Duke vs. Arkansas Prediction: Can Khalif Battle, Razorbacks Keep it Close with Duke?
The Arkansas Basketball team will try to bounce back when they host the high-powered Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday night. Can Khalif Battle and the Hogs keep it close with Kyle Filipowski and the Blue Devils? Ben Rajavuori breaks down the SEC/ACC challenge matchup between Duke and Arkansas.
Ben Rajavuori - November 29, 2023, 5:22 PM EST
5 minDuke vs. Arkansas Prediction: Can Khalif Battle, Razorbacks Keep it Close with Duke?
The Arkansas Razorbacks (4-3) host the Duke Blue Devils (5-1) in Bud Walton Arena tonight with tipoff at 8:15 p.m. CT. Arkansas is coming off back-to-back losses after a 4-1 start to their season, while Duke is coming off four-straight wins following an early season loss to Arizona. Duke is a modest 4.5-point favorite for tonight's game on the road. Can Arkansas keep it close or even win outright?
Duke vs. Arkansas Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: November 29, 2023
- Game Time: 9:15 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Duke vs. Arkansas Odds
- Spread: Duke -4.5 (-110), Arkansas +4.5 (-115)
- Total Odds: O/U 149.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Duke (-195), Arkansas (+160)
Duke vs. Arkansas Prediction
Arkansas' loss to UNC got even worse when Houston transfer Tramon Mark took a nasty fall and had to be stretchered off with a back injury. Mark was one of the biggest transfers for the program this year and was averaging 18.4 points per game. His injury status has not been updated yet, but it's looking like he won't play against Duke. While that could be bad, I don't think it's impacting the team like the line reflects. Eric Musselman has a deep team in Fayetteville and others can fill in in his place.
Speaking of Eric Musselman...what a job he has done in Fayetteville. Musselman has been there for four seasons, and for the past three years, the Razorbacks have two Elite Eight appearances and a Sweet Sixteen appearance. The only year they didn't make it was his first year there. Last year, Arkansas had a very young team that also had two stars injured for most of the season in Nick Smith and Trevon Brazile. This year, while Smith is gone, Brazile is back and healthy, which is massive with the injury to Mark.
While Arkansas lost Anthony Black, Nick Smith, and Ricky Council, they acquired several pieces of seasoned veterans in the portal, like Khalif Battle, Tramon Mark, Keyon Menifield, El Ellis, and Denijay Harris. They were busy in the portal this offseason, and I like Musselman's experienced crew this year as opposed to last year's squad, even if last year's team looked more athletically talented on paper. The one thing Arkansas has in this game that will be very important against Duke is a solid size matchup.
The 7'0" center, Kyle Filipowski, is one of the best players in the nation, and he is a difference-maker for Duke. However, Arkansas has the 6'10" Trevon Brazile and 6'10" Makhi Mitchell to match up with Filipowski down low. Musselman has also coached good defense, and Mitchell is an excellent defender. I expect him to be matched up with Filipowski for most of the game, forcing other players to score for Duke.
Arkansas is a very physical team that plays tight defense and crashes the boards. They also get to the line a lot and can get players into foul trouble. This is what Musselman coaches so well, and he has the veteran upperclassmen players to make it far in the SEC once again this year. Arkansas is coming off two back-to-back losses in the battle for Atlantis tournament, but they are back home in Bud Walton Arena tonight. This is also the first true road game for Duke, who has been beating up on a lot of mid-to-low-tier D1 teams to get to 5-1. Arkansas is not getting the credit they deserve with this line, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won outright here.
Duke vs. Arkansas Pick
Pick: ARK +4.5 (-105) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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