Can NDSU Pull Off the Enormous Upset over Duke?
Can North Dakota State pull off the unthinkable and upset the number one overall seed, the Duke Blue Devils in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament?
The short answer is NO.
NDSU defeated North Carolina Central on Wednesday night in the First Four to advance against Duke.
Every #16 seed does feel more optimism than ever after UMBC beat the #1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers in the opening round, but that had never happened before and it most likely wont happen again for a long time.
The formula though for NDSU needs to be the same as the formula for UMBC from a year ago, just to keep the game close.
A combination of good defense, dictating pace and a plethora of three pointers was what worked for UMBC against Virginia and it has to be the game plan for NDSU vs. Duke.
Some have referred to the Duke Blue Devils as the Duke Blue Beatles because of the rock star status of this team and it holds true.
That said, the Bison must not fall into the trap of being overwhelmed before they even take the court and as hard as it may be to do, they must treat Duke like any other opponent.
All that said, we all know what most likely will happen, Duke will roll, NDSU will be eliminated and the Blue Devils will be preparing for VCU or UCF.
North Dakota State will face off against Duke on Friday night in Columbia, SC at 6:10 PM CT on CBS.