Technically this is Duke’s defense of its 2015 NCAA Tournament title, but the two teams are completely different. The Blue Devils have won their region 16 times, but they’ve never won a West Regional in the five times being placed there. They begin defense of their title as the West’s No. 4 seed against in-state counterpart UNC Wilmington.
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Duke Blue Devils -11
UNC Wilmington Seahawks +11
Over/Under: 156.5
HOW THE UNC WILMINGTON SEAHAWKS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Seahawks are back in the dance for the first time since 2006 after storming back from 10 down to knock off top-seeded Hofstra in the Colonial Athletic Association title game. Without much help in the state of North Carolina, Wilmington can use this matchup to possibly gain some traction against their ACC counterparts.
UNC Wilmington uses a small lineup, defends well and plays at an above average pace. The Seahawks will need be at their best against the Dookies. The top five scorers are all 6-5 or smaller.
Coach Kevin Keatts’ system accentuates back court play, from the wide-open offense to the high-pressure defense. The Seahawks didn’t reach full stride until they switched almost exclusively to a four guard lineup.
The top five scorers are all 6-5 or smaller, but there is some size with 7-foot center C.J. Gettys. The bigs don’t have to be perfect to launch a serious upset bid, but they can’t get pushed around. Any offense from that spot is a bonus.
HOW THE DUKE BLUE DEVILS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
This isn’t an all-time great Duke team, and it struggled in the tough ACC, losing games to Clemson, Pitt, Louisville, Syracuse and Notre Dame. But the Blue Devils were lifted by a breakout season from Grayson Allen.
The sophomore guard is an All-American candidate and he put up 21.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He also has a little history playing on the big stage.
Freshman Brandon Ingram is also a terrific player, averaging 16.8 points and 6.8 boards per contest. He even elevated himself into the conversation for the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft for a little while. It’ll still be Ben Simmons, but Ingram should be a top pick based on his length and skill.
Duke had some time to regroup and energize after bowing out of the ACC tourney with a loss to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. Coach K expanded his rotation a bit toward the end of the season, but still relies heavily on a seven-man unit. A week to rest up makes them a tough out in the first game.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Seahawks succeeded with the play of their perimeter players. But they wouldn’t be dancing for the first time in a decade without a major boost from the center spot, though. Big men Gettys, Marcus Bryan and Devontae Cacok found a way to make a difference over three days at the CAA tournament. A group effort got it done. The biggest threat down low is Gettys, who has worked hard to fix his defensive issues. Too often, the 7-footer was getting pulled away from the rim and unable to recover. He was better down the stretch and a force during the CAA tourney. UNCW needs them all against Duke. The Devils have been beaten in the first round a couple of times recently, falling victim to teams no one believed had a chance. But the Seahawks won’t be able to deal with Duke’s length and will have trouble keeping them off the glass.
Duke 83, UNC Wilmington 70
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the UNC Wilmington Seahawks and Duke Blue Devils will go down Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 12:15 p.m. ET at Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
