Duke vs. Arizona: What bettors need to know
Duke Blue Devils vs. Arizona Wildcats (-2.5)
Arizona will try to match Duke's four NIT Season Tip-Off championships when they meet Friday for a top-5 matchup at Madison Square Garden. Both teams overcame slow starts in Wednesday's semifinals and are a combined 46-4 at the tournament. No. 3 Arizona is 4-4 against No. 5 Duke, including 2-3 at neutral sites.
Duke will face a different kind of challenge after getting past guard-oriented Alabama. "They're big," coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Arizona. "(Arizona) can post three guys from their starting lineup. And we're not real big so that will be interesting how we try to get that going." Arizona seven-footer Kaleb Tarczewski is coming off his first career double-double.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN.
LINE: Arizona opened as low as -1 but has been bet up as high as -3.
ABOUT DUKE (6-1, 4-3 ATS): Freshman Jabari Parker leads the team with 23.6 points and 8.7 rebounds after matching his career high with 27 points on Wednesday. Parker is the first freshman since Kevin Durant (2006-07) to score at least 20 points in his first seven collegiate games. Rodney Hood adds 19.9 points but was held to eight points Wednesday because of foul trouble.
ABOUT ARIZONA (6-0, 4-2 ATS): Tarczewski is averaging 9.8 points after scoring 15 points to go with 10 rebounds and a career-high four blocks Wednesday. Nick Johnson leads the way with 17.3 points and 6-9 freshman Aaron Gordon adds 12.5 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds. The Wildcats, who are playing Duke for the first time since knocking off the Blue Devils in the 2011 Sweet Sixteen, had 10 turnovers and zero assists in the first half of the semifinal win against Drexel before turning around the offense.
TRENDS:
* Blue Devils are 5-2 ATS in their last seven vs. Pacific-12.
* Wildcats are 5-0 ATS in their last five vs. Atlantic Coast.
* Blue Devils are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 neutral site games.
* Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference games.
TIP-INS:
1. Duke won the tournament in 1985, 2000, 2005 and 2009; Arizona won it in 1990, 1995 and 1999.
2. Duke has had a double-digit scorer off the bench in six of its first seven games.
3. Parker and Texas-Arlington's Reger Dowell lead the country with seven 20-point games.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Arizona Wildcats (-2.5)
Arizona will try to match Duke's four NIT Season Tip-Off championships when they meet Friday for a top-5 matchup at Madison Square Garden. Both teams overcame slow starts in Wednesday's semifinals and are a combined 46-4 at the tournament. No. 3 Arizona is 4-4 against No. 5 Duke, including 2-3 at neutral sites.
Duke will face a different kind of challenge after getting past guard-oriented Alabama. "They're big," coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Arizona. "(Arizona) can post three guys from their starting lineup. And we're not real big so that will be interesting how we try to get that going." Arizona seven-footer Kaleb Tarczewski is coming off his first career double-double.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN.
LINE: Arizona opened as low as -1 but has been bet up as high as -3.
ABOUT DUKE (6-1, 4-3 ATS): Freshman Jabari Parker leads the team with 23.6 points and 8.7 rebounds after matching his career high with 27 points on Wednesday. Parker is the first freshman since Kevin Durant (2006-07) to score at least 20 points in his first seven collegiate games. Rodney Hood adds 19.9 points but was held to eight points Wednesday because of foul trouble.
ABOUT ARIZONA (6-0, 4-2 ATS): Tarczewski is averaging 9.8 points after scoring 15 points to go with 10 rebounds and a career-high four blocks Wednesday. Nick Johnson leads the way with 17.3 points and 6-9 freshman Aaron Gordon adds 12.5 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds. The Wildcats, who are playing Duke for the first time since knocking off the Blue Devils in the 2011 Sweet Sixteen, had 10 turnovers and zero assists in the first half of the semifinal win against Drexel before turning around the offense.
TRENDS:
* Blue Devils are 5-2 ATS in their last seven vs. Pacific-12.
* Wildcats are 5-0 ATS in their last five vs. Atlantic Coast.
* Blue Devils are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 neutral site games.
* Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference games.
TIP-INS:
1. Duke won the tournament in 1985, 2000, 2005 and 2009; Arizona won it in 1990, 1995 and 1999.
2. Duke has had a double-digit scorer off the bench in six of its first seven games.
3. Parker and Texas-Arlington's Reger Dowell lead the country with seven 20-point games.
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