The Duke Blue Devils will try to make the Final Four for the third time since 2010 but in their way stands their most formidable opponent yet in the Kansas Jayhawks. The Blue Devils-Jayhawks clash will mark only the 11th time these two prestigious programs have met, with Duke having the edge by winning seven of those contests.
- The total has gone UNDER in four of Duke’s last five games against Kansas.
- Kansas is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games after consecutive ATS losses.
- Duke is 8-1 SU on a neutral court this season.
Duke had everything it could handle in its Sweet 16 matchup vs Syracuse as the Orange held the Blue Devils to 5-for-26 shooting from three-point range and Duke failed to cover the spread for the first time in the tournament. But talent can overcome a bad shooting day and the Dookies’ frontcourt of Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. combined for 36 points and 20 rebounds to overcome Syracuse’s daunting zone defense.
As this matchup should be more of a man-to-man approach, Duke should have the advantage and betting trends support a Blue Devils victory. Duke is 10-2 SU and 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games as a favorite and 14-3 SU in its last 17 games vs Big 12 teams.
However, Kansas shouldn’t be a pushover in this matchup because the Jayhawks have explosive talent on their end of the court, including potential National Player of the Year Devonte’ Graham. The senior guard is averaging 17.6 points per game in the NCAA Tournament and has been a part of three teams that have made it to the Elite Eight in his college career.
The frustrating part with Kansas lately has been the team’s inability to cover the spread in crucial games as evidenced in recent victories vs Clemson and Seton Hall. Spread bettors may want to exercise caution before wagering on Kansas and stick to the moneyline as the Jayhawks are 8-0 SU in their last eight games vs ACC teams and have won three of the last four games in this matchup.
The total opened at 154.5 and while the trends point to an UNDER, the OVER could prove to be the smart play. Both of these teams are offensive juggernauts and average over 80 points per game. The OVER has hit in seven of Kansas’s last 10 games with an average combined score of 160.8 points and Duke allows over 70 points per game so this game has all the makings of fireworks to get to the Final Four.
Duke Blue Devils vs Kansas Jayhawks Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Kansas Jayhawks bring a 30-7 record (19-17 ATS) to this tilt against the 29-7 Blue Devils, who are 22-13 ATS. Those OVER/UNDER betting have witnessed Kansas go 17-17-2 so far and the Duke Blue Devils go 19-16.
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Kansas Jayhawks rated this week at No. 155 and the Duke Blue Devils sitting at No. 28.
Statistical Matchup
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Kansas has the nation's No. 25-rated offensive output, at 81.35 PPG. The visiting Duke Blue Devils defense ranks No. 78 allowing on average 69.19 PPG. The Jayhawks' FG% has averaged 49.53% so far, more than the Blue Devils marksmen have achieved on the year, 49.37% per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Duke got 22 points from Marvin Bagley III en route to a 69-65 victory over Syracuse on Friday at CenturyLink Center.
Kansas got 17 points from Malik Newman en route to a 80-76 victory over Clemson on Friday at CenturyLink Center.
