The fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils continue their quest for a sixth national title when they face the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers in the second round in the East Region of the 2023 NCAA tournament on Saturday. Duke, who won their last championship in 2015, beat Oral Roberts 74-51 in the first round. Tennessee had a more difficult time in the opener, beating Louisiana 58-55 on Thursday.
Tipoff at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. is scheduled for 2:40 p.m. ET on CBS. The Blue Devils are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Duke vs. Tennessee odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 128.5. Before making your Tennessee vs. Duke selection, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s trusted computer model.
The SportsLine projection model simulates each Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model is competing in the 2023 79-53 NCAA Tournament with top college basketball picks this season and fetching nearly $1,300 for $100 players. Everyone who has followed him has seen huge returns.
Now the model has set his sights on Duke vs. Tennessee, revealing his coveted tips and predictions for the 2023 NCAA tournament. You can go to SportsLine to see the tips. Here are some college basketball odds and trends for Tennessee vs. Duke:
- Distribution Duke vs. Tennessee: Blue Devils -3.5
- Duke vs. Tennessee over/under: 128.5 points
- Duke vs. Tennessee Moneyline: Blue Devils -175, Volunteers +148
- DUKE: The Blue Devils have played 5-0 against the spread in their last five total games
- TENN: The Volunteers have 1-7 ATS in their last eight NCAA tournament competitions
- Duke vs. Tennessee tips: See tips at SportsLine
Why Duke can cover
The Blue Devils are on a 10-game winning streak, with their last loss coming in overtime to Virginia on Feb. 11. Duke retaliated with a 59-49 triumph in the ACC tournament championship game last weekend, rolling past Oral Roberts in coach Jon Scheyer’s first NCAA tournament competition. After setting a career-high 23 points against the Cavaliers, junior guard Jeremy Roach equaled it when he went off the field 9-for-17 against the Golden Eagles on Thursday.
Freshman forward Dariq Whitehead scored 13 points off the bench as he went 5-to-7 from the floor, including 3-to-3 from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils scored the first 15 points of the game against Oral Roberts and led the rest of the way by at least 13 points. Duke could have a field day against a Tennessee team that committed 18 turnovers in their first-round win.
Why Tennessee can cover
Despite needing a three-point win against Louisiana after leading by as much as 18, the Volunteers should be feeling a little more confident entering the NCAA tournament after losing seven of their previous 12 contests. Tyreke Key led Tennessee in scoring when he came off the bench and scored 12 points. The senior guard has averaged just 8.5 points this season but has reached double digits in three of his last four games due to starting point guard Zakai Zeigler (ACL) being out this season.
With top scorer Santiago Vescovi limited to three points, the Volunteers also got a strong performance from Jahmai Mashack. The sophomore guard is averaging 4.7 points per game in 2022-23 but went off the field 4-6 against the Ragin’ Cajuns to finish on 11 points. Mashack has only had six double-digit performances this season, but four in his last eight competitions.
How to do Tennessee vs. Duke picks
SportsLine’s model takes total points and projects teams to 135 points. The model also says that one side of the spread hits over 60% of the time. You can only see the model selection at SportsLine.
So who will win Duke vs. Tennessee? And which side of the spread applies more than 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread to jump on, all from the model who crushed his college basketball picks and find out.
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