Mississippi State at Duke

I have opnely questioned Duke's depth and it may be exposed here. Should Ewing or Reddick find foul trouble today, Duke will have a tough time keeping up. As with any SEC team of late, it will come down to MSU's defense. If MSU plays tough defense here, this game will go down to the wire. MSU is playing their best basketball of the season. I felt coming in to this tournament that Mississippi State could be a major roadblock for Duke in the second round, and the play by both of these teams in the first round only strengthened that belief. The Bulldogs are a veteran team led by probable NBA Lottery pick Lawrence Roberts, and they showed a lot of poise Friday coming back from an early 11-point deficit to dominate Stanford in the second half of a 93-70 blowout. Yes this club underachieved by losing 10 games this season, but they are starting to peak at the perfect time, and we look for Roberts to take advantage of the slow-footed Duke forwards. Also, the experience the Bulldogs gained in the tournament the last two years should ensure that they will not be in awe of this more glorified ACC opponent. The Blue Devils were exposed a bit defensively in their unexpectedly difficult 57-46 win over Delaware State, as the Hornets continuously broke down the Duke defense with penetration. With the exception of Daniel Ewing, who is as good defensively as they come, the rest of the Dukies seemed surprised as the ease with which Delaware State attacked the basket, and you can bet that the Bulldogs were taking notes. If Roberts gets as much support from the rest of the Bulldogs as he did on Friday, this one just may be the next major upset of this tournament. Mississippi State plus the points for two stars.