The TCU Horned Frogs get their shot at the top when they take on the No. 1 overall seed Duke with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line.
TCU blew a big lead against Ohio State in the first round but pulled that game out and have now won seven of its last eight. It will need all the momentum it can muster against Duke, which closed the year No. 1 in every poll and earned the top seed in the bracket.
Duke is obviously a heavy favorite in this battle to reach the Sweet 16.
TCU men’s basketball vs. Duke in March Madness today
The No. 9 TCU men’s basketball team takes on No. 1 Duke in a second-round NCAA tournament game in Greenville, S.C. The 3:15 p.m. MT/4:15 p.m. tip on Saturday, March 21, will air on CBS.
How to watch TCU vs. Duke in the NCAA tournament
The TCU vs. Duke game will be at 3:15 p.m. MT/4:15 p.m. on CBS on Saturday, March 21.
More: Predicting every Men’s NCAA tournament game using AI
Who does the winner of TCU-Duke play?
The winner of the No. 9 TCU vs. No. 1 Duke advances to the Sweet 16 East Region semifinals in Washington, D.C., where it will play the winner of No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 5 St. John’s.
TCU men’s basketball record
The TCU Horned Frogs are 23-11.
Duke men’s basketball record
The Duke Blue Devils are 33-2.
TCU Horned Frogs vs. Duke Blue Devils odds
Odds from BetMGM.com: Duke -11 1/2. Moneyline: Duke -700, TCU +500. Over/under 139 1/2.
TCU Horned Frogs men’s basketball vs. Duke Blue Devils predictions, picks
The Arizona Republic: Duke 74, TCU 67
Jeremy Cluff writes: “The scare against Siena will prove to be a wake-up call for the Blue Devils, who now know they can’t take any opponent lightly, especially a TCU team that could make things interesting against Duke.”
Dimers: Duke 77, TCU 65
It writes: “After extensive simulations, our model gives TCU a win probability of 12%, while Duke has a win probability of 88%.”
ESPN: Duke has a 91.1% chance to beat TCU
The site gives the Horned Frogs an 8.9% shot at defeating the Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament March Madness second-round game.
Bookies.com: Bet TCU with the points vs Duke
Bill Speros writes: “Duke survived a scare thanks to Siena in the first round. The Devils won 71-65 but Sienna scored an easy cover at +28.5. Duke comes in at 33-2 and has won 13 straight, TCU slipped past Ohio State Thursday. But TCU on the cover at -3.5 after blowing a 15-point halftime lead. TCU’s defense got some nifty game film on how to keep Duke in check. But it needs to play a full 40 to keep this close. Any letdown here and this one’s a blowout. The path is clear for the Horned Frogs — attack inside and defend the rim against Boozer & Co. But this number is too high. Duke may take everyone’s money until it wins the whole thing.”
vsin: TCU could upset Duke in March Madness
Zachary Cohen writes: “TCU is just going to have to prove that it can score efficiently enough to really make Duke sweat. The Horned Frogs might have good defensive numbers, but they’re simply average offensively. However, the team is 11-5 both straight-up and against the spread in postseason games under Jamie Dixon, so the veteran coach tends to find a way in key games. TCU’s three-headed monster at forward, which includes David Punch, Xavier Edmonds, and Micah Robinson, should also find some success in this game. That said, if somebody like Jayden Pierre or Liutauras Lelevicius can step things up on the perimeter, the Horned Frogs might be able to pull this off.”
covers.com: Take TCU with the points against Duke
57% of pickers are backing the Horned Frogs with the points against the Blue Devils.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: TCU vs Duke March Madness prediction, picks odds to reach Sweet 16