NCAA March Madness: Duke vs. Oral Roberts betting preview, odds and predictions
In the 5 vs. 12 matchup in the East region of the 2023 NCAA tournament, the Duke Blue Devils take on the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles with a spot in the Round of 32 on the line. All tournament long, VSiN will be providing you with March Madness betting odds, in-depth team analysis and expert college basketball picks. Make us your one-stop shop for all of your betting needs.
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How to watch Duke vs. Oral Roberts
When: Thursday, 7:10 p.m. ET
Where: Orlando, Florida
Watch: CBS
Odds for Duke vs. Oral Roberts
Spread: Duke -6.5
Total: 145.5
(Odds accurate as of Sunday, March 12th at 11:00 p.m. ET)
Real-time betting splits at DraftKings Sportsbook
East Region No. 5 Seed Duke
Duke got off to a somewhat rocky start this season, with youth playing a big role in that. However, the Blue Devils ended up turning it on as the season progressed, and this isn’t a team anybody will want to face in this tournament. The Blue Devils were a good team defensively throughout the regular season, but it was their offense that was somewhat lagging behind. However, Duke has now figured it out in every way imaginable. The team just won the ACC Tournament, and it’ll be a dangerous group the rest of the way. Kyle Filipowski is a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses, as he’s a seven-footer that can score from all over the floor. But he and Dereck Lively II make up a tremendous defensive combination for the Blue Devils. And Tyrese Proctor has taken his game to another level in recent weeks.
East Region No. 12 Seed Oral Roberts
Two years ago, Oral Roberts was a No. 15 and upset the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Golden Eagles guard Max Abmas had 29 points to lead his team to the win in that game, and he’s back as the leading scorer of Oral Roberts two years later. Because of Abmas’ ability to score, this is not an easy team to beat. The Golden Eagles are just about a top-25 team when it comes to adjusted offensive efficiency, and they aren’t awful on the defensive end. With that in mind, it’s best not to even treat this as a mid-major program.
Duke vs. Oral Roberts matchup analysis
Death, taxes and 12s over 5s. You can bet that a lot of people started thinking about taking Oral Roberts over Duke in this first-round game the second it was announced. Max Abmas is a legitimate college basketball superstar, and the Golden Eagles rolled through Summit League play unscathed with a perfect 21-0 record if you include the three wins in the conference tournament.
The four losses for Oral Roberts came against Saint Mary’s, Houston, Utah State and New Mexico, so three tournament teams and three top-25 teams per most metrics sites. Duke isn’t on that level, but the Blue Devils are light years better than any other team in the Summit, especially because South Dakota State had a bit of a down year.
Statistically, this is the worst Duke offense in quite some time. It is the first time since 2010 that the Blue Devils rank outside the top 100 in 2P% offense and just the second time they’ve been outside the top 190 in 3P%. The last time Duke was this bad from 3 was in 2019 and they made the Elite Eight as a No. 1 seed. The last time Duke was this bad on 2s was 2010 and they won it all.
This is the highest seed for Duke since 2007 when they were a No. 6 seed and lost to No. 11 VCU. What the Blue Devils lack on offense, they make up for on defense. This is a team that held opponents to 30.4% from 3 and 46.7% on 2s. They’re also much better than Oral Roberts on the glass. This is also a situation where Duke’s offense could play up against a Summit League defense that was the best in the conference, but it is a conference where defense is optional.
Can Oral Roberts pull the upset? Absolutely, but they were 1-4 in Quadrant I and II games and haven’t played one since losing to New Mexico on Jan. 9. The Quadrant II win was against Liberty, a team that failed to win the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
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