4 Things Duke Fans Need To Know About UConn
The 1-seed Duke Blue Devils will face 2-seed UConn for a spot in the Final Four on Sunday. The Blue Devils etched their third straight Elite Eight appearance under head coach Jon Scheyer with an 80-75 win over 5-seed St. John’s on Friday night.
UConn took down 3-seed Michigan State on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight, as the Huskies are searching for their third National Championship in four seasons with head coach Dan Hurley.
Duke is as battle-tested as any team in college basketball, but the Huskies have been here before. Here are four things the Blue Devil faithful should know about UConn before the Elite Eight bout.
UConn Has Championship DNA
Hurley and the Huskies went through a bit of a down-year in 2024-25, earning an 8-seed in the Big Dance before falling to eventual National Champion Florida in the Round of 32.
However, the Huskies rattled off two straight national titles of their own in the prior two seasons, becoming the first club to win two in a row since 2006-07 Florida. This is a familiar spot for both clubs in the Elite Eight, boding well for an instant classic.
UConn Is Deep and Experienced
According to KenPom, UConn ranks 21st nationally in Division I experience, whereas Duke ranks 312th. Only Alex Karaban remains from the Huskies’ title-winning teams, but the Huskies club boasts elite experience.
Additionally, Hurley’s club is deep. Five players average double digits in the scoring column, and nine guys average at least 16 minutes a contest.
UConn Has Struggled Against Physical Teams
UConn has been one of the most consistent teams in college basketball this season, but it has struggled against physicality at times. The Huskies have suffered losses to Arizona and twice against St. John’s. In those losses, the Huskies were outscored in the paint by a combined 116-88 (-28) margin.
Both the Wildcats and Red Storm sit in the top 10 nationally at KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency with elite frontcourts. Arizona won the paint battle against the Huskies 42-24 when the two teams met in November, and UConn likely hasn’t faced a frontcourt as elite as Duke’s since then.
