Atlantic Coast

Duke’s star-laden roster wary against up-tempo Iona

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:46 p.m. ET

PITTSBURGH (AP) No. 2 seed Duke (26-7) vs. No. 15 seed Iona (20-13)

Second round, Midwest Region; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 2:45 p.m. EDT.

BOTTOM LINE: The Blue Devils appear to have put their midseason issues behind them, at least when they're not playing North Carolina. The Gaels, however, love to push the pace and won't be intimidated by the stage in their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

MARVIN'S ROOM: Duke forward Marvin Bagley is the second player in ACC history to be named league Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He leads the ACC in scoring (21.1) and rebounding (11.5), if that holds up he'll be the first freshman in league history to pace the conference in both categories.

GO GO GAELS: Duke loves to push the pace, finishing eighth in the nation in scoring (84.7). The Gaels won't be afraid to go up and down. Iona led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 3-pointers made and have been held under 70 points just twice since Dec. 17.

DEJA VU?: Once a rarity, a No. 15-seed over a No. 2 seed is now far more commonplace. It's happened four times since 2012. One of the losses? Lehigh stunning the Blue Devils 75-70 six years ago.

---

More AP college basketball: https://collegebasketball.ap.org ; https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 and http://apne.ws/SYS9Fwu

Get more from Atlantic Coast Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Metro Atlantic Athletic