I felt confident that the Blue Devils would make the Final Four — due to their elevated play during their nine-game win streak, a wide-open East Region and the chance to play de facto home games at Madison Square Garden next week — but the first round presented a tricky matchup that could have tripped up the young team.

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Instead, Duke ran out to a 15-0 lead against an experienced and accomplished Oral Roberts and never let up.

The Volunteers’ inconsistent offense — which put up 58 points in a three-point win over 13th-seeded Louisiana — will struggle against the defense that has sparked Duke’s resurgence.

It doesn’t hurt that Tennessee has lost its only three games as an underdog this season and Rick Barnes has covered just two of his past 16 NCAA Tournament games.