After upsetting top-seeded Gonzaga on Thursday night in the Sweet 16, Arkansas advances to the Elite 8 for the second consecutive season where the Razorbacks will face two-seed Duke.
As mentioned previously, the four-seed Razorbacks picked up a massive win on Thursday night as Arkansas upset one-seed Gonzaga 74-68 in the Sweet 16, a game in which they led for almost all of the second half. Shooting a combined 40.3% from the field, the Razorbacks impressive defense was on full display on Thursday night as Arkansas forced 15 Gonzaga turnovers, as well as holding one of the nation’s top offensive teams to 68 points, one of the lowest marks of the season for the Bulldogs.
Now sitting at 28-8 for the year, Arkansas has now won nine of their last 11 games dating back to the regular season, as well as holding opponents (Vermont, New Mexico State, Gonzaga) to a combined 62.3 PPG so far during the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Averaging 67.3 PPG offensively during that span, the Razorbacks have also gotten strong play recently from the duo of JD Notae and Jaylin Williams, as well as others such as Au’Diese Toney, Stanley Umude, and Trey Wade who added 15 points against Gonzaga.
Duke’s run through the 2022 NCAA Tournament on the other hand has so far included wins over Cal-State Fullerton and Michigan State, as well as recently over three-seed Texas Tech on Thursday night in the Sweet 16. Defeating the Red Raiders 78-73, the Blue Devils shot an impressive 51.9% from the field in the win, and were able to claim the lead late due to some big shots from Paolo Banchero and Jeremy Roach.
Now owning a 31-6 overall record for the year, Duke is the nation’s No. 2 overall team in offensive efficiency according to KenPom averaging 80.2 PPG (ninth most in the country), while also having allowed 67.4 PPG to opponents this season. In addition to Banchero and Roach previously, each of Duke’s starters against Texas Tech (Mark Williams, Wendell Moore Jr, AJ Griffin) scored in double-figures, while Trevor Keels and Theo John also saw a significant amount of minutes off the bench.
Arkansas vs Duke Odds: Line, Spread, Over/Under
The line, spread, and over/under for Arkansas vs Duke can be found here.
Arkansas vs Duke 2022 NCAA Tournament Prediction
Similar to the Sweet 16 matchup with Gonzaga, Arkansas will likely be considered as the underdog going in, but easily have the potential to advance to the Final Four should they play like they did on Thursday night. The play of Williams and Notae both will be key, but I’ll say that Duke pulls out a close win to advance. Prediction: Arkansas 67, Duke 72
What channel is the Arkansas vs Duke Game On?
An Elite 8 matchup in the West Region, Arkansas vs Duke will be played on Saturday, March 26 from Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. The game will begin at 8:49 pm ET, and will be available on TBS.
Arkansas vs Duke Live Stream
A live stream of Arkansas vs Duke on fuboTV can be found here.