The No. 5 Duke Blue Devils aim for their 11th consecutive victory when they take on the fourth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday in a second-round showdown in the East Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Duke was dominant in coach Jon Scheyer’s March Madness debut on Thursday, rolling to a 74-51 victory against Oral Roberts. The Volunteers also appeared to be on their way to a comfortable first-round win as they owned an 18-point lead before holding on for a 58-55 triumph over Louisiana.
Tipoff at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. is set for 2:40 p.m. ET on CBS. The Blue Devils are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Duke vs. Tennessee odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 125.5. Before making any Tennessee vs. Duke picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament 79-53 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,300 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Duke vs. Tennessee and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2023. You can head to SportsLine to see the picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Tennessee vs. Duke:
- Duke vs. Tennessee spread: Blue Devils -3.5
- Duke vs. Tennessee over/under: 125.5 points
- Duke vs. Tennessee money line: Blue Devils -180, Volunteers +160
- DUKE: The Blue Devils are 5-0 against the spread in their last five overall games
- TENN: The Volunteers are 1-7 ATS in their last eight NCAA Tournament contests
- Duke vs. Tennessee picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Duke can cover
The Blue Devils’ rout on Thursday marked the third time in four games they won by double digits. Ten of the 11 players who attempted a shot from the field finished with points against Oral Roberts, with Jeremy Roach leading the way with 23 on 9-of-17 shooting. It matched the career high for the junior guard, who also produced 23 points against Virginia in the ACC Tournament championship game last weekend.
Roach (13.6 points) is second on the team in scoring this season behind freshman center Kyle Filipowski, who is averaging 15.1 points but recorded only six against the Golden Eagles. Freshman forward Dariq Whitehead helped pick up the slack with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting off the bench as he sank half of Duke’s six 3-pointers. Freshman center Dereck Lively II was a force in the triumph, pulling down 12 of the Blue Devils’ 46 rebounds and blocking six shots.
Why Tennessee can cover
Despite needing to hang on for a three-point victory against Louisiana after leading by as many as 18, the Volunteers should feel a bit more confident as they entered the NCAA Tournament having lost seven of their previous 12 contests. Tyreke Key led Tennessee in scoring as he came off the bench to produce 12 points. The senior guard is averaging only 8.5 points this season but has reached double figures in three of his last four outings with starting point guard Zakai Zeigler (ACL) out for the season.
With leading scorer Santiago Vescovi being limited to three points, the Volunteers also received a strong effort from Jahmai Mashack. The sophomore guard is recording 4.7 points per game in 2022-23 but went 4-for-6 from the field against the Ragin’ Cajuns and finished with 11 points. Mashack has posted only six double-digit performances this season, but four have come in his last eight contests.
How to make Tennessee vs. Duke picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 135 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Duke vs. Tennessee? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
