Baylor vs Duke 2010 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight Odds, Predictions & Picks: Despite all the speculation and doubt, the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils [-5] have advanced to the 2010 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight as they’ll take on sports betting odds underdog (3) Baylor Bears [+5]. This terrific matchup is scheduled to get underway at 5:05 PM ET from Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX, live on CBS Sports. Baylor is coming off a very impressive win over the Cinderella St. Mary’s Gaels, 72-49 in the Regional Semifinals.
LaceDarius Dunn led the way for the Bears with 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting, collected 2 rebounds and dished out 3 dimes. This team has certainly come a long way under the supervision of Scott Drew and is now just one win away from the school’s first National Semifinals since 1950.
“The first thing with that comes consistency,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. “Our third straight 20-win season, our third straight postseason, last year having postseason success … those are all building blocks and things that have put us in motion to becoming one of those talked-about programs and one of those programs people consider one of the top in the nation.”
For Duke, this team was finally able to get further than the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 6 years. But the Blue Devils are far from satisfied, as they’ll face a very dangerous opponent in Baylor tonight. Legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski isn’t taking anything for granted at this point in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
“When anyone takes over any program you have to figure out, what is your niche? Where do you fit in in the grand scheme of things? Not try to be like somebody that is not in your niche, but to fully develop your own identity,” said Coach K. “He’s done a really good job of figuring that out at Baylor, and they’re very good. … They could win the whole thing. They’re that talented.”
