After some easy first- and second-round match-ups, the Duke Blue Devils finally face an opponent who should challenge them in the Purdue Boilermakers in Friday, March 26, 2010 Sweet 16 betting action.
The Blue Devils are 8-point March Madness odds favorites and the over/under is 129.
The Duke Blue Devils used stifling defense to roll over their opponents in California.
They beat the California Golden Bears in their own backyard 68-53.
7-foot-1 center, Brian Zoubek had 14 points and 13 boards while dominating the under-sized Golden Bears.
Nolan Smith led the team with 20 points and the whole team was stellar on the defensive end of the court hounding California’s shooters and not letting them have uncontested shots.
Duke had a disappointing game from Jon Scheyer who went 1 of 11 from the field. They will need him to contribute at his normal level if they’re going to get by Purdue.
The Purdue Boilermakers are a good team that has earned their spot in the Sweet 16 with different players stepping up in the first two rounds.
JaJuan Johnson had an unlikely 23 points in their First Round 72-64 victory over Siena and defensive specialist Chris Kramer scored the game-winner in OT against the Texas A&M Aggies.
Both of these teams play strong defensive games, but the Blue Devils definitely have an advantage in the talent department. Purdue will have to be that much more stifling to take down Duke and get in to the Elite Eight.
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