The NCAA Tournament has completed its first round and the Sweet 16 is coming up next. With that being said, the Duke Blue Devils and St. John’s Red Storm are set to play a highly anticipated matchup that will bring a lot of viewers.
On one side of the court, Rick Pitino is looking to take St. John’s deeper in the tournament. In just three years, he has revitalized the program and has the Red Storm looking like a serious National Championship contender.
Duke, on the other hand, is looking to return to the Final Four like last season. Head coach Jon Scheyer has gotten the most out of his team this season and were the favorite for many to win it all heading into March Madness.
These two teams are set to face off against each other on Friday evening at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Plenty of predictions for the big-time showdown have already started coming in. ESPN has revealed what it thinks will happen between the Blue Devils and Red Storm.
ESPN Weighs in with Clear Prediction for Duke-St. John’s Clash
Fans are split on which team to pick. While Duke has been favored by many to win a championship this season, St. John’s and Pitino are a team that many would love to see make that kind of a run.
When it comes to ESPN’s prediction, they are rolling with the favorite. They have the Blue Devils at a 76.7 percent chance to knock off St. John’s.
At the end of the day, Duke does seem to be the more talented team. The Blue Devils have likely top-three 2026 NBA Draft pick Cameron Boozer leading the way. Surrounding him are plenty of other players who will be playing professional basketball in the near future.
Taking a Closer Look at the Marquee Matchup
Boozer has been a bonafide superstar this season for Duke. In 36 games played, he has averaged 22.4 points per game to go along with 10.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals. The freshman has done it all for the Blue Devils this season.
As for St. John’s, Pitino’s team has seen senior Zuby Ejiofor rise to the occasion this season. He has contributed 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game over the course of 36 games this year.
Entering this matchup, fans are going to be in for a treat. Watching Boozer and Ejiofor go at it will be must-watch basketball.
From a coaching perspective, there aren’t many better matchups. Pitino, now 73 years old, has been leading the charge for St. John’s since the 2023-24 season and has led the program to an 80-24 record. He is one of the best college basketball coaches in recent history.
Scheyer has been great since taking over as Duke’s lead man. He has gone 123-24 since the 2022-23 season and is just getting started at 38 years old.
It will be interesting ot see which team comes out on top on Friday night, but ESPN is rolling with the mighty Blue Devils in this one.
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