Basketball Brunch: Here's how Duke could beat Kentucky

THE FIRST WORD: Is Duke better than Kentucky? No.

No one is at this point. But there's still plenty of college basketball to be played and there's reason to believe that, given the right circumstances in the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats' quest for a perfect season could come to a crashing halt.

Though there are other teams that match up better with Kentucky on paper, such as Wisconsin or Arizona, Duke has strengths that could rattle the nation's best team. Plus, both of these teams are hot right now — Kentucky just blitzed Auburn by 35 points for another normal SEC demolition, and the Blue Devils edged rival North Carolina in a classic last week before drubbing Clemson without their best player in a showing that coach Mike Krzyzewski called "one of the best wins we've had here in a long time."

Most important, this hypothetical discussion is happening because a Kentucky vs. Duke national championship is what sports fans will fawn over. If they do play each other it most likely will be in the Final Four. Here's a look at why the Blue Devils could win that showdown.

1. Jahlil Okafor. Outside of Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky, he's the best player in the country (when healthy), forcing double teams and creating shots for his teammates. He is a teenage big man with 30-year-old post moves that forces teams to adjust and scheme around, and it'd be no different with a Kentucky team that has a plethora of big men. Coach John Calipari would have several guys to throw at Okafor — Karl Towns, Dakari Johnson, Willie Cauley-Stein — but Okafor would still be a matchup nightmare. Duke has struggled defensively with superior frontcourts like Kentucky's. But this year the Blue Devils have a vastly improved frontcourt behind Okafor, Amile Jefferson and, when needed, Marshall Plumlee.

2. Better guard play. After Tyus Jones had his best performance of the season, putting the team on his back in a 92-80 overtime victory against North Carolina, veteran guard Quinn Cook congratulated the freshman on national television and said, "best backcourt." And that's exactly what Cook and Jones are: One of, if not the best backcourts in the country. Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker have all made the Wildcats' backcourt run highly efficiently. But the Blue Devils' guards, also including Justise Winslow, are better. The Duke team that no one picked to win the national title in 2010 was based on great guard play. This team is as good is very similar to that Duke squad in that department.

3. Better shooting, clutch factor. Defense wins championships. So does great shooting, especially in the NCAA tournament. Duke ranks sixth nationally in scoring (80.6 ppg) and fifth in field goal percentage (49.8%). When the Blue Devils need a big basket, there are several players to choose from: Okafor, Winslow, Cook and most recently, Jones. That's not to say Kentucky doesn't have players with that capability or mindset, but considering the abundance of talent, even the Wildcats' most clutch player — Aaron Harrison — isn't as dependable as all the aforementioned Blue Devils.

4. The ACC is much better than the SEC. This is an up year for the SEC, despite a lack of a good second-best team, with six projected NCAA tournament bids. Still, the ACC is the best in the land and playing against North Carolina (twice), Notre Dame (twice), Louisville and Virginia will make Duke far more battle-tested when it matters most. The Blue Devils' three losses — to North Carolina State, Miami (Fla.) and Notre Dame — all came in January. The Wildcats similarly fought through some January adversity — escaping Ole Miss in overtime and Texas A&M in 2 OTs — but they came out on top. January losses stain résumés, sure, but they don't define a team. Duke and Kentucky have significantly improved, however it's the Blue Devils who will have more close-game experience, which serves as a gained strength that won't show up in the stat sheet.

TWEET THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES: Gonzaga trailed by 17 points on the road at Saint Mary's, the only West Coast Conference team with a chance of beating the 'Zags. With their backs against the wall, the Bulldogs showed what they were made of — storming back for a 70-60 victory — a school-record 21st in a row — clinched the WCC regular-season title, raised their record to 28-1 and kept them in strong consideration for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

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THE HIGHLIGHT REEL: LSU's Jarell Martin threw down this between the legs jam that will be highly considered for dunk of the year. It was the best score of Martin's 28 points, which propelled a much-needed 70-63 victory against Florida.

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STAR WATCH: Karl Anthony Towns had his most impressive performance to date with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two assists. While Kentucky's best player is difficult to pinpoint, the freshman with NBA potential could be peeking at just the right time.

BUBBLE TEAMS: Here's a look at the full list of borderline teams left sweating until Selection Sunday.

WINNERS, LOSERS: Saturday's résumé-boosting victories and damaging losses.

Winners

• Arizona: Defeated UCLA 57-47 to stay in strong pursuit of an NCAA tourney No. 1 seed.
• Xavier: Defeated Butler 73-56 to avenge a Jan. 10 loss to the Bulldogs and play up to its full potential against a strong Big East foe.
• Pittsburgh: Defeated Syracuse 65-61 to inch onto the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble.

Losers

• Texas: Lost to Iowa State 85-77 at home, and the Longhorns dropped to a projected No. 10 NCAA tournament seed.
• Miami: Lost to Louisville 55-53 in a game that would have been a significant boost for a team currently on the wrong side of the bubble.
• Alabama: Lost 66-65 to Georgia in a game that would have raised the Crimson Tide's NCAA tournament profile and now leaves them needing a big winning streak.