NCAA Tournament West Region Second Round
#1 Duke Blue Devils vs #16 Hampton Pirates
Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
Friday, March 18, 2011, 3:10 pm Eastern, TV: TruTV
Opening Line: Duke -22 1/2
Current Line: Duke-23
Opening Total: 135
Current Total: 134
Money Line: No Line
The big story for this game is Duke freshman star Kyrie Irving is expected to return for the Blue Devils after missing most of the season with a foot injury. He hasn’t played since December 4th. Now Irving will only get limited minutes off the bench as he gets back into game shape, but the fact that he is returning at all is a bonus for the defending champs. Irving is projected by some to be the number #1 pick in this summer’s NBA draft if he chose to come out. Irving only played in 8 games for the Devils but averages 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals a game. He also shot 45.2% from 3 point range. If Irving can contribute anything at all, then an already dangerous Duke team becomes even more deadly. Duke came in second in the ACC regular season with a 30-4 overall record and 13-3 in the ACC, a game behind North Carolina. Duke lost at Carolina in the regular season finale to decide the ACC title. Duke avenged the loss to the Tarheels by destroying their rivals 75-58 in the ACC Championship game. The Blue Devils will take on sacrificial lamb Hampton of the MEAC in the #1 vs #16 match-up in the West region. Hampton finished second in the MEAC 2 games behind Bethune-Cookman with a 24-8 overall record and 11-5 in conference. The Pirates have won 5 straight games including a 60-55 victory over Morgna St in the MEAC Championship Game. The winner of this game (hint: Duke) will play the winner of Tennessee and Michigan in the third round.
These two teams have never played each other. Hampton is 1-14 all-time against teams from the ACC. Hampton has only faced one team that made this year’s tournament. They beat fellow 16 seed Boston University 51-50 early in the season in Washington, DC. Duke was 10-3 against tournament teams this year. Duke is 42-29 ATS in all games the last 2 seasons, including 42-28 as a favorite, and 22-12 against non-conference foes in the same span. Hampton is 6-0 ATS in neutral site games this season and also 8-1 in tournament games this season .
The good news for Hampton is they have no significant injuries right now. The Pirates are led by guard Darrion Pellum who averages 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.7 steals a game. He leads the team in scoring and steals. Guard Kwame Morgan II averages 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.5 steals a game. Forward Charles Funches averages 10.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1 block a game. He leads the team in rebounds and blocks. Guard Brandon Tunnell averages 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and leads the team in assists with 4.4 a game. Hampton is outscoring opponents 67-62. The Pirates are shooting 40.7% from the field and 32.5% from 3-point range. Pirate opponents are shooting 37.9% from the field. Hampton makes 65% of their free throws. The Pirates average 35.7 rebounds and have a rebounding margin of -4.2. Hampton averages 12 assists and 12.3 turnovers a game. They force 15.9 turnovers a game on defense. Hampton averages 7.5 steals and 5.8 blocks a game.
Duke has no significant injuries right now. Duke has two other players besides Irving who are averaging double digit scoring. Senior guard Nolan Smith is averaging 21.3 points to lead the team, 4.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists to lead the team, and 1.3 steals a game. Smith is the ACC player of the year. Forward Kyle Singler is averaging 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1 steal a game. Guard Seth Curry averages 9.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals a game to lead the team off the bench. He also shoot 44.2% from 3 point range. Guard Andre Dawkins averages 7.9 points and 1.9 rebounds a game. Mason Plumlee leads the team in rebounds with 8.5 a game and blocks with 1.6 a game. Duke is outscoring opponents 81-64 on the season. The Blue Devils are shooting 47.4% from the field and 37.8% from 3-point range. Duke opponents are shooting 39.9% from the field. Duke makes 75% of their free throws. The Blue Devils average 37.1 rebounds a game and have a rebounding margin of +2.6. The Devils average 14 assists and 11.7 turnovers a game. Duke forces 14.6 turnovers a game on defense. Duke averages 4.2 blocks and 7.3 steals a game.
Hampton Coach Edward Joyner Jr. said he will show his team footage of the Pirates’ upset over Iowa St in 2001 when Hampton was a 15 seed against the 2 seed Cyclones. He will also show them the movies Hoosiers, Miracle, and Rudy. Meanwhile, Duke’s Coach Mike Krzyzewski is doing the whole “Hampton is a tough team and we are preparing for them just like we would North Carolina” routine. But let’s be honest, barring something crazy happening, Duke is going to win this game easily. The only question is whether Hampton hangs around for the back door cover with such a large number.
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