Time to be Devils advocate
Each day during the NCAA Tournament, The Post’s Tim Sullivan offers his plays:
CAN you believe how little publicity Duke has received this March?
For the die-hard college basketball fans — and those interested in the game within the game (for entertainment purposes only, of course), it must be a shock to the system. The Blue Devils’ program, viewed by many for so long as the standard, just seems to float on by.
Maybe it’s because they don’t play that knock-down, drag-out style, like West Virginia. Maybe it’s because there’s simply nothing Cinderella, a la Butler, to them. Maybe it’s just because everyone’s sick of the Blue Devils.
Either way, it’s hard to find a team that has quietly taken care of business in this NCAA Tournament better than Duke. Given a decent draw, and some late TV times, the Blue Devils have efficiently dispatched three opponents, all by double digits. All three wins cashed at the window, too, which is important to some of you, we know.
Clearly today, though, will be their toughest test. Baylor has been terrific as well, and has a rugged Big 12 upbringing to rely on. But when we saw the Blue Devils cruise to a Preseason NIT title at The Garden in November, we knew this team had big dreams this year — and the talent to accomplish them.
We’re going to stick with that thought here. And, as loyal readers know, we like to fade teams coming off their best performance of the season. And it’s hard to imagine the Bears have had a better outing than the one they orchestrated Friday night against St. Mary’s.
Duke (-4), the last remaining hope for the No. 1 seeds, is the play.
Due to an editor’s error, Saturday’s March Madne$$ column did not make the final editions. It can be found on nypost.com.
Well, it took six days of the Tournament to register a losing day, and since it was just an 0-1 day at that (Kentucky -4), we’ll live with it. We take an 18-8 mark into today’s action. Good luck to all.
