It was not pretty, and it was far from dominant. However, Duke survived Albany, winning 73-61.
The Blue Devils, typically among the best in the NCAA during the regular season, often struggle come tournament time and notably lost to 15th seeded Lehigh last year.
This year, Duke relied on incredible efforts from Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee. The two seniors scored 26 and 23 points respectively. However, the Blue Devils must be concerned by the fact that they were never able to pull away from Albany nor was their supporting cast ever able to get going.
Albany, which was a surprise America East Conference champion, was led by Jacob Iati who dropped 15 points on the Blue Devils.
Duke will face the winner of Creighton-Cincinnati, either of which could pose a serious problem for Coach K’s team if the Blue Devils do not play better.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.