Duke March Madness 2021 NCAA Tournament odds: Blue Devils need miracle run to ACC Tournament title to avoid missing Big Dance
Duke will not be an NCAA Tournament team, most likely, without winning the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils open play ACC tourney Tuesday vs. Boston College.
Duke is the defending champion of the ACC Basketball Tournament with the Blue Devils taking the title in 2019 – of course, there was no ACC Tournament last year due to the pandemic. Coach Mike Krzyzewski's team enters Tuesday's ACC tourney opener in Greensboro, N.C., against Boston College almost surely needing to win the event to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. Duke is a 12.5-point favorite over Boston College on the William Hill Sportsbook college basketball odds with the winner facing No. 7 seed Louisville on Wednesday.
At 11-11 overall and 9-9 in the ACC, it's not even accurate to say Duke is on the Big Dance bubble right now. Neither CBS Sports' Jerry Palm nor ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the Blue Devils even among their "first four out." Both have Saint Louis, Syracuse, Ole Miss and Utah State in that group.
Duke was considered a likely tournament team following an 85-71 home win over Syracuse on Feb. 22 that got the Blue Devils to 11-8 overall and 9-6 in the ACC, but they lost their final three games – two in overtime. Coach K's club was simply outclassed Saturday in a 91-73 blowout at rival North Carolina.
The No. 10 seed is the worst Duke has ever had in the ACC Tournament. The last time the Blue Devils were outside the Top 5 was in 2007 when they were No. 7, and the last time Duke was seeded close to this low was in 1995 when it was No. 9. That's the last season Duke finished with a losing record.
Duke is an ACC-best 103-45 in the ACC Tournament with a league record 21 titles -- eight of those have come at Greensboro Coliseum where Duke is 39-18 the tournament. Duke is +1400 at William Hill to win this tournament. The SportsLine Projection Model gives Duke a 3.0 percent chance of winning it (+1400 on the odds equates to 6.7 percent).
No. 15 seed Boston College, +50000 to win the ACC Tournament, is not likely to put up much of a fight as the Eagles are 4-15 overall, fired Coach Jim Christian a few weeks ago and have seen a couple of their top players enter the transfer portal. Duke leads the all-time series 24-13 and has won 15 of the past 16.
On Jan. 6, Duke was an 11.5-point home favorite vs. Boston College and won 83-82 when Coach K was sidelined in COVID protocols. Wendell Moore finished with 25 points and hit a free throw with 9.9 seconds left to make it a four-point game for Duke; BC's CJ Felder hit a three-pointer with one second left for the final margin.
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