Duke vs Arizona Prediction, Preview & Odds: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Duke vs Arizona How To Watch

Date: Thursday, March 27
Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
Time: 9:39 pm ET
TV: CBS
Teams: (4) Arizona (24-12), (1) Duke (33-3)
Region: East
NCAA Tournament Schedule, Predictions, Previews

Why Arizona Will Win

It’s not scoring 55 points in this.

The Wildcats couldn’t consistently shoot a lick early in the season, and it showed in that brutal offensive showing against the Blue Devils back in November.

They ended up leading the Big 12 in scoring.

It sounds basic, but they’ve managed to power their way through games by simply scoring through their problems. They went 21-2 when scoring 78 points or more, but to win this, it starts on the boards.

Duke doesn’t give up second chances points, so to solve that, Arizona, 1) make shots, 2) and when you don’t, be the team that came up with 14 offensive rebounds against Akron and 12 against Oregon.

Why Duke Will Win

Yeah, there’s one little problem with that 78-point stat when it comes to Arizona.

Duke gave up 78 to Auburn, 78 to Notre Dame, and that’s it - and won both games. No one hit 80 on this defense.

As amazing as Cooper Flagg is, and as good as the Blue Devils are from inside and out - they put on a show from three against Baylor - they’re air-tight defensively.

Part of that come from playing in a pathetic ACC, and part of it is because this bunch takes defense very, very seriously.

Arizona can’t the three, but it’s not consistently good enough to rely on the outside shots being a big deal. Duke will clamp down inside and force the Wildcats to shoot over the top, and …

Duke vs Arizona: Who Will Win?

31-0. That’s what Duke is when it allows 71 points or fewer. Arizona is 0-7 when failing to get to 72.

Make that 32-0 and 0-8.

This will be a tight battle early with the Wildcats hitting a few big shots, and then Duke will go on a run converting off a few missed threes for points. That will be the early second half spark that Arizona won’t be able to respond to.

Duke vs Arizona Prediction, Betting Lines

Prediction: Duke 84, Arizona 71
Duke vs Arizona Betting Lines
BetMGM Line: Arizona -9.5, o/u: 153.5
DraftKings Line: Arizona -9.5, o/u: 153.5
FanDuel Line: Arizona -8.5, o/u: 153.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5
Fiu Bluesky | CFN Bluesky | CFN X | CFN FB

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

- Texas Tech vs Arkansas Prediction & Game Preview