The defense was outstanding and the offense was sloppy. Some good runs, and some completely careless possessions. Kind of par for the course for a Norm Roberts coached team. But I do think this defense is quite a bit better than past years.
Talent and results-wise so far, this team should be able to hang with Duke. But I think it's more a mental thing than anything else. This team has to prove that they can go to Cameron Indoor, get punched in the face (like they will at some point), and withstand the run and stay in the game. As we all know, recent teams have fallen apart at the slightest hint of adversity against elite teams.
IMO, it's impossible to predict what's going to happen on Saturday. I do think we're going to find out a lot about whether or not this team will be able to legitimately compete in the Big East this year.