To get some insight on Duke Blue Devil basketball before the big game tomorrow at Madison Square Garden, we had the pleasure of doing a short Q & A with JD of the Duke Basketball Report. We answered some Q's for them too, so check out their site later today for the other half of the Q & A.

AFGZ: We've followed Kyle Singler's career because he's from the Northwest. Has he lived up to your expectations so far, and do you think this will be his last season with the Blue Devils?

DBR: Singler has been an excellent player for Duke. It's hard to imagine how he could be much better. He has played just about every position for Duke except for point guard. He's about as versatile player as there is in the country. My personal guess is that he will go pro, but that depends on the draft position.

AFGZ: The Blue Devils have kicked off another season with a tremendous 8-1 record and the 7th spot in the polls. But recently they've underachieved in the NCAA tournament. What will it take for Duke to get back to the Final Four or win the National Championship?

DBR: I am not sure they've underachieved in the postseason as much as they have overachieved in the regular season. For various reasons, Duke hasn't had as much talent lately, as they are used to. The fact that they maintained a high regular-season standard is very impressive, considering the key players missed in recruiting, especially in the back court.

AFGZ: Duke seems to have the skill players to compete against anyone, but is Zoubek talented enough to get it done against bigger teams in the front court? Who will bang with other bigs in the ACC and during the NCAA tourney?

DBR: Zoubek is a tactical weapon. And he's never going to be a tremendous offensive force, but he's an excellent rebounder, a fair defender, and a surprising passer. He is a very alert player who can surprise. He has no vertical to speak of and is not very fast, but he's effective. He is very useful against bigger players, although he at times gets into foul trouble. He is capable of double-figure rebounds in limited time. Don't dismiss him because he looks slow and can't jump.

AFGZ: Which Gonzaga player do you think will give Duke the most trouble in this match-up?

DBR: To be honest I am not as familiar with the match-ups as I would like to be. I have seen Gonzaga once and was very impressed with Bouldin and Kong. But the reason both programs are solid are the coaches. Mark Few is a great coach. We have a lot of respect for what he has accomplished. Gonzaga has become a great program, despite being remote from the eastern media and to an extent the West Coast media too, and in spite of being in a lesser conference and having to compete with the Pac-10. There's no organic reason why Gonzaga should be great. Duke has the ACC to build on. Gonzaga has done it on sheer grit and determination. It's one of my favorite programs and for all the right reasons.

AFGZ: From your perspective on the East coast, how do you view Gonzaga? Are they a legitimate opponent or a pretender come tournament time? What are your thoughts on this MSG game?

DBR: From an East Coast point of view, I'm never sure why Gonzaga seems to underachieve in the tournament. With so many players having departed from last year's team I'm not nearly as familiar with this year's. But I do know that Gonzaga is never a walk in the park. You guys have a great, clean, highly respected program. That said, I hope we kick your butt :)

Good luck!

Thanks to JD for taking the time to chat with us. Make sure you check out DukeBasketballReport.com for all your Duke news.

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