Heading into the Final Four, Duke has the most efficient offense in the history of the KenPom database and the highest net rating of any team this millennium.
We knew the Blue Devils would be talented, but nobody saw this level of dominance coming from a team starting three freshmen and a Tulane transfer.
"I give [Jon] Scheyer a ton of credit," one opposing coach said. "I think it's exceedingly rare that you find a situation where you hit to such a strong degree on all three of those freshmen. I think it was pretty clear to a lot of people that Cooper [Flagg] was going to be one of the best players in the country. Cooper became the best player in the country."
Led by the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 NBA draft pick in June, Duke has lost one game since Thanksgiving and is operating at an extremely high level at both ends of the floor. The Blue Devils are the clear favorite to win the national championship Monday night.
"They have five NBA players. Sion James is a pro now. Tyrese Proctor is a pro. He hit seven 3s in an NCAA tournament game. [Kon] Knueppel had 25 in an NCAA tournament game, 28 in the ACC tournament. They have three lottery picks," a coach said. "They have the best player in college basketball and multiple other NBA players and shotmakers.
"That's what's huge. The shotmakers. They have multiple guys who can go for 25 if you need them to. And then you have the lob threat in [Khaman] Maluach, which is huge. They get to the point, they throw that ball anywhere around the basket and Maluach is dunking the s--- out of it. You have to guard every one of their guys. You want to try to cut out Cooper Flagg? OK, well those other guys are good enough."
"I think it's their size and athleticism," another coach added. "They're big as s---. That's No. 1."
On paper, there aren't many deficiencies. The Blue Devils rank in the top five in the country in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They rank in the top 10 in 2-point shooting percentage and 3-point shooting percentage. They don't turn the ball over often. They led the ACC in rebounding percentage at both ends of the floor. They make their free throws.
"I don't see a noticeable weakness in them," one opposing coach said. "Some level of shooting variance has to factor in. You have to hope that they miss. Could Cooper go into a game and go 0-for-3 from 3? He could. Proctor has shot it amazingly; is there a chance where somehow he doesn't? Sion could go through a game without making a shot."
"They're playing so confidently," another coach said. "They remind me a little of last year's UConn team, the ball sort of just starts rolling downhill and there's no stopping it."
But can they be beat on the most important weekend of the season? And if so, how can it happen?
We reached out to coaches who have faced the other Final Four teams -- Houston, Florida and Auburn -- to see where each team could possibly find an edge against Duke.
