Michigan State vs Duke 3/31/19 - NCAA Basketball Picks & Predictions

Last Updated: 08/21/2019 at 11:12 AM ET

The No. 2 seeded Michigan State Spartans meet the No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils on Sunday in an NCAA Tournament East Region Elite 8 showdown at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Spartans defeated the LSU Tigers on Friday 80-63 behind big games from two freshmen. Aaron Henry scored 20 points and Gabe Brown scored 15 as LSU left the sharpshooters alone at the perimeter and the two made the Tigers pay dearly for it.

Duke fought off an upset attempt by Virginia Tech on Friday and won 75-73 to reach the Elite 8. The Blue Devils were led by Zion Williamson with 23 points, while fellow freshman star RJ Barrett scored 18 and handed out 11 assists. Tre Jones scored 22 points and handed out eight assists. Freshman Cam Reddish did not play due to a sore knee and is questionable for Sunday’s game.
Cassius Winston leads the Spartans in scoring and assists with averages of 18.9 points and 7.6 assists per game. The leading rebounder is Kenny Goins with an average of 8.9 per game. Nick Ward is the second leading scorer with an average of 13.7 points per game. The Spartans are shooting 48.8% from the field and 38.3% from 3-point territory.

RJ Barrett leads Duke in scoring and is second in assists with averages of 22.9 points and 4.1 assists per game. Zion Williamson is the second leading scorer and leading rebounder with averages of 22.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Tre Jones leads the Blue Devils in assists with an average of 5.3 per game. Duke is shooting 47.7% from the field and 30.2% from 3-point territory.

Duke has covered the number in 4 of the last 5 meetings between the two. However, the Blue Devils have had problems covering large spreads all seasons, but a scare against Virginia Tech on Friday was good for Duke. The Blue Devils will play tight perimeter defense as well as clog up the middle to take away the different offensive options. Final Score Prediction, Duke Blue Devils win and cover 75-70.

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