James will battle Duke's Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler today in Philly. (Getty Images)
(7) Texas meets (2) Duke later tonight in East Region action with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line.
Texas advanced by knocking off Minnesota Thursday behind 26 points from senior guard A.J. Abrams. Duke blasted Binghamton to move on.
The Longhorns will need big games from Abrams and F Damion James to pull off the upset. Abrams is much better than any of Duke’s guards, but James will have a tough time against Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler.
Henderson is one of the few players in college basketball who can match James’ athleticism.
The key to the game is Texas C Antonio Pittman. The 6′ 10″ 300 pounder has a huge advantage inside against Duke. He struggles with conditioning and foul trouble, but was dominant at times late in the season. He needs to stay on the floor.
Duke can beat any team in the country – if it makes 3-pointers. The Blue Devils played much better defensively down the stretch, but will need to clamp down on Abrams today.
Singler and Henderson should play well, but Duke needs to find a third option offensively. Jon Scheyer is the most likely candidate.
I like Duke to win in what will probably be a very close game. The Blue Devils are the better team, and have played with more toughness lately.
The winner gets to run with Villanova next week.
Stay tuned.
