What To Look For

* How they got there: Top-seeded and top-ranked Duke won each of its games by 41 points, dispatching Tulsa in the second round almost as easily as Florida A&M; in the first. Duke’s opponent Friday, No. 12-seeded Southwest Missouri State, made it to the Sweet 16 by defeating No. 5-seeded Wisconsin and No. 4-seeded Tennessee, holding them to 32 and 51 points with persistent man-to-man defense.

The other game offers a surprise matchup between No. 6-seeded Temple, which defeatedNo. 3-seeded Cincinnati in the second round after beating Kent in the first, and No. 10-seeded Purdue, which straggled into the tournament but beat No. 7-seeded Texas in the first round and No. 2-seeded Miami of Florida in the second to make it to East Rutherford, N.J.

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* Difference-maker: Utah’s Andre Miller and Arizona’s Jason Terry have been mentioned for player of the year, but Duke point guard William Avery is better than either of them right now--and he plays on the same team with the probable national player of the year, center Elton Brand. Avery not only runs the show, he averages 15 points and shoots 50%, remarkable for a point guard. He makes 41% of his shots from behind the three-point arc.

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* Team updates: It’s going to take a stunning lapse in defensive intensity--not likely--or three or four players all going cold from three-point range for Duke to be challenged before the Final Four. The Blue Devils are used to having Trajan Langdon and Avery make shots from long range, but forward Shane Battier has become an outside-shooting threat, making 57% of his three-point attempts the last two months after connecting on less than 27% the first three months of the season. Southwest Missouri State Coach Steve Alford was a shooter who had to be talked into playing defense at Indiana. Now his team plays defense first, and has held its first two opponents to under 30% in shooting. Temple Coach John Chaney said a month ago he wasn’t doing a good job with this team, but he might change his tune now. The Owls’ matchup zone causes teams problems if they can’t make outside shots, which is why Cincinnati--the only team to beat Duke this season--is no longer playing in the tournament. Purdue has found new life, playing outstanding defense. The Boilermakers also shot 58% in defeating Miami, a strong team from the resurgent Big East.

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* How it shakes out: Duke rolls on, probably by a margin of 20 to 30 points in each game. Here’s hoping the Final Four offers the Blue Devils some competition.