Duke's Sweet 16 opponent is now official.
After a thrilling win over Kansas that included a game-winner at the buzzer, St. John's has advanced to the Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C. to take on the Blue Devils. Duke and St. John's will do battle on Friday, March 27th, at a yet-to-be-determined time.
It'll be the first major hurdle for Jon Scheyer and Duke on their quest to the Final Four and, hopefully, a national title for the first time in 11 years. Rick Pitino is a two-time national championship-winning coach, and the Johnnies will be well-prepared to take advantage of the flaws Duke has recently put on tape.
FanDuel released opening odds shortly after St. John's escaped with a win over Kansas, and, as expected, Duke is a solid, though far from comfortable, favorite.
FanDuel listed the opening odds as Duke -6.5.
Duke opens as a 6.5-point favorite for Sweet 16 matchup vs. St. John's
KenPom and Bart Torvik have different ideas for this game. Though both expect Duke to win, KenPom is a bit more bullish on the Blue Devils than Torvik.
KenPom projects a 76-68 win for Duke with a 76% implied win probability.
Bart Torvik likes Duke 74-69 with a 71% implied win probability.
The return of Patrick Ngongba changes a lot for the Blue Devils, and he'll be needed for bigger minutes against the Red Storm on Friday. Ngongba played just 13 minutes during Duke's second-round win over TCU after missing five games, but he was a team-best +20 in those minutes.
Duke has the better team, but Pitino is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport. His team will be well-prepared, and they won't give Duke an inch. Scheyer better have his Blue Devils ready to earn every single inch.
Because St. John's is fully capable of winning this game and sending Duke home early.