On Saturday afternoon, the Duke Blue Devils meet the Yale Bulldogs in the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Duke is a four-seed and knocked off UNC Wilmington in the first round, a game that was much closer than the eight-point margin of victory indicated. Yale is a 12-seed and beat the Baylor Bears in the first round. Remember to be on the lookout for more betting odds for March Madness by clicking here.
March Madness Spread Analysis on Yale vs Duke
What: Yale Bulldogs at Duke Blue Devils
When: Saturday, March 19
Start: 2:40 PM ET
Where: Providence, Rhode Island
Stadium: Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Spread: Duke -6.5
Moneyline: Duke -208
Game Total: 146
Watch: CBS
Stream: CBS SportsRadio: Yale at Duke
Why Should You Bet on the Blue Devils?
While Grayson Allen is normally the star for Duke, he was pretty quiet against UNC Wilmington. Marshall Plumlee carried the burden, scoring 23 points for a career best — including 19 in the second half. The Blue Devils will have to earn every point against the nation’s #12 defense (63.1 ppg), which begins by loosening them up with bombs from downtown. Duke outrebounded UNC Wilmington 40-34 and will need to win the battle of the boards against Yale too.
Why Should You Put Your Money on Yale?
When you think about Ivy League basketball, you might think about those back-door cuts that Pete Carrill used to have his Princeton Tigers run year after year, making their way into the first round of the NCAAs (and occasionally making it to the second). This Yale team can run the back-door cut, but they also have tough rebounding, and they have Makai Mason, who is terrific from behind the arc — and all over the floor. He dropped 31 points on Baylor, including six of the last nine points Yle would score. He went 11 for 11 from the free throw line and 9 for 18 from the floor. Yale also plays sticky perimeter defense, making life hard for teams that rely on outside shooting. If they can handle Grayson Allen, they definitely have a shot.
Expert Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction
Yale has had a terrific season and deserve a higher seeding than the one they received in this tournament. They have the tools to pull off the upset, and Duke is ripe for one. I’m picking the Bulldogs to win, 70-66.
