Jay Bilas might be a former Blue Devil, but he doesn’t let his alma mater drastically change what he expects in March.
In his bracket at the start of the tournament, he had Duke losing to Wisconsin in the second round. On Wednesday of this week, he ranked the Sweet 16 teams and slotted Duke in as the eighth-best team left on the board.
Bilas praised the second-round win over James Madison, calling it Duke’s best game of the season after the Blue Devils shot 52% from the floor and 50% from three.
The Blue Devils play Houston on Friday for a spot in the Elite Eight, and while Bilas had the Cougars third in his power rankings, he acknowledged Duke might have more skill on paper.
“The game will hinge upon Duke’s physical and mental toughness, and its ability to absorb the physical challenge presented by Houston,” Bilas wrote. “Can Duke operate under that kind of physical stress?”
Bilas ranked Connecticut, his pre-tournament pick and the defending national champions, as the best team left. Purdue was second, followed by the Cougars. Arizona snuck in at fourth over North Carolina despite the Tar Heels being the No. 1 seed in their region.