2 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Baylor vs. Duke

The 1 seed's second-round game can be a perilous spot, so we'll see if the pre-tournament favorite to win it all can survive theirs.

Coming off a stomping of the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers, the Duke Blue Devils are now positioned to match up with the Baylor Bears, who dispatched the Mississippi State Bulldogs by a possession in a game that lived up to its spread.

To no one's surprise, the Blue Devils are double-digit-point favorites in Raleigh:

To see thoughts on other games, check out our full men's college basketball tournament predictions page. But for Baylor vs. Duke, here are my favorite bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball betting odds.

Betting Picks for Baylor vs. Duke

Duke Over 78.5 Points (-112)

A sloppy effort by Mississippi State helped Baylor hide their relative defensive disadvantages in the first round. 12 turnovers and 19 fouls went further in that regard than allowing State to shoot 51.7% from the floor.

Against a team as powerful and might as Duke, those problems could get even worse. The Blue Devils have now met or topped 82 points in five straight games with Cooper Flagg in the mix and average 82.7 points per game this season. Notably, three of those five recent foes were outside the top 160 in adjusted pace, per Bart Torvik.

Tempo is an interesting factor here. Most will likely shy away from the Bears' 315th-ranked adjusted mark, which definitely isn't good for this team total. But, Baylor ranks just 103rd in avoiding turnovers, which should also help the Blue Devils get a few easy looks in transition. Baylor also played to a 67.7 adjusted tempo against Mississippi State, which would have ranked an improved 167th extrapolated to the whole season.

The school from Waco is also the 11th-worst team at defending the three left in the tournament, allowing 41.3 attempts per game. Duke is the third-best team left in three-point percentage (37.7%).

I think this game total is an overreaction to Baylor's low tempo and Duke's brutal individual defense, but the Bears just aren't a particularly restrictive group in a vacuum for a team as good as the Blue Devils.

Tyrese Proctor 3+ Threes Made (+108)

Duke's prolific pair of shooters in the backcourt, Tyrese Proctor and Kon Knueppel, are one of the reasons why they could light up the scoreboard.

Baylor allows the 14th-most three-point attempts in Division I to guards specifically, which is why both are short plus money to can at least three triples. Knueppel's recent cold stretch (6-for-20 in his last five) just makes it hard to buy in given the same neutral venue as Friday.

Proctor had no issues with the venue, splashing six triples in just 24 minutes. He's now taken at least eight threes and canned at least six in consecutive win-or-go-home games, and expect his minutes in the 30s if Baylor can hang remotely tight.

Though this feels a bit like buying high on recent efforts, Proctor's 5.9 attempts from downtown per game lead the team this season. He's the guy in elite three-point matchups -- like this one.

You can also download our FREE college basketball printable bracket.

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Which bets stand out to you for today's games? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest men's college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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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.