Two elite college basketball programs will meet in the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Tournament as the Arizona Wildcats face the Duke Blue Devils in East Region action. This Arizona vs Duke contest will take place at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Thursday, March 27, 2025. It features two teams that have looked very good through the first two rounds of the tournament, with both teams looking to book a place in the Elite 8 with a win.
At bet365, Duke comes into this game favored by 8.5. For those interested in betting on the total, that has been set at 151.5. Continue reading this preview of this huge college basketball matchup to find out what our keys to this game are and to find out what bet we think is best as the Wildcats and Blue Devils get ready to take the floor.
Arizona Heads East For Sweet 16 Showdown
The Arizona Wildcats trailed the Oregon Ducks 19-4 in the first half of their second-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. But Arizona stormed back and closed out their former Pac-12 rivals to advance to this Sweet 16 game against Duke. The Wildcats will need to avoid another slow start here if they want any chance to beat the top-seed in the East Region and they will need another big night from Caleb Love.
Love led all scorers in Arizona’s win over Oregon in the second round. He also made five threes, including some big shots down the stretch to help Arizona stay out in front once and for all. If he can play at a similar level against a very good Duke defense, Arizona could hang around in this game and threaten the current favorites to win the national championship.
Duke Rolling Early In the NCAA Tournament
No team has played as well as the Duke Blue Devils through the first two rounds of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Duke destroyed Mount St. Mary’s in the opening round of the tourney and followed that up with a dominant 89-66 win over Baylor in round two. Now Duke is a heavy favorite to get a win and move onto the Elite 8 thanks to their excellent play on both ends of the floor.
If Duke can get another shooting performance from Tyrese Proctor like they did in the second round against Baylor, there might not be a team in the country that can touch the Blue Devils. Proctor made seven of eight three-point shot attempts against the Bears on Sunday, with Duke shooting 12-22 from three-point range as a team in that game. When Duke is efficient from the outside, they might not be beatable given everything else they do well.
Arizona vs Duke Prediction
Duke -8.5 (-110) over Arizona
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- Duke has destroyed their first two opponents in this tournament and we expect them to look great again in this game.
- Duke has a history of massive crowd support in the Northeast and that should work in their favor against Arizona here as well.
