The Elite 8 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament gets underway on Saturday. After an entertaining Sweet 16 round of men’s college basketball action, let’s run it back with two more matchups on deck today. It’s time to dive into one of Saturday’s Elite 8 games with our Alabama vs. Duke predictions below. 

No. 1 seed Duke takes on No. 2 seed Alabama in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament East region bracket tonight. Let’s break down the top stats, players, storylines, and betting odds to know before the game gets underway. Check out our Alabama vs. Duke picks. 

 

 

 

Alabama vs. Duke Predictions for March Madness Elite 8, 3/29

Saturday’s March Madness Elite 8 game between Alabama and Duke sets up to be a high-scoring and entertaining matchup. The top two seeds in the East region of the NCAA Tournament are two of the best teams remaining in the field. 

Let’s now get into the top Alabama vs. Duke predictions for tonight’s NCAA Tournament Elite 8 showdown.

 

 

 

Alabama Crimson Tide: Three-Point History in Sweet 16 

If you didn’t watch Alabama’s Sweet 16 victory over BYU, you missed out on history. The Crimson Tide set an NCAA Tournament single-game record with 25 made three-pointers en route to a 113-88 win. Mark Sears led the way with 34 points and 10 three-pointers of his own. 

It was truly an offensive clinic for an Alabama team that’s now won all three of its March Madness games by double digits. No. 6 seed BYU was a popular upset pick, but the Crimson Tide silenced the doubters. They now have a chance to reach a second straight Final Four after doing so last year.

Alabama’s high-powered offense is nothing new. The Tide lead the country in scoring (91.4 PPG) and play at the fastest pace in the sport. They regularly force teams to match their offensive output and it’s working thus far. 

 

 

 

Duke Blue Devils: National Title Favorites Are Rolling 

Duke entered the NCAA Tournament as the betting favorite to win the national championship and still claims that honor heading into tonight’s game. The Blue Devils handled No. 4 seed Arizona in the Sweet 16 with a 100-93 victory. That followed a 23-point win over No. 9 seed Baylor in the Round of 32. 

The Blue Devils are now 34-3 on the season and look like the best team in college basketball. National Player of the Year favorite Cooper Flagg was sensational in Friday’s win over Arizona. The projected No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft put up 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three blocks to anchor Duke.

According to KenPom, Duke boasts the top-rated offensive efficiency and fifth-best defensive efficiency in college hoops this year. In addition to Flagg, the Blue Devils are loaded with talent. Freshmen Kon Knueppel are Khaman Maluach are both presumed NBA lottery picks and Tyrese Proctor has played himself into that conversation as well. 

 

 

 

How To Watch Elite 8 of March Madness 2025

Saturday’s March Madness Elite 8 game between Alabama and Duke is scheduled to tip off at 8:49 pm ET. You can watch it on TBS or truTV and stream it on the March Madness Live app. 

The Alabama vs. Duke matchup is one of two NCAA Tournament games on Saturday. Here’s the upcoming schedule with TV listings for tonight’s Elite 8 action: 

  • 6:09 pm ET – No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 1 Florida – TBS/truTV
  • 8:49 pm ET – No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 1 Duke – TBS/truTV

Let’s now dive into Alabama vs. Duke picks, odds, and predictions.

 

 

 

Alabama vs. Duke Odds, Spreads, Odds, Total & Betting Lines

Before we get to our Alabama vs. Duke predictions, check out the betting lines on FanDuel Sportsbook. As of this writing, here are the Kentucky vs. Tennessee odds for tonight’s March Madness Elite 8 showdown: 

  • Alabama Crimson Tide (+220) vs. Duke Blue Devils (-275)
    • Spread: Alabama +6.5 (-105) vs. Duke -6.5 (-115)
    • Game Total: Over 172.5 (-115) vs. Under 172.5 (-105)

 

 

 

Alabama vs. Duke Pick: Blue Devils -6.5 (-115 on FanDuel Sportsbook)

This Elite 8 matchup between Duke and Alabama will be must-see TV on Saturday night. As tempting as it may be to take the Crimson Tide against the spread as underdogs, we’re going the other way. Our top Alabama vs. Duke predictions focus on backing the Blue Devils to cover as 6.5-point favorites (-115 on FanDuel Sportsbook). 

As impressive as Alabama’s offensive outburst was in the Sweet 16, Duke will be up for the challenge in this matchup. The Crimson Tide just shot a lights-out 49% from beyond the arc with those 25 made three-pointers on 51 attempts. The hot perimeter scoring is bound to regress against Duke’s elite defense. 

Duke’s defense is notably better than BYU’s this season. The Blue Devils held opponents to 31.0% from three-point range and rank first overall in effective field-goal percentage allowed (per KenPom). Duke boasts size, length, and athleticism at every position to defend the perimeter well. It’ll force more contested threes and run Alabama off the line at a rate much higher than BYU did. 

We also just saw Duke withstand an impressive offensive performance from Arizona in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats scored 93 points, shot 46.2% from three, and even got 35 points from Caleb Love. Yet, it still wasn’t enough as the Blue Devils were in control all night – even if things got close in the second half. Plus, they dealt with foul trouble to multiple players. 

Arizona profiles as a similar opponent to Alabama. Both teams have prolific offenses and play fast while also having defensive lapses. On that note, Duke looked unstoppable on offense for much of the game. It shot 61.1% from two-point range and 57.9% from three. 

Duke is simply the better and more complete team on both sides of the ball. Alabama can make this a higher-scoring game, but Duke just proved it can win comfortably in shootouts. Plus, Bama’s defense hasn’t faced an offense as good as the Blue Devils’ since they lost by 22 points to Florida in the SEC Tournament. 

Take Duke to cover the 6.5-point spread (-115 on FanDuel Sportsbook) for our Alabama vs. Duke predictions. The Blue Devils will take care of business in a comfortable fashion en route to a Final Four berth. 
 

 

 

Alabama vs. Duke Injury Report & Starting Lineups

Alabama Crimson Tide Injury Report

  • Latrell Wrightsell (G) – Out

Alabama Crimson Tide Expected Starters

  • Mark Sears (G) – 19.0 PPG, 5.1 APG
  • Grant Nelson (F) – 11.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG
  • Labaron Philon (G) – 10.4 PPG, 3.8 APG
  • Chris Youngblood (G) – 10.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG
  • Clifford Omoruyi (F) – 8.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG

Duke Blue Devils Injury Report

  • Maliq Brown (F) – Probable

Duke Blue Devils Expected Starters

  • Cooper Flagg (F) – 19.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG
  • Kon Knueppel (G) – 14.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG
  • Tyrese Proctor (G) – 12.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG
  • Sion James (G) – 8.6 PPG, 3.1 APG
  • Khaman Maluach (F) – 8.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG

 

 

 

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