If anyone had predicted Alabama’s record-breaking 3-point bombardment against BYU – a performance in which the Crimson Tide made 25 three-pointers on a record 51 attempts – they should have consulted their bookie. Because, as much as Alabama’s explosive offense has been on show this season, it was never more evident than in the Tide’s 113-88 thrashing of BYU on Friday night.
The NCAA Tournament games are supposed to become more difficult as the bracket narrows, but the Tide have instead looked better each time out: struggling for 40 minutes to defeat 15-seed Robert Morris, looking good in spurts against No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s in the second round, and then handing BYU an epic loss in the Sweet 16.
With that trajectory, the Blue Devils will undoubtedly have their hands full Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark. Duke, the top seed in the East Region, dominated Mount St. Mary’s and Baylor before defeating 4-seed Arizona in the Sweet 16 following Alabama’s dominance.
So, what will it take for the Crimson Tide to beat Duke and advance to their second consecutive Final Four? Here are three keys to the Alabama victory:
1. Attempt to contain Cooper Flagg.
Easier said than done, right?
Flagg, a Naismith Player of the Year finalist, has been spectacular throughout his rookie season. He is expected to be the first overall choice in the 2025 NBA Draft if he leaves Duke and does not return to Durham for NIL riches, and he has been a major headache all season.
Flagg averaged 21.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 20 ACC games, and despite missing part of the ACC Tournament due to a sprained ankle, he has taken up where he left off during March Madness.
Flagg’s performance against Arizona was remarkable, with a logo 3 at the first-half buzzer, a no-look alley oop pass, and a massive block into the Arizona cheerleaders en way to 30 points. He added 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and the Blue Devils needed all of it to defeat the Wildcats 100-93.
“That’s one of the best tournament performances I’ve ever coached or been a part of,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said afterwards.
2. High screens for Mark Sears.
So much for Sears’ boring NCAA Tournament. The consensus All-American guard scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half against Robert Morris, but only had 12 versus Saint Mary’s due to foul trouble. But it was a very different scenario versus BYU, as Sears scored 34 points, including an NCAA Tournament-record 10 3-pointers.
“In the last several games, I’ve struggled from 3. “I knew this was the perfect opportunity to let a couple go in, especially given how they played us in the first half,” Sears remarked after the game. “They were such an explosive offense, so we didn’t want to let that happen.”
BYU erred from the start against Sears, enabling him to come off high screens and shoot freely from beyond the arc, helping Alabama to a 51-40 halftime lead. And, while the Cougars closed up on the perimeter in the second half against Sears, he was able to dish out eight assists to Tide teammates looking to shoot from deep.
Alabama will face a Duke club that is tough against threes, as the Blue Devils began the weekend ranked 25th in the country in 3-point percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot only 30.5% from beyond the arc.
3. Play the game, not the outfit.
Plenty of Duke opponents have fallen short because they believe they are facing not only the five in blue and white, but also Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley, Zion Williamson, and JJ Redick.
That is not how it works, of course, but there are no more outstanding college basketball programs than the Blue Devils, who have won five NCAA Tournaments and had a record 17 Final Four appearances.
Oats‘ team made its first Final Four appearance in program history last season, and Alabama’s Basketball School is still in its infancy when compared to Duke – though the two schools share a football coaching legacy in Wallace Wade (1923-30 with three national titles at Alabama, 1931-41 and 1946-50, and a football stadium named after him at Duke).
Simply simply, Alabama must not become distracted by the glamor, glamour, and history of facing Duke and instead focus solely on the five Blue Devils in front of them.
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