Duke Still has a Tough Route to the Final Four

Seeding bumps and dumps have March Madness contenders thinking twice about their chances says Sports Interaction’s Al Dannity.

The Big Bump
Duke edged Syracuse for the third #1 seed, giving the Blue Devils a far more favorable path to the Big Dance than the Orange. The reasoning behind the switch is questionable at best but there’s no going back now.

On paper Coach K’s charges should get through the opening weekend easily enough. There’s no doubt they’ll beat the play-in game winner but don’t look past a potential tie with Louisville on Sunday. Samardo Samuels is the type of physical phenom Duke’s line-up struggles with. The Blue Devils don’t like to get beat up inside and Samuels can dish it out. After the Cardinals the route to the Elite Eight is straightforward enough but with Baylor and Villanova both possible opponents Duke fans shouldn’t make any travel plans yet. The Bears and Wildcats are the weakest #3 and #2 seeds in the bracket but also the best suit to rough up the Blue Devils early and often. Expect plenty of NCAA Basketball betting action to go against Coach K.

Top heavy
It’s easy to go chalk in the Midwest and East regions, with 3 of the top 4 seeds in each region likely to survive the opening weekend. This spells bad news for Kansas and Kentucky. The Jayhawks, who have only lost once all season, will get through opening weekend but then have to worry about either Michigan State or Maryland, and then likely either a physical Georgetown team or the Evan Turner-led Ohio State to make it to Final Four. Unsurprisingly not everyone in Kansas is happy with such a murderers’ row.

Kentucky’s route to Indianapolis doesn’t look any prettier. If Wisconsin can progress to the Sweet Sixteen they’ll offer a tough challenge to the younger Wildcats. The real danger lies in the Elite Eight where one of two bruising squads, in either West Virginia or New Mexico, will await John Calipari’s team.

Breathing easy
Notre Dame fans surely were the happiest after Duke’s following the rather generous decision by the selection committee to give the Fighting Irish a #6 seed in the South. This sets up an opening clash with Old Dominion and a winnable tie on Saturday with Baylor for a place in the Sweet Sixteen. The Bears will be similarly satisfied as they now have an unexpectedly manageable route to the Final Four. Over in the East Syracuse, despite dropping below Duke, now have a region scattered with over-achievers. With somewhat generous #2 and #3 seeds going to Kansas State and Pittsburgh, the Orange must surely be favored to make it to Indy.

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