Duke Cheerleaders Excited About Kyrie Irving Going #1

It's not a shock that a Duke Blue Devil went #1 in the NBA draft, but maybe it's a little surprising that it was a guy that played all of 11 games last year. Oh well, I guess the NBA draft really is all about potential than production.

NCAA Tourney Sweet Sixteen Cheerleader Preview - #1 Duke v. #5 Arizona

Arizona has won their 2 games in the 2011 NCAA Tournament by a combined 3 points. But they are still playing, and that is all that really matters. The question is: do they have what it takes to win another close game against an even better opponent?

Of course, Duke came awfully close to losing their 2nd round game, so maybe their not so invincible after all. I don't know a ton about the Blue Devils, but I do know that Nolan Smith will be the best player on the court tomorrow night. And it's always a smart bet to go with the team with the best player on the court.

MY PICK: DUKE

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

 ARIZONA WILDCATS

NCAA Tourney Round 1 Cheerleader Preview - #1 Duke v. #16 Hampton

Well this should be exciting. I'm going out on a limb here and predicting Duke to win by 33 points. And I don't see Nolan Smith playing at all in the last 10 minutes of this game. Nothing to see here folks, keep moving.

MY PICK: DUKE

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

HAMPTON PIRATES

College Basketball Is Officially Back!

I realize real games have been going on for a few days now, but today is the first really big day of college hoops. There are just a ton of great games today including Virginia Tech/Kansas State, Ohio State/Florida, and LaSalle/Baylor (don't laugh, it should be a fun one to watch).

But to start off the basketball season here at College Cheerleader Heaven, I figured we would feature the season's first #1 team in the nation: the Duke Blue Devils.

Check Out The New SI Cheerleader of the Week

They went with another Dukie this time. Not the hottest cheerleader I've ever seen, but she's still a cutie. Check out the rest of her pics here.

NCAA Tourney Champion Duke Blue Devil Cheerleaders

Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils for winning their 4th NCAA championship last night and crushing Cinderella's dream. As if people didn't hate Duke enough already. Oh well, they played well and they're a good team. They deserved it. But damn I thought Heyward's half-court prayer was going in!

NCAA Tourney National Championship Game Preview -- (1)Duke v. (5)Butler

And the Cinderella lives to fight one more time. I am just shocked Butler has been able to pull this off. Every time they win I have the same reaction, "That's great, but it's going to catch up with them now." I said it before they played Syracuse. I said it again before they played K-State. I said it one more time before the Michigan State game. Maybe it's time to give them their due and recognize that they are a damn good basketball team.

That being said, I think it's going to catch up with them now. Have you seen Duke play in this tournament? They are damn good. I think they've erased all of the bitching about them being a #1 seed. They have simply mowed down everyone that dared step in front of them. So I'll be rooting my ass off for Butler tonight, but I just don't see it happening.

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

BUTLER BULLDOGS

NCAA Tourney Final Four Preview -- (1) Duke v. (2) West Virginia

So here we go. The strangest Final Four in quite a while kicks off tonight with the only teams that most people really thought had a chance to make it to Indianapolis. It's no shock Duke is here. They were a #1 seed in a pretty weak region. And, yes, they are a pretty good basketball team. West Virginia was a #2 seed that a lot of people thought should have been a #1 seed (over Duke, ironically). So this match-up isn't all that unexpected.

If I had to pick a winner here, I'd go with West Virginia. They are a tough, long, fast team that makes you play the way they want to play. I may hate Bob Huggins, but it looks like he's finally kicked that whole "Chokes in the Tournament Every Year" reputation.

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

NCAA Tourney Sweet 16 Preview -- (1) Duke v. (4) Purdue

Wait just a second. I thought Purdue was done once Hummel went down? There was no way they were going to beat Siena. And then once they squeeked by them (in a game they had won just a few minutes into the 2nd half) they knocked off a strong Texas A&M squad in overtime. Now they get to play spoiler/underdog once again against top-seeded Duke. Let's go Boilermakers!!!

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

PURDUE BOILERMAKERS

NCAA TOURNEY ROUND 1 PREVIEW -- (1) Duke v. (16) Arkansas-Pine Bluff

UAPB already has one win in this tournament, so that means they are already more experienced than Duke. I think that has to count for something. I'm thinking about 3 points. Of course, Duke is about 33 points better than UAPB, so that means Duke wins by 30.

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF GOLDEN LIONS