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Oral Roberts vs. Duke picks, predictions: Who wins NCAA Tournament first-round game?

jeremy cluff, arizona republic
·4 min read
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No. 12 seed Oral Roberts and No. 5 seed Duke face off on Thursday in an NCAA Tournament first-round game.

The game is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. MST and can be seen on CBS.

Who will win the game?

Check out these picks and predictions for the contest.

Duke is a 6.5-point favorite in the game, according to Tipico Sportsbook.

FanDuel: Oral Roberts 76, Duke 73

Larry Rupp writes: "Head coach Paul Mills' team simply knows how to score the basketball and the Golden Eagles are going to be a popular upset pick as a result. Duke came out on top of an ACC conference that only sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament and is playing under a first-year head coach in Jon Scheyer. Oral Roberts has won nine of its last 11 games in March, so back the Golden Eagles in an upset."

Sporting News: Duke 74, Oral Roberts 69

Nick Musial writes: "Had Oral been matched up against any other five seed, we'd likely lean the way of the Golden Eagles to win outright, but Duke's defensive versatility in guarding Vanover out on the perimeter while dominating on the glass should result in a first-round victory and Jon Scheyer's first-ever NCAA Tournament win."

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Fansided: Go with Oral Roberts with the points vs. Duke

Reed Wallach writes: "With Vanover down low, and Abmas cooking on offense, there are real concerns for the Blue Devils in this one. The defense doesn’t turn opponents over, 273rd in generating TO’s this season, and Oral Roberts is No. 1 in turnover rate this season. I don’t trust the Blue Devils offense to outpace the best scorer on the floor with NCAA Tournament experience in Abmas. I think Oral Roberts keeps this one close and is live for an upset."

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Can Oral Roberts upset Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament?
Can Oral Roberts upset Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament?

Sportsbook Wire: Duke 74, Oral Roberts 70

It writes: "Duke has covered 15 times in 34 games with a spread this season. Oral Roberts is 13-16-1 ATS this season."

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Sports Chat Place: Duke will cover against Oral Roberts

Randy Chambers writes: "We saw the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles make a nice run in the tournament a couple of years ago, and Abmas is more experienced than he was back then. The problem is there’s time to develop a game plan to force others not named Abmas to beat you, and that’s where Oral Roberts may have issues. Duke is deep, healthy and playing its best ball of the season. Unless others step up for the Golden Eagles, Duke could pull away in the second half. I’ll lay the reasonable chalk with the Blue Devils."

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Oral Roberts vs. Duke picks, predictions for March Madness game