The No.12-seeded Yale Bulldogs play the No.4-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The game begins at 2:40 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 19 and will air on CBS.
The Blue Devils defeated UNC Wilmington 93-85 in the First Round. Marshall Plumlee had 23 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks for Duke. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-75 win over Baylor in the First Round. Makai Mason was the game’s top scorer, posting 31 points on 9-for-18 shooting.
Over the last five games, Grayson Allen has really been playing well for the Blue Devils. During that stretch, he has averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.6 steals, and 3.4 three-pointers.
This matchup pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Duke currently ranks third in the nation in offensive efficiency and Yale is eighth in defensive efficiency.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Blue Devils winning the first matchup 93-85. Mason was the game’s top overall scorer with 31 points.
The Blue Devils are hoping to build on their records of 24-10 Straight Up (SU) and 14-18-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 7-3 ATS. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Duke, which ranks 43rd at 1.36. Turning to the defensive side, the Blue Devils prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 19th in the nation with 212 total three-pointers allowed (6.0 per game).
Across the court, Yale has a SU record of 23-6 and an ATS record of 12-6-2. Yale has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 2-7-1 record. Yale is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Bulldogs average 40.2 rebounds per game, making them the 20th-best team in the country for that category.
Duke beat Yale in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 1-0 over the Bulldogs. The Blue Devils also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke
Notes
“Duke is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Duke is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Duke’s last 11 games “.
The Yale Bulldogs rank 40th for their offensive rating of 113.1. The Duke Blue Devils have a defensive rating of 105.7 (ranked 58th).
The Duke Blue Devils average a field goal percentage of 46.1% this season. The Yale Bulldogs have a poor record of 2-4 when opponents have a FG% of 46.1% or greater.
The Duke Blue Devils rank lower for their field goal percentage (68th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (37th), but the Yale Bulldogs have a better FG% ranking (31st) than eFG% ranking (53rd).
Yale ranks 64th in assists, recording 15.1 per game. Duke performs worse at 170th with 13.4 assists per game.
Duke ranks 72nd in blocks per game with 4.3 and Yale ranks 52nd with 4.6 blocks per game.
Duke ranks 70th in offensive rebounding. When it comes to defensive rebounds, Yale ranks 69th.
On average, Duke makes 6.3 steals per game. Yale has a solid 11-6 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
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