The hunt for the national title continue for the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils and the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs after they repulsed their respective opponents in the Sweet 16. One team’s title dreams, however, is about to end on Sunday as Mike Krzyzewski’s and Mark Few’s boys collide in what should be an entertaining matchup between two of the highest scoring teams in the nation.
Read on below for a detailed preview of this game. You can also click here for our preview of No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 3 Notre Dame.
[sc:MarchMadness ]March Madness No. 1 Duke Blue Devils vs No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs Preview
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
When: Sunday, March 29, 5:05 PM ET
Line: Duke Blue Devils vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils
Duke bucked a subpar offensive night by Jahlil Okafor on Friday, as the Blue Devils eked out a 63-57 win over the fifth-seeded Utah Utes. Up ahead for Duke is a matchup with Gonzaga in the Midwest Regional final.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Okafor finished the game against Utah with only six points, a very disappointing output considering that he entered Friday’s contest averaging 18.1 points per game. Fortunately for Duke, Justise Winslow was there to pick up the slack, scoring 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting. The backcourt pair of Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones also added 11 and 15 points, respectively.
Winslow is averaging 12.1 points per game thus far this season. Cook and Jones, meanwhile, chip in 15.8 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.
Expect Winslow to play extra tough on both ends of the floor against Gonzaga, as aside from contributing on offense, Duke will also look for him to contain Kyle Wiltjer. The Bulldogs’ leading scorer is putting up 17.1 points per game on 47.9 percent shooting.
Although Duke survived Utah despite Okafor’s near absent scoring, the team can’t afford to have the same kind of offensive performance from the big man. Duke’s offense will always revolve around Okafor, who’ll have to establish his dominance inside early to open up spaces for the team’s outside shooters. With Okafor struggling against Utah, the Utes’ defenders were able to focus more on Duke’s three-point shooters, who went just 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. Duke takes 19.5 three-point attempts per game.
Duke is 7-3 ATS record over its last 10 outings overall.
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Betting on the Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga is still kicking. The ‘Zags booked their tickets to the regional final for just the second time in program history by beating No. 11 UCLA Bruins on Friday, 74-62. With the victory, Gonzaga improves to 4-1 ATS over its last five games.
Przemek Karnowski was a beast in the game against UCLA, as the 7-1 center scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and added two blocks. Domantas Sabonis, meanwhile, came off the bench and fired 12 points to go along with his eight rebounds. Karnowski and Sabonis highlight one of Gonzaga’s keys to success versus the Blue Devils: a frontcourt that knows how to bully its way.
Mark Few has at his disposal a roster with four players that stand at least 6-8— including Sabonis who is a 6-10 power forward—which he could throw at Duke’s defensively susceptible frontcourt. Duke has a mediocre rim protection, as evidenced by its opponents’ high 58.1 percent shooting at the rim.
Karnowski is averaging 12.7 points and seven rebounds per game over the last three games. Sabonis, meanwhile, is putting up 12.3 points and collecting 9.3 rebounds per game during the same stretch.
Gonzaga, however, will have to see better scoring production from star Kyle Wiltjer to keep in step with Duke. After scoring 23 and 24 points against North Dakota and Iowa, respectively, the 6-10 stretch four made just eight points against UCLA. Hopefully for the Bulldogs, Wiltjer can get it going again against Duke defense that gives up 64.8 points per game.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 65-61.
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