Do you like your marquee matchups in the 2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket with a little bit of off-court spice? Well, Duke vs. Michigan gives Jim Nantz (who will call the game with Clark Kellogg) a chance to touch on the firestorm started by Jalen Rose’s comments on 18-year-old Jalen Rose’s views of Duke’s recruiting as a member of Michigan’s Fab Five in the early 1990s, so that’s probably a storyline juicy enough for all but the hungriest sports story connoisseurs. The Duke vs. Michigan game almost seems like an undercard on the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, but it tips off from Charlotte at 2:45 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
NCAA Bracket 2011: No. 1 Duke Vs. No. 8 Michigan
Duke’s 42-point trouncing of Hampton in the Second Round was the largest win of the 2011 NCAA Tournament so far. And the Blue Devils did it with balance: eight players had six or more points, and four scored in double figures. Couple that distribution of scoring — keyed by ball movement that led to 17 assists — with suffocating defense that held Hampton to 34.5% from the field, and Duke looked like a No. 1 seed and Houston-bound squad in the Second Round.
Michigan, however, presents a slightly stiffer challenge than the Pirates did. The Wolverines had a rout of their own in the first round, eviscerating a listless Tennessee squad with a 75-45 win that was the first NCAA Tournament victory by a team that did not make a free throw. (Jordan Morgan missed Michigan’s only attempt at the foul line.) The Wolverines put together a solid shooting day (51.6% from the field, 34.6% from deep) with superb defense (the Vols managed just 34.9% shooting) and demoralized a team that entered this tournament reeling. Five Wolverines scored in double figures, led by Zack Novak’s 14, but Michigan may need a better effort than the great one it managed against Tennessee to beat Duke. And that was the case even before one of Michigan’s most famous alumni raised the specter of discrimination in referring to Duke.
Star Watch: Kyrie Irving struggled early against Hampton in limited Second Round action for Duke, but heated up late. Irving finished as the Blue Devils’ leading scorer, scoring 14 points in just 20 minutes. If he can do that or more against Michigan, Duke will advance — and may start hearing the national championship drumbeat again.
Prediction: Michigan’s Second Round win was its last, as Duke — especially Irving — obliterates a slower squad with quick, efficient offense en route to an 85-68 win.
More Reading: SB Nation’s Duke blog Duke Basketball Report has the latest on , while our Michigan blog Maize ‘n Brew is a fantastic community of Wolverines fans.
Need help picking your bracket? Check out SB Nation’s full 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions, picking every game of March Madness, or our region by region breakdowns for the East Region, West Region, Southeast Region, and Southwest Region.
Did your team miss the 2011 NCAA Tournament? We have you covered: check out the 2011 NIT bracket.
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