Syracuse at Duke

Duke has yet to meet a worthy foe in the NCAA Tournament. They’ve won their first two games by a combined 47 points, but that changes here. Syracuse is well coached behind Jim Boeheim and plays ferocious defense. Syracuse is one of the tallest teams in the country and twenty-four percent of their points come off free throws (seventh in the nation). Syracuse's 2-3 zone has completely befuddled three teams in a row, holding all three opponents to 60 points or less. The dominant defense is clicking at the right time, shutting down Texas Christian (57-52) and Michigan State (55-53) the last two games, winning as dogs of +4.5 and 10. These teams met last month with Duke winning an ugly game at home, 60-44, but they are in Omaha, Nebraska for this rematch. Syracuse limited Duke to just 2-of-18 three-pointers. Look for the rematch to feature more great defense, but it will be much closer, so back the hot (5-1 SU/ATS run) big dog and play Syracuse.