NCAA Tournament Betting Pick: Duke Blue Devils vs Arizona Wildcats
Thursday, March 24, 2011
By Gordon P. Quinn
The Arizona Wildcats from the PAC 10 conference will face the Duke Blue Devils from the ACC conference in a fourth round NCAA Tournament tonight at 9:45 PM ET from the Honda Center in Anaheim California.
The Wildcats began their NCAA Tournament with a difficult test and passed by defeating the Memphis Tigers from Conference USA 77-75 as a -5 ½ point favourite. The team continued with a 70-69 victory in the Round of 32 against the #4 seed Texas Longhorns from the Big 12 conference as a +5 ½ point underdog.
Duke began its quest for a repeat with a laugher blowing out the Hampton Pirates of the MEAC conference 87-45 as a -25 point favourite but almost let one get away against Michigan before surviving with a 73-71 victory but failed to cover the -12 ½ points.
The Blue Devils have opened as 9-point favorites on Sportsbook.com’s but now Live NCAA Las Vegas Odds.
On the court, Blue Devil’s Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly are both good for about seven points per game, and both have been known to block a shot or two per contest as well. Kelly's role has grown during the tournament, and he scored 11 and was on the floor at the end of the win over Michigan. However, Kyle Singler is the real threat for the Devils.
With Solomon Hill coming on in the postseason, Arizona might finally have the right complement to Derrick Williams. Williams has been dominant for the Wildcats; scoring, defending and shooting the jumper. He's tough to stop, so the slight edge goes to Arizona here.
Duke is absolutely loaded with backcourt options. Nolan Smith and Seth Curry are the starting duo right now, and they complement each other well, with Smith as the main distributor and Curry a deadly three-point shooter. With Kyrie Irving back, the Devils have another NBA-level point guard to turn to, and Andre Dawkins comes in to shoot the lights out in streaks.
Arizona has a collection of unreliable scorers, led by Lamont 'Momo' Jones and Kyle Fogg, who nevertheless seem to get things done; mostly getting the ball to Williams. Heavy advantage to Duke here.
Duke will be far from home, playing in an unfamiliar time zone. Then again, we're talking about the defending national champs, so that doesn't sound like an insurmountable issue. Arizona, on the other hand, is playing in territory they know well, and star player Derrick Williams, an L.A. area native, will be performing in front of friends and family. Both programs are long on mystique, but Duke's is just a little more recent and a little more venerable.
Not to be dismissive, but Arizona Wildcats should be very happy just to have made it this far. A superstar and a collection of complementary players is not really a recipe for postseason success. Coach Sean Miller will have this team back in this position in the future, and probably beyond, but right now, he's facing a Herculean task. Coach K is a man on a mission: to return to the Final Four, to progress toward his 902nd win, and to get another championship for Cameron Indoor Stadium and his kids. Advantage to Duke, again.
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The Pick: Duke Blue Devils
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arizona wildcats - derrick williams - duke blue devils - honda center - kyle fogg - kyle singler - kyrie irving - lamont momo jones - ncaa tournament - nolan smith
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