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The NCAA Tournament is the single greatest betting event perennially. With the thrills, chills and heavy favorite spills, the Madness always delivers. What Elite Eight pick has the attention of The Gaming Juice’s Brad Evans?
No. 2 Alabama (28-8) vs. No. 1 Duke (34-3)
Date: Saturday, March 29
Time: 8:49 p.m. ET
TV: TBS/truTV
The pick — SGP: Duke ML, Alabama +15.5, Game OVER 161.5 (+104, Caesars)
Horse tranquilizers. Gatling guns. An elaborate prison-worthy embezzlement scheme discovered by the FBI and revealed to one involved while vacationing with the family in Thailand.
That is what is required to take down the Duke Blue Devils.
Jon Scheyer’s squad is practically untouchable. Through three NCAA Tournament games, it is without question the national title front-runner. The East Region top seed impressively dispensed with Mount St. Mary’s, Baylor and Arizona in convincing fashion, scoring a gaudy 1.489 points per possession while conceding only 0.999 points per possession.
Duke trots out the best player in the country in Cooper Flagg. It owns supreme balance. It has plus depth. And it’s unlikely to be stopped until the confetti rains down at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Crimson Tide, though, will be a test.
Anyone with a pulse who has casually watched Alabama already knows the script. No matter what team crosses its path, Nate Oats’ group sticks to its frenetic run ’n’ gun style. Generally, the Blue Devils relish a slower pace, but as witnessed in their elimination of Arizona, they are entirely capable of hanging 100 on an opponent.
For Alabama to cover, 3-pointers must continue to fall. Unloading the clip against BYU, the Tide splashed a tournament-record 25 triples on an utterly outlandish 51 attempts.
Over the last month, Alabama ranks No. 26 in effective field goal percentage offense. It forces few turnovers and is only average on defense, but when torrential arc downpours occur, the Tide can defeat anyone.
The Fightin’ Carlos Boozers are the best all-around team still alive in the NCAA Tournament. In their last 10 games, they’re second overall only to Houston, according to BartTorvik, checking in at No. 8 in effective field goal percentage offense and No. 26 in effective field goal percentage defense. Most importantly, they’ve allowed only 31.2% shooting on 3s during that span.
Have the oxygen tank ready. Just watching what's sure to be an up-and-down affair will have viewers sucking air.
Enjoy the track meet. Just don’t watch the game at Greg’s.
Season record: 31-26, +3.02 units
BONUS TIME — Florida -6.5 (-110, BetMGM)