Duke advances to the Sweet 16 with easy win over San Diego State

Credit: CBS Sports

The Duke Blue Devils (1) moved that much closer to their goal on Sunday afternoon after making easy work of the San Diego State Aztecs (8). Star center Jahlil Okafor led Duke to victory with with his best performance in the 2015 NCAA Tournament thus far with a game-high 26 points to go along with six rebounds and three blocks.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s squad came into this matchup with the Aztecs as heavy favorites (-9.5) and got off to a quick start with Okafor leading the way. At one point, Okafor had outscored San Diego State all by himself with 12 points to the Aztecs’ 11. The Aztecs simply had no answer for the potential first-round NBA draft pick and as a result struggled all day long to contain Duke in the paint.

With the Blue Devils pulling off the 19-point blowout against the Aztecs, the Coach K’s team will advance to the Sweet 16. Duke will face off against the Utah Utes (5) on Friday and will likely be favored once again.

Utah is one of four Pac-12 teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament. The UCLA Bruins (11) and Arizona Wildcats (2) have already advanced to the Sweet 16 with the Oregon Ducks (8) trying to move on facing the top-seeded Wisconsin Badgers (1) on Sunday night.

As for Duke, if the Blue Devils advance to the Elite Eight they’ll face the winner between UCLA and Gonzaga Bulldogs (2). It’d be safe to say, regardless of potential matchups left in the South region, the Blue Devils will be favored from here on out. Even if they reach the Final Four, the highest seed they’ll potentially face is Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals (4).

Although there’s a lot of basketball left to be played in the NCAA Tournament, a matchup between arguably the two best teams in the country is entirely possible and becoming more likely with every passing day. Okafor and company could end up going head-to-head with the number one overall seed in the Kentucky Wildcats (1) come April 6.