The 12th seed, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (30-4, 18-0 Summit) will look to make a run after a disappointing 19-12 2021-2022 season, and Regional Semifinal loss in 2021. The Duke Blue Devils (26-8, 14-6 ACC) look to have NCAA tournament success without long time head coach, Mike Krzyzewski. These two teams will play on Thursday at 7:10 PM EDT, in the East, located in Orlando, Florida. The matchup will air on CBS. If you are looking for the best betting odds, here is information to know:
Betting Odds, Money Line, Spread, Under/Over
*All lines are taken from Draft Kings*
Money Line
Duke: -265
Oral Roberts: +225
Over/Under: 146
Over: -110
Under: -110
Spread:
Duke: -6 (-115)
Oral Roberts: + 6 (-115)
Regular Season Recap
Duke
The Duke Blue Devils are without their head coach of 42 years, Mike Krzyzewski. This season was a big test for the Blue Devils, who played under first year head coach, Jon Scheyer. Scheyer was previously an assistant to Coach K from 2014-2022 and is familiar with the system and school. Duke has FIVE National Championships in school history, and is under pressure to continue the winning tradition with a new head coach. Duke has a similar record last year, and lost to UNC 81-77 in the final four. Before New Years Day, Dukes record was 11-3. Since the start of 2023, the Blue Devils finished with a second half record of 10-2, and won their last 9 games in a row. Duke had loses to high ranked teams, such as Kansas (69-64), Purdue (75-56), Miami (81-59), and Virginia (69-92 in OT). They redeemed themselves in the second half of the season, with wins against Virginia, Miami, and OSU. Lead by Freshman Center Kyle Filipowski, and Junior Guard Jeremy Roach, Duke had the 15th hardest strength in schedule, according to CBS. Duke is 4-4 against Top 25 teams this season. Duke has tournament experience, and this will be their 26th NCAA Tournament appearance in 27th Tournaments. Duke may average only 72 points, however, they are extremely efficient on the defensive end, especially in rebounding. Duke is hot at the right time and could make it far in this year’s tournament.
Oral Roberts
Could Oral Roberts be the Cinderella team we are all waiting for this season? We all remember St. Peters last year, and Oral Roberts could be THAT team. Last season, the Golden Eagles did not make it into the tourney, and this team is proving their NCAA tournament Regional Semifinal loss in 2021 was NOT an upset. According to ESPN, at least one No. 12 seed has won against a No. 5 Seed in 32 of the last 37 tournaments. In this case, it could absolutely be Oral Roberts. This team has far impressed this season, landing in the top 5 in points differential, and Blocks. Although the Golden Eagles were blown out by Houston 83-45 week 3, they did not have a single loss in their conference. To be fair, Oral Roberts had the 179th strength in schedule, and plays in a weak Summit division. Only South Dakota State and North Dakota State were the only other teams in the conference above .500. Oral Roberts doesn’t have as much experience as Duke against top 25 teams, going 0-1 this season. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 17-game win streak, and it is certainly hard to ignore that. This is a team that’s very efficient on both sides of the ball, can shoot well and thanks to their star Max Abmas and Connor Vanover, this team has offensive and defensive talents. Shout out to head coach Paul Mills, who led the Golden Eagles to their FIRST ever 30th win season.
Injury Report
Duke
None
Oral Roberts
None
Key Players
Duke
Freshman Center Kyle Filipowski has been a pleasant surprise this season. Duke has become one of the best rebounding teams, thanks for Kyle. The center is always there for offensive rebounding, especially when Duke misses mid-range and 3-point shots. He provides that interior defense that is often a factor in these tournaments. He’s leading the team in points with 15.4 and rebounds with 9, nearly averaging a double-double. He can occasionally shoot 3’s when necessary. Kyle can also score inside the paint and make quality passes. The 7- footer was elite against Virginia for the ACC Championship. He finished the night with a double-double, which was #15 on the year for the Freshman.
Junior Jeremy Roach has been another staple of this team, averaging 13.3 points per game. He is not the biggest 3-point threat, averaging 34.1 percent from the arc. Roach has a solid free throw percentage, and shot 42 percent from field goal range this year. In the ACC Championship against Duke, Roach contributed 23 points on 7-12, and was 2-2 from the 3-point line.
Oral Roberts
Senior guard Max Abmas has been the star of this team. Not only did he shoot 44 percent from the field goal range this season, he is 7th in the nation in points per game with 22.2. He averages 4-5 rebounds a game, along with 4 assists. His 3-point percentage has been down from previous years, however, he knows how to get to the free throw line, and make quick buckets. In their last game over NDSU, he contributed 26 points on 7-15, and was 9-10 from the line. However, he was cold from beyond the arc, shooting 37.5 %. In their only game against Houston, he did struggle, shooting 1-13, 1-9 from the 3-point, with 3 points.
Senior Center Connor Vanover, has been a solid interior presence for the Golden Eagles. Oral Roberts is top five in blocks overall, and Vanover is the conference defensive player of the year. He has had more than 100 blocked shots at 7 foot 5.
Key Stats
• Duke is averaging 72.5 points per game, while Oral Roberts is averaging 84.2 points per game.
• Duke ranks 33rd in points allowed with 63.9 opponents per game.
• Duke ranks 21st in rebounds per game with 38.7.
• Duke ranks 33rd in point differential at +8.5
• Duke is ranked 39th in blocked shots with 4.5 per game
• Oral Roberts is ranked #5 in Points Differential at +14.1, and Blocks per game at 5.4.
• Oral Roberts ranks third in points per game with 84.2.
• Oral Roberts ranks 24th in field goal % at 47.9 %
• Duke Averages 33.6 % from the 3-point, while Oral Roberts averages 36.9 beyond the arc.
LAST 10 GAMES + GAME PREDICTION
• SPREAD: Oral Roberts +5.5
-Oral Roberts covered the spread in just TWO of their last 10 games.
-Oral Roberts has a 13-16-1 ATS this season
-Oral Roberts covered the spread last against NDSU at -11
-Duke covered the spread in six of their last 10 games. However, the spreads were all close with Virginia at -3.0, and Miami at -2.5
-Duke is a 15-19-0 ATS this season
-Duke is 14-15 as a favorite to cover the spread this season.
• MONEY LINE: Duke
-Duke won the Money Line 9 out of their last 10 games
-Oral Roberts won the Money Line in all 10 of their last games.
-Oral Roberts money line has been over -1000 in 5 out of their last 10 games.
• OVER/UNDER- UNDER
-Duke Avg +/- vs O/U Line: -3.91
-Duke Overall O/U Record: 13-20-1
-Duke 5-5 against O/U last 10 games.
-Oral Roberts hit the UNDER 8 of their last 10 games.
-Oral Roberts O/U Record: 13-17-0
-Oral Roberts Avg +/- vs O/U Line: -1.33
