Duke, Rhode Island looks like a grinder

By Lauren Brownlow

And then there was one -- from the Thursday-Saturday games, that is, but still. The ACC began the NCAA Tournament on Thursday with five teams playing, hoping to advance to the Round of 32. But just one of those teams from Thursday -- Duke -- did. The Blue Devils seemed to turn things around from the way they ended the season and looked much better against Iona. Will it carry over against a veteran Rhode Island squad with a chip on its shoulder?

Let's let the GIFs be your guide!

(And me.)

NO. 2 DUKE (27-7) VS. NO. 7 RHODE ISLAND (26-7)

Time: 2:40 p.m.
TV: CBS

#ANALYSIS

The Rams had a really good start to the season, getting out to 21-3 and notching some impressive wins along the way -- all three of their losses to that point were in the non-conference, and were to teams that are still in the NCAA Tournament -- but they skidded a bit late. Rhode Island lost four of its final eight games, which is not a skid by a lot of teams' standards but it was for them. Three of their four losses in that stretch came to teams that made the NCAA Tournament (including two to Davidson), but one was a 30-point blowout loss at home to St. Joseph's that raised some eyebrows. Either way, Dan Hurley's team (yes, that Hurley -- he's Bobby's brother) righted the ship enough to be able to knock off Oklahoma in one of the more exciting games of the Tournament so far. Rhode Island is excellent defensively and not as good offensively but their scrappiness keeps teams at bay. They like to force turnovers and overplay the perimeter, ranking fifth nationally in defensive turnover percentage and 39th in three-point defense. When Duke isn't doing either or both of those things well, they usually struggle.

Duke is going to have a big edge in terms of size, and Rhode Island holds its own all right on the glass in spite of its tallest player being just 6-8. Rhode Island is 99th in offensive rebounding percentage and 136th in defensive rebounding percentage, though, which isn't terrible. But Duke has the size and ability to exploit them there, and Duke will need to do that. It's not just with bigs, either -- Rhode Island likely got to this place because its guards rebound well enough, and Duke has let itself get into some trouble on the boards in some games where the guards haven't rebounded well enough.

It's not going to be easy, but Duke's good enough to win it and has some inherent advantages -- namely, a much more talented roster, even if it's not as veteran as their opponent.

NAMES TO KNOW

Trevon Duval. When the freshman point guard is at his best, physically and mentally, Duke can -- and often has -- beat almost anyone. But when he's playing poorly and still a big part of the Duke offense? It's a recipe for Duke to lose to anyone, too. Duval is going to be facing a veteran and tough backcourt -- the kind that, at times, has given him some trouble. But when Duval is on and good, then he's hard to stop by anyone. There was some question going into the NCAA Tournament after he hurt his ankle in the ACC semifinal, but he answered it in a big way with 19 points (his most since Nov. 23) against Iona on 7-of-11 shooting, adding eight assists. He's such a difference-maker and facilitator for Duke when he is right and he will need to be in this one.

Jared Terrell. He's Rhode Island's best and most-used player, and the 6-3 senior two-man (and undersized three) has led his team by turning it over rarely, getting steals opportunistically and knowing down three-pointers-- 42%, to be exact. He actually hits around 44% of his two-point tries as well but he's been in a real drought there, shooting just 3-of-30 from inside the arc in Rhode Island's last four games (he's 10-of-20 from three in that same stretch, though). But he's fearless. Exhibit A:

Mike Krzyzewski's Duke defenses have been known for wanting to take the head off of the proverbial snake, and when successful, they've been able to do that. North Carolina's Theo Pinson wasn't as good in the Tar Heels' loss at Cameron. Virginia Tech's Justin Robinson was bad there too; had his worst game of the year. The list goes on. That's what Duke is going to try to do with Terrell. But can they?

NARRATIVES

Duke Win: BUT THEY HAVE ALL THAT NBA TALENT! THIS ISN'T A BIG DEAL!

Duke Loss:

PREDICTION

Duke, 75-68. This one will be a grinder.

Overall: 120-56 (92-44 ACC) (16-9 Postseason)
Last week: 10-4