Grant Hill isn’t buying into the significant point spread that favors Duke by 6.5.
The former Duke and NBA star sees a potential blockbuster Friday night when St. John’s plays its first Sweet 16 game in 27 years at Capital One Arena.
“By the time they got into mid-January, you saw that this team is really good. You saw how they finished the Big East regular season,” said Hill, the CBS college basketball analyst who will handle the East Region alongside Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery. “You start looking at the seeding — and I know there’s a formula. Quad 1 and this, that and the other — but I have felt even before last weekend that they were better than their seed. One hundred percent they are more than capable.
“I’m not great with predictions. I’ve seen Duke play, I’ve seen St. John’s a ton. [The Red Storm are] tough, they’re athletic, they play well together, they really defend, and they kind of embody the personality and spirit of their coach. Not only are they capable of winning on Friday, they’re capable of representing the East Region in the Final Four. It should be a great matchup, and it’s going to be a tough matchup.”
