Zion in. Battle out. Prediction: Marek Dolejaz does not attempt to take a charge on Zion again.
What do we think the starting lineup will be? My guess is
Tre
AOC
R.J.
Cam
Zion
AOC has averaged 18 points against Syracuse this year and is a nice option to keep the zone a little more spaced out than it otherwise might be. R.J. will be the guy at the top of the post and looking to drive, dump off, or turn and shoot. Zion along the backline, looking to dunk from the baseline off an alley-oop. Javin, Jack, and JGold off the bench, maybe a few minutes for Joey Baker if there is foul trouble or Duke builds a big lead.
One of the biggest things I'll be looking for is the defense. With Battle out and Zion back, will Duke be able to force turnovers and turn this into an up-and-down game?
Will Zion start or come off the bench? I’m guessing he comes in at an early dead ball situation, probably before the first timeout.
Battle officially ruled out.
From Bleacher Report:
“For the people that think I should just stop playing in college...thanks, but no thanks.”
My KING
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club
Cuse will have a large “rooting” crowd tonight typical last game crowd following cheats game 😈😈
Y'all won't have much trouble with a Battle-less Cuse team. I am similarly unconcerned about our matchup with VT, though rivalry games can always be weird.
Looking forward to a rematch with a full (or nearly full) strength Duke squad in the finals - Carolina will give you a test, but they can't contain Zion.
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Let's Go Duke!
-jk