The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers will face the Duke Blue Devils on Friday, March 21, 2025, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Mount got a win in the First Four to earn the opportunity to shock the world in the Round of 64. But Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils will have plenty to say about that in this Mount St. Mary’s vs Duke contest from Raleigh, NC.
College basketball odds from sports betting sites have made Duke a massive 31.5-point favorite ahead of this game. Meanwhile, the total for the contest has been set at 142.5 points. Here, we break down this contest and make our prediction for this first-round matchup as a part of Friday’s March Madness action.
Mount St. Mary’s Hopes to Build On First Four Win
The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers rolled in the First Four stage of the NCAA Tournament. They benefited from an injury to American’s Matt Rogers and were able to pound the Eagles in the paint in the second-half of that game to advance to the first round of this tournament. In this game, the paint will not provide a path to victory against a Duke team with a massive edge in size and strength.
For The Mount, the goal for this game will be to make life tough on Flagg and the Duke offense. That is certainly easier said than done, but that will be a necessity as the offense of Mount St. Mary’s is not likely to do enough to make this Mount St. Mary’s vs Duke game close without a Herculean effort on the defensive end of the floor.
Duke’s Health a Focal Point In First Round
The Duke Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament, which they were expected to do as heavy favorites going into the event. But things were not as easy as they were originally anticipated to be for the Blue Devils, as injuries took their toll on their roster. Star forward Cooper Flagg suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for the final two games of the tournament. And while Flagg is expected back for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, we aren’t 100% sure how he’ll look on that ankle when Duke takes the floor.
Even if Flagg is not fully healthy for this game, Duke will be expected to roll into the next round of the tournament. The supporting cast of the Blue Devils stepped up admirably in Flagg’s absence, with Kon Knueppel taking over as their primary scoring threat against North Carolina and Louisville. Flagg will be someone to keep an eye on throughout this game, but Duke should be just fine in round one.
Mount St. Mary’s vs Duke Prediction
Duke -31.5 (-110) over Mount St. Mary’s
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Claim Bonus - Duke should have Cooper Flagg back for this game after he missed the end of the ACC tournament with an ankle injury.
- Even if they didn’t have Flagg, Duke has been so good this season and they should roll against The Mount.
