Posted at 9:30 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle -7 -106 BET365 -7 -110 Sportsinteraction -7 -110   888Sport -7 -110 

Duke -7 over James Madison

Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Second Round

Steaming: CBS

5:15 PM EST. James Madison has emerged as the most popular underdog on day two of the second round. Much of this can be attested to James Madison excelling in the role of the public underdog two days ago when, as a five-point pooch, the Dukes took Wisconsin essentially wire-to-wire in a 72-61 victory in which JMU controlled Wisconsin through virtually every stage of the contest. James Madison was a 31-game winner and conference champion and were the #12 seed in a favorable pairing historically. JMU knocked Wisconsin off its game early Friday night, taking a 15-4 lead and never trailing again. The Badgers turned the ball over 19 times, rattled by the Dukes’ pressure.

Though a public side by default, Duke did what they were supposed to do in their tournament opener against Vermont. As a 12½-point choice, the Blue Devils ended up at the cashier window when they defeated the Catamounts 64-47 in an uninspiring defensive contest. Indeed, the Dukies covered the number but to those that watched the Blue Devils in action, it was more of a case of Vermont playing with Duke for 30 minutes instead of 40. The Blue Devils pulled away at the end to gain leverage against the Catamounts and get to the pay zone. Had you bet Duke on Friday, it didn’t look like they were ever going to cover that double-digit spread.

When holding up Duke’s performance to James Madison’s, the latter has more appeal because JMU staged an upset with a strong showing while Duke struggled to create separation from an inferior foe. This is referred to as recency bias and it’s working in our favor here.

Today offers a moment of truth for No. 11-ranked Duke, the situation the Blue Devils have had on their minds for the past 52 weeks. Jon Scheyer’s first season as head coach ended with a thud when Tennessee bullied Duke to post a 65-52 NCAA Tournament second-round win at Orlando. Pushed around and bruised by the more physical Volunteers, four starters from that game opted to return to school, vowing to be better prepared this season. Now the Blue Devils prepare for this NCAA Tournament second-round game against James Madison.

While No. 12 seed James Madison plays the role of a plucky underdog, the Dukes (32-3) have a record and an aggressive style of play that deserves respect. No. 4 seeded Duke must prove it’s up to the challenge, something it’s waited a year to show. “Second round,” Duke all-ACC forward Kyle Filipowski said. “Same position we were in last year with Tennessee coming in and turning us over, bullying us, things like that. So just getting this opportunity tomorrow night, you know, not a lot of people will get this second opportunity like this. So we’re gonna make the most of it.

Let’s not ignore that the Blue Devils played a tremendous defensive game while beating Vermont. The Catamounts were held 25 points below their season scoring average and now JMU will take a big step up in class while receiving deflated points. Duke gets the call.

Sherwood

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