SAN FRANCISCO — Eric Musselman and Arkansas basketball have had plenty to state about the Razorbacks being underrated and questioned throughout the NCAA Tournament. In his postgame TELEVISION interview Thursday night after whipping No. 1 general seed Gonzaga, Musselman thanked “everybody who stated we had no opportunity.”
Beating the competition’s top group to advance to a 2nd straight Elite Eight hasactually provided Arkansas fans a brand-new hope and visions of a Final Four. The Razorbacks will play for a opportunity to understand that dream on Saturday (7: 49 p.m. CT, TBS) versus No. 2 Duke (31-6) at the Chase .
The Blue Devils beat Texas Tech 78-73 on Thursday. It’s a rematch of the 1994 nationwide title videogame, when Nolan Richardson and Arkansas beat Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils.
Here’s what to understand about Arkansas’ Elite Eight challenger.
LUCKY DAY: How a buckeye endedupbeing a great luck beauty as Arkansas renowned beating No. 1 Gonzaga
ODDS: What is the Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Duke basketball wagering line, over/under in Elite 8
WATCH: How to watch Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Duke basketball on TELEVISION, live stream plus videogame time
Paolo Banchero leads Duke offense
Forward Paolo Banchero’s 17 points per videogame leads the group. Against Texas Tech on Thursday, he scored 22 on 7-for-12 shooting. Banchero is one of just 5 Division I gamers to average at least 17 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3 helps.
Five Blue Devils average double-digit points, making Duke one of 16 groups that can state the verysame. Gonzaga was amongst them, too.
Duke’s offense ranks No. 8 in the nation in scoring, averaging 80.2 points per videogame. Granted, Arkansas’ defense simply held the country’s leader in that classification to 68.
Duke’s roadway to the Elite 8
The Blue Devils were seeded No. 2 after a late loss to North Carolina and an ACC Tournament champion loss to Virginia Tech. But Duke got past Cal State Fullerton and Michigan State to make the journey to San Francisco, where it took down Texas Tech.
Duke hasactually revealed battle in its competition videogames, specifically versus Michigan State. The Blue Devils were down 5 with 5 minutes to play however went on a 20-6 run to safe the win.
Score forecast
Duke 74, Arkansas 68: The Blue Devils will be inspired to get Coach K to one last Final Four and their high-powered offense will conquer a obstacle from Arkansas’ defense.
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can e-mail her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.
This post initially appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball vs. Duke in Elite Eight: Score forecast
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