Duke is dancing ahead, meeting all expectations while putting the “madness” in March. The Maine event, Cooper Flagg, continues to show the country why he’s the future number one pick in the draft. Flagg was at his best as Duke brushed aside 4th seed Arizona. Now, the business end of March Madness is finally here—the Elite Eight. But Duke won’t have it easy! Their next challenge? Second seeded Alabama!

Nate Oats’ Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off a great three-point shooting night, scoring 25 threes. The crazy part? BYU, who scored 88 points last night, could have still lost to Bama if they missed all their two-pointers. The Crimson Tide are in top form and will definitely not be an opponent to be taken lightly.

Can the Crimson Tide beat the best team in the country? Can they possibly keep Cooper Flagg quiet? Rob Dauster certainly thinks so! On the Field of 68: After Dark podcast, Dauster suggests a few ways Bama can keep the superstar quiet that could very well help them punch their ticket to the Final Four!

When Rob Fanta asked about how Alabama were supposed to stop the high flying Flagg who just scored 30 points last game, Dauster said, “I think Mo Dioubate is the guy you put on cause he’s physical and he’s strong enough and he’s athletic enough. And I think you might kind of have to bite the bullet and say….this is who we’re gonna put on him. And look if it’s Grant Nelson, I think……that makes sense because he’s got a little bit of the athleticism he’s got the length and he’s bigger than Cooper Flagg, he’s 6’11” so maybe that’s what works.”

Mo Dioubate is “a floor-diving, gut-checking grinder of a forward,” as Chase Goodbread puts it. It’s tough for anyone to score when he’s on the court. The sophomore forward averaged 7 points and 7 rebounds in roughly 16 minutes per game this season. But he’s taken his game up a notch in the big dance, scoring 28 points in the first two rounds. He’ll definitely be an option for Nate Oats to throw at Duke’s superstar. Another option could very well be starter Grant Nelson.

But for Alabama to keep dancing, it’s not just about who Nate Oats chooses to guard Flagg—it’s about how senior guard Mark Sears performs. As Jeff Goodman put it, “Sears has to be the best player on the court for Alabama to win this game.” Sears shot 62.5% from beyond the arc last night, helping the Crimson Tide roll past BYU. For Bama to pull off the “upset” against Duke, they’ll need Sears to have another good shooting performance.

With both teams gearing up for tomorrow’s showdown, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer had nothing but praise for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide.

Jon Scheyer praised Nate Oats as Cooper Flagg and co get ready to face Alabama

With a Final Four spot on the line, Alabama and Duke are set to clash in the second of Saturday night’s Elite Eight matchups at 8:49 PM ET. Immediately after the Sweet 16 game against 4th seed Arizona, Jon Scheyer was quick to praise Alabama and their offensive show on display against BYU.

“Well look, I’m not even going to get into that. I haven’t watched (any film), I haven’t seen … I see they scored 113 points, that’s a heck of a performance,” Scheyer said during the postgame press conference. “We know it’s going to be a big-time challenge on Saturday. But we’ll be preparing all night, and obviously I can give you a more informed answer on that tomorrow .”

As things stand, Cooper Flagg and co are the favorites to dance ahead to the final four. ESPN gives Duke a 72.4% chance of winning. With key defender Maliq Brown back in the lineup, it could very well be another night of celebration for Jon Scheyer. Only time will tell who emerges victorious, but this matchup promises to be one of the games of the tournament—if not “the” game of the tournament. Stay tuned for more updates!