Roundtable: Kentucky or Duke? Which Team Is Fool’s Gold?

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Which team is scarier: Duke or Kentucky?

Andrew Ford (@AndrewFord22): Duke is currently the top-rated offense in college basketball. Kentucky is currently the top-rated defense in college basketball. Both squads have their fair share of NBA-bound talent. Duke has been able to do whatever they want offensively thanks to explosive starts to the season from both Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones. Cook is shooting lights out right now, but despite being a talented guard it’s unlikely he will continue shooting at a 44% clip from long range. Jahlil Okafor is obviously a monster down low, but the thing about Kentucky right now is that no team can even come close to scoring on them consistently in the paint. Kentucky has more height and length than any team in the country, and it’s easy to envision their defense giving Duke fits. I give the edge to Kentucky.

Spencer Layman (@NBA_Spen): Oh, this is a tough one. On one hand you have Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor and Coach K. On the other, you have Karl Anthony-Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Tyler Ulis and Coach Cal. As Andrew mentioned above, Duke has the top offense in college basketball and UK has the top defense in college basketball. This is super close but if they were to match-up today, I would probably have to give the edge to… Duke. There have been some games where UK’s offense looked out of sync and they struggled to put points up as a result.

Greg Mason (@votaryofhoops): I suppose you have to go with Kentucky here, given their freakish combination of size and talent. BUT, there are a couple of potential kinks in the armor. Alex Poythress reportedly tore his ACL. That’s going to hurt them. Also, it remains to be seen whether the platoon will hurt them come tournament time. I think Duke will have to make less adjustments rotation wise and their players will have a clearer understanding of their roles on the team once the big dance rolls around. That could matter.

Which team, other than Duke and Kentucky, will likely challenge for a national title this season?

Andrew Ford (@AndrewFord22): According to KenPom, Arizona, currently unbeaten, is projected to win every game for the rest of the season. Not even Kentucky and Duke are projected to go undefeated according to the same projections system. Coach Sean Miller has a balanced squad with a good mix of experience and talent. Freshman Stanley Johnson and returning star Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are both capable of locking down premier wing scorers, making the Wildcats defense tough to penetrate. To go along with their defensive abilities, both Johnson and RHJ can score a variety of ways, which gives the offense an out when things break down. Brandon Ashley is a talented power forward who can stretch the floor close to the three-point line, and Kaleb Tarczewki is solid enough down low to create a well-balanced attack. If T.J. McConnell and Gabe York start shooting like they are capable from the three-point line, ‘Zona’s offense will be clicking on all cylinders and allow that much more space for slashers like Johnson and RHJ to get to the rim.

Spencer Layman (@NBA_Spen): I really, really, really, really, really like this Louisville Cardinals team. I thought they were going to be a top 10 team all year, but I never thought they were going to be this good. Their defense has been incredible and their offense has impressed me more than I thought it ever could. Their backcourt tandem of Chris Jones and Terry Rozier is probably the best in the country and when it comes tourney time, those type of players are deadly. Wayne Blackshear, Montrezl Harrell and Mangok Mathiang add some nastiness in the middle of the paint on defense. This team has the scoring, the length and the experience from the players and Rick Pitino to go far in the tournament. Oh, and did I mention I really like them?

Greg Mason (@votaryofhoops): Arizona is the obvious answer here for the reasons Andrew stated above. I’ve said it on this site before but I think this is Mark Few’s most dangerous Gonzaga team to date. They’re talented, balanced, experienced and their only loss came on the road in overtime to Arizona. Losing freshman point guard Josh Perkins to a broken jaw is a blow to the team but Vanderbilt transfer Eric McClellan is eligible on January 6th. He should help fill that gap. Wiltjer is really becoming an efficient scoring machine, Byron Wesley gives them the athletic, ‘do everything’ wing they need, Pangos is their floor general and Sabonis is a beast off the bench. I know people don’t have a lot of faith in Mark Few teams in March but this group feels special to me.

Which currently ranked team is fool’s gold?

Andrew Ford (@AndrewFord22): Notre Dame. They won their only game they have played against a top 50 team (Michigan State) in KenPom’s ratings, but they have played no other notable teams. Also, they lost to a mediocre Providence squad, albeit on a neutral court. To date, they’ve shot the ball remarkably well and they have been one of the best squads in the country at not turning the ball over. Aside from wondering how sustainable that is against tougher squads to come, the defense is the major concern. They have been average defensively, and they will certainly have to pick it up on that end of the floor when conference play rolls around. With Jerian Grant running things, Notre Dame will be a tough win, but how good they truly can be depends a great deal on their defense being up to snuff. I just don’t think it is or will be.

Spencer Layman (@NBA_Spen): Uhm. So I just looked at the top 25, and saw Northern Iowa was on there. I’m going to go with them. Maybe my guess is solely based off ignorance of not knowing too much about this team but still, looking at their schedule, they have Wichita State twice and outside of that, that’s about it. They don’t particularly score or rebound well and they are lacking in height.

Greg Mason (@votaryofhoops): I wouldn’t call them fool’s gold but a team like Maryland still has a lot to prove. Their strength of schedule is 270th nationally according to KenPom’s ratings and their adjusted defensive efficiency is the lowest of any team in the Top-25.