James Madison seeks to continue its Cinderella run Sunday against one of college basketball's blue bloods in Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and we're offering our top James Madison-Duke prediction and best bet based on the best March Madness odds.
After shocking Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 12 seed James Madison Dukes (32-3) hope to replicate their success against the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils (25-8) in Sunday's second-round matchup, scheduled to tip off at 5:15 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, airing on CBS.
We like the the Dukes to pull off the upset and extend their Cinderella run another week, and their moneyline at our best sportsbooks is an intriguing play ahead of Sunday.
As part of our March Madness predictions, here is our best James Madison vs. Duke prediction and college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
James Madison vs. Duke odds
James Madison (No. 12) vs. Duke (No. 4) prediction: South Region
Best odds: +240 via bet365, BetMGM
James Madison cashed plenty of winning wagers for the public on Friday. The Dukes were the most bet spread team at DraftKings, and the most popular underdog moneyline play at BetMGM, according to sports betting analyst Ben Fawkes. James Madison proved its backers correct after holding Wisconsin to 0.84 points per possession, with the team notching a comfortable 11-point win despite shooting 41.1% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range.
JMU attempted seven more free throws than Wisconsin while forcing the Badgers into 19 turnovers. Duke turns the ball over 14.4% of the time (31st-best in the country), and despite committing 16 turnovers combined in consecutive losses to North Carolina and NC State entering the tournament, the Blue Devils shot 32.6% from 3-point range in those defeats.
James Madison defends the 3-point line at the second-highest rate in the country (28.8% allowed). The team's disruptive hands in the passing lanes and ability to force Duke into an off night shooting are recipes to pull off a second straight upset.
bet365 and BetMGM offer the best value at +240 odds for Dukes backers, while Caesars is on the low end at +215.
Not intended for use in MA
Affiliate Disclosure: Sportsbook Review may receive advertising commissions for visits to a spor tsbook
James Madison vs. Duke spread & Over/Under analysis
Our best sports betting sites are split between point spreads of Duke -6.5 and -7. BetMGM was alone while opening with Duke at -7.5 before seemingly being inundated with early Dukes money, and then the line plummeted to -6.5. The only other line movement to this point is DraftKings lowering a half point from -7 to -6.5. Duke is 19-14 against the spread, while James Madison has covered in 20 of its 34 games.
All of our best live betting sites are in unison with a total of 148.5, while BetRivers is the only shop that differs slightly at 149. There's been no line movement anywhere to this point, though DraftKings did raise its juice from -110 to -112 to back the Under. The Under has cashed in five of Duke's last six games, while the Over is 5-2 in James Madison's last seven.
James Madison vs. Duke game info
- When: Sunday, March 24
- Tipoff: 5:15 p.m. ET
- Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
- How to watch: CBS
James Madison-Duke prediction made 3/23/24 at 8:36 a.m. ET.
March Madness betting odds pages
| March Madness Odds | March Madness Predictions | Final Four Odds | March Madness MVP Odds |
| March Madness Prop Bets | March Madness Upset Picks | March Madness Bracket Guide | March Madness Bracket Predictions |
| March Madness Bracket Challenges | March Madness betting promos |
Here are our best March Madness betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUS1000 | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- BetRivers Promo Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetRivers Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Related pages
- Best Live Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)