Arkansas vs. Duke preview, picks for Elite Eight of 2022 NCAA Tournament

The No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils advanced to the Elite Eight, and they will get a matchup with the No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, March 26th at 8:49 p.m. ET. The winner will advance out of the West region and be a part of the Final Four in New Orleans.

Saturday’s game will air on TBS with the Blue Devils as slight favorites.

No. 2 Duke Blue Devils: 31-6 (16-4 ACC):

First round result: 78-61 vs. No. 15 Cal State Fullerton
Second round result: 85-76 vs. No. 7 Michigan State
Sweet 16 round result: 78-73 vs. No. 3 Texas Tech
KenPom rating: 9 Overall, 2 Offense, 47 Defense
NET ranking: 12, (6-2 Vs. Quad 1)
Leading scorer: Paolo Banchero (17.2 ppg)
Key stat: Duke shot 40-of-47 (85.1%) from the free throw line in this NCAA Tournament.

The Duke Blue Devils kept the Mike Krzyzewski era going with impressive victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday night. They have been tested till the final minutes in their last two games including a Round 2 matchup with the No. 7 seed Michigan State Spartans.

Paolo Banchero scored an average of 19.3 points per game during this NCAA Tournament and has shot 7-of-13 from beyond the three-point line.

Watch for Duke to score in a variety of ways as one of the best offenses nationally.

No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks: 28-8 (28-8 SEC):

First round result: 75-71 vs. No. 13 Vermont
Second round result: 53-48 vs. No. 12 New Mexico State
Sweet 16 result: 74-68 vs. No. 1 Gonzaga
KenPom rating: 17 Overall, 53 Offense, 11 Defense
NET ranking: 20, (7-6 Vs. Quad 1)
Leading scorer: JD Notae (18.5 ppg)
Key stat: Arkansas forced an average of 17 turnovers in their last two games.

The Arkansas Razorbacks did not win any of their three NCAA Tournament games by more than six points, but they advanced to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row with an incredibly impressive victory over the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs on Thursday night.

JD Notae put up a ton of shots against Gonzaga, knocking down 9-of-29 field goal attempts. He was just 2-of-12 from beyond the three-point line, so he will need to play better offensively for the Razorbacks to get to the Final Four.

Watch for the Razorbacks to speed up the pace as they rank No. 28 nationally in KenPom’s adjusted tempo.

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook

Point spread: Duke -4
Point total: 147.5
Moneyline: Duke -170, Arkansas +150

The Pick

Against The Spread Pick: Duke -4
Point total pick: Over 147.5
Pick to Win: Duke

Duke showed they can play well offensively against an elite defense against Texas Tech, and they will do it again, covering this number with a significant offensive advantage. When you combine Arkansas’ pace with how good the Duke offense is, Saturday night’s contest should hit the over as well.

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