouldn't discount the Spartans. I'm not just saying that as a fan, either. State is legitimately 11 deep, rebounds as well as anyone in America including Pitt and UConn, and is finally healthy after juggling lineups all season. Their rebounding could give the Devils trouble, and their style of defense could as well. They have finally begun to get substitution patterns down and will soon be free of the officiating and style shackles of the Big 10. I would not judge State on the basis of their game against UNC. They are not the same team that played that game.

A game with Duke and State would probably be a pick-em game, with one of the stars (Kyle, G, or Lucas) tipping the balance.

dukemsu

[dubayuw]

I'd actually rather face hansborough than thabeet, griffin, or blair.

What about Duke vs OU? Capel vs Coach K? Could be interesting

[BlueHeaven]

After yesterday, Pitt looks like the team to beat.

[RoyalBlue08]

Honestly, although I think Pitt and Uconn are better teams, I would rather face either of them than face Louisville, given our shaky play against the press this year. Pitt plays tough defense, especially in the post, but they are a bit suspect on the perimeter and I think would have a tough time matching up with Duke's lineup offensively. UConn as can guard a small lineup, and I'm not sure they would do well against our defensive pressure either. I think if Duke can avoid drawing Louisville somehow in our bracket, and assuming there is no way they would put UNC in the same bracket, then I really like the potential matchups.