Duke is the premier team that every other competitor in the NCAA Tournament should strive to learn from. When it’s all said and done, we could see four or five Blue Devils selected within the top 25 picks in the first round of this NBA Draft. NBA scouts should be lining up to see what these stars can bring to the table, and college opponents will struggle to prepare to face Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
The Chicago Bulls should also be one of the main teams from the NBA that follows Duke in the NCAA Tournament. Duke is the overall one-seed in the East Region and should have a good path to the national title. The Michigan State Spartans, a two-seed in the East Region, will be the toughest competition Duke faces before the Final Four.
However, one of the players in the starting five for the Blue Devils that needs to stick out throughout the NCAA Tournament in a good way is true freshman shooting guard R.J. Barrett. In the absence of Duke’s best player down the stretch in the regular season, Barrett started to takeover and show that he is one of the best NBA prospects in the world of college hoops now.
In all likelihood, Barrett won’t make it out of the top three of five selections in the NBA Draft. With where the Bulls are at now in the Eastern Conference standings, it could easily grasp one of the top three selections and land the dynamic Barrett. He’s averaging 22.9 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, all while shooting better than 45 percent from the field.