To start, Duke was a flawed team, even at full strength. They beat UNC by a bucket in the ACC tourney, and UNC had many chances to win, yet there was a disproportionate narrative going in to the NCAAT that Duke was somehow unstoppable with Zion back.
MSU was better prepared for Duke than most teams this year, and I’m thinking specifically of their ability to do the best job trying to prevent Zion and Barrett from going left.
MSU also avoided transition buckets for the most part, which essentially negated anything Tre Jones can offer offensively.
Then Reddish did Reddish I.e., be the quietest projected lottery lottery pick out of Duke in who knows how long. Lived in the perimeter and touched the ball once every 3-4 possessions.
I was rooting for Duke for the $$$ and I would’ve liked to have seen a Texas Tech team be the one to take them down, but Cassius Winston and Izzo has other plans.
Now I’m rooting a UVA vs Texas Tech, 43-42 slug fest in the final.