Duke Vs. Baylor: Breaking it Down For The Elite Showdown

This tournament has been loaded with upsets. So, no matter what the stats or the future tellers' indicate, we can never predict these games throughout the month of March. I guess that's why they call it madness. 

But, nonetheless, I will try and give you the most accurate predictions possible.

First off, Duke is one of the two No. 1 seeds left in this tournament. The Devils have solid defense, and, if they are on fire, can knock off any of these teams left in this tournament.

Duke's three star players, Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith are unstoppable when playing with confidence and when "they're feelin' it." I, along with all other Duke fans, are hoping for these three stars to take over and lead the Blue Devils to Indianapolis. 

Another very important factor is defense. If the big men, Zoubek and the Plumlee brothers, stop the powerful Ekpe Udoh and Josh Lomers, then Duke will continue to have a better chance at taking out the tremendous Baylor Bears. 

Now let's look at Baylor.

They are a quick team that can play a great trap defense forcing their opponents to turn the ball over.

The star to look for on the Bears is their guard LaceDarius Dunn. He averages a team-high 19.5 points per game. He's also a vicious sharpshooter that shoots an exceptional 42 percent from beyond the arc.

The Duke offense can be recognized as one of the best in the country. If Bears shut down the three Blue Devil stars, they can win the game.

An interesting fact about this unpredictable tournament is that if there's a seed difference of two, the underdog wins 55 percent of the time. So, Baylor does have the statistical advantage, but as we all know, stats mean nothing in this tournament. 

This will be a great matchup between two powerhouse teams fighting for a spot in the Final Four. It will be interesting to see the Bears trap defense against a team without a point guard, looking at how Coach K will react. 

Can the Blue Devils take out the Bears? Maybe. Maybe not. 

Only time will tell.

-Henry Bell