In its first year without Coach K, Duke begins its March Madness quest against the 12th-seeded Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in the Round of 64 on Thursday. Read on for our best Oral Roberts vs. Duke prediction based on the top NCAAB odds.
Basketball fans might remember Max Abmas leading Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 just two years ago as a No. 15 seed. The Golden Eagles were ranked 156th on Ken Pomeroy's final ratings in 2021, but are 56th this season while riding the nation's longest active win streak (17 games) and sitting 30-4 overall heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Standing in Abmas and Co.'s way from another magical March Madness run is college basketball's goliath. Duke (26-8) won nine in a row, including the ACC Tournament, in head coach Jon Scheyer's first year at the helm.
With this game taking place in primetime Thurs day evening, will we get our big Cinderella moment or do the Blue Devils reign supreme?
Here is our best Oral Roberts vs. Duke prediction (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Oral Roberts vs. Duke odds
Oral Roberts vs. Duke prediction
Oral Roberts is the play at anything +6 or better, as I project this spread closer to 4 points. Ken Pomeroy's projected score of 75-72 is even better for the underdog.
Oral Roberts isn't your typical mid-major program. Abmas is a bucket, ranking a college basketball 83rd with an offensive rating of 121.9. He averages 22.2 points per game on 44.1% shooting during his senior season. But he doesn't do it all by himself, either.
Forward Connor Vanover, a 7-foot-5 transfer from Arkansas, has the size and talent to compete with Duke's talented frontcourt. He averages 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while guard Issac McBride adds 11.9 points per contest.
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Oral Roberts takes care of the ball better than any other NCAAB team. The Golden Eagles are also seventh in effective field goal percentage and 35th in 3-point shooting. They rank in the 98th percentile against man defense, per Synergy Sports Technology.
Duke is playing well right now, but only four of its opponents during this nine-game win streak had a higher KenPom ranking than Oral Roberts. The Blue Devils will probably w in, and might be the better pick in your bracket challenge.
But if you bet against the Golden Eagles Thursday, you're rooting against what could be the opening round's best story. I certainly won't be doing that, especially since my numbers like the Eagles.
Check out our best March Madness odds and Wooden Award odds.
Oral Roberts vs. Duke best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +6.5 | +6.5 | +6.5 | +6.5 | +6.5 |
| -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Check out our breakdown of the best March Madness odds and all of our March Madness picks and betting trends.
I missed the boat when the line opened at 7.5, but I'm not letting that stop me from betting on the Golden Eagles. You could wait to see if this line gets back to 7, but it seems like the market came to a consensus on 6.5.
Oral Roberts vs. Duke odds analysis
Duke briefly opened as a 7.5-point favorite Sunday, but that line was quickly gobbled up and has since settled at a consensus line of -6 in favor of the Blue Devils as of Thursday afternoon. The total is now 145.5 or 146 across the board after starting at 146 earlier this week.
Bettors are backing Duke at a 59% rate with 56% of bets on the Over.
The Golden Eagles only went 15-15 ATS this year and 17-13 to the Under, while the Blue Devils were 15-19 ATS and 20-13-1 to the Under.
Oral Roberts vs. Duke game info
- Date: Thursday, March 16, 7:10 p.m. ET
- TV: CBS
- Location: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
Oral Roberts-Duke pick made 3/14/2023 at 3:11 p.m. ET.
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