Bluejays vs. Blue Devils NCAA Tourney Spread/Handicapping
The No. 7 Creighton Bluejays barely escaped their round 2 matchup against Cincinnati with a four-point win, and their reward is a battle with the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils. Duke is coming off a 12-point victory over the Albany Great Danes.
NCAA Tournament – Midwest Bracket
No. 7 Creighton Bluejays (28-7, 13-5 MVC) vs. No. 2 Duke Blue Devils (28-5, 14-4 ACC)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
9:40 PM ET
Philadelphia, PA
Spread: Duke -5 at JustBet
ML: N/A
OU: 144
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Creighton Bluejays
If the Creighton Bluejays want to win this game, their offense must be as crisp as it was all season. On the year, this team shot the best field-goal percentage of any team in the country. It completed 50.8 percent of its shots, and it scored 75.4 points per game (24th in the nation).
This group plays a crisp, unselfish brand of basketball, which is exactly what wins games in the tournament. They’re fifth in the country in assists, and they share the ball both down low and out on the perimeter.
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As good as this team is at sharing, there’s no denying who its leader is. The Bluejays have relied on Doug McDermott, a junior forward, all season. He’s averaging 23.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and he shoots 55.8 percent from the floor and 49.7 percent from deep range.
The problem for Creighton is that it is not a great defensive team. Cincinnati proved in round 2 that you can run your offensive set the way you’d like against the Bluejays, and the concern for Creighton is that Duke is a much better offensive team than Cincinnati.
Duke Blue Devils
The No. 1 strategy for the Duke Blue Devils in this game is going to be containing Doug McDermott. There are other players on Creighton capable of stepping up, but not to the extent that the junior forward is capable.
Duke is not a deep team, but they’re extremely talented in their top five or six. The same can be said about Creighton, which is why the Blue Devils must hone in on their go-to scoring option.
Also like Creighton, this team was one of the best offensive groups in the country all season. It was sixth in the nation in scoring, at 78.3 points per contest, and it shot the 17th-best field-goal percentage at 47.6 percent. [ad-6571516]
The Blue Devils have been known to exit the tournament early in years past, but they’ve also been known to make deep runs when people have counted them out. This season, getting Ryan Kelly back from injury was crucial to their success. Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee played well in his absence, but with the roster being somewhat shallow, having the senior back gives them an edge.
This is the kind of game that has to be high-scoring to go in Creighton’s favor. The Bluejays aren’t going to stop the Blue Devils from getting their points, which mean they have to score at an equally as proficient rate.
Can Creighton do it? By looking at their numbers on the season, the answer is yes. However, strength of schedule is important at this point of the year. Creighton hasn’t been nearly as challenged as Duke during 2012-13, and for that reason, the edge has to go to the Blue Devils.
Prediction: Duke 77 – Creighton 70
