Duke vs St. John's: Paint Battle Decides Sweet Sixteen

On March 24th, the top-seated Duke Blue Devils faced the fifth-seated St. John's Red Storm

in the Sweet 16, with a trip to the Elite 8 on the line.

Duke has reached this stage for three straight years under Coach John Shire and hopes to make

it three consecutive Elite 8s.

St. John's enters on a hot streak, winning 21 of their last 22 games.

St. John's drew buzz as a potential upset pick since Selection Sunday, thanks to their

strong play despite a weaker, big-y schedule.

But Duke stands out as one of college basketball's best teams inside, dominating the pain

all season.

They rank seventh nationally in two-point field goal percentage at 60.3%.

Experts see the pain battle as the key match-up, and it favors Duke.

St. John's both solid interior defense, ranking eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Yet in their six losses this year, they've been outscored in the paint by a combined

238 to 160.

That trend continued in the tournament, where St. John's lost the paint in both wins but

hit threes at a 32.8% clip, including double digits each time.

Against Duke's Elite defense, repeating that perimeter success looks tough.

Duke's paint prowess should give them the edge to advance, silencing any upset talk

and keeping their march run alive.