Even On The Road, Duke Talent Should Lead The Way

Duke vs. Arizona, 10:30 ET

That's right, we are going back to college basketball to fill out the rest of the work-week with our last play. I know I've written about Duke in multiple games already, but that's fine with me. I enjoy this team, and quite frankly, I go out of my way to choose games that are between ranked opponents and on national television. It isn't the best strategy as you should always play the games you have edges on, but I think we have a good chance to get a unit on a coinflip game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Arizona Wildcats.

Duke is 3-1 in the young season. Their first game of the season came against Maine and the Blue Devils showed out, beating them by 34 points. The next game was against Army, another team that really has no business playing against Duke. They beat Army by 42. After that, they had a real battle as they faced Kentucky in a neutral court game. This was a true test as Kentucky is a ranked opponent. The Wildcats were able to take down Duke by five points. Cooper Flagg was great in the game until he wasn't. Down the stretch, he started to fall apart a bit and had some costly mistakes that ultimately made the game flip from a narrow win to a defeat. Duke bounced back in their next game, winning by 51. That game was against Wofford and Duke only allowed them 35 points. That's an absurdly low total for two halves of basketball. In this game, Duke will need to hound on defense against a talented Arizona offense. 

Nov 9, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Carter Bryant (9) shoots the ball during the second half against the Old Dominion Monarchs at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona comes into this game having played just three this season. For the year, the Wildcats are just 2-1 and coming off of their first loss of the season. Arizona started their season against Canisius and coasted to a 29-point victory. In the next game, they played against Old Dominion University and put up 102 points while holding them to just 44 points. The loss came a little less than a week ago as Wisconsin hosted the Wildcats and Arizona lost by 15 points. Going on the road is difficult, so this wasn't all that shocking that the team lost the game, it was a bit of a surprise that the game wasn't closer though. Their defense couldn't do much against John Tonje, the Wisconsin guard. He poured in 41 points and had 21 free throws. Arizona will need to figure out a way to stop the Duke offense with very capable scorers. 

I'm not sure I understand why the betting market favors Arizona in this one, outside of the fact that Duke is on the road. However, keep in mind, the Blue Devils have played a tougher team, and they played on the road already. Sure, it wasn't an actual road game, they didn't really have to be in front of a hostile crowd. I think Duke wins this one and am going to play it that way. Call me a fan boy, or whatever, I think Duke is the better team, and these are the games they need to win if they are going to be a legitimate champion contender. 

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