You’d think Duke is trying to set a new record for blowout victories with how they’ve been playing recently! Jon Scheyer’s team has been functioning like a well-oiled machine, everyone knows their role and what they need to do. They only have three games left in the season, and Cooper Flagg and his squad look to carry momentum into March. However, according to an ACC veteran, their playoff run has some serious competition.

On The Field of 68: After Dark, show hosts John Fanta, Mike LaTulip, and Tyler Hansbrough discuss the Blue Devils dominance. Hansbrough, the ACC vet, and former NPOY, was asked whether Duke was his front-runner to win the national championship, and his response was rather surprising. “No. A big reason for that is that is Alabama, I picked them early on, and I want to stay committed to Alabama.”

The Crimson Tide is coming fresh off of a Final Four appearance. Not to mention, the University of Alabama is beginning to put more and more money into the team as they do better! In the last financial year, the program spent about $15.3 million, while getting a return of $21.3 million. Not only are they spending a lot, they’re making it back too. With how they are performing, they are a definite threat to Scheyer’s team. However, the Tar Heels vet gave Duke the flowers that they deserved.

Hansbrough brought up how Duke is one of the few real contenders for the national championship this year. They pass the eye test of just about everyone in the country, and they are extremely well-coached. In light of their recent 5-0 stretch, the Blue Devils have surpassed Florida to be the #2 team in the country! And with the physical attributes that they have, it is not surprising.

The “longest team in college basketball” according to Hansbrough has a huge advantage in its front court. “When you have their athletic abilities, and I’m not just talking about Cooper Flagg. I’m talking about that Maluach kid that protects the paint, controls the rim, contests everything, and challenges everybody’s shot.” You can see just how athletic Maluach is when he switches on to a point guard. The seven-foot-two center from South Sudan keeps up with the quickest of them all without breaking a sweat!

It will definitely be a tough road forward for Duke. The top-seeded teams this year are no joke, and will put up a hefty fight. What Jon Scheyer and his staff have to figure out, however, is what they’ll do in a crunch time situation.

Who takes the last shot? Will they continue to trust Cooper Flagg?

Duke’s dependency on Cooper Flagg has been no secret. It is hard to not rely on the guy when he can literally do everything on the court. There is no refuting the utility that Flagg has in every aspect of the game. However, a common criticism of the potential #1 overall pick is his performance in the clutch.

For all his dominance and athletic ability, Cooper Flagg has not been able to bring close games home. We’ve seen it against Kentucky, we’ve seen it against Kansas, and most recently? We saw it against Clemson. The six-foot-nine forward is not a pure scorer. He relies on IQ, facilitation, and defense to make a larger than life impact on the game.

Top Comment by Chrisl

Of course Hansbrough gonna say no he is a tar heel.

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Debate

ACC veteran Tyler Hansbrough had a very important question for the Blue Devils and their strategy come March. When talking about action going to the wire, one possession games, he questioned what Jon Scheyer would do. “Are they gonna continue to put Cooper Flagg in an iso situation and rely on him too much instead of disguise the iso and get some type of action that leads to a better shot?”

It is tempting to just feed the ball to Flagg and watch the magic work. However, some teams have started to figure his patterns out. Clemson held him to an inefficient 18 points, and the Maine Event just couldn’t get it to go. On the other hand, players like Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach have proved that they have offensive firepower as well.

Jon Scheyer has plenty of options as he guides his team toward national championship contention. The Blue Devils have a legitimate shot at triumph this year, regardless of what analysts say about Alabama or Auburn. It will be fascinating to see how March plays out for the team. What do you think? Will Jon Scheyer and Cooper Flagg make history? Can they secure a national title this year? Only time will tell.