Published Mar 24, 7:00pm ET by
Keith McCarthy - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Mar 24, 7:00pm ET
Updated Mar 24, 7:02pm ET
St. John's and Duke face off in what should be a thrilling Sweet 16 matchup. The 30-6 Red Storm are considerably stronger than their 5-seed indicates and pose a real threat to top-overall seeded Duke.
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| Duke Blue Devils | -290 |
| St. John's Red Storm | +235 |
The Red Storm survived a very close game against 4-seed Kansas in the second round. They led by a pretty wide margin for most of the game but went cold down the stretch, allowing the Jayhawks to nearly reclaim victory. Ultimately, St. John's survived the second round with 2-point upset victory. They'll need to be at full throttle from start to finish to have a chance of taking down Duke. Top-scorer Zuby Ejiofor will lead the way.
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Duke looked much more like their typical level of talent in their blowout win over TCU than they had in a poor result against Siena in the first round. With the jitters now clearly behind them, the Blue Devils will attempt to make the Final Four and third weekend. Games against St. John's and the winner of Michigan State versus UConn await them, each capable of earning the upset. Ultimately, Duke just needs to stick to their gameplan.
Despite being the top overall seed, Duke was put in the most competitive bracket, facing multiple challenges on the way to the Final Four. Next on the docket is 30-win St. John's, who boasts one of the nation's very best defenses. Duke holds the top overall defense themselves, which should make this one low-scoring. If the Blue Devils go cold on offense they could become vulnerable, but they have more assets to rely on than St. John's.
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Pick
Duke Blue Devils (-290)
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