Duke vs. Tennessee Picks, Predictions, Odds

2023 NCAA Tournament Picks
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There is going to be a lot of action on the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday afternoon. Duke will be taking on the Tennessee Volunteers for a spot in the Sweet 16, and the Vols barely snuck by the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the first round. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils easily took care of Oral Roberts, and they are becoming an increasingly popular pick to win the East Region. Tennessee was largely dismissed as a real threat after star Zakai Zeigler suffered a season-ending injury a few weeks ago, but Rick Barnes and the Vols are looking to prove everyone wrong.

We will see either the Duke Blue Devils or Tennessee Volunteers lock up the second spot in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, March 18, 2023. This game will be played at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida with tip off slated for 2:40 p.m. ET.

Duke Blue Devils vs. Tennessee Volunteers Betting Prediction

The Duke Blue Devils are one of the most popular picks in college basketball this weekend. Duke has won 10 straight games, including the ACC Tournament last week. This was expected to be one of the most talented teams in the nation at the start of the season, and the Blue Devils' freshmen are finally coming into their own. Tennessee will be able to keep it close for a while with its intense defense, but Duke will be too much in the end.

Best Bet: Duke -3 (-110)
Score Prediction: Duke 67, Tennessee 61

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Duke Blue Devils vs. Tennessee Volunteers Betting Odds

Duke Blue Devils vs. Tennessee Volunteers Betting Resources

Date: Saturday, Mar. 18, 2023
TV-Time: CBS, 2:40 p.m. ET
Venue: Amway Center
Location: Orlando, Florida
Matchup
Expert Picks

Duke Blue Devils vs. Tennessee Volunteers Betting Stats

Duke Blue Devils
SU: 27-8
ATS: 16-19
O/U: 13-21-1
PPG: 72.6
OPPG: 63.6

Tennessee Volunteers
SU: 24-10
ATS: 17-17
O/U: 14-19-1
PPG: 71.4
OPPG: 57.9

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Updated on 12/28/2024

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Duke Blue Devils Betting Preview

Big man Kyle Filipowski has been the rock for Duke all season despite being a freshman. Filipowski is averaging 15.1 PPG and 9.0 RPG, and he has been a more efficient shooter since he stopped taking as many threes. He only had six points against Oral Roberts on Thursday, but he showed off his other skills with nine rebounds and four steals. He ranks in the top 50 nationally in defensive rebounding rate, and he leads the Blue Devils in steals too.

Guard play is huge during the NCAA Tournament, and it's especially important for Duke since this is the tallest team in the country. The Blue Devils haven't had great guard play for most of this season, but freshman Tyrese Proctor is starting to shine. Jeremy Roach will be the X-Factor in this game, as he will be asked to beat Tennessee's press since Filipowski probably won't be pushing the face much against the Vols.

Dereck Lively II is an outstanding interior defender, and Mark Mitchell has had some moments too. Dariq Whitehead has been a disappointment, but he is leading Duke in three-point percentage. Duke ranks 17th in defensive effective field goal percentage, and it's hard for opponents to score in the interior given the Blue Devils' size and depth in the frontcourt.

Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview

The loss of Zakai Zeigler for the season was devastating for Tennessee. Zeigler was the Vols' second leading scorer, and he was tops on Tennessee with 5.4 APG and 2.0 SPG. There is depth on Tennessee, but no one was as sharp on the defensive end as Zeigler.

Santiago Vescovi is the top scorer for the Vols, as he is averaging 12.6 PPG. Vescovi does a solid job in other areas of the game too, as he is an above average three-point shooter, and he is averaging 4.5 RPG and 1.8 SPG. It will be up to him to be Tennessee's top defender in this game, and Vescovi and Jahmai Mashack rank in the top 100 in steal percentage alongside Zeigler.

Tennessee does an excellent job of rebounding as a team. Five players are averaging between 4.5 RPG and 5.0 RPG, and Jonas Aidoo does an excellent job when he comes off the bench to provide size and defense. The guards crash the boards, and they play excellent perimeter defense too. The Vols rank first nationally in three-point defense, surrendering just 26.4% from beyond the arc, and they rate in the top ten nationally in two-point defense.