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Joe Lunardi Predicts Blowout in Sweet 16 Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Mar 26, 2025 2:57 PM ET

The Sweet 16 is here after an action-packed first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. While just one double-digit seed in Arkansas is still alive, it has set up for some top-tier matchups on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, the East Region's No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils will face off against the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats in Newark. Arizona guard Caleb Love will get the opportunity to face Duke once more after spending his first three college basketball seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke's primary rival.

The Blue Devils have been arguably the nation's best team this year, holding a record of 33-3 and led by Oscar Robertson National Player of the Year winner Cooper Flagg. Arizona, on the other hand, is 24-12.

Heading into this matchup, ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi shared his prediction—and it was right on par with most of Duke’s results this season: a blowout.

Lunardi predicts Duke will knock off Arizona by a score of 90-75 to advance to the Elite 8. With the Blue Devils favored by 9.5 points (ESPN BET), Lunardi has them comfortably covering the spread.

This will be the second matchup of the season between Duke and Arizona. The two college basketball powerhouses first met on Nov. 22 in Tucson, where the Blue Devils came out on top with a 69-55 victory. Flagg led the way with 24 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.

If Arizona wants to flip the script this time, it'll have to contain Flagg. The Wildcats boast the 28th-best defensive rating in the country (KenPom) and will need to rely on that to punch their ticket to the Elite Eight. Meanwhile, Duke’s offense has been firing on all cylinders in the Tournament, scoring 93 and 89 points in its first two games.

Tip-off is scheduled for 9:39 p.m. ET on CBS.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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