Total Look For ACC Showdown In Elite Eight

North Carolina State vs. Duke, 5:05 ET

The Elite 8 certainly has produced some elite basketball. If you're not enjoying this, well you're probably not a college basketball fan. I've mentioned this in a previous article, but I'd take these games with the top teams matching up over Cinderella stories. However, in this game, we do get a bit of a Cinderella story as the #11 seed, the highest remaining, North Carolina State, takes on the Duke Blue Devils with a chance to make it to the Final Four. 

These teams are obviously familiar with each other as they squared off in the ACC this season. In two games against Duke this year, they are 1-1. In the first matchup, Duke beat them on their home floor 79-64. In the second matchup, the Wolfpack took down the Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament, winning 74-69. What's interesting to me is that North Carolina State lost that first game in a stretch of four straight losses, and losers of seven of nine games. Since that stretch, they won five straight ACC Tournament games (if they didn't they might not have even made the tournament), and now three in a row in the NCAA Tournament. In these three games they've taken down Texas Tech with a convincing 80-67 score, Oakland in overtime in a 79-73 victory, and most recently Marquette with a final of 67-58. If you watched the Marquette game, the Wolfpack trailed 5-4 with about four minutes of clock gone. After that point, they never looked back as they never relinquished a lead. As usual, free throw shooting kept the game close for Marquette, but they couldn't get much offense going and North Carolina State advanced. 

DJ Burns reveals he owns vending machines. (Credit: Getty Images)

Duke is playing like the team they are supposed to be. I've been critical of them much of the season because every year we hear about how they are such a great program and have top-tier recruits. They do, and they are a top program, but the results are simply not what you should expect. People are finally criticizing John Calipari for his lack of success recently, and I think Duke deserves the same treatment. But, I also should give them their flowers in the tournament as they have looked like one of the more complete teams. It has been a rather easy path, at least until Friday night, as they beat Vermont in the opening round, and then demolished James Madison in the second round. Against Houston, they won by three points. They went down 8-0 early in the game, and it looked like the bad Duke team was going to show up. Duke got the lead by halftime, and despite a couple of ties, they never trailed in the game again. Yes, it does make a huge difference that Jamal Shead only played 13 minutes in the game. That probably would've allowed Houston to win, but that's not what happened and Duke took advantage of it. 

Teams have struggled to play against North Carolina State's tall interior, but I think Duke will handle them rather well. I get that the team is rolling, playing with house money, whatever cliche you want, but this is a situation where the teams are more familiar with each other than other teams have been with North Carolina State. I fully expect Jeremy Roach and Jared McCain to be the best guards out there, and I think Kyle Filipowski can deal with DJ Burns and Mohamed Diarra. The Wolfpack can keep it close, of course, they've also shown they can beat Duke. I like the under in the game at 142.5. Both of the first two matchups ended right at 143, now you're adding extra pressure on both teams, and this is the third time they've seen each other so defenses should be ready for the offensive game plan. Back the under. 

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