Ncaa – Banchero, first show at March Madness

“It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. And even better ”. Paolo Banchero enjoys his March Madness debut with the enthusiasm of a child at the carnival and the determination of a professional who has a job to do: to make Duke win. He succeeds without too many problems in the 78-61 with which the Blue Devils get rid of California State Fullerton, seeded number 15, on the slimy parquet of Greenvile, South Carolina: Paolo shows off all his talent, opening the game with two triple on target and closing with 17 points and 10 rebounds on the scoresheet. “It’s nice to continue like this, with a win. But now under with the next “. Next is Michigan State on Sunday in one of the tournament’s big classics.

Talent

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Banchero was the most productive of his team but shares the title of man of the match with Mark Williams, center of 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. The blue future (following in the footsteps of Jayson Tatum and RJ Barrett as the Blue Devils to debut with a double double in the past 20 years) has been a rampage right from the start, with 6 of the top 10 points of his and 12 to ‘ interval, to which he added 7 rebounds. In attack he did not have to prove anything, if not to have practically unlimited potential: coach K asks him to lend a hand near the basket and when he attacks the iron Paolo is devastating, able to exploit body and agility for a lethal combination at this level. The first two triples on target and the confidence with which he shoots from the average, however, tell of a player who has many options in his offensive repertoire: Banchero clearly gives his best near the iron, even if he often does not remember, but on the pitch open it is almost unstoppable and its versatility allows it to do many things. Also to defend, the mission that coach K (victory number 98 in the tournament, NCAA record that continues to be retouched) gave to him: Paolo acquitted her with 2 blocks in the first 7 ‘, with rebounds and commitment. The Tournament is an important stage for his run to the first call to the NBA Draft on 23 June: the start was decidedly positive.

The match

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How positive Duke’s departure was: the Blue Devils were clearly superior to Fullerton, with 5 players to call on the first round of the Draft, but the defeat in the final in the Acc tournament had convinced coach K that something was wrong. The first suspect was the defense (Fullerton held at 37.5% and blocked with 10 blocks), but for the coach who has been on the bench for 42 years close to retirement there is also more: “The boys are a bit nervous – Coach K confided at the end of the match -: for everyone it is the first time on this stage and they are a bit uncertain. We hope this victory will help us ”. He certainly helped the sprint start, with Duke leading 13-2 after 4 ‘and 31-17 with 6’ from the interval. Fullerton limits the damage and returns to the locker room under 37-27, but at the start of the second half Duke places the decisive draw, with Banchero who, at 9’08 ”from the end, nails 61-41 which virtually sends the match to the archive.

Banchero’s statistics

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17 points (5/10 from two, 2/4 from three, 1/1 free throws), 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal in 34 ‘.