The Duke Blue Devils have rolled to a 34-4 record and a chance to win a National Championship .  They'll take to the court for a 9:18 tip off time tomorrow against a 36-3 Wisconsin team which upset previously undefeated Kentucky.  Let's take a look at how this Duke team got here and what it will take to win.

Late Season Defensive Pride

When Michigan State came out and hit four consecutive three-point shots to take an eight point lead, Duke used its defense to lock down on their shooters and advance to the title game.  The Spartans scored a mere 61 points after starting the game on fire and that's the most of any team in this tournament to date.   When asked of his team's defense of late, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski pointed to the team playing better man to man defense and grasping the concept better than early in the year.  Duke has always been an effective team on the offensive end, but it took this team a while to play the man to man defense their coach prefers.  Part of that is the youth factor for sure, but Krzyzewski has a team now that knows he can lead them to the promised land if they listen.  Listening and communication go hand in hand and it's the reason for the late season resurgence on the defensive end.

The X-Factor

Krzyzewski was questioned about who or what will be the X-Factor during Monday evenings title game.  Had the media member been watching Duke closely all season long, they would have realized that the X-Factor is simply playing together.  During today's interview sessions, all the Duke players mentioned that the team was unselfish and that they did not play for individual honors.  Togetherness has been the main component in the Blue Devils run through the tournament and the same goes for their opponent Wisconsin.  Both teams have benefitted differently in that the Badgers have played together for years while the Blue Devils meshed top-notch young talent together.  So, if you ask me what the X-Factor would be for the game, I'd say simply continuing to play as a unit and not as an individual.  And there in lies a significant challenge, for some players want to shine on the big stage or impress NBA scouts.  If this happens, it will not bode well.  Quite simply, Duke must play as a cohesive unit for Wisconsin most certainly will.

The Revenge Factor

It's hard to say whether Wisconsin will be pinning their ears back watching the first game where Duke defeated them earlier this season.  Since that time both teams have changed and both are better.  Michigan State had reason for revenge as well and it didn't work out well for them.  But the Badgers are a much better team and Duke broke a long home court winning streak of theirs.  I think they will be into the game with some revenge in mind.  I think they want to be the most stored team in Badger history and that they'll come into this game with the same confidence they had versus Kentucky.

How Can Duke Win

Most will point to Jahlil Okafor having a big game, but to me it's if he can hit the open man.  There is little reason to think the Badgers will guard him with a single man.  If double teamed, the Duke guards have knock down three's.  Duke also needs to rotate the ball a little better for their assists of late have been slightly down.  It will not work out well for Duke to go down eight early to a team like Wisconsin.  In fact, Duke really needs a quick start and then they have to weather the storms.  The latest line is Wisconsin by a point, so most feel this will be a close game.  The coaches get little sleep this time of year and they are working on their plans, but on the biggest stage, it's the team which executes that wins.

The bottom line if this will be a hard-fought game that likely goes down to the wire.  Even Krzyzewski seemed to realize that in today's press conference where spoke of Okafor hitting free throws.  Duke fans hope it doesn't come to that but the game may well come down to a single play.  We'll know soon enough how this one plays out and whether Duke brings home the trophy.