The March Madness bracket is full of tricky games to pick, particularly in the Midwest region where three of the four teams in last year’s Final Four, including the defending champion, are lurking. No. 3 Duke is always a contender, but No. 14 Mercer is no lightweight either.
Read on for our breakdown of this closer-than-it-looks-on-paper match up, and get set to bet all the March Madness lines and spreads as the tournament kicks off with the First Four on Tuesday.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Duke Blue Devils vs. Mercer Bears Betting Preview
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee
When: Friday, March 21, 12:15PM EST
Line: Duke Blue Devils (-13) vs. Mercer Bears (+13); total 140.5
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils and Mercer Bears come into this one with very different histories in the Big Dance. The Blue Devils have made the NCAA Tournament a total of 30 times since 1985. Meanwhile, the Mercer Bears haven’t been involved in the tournament since 1985. Can the Blue Devils prevent virtual unknown Mercer from scoring a monumental upset right in the second round?
Duke left the ACC Tournament empty handed after a 72-63 loss to Virginia in the final that was closer than the score suggests. The Blue Devils beat Clemson and North Carolina State in the quarters and semis of the ACC bracket, but are 0-3 ATS in their last three nonetheless.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski will be looking to add a third tournament championship to his name, but the Blue Devils will be in tough.
Despite the loss to Virginia, Jabari Parker continued to find ways to get buckets as he scored 23 points against the Cavaliers, the 18th time this season that he scored at least 20 points in a game. The freshman is averaging 19.2 PPG and 8.8 RPG, both team-leading numbers.
Parker is expected to be the focal point once again of the Blue Devils against Mercer. Behind him is a bright supporting cast of Rodney Hood, Quinn Cook, and Rasheed Sulaimon. Among those, Hood has been the most consistent as of late. He was the team’s next best scorer behind Parker in three of the Blue Devils’ last five games.
Betting on the Mercer Bears
After beating last year’s Cinderella team, the Bears are hoping the glass slippers fit in the coming NCAA Tournament. They beat Florida Gulf Coast, 68-60, in the Atlantic Sun Tournament championship to notch their fourth straight victory, and more importantly, Mercer’s first trip to the Big Dance since 1985.
Mercer’s leading scorer, Langston Hall (14.7 PPG), recovered from a poor three-point performance against Jacksonville in the conference quarterfinals by pouring on 21 and 15 points against USC and FGCU, respectively. Hall is the only Bear averaging double-digits in scoring but has a slew of teammates who consistently contribute to an offense that generates 79.3 PPG, good for 25th-best in the nation.
Prediction – Mercer Covers
Mercer will prevent being blown to bits by the Blue Devils and will lose by less than the +13 they have been priced at.
Is Duke in for a shock against Mercer? Or the Bears simply will fail to duplicate the feat of FGCU last season? Bet on this game now. And don’t forget that Top Bet is your home for college basketball odds, news and betting lines all through March Madness.
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