This Saturday they’ll look to prove that they’re back there to stay with a victory over ACC rival Maryland. Can the nation’s top team live up to its college basketball odds?
Led by the scoring duo of Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry, the Blue Devils have emerged as the team to beat in the NCAA. They’re one of a few elite programs earmarked at the top of the March Madness futures, however, Duke has high expectations to live up to.
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Such expectations could be put to the test against a modest Maryland Terrapins team that’s experienced an up and down 2012-13 campaign thus far. While they kicked their season off with a narrow loss to once-esteemed Kentucky and then a 13-game win streak, the Terrapins have slipped up of late, dropping three of their last four.
That lone win, though, it’s worth noting, came against the same North Carolina State team that knocked off Duke just four days prior.
Although nobody’s lining up to label Maryland anything but underdogs against Duke when the two teams collide on the college basketball line on Saturday, it’s important not to overlook the threat that the unranked Terrapins pose.
While Duke’s success has been well-documented this season, their slip up against North Carolina State last week reminded fans that they’re not infallible. Although they may have some of the best odds of winning March Madness, their success is far from guaranteed.
It’s worth noting before the Saturday clash then, that four days after the Blue Devils fell to North Carolina State, the Terrapins managed to take down the Huskies with a win. Does that mean that Duke and Maryland are more evenly matched than oddsmakers are giving them credit for?
