Arkansas is coming off an impressive and commanding win over the pre-tournament favorite Gonzaga Bulldogs, who entered March Madness as the overall No. 1 ranked team in the country. They’ll carry that momentum into a matchup against Duke, who many wrote off heading into the Big Dance after some surprising losses.
Elite Eight: No. 2. Duke vs. No. 4. Arkansas
How to watch
Gametime: 8:49pm EST
TV: TBS
Live Stream: CBS Sports App, fuboTV, Sling, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV
Duke head coach Mike Kryzewski looks on during a. March Madness game. Getty ImagesDuke (-3.5) over Arkansas
The majority of Mike Krzyzewski’s five national championships — the second-most all-time — were captured when the Blue Devils weren’t expected to win it all. Undefeated juggernauts joined Duke at the Final Four in 1991 (UNLV) and 2015 (Kentucky). In 2010, Krzyzewski’s least-talented title team was overshadowed by the other three No. 1-seeds. When this year’s bracket was unveiled, Duke was tied for the sixth-best odds to win the national title. Now, it is the co-favorite, in position to send its coach out on top like John Wooden, whose unexpected 10th title run featured numerous close-calls, like these Blue Devils.
After back-to-back hard fought wins in the final minutes, Duke’s inexperienced roster has demonstrated a level of character and clutch play that was justifiably questioned a week ago. As Paolo Banchero strengthened his case to be the next No. 1-overall pick and Mark Williams made his presence felt in both paints, Duke shot nearly 52 percent against the best defense in the nation (Texas Tech) and will continue to utilize its patience and size advantage against an overmatched Razorbacks defense, which most recently benefited from Gonzaga’s rare off-shooting night. Of course Krzyzewski will reach his record-setting 13th Final Four. How could we be surprised at this point?





