Duke Blue Devils Basketball: Why They Can and They Will Win It All

Duke beat Pine Bluff. Then California. Now they've beaten the Boilermakers. 

Can they keep it up?

I think they can.

Duke has been playing solid defense throughout the whole season, but especially the last three games. But how can they be not just good—but great?

First off, they need their key players, their stars—Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and Jon Scheyer to continue doing what they do best.

What the Blue Devils are doing is great. They're playing with great defense and they're getting offensive boards. But after watching their game against Purdue, it's clear to me that they need to hit their shots.

They need Singler, Smith, and Scheyer to be feelin' it. In the first half Friday, Singler had 12 of Duke's 24 points. He was essential. Kyle was the only guy hitting his shots. Then Scheyer and Smith went off, and look where they ended up.

Scheyer started gaining confidence and attacking the hoop, Smith hit the momentum-boosting shot at the buzzer, and Singler kept on doing what he did in the first half. 

The Blue Devils showed all of the components that a championship team needs to have—defense, rebounding, and of course, scoring. 

On Sunday, that's what they will have to do. If they don't, they're going to get dominated.

Scheyer needs to stop thinking too much about his game. Every time he shoots the ball, you can almost see what's going through his head. "Square your feet up, Jon. Follow through, Jon. Get back on D, Jon." He needs to play the game he loves and stop over-thinking everything. 

Nolan Smith is the only guy that really attacks the hoop with confidence. He's a slasher and he needs to live up to his potential. 

Kyle Singler needs to keep doing what he does best—shooting and scoring.

Then there are the big men—some of the most underrated players wearing a Blue Devils jersey: Zoubek, the Plumlee brothers—all of these guys can get rebounds, and that's what they must do to remain successful. 

I think the legend Coach K and his three star players can lead their team to a national title.

But only time will tell.