Duke Advances to 2010 NCAA National Championship Game

In a tournament filled with upsets, underdogs, and brackets being busted, Duke has managed to prove why it was named a number one seed when the tournament began. After obliterating West Virginia 78-57 in their Final Four matchup, the Duke Blue Devils will be playing in the 2010 NCAA National Championship game on Monday.

How Duke Beat West Virginia

Shooting. Duke had perhaps their best shooting performance of the season against the Mountaineers, shooting 52% from the field and also shooting 52% from behind the three point arc. They also only turned the ball over five times while dishing out 20 assists. I can't think of a team that would have been able to beat Duke the way they were shooting Saturday night. Although I think the final score would have been much closer had Da'Sean Butler not gotten injured partway through the second half, West Virginia trailed for almost the entire game and could not match Duke's pure shooting prowess. Duke seemed poised for the 2010 NCAA National Championship game at halftime, and managed to look even better in the second half

What Duke Must Do to Win the 2010 National Championship

If Duke shoots as well as it did against West Virginia, they should be able to overcome Butler's outstanding defense. Butler's defense relies on forcing turnovers and bad jump shots. Duke's offense, meanwhile, does a good job of not committing silly turnovers and, at least against West Virginia, Duke seemed to make almost every shot they took. Even when West Virginia played good defense, Duke shooters would simply make a contested three point shot.

If Duke's shots aren't falling quite as well as they were against West Virginia, however, the Blue Devils could be looking at a long, hard fought game. Butler has managed to shut down both the efficient offense of Syracuse and Kansas State's fast-paced attack. Duke has yet to face an elite level defense so far in the 2010 NCAA Tournament (Baylor's zone defense was probably the best they've faced). It's possible that Duke's relatively easy road to the 2010 National Championship game could make them unprepared for the battle against Butler's defense.

Predictions for 2010 National Championship Game

In my piece on Butler's National Championship prospects, I predicted that Butler, if they faced Duke, would win 61-59. Although Duke's dominating performance against West Virginia has me second guessing my initial prediction, I am going to stand by the Butler Bulldogs. They've been underestimated the entire 2010 NCAA Tournament so far and seem poised to win the 2010 National Championship on their home court. Duke will be one of the toughest opponents they've faced so far in the tournament, but the Bulldogs have been up to the task so far, so why would it stop now?

Source(s):

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=300930150

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/bracket