Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had an interesting take on the four teams that have qualified for the Final Four this year. There are certainly players on these teams that will have a future as professional players. But there are no sure fire lottery picks and certainly no one-and-done players.
The teams that have advanced are all veteran teams with solid, experienced players.
"I think that is going to be this way," Krzyzewski said. "That really isn’t a bad thing."
"our game, if you have good talent with experience togather, you can beat teams with better talent that don’t have as much experience. I’ve seen it internationally. Our game can do that."
Krzyzewski senses a trend is developing with teams that build with four-year players.
"I think there is going to be more good teams as long as there is that (one-and-done) rule," Krzyzewski said. "Another aspect is the limited access we have with our players. That makes kids want to go (pro.) They know that from now until September, no one from a staff that is responsible for them is allowed to teach them. They want to play and develop so they go to other areas because they are ready to become better basketball players."
Other Notes on WVU’s opponent:
–WVU and Duke are two of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. The Mountaineers average 39 rebounds per game overall and 15 offensive boards per game. Duke is 12th in the country in rebounding margin as the Blue Devils average 14.7 offensive rebounds per game.
"You have to be determined to play missed shots," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "How many teams in the country rebound 40% of our misses like both of these teams do? I guess it also says that we miss a lot of shots.
"The boards will be a big part of this game," Krzyzewski said. "I don’t think there is any doubt about that.
Duke has limited opponents to 56.2 points per game and to 25% shooting from three. Duke has a +11.2 rebound margin and is averaging 15.8 offensive rebounds per contest in the tournament.
–West Virginia outrebounded Duke by 20 during that 2008 NCAA Tournament win in Washington, D.C.
"We knew coming out of that game that we had to be tougher," Duke junior Kyle Singler said.
Duke certainly is a bigger team as senior Brian Zoubek has developed into a 7-1, 260 pound presence. Duk brings 6-10 sophomore Miles Plumlee, 6-10 freshman Mason Plumlee and 6-10 freshman Ryan Kelly off the bench.
–Duke gets a majority of it’s scoring from three players. 6-5 senior John Scheyer leads the way at 18.2 points per game. Junior Kyle Singler is next at 17.6 points per game. Junior Nolan Smith is next at 17.4 points per game.
"Their ‘Big Three’ are pretty good," Mountaineer guard Joe Mazzulla said. "They are like us in a sense that if someone has a bad game or a bad shooting game, there is always someone there to step up and pick up the slack."
–Duke was the only No. 1 seed in the tournament to advance to the Final Four. It is the 9th time in 13 seasons and the11th time overall Duke has earned a No. 1 seed. Duke was the first team ever to earn a No. 1 seed for five consecutive seasons (1998-2002) and they have won two of their national titles (1992 & 2001) as a No. 1 seed. The Blue Devils are college basketball royalty, similar to the Kentucky team the Mountaineers beat last week.
"Kentucky and Duke just have so much history," Mountaineer senior Wellington Smith said. "You know that if you beat them you can get so much satisfaction. That satisfaction of beating those two programs is just huge for us."
–How about this one for a quirky fact? There has been a total of nine father-son combinations play in the Final Four. Saturday will be the first time in history that two players who’s fathers played in the Final Four will be in the same game. Jerry West, of course, played in the 1959 Final Four with West Virginia and his son Jonnie is on this year’s team. The father of Duke’s Nolan Smith played for Louisville’s Final Four team in 1981.