First Ranked NCAAM Matchup 👀

Duke pays a visit to Lawrence to take on the defending champion Jayhawks. It's the marquee matchup among a robust slate of games...college basketball is officially here 🏀 (4 min read)

Author

Will Gendron
November 15, 2022

Photo by Lance King/Getty Images

A New Era

We often talk about sports in terms of the ebb and flow of eras — a prolific run from a specific collection of players, or the sustained dominance of an individual — and college basketball is no different. Duke is in its next chapter after the retirement of Coach K following the end of last season, and has started things off with two wins. Tonight, however, will present the first real test for this new iteration of the storied program, as the Blue Devils take on the Jayhawks in Kansas 💪

While it may be too early to have a great read on the teams that will go the distance this year, it could be worth checking out some conference predictions before the oddsmakers are able to adjust as the season goes on 👇

Odds To Win The ACC (subject to change)

  • North Carolina: +135 (bet $100, win $135)

  • Duke: +190

  • Virginia: +600

  • Miami: +1500

Barring some unfortunate injury luck, I don't see UNC or Duke really wavering from those top two spots. Now for the Big 12 🏀

  • Baylor: +195

  • Kansas: +250

  • Texas: +320

  • Texas Tech: +700

Baylor's staunch defense gives them the edge in the Big 12, but a bet on Kansas at their current juice would be banking on championship continuity, despite the Jayhawks losing a solid portion of last seasons' identity 😳

Trivia Question: How many times has Mike Krzyzewski been offered an NBA head coaching position?

Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Duke vs. Kansas Preview

Tonight's showdown between Duke and Kansas will be the first time ranked teams have faced off against each other so far in the 2022-23 NCAAM season. Despite having home court advantage, Kansas' Bill Self will not be on the sidelines, as he continues serving a four game suspension. This will pit Norm Roberts against Krzyzewski's protege, Jon Scheyer, as both teams look to add to their undefeated records 💪

  • Duke will have to punish Kansas on the boards and with their paint presence, considering they have four 7-footers on the roster (Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively II, both 5-star recruits heading into the season, among them), while the Jayhawks have zero

  • Speaking of Dereck Lively II, the highly touted Duke freshman made his debut this past Friday against USC Upstate, totaling four points, two blocks, two rebounds, and a steal in just 15 minutes. Look for him to get even more comfortable in his second game back from a calf injury

Even though Kansas lost a number of key contributors from last year, including Christian Braun and Ochai Agbaji, freshman and Wichita-native, Grady Dick looks to be an explosive wing that can offer some shooting production for the defending champs. He dropped 23 points in his first game 👀

On the other side, can Duke's defense maintain its absurd start? The Blue Devils have racked up 21 steals to go along with 10 blocks, and given up only 82 total points through two games. Ultimately both teams are fielding a lot of freshmen, so look for this game to be as chaotic as it will be enjoyable 🐣

The odds for this game are incredibly close, and should officially ring in the start to the NCAAM season. Take a look 👇

  • Spread: Kansas -1.5

  • Moneyline: Kansas -125, Duke +104

  • Over/Under: 144.5

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

For My Parlay Gurus

Because we're still in the early part of the season, I'm expecting some general discombobulation, and paired with Duke's early signs of defensive strength, give me the under on their matchup with Kansas. Meanwhile, I think Kentucky takes care of business on the road against Michigan State. Check out my parlay 👇

  • Duke @ Kansas Under 144.5 Total Points: -115

  • Kentucky ML @ Michigan State: -315

$100 on this bet would win you $146 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: Coach K has been offered a head coaching gig in the association five times, but declined at each juncture — 1990 with Boston, 1994 with Portland, 2004 with the Lakers, 2010 with the New Jersey Nets and finally in 2011 with Minnesota

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