The Duke Blue Devils are on a roll as they head into Friday night's semifinal matchup against VCU at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas.
The team is coming off of an emphatic 88-67 victory against Minnesota and is averaging 81 points while starting the season 4-0. The Blue Devils managed to hit over 54 percent of their shots in the win, dominating a Golden Gopher defense that was leading the nation in defensive field-goal percentage.
According to the Associated Press, with the win against Minnesota "Duke extended its win streak to 21 straight in regular-season tournament games."
The Blue Devils have played very efficiently on offense, ranking 31st in shooting with a 49 percent field-goal percentage and ranking 51st in assists per game.
Duke has an anticipated matchup against No. 3 Ohio State next week, but will keep all the focus on VCU on Friday. The two teams last played five years ago in the NCAA tournament in 2007 that saw the Rams pull a shocking upset win 79-77 against Duke in the first round.
The Blue Devils didn't have forward Mason Plumlee then, but they will rely on him on Friday night for veteran leadership and scoring. The senior is leading the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding, averaging 21.5 points and 10.8 boards.
"Maturity is what you need to be this good," coach Mike Krzyzewski said to the Associated Press. "Most kids don't figure that out. He has. And it wasn't a case of him being immature before, he has just matured."
Plumlee was clutch in Duke's win over Minnesota, scoring 20 points and grabbing 17 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field. He also added three assists, one block and one steal to show off his versatility.
Guard Seth Curry has been a key part of the offense for the Blue Devils, ranking second on the team with 18.3 points per game. The senior was stellar in Duke's Nov. 13 matchup against defending-champion Kentucky, scoring 23 points and making three 3-pointers in the 75-68 win.
Last season Duke went 27-7 and finished in second place in the ACC behind North Carolina with a 13-3 record. The team earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, but lost in the first round in an upset 75-70 loss to No. 15 Lehigh.
Krzyzewski and his Blue Devils on Friday will know better than to overlook VCU, a team that has finished further ahead of Duke in the past two NCAA tournaments, including in 2011 when the team made the Final Four.
"Playing Duke, what an incredible opportunity," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "We'll be facing arguably the best program in the nation and with no argument the best coach in the modern era. But we won't fold up to the test."
VCU is coming off of an impressive 78-65 win over No. 19 Memphis on Friday and will look to use their size and athleticism to try to beat Duke.
"We had them on their heels in the first half," Smart said. "The overall style of play took a lot out of both teams but we practice that way."
The Rams have a talented frontcourt that includes center DJ Haley and forward Juvonte Reddic, who is averaging eight rebounds to lead the team.
Guard Treveon Graham is the leading scorer on the team with 14.5 points per game and was essential against Memphis, scoring 26 points and adding five rebounds while shooting over 66 percent from the field.
The Rams have moved the ball around the court consistently this season, racking 31st in the nation in assists with 17.3 per game. VCU has played aggressive defense this season, forcing an NCAA-best 14 steals per game, including 14 against Memphis. The team scored 22 points off turnovers and held off a late rally by the Tigers to win.
VCU is 3-1 this year, the only loss coming against Wichita State in the second game of the season. The Rams are ranked 109th in field-goal percentage, but has performed well from 3-ppoint range, shooting over 55 percent in its three wins.
Last season VCU went 29-7 and finished in second place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 15-3 record after many experts felt they would finish in the bottom of the conference.
The Rams won the 2012 CAA Men's Basketball Championship against Drexel, 59-56 to make it to the NCAA tournament as a 12-seed. The team defeated Wichita State in first round, 62-59, but lost against Indiana in second round 63-61.
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