Duke Blue Devils Odds to Win 2008 NCAA Tournament
Written March 3, 2008 by Jack Jones
The Duke Blue Devils remained one of the top 10 teams in the country with a dramatic comeback against North Carolina St. The Blue Devils currently have an overall record of 25-3 and are tied with North Carolina atop the ACC at 12-2. The Blue Devils are a team that relies on their outside shooting. When they are on they can beat anyone as they have taken down ranked Marquette and top 10 teams in Wisconsin and North Carolina. Duke seems to have troubles away from home, as all three of their losses came on the road. With their losses to the likes of Pittsburgh, Miami (Fla.), and Wake Forest, it shows that if they aren’t making their shots they can be beat by anyone. Either way the Blue Devils are one of the toughest teams to play in college basketball and it looks like they could make a run at the title in 2008.With their last win against N.C. State it gave coach Mike Krzyzewski his 800th win, moving him to #6 all time on career wins. They are led by senior DeMarcus Nelson who seems to do it all as he leads the team in scoring with 15.5 PPG, and is second on the team in rebounding with 5.8 RPG and assists with 3 APG. Freshman Kyle Singler is the team’s second leading scorer bringing in 14.3 PPG and is the leading rebounder with 6 RPG. The team has even more scoring with Gerald Henderson bringing in 12.4 PPG and Jon Scheyer at 11.2 PPG. Junior Greg Paulus is the man at the point as he leads the team in assists at 3.5 APG and still manages to bring in 10.8 PPG. The Blue Devils lead the ACC in 3 pointers made and in 3 pointers attempted. Paulus, Scheyer, and Nelson all come in hitting over 40% from behind the arc.
The Blue Devils have two remaining games in the regular season before heading to the ACC tournament. They have to head to Virginia who is currently last in the ACC, and will need to avoid another hiccup on the road. They finish up the regular season with one of college basketballs greatest rivalry games when they invite North Carolina into Cameron Stadium for what will most likely be a showdown for the ACC title. There is even more at stake then just a regular season title, as the winner of the rematch from earlier this year will likely move even closer to a #1 seed come tournament time. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels could easily meet up for a third time in the ACC Conference Tournament for yet another ACC title.
Duke could be the toughest team to play in the NCAA Tournament, and they could also be one of the easiest. They will rely on tough defense and non-stop 3 pointers to lead them to victory. If they get hot come tournament time it won’t matter if they are a #1 or #2 seed as they can beat anyone they come across. While there is no doubt they would love to have a #1 seed, it will most likely require them to beat North Carolina for a second and third time, which might be a little harder than it sounds as North Carolina is also one of the best teams in the country.
2008 Duke Blue Devils Odds to Win NCAA Tournament: 12/1
Sportsbook.com is a great place to do all your NCAA Tournament betting. Continue to check out Sportsbook.com for your entire tournament betting needs, as they will have the odds for every team and every game in the big dance. As always feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.