Title Game Pick

For the first time since 2008, two 1-seeds meet for the National Championship in college basketball. In a year where parity was a rumor and bracket busters busted, it seems quite appropriate.

Duke enters this game as the least discussed Duke team in a Final 4 ever. The Cult of Izzo overshadowed the previous game and the Badgers win over Kentucky is all the talk leading into this game. I never thought I'd see the day where Duke seems like an afterthought.

As we've discussed, Duke's defense has improved dramatically over the last two months and has been pretty spectacular through the tournament. They've run into some weaker offenses but it's still impressive. The job they did in shutting down Gonzaga's guards was nothing short of spectacular. 

Offensively, they've been getting contributions everywhere while Jahlil Okafor has been steady while not spectacular. They scored 81 points against Sparty while making all of 2 3-pointers. That's impressive in this day and age. People say Duke gets the whistle but they're 97th in FTA/FGA. I suspect they make more there's tonight as Wisconsin is poor at defending the perimeter.

Wisconsin comes in rolling off the two most impressive wins of the year. The offense continues to roll at an incredible rate. Sam Dekker has put to rest any doubts he's ready for the NBA. As good as the Duke defense has been, Wisconsin should be able to score tonight. Frank Kaminsky will likely have a huge game. Duke doesn't have anyone that can match up against him on defense. They'll surely keep Okafor off of him to keep him out of foul trouble.

Wisconsin is still susceptible on defense but the offense has been so good, it hasn't been an issue. I mentioned teams can make 3's against them and if Duke is nailing 3's, that'll open up the paint for Okafor. It'll be interesting to see if Duke tries to wear Kaminsky down on this end. 

My guess is Duke will use its 10 fouls from Jefferson and Plumlee against Kaminsky but the Tank should have a huge game. I think fouls could be part of the story. Duke can't afford for too many key guys to be riding pine with fouls.

Ultimately, Wisconsin's offense is too much and they win late. It should be an incredible game. The Pick: Wisconsin 72 Duke 69