Indiana Basketball Will Knock Off Juggernaut Duke Tuesday Night

The Indiana basketball team (5-1) takes on #3 Duke (5-1) Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Indiana Basketball takes on #3 Duke Tuesday night. We have all heard about Duke’s freshman class. We have all heard the comparisons to the Fab Five. And ESPN will never let you forget the name Zion Williamson (although R.J. Barrett is the best player on that team).

Forget about them.

Forget about the flashy names and highlight reel dunks. Indiana basketball is based on tradition, hustle, and fundamentals. Those are what wins basketball games. And Indiana will win.

These Indiana Hoosiers are hungry. The seniors have had their shot at Duke in the past, but could never capitalize. They never had the talent to beat a juggernaut like Duke, who are famous for landing the top recruits in the country. This year is different; not for Duke, but for IU. These seniors are hungry for a win and they have young help.

Freshman Romeo Langford has lived up to the hype the entire state of Indiana surrounded him with after winning the Mr. Basketball award last season at New Albany High School. There has not been this much hype for an IU basketball player in the last decade.

The Hoosiers are double-digit underdogs. That is fine for Archie Miller and the Hoosiers. This is a game this IU team needs to learn and grow. A crazy environment in Durham for this marquee match up waits the Hoosiers, and I think they are ready for it.

My top key to winning the game is to get off to a hot start. Quieting the Duke crowd and forcing the fact Indiana can compete with Duke in the minds of the Blue Devils is so important in winning this game. Keys to winning the game include limiting second chance points, which Duke does so well, and taking care of the ball.

If IU can consistently grab defensive rebounds and limit their turnovers, I promise you the Hoosiers will at least keep it close. If they can knock down their open looks, they will win.