James Madison vs. Duke Prediction, Best Bet & Odds for Round 2

Mike Spector

Last Updated: March 24, 2024 3:34 PM EDT • 2 min 40 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

James Madison aims to continue its Cinderella run Sunday against one of college basketball’s blue bloods in Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and we're offering our top James Madison-Duke prediction and best bet based on the best March Madness odds.

Following their surprising victory over Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 12 seed James Madison Dukes (32-3) are aiming to continue their momentum against the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils (25-8) in the second-round matchup. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:15 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and will be broadcasted on CBS.

We like the the Dukes to pull off the upset and extend their Cinderella run another week, and their moneyline at our best sportsbooks is an intriguing play ahead of Sunday.

As part of our March Madness predictions, here is our best James Madison vs. Duke prediction and college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

James Madison vs. Duke odds

James Madison (No. 12) vs. Duke (No. 4) prediction: South Region

James Madison ML ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +240 via bet365, BetMGM

James Madison cashed plenty of winning wagers for the public on Friday. The Dukes were the most bet spread team at DraftKings, and the most popular underdog moneyline play at BetMGM, according to sports betting analyst Ben Fawkes. James Madison proved its backers correct after holding Wisconsin to 0.84 points per possession, with the team notching a comfortable 11-point win despite shooting 41.1% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range.

JMU attempted seven more free throws than Wisconsin while forcing the Badgers into 19 turnovers. Duke turns the ball over 14.4% of the time (31st-best in the country), and despite committing 16 turnovers combined in consecutive losses to North Carolina and NC State entering the tournament, the Blue Devils shot 32.6% from 3-point range in those defeats.

James Madison defends the 3-point line at the second-highest rate in the country (28.8% allowed). The team's disruptive hands in the passing lanes and ability to force Duke into an off night shooting are recipes to pull off a second straight upset.

bet365 and BetMGM offer the best value at +240 odds for Dukes backers, while Caesars is on the low end at +215.

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James Madison vs. Duke spread & Over/Under analysis

Our best sports betting sites are split between point spreads of Duke -6.5 and -7. BetMGM was alone while opening with Duke at -7.5 before seemingly being inundated with early Dukes money, and then the line plummeted to -6.5. The only other line movement to this point is DraftKings lowering a half point from -7 to -6.5. Duke is 19-14 against the spread, while James Madison has covered in 20 of its 34 games.

All of our best live betting sites are in unison with a total of 148.5, while BetRivers is the only shop that differs slightly at 149. There's been no line movement anywhere to this point, though DraftKings did raise its juice from -110 to -112 to back the Under. The Under has cashed in five of Duke’s last six games, while the Over is 5-2 in James Madison’s last seven.

James Madison vs. Duke game info

When: Sunday, March 24
Tipoff: 5:15 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
How to watch: CBS

James Madison-Duke prediction made 3/23/24 at 8:36 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”