PREMIUM
Stephen Nover's NCAA Tourney Early Game Discount Casher
(NCAAB) Yale vs. Duke,
Point Spread: -6.00 | -104.00 Duke (Home)
Result: Win
Point Spread: -6.00 | -104.00 Duke (Home)
Result: Win
Don't get caught overthinking this matchup. Yale is Yale and Duke is Duke.
What does that mean? Yale is a smart, fundamentally sound team that upset Baylor on Thursday because of those traits. This is heady stuff for Yale winning its first NCAA Tournament game ever.
But Yale is not going to be able to exploit those traits against Duke, which not only plays smart, too, but has big edges in talent, size and big-game experience. The Bulldogs made an amazing 21 of 33 (64 percent) shots from 2-point range against the Bears getting good looks most of the time because of patience and crisp ball movement. Duke is far better defensively. The Blue Devils know Yale's style. Tactics aren't going to work for the Bulldogs. It's going to be talent versus talent - and Duke easily wins that battle and the war.
These teams actually met back on Nov. 25 at Duke. Yale hung in for a half, but the Blue Devils figured things out back then and won, 80-61. Amile Jefferson no longer is in Duke's rotation like he was for that game. But this is all part of the Duke is Duke mantra, which is reserves who would be excellent starters on many teams.
The Blue Devils have a stockpile of young talent that is emerging at just the right time, including 7-footer Marshall Plumlee, who can be very effective against the undersized Bulldogs. The Blue Devils have a history of peaking just at the right time. They were 7-1 SU and ATS in post-season tournaments last year in capturing the national championship.
What does that mean? Yale is a smart, fundamentally sound team that upset Baylor on Thursday because of those traits. This is heady stuff for Yale winning its first NCAA Tournament game ever.
But Yale is not going to be able to exploit those traits against Duke, which not only plays smart, too, but has big edges in talent, size and big-game experience. The Bulldogs made an amazing 21 of 33 (64 percent) shots from 2-point range against the Bears getting good looks most of the time because of patience and crisp ball movement. Duke is far better defensively. The Blue Devils know Yale's style. Tactics aren't going to work for the Bulldogs. It's going to be talent versus talent - and Duke easily wins that battle and the war.
These teams actually met back on Nov. 25 at Duke. Yale hung in for a half, but the Blue Devils figured things out back then and won, 80-61. Amile Jefferson no longer is in Duke's rotation like he was for that game. But this is all part of the Duke is Duke mantra, which is reserves who would be excellent starters on many teams.
The Blue Devils have a stockpile of young talent that is emerging at just the right time, including 7-footer Marshall Plumlee, who can be very effective against the undersized Bulldogs. The Blue Devils have a history of peaking just at the right time. They were 7-1 SU and ATS in post-season tournaments last year in capturing the national championship.
