On Friday night, the 12th-ranked Duke Blue Devils will make a long flight from the East Coast to the Southwest to take on the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats.
This matchup gives the country another chance to get a good look at Cooper Flagg, who is likely to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
To date, Flagg has led the Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game.
Although the Blue Devils were unable to stop Kentucky, will they be able to grab their first ranked win of the season, or will the Wildcats bounce back from their road loss to Wisconsin at home?
Duke vs. Arizona odds
(10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
| team | spread | money line | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| duke | +1.5 (-108) | +100 | o161 (-112) |
| arizona | -1.5 (-112) | -120 | u161 (-108) |
Duke vs. Arizona predictions
Flagg's transition from high school to college basketball was virtually seamless, as he had already established himself as one of the best players in the sport.
At 6-foot-9, Flagg has the versatility to fit into any role at the next level, as he can play and defend in multiple positions.
But Duke's offensive talent goes beyond Flagg, with some future pros including junior guard Tyrese Proctor, freshman center Carman Maluach and freshman wing Conn Knuppel.
Even with the loss, the Blue Devils still rank 4th in adjusted efficiency margin (KenPom) and 2nd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Blue Devils are scary. They shot an abysmal 4-of-24 from 3-point land and lost to Kentucky by five points despite committing a few critical flag turnovers late in the game.
This is further proof that this team is a legitimate title contender come March.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats remain one of the fastest and most efficient teams in the country, ranking 4th in adjusted tempo and 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency.
The trio of returning guards, including Jaden Bradley, Caleb Love and KJ Lewis, can provide pressure in transition as well as any other unit in college basketball, as evidenced by the team's 94.3 points per game average. I can do it.
Unsurprisingly, Arizona is once again one of the best rebounding teams, ranking first in offensive rebound percentage and total rebound percentage.
Still, I have the Blue Devils close behind Arizona on the road.
Duke vs. Arizona picks
Arizona looked sloppy against Wisconsin, allowing backdoor cuts, straight drives, open 3-pointers and allowing John Tonge to score a game-high 41 points.
The Wildcats (317th in fouls per game) also committed a ridiculous amount of fouls against Wisconsin, joining them from the charity stripe with 41 free throw attempts.
Imagine what Flagg, Proctor, Knuppel and Caleb Foster could do for the Wildcats.
Do you want to bet on college basketball?
And this is where Duke's shooters (11th in 3PA) could be star-studded, especially with the Wildcats' 3-point line defense questionable, so a positive setback is inevitable.
Duke is currently a more disciplined team, holding opponents to 25.7% shooting from behind the arc and turning the ball less than 10 times per game.
Take Duke with points.
THE Pick: Duke +1.5 (-108, DraftKings)
Why trust New York Post Betting?
Andrew Norton has handicapped the NBA, WNBA, NFL, College Basketball, Football, UFC, and Golf. During the 2022-23 NBA season, he delivered an outstanding ROI of 14.1%, cashed in 60% of his NBA spread picks, and led Tallysight in SportsIQ metrics.
