00:00Duke versus Michigan in D.C., arguably the two best teams in college basketball go head-to-head.
00:08Really, what an incredible series of events here.
00:12Duke deciding to mix in some in-season, in the heart of the season, Big Ten game.
00:19Last year, when they went to the Garden and played Illinois,
00:23it was actually, for anyone who likes sports grid history,
00:26the first Saturday night in-game live, myself and Coach worked together,
00:30where there was a Lakers-Nuggets game on as well.
00:33We thought Duke-Illinois was actually going to be the game of the night,
00:35and it was a massacre, and I kept thinking the game would go under,
00:40and it didn't. It didn't.
00:43Now, that's not the story.
00:45The story is year two of this little Duke Big Ten series,
00:49and we end up with one of the most anticipated games
00:52in recent college basketball regular season history, J.Y.,
00:59a two-and-a-half-point number, a total that is right now sitting at 148-and-a-half.
01:06We can go a lot of different directions with this,
01:09but what about Duke-Michigan do you find yourself –
01:14it doesn't have to be a pick.
01:15What about this game are you gravitating to the most?
01:20The style of play in regards to two teams playing each other out of league
01:25in this time of year,
01:27you don't have common opponents to line yourself up against,
01:30so it really becomes, honestly, Kevin,
01:33a chess match between Dusty May and John Shire.
01:38I think the other thing to look at, folks,
01:40is while you look at, you know,
01:44Cadeau and Boozer and Evans,
01:47and we can go on and on and on with the offensive firepower of these two teams.
01:52Kevin, to me, these two teams play elite defense.
01:58You look at a Duke team as number two in a defensive efficiency coordinator,
02:02Ken Palm.
02:02Michigan is number one.
02:04So you have the two best defenses in the country playing today.
02:08So when you look at all this star power and all this great coaching,
02:14this game's going to be in the mud, Kevin.
02:16And I want people to be careful,
02:17even though you have lots of great players in this.
02:21The other thing is, defensively, Kevin, they don't press.
02:25They make you play half-court basketball.
02:29And that's what I'm going to look for.
02:31In this game, without, with the stars,
02:34it's going to be the defensive execution.
02:37And then who controls the glass will win the game that literally we could see
02:43the first Monday in April and nobody,
02:47and I mean no one, will be disappointed in that.
02:51I think you're spot on.
02:52I really do.
02:53What I am most interested in with this game is it feels as if it is Duke's job today
03:00to protect the integrity, the hopefulness maybe is the better word,
03:08of the entire college basketball season because Michigan is starting to separate, right?
03:17We saw these two matchups.
03:20Again, we're going to get into Houston, Arizona in a minute,
03:22of what was arguably and likely the four best teams in the country.
03:26And we thought, man, Final Four preview.
03:29And now we get here to the day,
03:31and the consensus belief is becoming Michigan's inevitable.
03:37They are in a tier of their own.
03:40I find myself believing that Michigan is the best team in the country,
03:44but pushing back a little bit on this notion that they are in their own class.
03:48I think some of that is tied to the Big Ten.
03:52I am sorry if I don't want to run around singing the song
03:56because someone beat Purdue at Purdue.
03:58Sorry, Michigan, but those aren't even sloppy seconds.
04:01Iowa State and Illinois both were able to do that before you did.
04:05I'm not sure I want to lose my mind because Purdue beat Michigan State.
04:10I think Sparty has shown that this is not the best Tom Izzo team
04:15in the history of Sparty.
04:18And what happened in Vegas, can we maybe stick to the saying?
04:24Can we keep it in Vegas?
04:26It was incredible what Michigan did to San Diego State, Auburn, and Gonzaga.
04:35At this point, though, was a season ago, it feels like.
04:41And I could be proven wrong on all of that.
04:44Because if Michigan goes out there today and wins by double digits again,
04:49then they're going to go to plus 225 to win a title.
04:55And we talk about the top two teams in Kempom,
04:58but let's be very clear.
04:59There's a gap between these two teams right now, right?
05:04There's a gap that says it's Tier 1 Michigan, Tier 2 start listing teams.
05:11Nobody else is actually in their class.
05:15And I think we get the opportunity here, Coach,
05:19for Duke to somewhat shift the conversation.
05:23I don't think a Duke win is just about,
05:26oh, Duke's the best team in the country.
05:27I'm not sure even people will believe that.
05:30As much as, okay, this isn't a one-team race.
05:35We still have between five and nine teams
05:41that can actually win the tournament.
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