James Madison vs. Duke Prediction, Best Bet & Odds for Round 2

Kyle Filipowski of the Duke Blue Devils reacts following a basket during the second half of the game against the NC State Wolfpack as we look at our James Madison-Duke prediction. — Kyle Filipowski of the Duke Blue Devils reacts following a basket during the second half of the game against the NC State Wolfpack. Photo by Lance King/Getty Images/AFP.

James Madison is looking to extend its surprising success in the NCAA Tournament by facing off against college basketball powerhouse Duke in the second round. We have analyzed the March Madness odds and are ready to provide our top prediction and best bet for the James Madison-Duke matchup.

After their unexpected win against Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round, the No. 12 seed James Madison Dukes (32-3) are looking to maintain their momentum as they take on the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils (25-8) in the second round. The game will start at 5:15 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and will be shown on CBS.

We are rooting for the Dukes to cause an upset and continue their Cinderella run for another week. Their moneyline at our top sportsbooks is an enticing bet for Sunday’s game.

In our March Madness predictions, we are sharing our top pick for the James Madison vs. Duke game in college basketball. We have considered the odds from the best March Madness betting sites and rated our pick confidence on a 1-to-5-star scale.

Odds for the James Madison vs. Duke game

Prediction for the South Region matchup between James Madison (No. 12) and Duke (No. 4):

James Madison ML ⭐⭐⭐

Top odds: +240 offered by bet365, BetMGM

On Friday, James Madison came through for the betting public, cashing in on numerous winning wagers. The Dukes were the top spread team at DraftKings and the most popular underdog moneyline play at BetMGM, as noted by sports betting analyst Ben Fawkes. Despite shooting 41.1% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range, James Madison held Wisconsin to just 0.84 points per possession and secured a convincing 11-point victory.

In their game against Wisconsin, JMU took seven more free throws and forced the Badgers into 19 turnovers. Duke has a turnover rate of 14.4%, ranking 31st in the country. Despite committing 16 turnovers in their recent losses to North Carolina and NC State, the Blue Devils managed to shoot 32.6% from 3-point range in those games.

James Madison has the second-highest defense of the 3-point line in the nation, allowing only 28.8%. With their disruptive hands in the passing lanes and ability to force Duke into a shooting slump, they have the ingredients for a second consecutive upset.

The best value for Dukes backers can be found at +240 odds with bet365 and BetMGM, while Caesars is offering a lower value at +215.

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Analysis of the point spread and Over/Under for the James Madison vs. Duke game.

The top sports betting sites have Duke favored by either -6.5 or -7 points. BetMGM initially had Duke at -7.5 before adjusting to -6.5 due to an influx of bets on Duke. DraftKings also moved their line from -7 to -6.5. Duke has covered the spread in 19 of their 33 games, while James Madison has covered in 20 of their 34 games.

Our top live betting sites all have a total of 148.5, except for BetRivers which has a slightly higher total at 149. There has been no line movement so far, but DraftKings did increase the juice on the Under bet from -110 to -112. The Under has won in five of Duke’s last six games, while the Over has won in five of James Madison’s last seven games.

Information on the upcoming game between James Madison and Duke

When: Sunday, March 24
Start time: 5:15 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
How to watch: CBS

Prediction for the James Madison-Duke game was made on March 23, 2024 at 8:36 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Allen Byron

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he’s especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike’s a big advocate of “fading the public” and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that “there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas.” When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He’s tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”