The Duke Blue Devils are virtually assured of a spot in the Big Dance, but of course it would be nice to add another ACC Tournament title to their trophy case. In their first game in the tourney, the Blue Devils will face the auto-bid seeking Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who will parade two stars who were not available in the two teams’ first meeting. Read on for a preview of this game below. Register here to wager on this game.
Betting Preview for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Duke Blue Devils College Basketball Game on March 8, 2018
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn
When: Thursday, March 8, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (n/a) vs Duke Blue Devils (n/a) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (20-13)
Although Notre Dame lost convincingly to Duke the first time around, the Fighting Irish will come into this showdown with the Blue Devils with a ton of momentum. Notre Dame defeated Pittsburgh in the first round (67-64) and took down Virginia Tech in the second round Wednesday (71-65). If the Fighting Irish are going to stage a huge upset, they will need the pair of Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell to come up big. The duo has been the biggest reason why the Fighting Irish are still alive in the ACC Tourney. Colson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win over the Hokies, while Farrell had 22 points and five assists. The two also did not play in the first meeting with Duke so expect the Fighting Irish to put up a much better fight this time around in a neutral location. Notre Dame is 2-0 ATS in its last two games as an underdog.
Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (25-6)
Perhaps the most notable advantage of Duke going into Thursday’s game against Notre Dame is its fresh legs. Thanks to the double-bye it earned because of a strong conference play, Duke has had four days of full rest when it takes on the Fighting Irish. Of course, that’s not the only thing that the Blue Devils will draw confidence from. They have defeated Notre Dame at home on Jan. 29, 88-66, with the Blue Devils firing on all cylinders in that game. The ACC’s leading scorer and rebounder, Marvin Bagley III, had 12 points and eight rebounds in that victory, while Grayson Allen and Gary Trent Jr. Dropped 18 and 22 points, respectively. Duke owns one of the best offenses in the nation, as it averaging an astounding 85.1 points per game. The Blue Devils are also second nationally in rebounds with 41.9 boards per contest. They are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three dates with Notre Dame.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 79-71.
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