NCAA Tournament Betting: James Madison vs. Duke Picks, Prop Bets and Odds

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In a showdown between the 12 seed and 4 seed in the South region of the bracket, the James Madison Dukes are slated to take on the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Ahead of a clash with two teams with "Duke" in their name, which bets are standing out in Sunday's matchup?

All college basketball odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook, and lines may change after this article is published.

NCAA Tournament Betting Picks

James Madison vs. Duke Betting Odds

Date and Time: Sunday, March 24th at 5:15 p.m. ET

Spread: Duke -7.5 (-105)

Total: 148.5

Moneyline:

• James Madison: +245
• Duke: -310

James Madison vs. Duke Statistical Breakdown

Advanced stats from KenPom, Bart Torvik and numberFire.

James Madison Dukes

• numberFire Ranking: 59th
• Bart Torvik Ranking: 69th
• KenPom Ranking: 59th
  • Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 79th
  • Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 56th
  • Adjusted Tempo Ranking: 71st

Duke Blue Devils

• numberFire Ranking: 10th
• Bart Torvik Ranking: 11th
• KenPom Ranking: 8th
  • Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Ranking: 26th
  • Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Ranking: 7th
  • Adjusted Tempo Ranking: 231st

James Madison vs. Duke Best Bet

James Madison +7.5 (-115)

James Madison jumped out to a 33-20 lead in the first half of their 72-61 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in the Round of 64. Our own Aidan Cotter listed James Madison as the second-most likely 12 seed to upset a 5 seed, and it came to fruition with four players scoring in double figures for the Dukes.

The Blue Devils are an efficient team that plays stout defense, but the Dukes can match up well with them. Duke is 20th in effective field-goal percentage (55.2%) and 87th in effective field-goal percentage allowed (49.0%) while James Madison is 34th in effective field-goal percentage (54.4%) and 23rd in effective field-goal percentage allowed (46.7%).

Additionally, the Dukes are a team that forces plenty of mistakes with the 39th-best turnover rate on defense (19.8%). In their 11-point win against Wisconsin in the first round, James Madison forced a whopping 19 turnovers.

Slowing down Kyle Filipowski (16.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG) should be the primary focus for the Dukes in Sunday's contest. Filipowski tallied only three points in the Blue Devils' win against the Vermont Catamounts in the Round of 64, so I expect him to be more engaged versus the Dukes.

Despite Wisconsin having a 7-foot big man of their own, James Madison out-rebounded them 35-33 in the first round. The Dukes will want to replicate their success on the boards against Filipowski and the Blue Devils.

While winning another game as underdogs is going to be tough for James Madison, they are fully capable of keeping the game close against Duke.

James Madison vs. Duke Prop Bet

T.J. Bickerstaff Over 10.5 Points (-130)

Taking down Duke is going to be easier said than done for James Madison. But attacking the basket and making Filipowski remain active on the defensive end is going to be crucial for the Dukes on Sunday.

One player who can do damage in the paint is T.J. Bickerstaff (13.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG). Bickerstaff posted 12 points and 9 boards in the double-digit victory versus Wisconsin while staying out of foul trouble.

Avoiding fouls is going to be key for Bickerstaff, who has achieved 11-plus points in 24 of his 35 appearances this season. In four of the games where Bickerstaff fell short of scoring 11-plus points, he had four or five personal fouls.

With James Madison looking to hang around -- and potentially pull off another upset -- Bickerstaff needs to remain effective on the offensive end of the floor against Duke.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.