"They're going to be dangerous": Analyst Jay Bilas names 'under-the-radar' teams, including one that can potentially beat Duke

As the college basketball season nears the conference tournaments, Jay Bilas listed a few underrated teams he believes could make a surprising run — including one he thinks can take down Duke. In a snippet posted on his X account Tuesday, the analyst first pointed to the Saint Mary's Gaels, noting that they defeated Mark Few's Gonzaga twice this season.

Bilas then turned his attention to the New Mexico Lobos, expressing confidence in their two-way play, defense and leadership. He even argued that their length makes them competitive against Power 5 programs. From there, he brought up the Clemson Tigers.

Jay Bilas praised Clemson’s 2024-25 run, admitting that even he didn’t foresee the team’s potential. He then gave a shout-out to its key players, boldly claiming they could upset Duke in the ACC tournament.

"I think Clemson is undervalued and underrated, undervalued by me frankly," he said (at 0:58). "They got Chase Hunter in the backcourt, he's having a great year. Jaeden Zackery transferred in from Boston College and still they have Ian Schieffelin who is one of the best rebounders in the country period.

"So Clemson went to the Elite 8 last year, one game away from the Final Four, and they're the one team I think could take Duke. And they've already done it, they did it at home but that's a possibility. I think they're going going to be a dangerous team."

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How did the Clemson Tigers upset Cooper Flagg and Duke?

An unranked Clemson Tigers defeated Cooper Flagg and No. 2 Duke (77-71) at the Littlejohn Coliseum on Feb. 8. The Blue Devils entered the contest off a 16-game winning streak, while the Tigers were coming off a triple-overtime game loss (89-86) to Georgia Tech.

Clemson’s strength was its balanced offense. While Viktor Lakhin led with 22 points, Jaeden Zackery, Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin all scored in double figures, combining to shoot 66% from the field. Meanwhile, Flagg, Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel combined for 55 points for Duke but shot just 48%.

The Tigers trailed for most of the game but took their first lead in the 37th minute. A key second-half defensive adjustment held the Blue Devils to under 35% shooting, while Clemson’s strategic use of timeouts helped disrupt Duke’s momentum.