Duke vs. Michigan State: Prediction, Betting Odds, Start Time For Elite Eight Game
The No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (32-5) are a slim favorite over the No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans (31-6) when the two traditional basketball powers meet Sunday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Vegas Insider's consensus line lists the Blue Devils as a 1.5-point favorite with the over/under at 148.5 points. Duke had opened up as a 3-point favorite.
The matchup involves two schools with a rich history and legitimate aspirations to go deep into the tournament. Duke finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in the nation. Michigan State, who finished No. 5, has won 13 of their last 14 games. Duke entered the season at No. 4 and Michigan State entered at No. 10.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has been to the Final Four seven times, while Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has reached the Final Four 12 times. Duke has five NCAA titles and Michigan State has two.
The two schools have taken very different routes to reach the Elite Eight. Duke has escaped with narrow wins over UCF and Virginia Tech, while Michigan State has won all three of their NCAA Tournament games by convincing margins.
Both teams have plenty of star power. Duke is led by freshman phenom Zion Williamson, who has scored 80 points over three tournament games. Junior guard Cassius Winston has been a big contributor for Michigan State, averaging 18.7 points per game in the tournament.
Cam Reddish, one of Duke's star freshman forwards, missed Friday's Sweet 16 win over Virginia Tech with a knee ailment and is uncertain to play Sunday. Michigan State's Nick Ward, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, will play Sunday after leaving in the second half suffering an injury to his left hand.
The game tips off at 5:05 p.m ET. CBS will provide the television coverage.
Prediction: Michigan State. Expect the Spartans to contain Duke's stars just enough to pull off a victory in what should be another tight game for the Blue Devils.
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