It was billed as the NCAA tournament’s most intriguing second-round matchup, a tradition-rich but potentially vulnerable blue blood against an accomplished, fearless mid-major.
Yes, Duke vs. James Madison had the makings of a classic. And then the game started.
Duke opened a double-digit lead after barely five minutes. The Blue Devils increased the gap to 20 soon after that. By the final few possessions before halftime, the only drama left was whether Duke freshman Jared McCain would outscore James Madison in the first half by himself.
The final score was Duke 93, James Madison 55, though that was little more than semantics.