No. 2 Duke and No. 4 Arkansas will meet Saturday night in the Elite Eight with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Considered to be an unlikely winner of the West Region at the start of the Sweet Sixteen, the Blue Devils are now viewed as one of the top contenders remaining in March Madness 2022.

Duke is favored by four points over Arkansas in the West Regional Final, according to the latest betting odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Blue Devils have -170 odds to win outright. The Razorbacks are +150 underdogs to pull off the upset. The over/under for Saturday’s game is 146.

Only Duke opened as a slight betting underdog in the Sweet Sixteen against a lower-seeded team. The Blue Devils outlasted No. 3 Texas Tech 78-73 in their most impressive performance of the tournament.

Projected top-five NBA Draft pick Paolo Banchero scored 22 points on 12 field-goal attempts to go along with four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Center Mark Williams had 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Both players have been outstanding during their first NCAA Tournament.

Point guard Jeremy Roach has arguably been Duke’s most important player in March Madness. Averaging 8.6 points and 3.1 assists during the season, Roach has played like a star in the Big Dance, putting up 14.0 points and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 55.2% from the floor.

If Roach continues to play like one of the top point guards in the country, Duke might very well win the national championship in Mike Krzyzewski’s final season as a head coach.

Arkansas presents a formidable challenge for Duke. The Razorbacks just defeated the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they did so pretty convincingly. Arkansas beat No. 1 Gonzaga 74-68 in the Sweet Sixteen, leading for the entirety of the second half.

Arkansas upset Gonzaga, despite leading scorer JD Notae shooting 9-29 from the field. Notae is almost certain to be better in the Elite Eight. Forward Jaylin Williams could have a big night, coming off three straight double-doubles. Williams is averaging 12.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament.

The Razorbacks took advantage of Gonzaga’s poor shooting and Chet Holmgren’s foul trouble. Arkansas won’t have the same success against Duke, whose offense is firing on all cylinders. The Blue Devils have scored at least 78 points in every tournament game, including against Texas Tech’s No. 1 ranked defense.

With five potential first-round picks, the Blue Devils are the much more talented team. Duke appears to be peaking at the right time, and there might be no stopping them in their quest to make the Final Four.

Prediction: Duke over Arkansas, 80-70

Duke Basketball
A general view ahead of the game between the Army Black Knights and the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 12, 2021 in Durham, North Carolina. Lance King/Getty Images
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