Blue Devils to Get Solid Test at Arkansas
Duke vs Arkansas Betting Trends Favor Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils travel to Arkansas on Wednesday in one of the better games of the day. The No. 7 Blue Devils are 5-1 on the season, having a loss to Arizona as the lone blemish on its record. It hasn’t been quite so easy for Arkansas, which is 4-3 on the year, but has lost six straight games against the NCAAB betting lines. The Razorbacks are 1-6 against the spread for the year. The Duke vs Arkansas betting trends will point to Duke due to Arkansas’ spread record, as the Blue Devils are -4.5 with a total of 149.5.
Blue Devils vs Razorbacks 
Day/Time:
Location: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Line: Duke -5.5
Total: 149.5
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Blue Devils Doing it on Both End of the Court
Duke has been solid offensively and defensively so far. Part of that has to do with a relatively easy schedule in the early part of the season. But teams won’t find themselves No. 7 in the NCAA basketball rankings unless they can play.
The Blue Devils remain one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. Duke’s odds to win March Madness are +1400, tied with Arizona for the third-lowest.
The Blue Devils are No. 9 in Ken Pomeroy’s offensive efficiency ratings. Duke is shooting 50.7% from the field, connecting on 59.8% of its 2-point attempts and 35.3% of 3-pointers. There really isn’t a weakness as far as the Blue Devils go on offense.
The defense isn’t quite as good as the offensive. But it’s still pretty solid. Duke ranks No. 27 in Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency ratings. The Blue Devils allow opponents to hit 40.4% from the field. Teams shoot 45.6% on 2-pointers and 31.2% on 3-pointers.
Arkansas Taking Some Lumps
The Razorbacks started off strong, winning their first three games of the year. But the schedule got quite a bit tougher, and Arkansas has dropped three of its last four games.
Losing to Memphis and North Carolina is no disgrace, although Arkansas should beat UNC Greensboro at home. Not that the Spartans are a bad college basketball team. It’s just Arkansas is ranked higher in all the power ratings.
The Razorbacks are ranked No. 39 in Pomeroy’s offensive efficiency ratings. Arkansas hits 45.2% of its field goal attempts, 51.5% of 2-pointers, and 33.3% on 3-point attempts. The Razorbacks take care of the basketball for the most part and are solid all around.
On defense, the Razorbacks are No. 60 in the efficiency ratings. The biggest problem Arkansas has had is defending the 3-pointer. The Razorbacks allow 35.1% on 3-pointers, which is worse than the NCAA average of 32.9%.
Who to Bet On?
The Duke vs Arkansas betting trends will point to Duke if you’re looking at recent trends. The Blue Devils are 3-3 against the spread compared to Arkansas at 1-6. But the long-term trends also show a significant negative against the Blue Devils, as Duke is 9-21 against the spread the last 2+seasons after scoring 80 points.
The Duke vs Arkansas betting trends are pointing in both directions if you look hard enough. So, handicapping this NCAA basketball game is going to come down to the numbers.
Regarding tempo, neither team really looks to push the ball up the court that much. If this one goes over the total, it will be because shots are falling. It won’t be due to the number of possessions.
The spread on the game moved from Duke -4.5 to Blue Devils -5.5 overnight. It’s easy to see why, based on the early play of both teams.
Arkansas leading scorer Tramon Mark is listed as questionable after leaving last game with a back injury. He wants to play, but don’t be surprised to see Arkansas keep him out of this one.
With Mark most likely sitting this one, or at the very least, limited in what he can do if he manages to convince coaches to let him play, the under 149.5 is the side to be on.
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