Duke vs. Oral Roberts: Underdog Fantasy player over/under picks
Duke vs. Oral Roberts is one of the most anticipated games of Day 1 at the NCAA Tournament.
Duke is entering this game as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament last week and have won 9 games in a row entering this matchup with Oral Roberts.
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles went undefeated in conference play this season and have multiple holdovers from their 2021 Sweet 16 appearance.
Over at Underdog, there are ways to get in on the action by making fantasy picks for player over/under stats in this game.
What is Underdog and why should ACC fans care?
Underdog Fantasy is a daily fantasy platform backed by investors such as Mark Cuban, Kevin Durant and Adam Schefter, among others. Find out more about the platform here.
Through Underdog’s “Pick’em” contests, you can bundle a few selections of player prop picks similar to what you find at online sportsbooks, and you can put real money against these picks.
Underdog Fantasy is available in 41 states across the US, so a lot of those ACC states where sports betting is not yet legal? You can do Underdog Fantasy picks for real money, as we’re outlining here.
Underdog Fantasy is not available in the following states: CT, DE, HI, ID, IA, LA, MI, MT, NV.
Underdog is available in these states, but Pick’em contests as we outline here are not available: AZ, CO, MD, MO, NH, NJ, OH, PA, TN, WA, WV.
If you want to get started, Underdog will match your first deposit up to $100 by clicking here or using promo code SOUTH.
My picks for Duke-Oral Roberts
Max Abmas is the name to know for this game. Many fans will remember him for his performance in leading Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 back in 2021. He’s back again with an ORU team that’s loaded — the Golden Eagles went 18-0 in Summit League play this year. However, Abams hasn’t seen a defense like Duke’s this season. The Blue Devils are long, quick, tall and athletic across the board. Dereck Lively and Kyle Filipowski will be patrolling the rim while Tyrese Proctor is quick enough to give Abmas issues on the perimeter. His point total for this game is 21.5 — just a shade below his season average. Duke should be selling out to stop Abmas, and I think they will. Take the “lower” option on Abmas’s 21.5 points total.
Another player fans may remember from ORU’s 2021 run is forward Carlos Jurgens. He’s back again as a 5th year senior and one of the leaders on this Golden Eagles roster. With all of Duke’s attention presumably going to Abmas (and Connor Vanover and Isaac McBride), there’s going to be room for someone like Jurgens to have a bigger role in the offense. His total is 8.5 points, which is actually below his season average of 9.2 points per game. Two years ago, Jurgens went over 8.5 points in 2 of ORU’s 3 NCAA Tournament games. Take the “higher” option for Jurgens’ 8.5 points total.
For Duke, it’s hard to know where the Blue Devils will focus their offense in this game. But coming off of several days’ rest, freshman Dariq Whitehead seems like a good bet. His total is 6.5 points for this game. Since returning from injury on Feb. 11, Whitehead is averaging 7.6 points per game and is hitting a staggering 48.4% of his 3-point attempts. He’s likely to get plenty of spot-up opportunities in this game and should have an athleticism advantage in the half-court as well. Unless he has an off-night from long range, the “higher” option on Whitehead’s 6.5 points total seems reasonably safe.
How many picks should you make?
The more picks you string together, the higher the “multiplier” or payout. Of course, the more you string together, the less likely you are to win because all of the picks have to hit in order for you to win.
A 3-way parlay of the picks I listed above would pay out $60 on a $10 bet:
If you’re feeling even bolder, you could pick Jeremy Roach over 13.5 points. Roach could have a big night considering the size advantage between him and Abmas. Adding a fourth pick would improve the potential payout to 10x.
Get started on Underdog by clicking here and make your picks for Thursday’s Duke-Oral Roberts game or other CFB, CBB, NFL and NBA games. Using this link means Underdog will match your deposit up to $100. If you deposit $25, you’ll get an extra $25 to start playing right away.
