Krzyzewski’s troops eye 3-0 start
After suffering an overtime defeat at the hands of Indiana last Friday, will Kansas fare any better against the top-ranked team in the country?
The No. 3 Jayhawks take on Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils tonight, with a 9:30 p.m. ET tip at Madison Square Garden. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives Duke odds of -140 to come out ahead. Conversely, Bill Self’s bunch represents a +120 underdog.
KU wasted arguably the best performance of Frank Mason’s career during its season opener in Honolulu. While the senior guard had 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, his teammates’ inability to run the Hoosiers off the 3-point line proved devastating. IU finished 15 of 31 from beyond the arc, sending the Jayhawks to a 103-99 loss.
Unfortunately for Self, the Blue Devils boast even deadlier perimeter threats. Junior Grayson Allen is coming off a double-double against Grand Canyon. Luke Kennard (14 points) and Amile Jefferson (seven boards and three steals) also acquitted themselves well in that 96-81 triumph over the Antelopes.
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Duke’s current dearth of post players, however, could be exploited this evening. None of Krzyzewski’s prized freshmen bigs – Harry Giles (knee), Jayson Tatum (foot) and Marques Bolden (lower leg) – are expected to suit up here. Therefore, we’ll gravitate toward Mason & Co. to perform an immediate about-face.
TUESDAY NCAA FREE PICK: KANSAS/DUKE UNDER 168 POINTS