The Baylor Bears and Duke Blue Devils will go at it in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Duke is the top seed in the East Region and cruised to a victory in the first round, while Baylor simply had to survive and advance in a hard-fought opening-round win. Here, Baylor will hope that their experience is enough to keep them in contention in this Baylor vs Duke matchup from Raleigh, NC.
At DraftKings Sportsbook, Duke is a 10.5-point favorite in what is virtually a home game for them in ACC country. Meanwhile, the total for this game has been set at 147.5 points. Continue reading to get our thoughts on this matchup between the Big 12 and ACC, including our best bet for the game on Sunday.
Baylor Looks to Pull Off Second-Round Upset
Baylor defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the opening round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Bears went on a run at the end of the first half to take the lead and did not look back, despite a late comeback attempt by Mississippi State. Baylor is an underdog in this game but they do have an edge in the experience department that they will look to leverage into a competitive game that they can steal in the end.
For Baylor, being more effective in shooting the three will be a key to their success. Baylor made just six total threes against Mississippi State in the first round. If they aren’t more effective shooting from the outside here, Duke’s size and physicality could take the Bears out of this matchup earlier than anticipated.
Duke Looks to Plant Flagg In Sweet 16
The Duke Blue Devils won against Mount St. Mary’s in the opening round of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Cooper Flagg looked healthy after missing the end of the ACC tournament due to an ankle injury. He will be a lot more valuable to Duke in this game against a tougher opponent than he was in a game against Mount St. Mary’s that was mostly over before it started.
For Duke, protecting the paint without fouling is going to be key in this matchup with Baylor. Baylor’s guards are excellent at getting downhill and putting pressure on opposing bigs. If Duke can deter those drives and force Baylor to rely on its inconsistent jump shooting, which would give the Blue Devils a massive advantage.
Baylor vs Duke Prediction
Duke -10.5 (-110) over Baylor
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- Cooper Flagg looked healthy in Duke’s tournament opener, which would mean bad things for Baylor in this game.
- The Bears have struggled with consistency all season and Duke should take full advantage of that.
