Yale shocked the world when it beat top 25 mainstay Baylor on Thursday. Can the 12th-seeded Bulldogs keep dancing and topple Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament?
The Ivy League champions trailed for less than a minute in the second half in the biggest victory in Yale basketball history. The Bulldogs led by as many as 13 points and then withstood a furious Baylor rally to win their first NCAA Tournament game ever. Makai Mason stepped into a starring role in his first appearance at the big dance, scoring 31 points thanks in part to an 11-of-11 performance at the free throw line.
Duke, however, has dealt with underdogs before. The Blue Devils dispatched UNC-Wilmington's upset bid en route to a 93-85 first round win Thursday. The Seahawks put up the good fight and took a four-point lead early in the second half, but Duke's penetrating attack landed Wilmington in foul trouble it could not overcome. Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram led an offensive attack that shot 43 free throws while the CAA champs ran out of gas as the clock wound down.
Yale will have its hands full stopping the Blue Devils' talented, and much bigger, roster. Marshall Plumlee gives Coach K a weapon that Yale's undersized forwards may struggle to contain, and Allen is an efficient weapon who has given most opponents problems in the backcourt. However, the Bulldogs' biggest headache could come from Ingram.
Ingram is currently projected as a consensus top-two pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. At 6'9 and extremely athletic, he has the chops to guard any player Yale throws at him. In his last five games, the freshman has averaged 16.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists while making more than 46 percent of his three pointers. He's looking to propel himself to the No. 1 spot on Chad Ford's Big Board, and a statement game against the Elis would help build his case.
How to watch No. 4 Duke vs. No. 12 Yale
Time: 2:40 p.m. ET
Place: Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.
TV: CBS
Online: NCAA March Madness Live
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