Alabama Basketball 2024-25 Opponent Preview: Duke Blue Devils
After one of the more impressive performances of the season, the time has officially come for the Alabama Crimson Tide to play for a return trip to the Final Four.
To get there however, Alabama will certainly be faced with a challenging test, as the Crimson Tide will play the Duke Blue Devils, who are considered by some as the best team in all of college basketball.
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The No. 1 seed in the East Region, Duke has consistently been among the nation's highest-ranked teams throughout the season, and are led by not only one of college basketball's top players, but also have one of the deepest teams in the country.
The lone opponent between Alabama and a return trip to the Final Four, here is a preview of the 2024-25 Duke Blue Devils.
Duke Blue Devils 2024-25 Team Overview
Conference: ACC
Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
2024-25 Record: 34-3 overall (19-1 in ACC)
Ranking: No. 1 in AP Poll, No. 1 in Coaches Poll
NCAA Tournament Seed: No. 1 in East Region
Prior to the NCAA Tournament beginning, Duke was ranked as the nation's No. 1 overall team in both the AP and Coaches' Polls, and enter this matchup sitting at 34-3 overall for the season. The Blue Devils were also the ACC regular season and tournament champions this season, and are making their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, as well as second-straight in the Elite Eight.
Duke Blue Devils 2024-25 Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Jon Scheyer
Associate Head Coach: Chris Carrawell
Assistant Coach: Will Avery
Assistant Coach: Emanuel Dildy
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Leading the Blue Devils program is Jon Scheyer, who is in his third season as the head coach at Duke after taking over for one of the best to ever do it at the collegiate level in Mike Krzyzewski. Under the guidance of Scheyer, the Blue Devils have made three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the Elite Eight twice.
Duke Blue Devils 2024-25 Stats
PPG: 83.6 (No. 12 in NCAA)
PPG Allowed: 62.5 (No. 7 in NCAA)
FG%: 49.4
2P%: 58.6
3P%: 38.5
FT%: 78.8
RPG: 38.3
APG: 17
SPG: 6.7
BPG: 3.9
A top five team nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency according to KenPom, Duke comes to the Elite Eight ranking No. 12 in the nation with an average of 83.6 points per game scored, while also No. 7 in allowing only 62.5 to opponents. The Blue Devils are also a Top 15 nationally in shooting across the board, headlined by a ranking of No. 6 in college basketball with a combined 49.4 FG%.
Duke Blue Devils 2024-25 Players to Know
Cooper Flagg, Forward - Freshman
Kon Knueppel, Guard/Forward - Freshman
Tyrese Proctor, Guard - Junior
Khaman Maluach, Center - Freshman
Sion James, Guard - Graduate Student
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Headlining this loaded Duke roster is star freshman forward Cooper Flagg, the 2024-25 ACC Player of the Year, as well as potential National Player of the Year award winner, who is averaging 19 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 37.2% shooting from three. In addition to Flagg, Duke also has two other double-digit scorers in Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor at 14.2 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, as well as another notable freshman to know in center Khaman Maluach, a potential top NBA draft pick.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama vs. Duke: March Madness preview of Blue Devils
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