Dean Etheridge
One team that has sneaked in a bit under the radar, but are contenders in a lot of pundits’ eyes to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament is Duke. On Thursday evening, Duke takes on Oral Roberts in the 1st Round, and here we look ahead to their match up in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- What; NCAA Tournament Men’s Basketball March Madness – 1st Round
- Who; Duke Blue Devils vs Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
- Where; Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
- When; Thursday, March 16th, 2023
- Tip Off; 6.10 pm ET
This match is one that falls into the bracket of potential upset. Duke, a number 5 seed, taking on Oral Roberts, a number 12 seed. And Oral Roberts are a dangerous side, make no mistake about that. But before we get onto our NCAAB betting picks for the match, let’s first take a look at where Duke is in the betting to win the NCAA Tournament.
Betting to win 2023 NCAA Tournament
Despite being a candidate for a Round of 64 shock, Duke are also a lot of people’s outside bet to win the championship. At +1600 (they were +1800 just a couple of days back), Jon Scheyer’s team are regarded as a good outside value bet. And it’s easy to see why.
In the ACC they went 9-0 at home (16-0 in total), and they finished the season on a six-match winning streak. That has since turned into a nine-match winning streak, as they also defeated Pittsburgh (96-69), Miami FL (85-78), and Virginia (59-49), to win the conference tournament.
So, not only did this earn them the ACC title, but it also sees them enter March Madness as one of the in-form teams.
DUKE WINS THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆
The Blue Devils knock off Virginia to win their 9th game in a row and their first ACC Tournament Championship since 2019! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/nXd3NMX1o1
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 12, 2023
But they’re not the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. That badge of honor still belongs to both the Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Houston Cougars, who both lead the way at +550. There is then a bit of a gap before we get to Kansas and Purdue, who are both +1000, and the Texas Longhorns at +1100.
Behind the first five in the betting is UCLA at +1200, and then we get to a cluster of teams on +1600, with Connecticut, Arizona and Gonzago, all alongside Duke at these odds.
Betting to win the East Region
The betting to win the East Region is one of the most competitive of all four of the brackets. Purdue leads the way on +275, with Marquette next at +400, and then comes Duke at +450. If further proof is needed of just how tight the East Region is, next in the betting to win the bracket is Tennessee at +575, with Kentucky at +800, and Kansas State at +1000.
Duke vs Oral Roberts Match Betting
Right, onto the match betting, and Duke are -280 to win on the moneyline. The best college basketball betting sites make Oral Roberts +235.
Moving onto the handicap spread, the mark is set at 6.5 points in favor of Oral Roberts. Duke is -105 starting from 6.5 points behind, while Oral Roberts are -115. It appears that punters are already wagering more for the underdogs on the spread.
Finally, the total points mark is set at 145 with BetOnline. Over 145 is -110, and under 145 points is also -110.
More odds from some of the best March Madness betting sites can be found on our below odds table. For more information on these seriously good basketball betting sites, check out our top US sportsbooks reviews page.
| Duke vs Oral Roberts; March Madness |  |  |  |
| Duke | -280 | -275 | -290 |
| Oral Roberts | +235 | +235 | +240 |
| Duke (-6.5) | -105 | -110 | -110 |
| Oral Roberts (+6.5) | -115 | -110 | -110 |
The Challenge
If Duke is to continue their hot run, then they really can’t afford to underestimate Paul Mills’ team. In the conference, the Golden Eagles went unbeaten with an 18-0 record, their overall record was 30-4, and they are on a huge winning streak of 17.
𝙒𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙊𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤! ✈️
The #ORUMBB bandwagon is officially open! pic.twitter.com/xKtLeC4pXA— ORU Basketball (@ORUMBB) March 12, 2023
Just two years ago they made it all the way to the Sweet 16 stage as the 15th seeds. On route, they saw off Ohio State and Florida. Eventually, it was Arkansas that put an end to their run into the latter stages.
The Golden Eagles have dangerous players like Connor Vanover, and Max Abmas (who played a large part in the run in 2021), and really represent a huge challenge to the Blue Devils.
Our Pick
After such an impressive run of late, Jon Scheyer and his Duke team might be a bit annoyed at only being made the number 5 seed. This can work one of two ways; 1) They lose and justify their seeding. 2) They get angry, and show everybody that the Selection Committee was wrong!
We think it will be number 2. So, for our pick, we think Duke will have too much for Oral Roberts, and they will end any dreams that Paul Mills’ team have of replicating 2021. We feel that the trio of Filipowski, Lively II, and Young will have too much, and will wear down the Golden Eagles, and we are taking Duke to win on the handicap.
