The Duke Blue Devils looked every bit a national title contender in the first round of March Madness. Will they perform just as impressively when the competition ramps up? The No. 2 seed Blue Devils will face off against the No. 7 seed Rhode Island Rams in the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Rhode Island captured a thriller in its opener, knocking off Oklahoma in overtime. The Rams were favored in that matchup but will be significant underdogs in this game against Duke. The Blue Devils had no issues against No. 15 seed Iona and would love to cruise into the Sweet Sixteen with another easy victory.
Don't miss the hardwood action from PPG Paints Arena at 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on CBS.
We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NCAA Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Duke has been listed as the heavy 9.5-point favorite to win this game, which will likely be one of the largest spreads of the round of 32. The betting public believes this number is too high, as Rhode Island has gotten the majority of the action in March Madness betting odds. The scoring total is listed at 149.5 points as there could be plenty of points in this matchup.
Duke is 27-7 straight up and 21-12 against the spread. The Blue Devils have gone 5-2 against the spread at neutral sites, covering in the first round. Duke has covered in 20 of 31 attempts as the favorite this season and will aim to keep that up.
Rhode Island is 26-7 straight up and 16-15 against the spread. The Rams have covered in half of their six games at neutral sites. Rhode Island has only been the underdog five times this season and has not been very effective, covering in just one of those games.
Last Time Out
Rhode Island barely survived in the first round. The Rams had a comfortable lead on Oklahoma before Trae Young brought the Sooners back and forced overtime. Rhode Island then played well in the extra session to come away with an 83-78 victory. The Rams were led by E.C. Matthews, who had 16 points and five rebounds. Rhode Island got double digit points from both Cyril Langevine and Fatts Russell off the bench, which was a big help.
Duke had no such trouble to open March Madness, rushing out to a 14-point lead at the half and piling on from there for the 89-67 victory over Iona. Duke shot a sizzling 53.7 percent from the field and connected on 13-of-30 three-pointers. While some of the other top seeds were given scares in the opener, the Blue Devils stepped on the gas from the get-go and had an easy time of it.
Player To Watch
Marvin Bagley -- Rhode Island is going to need to slow down Duke’s star freshman to have a shot at the win. Bagley scored 22 points and hauled down seven rebounds in his first March Madness game, hitting 10-of-14 shots from the field.
He is averaging 21.1 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game on the season. Once the NCAA Tournament is over, Bagley is expected to turn pro and become a top pick in the NBA draft. Rhode Island would love to end his college career in this one but it’s going to be a tall task.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
Rhode Island is a solid team and should be able to hang around against Duke. However, the Blue Devils have the superior firepower and will win this game in March Madness odds. While Duke is the pick on the moneyline, take Rhode Island to cover the spread.
NCAA Odds: Duke 79, Rhode Island 73
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