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Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA tournament as the head coach of the Duke men’s basketball team is off to a solid start.
The No. 2-seeded Blue Devils didn’t have too many issues with CSU Fullerton, beating the Titans 78-61 on Friday in West Regional first-round play at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
The No. 15 seed didn’t have many answers for Paolo Banchero and his Blue Devils teammates, with the future top-five pick in the NBA draft dominating multiple facets of the game.
He didn’t do it alone, though—all five Duke starters finished with double-digit points. Not even Timthetatman could jinx the Blue Devils on Friday:
This matchup certainly wasn’t a given—second-seeded Kentucky was already upset by Saint Peter’s in the East Region—and the Titans kept battling early despite trailing by as many as 14 in the first half.
But Duke never seemed too troubled by the lower-seeded Fullerton and kept them at bay in the second half, holding them to 36.5 percent shooting from the field. Step one in Coach K’s March send-off is complete.
Key Stats
Paolo Banchero, Duke: 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, two steals
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke: 13 points, six boards, six assists
Mark Williams, Duke: 15 points, seven rebounds, five dimes, five blocks
Damari Milstead, CSUF: 12 points, five rebounds
Vincent Lee, CSUF: 10 points, four rebounds
Tray Maddox Jr., CSUF: 10 points
Banchero Looked the Part of a Future Star
The Duke star really showed off why he’s going to be one of the first—if not the first—players off the board in this year’s NBA draft.
Inside moves? The ability to finish off lobs?
NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBB
Paolo finish + the foul! ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/DukeMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@DukeMBB</a> big man can’t be stopped <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MarchMadness</a> <a href=”https://t.co/qOEHSisLvO”>pic.twitter.com/qOEHSisLvO</a>
Yeah, those are in his bag.
Perimeter shooting and the ability to create his own offense?
Not a problem.
Oh, you’re going to close him out hard on the perimeter?
Yeah, good luck with that.
Banchero is a special talent who beat CSU Fullerton with his scoring, rebounding and playmaking on Friday. If Duke goes on a deep run, they’ll need this version of Banchero for five more games.
What’s Next?
Duke will face No. 7 seed Michigan State or No. 10 seed Davidson in the second round Sunday. The game time and broadcast information are to be determined.
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