The top two seeds in the region will meet in Elite Eight betting action in Indianapolis on Sunday as the No. 1 Louisville Cardinals look for a victory over the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils.
Duke topped Louisville 76-71 as a 1-point favorite back in November, and they beat No. 3 Michigan State 71-61 as a 2-point favorite in the Sweet 16. Louisville is coming off a 77-69 win over No. 12 Oregon as a 10.5-point favorite in the Sweet 16. It was the first time in 10 games that the Cardinals failed to cover the spread.
Louisville battles the Blue Devils, currently sitting with a 30-5 mark (19-16 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 18-16 for the Cardinals and 18-17 for the Blue Devils.
View Duke vs Louisville Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with Louisville in this one found them as 3.5-point favorites earlier in the day at Sportsbook. Watch for line moves and updates at Sportsbook where the over under was 137 late Saturday.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Cardinals - Blue Devils odds would favor the Cardinals if the lines were set according to our power ranks. Louisville is rated No. 1 in the current Odds Shark poll, while Duke is at No. 17. Mathematical models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 85-81 win for the Cardinals.
How They Match Up:
In the paint, the rebound battle will feature Louisville's No. 67-rated squad against Duke's No. 219-rated roster. And in long-range shooting, Louisville rates No. 220 in the country with 5.7 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 44 nationally with 7.6 per match.
Defensively, Duke features the nation's No. 189-rated defense on the road, allowing 70.1 points per game. Louisville, meanwhile, comes in at No. 62 nationally in scoring at home.
Last time out for Duke, they were a 71-61 Sportsbook as they battled Michigan State at home. They covered in the match as a 2-point favorite. Duke got 29 points from Seth Curry en route to a 71-61 victory over Michigan State on Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Louisville won its last outing, a 77-69 result against Oregon on March 29. They failed to cover in that game as a 10.5-point favorite. Russ Smith poured in a team-high 31 points for Louisville on Friday, as they defeated Oregon 77-69 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
