Boy, are we in for a treat tonight! This evening, we have four of the winningest coaches in NCAA history and I CANNOT WAIT! To start off the night at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse where the Duke Blue Devils visit the Orange Men. It should be a great game being that we are in for the chess match of the century. Coach Mike Krzyzewski versus his fellow rival and comrade Coach Jim Boeheim. This is the first time ever that two coaches with 1,000 plus wins have gone against one another. History in the making as Coach K is first and Boeheim is second all time. Then after that, we go to Chapel Hill as Rick Pitino and Lousivlled take on Roy Williams and his North Carolina Tar Heels. Where do Pitino and Williams rank on the all-time list? Twelfth and eighth respectively. How many wins total? The four men combine for 3,667 wins, not too shabby. Also a mere 20 championship games, 10 titles and 32 Final Four appearances. Yeah, this is going to be something else.
Now for Duke-Cuse, the Blue Devils come in smoking hot. Ever since their first meeting with Wake Forest, they have been hitting the home stretch in stride approaching March Madness. They showed mental toughness, especially Grayson Allen, and are now winners of 7 in a row. Syracuse on the other hand; has dropped three straight and is now on the outside of the bubble looking in at 16-12. This is a must win for Cuse with just Lousiville and Georiga Tech remaining before the ACC tournament. This one should be good. Figure a real close first half with both teams going on runs. Andrew White leads them at 17.9ppg and will have to go off for Cuse to be able to pull this one out. Tyler Lydon should be able to make room for him and stretch the floor bringing Amile Jefferson out of the paint.
This one should be good. Figure a real close first half with both teams going on runs. Andrew White leads them at 17.9ppg and will have to go off for Cuse to be able to pull this one out. Tyler Lydon should be able to make room for him and stretch the floor (team leading 43% 3pt FG%) bringing Amile Jefferson out of the paint. For Duke Luke Kennard has been great all year and freshmen Jayson Tatum has been on a tear. Grayson Allen has been up and down all year, though, last few games have been a struggle offensively. However, he has shown composure of late and this game could come down to what they get from him. I think Allen rights the ship going for 18 and leads the Dukies to a 7 point win. Take Duke -3.5.
Now for Lousiville-UNC, I think this game will be even better, tipping off at 9pm after the Duke-Cuse game on ESPN. Lousiville (23-5, 11-3) is ranked seventh while UNC (22-5, 10-4) is 8th, doesn’t get much better the that. The Cardinals are a long team and hoping their length can cause problems for the bruising up-tempo Tar Heels. Both teams play at a fast clip so expect a high scoring affair. The Tar Heels are fifth in the nation at 86.9 points per game and led by junior Justin Jackson. Jackson is one of the most versatile players in college basketball and should continue to do so. The Cardinals will need big games from guards Donovan Mitchell and Quentin Snyder. It will be close throughout, but I think North Carolina may have too much size and pull it out by three to four. Take Louisville +8.
The stages are set, the coaches will be ready, here comes one of the most historic days in NCAA Men’s basketball history. Be sure to tune in tonight to EPSN at 7pm. Don’t even bother changing the channel for the next four hours. I have a feeling something special is going to happen. As if these four legends wasn’t enough in itself.
