Duke v.s. ASU, 9 ET on EPSN 2: Preview

Duke plays Arizona State tonight in the NIT Semi Final at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils are very familiar with MSG and don't lose much there. They won the 2K Sports Challenge last year at MSG. We all know about Duke and their big three, Sinlger, Scheyer, and Smith, but who does ASU have? Well their best post player is Eric Boateng, transfer from Duke. He didn't play much last season, 8.2 minutes a game, but without James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph, both selected in NBA Draft, he will probably average 20-25 minutes a game. The Sun Devils really lack size though, their only player above 6-8, non freshman, is Boateng at 6-10. Their best three point shooter, Kuksiks, 6-6, will have to play the PF position. Kuksiks has the ability to spread the floor for ASu, which they will try to do alot agianst a very tall Duke team, consisting of 6 players 6-8 and above. With their lack of size against Duke, they will need to put alot of pressure on the ball too. They have two guards, Abbott and Glasser, who combined for 63 minutes a game and 15.4 points a game. These are their go to guards. They are nothing compared to SMith and Scheyer though. So really, ASU doesn't have much to do. The only reason ASU is undefeated is they have played all cupcakes, and they just beat Texas State in overtime. Duke hasn't played anyone good either, but they have looked very impressive so far, especially with Smith back. SMith is the key ad he gives them an athletic defender, one more weapon offensively, and someone to break down the defense. Duke should win this game pretty easily and will probably move on against UCONN. But they shouldn't over look this, because one injury in the backcourt, and you never know. Look for Jon Scheyer to have a good game, as he is a leader and thrives in big games. Watch it tonight on ESPN 2 at 9 ET.