ESPN College GameDay weighs in on Duke's postseason outlook

As Duke hurtles toward the NCAA Tournament, certain of earning a bid, the team is trying to put the final touches on its resume and get ever closer to firing on all cylinders.

ESPN’s College GameDay discussed the Blue Devils on Saturday, and they see Duke getting pretty close.

“I just saw them the other night at Miami on Wednesday, they are trending in a really positive direction in every facet of the game,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said. “They’re healthy now. And with Tyrese Proctor back in the lineup that gives them four legit shooters around Kyle Filipowski.”

Proctor is averaging 10.1 points per game, giving Duke another reliable scorer in the lineup. But there have been some perks to him being out for a bit, a silver lining if you will.

The Blue Devils developed some talent behind him in his absence.

“I think that’s allowed the ball to move a little bit because Tyrese is so good at pounding it out and making plays,” analyst Jay Williams said. “But now with (Jared) McCain and (Caleb) Foster the ball doesn’t stick as much.”

Most of the analysts on ESPN’s panel seemed to agree that Duke will be a significant postseason threat this year.

That’s not to say they’re completely without weaknesses, but rather the strengths are considerable. Accentuate those and protect the weaknesses and Duke should have a good shot to advance deep into March.

“They have no rim protection but they can put pressure on the basketball without turning you over,” analyst Seth Greenberg said. “They have good enough athleticism on the perimeter. Their backcourt, we talk about the NCAA Tournament you need guards, they’ve got four or five guards that can absolutely win you a national championship.

“Jeremy Roach is playing well, McCain is playing well. Caleb Foster can defend and has size and get in the lane. When Proctor went down McCain and Foster, they emerged and gave confidence. Then you talked about Mark Mitchell. When you have a backcourt like that, I agree, Filipowski’s got to play with greater force. That’s my one concern.”

Bilas sees two primary reasons why Duke is a team he’ll pick to go deep into the NCAA Tournament.

“Mark Mitchell has been fantastic, and then Jared McCain,” Bilas said. “Jared McCain is a star. He is a star. In the last 17-18 games he’s averaging close to 17 points a game. He’s shooting well over 40% from three. And he’s not only a plug-in, he’s a big-time guard rebounder and brings them a level of toughness. He’s got this winner’s gene that not every player has.”

Bottom line: There’s plenty of reasons to like where Duke is at right now and where the team is headed in the next few weeks.

Bilas summed up his final thoughts on the program, which circled back around to defense.

“I like where Duke is,” he said. “They’re not as powerful defensively in turning teams over as teams in the past have been that have worn that uniform. But they’re really difficult to score on. I think it’s 23 out of the 26 opponents they’ve had they’ve held under their season average, so they can defend.

“The only concern I have is if they go against an ultra-physical team.”