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Look at this fucking guy.I mean, really. Look at him. Kyle Singler has continued a long line of goofy-ass white guys that make it real easy to root against Duke. He took the torch from Jon Scheyer and will pass it on to the Plumlees. It's the circle of Duke, and it's full of hate.
Yes, some of that hate comes from the fact the Blue Devils do a lot of winning, and here they are again, a No. 1 seed in the West Region.
Top Dog: Duke won the ACC Tournament, but otherwise didn't have an incredibly strong resume. The Blue Devils beat the nation's two most overrated teams at the beginning of the season -- Michigan State and Kansas State -- and that was with Kyrie Irving in the lineup. They were shit-stomped on the road by St. Johns, and their biggest nonconference win this season is probably Temple. For realz. But they're the defending champs, and with Singler and Nolan Smith on the floor, the Dukies are still a legitimate threat.
Top Contender: While UConn made a magical run through the Big East Tournament, and San Diego State is sitting at a two seed with just two losses, the top contender here for the Blue Devils is Texas. How the Longhorns ended up as a four seed is baffling to me. I know they didn't finish all that strong, losing three of five heading into the Big XII Tournament, but this is still a very good and talented basketball team.
Top First Round Game: That being said, Texas might not get out of the first round. The Longhorns open with the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, who are a lot of people's upset special. Sure, people were looking at Oakland as that upset special before it drew Texas, but it's still a very good team that played some real tough competition early in the season. I don't think Oakland is going to win this game, but I do think it will be entertaining.
Cinderella: I promise I'm not going to pick all seven seeds, but watch out for Temple. The Owls are under-seeded a bit at seven, and are just as battle tested as San Diego State is this season. This team has a legit shot to make a run into the Elite Eight.
Who Wins?: It might be hate, and this might be stupid, but Texas. I think the Longhorns will be able to beat Duke with their athleticism down low. Nolan Smith is going to be a bitch to handle, but Texas plays very good defense (when it's not playing Kansas in the Big XII title game, anyway), and is just as talented, maybe more, than Duke. As long as the Longhorns don't suffer a letdown in the Elite Eight, they'll move on.
