The Duke Blue Devils come into March Madness as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and one of the favorites to cut down the nets at the end of it all. Former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski knows a thing or two about winning NCAA championships, and Coach K believes this Blue Devils group has the ability to win it all this season.
During a recent appearance on the ‘Pat McAfee Show,’ Mike Krzyzewski made it clear that Duke has a good chance of being crowned NCAA Tournament champions at the end of March Madness.
“Duke’s got a hell of a chance for Christ’s sake,” Krzyzewski said. “Especially if we get our two injured guys back.”
The two injuries that Coach K was talking about for Duke are Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster. Ngongba is dealing with a foot injury and has been sidelined since early March. Foster also suffered a foot injury, and he is not expected back until late in the tournament should Duke make a deep run.
Even without those players in the lineup, this is still a formidable Duke team with enough talent to make a legitimate run at the national championship. The Blue Devils will open the NCAA Tournament against No. 16 seed Siena with former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara at the helm as head coach.
Duke is coming off a strong ACC Tournament championship having defeated Virginia behind an inspired performance from freshman forward Cayden Boozer.
Last season, Duke reached the Final Four only to be eliminated by eventual champion Florida. Jon Scheyer, who played for Krzyzewski and won a title with the Blue Devils in 2015, is in his fourth season as head coach. Each year, Duke has advanced farther in the tournament than they did the previous year.
