Duke Blue Devils v Kansas Jayhawks NCAA Elite 8 Betting Picks

Duke Blue Devils (29-7 SU 22-12 ATS) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (30-7 SU 19-16-1 ATS)
DATE: 5:05 PM ET Sunday March 25 on CBS

Two of the most storied programs in college basketball square off in the Elite 8 with Duke taking on Kansas. The Blue Devils had two blowouts in their first two games before narrowly beating ACC foe Syracuse 69-65 in their last game in the Sweet 16. Duke won their last game with defense and while they have been solid on that side of the court this season they are led by their offense, which ranks 6th in the nation putting up an average of 84.9 ppg.

The Jayhawks have had two close games in a row and after dominating Clemson in the first half in their last game they held on for the win even being outscored by nine points in the 2nd half. Kansas is like Duke, as they have a good defense, but led by an offense that ranks 29th in the nation and in their last two games they have scored at least 80 points.

Devils v Jaywhawks H2H Matchup Stats

• These teams met last season at a neutral site where Kansas beat Duke 77-75.
• In their games held at a neutral site this season both of these teams are 8-1.

The odds

Duke Blue Devils Betting Trends

• Duke is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games.
• Duke is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against a team with a losing record.
• Duke has an Under record of 8-3 in their last 11 games.

In their last game Duke beat Syracuse 69-65 where turnovers were key. The Blue Devils only shot 39.3% from the floor and 19.2% from 3-pt range while Syracuse shot 49% and 30.8% from deep, but the Orange committed 16 turnovers while Duke only had seven. Marvin Bagley III led the Blue Devils with 22 points and also had seven boards and Wendell Carter Jr and Gary Trent Jr. chimed in for 14 points apiece. Bagley III (21.2 ppg 11.3 rpg) leads five players for the Blue Devils averaging in double figures on the season and he has scored 22 points in each of the three games in the Big Dance.

Kansas Jaywhawks Betting Trends

• Kansas is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games.
• Kansas is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
• Kansas has an Over record of 6-3-1 in their last 9 games.

Kansas took down Clemson in the Sweet 16 beating them 80-76 where they outscored the Tigers by 13 points in the first half. The Jayhawks shot a similar FG% as Clemson (46.7% to 43.1%), but they shot the long ball better with a 3-pt FG% of 45.5% while the Tigers only shot 30% from deep. The Jayhawks had a balanced attack in the game with four of five starters going for at least 13 points, Malik Newman led them in scoring for the 2nd straight game going for 17 points, and Udoka Azubuike went for a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Devonte’ Graham (17.4 ppg) leads five players for KU that are averaging over 12 ppg and he has only totaled 24 points on a combined 5/22 shooting in his last two games.

Blue Devils v Jayhawks Prediction

Both teams had close games in their Sweet 16 games and look for the same in this one. Both teams are deep and can light up the scoreboard. The Blue Devils have star freshman Bagley III, who will have a good game, but the Jayhawks will keep the other players from scoring big. Kansas will shoot the rock well and they will win this game advancing to the Final 4.

Duke v Kansas Betting Advice

Kansas on the moneyline (head to head) +135 at Bovada.