Duke vs. Rhode Island Prediction
After a big day of upsets on Friday, will No. 2 Duke avoid an upset of its own when it faces No. 7 Rhode Island in the second round of the NCAA Tournament today?
Game Snapshot
NCAA Tournament Midwest Region: (523) Rhode Island vs. (524) Duke
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV: CBS, 2:40PM ET
Who Oddsmakers Like: Duke. According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Duke is the favorite in this game, as the Blue Devils are getting odds of -9.5 points against Rhode Island after opening as a 9.5-point favorite as well. The spread briefly moved to 10 points. The over/under total sits at 149.5 points after opening at 150 points.
Who Public Bettors Like: Duke. As of Friday night, the Blue Devils are getting 68 percent of the wagers on this game as a near double-digit favorite against Rhode Island.
Injury Report: Neither team has any players listed on the injury report for this game.
Bet on College Basketball for Saturday, March 17, 2018
Who We Like: Duke won big in its opener with Iona, covering a 20.5-point spread with an 89-67 victory on Thursday. Rhode Island grinded out an 83-78 OT victory over Oklahoma, covering the 1.5-point spread. Rhode Island has a team that has had a great season, but the lack of size for the Rams will be their downfall today. URI averages just 31 boards per game, while Duke is pushing for 40 a game. The Blue Devils have plenty of size and should be able to dominate the paint and pound the glass. Rhode Island doesn’t shoot well enough to limit themselves to one attempt per possession and they don’t have a strong enough defense to completely lock up the Blue Devils. I think Duke will slowly pull away and cover another spread.
NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS: DUKE -9.5
