With the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament set to begin on Thursday, the anticipation is palpable for several highly intriguing matchups across the board.
Each team has now won two games to advance to this point, and on Wednesday, during an appearance on legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski’s Sirius XM show, “Basketball & Beyond with Coach K,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas didn’t hesitate to name the two best remaining teams in the field.
“You know, I think Duke and Florida are the two best teams that I’ve seen,” Bilas said. “That’s not to diminish what Auburn and Houston are capable of… but I tend to think that Florida and Duke, from my eye, are peaking at the right time and playing their best basketball.”
Bilas later added, “If those two teams play against one another, that, to me, would be kind of a dream scenario. If you want to watch the two best teams play, I think those are the two best teams.”
ESPN commentator Jay Bilas
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Currently, Duke is the betting favorite to win the national championship, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with Florida right behind them at No. 2. Both teams have looked dominant through their first two games, but a key difference is that the Gators were pushed to the brink by UConn, while the Blue Devils have won by a combined 66 points.
However, both teams have been consistent all season long and will take the floor Thursday night. Florida, led by star guard Walter Clayton Jr., will face the No. 4 seed Maryland Terrapins at 7:39 p.m. ET, while Duke will meet the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats at 9:39 p.m. ET, with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.