The Atlantic 10 Tournament champion and 11th-seeded Duquesne Dukes make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977 when they face the sixth-seeded BYU Cougars in a first-round East Regional matchup on Thursday afternoon. Duquesne (24-11), who placed sixth in the A-10 at 10-8, have won eight in a row, including a 57-51 win over VCU in Sunday’s Atlantic 10 championship game. The Cougars (23-10), who tied with Kansas for fifth-place in the Big 12, reached the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals where they were beaten by Texas Tech 81-67. BYU is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021.
Tipoff from the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., is set for 12:40 p.m. ET. Duquesne leads the all-time series 2-0, but the teams have not met since Dec. 28, 1953. The Cougars are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Duquesne vs. BYU odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 141.5. Before making any BYU vs. Duquesne picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Duquesne vs. BYU. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for BYU vs. Duquesne:
- Duquesne vs. BYU spread: BYU -9.5
- Duquesne vs. BYU over/under: 141.5 points
- Duquesne vs. BYU money line: Duquesne +353, BYU -460
- DUQ: The Dukes are 18-16 against the spread this season
- BYU: The Cougars are 6-4 ATS over the past 10 games
- Duquesne vs. BYU picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why BYU can cover
The Cougars have four players who are averaging 10 or more points per game, led by senior guard Jaxson Robinson, who primarily comes off the bench. In 32 games, including six starts, he is averaging 13.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.3 minutes. He is in his second season with BYU, after playing his freshman season at Texas A&M and his sophomore year at Arkansas. He is coming off an 18-point and five-rebound effort in the quarterfinal loss to Texas Tech on Thursday.
Also helping power the Cougars is junior forward Fousseyni Traore. He has reached double-figure scoring in four of his last five games, including a 21-point performance in an 87-75 win over TCU on March 2. He registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in an 87-73 win over Central Florida in last Wednesday’s Big 12 Tournament second-round matchup. In 25 games, including eight starts, he is averaging 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 18.1 minutes. See which team to pick at SportsLine.
Why Duquesne can cover
The Dukes have been led by senior guard Dae Dae Grant. The fifth-year player in his second season at Duquesne, has played in 32 games, including 30 starts, and is averaging 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal in 32.8 minutes. He has reached double-digit scoring in each of the last four games, including a 27-point performance in a 70-60 win over St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 semifinals. In the league’s title game, he scored 10 points and added four steals and two assists. He is connecting on 93.9% of his free throws.
Senior guard Jimmy Clark also provides some scoring punch for Duquesne. He has scored in double figures in four of the past five games, including 20 or more in two of those. In a 67-65 win over George Washington on March 9, he scored 22 points, while adding three assists and two rebounds. He had 20 points, four assists and four rebounds in an 83-73 win over Saint Louis on March 13 in the second round of the A-10 Tournament. In 35 games, all starts, he is averaging 15.1 points, 3.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals in 31.1 minutes. See which team to pick at SportsLine.
How to make Duquesne vs. BYU picks
The model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 147 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins BYU vs. Duquesne, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that is 29-19 on top-rated college basketball spread picks this season.