Duke vs St. John's: Free Throws & Boards Battle

0:00On March 25, the top-seated Duke Blue Devils face a tough test in the sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA tournament, taking on the fifth-seated St. John's Red Storm. Duke aims for its third straight Elite 8 under coach John Scher, after some early wobbles in the tournament. Duke remains one of college basketball's most complete teams, with the best resume in the country, including 17 Quadrant 1 wins, tie for the National Lead. They lead the ACC in dominating opponents on both ends of the floor. St. John's has fans buzzing as a sneaky upset threat, riding a hot streak of 21 wins in their last 22 games behind Elite Defense. Many see this as their biggest challenge yet, especially against Duke's superior back core pressure. A big edge could come at the free throw line, where Duke attempts and makes the most in the ACC, while giving opponents the fewer shots. St. John's relies heavily on free throws too, but they foul more when beaten on the boards, and Duke ranks fifth nationally in offensive rebounding.

1:03If Duke crashes the glass and controls the stripe like usual, especially with their center possibly returning for key minutes, they should pull ahead, and keep marching toward another deep run.