719 DUKE vs. 720 SOUTH CAROLINA
Take: DUKE -7.5
The Blue Devils will be tested here by a very tough South Carolina defense. No surprise on that count as Frank Martin teams always play in your face D.
Duke defense is good, not great, but good. The Coach K teams that have made the deepest runs have been those with top notch defensive efficiency numbers, so they don’t really fit the profile of a Final Four team.
But I don’t think Duke needs to be great defensively here. The Gamecocks have only one major threat on offense and that’s Thornwell. Not like Duke will stop him, but he can’t score all the SoCar points.
I think the balance on the Blue Devils and far more NCAA tournament experience are big here. No bargain on the price, especially considering the location of this game. But I believe Duke will find a way to get past the Gamecocks and will chance laying the points.