Duke Needs Focus Thursday Versus Villanova to Proceed in Final Four Run

In the middle of February, I wrote an article which outlined three tasks Duke men’s basketball could still achieve at that point in the season.

The first task was to win the ACC regular season championship. But on Mar. 8 in Chapel Hill, a loss to North Carolina ended that possibility.

The second task was to win the ACC tournament title. And a week later in the Georgia Dome, that goal became a reality for Duke after it beat Florida State, 79-69, in the ACC Championship.

The third task was to reach the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Now two wins away, Duke needs to complete this task more than the other two.

After early exits the past two seasons in the NCAA Tournament, a lot of people familiar with college basketball began to wonder if Duke had lost its edge as a national power. But now, Duke is two wins away from solidifying its claim as a national power once again.

With two drastic lineup changes, beyond the highs and lows of this season, Duke’s focus must be more central than ever, more than any other time this season.

Some would argue that extracting that type of needed focus is too much to ask of a young basketball team, a team in the midst of its first Final Four run together. Here, the counterargument is that in order to reclaim that national swagger Duke basketball is accustomed to having, that amount of focus is a must.

So to achieve this final task, two wins are needed.

A win over Villanova is the first challenge.

Thursday in Boston, the Blue Devils face an experienced and explosive Wildcats squad. Neither team starts a player taller than 6’8”.

The players to watch in this game are Duke’s Kyle Singler and Villanova’s Dante Cunningham.

Although they probably won’t guard each other, these two couldn’t be more similar. Both are 6’8” and very versatile. Both score 16 points and grab seven rebounds per game. And each player is his team’s best interior player, without question.

Scoring-wise, these two teams couldn’t be more similar. Villanova scores 77 points per game, while Duke scores 78.1. Defensively, Villanova allows 67.1 points per game, while Duke allows 65.6.

In nearly every other team statistic, Duke and Villanova are nearly identical. (Please, take a look.)

So what will differentiate these two teams Thursday?

To pinpoint two differences in this game, coaching and depth favor Duke.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has the experience needed at this level to propel his team further in the tournament. Not taking anything away from Villanova coach Jay Wright and his staff, but Coach K simply is more prepared in this aspect.

In terms of depth, to be really technical, Villanova has eight players who average over 18 minutes played per game. Duke has just five. Expect Duke to utilize its rotation a bit more often on Thursday than usual in order to wear down a seemingly thin Villanova bench.

In summary, Duke could not have scripted a better opportunity to complete this task.

To complete a Final Four run, Duke needs to beat Villanova, first. Without looking or thinking about it briefly, I don’t know which teams might await Duke in the regional championship, nor should Duke.

A tremendous challenge in Villanova awaits Duke on Thursday. To regain that national prestige, not only is a win over Villanova needed, but another win in the Elite Eight is needed as well.

A huge amount of concentration and sincere focus is required to earn two more wins this season. And without question, no program needs two wins more than Duke at this moment.

With two wins, only then can Duke as a program say with full confidence that it has returned. With two wins, Coach K adds another Final Four berth to his phenomenal career. Only a Hall-of-Famer like Coach K could place his confidence in a young team amidst two mid-season lineup changes.

In no way is Duke guaranteed this needed Final Four berth, but what an accomplishment it would be to reach the Final Four with this team, especially a team that lacks an interior presence like Duke does.