The No.1-seeded Duke Blue Devils (29-3) take on the No.8-seeded San Diego State Aztecs (24-8) in the third round of the NCAA tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. The game starts at 2:40 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 22.
The Blue Devils easily got past Robert Morris 85-56 in the second round. Jahlil Okafor finished with 28 points to lead the game. The Aztecs, meanwhile, are coming off a 76-64 win over St. Johns in the second round. J.J. O`Brien stood out for San Diego State, posting 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the high-octane offense of Duke (third in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 120.9) takes on the stingy defense of San Diego State (second in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 129.0).
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Blue Devils enter the game with records of 30-4 Straight Up (SU) and 19-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Blue Devils have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the 40th-ranked rebounding team in Division I, averaging 37.4 per game, while the Aztecs rank 127th in the nation with 35.3 per game. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Duke, which ranks 13th at 1.40.
On the other side, San Diego State has a SU record of 27-8 and an ATS record of 15-18. When it comes to defending the rim, the Aztecs are one of the best in the nation with an average of 5.1 blocks per game.
Duke and San Diego State will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Blue Devils were winners, moving their SU record against San Diego State to 1-0. However, San Diego State leads the matchup ATS with a record of 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – DUKE, ATS Winner – DUKE
Notes
Duke and San Diego State are two top-tier teams when it comes to scoring. Duke ranks third with an offensive rating of 120.870 and San Diego State ranks second with a defensive rating of 129.013.
The Duke Blue Devils average 67.1 possessions and 1.209 points per possession in games this season. The San Diego State Aztecs average fewer possessions with 61.5, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.004.
Duke is ranked fourth in the nation with an average effective field goal percentage of 57.2%. San Diego State has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-1).
Ranked 19th in the nation, Duke has an average of 15.7 assists per game. San Diego State ranks lower at 307th with 10.6.
The San Diego State Aztecs average 5.1 blocks per game, the 23rd-ranked team in the country. The Duke Blue Devils rank a lowly 135th in blocking with just 3.8 per game.
Duke ranks 72nd in offensive rebounding. San Diego State ranks 228th in defensive rebounding.
The Duke Blue Devils make an average of 7.2 steals per game. When the San Diego State Aztecs allow 7 or more steals, they are a winning 8-3.
