Free College Basketball NCAA Tournament Pick
#2 West Virginia Mountaineers (31-6, 13-5 Big East) vs #1 Duke Blue Devils (33-5, 13-3 ACC) Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN, 4/3, 8:47 PM
Many felt that West Virginia deserved a 1 seed and Duke should have been a 2 seed. Now the Mountaineers have the opportunity to prove that they are the better team. Duke has proven its worth as the sole 1 seed left in this tournament that has been filled with upsets.
West Virginia comes from a Big East conference that has not lived up to expectations in this NCAA tournament. The Mountaineers can help the conference regain some respect with a win in this game. West Virginia has sailed through the tournament somewhat easily. The first round posed no problem with a win against Morgan State. They beat Missouri and Washington in the next two rounds and then beat a favorite for the national championship, Kentucky in the Elite Eight. Kentucky couldn’t hit a basket, shooting just 34%. The Mountaineers took advantage, behind Da’Sean Butler’s 18 points. West Virginia has not been to a Final Four since 1959 when they lost to California by one point in the national championship.
Duke has done what it needed to do. They were in a region that was relatively weak. When Villanova lost early on, the region was Duke’s for the taking. West Virginia will be their toughest test. The Blue Devils beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the first round, and then took care of California and Purdue. In the Elite Eight, Duke got past Baylor 78-71. Nolan Smith had a huge game with 29 points, Jon Scheyer chipped in 20 points of his own. As the only 1 seed remaining, Duke is an oddity in this tournament – a team that has refused to be upset. They also are ending a drought. This is the first trip to the Final Four for the Blue Devils since 2004.
These are the two highest seeded teams remaining. The other side of the bracket has two 5 seeds. The winner of this game will be the favorite to win the national championship. In some ways, this might be the tougher game. The winner takes on either Butler or Michigan State.
Duke is favored by 3 points. The total is listed at 131.
Duke Betting Trends:
Duke is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games |
Duke is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games |
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Duke's last 5 games
|
West Virginia Betting Trends:
West Virginia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games |
West Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games |
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of West Virginia's last 8 games
|
Pick: Take West Virginia +3
Betting Trends by Bodog.com |
