It’s the Razorbacks and the Blue Devils in San Francisco for the right to head to New Orleans next weekend.
For the first time since the 1994 National Championship game, Arkansas and Duke will meet. The winner heads to the Final Four in New Orleans. Duke (31-6 overall, 19-16-2 ATS) overcame the tenacious defense of Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 to get to this point while Arkansas (28-8 overall, 21-14-1 ATS) knocked out the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga to reach their second straight Elite 8.
Here are my picks and predictions for Friday’s NCAAB matchup between the Friars and the Jayhawks. (Odds via BetMGM)
Arkansas vs. Duke Game Info
Date/Time: 03/26/2022, 8:49 EDT
TV: TBS
Location: Chase Center – San Francisco, CA
Arkansas vs. Duke Odds Analysis
Most books currently like the Blue Devils by four points, while DraftKings and BetMGM currently have the line set at -3.5 for Duke. DraftKings and Caesars had small moments with a -4.5 line, but the lines have mostly settled at -4 across the books.
All the major sportsbooks have the over/under set at 147.5. For the most part, all the over and under moneylines are -110. Unibet has a -112 line for the over and under while BetRivers has a -109 line for the under.
Arkansas vs. Duke Picks
Duke -3.5 (-110)
Under 147.5 (-110)
Arkansas vs. Duke Predictions
Duke -3.5 (-110)
Duke might not face a stronger defense the rest of the way than Texas Tech. In fact, the numbers strongly favor the Blue Devils here, especially on the offensive end. Duke is 5th in offensive efficiency, while Arkansas ranks 112th. Paolo Banchero may be too much of a problem for the Razorbacks and he may take this game over. It was another nice run for Arkansas, but Coach K will set a record by reaching his 13th Final Four.
Under 147.5 (-110)
Duke will likely dominate this game on the inside, leaving Arkansas with not as many scoring opportunities. They also haven’t been shooting very well from the outside and if it gets to the point where Arkansas will need to rely on the three to catch up, they could be in trouble. Duke may hold Arkansas to the 60s in this one, so we’ll go with the under here.